Off The Shelf - 'Molly on the Range' by Molly Yeh

Kath July 31, 2019

Bought from: Booktopia. I preordered this one, as I had met Molly at a Local is Lovely Workshop in 2016 (not too long before the book was due to be released), and knew it would be a good addition to my cookbook shelf!

Recipes Made: Shakshuka Couscous p.25-27, Quinoa Carbonara p.110, Pistachio Loaf Cake p.220-21 and Brown Sugar Cookies p.229-30

For the Shakshuka Couscous I didn’t follow the recipe to the letter, but it gave me (along with seeing Molly make shakshuka at the Local is Lovely Workshop) the idea to add quinoa to shakshuka. I cooked the quinoa separately, and added it in before I added the eggs. It was great, and exactly what I wanted as at the time I wanted to take the leftovers to work for lunch the next day, and the criteria for leftovers for work lunches are that it needs to be tasty and something I will look forward to eating, and also something that is filling enough (no one likes being hungry at work do they?!). This recipe ticked both of those boxes, and I am happy to report that even the egg from the shakshuka was really nice reheated the next day!

Continuing with the quinoa theme, I decided to try the Quinoa Carbonara recipe. Again wanting leftovers for work lunch the next day, I made it and felt the flavour left me a little disappointed. It wasn’t as tasty as I had hoped, but took it for lunch the next day anyway. Well, that extra time seemed to do something as it was significantly more tasty the next day! So I can highly recommend this one to make ahead!

The Pistachio Loaf Cake is definitely my favourite recipe from the whole book! I have never tried the cake Molly is recreating in this recipe, but I feel I probably don’t have to as this one is so good. I wrote a blog post a while back about this cake, and I have continued to make it since. I have also made it with a rosewater icing and decorated with freeze dried raspberries which was also realllllyyy nice.

Brown Sugar Cookies (aka Chocolate Chip Cookies without the Chocolate Chips) - I definitely feel Molly on this recipe! I was always the kid who wanted a Chocolate chip cookie without the chocolate chips (thanks Mum for obliging on this for so many years!). I now know I can’t eat chocolate, but even as a kid I just didn’t really like it that much (controversial!!!). At friends birthday parties we would play that game where you had to cut the block of chocolate with a plastic knife and eat it (there was some time pressure to this whole thing but I really can’t remember the whole premise of the game now!), and I would always get another friend to eat the chocolate while I frantically tried to cut bits of a chocolate bar with a pathetic plastic knife. Same goes for cookies, I always appreciated them sans chocolate chips, or maybe with white chocolate.

When I made Molly’s recipe I didn’t refrigerate the dough - mostly because as far as I was concerned baking cookies should be a fairly instantly gratifying process and leaving the dough to rest for at least a day was just to much to handle. I probably would have had a better cookie if I had done so, but the instant gratification of a warm cookie was too hard to pass up.

Favourite Things About the Book: The variety of recipes, and their uniqueness to Molly! Molly has such great and diverse recipes that really are a reflection of her Chinese and Jewish heritage and her life on the farm in the Upper Mid West of America. You really won’t find some of these recipes in other cookbooks, and it makes owning this book all the more special.

I really like the snippets of Molly’s life and context around certain recipes or chapters as well. Through reading and cooking through this book, you really get to know Molly, how these recipes came about and why her style of cooking is so unique to her. Molly’s fun and bright personality shines through in her writing and recipes, and it’s like having a friend there with you in the kitchen.

Bookmarked Recipes (to make later!): Mum’s Matzo Brei p.13, Smoky Bacon Mac and Cheese p.99, Pizza Dough p.120, Cardamom Cupcakes with Lingonberry Filling and Cream Cheese Frosting p.262-3, Party Trick Peanut Butter Cake (thinking I could use another type of nut butter for this one!) and Funfetti Cake p.271-3.

Bergamot Marshmallows + A New eBook!

Kath July 26, 2019

To celebrate the release of my second eBook, Cosy Winter Bakes, I decided to share another seasonal Winter recipe that I love to make.

I think I have mentioned before that I have always loved marshmallows. So many flavour combinations are possible. And when our bergamot tree is fruiting I am always trying to think of something different to make with them. I love making the same cakes and biscuits with our bergamot each year as I look forward to their season so much, however this year after making the Bergamot Loukoumia from Georgina Hayden’s book Taverna, I thought I would have another go at using bergamot in confectionary.

I was pleasantly surprised that the bergamot flavour in the marshmallows worked, for some reason I wasn’t 100% sure it would. The flavour actually gets better a couple of days after the marshmallows have been made and cut.

These marshmallows are super fluffy, and end up being very white in colour as bergamot juice does not have a really strong colour and all homemade marshmallows turn quite opaque as they are whipping anyway. You could add some yellow or green food colouring as the marshmallow is whipping, but I personally prefer to avoid using artificial colours as much as possible in my baking.

I took a few of these, along with some of the passionfruit marshmallows that are in my eBook, to work and I was quite surprised that my colleagues tried the bergamot ones and liked them. Bergamot is quite an unknown citrus, but that didn’t stop everyone trying them! I was super happy about this as not only is bergamot such a delicious flavour if you are willing to give it a go, but each marshmallow recipe makes quite a few marshmallows and with two batches at home I really needed to give some away!

Also, if anyone knows were to easily buy beef gelatin in Sydney (or online), please let me know! These marshmallows are not suitable for anyone who keeps kosher or halal and I would love to make sure they are in future!

For more seasonal cakes, confectionary and cookies check out my new eBook Cosy Winter Bakes!

BUY EBOOK!

Bergamot Marshmallows (Gluten + Dairy + Egg Free)

Ingredients:

275g fresh bergamot juice

50g gelatine powder

115ml water

820g white/granulated sugar

320g glucose

50g potato flour/starch

50g icing sugar (pure or confectioners)

cooking spray

Method:

Spray a slice tin or lamington tray (at least 30x20cm) with the cooking spray and set aside.

In the bowl of a stand mixer, briefly mix together the bergamot juice and the gelatine powder. Leave for now, ensuring the whisk attachment is fitted and everything is ready to go once your sugar syrup is ready.

In a medium/large saucepan place the water, then the sugar, then the glucose. Place over high heat and cook until the syrup reaches 120 degrees Celsius on a candy thermometer.

With the mixer on low, gradually pour the sugar syrup into the bergamot mix. Whisk on medium speed for about 3 minutes, until the mixture turns a more opaque colour. The mixture will also start to thicken. Then increase mixer to high speed for about 8 minutes, until the marshmallow has tripled in volume and has thickened.

Pour marshmallow into the prepared tray, tapping it down on the bench to remove any air bubbles and to ensure it is sitting in the tray evenly.

Leave to set overnight before cutting (room temperature is best, preferably covered with a food net or cover).

Once the marshmallow is ready to cut, in a small bowl whisk together the potato flour and the icing sugar (sift if necessary).

Dust some of this mixture onto your clean work surface. Remove the slab of marshmallow from the tin, use a spatula to pull the sides away from the tin and tip it onto the dusted work surface.

Dust more of the icing sugar mix over the top of the marshmallow slab, and around the sides. Using a large sharp knife, cut into cubes, by cutting the slab into rows, then cutting rows in the other direction. Dust your knife regularly with the icing sugar mix, and continue to dust the marshmallows as they are cut.

Ensure every part of the cut marshmallows are covered in the potato flour and icing sugar mix. Toss them around on the bench to remove any excess.

Store in an airtight container. The marshmallows will keep for about 3 weeks.

Reference: Heilala Vanilla Sweetness Vanilla Bean Mallow

Lumberjack Cake

Kath July 11, 2019

To celebrate the imminent arrival of my new eBook, Cosy Winter Bakes, I am sharing one of my favourite Winter cake recipes here on the blog. This new eBook is filled with recipes just like this one - cosy, using seasonal ingredients, and best enjoyed with a warming cup of tea! To be the first to know when this eBook is released, click here to sign up to my mailing list.

The Lumberjack Cake is a cake made up of apples and dates, with a crunchy maple coconut topping. I first heard of this cake a fair few years ago when I worked at a cafe. One of my colleagues baked for the cafe and a Lumberjack Cake was one of the things she often made. I seem to remember her saying it was something she picked up while she was in Canada, and that it was a Canadian recipe (also known as Queen Elizabeth Cake). It was the perfect cake for a cold Winters day, and I soon found myself a recipe and began creating it at home too.

One of the tips my colleague gave me at the time for this cake was to use golden syrup and maple extract in the topping, rather than maple syrup as is more customary. Not only is golden syrup less expensive than maple syrup, but from previous experience I found that pure maple syrup doesn’t work well in this cake as it is too runny. You really need the thickness of a golden syrup, or one of those maple flavoured syrups, to keep the coconut topping from sliding right off the cake!

Pure maple extract can be found at gourmet food stores, or online.

Lumberjack Cake (aka Queen Elizabeth Cake)

Ingredients:

230g apple (about 2 small/medium apples, I use Pink Lady variety), cored and roughly chopped

185g pitted medjool dates, roughly chopped

250ml boiling water

1 tsp bicarb soda

260g plain flour

1.5 tsp baking powder

2 eggs

145g Panela sugar

125ml canola oil

1 tsp vanilla extract

Ingredients for the Topping:

70g unsalted butter, roughly chopped

60ml pouring cream

50g Panela sugar

120g golden syrup

1 tsp vanilla extract

2 tsp pure maple extract

100g shredded coconut

Method:

Preheat oven to 180 degrees Celsius and grease and line a 22cm round springform or loose bottomed cake tin.

In a medium bowl, place the apples and dates, sprinkle over the bicarb soda and cover with the boiling water. Set aside for about 10 minutes, this will allow the fruit to soften up a bit.

In another medium bowl, whisk together the plain flour and baking powder as set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the eggs, panela sugar, oil and vanilla extract until well combined.

Add the soaking apples and dates (including the water) to the oil mix, and stir to combine. Finally add the flour mix and stir until just combined.

Pour the mixture into the prepared cake tin and bake for about 50 minutes, or until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean.

While the cake is baking make the topping by, placing all the topping ingredients except the coconut into a small saucepan. Place over low/medium heat and stir, allowing the butter to melt and the sugar to dissolve. Allow to mixture to bubble and thicken a little, then turn off the heat and stir in the coconut. Set aside until needed.

Once the cake has finished baking, remove from the oven and spoon the coconut mixture evenly over the top of the cake. Return to the oven for a further 20 minutes, or until the coconut topping has turned golden brown.

Allow the cake to cool in its tin for a few minutes, then carefully remove the cake from the tin and leave to cool completely on a wire rack.

Reference: Not Quite Nigella.

Off The Shelf - 'Taverna' by Georgina Hayden

Kath June 12, 2019

Bought from: Booktopia - I preordered this one as I had seen some behind the scenes of the book on Georgina’s Instagram and knew it would be worth getting as soon as it was released!

Recipes Made: Chicken Cinnamon and Sweet Tomato Orzo p.162, Coriander and Lemon Roast Chicken p.165, Slow Roasted Pork Shoulder with Quince p.170 and Bergamot Loukoumia p.247.

I made the Chicken Cinnamon and Sweet Tomato Orzo as a nice tasty weeknight meal. It was delicious and the leftover orzo was enjoyed for a couple of days after. I would even make it again without the chicken as the pasta element was so good. I didn’t like using chicken thighs with the bone in as the recipe suggested though. It think it is the chicken I have available to me, but the pieces were just massive and hard to eat and also difficult to fit into the pan. Next time I would buy boneless thighs or drumsticks just because that is what my family generally prefers.

The Coriander and Lemon Roast Chicken is a recipe that is right up my families alley so to speak. We love a good tasty roast chicken, and coriander and lemon are flavours we often use and enjoy a lot. This roast chicken is a low fuss affair compared to some other recipes we make which was great, and it had beautiful flavour and everyone enjoyed it. So much so we have made it twice now. You could easily make this on a weeknight if you have time, otherwise its a lovely more simple meal to prepare on the weekend. We ate it with garlic mashed potatoes which we loved.

The Slow Roast Pork Shoulder with Quince was one of the first recipes that stood out to me in Taverna. I absolutely adore quince, and look forward to their season every year. Luckily when Taverna was released, quince season was just beginning so it was perfect timing. This is the first recipe I made, and while I don’t usually cook a lot of meat and had never cooked a pork shoulder (or made crackling for that matter!), this turned out really well. The skin was super crispy and the quince sitting below the meat were soft and tender. The combination of quince and pork is a beautiful one, and I really can’t wait to make this again next year when quince come back into season.

The recipe for Bergamot Loukoumia (the Greek Cypriot version of Turkish Delight), was about 90% of the reason I knew I needed to buy this book. I saw some behind the scenes things on Georgina’s Instagram when she was working on the book, and one time noticed something about bergamot. I knew instantly that if this book had any mention of bergamot I needed to own it. My bergamot obsession rivals my love of quince, so much so, that I think bergamot may win over as my favourite fruit of all time.

We have a bergamot tree, the fruit from which was maybe two or three months away from being ripe and ready when Taverna was released. This recipe for loukoumia was quickly bookmarked for when the bergamots were ready. I then went outside one day and saw a branch from the bergamot tree had broken off. There were a few bergamot lost with the branch and I couldn’t throw them away even if they weren’t 100% ripe yet. I picked a few more to lighten the load of the tree and used half of what I picked to make these Bergamot Loukoumia.

The process of making these, as confectionary making goes, is quite easy, you just need a little time. Mine didn’t go a deep golden colour (maybe as the bergamots I used weren’t ripe), but they tasted absolutely amazing. I added a couple of drops of Natural Bergamot Essence to mine as I was worried my bergamots wouldn’t have a strong enough flavour, but next I make them I wouldn’t bother with it. I found they don’t store well (which I think is common for homemade Turkish delight), as the loukoumia soak up the icing sugar mix dusted on them and create a bit of an oozy mess - but, if you can look beyond that you are in for a really amazing treat!

Favourite Things About the Book: I really loved finding out more about Greek Cypriot food. I don’t know a lot about Greek food generally, and had no idea that Cypriot dishes varied in anyway from those on the mainland. I also really like that this book is deeply personal for Georgina and her family, it is like a celebration of their heritage and food history all the while bringing the reader along for the fabulously tasty journey. This book is really unique and unlike any I already have (which is saying something!).

Bookmarked Recipes (to make later!): Grilled Spicy Prawns with Feta and Ouzo p.74, Garlic Butter Prawns with Orzo p.130, Pastitsio p.172-3, Classic Moussaka p.176-7, Jewelled Pilafi p.209 and Pistachio and Strawberry Celebration Cake p.224.

Dried Quince & Almond Butter Biscuits

Kath May 16, 2019

These biscuits showcase a couple of things I really love at the moment - almond butter and dried quince. I am actually having a thing will all nut butters at the moment, especially pistachio, but finding a recipe that used it in a biscuit was super exciting. My moment with dried quince has been quite long standing, after meeting Sue of Singing Magpie Produce last year. When I saw this particular recipe I knew I needed to try it with Singing Magpie Produce’s Dried Quince.

The recipe originally comes from Georgina Hayden’s first book ‘Stirring Slowly.’ I have followed Georgina on Instagram for a while, but up until recently didn’t have any of her books. To be honest I haven’t really come across them in bookshops here in Sydney. But after seeing a bit of the behind the scenes of Georgina making her second book ‘Taverna’ on Instagram, I knew I needed to get her books, ASAP. I pre-ordered ‘Taverna’ online, and in the meantime bought ‘Stirring Slowly’ online too.

Both books are utterly delightful and jam packed filled with recipes I want to make. The recipe for Almond, Oat and Raisin Cookies jumped out at me instantly when I first looked at ‘Stirring Slowly’, which is the recipe these biscuits are based on. The recipe reminded me of the Oatmeal Biscuits my Grandma used to make, but with the addition on almond butter and raisins.

Always being on the lookout for a new way to use dried quince, I decided to make these with my dried quince from Singing Magpie Produce, rather than raisins. I really like the addition of the dried quince, you could even add more if it to the biscuits when baking for a bigger quince hit. Many other dried fruits would work if you don’t have any dried quince, and other nut butters would work well too. Though if you can get some dried quince, I highly recommend it. It’s so good I often find myself eating it straight from the packet before I have a chance to make anything with it, it’s that good.

Dried Quince & Almond Butter Cookies

Ingredients:

175g rolled oats (not instant)

150g plain flour

1 tsp ground cinnamon

1 tsp baking powder

125g softened unsalted butter or margarine

75g almond butter

1tsp vanilla bean paste

125g Panela sugar

200g brown sugar

2 eggs (large)

100g roughly chopped dried quince (I buy mine from Singing Magpie Produce)

Method:

Preheat oven to 180 degrees Celsius and line two large baking trays with baking paper.

In a medium bowl mix the oats, flour, cinnamon and baking powder together and set aside.

In the bowl of a stand mixer beat the butter, almond butter and vanilla bean paste together until smooth. Add the sugars and mix until pale and creamy. Beat in the eggs one at a time, and mix until combined.

Fold in the flour, either with a wooden spoon or mix briefly on the lowest speed of your stand mixer. Add the chopped dried quince and gently mix to evenly distribute.

Spoon heaped teasponfuls of the mixture on to the prepared trays, leaving gaps between each as they will spread a fair bit during baking.

Bake for 10-12 minutes, or until the biscuits are turning golden but are still soft in the middle. Biscuits can be left on the baking trays to cool.

Reference: ‘Stirring Slowly’ by Georgina Hayden (Square Peg, 2016) p.196.

Off The Shelf - 'A Basket by the Door' by Sophie Hansen

Kath May 9, 2019

Bought at: The combined Sydney book launch of ‘A Basket by the Door’ by Sophie Hansen, ‘Tortellini at Midnight’ by Emiko Davies & ‘A Tree in the House’ by Annabelle Hickson - March 2019. This event took place a couple of weeks before ‘A Basket by the Door’ was officially released, and I was so happy to be able to buy a copy a little early! It was also wonderful to have the book signed by Sophie. I then spent the remainder of the afternoon after the book launch, looking through the book and never wanting it to end.

Recipes Made: Pistachio, Cardamon & Rose Balls p.17, Sweet Verjus-Pickled Strawberries with Vanilla and Pink Peppercorns p.66, Orange and Quinoa Biscuits p.66, Apple, Fennel & Pork Sausage Rolls p.142, Quick Tomato Chutney p.142, Quince Chutney p.145, Pasta Salad with Olive and Walnut Pesto p.159, Piedmontese Capsicums p.183, Quince Butter p.199, Anna’s Minestrone p.215 and Baked Apple Porridge p.216.

The Pistachio Cardamom and Rose Balls are the first ‘bliss ball’ type of thing I have ever made or eaten. I am not one for ‘healthy’ fad foods just for the sake of it, I am after flavour and lots of it. I also find that many bliss balls use some kind of chocolate or cacao and cashews, all of which I cannot eat. These on the other hand, are not like regular bliss balls. The fact that this recipe was the first I made from the book is testament to that. The combination of dates, honey, cardamom and rose makes these balls moorish and actually worth making. I am finding they are a great snack for work days.

I first tried Sophie’s Sweet Verjus-Pickled Strawberries with Vanilla and Pink Peppercorns and the Orange and Quinoa Biscuits at the first Local is Lovely Workshop back in 2014. As we all madly took photos, Sophie demonstrated how to make them and we got to sample some. After that I have recreated it home many time, served with a nice goats cheese or curd and fresh honeycomb.

Ok, the Apple Fennel and Pork Sausage Rolls are the absolute bomb. I am not a big meat eater, but I do love pork, and these sausage rolls are the best I have ever had. They first appeared in column Sophie wrote for the Domain Magazine last year, and I saved the recipe and have made them numerous times ever since. Once I realised how utterly amazing they were, I started making double and freezing them rolled into logs ready to cook. I have made a couple of batches of the Quick Tomato Chutney, which is great with the sausage rolls. I also love serving it with frittatas as well.

The Quince Chutney on the other hand, is the best accompaniment to these sausage rolls. This recipe also appeared in the Domain mag last year, so I made one batch of it. I was so disappointed when it was all gone, that this year I am determined to make at least two batches. If I can really recommend anything to make from this book, top of my list would be these sausage rolls with the quince chutney.

I made the Pasta Salad with Olive and Walnut Pesto so I had something nice to take to work for lunch, inspired by this chapter in the book about making time for lunch during work. I made the pesto with almonds as I didn’t have any walnuts and I loved it. And I definitely didn’t have any “sad desk lunch[es]” that week!

The Piedmontese Capsicums are probably my favourite way to eat capsicums. Again I first tried this dish at the first Local is Lovely Workshop, and have made it again and again ever since. The leftovers are really great added to the topping of a pizza, and as I am such a caper and anchovy fiend I add more than the recipe actually stipulates!

While I have poached quince many times now, I have only recently made them into Quince Butter. Using Sophie’s recipe for poaching, the quinces turned a very deep burgundy red which was most satisfying. I have seen the recipe for quince butter before, and I have to say the lack of water in the recipe always confused me. I did everything as the recipe said until I lost my nerve once the quince were in the oven and added about 1/2 cup water - the mixture was so syrupy almost toffee like I just couldn’t hang around for three hours while it was all in the oven and wonder if it would work! It did in the end and tastes amazing.

I absolutely love the Minestrone Soup recipe in ‘A Basket by the Door’. The same recipe can be found on Sophie’s blog, and I have been making it for the last couple of Winters now. It is super tasty and comforting on a chilly Winter’s evening, and the left overs are great for work lunches or frozen for another time. I always end up using a white wine in the soup rather than red, and there is always a bottle of white wine for cooking open in our fridge. Sometimes I also leave out the pasta and just have the barley and cannellini beans. Mostly because the starch of the pasta thickens the soup up a lot (which is quite noticeable if you are planning on having leftovers), and the soup is so tasty without it I don’t ever miss it.

I made the Baked Apple Porridge last weekend, as an alternative to making my usual Muesli Breakfast Crumble. It smelt so delicious when it was baking, that even though I made it in the afternoon ready for pre-work breakfasts during the week, I just had to taste a little when it was ready! I added some poached quince to mine as well as the apples, and it was delicious. Definitely the perfect warming breakfast for a chilly morning. I served mine with yoghurt and honey as Sophie suggests, though I think some of the quince butter could be lovely with it too!

Favourite Things About the Book: The recipes and the photos! I love the variety of recipes in this book, and that so many of my favourites from Sophie’s blog are included too. Sophie’s food is exactly the kind of food I like to make and eat, simple, seasonal and super tasty. I knew when I heard this book was in the works it would be good, and it certainly hasn’t disappointed. I also love the photography in the book, and the fact that there are so many photos. The pages with the collages of photos are great, and really bright and inviting. The combination of fantastic recipes and photos makes this book so inviting and warm, and one I will be cooking from forever.

Bookmarked Recipes (to make later!): Beetroot, Walnut and Pomegranate Dip p.22, Fennel and Sausage Ragu p.35, The Chicken Pie pp.39-41, Hot-Smoked Salmon and Zucchini Tart p.46, Baked Ricotta with Spring Greens p.69, Vanilla, Peach and Mint Iced Tea p.105, Brunekager p.107, Tomato, Capsicum and Pearl Couscous Salad p.160, Triple Ginger Loaf p.164, Braised Fennel and Tomato p.219, to name a few!

Bergamot Marshmallows (Gluten + Dairy + Egg Free)

Lumberjack Cake (aka Queen Elizabeth Cake)

Dried Quince & Almond Butter Cookies

Kulinary Adventures of Kath

Food Photography, Recipes & Baking