The Last Piece

Chocolate Cake

I feel like at the moment we need to take our pleasures where we can get them. Not that this hasn’t always been true, just that in the present climate, so much is uncertain and sad and not quite what we were expecting, so that when the opportunity to make the most of a moment comes, we should seize it with hands and teeth, and savour every second.

This past weekend I went to the beach for a picnic. We have been in lockdown in Sydney for the past four months, and only recently have we been allowed to meet friends in the open air and sit down for a drink or something to eat. It feels like such an illicit treat, to clink glasses and smile at friendly faces and laugh in a group and watch the sun set. Such small and everyday things that we took so completely for granted a few years ago.

Anyway, this past weekend my niece Hopey cut her foot on an oyster bed while swimming, and had to go to the hospital for stitches. She is only nine, and she’s had her fair share of hospitals already in her short life, so the trip was pretty scary for her. We were all glad when it was over without any really dire news or other mishaps. She and her parents were meeting some friends at the beach that afternoon so they asked me to come along and have a drink, and to see so that I could make the obligatory impressed Auntie noises over her bandaged little foot.

I knew there would be a load of kids there, and that the friends they would be going with would also know all the other families at other picnics going on down there, and that they would also have loads of kids. We’re a small community, and everyone knows everyone. So I baked a big square chocolate cake.

A big fudgey one, the kind that you wanted for your birthday cake when you were small. One with loads of eggs and cocoa, and more sugar than I would put in a cake these days because we’re all supposed to have boring alternatives like coconut sugar or stevia, or no sugar at all. The sort of cake that makes you want to cram it all into your mouth and get crumbs everywhere and have it all over your fingers.

My boys are all grown up, and whilst they still wouldn’t kick a chocolate cake out of bed, they’re a little past chocolate cake excitement. So I made the cake for the kids to eat, but also because I knew I would have the pleasure of watching them all eat it.

By the time we all got to the beach, it was past 5pm and one of those beautiful Sydney spring daylight saving evenings that stretch out, golden and full of promise. The sun ever so slowly sinking, the sky painted pink and orange, the water hissing gently on the edge of the sand and the cicadas just starting up with the background music. The parents stood with glass in hand, barefoot on the grass while the kids ran wild on the sand and climbed the beautiful big gum tree that grows midway up the beach, with a springy branch for swinging from.

An hour or so later the kids were hungry but the parents not quite ready to pull up stumps and head home for dinner. Hopey asked for cake? Who am I to say no - I’m the indulgent Auntie these days, not the responsible mum. I’m sure that there were some mothers about who gave me the side eye at the potential ruining of the space for dinner, but we Aunties have no shame. I cut that big cake up into 25 chunky squares and let them have at it.

There were little girls with curly blonde hair and long chestnut hair and pigtails, in bikinis and denim shorts and frilly dresses, and little boys with big blue eyes whose bare chests were covered in sand, and board shorts or those hooded towels they all look so sweet in. And every single one said Please, and then there were kids running all over the grass playing tag and dancing and swinging on the gum tree, and all with big slabs of chocolate cake being crammed into their mouths, with crumbs everywhere and cake all over their fingers. And every single one said Thank You afterwards, and yum, that was the best cake.

Like I say, at the moment we need to take our pleasures where you can get them. Not a bad return for an afternoon’s baking.

PS There is no photographic record of the cake. It did not last long. I would have taken photos of the kids eating it but honestly it was way too much fun watching them to think of such things as iPhones.

I used Tom’s Chocolate Cake recipe from the book In Good Company by Sophie Hansen. Not my standard chocolate cake recipe but I felt like change and it's a very good one.

For Christmas - my balsamic figs recipe

Here’s a little Christmas treat- my favorite balsamic figs recipe!

Ingredients-

*3 1/2 cups dried wild figs- these are little whole figs, most are about a 1” ball. You could probably use any kind of dried fig, you’ll just need to cut them smaller
*1 cup balsamic vinegar
*3/4 cup water
*3/4 cup caster sugar

Method-

1. Cut all the figs in half (or into smaller pieces if you’re using big figs). Please note I’m making 4x the batch here so it looks like a huge pile.

 

2. Put the figs in a large heavy bottomed pot and add the sugar, vinegar and water.

3. Bring to the boil.

4. Reduce heat and simmer for about 15 mins, or until reduced by half and syrupy.



5. Spoon into sterilized jars (I just put them through the dishwasher) and seal. Once they’re opened they need to be stored in the fridge.

6. Eat with cheese, ham or anything else savory and tasty you like.... they’re even nice with a pork chop! Make lots, they’re yummy.

My Boys Like Soup

Thanks so much for the birthday wishes everyone! :)

On Tuesday night I went to my foodie group. My friend Sam set up this fantastic group at the beginning of this year - once a quarter (and sometimes more often) we meet at each others houses and cook, and talk about food. We've had a cheese making night, a pasta making night, shared our favourite recipes - and on Tuesday night the theme was meals that take no longer than 30 minutes to cook - those things you throw on when you have a busy day and don't feel like cooking. We all shared our recipes for making the weekday cooking less of a chore. I thought I would share my list of recipes with you all - it was called:

My Boys Like Soup :)

Chicken and Leek Soup

 2 chicken breasts, diced chunky

2 leeks, washed and finely sliced

1 large carton of chicken stock

1 cup of risoni pasta

Handful of chopped parsley

Loaf of sourdough

Chopped garlic

Softened butter

 

 Heat the oven to 180c. Slice the sourdough almost all the way through but not through to the bottom. In a bowl mix a teaspoonful of garlic with a good knob of soft butter, and salt and pepper. Pull the bread slices away from each other and "butter" the slices with the garlic butter. Wrap the bread in foil and put it in the oven for 15 mins.

Heat some olive oil in a pan and when it's hot add the chicken and leeks and cook until the chicken is browned. Add all the chicken stock and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and add the risoni. Simmer until cooked (about 8 mins), season with salt and pepper, sprinkle with parsley and serve with bread. 

Serves 4.

 

Miso Salmon Soup 

4 pieces of salmon with skin on

1 full packet of soba noodles

Packet of frozen edamame

8 shallots, sliced

Handful of bean sprouts

Japanese rice seasoning

Sesame seeds

Sesame oil

4 packets of instant miso soup paste

Garlic and ginger

 

Pour some sesame seeds into a saucer and press the meat side (not the skin side) of the salmon onto them until the salmon is coated in seeds. Heat olive oil in a pan until hot, add the salmon skin side down.

In a saucepan heat olive oil and add a crushed garlic clove and about a teaspoon of grated ginger. Fry for a few mins then add 4 cups of water and stir in all the miso paste. Bring to a simmer then add half the packet of edamame. 

Cook the noodles according to the packet and divide into the bottom of four bowls. 

Check that the salmon skin is crispy them turn it over to the sesame seed side. When the seeds are browned and the salmon is cooked through, ladle the soup and veggies on top of the noodles and top with the shallots and beansprouts. Put the salmon fillet on the top, sprinkle with the rice seasoning, drizzle with sesame oil and serve.

Serves 4.

 

Chilli Black Bean Prawn Soup (This is good with chicken too)

 

500g raw prawns, shelled and de-veined

Chilli black bean paste (from Asian grocer)

4 baby bok choy, quartered

Bunch of snake beans, chopped into batons

Packet of rice vermicelli

Garlic and ginger

1 large carton chicken stock

Coriander, chopped

 

Cook the noodles according to the packet and divide amongst 4 bowls.

Heat olive oil in a wok and add a clove of crushed garlic and about a teaspoon of grated ginger. Fry for a minute then add 2 tablespoons of the chilli black bean paste. Fry for 1 minute then add the prawns and cook until nearly cooked through. 

Add the chicken stock and bring to a simmer. Add the bok choy and snake beans and simmer until cooked but crisp, about 3 mins. Stir in another tablespoon of chilli paste (taste first - my boys don't mind hot!) and ladle the soup, veg and prawns over the noodles. Top with coriander and serve.

Serves 4.

 

Tomato Sauce

I make my own tomato sauce every Sunday. I use it all week for bases for quick pasta sauces, lasagne and cannelloni, soup seasoning etc or the boys use it as ketchup on toasted sandwiches or steak. It means I have a flavour base made and ready to go and the family isn't eating something processed.

 

1.5kg Roma tomatoes

5 cloves of garlic with skin on

1 red onion, quarteres

Handful of herbs - oregano, thyme, bay leaf, rosemary, 3 black peppercorns

Olive Oil

Red wine vinegar

 

Heat oven to 180c. Toss together everything except the red wine vinegar with some sea salt. Put in oven for 1.5 hours or until everything is looking really soft and juicy and a bit browned.

Take out and cool, pick out herb stems and peppercorns. Add about 1/4 cup of vinegar and blend to a puree. Taste and add more salt, or vinegar if needed. If it's a bit thick I add some water and blend again.

Put jars and bottles through the dishwasher to sterilise and then pour in tomato sauce and put the lid on tightly. Will keep like this for 3 or 4 weeks, any longer and you need to can it properly.

 

Have a good Saturday night everyone - I have a house full of 15 year olds watching horror movies for Charlie's birthday. Send your earplugs here. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sullivan's Edge Blog Hop!

So, my friend Pat Sloan asked me a little while ago to try out these diamond edge rulers. The idea is that the rulers have a diamond carbide coating along one edge that sharpens your blade as you cut, how cool is that?

I tried out two sizes of ruler. They're easy to use and once you get used to the scratchy noise as you cut, they do sharpen your blades. They also have a coating on the back that stops the ruler from slipping. You will find the rulers in loads of different sizes including the two I got, 6 1/2" square and 6 1/2" x 12 1/2", in loads of quilt shops (including in Australia) and in Joanns in the USA. 

So to keep the Hop rolling along and have some fun, Pat asked all the bloggers to answer the following questions.

If I looked in your fridge, what would I find?

At the moment, depressing things like celery and radishes because I am on a diet. Also tempting things that I am not allowed to eat, like chocolate frosting and full fat yoghurt, and always a lot of leftovers, because I have two teenage boys and they need to be fed wether I am dieting or not!

What is your favourite TV show of all time and why?

For sure The West Wing. It has everything I love. History,clever writing, brilliant acting, wonderful staging, humor, tragedy, and Rob Lowe. I have all seven seasons on DVD and I must have watched them all through at least 10 times. Barlet for President!

mmm. Hello Rob.

If Hollywood made a movie of your life, who would you want to play you?

Meg Ryan, but Meg Ryan in French Kiss, not Meg Ryan with the long hair. I love that haircut she's got. And then maybe they could have Kevin Kline play Damian, even though he looks nothing like him. If you have never seen French Kiss, it is worth watching just to hear Meg Ryan say, "You people make my ass twitch" in a pretend French accent.

And now to the giveaway!!

Want to try out a Sullivan's Edge Ruler?

Just answer one of the questions above by leaving a comment on THIS POST and I will pick a winner on Friday, September 30 - that's US time for all you Aussies, we get an extra half a day :)

Make sure and check out what all the other bloggers have to say, and visit their lovely blogs as the hop progresses.

Monday -           Pat Sloan http://blog.patsloan.com/

Tuesday -          Rachael PS I Quilt

                        Alison Cluck Cluck Sew

Wednesday-      Erin One Piece at a Time

                        Victoria Bumble Beans 

Thursday-         Liz and Beth Lizzie B Creative

                        Me!

Friday-              Dawn Spring Water Designs

                        Emily Carolina Patchworks

Everyone on the hop is sharing their favourite recipes, and so I thought I would give you a good old Aussie one to try out. 

Australia Day Pavlova

A Pavlova is a meringue based dessert named after the Russian dancer Anna Pavlova on her visit to Australia in the 1920's. It's an Aussie tradition and one I always make on Australia Day - although my family never needs an excuse to eat it.

 

Ingredients (serves 6)

6 (59g) eggs, separated

1 1/4 cups (270g) caster sugar

2 tsp cornflour

1 tsp white vinegar

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

300ml thickened cream

2 tbs icing sugar, sifted

Finely sliced rind and juice of 1 lime

2 bananas, thinly sliced

3 kiwifruit, peeled, thinly sliced

Pulp of 2-3 passionfruit

 

Preheat oven to 120°C (248F). Line an oven tray with foil. Brush with melted butter and dust with cornflour, shaking off excess. Mark a 24cm-diameter circle on foil.

Use an electric mixer to whisk egg whites in a clean dry bowl until soft peaks form. Gradually add sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time, beating well after each addition, until meringue is thick and glossy and sugar dissolved. Rub a little meringue between fingers. If still "gritty" with sugar, continue to whisk until sugar dissolves.

Add cornflour, vinegar and vanilla and whisk until just combined. Spoon meringue onto the foil, using the marked circle as a guide. Smooth sides and top of pavlova. Use a small spatula to forms little peaks around edge of pavlova.

Bake in oven for 11/2 hours or until pavlova is dry to the touch. Turn off oven. Leave pavlova in oven

with the door ajar to cool completely. Don't open the oven door all the way or your pav will collapse. When completely cold, transfer to serving plate or store in an airtight container until required.

Use an electric mixer to whisk the cream and icing sugar in a medium bowl until firm peaks form. Spoon cream onto the top of pavlova. 

You can use any fruit you like (it's particularly good with strawberries and raspberries), but this mixture is my favourite. Pour lime juice into a ceramic or glass bowl. Add banana slices and toss to coat with juice. Drain. Decorate pavlova with banana, kiwifruit, passionfruit and lime rind.

 

* Disclaimer - Pavlovas are not on my diet. 

mmm, Pizza

In the absence of anything quilty to blog, I thought I would share with you my favourite new dinner. I hardly ever make my own pizza dough because I can't be bothered with the whole yeast thing, but the other week I found this recipe and we have now had healthy, homemade, tasty pizza four times! Ok, so we went a little overboard. This recipe is so easy, my 12 year old now makes the dough for me.

Pizza Dough with No Yeast:

1 3/4 cups self raising flour

1/2 cup Parmesan cheese

1/4 cup vegetable oil (I have been using olive oil because I prefer the taste)

2/3 cup boiling water

Mix the cheese and flour together in a bowl and make a well in the centre. Stir in the oil and water until just mixed. Knead very lightly and wrap in plastic wrap and set aside while you make the toppings.

Remove from plastic wrap, knead again lightly and roll out as thin or as thick as you like. This dough is a little more bread like than normal pizza dough, so I like it quite thin so it goes crispy.

Bake on a pizza stone or oven tray in a 210c oven until crispy.

This is so tasty and quick I can't tell you. I don't have a pic because we ate it too fast, but I made one for lunch for my stitchy friends on Monday with roasted pumpkin, parmesan cheese, toasted pine nuts and fetta cheese. When I got it out of the oven I topped it with some rocket, and it was Yum-my.

Go forth and make pizza :) 

ANZAC Day

 

They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old;
Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn.
At the going down of the sun and in the morning
We will remember them.

If you are not from Australia or New Zealand, then odds are that you won't know about ANZAC Day. If you don't, the short version is that it is a national day of rememberance for the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps. Focus is often on the soldiers of the Frist and Second World Wars, but the day is one of thanks for all Australian soldiers. For the long version, you can click here to read more about the ANZACs and their bravery.

If you were in Australia or New Zealand, odds are also that you may have made ANZAC biscuits today. And if you aren't and you haven't made them before, you are in for such a treat.

There are a few theories on the origins of ANZAC biscuits, but they certainly were "invented" First World War, around 1914/15. Historians say they came about due to resourceful of the women on the "home front" in an endeavour to make a treat for their loved ones that would survive the long journey by post to the war front.

They are so easy to make, give them a go if you haven't made them before. Your kids are guaranteed to love them.

Ingredients

• 1 cup (150g) plain flour
• 1 cup (90g) rolled oats
• 1 cup (85g) desiccated coconut
• 3/4 cup (155g) brown sugar
• 125g butter
• 2 tbs golden syrup
• 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 160°C. Line two baking trays with non-stick baking paper. Sift the flour into a large bowl. Stir in the oats, coconut and brown sugar.
2. Put the butter, golden syrup and 2 tbs water in a small saucepan. Stir over a medium heat until melted. Stir in the bicarbonate of soda.
3. Pour the butter mixture into the flour mixture and stir until combined.
4. Roll level tablespoons of mixture into balls. Place on the trays, about 5cm apart.
5. Press with a fork to flatten slightly. Bake for 10 minutes or until golden brown.
6. Set aside on the trays for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack so it cools completely.
7. Makes about 27 bicsuits (cookies, you gals in the US of A!)

MMM, they look good, you know they do. Sarah Fielke Material Obsession