Tuesdays At The Table - Irish Soda Bread

Happy Tuesday, ladies!  Monday was my first day back at work, post -surgery.  Um. I'll just say it was an experience. 

Alrighty, on to happier things!  St. Patrick's Day is coming soon - and to me, that means a parade, wearing green and eating a little soda bread.

Irish Soda Bread

3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
2 eggs
2 cups (16 ounces) sour cream
3/4 cup raisins

In a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and baking soda. In a small bowl, the whisk eggs and sour cream. Stir wet ingredients into dry ingredients just until moistened. Fold in raisins.

Spoon mixture into a greased 9-in. cake pan (though the original recipe calls for a springform pan). Bake at 350° for 40-45 or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes before from the pan. Cut into wedges; serve warm.

What's cooking in your kitchen?

And while I have your attention...anybody want to join my BambooPink team? I'm really excited about it!

Happy Tuesday, ladies!  Monday was my first day back at work, post -surgery.  Um. I'll just say it was an experience. 

Alrighty, on to happier things!  St. Patrick's Day is coming soon - and to me, that means a parade, wearing green and eating a little soda bread.

Irish Soda Bread

3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
2 eggs
2 cups (16 ounces) sour cream
3/4 cup raisins

In a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and baking soda. In a small bowl, the whisk eggs and sour cream. Stir wet ingredients into dry ingredients just until moistened. Fold in raisins.

Spoon mixture into a greased 9-in. cake pan (though the original recipe calls for a springform pan). Bake at 350° for 40-45 or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes before from the pan. Cut into wedges; serve warm.

What's cooking in your kitchen?

And while I have your attention...anybody want to join my BambooPink team? I'm really excited about it!

reade more... Résuméabuiyad

Peanut Butter Blossoms . . . one of our favorite cookie recipes

Do you have a go-to cookie recipe?  A recipe you can always depend on when you need to bring cookies to a party, to a school function, or to a friend? 

Here's mine.  Peanut Butter Blossoms.  PB Blossoms are little sugar-dipped peanut butter cookies with a Hershey's Kiss perched perfectly on top.

You've probably eaten them...and you might just have the recipe in your arsenal.  If you don't, you need it.  These babies get scarfed up by kids and grown-ups alike.

{PS....I have written in my cookbook (do you write in your cookbooks?) that the 1st time I made these was when kiddo was 7.  He said these were the "most fun" recipe he's ever helped make.}


Peanut Butter Blossoms
{ever so slightly adapted from The King Arthur Flour Cookie Companion}

1/2 c. butter
3/4 c. creamy peanut butter (I use Skippy Natural)
1/3 c. sugar (plus more for rolling)
1/3 c. light brown sugar
1 egg
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp coarse salt
1 tsp vanilla
1 & 1/2 c. unbleached, all-purpose flour
Hershey's Kisses (7 ounces)

Line cookie sheets with parchment paper.  Preheat oven to 375.

Using the paddle attachment, beat the butter and peanut butter until blended.  Add both sugars and beat until light and fluffy.  Add in the egg through vanilla and mix until thoroughly combined.  Add in the flour in 3 additions. Scrape the bottom and side of bowl as needed.

Place extra granulated sugar on a plate. Shape the dough into 1-inch balls and roll in the sugar.

Place coated dough balls on the parchment-lined sheets.  Bake cookies until the are a very light golden color, about 10 minutes.  (Meanwhile, unwrap the kisses.)

Remove the cookies from the oven and it's go time!  Immediately place a kiss on top of each hot cookie, pressing down slightly.

{Kids LOVE to help with this part!}

Transfer cookies to a cooling rack to cool completely.
 
My favorite part? How the heat from the warm cookie makes the kisses soft and melty.  You want one now, don't you?  Oh, and here's how I eat them....I eat all around the perimeter of the cookie, saving the Hershey's Kiss with a bit of cookie on the bottom for the *perfect* last bite.

Are you sold yet?  Wanna try a Peanut Butter Blossom?

Do you have a go-to cookie recipe?  A recipe you can always depend on when you need to bring cookies to a party, to a school function, or to a friend? 

Here's mine.  Peanut Butter Blossoms.  PB Blossoms are little sugar-dipped peanut butter cookies with a Hershey's Kiss perched perfectly on top.

You've probably eaten them...and you might just have the recipe in your arsenal.  If you don't, you need it.  These babies get scarfed up by kids and grown-ups alike.

{PS....I have written in my cookbook (do you write in your cookbooks?) that the 1st time I made these was when kiddo was 7.  He said these were the "most fun" recipe he's ever helped make.}


Peanut Butter Blossoms
{ever so slightly adapted from The King Arthur Flour Cookie Companion}

1/2 c. butter
3/4 c. creamy peanut butter (I use Skippy Natural)
1/3 c. sugar (plus more for rolling)
1/3 c. light brown sugar
1 egg
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp coarse salt
1 tsp vanilla
1 & 1/2 c. unbleached, all-purpose flour
Hershey's Kisses (7 ounces)

Line cookie sheets with parchment paper.  Preheat oven to 375.

Using the paddle attachment, beat the butter and peanut butter until blended.  Add both sugars and beat until light and fluffy.  Add in the egg through vanilla and mix until thoroughly combined.  Add in the flour in 3 additions. Scrape the bottom and side of bowl as needed.

Place extra granulated sugar on a plate. Shape the dough into 1-inch balls and roll in the sugar.

Place coated dough balls on the parchment-lined sheets.  Bake cookies until the are a very light golden color, about 10 minutes.  (Meanwhile, unwrap the kisses.)

Remove the cookies from the oven and it's go time!  Immediately place a kiss on top of each hot cookie, pressing down slightly.

{Kids LOVE to help with this part!}

Transfer cookies to a cooling rack to cool completely.
 
My favorite part? How the heat from the warm cookie makes the kisses soft and melty.  You want one now, don't you?  Oh, and here's how I eat them....I eat all around the perimeter of the cookie, saving the Hershey's Kiss with a bit of cookie on the bottom for the *perfect* last bite.

Are you sold yet?  Wanna try a Peanut Butter Blossom?

reade more... Résuméabuiyad

Mmm...Melbourne

For our first anniversary, we took a trip to Melbourne to have others cook for us for a change! After a delayed and stressful Tiger flight, we arrived an hour and a half late and had missed our Friday evening reservation, so had to go searching for a late night eatery. Not knowing Melbourne's late night scene well, we headed across town as far as we could go to the recommended Mexican restaurant, not sure if we could handle hearty burittos, and stodgy black beans. The food we received in Mamasita was a far cry from that! This late night taqueria is authentic Mexican, not the tacky Tex Mex we're more familiar with in Australia, and the plates of soft tacos were perfect for our late night snack. We had a variety to taste: braised veal tongue and ox cheek, where the meat was so tender and tasty, chorizo with a spicy kick and juicy marinated prawns - perfectly cooked and delicious flavour. The service was outstanding (particulary contrasted to the Tiger Airline customer experience we'd been subjected to earlier in the evening) and although we didn't brave the long tequilla list, the sangria and Mexican beer lifted our spirits and kicked off a great weekend.

We had been hoping to make it to Josie Bones, Chris and Julia from MasterChef Season 1's beer bar and nose to tail eatery, but we have to pay that a visit on our next trip, since we managed to juggle our Movida Aqui reservation and secured a table on Saturday night despite being a no show on Friday. Movida Aqui is the 3rd member of Frank Zamora's Melbourne CBD tapas restaurant family. We followed the waiter's recommendation and stuck to the tapas menu this time. We need to go with friends next time to be able to order the large serves of amazing looking paella. The tapas, raciones and specials were more than enough to tickle our tastebuds.

Anchoa - Anchovy with smoked tomato sorbet

We started with the Anchoa, a dish that Frank Zamora demonstrated during his slot at MasterChef Live, substituting strawberry sorbet for the presentation of the dish! We were excited to taste the real thing, and it was an interesting combination of cold, salty and crunchy. Delicious!

The jamon was a must have taking me back to my days in Spain, and the Bomba, the chorizo filled potato ball, which Marion prepared on MasterChef to beat Zamora for the immunity pin, was tasty. One of the highlights for me was the Tortilla de Cangrejo - fresh mud crab in a tortilla (Spanish omelette). It was light, fluffy and flavoursome.

Vieira - Scallops with salmorejo, fried almonds and cauliflower

The Vieira, grilled scallops were delicious. We found it served with a few too many almonds, but a perfectly prepared scallop always makes for a tasty dish. I can't get passed the way the salmon roe literally pops in my mouth, so I loved it!

Perhaps the dark horse of the evenings selection was the Cordoniz con Kikos - Grilled Jumbo Quail filled with duck liver parfait, served with sweet corn puree and toasted corn. The combination of the crunchy toasted corn, the smooth duck liver parfait and the tender quail meat was a real taste sensation and a balanced, delicious end to a fabulous dinner. So tasty, we wanted to savour the lingering flavours and couldn't fit another thing in, that we passed on dessert!

For our first anniversary, we took a trip to Melbourne to have others cook for us for a change! After a delayed and stressful Tiger flight, we arrived an hour and a half late and had missed our Friday evening reservation, so had to go searching for a late night eatery. Not knowing Melbourne's late night scene well, we headed across town as far as we could go to the recommended Mexican restaurant, not sure if we could handle hearty burittos, and stodgy black beans. The food we received in Mamasita was a far cry from that! This late night taqueria is authentic Mexican, not the tacky Tex Mex we're more familiar with in Australia, and the plates of soft tacos were perfect for our late night snack. We had a variety to taste: braised veal tongue and ox cheek, where the meat was so tender and tasty, chorizo with a spicy kick and juicy marinated prawns - perfectly cooked and delicious flavour. The service was outstanding (particulary contrasted to the Tiger Airline customer experience we'd been subjected to earlier in the evening) and although we didn't brave the long tequilla list, the sangria and Mexican beer lifted our spirits and kicked off a great weekend.

We had been hoping to make it to Josie Bones, Chris and Julia from MasterChef Season 1's beer bar and nose to tail eatery, but we have to pay that a visit on our next trip, since we managed to juggle our Movida Aqui reservation and secured a table on Saturday night despite being a no show on Friday. Movida Aqui is the 3rd member of Frank Zamora's Melbourne CBD tapas restaurant family. We followed the waiter's recommendation and stuck to the tapas menu this time. We need to go with friends next time to be able to order the large serves of amazing looking paella. The tapas, raciones and specials were more than enough to tickle our tastebuds.

Anchoa - Anchovy with smoked tomato sorbet

We started with the Anchoa, a dish that Frank Zamora demonstrated during his slot at MasterChef Live, substituting strawberry sorbet for the presentation of the dish! We were excited to taste the real thing, and it was an interesting combination of cold, salty and crunchy. Delicious!

The jamon was a must have taking me back to my days in Spain, and the Bomba, the chorizo filled potato ball, which Marion prepared on MasterChef to beat Zamora for the immunity pin, was tasty. One of the highlights for me was the Tortilla de Cangrejo - fresh mud crab in a tortilla (Spanish omelette). It was light, fluffy and flavoursome.

Vieira - Scallops with salmorejo, fried almonds and cauliflower

The Vieira, grilled scallops were delicious. We found it served with a few too many almonds, but a perfectly prepared scallop always makes for a tasty dish. I can't get passed the way the salmon roe literally pops in my mouth, so I loved it!

Perhaps the dark horse of the evenings selection was the Cordoniz con Kikos - Grilled Jumbo Quail filled with duck liver parfait, served with sweet corn puree and toasted corn. The combination of the crunchy toasted corn, the smooth duck liver parfait and the tender quail meat was a real taste sensation and a balanced, delicious end to a fabulous dinner. So tasty, we wanted to savour the lingering flavours and couldn't fit another thing in, that we passed on dessert!

reade more... Résuméabuiyad

An Oeuf Roe Degustation Dinner at Provenance Food and Wine

Last week, I received an invitation to: "An Oeuf Roe: a nine course degustation of eggs and caviar" at Provenance Food and Wine on Smith Street in Collingwood.  After having a quick squiz at Provenance's website to find out what they do, my answer was a very enthusiastic yes!

Provenance Food and Wine
288 Smith Street
Collingwood, VIC 3066
Ph: (03) 8415 0700
Website

Knowing that the menu would be heavily based on seafood, I invited my semi-Pescatarian cousin Catherine to come with me (Hi Cuuuuuuuz!).  We went on a Friday night, and after a mega-hectic week at work, I was totally looking forward to a nice dinner and some wine!

Kitchen

We had a quick chat with Dave the owner, and after checking that neither of us were a designated driver (drink responsibly!), out came the food and wine...

Hiramasa kingfish carpaccio

white nectarine puree, tarragon, avruga caviar and nectarine air

Storm Ridge N.V Sparkling Chardonnay Pinot Noir. Yarra Valley, Vic

This looked like a very cheffy dish, but tasted clean and fresh.  The kingfish, crunchy nectarine slices and slightly sweet puree matched well.  I'm not sure if the tarragon added anything to the dish, but the salty pearls of avruga caviar balanced out the sweetness of the dish nicely.

Cured ocean trout

horseradish snow, dill, trout roe

2010 Prentice Romato Pinot Gris. Whitlands, Vic

I greatly enjoyed this course (as y'all know, I love cured salmon and ocean trout!).  The fish was soft, and the extra elements - horseradish snow, dill, and trout roe - added interest without detracting from the fish itself.  I also enjoyed the pinot gris; it had a strong caramel aftertaste and complemented the salmon well.

Tuna tartare

cucumber, creme fraiche, citrus tobiko, lemon oil

2008 Alectum Albarinio. Riax Baixas, Spain

Even though I love it, I don't often eat tuna, due to it being overfished.  So it's a very rare treat for me.  The tartare comprised super-fresh cubes of raw tuna, crunchy cucumber and some lemon oil.  The bright citrussy taste of the tobiko perked up the tuna, but I think the creme fraiche masked the delicate flavours of the fish.  The accompanying wine (and remember, I am no wine buff) was very crisp, had what I would describe as a very short palate.

St Helens Oyster

poached quail egg, wasabi tobiko, apple caviar

Step Rd N.V Sparkling Chardonnay Pinot noir. Langhorne Creek, SA

I liked the cute presentation of the oyster!  We were instructed to eat it "all in one go", and the wasabi tobiko was (thankfully) not as hot as I expected it to be, hehe!

Potato fondant

baked prawn, bottarga butter

2008 Domaine Laporte Sauvignon Blanc. Loire Valley, France

The fondant was, undoubtedly, my favourite dish of the night.  (Potatoes plus butter equals good times).  Inside the column of potato was some lovely prawn meat, and the salty bottarga-spiked butter sauce was delicious!  That fluffy flower is actually edible, soaking up the butter sauce.

Salmon

encased in rice paper, pea soup, salmon roe, salmon crackle

2008 Mommesin Beaujolais Villages. Beaujolais, France

This modern take on the classic pea-and-salmon combo was my cousin's favourite dish of the night.  The salmon fillet was perfectly cooked, and wrapped in rice-paper, sitting in a vibrant pea-soup.  I loved the salmon crackle and the salty pearls of salmon roe.  Our waitress told us that the roe is from the Yarra Valley, and comes from delicately hand-milked salmon (and yes, that process is exactly what it sounds like).

Sea urchin roe

dashi custard, shitake air

Sapporo beer, Japan

And now, our final savoury course.  Inside that hollowed out little egg was a very softly set egg custard (like chawan-mushi), with little pieces of sea urchin roe.  It was deeply savoury, thanks to the shiitake air and dashi, and totally delicious.  It came with a Sapporo beer, which despite all the alcohol preceding it, was all too easy to drink.  Kanpai!

Between the savoury courses and dessert, we received a little palate cleanser of tomato consommé with salmon roe.

Tomato consommé with salmon roe

I was amazed that the liquid was so clear, but had an incredibly intense tomato flavour.

And after a short break, it was time for dessert!

Jaffa chocolate egg

with crostini soldiers

Pedro Ximenez. Jerez, Spain

I liked the whimsical presentation of the jaffa egg - served without cutlery "like when we were kids".  The bigger chocolate egg was made in-house, and filled with a citrus flavoured egg white custard.

I don't ordinarily like jaffa, but the combo here worked really well.  My only gripe was that it got a little too sweet by the end, especially when paired with the sweet pedro ximenez sherry.  (Incidentally, I'd never had pedro ximinez before, despite how much Nigella raves about it.  I enjoyed it, but my main impression was that it was incredibly intense, like there were a thousand sultanas in every sip.)

Our final course came with a non-alcoholic beverage - probably a good thing, considering how much we'd already drank by that stage!

Shhh...

Mango 'Fried egg'

coconut pannacotta

cold infused peach green tea

Cold infused peach green tea

I thought the green tea was a nice, refreshing way to end a long meal.  My cousin thought it had the aroma of daikon - perhaps this came from the peach skins during the infusion process?

And how cute is this dessert?  The white part is coconut pannacotta, with a mango "yolk", and the black specks of "pepper" are vanilla seeds.

I loved how the "yolk" oozed out like a real egg when I dug my spoon into it...

We had a great time at Provenance.  The atmosphere was warm and welcoming, and I thought the meal was very well balanced.  Despite there being 9 courses, there was a good amount of food - not leaving us weighed down or still hungry.  Our waitress was so nice and enthusiastic, and had a very in-depth knowledge of the menu and all the many ingredients.  There were a couple of minor issues, like our wine being brought out slightly after the matching course, and our final course being brought out without a spoon, but overall the service was both professional and friendly.

Provenance Food and Wine will be hosting another An Oeuf Roe degustation evening tomorrow (Sunday 26th Feb), so there's still time to try it out!  It costs $85 per person, with $55 for matching wines.  Degustation starts at 7pm.  Bookings on (03) 8415-0700.

Sarah and Catherine enjoyed An Oeuf Roe as guests of Provenance Food and Wine, with thanks to Dave Hynes for the invitation.

Last week, I received an invitation to: "An Oeuf Roe: a nine course degustation of eggs and caviar" at Provenance Food and Wine on Smith Street in Collingwood.  After having a quick squiz at Provenance's website to find out what they do, my answer was a very enthusiastic yes!

Provenance Food and Wine
288 Smith Street
Collingwood, VIC 3066
Ph: (03) 8415 0700
Website

Knowing that the menu would be heavily based on seafood, I invited my semi-Pescatarian cousin Catherine to come with me (Hi Cuuuuuuuz!).  We went on a Friday night, and after a mega-hectic week at work, I was totally looking forward to a nice dinner and some wine!

Kitchen

We had a quick chat with Dave the owner, and after checking that neither of us were a designated driver (drink responsibly!), out came the food and wine...

Hiramasa kingfish carpaccio

white nectarine puree, tarragon, avruga caviar and nectarine air

Storm Ridge N.V Sparkling Chardonnay Pinot Noir. Yarra Valley, Vic

This looked like a very cheffy dish, but tasted clean and fresh.  The kingfish, crunchy nectarine slices and slightly sweet puree matched well.  I'm not sure if the tarragon added anything to the dish, but the salty pearls of avruga caviar balanced out the sweetness of the dish nicely.

Cured ocean trout

horseradish snow, dill, trout roe

2010 Prentice Romato Pinot Gris. Whitlands, Vic

I greatly enjoyed this course (as y'all know, I love cured salmon and ocean trout!).  The fish was soft, and the extra elements - horseradish snow, dill, and trout roe - added interest without detracting from the fish itself.  I also enjoyed the pinot gris; it had a strong caramel aftertaste and complemented the salmon well.

Tuna tartare

cucumber, creme fraiche, citrus tobiko, lemon oil

2008 Alectum Albarinio. Riax Baixas, Spain

Even though I love it, I don't often eat tuna, due to it being overfished.  So it's a very rare treat for me.  The tartare comprised super-fresh cubes of raw tuna, crunchy cucumber and some lemon oil.  The bright citrussy taste of the tobiko perked up the tuna, but I think the creme fraiche masked the delicate flavours of the fish.  The accompanying wine (and remember, I am no wine buff) was very crisp, had what I would describe as a very short palate.

St Helens Oyster

poached quail egg, wasabi tobiko, apple caviar

Step Rd N.V Sparkling Chardonnay Pinot noir. Langhorne Creek, SA

I liked the cute presentation of the oyster!  We were instructed to eat it "all in one go", and the wasabi tobiko was (thankfully) not as hot as I expected it to be, hehe!

Potato fondant

baked prawn, bottarga butter

2008 Domaine Laporte Sauvignon Blanc. Loire Valley, France

The fondant was, undoubtedly, my favourite dish of the night.  (Potatoes plus butter equals good times).  Inside the column of potato was some lovely prawn meat, and the salty bottarga-spiked butter sauce was delicious!  That fluffy flower is actually edible, soaking up the butter sauce.

Salmon

encased in rice paper, pea soup, salmon roe, salmon crackle

2008 Mommesin Beaujolais Villages. Beaujolais, France

This modern take on the classic pea-and-salmon combo was my cousin's favourite dish of the night.  The salmon fillet was perfectly cooked, and wrapped in rice-paper, sitting in a vibrant pea-soup.  I loved the salmon crackle and the salty pearls of salmon roe.  Our waitress told us that the roe is from the Yarra Valley, and comes from delicately hand-milked salmon (and yes, that process is exactly what it sounds like).

Sea urchin roe

dashi custard, shitake air

Sapporo beer, Japan

And now, our final savoury course.  Inside that hollowed out little egg was a very softly set egg custard (like chawan-mushi), with little pieces of sea urchin roe.  It was deeply savoury, thanks to the shiitake air and dashi, and totally delicious.  It came with a Sapporo beer, which despite all the alcohol preceding it, was all too easy to drink.  Kanpai!

Between the savoury courses and dessert, we received a little palate cleanser of tomato consommé with salmon roe.

Tomato consommé with salmon roe

I was amazed that the liquid was so clear, but had an incredibly intense tomato flavour.

And after a short break, it was time for dessert!

Jaffa chocolate egg

with crostini soldiers

Pedro Ximenez. Jerez, Spain

I liked the whimsical presentation of the jaffa egg - served without cutlery "like when we were kids".  The bigger chocolate egg was made in-house, and filled with a citrus flavoured egg white custard.

I don't ordinarily like jaffa, but the combo here worked really well.  My only gripe was that it got a little too sweet by the end, especially when paired with the sweet pedro ximenez sherry.  (Incidentally, I'd never had pedro ximinez before, despite how much Nigella raves about it.  I enjoyed it, but my main impression was that it was incredibly intense, like there were a thousand sultanas in every sip.)

Our final course came with a non-alcoholic beverage - probably a good thing, considering how much we'd already drank by that stage!

Shhh...

Mango 'Fried egg'

coconut pannacotta

cold infused peach green tea

Cold infused peach green tea

I thought the green tea was a nice, refreshing way to end a long meal.  My cousin thought it had the aroma of daikon - perhaps this came from the peach skins during the infusion process?

And how cute is this dessert?  The white part is coconut pannacotta, with a mango "yolk", and the black specks of "pepper" are vanilla seeds.

I loved how the "yolk" oozed out like a real egg when I dug my spoon into it...

We had a great time at Provenance.  The atmosphere was warm and welcoming, and I thought the meal was very well balanced.  Despite there being 9 courses, there was a good amount of food - not leaving us weighed down or still hungry.  Our waitress was so nice and enthusiastic, and had a very in-depth knowledge of the menu and all the many ingredients.  There were a couple of minor issues, like our wine being brought out slightly after the matching course, and our final course being brought out without a spoon, but overall the service was both professional and friendly.

Provenance Food and Wine will be hosting another An Oeuf Roe degustation evening tomorrow (Sunday 26th Feb), so there's still time to try it out!  It costs $85 per person, with $55 for matching wines.  Degustation starts at 7pm.  Bookings on (03) 8415-0700.

Sarah and Catherine enjoyed An Oeuf Roe as guests of Provenance Food and Wine, with thanks to Dave Hynes for the invitation.

reade more... Résuméabuiyad

Cured Salmon

At our mega Christmas parties, (yes, I still have a zillion posts from them!), one of the more popular dishes was Nigella's gravlax.  I've made it before, it's extremely easy, and everyone seemed super-impressed by it.  The recipe is here, on the BBC food website, so I'll just quickly step through the process and we can look at the pretty pictures!

Fresh salmon fillets, loads of fresh dill, and some gin.

The marinading liquid is a mixture of salt, sugar, mustard and gin.

You slather it on the fillets, and blanket them in dill.  (Yes, my fingers, kitchen and fridge reeked of dill for days afterwards!)

Then cover it closely with cling film, weigh it down with cans, and let it cure in the fridge for 2-3 days.  Once it's ready, you'll see that loads of liquid has come out...

... and the fish itself is paler in colour and quite firm!

Then when you're ready to serve, just whack on some gloves (unless you want dill under your fingernails and yellow-stained hands from the mustard!) and slice it as thinly as possible.

Ooh... pretty!

If you're not eating it all at once, you're meant to just cut what you need and leave the rest whole.  Ta-dah!

For the party, we served it with our other dishes-to-be-picked at, with some baguette.  However, if you're serving it as a first course, I think some lovely Irish soda bread and cream cheese would be great.  Or, if you're going totally luxe - freshly made blini, chopped red onion, chives and capers with a swoosh of crème fraiche!

At our mega Christmas parties, (yes, I still have a zillion posts from them!), one of the more popular dishes was Nigella's gravlax.  I've made it before, it's extremely easy, and everyone seemed super-impressed by it.  The recipe is here, on the BBC food website, so I'll just quickly step through the process and we can look at the pretty pictures!

Fresh salmon fillets, loads of fresh dill, and some gin.

The marinading liquid is a mixture of salt, sugar, mustard and gin.

You slather it on the fillets, and blanket them in dill.  (Yes, my fingers, kitchen and fridge reeked of dill for days afterwards!)

Then cover it closely with cling film, weigh it down with cans, and let it cure in the fridge for 2-3 days.  Once it's ready, you'll see that loads of liquid has come out...

... and the fish itself is paler in colour and quite firm!

Then when you're ready to serve, just whack on some gloves (unless you want dill under your fingernails and yellow-stained hands from the mustard!) and slice it as thinly as possible.

Ooh... pretty!

If you're not eating it all at once, you're meant to just cut what you need and leave the rest whole.  Ta-dah!

For the party, we served it with our other dishes-to-be-picked at, with some baguette.  However, if you're serving it as a first course, I think some lovely Irish soda bread and cream cheese would be great.  Or, if you're going totally luxe - freshly made blini, chopped red onion, chives and capers with a swoosh of crème fraiche!

reade more... Résuméabuiyad

An Ode to Bread . . .

There was a young girl from Dallas,

...wait, that's a limerick, not an ode.....

I'm not quite sure how to write an ode, but I will tell you, bread is special to me.

{This is Panera's Tomato Basil bread.}

I grew up smelling bread dough rise for my mom's famous cinnamon rolls.  There was beer bread, warm from the oven and slathered in butter.  Bread was always a part of our lives.

My Bread Story:  Well, I was dating this guy.  And one day (15 years ago today, to be exact, right about this time of day...it's 4:30pm here), he called and asked if I wanted to go to Happy Hour.  Of course, I said!

He picked me up, and drove not to a restaurant, or to a bar, but to a park.  A beautiful park.  From the back seat, he produced a loaf of bread and a bottle of champagne.  We sat on a wooden park bench, sipped champange and tore off chunks of bread.

And then, I SCREAMED!  There was something big and BLACK in the bread.  He was calm, removed the black "thing" from the bread...it was a box.  He knelt down on one knee and proposed.

{When you're dating someone with an engineering degree, I guess it shouldn't come as a shock that he carves out the perfect size cubbyhole in a loaf of bread for a ring box. And then puts the whole thing back together perfectly.}

So, the rest is history.  It may explain why, as I watched this Panera "Ode to Bread" video, I got teary-eyed.  Watch it and tell me, does it make you teary, too?

Just ONE of the reasons I LOVE Panera, is that their freshly made, always delicious loaves of bread are ready and waiting for me in the store when I don't have the time....or am feeling too lazy....to make my own.

Treat yourself to one.....or better yet, have your honey pick a loaf for you.  You never know what might be hiding in there! ;)

{Do YOU have a bread story?}
I'd love to for you to share it here...or with Panera on their Facebook page.

(This is a sponsored post by Panera Bread, but my opinions, words and proposal story are all my own.)

There was a young girl from Dallas,

...wait, that's a limerick, not an ode.....

I'm not quite sure how to write an ode, but I will tell you, bread is special to me.

{This is Panera's Tomato Basil bread.}

I grew up smelling bread dough rise for my mom's famous cinnamon rolls.  There was beer bread, warm from the oven and slathered in butter.  Bread was always a part of our lives.

My Bread Story:  Well, I was dating this guy.  And one day (15 years ago today, to be exact, right about this time of day...it's 4:30pm here), he called and asked if I wanted to go to Happy Hour.  Of course, I said!

He picked me up, and drove not to a restaurant, or to a bar, but to a park.  A beautiful park.  From the back seat, he produced a loaf of bread and a bottle of champagne.  We sat on a wooden park bench, sipped champange and tore off chunks of bread.

And then, I SCREAMED!  There was something big and BLACK in the bread.  He was calm, removed the black "thing" from the bread...it was a box.  He knelt down on one knee and proposed.

{When you're dating someone with an engineering degree, I guess it shouldn't come as a shock that he carves out the perfect size cubbyhole in a loaf of bread for a ring box. And then puts the whole thing back together perfectly.}

So, the rest is history.  It may explain why, as I watched this Panera "Ode to Bread" video, I got teary-eyed.  Watch it and tell me, does it make you teary, too?

Just ONE of the reasons I LOVE Panera, is that their freshly made, always delicious loaves of bread are ready and waiting for me in the store when I don't have the time....or am feeling too lazy....to make my own.

Treat yourself to one.....or better yet, have your honey pick a loaf for you.  You never know what might be hiding in there! ;)

{Do YOU have a bread story?}
I'd love to for you to share it here...or with Panera on their Facebook page.

(This is a sponsored post by Panera Bread, but my opinions, words and proposal story are all my own.)

reade more... Résuméabuiyad

Bamboo Pink

Earlier this week, I was contacted about a new opportunity at Bamboo Pink.  After some serious thought, and a bit of Googling, I'm taking the leap!  I promise not to pester you all with it, but did want to share the opportunity with those who may be interested.  :-)

Here's why:



*It's FREE to become a consultant! (No demo kits or mandatory start up fees)


*You don't have to host parties or distribute books.


*You don't have to buy product and sell it from your home, office, etc...


*It's all internet based using virtual trunk shows. You simply direct people who want to buy Bamboo Pink to your website and presto... it's done!


*The merchandise!!! Have you seen it!?!? We're talking about SUPER cute stuff!!! The jewelry is high quality, fashionable, AND affordable. It's price pointed from $29-$100. So it works with anyone's budget.

 *The designers behind Bamboo Pink, JudeFrances, already have an established high-end jewelry line that can be found in upscale department stores such as Saks Fifth Avenue and Neiman Marcus.


*There is absolutely NO RISK if you sign up now to become a consultant. Because you do not have to invest $ into the company in order to become a consultant, if in the future you decide that this isn't for you, you're not out any money.

*It's already projected to be the fastest growing women's internet start-up company in HISTORY!!! And the company hasn't been officially launched yet!


So why not become apart of history with Bamboo Pink? You have nothing to lose!


If you're interested, you can sign-up by visiting me here:
http://www.bamboopink.net/allthelilstuff

Or clicking on the Bamboo Pink icon on the top right of my blog.  :-)

Earlier this week, I was contacted about a new opportunity at Bamboo Pink.  After some serious thought, and a bit of Googling, I'm taking the leap!  I promise not to pester you all with it, but did want to share the opportunity with those who may be interested.  :-)

Here's why:



*It's FREE to become a consultant! (No demo kits or mandatory start up fees)


*You don't have to host parties or distribute books.


*You don't have to buy product and sell it from your home, office, etc...


*It's all internet based using virtual trunk shows. You simply direct people who want to buy Bamboo Pink to your website and presto... it's done!


*The merchandise!!! Have you seen it!?!? We're talking about SUPER cute stuff!!! The jewelry is high quality, fashionable, AND affordable. It's price pointed from $29-$100. So it works with anyone's budget.

 *The designers behind Bamboo Pink, JudeFrances, already have an established high-end jewelry line that can be found in upscale department stores such as Saks Fifth Avenue and Neiman Marcus.


*There is absolutely NO RISK if you sign up now to become a consultant. Because you do not have to invest $ into the company in order to become a consultant, if in the future you decide that this isn't for you, you're not out any money.

*It's already projected to be the fastest growing women's internet start-up company in HISTORY!!! And the company hasn't been officially launched yet!


So why not become apart of history with Bamboo Pink? You have nothing to lose!


If you're interested, you can sign-up by visiting me here:
http://www.bamboopink.net/allthelilstuff

Or clicking on the Bamboo Pink icon on the top right of my blog.  :-)

reade more... Résuméabuiyad

What to do when good icing goes bad . . . Works for Me Wednesday

OK....let's say you're decorating cookies.  You are planning to put a pretty piped border along the edge like this:

{These are Uncle Mike's cookies, in case you missed 'em.}

But, hypothetically, your hubby wants to take the family out for lunch and pick up the piano you bought for $99 that is still sitting at Goodwill.  And let's say, you get to Goodwill and the piano is too big to fit in the SUV, so you have to run to Home Depot and rent a truck.  Hypothetically.

By the time you get back home and are ready to get piping (I kinda love that expression "get piping"), the icing you stashed in the fridge is a little less that stiff.

As a matter of fact, it looks like this....

What to do?

1st: First, stir in sifted powdered sugar.  I always have a little powdered sugar shaker in my kitchen for dusting on pancakes, etc.  Start there.  Keep adding until it feels stiff again.

2nd: Try piping on a a plate or a paper towel.  (I was using a #16 star tip here.)  Does the pretty little "shell" pattern stay, or does it get runny?

3rd: If the icing still not stiff enough, pop in back in your mixer bowl, add some more powdered sugar and with the paddle attachment, beat it on medium until stiff peaks form again.

Voila!

OK....let's say you're decorating cookies.  You are planning to put a pretty piped border along the edge like this:

{These are Uncle Mike's cookies, in case you missed 'em.}

But, hypothetically, your hubby wants to take the family out for lunch and pick up the piano you bought for $99 that is still sitting at Goodwill.  And let's say, you get to Goodwill and the piano is too big to fit in the SUV, so you have to run to Home Depot and rent a truck.  Hypothetically.

By the time you get back home and are ready to get piping (I kinda love that expression "get piping"), the icing you stashed in the fridge is a little less that stiff.

As a matter of fact, it looks like this....

What to do?

1st: First, stir in sifted powdered sugar.  I always have a little powdered sugar shaker in my kitchen for dusting on pancakes, etc.  Start there.  Keep adding until it feels stiff again.

2nd: Try piping on a a plate or a paper towel.  (I was using a #16 star tip here.)  Does the pretty little "shell" pattern stay, or does it get runny?

3rd: If the icing still not stiff enough, pop in back in your mixer bowl, add some more powdered sugar and with the paddle attachment, beat it on medium until stiff peaks form again.

Voila!

reade more... Résuméabuiyad

Tuesdays At The Table - Swiss Beer Bread

Happy Tuesday, ladies!  I hope you all got to celebrate President's Day with a long weekend.  :-)

There have been a lot of new participants of TATT lately.  Let me give you a hearty welcome!  We're a fun group, and everyone that participates have absolutely AMAZING recipes!  I hope you'll not only poke through my blog, but of those linking up as well.  Have fun!!

This week I'm sharing some beer bread.  The irony of it?  I don't like beer.  At all!  But I l-o-v-e this bread.

Swiss Beer Bread

4 ounces Jarlsberg or Swiss cheese
3 cups  flour
3 tablespoons sugar
3 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 bottle (12 ounces) beer or nonalcoholic beer
2 tablespoons butter, melted

Divide cheese in half. Cut half of cheese into 1/4-inch cubes; shred remaining cheese. In a large bowl, combine the dry ingredients. Stir beer into dry ingredients just until moistened. Fold in cheeses.

Transfer to a greased loaf pan. Drizzle with butter. Bake at 375° for 50-60 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes before removing from pan to a wire rack.

What's cooking in your kitchen?

Happy Tuesday, ladies!  I hope you all got to celebrate President's Day with a long weekend.  :-)

There have been a lot of new participants of TATT lately.  Let me give you a hearty welcome!  We're a fun group, and everyone that participates have absolutely AMAZING recipes!  I hope you'll not only poke through my blog, but of those linking up as well.  Have fun!!

This week I'm sharing some beer bread.  The irony of it?  I don't like beer.  At all!  But I l-o-v-e this bread.

Swiss Beer Bread

4 ounces Jarlsberg or Swiss cheese
3 cups  flour
3 tablespoons sugar
3 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 bottle (12 ounces) beer or nonalcoholic beer
2 tablespoons butter, melted

Divide cheese in half. Cut half of cheese into 1/4-inch cubes; shred remaining cheese. In a large bowl, combine the dry ingredients. Stir beer into dry ingredients just until moistened. Fold in cheeses.

Transfer to a greased loaf pan. Drizzle with butter. Bake at 375° for 50-60 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes before removing from pan to a wire rack.

What's cooking in your kitchen?

reade more... Résuméabuiyad

Modern Bird Studios (very cool giveaway!)

It may come as a shock, but occasionally I think of things other that food.  (Usually, these thoughts come while I'm snacking.)

Anyway....I ran across Modern Bird Studios over at Today's Creative Blog one day and was just blown away.

This husband and wife team take a photograph and TRANSFORM it into the coolest art piece using wood and paint.

{Not only do they produce these incredible works of art, but Gregg & Megan are just some of the funniest people around.  They even interviewed me for their blog....ever wondered who would win a cage match between powdered sugar and granulated sugar?  We discuss.}

To say that I love our piece from Modern Bird is an understatement.  Seeing it in person, my husband & I were just amazed by how cool it turned out.

We used this picture of kiddo:


And here is the finished product from Modern Bird:


Wow, right?  It's in our office and it makes me so happy every time I see it. 

SO.  Modern Bird Studios is offering one winner a $250 gift certificate!!!  Wow!


To enter (required):

• Go check out the Modern Bird Studios Portfolio and leave a comment with your favorite piece.

Want extra entries?  Yes, you do. (Leave a separate comment for each.):

• Follow Modern Bird on Twitter
• Like Modern Bird on Facebook
• Tweet it! Tweet

{Open to US and Canada. Previous winners not eligible. Winner will be chosen Thursday, February 24th, 8pm CST.}

Want to make a purchase now?  Enter code BAKEAT350 for a 15% discount.

It may come as a shock, but occasionally I think of things other that food.  (Usually, these thoughts come while I'm snacking.)

Anyway....I ran across Modern Bird Studios over at Today's Creative Blog one day and was just blown away.

This husband and wife team take a photograph and TRANSFORM it into the coolest art piece using wood and paint.

{Not only do they produce these incredible works of art, but Gregg & Megan are just some of the funniest people around.  They even interviewed me for their blog....ever wondered who would win a cage match between powdered sugar and granulated sugar?  We discuss.}

To say that I love our piece from Modern Bird is an understatement.  Seeing it in person, my husband & I were just amazed by how cool it turned out.

We used this picture of kiddo:


And here is the finished product from Modern Bird:


Wow, right?  It's in our office and it makes me so happy every time I see it. 

SO.  Modern Bird Studios is offering one winner a $250 gift certificate!!!  Wow!


To enter (required):

• Go check out the Modern Bird Studios Portfolio and leave a comment with your favorite piece.

Want extra entries?  Yes, you do. (Leave a separate comment for each.):

• Follow Modern Bird on Twitter
• Like Modern Bird on Facebook
• Tweet it! Tweet

{Open to US and Canada. Previous winners not eligible. Winner will be chosen Thursday, February 24th, 8pm CST.}

Want to make a purchase now?  Enter code BAKEAT350 for a 15% discount.

reade more... Résuméabuiyad

Duchess of Spotswood and A Bunch of Cakes

I generally only have one reason to cross the Westgate - and that reason is Andrew's Choice butcher, who, in my opinion, make the best German smallgoods in Melbourne!  But now I have another reason: a fabulous little cafe by the name of Duchess of Spotswood.

Duchess of Spotswood
87 Hudsons Rd
Spotswood VIC 3015
Ph: (03) 9391 6016
Twitter

I previously only knew Spotswood for two things: the Scienceworks museum and the film Spotswood.  But after reading Adrian's glowing review of Duchess cafe, I was very keen to go.  We were super pleased (but not the least bit surprised) when Adrian accepted our invitation to go for a Saturday brunch!

Duchess is on a quiet Spotswood street, with a couple of other cafes, an op shop and a florist.  The cafe was full when we arrived at midday, but not crazy busy: we only had to wait about 15 minutes for a table.

I don't think that bread was for sale... but it did look good!  I also liked the cafe's chandelier and retro pale pastel walls.

We started with a round of great coffees.

Cappuccino - $3.00

Latte - $3.00

Funky sugar bowl!  There wasn't a label, but I'm pretty sure it was Rapadura sugar, the same type they serve at Market Lane cafe, and all the other 3rd wave coffee houses.

Pretty!

It took a little while for us to decide on our meals, and I was impressed that they offer more creative items than the usual cafe fare of bircher muesli, corn/zucchini fritters, eggs etc.  The Duchess items seem to have a British theme, with ingredients like Stilton and Gentlemen's Relish, and pun-tastic names like Breakfast of Champignons (oh no you didn't!) and Scotch Woodcock (hehehe).

Here's what we ate.

First up, a mix and match breakfast of perfect poached eggs, large buttery mushrooms, thick toast and a potato hash.  Overall it was great, but the hash could have been a little crispier.

Poached eggs - local free range eggs from Villa Verde - $8.50 plus extra mushrooms $3.50 and extra potato hash $4.50

The Simple Pleasures looked stunning!  So fresh and prettily arranged.  The sausage was an extra addition, and I thought it was very cutely presented in a little spiral.

Simple Pleasures - Marinated avocado with goats curd, sourdough toast, heirloom tomatoes and preserved lemons - $17.50 with poached eggs, plus extra Sausage $4.00

I know Duchess is famous for its porky products, but I didn't want to go OTT with the calories, so ordered scrambled eggs for myself.  (I freely admit I was also drawn to this dish for its hilarious name. Hehe, "woodcock").

Scotch Woodcock - Scrambled eggs with Gentlemen's relish and white anchovy fillet - $11

The eggs were nice and soft, and I loved the white anchovy fillet, but I wasn't blown away by the dish.  Turns out I don't like Gentlemen's relish! I assumed I'd love the anchovy/caper sauce, but I found it a bit overpowering.  Oh well, now I've tried it, and next time I'll know.

Adrian had the Duchess of Pork, the description of which sounded like decadence on a plate: crispy pig's jowl with fried egg, rich truffle sauce and sourdough toast.  And very well priced at $17.50!

Duchess of Pork - Crispy pig's jowl with fried egg, rich truffle sauce, and sourdough toast - $17.50

I was looking with piercing envy at Adrian's dish, until he insisted (YAY!) that I try some of the jowl.  Wow! It was incredibly tender, falling apart at the touch of a fork.  So delicious.

The menu seems to change pretty frequently, judging by some other blogposts I hastily googled: Melbourne Gastronome, Espresso Melbourne, "... it pleases us", and Totally Addicted to Taste have all blogged and been equally rapturous in their descriptions of Duchess.  Definitely worth repeat visits!

Across the street from Duchess was a cute little bakery/florist called A Bunch of Cakes.

The lovely ladies who run this shop bake cupcakes throughout the day (all day on the day we visited!) and do orders for parties and other occasions.  Adrian picked up a strawberry and a blueberry cupcake. How cuuuuuute!!  They also sell flowers (duh), and had a nice range of cupcake papers and cake decorating bits and pieces.

Strawberry cupcake - $4, Blueberry cupcake - $4

I generally only have one reason to cross the Westgate - and that reason is Andrew's Choice butcher, who, in my opinion, make the best German smallgoods in Melbourne!  But now I have another reason: a fabulous little cafe by the name of Duchess of Spotswood.

Duchess of Spotswood
87 Hudsons Rd
Spotswood VIC 3015
Ph: (03) 9391 6016
Twitter

I previously only knew Spotswood for two things: the Scienceworks museum and the film Spotswood.  But after reading Adrian's glowing review of Duchess cafe, I was very keen to go.  We were super pleased (but not the least bit surprised) when Adrian accepted our invitation to go for a Saturday brunch!

Duchess is on a quiet Spotswood street, with a couple of other cafes, an op shop and a florist.  The cafe was full when we arrived at midday, but not crazy busy: we only had to wait about 15 minutes for a table.

I don't think that bread was for sale... but it did look good!  I also liked the cafe's chandelier and retro pale pastel walls.

We started with a round of great coffees.

Cappuccino - $3.00

Latte - $3.00

Funky sugar bowl!  There wasn't a label, but I'm pretty sure it was Rapadura sugar, the same type they serve at Market Lane cafe, and all the other 3rd wave coffee houses.

Pretty!

It took a little while for us to decide on our meals, and I was impressed that they offer more creative items than the usual cafe fare of bircher muesli, corn/zucchini fritters, eggs etc.  The Duchess items seem to have a British theme, with ingredients like Stilton and Gentlemen's Relish, and pun-tastic names like Breakfast of Champignons (oh no you didn't!) and Scotch Woodcock (hehehe).

Here's what we ate.

First up, a mix and match breakfast of perfect poached eggs, large buttery mushrooms, thick toast and a potato hash.  Overall it was great, but the hash could have been a little crispier.

Poached eggs - local free range eggs from Villa Verde - $8.50 plus extra mushrooms $3.50 and extra potato hash $4.50

The Simple Pleasures looked stunning!  So fresh and prettily arranged.  The sausage was an extra addition, and I thought it was very cutely presented in a little spiral.

Simple Pleasures - Marinated avocado with goats curd, sourdough toast, heirloom tomatoes and preserved lemons - $17.50 with poached eggs, plus extra Sausage $4.00

I know Duchess is famous for its porky products, but I didn't want to go OTT with the calories, so ordered scrambled eggs for myself.  (I freely admit I was also drawn to this dish for its hilarious name. Hehe, "woodcock").

Scotch Woodcock - Scrambled eggs with Gentlemen's relish and white anchovy fillet - $11

The eggs were nice and soft, and I loved the white anchovy fillet, but I wasn't blown away by the dish.  Turns out I don't like Gentlemen's relish! I assumed I'd love the anchovy/caper sauce, but I found it a bit overpowering.  Oh well, now I've tried it, and next time I'll know.

Adrian had the Duchess of Pork, the description of which sounded like decadence on a plate: crispy pig's jowl with fried egg, rich truffle sauce and sourdough toast.  And very well priced at $17.50!

Duchess of Pork - Crispy pig's jowl with fried egg, rich truffle sauce, and sourdough toast - $17.50

I was looking with piercing envy at Adrian's dish, until he insisted (YAY!) that I try some of the jowl.  Wow! It was incredibly tender, falling apart at the touch of a fork.  So delicious.

The menu seems to change pretty frequently, judging by some other blogposts I hastily googled: Melbourne Gastronome, Espresso Melbourne, "... it pleases us", and Totally Addicted to Taste have all blogged and been equally rapturous in their descriptions of Duchess.  Definitely worth repeat visits!

Across the street from Duchess was a cute little bakery/florist called A Bunch of Cakes.

The lovely ladies who run this shop bake cupcakes throughout the day (all day on the day we visited!) and do orders for parties and other occasions.  Adrian picked up a strawberry and a blueberry cupcake. How cuuuuuute!!  They also sell flowers (duh), and had a nice range of cupcake papers and cake decorating bits and pieces.

Strawberry cupcake - $4, Blueberry cupcake - $4

reade more... Résuméabuiyad