Caramel Spiced Pumpkin Parfait

It is merely the first week of September and all I can think of is fall. As I am truly craving pumpkin, apples and warm woodsy spices I had a desire, no actually I had a need to enjoy a fall dessert. I swear the pumpkin was calling to me from the nearly bare shelves at the grocery store. Apparently I am not the only one craving fall, as most of the pumpkin was sold out.

I give you 4 incredible layers of warm autumn flavors that come together to bring you a taste of fall. Layer upon layer of warm, spiced flavors that
Continue Reading »

It is merely the first week of September and all I can think of is fall. As I am truly craving pumpkin, apples and warm woodsy spices I had a desire, no actually I had a need to enjoy a fall dessert. I swear the pumpkin was calling to me from the nearly bare shelves at the grocery store. Apparently I am not the only one craving fall, as most of the pumpkin was sold out.

I give you 4 incredible layers of warm autumn flavors that come together to bring you a taste of fall. Layer upon layer of warm, spiced flavors that
Continue Reading »

reade more... Résuméabuiyad

Make Your Royal Icing Shine: comparing drying techniques

A question that comes up again and again about cookie decorating is,

"How can I get royal icing to dry shiny?"

When royal icing is wet, it's super shiny, glossy, and vibrant.  So, when it dries to an almost matte finish, it can be disappointing.

I've air-dried my royal icing-decorated cookies for years (and years and years).  Usually they dried with just a bit of sheen, not totally matte.  If you were comparing them to paint finishes...somewhere between and flat and an eggshell.

Lately though, I've been trying a couple of new drying techniques.  One is placing an oscillating fan near the table where the cookies are drying (thank you, Sweet Sugarbelle).  The other is using a food dehydrator on the lowest setting (thank you, LilaLoa).

The difference was difficult to capture on camera until I glanced at the cookies backlit from the window.
Can you see the difference?

The cookies that were air-dried (no fan, no ceiling fan, but yes air-conditioner) dried almost totally matte.  The cookies dried with the oscillating fan and dehydrator dried with a definite sheen.

Again, if we were using the paint finish comparison, I'd say the fan and dehydrator cookies were somewhere between a satin and semi-gloss finish.  Still not the glossy look, but definitely shinier.

Also, can you see that the air-dried icing dried darker than the other cookies? 

I think the fan and dehydrator cookies dried with the icing a bit "poofier," too. (But, I may be making that up.)

The cookies dried with the fan and dehydrator don't differ much in the finish.  As a matter of fact, I was having to really concentrate when taking the pictures to remember which was which.  A couple of bonuses to the dehydrator...1. the cookies dry faster. 2. I feel more confident filling in a dark outline with light flood icing after an hour or so in the dehydrator.

The cons to the dehydrator? Moving the cookies with wet icing onto the trays...and then off again if you are doing more decorating. I have smudged a few outlines transferring, and there's always that fear that you'll drop one. *knocks wood*

This is the dehydrator I bought.  I thought the rectangular trays would hold more cookies than circular ones.  I have no idea if that's true.  I haven't loaded it completely, but I think it would hold 7 dozen or more 3"-4" cookies.

Be sure to look for one that has variable temperature settings and use the lowest setting.  You don't want to re-bake your cookies.  (Hey, biscotti?  Hmm...)  Oh, and don't worry about the cookies drying out...they don't. Yay!

I use a little clip-on fan like this one. I love that it's small and I can toss it in a closet when I'm not drying cookies. I may even buy a few more for larger cookies quantities.

Tips for drying all cookies:

• place the iced cookies on cookie sheet and leave uncovered to dry,
• if it's warm outside, run the A/C,
• do not open the windows if at all humid, or if you've just run the sprinklers (just ask Mr. E),

Air-drying:

• give the cookies a full 6-8 hours or overnight to dry,

Oscillating fan:

• rotate the cookie sheets during drying (or have several fans for large projects),
• still allow 6-8 for drying, using the fan for at least the first 2 hours,

 Dehydrator:

• place the temperature on the lowest setting,
• use caution when moving cookies from the cookie sheets to the dehydrator (this is the part I like the least about moving them),
• to lock in the shine, run the dehydrator for about 4 hours or so, then let them dry the remainder of the way without the machine running,
• the cookies will dry sooner, but to be on the safe side, I still allow a full 6-8 hours to dry completely.

Bottom line: 
If you want your royal icing to dry with more shine, use a fan or a dehydrator!  Shiny or not, though, decorated cookies are always cute.  ♥

---

A question that comes up again and again about cookie decorating is,

"How can I get royal icing to dry shiny?"

When royal icing is wet, it's super shiny, glossy, and vibrant.  So, when it dries to an almost matte finish, it can be disappointing.

I've air-dried my royal icing-decorated cookies for years (and years and years).  Usually they dried with just a bit of sheen, not totally matte.  If you were comparing them to paint finishes...somewhere between and flat and an eggshell.

Lately though, I've been trying a couple of new drying techniques.  One is placing an oscillating fan near the table where the cookies are drying (thank you, Sweet Sugarbelle).  The other is using a food dehydrator on the lowest setting (thank you, LilaLoa).

The difference was difficult to capture on camera until I glanced at the cookies backlit from the window.
Can you see the difference?

The cookies that were air-dried (no fan, no ceiling fan, but yes air-conditioner) dried almost totally matte.  The cookies dried with the oscillating fan and dehydrator dried with a definite sheen.

Again, if we were using the paint finish comparison, I'd say the fan and dehydrator cookies were somewhere between a satin and semi-gloss finish.  Still not the glossy look, but definitely shinier.

Also, can you see that the air-dried icing dried darker than the other cookies? 

I think the fan and dehydrator cookies dried with the icing a bit "poofier," too. (But, I may be making that up.)

The cookies dried with the fan and dehydrator don't differ much in the finish.  As a matter of fact, I was having to really concentrate when taking the pictures to remember which was which.  A couple of bonuses to the dehydrator...1. the cookies dry faster. 2. I feel more confident filling in a dark outline with light flood icing after an hour or so in the dehydrator.

The cons to the dehydrator? Moving the cookies with wet icing onto the trays...and then off again if you are doing more decorating. I have smudged a few outlines transferring, and there's always that fear that you'll drop one. *knocks wood*

This is the dehydrator I bought.  I thought the rectangular trays would hold more cookies than circular ones.  I have no idea if that's true.  I haven't loaded it completely, but I think it would hold 7 dozen or more 3"-4" cookies.

Be sure to look for one that has variable temperature settings and use the lowest setting.  You don't want to re-bake your cookies.  (Hey, biscotti?  Hmm...)  Oh, and don't worry about the cookies drying out...they don't. Yay!

I use a little clip-on fan like this one. I love that it's small and I can toss it in a closet when I'm not drying cookies. I may even buy a few more for larger cookies quantities.

Tips for drying all cookies:

• place the iced cookies on cookie sheet and leave uncovered to dry,
• if it's warm outside, run the A/C,
• do not open the windows if at all humid, or if you've just run the sprinklers (just ask Mr. E),

Air-drying:

• give the cookies a full 6-8 hours or overnight to dry,

Oscillating fan:

• rotate the cookie sheets during drying (or have several fans for large projects),
• still allow 6-8 for drying, using the fan for at least the first 2 hours,

 Dehydrator:

• place the temperature on the lowest setting,
• use caution when moving cookies from the cookie sheets to the dehydrator (this is the part I like the least about moving them),
• to lock in the shine, run the dehydrator for about 4 hours or so, then let them dry the remainder of the way without the machine running,
• the cookies will dry sooner, but to be on the safe side, I still allow a full 6-8 hours to dry completely.

Bottom line: 
If you want your royal icing to dry with more shine, use a fan or a dehydrator!  Shiny or not, though, decorated cookies are always cute.  ♥

---

reade more... Résuméabuiyad

Fudgsicles

My love for popsicles has not waned over the years. The chocolate lover in me always yearns for the fudgsicle over its fruitier companions. I have been wanting to make my own fudgiscles since the moment my popsicle molds arrived in the mail.

I told my husband about wanting to make fudgsicles and he almost balked at the idea because I had just finished making these peaches and cream popsicles. Of course, he took back his words after devouring his fudgsicle and has been happy with my suggestions ever since. Addie, of course, scarfed down her fudgsicle in near record time.

These fudgsicles are creamy, chocolatey and a better version of the treats you'd get from your neighborhood ice cream cream (or your local grocery store). They are not too sweet but perfectly chocolatey, which is the way I like them. Since this recipe only makes about 3-4 pops, you may want to consider doubling the recipe.

Fudgsicles

• 2 TBSP semisweet chocolate chips or chopped semisweet chocolate
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 1 TBSP cornstarch
• 1 and 1/2 TBSP unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 and 1/4 cups whole milk
• Pinch of salt
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 tablespoon unsalted butter

Directions
In a medium saucepan set over low heat, melt the chocolate chips and stir until they are completely melted and smooth.

Increase the stove to medium heat and add in the sugar, cornstarch, cocoa powder, milk and salt. Continue to stir and cook until the chocolate mixture thickens (like a thin pudding consistency).  It should take about 5-10 minutes.

Once the mixture has thickened, turn off the stove and remove the saucepan from the heat. Stir in the vanilla and butter and whisk until thoroughly combined.

Allow the mixture to cool and transfer into your popsicle molds. Freeze for at least 4 hours or until the popsicles are firm and frozen before serving.

To remove the popsicles from the molds, run them for a few minutes under hot water. Alternatively, you can submerge the popsicle molds in a bowl or cup of warm water for a few minutes.

Yield: About 3-4 fudge popsicles

Source: smitten kitchen; originally adapted from On A Stick!

My love for popsicles has not waned over the years. The chocolate lover in me always yearns for the fudgsicle over its fruitier companions. I have been wanting to make my own fudgiscles since the moment my popsicle molds arrived in the mail.

I told my husband about wanting to make fudgsicles and he almost balked at the idea because I had just finished making these peaches and cream popsicles. Of course, he took back his words after devouring his fudgsicle and has been happy with my suggestions ever since. Addie, of course, scarfed down her fudgsicle in near record time.

These fudgsicles are creamy, chocolatey and a better version of the treats you'd get from your neighborhood ice cream cream (or your local grocery store). They are not too sweet but perfectly chocolatey, which is the way I like them. Since this recipe only makes about 3-4 pops, you may want to consider doubling the recipe.

Fudgsicles

• 2 TBSP semisweet chocolate chips or chopped semisweet chocolate
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 1 TBSP cornstarch
• 1 and 1/2 TBSP unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 and 1/4 cups whole milk
• Pinch of salt
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 tablespoon unsalted butter

Directions
In a medium saucepan set over low heat, melt the chocolate chips and stir until they are completely melted and smooth.

Increase the stove to medium heat and add in the sugar, cornstarch, cocoa powder, milk and salt. Continue to stir and cook until the chocolate mixture thickens (like a thin pudding consistency).  It should take about 5-10 minutes.

Once the mixture has thickened, turn off the stove and remove the saucepan from the heat. Stir in the vanilla and butter and whisk until thoroughly combined.

Allow the mixture to cool and transfer into your popsicle molds. Freeze for at least 4 hours or until the popsicles are firm and frozen before serving.

To remove the popsicles from the molds, run them for a few minutes under hot water. Alternatively, you can submerge the popsicle molds in a bowl or cup of warm water for a few minutes.

Yield: About 3-4 fudge popsicles

Source: smitten kitchen; originally adapted from On A Stick!

reade more... Résuméabuiyad

Roasted Red Pepper and White Balsamic Salad Dressing

Roasted Red Pepper and White Balsamic Salad Dressing

Our family just returned from our summer vacation road trip from Savannah to Boston and let's just say there was a fair amount of caloric indulgence all up the eastern seaboard of the US. With great summer produce still available, we will be seeing even more delicious salads on the dinner table to balance the excesses of the past few weeks. That's not a bad thing, especially when those farm fresh salad greens and other fruits and vegetables get tossed with this delicious, fat free dressing made from sweet summer red peppers and the savory sharp flavor of white balsamic vinegar.

If you cannot find white balsamic vinegar, a good quality white wine vinegar will also work well. The dressing should keep for a few days in a covered container in the fridge but the recipe is also very easy to make a half batch.

• 2 large roasted red peppers

During the summer months when fresh peppers are more plentiful and less expensive, I like to roast the peppers on the grill, getting them almost black before popping them into a Ziploc bag to sweat it out for 5-10 minutes. The charred skins are then very easily removed and discarded leaving the roasted flavor behind. I have also used good quality bottled roasted red peppers at other times of the year which is very good too.

Skin and de-seed the roasted peppers, chop them roughly and add them to a blender or food processor. Puree the peppers until smooth along with:

• pinch salt and pepper
• 4 cloves roasted garlic
• 1/4 cup white balsamic vinegar (or white wine vinegar)
• 2 tbsp honey
• 2 tbsp fresh chopped herbs (oregano, basil or chives or a combination works very well)

The recipe does not call for any oil but you can add a few tbsp of extra virgin olive oil if you choose.

Roasted Red Pepper and White Balsamic Salad Dressing

Our family just returned from our summer vacation road trip from Savannah to Boston and let's just say there was a fair amount of caloric indulgence all up the eastern seaboard of the US. With great summer produce still available, we will be seeing even more delicious salads on the dinner table to balance the excesses of the past few weeks. That's not a bad thing, especially when those farm fresh salad greens and other fruits and vegetables get tossed with this delicious, fat free dressing made from sweet summer red peppers and the savory sharp flavor of white balsamic vinegar.

If you cannot find white balsamic vinegar, a good quality white wine vinegar will also work well. The dressing should keep for a few days in a covered container in the fridge but the recipe is also very easy to make a half batch.

• 2 large roasted red peppers

During the summer months when fresh peppers are more plentiful and less expensive, I like to roast the peppers on the grill, getting them almost black before popping them into a Ziploc bag to sweat it out for 5-10 minutes. The charred skins are then very easily removed and discarded leaving the roasted flavor behind. I have also used good quality bottled roasted red peppers at other times of the year which is very good too.

Skin and de-seed the roasted peppers, chop them roughly and add them to a blender or food processor. Puree the peppers until smooth along with:

• pinch salt and pepper
• 4 cloves roasted garlic
• 1/4 cup white balsamic vinegar (or white wine vinegar)
• 2 tbsp honey
• 2 tbsp fresh chopped herbs (oregano, basil or chives or a combination works very well)

The recipe does not call for any oil but you can add a few tbsp of extra virgin olive oil if you choose.

reade more... Résuméabuiyad

CSA Wednesdays: Purslane, Pepper, and Onion Quiche

    School is back in full swing.  I just finished up my first full week with the students and I'm exhausted!  I also have a huge smile on my face because I've really missed the kids.  My job is really cool because I get to have the same kids for up to 6 years in a row.  It's amazing to see how they've grown throughout the years.  I am missing some of my fifth graders from last year but I have several new students to welcome as well.
 
     This was also the first week I wasn't able to go to the farmer's market myself.  *cue the sad music*  Frank went and picked up our CSA this week and I rushed home to see what was included.  I was happy to see the sunflowers because we were having guests and I wanted to make sure we had flowers on the table.  We also received tomatillos, acorn squash, celery, green peppers, hot peppers, a cantaloupe, and purslane.  Never heard of purslane?  Neither had I.  Purslane is an annual succulent.  When I researched what to do with it I came up with using it in a salad or in place of spinach in a recipe.  I was a bit stumped.

     I ended up using the cantaloupe in a fruit salad that I made with mojito dressing.  We ate some of the celery with dip and the rest in tuna sandwiches.  I used the tomatillos, squash, and green peppers in a pasta dish I'll be posting soon.  My brother came to visit for the weekend and while figuring out what to make for brunch I came up with a way to use the purslane!  I was out of pie crusts so I used a thin crust pizza dough and it worked well.  I made a quiche with onions, purslane, green peppers, eggs, and cheese.  It was one of the best quiche I've made!

Purslane, Pepper, and Onion Quiche (a Hezzi-D original)
5 strips bacon, cooked and chopped
1 c. purslane, chopped
2 small green peppers, seeded and diced
1/2 onion, minced
4 eggs
1 c. milk
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 t. Gourmet Garden Italian herbs
1 c. cheddar cheese, shredded
1 Pillsbury thin crust pizza dough

1.  Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.  Stretch the pizza dough across a pie pan and trim the excess from around the edges.  

2.  Put the chopped purslane on top of the pizza crust then layer the green peppers, onion, and chopped bacon.

3.  In a medium bowl beat the eggs.  Add in the milk, garlic cloves, Italian herbs, and half of the cheese.  Mix until combined and then pour over top of the vegetables in the pizza crust.  Sprinkle with remaining cheese.

4.  Bake for 35-40 minutes or until the center of the quiche is firm.  Remove from the oven and cool for 5 minutes.  Cut and serve.   

 

    School is back in full swing.  I just finished up my first full week with the students and I'm exhausted!  I also have a huge smile on my face because I've really missed the kids.  My job is really cool because I get to have the same kids for up to 6 years in a row.  It's amazing to see how they've grown throughout the years.  I am missing some of my fifth graders from last year but I have several new students to welcome as well.
 
     This was also the first week I wasn't able to go to the farmer's market myself.  *cue the sad music*  Frank went and picked up our CSA this week and I rushed home to see what was included.  I was happy to see the sunflowers because we were having guests and I wanted to make sure we had flowers on the table.  We also received tomatillos, acorn squash, celery, green peppers, hot peppers, a cantaloupe, and purslane.  Never heard of purslane?  Neither had I.  Purslane is an annual succulent.  When I researched what to do with it I came up with using it in a salad or in place of spinach in a recipe.  I was a bit stumped.

     I ended up using the cantaloupe in a fruit salad that I made with mojito dressing.  We ate some of the celery with dip and the rest in tuna sandwiches.  I used the tomatillos, squash, and green peppers in a pasta dish I'll be posting soon.  My brother came to visit for the weekend and while figuring out what to make for brunch I came up with a way to use the purslane!  I was out of pie crusts so I used a thin crust pizza dough and it worked well.  I made a quiche with onions, purslane, green peppers, eggs, and cheese.  It was one of the best quiche I've made!

Purslane, Pepper, and Onion Quiche (a Hezzi-D original)
5 strips bacon, cooked and chopped
1 c. purslane, chopped
2 small green peppers, seeded and diced
1/2 onion, minced
4 eggs
1 c. milk
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 t. Gourmet Garden Italian herbs
1 c. cheddar cheese, shredded
1 Pillsbury thin crust pizza dough

1.  Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.  Stretch the pizza dough across a pie pan and trim the excess from around the edges.  

2.  Put the chopped purslane on top of the pizza crust then layer the green peppers, onion, and chopped bacon.

3.  In a medium bowl beat the eggs.  Add in the milk, garlic cloves, Italian herbs, and half of the cheese.  Mix until combined and then pour over top of the vegetables in the pizza crust.  Sprinkle with remaining cheese.

4.  Bake for 35-40 minutes or until the center of the quiche is firm.  Remove from the oven and cool for 5 minutes.  Cut and serve.   

 

reade more... Résuméabuiyad

Cheesy Pepperoni Pizza Beer Bread

I have been having so much fun with food this week. Yummy trifles, bites, poppers and bread. I love taking 2 of our favorite foods and transforming them into one spectacular dish. That is exactly what you see. Quick and easy beer bread and cheesy pepperoni pizza have come together in the Cheesy Pepperoni Pizza Beer Bread.

Continue Reading »

I have been having so much fun with food this week. Yummy trifles, bites, poppers and bread. I love taking 2 of our favorite foods and transforming them into one spectacular dish. That is exactly what you see. Quick and easy beer bread and cheesy pepperoni pizza have come together in the Cheesy Pepperoni Pizza Beer Bread.

Continue Reading »

reade more... Résuméabuiyad

The Unblogged Files: August 2013

Welcome to my Unblogged Files for August! Now, before I get into my usual blabber about the month gone by, you'll notice that things have changed a little around here - new layout, new header, and a whole lot of little tweaks that will hopefully make your reading experience here at Sarah Cooks a whole lot cleaner and easier! Thank-you to those who have already commented saying that they like the new look! I didn't draw the pictures myself (hah, as if I could be that talented!), but I actually commissioned an artist to create the pictures, and we held a couple of "Art and Food" days where I cooked, she drew, and a whole bunch of friends ate! I'll be talking about the whole process and the new layout in detail in my next post, so stay tuned.

Now: August.

I caucht up with my cousin at Prospect Espresso (2A Prospect Hill Road, Camberwell VIC 3124) one morning. She was post-workout and I was pre-workout, so she had a proper breakfast and I just had a coffee. I was super jealous when her breakfast roll came out, though - how good does it look?

Breakfast roll - Poached egg, bacon and hollandaise on a brioche bun – $12.5

Cafe Latte

We caught up with girlfriends at the Meat and Wine Co in Hawthorn East. We shared a platter of mixed lamb, beef and pork ribs. OMG - the pork ribs, amazing. It was a bit of a pricey dinner, but it had a great atmosphere and I'd happily go back for a treat. Funnily enough, that same day I got an invite to the relaunch of their Southbank branch, which happened later that month. Hoping to blog both visits!

Mixed platter of lamb, beef and pork ribs

We had a dinner party one night for some friends, who brought their super-adorable new baby - yay! The menu was Nigella's tagliata of beef, Martha Stewart's scalloped potatoes with leeks, a salad of rocket, apple, walnuts and parmesan, and a dessert of mascarpone-stuffed crepes with calvados apples and that Bretagne salted caramel sauce I brought back from Paris! I really liked the crepes, even though I mainly winged the recipe. I'm going to work on the recipe so I can blog it and share it with you.

Dinner party

I keep making variations on Japanese salmon and noodles for weeknight meals, especially when I've been eating quite heavily, hehe. Here's one I did this month - miso glazed salmon with boiled broccolini, and udon soup with shiitake mushrooms.

Miso-glazed salmon, broccolini, udon soup with shiitake

We caught up with friends D&M for, well, a D&M over afternoon tea. They outdid themselves, making romkugler (Danish rum balls), mini tarts filled with passionfruit/white chocolate and bergamot/dark chocolate, and affogatos.

Afternoon tea

After not baking for what feels like ages, I went on a bit of a baking bonanza this month! Apart from the maple walnut cupcakes with maple buttercream, I baked madeleines three times (one batch honey, one burnt butter and honey, and one with éclats de caramel au beurre salé).

Honey madeleines

One night I suddenly decided I had to use up all the frozen bananas in my freezer, and made Bill Granger's fabulous choc chip banana bread. Love it! At the same time, I baked an Apfelkuchen sehr fein because Sandra doesn't eat bananas and I'm super nice like that.

Bill Granger's choc chip banana bread

Apfelkuchen, sehr fein

We took a weekend trip to Hobart. These delicious oysters from Bruny Island totally happened. Blogposts to come!

Bruny Island Oysters

Last weekend, when the weather suddenly burst into sunny Springtime, I finally tried Huxtaburger! I loved the Denise (the hot one, with sriracha mayo and jalapenos), especially the buttery bun. However, Sandra thought the Theo (double patty, bacon double cheese and BBQ sauce) didn't live up to the hype, finding it too messy to eat and overpoweringly smoky from the BBQ sauce. I don't think I'd go out of my way to visit again, but certainly wouldn't say no if friends suggested grabbing a quick bite there!

The Denise at Huxtaburger

That was August! Plans for the month include a little road trip, a couple of nice meals, a lot more baking and having friends over for dinner. And (fingers crossed) enjoying the warmer weather!

Welcome to my Unblogged Files for August! Now, before I get into my usual blabber about the month gone by, you'll notice that things have changed a little around here - new layout, new header, and a whole lot of little tweaks that will hopefully make your reading experience here at Sarah Cooks a whole lot cleaner and easier! Thank-you to those who have already commented saying that they like the new look! I didn't draw the pictures myself (hah, as if I could be that talented!), but I actually commissioned an artist to create the pictures, and we held a couple of "Art and Food" days where I cooked, she drew, and a whole bunch of friends ate! I'll be talking about the whole process and the new layout in detail in my next post, so stay tuned.

Now: August.

I caucht up with my cousin at Prospect Espresso (2A Prospect Hill Road, Camberwell VIC 3124) one morning. She was post-workout and I was pre-workout, so she had a proper breakfast and I just had a coffee. I was super jealous when her breakfast roll came out, though - how good does it look?

Breakfast roll - Poached egg, bacon and hollandaise on a brioche bun – $12.5

Cafe Latte

We caught up with girlfriends at the Meat and Wine Co in Hawthorn East. We shared a platter of mixed lamb, beef and pork ribs. OMG - the pork ribs, amazing. It was a bit of a pricey dinner, but it had a great atmosphere and I'd happily go back for a treat. Funnily enough, that same day I got an invite to the relaunch of their Southbank branch, which happened later that month. Hoping to blog both visits!

Mixed platter of lamb, beef and pork ribs

We had a dinner party one night for some friends, who brought their super-adorable new baby - yay! The menu was Nigella's tagliata of beef, Martha Stewart's scalloped potatoes with leeks, a salad of rocket, apple, walnuts and parmesan, and a dessert of mascarpone-stuffed crepes with calvados apples and that Bretagne salted caramel sauce I brought back from Paris! I really liked the crepes, even though I mainly winged the recipe. I'm going to work on the recipe so I can blog it and share it with you.

Dinner party

I keep making variations on Japanese salmon and noodles for weeknight meals, especially when I've been eating quite heavily, hehe. Here's one I did this month - miso glazed salmon with boiled broccolini, and udon soup with shiitake mushrooms.

Miso-glazed salmon, broccolini, udon soup with shiitake

We caught up with friends D&M for, well, a D&M over afternoon tea. They outdid themselves, making romkugler (Danish rum balls), mini tarts filled with passionfruit/white chocolate and bergamot/dark chocolate, and affogatos.

Afternoon tea

After not baking for what feels like ages, I went on a bit of a baking bonanza this month! Apart from the maple walnut cupcakes with maple buttercream, I baked madeleines three times (one batch honey, one burnt butter and honey, and one with éclats de caramel au beurre salé).

Honey madeleines

One night I suddenly decided I had to use up all the frozen bananas in my freezer, and made Bill Granger's fabulous choc chip banana bread. Love it! At the same time, I baked an Apfelkuchen sehr fein because Sandra doesn't eat bananas and I'm super nice like that.

Bill Granger's choc chip banana bread

Apfelkuchen, sehr fein

We took a weekend trip to Hobart. These delicious oysters from Bruny Island totally happened. Blogposts to come!

Bruny Island Oysters

Last weekend, when the weather suddenly burst into sunny Springtime, I finally tried Huxtaburger! I loved the Denise (the hot one, with sriracha mayo and jalapenos), especially the buttery bun. However, Sandra thought the Theo (double patty, bacon double cheese and BBQ sauce) didn't live up to the hype, finding it too messy to eat and overpoweringly smoky from the BBQ sauce. I don't think I'd go out of my way to visit again, but certainly wouldn't say no if friends suggested grabbing a quick bite there!

The Denise at Huxtaburger

That was August! Plans for the month include a little road trip, a couple of nice meals, a lot more baking and having friends over for dinner. And (fingers crossed) enjoying the warmer weather!

reade more... Résuméabuiyad