Sugar Thursday and Message Cookies

I'm going to tell you a secret. Well it is, not really. It's one of those secrets that you can tell a few people but no one will really dob you in. Ok, here it is: we eat cake in English class.

Mascarpone Brownies

I haven't baked in so. long.

SO long.

And now I have.
And it was glorious.

Melbourne

So a few weeks ago, - no wait it must've been about five weeks - my friend and I spent about a week in Melbourne. We were busy most days marching around town having the best time, and taking heaps of pictures, of course! Here's a little of what we got up to… Prior Warning: The following contain a LOT of food shots, just saying :)

 First night: a wander through graffitied backstreets…

then an underground Japanese dinner. Off to a great start, I'd say…

White Chocolate Hazelnut Cookies

I'm going to tell you about these cookies.

I don't really need to, to be honest. But yeah, you want to know - how truly soft and delicious they are, with the most satisfying and dreamy flavor combination possible.

The trick with these little pockets of joy is to eat them warm, straight from the oven… actually, that goes for all cookies. Go on, just try one. You need to check that it's cooked, right? You can't go serving undercooked cookies now, can you? Mmm, that's good…  Ooh and what about this one? Is it ok? And this one? Is the next batch just as good?…

Yeah. You get the picture.

I had seven.

That's how good they were.

-ARE. I am sooo making these again.

Thailand/Singapore Part 1

I just read this beautiful blog post on Enchanted Fig. She is so true in her writing, it inspired me to try and open up to you all. To try and hush my inner editor, or english teacher or whatever, inside me - it has inspired me, you mean. Let it just flow. Show my creativity. Show myself.

Candles and insense at a temple

Galangal

Na Muang waterfall

I just got back a few days ago from overseas. We went to Thailand and Singapore, my family and I did.  Everyday there was something new. In Thailand, it was colorful and elaborate temples the first day, waterfalls the next, and always, always seafood that had just been swimming when you ordered it.
Koh Samui, where we stayed, was frightening at first; I found it hard to trust the place, as if anyone would try and take advantage of me if I so much as looked at them. But after a few days, I relaxed. I learnt how to barter, to ignore the people outside restaurants and shops who were trying to beckon you inside, or to politely accept and scan their wares, without letting their eagerness bother you. When I smiled shyly at the shopkeepers, they warmly smiled back. Vegetable sellers would explain the cooking techniques of their produce, and I tried to keep up. The people were kind and lovely and helpful, and everything was different. But that is why we travel, isn't it? I left wishing that we could have stayed longer, to have more time to lie on the beach, to see more of the island, to learn more about the culture that is unlike anything I have ever experienced before. Powerlines are more like birds nests, and once I even found a string of fairy lights around a low hanging section. How did they even put those up with being electrocuted? It has a certain kind of feeling, not quite like beach life - although everyone has that kind of relaxed approach to things - but far from the electric air of a big city. It is perhaps a mix of the two - but then something else as well.

The Big Buddha and Surrounding temples 

A baby elephant we met

Na Muang waterfall

A local variety of eggplant

The most amazing 'pancakes' you will ever eat - more like a crispy crepe, but filled with any combination of sweet or savory centre. Ours was filled with banana and coconut before being slathered in Nutella and a drizzle of condensed milk to finish...

Lettuce Redeem Ourselves

I'll admit it. I had a very bad day today, food-wise. I started out innocently enough, but boredom and procrastination led me time and again to the kitchen, seeking out chocolate, lollies, meaty pasta and pad thai. It got to the point where I was making single portions of chocolate chip cookie in a mug. That was the bottom. After that I felt a little bit sick. So I got up, and did those jobs I was meant to do. It actually felt quite good doing something, because before then I had been feeling lethargic, disappointed and angry at myself. And dinner was another attempt at redeeming myself too.

Baked Eggs

You know what I love? Breakfast. Which is partly why I'm partial to these baked eggs. They have everything you need: perfect for when you feel like eggs, but can't really be bothered dealing with all the dirty dishes and the longer processes (measuring, mixing…) of what might be eggs benedict, or even scrambled eggs; but you want something a little more exciting - and healthy - than runny eggs and soldiers.

 Packed with about one serving of your daily veg, there is no measuring, no stresses about curdling, just chop, layer, done. Out of the oven comes this unassuming little package, it's top gooey from feta, crumbled there less than ten minutes before. The veggies retain some bite after being cooked, but are still hot and soft enough to meddle seamlessly with the burst egg yolk. This breakfast  really is the prefect balance between being seemingly indulgent and perfectly healthy. And who doesn't love that?

Notes: I said above that there is no measuring involved in this recipe, yet below I have included measurements such as "one tablespoon". These are all approximate measures, because this recipe won't end in disaster if you put a little more or less of each ingredient into the mix. Also, feel free to change it up a bit to suit your tastes or what you have in the fridge. I have included some variation suggestions below the recipe.

Baked Eggs

Serves 1

8cm piece (1 Tbsp) spring onion, finely sliced

small handful (¼ cup, firmly packed) baby spinach leaves

4 - 6 (1 Tbsp, firmly packed) basil leaves, roughly chopped

3 - 4 cherry tomatoes, halved

1 egg

1 Tbsp feta, crumbled

Preheat oven to 180°C. Grease one small ramekin.

Spread the spring onion around the bottom of the ramekin, and place on top the spinach, basil and tomatoes. Keep each ingredient as a separate layer, and do not mix the vegetables together.

Crack the egg on top of the tomatoes, and sprinkle the egg with feta.

Place in oven for 10 minutes or until egg white is cooked and the yolk is just set.

Serve immediately on small plate.

Variations: Replace feta with slices of mozzarella. Add roughly chopped ham or prosciutto, or shredded  cooked chicken on top of the bail before adding the tomatoes.

Chocolate Framboise (Chocolate & Raspberry Cake)

It started with cake. Back in July, I had seen all these impressive, beautiful stacked cakes on Pinterest and I so wanted to make one of my own. But I knew that it would be a waste to just suddenly decide to make one which could serve more than ten people, and offer it to our household of three. So I needed an excuse - and what better than a party?

It's not my birthday and it wasn't a christmas party (though the party favors were somewhat festive). Instead it was simply a summer party. This gathering was reminiscent of birthday celebrations of my childhood, or at least of children's storybooks. I made a treasure hunt; we had egg-and-spoon and three-legged races from between one pair of hay bales to another; and the spread - well, how about I show you…

Summer Cake

It was a Saturday afternoon. We were all kind of bored, sitting in front of the TV watching River Cottage Everyday when Hugh walks into a pub, dessert in hand, and enters it into the establishment's pudding competition. The fluffy-haired program host was just telling of how all the regulars to the bar had formed a pudding club, which took the form of this such competition, when my sister piped up,"We should have pudding club!". The three of us - my sister, C; Helen, our nanny at the time; and I - looked around at each other for a hopeful hint of shared enthusiasm, eyes wide at all the possibilities. 

It was a spur of the moment thing. Cookbooks were flipped open, recipes googled, and by dusk  each of us had found a dessert to make, and had all agreed that, with Mum and Dad out for the night - we would have our puddings for dinner. And so the Pudding Club was born.

Flavor of the Month: November

How lovely it is to be back blogging, after (nearly) having finished all my exams - just one to go! I can't wait to get stuck into a summer full of baking, cooking, sunbathing and travel! There's a lot to look forward to.

While I wasn't studying this past month, I was daydreaming about these things:

Rhubarb

My rhubarb plant is overflowing, and in desperate need of a harvest. So I've done what any dedicated rhubarb lover would do: I researched. And what amazing inspiration I found! I'm thinking, as a change from the citrus combination that characterizes the winter months, berries are the way to go. With all the complementary red and purple colors, it's almost as if they're made for each other, right?

Rhubarb and Vanilla Cheesecake with Strawberry Jelly

Spain

source below

I came across this wonderful blog post from La Tartine Gormande the other day, and it makes me want to travel to europe now more than ever. I can't get over the bright contrasts in color, the sunshine, the blissful atmosphere coming through in her photos… not to mention the glorious food that comes out of the country, and the ancient traditions that accompany them.

Artichoke

Artichoke

Also in need of a harvest, before it goes to flower, are our artichoke plants. Dad planted these years ago, but they have never been harvested. Apart from him, the rest of us weren't that interested anyway, and Dad for some reason just never got round to harvesting and cooking them either. Year after year, they would flower, seed and grow a little bigger, but this year I'm determined not to let them go to waste. Does anyone have great artichoke recipes that they care to share?

The Kimono

I recently discovered internet shopping. Those of you who are converted are probably wondering why I didn't start sooner. And you who aren't in on the whole idea might be wondering what all the fuss is about (like I was). But now I get it. You can find exactly what your looking for in hours, not days, the range of clothes out there is so vast, and the best bargains are just a click away, if you know where to look. The most recent trend I've noticed - and bought in to? The kimono. Instead of the flowy, laid back style, I went for this structured 'boxy' kimono style top to wear with a pastel blue skirt while out on the town this summer.

Boho kimono; Original source unknown

DIY Advent Calendar

It's that time of year again! This time last year I was shipping off my version of this advent calendar to a friend as a christmas present. I painted some paper in water colors, cut them out, made them into little envelopes and filled them with treats. Every day my friend found in a little pouch a note counting another way she is awesome (up to 24 - one for everyday), and maybe a recipe she liked of mine, or a chocolate bar, or little gift. I threaded them on to string - they looked like bunting with all the colorful patterns on them - and delivered them just in time. She loved it!
This year, with my exams finishing so late, I may not have quite enough time to make another, but that doesn't mean I still can't dream… or even plan for next year! I was thinking it also might make a great gift for someone's birthday if they were born at the end of the month, or to celebrate another special day… new years? anniversary? end of exams? Meanwhile, here are a few ideas that have got me inspired:

DIY Advent in a Jar

Christmas Street

Hanging Tree Activity Calendar

A Colorful Advent

Toilet-Paper Roll Advent House

The Best Prawn and Parsley Frittata

Yesterday, at my school prize-giving, our Head Girl (renowned for her speech-making) delivered a speech about success, about its definition. Success, at least to me, does not necessarily mean driving a fancy car, nor even gaining a prize at prize-giving. As my head girl put it, success is 'setting out to do something, and then doing it'. Achieving your goals. But then going beyond them, doing what you never thought you could do. Surprising yourself.

September-October Flavor of the Month, Melbourne and a Short Break

Happy Spring, lovelies!

September-October Loves

Bright Heels

Let's be honest: being wrapped up in monochrome knits head to toe can be a bit… daggy, after a while. Eventually, we've got to reveal our daisy-white legs to the world underneath a skirt (gasp!). And what better things to dress your lower 3 inches in for their spring debut than a pair of bright, eye-catching pumps…

Heels

Moon Cake

In other news, the Chinese Moon cake Festival happens around this time, and while I am not Chinese in any way, any celebration where a certain food is at its core is right up my alley. Whilst in Melbourne recently (more on this later), my Mum and I took a trip to Chinatown, where I made it my mission to find one of these unusual baked goods. Some of my friends are Chinese and stirred my curiosity when I asked them about moon cake prior to my Melbourne visit. They told me that moon cake is hard to describe and as I bit into my lotus-paste-with-2-yolk version, I could see what they meant. The outer layer is thin and virtually tasteless, quite short yet soft, almost like a pastry crust. When you open the packet a scent of pure sweetness emerges, conjuring up images of sugar syrup, yet… also with a hint of 'earthliness'- I can't really describe it any other way. The first bite reveals a quite dense center, almost the consistency of firm play dough, and there are clear marks where your teeth made indentations in the cake.



You could say, overall, that this foodstuff is 'sweet', but not necessarily in the way that, perhaps a cake slice you buy in Acland Rd, St Kilda's is: layers of sponge drenched in liqueur, sandwiched between generous amounts of frosting it is not. Instead, the lotus seed flavor comes through first and foremost - which in itself is difficult to imagine, let alone having tasted it before. The most I can say about it is that it tastes 'earthy'- perhaps it is in part due to the pale forest green color of the inner. As you continue to take in the curious flavors and mouthfeel, eventually you will expose the yolk, sitting in a secret burrow, patiently expecting your arrival. It has a salty exterior which is in stark contrast to the (now noticeable) sweetness of the cake, and is very hard, almost crumbly, like a very hard boiled egg. This is what it's all about. The yolk, traditionally that of a duck's egg, is a symbol of the full moon.

Strawberries

On the drive home from school the other day, a hand-painted sign which Mum and I saw on the side of the road which read 'strawberries 3km' ignited an excitement and almost unbearable anticipation in me for a long-ago taste of these delicious jewels. "Can we go, please?!" I gasped. And off we went in the search of strawberries, with me sitting alert on the edge of the seat. 

Upon taking my first bite, I couldn't help but smile. It has been so long, and to me, summer doesn't really begin until you eat your first strawberry. But now, it seems summer is well and truly here.

From Tartelette blog

Melbourne

About a month ago Mum and I went on a short trip to Melbourne (mostly) in the name of finding out about a potential University to study architecture at in two years' time. The thing that struck me most about Melbourne was the eclectic mix of new and old. It's everywhere - heritage buildings neighbor glass-fonted apartment blocks, trams a fitted with state-of-the-art ticketing services or encase you in a 1950's relic of leather-apholstered seats and windows with wooden frames.

The Architecture

  

St Kilda's

Chinatown

Victoria Park Markets

A short 'so long'…

It's that time of year again: exams. The final, stressful push before months of sunny, lazy freedom. And because I really do want to go to that Melbourne university I visited last month, I really must keep my head down, tail up till early November (the 27th, to be exact!) you shall not be seeing me around these parts for a while. So long, friends, I'll be back with loads more stories to tell before you know it!