My friend M is a neverfail cook. By that I mean that everything that she cooks is fantastic. Without exception. But in the time I’ve known her, I’ve never seen her make a cake. When she mentioned that she would be making an Austrian cake for Australia Day I knew it would be good (duh!) but I was excited to learn that this was her family’s recipe and a genuine Austrian cake as well. I think I actually rubbed my hands together in sheer happiness and bounced up and down on my Swiss Ball.
It’s an Austrian cake rich with a whipped cream buttercream and sponge fingers, much like a Tiramisu without the coffee flavour. She is proud of the fact that it is a standalone cake too so that the skill of the cakemaker is evident in ensuring that the structure has integrity and evenness. These Austrians are a precise bunch 
She even took photos of the assembly process from the day before so I would have step by step instructions. What a great friend!
Made over two days so that the sponge fingers soften, it is flavoured with rum and topped with a stiff sweetened whipped cream and strawberries and it quite a sight to behold. It’s a cake designed to impress, in fact it was a special occasion cake made just for birthdays in the Baer household. Thanks to M for sharing her cake recipe with me and all of my readers and for giving me a slice of heaven on a plate.
Click here to read the full story
|
February 4, 2009
by Not Quite Nigella
I was really excited about this month’s Daring Bakers challenge…Tuiles, those delicate buttery thin crispy biscuits (ones that caused me so much drama when I was making the Gordon Ramsay RHR dessert). I was excited as I had a clear idea as to what I wanted to make and how I wanted to style it so when it came to the Australia Day weekend coming up in which we would eat it, my excitement grew. For those of you that read this blog, first of all thankyou for doing so and secondly, you would also know that I have a leaning towards desserts and sweets. This is mainly because I can use a colour palette that I like more with pinks and all sorts of pastels so it’s probably a surprise that when give a choice of sweet or savoury, I’ve chosen savoury.
The reason why I wanted to do a savoury tuile was that I wanted to pair this with Taramasalata, that deliciously creamy Greek caviar dip in a delicate pink hue. I liked the idea that people may have thought that this was a sweet item but once they tried it, they’d know it was savoury. I was also taken with how it would look, almost like a Paul & Joe Powder container I had many moons ago and how I’d love to sit that on my makeup table as it looked so gloriously art deco and pretty. Hence the jewelry and other dressing table acoutrements that feature in the images.
I don’t like buying new equipment for just one use as my cupboards are already bursting to full but when I saw some Tuile Silpats on sale I eagerly snatched them up. It occurred as serendipity often does, I saw them a few days after I read the recipe so I was grateful for the help as I was needing all the reinforcements after having a hard time with the December Ispahan Yule Log challenge. I needn’t have worried, the tuiles themselves are incredibly easy and the recipe is very straightforward which I was very relieved to see. The only thing that may pose a challenge is shaping them. Also, it was 31C the day that I made them. There I was, standing in front of the very hot 200C oven in a bikini and apron and I felt like I was melting but madness spurred me on. I don’t think I’m the only person that bakes in a bikini-or am I?
This month’s challenge is brought to us by Karen of Bake My Day and Zorra of 1x umruehren bitte aka Kochtopf. They chose Tuiles from The Chocolate Book by Angélique Schmeink and Nougatine and Chocolate Tuiles from Michel Roux and Savoury Tuiles from Thomas Keller “The French Laundry Cookbook”.
Click here to read the full story
|
January 29, 2009
by Not Quite Nigella
Springtime is the time for weddings and this being the last month of Spring, I do realise that I’m a little late to offer up any suggestions for wedding favours or bombonierre for a special touch for a bride so please excuse my tardiness-let’s call it fashionably late if you will.
This is Bride’s Honey or Miel de la Mariée, prepared in Moroccan custom for engagements and weddings where guests are offered honey before the wedding. Honey plays a significant part in many cultures during weddings, its innate sweetness and seductiveness is not lost on many. It is a common sign of fruitfulness and fertility and along with Moroccan culture, Jewish, Croation, Balkan, Indian and German cultures also use honey in their rituals.The history is long with ancient Babylonian families including a standard 32-pound gift of honey in bridal dowries.
If you didn’t know about the origins of the word Honeymoon, one of the most often repeated stories is one where mead, which is a mixture of honey and water, was drunk before the Champagne toast. Also after the wedding a married couple were said to drink a cup of mead every night for one month. As time was recorded by the cycles of the moon, this period became known as the “honeymoon”. Whether this is truly the origin of the word is unclear but it’s great folklore nevertheless.
Taking this further, you could offer this in little pots to give as bombonierre (although honey is not offered during the ceremony in Moroccan custom as it is reserved for the cult of the dead and is associated with death in Egyptian and Russian culture). But the idea of a flavoured honey is no doubt a sweet, yet practical notion. Guests can use the honey with their tea and think of the bride and groom. This spiced honey imparts a Chai like spice to the tea. I love it so much that I’ve made it over and over again (it’s fantastic on toast with peanut butter, over natural yogurt and in cakes). I confess I’ve even microwaved it successfully on very low heat (30% of the power) for 2-3 minutes when I was feeling particularly lazy.
Almonds are the usual accompaniment with the Bride’s Honey and in the styling I’ve taken a few cross cultural liberties and used some Greek sugared almonds which are traditionally given as bombonierre. The heart shaped tea strainer shown was actually the wedding favour that we gave our wedding guests (and yes I spent hours tying the personalised ribbon just so so that our names and the dates would show correctly). I wanted people to think back to our wedding with some fond memories at a time where they would be cherishing a cup of sweet tea.
Click here to read the full story
|
November 21, 2008
by Not Quite Nigella
For all of his innate healthiness, my husband’s favourite pasta sauce is Carbonara. I don’t mind a jot as it’s easy to prepare as opposed to a tomato based pasta sauce which requires a long time simmering and splattering scarlet splodges Jackson Pollack-style all over the stovetop. I was watching Nigella Feasts on DVD and saw her making this and I thought that the addition of the waiting wedge of Gorgonzola in my fridge would be a good partner.
It’s not exactly low fat but I figure that 2 eggs is a lot healthier than a cup of cream so I felt no guilt or remorse adding in the Gorgonzola. Besides only a small amount is needed to impart its distinctive aroma. Coupling the taste of Gorgonzola with bacon and parmesan and you’ve got a virtually remorse free zone based purely on the taste alone.
I also have a thing about freshly grated nutmeg. I find the pre-grated stuff taste like a pale imitation of freshly grated nutmeg with its brain-like interior so I risk skinning my fingers with the whole nutmeg seed thanks to my Microplane extra fine grater.
I never know how to plate pasta attractively so I played with the pasta trying to imitate how I’ve seen it done at restaurants. I wouldn’t say that I exactly got the hang of it but I did hopefully a reasonable imitation of it. I even tried to replicate the swirl of the spaghetti to the Barbara Barry plates.
Click here to read the full story
|
October 26, 2008
by Not Quite Nigella
An invite to the launch of the Allrecipes Australian website is exciting especially as it’s paired up with fellow food bloggers, friendly industry people, lovely journalists and food in a lovely setting. This evening, we’re led up several flights of stairs to a softly decorated room, much like someone’s living room, decorated with sparkling fairy lights dotting the sky with a long table strewn with chilis. I meet Ian Hemphill and his lovely wife Liz. Ian is the face of Herbies who provided us with 2 Spice Kits for our competition. He is just as affable and friendly as he is on TV and passionately devoted to food and he is scheduled to give a little speech tonight.
My fellow food bloggers tonight are Suze from ChocolateSuze; Christie from Fig & Cherry; Helen from Grab Your Fork; Kathryn from Limes & Lycopene; Anna from Morsels and Musings and Lisa from Spicy Icecream.
Jamaican Prawns
Kangaroo Tostada
We’re served a selection of food made from recipes on the website. There’s Grilled Kangaroo and Cactus Tostada and Jamaican Prawns but my pick is most definitely the Chili Chocolate Brownies, the Brownies crunchy on top and the inside gooey and gorgeous. It’s so soft that taking your fork and transporting it to your mouth is a hard task and it’s fall-apart gorgeous. I usually sample a dessert but this time I’m finishing this baby myself and not giving up an inch of it.
When I get home I know what my mission is: it’s to make these Brownies again as I know my husband, one of those men that loves eating “foods that may kill you or at least make you look brave or crazy eg Durian or 75% dark chocolate”, loves Chili Chocolate. The chili in this brownie is not a subtle afterkick, it is present during every step of the way so if you prefer a more subtle aftertaste, you may want to adjust the quantities (start with 1/4 teaspoon and taste the batter but the chili taste will be milder when the batter is uncooked).
I didn’t find that I got the crunchy top with my brownies, although the gooey chocolateyness was definitely there as was the chili hit as promised. As mentioned, the chili flavour does deepen on cooking so just be aware when you make your brownies that when you taste the raw batter it’s milder.
Click here to read the full story
|
October 23, 2008
by Not Quite Nigella
What is NQN up to now?
NQN on Facebook
RSS
