I’m certainly not one of those Coca Cola connoisseurs who can tell the difference between Coke and Pepsi. In fact I rarely drink the stuff and I also loathe Diet Coke. Didn’t Paris Hilton once say “Diet Coke is for fat people”? Although I’d caution anyone following her lead on things. My dislike of Coke goes completely out of the window when it comes to baking with Coca Cola. I will happily eat a Ham baked in Coke and a Coca Cola cupcake or cake. I can’t account for my lapse in logic but it’s one that allows me to eat a gigantic 4 tier slice of Red Velvet cake but say no to a can of Coke. I suspect it’s also that flawed logic that lets me buy a pair of shoes thinking 1 wear per year is actually pretty good and I have achieved a good cost to value ratio.

Sequin shoes-worn once since purchase=an excellent cost to wear ratio

And before I go any further, let me link you to a site that has almost 1001 uses for Coca Cola: http://members.tripod.com/~Barefoot_Lass/cola.html where Coca Cola is like a version of Windex in My Big Fat Greek Wedding where Windex is the cure all for any ailment from cleaning burnt pans to relieving jellyfish stings. I don’t know if I’d turn to either but in a pinch…

Coca-Cola cupcakes

(makes 12-14 cupcakes)

• 200g plain flour
• 250g golden caster sugar (I used regular caster)
• 1/2 teaspoon bi carbonate of soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 large egg
• 125 ml buttermilk (or 30g yogurt mixed with 100ml semi skimmed milk)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 125g unsalted butter
• 175 ml Coca Cola
• 2 tablespoons cocoa

Cola icing:

• 225g icing sugar
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 3 tablespoons Coca Cola
• 1 tablespoon cocoa powder
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Optional decorating

• Fondant or marzipan
• Red colouring gel
• Wine gummy Cola lollies

1. Preheat the oven to180c/gas mark 4 and line cupcake tray with paper liners.

2. In a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking soda and salt. Beat the egg, buttermilk and vanilla in a measuring jug. In a heavy-based saucepan, melt the butter, cocoa and Coca Cola, heating it gently. Pour into the dry ingredients, stir well with a wooden spoon, then add the liquid ingredients from the measuring jug, beating until it is well blended.

3. Pour into a measuring jug and then pour into cupcake pans, about 3/4 full (they will rise a little but not a great deal) Leave to stand for 15 minutes in the pan before unmoulding.

4. You can use the Coca Cola icing that Nigella details below: Prepare the icing: Sift the icing sugar and set aside. In a heavy-based saucepan, combine the butter, cola and cocoa and stir over low heat until the butter has melted. Remove from the heat. Add the vanilla and spoon in the sifted icing sugar, beating as you do so, until you’ve got a spreadable but still runny icing. While the cake is still warm, pour the icing over it. Leave to cool before transferring to a serving plate.

From How To Be A Domestic Goddess by Nigella Lawson

OR

5. You can use the Fondant/marzipan icing idea I used. Do white fondant parts first: make tiny white balls to represent bubbles. Do the open bubbles last, after the red fondant. Roll white fondant out and cut into strips. Set aside but be prepared to use it within the next 30 minutes before it goes hard. Colour fondant with red colouring and cut out circle. Place on cupcake, then add white ribbon swirl, then add solid balls. To do the open bubbles, roll a tiny ball, then dip the pointy end of japanese chopsticks with a thin end into icing sugar (not takeaway ones that have a thick end) and poke a hole into the centre of the ball and slide straight from chopstick onto cupcake. These are delicate so I found it easiest to slide them straight on in the end. Add coca cola sweet standing up.

As someone that cooks for every occasion, I thought that today would be fitting to take a Rosemary Loaf cake in that it is Anzac Day. For those who have never heard of it, the Wikipedia link I’ve given will tell you a bit about it. In Australia we use sprigs of Rosemary as it’s associated with remembrance and commemoration. Whether one is for or against war, is another matter, it’s sad when people lose their lives and my instinct whenever dealing with any sort of sadness or grief is of course to bake.

Nigella’s Rosemary loaf recipe was in remembrance for her maternal grandmother Rosemary. I’ve never really used rosemary for a sweet cake, only savouries such as roasted potatoes and lamb so I was intrigued to try this. Nigella has another slightly different recipe for this in Feast with grated apple but since I didn’t have any apple at the time, I made this one. She does suggest serving this with stewed sweetened apples. It’s similar to a Madeira cake but with an exoticness from the rosemary. And don’t skimp on the sugar crusted top, try and get the sugar up the the sides as it gives such a delicious crust. Trust me on this.

Rosemary Loaf cake

• 250 g soft unsalted butter
• 200 g golden caster sugar (I used regular caster sugar)
• 3 large eggs
• 210 g self raising flour
• 90g plain flour
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• needles from a 10cm stalk of rosemary chopped small, but not too fine (about 2 teaspoons)
• 4 tablespoons milk
• 1-2 tablespoons rosemary sugar or caster sugar
• 23 x 13 x 7cm loaf tin, buttered and lined

1. Preheat the oven to 170 C/gas mark 3

2. Now cream the butter, adding the sugar when it’s really soft, and creaming both together till pale and smooth and light. Beat in the eggs one at a time, folding in a spoonful of the flour after each addition, then add the vanilla. Fold in the rest of the flour - I find a rubber spatula the best tool for the job - and finally add the rosemary.

3. Thin the batter with the milk - you’re after a soft, dropping consistency - and pour, with some helpful prodding and scraping with your spatula, into the waiting tin. Sprinkle the top with a little sugar before putting it in the oven, and cook for 1 hour, or until a cake-tester comes out clean.

4. Leave to cool on a wire rack in its tin, and when completely cold, unmould and wrap well in foil till you need to eat it. Like all these sorts of cakes, it keeps well.

From How To Be A Domestic Goddess by Nigella Lawson

The Domestic Goddess herself, Nigella Lawson graced our fair, sunny shores today to sign the books of the Sydney contingent of her Antipodean fans. I for one, managed to sleep well despite the occasion although there was just a little hint of trepidation along with excitement. What if she wasn’t as lovely as she is on television? Would I have to rename my blog to “I don’t want to be Nigella”? That’s the risk of meeting your “idols” I suppose.

I managed to convince my lovely husband to take a few hours off work and come with me to photograph her book signing and we lined up at about 11.45am for the 12:30pm start. There were already about 200 people lined up, some since at least 9am. The crowd is made up of 2/3 women and 1/3 men and the line snakes around the shops on the first floor. There were at least 5 security personnel as well as ABC staff on hand to see that everything ran smoothly. The security guards are apologetic about the long queue and the ABC staff apologetic as Nigella will only be signing her name due to the number of people and only 1 item per customer. Damn, there goes my little intro about my website when I ask her to sign to “Not Quite Nigella”

Once 12:30pm hit, the line moved smoothly. It was only another 10 minutes until we reached the front and we ushered to the corner of the store where the Domestic Goddess herself sat. In a candy pink cardigan and black dress (exactly like the one she wears on the Nigella Feasts DVD cover) she is as stunning as she is on television. Her skin is luminous and she has a broad sweet smile. I have three books but the ABC staff help open them up to the signing page so that she’ll sign them all.

Yes the above photo and three below photos were our little exchange! My arm on the left

I even get a bit of a conversation with her when she comments “Wow, you have so many things marked for cooking” about the earmarks on all of my books. While in the queue, I was a little embarrassed at my well worn, well marked books compared to everyone else’s pristine copies but she doesn’t seem to mind. I said to her that I had already made at least 1/4 of Express, hence the dodgy cover but Domestic Goddess was my favourite as I love baking and I would have brought all 6 but I didn’t think that it was practical. She smiles that fabulous and genuine smile again and says that is wonderful and that bringing all 6 would be rather too heavy indeed. She signs unhurriedly and cocks her head while doing so which is much like the way she is on television.

After a few more photos and a thankyou and goodbye, we’re ushered along to make room for more people getting their books signed. She has a lovely smile for everyone and looks at everyone in the eye which is exactly what everyone had hoped for. I think the title of just “Goddess” would be rather fitting.

ABC Shop

Level 1, Queen Victoria Building
455 George Street, Sydney NSW 2000

Listen to a podcast of Richard Fidler’s interview with Nigella here (click on headphones icon)

At this rate, my Peters of Kensington voucher, a Christmas present from A&D, is slowly dwindling down to nothing. I can’t help stock my already stocked and tiny cupboards with even more baking tins. These Madeleine tins are my latest purchase along with some Golden caster sugar (for what, I have no idea), green sprinkles and ceramic pie weights.

I adapted Nigella’s Rosebud Madeleine recipe to add ground pistachios. I’ll take any chance to include pistachios, especially in desserts as I love these gorgeously hued nuts and these little rosebuds I had were practically insisting that they pose in the photographs.

Although Nigella says that this recipe makes 48 mini madeleines (or 24 regular ones) I found this to be quite inaccurate. I only made 12 regular madeleines. This is the same problem I encountered with her Pistachio Macaron recipe. I don’t think it’s due to me under-whipping the eggs, they were suitably whipped to 3 times the original size. I also didn’t bother with the 1 hour’s refrigeration and subsequent standing for 30 minutes at room temperature. Other Madeleine recipes do not call for this and I figured why turn something simple into something arduous and fussy? In any case, these delightful little cakes are incredibly easy to make and would make gorgeous gifts or you could simply serve these with tea and make your guest feel most welcome.

Pistachio and Rose madeleines

• 1 large egg
• 40g caster sugar
• pinch of salt
• 25grams unsalted pistachios
• 2 tablespoons of pure icing sugar
• 50g unsalted butter, plus 1 tablespoon for greasing pan
• 45g plain flour, preferably Italian 00
• 1 tablespoon rosewater
• 24-bun mini-madeleine tin (I used a 12 tin regular madeleine tin and only just scraped by enough for 12 although the 12th madeleine was a little smaller than the rest).
• icing sugar for dusting

1. Preheat the oven to 220ºC/gas mark 7 and butter and flour the madeleine pan. Melt all the butter over a low heat, then leave to cool. Grind pistachios with icing sugar until fine.

2. Beat the egg, caster sugar and salt in a bowl for about 5 minutes, preferably with an electric mixer of some sort, until it’s as thick as mayonnaise or about 3 times the original volume-it will be pale and a lemoney white. Then sprinkle in the flour; I hold a sieve above the egg and sugar mixture, put the flour in and shake it through.

3. Fold in the flour with a wooden spoon and then set aside a scant tablespoon of the cold, melted butter for greasing the tins and fold in the rest along with the rosewater. Mix well, but not too vigorously.

4. Spoon batter into tins, about 1 teaspoonful in each should do for mini madelines or 1 tablespoon in each for regular sized madelines. Don’t worry about covering the moulded indentations; in the heat of the oven the mixture will spread before it rises. Bake for 7 minutes, though check after 5. Turn out and let cool on a rack, then arrange on a plate and dust with icing sugar.

This recipe made 12 regular madeleines for me

Adapted from How To Be A Domestic Goddess by Nigella Lawson

I don’t know if having an American style barbecue on the Australia Day weekend is somewhat perverse or likely to get your Australian citizenship annulled. My husband and I along with our friends, Gina, Hot Dog, Teena and Phillippe do World Theme Nights on occasion and, Your Honour, when planning our American theme night, it just happened to coincide with the Australia Day weekend. Our World Theme Nights involve cooking the chosen nation’s food, dressing in the clothing, speaking with the appropriate accents and listening to the music.

Since Gina is Canadian, which is near enough to America, she told us about her nephew, Matthew Fabian who lives in Milton, Canada. Prior to this he lived in Burlington and every year many cities in Canada enjoy a Ribfest competition where restaurants in the area have a stall in the park with their rib recipe for all to try and they compete for title of ‘best ribs’ as voted by the critics and public. Matt did not officially compete as he is not a restaurant, but as the story goes, a large group who went to Burlington’s Ribfest, then to Matt’s place, (unofficially) nominated his recipes as the best tasting on the day. He has kindly given me, via her, the recipe for these babies and I was more than happy to try the recipe out. The instructions are his word for word as I thought the fact that he wasn’t sure if we had Bourbon in Australia was funny and how he specifically mentioned using a new and not used paintbrush was truly hilarious.

If it does seem like a bit more work than your usual ribs, I think you could probably use a very good bought BBQ sauce instead of making your own but as I am literally a trouble maker, as in someone who prefers to make things more complicated, I made the BBQ sauce. Instead of using baby back ribs, I use regular pork ribs that my parents have found a reliable supplier of as they’re juicier and meatier. The heady smell of the dry rub will have you salivating and they’re worth the extra effort and the home made sauce is gorgeously tangy, much nicer than any bottled sauce you could buy although it seems to become a little milder once bottled and refrigerated. Dare I mess with perfection and suggest a drop or two of Tabasco? The ribs themselves are fantastically good, soft and incredibly flavoursome with the heady mixture of the dry rub and BBQ sauce permeating each bite. They aren’t what you’d call photogenic, looking almost burnt but glisteningly so, because of the dark dry rub and BBQ sauce basting.

As for my dessert contribution, Ice Cream Cake, is from Nigella Express. Peanut butter and chocolate are undoubtedly an American combination and it seemed fitting to give this to Gina as her slightly belated birthday cake, on this allegiance muddled American themed Australia Day as she is often mistaken for an American but she is in fact an Australian citizen now but formerly a Canadian citizen!

Home made honey roasted peanuts (with more honey coating than usual)

I roasted my own peanuts as I couldn’t find any honey roasted peanuts at the supermarket and made a slightly different mix as I didn’t have the Bourbon creams or Nestle milk chocolate and peanut butter chips. Instead of the Bourbon creams I used a mixture of Arnotts Caramel Crowns bludgeoned to death with a rolling pin and instead of the chocolate chips I used a combination made up mostly of Reese’s Peanut butter cups with some Cookie Dough Kit Kat (cookie dough is definitely an American thing) and milk chocolate chips and macadamia praline.

One of the best parts of this is that I had 1/2 litre left over of Streets Blue Ribbon light vanilla ice cream to do with what I wanted. My choice, if I could have my wicked way with it would be to squeeze Ice Magic on top, let it harden, eat the chocolate and repeat until the bottle of Ice Magic has finished and then eat the ice cream. Terrible I know but I live in hope that I am not the only one that does this… I wouldn’t recommend using Streets Blue Ribbon light if you’re transporting it though like we did, when it melts, it separates into a yellow layer and a white cream layer.

Other additions to the BBQ spread were BBQ chicken wings (deep fry unadorned wings in deep fat fryer and then coat with “Crazy Mother Puckers BBQ sauce”). Made by Hot Dog in his deep fat fryer.

Coleslaw also featured-seasoned with fragrant dill. Made by Teena

As well as Havana Beach Cocktails (like a delicious pineapple Splice ice cream, recipe below). Made by Gina.

And delicious Pumpkin tarts also made by Gina

And creamy Spinach dip from Teena (recipe below)

And crispy Bloomin’ Onions (American version of what Australians eat, recipe below) made by Gina and fried by Hot Dog

Ribfest-but-better ribs

Ingredients:

• 6 racks of baby back ribs
• 2 large onions
• 2 apples
• apple juice or cider (small)
• I use aluminum disposable roasting pans you buy at the grocery store (I just used regular roasting pans as I couldn’t find big enough disposable ones)
• Plus all the stuff below for Dry rub and BBQ sauce

Pre-prepare the following;

Dry rub (mix it all together and put in a jar - can be done way ahead of time):

• 2.5 tablespoons paprika
• 1 tablespoon freshly ground black pepper
• 2 tablespoon dark brown sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 1 1/2 teaspoons celery salt (I couldn’t find this so I used regular salt)
• 2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon dry mustard
• 1.5 teaspoon cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper

BBQ Sauce (I usually prepare the night before - can be done a couple days before and kept in fridge)

• 1/2 sweet onion very finely chopped
• 2 Cups Ketchup
• 1/2 cup light flavoured molasses
• 1/3 cup bourbon (I use Jim Beam - but if that’s not available any bourbon will do. If they don’t have bourbon Down Under, skip it) I used Chivas Regal scotch whisky as I didn’t have Jim Beam
• 1/4 cup Dijon Mustard
• 2 Tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
• 2 teaspoons paprika
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder

Drop a splash of vegetable oil into a saucepan and add onions, cook until they start to become clear. Turn heat down to low-medium and add rest of ingredients. Stir regularly for about 20 minutes and then bring to a simmer for about an hour (stirring occasionally). Let cool and refrigerate

The resultant rich, tangy, eye wateringly good BBQ sauce

For the Ribs:

Get a whole bunch (6) of baby back ribs, and the night before rub the dry rub into them well on both sides. Wrap them in foil or saran wrap in the fridge overnight.

Dry rub on one of the rib racks

Now on the big day.

Heat your oven to 250 degrees fahrenheit (120 degrees Celcius)
slice up the onions and apples and lay them on the bottom (mixed) of the pans
Lay your ribs over them and put the whole lot in the oven for about 4.5 hours. Every half hour or so spray (or lightly sprinkle if you don’t have a sprayer) the apple juice/cider on the ribs

At the 4.5 hour (or so) mark take them out of the oven and put them on the bbq. Set the bbq at low-med (around 350 degrees or less is good)
Start slopping the bbq sauce all over the ribs (I buy a paintbrush for this - I don’t need to tell you to use a new one right?). Coat the ribs in the sauce real good. And keep slopping it on every few minutes for about 30 minutes. That’s about all the time you’ll have before the crowd gets surly from the sweet smell.

If you’re really gung ho about it you can use your bbq as a smoker and smoke the ribs at the end vs. straight grilling.

Ice Cream Cake from Nigella Express

I don’t think a cook’s job should be to deceive, but there is something appealing about the fact that this looks and tastes as if it were incredibly hard work and yet involves no more than a bit of stirring. You must, though, serve a warm sauce with it-the crowning glory-and I’ve certainly given you options below.

To be frank, you can choose different biscuits, different nuts and nobbly bits to mix in with the ice cream and give crunch, texture and sudden shards of flavour. I find it hard to believe, however, that this could be in any way improved. Sorry, but that’s just how it is.

• 1.5 litres of vanilla ice cream
• 100g honey roasted peanuts
• 200g Nestle swirled milk chocolate and peanut butter swirl chips (or chocolate chips of your choice) I used Reese’s Peanut butter cups and Dime bars which are like Hershey’s Skor bars
• 40g Crunchie bar
• 150g bourbon creams broken up into crumbs and rubble
• 1 batch butterscotch sauce plus 1 batch hot chocolate sauce or 1 batch chocolate peanut butter sauce

Ice cream and “rubble” mix

1. Let the ice cream soften either in the fridge for while or out in the kitchen

2. Line an deep 20cm springform tin with cling film both in the bottom and sides of the tin so that you have some overhang at the top.

3. Empty the slightly softened ice cream into a bowl and mix in the peanuts, 150g chocolate and peanut butter morsels or chocolate chips, Crunchie shards and 100g of the Bourbon biscuit crumbs

Cake ready to re-freeze

4.Scrape the ice cream mixture into the springform tin, flattening the top like a cake, cover the top with clingfilm and place in the freezer to firm up.

5. Serve the cake straight away from the freezer unmoulding from the tin and pulling the clingfilm gently away, before putting on a plate or cake stand. Let it stand and soften for about 5 minutes before cutting.

6. Sprinkle the top of the cake with the extra 50g of chocolate and peanut butter morsels or chocolate chips and the remaining Bourbon biscuit crumbs.

Pre saucing

7. Cut into slices and serve with the butterscotch and chocolate sauces, letting both dribble lacily over each slice. If two sauces sounds like too much trouble-they’re not-just opt for the chocolate peanut butter sauce. Its hard to find an argument against it.

Recipe by Nigella Lawson from Nigella Express

Bloomin’ Onion

Slice onion as pictured and spread out petals .

Dip in egg and milk mix and then in seasoned flour and paprika mix.

Dip again and deep fry.

Spinach Dip

• 1 block of frozen spinach (thawed with as much moisture squeezed out of it as you can)
• 1 block of Light Philadelphia cream cheese
• 1/2 packet of French onion soup mix
• 1 cup shredded tasty cheese to taste
• 2 tablespoons mayonnaise
• 1 Cob roll, hollowed out

Mix all ingredients together thoroughly and stuff back into Cob “shell”.

Havana Beach cocktail

• 1 part rum
• 2 parts pineapple juice
• 1/2 lime juiced
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 4 parts ginger ale
• Ice

Combine all ingredients and enjoy!