Sometimes the only thing that will do when one is stressed is some coddling, charm and civility. So where does one turn but a 5 star hotel for lunch.The best part of dining in London is getting to try Michelin starred restaurants. Michelin doesn’t bother with Australia so whilst Tetsuya’s would be worthy of a Michelin star, he remains untouched with the fairy wand. So now is my chance to consume as many Michelin stars as possible. Housed in the Mandarin Oriental Hotel at Hyde Park London, never a shabby place to stay, Foliage has 1 Michelin star. This lunchtime Blythe and I are battling traffic congestion due to two tube lines being closed down and numerous roadworks near by. In fact we’re half an hour late for our booking and when we finally get there frantic and exhausted, we feel like we’ve really “earnt” our meal in effort.

We’re rewarded by broad smiles, soft welcomes and soothing tones. Foliage is a small room with enormous windows that offer a lovely view of Hyde Park, up close and personal. Guests are welcomed by not 3 but 4 courses. And for a price that’s an absolute steal in what can be a criminally expensive city £29. Yes you read right, £29 for lunch.

The menu has 4 choices which is generous and all of them call out in some way. We finally decide on some dishes after a little deliberation. We’re given bread, a choice of white, sourdough or walnut with salted and unsalted butter (walnut the clear winner, singing with walnut flavour through the copious amount of chunks).

Amuse Bouche: Chive Vichyssoise

We’re then bestowed with our Amuse Bouche, a Chive Vichyssoise. It’s creamy and smooth with a light mascarpone quenelle floating in the centre. A delicious start.

Starter: crab, mango, cucumber and coriander

Our starters then arrive, mine was the crab, mango, cucumber and coriander. The crab meat is delicate and sweet, the thing mango slices swirled on the plate with cucumber flavoured pasta and coriander sprigs. It all works beautifully together, never overwhelming the delicate crab. There are two delicious fried crab balls to give an alternate texture and taste.

Starter: Foie gras, beetroot, ginger bread and pecans

Blythe’s starter, a Foie gras, beetroot, ginger bread and pecans cleverly resembles rhubarb stalks. I do like Foie gras although sometimes I find it too strong. Not in this case, it’s beautifully balanced and beetroot goes wonderfully with the foie gras mousse. There is also a ball of foie gras rolled in pistachios which is also wonderful with the walnut bread which is thoughtfully topped up for us.

Intermediate: Scallops, squid ink, orzo, green almonds

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On my last trip to Paris, Laduree was one of my fondest memories. The Salon de Thé was an elegant, Belle Epoque place to stop by when shopping at the huge LV store on the Champs Élysées gets too much and all you want to do is rest your weary legs and feet. Unlike last time, which was on a Saturday, there isn’t a line although there is a sign in French that I think means that for the comfort of other patrons, cameras aren’t allowed. So as any good food blogger does, I bought an array of cakes to take away with me, to be savoured in the hotel room where eating these delicate morsels and licking cream off your hands and moaning and groaning with pleasure won’t be frowned upon.

I can’t choose so I just keep choosing and before I know it I’ve amassed a €76.46 bill of cakes, macarons, pastries and petit fours. I will admit that two of the purchases were cooler bags, one for me and one for my sister so don’t think I’m mad ordering that many cakes and pastries.

Le Haul

Taking these goodies back to the hotel we eagerly take these out of the boxes (and please tell me I’m not the only bag lady that saves these lovely boxes-clean ones only obviously!).

St Honore Pistachio and Strawberry €5.20

The St Honore is a devoted poem to whipped cream and strawberries. The cream is a little excessive but the strawberry choux underneath is perfectly dry, not soggy in the slightest and filled with strawberry gelee and dipped in a deep strawberry icing.

Religieuse de la Violette €4.30

My favourite last time was the Religieuse de la Rose but as I am also a Violet fan, I choose this one. Out of the two, I admit I favour the Rose purely for the flavour but the Violet is sweet and lovely and the choux remains dry whilst still filled with the violet flavoured custard (unlike the variations of this I’ve found in Australia which are a soggy mess).

Ispahan €5.90

The Ispahan, a creation I believe was masterminded by Pierre Herme, is a raspberry macaron sandwich, filled with lychee and raspberries and a lychee/rose custard and topped with a perfect rose petal and raspberries. It’s squidgy, divine perfection.

Boxed Macaron selection (€14.10 for 8 )

The challenge for me was remembering which macarons I had bought in my selection. Luckily, the flavours are strong and I have ordered strawberry licorice, coconut, blackcurrant, citrus, lime, raspberry, licorice with just one macaron unnamed (pale cream with pale jade filling). Of course being macarons I love them and eat each one with small bites to prolong the taste.

Petit fours €7.40 for 100grams (€10.36 total 6 Petit Fours)

The mango topped domed tart is delicious and moist and filled with sweetened, dessicated coconut as is the pineapple mint tart. The second from left, the biscuit sandwich is less successful with the biscuit soggy against the raspberries and smear of buttercream. The coffee walnut dome is strongly flavoured with walnut and coffee although this has suffered in transport and the icing has stuck to the paper.

Petit fours €7.40 for 100grams (€10.36 total 6 Petit Fours)

The issue with icing and transportation has also occured with the chocolate chestnut dome with the chocolate icing sticking it to the pistachio and wild strawberry macaron sandwich. The macaron sandwich is delicately sweet and delicious.

Kougin Amman €1.70

Not the most glamorous sounding, the girl behind the counter asks whether I really want this and I do most certainly. She says it’s just sugar flavoured but having had this before, I need to have another. The only two flavours are sugar and butter but the texture is crisply gorgeous and layered. I find this way too easy to eat in one go despite my best intentions to share this with my husband.

Mini croissant Nut €1.10

The mini nut croissant is glazed with sugar and features a small smattering of chopped nuts. It’s a bit more exciting than your regular croissant although I don’t think I’d buy one again, instead favouring the other divine pastries.

Cannele €1.80

The chewy spongey Cannele is well liked my husband. I find the outer a littel too caramelised for my taste but apparently these are a national obsession.

Abricot Pistachio snail €2.00

This delicate layered pastry with strong with sweet apricots with a touch of pistachio. Absolutely delicious and a lovely alternative to a cinnamon snail.

And don’t worry, I didn’t eat these all in one day and I did share these with my husband. After all there is clothes shopping to be done tomorrow!

Laduree

75, avenue des Champs Elysées - 75008 Paris
Tel : 01.40.75.08.75 - Fax : 01.40.75.06.75
The Restaurant is open daily from 7.30am to 12.30am - The shop is open daily from 7.30am to 11pm except on Saturday 8.30am to midnight and on Sunday 8.30am to 10.00pm

I was reminded of Pie in the Sky by a NQN reader Maria who also has her own great food blog Foodie Wanderings. She spoke of a Pie in the Sky near her in Melbourne which made me recall the one in Sydney, well the outskirts of Sydney, in Cowan. With a gorgeous view, we had driven past it on our way back from the Hunter Valley and various other excursions, always meaning to go in but never quite making it there.

This weekend, we thought we’d take a drive to Cowan for a change of scenery and a sample of some pie and view. It’s a day where the sun interchanges with rain and we hope that when we get there that we’ll have some sun.

We’re in luck today and whilst it’s not gloriously sunny, it’s still pleasant enough outside to sit outdoors and enjoy the view. There is a front kiosk as well as an inside area where you can order more substantial meals (pies with chips, Devonshire teas). There are 18 savoury pie flavours on offer today ranging from Steak & Kidney, Beef, bacon & Cheese, Curried Beef, Chicken & Asparagus, Chicken & Corn, Chicken Satay, Lamb & Pea and Lamb, Chili and Garlic as well as sausage rolls. They appear to be out of vegetable pies although their flyer does include them. The pies are all $4.50 and the sausage rolls $2.30. I choose a Lamb, Honey & Rosemary pie as well as a Beef Burgundy pie.

Behind the counter are fruit pies (all $2.20) in Apple, Apricot, Blueberry and Peach flavours as well as a new flavour, Apple & Rhubarb. I choose a Peach pie and a Blueberry pie.

Lamb, Honey & Rosemary pie $4.50

We bring our precious haul to an outdoor table, and after some careful photo taking in which one of the young staff inquires “Wow, you like the pies that much?” to our photo taking and when we explain he seems pleased and says “Cool thanks!”. I try the Lamb, Honey and Rosemary first. Inside are chunks of tender lamb and a sweetish sauce courtesy of the honey which is not overdone, just right. The Rosemary flavour isn’t particularly strong but the filling is delicious and the pie welcomingly warm.

Beef Burgundy pie $4.50

The Beef Burgundy pie is next and it’s rich and hearty with a deep dark brown and burgundy sauce. The beef is in thick soft chunks and the burgundy wine gives it an extra richness. The base of the pastry for this is very soft, indeed the filling has gone all the way through to the bottom. It’s a change from the harder bases that one can get in pies.

I discover that my husband and I like the exact same part of the pie best-the part of the puff pastry lid where the filling meets the pastry, you know the layer of pastry that is still white and thin but plastered with sauce and deliciously pliable whilst the layers above it are golden. We need a name for this delicious part and we wonder if there is one for this layer.

It’s time for the fruit pies, the small rounds of sugar topped sweetness. The pastry here is thicker sweet shortcrust and it reminds me of pies I had when I was young. There isn’t a great deal of filling in these but the blueberry is particularly good, it’s not too sweet but there is no tartness to the berries at all. Ideal if you don’t like your fruit pies too sweet. The peach pie is a bit of a disappointment for me, it seems like it is made out of tinned peaches which doesn’t bother my husband but I would prefer fresh peaches.

We brush off our pie crumbs and look around-we’ve been too busy eating and attending to our pies to notice our surrounding-yes when I’m around food I tend to get tunnel vision. The view is lovely and the place has filled up with all sorts of motorcycle riders as well as the Rural Bush Fire Service workers enjoying a coffee, pie and the intermittent warmth from the sunshine.

Pie In the Sky

1296 Pacific Hwy, Cowan NSW 2081
Tel: +61 (02) 9985 7018
Fax: + 61 (02) 9985 7018
Open 7 days
Monday to Friday 9am-5pm
Saturday to Sunday 8am-5pm
Visa and Mastercard accepted

I make this tart often, mostly because it is extremely easy to make requiring only 5 ingredients, providing you use ready made frozen pastry or a flan case. I love the look of the long rectangular tart tins but they’re rather difficult to fit the pastry in often requiring a patch job or three but since this is a recent purchase I feel obliged to make at least a few goes using it. Hopefully you’ll find my dodgy pastry joins more spun with home-made charm than blundering and clumsy. I’ve also made this with the German Obstboden cases and it looks quite good in them although I always worry that the white chocolate filling might seep through the sponge so its never a calming experience.

To make it truly spectacular looking you will need fresh raspberries as frozen raspberries tend to bleed all over the place and since we have a gorgeous cream coloured filling, you want the red and white contrast to make it look utterly gorgeous. Also, a rather timely note, the red raspberries with the white snowy icing sugar look fabulously Christmassy.

I find fresh raspberries to be one of the most “diva-ish” fruits to work with. They’re very expensive, extremely delicate, temperamental and need to be used straight away. Indeed this batch were only purchased today and when I got them home, some had started to “bleed” so a late night baking session was in order before any more of these beauties bled to death!

Raspberry and White Chocolate tart

• 1 sheet sweet shortcrust pastry
• 2x 225g punnets of fresh raspberries

Filling:

• 150g white chocolate chopped
• 1 cup cream
• 2 egg yolks

Preheat oven to 200c. Place pastry in flan tin with removable base and trim to fit. Prick holes in bottom and top with paper and fill baking weights (or rice) and bake blind for 5 minutes. Remove the paper and weights and bake for a further 6 minutes or until pastry is a light golden colour.

To make the filling place chocolate and cream in bowl over saucepan of simmering water until melted and combined. Whisk in egg yolks. Pour mixture into tart shell (still in tin) and bake at 140C for 25 minutes or until is just set. Refrigerate until cold and when ready to serve top with fresh raspberries, dust with icing sugar (or leave plain) and slice into thin slices.

Variation 1: Crush black sesame nougatine and sprinkle on top.

Variation 2: Omit raspberries and drizzle dark chocolate artistically on top

Variation 3: Use good quality dark chocolate instead of white chocolate

Sometimes one is called upon to make a hasty dessert last minute that is somehow supposed to impress the socks off people. Some call upon a cakeshop, which I have done many a time. The inner masochist however sometimes gets its own way and I feel the need to produce something homemade (although bashing around a cake from a cakeshop slightly can produce a “homemade looking” like cake).

The Orange Confit is certainly not something that can be knocked up quickly. The oranges need to soak overnight and then boil for an hour. However you could easily do the dish without it or if like me, you make a massive jar of it (and the recipe below does produce a lot) and keep it in the fridge to dollop over yogurt. I had two particularly unsweet oranges that were just calling to be made into a more interesting sounding entity. And don’t you just love the sound of the word Confit. Only this doesn’t refer to anything ducklike cooked in its own fat. Here it means confiture (jam in French).

To make it as easy as possible, I included a microwave lemon curd recipe which is quite foolproof. Don’t forget to beat the eggs well though as any stray egg white turns a solid white in the curd once cooked.

I recall a friend having a lemon tart from Laurent Patisserie decorated with a large L, a la Laverne from Laverne and Shirley. Although I could probably pull off an L due to my first name, it seems a bit overly vain to scrawl my first initial, thus the not-quite-Pollock-like speckles.

Lemon tart with confit of oranges and creme fraiche

• 1 sheet sweet shortcrust pastry
• Lemon Curd (see recipe below and use half of the curd, or buy from supermarket)
• Orange Confit (see recipe below)
• 30g Dark chocolate to drizzle over to decorate
• Double cream or creme fraiche to serve if desired

1. Line a 21cm loose-bottomed tart pan with shortcrust pastry sheet, then freeze for 10 minutes. Preheat the oven to 190°C.

2. Line pastry with baking paper, fill with pastry weights or uncooked rice and bake for 10 minutes. Remove paper and weights or rice and return pastry to oven for five further minutes.

3. When cool, spoon lemon curd in tart shell

4. Melt chocolate and with a knife make patterns with chocolate (or make a small cone out of baking paper, fill with melted chocolate and pipe lines or patterns)

5. Serve with Orange Confit and Creme Fraiche

Lemon Curd in the microwave

Makes 3 cups
Ingredients

• 5 eggs
• 3/4 cup caster sugar
• rind of 1 lemon
• 3/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 125g butter, chilled, cubed

Method

1. Combine eggs, sugar, and lemon rind in a 6-cup, heatproof, microwave-safe bowl. Mix with balloon whisk until combined, gradually adding the lemon juice while whisking. Add the cubed butter.
2. Place onto a microwave-safe rack or upturned microwave-safe plate and cook, uncovered, for 7 to 10 minutes on MEDIUM (50%) power, stirring every minute until thick enough to coat a metal spoon. Pour into sterilised jars, seal and label. Place in the fridge to cool.
Variation: If desired, replace lemon juice with lime juice or passionfruit pulp.
Source: Super Food Ideas - June 2003 , Page 79 Recipe by Janelle Bloom

Orange confit

• 2 oranges, halved, thinly sliced
• 4 cardamom pods, lightly crushed
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 1 bay leaf
• 500g caster sugar
• 2 tbs brandy

Method

1. To make the orange confit, place the oranges in a bowl and cover with cold water. Cover and leave overnight. Drain well and place in a saucepan with the spices, bay leaf and 3 cups (750ml) water. Bring to the boil, then simmer over very low heat for 25-30 minutes until oranges are transparent. Add the sugar and cook for a further 20-25 minutes or until mixture is a thin, jam-like consistency. Discard the spices and bay leaf, stir in brandy, and cool.

And the flowers? They were just pretty.