I realise I probably mention the weather on here far too much! However, it’s unlikely to change in the immediate future.
I’ve been moping around the house as the most recent bout of continuous (incessent, unceasing, unrelenting, depressing) rain has ground our renovations to a halt while we wait for a dry patch. Instead, ha’ve been trying to find comfort in my kitchen. Yesterday the oven and stove were occupied for most of the day with a range of projects. There was pizza dough rising on the bench, the cookie jar is now filled to the brim with peanut butter cookies, a margarita sauce was bubbling away on the stove, there were muffins going in the oven and there was this, a peach cobbler, being assembled for dessert.
I’ve made cobbler before (see here) and I think I still prefer the cobbler topping in that recipe. However, Jamie Oliver has a recipe for peach cobbler in his (gorgeous!) book Jamie’s America. The stonefruit this year has been absolutely beautiful so I thought this was a great opportunity to try the recipe.
The peaches are cooked in a fragrant combination of vanilla bean, lime, orange and ginger and they do not disappoint. I think I added too much water to my cobbler topping (I have attempted to correct this in the recipe) and it didn’t form the firm little dumplings I was expecting. For that reason, next time I might use Smitten Kitchen’s cobbler topping with these peaches. I have set out Jamie’s recipe anyway because it’s still a tasty option.
Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m off to curl up with a big bowl of peach cobbler – sure it’s only 9.30 in the morning, but it’s raining!
Ingredients
- 6-8 Ripe peaches or stonefruit, halved, stoned and sliced into wedges
- 1 Vanilla pod or tsp vanilla bean paste
- Zest of 1 lime
- 40 grams Brown sugar
- Zest and juice of 1 orange
- 2.5cm piece fresh ginger, peeled and grated
- 40 grams Pine nuts
- 100 grams Self raising flour
- 50 grams Caster sugar
- Pinch salt
- 100 grams Unsalted butter, chilled and cubed
Directions
- Preheat your oven to hot (210*C).
- In a casserole dish toss the peaches gently with vanilla bean seeds, lime zest, brown sugar, orange zest and juice and grated ginger.
- Turn the oven down to 190*C and then cook for about 10-15 minutes until your peaches start to soften.
- Meanwhile, whiz your pine nuts up in a food processor.
- Add the flour, sugar and salt.
- Add you cubed butter and then pulse until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs.
- Tip into a bowl or out onto the bench.
- Add 1-2 tablespoons of water to bring the dough together - add very gradually as you may not need this much. You want to end up with a firm dough.
- Put the dough aside (or in the fridge) until ready to use.
- Remove the peaches from the oven. Jamie suggests pouring in a half glass of water at this point but I found I had enough liquid in my dish.
- Stir the peaches gently and scrape away from the edges.
- Using a tablespoon, plop 6-7 spoonfuls of the dough on top of the peaches.
- Return to the oven for about another 20 minutes until bubbling, golden on top and the cobbler is reasonably firm.
- Serve with vanilla icecream or Greek yoghurt.
It was my birthday last week and it came after a 3 week trial of little/no added sugar. My conclusions from that little experiment was – 1. I was eating way too much sugar. 2. I could never give up sugar for any length of time. 3. However, when I do have sugar it should be worth it.
So, I don’t think it was a coincidence that on my birthday the lovely J gifted me with the icecream-maker attachment to my Kitchen Aid. In my opinion, homemade icecream = totally worth it.
I’m not going to lie here – icecream making is a time-consuming process. Particularly your first time. You have to make the custard, chill the custard, chill the icecream-maker, churn the icecream, freeze the icecream. I hope I haven’t lost you yet! I do think it’s worth the labour – a lot of it is not time you’re actively doing anything – just waiting around.
Although I started fairly basically, there is something so wonderful about true vanilla bean icecream that I knew it was the right choice. My imagination is already somewhere down the road, thinking of all the fantastic and interesting flavours I can make – the kind you can’t buy in a supermarket. I’m thinking – fig and pistachio, pecan and burnt caramel, basil, coconut icecream, coffee icecream, dark chocolate icecream, chocolate and chilli icecream, hazelnut… the list goes on…
But I’m here to talk about vanilla bean icecream. As a child, I was always more interested in chocolate, in strawberry, in that crazy triple swirl icecream that is no colour or flavour naturally occuring on this green earth… As an adult, I have come to appreciate the subtlety of vanilla, particularly good (real!) vanilla.
I have it on good authority that David Lebovitz is the king of icecream. I already have my eye on his book, The Perfect Scoop. I was able to find his recipe for vanilla bean icecream online, and it is adapted below.
Details
60 + overnight min
60 min
Ingredients
- 1 cup Whole milk
- Pinch salt
- 150 grams Sugar
- 1 Vanilla bean, split lengthwise
- 2 cups Cream
- 5 large Egg yolks
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla essence
Directions
- Warm the milk, sugar and salt in a saucepan. You want to milk to be fairly warm, but not boiling.
- Scrape in the vanilla bean seeds, then add in the pod and infuse for 1 hour, covered.
- Separate out egg yolks into a bowl and stir together.
- Once your milk has infused, set up a bowl filled with water and ice.
- Rest another bowl inside the icewater, and add your cream. Set up a seive or strainer on top the bowl.
- Meanwhile, rewarm your milk, again until warm but not boiling.
- Gradually add your milk mixture into the egg yolks, stirring constantly.
- You should do this gradually to avoid scrambling your eggs!
- Once all combined, scrape your mixture back into the saucepan.
- Cook over a low heat, stirring constantly with a heat-resistant spatula.
- The custard will gradually thicken, it is done when it covers the back of your spatula.
- Allow to cool slightly, then gradually add the custard to your cream, straining through the seive.
- Stir as you add to the cream.
- Once the mixture has cooled slightly, add the vanilla essence.
- Chill until no longer warm, then store overnight in the fridge.
- The following day, churn the mixture in your icecream maker according to the manufacturers instructions.
- Freeze until you wish to use, and enjoy the taste of rich homemade icecream!
This recipe is taken from the Crabapple Bakery Cupcake Cookbook, by Jennifer Graham. It was a book that came up in our work “book club” and I couldn’t pass up a book devoted entirely to cupcakes. I must confess that I haven’t made many of the recipes – I need an occasion to make cupcakes and they don’t seem to happen too often before you have children!
This is a great, classic cupcake recipe and it was a fantastic way to christen my brand new “Cinnamon” KitchenAid. The KitchenAid was an indulgence justified by using wedding money/vouchers. I’m lucky to have married a man who can appreciate the need for a shiny new appliance with the primary purpose of looking good.
I adapted the recipe slightly by using vanilla bean instead of vanilla extract. I love the look of the speckled vanilla beans in the icing, so I kept the icing white. I am definitely not a pastry chef – I had so much trouble icing the cakes neatly!
Details
15-20 min
18-20 min
33 min
Ingredients
- 2 3/4 cups Plain flour
- 2 teaspoons Baking powder
- 200 grams Softened, unsalted butter
- 1 3/4 cups Castor sugar
- 4 Eggs
- 1 Vanilla bean, beans scraped out
- 1 cup Milk
- 100 grams soften, unsalted butter
- 1/2 cup Milk
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla extract or vanilla bean
- 4 cups Icing sugar, sifted
Directions
- Preheat oven to 170*.
- Line two muffin trays (12 holes) with cupcake papers.
- In a large bowl, sift the flour and baking powder.
- In the bowl of your KitchenAid or other mixer cream the butter for 1-2 minutes.
- Add the castor sugar 1/3 at a time, beating for 2 minutes after each addition.
- After all the sugar is beaten in, continue beating until light and fluffy and the sugar has almost dissolved. This will take quite a few minutes.
- Then, add the eggs one by one. Beat for 1 minute after each addition, ensuring the egg is well combined and the mixture light and fluffy.
- Scrape in your vanilla beans (or add vanilla extract) and beat until combined.
- Whilst beating on a low speed, add 1/3 of your flour until combined.
- Add half of the milk and beat until combined.
- Repeat the process with the remaining flour and milk.
- Once the final lot of flour is combined, stop your mixer - be careful not to overmix.
- Spoon the mixture into your cupcake papers - you want to fill about 3/4 full.
- Bake the cupcakes for 18-20 minutes until a skewer comes out clean.
- Remove the cupcakes from the oven and then remove from the trays immediately so they don't continue cooking in the pan.
- Cool cupcakes on a wire rack for 30 minutes before icing.
- To make your icing, cream 100g of softened, unsalted butter for 1-2 minutes.
- Add 1/4 cup milk, more vanilla beans/vanilla extract and 2 cups of sifted icing sugar.
- Beat for at least 3 minutes until light and fluffy.
- Add the remaining 2 cups of sifted icing sugar and beat for another 3 minutes until light and fluffy. You want the mixture to be spreadable without being liquidy - add more milk or icing sugar if needed to get the consistency right.
- Ice your cupcakes, decorating as desired.
I’ve heard them called fondants, most people have a method they swear by and they are completely overused by restaurants as a dessert option. Sadly, they are often sub-par in restaurants, which is even worse!
Still, there is something irresistable about a molten chocolate pudding – that element of surprise and delight when it works out perfectly, the contrast in texture, the sheer decadence of it all. Who better to guide me on this culinary adventure than the wonderful Stephanie Alexander? The Cook’s Companion was a wedding gift and this was my first adventure with it.
It should come as no surprise that this worked perfectly. She is the first lady of Australia food for a reason!
Ingredients
- 160 grams Unsalted butter (plus more for greasing)
- 1/3 cup Plain flour (plus extra for greasing)
- 160 grams Dark chocolate, chopped
- 3 Eggs
- 3 Egg yolks
- 1/3 cup Castor sugar
Directions
- Butter 6 ramekins well and dust with flour.
- Melt chocolate and 160g on butter on low in the microwave or over a double boiler.
- Remove from heat and set aside to cool a little.
- Preheat over to 160*.
- Beat egg yolks, whole eggs, and sugar with an electric mixer on a high speed for about 10 minutes - you will know it's been long enough as they turn quite pale and very thick.
- Sift in 1/3 cup flour. Mix with the electric mixer on low.
- Add the chocolate mixture then continue to beat on a medium speed.
- The mixture should go become thick and glossy.
- Divide the batter among prepared moulds. Stephanie says you can refrigerate at this point, but should bring them back to room temperature before baking and they will need an extra 3 minutes baking time.
- Bake for about 12 minutes - keep a close eye - they should be set around the edges but the centre should still move slightly when you gently shake the moulds.
- Remove from the oven and cool slightly.
- Run a knife around the edge of the ramekins and turn out onto plates.
- I served with a simple raspberry coulis and vanilla icecream.
My Dad and his family are originally from Melbourne, which makes us all die-hard AFL fans. Dad used to tell me stories about going to see a game at the MCG and having a piping hot jam doughnut from the street vendor. Perhaps this is why there I attach such nostalgia to jam doughnuts. For the record, I don’t think there is much better than a fresh cinnamon doughnut – Krispy Kremes just don’t do it for me.
Imagine my delight, then, when the latest Donna Hay magazine featured an entire spread on doughnuts, including the classic jam doughnut. So, one Saturday night, I set out to make doughnuts in the comfort of my own home.
The big revelation? Why on earth hadn’t I tried this sooner?! I think I’ve been a bit afraid of deep frying, and it always seems like such a waste of oil. I guess it is, and for that reason I wouldn’t make these too often. I’m glad I have a reason because otherwise I would be making these far to regularly and that can’t be healthy.
I will say that your mis-en-place is very important when you finally progress to cooking. And it certainly helps to have another set of hands.
This recipe made over 12 jam doughnuts – I am experimenting with freezing some of the fried ones to see how I go. I’m reasonably confident this will be successful. Otherwise, invite lots of friends over for a doughnut party. I’m sure you won’t have any trouble finding enough friends 
Details
90 min
10 min
1 h, 40 min
Ingredients
- 2 teaspoons active dry yeast
- 1 1/2 tablespoons lukewarm water
- 1/2 cup lukewarm milk
- 2 tablespoons caster sugar
- 50 grams butter, melted
- 2 1/4 cups Plain flour
- 2 Eggs
- Vegetable oil for frying
- 1 cup Raspberry jam (or your choice)
- 1/2 cup caster sugar
- 1-2 teaspoon Cinnamon
Directions
- Combine the yeast, water, milk and 1 tbs of the sugar in a large bowl and set aside in a warm place until bubbles appear on the surface (about 10 minutes).
- Add the melted butter, flour, eggs and the other tsp of sugar to the yeast.
- Using a knife, mix together until a sticky dough forms.
- Turn out onto a lightly floured surface.
- Knead until smooth, about 5 minutes.
- Lightly oil a bowl and place the dough in there, covered with a damp cloth.
- Put in a warm place until doubled in size (about 45 minutes).
- On a lightly floured surface, knead the dough for 5 minutes or until smooth and elastic.
- With a rolling pin, roll out to 1cm thick and use a large round cutter to cut doughnut sized circles from the dough.
- On a tray lined with baking paper, put each round as it is cut out.
- Leave to rise/double for about 30 minutes.
- Combine about 1/2 cup sugar with 1-2 tsps of cinnamon in a bowl and set to one side.
- Fill a piping bag with about 3 heaped tablespoons of the jam of your choice (I used raspberry) and set aside.
- Line a place with paper towel.
- In a medium sized saucepan (to reduce the amount of oil necessary) heat over medium heat. Donna says to use a sugar thermometer and wait until the temperature reaches 180*. I don't have a sugar thermometer so I just tested on a small piece of dough. The oil should not be bubbling too strongly when you cook and the dough should go brown within about 1 minute.
- Cook the doughnuts (1-2 at a time depending on the size of the saucepan) for 1-2 minutes each side, until golden. You have to flip them halfway through the cooking process to brown both sides.
- Drain on the paper towel as you cook the remaining doughnuts.
- If you have a helper, get them to roll the warm doughnuts in the cinnamon sugar and then use the nozzle of the piping bag to poke a hole in the side of the doughnut and fill with a bit of jam.
- Serve immediately with a cup of tea, or a scoop of vanilla icecream.
In my humble opinion, one of life’s great pleasures is cracking the top of a creme brulee. Another one of life’s great pleasures is using a blow torch to make that caramelized sugar on top. Of course, I may have slight pyromaniac tendencies…
The beauty of creme brulee is you can prepare it quite far in advance, leaving the sugar topping until just before you serve it. Then you can impress your friends with your torching skills (perhaps that is just me…). Even better, the flavour possibilities are extensive and only really limited by your imagination and the impact on the setting ability of the custard. Here the combination of ginger and lime was a nice counterbalance to the sweetness of the custard, and hinted at an Asian influence.
Ingredients
- 600 mL Cream
- Zest of 1 lime (in two piles)
- 1 teaspoon Grated ginger
- 6 Egg yolks
- 200 grams Caster sugar
Directions
- Place cream, ginger and lime zest in a saucepan. Bring to just below boilin point. Remove from heat and allow to infuse for 30 minutes.
- Preheat oven to 130*C.
- In a bowl, beat yolks, additional zest and 100g of sugar until pale.
- Reheat cream mixture until warm, then strain into egg mixture.
- Beat to combine, being careful not to overbeat as you will end up with bubbles.
- Pour the mixture into 4 200mL ramekins.
- Lay a folded tea towel in the base of a roasting pan and sit the dishes in the pan.
- Pour enough boiling water into the pan to come halfway up the sides of the dishes.
- Bake for 30-35 minutes until just set - they should still wobble slightly.
- Remove from the oven, cool and then chill for at least 4 hours.
- When ready to serve, sprinkle with remaining sugar.
- Caramelize the tops with a blow torch, or under the grill.
- Enjoy cracking the top!
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29.01.12 | 
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