Hug in a Cup

There are not many things that come instantly to mind when thinking of what can mend a broken heart. I think for each person it is different, for me personally it comes back to memories of childhood comforts such as a soft stroke on the brow, fresh bed sheets but best of all a hot cup of homemade chocolate.

I am not talking about the powered stuff that sits at the back of a pantry for years that often ends in a syrupy dissatisfaction. This hot chocolate is stirred patiently and carefully over a saucepan - in fact the process of making it is quiet the therapy in itself.

Keep this little recipe is best tucked away for a rainy day or a time in need, although lets hope there is not too many of those....

Homemade Hot Chocolate

(recipe by David Lebovitz)

You'll Need:

1 litre of half light milk and half full cream (i use soy which works also)

230g bittersweet chocolate finely chopped (Greens organic dark chocolate is magic)

115g milk chocolate, finely chopped (you wont regret using Greens Organic milk chocolate here too).

Tiny pinch of salt

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1. Warm about one-third of the half/half milk with the chopped chocolate and salt, stirring gently until the chocolate is melted.

2. Whisk in the remaining two thirds of the milks, heating until the mixture is warmed through. Add the cinnamon.

3. Use a hand held blender, or a whisk, and mix the hot chocolate until it is completely smooth. Serve very warm with curls of chocolate.

Peter Piper Pecan Pies

I love cold, wet weather. It inspires me to get in the kitchen, turn up the oven high and start baking moreish treats. I had never attempted to bake a pecan pie before and this seemed like the perfect weekend to start. I suggest little attention is paid to the abundance of butter and sinful ingredients and more to the caramelised delights that emerge from the oven some 20 mins later.

Mini Pecan Pies

You'll Need:

3 eggs (beaten)

1/2 cup of Castor sugar

1 cup of treacle

1/4 cup of melted butter

1 tablespoon of all purpose flour

1 cup of pecans (chopped)

1 teaspoon of vanilla extract

1/4 teaspoon of salt

To make the shortcrust pastry:

2 cups of plain flour

125g of chopped butter

iced water

Start with the pastry first by placing the flour and butter into a food processor and process until the mixture has formed rough crumbs. Gradually add the iced water until the dough is soft. Remove from processor and knead lightly forming into a ball. Cling wrap dough and leave to rest in the refrigerator for 30 mins.

Grease 24 mini muffin tins and pre-heat the oven to 175 degrees. Take all the above pecan ingredients and place together in a food processor until the mixture is thick and syrupy. Leave the mixture to rest.

Remove the dough from the refrigerator and roll out with a rolling pin on a lightly floured surface until the dough is approximately 1cm thick. Take a measuring cup and cut circles out of the dough and place into the greased muffin tin as the base of the pies. Fill each pie 3/4 full with the pecan mixture and lightly place a whole pecan on top. Place trays in the oven for 20mins.

Enjoy the pies warmwith whipped cream and coffee!

Cards from the Heart

I must admit I have developed a secondary bad habit to my cookbook collection obsession and it is collecting vintage papers and ribbons. I guess in this hallmark card age it is so easy to pay $6.95 for a very generic card in which you end up spending many minutes browsing through the many rows by category of occasion trying to find something that exudes a fraction of originality when you realise you could have made something yourself in that time!

...so I have taken to collecting wrapping paper, ribbon, cut outs of things I love on cards etc and storing them in a little brown box which is my source of all sources when in need of a card - no matter what the occasion. There is nothing more special than receiving homemade card and I recommend taking up the challenge of doing it yourself next time in need and reap both a heartfelt and economic benefit in the process.

You'll Need:

Good card/envelope stock (I found Newton Bookstore to have great packs of 10 for a reasonable price)

Bostik Blue Glue stick (the blue colour makes all the difference cause you can see where you have glued and it clears dry!)

Double sided tape (this stuff is gold in card making - hides many sins!)

A good collection of 'your'style of paper, ribbon, string, buttons, pressed dry flowers - anything you like really. Also recommend a good quality stamp set of the alphabet and an ink pad - Warning: you will find yourself stamping everything you can when you get one (Kikki-K sell them for $24.95).

One man's trash is another's....

I made the trip down to my favorite vintage store on the South Coast (Retro Wombat) again and have fallen for this old butter churner from Cherry & Sons Pty Ltd butter company Melbourne.

I'm not good with sourcing antiques and have no idea of it's inherent value, although all that does not seem to matter as its aesthetic appeal perched on a clean white surface mantel is all that matters to me. I love mixing a feature old piece like this with its rusty handle and blistered wood against contemporary furniture round my home as I feel it adds legacy to what would otherwise be modern and unblemished decoration.

I recommend sourcing pieces like this that provide a point of interest as they do not belong on a dusty shelf of an old store, but are owed appreciation as decoration items in their own right.

Lamb Glorious Lamb

There is nothing better on these cooler autumn nights than to wrap your chops around a shank, slowly braised in a silken, savory sauce and laid to rest against a warm fluffy bed of mash.

I always get a sense of excitement when the weather turns cooler as the hearty meals come into season after a long hot summer. This lamb shank recipe is absolutely unbeatable when partnered with a heavy bottomed glass of pinot noir in the hand and warm ugg boots on your feet.

Slow Braised lamb Shanks with olive oil mash

(a recipe by James Martin - Saturday Kitchen)

You'll Need:-

To prepare shanks-

4 lamb shanks

3 garlic cloves (sliced into small pieces)

4 sprigs of fresh rosemary (sliced into pieces)

4 anchovy fillets (sliced into 3 and left on a paper towel to drain excess oil)

To cook the lamb shanks-

3 tsp olive oil

4 banana shallots, finely chopped

3 garlic cloves, finely sliced

300ml red wine

400g canned whole tomatoes

3 fresh tomatoes-roughly chopped

2 fresh sprigs of rosemary

2 fresh sprigs of thyme

250g cooked/or canned butter beans (drained and rinsed if canned)

2 tsp red wine vinegar

750ml beef stock

salt and pepper to taste

For the oil mash-

1kg king edward potatoes - peeled and chopped for boiling

75ml olive oil

salt and pepper to taste

1. Preheat oven to 180c
2. To prepare the lamb, use a sharp knife to 3 small incisions in each lamb shank
3. Secure together a piece of garlic and rosemary by wrapping an anchovy fillet around them and insert into one of the incisions, pushing in firmly. Repeat to use up all the garlic and anchovy.
4. To cook the lamb shanks, heat a frying pan until hot and add one tablespoon of olive oil to the pan. Add the lamb shanks and fry on each side for one minute until browned all over.
5. Meanwhile, heat a large ovenproof casserole dish until hot and add remaining olive oil, shallots and garlic.
6. Fry the shallots and garlic for about 2-3 minutes, until just softened, but not browned. Add red wine and bring to the boil.
7. Add the canned tomatoes, fresh tomatoes, rosemary, thyme, butter beans and red wine vinegar and return to the boil.
8. Place the lamb shanks into the sauce and cover with the beef stock. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
9. Bring to a simmer, cover and place in the oven to cook for at least 4hrs (up to 7hrs on 150c). The meat should be melting, tender and falling off the bone when it is ready to serve.
10. For the olive oil mash, place potatoes into a large saucepan and cover with water. Add a pinch of salt and place on the heat to bring to the boil.
11. Simmer for 10-15mins until tender with a knife.
12. Drain water and return to a low heat for a few minutes to remove extra moisture. Take a potato masher and olive oil and start mashing well. Season with salt and pepper.
13. To serve place the mash in a deep plate and add one shank and to ladles of the broth. ENJOY

Recipe and picture taken from bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/

Love your Mum

I have been keenly looking forward to Mothers Day this year, not for all the over-done commercialisation of it, but for the simple, humble offerings I have been patiently awaiting to make. Ever since I found this recipe from Nigella Lawson, I could not bring myself to attempt to bake these divine little cakes without the appropriate context...and what better combination - mum's, cakes and lavender!

Lavender Cupcakes

You will Need:-

1/2 cup + tablespoon of soft butter

1/2 cup + 1 tablespoon of castor sugar

2 eggs

3/4 cup plain flour

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

2 to 3 tablespoons milk

8 sprigs of lavender

Royal Icing:

2 large egg whites

3 cups of icing sugar

1 teaspoon of lemon juice

1/2 teaspoon of vanilla extract

(makes 12)

Take everything out of the fridge to get to room temperature.

Preheat a fan forced oven to 200 degrees.

Place 1/2 cup of milk in a saucer (however you'll only need 3 tablespoons) and bring to the boil with the 8 sprigs of lavender. Once boiled, take off the heat and let cool for 20 mins. After cooled pass the milk into a bowl through a sieve, discarding the leftover lavender.

Put all the ingredients for the cupcakes, except the milk, into a food processor and blitz until smooth. Then pulse while adding the lavender infused milk to make a smooth, dropping consistency.

Divide the mixture between 12 bun muffin tin lined with cupcake papers and bake in the oven for 15-20mins. You will know they are ready when they rise and are golden on top. Leave them to fully cool before icing.

For the royal icing, combine the egg whites and icing sugar in a medium sized mixing bowl and beat with an electric mixer on a moderate speed until opaque and shiny (approx. 5mins). Whisk in the lemon juice and vanilla extract and beat for another 3mins. Then use a tablespoon per cupcake to ice.

Add a sprig of lavender to each cake to decorate. Enjoy with your mum.