Two years on

Or, seven years since we first met.
Everything and nothing in these numbers,
a lifetime wouldn't be enough anyway!

Happy Anniversary Bear!

Husband of the Year two years running!

Resting up

This is Milo, sleeping in his hammock during run around time. He's not well at the moment, so he's resting a lot more and running around a lot less. Hopefully he'll feel better soon. He's very special to us.

Passionfruit and raspberry souffles

Adapted from this recipe by Neil Perry. I doubled it and found that it actually filled three ramekins, so that was a bonus! Unfortunately the flavour was rather muted. Next time I think I'll cook the fruit puree/juice with a bit of cornstarch to thicken it first (like this recipe by Luke Mangan), and see if that makes a difference. I've had Luke Mangan's raspberry souffle and it was totally amazing. Especially with the hot chocolate poured in.

I made some warm chocolate ganache for this too. It was A Good Thing.

Afterwards, the boys got to have a go at removing the baked on bits.







But only a little go, because, well, you know.

Frutti e fiori

Some pictures in detail of the invading zucchini plant in our backyard.
I am always astounded when I see how large the flowers are when open (in the mornings).









Tasty tasty flowers. Mmm.

The surprisingly excellent passionfruit cake

This evening, faced with two bunches of rapidly wrinkling passionfruit, I hunted around for a recipe. I didn't quite feel like a passionfruit tart, and shortbreads didn't use up quite enough at a go. What I really wanted, I suppose, was a passionfruit mousse cake, one of those things that you ever only get at classy bakeries with expensive arty decorations on that cost more than 50 dollars.

Unfortunately, I am also an impatient cook and frankly couldn't be arsed with the fuss of making the mousse. So, instead, I looked through my trusty Cook's Companion by Stephanie Alexander, dismissed 'jackie's mum's sponge cake' (made it before, too dry, eggy and gritty), and thought I'd give the Genoise Sponge a go, and What A Massive Success! I have Made a Sponge Cake! a NICE sponge cake!

This sort of domestic achievement is quite overwhelming. Next, I might just sew my own curtains! Make lace doilies! Hand me my frilly apron!

So anyhow, I am going to preserve this moment for posterity by writing down the recipe here. I tweaked it the wee-est bit and don't want to forget. If you're thinking of making a sponge cake, this is The One. As Bear says, it was fan-bloody-marvellous. The best sponge cake he's ever had, he's serious.

This is where I would put the photo except I haven't taken a photo. The cake is now sitting in the fridge divided into several tupperwares and being unattractive, so I'll take a photo next time I make it. I still have plenty of passionfruit to use up!

The Surprisingly Excellent Passionfruit Sponge Cake
(adapted from Stepanie Alexander's Cook's Companion, p. 429)

Ingredients for the genoise:
5 eggs at room temperature
3/4 cup caster sugar
50g cake flour, 100g plain flour (the original recipe uses all plain)
60g unsalted butter, melted and cooled

Ingredients for assembly:
Juice from 6 passionfruit (strain the pulp) for moistening the sponge
A glop of organic cream
Icing sugar to taste
Pulp from 2 passionfruit

Oven: 180'C

Prepare your cake tin as usual. I parchment the base and butter the sides.
Beat the eggs and sugar together in a deep mixing bowl with an electric mixer - you want to mix it for a while, the recipe says 10 minutes, I did maybe 5 or 6. it should become expand quite a lot and thicken and become pale.
Sift the flour(s) over the egg mixture and fold in gently but thoroughly using a spatula or large metal spoon.
Drizzle in the melted butter, then fold in thoroughly.
Pour into cake tin and bake for 15-18 minutes till top of cake feels springy to the touch.
It says don't open the oven door before 15 minutes has elapsed. I checked at the 15 minute mark but it was still a little uncertain. I eventually left it in for about 20 minutes in my fan forced oven because I forgot and was cleaning up, and that was fine.
Cool cake in tin for a few minutes, then turn out and cool completely.

To assemble, cut cake into half with a long serrated knife, then brush both cut surfaces with the passionfruit juice till it's all used up.

Whip the cream (however much you want) with the icing sugar (to taste) till it's softly whipped, holding soft peaks (do it by hand to avoid getting butter), and then fold in the passionfruit pulp. Lovingly slather the passionfruit cream over the base, then somehow manouvre the top layer down, and finish by sifting some icing sugar over the whole thing. Tadah! Keep chilled, and then serve to great acclaim.

Buon appetito!

Milo in the yellow submarine

All fuzzy half asleep.

Veggie garden - Summer 2008-9

This was our veggie garden, many months ago.



The climbing beans are in the middle, with dwarf butterbeans at the bottom, and two rows of carrots on the right. Corn is on the left. The zucchini are further away in the background, and there is some of the dill which grew like crazy then went to seed just like that! Tomatoes are all the way to the left, not really in the picture.

Here is a closer picture of the corn, when they were about a third their full height:



Here is an even closer look at the corn. Heheheh. Hanging out with some tomatoes, including a heirloom San Marzano variety, excellent for sauces because of the low seed content, but less flavourful than the little cherry tomatoes.



I think we used it to make this dish, which was corn salsa with baked polenta. It was so amazing I told everyone about it, then never made it again! I blame the polenta. I don't like when it spurts hot grainy goo! Still, it was super incredibly tasty!



These are the potato silos that Bear built. Unfortunately, they were planted way too late and I didn't ask, but I suspect we actually got less potatoes out of it than were put in. Also, I hear that post-potatoes the silos are now full of wonderful soil. That is, full of wormies! Good for them. I hope they are very happy doing their wormy things. *Sniff*



Here is a pretty zucchini, still with flower:



More zucchini, except the one above, of the grey variety, is actually from our neighbour's garden around the back. Their vine invaded our backyard, has surrounded our shed, crept over all our potted plants, entwined itself around a few, and is creeping up the side of our laundry area! It's just as well that their fruit(?) are so tasty! A really creamy tasting zucchini. I'd like to grow some next year, maybe a less aggressive variety (if possible).



This is Bear with one of our last carrots. They were a success this year, much less cthulhu-like, probably because they were better spaced out and maybe the soil was less compact.



E finalmente, here are some little pear tomatoes gathered together. These were an unexpected bonus, having volunteered from last year's plantings. They're also Milo's favourite. He liked it when we brought him to the plant and let him pick his own tomato.



Here is a bonus photo of Milo, because he is a sweetie, posing with his dinner dish.



Bear has been hard at work these past weeks, readying the garden for the winter veggies, including rainbow chard, kale, cabbages, kohlrabi, radishes, some wacky multicoloured carrots, various lettuces and other things I forget. We have also started composting, which makes me very happy!

All is well in our household these days. I hope y'all are doing well too!

A dopo!