Pavlova

To me an Australian Christmas is about prawns, mango, cherries, berries and pavlova.  Yesterday, we headed off to the markets and bought some amazing ron cherries, a tray of calypso mangoes and the rest of our supplies ready for our big day.

Admittedly, I made our pavlova last night and left it in the oven until I was ready to whip the cream and decorate it. 

Here's what it looked like before I put it in the oven

And, here it is decorated with lashings of cream and raspberries 

PAVLOVA
Ingredients 
6 large egg whites (preferably from a 700g carton)

1 1/2 cups caster sugar
1 1/2 teaspoon white vinegar

375 ml pouring cream, whipped

400g raspberries

Preheat oven to 150 degrees Celsius.

Measure out all ingredients.

Using the whisk attachment, whip the egg-whites in a kitchen aid mixer on high until stiff peaks form.  Add the sugar a tablespoon at a time whisking well in between to dissolve the sugar.  Once sugar is added whisk for a further 6 minutes.

Add the vinegar and whisk for another 2 minutes until glossy  and combined.

Place a sheet of parchment paper over a baking tray and using a spatula create a shape similar to the first photo above. 

Reduce the oven temperature to 120 degrees Celsius and bake the pavlova for 90 minutes.  Turn the oven off and allow to cool completely in the oven.  If making the pavlova the night before it's ok to leave it in the oven until you're ready to decorate it.  Decorate with lashings of whipped cream and raspberries.  

Hattie and Blythe Make Awesome Retro Sweets

I love lollies!  In fact, I love all sorts of lollies.  More importantly however, I love old fashioned lollies and when I lived in the UK I even got used to calling them sweets. This year instead of buying a ready made hamper my two gorgeous girls and I decided to make up our own and I reckon it has to be the best one yet!


This is what we have lollies. Lots of lollies. But oops.... these are really special ones and I should be corrected and call them sweets as they are the old fashioned kind from the UK.  Our new favourite sweets are from Hattie and Blythe  and oh my goodness are we looking forward to Christmas day or what! 


We have got the most enormous tub of Stellar Starr... Defenders of the Taste Planet Retro confectionery that include every fizzy sweet you could imagine.  There are flying saucers, Fizz Wiz, Swizels Fizzers, Sherbert Lemons, Gobstoppers, Black Jacks, Fruit Salad, Shrimp and Rainbow Drops.  Hidden inside the tub is also a little green plastic whistle.  The type of whistle that the kids will get hold of and blow all day just to drive me mad.  And, that's ok because I probably did that too.


Here's what they look like....

Planet Retro  

We also have space lassoos...

Space Lassoos

And, an enormous candy cane...

 And, gobstoppers...

Mmmmm, these will come in very handy indeed when there's too much whistling!


Anyway, so much for me thinking that we were going to open these on Christmas day, the kids got a tad too excited and we could no longer stand the suspense so we absolutely had to conduct a very serious taste test to determine whether they were up to our very high standards!  But I'm sorry I cannot report any more as our mouths are full and they're just soooooo yummy that we will need to test them again just to make sure.  Hattie and Blythe's website is still under construction but we absolutely can't wait for them to open their online store!   Retrolicious!

Mastering 1920s Style Jelly Making Skills

Inspired by Under Belly Razor and "The Great Gatsby" (2012 film) starring Leonardo Di Caprio, I decided to have another go at making a 1920s style jelly using an Australian brand that has been around for generations "Aeroplane Jelly".  I chose to make a ribbon jelly in red and blue and the flavours were Berry Blue & Bubblegum. No rocket science involved with making this type of jelly, I followed the directions on the box but instead of adding 200ml cold water, I added 100ml and poured the first layer into my porcelain "Carlton" art deco mould.  I then let it set before I poured in the second.  To remove the jelly, I followed the exact same procedure as before but made the water hotter, dipped it in for about 30 seconds (once only) then gently pried the jelly away from the edges and voila, one AWESOME, MAGNIFICENT, SPECTACULAR jewel-like art deco jelly emerged.  It was almost like the vintage mould gave birth to a new generation of jelly in the 21st Century but only with cooler flavours.  It seemed that the jelly was so excited to be freed that it sat there quivering with glee for at least a few seconds. And, I was so proud of my 1920s jelly making skills that I strutted around the house like a very posh waitress doing a balancing act with the plate... I'm proud as punch or should I say JELLY at the moment:)

Salted Vanilla Caramel Macarons

Unfilled Shells

SALTED VANILLA CARAMEL MACARONS 
Ingredients
125g Fresh Pouring Cream (min 35% fat)
175g caster sugar
5g Fleur de Sel (or substitute Maldon sea salt)
175g unsalted butter (chopped into small cubes)
1 vanilla bean (seeds removed)

Step 1. MAKE THE CARAMEL: Melt the sugar over low heat until it caramelises. Heat the cream and vanilla seeds in a separate saucepan until it reaches boiling point then slowly pour it into the melted sugar.  Blend with a whisk and allow the caramel to cool.  When it reaches 45 degrees celsius add the butter and whisk until well combined. Pour into a shallow stainless steel tray, place cling wrap on the top, to prevent a skin from forming, then cool in the fridge. When set, remove from the fridge, bring back to room temperature, sprinkle the salt on top and hand whisk again until the colour changes and it becomes glossy.

Step 2. MAKE THE MACARONS: Follow the basic recipe and make 1 quantity of macarons coloured caramel.

Step 3. FILL YOUR MACARONS

This is also my entry for Mactweets.  Salted Caramel Macarons are a favourite in our household and I think I would have been in lots of trouble had I not made them during the holidays so here they are with a vanilla twist.  The colour reminds me of autumn but the saltiness reminds me of an Australian summer at the beach! Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to all at Mactweets.

Crystallized Rose Petals

Organic Roses from my garden

Preparing the sugar syrup 

Place the sugar syrup into a bowl of ice to cool

Delicate rose petals dipped in sugar syrup then rolled in caster sugar

Crystallized Rose Petals
1 cup organic rose petals
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup water
1-2 drops of rose pink food coloring
A few drops of rosewater
Caster sugar for dusting

Wash the rose petals and dry with a paper towel.
Trim the base of the rose petal to remove the bitter part.
Place sugar, water, rosewater and food colouring into a saucepan and heat until it reaches 112 degrees Celsius.  
Remove from stove and place the saucepan into a bowl of ice.  Allow to cool.
Using tweezers dip each rose petal into the syrup then place on parchment paper.
Roll each petal in caster sugar, allow to dry then store in an airtight container.
Enjoy on top of cupcakes, scones, ice-cream, trifle or a lovely pudding... or simply eat one straight from the container!

Tip: for an extra special touch tint the caster sugar for dusting with 1-2 drops of rose pink food colouring.

Orange Flower Water Macarons

To make these macarons follow the basic recipe and colour the shells orange.  Make a white chocolate ganache with a 2:1 ratio of chocolate to cream and add a tablespoon of orange flower water. 

Merry Jelly Christmas

Wishing everyone a very merry jelly christmas!

Brown Brothers Zibibbo Rosa 1920's Style Jelly

When making this jelly it's very important to buy 2 bottles of Zibibbo Rosa so that you can consume one immediately! 

Allowing the froth and bubble to dissipate 

 

Dissolving the sugar in the Zibibbo 

The gelatin has been added and I'm waiting for the jelly to cool 

Ice with a little bit of salt hastens the setting process 

My circa 1920s Jelly Mould lightly sprayed with canola oil and pre-chilled 

The leftover jelly fills this French glass perfectly   

1920s Style Zibibbo Rosa Jelly

1 x 750ml bottle Brown Brothers Zibibbo Rosa

125 grams caster sugar

7 titanium strength gelatin leaves (softened in cold water for 5-10 minutes)

Place the sugar and Zibibbo Rosa into a medium saucepan.

On a medium heat dissolve the sugar; heat the liquid until hot but not boiling; turn off the heat.

Squeeze excess water from the gelatin and add to the saucepan; stir to dissolve.

Strain through a sieve and pour into a jelly mould.

Refrigerate until set.

Remove jelly from the mould and serve with Turkish Delight & Macarons!

Anyway, after the jelly had set over night I removed it from the fridge, filled up a bowl with hot water; and placed the mould inside for about 30 seconds.  I also gently removed the edges of the jelly from the mould with my fingers and all was looking pretty good.  But then I inverted it and waited patiently for the ruby rose delight to emerge.  Was it going to be perfectly formed? Was I going to be able to show off my 1920s jelly making skills? Mmmmm.... sadly not as most if it came out but then the top got stuck and there was absolutely no way it was going to come out.  Yeah, I think I can recollect this type of challenge before somehow.  My first few batches of macarons were EPIC failures and now it appears I've got another challenge... learning how to remove jelly from ceramic moulds!  Ha - how hard could this be?  Very, apparently... just take a squiz at my half formed jelly below.  And, this is what I've got to say... "you will not defeat me dearest #$@#% jelly mould!"  And, if you're an expert with removing jelly from a ceramic mould leave me a comment I'd love to hear from you!

Note: one titanium strength gelatin leaf is approximately 5 grams or 1.5 level teaspoons of powdered gelatin and sets 250ml liquid. 

Vintage Lemon Cake from 1912

This cake recipe is from "The Goulburn Cookery Book" twelfth edition published in 1912.   The original recipe is made with orange but today I decided to try it with lemon instead.  

Orange Cake
Three eggs, their weight in sugar, butter and flour, 1 teaspoon of baking powder, 1 orange, a pinch of salt.

Beat the sugar and butter to a cream; add 2 eggs one at a time, and beat well; then add half the flour, beating well all the time; add the grated rind of the orange and half the juice; then put in remainder of flour and a small teaspoon of baking powder; add the third egg.  Bake 1 hour or longer in a moderate oven.  Ice with the following icing: - Six ounces of icing sugar, enough orange juice to make a thick cream (about 1 ½ tablespoons); warm, but do not let get hot, and pour over the cake.

It's so delicious and moist that I increased the quantity and used 4 eggs, their weight in sugar, butter and flour; added a heaped teaspoon of baking powder and replaced the orange with one whole lemon.  The cake is moist, flavoursome, has a gorgeous texture and rises really well.  I baked the cake at 150 degrees celsius (fan forced) for one hour.

I also made a Rose Cake from the 1930s from a different vintage cookbook but sadly it was a flop.  Although, the recipe sounds gorgeous I was skeptical when I started making it as the mixture was extremely runny.  When cooked, the cake was moist and the flavour was allright but it had this weird rubbery texture.  It also didn't rise that well.  The recipe also omits instructions for the cooking temperature and time which is problematic in itself.  I cooked the cake in a moderate oven (150 degrees celsius) for 45 minutes.

Rose Cake
Take 1 cup flour, 1 cup sugar, 3 eggs, 1 teaspoon cream of tartar, 1/2 teaspoon bicarb. soda, 1 tablespoon milk, with enough boiling water to make 1/2 cup, a few drops of essence of rose, 1 teaspoon cochineal and 1 tablespoon butter.  Cream sugar and butter, add eggs well-beaten, the flour sifted with cream of tartar and soda, then milk and water, and lastly the essences.  Bake in sandwich-tins.  When cold ice the rose-flavoured icing and fill with whipped cream.  

I chose not to add the cochineal

Vintage 1930s MACARONi Croquettes

MACARONI CROQUETTES
One-quarter lb. macaroni, 1/2 pint milk, 1 oz butter, 1/2 oz flour, 1 gill cream, 2 oz cheese, 2 eggs, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1 salt spoonful pepper, 1 grain cayenne, 3 tablespoons bead-crumbs.

Wash well the macaroni, place it in a saucepan, cover it with the milk, and boil slowly for 3/4 hour.  Drain the macaroni well on a sieve, and cut it in 1/2-inch. lengths; melt the butter in a saucepan; add the flour, then,  by degrees, the cream; stir all till boiling, boil 2 minutes, take the pan at once from the fire, add the cut macaroni, pepper, salt and cayenne; grate the cheese, add it also, then drop in yolks of 2 eggs, stir well together, and place on one side till quite cook; roll the mixture into small balls; beat well the whites of the eggs on a plate, roll the balls in the whites then place the breadcrumbs on a plate and roll the balls also ini it; heat some clarified fat in a stew pan, and when the smoke rises drop in the balls and brown them for 2 minutes; drain on a sheet of kitchen paper and serve very hot.

Conversions:
One-quarter lb.  macaroni equals 4 ounces
1/2 pint milk is 300ml
1 oz butter equals one tablespoon
1/2 ounce flour is roughly 15 grams
1 gill cream equals approx 142 ml

My tips;
I cooked the macaroni for about 15 minutes.
Make sure you watch the macaroni/milk on the stove so that it doesn't boil over.
For a family of four double the recipe.
Instead of rolling balls, I poured the macaroni into a non-stick pan, sprinkled the cheese on top, poured the sauce over the top then blended with a wooden spoon to combine the mixture.  
Smooth the top of the macaroni with the back of a spoon then place cling wrap on the surface.  Place in the fridge to set.
Cut into squares then follow the recipe above by rolling the squares in egg white and breadcrumbs.
When cooked serve with a sprinkle of lemon juice and a green salad.

Recipes from my MUM

Here are a couple of recipes given to me by my mum.


SWEET LAMB CURRY
Parsnip, carrots, swede, celery, onion, tomato, apple, rice, stewing steak, water to cover, 1/2 cup sugar, 1/4 cup vinegar, curry powder, salt


Place all ingredients in a saucepan and simmer till done.  Serve with fresh fruit chutney (see recipe below).


FRESH FRUIT CHUTNEY
1 onion diced, green cucumber, tomato, granny smith apple, green pepper, juice of a lemon, salt and pepper.


Dice all ingredients finely, mix and chill in fridge. Serve with sweet lamb curry.


CHICKEN PAPRIKA
1 chicken cut into pieces, 1/2 green pepper, 1/2 red pepper, 1 medium onion, carrots, potatoes, celery, salt & pepper, butter, paprika


Cut vegetables and place in a baking dish; place chicken pieces on top.
In a saucepan on low heat combine 1 carton of sour cream, 1 chicken stock cube, 2 tablespoons water, 2 level dessert spoons of plain flour, salt & pepper; pour sauce over chicken and vegetables; cover in foil; bake in moderate oven for 1 hour.  Remove foil, sprinkle paprika over chicken and vegetables and dot with butter return to the oven for another 1/2 hour to brown.

Vintage Cooking in 1912

In between making macarons I'll also be making lots of vintage recipes from 'The Goulburn Cookery Book' twelfth edition printed in 1912.  And, although I've stated that these recipes are dated 1912 they are much older as the first edition was printed in 1899.  This Australian cookery book was so popular that up until 1912 it had to be re-printed each year!  Here are some snippets of this amazing but very fragile little book.  I don't know its previous owner but it has been well loved and is jam packed full of scribbled notes and newspaper cuttings.  Some recipes even mention war coupons!  I think this little gem is really exciting and I love it to bits... so lets start baking and bring it back to life ready for its centenary next year.  Be warned however, that I absolutely cannot and will not cook sheeps head, tripe, liver or the like...  eeewwwww!