Well almost…
I have been wanting to make Madeleines for years, but being restricted to a gluten free diet, I’ve always put the idea into the ‘too hard basket’.
The other day, after continuously being tripped up by the abundance of rhubarb in the vegetable garden, I decided that it was time to harvest it. I have some preserved/canned in the larder, the roses required for my Rhubarb and Rose Petal Jam are a little while off, so just thought that I’d give it away.
Rhubarb in the Vegetable Garden
Rhubarb in the Vegetable Garden
I know that it looks like a lot, and I suppose it was. But after I bundled it up, there were only seven bundles – maybe I was a little generous, I don’t know.
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When we were growing up casseroles equalled comfort food. They were prepared for a family meal, a variety of different casseroles were cooked to feed a house full of guests, and they were central to cool weather fundraisers for the community.
Casserole luncheons brought the community together, with each family preparing a casserole to be placed on cloth covered trestle tables that had been set up for the occasion in the local hall. There would be a small admission fee, raffles, maybe a cake stall, and all funds raised would be directed to a local community project, or to a cause that was close to the heart of the community.
While the casseroles back then were cooked in beautiful ovenproof dishes, dishes that could be taken straight from the oven to the table, I feel that they have somehow fallen out of fashion… I suppose now, you could liken them to the modern day slow cooker dish.
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I often make Tartine de Chèvre et Poire (Pear and Goat’s Cheese Open Sandwich) when I want a quick, light meal.
As I was going through the list of ingredients used, I realised that it is not only what’s on the plate, but also who’s on the plate! Apart from the Chèvre, this is truly a salad showcasing our region and our producers, along with our own garden and a couple of homemade staples. So who is on the plate… Continue reading →
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There is one thing about Christmas for me, and it is the memories of family and friends, those who are with us, and those no longer here…
As I was deciding on the recipes for the biscuits (cookies) to be baked for this year’s Christmas gifts, I recalled a beautiful, kind lady whom I felt privileged to call a friend, Brigita, a lecturer and colleague whom I worked with at Deakin University almost 30 years ago! (She was an academic, I was in admin). The department we worked for was a very social group, and we celebrated Christmas twice a year! Brigita, originally from Latvia, always prepared the mulled wine, but what I remember more is her very special sweet treat, a biscuit that she called pumpernikel. It was not the dark, dense, savoury pumpernikel that I was familiar with, rather a crisp, light, sweet, fruity biscuit that she had baked and given to me as a gift for Christmas. I was so privileged to have received this recipe from her, and it is through this recipe that Brigita will be forever remembered by our family.
The fruit and peel make this little treat delicious!
Category:
Baking, Biscuits, Cookies
Style:
Latvian
Keyword:
Biscuits, Christmas Biscuits, Christmas Cookies, Cookies, Fruit Biscuit, Fruit Cookies, Gluten Free Option, Pumpernikel, Sweet Pumpernikel
Quantity: 120 biscuits
Author: sbaskitchen
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200
g
butter
-
400
g
sugar
-
4
eggs
-
1
tsp
vanilla bean paste
-
3
drops of almond extract
-
500
g
plain flour
-
300
g
ground almonds
-
1
tsp
baking powder
-
125
g
candied citrus peel
-
100
g
glace fruit
diced
-
75
g
currants
-
60
g
glace ginger
diced
-
Preheat oven to 175˚C (fan).
-
Line 3 baking trays with baking paper.
-
Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
-
Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition.
-
Add fruit and dry ingredients and mix well to combine.
-
Roll into 2 cm thick sticks and lay across the lined baking tray, leaving space for spreading.
-
Bake for 20 minutes, until golden.
-
Cut on the diagonal while still warm.
-
Lay out on baking trays and dry in a tepid oven.
- I heat the oven to 150˚C (fan), turn it off and then put the biscuits in overnight.
- For gluten free sweet pumpernikel replace flour with Gluten Free Flour Blend, add an additional tsp of GF baking powder and 1 tsp xanthan gum.
If you have a moment, I would love to hear your thoughts on what you see on
this page – just pop a note in the comments box below.
With many thanks and kindness,
Julie.
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How wonderful are friends and how lucky am I!
Every week I spend time volunteering at a local community house called Segue, in Stratford, and it is here that I have made some wonderful friends. We love to share our experiences, plants and produce from each other’s gardens and stories and the occasional cuppa.
One friend, Shirley, often brings a bunch of beautiful flowers from her garden, and these flowers have convinced us we need to plant a protea or two in our garden. She also has access to a neighbours’ fruit trees, and has kept me well supplied with figs. In return I give her fig vinegar, along with various jams, chutnies or relish that I may be making at the time. I also make sure that there are preserves set aside for our little produce stall at Segue where we raise money for our “Garden for the Community”.
I have written about making and using fig vinegar in earlier posts and recipes, but there was an issue that I had with it. After making the vinegar, the solids were thrown into the compost! This tormented me, it seemed such a waste! To me, figs are such a precious commodity – so what to do? It took me a while, but then I thought… well, really, the figs have just been steeping in blend of balsamic and cider vinegar, and relish has vinegar in it. Figs go beautifully with purple onion, and with the addition of few other ingredients, I soon had a use for the bi-product of my fig vinegar – Fig & Purple Onion Relish. Continue reading →
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