Have you ever been to a Homemaker’s Swap? Oh my gosh, what fun they are! So far I’ve only been to two, one in Stratford, and one in Bairnsdale, and this week there is one in my hometown of Maffra, and, yes, I am going.
On the table in Bairnsdale
Gluten Free
An Early Birthday Gift – A Visit to the Cartier Exhibition
A little while ago, my sister, Jan, mentioned that she would like to take me, my husband, and my sister to the Cartier Exhibition at the National Gallery of Victoria (NGV), it was for my sister Sonnie and my birthdays (we are both November babies from a few to many decades ago), and it would be Gary’s Christmas present – what an absolute treat! Last week it happened, and I cannot stop smiling when I think of the time that we had together.
A Classic Cloth Boiled Christmas Pudding
Cooking with SBA’s Kitchen
The next session is scheduled for:
Date: Thursday 22 October, 2026
Time: 10:00 am to 2:00 pm
Venue: Briagolong Community House
Cost: $55.00 per person
Bookings: Click here
Max Participants: 6 participants
Sample Menu:
Classic Cloth Boiled Plum Pudding
Irish Liqueur Cream
Brandy Sauce
Plum Pudding Tiffin
Plum Pudding & Orange with Yoghurt Cream
(All food will be gluten free – that includes the pudding!)
A traditional cloth boiled plum pudding with a little Irish flaire!
For some obscure reason, she who has never been a huge fan of plum pudding, is the one who makes it year after year after year for her family, and dares not walk through the door on Christmas day without the pud and the favourite accompaniments to serve with it! I’ve even been known to make it when I was unable to be with my family on that big day in December – go figure!
Join me in this fun session, where you will make a plum pudding (with a little touch of the Irish) to take home and do the first boil, before hanging or storing your pud ready to share on Christmas day!
Before you come along on the day, make sure that your kettle or jug is full, and ready to boil as soon as you arrive home, and have a big pot (not a saucepan) out and ready to fill!
A little more detail…
On the day:
※ Participants will be provided with ingredients, instructions and guidance as they prepare the various s dishes on the day.
※ We will enjoy a light meal prepared on the day, and there will be a couple of the dishes to give you ideas on how to use up any leftover pudding after the event.
※ All food will be gluten free.
What you will take home:
※ Your own Christmas pudding.
※ Notes and recipes for the dishes made on the day, and information required for boiling, storing and reheating the pudding on the big day.
※ A share of any leftovers from the lunch (containers provided).
※ Maybe a new friendship with other’s who attend on the day.
Session Duration:
The session will run for approximately 4 hours.
More Information:
I prefer not to call this a cooking class, but more of a hands-on cooking and knowledge sharing session, where those attending learn and share from my experience. I am not a trained chef, just taught and guided by my experiences, and driven by my love of cooking, sharing, and celebrating with food.
Health and Safety
※ If you have any dietary restrictions, please contact me prior to booking as I like to make sure that everyone can enjoy the food prepared on the day.
※ Closed shoes must be worn on the day.
Learn ||| Cook ||| Eat ||| Chat
If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact me using the Contact Page.
Mum’s Mushroom Tarts
Mum's Mushroom Tarts
I challenge anyone to stop at just one!
Category:
Afternoon Tea, Baking, Finger Food, Supper
Style:
Australian
Keyword:
Jam and Cream, Jam and Cream Tarts
Quantity: 9 tarts
Ingredients
FOR THE TART SHELLS
- 1 sheet of sweet shortcrust pastry (See notes for gluten free pastry)
TO FINISH
- 9 teaspoons Plum & Raspberry Jam Jam
- 150 ml Pure Cream
- Caster sugar
- ½ tsp Vanilla bean paste
- Drinking Chocolate
Instructions
FOR THE TART SHELLS
-
Preheat the oven to 175˚C.
-
Roll out the pastry and line nine lightly greased, cup cake tins.
-
Cut 2 cm lengths of pastry about 8mm wide to bake with the tart shells (keep an eye on them while they are baking as they may cook quicker than the shells).
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Chill in the fridge to seize the pastry.
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Line each shell with a small piece of baking paper and top with baking beads.
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Bake for 15 minutes, then remove the paper and baking beads.
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Continue to bake until golden.
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If desired, reduce oven to 50˚C and remove the tarts shells from the tins, and return to the oven to continue to dry the pastry.
TO FINISH
-
Combine cream and vanilla, sweetened to taste with caster sugar, in a bowl and whisk until soft peaks.
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Spread 1 tsp of jam into the base of each tart shell, cover with whipped cream, smooth with a knife and lightly dust with drinking chocolate.
-
Insert a strip of pastry into the middle of each tart, as for a stalk.
Notes
- For gluten free tarts, use my Sweet Short Crust Pastry - Gluten Free
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.
Cooking with Cooper
Following on from a recent post, Family Gatherings, Memories and Food
After we had finished our delicious brunch, having well and truly overindulged, I quietly mentioned to Olivia, that given it was school holidays, if Cooper would like to come for a visit, we would love it! We could pick him up the following day and return him on the Wednesday. There was no pressure at all – I really did not want him to feel pressured. She rang later that evening to say he was very excited to be visiting with us – I must admit that we were very excited too!
The following morning we went to Olivia’s mum and dad’s home, and from there Cooper joined us for the trip to our home in country Victoria. This was all impromptu – there was nothing planned, so for dinner we just had to wing it and use what we had on hand. We decided on beef noodles with broccoli, carrots and snow peas, and for dessert, custard, mango, berries, and at Cooper’s suggestion, meringues. Cooper helped, using his fabulous knife skills to chop mango and veg, then got to work with the noodle dish. While not really to his liking, I was super proud of the fact that he was willing to give it a try.
