A culinary journey of a foodie from Down Under
Whoever invented this delightful satiny dessert known as Bavarois, or Bavarian Cream, really deserves a pat on the back. Not that we’re ever likely to find out who that is – they can’t even decide whether it originated in France, Bavaria, Switzerland or Germany. Who cares? All I know is how darned good it is!
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It’s always a good time to bake a batch of cupcakes, but even more so when it’s for a worthy cause. Here in New Zealand, the SPCA Cupcake Day is an annual fund-raising day in aid of the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.
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One of life’s great pleasures is the pairing of chocolate and peanut butter, as evidenced by the popularity of Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups.
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Eton Mess – that classic English combo of meringue, cream and strawberries – is synonymous with summer. So, naturally, I thought what a great way to bring a touch of summer into our winter time.
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It’s smack dab in the middle of winter down here in New Zealand, and with cold evenings comes the need for warming puddings. And, I simply couldn’t resist making Mary Berry’s Sticky Toffee Pudding.
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While I was doing my weekly supermarket shopping recently, I spied Donna Hay’s latest magazine – Fresh & Light (Issue 8) – which was jam-packed with savoury and sweet dishes made with whole, less refined ingredients.
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By far the loveliest baked custard I’ve ever come across is a Pot de Creme – dig down beneath the surface, and it’s unbelievably smooth and silky, like liquid satin. I love them so much, I’ve made a bunch of them – a ridiculous amount of them actually… Butterscotch Pots de Creme, Espresso Pots de Creme, Dark Chocolate & Orange Pots de Creme, Maple Pots de Creme… even Egg Nog Pots de Creme.
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“We retire to tea or syllabub beneath the shade of some great oak.”
‘Tom Brown at Oxford’, Thomas Hughes, 1861 (Wikipedia).
Recently, I went to the extraordinary lengths of making Limoncello from scratch – a testament to my patience, if I do say so myself! It’s made for a delicious late-afternoon (okay, mid-afternoon) tipple, but it was time to test it out in a dessert recipe.
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Time for another retro Kiwi favourite – the good old brandy snap. A relic of the past, which you’ll virtually never see in any self-respecting upmarket cafe, it’s still hugely popular nevertheless. The origin of the brandy snap isn’t entirely clear, though it’s likely they came from Britain, which would account for their popularity in New Zealand and Australia.
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I’ve been dying for an excuse to use my new Nordic Ware bundt pan. I bought it online and had to wait for ages for it to be shipped out from America. But, as it turns out, it was definitely worth the wait.
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