For the month of January Jelena from A Kingdom for a Cake invited us to start this year with a dreamy celebration cake. She challenged us to make the Esterházy cake a.k.a the Hungarian dream. What better way to start the year than with a sweet dream? According to Wikipedia, ‘Esterházy torta is a Hungarian cake named after … Read more
The cake-baking sister visited for morning tea today and of course I insisted on making a cake, ever hopeful that I can one day impress her with my own fledgling efforts. The recipe I tried was one from New Zealand’s ‘Food’ magazine (Oct/Nov 2013, Issue 73) – an Orange Semolina Cake doused in orange syrup. … Read more
When it comes to gluten, the writing seems to pretty much be on the wall. While I personally only have a slight sensitivity to it, a couple of family members have full-on gluten allergies. So, it doesn’t make sense to carry on cooking in the same way if not everyone can enjoy it. Well… you could, but … Read more
The February Daring Bakers’ challenge is hosted by Julie of One-Wall Kitchen. She challenged us to an easy, simple filled bun using no-knead dough. What I love about The Daring Kitchen is that you get to make stuff that wouldn’t ordinarily be on your ‘must make’ list. You are challenged to explore national dishes from around … Read more
INVITED TO BE A CONTRIBUTOR ON ‘HONEST COOKING’ – October 2014 I was thrilled to be asked to be a contributor and network partner of Honest Cooking – a New York based online food and travel magazine. I’m looking forward to establishing a solid relationship with them over time and to be part of a … Read more
October 27, 2014 The October Daring Bakers’ challenge was brought to us by Korena of Korena in the Kitchen. She took us to Austria and introduced us to the wonders of the Sachertorte. This challenge took me back to my own visit to the Sacher Hotel in Vienna when I was a mere 25 years old … Read more
September 18, 2014 These days, I’m trying very hard to balance out my diet so that, for the most part, it’s really nourishing. For me that means avoiding processed foods, grains, sugar and dairy as much as possible and bumping up the fresh vegetables and proteins. By making healthy choices through the week I get … Read more
December 10, 2014 It was my brother’s birthday today and, as he’s attempting to go gluten-free (I can’t say he’s always successful!), I decided to make a flourless chocolate cake. In searching for recipes, I came across this lovely retro classic – Black Forest Cake – and as I had a jar of morello cherries in … Read more
You probably know by now that I’m an Italophile (yes, I had to look that up), loving all things Italian. I’ve been lucky enough to visit Italy twice (once, as part of the ‘grand tour’ and the second time, on an invitation to exhibit one of my paintings at the Florence Biennale). In my dream … Read more
Sometimes you just need to tuck into a big, thick, juicy piece of steak. Do I hear an ‘Amen’? I don’t do it very often – in fact it’s pretty rare that I go and buy a steak. But when the craving strikes, nothing else will do. Now usually I just season steak with a little salt … Read more