food
baking
baking November 20, 2021
I have been making shortbread as a Christmas gift for many years now. I have no recollection of where this particular recipe came from, but I have always enjoyed the fact it is not too sweet and has a lovely firm crunch to the biscuit. On many...
baking August 7, 2021
It seems many of us have returned to a winter of discontent. Bright sparks are few and far between. As restaurant kitchens slumber or pivot, with a near-hysterical glint, to takeaway offerings, I have retreated to my farm looking for some external...
condiment April 10, 2021
Green tomato cake and green tomato and zucchini relish
As we have tripped over the autumn equinox, it is time to start farewelling the vegetables that have filled our summer and early autumn months. It is also the time to start thinking about what to do with green tomatoes. I have to confess that my...
baking June 6, 2020
Having too many carrots is not a problem I usually face. Like many growers and producers across the land, the coronavirus pandemic has thrown our ordered existence into chaos. I grow a lot of carrots. The earth that I farm is rich, deep, volcanic...
baking November 16, 2019
Mince pies and Fergus Henderson’s Eccles cakes
A little more than a month ago, on the other side of the world, the inimitable St. JOHN restaurant celebrated its 25th anniversary. There are few restaurants that have had their logo copied more or their influence reach further than London’s St...
baking November 9, 2019
Licorice molasses cake with candied ginger
Learning to cook with less sugar is something of a contradiction to this recipe. By subbing out refined sugars with greater quantities of the same product in a more raw form, any potential benefits are lost. However, this recipe hinges on licorice...
baking June 8, 2019
Roasted quince with spiced quince cake and whipped ricotta
The days are shorter, the skies are blacker, and winter is upon us. The vestiges of late autumn fruit still linger at the greengrocer. If you are not a preserver but have pantry shelves lined with quinces for “tomorrow”, there is still time to...
baking March 9, 2019
Lychees, cherries and rose petals with tahini and sesame cake
Flowers are commonly used the world over in cooking and not just for their aesthetic beauty. Lavender, rose, chrysanthemum, dandelion, borage and marigold have been used to give aroma to sweet and savoury dishes and have also played a major role in...
baking May 5, 2018
There’s nothing like an impending “state occasion” such as Mother’s Day to bring out the wannabe cake-maker in me. I must admit that when I scroll through pictures on Instagram of other people’s cake triumphs, I often feel a little inadequate – my...
baking August 12, 2017
Blood orange fool and Madeira cake
I have to admit that I am a fool for English desserts. Or, as they would say, puddings. Maybe it’s the names. Fool. Syllabub. Posset. Crisp. Mess. Crumble. Not only are they simple, blunt titles, but almost to a tee they are simple to make. Having...
baking May 27, 2017
Chestnut, rosemary and pine nut cake
The real name for this is castagnaccio, which I can’t pronounce responsibly so I call it chestnut cake. It’s a recipe I first encountered in Italy quite a few years ago and enjoyed immensely. Back in Australia, I couldn’t find it anywhere so I made...
