Dessert is good

 Meringues with orange and mandarin mousse filling - this uses the left-over egg yolks from the meringues so is a good recipe to have. Baklava - cinnamon, walnuts and honey/lemon. Small glasses of chocolate mousse. Below: poached cherries and baked cheesecake.

 Chocolate mousse: 5 eggs, separated. Half cup cream, whipped. 200gm dark chocolate. Melt the chocolate over steam. Whip the egg whites to soft peak. whip the egg yolks until they thicken slightly. Stir cream into yolks. Add half the egg white and stir to combine. Now add the chocolate and all the remaining egg whites and fold together. Put in a jug to pour into small glasses - saves a lot of drippy messes. But if, like me, you like to lick the drippy splotches then do it with a spoon, or straight out of the bowl. Then you can lick the bench and all around the bowl....

Dessert Night tomorrow

Have made the meringues and the orange mandarin mousse -  a useful way to consule the left-over yolks.
Tomorrow making baklava, New York baked cheesecake. This may be enough BUT
I have a new recipe for chocolate mousse and therefore worth a try.

Photos after tomorrow...

breakfast after sport

A beautiful way to kick-start the metabolism
FooD!
Thankful for a pack of sugar-cured bacon delivered yesterday and begging for a quick simple and tasty rendition.
Corn, coriander and coconut fritters with sugar cured bacon on the side and a salsa made with pawpaw, spring onion, maple syrup, chilli and lemon juice.
NZ Bacon and Ham competition - good idea!

An easy everyday lentil thingy

Took my mum to hear Ray McVinnie at Farro in Lunn Ave. He was preparing a dish of brown lentils and baked salmon which I now make all the time. It's very easy, salmon is ridiculously cheap and can go in the freezer for when you're late with dinner or have people for lunch.
Organic brown lentils: boil for 20 mins until al dente. Drain them then stir into a bunch of baby spinach, add chopped sundried tomatoes and a chunk of baked salmon broken into big pieces. Pepper. Lemon juice. Ray added flavoured sour cream but it''s not needed.
The heat of the lentils and salmon will wilt the greens. This is ever-so-yum, and left-overs make a great lunch for the next day too.
Thanks Ray!

Blue Cheese and Pear mini pikelets

Make some little pikelets (no, you do not need the recipe - all I'll say is, use Cream of Tartar and baking soda instead of baking powder.
Mash a nice little blue (100g for lots, less for fewer) into a light sour cream - about half and half. You could use ricotta if you prefer. Dice up some nice pear, drench with lemon juice and fold in. Now you can go mad with seasoning - not too much salt, but plenty pepper and I myself do always like a touch of sweet chilli. You could add some caramelised onion too - and a splash of whisky.
Pile that mixture onto the wee pikelets and there you have it.

New business ideas

Thinking about a new purpose in life... will wait out 2012 as the upcoming conference and the Dec-Jan trip to India are more than enough for now.
BUT bring on January and I need a better job.

Catering... picnics.... lessons..... demonstrations..... lovely old cups and saucers...... something involving better cooks than me...... illegal stuff, like cooking in my kitchen that's not registered... designer occasion catering... workshops... tastings with beer, or champagne... weird and wonderful party cakes....
Or shall I just go rowing?

Bistro Hobbs …

SISTER ANN REVIEWS Spent a fab day at sister Christine’s and her gorgeous hubby Stewart’s. They had a hoosewarmen drinkie- poos which became dinner ….mmmmmm forgot to shoot the hearty Curry and Rice (on the stove in case the evening progressed to dinner). The afternoon was bright and sunny and Spring had whalloped the garden with a good green grass….. que?…sorry thought I was writing a gardening blog for a moment then. MY FAVOURITE; the tiny pikelets with blue cheese and minute diced fresh pear. YUM.YUM. recipe please…. So much food ….all finger food ….tiny pizzas and Stewart’s Mum, Miriam made the most beautiful club sandwiches. I know now where Caro gets her cooking skills. Where’s that ‘Tomato Soup To Die For’ recipe you two? Stewart and I mucked up the Drink Order….went to the Supermarket for Beer , Ice and Wine and came home with wine, flowers, snacks, and no Beer or ice. Oops! Between Chris and Caro and Miriam and June (Kitchen Bitch) it was a cheffie gala.

ATMOSPHERE 10 FOOD 10 SERVICE 10 (what can I say? She feeds me!)  

Café Villagio …

SISTER ANN REVIEWS Friend Bee is back in her home town from LA for a month or so. We went to a wee café set in a gorgeous Deco house, in the residential streets of Gisborne. The inside is polished floors, white walls  and white plastic chairs. Lovely and bright, with red/orange trim. When the manager asked if we’d like a menu, I said ‘yes’ …but we expected it to arrive at the table. We ordered a flat white and I said I’d like a tea. The woman ran through a list of teas without asking me what I might like first. Obviously she (mistakenly) thought I’d rather listen to her ramble through her list (...yawn). When she finished, I asked if she had Bell tea, (What!? I like Bell. Bite me) whereupon she proceeded to tell me that English breakfast was similar to Bell. Que!? Excuse me! Do not patronize the customer. Is that Rule one? Ok Rule 1; The customer is always right. Rule 2; Do.NOT.Patronise.The.Customer! So I said English Breakfast would be lovely…please would you give me a pot for 2 with one teabag…saying I like weak tea.

The tea arrived alone 5 minutes before the coffee….with 2 teabags and in a pot for 2- half filled. While returning the pot to the counter Bee thought the menu may have been forgotten. Another customer pointed out a basket of menus off to the side in the middle of nowhere… on the way to nowhere… nowhere near the counter. Terrific! My psychic powers were tested once more and once more I came out with a 50/50 average. Chris does that mean I need psychic tuning?  We had a 15 min wait for the food…pretty routine and at least this time the plates nearly came at the same time. Bee had toast and jams and it was gorgeous …but hey it is toast right? I had an omelette au fromage with onion, mozzarella and mushroom. It was average… a little rubbery but definitely satisfying, but I have been spoilt by Mum’s French Omelettes and I do prefer them.

MUM JUNE’S FRENCH OMELETTE; Stiffly beat the egg whites on their own. In a 2^nd bowl, stir 1 tablespoon of water into each egg yolk. Combine mixtures together gently. Pour into pan. Sprinkle of pepper and salt.

ATMOSPHERE 6 FOOD 6 SERVICE 4  

Not so Little, and not just on Fridays...

Mother and I went to Friday and Little today. I love them. I love the table decorations, the water in old milk bottles, the mixed-up teaspoons and the exhibition of cake plates on the big tables. I love the staff. I love the customers. I almost didn't mind the noisy baby and the annoyingly American accent behind me and the jostling people who had to push me to get past even though I was pulled right in.

 Beautiful cream and jam doughnuts

 The water is filled with mint and comes in old milk bottles and milk crates

 These gorgeous table decorations sit upon glass bricks. I think they were real cake - left to go hard so I couldn't eat them

We brought home 1 each of the 3 best slices... after dinner, these will disappear. Just like magic.

I love the doughnuts. I love the coffee but would love it even more if it were hot. I adore the smells and the warehouse that could be an apartment. I'm not quite so in love with Martha's because the girls there I find a bit snooty. They may well be better than me. Many are. But when they act like they are, I don't feel like spending money there.

 Mum had a walnut caramel tart - it looked so fantastic and was HUGE

 My doughnut was a plain one - I only saw as we left that they'd put cream adn jam ones out. Adie, Trish and Sue I want you to know that I resisted. This time.

 Beautiful glass bell jar and chocolate cake on the table.

 Packaged cakes and sweets to take home in an emergency.

 Slices. Caramel. Fruit. Lots of icing. Yumminess!!!

 The lamingtons are like towers, or like Christmas cakes. Just adorable.

Oh my I run out of superlatives. Just go there.

Nettle Cheese is my favourite

SISTER ANN REVIEWS Look at the face on Mum as she runs away with her hoard of cheeses. Herd of cheeses? Clutch of cheeses, I say... I attempt to stop myself from buying these cheeses as I come home and tear chunks off as a snack, whenever I open the fridge.

ATMOSPHERE 10 FOOD 10  SERVICE 10  

 

Ka mate ka mate...

SISTER ANN REVIEW I took my Danish Rotary Exchange Student, Kathrine (‘hangi- is- my –favourite- food’) Bruun Thude , to Tamaki Maori Village, here in Rotorua, the other night. I have been before many times, but never at night with the visitors from overseas. What a great job they do for tourism. From start to finish. Mark our driver was so entertaining he should be on the stage. And I know he does this every night …and for nearly 10 years. The replica village under the trees at night is marvelous and the food is just perfect.  We could smell it coming out of the hangi pit while walking in the forest and it is so welcome when we get to the dining room after a concert in the meeting house. Kia ora

ATMOSPEHERE 10 FOOD 10 SERVICE 10