Diary of a Ladybird

A special introduction

2011-11-27T15:21:00.001+11:00

Hello dear readers!

Missed me?! I have most certainly missed you... and I am delighted to be back to make a special introduction to you all.

As you would have probably gathered from my last post 'A pregnant pause', I have recently become a mama! On October 11, Mr Ladybird and I welcomed a beautiful baby boy into the world. Here is little Roman, now almost 7 weeks of age...

Motherhood has certainly been an intense experience so far.. Roman and I are taking it day by day as we get used to things. Every day I marvel at the speed at which he grows and his emerging personality. It is that and his complete and utter babyliciousness that gets me through the exhaustion and challenges of being a new mum.

While being a mummy is most definitely my number one priority at the moment, I am keen to carry on doing things that I find enjoyable and fulfilling - continuing Diary of a Ladybird being one of them. So stay tuned, and thank you for your continued readership and kind messages of support during my pregnancy :)

Love to you all!

Ladybird x

A pregnant pause...

2011-10-10T21:30:00.000+11:00

Hello dear readers!

As many of you already know from following Diary of a Ladybird, Mr Ladybird and I are currently expecting our first child. It is an exciting time for us, full of anticipation and excitement. We are expecting him/her any day now, so it is time for me to take a pregnant pause from a number of things while I focus on motherhood. In the meantime, I won't be working on my blog. However, I do expect to make a return once I have settled into a bit of a routine as Mama Ladybird. Stay tuned!

Ladybird xoxo

Afternoon Tea at The Observatory Hotel, The Rocks

2011-08-30T12:16:00.003+10:00

I have often been asked by friends and followers of my little blog where I think is the best high tea in Sydney and (humbled to even be asked!) I have always responded with sentences that have usually been prefaced by the phrase "Well it depends.." However, after a recent high tea experience at The Observatory Hotel in Sydney's historic Rocks area, I now feel confident in recommending to others what I believe to be the creme de la creme of Sydney high teas.

It was at The Observatory that I caught with a friend I hadn't seen in many many months - what better way to catch up with a girlfriend than over high tea in such opulent and relaxing surroundings! So where do I start? Well, how about the hotel's grand foyer to set the scene? I think the photos above speak for themselves.. this is one fine establishment!

I make my way into the Globe Brasserie & Bar where afternoon tea is held daily - a sweeping room with polished wooden floors and complete with soft lighting, rich drapes and plush armchairs and sofas. Oh, and there's a grand piano thrown in for good measure too...

I join my girlfriend at our table, neat as a pin and adorned with crisp white linen, glistening crockery and silverware. With 20 unique tea blends to choose from we take our time perusing the menu - I opt for a jasmine tea and my friend chooses another one of the lovely herbal blends.

Shortly after our high tea stand arrives - three tiers of afternoon scrumptiousness! It all looks so perfect we sit looking at it for a while, taking it all in and not wanting to spoil the pretty picture. But it looks so good we quickly succumb to our appetites and make a start with the savoury items.

Now when it comes to sandwiches at high teas, I (as a vegetarian) am normally accustomed to one type of sandwich which can be rather tasteless - plain cucumber... It's not ideal, and I certainly don't complain about it - rather, I simply adjust my expectations when going to a high tea. On this occasion, however, I am spoiled for choice with four little sandwiches each with a different and delicious filling, plus a vegetarian tart - hurray!

After our savouries we move onto the gem-like scones - not the monstrous floury types so common elsewhere that can be difficult to finish, but rather, these fresh, ladylike and fluffy scones that you can finish in a couple of mouthfuls. They really were the perfect size and a lovely texture... The strawberry jam served alongside them was superb - quite syrupy in consistency (which I prefer to very jelly-like jam), and most likely house-made which is always a good thing. The cream was like a double cream though, which I found a bit too heavy.

And last but not least we make our way to the impeccably presented plate of miniature sweets, all a good size for a high tea stand - enough to get a taste, but not too much so as to make you feel horrendously full. There's a fruit tartlet, lemon and poppyseed cupcake, cheesecake, chocolate opera slice, crème brûlée and chocolate mousse for each of us... they're all so good, but the crème brûlée and opera slice are my favourites.

And just when we thought we couldn't possibly eat another crumb, an unexpected and complimentary surprise arrives at our table - a congratulatory platter to celebrate my now somewhat big 'bun in the oven'!

All in all, a 5 star experience and a lovely way to catch up with a friend. Tell me, dear readers, where have you had your best high tea experience? I'd love to hear about it!

Ladybird x

The Observatory Hotel

89-113 Kent Street

The Rocks, NSW

Ph: (02) 8248 5252

http://www.observatoryhotel.com.au/web/osyd/afternoon_tea.jsp

Classic afternoon tea $49 per person on weekdays, $59 per person on weekends & public holidays

Monday to Friday 2:30 - 5pm

Saturdays 12:30 - 2:30pm, and 3 - 5pm

Sundays & public holidays 1 - 3 and 4 - 6pm

Café Morso, Pyrmont

2011-08-28T20:09:00.002+10:00

With a baby now only weeks away in the Ladybird household, I increasingly find myself contemplating my soon-to-be life as a mother. I find myself thinking about activities and favourite past times that will soon be a little more difficult to fit in whilst juggling life with a newborn bundle of joy.. One of these things would have to be the pleasure found in spontaneously going out for brunch on weekends after a lovely sleep-in. Of course, I am immensely looking forward to the changes my life will soon bring, and I simply cannot wait to meet our little one.. But as my belly grows and my due date comes closer and closer, I am keen to enjoy squeeze in as much of these simple pleasures as I can!

With this in mind, Mr Ladybird recently took me out for a lovely surprise breakfast at Café Morso in Pyrmont. The cafe is located at the beautiful Jones Bay Wharf overlooking the harbour, close by to iconic Sydney restaurants such as The Flying Fish and Doltone House. Cafe Morso also happens to be quite the high achiever, with swagful of awards to its name, including Best Breakfast Restaurant in 2009 and 2010.

And when you see the menu, you start to get an idea of what the fuss is about.. I am tempted by the french toast with pear compote, mascarpone and chocolate ganache, but with baby's nutrition in mind I opt for the sautéed wild mushrooms with truffled scrambled eggs and Sonoma sourdough ($16) and an orange juice ($5).

My Ladybird opts for the beautiful soft scrambled eggs with gruyere cheese, semi dried cherry tomatoes, fresh herbs on Sonoma sourdough ($16), a side of baked beans with onion jam and relish ($2.50) and a latte ($3.80).

A great spot for breakfast, particularly with the weather warming up. Worth checking out!

Cafe Morso
Lower deck (west side), Jones Bay Wharf
Pirrama Rd, Pyrmont NSW
Ph: (02) 9692 0111
http://www.cafemorso.com.au/

Monday - Friday 7am - 4pm, Saturday & Sunday 8am - 2pm

Nutella Lovers' Cupcakes

2011-08-25T10:49:00.002+10:00

A few of you lovely readers requested the recipe for the Nutella cupcakes from my cookbook of the month for August - The Crabapple Bakery Cupcake Cookbook, and so I am only too happy to oblige!

I made these as part of my selection for RSPCA Cupcake Day recently and there were a popular choice! It's amazing how many people (or particular, women) swoon at the very mention of 'nutella'. There's just something about it I guess. Personally speaking, it's something I avoid keeping in my pantry cupboard as it is just too dangerous. It all starts out innocent with a teaspoonful just to get a taste, then it's a piece of white toast with some of that delicious hazelnut-chocolate spread smeared on top.. and before you know it the whole jar's empty! Irresistibly evil....

This recipe comes from The Crabapple Bakery Cupcake Cookbook. The great thing about this recipe is that the cupcake itself is quite light, so combined with the rich icing the result is not too over the top Nutella. The recipe and makes between 24 and 30 cupcakes. They will keep for 2 days and freeze for 2 months.

Hazelnut Cakes

2 & 3/4 cups plain flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
200g softened unsalted butter
1 & 3/4 cups caster sugar
4 eggs
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 cup natural yoghurt
1/2 cup hazelnut meal

1. Preheat oven to 170 degrees Celsius. Line two 12-hole muffin trays with cupcake liners of choice.

2. Sift together the flour, baking powder and salt.

3. In a separate bowl, cream the butter for 1-2 minutes. Add the caster sugar a third at a time, beating for 2 minutes after each addition. After the last addition, beat until the mixture if light and fluffy and the sugar has almost dissolved. Add eggs one at a time, beating for 1 minute after each addition or until mixture is light and fluffy. Add the vanilla extract and beat until combined.

4. Add a third of the flour mixture to the creamed mixture and beat on low speed until combined. Add half the yoghurt and beat until combined. Repeat this process. Add the remaining third of the flour and beat until thoroughly combined; do not over-beat as this will toughen the mixture. Add the hazelnut meal and beat until combined.

5. Spoon mixture into cupcake papers, filling each about three-quarters full. I like to use a levelled off ice cream scoop to quickly and evenly divide the mixture. Bake for 18-20 minutes or until a fine skewer inserted comes out clean. Remove cupcakes from the trays immediately and cool on a wire rack for 30 minutes before frosting.

Nutella Frosting

1 x 750g jar Nutella
1 tablespoon Frangelico (optional)
1/2 cup whipped cream

1. Spoon the Nutella into a bowl and stir in the Frangelico.
2. Put the whipped cream into a small bowl and fold ina quarter of the Nutella mixture.
3. Then fold the whipped cream mixture into the remaining Nutella.

Note: Above is the original frosting recipe from the book, however, I struggled with this. As it was a cold evening when I was making this, I ended up sitting the nutella jar in hot tapwater before transferring its contents to a bowl. I also had difficulty combining the nutella, frangelico and cream all together and ended up using a stick blender to combine the three ingredients sufficiently to achieve a spreadable consistency. I piped mine onto the cupcakes and topped with crushed hazelnuts. Sooo... you may need to improvise a little with the frosting recipe to make it work for you... Alternatively - here's an idea I think I'll be using next time: Drizzle a little frangelico over the cupcakes and then frost with straight Nutella! :) Yum!

Tell me, dear readers, does Nutella do it for you?

Ladybird xxx

RSPCA Cupcake Day 2011

2011-08-15T21:50:00.003+10:00

Today was my third year of participation in the RSPCA Cupcake Day, and it was a success once again... Thanks to the support of my family, friends and colleagues I raised $360 for the RSPCA! Hurrah, and a big thank you to everyone for their support of this wonderful cause :)

Vanilla cupcake with vanilla buttercream

This year I decided to keep my cupcakes simple, but no less delicious. I made my usual favourite chocolate cupcakes topped with ganache, as well as something new - a lovely Nutella cupcake which went down a treat with my fellow Nutella-addict friends. The recipe comes from this The Crabapple Bakery Cupcake Cookbook - if you are keen for me to do a post on this recipe, please let me know!

'Nutella Lovers' cupcake

I also offered vanilla cupcakes with four different butter cream flavours - vanilla, strawberry, lavender and passionfruit. And because I'm not at all a fan of essences (oh don't even get me started!), I used all natural ingredients to create scrummy flavours. My favourite of the four was the strawberry buttercream - Mmmmm!

Vanilla cupcake with lavender buttercream

Vanilla cupcake with passionfruit buttercream

Vanilla cupcake with strawberry buttercream

Here is my recipe for you, my lovely readers...

Ladybird's Strawberry Buttercream (enough to generously top a dozen cupcakes)

an original Diary of a Ladybird recipe

125g unsalted butter, at room temperature
pinch of salt
2 cups icing sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
250g punnet strawberries, washed and hulled
2 tablespoons caster sugar, plus extra to taste
1 tablespoon lemon juice, plus extra to taste
pink food colouring (optional)

1. First start on the strawberry syrup that will flavour the buttercream. Blitz the strawberries to a fine puree. Combine in a a small saucepan along with the caster sugar and lemon juice. Stirring occasionally, bring to a simmer over low-medium heat. Reduce to low heat and stir frequently until the liquid has reduced to a thick syrup. Taste as you go, adding more lemon juice / caster sugar as required. Pass the syrup through a fine sieve and set aside in the fridge to cool.

2. Now start on the buttercream. Using an electric mixer, beat together the butter, vanilla extract and pinch of salt for a minute. Then beat in the icing sugar a third at a time, mixing well and scraping down the bowl after each addition to keep the mixture light and fluffy.

3. Finally, mix in the cooled strawberry syrup until well combined. If the mixture is a little wet for spreading/piping, simply add extra icing sugar. At this point you could also add a little pink food colouring if you wanted to enhance the colour, but I find that the syrup itself gives colours the buttercream nicely.

Till next time, dear readers

Ladybird x

Cookbook of the Month - August 2011

2011-08-13T20:10:00.002+10:00

With RSPCA Cupcake Day fast approaching, my kitchen (and dining room!) have quickly become a crazed cupcake workshop this weekend. As I type this, my laptop is surrounded by trays of freshly baked cupcakes cooling before they can be iced and adorned ready for sale on Monday. It's a lot of work, but I do love it.. there's just something about cupcakes that I will never tire of, and when it's for a good cause, how can I resist?!

With cupcakes on my mind, I am pleased to announce the cookbook of the month for August - The Crabapple Bakery Cupcake Cookbook by Jennifer Graham. Published in 2007 this book has been around for a little while, but there is good reason behind its popularity. Written by the famed founder and director of the now closed Crabapple Cupcake Bakery in Victoria, I would have no hesitation in recommending this book to any cupcake lover. I recently received this cookbook as a gift and I am absolutely in love with it. It is filled with delicious and easy to follow recipes, both classic and imaginative.

I am looking forward to trying all the book's recipes, but as a litmus test I have already tried the book's basic vanilla and chocolate cupcake recipes twice now. Both get the big thumbs up from me, but below I have included both recipes so that you can make up your own mind if you like. I feel that both produce a great flavour and texture, as well as that highly sought-after smooth domed top.

Each of the following recipes is supposed to make 24, but I seem to get around 27 out of each recipe when I use a levelled off ice cream scoop to divide the batter among the cupcake papers. They will keep for 2 days and freeze for 2 months. For best results, start with all ingredients at room temperature. And as I always say, choose your eggs wisely! :)

Crabapple Bakery's Vanilla Cupcakes

Ingredients

2 & 3/4 cups plain flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
200g softened unsalted butter
1 & 3/4 cups caster sugar
4 eggs
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 cup milk

Method

1. Preheat oven to 170 degrees celsius. Line two 12 hole muffin trays with cupcake papers.

2. Sift together the flour and baking powder. In a separate bowl, cream the butter for 1-2 minutes. Add the caster sugar a third at a time, beating for 2 minute after each addition. After the last addition, beat until the mixture is light and fluffy and the sugar has almost dissolved. Add the vanilla extract and beat until combined.

3. Add a third of the flour to the creamed mixture and beat on low speed until combined. Add half of the milk and beat until combined. Repeat this process. Add the remaining third of the flour and beat until thoroughly combined; do not overbeat as this will toughen the mixture.

4. Spoon mixture into cupcake papers, filling each about three-quarters full. Note: I use a levelled off ice-cream scoop to divide the batter quickly and evenly. Bake for 18-20 minutes or until a fine skewer inserted comes out clean. Remove cupcakes from the trays immediately and cool on a wire rack for 30 minutes before frosting.

Crabapple Bakery's Chocolate Cupcakes

Ingredients

3 cups plain flour
2 teaspoons bicarbonate of soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons instant coffee granules
1 cup hot water
1 cup cocoa
1 cup cold water
200g softened unsalted butter
2 & 1/2 cups caster sugar
4 eggs
1 tablespoon vanilla extract

Method

1. Preheat oven to 170 degrees celsius. Line two 12 hole muffin trays with cupcake papers.

2. Sift together the flour, bicarbonate of soda, baking powder and salt. In a separate bowl whisk together the coffee, hot water and cocoa until you have a smooth paste. Add the cold water and whisk until evenly combined.

3. In a separate bowl, cream the butter for 1-2 minutes. Add the caser sugar a third at a time, beating for 2 minute after each addition. After the last addition, beat until the mixture is light and fluffy and the sugar has almost dissolved. Add the vanilla extract and beat until combined.

4. Add a quarter of the flour to the creamed mixture and beat on low speed until combined. Add a third of the cocoa mixture and beat until combined. Repeat this process twice more. Add the remaining quarter of the flour and beat until thoroughly combined; do not overbeat as this will toughen the mixture.

5. Spoon mixture into cupcake papers, filling each about three-quarters full. Note: I use a levelled off ice-cream scoop to divide the batter quickly and evenly. Bake for 18-20 minutes or until a fine skewer inserted comes out clean. Remove cupcakes from the trays immediately and cool on a wire rack for 30 minutes before frosting

Till next time, dear readers!

Ladybird x

A Floral Themed High Tea at Patisse

2011-08-10T21:13:00.002+10:00

I recently had the pleasure of attending a lovely high tea at Patisse in Sydney.. not just any high tea, but one created by Vincent Gadan and the hardworking team at Patisse in Waterloo. Does the name ring a bell? It may for all those Masterchef fans out there. Vincent Gadan is the talented, French-born pastry chef who faced up to (and won) a roast challenge against Hayden. He also appeared again on the series for a masterclass with some of the contestants. Recognise those score cards in the frame on the table?

When I learnt that Patisse was starting monthly themed high teas I jumped at the chance, and I attended their high tea debut on July 31st. The theme? Floral: Rose, lavender and violet. But no scones and clotted cream in sight here - this was a french take on high tea.

The selection of sweets and savouries for guests was as follows:

Savoury

Wagyu Pie – cocktail size

Spinach and Feta Quiche – Cocktail size

Chicken Sandwich finger

Roast vegetable sandwich finger

Sweet

Lavender Madeline

Pistachio and rose cake

Violet Tropeziennes

Verrine of Lavender

Some pictures of the food for you to drool over. First, our roasted vegetable finger sandwiches...

Spinach and feta quiches fresh out of the oven, the pastry buttery and flaky... mmmm!

The beautiful sweets plate... a bouquet of flavours and textures!

Check out this thing of beauty - the verrine of lavender... I gave this one a miss as I don't eat gelatine, but it was certainly pretty to look at.

And lastly, the sweet highlight from the high tea for me.. the Pistachio and Rose Cake - a beautifully moist cake coated with pistachios and topped with orange blossom yoghurt and rose petals... absolutely lovely.

We also enjoyed a tea tasting as part of the high tea, something I have never experienced before. We sampled beautiful teas by a new Australian company called The Rabbit Hole. Their organic teas were selected to accompany the floral theme of the high tea, and they were beautiful! In fact, you'll actually be hearing more about them on my blog soon.. so stay tuned tea lovers!

Towards the end of the high tea we were all introduced to Vincent who welcomed us and spoke about the menu he created for the day.

All in all an enjoyable high tea, and definitely something a little different from many high tea offerings in Sydney. Check out the Patisse website for information about upcoming high tea events.

Ladybird and guest attended high tea as guests of Patisse

Patisse
Shop G01, PYD Building
197 Young St
Waterloo NSW
Ph: (02) 9690 0665

http://www.patisse.com.au/
Monday to Saturday, 8:30am to 4pm

Coming soon - RSPCA Cupcake Day 2011!

2011-08-10T12:08:00.001+10:00

RSPCA Cupcake Day is set to be held again this year on August 15th - that's only a 5 days away! As an animal (and cupcake) lover, this fundraising event is definitely something I look forward to each year - it is such a wonderful cause!

I am so looking forward to this event that I even decided to pen a little poem about it!

Bakers for the RSPCA

Support creatures great and small

Host a morning tea, or set up a stall

All you have to do is register and get baking

Let bakers unite – it’s history in the making!

RSPCA Cupcake Day – it’s an excellent cause

Get involved, and raise your paws!

Tell me, dear readers, will you be cupcaking this RSPCA Cupcake Day?

If you are, that's fantastic!!! Remember to choose your ingredients wisely when baking for this worthy cause.. Using caged eggs really defeats the purpose of supporting the RSPCA's work, so please choose free range eggs :) For more information about how to choose your eggs wisely, please click here.

Not a baker? No problem! Simply support a friend / family member / colleague by buying a cupcake from them on the day, or by sponsoring them through their RSPCA fundraising page. If all else fails, you can sponsor me if you like! To sponsor me, please click here.

So do support RSPCA Cupcake Day 2011 in any way that you can - the animals will love you for it!

Ladybird x

Sticky date pudding with butterscotch sauce and almond praline

2011-07-28T18:54:00.001+10:00

How are we all going with Masterchef this season? Or do you watch it at all...? I guess I can only speak for myself and what I've heard from my family and friends... It is great to have Masterchef back on again (and I never quite got into the whole celebrity/children's versions). However, I must say, I'm not enjoying it as much as I did the first season, even the second season.. I am no longer a 'religious' viewer, and nor do my family and friends follow it with the same fervour as they once did. I'm not quite sure what it is, but it seems to me that Masterchef has become a little larger than life, a little over-dramatic perhaps... At any rate, may the best cook win!

Regardless of your sentiments on the show, please allow me to take all you Masterchef fans on a nostalgic journey back to Season 1 in 2009. Do you remember the Sticky date pudding challenge?! How many of you bookmarked the recipe on the website and never got around to making it..? Anyone? Well, I know I did.. cleaning up my bookmarks recently I decided it was high time I got around to it making it!

This is a winter classic -absolutely wonderful :)

Sticky date pudding with butterscotch sauce and almond praline
Recipe from Masterchef Australia (Season 1)

Ingredients

180g dates, pitted and roughly chopped
1¼ cups (310ml) water
½ tsp bicarbonate of soda
¾ cup (165g) firmly packed brown sugar
60g butter, softened and chopped
2 eggs
1 cup (150g) self-raising flour

Almond praline
½ cup (110g) caster sugar
¼ cup (35g) slivered almonds

Butterscotch sauce
50g butter
1 cup (220g) brown sugar
1 cup (250ml) cream
1 tsp vanilla extract

Method
1. Preheat oven to 180˚C (160˚C fan-forced). Lightly grease eight (½ cup capacity) metal dariole moulds.

2. Place dates and water in a saucepan and bring to the boil over a high heat. Remove from the heat. Add bicarbonate of soda, stir until dates start to break down, set aside to cool, stirring occasionally.

3. Beat butter and sugar in a bowl using a hand beater, gradually add eggs one at a time, beat until light and fluffy.

4. Add date mixture, stir to combine. Carefully fold through sifted flour, divide mixture evenly between the eight moulds, until 2/3 full.

5. Place moulds in a baking tray, carefully pour water in tray until it comes up 1/3 of the side of the moulds. Bake in oven for 40 minutes or until golden and skewer comes out clean.

6. Meanwhile, for the almond praline, combine sugar and 2 tablespoons water in a saucepan over medium heat and cook caramel without stirring, swirling pan, until deep golden. Scatter almonds onto a baking paper-lined oven tray, pour over caramel and cool until set. Break praline into pieces.

7. For the butterscotch sauce, combine butter, sugar, cream and vanilla in small saucepan over low heat until butter melts and sugar dissolves. Bring sauce to the boil, reduce heat and cook for 5-6 minutes or until sauce thickens slightly.

8. To serve, invert the hot pudding onto a serving plate, top with butterscotch sauce and shards of praline.

CUPCAKE variation
As I only have 4 dariole moulds, I used the leftover pudding batter to make some delicious cupcakes!

Here's how...

Sticky date cupcakes with butterscotch buttercream and almond praline
makes 10-12 cupcakes

Cupcakes
For the cupcakes, follow the above pudding recipe and divide among a cupcake paper lined muffin tin, filling each three-quarters. Bake at 180 degrees celsius on an upper shelf for 30 minutes, or until an inserted skewer comes out clean. Sit in tin for a few minutes then transfer to a wire rack to cool.

Butterscotch buttercream
Cream 125g softened unsalted butter, 1½ cups sifted icing sugar and 1 teaspoon vanilla extract until light and fluffy. Add 4-5 tablespoons cooled butterscotch sauce (recipe provided above) in an electric mixer until the desired consistency is achieved. Pipe or spread over the cooled cupcakes, and finish with a shard of the almond praline (recipe provided above).

So tell me, if you are a viewer, what are your thoughts on the current season of Masterchef Australia?

Ladybird x

The WWE Wrestling Cake

2011-07-26T22:35:00.004+10:00

A quick show-and-tell post from me today - life has got in the way of blogging of late, but I am so happy that July has turned out to be such a great month for cake decorating!

This World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) cake was for young James who turned 8 last week - he is a BIG wrestling fan, so a wrestling cake was an obvious choice for the occasion.

It was a lot of fun resarching and making this cake - never have I paid so much attention to wrestlers' oompa loompa like skintone, oh-so-stylish mullets, and their equally dapper costumes!

This was my first time at creating figurines for a cake.. a little daunting, but I was happy with the result for a first attempt, especially with the little details such as their six-packs and burly muscles.

But the best part of all...? James's reaction to his cake as captured by his mum on camera and shared with me the next day - now there's a little grin that made it all the more worthwhile :)

Till next time,

Ladybird x

PS - I've had a couple of enquiries about cake orders this month so I thought I'd just make a general announcement regarding this through my blog... Yes, I am definitely open to doing cake/cupcake orders in the Sydney area :) If you are interested and would like to get in touch with me, please email me at diaryofaladybird[at]gmail[dot]com.

The joy of creating birthday cakes

2011-07-14T22:32:00.003+10:00

It is always an honour to be asked to make a cake for someone for a special occasion, but to be asked to create a cake celebrating someone's birthday is truly special... A birthday marks the day you made your debut to the world - and there is only one of you in the whole world, so what a special debut it is! It is for this reason that I genuinely love creating birthday cakes and cupcakes for others, regardless of whether I know the birthday girl/boy personally or not. I do love the feel good vibe of being involved in a happy occasion, even if it is in a very small way by making a cake...

I recently had the pleasure of making this birthday cake for a relative celebrating her 20th birthday. The brief was simple and to the point. Flavour? chocolate. Colour? red. Simple briefs like that are some of my favourite because they just beg for a little creative thinking. In this case, I created a 7 inch eggless chocolate cake layered with a lovely milk/dark chocolate ganache. I then decorated it with RTR fondant in a 50s inspired polka dot and bow theme for a girl who loves the colour red... Her smile upon seeing it was well worth the effort :)

Here is my 'go to' recipe for a lovely eggless chocolate cake - a must in a baker's repertoire in case of allergies or eggless preference orders!

Eggless Chocolate Cake

An adpated recipe from Divine Taste

Ingredients

200 gm (1 1/2 cups) plain flour

50 gm (1/4 cup) cocoa powder*
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda/ sodium bicarbonate
4 teaspoons caster sugar
1 tin/400gm sweetened condensed milk
150g unsalted butter, melted
2 tsp good quality vanilla essence
150 ml water

* I have had most success with 'Cadbury's Bournville Cocoa' from the supermarket. My trials with richer cocoa powders such a dutch cocoa powder have been unsuccessful.

Method
1. Preheat the oven to 100 - 120 degrees celcuis. Grease and line the bottom of a round cake tin with greaseproof paper/baking parchment/butter paper. I used a 7 inch cake tin, but an 8 or 9 inch would work equally well.

2. Into a mixing bowl, sift the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda and sugar. Whisk together briefly to ensure a uniform mixture.

3. Add in the condensed milk, melted butter, vanilla essence and water. Beat with an electric hand mixer, whisk or spoon just until the mixture is uniform and smooth and there are no lumps. This shouldn’t take more than a minute with an electric hand mixer/beater. Be careful not to over beat as this tends to stiffen the batter which might result into a harder textured cake.

4. Pour the batter into the cake tin and bake for an hour at 150 degree celcius.

5. Turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely, then ice/decorate as desired.

Tip: When baking cakes without eggs, it is essential to ensure you cake is cooked all the way through before removing it from the oven. Failure to do so will sadly result in a sunken cake... To avoid this, do a cake skewer test in the centre of the cake, even if you're confident it's cooked properly.

And voila, a beautiful chocolate cake - here is an innards shot!

Of course, the overall result with the flavour was enhanced by both the sugar syrup and chocolate ganache I used in assembling the cake before covering it with fondant. For your reference, here are the recipes to each of these.

Sugar Syrup

Recipe from the Planet Cake book by Paris Cutler

100g apricot jam

100ml boiling water

2 teaspoons Cointreau (optional)

- Whisk together the jam and hot water in a small bowl, then pass through a sieve to remove any lumps. Once cool, stir in the liqueur and use as required.
- Some people like to brush layers of cake with a pastry brush, however, I often prefer a small (and of course, clean) spray bottle - it's quick, easy, and no risk of brush fibres being left behind in the cake!

Milk/dark chocolate ganache
This is an original Diary of a Ladybird recipe which I believe is ideal for cakes/cupcakes for children or those who don't like dark chocolate very much)

400g dark chocolate, finely chopped
400g milk chocolate, finely chopped
2 cups pure cream

1. Place the chocolate in a heatproof bowl.
2. Heat the cream to boiling point then remove from heat.
3. Pour the cream over the chocolate and stir until combined.
4. Allow to cool and set (ideally) overnight.

Tips

- You can store extra ganache in the fridge for up to a week, but ensure your cream has at least a week's shelf life from the date you use it. Then when you need to use it, remove it from the fridge and soften it by warming it up in short bursts (10 - 15 seconds) in the microwave.

- If you are make a larger amount of ganache, you can store it in the freezer in smaller containers. Then just take it out and let it come up to room temperature before you need to use it. You can then soften it in the same way you would if it were straight out of the fridge.

Until next time, dear readers...
Ladybird xxx

Ladybird Cupcakes

2011-07-07T21:27:00.003+10:00

I can't believe I've been blogging for almost 2 years now and have never made Ladybird Cupcakes before now! Well today's post addresses this most despicable oversight in Diary of a Ladybird's archives, and hopefully this mini-tutorial will guide you through how you can make them too.

The inspiration for these comes from the Planet Cake decorating book by Paris Cutler.

Bake your cupcakes

Bake your cupcake of choice. I chose my favourite chocolate cupcake/cake recipe, but you could also go for a classic vanilla cupcake.

Ganache the cupcakes

Using your ganache of choice, roughly ganache the tops of the cooled cupcakes. Allow to set for at least half an hour, then smooth over with a palette knife dipped in hot water to create a perfectly smooth and even cupcake surface. Allow to set for at least an hour, and once dry to touch they are ready for decorating.

Cover with black fondant
To cover and decorate the fondant you will need black and red fondant, as well as a very small amount of white fondant. Roll out your black fondant to a 3mm thickness, and cut out circles with a circle cutter to fit the top of your cupcakes. Lay and smooth the fondant on top of the cupcake.

Decorate with fondant
Now the fun part of decorating begins! Thinly roll out your red fondant and using the same circle cutter you used for the black fondant, cut out the same number of red circles. Then using the cutter, cut a small piece out of the circle, then split the larger portion in half with a sharp knife. The picture below should hopefully explain what I mean here...

Using the two larger pieces, dab/brush a small amount of water on the reverse of each and lay them on top of the cupcakes with the red pieces (wings) splayed apart slightly. Discard the remaining piece of red fondant.

Using a small circle cutter, cut out the ladybird spots from some rolled black fondant and attach them to the wings with a tiny amount of water dabbed beneath each spot.

Make the final touches

To make the ladybirds' eyes, roll tiny balls of white fondant and attach them to the cupcake (with a tiny touch of water if necessary). For the pupil in each, use a very fine paintbrush and a little black food dye.

Finally, press part of the end of a plastic straw (or a clean plastic pen cap) to create the smile indent in each ladybird's face.

So there you have it - simple and beautiful ladybird cupcakes. I don't know about you, but I find their little faces so cute that I can't help but smile back at them! :)

Till next time, dear readers...

Ladybird x

PS- Remember my salted caramel, peanut and chocolate tarts? I've entered my recipe into the Lurpak Callenge and I'd really appreciate your support in the final days of voting. To vote for my original recipe, please click here!

Win a $50 Byron Bay Cookie Company hamper!

2011-07-05T22:34:00.005+10:00

While in Byron Bay recently, I had the pleasure of visiting the Byron Bay Cookie Company's headquarters and retail outlet to learn more about their range of products. I also had the pleasure of sampling some of their delicious baked goods - lucky me! :)

Many of you reading this post will already know about Byron Bay Cookie Company's cookies - they are avaialble in a vast range of flavours and there are plenty of gluten-free options. They can be seen in cafes and coffee carts around Australia, as well as on airlines and in selected department stores both in Australia and the UK. Their products are now also available for purchase through http://www.cookie.com.au/ and http://www.amazon.com/.

The Byron Bay Cookie Company has been around since 1990 and is probably best known for its large, iconic cookies. Nowadays though, there are also the smaller, delicious biscuits from Luken & May, and crispbreads from Byron Bay Gourmet Foods.

My personal favourites are the white choc chunk & macadamia nut cookie, the brand new muesli cookie, as well as the Byron Bay Gourmet Food's wonderful (and Sydney Royal Show gold medal winning) rosemary & sea salt crispbread - great served on a cheese platter. I'm also a big fan of the Luken & May range - great for sharing at home, or a lovely gift when visiting family/friends.

*** GIVEAWAY ***

Thanks to the good people at the Byron Bay Cookie Company, one lucky Diary of a Ladybird reader has the chance to win this wonderful hamper of delicious Byron Bay Cookie Company products, worth $50!

To enter:

Simply tell me what your favourite Byron Bay Cookie Company product is by commenting on this post.
Then, email me a copy of your comment along with your full name and delivery address to diaryofaladybird[at]gmail[dot]com.

Entries close at midnight AEST July 26 and the giveaway is restricted to Australian residents only (sorry!). The winning entry will be selected by random.

Good luck!

Ladybird x

*** This giveaway has now closed ***

Congratulations to Erin of Gravelly Beach in Tasmania!

New York Cheesecake

2011-07-03T18:02:00.001+10:00

Happy 4th of July! Oh, how I had grand plans of creating something lovely especially for all my loyal readers in the US and those celebrating the 4th of July around the world, something as I had done last year with my Independence Day Cupcakes... alas, it has been a most busy weekend!

Nonetheless, I simply had to make something to mark Independence Day - so what better than a pure, unadulterated classic like a New York Cheesecake? Since making this cake, I've been wondering about the history of this iconic cake but my online searches have largely been unfruitful .. From a couple of sources I have read that this simple style of cheesecake was very popular in New York in the early 1900s. I'm not sure if this is true though, so if any of you readers know, please share! I do love a good morsel of culinary history ;)

New York Cheesecake
Adapted recipe from Good Taste magazine (May 2008)

Ingredients

1 x 250g pkt plain sweet biscuits (I used a combination of 'Digestive' & Arnott's 'Nice' biscuits)
125g unsalted butter, melted
750g cream cheese, at room temperature
215g (1 cup) caster sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
2 tsp finely grated lemon rind
2 tbs plain flour
4 eggs
1 x 300ml ctn sour cream
raspberries to serve (optional)

Method

1. Preheat oven to 160°C. Lightly grease, and line the base of a 23cm (base measurement) springform pan with non-stick baking paper.

2. Place the biscuits in the bowl of a food processor and process until finely crushed. Add the butter and process until well combined. Transfer to the lined pan. Use a straight-sided glass to spread and press the biscuit mixture firmly over the base and side of pan, leaving 1cm at the top of the pan. Cover with plastic wrap and place in the fridge for 30 minutes to chill.

3. Meanwhile, use an electric beater to beat the cream cheese, sugar, vanilla and lemon rind in a large bowl until just combined. Beat in the flour. Add the eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition until combined. Stir in the sour cream until just combined.

4. Pour the cream cheese mixture into the base.

Place the pan on a baking tray and bake for 1 1/4-1 1/2 hours or until just set in the centre. Turn oven off. Leave the cheesecake in oven, with the door ajar, for 2 hours or until cooled completely (this will prevent cheesecake from cracking). Place in the fridge for 4 hours to chill.

5. Cut into wedges, and serve with a few raspberries.

This recipe produces a delicious result! Wishing you all a very happy 4th of July, whatever may be on your menu tomorrow :)

Ladybird x

The Cardamom Pod, Byron Bay

2011-07-01T10:19:00.003+10:00

The one thing I have always loved about Byron Bay is that there are ample and delicious food options for vegetarians such as myself. For diners like me, it is not always easy to find satisfying vegetarian options when travelling, so when visiting Byron Bay I take great comfort in knowing that in just about every cafe and restaurant, there will be at least one item on the menu for me to enjoy. But a real highlight for me when visiting Byron is dining at The Cardamom Pod - a fantastic little vegetarian cafe tucked away in an arcade in the town centre.

The Cardamom Pod has played host to many happy diners (both vegetarian and non-vegetarian alike) for many years now, and is popular with visitors and locals. Their offering of traditional Indian dishes as well as modern fusion cuisine means that there is something for everyone here, so it's no surprise that this place remains so popular. Run by Hare Krishna devotees, the food at The Cardamom Pod is egg-free, as well as the vast majority of dishes also being onion and garlic free. The food on offer here (like at Govinda restaurants around the world) is 'sattvic'. In Ayurveda, a sattvic or yogic diet is one that is clean, pure and wholesome. The food is never too salty nor sweet, and it satisfies the body and soul.

Hot, comforting food is available, including an array of traditional Indian dishes such as dals, paneer dishes, kofta balls in gravy, and vegetable preparations to be enjoyed alongside rice, papadums and samosas. There are also more western dishes available such as vegetarian lasagne. Vibrant and freshly prepared salads and tempting desserts entice us from the chilled display upon our arrival, and I just know it's going to be hard deciding on what to order!

We are greeted and served by the lovely Drew, who guides us through the hot food and salads available for the day. He also tells us a bit about where the cafe sources their ingredients, much of which is locally grown and organic. I also learn that a local dairy supplies them with fresh milk from which they make their own paneer - a firm cottage cheese often used in Indian cuisine. Nothing beats freshly made paneer - it's delicious!

The great thing about dining with a group of family/friends is that you can sample a wide range of dishes, and there are no hard feelings about the occasional stolen taste test from your fellow diners' plates! For your viewing pleasure, here are some pictures of our sumptuous vegetarian feast...

I thoroughly enjoy my vegetarian lasagne served with side salad. The Moroccan inspired baby spinach, chickpea and tomato salad with tangy yoghurt dressing is really good...

To finish, we share a slice of lemon and vanilla bean baked cheesecake with poached pear and syrup - simply divine!

Ladybird and family dined as guests of The Cardamom Pod.

The Cardamom Pod
Shop 8, The Pier Arcade
7 Lawson St
Byron Bay, NSW

http://www.byronvegetariancafe.com.au/

Ladybird x

The Institute of Cute, Byron Bay (and a giveaway!)

2011-06-27T16:33:00.003+10:00

I often get asked about the reasoning behind the name of my blog. People as: Why Diary of a Ladybird? My response is always pretty straightforward - I just love ladybirds.. I always have!

And so given my 'mild obsession', as I call it, it was only common sense that whilst in Byron Bay that I visited The Institute of Cute, often referred to as 'the ladybird shop' by those who have visited it previously. I had heard about this concept store and gallery from a friend last year and was very much looking forward to visiting during my recent trip.

The store and gallery opened in 2007 is the creation of Jane Davenport, a multi-award winning photographic artist and designer with a passion for ladybirds! As Chief Artomologist, Jane's mission is to "create cute and FUNctional design and artwork to make you dream". If you ask me, she is most certainly succeeding in her mission - I was simply blown away by the store!

The front of the store is filled with all sorts of ladybird and bug paraphenalia - clothing, jewellery, placemat sets, pens, toothbrush guards, you name it, it's there - and all designed by Jane herself. Without doubt, I was in ladybird heaven! I hope you can get an idea of what is what like by these pictures...

And towards the back of the store, a beautiful gallery feauturing Jane's latests works, prints and books, as well as art supplies.

So if you're ever in Byron Bay, do stop by and check out The Instiute of Cute - it's worth a visit! Until then, why not check out the website.

And without further delay, it's GIVEAWAY time!

Thanks to Jane Davenport and The Institute of Cute in Byron Bay, one lucky Diary of a Ladybird reader has the chance to win this lovely gift set from the store, including a fold away ladybird bag, ladybird monitor cleaner and signed copy of Jane's book Ladybird Ladybird.

To enter, all you had to do is leave a comment telling me why you love ladybirds (and I'm premusing you do of course!). Then, email me a copy of your comment along with your full name and postal address to: diaryofaladybird[at]gmail[dot]com.

Entries close on Sunday, July 10. This competition is restricted to Australian residents only (sorry!).

This competition has now closed. Congratulations to The InTolerant Chef!

Good luck!

Ladybird x

The Institute of Cute
58 Jonson St, Byron Bay
(02) 6880 8550
http://instituteofcute.com.au/

Roasted tomato and thyme soup

2011-06-26T19:37:00.002+10:00

There's nothing like a nice tomato soup in winter, and this recipe from the latest issue of Donna Hay is definitely a keeper - fast, simple and healthy, not to mention absolutely delicious!

Roasted tomato and thyme soup
Adapted recipe from Donna Hay magazine, June/July 2011

Ingredients
4 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed under a knife
2 red onions, sliced
10 tomatoes, halved and deseeded (I used roma tomatoes)
1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves
1 tablespoon tomato paste
3 cups vegetable stock
olive oil
salt and pepper

Method
1. Place tomatoes, garlic, onions and thyme on a baking tray. Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Roast in a preheated oven at 180 degrees celcius for 30 minutes.

2. Heat stock and tomato paste in a pot. Add the roasted tomatoes mixture and bring to the boil. Remove from heat, and blend until smooth. Top with a little extra pepper.

3. Serve with toast spread with goat's cheese and topped with a few thyme leaves and a little olive oil.

Bon appetit!

Ladybird x

Harvest Café & The Byron at Byron Restaurant, Byron Bay

2011-06-24T11:06:00.007+10:00

Last week I travelled to Byron Bay in northern New South Wales with Mr Ladybird and my in-laws for a short break. Byron Bay is located in northern New South Wales, and is only around 2 hours drive from Brisbane. A few years ago when we still lived in Brisbane, driving down to Byron Bay for a night or two was something I would look forward to tremendously, and since relocating to Sydney I have missed that convenience a lot. With recent flooding on the Pacific Highway, our drive from Sydney to Byron Bay ended up taking almost 13 hours... but it was worth it.

It was so lovely to visit Byron Bay again, and (don't tell anyone) but I think winter is the perfect time to visit the area. Blue skies, sunshine and warmer temperatures, less crowds, not to mention the beautiful landscape - stunning beaches, pristine forest and the breathtaking hinterland - there's a reason why you feel great after visiting such a pristine part of the world.

Byron Bay is also a great place for foodies to visit thanks to the great array of eateries offering the best of local produce. I'll be posting more on the food on offer at Byron Bay, but first here is a little look into two places I visited during my stay.

First, Harvest Café, which is located in Newrybar in the Byron Bay hinterland. This cafe is situated in a renovated house with sweeping balconies, and boasts a beautiful ambiance.

Sitting outside on the balcony under heaters was nice, and there is also seating available indoors.

I just loved the look of the sofas by the fireplace - so cosy...

We visited Harvest for breakfast on the weekend. We were keen to dine somewhere outside of town, and outside of Bangalow, so Harvest seemed like a good option. We started with coffees - a cappuccino ($3.85) and a latte ($3.85).

I ordered the Twice baked goats cheese souffle served with micro herbs, rocket, asparagus and smokey paprika oil ($18). It was delicious, and I couldn't help but wish that there was more of it as I was rather peckish afterwards.

We also enjoyed the breakfast special - a side of fresh, locally grown dragonfruit with passionfruit ($2.50). Honest to goodness - the best dragonfruit I have ever tried in my life - a far cry from the bright yet bland fruit I've sampled previously.

For my dining companion, Two poached eggs on toast with a caponata filled mushroom and potato croquettes ($18.70). Admittedly a little steep for what one would probably pay for such a dish elsewhere...

There are a few other vegetarian options n the breakfast menu.. delicious muesli, fresh fruit loaf and.. oh my.. buttermilk pancakes with poached rhubarb. My favourite aspect of Harvest, however, was the baking preparation taking place right in front of diners inside. Here, one of Harvest's chefs was busily preparing a spread of delicious baked goods... It doesn't get any fresher than that.

Strawberry and white chocolate muffins, brownies, chocolate tart, friands, scones... need I go on?!

Come to think of it, I did observe during my stay that Byron seems to lack a good patisserie/bakery in the town centre, so I would not hesitate in recommending a visit to Harvest even for morning or afternoon tea after seeing their freshly baked goods. Yum! :)

Later that day we headed to the beautiful Byron at Byron resort for a family lunch at their restaurant. My parents and younger brother travelled from the Gold Coast to catch up with us over lunch, so it was a family reunion of sorts. This 5-star eco-resort is worth a visit while in Byron Bay, and the restaurant setting is relaxed and takes in the lovely natural surroundings.

I also couldn't help but check out the pool while we were there - what a stunning sight!

The Byron at Byron restaurant menu offered plenty of options for all of us - something that can be hard to find when dining with a group with such varied palates. Most of the dishes incorporated high-quality, local ingredients, which is always a good thing. The meals were of a high standard and enjoyed by all.
Here are a few of the dishes ordered by our table...

Toasted chicken panini with avocado, bacon, tomato and provolone cheese ($16)

The Byron Burger - Barcoo grass fed Angus beef, beetroot, lettuce, tomato and onion rings ($23)

My scrumptious dish - the Bruschetta of sourdough with Coopers Shoot tomatoes, ligurian olives and Nimbin dairy goats curd ($16)

Grilled local market fish, steamed winter vegetables, parsley and lemon beurre blanc and crispy sweet potato chips ($32)

Spiced butternut pumpkin and spinach salad with pepita, honey roasted macadamia nuts and farmers market sprouts ($18)

Winter tart of leeks and parmesan with rocket and pear salad ($22)

And how could I finish this post without mentioning the lovely lemon meringue pie my father baked especially for me? We enjoyed a piece sitting in the afternoon sunshine later that day and it was fantastic. My father is a man who doesn't cook often - so hats off, Dad!

Harvest Cafe
18 Old Pacific Highway
Newrybar NSW
Byron Bay Hinterland
Ph: (02) 6687 2644
http://harvestcafe.com.au/

The Byron at Byron Restaurant
77-97 Broken Head Rd
Byron Bay NSW
(02) 6639 2111
http://www.thebyronatbyron.com.au/byron-bay/restaurant/

Pani Puri

2011-06-22T10:26:00.002+10:00

Have you ever heard of pani puri?

Pani puri is a popular bite-sized street snack sold by vendors across India, but is also enjoyed in many Indian homes. Crispy deep-fried spheres called puris are tapped open slightly before being filled with a savoury filling and chutney, then quickly dunked in a flavoured water (pani) before being devoured in one mouthful while still crisp. Sometimes sev (a crumbled vermicelli type product) is also sprinkled over the puris before they are eaten.

There are as may variations of pani puri as there are regions of India. People go mad for pani puri in India! I myself have never had it from street vendors in India due to health precautions whilst travelling, however, I have had the pleasure of enjoying it at home with My Ladybird's family on a few occasions. I think this is how it's enjoyed best - a big group of people sitting around the table chatting and busily tapping away at the puris, filling them one by one, devouring them one after the other... I myself can only manage around 10 at the most, but others (*ahem* Mr Ladybird) can just keep going and going!

As Mr Ladybird's family hail from Gujarat, they typically enjoy pani puri in the Gujarati style. I took some pictures of a recent pani puri get together to share with you all. So this is not a recipe post as such, but more of a show and tell, if I may :)

Here are the small puri I mentioned...

And here are the key fillings. At the front - a tangy mixture of cooked potato and boiled dark chickpeas tossed through a spice mixture. To the left, the sweet chutney made from dried mango. And to the back, the wonderfully green water made with loads of fresh mint, fresh coriander and a few other secret ingredients.

Here, my mum-in-law demonstrates how you put each puri together. Here she fills the puri with the potato/chickpea mixture, followed by the chutney...

The pani is then quickly spooned over (or you can dunk it directly into the water)... and down the hatch!

Keen to check out a pani puri recipe? As a starting point, check out this link:

http://www.tarladalal.com/Pani-Puri-2806r

Finally, a quick GIVEAWAY REMINDER for you all. My latest Bakers Delight giveaway is closing this Friday, June 24 so don't forget to enter for your chance to win one of five $5 Bakers Delight vouchers. To enter, click here and follow the instructions: http://diaryofaladybird.blogspot.com/2011/06/flavoured-scones-bakers-delight.html

Stay tuned for upcoming posts on my recent trip to the beautiful Byron Bay - there will also be more giveaways to be won! Oh, how I love giveaways :)

Ladybird x

How to make an eggless cake

2011-06-18T06:48:00.000+10:00

Actually... let me make that - How to make a good eggless cake!

My mission to find a good, basic eggless cake recipe goes back years. Many of Mr Ladybird's family don't eat eggs, and as an avid baker I have always been on the lookout for baked goodies that they can enjoy without eggs, but without sacrificing on flavour and texture. I can't tell you how many eggless cake recipes I've tried in the past only to be disappointed by sometimes bad/sometimes mediochre results. It is quite a challenge to create a tasty eggless cake that exhibits all the qualities you'd expect of a nice cake - good flavour, texture, height and crumb. I thought it an impossible task - until now! The result is a little denser than your average cake, but certainly a good result nonetheless...

Last week I came across a basic eggless cake recipe that struck me as being a little different to those I'd trialled in the past. Unlike others that included vinegar, yoghurt, egg replacement powders and a myriad of other ingredients, this one was a little different. The secret ingredient...?

Sweetened condensed milk!

I was so pleased with the result that I knew I had to share this recipe with you straight away. This recipe is one I've slightly adapted from a fantastic blog I've found called Divine Taste - well written posts with great recipes, and always accompanied by beautiful food photography.

This is a useful recipe to know in case you ever need to make an eggless cake - be it because of someone's allergy, personal preference, or even if it's because you don't have any eggs left in your kitchen! Using a good quality vanilla extract makes all the difference here - so please don't use the artifical stuff (i.e. vanilla essence) if you can avoid it. It is well worth paying a little more for real extract. You can get creative with this recipe too. You could even adjust the baking time and use the batter to make eggless cupcakes. This time around I simply cut it into 2 layers and sandwiched it with warmed strawberry jam and whipped cream before showering the top with icing sugar.

Basic Eggless Cake
Recipe adapted from Divine Taste

250g plain flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda / sodium bicarbonate
1 tin (395g) sweetened condensed milk
100g unsalted butter, melted
175ml milk/water (I used 175ml low fat milk)
2 tsp vanilla extract

1. Grease and line the bottom of a 20cm round cake tin with baking paper. Preheat your oven to 100-120 degrees celcuis.

2. Sift the flour, baking powder and sodium bicarb into a bowl and whisk to combine and ensure the mixture is uniform.

3. Add the condensed milk, melted butter, vanilla essence and milk/water into the mixing bowl containing the dry ingredients one at a time, using an electric hand mixer, whisk or spoon to mix until the batter comes together and there are no lumps. This shouldn’t take more than a minute with an electric hand mixer/beater. Be careful not to over beat the mixture as this could result into a hard cake.

4. Inrease your oven temperature to 150 degrees celcuis and pour the batter into the cake tin and bake for
50 - 60 minutes, or until a skewer inserted into the middle of the cake comes out clean. Transfer the cake to a cooling rack and use as required.

Have you ever tried making eggless cakes? If you know of any good recipes, why not share your links here!

Ladybird x

PS - I thought I might also mention that I had a media mention on a UK news site earlier this month! You can read the full article here.

Celebratory grazing at Rubyos, Newtown

2011-06-15T21:33:00.000+10:00

Last week I had the pleasure of dining at Rubyos in Newtown with my sister, 'Coco', and Mr Ladybird. It's not often that I get to see my dear sister and it was as a belated birthday celebration for her that we headed to Newtown on a blustery and cold Sydney evening last week.

You may recall my previous post on Rubyos last year, when I covered a fantastic degustation brunch there (to read this post, click here). Given this positive experience, I had high hopes for our dinner, and we weren't disappointed. As always, the ambiance was lovely, and I never cease to admire the restaurant's artwork...

The Rubyos menu offers a vast and tantalising selection of tasting dishes that are best shared by a table. This is my favourite way to enjoy food - a variety shared with loved ones ... not to mention the fact that it is a wonderful way to avoid what I like to call 'order envy' ;) There are plenty of options for vegetarians and vegans which is fantastic, but there are plenty of options for the carnivores too, including a star anise braised pork belly dish for all you pork belly fanatics!

First we start with some breads with the 'Double dipper' - Turkish bread toasts with the chef's dips of the day - a delicious pesto and hummus style dip ($8.50).

The dishes then come out progressively, starting with the lighter ones first. We start with the Salad of grilled autumn vegetables topped with mesculin, toasted buckwheat, and a lemon and sage vinaigrette ($14.50)

Next, the Panfried haloumi topped with watermelon, coriander and mint salsa, and chilli oil drizzle ($16.50). What an unexpectedly fabulous combination - a real highlight.

Cumin dusted tofu topped with chimmichurri sauce and an amarillo pepper salsa ($15.50)

For Coco, the Rosettes of atlantic salmon glazed with fennel and pinenut pesto, with a wild rocket, shaved fennel and sundried tomato salad ($25)

Lightly steamed green beans with a burnt orange and black olive dressing ($11.50)

And one of my favourites of the evening - the Crispy New York style crushed chats tossed through fresh herbs and seasoned salt ($9.50). Sooo delicious, I could happily eat these bad boys every day...

The 'bump' and I champion the dessert cause, and I enjoy the Pecan and chunky green apple pudding with rum and raisin ice cream and maple caramel ($13.50). A delicious warm and soft pudding - ideal on a cold winter's night, and great ice cream (as close as I'm going to come to a drink for a few months yet!)

Mr Ladybird and Coco opt for some hot drinks to finish instead - a mocha ($4.50) and a hot chocolate ($4.50) ...

All in all a great meal at considerably good value for the quality of food and the overall experience. A nice venue for celebrating a special occasion such as a birthday or anniversary. And the service? Attentive, friendly and efficient by Liz and the team. I definitely recommend the Rubyos grazing experience to others.

Rubyos
18-20 King Street, Newtown
(02) 9557 2689
http://www.rubyos.com.au/

Ladybird x

Salted caramel, peanut and chocolate tarts

2011-06-12T11:37:00.001+10:00

We all know that the food world is overflowing with professional talent - for amateurs such as myself, there is plenty of inspiration to be found out there, and I take great pleasure in immersing myself in cooking TV shows, books and magazines. It's something I never tire of.. So, in a way, I think you'll agree with me when I say that it can be quite easy to spend much your actual time in the kitchen following others' recipes rather than trusting your own instincts. And perhaps sometimes, recipes can become a little bit of a crutch when you get into the habit of using them all the time. I have been thinking about this a lot of late, and have realised that this over-reliance on recipes is in part a symptom and a cause of my lack of confidence in the kitchen. Sure, I've baked and baked for many years, but it is quite rare that I set about creating something entirely of my own invention.

And so it was very timely that I heard about the Lurpak Challenge calling for submissions of original recipes incorporating the iconic butter (I just know you've heard me rave about this product before, so I'll spare you the repetition!). With the added incentive of great prizes at stake, I decided to take a leap of faith in my baking. I lifted my hand from the safety railing, put away all the recipes, and step by step, created something I can call my own. It was a little scary at first, and there were mistakes.. oh yes, and mistakes involving caramel are rather sticky and a pain to clean up... but after three attempts I think I've managed to create something worthy of entry into the competition (I hope!)

Here is my recipe for salted caramel, peanut and chocolate tarts. This recipe combines three things that I absolutely can't live without eating now and then - sweet shortcrust pastry, salted caramel and chocolate. The salted peanuts add a great crunch too. This recipe makes ten 8cm tarts, however, you can easily adapt the method to make one larger 22-24cm tart.

Ingredients

Pastry
250g plain flour
50g icing sugar
pinch salt
150g unsalted butter, cold and chopped into chunks
iced water

Peanut & Salted Caramel filling
1 cup white sugar
70g Lurpak unsalted butter
1/3 cup thickened cream
1/4 teaspoon sea salt flakes
1/4 cup salted peanuts, chopped

Chocolate ganache
1/2 cup thickened cream
110g dark chocolate (70% cocoa), finely chopped
90g milk chocolate, finely chopped

Method

1. Start with the pastry by adding the plain flour, icing sugar, pinch of salt and 150 grams of butter (cold and roughly chopped into chunks) and pulse until breadcrumbs start to form. Add around 3 tablespoons of ice-cold water, one tablespoon at a time, until the dough starts to come together. Tip the mixture out onto a clean work surface and gently bring together with your hands. Wrap with clingfilm and refrigerate until ready for use.

2. To make the salted caramel, place the white sugar and a few tablespoons of water in a heavy based saucepan over medium heat. Stir to dissolve the sugar, which will then start to form white lumps. At this point, reduce to low heat and stir regularly as the sugar begins to caramelise and darken. As soon as it reaches a golden-amber colour, remove from the heat immediately and stir in the remaining 70g of butter, 1/3 cup of thickened cream and the salt flakes. Take care doing so as it will spit and splutter. Once smooth, transfer to a bowl/jug to cool.

3. Next, preheat your oven to 200 degrees celcius and start on your pastry cases by lightly greasing ten 8cm loose-based tart tins. Roll out the pastry on a lightly floured surface to around 3mm. Cut out 10cm rounds and fold the pastry into the cases, gently pressing the pastry into the grooves. Prick the base of each with a fork and transfer to the freezer for at least 10 minutes. Line each tin with baking paper or foil then fill with pastry weights or dried beans/rice and blind- bake for around 10-15 minutes. Remove the paper/foil and weights and bake for a further 5-10 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from oven and allow to cool in tins.

4. Divide the chopped peanuts between the tart cases and pour over the salted caramel. Place in fridge to set.

5. Meanwhile, to make the ganache heat 1/2 cup of cream in a small saucepan until it is about to boil. Remove from the heat and stir through the chocolate. Allow to cool slightly before diving among the peanut and caramel filled tart cases, then return to the fridge to set.

So there you have it - my original recipe for salted caramel, peanut and chocolate tarts. If you like what you see please, pretty please, vote for me in the Lurpak Challenge! To vote, go to: http://www.lurpak.com.au/lurpakchallenge/recipe/salted-caramel-peanut-and-chocolate-tarts and register your vote.

Till next time, dear readers

Ladybird x

Flavoured scones - a Bakers Delight Giveaway!

2011-06-09T14:00:00.003+10:00

Thanks to the good people at Keep Left PR and Bakers Delight, I recently received a delivery of Bakers Delight's new flavoured scones to my workplace. Just in time for our Friday team meeting, I served them up to my food-loving and willing colleagues to sample.

The 2 flavours we tried were the date scone and the apple strudel scone.

Image courtesy of Bakers Delight

There was resolute consensus in regards to which of the two was best - the date scone. Although an interesting flavour combination, there was debate as to whether or not the apple strudel scone could in fact be considered a scone in the true sense of the word due to its moist and dense texture. Oh how I love my workmate 'guinea pigs', as I call them - they are quite the connoisseurs!

Image courtesy of Bakers Delight

*** GIVEAWAY ***
Thanks to Bakers Delight, readers of Diary of a Ladybird have the opportunity to win one of five $5 Bakers Delight vouchers.

Entries close June 24. This giveaway is restricted to Australian residents only (sorry!)

It's easy to enter! Here's how:

Simply leave a comment on this post telling me about your favourite type of scone.
Email me your comment along with your full name and postal address to: diaryofaladybird[at]gmail[dot]com.

This giveaway has now closed.

Congratulations to Marisol, Carina, Lil, Anne and Angie - you are all winners!

Good luck!

Ladybird x

Brown Sugar, Bondi

2011-06-06T22:17:00.002+10:00

Over the weekend, Mr Ladybird and I headed to Brown Sugar in Bondi to try out somewhere new for our traditional weekend brunch. We have our favourite haunts that we frequent time and time again, but with the weather so gorgeous we decided to head to Bondi to enjoy the sunshine.

We arrived at around 10am to a bustling and funky little cafe. We settle in and order, only for our food to come out within 10 minutes - now that's speedy service!

I have the leek & herb omlette ($14) with marinated fetta, rocket, roasted tomatoes and toast. And it's good, more like a crepe with the fetta, rocket and tomatoes enveloped within - very satisfying. I also go a little crazy and order a chocolate milkshake ($5.50) too, and I suddenly feel like I'm 10 years old again! It tastes just as good as it did way back then.

Mr Ladybird sips on his latte ($3.50?) and tucks into his vegie black stone ($15) - english muffin served with mushrooms, tomatoes, poached eggs and hashbrowns. The hashbrowns are scrumptious.. nice and crunchy and perfectly seasoned.

And are you ready for the egg yolk money shot?!

The only disappointment of our dining experience was being asked to move tables to make room for a group that had just arrived a the cafe. I would normally be happy to oblige, however, on this occasion politely declined as our meals had been served and we were already eating... This has never happened to me before, and I did find it a little odd, perhaps even rude... Tell me, has this ever happened to you before?

Brown Sugar
106 Curlewis St
Bondi NSW 2026
Ph: (02) 9130 1566
http://brownsugarbondi.com.au/

Ladybird x

Detoxifying Green Mung Bean Soup

2011-06-05T21:20:00.004+10:00

Just a quick post from me this evening after a rather busy weekend!

Here is a nutritious soup recipe from our cookbook of the month - Eat Right for your Body Type by Anjum Anand. This soup is widely recommended by Ayurvedic practitioners as it is said to be revitalising and revitalising for the body. The green mung bean's outer green skin is rich in minerals and has a cleansing action on the digestive tract. It is commonly used as a source of sustainance during Ayurvedic fasts.

Seeing as I'm expecting, fasting is definitely off the cards for me. I like it on its own for a light lunch now and then, or for dinner I sometimes make this a little thicker by reducing the amount of water and then I serve it with steamed rice and vegetables.

The following is an adapted recipe from the book and suits all doshas. Speaking of which - did you take the quiz I linked to at the end of my previous post on the book? How did you find it?

The basic soup (suits all doshas)

200g green mung beans, washed in several changes of water
1/4 tsp ground turmeric
750ml water
1/4 tsp asafoetida powder
rock salt, to taste
fresh coriander, chopped
lemon juice, to taste

Basic tarka (flavoured oil)
2 tsp ghee (clarified butter)
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 tsp ground coriander

Method

1. Wash the mung beans thoroughly and then soak them either overnight or for at least 4 hours before cooking. Bring the lentils, fresh water and ground turmeric to a gentle simmer and cook until soft - around 30-40 minutes, adding more water if necessary.

2. Once the beans are cooked, heat the ghee in your smallest pan/saucepan, add the asafoetida ad allow to sizzle for 5 seconds. Add the cumin seeds and cook for 30 seconds until the seeds have darkened and become aromatic. Add the remaining spices, let them sizzle for 20 seconds then tip into your soup and stir through. Simmer for a further 5 minutes, add salt and lemon juice to taste. Garnish with chopped fresh coriander.

Till next time!

Ladybird x

Best Ever Blueberry Muffins

2011-06-02T16:05:00.003+10:00

There are blueberry muffins, and then there are blueberry muffins. I have tried so many blueberry muffin recipes where the result has never quite hit the mark.. and then I gave up for a while. Then I saw Donna Hay making these on Tuesday night's episode of Fast, Fresh, Simple that airs on Lifestyle Food on Tuesday nights at 8:30pm. I tried them yesterday evening and they most certainly did not disappoint - perfectly fluffy on the inside and deliciously crunchy on top.

Apart from the taste factor, these are so quick and easy to make. What's best of all is that this is a great basic recipe that you can get creative with. Enjoy the recipe as it is, or mix it up however you please! Here are just a few ideas of additions that could be made to the recipe:

chopped almonds on top for extra flavour and crunch
lemon zest - I love love love blueberries paired with lemon
chopped apple in the mixture - apple and blueberry are lovely together
pieces of mango or peach along with a little coconut on top during summer months

With punnets of blueberries fetching $12 a punnet at the moment in most supermarkets these days, I opted for frozen rather than fresh. By the way, is that what they mean on those supermarket commercials when they say prices are firm..? i.e. that they are exorbitantly expensive? At any rate, not only are frozen ones cheaper but you can keep a stash of them in the freezer and whip up muffins like these whenever you want, making availablity in your home firm - that's this week's kitchen update!

Blueberry Muffins
Recipe by Donna Hay
(makes 12)

Ingredients

2½ cups (375g) self-raising flour, sifted
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 cup (220g) caster sugar

½ cup (125ml) vegetable oil

1 egg

½ cup (125ml) milk

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

300g fresh or frozen blueberries

granulated sugar, for sprinkling

Method

1. Preheat oven to 180°C (350°F).
2. Place the flour, baking powder and sugar in a bowl. Place the oil, egg, milk and vanilla in a separate bowl and whisk to combine.
3. Pour the liquid ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix until just combined. Add the blueberries and mix to combine.

4. Spoon mixture into a 12-hole ½-cup capacity (125ml) muffin tin lined with paper patty cases. Sprinkle the tops with sugar and bake for 30–35 minutes or until cooked when tested with a skewer. Remove from tin and cool on a wire rack.

Tell me, my dear readers, how would you would put your own stamp on this recipe?

Ladybird x

Cookbook of the Month - June 2011

2011-05-31T21:18:00.003+10:00

It is with much delight that I announce the Cookbook of the Month for June. It has been a little while since I've done this feature, so I've put quite a bit of thought into choosing something interesting for you, my precious readers!

This month's book comes from British-Indian celebrity chef and author Anjum Anand. You may remember I have featured some of her recipes on Diary of a Ladybird previously, such as my post on Carrot Kheer. At any rate, this month's book focuses on creating delicious food for optimum health by following ayurvedic diet principles.

Introducing Eat Right for your Body Type by Anjum Anand:

I have personally had a great experience with this book, and feel I must share with you that it was whilst follwing the guidelines in this book that I became pregnant with our little one currently on the way... Coincidence perhaps, or perhaps my body was in optimum health! I am no longer following the guidelines as strictly, but am definitely mindful of them in my everyday eating. So you never know - even if you have never heard of ayurveda before, I would urge you to keep an eye on this month's feature... I'll be sharing some great recipes from the book,some of which are Indian in influence, others more 'western'. I do hope you enjoy them :)

So what is ayurveda?
As described on Anjum's website:
Ayurveda is an ancient Indian science and is thought to have formed the backbone of many of the Eastern holistic medicines. It had a unique way of looking at the body and understood completely the relationship between food and the body. According to Ayurveda, what you eat can affect how you look, how you feel, who you are and most importantly, your health!

What are the 'Doshas'?
Everything in the universe is made up of the same 5 elements; air, ether, water, earth and fire. We have all 5 elements in our bodies but generally not in the same proportions, there will be more of one or two of them. These excess elements give us our own individual (elemental) imbalance (our personal DNA). In Ayurveda, these imbalances are grouped into three and are known as doshas. The three doshas are vata (an excess of ether and air), pitta (an excess of fire) and kapha (an excess of earth and water). Most of us a combination of two doshas but generally even here, one will dominate. Our dosha (imbalance) will determine who we are, how we look, how we think, our temperament and our tendencies.

Which dosha am I?
I thought you might be curious like I was! Click here to download a quick and easy questionnaire. Once you complete it you will not only be aware of your dosha, but you will also be able to see how the recipes I'm featuring will be of benefit to you, and how you can alter them to better suit your dosha.

To read more about your dosha, go to the bottom of this page on Anjum's website and click on the relevant dosha: http://www.anjumanand.co.uk/ayurveda/

More on this feature in the coming days :)

Ladybird x

PS - Did you know that you can now subscribe to Diary of a Ladybird by email? To receive new posts straight to your inbox, please submit your email address in the widget on the right hand side of the page.

Classic Apple Pie and Custard

2011-05-29T21:19:00.002+10:00

With cooler weather setting in, there is such delight in tucking into classic winter dishes like homemade apple pie and custard... classic comfort food! It feels good and there's nothing pretencious about it...just like a big warm hug :)

I made this pie and custard to bring to our friends' place for a dinner party over the weekend. The two components are surprising easy to make at home - it makes me wonder why I ever bought apple pie from the freezer section. As for homemade custard, there really is no comparison to the gelatinous yellow goop out of the carton from supermarkets - where's the comfort in that?!

Apple Pie
Recipe adapted from Donna Hay

1 quantity sweet shortcut pastry (see recipe below)
1 egg, lightly beaten
sugar for sprinkling (optional)
8 green apples (1.2kg/2lb 7oz), peeled and chopped
1 tbsp water
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1 tbsp lemon juice
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
2 tbsp almond meal

1. Preheat the oven to 190 deg C (375 deg F). To make the filling, place the apples and water in a deep frying pan over medium heat. Cover and simmer, stirring the apples occasionally, for 5 minutes or until just tender. Drain and cool completely.

2. Stir in the sugar, lemon juice and cinnamon.

3. Divide the pastry into two-thirds and one-third. Roll out the two-thirds portion on a lightly floured surface until 3mm (1/8 in) thick and place in a shallow 24cm (9 1/2 in) pie tin. Sprinkle over the almond meal and pack the apples tightly into the pastry shell.

4. Roll out the remaining pastry to fit over the top of the pie. Brush the rim with water, press the edges together and trim. Cut several slits in the top of the pastry, brush with the egg and sprinkle with sugar (optional). Bake for 30 minutes or until the pastry is golden and crisp.

Sweet Shortcrust Pastry
2 cups plain (all-purpose) flour
3 tbsp caster (superfine) sugar
150g (5 oz) cold butter, chopped
around 2-3 tbsp iced water

1. Process the flour, sugar and butter in a food processor until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs.

2. While the motor is running, add enough iced water to form a smooth dough and process until just combined.

3. Tip onto clean work surface and knead the dough together lightly.
4. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Classic Custard
an original Diary of a Ladybird recipe

600ml pure cream
1 vanilla bean (or 1 tsp quality vanilla bean paste)
6 egg yolks
70g caster sugar
1 tbsp cornflour

1. Place the scraped vanilla bean and seeds in a medium size saucepan along with the cream. Heat until just before boiling point and remove from the heat.
2. Meanwhile, in a large bowl, whisk together the egg yolks, sugar and cornflour until thick and creamy.

3. Whisking continuously pour the cream into the egg and sugar mixture and then return the mixture to the suacepan.
4. Stir over low heat until thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. Remove from the heat and transfer into a bowl though a sieve. Squeeze excess custard off the split bean and return to the custard to allow the vanilla to infuse further.

5. Serve immediately; or if not, cover with clingflim as pictured below and refrigerate until serving time. Refrigeration with prevent the custard from cooking further.

Put the two together and tuck in! I just love the combination of pie fresh out of the oven and cool custard - simply delicious!

So when you think winter comfort food, what's on the menu for you?

Till next time,
Ladybird x

Margaret Fulton's Chocolate Cake

2011-05-25T20:51:00.003+10:00

Sometimes simple is best. That's exactly what I had in mind when I bookmarked this recipe published in an issue of the Sydney Morning Herald in October last year. And if you're going to try a basic chocolate cake recipe, you can't go wrong with a Margaret Fulton recipe.

For my readers outside of Australia, allow me to tell you a little about this special little lady...

Photo from taste.com.au

Margaret Fulton is a highly respected individual in the Australian food community. She is widely considered the matriarch of Australian cookery. Why? Not only has she published more than 25 cookbooks that find homes on the bookshelves of thousands of Australians, but Margaret has also played a pivotal role in changing the way Australians eat. Out with the bland meat and three veg, and in with international flavours, creativity and flair! At 87 years of age, she's still going strong and inspiring a whole new generation of food lovers... including me :)

So when someone like Margaret Fulton writes that a chocolate cake recipe is a must in your repertoire, you sit up straight and pay attention! It was her words that convinced me this was a "must try" - in Margaret's words:

If I had to choose only one chocolate cake recipe to carry me through life, this would have to be it. It is just as a chocolate cake should be — not the fudgy, flourless kind that everyone loves for dessert but the perfect cake to slice into wedges for afternoon teas and picnics.

This recipe makes two cakes - one for now, and one you can freeze for later; or one for you and one for a friend/neighbour/colleague :)

Sour cream chocolate cake
Recipe by Margaret Fulton (slightly reworded by me to make it a little easier for you to follow)

Ingredients

4 tbsp flaked almonds
1 cup boiling water
125g dark chocolate, chopped
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
250g unsalted butter
1 ½ cups castor sugar
3 large eggs, separated
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 ½ cups plain flour
A pinch of salt
1 tsp baking powder
2/3 cup light sour cream

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees celcius. Generously butter a three-litre fluted bundt tin or two 20-centimetre round tins. Sprinkle with the flaked almonds (this step is optional), pressing them well into the butter to coat the base and sides of the tin.
Note: I actually got this wrong and sprinkled the almonds on top of the cake before baking, but I don't think it really matters...

2. Put the boiling water, chocolate and bicarbonate of soda in a large bowl and stir until the chocolate is melted and smooth. Leave to cool. This bowl will end up as your final mixing bowl, so make sure it is large enough for two cakes worth of batter.

3. Cream the vanilla extract, butter and sugar until light and fluffy, then add the egg yolks one at a time, beating after each addition.

4. Using a strong whisk, add the cream/sugar mixture to the the chocolate mixture a little at a time.

5. Sift the flour, salt and baking powder and fold in alternately with the sour cream, mixing lightly until just combined.

6. Beat the egg whites until stiff and fold into the mixture with a large metal spoon.

7. Turn gently into the prepared tin(s) and bake for 1 hour-1 ¼ hours for a large cake, 45 minutes for smaller cakes, or until cooked when tested with a skewer. Leave for a minute, then turn out and cool on a wire rack.

So the verdict on this recipe? Not a bad chocolate cake, but I think I prefer something a little sweeter and 'gooier' for a chocolate cake. Saying that though, this is perhaps an ideal recipe for those looking for something earthy and not-too-sweet in a cake. It's straightforward to make and easy to slice and transport too which is good...

Tell me, dear readers, who inspires you in the kitchen?

Ladybird x

Lavender and Honey Madeleines

2011-05-22T17:42:00.005+10:00

I've got to tell you, I felt a little tingle as I returned to my blogging this weekend. It really is great to be back! And what a glorious weekend it's been in Sydney... crisp Autumn air, clear blue skies and beautiful sunshine. On afternoons like these, I like nothing more than the opportunity to sit back and relax on my balcony with Mr Ladybird over a nice cup of tea and something freshly baked. I am also savouring such moments as I approach a big change in my life...

You see, while I've been away I have been doing a little baking of my own, and I am delighted to tell you all that I have a bun in the oven! Yes, Mr Ladybird and I are expecting our first child! We are absolutely delighted and can't wait to meet our little one in October.

So there you have it - there's my news... As my first recipe after my hiatus, here is a lovely recipe for delicious madeleines ever so lightly touched by the scent and flavours and lavender and honey - a winning flavour combination, I think :)

Lavender and honey madeleines
(Recipe adapted from 'Petit Fours' by Murdoch Books)

How many madeleines this recipe will make depends on the size of your madeleine moulds. My tray's mould's are quite large (8cam in length), and this recipe made 8 - just enough for afternoon tea with 2 or 3 people. These are best served the same day as baking.

Ingredients

30g (1 oz) unsalted butter
2 teaspoons honey
2 1/2 tbsp white sugar
1/2 tsp dried (culinary) lavender
30g (1oz) plain flour
1 1/2 tbsp ground almonds
1 large egg, at room temperature
1 tbsp icing sugar for dusting (optional)

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 180 degree celcius (350 F/ Gas 4). Use pastry brush to lightly grease madeleine moulds.
2. Melt the butter and honey in a small saucepan. Set aside to cool.
3. Place the sugar and lavender in a mortar and pestle and grind to release the fragrant oils. Sift the lavender sugar to remove the lavender husks.
3. Sift the flour, ground almonds and three pinches of salt three times. This will help to lighten the texture of the madeleines.
4. With an electric mixture, whisk the egg and sugar mixture until thick and creamy.
5. With a metal spoon, fold in the cooled honey/butter mixture, followed by the flour. Fold until just combined. Allow mixture to stand for 10 minutes.
6. Spoon the mixture into madeleine moulds until they are around three-quarters full.
7. Bake for 6-8 minutes, or until lightly golden. Carefully remove from the moulds and place on a wire rack to cool. Dust lightly with icing sugar and serve.

Note: As you can see from the madeleines pictures, mine are a little past being lightly golden, so take care not to overcook them.

Until next time, dear readers!

Ladybird x

Returning soon, please stay tuned!

2011-05-20T10:57:00.002+10:00

Hello dear readers, old and new!

You may have noticed I haven't been posting for a few months now... Yes, I am still alive and well. Life has definitely got in the way of late but I intend on making a return to Diary of a Ladybird very soon.

So,why the absence? Well... for one, my day job has been a priority (ermm, as it should be I guess!). Mr Ladybird and I also adopted a puppy at the start of the year, and getting him settled in and trained was quite a commitment! Actually, make that a huge commitment!

Introducing our Labradoodle puppy, Henry...

I mean, really.. how could you say no to a face like that?! Anyway, he is now very much part of our little family and we simply love him to bits! He is such a lovable little fellow and is full of cuddles :)

And there's been something else that's been happening in my life since my last post too. I can't wait to share it with you all ... Stay tuned for my next post for the big reveal!

Love,

Ladybird xxx

Orange, cardamom and almond cake with orange-blossom yoghurt

2011-01-07T08:20:00.000+11:00

The orange and almond cake is one of my all-time favourites and when I came across this old GT recipe, I just knew I had to give it a try. It was quite a while ago that I discovered it, and stuffed the recipe away in my folder that I fondly refer to as 'those recipes I'd like to get around to making... some day'. With a fresh year ahead of me, it seemed only timely that I conquer procrastination in the kitchen and get on with some of these recipes :)

Orange, cardamom and almond cake with orange-blossom yoghurt
Recipe from Gourmet Traveller (December 2009/January 2010 issue)

Ingredients
2 oranges, washed
250g caster sugar
1/2 tsp ground cardamom
pinch of ground cinnamon
300g blanched almonds, finely ground in a food processor (I used store bought almond meal instead)
1 tsp baking powder
5 eggs
Puring icing sugar, for dusting

Orange-blossom yoghurt
150g thick natural yoghurt
20g pure icing sugar
1-2 tsp orange blossom water, to taste

Method

1. Place oranges in a large saucepan, cover completely with cold water and bring to the boil over high heat. Cover with baking paper and a plate to weigh the oranges down, then cook until oranges are soft (2 to 2.5 hours). You may need to top up with extra water to keep oranges covered. Drain, cool, then remove and discard calyx and seeds from oranges and coarsely chop.

2. Preheat oven to 180 degrees celsius. Process oranges, sugar and spices in a food processor until finely chopped. Transfer to a bowl, add almonds and baking powder and set aside.

3. Meanwhile, whisk eggs in an electric mixer until pale (3-5 minutes), add orange mixture and whisk to combine (10-20 seconds). Pour into a buttered and baking paper-lined 22cm springform pan and bake for around 50 minutes until golden and an inserted skewer withdraws clean Cool on a wire rack for 5 minutes, then release sides of pan and cool completely.

4. Meanwhile, for the orange-blossom yoghurt, combine ingredients in a bowl and refrigerate until required.

5. Dust the cake with icing sugar and serve with the yoghurt.

This cake is incredibly moist... the texture is sublime! The flavour of the spices is so delicate and doesn't distracting from the orange flavour - they just add a nice little twist on a classic. For me, I could quite happily eat this cake on its own without the yoghurt as I was not a big fan of it as a side. Next time I make this, I think I'll sprinkle some chopped pistachios over the cake and serve it with creme fraiche in place of the orange-blossom. But before then, I have a heck of a lot of other recipes to share with you, so I had better get cracking!

Ladybird x

Concrete Cafe, Pyrmont

2011-01-05T07:47:00.002+11:00

On a beautiful Sunday morning last weekend Mr Ladybird and I headed for breakfast in Pyrmont. Being our first brunch out in the new year, we decided to try out a cafe I had read about a while ago.

Arriving at Concrete Cafe we choose a table in the dappled sunshine outside and ordered our coffees - a soy cappuccino ($4) and a flat white ($3.50). The cafe was getting more and more busy so we placed our breakfast orders straight away.

For me, the Scrambled Goat's Cheese - scrambled eggs with leek confit & goat's cheese on toasted turkish bread ($13). Absolutely delicious, and a superb combination!

For Mr Ladybird, the Veggie Breakfast - olive sourdough with wilted spinach, marinated tomatoes, fontina baked mushrooms, poached eggs & asparagus ($14) with a side of hashbrown ($2.50). Really well cooked eggs (as were mine) and a great, hearty vegetarian breakfast.

This is one of the most vegetarian friendly breakfast venues I've visited for a long time.. I counted around 10 items (sweet and savoury) that either were vegetarian, or had a vegetarian option. Now that's what I'm talking about!

The only disappointment (and I am genuinely sorry to say there was one!) was realising upon reaching home and reading the receipt that we had been charged a 10% surcharge for our meal. Kind of a shame given I had tipped more than 10% anyway for the good service... At any rate, imposing weekend surcharges is in fact an illegal practice in Australia under Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) laws, and has been since May 2009. It was not until relatively recently that I became aware of the law myself, so fellow diners beware...

Concrete Cafe
224 Harris St
Prymont NSW

Ladybird x

Raspberry Frangipane Tarts

2011-01-03T10:46:00.002+11:00

Fruit is by far one of my favourite aspects of Australian Summer.. mangoes, peaches, nectarines, cherries, strawberries and... raspberries! I picked up these beauties at Maloneys Grocer on Crown Street in Surry Hills over the weekend. Beautiful Tasmanian raspberries for only $4 a punnet! These were just so good I was inspired to incorporate them into a dish where they could shine in all their jewel-like glory!

This recipe is an adaptation of the Frangipane Tart recipe showcased by Matt Moran on Masterchef Australia in 2010. A good frangipane tart is a great addition to every baker's repertoire - with its 'melt in your mouth' crumbly pastry and almond filling, it is the perfect platform for your favourite fruit(s) to make for a simple and elegant dessert. I find the following to be a good reliable recipe, particularly the lovely pâte brisée - a delicate shortcrust pastry that just breaks (brisée being the verb 'to break' in french) as you bite into it. The other great thing about this recipe is that you don't have to blindbake the tart case!

Raspberry Frangipane Tarts

makes 16 x 8cm tarts, but can easily be halved

Ingredients

375g plain flour

50g icing sugar

200g unsalted butter

1 free range/organic egg

125g unsalted butter

125g icing sugar

125g almond meal

2 free range/organic eggs

1 free range/organic egg yolk

25ml dark rum

1/4c strained, warmed raspberry jam

2 punnets fresh raspberries

Method

1. Grease and line the base of your loose bottomed tart tins and set aside.

2. To make the pastry, add the flour, icing sugar and butter to the bowl of a food processor and pulse until the mixture resembles coarse breadcrumbs. Add the egg and pulse again until the dough comes together. Wrap in cling wrap, then rest in the fridge for about 1 hour.

3. On a lightly floured surface, roll out half of the pastry until 3-4mm thick. (you can freeze remaining pastry for up to 4 weeks). Line the tart tin with pastry, then rest in the fridge for 15 minutes.

4. For the frangipane, cream the butter and sugar in an electric mixer until pale and fluffy. Be careful not to overbeat it. Add the eggs and egg yolk, one at a time until incorporated in the mixture. Fold in the almond meal and dark rum.

5. Remove the tart tins from the fridge. Brush half of the jam over the bottom of the tarts, then spread a spoonful of frangipane into each tart case. Lightly press 6 raspberries into the mixture of each tart.

6. Bake in a preheated oven at 180 degrees celcius for 30-35 until golden and cooked through. Remove from the oven and brush each tart lightly with remaining raspberry jam. Serve with whipped cream and any remaining berries.

Having made frangipane tarts at home for the first time, I can't believe how good they taste is in comparison to the dry frangipane tarts I've tried in cafes in the past. There really is no comparison - the frangipane filling is beautifully moist and the pastry crumbles as you bite into it .... Mmmm! Can't wait to try this simple recipe out with other fruits such as blueberries, strawberries, nectarines or even pairings like pear and raspberry, or peach and raspberry, for example. The options are endless!

Ladybird x

Campos Cafe & Roastery, Fortitude Valley

2011-01-02T00:00:00.002+11:00

Happy new year my beloved readers and fellow food enthusiasts! May 2011 be a wonderful year for you all. I am really looking forward to the year ahead, particularly from a blogging perspective. I have an abundance of recipes and food experiences I can't wait to share with you, as well as a few other surprises I have up my sleeve ;) I'm sure there'll be lots of other food experiences to be had along the way this year, and I look forward to sharing them with you, and reading about yours too of course!

I am back in Sydney after a short break to Queensland for Christmas with my family there. While in Queensland, Mr Ladybird and I had the opportunity to eat out at both some new places, as well as places we used to frequent often while we lived in Brisbane. Revisiting what used to be our local areas was a good experience. It is amazing how some things change immensely while other things stay so much the same in a matter of just a few years.

On Christmas eve, we met up with family for brunch at Campos Cafe Roastery off trendy James Street in the Fortitude Valley. The cafe was recommended by one of my brothers who is quite the foodie and has his finger on the pulse for places to eat and get good coffee in the Brisbane/Gold Coast area so I knew it had to be blogged. It was only when I settled in Sydney that I learnt of just how good their coffee is, so I was excited by the fact that Campos coffee has now made its mark in Queensland!

Although Campos Cafe does not take reservations, the large group of us waited only a short while to be seated at the back of the restaurant where we had a great view of the roastery. I did not take any shots of this in accordance with cafe signage requesting patrons not to photograph this, but it was cool to see nonetheless. Once settled in our seats (or stools in this case), we ordered our coffees which were a warm and comforting during the crazy wet and cold weather Queensland experienced over Christmas.

We then ordered our breakfast choices. While there were relatively few vegetarian options on the menu, Mr Ladybird and I learnt from our friendly waitress that alterations could be made to some of the savoury dishes to accommodate for meat-free diners such as ourselves. It's that sort of flexibility with a smile (and not being made feel that you're a complete pain in the a**) that always makes me happy to recommend such places to others, vegetarian or not!

Unfortunately Campos Cafe's menu is not published online and I was somewhat in holiday mode so did not make notes on my visit, so I am unable to give you the exact descriptions and prices of dishes... So on this occasion I shall simply say it with pictures.

Campos Cafe's dishes aren't the cheapest in town at somewhere between $15 - $20... I would consider that quite pricey in Sydney let alone Brisbane, but if you are after an excellent coffee with your brunch too, perhaps it is worth the price. All-in-all an enjoyable brunch experience.

Campos Cafe & Roastery
11 Wandoo Street, Fortitude Valley
QLD 4006
(07) 3252 3612

Till next time!
Ladybird x

Vina Vegetarian Restaurant, Newtown

2010-12-26T15:46:00.002+11:00

Mr Ladybird and I headed to Vina Vegetarian Restaurant on Wednesday last week. Things can be quite busy at this time of year, so we were keen to have the night off from kitchen duties mid-week. Newtown was absolutely bustling for a Wednesday night! The ambience at Vina is not the drawcard at this family run business however the the food is.

I was keen to go to Vina for dinner in part because I had a hankering for some vegetarian sweet & sour 'pork'and I was sure that Vina would offer something similar on their menu. I'm not normally one for fake meat, but the veg version of sweet and sour pork makes me go weak at the knees! What can I say...? It's a guilty pleasure...

Once seated we peruse the extensive Vietnamese menu over some Jasmine tea. Vegetarians and vegans are certainly spoilt for choice here, so it takes us a little while to decide on what we want!

We order, and a short while later our entrees arrive. we hungrily tuck into the lightly fried tofu and vegan spring rolls. Both are delicious, particularly the crunchy spring rolls. Neither is too heavy so we still have a healthy appetite for our main dishes.

For our mains we order a mock chicken curry and mock pork in a sweet and sour sauce. The curry is delicious, but the mock pork dish is a bit disappointing - not quite the crunchy, deep-fried balls with sticky sauce that I had envisioned... Despite this, it is great to get a good serve of fresh vegetables in each dish.

All in all, a good meal from Vina. The staff did incredibly well to manage the restaurant when it so busy, and they are always so nice that it's ok if you have to wait a little bit. Vina is also a little better value than Green Palace Thai Vegetarian further up King St in Newtown, so do give Vina a go if you're looking for vegan/vegetarian options in Newtown.

Vina Vietnamese Vegetarian Restaurant

395 King St, Newtown NSW

(02) 9557 0456

Ladybird x

Christmas Morning Crown

2010-12-24T00:00:00.000+11:00

I love Christmas morning... I remember the excitement of Christmas mornings as a child, when you would wake up with a jolt and run to the tree ready to tear open your gifts. As an adult I still wake looking forward to the day, but make more of a sleepy, leary-eyed stumble into the living room to join family in opening gifts. The opening of gifts is pretty efficient in my family.. I know that in other families it is all very civilised and you have to wait until after breakfast... but not in mine! It can be a bit choatic, but I love it all the same :)

Christmas day breakfast is usually a pretty relaxed affair for us, and my Mum spoils the boys with a big fry up breakfast while I usually stick with my staple muesli/cereal so as not to fill up to much for the ensuing feast later in the day.

I think this recipe is also a good idea for Christmas morning as it can be prepared in advance and then baked on Christmas day. It not only looks great on a plate, but it's very easy to serve - simply pull apart! This adapted Christmas recipe comes courtesy of none other than the December/January issue of Delicious magazine - my Cookbook of the Month for December.

Christmas Morning Crown
makes 9 scrolls

1 1/2 c (225g) strong (bread flour)
7g sachet dried instant yeast
125g unsalted butter, chopped (plus extra to grease)
1/2c 9125 ml) warm milk
1 egg, beaten
50g brown sugar
2 tbsp chopped hazelnuts
1 tsp mixed spice
1/3 c (55g) chopped mixed peel
1/3 c (55g) sultanas
1/4c (50g) glace cherries, chopped
1/2 c icing sugar, sifted
lemon juice

1. Grease a large baking tray and dust with flour. I used a heavy pizza tray, but any large baking tray will do.

2. Sift flour into a large bowl, add yeast and 1/2 tsp salt. Rub in 40g of the butter to form coarse breadcrumbs. Form a well in the centre and mix in the milk and egg to form a dough. Place in a greased bowl, cover with a tea towel and leave for 1 hour in a warm place until doubled in size.

3. Meanwhile, beat remaining butter and sugar with a wooden spoon until combined. Add nuts, spice, peel, sultanas and cherries and stir to combine.

4. Punch down dough to expel air, knead briefly then roll out on a floured surface to form a 30cm x 23 cm rectangle. Spread the fruit mixture over the dough with a spatula, leaving a 2cm border along the sides. Roll up along the long side to form a log, then cut into 9 equal size pieces.

5. Place slices, cut side up, on the floured tray so it forms a circle with the slices just touching. Cover with a clean tea towel and leave to rise in a warm place for 1 hour or until slightly risen. (Once risen, you can cover the crown and chill overnight, then bring back to room temperature before baking).

6. Preheat oven to 180 degrees celcius and bake the crown for 20 minutes or until golden. Meanwhile, mix the icing sugar with enough lemon juice to form an icing thin enough for drizzling, then drizzle over the slightly cooled crown. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Tell me, dear readers, what's your Christmas morning tradition? Do you have breakfast before or after opening up your presents?

Ladybird x

Mace Restaurant, St Leonards

2010-12-22T22:54:00.002+11:00

I'm always up for Indian food because it's one of my favourite cuisines, but it can be a bit tiresome encountering the same menu wherever you go... but now and then you hear about something a little different that makes you sit up an take notice. So, when I had the opprtunity to try out Indian style tapas at Mace Restaurant (formerly known as Qmin) in Sydney's north shore area, I jumped at the chance.

Mr Ladybird and I selected a tasting menu to sample 6 different dishes ($75 per person, excluding breads and accompaniments). To start off with, we enjoyed Badal Jaam - Eggplant Slices, pan fried with tomato and yoghurt relish and Bhutte Ke Pakode - Sweet Corn Fritters, with fresh chillies and chickpea batter with a side of mint sauce. In both of these dishes, I can definitely see the tapas concept - small portions of finger food perfect over drinks.

We also enjoy a serve of Ragda Petis - a delicious chaat recipe with potato croquettes topped with with chickpeas and chutneys.

We then move onto mains - a beautiful smorgasbord of dishes to be enjoyed with basmati rice and naan. For our three main dishes we choose Kadhai Subzi - mixed Vegetables in tomato sauce, crushed coriander seeds and the Palak Paneer - curd cheese with pureed spinach and spices.

For both of us though, the standout main is the Bhindi Amchur - okra stir fried with onions and dried mango. Dishes like this make me think what an underused okra is - cooked right it is absolutely delectable!

No Indian feast is complete without good accompaniments, and we both like the onion & tomato raita. The sourdough naan is something special.. a first for both of us and we were impressed by the light texture and flavour - a nice contrast to the rich food.

Mace Restaurant (formerly known as 'Qmin')
Shop 5, 207 Pacific Highway
St Leonards, NSW
(02) 9966 5557
http://www.macerestaurant.com.au/

*** Mr & Mrs Ladybird dined as guests of Mace Restaurant ***

Mushroom & Pumpkin Wellington

2010-12-21T00:36:00.003+11:00

When I picked up the December/January issue of Delicious magazine, I admit I was instantly drawn to the pages of incredible sweet creations offered by the publication. What I didn't expect, however, was a section dedicated to vegetarian Christmas dishes. Could it really be?! I was excited to say the least... it really isn't that often that vegetarian dishes get much of a look-in at this time of year, so a special feature by Jamie Oliver was a special surprise :)

No tofurkey here (yes - tofu if the shape of a turkey.. something I've never been able to get my head around...), but rather an interesting take on a classic - the Beef Wellington.When I turned to Jamie's Mushroom & Pumpkin Wellington I knew it would be a contender for a place at the Christmas table on the 25th, so I did a trial run today for dinner. There is quite a lot of work in this dish, but like a lot of Christmas dishes, the preparation is almost therapeutic and the result is rewarding. This beef-free wellington is packed with Christmassy flavours.. I especially love the sage and chestnuts in this dish, really delicious along with the flaky pastry.

Mushroom & Pumpkin Wellington
Adapted Jamie Oliver recipe from Delicious magazine (December 2010/January 2011 issue)

Ingredients

1 small butternut pumpkin (halved lengthways, seeds scooped out, peeled and cut into thick wedges)
olive oil
1 small dired chilli, crumbled
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tbsp coriander seeds
1 rosemary sprig, leaves chopped
2 red onions, sliced
75g chestnuts, roughly chopped
small bunch sage leaves (around 8-10 leaves picked)
2 slices sourdough bread
3 garlic cloves
1 lemon
50g unsalted butter
250g swiss brown mushrooms, thinly sliced
large bunch English spinach, trimmed
1/3 c pine nuts
2 tbsp sultanas
4 squares ready-made puff pastry
1 egg, beaten with a splash of milk

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 200 degrees celcius. Toss the pumpkin wedges into a large baking pan with a splash of oil, the chilli and cinnamon - rub the pumpkin well to coat. Bash coriander seeds along with a little coarse salt in a pestle and mortar until fine, then add the rosemary and bash again for a minute or two until aromatic. Scatter this evenly over the pumpkin then cover with foil and bake for 45 minutes, or until soft. Cool, then tear into bite size chunks.

2. Meanwhile, place a pan on medium heat and add a splash of oil and cook the onion. Season well and cook gently for 4 minutes, stirring occasionally until softened and lightly browned. Add the chestnuts and sage to the pan for the last few minutes of cooking.

3. While that's happening, toast the sourdough and rub with the cut sides of one of the garlic cloves. Tear the toast into small chunks, and once the onion is done, add the toast to the pan and mix everything together. Switch the heat off and season a little more and add the lemon zest. Set mixture aside.

4. Melt butter in a clean pan over medium heat and add the mushrooms and one clove of garlic, thinly sliced. Cook the mushrooms to 4-6 minutes until soft and quite dry. Squeeze in a little lemon juice, season well with salt and pepper, then tip into a food processor and blitz until smooth. Set puree aside.

5. Bring a large pan of salted water to boil and blanch the spinach briefly (around 30 seconds). Drain in a colander and press lightly to get rid of excess fluid, then place to one side.

6. Place a small dry pan over medium heat and toast the pine nuts for 1 minute until light brown. Tip onto a plate. Thinly slice remaining garlic clove. Return the pan to the heat and add a splash of oil, then the garlic and fry for 1-2 minutes before adding the pine nuts, sultanas and spinach. Fry everything together until warmed through and smelling delicious. Season well and turn off the heat.

7. Once almost fully defrosted. lay the squares of pastry on top of each other, leaving a 1 cm overlap between each. Roll out between baking paper to an even 2mm thickness, and the approximate dimensions of an A3 piece of paper. Spread the mushroom mixture all over, leaving a 1cm gap on the edges of all 4 sides of the pastry (I forgot to do this, but it's fairly important once you're sealing up the wellington).

8. In a large bowl, combined the pumpkin, onions and spinach mixtures.

Spoon in a thick line down the middle of the pastry. Hold one side of the paper and lift it with the pastry, towards the centre of the wellington so it starts to cover the filling.

Peel the paper back, leaving the pastry in place. Brush some eggwash along the centre edge and pull the other side of pastry over it so that it overlaps, containing the filling in a log shape. Brush the ends with eggwash and fold in the pastry to seal it. Carefully roll onto a lined baking tray, with the sealed side down. Brush all over with egg wash and score lightly in a criss-cross fashion.

9. Bake for 45 minutes at 200 degrees Celcius, until puffed and golden. Slice thickly to serve.

So, the verdict on Jamie Olier's vegetarian wellington recipe? It's tasty, it's certainly Christmassy, and it looks great... It is a time consuming dish to make, but something like this wellington would be ideal at Christmas in a cold climate because it is so warming and comforting. I don't think this is quite the 'it' dish I was after for the Christmas menu, but good thing the Delicious magazine has plenty more recipes for me to try... If only I had more time to sample them all!

So, to all the vegetarians/vegans out there, what's your ideal savoury Christmas dish?

Ladybird x

Gingerbread Biscuits & Gluehwein (Mulled Wine)

2010-12-20T01:35:00.005+11:00

Dear Santa,

Soon you will be making your way around the world delivering thousands and thousands of gifts to all the good boys and girls of the world. I do hope you visit my home on your deliveries... I have really tried to be good this year, I really have!

I'm sure you must get awfully hungry visiting so many houses in one night! Just to let you know, I'll be leaving you out a little snack for when you stop by. I know you get a lot of milk and cookies, but I thought you could probably do with something a little stronger by the time you reach Australia.

I hope you like gingerbread and mulled wine :)

Love,

Ladybird xoxo

PS - here is my Christmas tree :)

Gluehwein (Mulled Wine)
Adapted recipe from The Cook and The Chef, ABC Television

Ingredients
1L red wine (I used a clean skin merlot)
120ml orange juice
60g raw sugar
1/2 cinnamon stick
6 cloves
1 bay leaf
peelings of half a lemon

Method
1. Bring the sugar, spices and orange juice to a boil. Then let this mixture steep for 30 minutes.
2. Finally, pour in the wine and carefully reheat to just under the boiling point.
3. Strain if desired and serve.

Bourke Street Bakery Gingerbread Biscuits
Recipe from Bourke Street Bakery: The Ultimate Baking Companion (can be halved for a smaller quantity)

Ingredients
1.125kg plain flour
1 tsp salt
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
1 1/2 tbsp ground ginger
2 tsp ground cinnamon
2 tsp ground nutmeg
400g unsalted butter
400g soft brown sugar
320g golden syrup (or honey)
1 egg
4 egg yolks

For the royal icing
1 egg white
250g icing (confectioner's) sugar
1/2 tsp freshly squeezed lemon juice

Method

1. Put the butter, sugar and golden syrup in a large bowl and mix on medium speed until pale and creamy. Add the egg and egg yolks in a slow stream and mix until well combined. Add the dry ingredients, in three batches, until thoroughly mixed through.

2. Divide the dough into four even-sized portions and flatten each disc. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 20 minutes, or for up to 3 days.

3. Preheat oven to 170 degrees celcius. Remove the dough from the refrigerator and allow the dough to soften slightly. Roll out each disc between two sheets of baking paper until about 3mm thick. Cut into the desired shaped using biscuit cutters or a knife. Re-roll to make use of all the dough.

4. Place the biscuits on baking trays lined with baking paper and bake, in batches, for 15-20 minutes until slightly puffed and golden. Allow to cool on the trays. (Tip - to ensure your cookies hold their shape well while baking you can refrigerate them for 30 minutes prior to baking).

5. Meanwhile, make the royal icing. Sift the icing sugar through a fine sieve. place the egg white in a bowl and add 1 tbsp of the icing sugar. Using a wooden spoon, beat to form a smooth paste, then keep adding the sugar, 1 tbsp at a time, beating well after each addition. Stir in the lemon juice - you should be able to squeeze the mixture through a piping bag. Transfer to a piping bag and decorate the biscuits as desired. Once decorated and dry, they can be stored in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks.

I hope you are all well and truly enjoying the festive season and time with your loved ones over good food and drink!

Stay tuned for more Christmas posts!

Ladybird x

Festive Portugese Tarts

2010-12-15T08:27:00.009+11:00

I have wanted to make Portugese tarts for a very long time, ever since a friend introduced me to them.. so when I came across this recipe in the latest issue of Delicious, I knew it what simply meant to be! They are a good way of using fruit mince in a bit of a different way to fruit mince pies, and they're really easy to make. So what are you waiting for?!

Festive Portugese Tarts (makes 12)
Adapted recipe from Delicious magazine, Dec 2010/Jan 2011 issue

2 frozen puff pastry sheets, thawed
3 egg yolks
1/3 c (75g) caster sugar
2 tbsp cornflour
1c (250ml) milk
200ml thickened cream
2 tsp vanilla extract / vanilla bean paste
1/2 c (130g) fruit mince
1/4 c (20g) flaked almonds
icing sugar, to dust

1. Preheat the oven to 200 degrees celcius and grease a 12 hole muffin pan.

2. Half each puff pastry sheet, then place one half on top of the other to form 2 stacks in total. Roll up each pastry stack tightly to form a lo. Cut each pastry log into six even slices.

3. One at a time, place the pastry slices cut-side up, between 2 sheets of baking paper and, using a rolling pin, roll into 10cm rounds (this will give you extra flaky pastry). Use the rounds to line the muffin pan, then chill while you make the filling.

4. Gently whisk the yolks, caster sugar, flour and milk together in a small saucepan. Cook over low heat, whisking constantly for 5-6 minutes until thick. Remove the custard from the heat and stir in the thickened cream and vanilla extract. Transfer the custard to a bowl, then closely cover the surface with plastic wrap to prevent a skin forming. Chill the custard until completely cooled.

5. Once cooled, divide the custard among the chilled pastry cases (you may not need it all, be careful not to over-fill), then top each with a heaped teaspoon of fruit mince (it will sink into the custard, so don't worry). Scatter with the flaked almonds and bake for around 25 minutes or until the pastry is golden and custard is almost set.

6. Cool in the pan for 5 minutes, then place on a rack to cool completely. Dust with icing sugar and serve. These are best eaten the day of baking while the pastry is still crispy.

If there is one recipe you try this Christmas, you must try these festive portugese tarts.. They are simply sublime!

Love,
Ladybird x

Baby Panettone

2010-12-13T22:42:00.002+11:00

One of the things I love about food blogging is that you actually end up learning a lot about food along the way. I particularly love learning about festive food from around the world, its history, the way foods evolve along with soceity, and so on. Fascinating stuff (well.. for me anyway!). I had one of these warm and fuzzy moments when reading an article about panettone recently. It was so lovely to read about its origins and how significant it is to Italians at this time of year. Food really does bring people together, which I think is one of the nicest things about Christmas. So, even though I am not Italian, I decided I wanted in on this panettone business!

So what is panettone? Panettone is a traditional Italian bread with a domed top enjoyed around Christmas. It is a lovely buttery and lightly sweetened bread dotted with dried fruit such as raisins and candied citron. It is said to have originated in Milan, and is commonly enjoyed warm or lightly toasted along with (and even dunked into) espresso at breakfast.

Although it takes a little time to wait for the dough to rise (I definitely do not recommend attempting to make this on a weekday after work), here is a recipe to make your own baby size panettone. I'm a sucker for anything miniature, aren't you?! To make this recipe, you'll need 8 empty, clean, regular-size cans. I only had 4, so I actually halved the recipe below.

Baby Panettone
Adapted recipe from 200 Christmas Recipes by Hamlyn

2 tsp easy-blend dried yeast
125g caster sugar, plus 1 tsp
175ml hand-hot milk
700g strong bread flour (available in the baking aisle of most supermarkets)
4 large eggs, plus 2 yolks
2 tsp vanilla extract
zest of 2 lemons
175 salted butter, very soft and diced
185g mixed dried fruit

1. Grease 8 x 400ml clean food cans and line with greaseproof paper that extends above the rims. Grease the paper.

2. Stir the yeast and 1 teaspoon sugar into the milk in a large, warm bowl and leave for 10 minutes or until frothy. Stir in 100g of the flour. Cover with clingfilm and leave for 30 minutes.

3. Add the eggs and egg yolks, the remaining flour and the sugar, vanilla, zest and butter. Mix with a round-bladed knife to make a soft dough, adding a little more flour if the dough feels sticky. Turn out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic. Leave to rise in a lightly greased bowl, covered with clingfilm, for 2-4 hours or until doubled in size.

4. Knock back the dough and lightly knead in the dried fruit. Cut the dough into 8 pieces and drop into the tins. Cover and leave to rise until the dough reaches the can rims.

5. Bake in a preheated oven at 200 degrees celsius (Gas Mark 6) for 20-25 minutes or until risen and golden. Remove from oven and leave in cans for 5 minutes before shaking out the panettone to cool on a wire rack.

Variation
To make a whole panettone instead of 8 baby ones, shape the mixture into 1 large ball. Place in a 15cm round cake tin, greased and lined with a double layer of greased greaseproof paper that extends 10cm above the rim. Cover and leave to rise. Bake for 15 minutes at 200 degrees celcius, then reduce to 180 degrees celcius and bake for 40 minutes until well risen and an inserted skewer comes out clean. Leave in tin for 10 minutes, then cool on a wire rack.

Enjoy at home, or wrap well with clingfilm, add some festive decorations and give away to family/friends!

Ladybird x

Lime & Passionfruit Curd

2010-12-12T18:56:00.002+11:00

If you are not already sold by the title of this post, I must preface this recipe by telling you (rather unashamedly) how absolutely gorgeous it is to eat... The lime and passionfruit make this a wonderfully fresh and flavoursome curd that's like summer on a spoon. It is very easy to make, and would make a wonderful edible gift for a loved one. Stored in a jar with an airtight lid, this curd will keep in the fridge for up to 1 month.

There are many uses for a lovely curd like this... Here are are just a few ideas to get you drooling...

Served with pancakes
Injected into vanilla cupcakes with a piping tip
Paired with whipped cream to sandwich a sponge cake together
Drizzled over ice cream
Served with a citrusy cheesecake

But enough with the hyperbole, where's the recipe already?!

Lime & Passionfruit Curd

Adapted recipe from 200 Christmas Recipes by Hamlyn

(makes around 2 1/4 cups quantity)

Ingredients

250g caster sugar

zest and juice of 4 limes, kept aside in separate bowls

125 unsalted butter, cut into pieces

4 eggs, beaten and strained

3 passionfuits

Method

1. Place a heatproof bowl over a saucepan of simmering water, making sure that the bowl is not touching the water. Place the sugar and zest in the bowl and press them against the edge of the bowl with a spoon to release the oils from the zest.

2. Pour the lime juice into the bowl through a sieve and add the butter. Heat, stirring occasionally, until the butter has melted.

3. Whisk the eggs into the mixture and then switch back to the wooden spoon and stir constantly to avoid curdling. Continue stirring over low heat for approximately 20-25 minutes until the curd lightly coats the back of the wooden spoon.

4. Remove the bowl from the heat and cool slightly before stirring through the passionfruit pulp.

5. Transfer to warm, sterilised jars*. Cover each jar with a disc of waxed paper, placed waxed side down. Allow to cool, then close the jars with their lids.

* How to sterilise jars

I have often wondered what this actually entails, but as it turns out, it's relatively simple! To sterilise jars wash them either in the dishwasher or in hot soapy water. Rinse and dry them in the oven on the lowest setting for 15 minutes. Fill the jars while still warm.

Note

The curd will thicken with refrigeration, but if you wish to thin it out again for use simply warm slightly.

Till next time, dear readers!

Ladybird x

Fruit Mince Brownies & the Cookbook of the Month

2010-12-11T12:44:00.002+11:00

I was recently over at My Button Cake reading up on (and drooling over) Amber's latest creations when I saw her post on fruit mince brownies made with a recipe from the latest edition of this month's Delicious magazine. Today I was waiting in a supermarket queue when I picked up a copy of the special edition magazine to flip through as I waited. I am usually pretty strong willed against impulse purchases at the checkout, but with page after page of beautiful recipes and photos, I was in love!

And so, rather than having an actual book as Cookbook of the Month for December, I have decided that Delicious magazine should take the place as the featured piece of food literature for the month. My apologies for the delayed announcement - what a bad blogger I've been! I do hope Santa won't strike me off his list! ;)

At any rate, The December/January issue of Delicious It is packed with lots of fantastic Christmas recipes including vegetarian Christmas dishes and amazzzing sweets. There is also a strong focus on the use of seasonal ingredients so that you can use what's available and at its best now rather than trying to emulate European food traditions that aren't really season or climate appropriate for Christmas 'down under'.

Image courtesy of ABC

And so, with thanks to Amber for highlighting why I too needed this magazine, I bring you the Fruit Mince Brownies recipe from Delicious. Oh yes, delicious indeed, incredibly moist, and wickedly easy...

Ingredients

200g chocolate (70% cocoa solids), chopped
300g brown sugar
250g unsalted butter, chopped
4 eggs, lightly beaten
1 1/3c (200g) plain flour
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/3 c (35g) cocoa, plus extra to dust
1/3 c (85g) fruit mince
1 tsp mixed spice
1 c (100g) toasted walnuts, chopped

Method
1. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius. Grease a 22cm square cake or brownie pan and line the base with baking paper.
2. Place chocolate, sugar and butter in a saucepan over low heat, stirring until melted and well combined.

3.Remove from heat, cool slightly, then stir in eggs until well combined. Add flour, baking powder, cocoa, fruit mince, mixed spice and nuts, stirring to combine.
4. Spread into the pan and bake for 25 mins or until just set.

5. Cool in pan, then dust with cocoa. Cut into 12 squares and serve.

Brownies will keep in an airtight container for 2-3 days.

Ladybird x

Cranberry & White Chocolate Bites

2010-12-09T23:02:00.005+11:00

Around this time last year, I made white chocolate and macadamia shortbread cookies and packaged them up and gave them away as Christmas gifts. I wanted to do something similar again this year, but this time I wanted them to taste a little more Christmasy, so the inclusion of cranberries in a cookie seemed like a good idea.

I usually follow recipes that I come across and don't spend much time developing my own recipes, but this is something I'm very keen on doing more of, especially in 2011. So, in the spirit of getting a head start of new year's resolutions, here is my recipe for these little bite size Christmas treats. Quick and easy to make, these make a great gift for friends with little notice.

The recipe makes around 60 cookies that can be kept in an airtight container for up to a week (if they last!).

White Chocolate & Cranberry Bites

An original Diary of a Ladybird recipe!

Ingredients

200g unsalted butter, softened

pinch salt

1/4 c caster sugar

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 1/2 c plain flour

2 tbsp rice flour

1/4 c dried cranberries, finely chopped

Half block (90g) white chocolate, finely chopped

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees celcius and line two baking trays with baking paper.

2. Cream the butter, sugar and pinch of salt. Add the plain flour and rice flour, then mix in the cranberries and white chocolate.

3. Roll small teaspoonfuls of mixture into balls and place on the baking tray, and bake for around 10 minutes or until golden.

4. Cool on the tray for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

I'll be featuring a few more Christmas recipes over the coming days, including great ideas for food that can also double as homemade gifts. Stay tuned!

Ladybird x

5 star dining at Uma Ubud

2010-12-01T22:02:00.006+11:00

As a food blogger, an important part of any holiday (and well, any occasion really) is good food. This was definitely the case during our recent stay at Uma Ubud, a stunning 5 star resort where the food philospohy is all about being healthy and not eating all that differently from what you would when at home. And that's a good thing too- there's nothing worse than coming home from holiday to realise that you may have relaxed a little too much while away!

Under the guidance of Como Resorts' Executive Chef Amanda Gale, Uma Ubud's restaurant Kemiri offers a menu that showcases the various cooking techniques of Southeast Asia utilising local and indigenous ingredients of Indonesia. I was also interested to learn that Amanda earned her apprenticeship at Neil Perry's Rockpool. Meaning 'candlenut' in Bahasa (candlenut is also a key ingredient in Indonesian cuisine), Kemiri's day-to-day operations are overseen by Executive Sous Chef Nyoman Rai who helps create delicious, healthy meals for guests from Uma Ubud's 29 rooms to enjoy at breakfast, lunch and dinner.

Breakfast at Uma Ubud was a great way to start the day. We would start with a fresh juice of the day, followed by either a plate of tropical fruit, fruit salad with yoghurt, or some cereal/muesli. Then we would order from the a la carte menu that included multiple vegetarian-friendly options, such as an egg-white tortilla (delicious!), omlette, or even a balinese take on french toast or ricotta hotcakes.

We also dined at Kemiri on our final evening in Ubud, which is the focus of this post as it was a very memorable meal. It was our final evening to soak up the beautiful atmosphere of the resort's tranquil surroundings by night and to reflect on our holiday there. And it is a beautiful restaurant (see more photos in previous post).. it is open and airy, situated next to a pond with a waterfall, and beautifully lit by candles as we arrive for dinner.

My apologies for the quality of the photos to come, readers! Romantic lighting makes food photography slightly tricky! :P

We start with some vegetable crackers and a paw paw salsa as we peruse the menu.

First, we start with a vegetable amuse-bouche packed with invigorating southeast asian flavours.

Then for main, we enjoy 2 main meals along with a salad accompaniment of Tomato, cucumber & silken tofu salad with Asian vinaigrette.

Mr Ladybird tucked into his Handmade egg noodles, Asian greens, mushrooms & garlic chives, soy & sesame.

As the kemiri menu contained only one vegetarian option, I ordered from the resort's everyday menu and I selected the Vegetarian burger with side salad.

Before moving onto dessert we are offered a palate cleanser of refreshing yoghurt with watermelon granita.

We rarely order dessert, but as it was a special occasion we decided to treat ourselves to something sweet.. For me, the Warm chocolate & cinnamon fondant with Bedugul strawberries. I didn't get a shot of it, but the oozy innards were good. I'm not used to my fondant being quite so sweet, but it was enjoyable nonetheless.

For Mr Ladybird, one of his all-time favourite cakes ... Orange and almond cake with dates and sorbet. It was delectably moist and very moreish.

All in all, a true culinary highlight from our Balinese getaway. Thank you to the team at Kemiri for such a lovely evening.

*** Mr & Mrs Ladybird enjoyed dinner at Kemiri as guests of Uma Ubud ***

Kemiri at Uma Ubud

Ubud, Indonesia

http://www.uma.ubud.como.bz/

Blogger Tag - Who, me?

2010-11-30T11:11:00.004+11:00

When I was a child, I didn't really like playing tag - largely because I have 3 older brothers who always ran much faster than me, and who used to tag really hard! Now that I'm all grown up and have immersed myself in the blogging world, I was delighted to be invited to play along in this game of blogger tag. Nominated by Julie of Gourmet Getaway, I have been asked to reveal some information about myself in response to these questions:

1. List five foods you could you never bring yourself to eat?
Foie grois
Squab
Kopi Luwak - not quite a food, but rather a drink with an interesting method of preparation!
Century eggs
Haggis

2. Share your happiest food memory.
Oooh such a tough one - so many memories to choose from! I have many from my childhood growing up in a house with 6 kids. However, in my adult life one of my happiest food memories would have to be on my honeymoon in Paris in 2008. We had a picnic on the floor of our hotel room, just metres from the Arc de Triomphe. It was very simple fare including a bread stick, cheese and a few salads from a deli near the hotel. We ate and sipped on french red wine whilst listening to french radio. It was so simple and absolutely romantic that I will always remember it - a very happy food memory.

3. What would be your most embarrassing fashion moment?
In primary school I begged my mum to buy me a colourful sequin encrusted baseball cap and I thought I was sooo stylish wearing it. Looking back on it now, I cringe! My God it was hideous!!!

4. Finish this sentence, “It drives me mental when….”
I ask staff in restaurants about vegetarian menu options and they offer me fish. Vegetarians by definition do not eat any meat, including fish. People who eat fish are called pescetarians. It's not their fault though... a lot of people don't know the difference between the two, so I should be more patient...

5. Finish this sentence, “There is nothing better in life than…”
a warm hug, a hot shower, fresh bread, a nice cup of tea... and family :)

6. You find a magic lantern and are granted one wish from the Genie of the lamp, what would your wish be?
That I could become a full-time food blogger dedicated to trying out recipes, reading cookbooks, trying places to eat, and sharing it with the entire world!

7. If you had one hour of invisibility what would you do?
I would play cheeky pranks on people I know... I do have a mischievous side... hehehe ;)

8. What made you decide to share your life with the world via a blog?
I guess two things - I love to bake, and I am very passionate about changing people's perceptions about vegetarian food. It doesn't have to be nut roasts and mung beans eaten by people wearing tie-dye and excess body hair :P I want to show people that vegetarian food can be sophisticated, unique, nutritious and above all, delicious! And a quick disclaimer - I'm not a meater-eater-basher either... I have no issues with people eating meat (believe me, I was not always vego so I know exactly what it feels like to be preached to!). I believe that if it's good food, whether or not it contains meat should be incidental :) I just want to share my foodie experience with others and I feel that food blogging is the perfect platform for this. I have met so many wonderful people along the way... the food blogging community is like one big happy family!

So there you have it - now you all know a little more about me!

So dear readers, why not reveal a random fact or two about yourself too!

Ladybird x

Couture Cake Class

2010-11-29T07:31:00.005+11:00

Several weeks ago I was delighted to attend a cake class in the Sydney CBD hosted by Couture Cake Classes. As many of my regular readers will know, I do love decorating with fondant! On this occasion the task was to recreate a decorated small round, one tier cake with stripes and a candle - very sweet in more ways than one ;)

First we were all provided with our cake, ready to be cut into 3 even(ish) layers and then brushed with syrup and ganached between the layers.

Creating a perfectly(ish, again!) ganached cake takes time, but it is important. During the class, Louise provided us with lots of tips and guidance to ensure a good foundation for the really fun part - decorating wtih fondant!

We then brush our cakes all over with syrup before moving on to colour our fondant ready for decorating.

We then roll out the white fondant to cover the cake before decorating with coloured fondant. We buff and smooth, buff and smooth until we have a nice even surface.

Then we transfer the cake to our fondant covered cake board and get set for adding the stripes and melted wax effect top.

Finished with a candle created by twisting thin fondant rolls around a bamboo skewer, our cakes are finished! It was a great feeling of accomplishment as everyone stood back and admired their work.

Thanks again to Sharon, Louise and Lilia for hosting such a wonderful and educational cake experience!

If you'd like to find out more about Couture Cake Classes, why not check them out at their stall at the upcoming MasterChef Live Australia event in Sydney from December 10-12 where they will also be running free cupcake decorating demonstrations.

PLUS thanks to Couture Cake Classes, readers of Diary of a Ladybird are eligible for a 10% discount on classes! To be eligible simply enter the promotional code 'ladybird' when you sign up for a class. The 2011 class schedule is out now, so check it out!

Couture Cake Classes
Sydney, NSW
http://www.couturecakeclasses.com.au/

*** Ms Ladybird attended this class as a guest of Couture Cake Classes ***

Nutella Cake - chocolate, hazelnut & other friends

2010-11-26T22:38:00.003+11:00

Due to travel and the business of getting back into routine since returning from overseas, I haven't had a lot of time to discuss the Cookbook of the Month, The Flavour Thesaurus by Niki Segnit. However, I could not let the month slip by without sharing with you some of the great advice that this book offers for flavour pairings. No such book would be complete without a decent number of pages dedicated to chocolate and suitable pairings and examples of such delicious duos...

The usual and delightful suspects are there - chocolate & almond, chocolate & raspberry, chocolate & peanut, but there are some suggestions that rouse my curiosity and creativity...

Of course, the pairing of chocolate and its good friend the hazelnut comes as no surprise. The combination is probably known in the best form of the world renowned spread Nutella. It may not be especially daring, but by golly it works... Here is a recipe for a cake that combines chocolate and hazelnut (as well as a little hazelnut liqueur) to make an easy and decadent treat that won't last long! And yes, it's no misprint - it calls for an entire jar of Nutella ;)

Nutella Cake
Adapted Nigella Lawson recipe (serves 8 very generous Nigella portions, or 10 regular portions)

Ingredients
6 large eggs, separated
Pinch of salt
125g soft unsalted butter
400g Nutella
1 tablespoon Frangelico, rum or water
100g ground hazelnuts
100g dark chocolate, melted

100g hazelnuts (peeled weight)
125ml double cream
1 tablespoon Frangelico, rum or water
100g dark chocolate
25g milk chocolate

Method

1. Grease and line a 23cm springform round tin. Preheat the oven to 180ºC/gas mark 4.
2. In a large bowl, whisk the egg whites and salt until stiff but not dry. In a separate bowl, beat the butter and Nutella together, and then add the Frangelico (or whatever you're using), egg yolks and ground hazelnuts.
3. Fold in the cooled, melted chocolate, then lighten the mixture with a large dollop of egg white, which you can beat in as roughly as you want, before gently folding the rest of them in a third at a time.
4. Pour into the prepared tin and cook for 40 minutes or until the cake's beginning to come away at the sides, then let cool on a rack.
5. Toast the hazelnuts in a dry frying pan until the aroma wafts upwards and the nuts are golden-brown in parts: keep shaking the pan so that they don't burn on one side and stay too pallid on others. Transfer to a plate and let cool. This is imperative: if they go on the ganache while hot, it'll turn oily.
6. In a heavy-bottomed saucepan, add the cream, liqueur or water and chopped chocolate, and heat gently. Once the chocolate's melted, take the pan off the heat and whisk until it reaches the right consistency to ice the top of the cake. Unmould the cooled cake carefully, leaving it on the base as it will be too difficult to get such a damp cake off in one piece.
7.Ice the top with the chocolate icing, and dot thickly with the whole, toasted hazelnuts. If you have used Frangelico, put shot glasses on the table and serve it with the cake (this is optional, of course).

If you like chocolate and hazelnut as a pairing, why not consider some of these ingredients as unusual companions to chocolate as suggested by Niki Segnit, author of The Flavour Thesaurus:
- Lemon
- Chilli
- Cardamom
- Ginger
- Pear
- Anise
- Tomato

I endeavour to one day give some of these pairings a try in my kitchen - if only there were more time for cooking in life!

But tell me readers, have you ever tried any unusual flavour combinations with chocolate? And were they successful?

Ladybird x

Uma Ubud, Ubud Indonesia

2010-11-23T21:59:00.004+11:00

Hello oh lovely readers, I'm back!

I recently returned from my holiday to Singapore and Bali. In Singapore Mr Ladybird and I caught up with some family before heading to Bali for 5 days. It has been too long since my last blog post, so let me share some of my holiday with you.

Mr Ladybird and I have had a bit of a tiring year, and we were well overdue for a good break, and we also wanted to celebrate our second anniversary properly. So some serious rest and relaxation was on the cards for both of us. We stayed at a beautiful hotel called Uma Ubud, a true gem of a place hidden away in Ubud, around 40 minutes drive north-east of Bali airport. Well and truly away from the noise, heat and hustle and bustle of the more touristy areas of Bali.

It was an incredible 5 star experience - just what the doctor ordered. But sometimes it's best to say it with pictures (and fewer words)...

We stayed in the Garden Room which was more like a small private villa featuring a beautiful entrance with stepping stones across a pond with a small fountain and resident koi fish. It was minimlast and homely at the same time.. just perfect :)

And waiting for us on our porch, two refreshing fruit punches to welcome us...

... as well as the cake brought to us to commemorate our anniversary - so thoughtful, and such a sweet surprise from the staff at Uma Ubud.

The beautiful bedroom...

The enormous bathroom complete with an enormous bathtub!

And our private porch and garden

And the hotel surroundings were equally beautiful. Uma Ubud's property is carved out of hillsides overlooking the Tjampuhan Valley on the fringes of Ubud. Green and lush with birds in the trees.

The hotel yoga pavillion where yoga classes were held for guests daily. The pavillion overlooks the valley and it was very relaxing hearing the water running in the valley below while practising.

The stunning hotel restaurant...

I can't wait to bring you more from our stay at Uma Ubud - next time I'll be focusing on the wonderful food we enjoyed there, so stayed tuned :)

Ladybird x

Uma Ubud

Ubud, Indonesia

http://www.uma.ubud.como.bz/

Madame Flavour Giveaway

2010-11-02T22:05:00.001+11:00

I do love a good cup of tea during the day - for me, a nice cuppa can make the world of difference when I want to relax and read a book on the weekend.. the week's stress just melts away.. Ahhhhh :)

A little while ago I received some lovely teas to sample from Madame Flavour. Madame Flavour is an Australian tea company that focuses on quality teas produced with a lot of care.

I am more of a herbal tea drinker, so I really enjoyed the Green Jasmine Pear Blend, as well as the White Rose. Both beautifully delicate and easy to drink.

Some friends and I also tried the black tea varieties with interesting combinations such as Earl Grey with Australian Lemon Myrtle. Although the black teas were not as robust as many other black teas on the market, it is great to see the inclusion of native Australian flavours.

These teas aren't your ordinary tea that come in the form of tea bags - these come in a ladylike purse, which is 100% biodegradable (as is the packaging). Madame Flavour tea is also 70% certified organic at present, and is all sourced through fair trade.

Thanks to Madame Flavour, one lucky reader has the chance to win a gift pack of Madame Flavour teas including 5 of the signature blends. All you have to do is leave comment on this post and tell me when and where you love to enjoy a nice cup of tea.

Entries close at midnight AEST on November 30.
This giveaway is restricted to Australian residents only sorry.

*** Congratulations to Shannon of Stepford Secrets ***

To find out more about Madame Flavour teas, check out her gorgeous website: http://www.madameflavour.com/

Cookbook of the Month - November 2010

2010-11-01T22:02:00.001+11:00

I've been off the blog radar for a little while as I busily prepare to go on holidays this week, but this is a post I've been looking forward to.

I am delighted to announce the Cookbook of the Month for November - The Flavour Thesaurus by Niki Segnet.

I received this book from my beautiful sister for my birthday last month and I was immediately blown away by it. And not by the food photography, because there isn't a single photo - the content is the drawing card here. It is unlike any other cookbook I've ever come across. It is not a regular cookbook in the true sense of the word... it is more like a compendium of flavour combinations that complement each other really well, including some less common ones such as chocolate and anise; beetroot and orange; watermelon and fresh coriander; and, hazelnut and rosemary... It is intriguing, inspiring and you can't help but keep reading. Some of the pairings are followed by examples of top chefs' dishes utilise the combination, while others include recipes to try yourself.

But what I really like about this book is that the author sets out to instil more cooking confidence in readers so that, rather than following cookbooks "like a handrail in the dark" that we can learn to follow our instincts when it comes to cooking, really cooking, which is what we all strive towards, don't we?

Although I will soon be on holidays, I will endeavour to share some of the flavour combinations from the book with you upon my return. Until then, I'd encourage you to check out this book if you get the chance, it's a very interesting read!

Ladybird x

Daring Bakers' Challenge - October 2010

2010-10-27T22:02:00.003+11:00

This month's Daring Bakers' Challenge was hosted by Lori of Butter Me Up and the theme was doughnuts! I was a bit intimidated when I read what I had ahead of me, not because it seemed like a very difficult challenge, but because I'm actually quite frightened of deep frying. It is a cooking method that rarely features in my home, which is great for health reasons, but I often find myself skipping across good sweet recipes that require the technique. But that's what being part of the Daring Bakers' Club is all about - challenging yourself, and getting out of your comfort zone.

And I'm so glad I did. It was a little scary, but I did it! I used a small saucepan to fry the doughnuts in the oil, and there was no spitting oil or burning - unexpectedly and pleasantly drama free! I am proud to say I have conquered my fear and now embrace the world of deep frying. Well perhaps not embrace, I do have to think of my health after all...

We had four simple doughnut recipes to choose from, but I decided on the Kate Neumann recipe for Raspberry Jam Bombolini. Bombolini are small, bite-size fried doughnuts usually filled with raspberry conserve. Mmmm... little fluffy doughnut clouds with oozy raspberry interiors. I also made some plain (i.e. without filling) and rolled them in the caster sugar along with a little cinnamon.You can get creative with these too by following the basic recipe and filling them with whatever takes your heart's desire. A little warmed Nutella perhaps? Phwoarrr!

Raspberry Jam Bombolini
Adapted recipe from Kate Neumann

1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon lukewarm water
1 1/2 envelopes active dry yeast (3 1/4 teaspoons)
1 1/2 tablespoons honey
3 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
3 tablespoons milk
6 large egg yolks
1/3 cup caster sugar, plus more for rolling
2 teaspoons sea salt flakes
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
3 cups canola/vegetable oil, for frying
3/4 cup seedless raspberry jam, slightly warmed
icing sugar, for dusting (optional)

1. In the bowl of a standing electric mixer, mix the water, yeast, honey and 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons of the flour. (Alternatively, whisk the ingredients by hand.) Cover with plastic wrap and let stand at room temperature until foamy, about 1 hour.

2. Return the bowl to the mixer, fitted with a dough hook. Add the remaining 3/4 cups plus 2 tablespoons of flour, along with the milk, egg yolks, 1/3 cup of caster sugar and the salt. Mix at low speed until blended, then add the butter and knead at medium speed until silky but sticky, about 5 minutes; the dough will not pull away from the side of the bowl. Using an oiled spatula, scrape the dough into an oiled bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Refrigerate overnight.

The dough once mixed...

and after resting in the fridge overnight

3. In a large saucepan, heat the oil to 360° (I used a candy thermometer to check on this whilst cooking). Line a rack with paper towels. Fill a shallow bowl with 1/2 inch of caster sugar. On a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough a scant 1/2 inch thick. Using a 3.5 cm round cutter, stamp out rounds; do not reroll the dough.

4. Fry the rounds a few at a time, until they are browned, about 4 minutes. Be sure to keep the oil between 360° and 375°. Drain the bomboloni on paper towels, then roll them in the granulated sugar. Continue frying and rolling the remaining bomboloni.
5.Fit a pastry bag with a plain donut tip (or a 1/4-inch tip) and fill with the preserves (you can also use a squeeze bottle). Poke the tip three-fourths of the way into the bomboloni and squeeze in the preserves, pulling the tip out slightly as you squeeze to fill them as much as possible. Dust the bomboloni with confectioners' sugar and serve warm.

It's challenges like these that make me really glad to be part of the Daring Bakers' Club. If you've yet to jump on the bandwagon, I urge you to jump aboard! It's a lot of fun and you're sure to learn a thing or two, and even conquer some of you baking fears!

Till next time...

Ladybird x