Just a quick post before I throw myself under a hot shower and crawl into my comfy bed. I caught the train this morning to take Annabella out for her lunch as today was her 16th birthday. I had bought her an electric mixer and …
I’ve just got home from a lovely visit to Florence. My Dad Joe, and his wife Fina were there, and as it will be Annabella’s 16th birthday this Thursday (and Dad returns to Australia on Friday) it was decided we’d have a get together with …
After making 120 little Lamington squares for ANZAC Day, I didn’t manage to eat one. My friends Carla and Maria were also saying that the Lamingtons disappeared too quickly, so it was then that I decided maybe I should make us all one big layered Lamington cake! I actually doubled the recipe to make 4 little cakes that each have a diameter of 23cm. Although I really wanted a high 4 tier cake, (for photographic purposes) I think this cake is probably better as a single dose, divided between the two round tins. (And that is how I have written the recipe). Should you wish to make traditional Lamingtons, you can add a single dose to a 20cm x 30cm cake pan, and cut it into squares once the cake has cooled. Sometimes it is best to make lamingtons the day after you have made the sponge cake, but this recipe seems to work well the day the sponge is made (which was what I did on ANZAC Day).
Preparaion of Icing
If you wish to make traditional Lamington squares, use two forks to dip the cake into the chocolate icing, drain off any excess and then roll cake in the coconut until evenly coated. Place Lamington squares on cake cooling rack to drain any excess icing. These can be refrigerated, and even frozen. Bring to room temperature before serving. (You can also add a layer of raspberry jam in the middle of your Lamington square by cutting it in half before covering in chocolate and coconut).
I’ve had quite the morning, and I thought that while I still have adrenalin pumping through my veins, I should write about ANZAC Day and the morning tea at the Australian Ambassador’s residence in Rome that I catered for. If you read my last post, you …
It’s been a crazy crazy week….. and it’s actually not over yet. Well, it won’t be over for me until Monday afternoon. I have been busy doing a lot of prep for a rather exciting catering job I have on 25 April. ANZAC Day will …
Annabella recently informed me in shock that she was in need of a pavlova recipe, and her first port of call in her online search was my blog! (Brava!)… She called me indignantly asking why on earth didn’t I have my pavlova recipe posted here! She did have a good point, and although I will eventually post it, after the Pavlova Roulade, I thought that mini pavlovas weren’t a bad alternative. I’ll actually be making quite a lot of these in a couple of weeks, so today I thought I’d test a recipe, which then obviously was followed by a taste for ‘quality control’ purposes only….
Note: the amount you make depends on the size of the meringues you pipe. To try and ensure they are all relatively the same size, I traced circles using a cookie cutter onto the baking paper with a pencil. (Then turn paper over before piping meringue).
For any traditionalists that wanted to have a more classic Tarte Tatin as opposed to the pear version that I posted recently, I thought I’d make an original Apple Tarte Tatin this morning and post the recipe for you. (I just hope you appreciate the …
I love Tarte Tatin, and although it isn’t hard to make, this recipe is even easier, substituting Maple Syrup for sugar and water. I’ve always made it traditionally with apples, but this is a nice alternative. The earthy flavour of the maple syrup marries perfectly …
BRICKS & MORTAR EATING HOUSE HAS SINCE CLOSED, BUT I WANTED TO SAVE ANNA’S STORY AND SO HAVE DECIDED NOT TO DELETE IT. (October, 2017)
This post was actually supposed to be a review about a new ‘eating house’ that opened last year in Elsternwick, that I was so pleased to visit during my recent trip to Melbourne. I felt lucky to visit because Bricks & Mortar Eating House is owned, managed and run by a dear friend I went to school with, Anna Konstantinidis and her fiancè George Petinakis. I sent Anna some questions, but what transpired was Anna’s story, which I really want to share with you all.
Anna is one of those gifted and talented people that was born to bring people together through her love of food, evident in whatever leaves her kitchen. The outstanding themes in Anna’s story are family, love, food, dedication, and hard work. So, when I asked Anna had she always had a passion for cooking, she replied with a beautiful memory from her childhood. “My love for food stems back to age 6-7, I hid in the back of my fathers valiant station wagon when he was on his way to the footscray fish market (circa 1977) and waited a good 30 mins before I let him know I was there, knowing full well that he wouldn’t turn around and take me back home. We lived in Mornington at the time. After his initial anger and complete shock, we continued and I was allowed to sit in the front seat. When he asked me why, my answer was, that I wanted to see the fish and when we got back to the shop, I wanted to learn how to gut & fillet them like he did. And that’s exactly what happened. My first fish I learnt to fillet was flathead. I remember as if it were yesterday, and when he opened the doors to the market, there was no smell, it was clean and I stood in complete awe. It was then that I knew that I had a love of all things related to food.”
Following Anna’s adventures on Facebook, I am always rather envious of anyone fortunate to be invited to her Christmas lunches. I asked Anna to tell me about her special Christmas feasts she prepares for her family.
“Christmas… Ah.. Most people cringe, I started planning it in January as we are having 36 this year… Growing up in the back of a fish n chip shop had its sacrifices, we never went on holidays, we didn’t live as a conventional family in a proper house (we lived in a room out the back) and we rarely got time with our parents. Christmas Day was an exception and was always fabulous. We are a very small family, my mums’ sister and her husband (no children) and my parents and us ( Tess & me). Dad would put a trestle table in the shop, Mum & Auntie would set it and the food would come out. Basically it was always the biggest & best crayfish, prawns & oysters, salad and home made mayonnaise on the side. Those days, dad would have all his contacts at the market and the crayfish would come in 50kg hessian bags. I remember so many things about the way my father respected food and his family. No matter what, he would hand pick our food for Christmas. He would never say, I’m going to put it all out and whatever is left we can have. It was the opposite and that has translated down to me, he ALWAYS set our special crays, prawns etc.. aside and whatever sold- was sold but ours was special. Once I was married I made the call to take it in turns and celebrate all together. It worked really well for about 24/25 years and to be honest I truly love it and so it seems that I have catered for Christmas most of those years. Even when it’s Tessies turn, I organize the menu, food etc and prepare it.. It’s just her house that’s on offer!
A little note about the food on Christmas Day, I think it’s been the same menu and I’m not joking, for about 20 years, it just works and everyone looks forward to it. I decided back then that Easter was for traditional Greek food & customs given that it is the most celebrated day in the Orthodox calendar and that Christmas would be an Aussie / English tradition and the parents absolutely love it, they love everything, the turkey the fruit cake the mince pies.. I’m serious when I say EVERYTHING. I start my fruit mince the year before, so I’m always a year ahead if that makes sense? I macerate & feed it for 12 months and I turn it once a month. At the moment I have one lot that is 3years old, it’s super moist and full of flavour. Traditionally I try to always start Christmas morning with baking my tarts before anyone is up, I want to evoke the memory of Christmas via smell. My sister is always in charge of Bon bons & cherries. Traditionally my father says Grace before we begin and then we Bon Bon, put our hats on and eat”.
I asked Anna if her Greek origins are evident at Bricks & Mortar Eating House. “Greek Origins evident in the menu? “Not really, I’m excited by the diversity of food in general, fascinated is probably a better word, extremely fascinated, the minute I find a new dish I research the crap out of it! I’m not drawn to any one particular cuisine, rather I’m constantly watching food shows from all over the world and subscribe to various overseas magazines so that I can constantly inspire my mind”.
Anna has spent all her working life somehow involved in the food industry, and when she met her fiancè George, they immediately hit it off when their conversations centred around food, wine and hospitality. George had been running food establishments for 30 years but had never owned & operated his own. Then Anna came into his life and Bricks and Mortar Eating house was born. I was curious to know where the name came from. Anna explains that George inadvertantly put the idea into her head when he told her about his parents recently celebrating 50 years of marriage. His youngest brother Steve made a speech, ending it by stating that- “what our parents have is a Bricks & Mortar relationship, metaphorically speaking you can’t build anything in life if one is missing” George and Anna agreed that they hope to have the same, a Bricks & Mortar relationship, a strong foundation where the Bricks (George) is the strength & protector and Anna is the mortar, the glue that holds everything together. Anna then added ‘eating house’. “I want people to understand that and just that, we are all about comfort food the kind that your mother or grandmother would make.”
I sincerely wish George and Anna a beautiful future together. I also suggest that if you happen to be near Glenhuntly Rd in Elsternwick, that you pop into Bricks & Mortar Eating House, whether it be for breakfast, lunch, or one of Anna’s delicious desserts with a delicious coffee.
Yesterday a very important soccer match was played in Rome… historical rivals ROMA and LAZIO played against each other in the final of the Derby. (A derby is when two teams from the same city play against each other). I have little interest in ‘calcio’, nor do …