A conversation with Emma Galloway My Darling Lemon Thyme and Emma's Quinoa + Lemon ANZAC biscuits

Emma Galloway, image courtesy HarperCollins

'Our family of seven ... lived in a wooden house built by my father — its stained glass windows greeted anyone who approached the front door. Drinking water came straight from the sky and into our tank, fruit and vegetables were grown in the traditional way and we collected raw goat's milk from a farm at the end of our winding gravel road, both to drink and make yoghurt. Looking back, it seems like a fairy-tale, but it's exactly the life I now want to give my own two children.'                   
     — Emma Galloway, in the introduction to My Darling Lemon Thyme - Recipes from my real food kitchen

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It was with great pleasure that I spoke with the lovely Emma Galloway — food writer, chef, blogger extraordinaire, wife and mother — about her newly released cookbook, My Darling Lemon Thyme. Read our full conversation here.

Like Emma's hugely popular blog, My Darling Lemon Thyme, (which receives over 125,000 hits per month), there's plenty to cook from in the book. There are recipes for breakfast (Rise + Shine), lunch (Small Plates), baked goods (Sweet Tooth), main meals (Big Plates), drinks and frozen treats, and desserts (Sweetness). There's also a detailed glossary of whole food pantry ingredients. And while it's the perfect cookbook for those with food intolerances, with a wide range of delicious recipes based on good, wholesome home-cooked food — it's certainly a worthy addition to every cook's bookshelf.

Among my favourites are the eggplant, tomato + feta salad with pomegranate dressing (page 88); sweetcorn + basil fritters (page 62); strawberry thyme jam (page 228); and hokey pokey ice cream (page 184). But there are so many more!

Emma and her publicist at HarperCollins have kindly given me permission to share a treasured recipe from the book — Quinoa and lemon ANZAC biscuits (on page 94). 'These first appeared on my blog not long after we'd crossed the ditch to live in Perth, Western Australia, and I was missing my grandparents terribly. We've since lost my granddad, but he fills my thoughts every time I make these annual treats. I like my ANZACs crisp on the outside but chewy in the centre; if, however, you are one of those crispy-biscuit lovers, cook them for 3-4 minutes longer,' writes Emma.

QUINOA + LEMON ANZAC BISCUITS
1 cup (100g) quinoa flakes
1/2 cup (70g) fine brown rice flour
1/3 cup (40g) quinoa flour
1 cup (200g) unrefined raw sugar
3/4 cup (75g) desiccated coconut
finely grated zest of 1 lemon
125g butter
1 tablespoon golden syrup or runny honey
1 teaspoon baking soda

Preheat oven to 170 degrees C (335 degrees F). Grease and line two baking trays with baking paper. Place quinoa flakes, brown rice flour, quinoa flour, sugar, coconut and lemon zest in a bowl. Melt butter and golden syrup together in a small pan over medium heat. Mix baking soda with two tablespoons of boiling water and add to the dry ingredients along with the melted butter mixture. Mix well with a wooden spoon or clean hands. 

Roll tablespoons of mixture into balls, squeezing the mixture together if it seems crumbly. Slightly flatten and place 2-3 cm apart on baking trays.

Bake for 15-20 minutes, until the cookies have risen then fallen and become dark golden brown in colour. Remove from the oven and set aside for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely. Store airtight for up to 4-5 days. Makes 30. 

The gorgeous image below is by Emma Galloway and is reproduced kind courtesy of HarperCollins.

Emma Galloway's Quinoa and Lemon ANZAC biscuits, image courtesy HarperCollins

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My Darling Lemon Thyme - Recipes from my real food kitchen by Emma Galloway, HarperCollins, $39.99. Read my full conversation with Emma here.