'Dear Lizzy. The 2015 olive harvest is approaching and we'd love to invite you and Peter to join us with Kangaroo Valley Olives to be an olive farmer for a day,' came the delicious invitation from my friend and colleague, Jacqueline Weiley of Foodscape Tours.
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Some of my most treasured recipes were hand written many years ago by family or friends. Some are so faded and the paper so tattered that the writing is barely legible, and yet there is no way that I could bring myself to throwing them out. April 25 2015 marks the 100th anniversary of the day on which Australian and New Zealand Army Corps landed on the beaches of Gallipoli during the First World War. Mascarpone made an appearance in my kitchen in the late 1970s, when I first tried my hand at making that wonderful layered Italian dessert, Tiramisu. Now, almost forty years later, I wish I had a penny for all the times I have purchased a tub of the rich and creamy curd 'cheese'. If only I had tried making it home back then! 'Chilly temperatures will begin to bite next week' screams an online newspaper headline this morning. After a few days of the most glorious autumn weather, I suppose the rain and cooler temperatures had to follow, but I'm disappointed nonetheless. It was in the 1960s in a fourth grade social studies class that I first learned about the great Australian explorer, Hamilton Hume. The pages of my text books listed his adventures in the era of fellow explorers William Hovell, Charles Sturt, John Oxley, Gregory Blaxland, William Wentworth and William Lawson. With this in mind, I feel more than a little excited to be visiting Cooma Cottage, the home of Hamilton Hume. And I've been invited to stay for a picnic lunch, but more about that later. Sporks and spurtles, chinoises and canelles are among a variety of interesting items you will find in a well-stocked kitchenware store. I've yet to meet a chef, food writer or home cook who doesn't enjoy browsing endlessly in what can often seem like an Aladdin's Cave of tools for cooks. Creamy, dreamy and totally divine are among the descriptions that spring forth when friends and family sample this raspberry vanilla creation of mine. It's one of the most popular desserts on my repertoire. 'What do you do with all that beautiful fennel you have growing in your garden?' I asked of my sister at the weekend. 'I love to grow it, as it looks so pretty. A lot like a fern,' she replied. 'The only thing is that the seeds tend to wander, and the roots take over, so they pop up everywhere,' she laughed. 'Oh, so you don't cook with it at all?' I enquired, although knowing my older sibling I wasn't really surprised. 'No darling, you know how it is, since mum and dad passed I've been the gardener in the family, and you've been the cook,' she explained with a laugh. Note to self: the volatile oils in fennel seeds are said to aid digestive disorders, so be sure to snaffle some seeds in the near future! With reasonably priced raspberries in plentiful supply over the last few weeks, I've been buying up and freezing them for the cooler months. Always having frozen and canned fruits, together with an assortment of nuts (such as market fresh hazelnuts), on hand is a good idea for those evenings when my Peter asks me if I've made anything for dessert. Pancakes are among his favourites and can be quite literally whipped up in minutes. |
Welcome...Üdvözölöm
Cooking and writing have been a lifelong passion. Join me as I share with you my favourite recipes; postcards and morsels from my travels; conversations with cookery writers and chefs; and news on food, cookbooks and cooking. - Liz Posmyk
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NB: I use Australian standard measuring cups and spoons in my recipes.
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