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In My Kitchen - Good Things in December 2011

9/12/2011

 

In My Kitchen December 2011

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Fresh from our garden
Inspirational blogger and baker extraordinaire, Celia from Fig Jam and Lime Cordial, features a monthly segment titled 'In My Kitchen', where fellow bloggers from across the miles allow readers to peek into their kitchens via links on the page. It is a wonderful initiative and I am delighted to participate! Thank you Celia for welcoming me and thanks ever so much to our fellow bloggers for introducing us to your kitchens. 

As I walked through the shopping centre in my lunch break this week, I noticed, with amusement, the harried looks on the faces of shoppers as they pushed and shoved and struggled with Christmas paraphernalia. Bing Crosby was burbling White Christmas in a store somewhere in the background and I couldn't help singing to myself 'It's beginning to feel a lot like Christmas!' 

I must say, I am pretty relaxed about it this year. This will be the first Christmas in some 32 years (read that, three decades or more) that I will be spending Christmas Day in my home, not someone else's. Peter and I are very much looking forward it. We're planning an all-day slow feast and will be delighted to welcome dear friends and family to our place. Just quietly, if it was only the two of us, we might have even considered indulging in a Christmas pyjama day. How's that for a relaxed occasion.

With my Hungarian background, fruit cake and pudding isn't part of my Christmas repertoire. I prefer the European cakes and kalacs that my mother used to bake. She was an artisan baker and beautiful cook, and her Christmas table was always a veritable feast. While I have been in what Peter might call a 'baking and cooking frenzy' of late, I plan to start serious Christmas baking in the week or last few days in the lead up to Christmas. I may even pull out all stops and bake a fruit cake for my Englishman, Peter. After all, he did bake petit madeleines for me.

Welcome to my kitchen and good things in December. Season's Eatings to you and yours. Tell me, what's been happening at your place and how will you spend Christmas this year?

Readers, pop in and visit Celia and the other In My Kitchen participants at Fig Jam and Lime Cordial.
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The fruit platter is stacked with Summer fruit and the scent of peaches fills the room. The passionfruit and peaches are being made into jam using a recipe from the CWA preserving cook book I acquired recently. Edible gifts are so special. Watch this space.
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The fuzz on a peach, so delicate and pretty
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Ottolenghi: The Cookbook, arrived today from the UK Book Depository. My first of his. I am excited!
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Pomegranate. Did you know that the first ever sherbet was snow with pomegranate juice!?
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I used the seeds in a salad. The juice is lovely with ice cold mineral water.
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Violas are edible flowers. I will use these in a salad.
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real chai with chunks of French chocolate. Divine! Click the image for more information.
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Culinary lavender for my ice cream and sorbet making. I am currently infusing some caster sugar. Watch this space.
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My mother's walnut and poppyseed grinder, and rolling pin. Vintage items now and I treasure them! I will be using them in my Christmas baking.
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From old kitchen tools to new... I had to spread the word on the new peeler I bought this week! Titan brand, Australian designed with Japanese stainless steel blade. I road tested one before I bought it. It peeled pumpkin as though it was slicing into butter.
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The blade has teeth, so it grips 'its prey'. It shreds cabbage and lettuce beautifully. Peeling peaches for my jam was a breeze! The notch on the side cuts julienne strips or French fries.
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Peach and Passionfruit Jam - Season's Eatings
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Cucumbers bought fresh from the guys at Geranda South Coast Produce at my local farmer's market. Just look at the quality! These babies won't quickly turn to mush like their supermarket counterparts! The cucumbers in the kitchen garden are starting to produce!
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Kindling by Fiona Johnston, one of my favourite poets. She features on my Food Verse page here on this web site. Fiona's poem, Rocket, appears below. The rocket in the image is from our kitchen garden.
Rocket
- Fiona Johnston

Once I gathered wild rocket above
a vast ocean at Cape Willoughby,
scraggy leaves earthed wiry stalks
nubbed with mustard yellow flowers.

I thought it was a flowering weed
but a familiar scent followed me
from the car park to the lighthouse
so I picked, rubbed and inhaled -
the peppery perfume gave me all
it had promised and more
as I tentatively chewed a dusty leaf.

Now I dash into the heat to pick
baby rocket, tender garden crop
to toss with vinaigrette and slivers of pear
and soon it will be hairy-stemmed,
frilly-leaved, going to seed,
a tangy bouquet of edible memories.

© Reproduced kind courtesy of Fiona Johnston. 

Fiona grew up in a family where cooking and eating were necessary functions rather a source of social and sensual pleasure. She has since discovered the joys of sharing and savouring lovingly grown and prepared food. Fiona lives with her husband, Peter, in Adelaide only a five-minute walk from the Central Market. She has two adult daughters and two grandsons who live too far away in Sydney. She earns her living through freelance writing and academic editing. 

While she is a keen harvester of food from Peter's, friends' and a local community garden, Fiona has never been a gardener. Now that she and Peter live in a city town house, their own produce is limited to a few apricots on a tree espaliered on the garage wall and apples from two trees growing in large pots. But they have the Central Market! As well as enjoying preserving fruit and making jam and marmalade (mostly to give friends), Fiona shares regular cooking and dinner party preparation with Peter. She has recently become a brewer of beer, which is a fascinating alchemy and reminds her of her pharmacist father and grandfather (although they were both teetotal!).

Fiona is also involved in the life at Sophia, a feminist spirituality centre, where she manages the small public library. Her poetry has been published widely and she has produced two books of poetry,Thresholds (1998) and Kindling (2004) (Seaview Press). Copies of Kindling are available from Fiona at fjplmetro@gmail.com
Lisa link
6/12/2011 07:49:00 am

I love those flowers from your garden!

Lizzy (Good Things)
6/12/2011 05:39:33 pm

Thanks Lisa! They are lovely. The dark green sprigs have masses of white flowers that open at Christmas. I am not sure what they are, but I call them Christmas bushes!

tania@mykitchenstories.com.au link
6/12/2011 07:44:31 pm

I love the snippets from your kitchen, great flowers and Yes, the cucumbers look good. I also like the little poem by Fiona Johnston. I was only picking rocket at Cape Willoughby near the car park, KI, a month ago

Rhubarb Whine link
6/12/2011 08:37:05 pm

That pomegranate looks devine. I miss cold clime fruits... now I want pomegranate.

Lizzy (Good Things)
6/12/2011 09:10:55 pm

Hi there RW... I am looking forward to cutting it open! Thanks for popping in.

Lizzy (Good Things)
6/12/2011 09:13:28 pm

Hello Tania, oh, you've been to Cape Willoughby picking rocket! How wonderful! Thank you for your kind words. I'm glad that you liked Fiona's poem. I loved her work for years. There is more of it on my food verse pages. Thank you for stopping in.

Mandy - The Complete Cook Book link
7/12/2011 03:34:52 am

Oh wow, what magnificence that is gracing your kitchen this month and all their vibrancy beautifully captured.
:-) Mandy

Lizzy (Good Things)
7/12/2011 05:55:49 am

Mandy, hello! Thank you. You are too kind!

celia link
7/12/2011 06:49:38 am

Beautiful, Lizzy! Thanks for playing! I love the Ottolenghi cookbooks, and I'm sure you'll find lots of pomegranate recipes in that one. :)

I was thinking of making my Hungarian neighbour's kifli recipe this Christmas! :)

Lizzy (Good Things)
7/12/2011 06:57:38 am

Celia, hi! Thanks so much for having me. I love your In My Kitchen project and cannot wait to see what everyone else posts. Such fun.

Kifli, oh my, how delicious! Please post the outcomes. xox

Claire @ Claire K Creations link
7/12/2011 11:13:29 pm

Lizzy those flowers are just stunning! What a gorgeous array of fresh goodies you have.

Lizzy (Good Things)
7/12/2011 11:21:20 pm

Claire, thank you. I love them too. They line the path to our front door. So pretty. Thanks for popping in. I love those little strawberry Santas BTW!

Barbara link
8/12/2011 08:05:01 am

Lovely post Lizzy. I must pop over and check out your kitchen at Celia's. Are pommegranates in season down there. I have only seen US ones up here. I love Ottolenghis books. I have both.

Lizzy (Good Things)
8/12/2011 01:08:30 pm

Hi Barb, thanks so much! I didn't check the label when I bought that pomegranate. It was lovely, though, I must say. I used it last night in a salad. Watch this space for details. Yes, the Ottolenghi book is a beauty. He really is the 'flavour of the month'! Thanks for popping in.

kathryn elliott link
8/12/2011 04:43:12 pm

What a lot of lovely, interesting and tasty things you have in your kitchen. I'm looking forward to reading how you use the lavender, and also your jam experiences. I haven't made peach jam for years, but I do like the idea of matching it with passionfruit. Happy cooking.

Lizzy (Good Things)
8/12/2011 05:03:42 pm

Hi Kathryn, thanks for popping in, would you like a cuppa? The lavender will be for the summer holidays now, methinks, but watch this space. I love passionfruit and peaches too, especially the white fleshed ones. Looking forward to blogging about the jam making.

heidiannie link
11/12/2011 01:30:20 pm

Love the lavender and ALL the flowers and summer fruit. It is so refreshing to see your summer when it is snowing here in America.

Lizzy (Good Things)
11/12/2011 02:45:42 pm

Hello there Heidiannie from America! Take a seat and allow me to make you a cup of tea. Thank you for your kind words and for calling in. Snow... delicious! We rarely see it here in Canberra.

Karen link
14/12/2011 09:37:49 pm

Hi Lizzy, They are the best looking peaches I have ever seen ! and your jam also looks perfect, love passionfruit jam.

I'm going to look for one of those peelers.

Lizzy (Good Things)
15/12/2011 06:09:01 am

Hi Karen, welcome to my kitchen. I can highly recommend the peeler. Let me know if you would like details of the supplier. Thanks for stopping by.

Sally - My Custard Pie link
17/12/2011 04:43:08 am

Delighted to find your blog - no wonder you are called Busy Lizzy - so many fabulous achievements.
I envy that bowl of fragrant peaches - so hard to get where I live....although not so pomegranates and we've had some fabulous ones this year. You'll love the Ottolenghi book - I'm sure of it - the quinoa salad with rocket, pistachios and dried apricots is pure heaven.
Love your intro and list of 'good things'. So vibrant and optimistic.

Lizzy
17/12/2011 09:43:46 am

Hello there Sally! Thanks for popping in. Oh my, that salad sounds divine! Thank you for your kinds words. Will pop in and see you too... let's share a cuppa together.


Comments are closed.

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    Üdvözölöm
    Photo of Liz Posmyk, Food Writer, Cook and Traveller

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Good Things is written and published by Liz Posmyk © 2011-2020.   All rights reserved.
Excerpts may be used provided that full and clear credit is given. Thank you.


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