A friend came to dinner last evening. I recalled he'd mentioned some time ago that his all-time favourite dessert was trifle. I made it for him last night as a surprise. It was a little bit of a variation on my usual version. A layer of jam-spread cake was cubed then drizzled liberally with what … Continue reading Trifle – A Gift for a Friend

Yesterday during the ABC Jams and Preserves talkback it became obvious that we are not the only ones to have a glut of eggs at present. Lots of suggestions were given by listeners including freezing and pickling them. One method I'd heard of but not tried, salt cured egg yolks. So today I started a … Continue reading Egg Yolks – salt cured?

For some time now I’ve been working towards re-commencing my cooking classes.  I am very pleased to announce that on December 5th the first of these will be conducted at (and co-hosted by) Glen Derwent, the site of their well-known historic homestead and tearooms. This idyllic venue is situated on the banks of the Derwent … Continue reading Cooking Classes re-commence

Here is today's Wednesday morning tea platter for friends.These are pink lamingtons and what I call lemong-tons. The jelly coating's flavour (in the case of the red) is enhanced by the addition of 2 tablespoons of preserved sour cherry syrup. The lemon variety - the centre was filled with homemade lemon curd, as well as … Continue reading Pink Lamingtons and Lemong-tons

A little experiment this evening - air fryer Scotch eggs. They are a bit scraggy around the edges where I cut them in half (should've used a sharper knife). I was pretty pleased with them nevertheless, seeing as I wasn't even sure it could be done. (Note the colour of the eggs, courtesy of our … Continue reading Air Fryer Scotch Eggs

The old and the new of it. On the right, a recipe I've made for decades - little apple pies with lemon icing, always well received. To the left - a recipe developed a couple of days ago. It's a rum and orange infused pistachio cake with citrus and cinnamon syrup. Morning tea platter for … Continue reading Cakes Old and New

I really despair of my brain some days, and today is one of them.It is of course, Wednesday morning tea platter day - I love to make something hopefully interesting and tasty to take each time. They are the best test tasters ever.I'd decided to try a recipe from someone else's cookbook - an orange … Continue reading Lemons and The Accidental Cake

Here at lovely Molesworth, it's just a little wet (understatement). The rain today was the heaviest we have experienced since we have lived here. There were great claps of thunder also. All in all, with the roar of the creek close by, the sound and sight is beautiful beyond measure. The sheep are perhaps not … Continue reading Molesworth (Very)Rainy Day

I bought myself a present a week or two ago (it had been my birthday after all) - a lovely 5kg box of best quality dark chocolate buttons (Chocolat de Couverture Noir). Bliss. Not to be resisted either was a 1.6kg box of chocolate batons. Last evening, time for a little chocolate play. A piece … Continue reading Chocolate Time!

It's taken about 4 days in all, just grabbing a bit of time here and there to do this.Our lime tree bears prolifically, but there were a number of tiny ripe limes left in a bowl. What to do with them? Hmmm - couldn't be bothered with making lime cordial by the usual method (grate … Continue reading Fresh Limes – a little bit little