By the fire's glow. Cool evenings of autumn necessitates lighting the wood heater. Tonight, in addition to warming the house, it's being used to cook a double batch of tomato sauce. The delicious home grown tomatoes came from a friend's garden (our tomatoes here are still green, with no indication of imminent ripening). It will … Continue reading Tomatoes!

The 6kg blackberries picked a couple of days ago have been put to good use. Many were made into jelly as seen here. The liquid was strained again, through muslin in that instance. Last time during the ABC Jams and Preserves talkback, a listener Kerry rang in and gave this terrific tip. Instead of testing … Continue reading Blackberries – jelly, blackberry nip and a wonderful preserving tip

A little bit of this, a little bit of that makes a Wednesday morning tea offering come together. Today, a peach and blackberry shortcake - peaches from a friend's tree and blackberries picked yesterday down by a nearby creek. Of course not all peaches are the same size and certainly (I found) blackberries have a … Continue reading Peaches and Blackberries, fruits of early autumn

Beautiful weather for the southern launch of The Comfort Bake at Glen Derwent yesterday. The delicacies prepared by Liz Virtue and her team, based on recipes from the book, were exquisitely prepared and presented. Thanks to Joel Rheinberger for his hugely entertaining speech at the launch. Many thanks to owner and host Liz: for providing … Continue reading The Comfort Bake Launch at Glen Derwent

Today's Wednesday morning tea platter and a cake by special request from one of the guys last week. This is Greek Lemon Syrup cake. Actually the one on the right is orange flavoured, as I didn't have enough lemons for two. What a difference a baking tin makes, very curious. Both cakes were baked for … Continue reading Greek Lemon Syrup Cake

What a lovely surprise arrived yesterday! A bunch of flowers from my publisher. It was by way of congratulations and celebration of the release date of "The Comfort Bake" (published by Murdoch Books, an imprint of Allen and Unwin). Just happened to have a jar of spiced ginger cookie sandwiches (a personal favourite from the … Continue reading Release Date of The Comfort Bake yesterday

For this morning's Wednesday morning tea platter for friends - recipe comes from page 22 of "The Comfort Bake" - Mini Chocolate Cream Cakes with Raspberries and Mint. (Very easy recipe, one bowl only for cake batter.) However, raspberries are all finished here, but other people's gardens always seem to have strawberries so I used … Continue reading Mini Chocolate Cream Cakes with Strawberries and Mint

Although it's full swing preserving season, there's still ample time for baking. Yesterday one of my favourites from the yeasted bakes chapter of "The Comfort Bake" This is Bacon, Cheese and Thyme Twist.

Progress report - the blackcurrant juice is currently being strained off through muslin, ready for the next and final step of making the cordial syrup.

Back to the preserving today - a bumper crop of rhubarb and a basket full of delicious plums. Worcestershire sauce and plum sauce are being made as well. Friends Roberto and Michael came to lend a hand, a huge help!! The last of the filled jars are in the preservers - the ones already processed … Continue reading Preserving Rhubarb and Plums