Happy Halloween

Halloween is not traditionally celebrated in Australia, although in recent years it is becoming more popular.

Around these parts I have been having a little fun sculpturing cakes. Halloween seemed like a great opportunity to try my hand a making a Jack `o Lantern cake.  This was my first attempt at a pumpkin cake, so very pleased with the result.

The cake is a chocolate mud cake with layers of raspberry jam and dark chocolate ganache. As in a previous post the chocolate mud cake is the perfect cake for sculpturing.

The J 'o L found a really good home at the office of Mr T&T and was in good company.

Even if I say so myself, the cake was moist and delicious.  I think the reason people like the mud cake is that it is not sweet, maybe because of the dark chocolate ganache.

Wishing all, who celebrate Halloween a safe and Happy Halloween.

True Blue

Well, the lamington has to be one of the quintessential true blue Aussie desserts/cakes.

There are a few stories as to how the humble but delicious lamington was developed.

The story below, as told to me by a friend. ( more information on Google. )
                                         
Lord Lamington who was the Governor of Queensland from 1896 to 1901 had in his employment, a cook who accidentally dropped the sponge into a chocolate mix.  I am sure as any adventurous cook in the kitchen would do, is to come up with a plan.  Who would possibly want to waste a delicious chocolate soaked vanilla sponge cake, a dousing of coconut was added and the lamington was born. How it became to be named the lamington is up for debate, either being named after Lord or Lady Lamington.

The lamington comes in different shapes, such as a roulade or as a cake filled with fresh cream and raspberry jam / jelly. " Oh, be still my beating heart ! "

Traditionally the lamington is a vanilla sponge with a chocolate dipping sauce and coated in desiccated  coconut.

Another variation is the sponge being dipped in an 'almost set' jelly/ jello mix before being rolled in coconut.

For Australia Day next year,  I think I may try a lemon myrtle flavoured lamington. Lemon myrtle is a native Australia herb which has to be one of my absolute favourite . ( Especially good in cheesecake. )

At Casa T & T the preference is for a chocolate sponge dipped in the chocolate sauce before being rolled in the coconut / cocoa mix.  For a seriously good dessert serve with a scoop of ice cream.
    
                                Ingredients weighed out and really to go.  
                                             

       
                                Cream butter and sugar add eggs followed by dry and
                                wet ingredients.

                                Pour into a lined rectangle cake tin.
                                   

                                Bake at 180 degrees Celsius for about 40 minutes.
                                         

                           
                                Cut into 2.5 cm or 1 inch squares    
   

                              For the dipping sauce combine icing sugar, cocoa powder water and butter.

                               Drop a sponge square into the chocolate sauce, make sure the

                               cake is well coated.

                               Roll around in the coconut / cocoa powder mix.

                               Line the beauties on a cooling rack, place in fridge to set.

                                Serve with a cup of tea, utterly scrumptious !

You had, what in your soup !

My late maternal Grandmother used to raise chickens.  When they were ready for the soup pot, my siblings and cousins A and J would try their best to catch them.  Secretly I was afraid of chasing them, too much of a princess perhaps ?

From the doorway of the kitchen I remember watching my grandmother and her housekeeper U clean the chickens.  After the chicken had been cleaned and the feathers plucked from their plump bodies, a bowl with mentholated spirits would be lit.  The chicken would be passed through the dancing blue flame to singe off all the tiny feathers.

In an outside room there was a large chest freezer. I have a memory of opening the freezer and seeing the cleaned chickens at the bottom of the freezer. The image below is of a rubber chicken and a real representation of my memory.

                                                              ( Image source: Google )
                                                                  www.caufields.com
                                                                  

One tasty morsel that we as children fought over were the eggs, beautiful golden balls of deliciousness.  One thing that made me feel really special is when my Grandmother would quietly call me into the kitchen and be given a few eggs to eat.

A friend recently asked me what the eggs looked like.  The only way I could describe them was it looks like a bunch of grapes.  As I only remember what they looked liked cooked, I got my trusty assistant Ms Google to a little research.  Oh, my goodness not a pretty sight, they sure taste better than they look. Mr T&T almost gagged when I showed him the image.

Recently I watch a program by renowned British chef Rick Stein called from Venice to Istanbul.  In one segment he is visiting Croatia ( correct me if I am wrong ) with a  local chef cooking a traditional chicken dish.  Among the deliciously cooked chicken in the dish Rick spots a yellow " ball " which he thought was a kumquat, turns out to be a chicken egg.  I was soo excited I had to show Mr T&T he still was not impressed.

We are now so familiar with Asian cuisine, that it does not seem shocking at all to walk past a Chinese supermarket or restaurant and see roasted ducks displayed in the front window.

Chicken soup served to us up by my late Grandmother yielded many delicious treats such as the head of the chicken, the livers were reserved solely for my Mother.  The chicken heart was reserved for my cousin J, the feet did not appeal to me too gelatinous.  But, it was the chicken eggs that were the most fought over, hence feeling very privileged by the sneaky egg given to me by my Grandmother.

So many wonderful memories attached to a simple chicken soup observed from the entrance to the kitchen. From being outside watching my siblings and cousins running up and down the chicken enclosure trying to catch the chickens. To my Grandmother and her housekeeper U cleaning the chickens and running them through the dancing blue flame.  Lesson learnt from my Grandmother and Mother is that food is more than nourishment it means I care.  My Mother and I have been chatting about the recipe and what her mother told her, I am going to try and recreate the soup. Wish me luck.

Sadly, I did not always appreciate the soup.  I was 14 years old when my Grandmother passed away, way too soon for me to learn more from her.  My heart at times feels heavy with sadness at her passing.  I now think that it is heavy with her memories of great food, bread and couscous making from scratch ( I might add ) Most of all lots of laughter and that, surely  must be a good thing.

If only one more bowl...