Things making me stop, look and think this week

Posted on May 23, 2013 by

You might think, from the dates of the articles or links provided, that I have been preparing these in advance.  You would be correct as I’m currently in Paris.

  • John Howard was not my favourite of Australian Prime Ministers (to put it mildly) but one of his legacies is the introduction of stricter gun controls and a buy back scheme in the wake of the Port Arthur Massacre.  With the recent debates of gun legislation in the US, the Daily Show’s John Oliver interviewed the former PM as part of a broader story.  Hilarious and informative. Whoopdy do.
  • Sofia Coppola is back on my radar with her latest movie The Bling Ring.  I find her to be hit (The Virgin Suicides, Lost in Translation) and miss (Somewhere) but she does do spoilt youth well, so this could be interesting.
  • Again with the movies – how great is this tumblr showing movie stills and their corresponding colour palettes? I’ve seen a few Wes Anderson colour palettes on Pinterest but this takes it to the next level.  Fab.
  • Another one of the blogs that makes my regular reading list is Selective Potential.  I have a major hair crush on Tieka, it is so beautiful. The clothes are sometimes a bit young and girly for me but the photography is lovely.  It’s a blog that gives peeks into the ‘real life’ of the blogger too, which sometimes makes you feel a bit intrusive.  It’s digital Rear Window.
  • These stop motion videos of Melbourne and Sydney by Nathan Kasso on Vimeo are enchanting.  A must watch.
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A birthday meal or shadow dinner party #3

Posted on May 20, 2013 by

By now those who have been reading regularly will know I made a New Year’s resolution to host ten dinner parties in 2013.  I will admit it is proving harder than expected, not in the planning or cooking, but in the selection and arrival of guests.  While Dinner Party #1 and Dinner Party #2 went off without a hitch, Dinner Party #3 was cancelled at short notice.  I attempted a second, smaller, version the following week only to have Sydney’s sometimes horrific weather to lead to this being abandoned as well.

As we were heading overseas (where we are now, you can read about it here) I wanted to use the very, very good produce before we left and given it was my husband’s birthday I had an excuse for decadence.

So while I was hosting no one other than the regular residents of our apartment (human and canine) it was still a special meal.

We started with the king of all meats: the standing rib roast.  Supplied from the amazing Hudsons it was pretty spectacular.  Even uncooked it smelt fantastic (I refrained from licking it.)  Cooking was limited to rubbing the room temperature meat with a salt, thyme and olive oil rub and throwing it in the oven.  20 minutes at 220 degrees and 45 at 180, for a 2.5kg roast.  Internal temperature was at around 40 degrees when I left it to rest for 30 minutes.  Slicing showed it was cooked exactly the way we wanted with a lovely salty crust.  Beautiful.  I served it with rich mash potato (thermomix made) and green beans.  A cabernet on the side and dinner was served.

Rib RoastFor dessert Taxman requested a favourite, Eton Mess.  It is a great dessert, easy to make, multiple variations available and with the ability to prepare earlier.

I used a meringue recipe from Gourmet Traveller and while they were not white (no vinegar) they were the lightest, squishiest meringues.

  • 3 egg whites
  • 100g caster sugar
  • 100g icing sugar
  • 15g corn flour

Beat the egg whites to stiff peaks using a hand held beater or Kitchenaid. Add the caster sugar and beat until glossy, about 3 minutes.  Sift in icing sugar and corn flour and fold through.

Bake on paper for 40-45 minutes in a 120 degree preheated oven.  Leave in the oven after it is tuned off. (But remember to take them out again before preheating the oven for the roast, something I neglected to do.)

MeringueEarlier in the day I sliced up a punnet of strawberries and dusted them with white sugar and about 2 tablespoons of balsamic vinegar, leaving them to sit for a few hours.

To serve I mixed the meringue with strawberries and 150m whipped cream in layers in a glass. (Again demonstrating that plating is not my speciality.)  Taste, however, is all good.

Eton Mess

 

So it was a happy birthday and a mighty fine feed, even if we were alone.

 

 

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Because Sydney

Posted on May 17, 2013 by

We’re on the way from Paris to London today. Here’s what we’re missing.

Sydney

Sydney 2

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“Healthy” muffins

Posted on May 14, 2013 by

I don’t do cupcakes.  I find that many cupcakes are just average cake tarted up with fancy icing.  And I don’t really love cake.

Similarly, I find most muffins are cakes with another name.  Adding fruit pieces does not make a cake healthy (and while people would shrink from eating a cupcake for breakfast they have no problems with a muffin.)  However, when I was in University I spent a couple of years working in a cake shop. Very old school stuff, vanilla slices and sponges.  It was fun.  On a Saturday afternoon we’d clear out unsold items and often take bags and bags of them home.  Again, it was fun.  The muffins they made were hearty, almost nutty, and not at all cake like.  Fabulous.

Muffins

One day during my pre-Paris unemployed phase (remember we’re swanning around France right now, you can read about it here) I got a baking craving.  After reading one of my favourite food porn sites, the Pastry Affair, I set out to make their Peanut Butter and Jelly muffins.

I stuck relatively close to the recipe, aside from two changes.  Firstly I ended up using three different jams (two raspberry and an apricot) because I hadn’t bothered to check if I had enough.  Secondly, I swapped the wholemeal flour for buckwheat flour, because a) that’s what I had and b) I like the nuttiness of it.

Muffins raw

The result – maybe not for everyone, there is a distinct “healthy” taste to them you get from the flaxseed.  But I think they were amazing, moist, sweet but not overly so and definitely not cake.

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Photography course part 2

Posted on May 9, 2013 by

Lat month I spent a day shooting around Sydney as part of a one day essentials photography course.  Read about it here. These are the second lot of shots from that day.

flower 2The x100s is great for detail shots with depth of field.  Flowers look great.  Boring, but great.

Flower 3I also loved some of the portraits we took over the day. Amy was one of the most happy, enthusiastic people I’ve ever met.  She made the day joyous.

AmyWe took the below shot at Sydney’s most popular wedding photography location, in the Rocks.

SarahLastly, we snuck into Customs House to play in the stairwell. I love how it looks like an igloo.

Detail Library

So while I have a long, long way to go photography wise, I feel I’ve made a start in improving my images.  I’d highly recommend getting out and learning how to switch away from auto mode.

 

 

 

 

 

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The new edamame

Posted on May 7, 2013 by

(A reminder that we’re actually in Paris right now, and you can follow our adventures here.)

Discovering edamame was a revelation. I honestly cannot get enough of them.  Best thing ever. With chilli, salt and garlic. Amazing.

Recently I was reading The Londoner, which can sometimes annoy me but I continue to read anyhow, and came across this quick recipe post for “skinny popcorn.” An excellent and simple recipe, only improved (in my view) by the addition of chilli.

edamame raw

Take some shelled edamame and sprinkle generously with grated parmesan and chilli flakes. bake in a 180 degree oven for 10-15 minutes.  Eat.  In my case I sat and ate them all before Taxman even got a look in.

edamame cooked

 

 

 

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Things making me stop, look and think this week

Posted on May 3, 2013 by

Being off work for a few weeks I have had quite a lot of blog content, so I’ve been saving this. But here’s what has been stimulating the mind recently.

Note: we’re in Paris right now (not bragging I promise) so you can follow our exploits at Taxman & Pear take Paris.

  • The most recent Kaldor Public Art Project was 13 Rooms.  I was underwhelmed and a bit grumpy after seeing it, as it contained nudity.  Nudity I’m fine with, but why does ‘nudity’ always mean FEMALE nudity?  Though I did like Xu Zhen, In Just a Blink of an Eye 2005.  I also got a kick out of the Damien Hirst room, more because of the twin girls who got stuck into an audience member.  He asked them if they shared boyfriends, and apparently that is a question that men ask a LOT.  They decimated him, and the audience got quite a show. Go twin power.
Xu Zhen - In Just a Blink of an Eye 2005

Xu Zhen – In the Blink of an Eye 2005

  • Just before we left we visited The Sardine Room in Potts Point.  Now this isn’t really a plug for an article to read, but if you live and Sydney and eat then you need to go there NOW.  Best seafood I’ve had in forever.
  • By now everyone has probably seen this clip, the Dove video on body image.  Sure it’s an ad, and yes it pushes every emotional button, but it still works.
  • Jon Hamm on Sesame Street explaining sculpture….SQUEEE.
  • I mention in my photography course posts how I got a childlike joy shooting waterfalls.  This is what I want to do next.
  • I’ve recently read How Music Works by David Byrne.  This is a beautiful book, one that cannot (CANNOT) be read on an ereader. The design is gorgeous.  It is also a fascinating look at the music industry and performance, from a unique perspective.  Love.  (And buy from Oscar & Friends not Amazon please.)
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