September 2009
Monthly ArchivesRuth Reichl’s Boeuf À La Bourguignonne from ‘Tender at the Bone: Growing up at the Table’
As promised, here is the Boeuf A La Bourguignonne recipe – rich, hearty and full bodied. This is ‘the one’s’ favourite for a cold, wintery night. I have to admit I was a little nervous about leaving the meat to marinate for two whole days. I followed the recipe to the ‘T’ and it turned out perfectly. This recipe is sourced directly from Ruth Reichl’s Book - Tender at the Bone: Growing up at the Table. Ingredients 3 cups of red … Continue Reading
Reviewing Ruth Reichl
I love the way Ruth Reichl writes. I have pored over all of her books starting with “Garlic and Sapphires” – a humorous memoir of her time as a restaurant critic for The New York Times. Reichl is adamant she become the voice of everyday people and therefore goes to great lengths to make sure she is treated the same. No preferential treatment allowed. She enlists the help of Claudia Banks, a retired acting coach, to help her create ‘personas’ to disguise the fact that she is a restaurant critic. These ‘personas’ actually have names, outfits, wigs and makeup but … Continue Reading
Poisson en Papillote with Mango Avocado Salsa
With such a busy household, I always like to have a speedy, yet healthy, recipe on hand for dinner. This is one such recipe. The thing I love about this recipe, apart from being speedy and healthy, is that there are many variations. So you can add flavours as you see fit to suit your tastebuds at the time. You can also use any soft white fish fillets as the parchment holds in the moisture and protects the delicate flesh. Keep in mind that the fillets are steaming, not poaching, so add liquid sparingly. Halibut, Cod, Sole, even Bream … Continue Reading
Classic Sponge Cake
With girlfriends coming, I wanted to put on an elegant but simple afternoon tea. What to make to impress, taste wonderful but be simple to make? The answer: Classic sponge cake! A few people have commented that they find sponges difficult. This is an easy recipe to follow and the results are terrific. A few tips when making: sift the flour three times to make sure it is super fine, make sure your eggs are room-temperature and when adding the sugar, keep beating after each addition until you cannot feel the sugar grains when you rub the mixture between … Continue Reading
Chocolate Pavlova Stack
Australians have a penchant for Pavlova. Most of us enjoyed them regularly in our childhoods. I know I certainly did. For ‘the one’ with his sweet tooth, Pavlova is a favoured dessert for any occasion. If you then add chocolate to the equation, this becomes a dessert to lust after. Chocolatey, gooey softness in the centre and crackly crunchiness on the outside combined with the smooth creams and fruit – you are tasting heaven. If you make the pavlova discs a day ahead and store them in an airtight container, you can then assemble about an hour prior to serving. … Continue Reading
Pretty Vanilla Cupcakes with Rosewater Icing
Last week was middle daughter ‘lil’un’s birthday, even though I suppose turning 19 years old is not considered to be so little anymore. Still, a very special occasion none the less. We had the obligatory birthday dinner with the entire gang. Birthday dinners turn out to be quite large affairs in our house and it is important that the birthday girl feel special. Therefore, there needs to be a deal of planning. I am not known for doing things half-hearted and like to go with a colour scheme that is appropriate for that person. I wanted, for this particular birthday, something pretty and … Continue Reading
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