lemon and olive oil muffins

Lemon and olive oil muffins with a super easy one-bowl recipe.

It feels like a long, long time since I last baked.

After this extended absence from baking adventures, I am happy with how these lemon and olive oil muffins turned out, especially considering that they required only six ingredients to make. I haven't lost my touch! And, even more impressively (if I do say so myself), I made these delightfully simple lemon muffins without a mixing bowl, a spatula, or a muffin pan - tools that are lacking at my current sharehouse. In lieu of the aforementioned proper baking equipment, I used a cooking pot and a regular spoon to mix the batter, and doubled up on paper muffin cases to keep them sturdy, and it worked! Not bad, huh?

With a gentle slosh of delicate olive oil, and a light hand with raw sugar, these naturally dairy-free lemon muffins aren't what you'd call indulgent, but while I was worried that they may be too modest at first bite, I ended up being charmed, and before I knew it, I'd eaten three in one afternoon (the other two went to my housemates, and I managed to save one for the next day). Suffice to say the recipe is great for me as it is, but if you prefer your muffins a little bit sweeter, feel free to up the ante with an extra tablespoon of sugar.

lemon and olive oil muffins
(this recipe makes 6, feel free to double the recipe to make 12!)

1 cup self-raising flour
1/3 cup raw sugar
1 extra-large egg
1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil (use a mild olive oil or lemon infused olive oil)
1/4 cup lemon juice
1/2 tablespoon lemon zest

Preheat oven to 180C/355F fan-forced (200C/390F regular).
Thoroughly mix self-raising flour and raw sugar together in a bowl, and create a well in the centre.
Add egg, extra virgin olive oil, lemon juice and lemon zest into the middle of the bowl, and gently stir to create a thick batter, taking care not to overmix.
Transfer the batter into 6 muffin cups.
Bake for 20 to 25 minutes until the muffins develop an enticing golden brown crust.
Allow your lovely lemon muffins to cool at least slightly before enjoying them!

Cross section of olive oil and lemon muffins.

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zingy coconut and lime macaroons

Zingy coconut and lime macaroons on a platter.

There are many coconut macaroon recipes on the Internet, and here I am, adding one more to the fray. These coconut and lime macaroons came about because I wanted to make something that feels light in both texture and taste, something that's not too sweet. Something that may, perhaps, surprise you with its charm.

Lime juice and lime zest in coconut macaroons makes them nice and tangy!

I use unsweetened shredded coconut along with a modest amount of sugar, and incorporate lime juice and lime zest to give the coconut macaroons some extra zing. I also bind the shredded coconut with a fairly minimal amount of egg white. This did make them slightly challenging to assemble, and I was wondering if the mixture would come together at all, but the resulting bite-sized lime and coconut macaroons stayed intact in their construction, though you do need to handle them with care, as they might be a little fragile. They are also crisp and tangy, and pretty delicious, too!

Shape your lime and coconut macaroons into cute little domes, and bake them till they're golden brown and crunchy.

zingy coconut-lime macaroons
(makes approximately 22 dainty macaroons)

1 egg white
1/4 cup caster sugar / superfine sugar
2 teaspoons lime juice
1 teaspoon lime zest
1 pinch of salt
1 cup shredded coconut (unsweetened)

Whisk egg white, sugar, lime juice, lime zest and salt until the sugar completely dissolves and the mixture is foamy. Stir in shredded coconut and thoroughly mix everything together.

Set the oven to 140°C / 285°F fan-forced or 160°C / 320°F conventional.

Line baking sheets with baking paper. Stir the mixture thoroughly again, then drop heaped teaspoonfuls of the coconut mixture onto the baking sheet and shape each dollop into little domes.
(These coconut macaroons don't spread so you don't have to leave much space in between, though some space helps when you're shaping each portion on the baking sheet. I left about 2 - 3 centimetres or 1 inch space in between each macaroon.)
Bake the macaroons for 15 - 20 minutes or until they develop a crisp, golden appearance and the bottoms are dry.
Allow your coconut and lime macaroons to cool completely before storing them. They should keep in an airtight container at room temperature or in the refrigerator for at least a few days.

These coconut and lime macaroons taste so light, they'll be all gone before you know it!

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amazingly crunchy maple carob quinoa granola cereal

Amazingly crunchy maple carob quinoa granola cereal.

When I say amazingly crunchy, that is exactly what I mean.

These baked maple carob quinoa clusters were this crunchy: even after casting them into a bowl of milk, and spending a few too many minutes angling for the right pictures, they didn't turn soggy. There was simply no quiet way in which I could enjoy them, and my sister commented on the shattering sounds as I chomped on them merrily - it was like a scene out of a breakfast cereal commercial.

Oh, and this happens to be another one of my eczema-friendly recipe creations based on The Eczema Diet that my sister has been using as a guidance. But don't let that put you off if you're not into special diets - this maple carob quinoa granola cereal is awesome for anyone who likes a sweet, malty, crunchy snack.

The amazingly crunchy maple carob quinoa cereal retains its crunch, even in milk!

This is kind of like a clustered, gluten-free, allergy-friendly version of cocoa breakfast cereal. Sweet enough to be like dessert (can also add to ice cream, yoghurt, fruit etc) or have with milk (non-dairy if required) for breakfast or brunch, or by itself as a snack. I made it nut-free for my sister, in accordance to the eczema diet - however, you can add more ingredients to it if you like, nuts or dried fruits could be nice additions.

amazingly crunchy maple carob quinoa granola cereal
(makes a small portion, enough for 2 - 3 breakfasts with milk, feel free to multiply the recipe)

1/2 cup quinoa flakes
1/8 cup roasted carob powder
1/8 cup maple syrup
1 teaspoon rice bran oil
1 pinch of salt (optional)

Preheat oven to 140ºC (285ºF) fan-forced or 160ºC (320ºF) conventional.
Mix quinoa flakes and roasted carob powder together.
Mix maple syrup and rice bran oil together (with salt as well, if using), then add it to the quinoa flakes. Stir around until the mixture clumps into clusters.
Line a baking tray with baking paper. Spread the maple carob quinoa clusters onto the tray in one layer, so that they don't overlap each other.
Bake in the middle rack for 20 - 25 minutes, giving it a stir to turn them around at the halfway mark to help them bake evenly.
Allow your maple carob quinoa granola cereal to cool completely to achieve the amazing crunchiness.
Crunch away!

If you want to store this granola-cereal for later consumption, make sure they are completely dry and cool, and then they should keep in an airtight container for up to a few weeks.
Also, if you would like to reduce the sweetness in the recipe, instead of using all maple syrup, try substituting half of it with rice syrup. As rice syrup is quite thick, you may need to add a fraction more oil to thin out this syrup concoction a little for better mixing results.

Close-up shot of the amazingly crunchy maple carob quinoa granola.

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matcha green tea shortbread with raspberry sugar

Green tea shortbread with raspberry sugar.

Season's greetings! It seems that it has become a bit of a blog tradition for me to put up a colourful recipe at the end of each year to match the celebratory Christmas atmosphere. (Click here and here for the creations from the last two Decembers.)

This year is no exception. Behold, my happy, glorious green tea cookies, made in a shortbread style, with lashings of matcha powder and raspberry sugar for that festive appearance.

Did I also mention that they are delicious? The earthy, mellow bitterness of matcha, the sweet crunch of sugar on top with just a hint of salt, the buttery texture that crumbles and melts in the mouth. I made this green tea shortbread a few months ago, for a friend's party, and I was so filled with joy when I got not one, not two, but three expressions of interest for the recipe, even from those who don't normally bake. To these lovely people I apologise, as I have only now posted this recipe, after finally trying it again to make sure it works properly. Better late than never, eh?

Naturally colourful green tea cookies for Christmas! Or anytime, really.

For the green tea / matcha shortbread:

210g flour (1.5 cups)
8g matcha / green tea powder (5 teaspoons)
pinch of salt
150g salted butter (5 oz)
55g icing sugar / confectioner's sugar / powdered sugar (1/2 cup)
1 egg yolk

For the raspberry sugar topping (optional):

1 egg white, beaten (you'll use much less than this, save the rest to make something else)
raspberry sugar, or raw sugar stained with raspberry juice
fancy flavoured salt or fleur de sel, if you have it

- - -

Mix flour, matcha and salt in a bowl. Set aside.

Vigorously beat butter and sugar together till they combine and take on a lighter, fluffier appearance. (If, like me, you take the manual approach and beat it by hand with a wooden spoon, feel free to sing "Beat It" for additional entertainment.) Add egg yolk, and gently beat again until mixed together.

Add the flour mix. Start off kneading it with the wooden spoon, but eventually move on to using your hands. It'll be quite a moist dough. Lovingly roll the dough into cylinders / logs of about 3.5cm (1.4 inch) diameter. Due to the fragility of the dough, I made 4 logs, as smaller logs are less likely to break.

Carefully wrap the dough logs with plastic wrap, and place in the freezer for 30 minutes.
Once the dough has done its time, retrieve from the freezer. Slice the logs into rounds of about 0.6cm (1/4 inch) thickness, and place on a tray lined with baking paper or foil.

Pre-heat the oven to 140°C / 285°F fan-forced (160°C / 320°F conventional).

If you would like to decorate your cookies as I have, brush the surface with a thin layer of egg white. Then scatter each piece of shortbread with just a few grains of fancy salt, if using (I allocated 3 - 5 grains of vanilla salt for each piece), and then a more generous sprinkling of raspberry sugar, or whatever pretty sugar you want to use. I bought my raspberry sugar, but you could perhaps try making your own, by rubbing a bit of raspberry juice through some sugar.

Place the tray of shortbread into the oven and let it bake for 16 - 18 minutes.

Remove from oven, allow the shortbread to cool, and enjoy! Also, merry Christmas! :)

Note - matcha (green tea powder) can vary in their potency. I've found that with a strong matcha, 6-7 grams / 4 teaspoons can be sufficient for this recipe, while a weak one will require 9-10 grams / 6 teaspoons. Therefore, unless you're already very familiar with your matcha and how much to use in recipes, I suggest trying this shortbread recipe with the recommended 8 grams / 5 teaspoons to start with, and with subsequent batches you can fine-tune your ideal amount.

A close-up cross-section shot of the green tea matcha shortbread cookie.

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oven-baked celeriac chips

Oven-baked celeriac chips.

Celeriac, the knobbly root vegetable with a labyrinth of wrinkles and tangled ends. It is often described as ugly, but I've always found it to be intriguing and full of character. Also often referred to as celery root, it comes from a special cultivar of celery that is grown specifically for the root, rather than the stalks.

Celeriac.

When I first tried raw celeriac, I found it reminiscent to some vegetables familiar to me in Asian cuisine, namely jicama and daikon. Others have described the taste of celeriac to be like a cross between potato and celery.

Meanwhile, my first experience of cooked celeriac was in a restaurant, in the form of a velvety celeriac puree, a silky mash that was at once simple, sensuous and comforting. Years later, the memory of that dish still stays with me.

So when I first bought celeriac, I decided to go with a similarly simple, warm, comforting route: oven-baked celeriac chips. More tender and less starchy compared to their potato cousins, these fat and chunky oven chips are a great introduction to cooking celeriac. It takes some patience while you wait for them to slowly roast in the oven, but it is so easy and you are eventually rewarded with tasty, addictive morsels with a gentle crispness on the outside and a silky juiciness on the inside.

Go on, try it!

Ready for roasting - celeriac tossed in seasoned olive oil.

oven-baked celeriac chips / roast celeriac
(makes 2 modest servings)

1 celeriac (approx. 600g, or 1.3 lb), peeled, flesh cut into 2cm / 3/4 inch thick
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 teaspoon sea salt flakes
1/4 teaspoon cracked black pepper

Prepare a big bowl of water with a splash of lime or lemon juice, or vinegar.
Peel celeriac, then chop into 1.5-2cm / 2/3-3/4 inch thick batons. Place the celeriac pieces into the bowl of acidulated water as you chop them, this keeps them fresh and happy.
When you're done with the chopping, drain and shake excess water off the celeriac in a colander.
Toss together the celeriac with olive oil, garlic, sea salt and cracked black pepper. Make sure it's well-mixed and that the celeriac is nicely coated - I like to give it a little massage as well to really rub the flavours in.
Bake at 200°C / 395°F fan-forced (220°C / 425°F conventional) for 40 - 50 minutes. Give them a flip and a stir halfway through. The time they need in the oven may vary, but basically you want them lusciously golden with browning edges.
These celeriac chips will crisp up a bit more after you remove them from the oven and let them cool a little, so give them some time to do their thing.
Feel free to sprinkle a bit more salt and black pepper to taste.

Other ideas: Next time, I might try it with chilli flakes instead of cracked black pepper!

Oven-roasted celeriac chips.

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blood orange and olive oil shortbread (vegan)

Blood orange and olive oil shortbread.

Several weeks ago, I made blood orange cookies to bring to a friend's dinner. I was very pleased with my efforts - they were crunchy citrus bites of joy, and unexpectedly wonderful for a first attempt at a tentatively drafted recipe.

I felt there could still be improvement, however, so the next time I tweaked it a little - and as a result, I baked a delightfully gourmet tray of blood orange shortbread, zestier, softer and crumblier than my first batch of cookies. Simon and his housemates were my taste-testers, and this version was the clear winner - not only by way of verbal confirmation, but also in the telling manner of how they disappeared even more swiftly, one after another, in quick succession. Encouraged, I'm sharing this recipe with you.

But wait, there's more! This is not your typical shortbread. In addition to the sensuous blood orange, it is also made with extra virgin olive oil, which imparts a light, lilting elegance that sings and twinkles and kisses. Yes, it's a vegan shortbread! - and one so beguiling, you can bake it to impress vegans and non-vegans alike. Or enjoy, sneakily, quietly, just by yourself.

The lush, dramatic appearance of a sliced blood orange.

Blood orange and olive oil dough, ready to go into the oven.

Blood oranges have a short season, so if they are not available, feel free to use regular oranges instead. It'll still be delicious!

blood orange and olive oil shortbread

1/8 cup blood orange juice (30ml)
1 tablespoon blood orange zest
1/4 cup olive oil (60ml)
1/2 cup icing sugar (55g) aka powdered/confectioner's sugar
1/8 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup flour (105g)
1/2 cup cornstarch (65g)

Combine blood orange juice, blood orange zest, olive oil, sugar, salt in a bowl. Whisk well.
Mix the flour and cornstarch together in a separate bowl.
Add in the flour mix to the liquid mix, and stir with a wooden spoon until you form a dough. Knead with your hands and divide into about 6 chunks. Roll each chunk into a ball, then into a log of about 3.5cm / 1.5" in diameter. This dough will be soft, oily and moist, making it quite difficult to shape - but do persevere!
Wrap up the logs in baking paper, and place them in the freezer for 45 minutes.
Retrieve the logs from the freezer and slice into pieces of about 0.6cm / 1/4" thickness.
Arrange the pieces on a baking tray lined with baking paper. They don't really spread out so you can put them close together, as long as you still allow for some breathing space.
Bake at 160C fan-forced (or 180C conventional) for 15 - 18 minutes, depending on how you like them. I am quite partial to a hint of toasty brown around the edges!

Good stuff... vegan blood orange shortbread, made with olive oil.

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mini vegan mandarin muffins / cakes

mini vegan mandarin muffins.

Last month, my workplace participated in Australia's Biggest Morning Tea. Here's the idea: we could choose to contribute by baking some treats to share with the office, or simply make a reasonable donation to partake in the delights. The funds we raise would all go to the Cancer Council.

It's a great cause, and of course, I decided to do both!

Mandarins are in season at the moment, and wonderfully cheap. If you go to the markets at the right time in winter, they can go for as low as 99 cents per kilogram. A total bargain. That, plus my love for all things citrus, soon brought me to the conclusion that mini vegan mandarin muffins were the obvious choice for this baking adventure.

So I whipped up about a dozen mini muffins the night before, and, of course, taste-tested them with Simon to make sure they were okay for feeding my colleagues. Our verdict was: most definitely. In fact, Simon was a little too enthusiastic about the tasting, and I had to shoo him away to protect my remaining muffins.

A few notes (and ramblings):

- I used the peel of one mandarin in this recipe, which suits me well, but if you really love the peel, you can probably use two mandarins' worth.

- The oven I used resulted in some muffins being browner on top than others. In my pictures of these muffins, the mandarin segments on top may look burnt, but they tasted perfectly fine, surprisingly. And I preferred their appearance to the paler ones, but taste-wise it was a much of a muchness.

- These are much lovelier, I feel, when they are still warm from the oven. I tried one the next day, and while it was still decent, it wasn't quite as alluring. They were just so addictive right after baking, with a little aromatic steam still wafting as you take a bite... so, yeah, eat them sooner rather than later, or, if they'd cooled down, perhaps heat them up in the oven again before serving.

- Also, sprinkling sugar to create crunchy tops was a fabulous idea. Because the tops were oh-so-crunchy. However, even though I cooled the muffins before storing them, they weren't quite as crunchy the next day. Any ideas on how I may improve on keeping them fresh? I guess, as per above, I could warm them up in the oven briefly again before serving.

- If you would like to turn these mini mandarin muffins into mini mandarin cakes, simply adjust the amount of sugar. 1/3 cup sugar makes them just mildly sweet, and reasonably healthy as muffins should be. If I am to transform them into mini cakes, I would probably go for 1/2 cup sugar, but it really depends on your personal preferences. I'm more of a not-too-sweet kinda girl.

- Being vegan, these muffins are naturally dairy-free and egg-free. They are also nut-free. You could potentially make them gluten-free, as well, using your favourite gluten-free flour mix substitute.

mini mandarin muffins, best eaten whilst still warm from the oven!

mini vegan mandarin muffins
(makes 12 mini muffins or cakes)

1.5 cups flour
1/3 - 1/2 cup raw sugar, plus more for sprinkling on top
1.5 teaspoons baking powder
4 small mandarins (5cm/2" diameter each, or 300g / 10.6oz total ± 15g / 0.5oz), plus more for decoration
1/3 cup olive oil
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup coconut milk

Preheat oven to 160C fan-forced (180C regular).
Combine flour, sugar and baking powder in a big bowl.
Prepare the mandarins. Remove the stem bits on top, and any seeds.
At this point, you want the flesh of 4 mandarins and the peel of 1 mandarin. Using a blender, blitz the mandarin flesh, mandarin peel, olive oil and salt until smooth. Stir through coconut milk.
Stir the mandarin mix into flour mix. Do not over-mix, a bit of lumpiness is fine. The batter will be very thick. This is fine, unless there are still streaks of flour, in which case just carefully add a little bit more coconut milk until it all comes together.
Divide the batter amongst 12 muffin wrappers slotted in a muffin tray. It'll probably only be enough to fill up halfway, hence the mini stature!
Top with a small mandarin segment and sprinkle evenly with a thin layer of sugar all over. (I also added a tiny bit of vanilla salt for kicks.)
Bake for 20 - 25 minutes until golden brown on top.

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easy cheesy spinach frittata (quick and simple)

Baked frittata. Easy, cheesy, spinachy.

Hello, frittata.

You're just so good, so easy. Delicious warm, but also cold. Suitable for all seasons: cool and convenient picnic fare for summer, warm and comforting at home in winter. I think I love you a little. Or a lot.

This can be as simple as anything. A bit of butter, a bit of garlic. Whisked eggs and yoghurt. Spinach and cheese. But of course, I can get fancy with you, too. I can stir in some basil, throw in some chopped sun-dried tomatoes. So many possibilities, so many variations of deliciousness.

I gleefully top you with cheese before putting you into the oven. Who doesn't like a cheesy crust, after all.

How my easy cheesy spinach frittata looked before it went into the oven. Just in case you're interested.

The hot oven worked its magic. You look nice, frittata. Oh yes, you do.

Easy cheesy spinach frittata, hot from the oven.

Cross-section of easy cheesy spinach frittata.

easy cheesy spinach frittata

1 tablespoon butter
1 clove garlic, minced
5 large eggs (around 55-60g/2oz each)
1 pinch salt, or to taste*
2 pinches black pepper, or to taste
1.5 cups baby spinach leaves, firmly packed
1/2 + 1/3 cup roughly grated/shredded cheddar, or other cheese*
1/4 cup sweet basil leaves (optional, but awesome)
1/4 cup sun-dried tomatoes, chopped (optional, but awesome)
1/4 cup unsweetened natural or greek yoghurt

Preheat oven to 220°C (425°F) fan-forced (200°C/390°F conventional).

In a 20cm/8" oven-safe pan, warm up the butter over low to medium heat and gently fry the garlic until soft and golden. Swirl to coat all inner surfaces of the pan with the melted butter, and spread out the garlic across the pan with a fork.

In a bowl, whisk eggs with salt and pepper until the whites and yolks blend together smoothly. Gradually trickle in yoghurt, whisking all the time. Stir through the spinach and 1/2 cup cheese, as well as the basil and sun-dried tomatoes, if using.

Pour the egg mixture into the pan. Scatter the top with the remaining 1/3 cup cheese. Bake in the preheated oven for approximately 15 minutes or a little longer, until a puffed golden with hints of brown.

Cool for at least 10 minutes before cutting. It will sink and shrink as it cools, and become easier to remove from the pan with time. Cut slices straight out from the pan, or if you're feeling brave, run a knife along the edges and flip it out. (Note: If attempting to do the latter, perhaps use more butter in the initial cooking process, and also wait longer for it to cool.)

Suitable for breakfast, brunch, lunch, dinner, snacks, picnics, anytime really!

* I've made this frittata with both roughly or finely grated cheese. I've tried it with different cheeses -  cheddar, grana padano, parmesan / parmigiano-reggiano and pecorino romano. I've found that with a very salty cheese like pecorino, there was no need to add salt at all.

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much ado about matcha... weekend baking adventures

Kitchen disasters. We've all had them.

But oh, the joy when you salvage the mess and rise from the ruins!

I don't usually post my creations when I don't have a recipe to go along with it, but I'm a bit more relaxed these days. Plus, I was actually quite proud of how I saved the day, so here we go. My only regret is that I didn't take a picture of how awful the batter looked at the beginning, which would make the results here look all the more impressive. Hey, we can't have everything.

It all started with an idea. Gluten-free buckwheat matcha cookies.

gluten-free buckwheat hazelnut matcha cookies.

When I have an idea, I like to draft out a recipe and then adjust it in the real world, adding and subtracting as I mix, knead and taste.

In this instance, I had underestimated the amount of buckwheat flour I needed... and not only that, I didn't have any more of it left in the pantry. The batter was neither liquid nor solid, and it was crazy sticky. Shaping or cutting it into cookies was out of the question. I made a makeshift piping bag by cutting a hole in a plastic sandwich bag, and forced in the batter. Bad idea. The consistency wasn't good for piping either. And the batter was so gluey, I now had trouble getting it out of my makeshift piping bag.

My typically trusty spatula looked dirty, tired and helpless. SO I DECIDED TO USE MY HANDS. Desperate times call for desperate measures, or rather, they drive you to insanity... I know that now. Feeling wretched and with gummy green goo all over my hands, I imagined I looked not unlike a forlorn swamp monster.

I still refused to throw the lot away. Organic buckwheat flour ain't cheap, y'all.

Thinking hard, I remembered the hazelnut meal I bought a few weeks ago. Oh, come here, my pretties, and rescue me from the mire of despair! I finally had a workable batter, which I rolled into balls, then pressed down with a fork on the baking sheet. Fifteen minutes later, we have these babies. Not bad, really.

Cross-section of gluten-free buckwheat hazelnut matcha cookies.

But wait, there's more!

At some point during these calamitous proceedings (it's all a blur to me now), and before the hazelnuts came sprinkling at me with heroic exultation, I had, in a moment of resignation, decided to go with the flow, as you do, stirring more cream into a small portion of the batter, and pouring it into a cupcake/muffin case. Amidst the confusion, I nearly forgot about this little cake-in-waiting, but spied it in the nick of time and it went into the oven with the cookies.

And this was the result.

gluten-free buckwheat matcha cake.

It looked alright. It tasted even better. I mean, it tasted really, really good. The cookies were not bad, but this mini cake, soft, moist, and rich, was seriously luscious.

I didn't share it with anyone. It was only tiny, after all...

cross-section of gluten-free buckwheat matcha cake.

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lime curd, filo pastry, vanilla salt... (or how a tiny portion of lime curd found meaning in its brief, glorious existence)

I whipped up this dessert a few months ago on the fly, one late weekend afternoon, and since then I had been sitting on this post in draft for ages. The combination of lime curd, filo pastry and vanilla salt was absolutely divine, but I put everything together quite carelessly - the presentation was shoddy and I only took a couple of photographs, both of which could've been better. I'm now moving past those quibbles. It tasted fabulous, after all.

This recipe came about as I had one lonely egg yolk in the fridge. I was at the beginning of a curd-crazy phase so it was a no-brainer. That egg yolk was to find a new home in a tangy lime curd. And then, and then - the lime curd found a lovely new home on a bed of filo pastry, and found itself bejewelled with little gems of vanilla salt... and found meaning in its brief, glorious existence.

lime curd spread on toasted olive oil filo pastry, sprinkled with tahitian vanilla salt.

a tiny, tiny serving of lime curd

1 egg yolk
1.5 - 2 tablespoons sugar, depending on how sweet you like it
2 tablespoons lime juice
1/4 teaspoon lime zest (optional)
1/2 tablespoon butter

Prepare a saucepan with about 3 - 4 centimetres (1.5 inches) water. Bring it to boil, then lower the heat to a gentler boil.
Whisk egg yolks, sugar, lime juice and zest (if using) together in a bowl until well combined. This bowl should be of a good size for fitting on top the saucepan so that it just hovers above the water.
Place the bowl on top of the simmering water. Stir constantly until the mixture thickens. Add butter and continue stirring and cooking until the butter is completely melted and becomes one with the mixture.
You'll know the curd is ready when it is thick enough to coat a spoon dipped into the mixture. Also remember that the curd will continue to thicken as it cools down.

After making the curd, I riffled through the freezer and found some frozen filo pastry (aka phyllo pastry). I broke off a few rectangular sections, brushed them lightly on both sides with olive oil, stacked them on top of each other and baked them in a moderately hot oven for several minutes till crisp and golden. The lime curd went on top of that. I then scoured the pantry and found some Tahitian vanilla salt that was just begging to be used, so those beguiling little crystals were scattered over. The vanilla salt was an impulse purchase at a shop, but you can easily make your own by mixing half a cup of salt with the seeds from a vanilla bean and storing it in a jar. Otherwise, some good quality salt will be nearly as good. Enjoy!

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gooey blueberry honey yoghurt cake

blueberry honey yoghurt cake with gooey, puddingy insides and a thick chewy bread-like crust.

Gooey cake, chewy crust.

This is what happens when you're feeling a little bit peckish on a Friday night and decide to just throw some ingredients together to see what happens. You're skeptical about the results, as it wasn't quite what you expected - but it grows on you, and the boyfriend comes back for seconds. So, somehow, you find yourself making it again on Saturday morning.

It's all about flour and yoghurt and honey and blueberries... coming together mysteriously to create this strangely quite delicious concoction.

soft and gooey blueberry yoghurt honey cake.

Crazy soft, moist, spongy insides are held together - just - with a bread-like frame.

This pudding-cake is best served while it's still snuggly-warm from the oven. Due to its unique texture, it's easiest to treat it like bread - just slice it with a serrated knife, then simply take it by the hand. If you're feeling extra decadent, though, you might pair it with a scoop of ice cream, and drizzle all over with, say, honey, maple syrup, caramel or butterscotch sauce.

P.S. I'm not sure I'm convinced by the chewy crust - I think I would probably prefer it crisp. But it seems to be a natural side effect that comes with the comfortingly gooey filling, so we'll roll with it!

P.P.S. Apologies for the depth of field in these photos, which doesn't capture the texture of the cake as well as I'd like. I was experimenting with Simon's DSLR camera, and clearly not very good at using it yet!

chewy, gooey cake with vanilla ice cream.

gooey blueberry honey yoghurt pudding-cake
(serves 2+)
(mini loaf pan dimensions: 18cm (l) x 10cm (w) x 5.5cm (h) exterior, 15cm x 8cm x 5.5cm interior.)

3/4 cup wholemeal flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/8 tsp salt
1/4 cup honey
1/4 cup water
1/2 cup plain natural or Greek yoghurt
1/2 cup blueberries

Preheat oven to 180°C/350°F fan-forced or 200°C/390°F conventional.
Mix wholemeal flour, baking powder and salt in a bowl, and make a well in the middle.
In another bowl, dissolve honey in water. Stir in yoghurt, then the blueberries.
Pour the liquid mixture into the well of the bowl with the dry ingredients, then stir a few times in the same direction until just combined.
Pour the pudding-cake batter into a greased mini loaf tin.
Bake in the oven for 35 - 40 minutes or until the crust is a deep golden brown.
Let the pudding-cake cool slightly for at least 5 minutes before running a butter knife around the edges and gently tipping it out. (Note - this pudding-cake will rise quite high but sink quite rapidly after being taken out of the oven, this is completely fine.)
Cut into thick slices with a serrated bread knife and serve while it's still super-warm for a hot gooey experience.

gooey blueberry honey yoghurt pudding-cake.

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earl grey pear muffins

cross-section of an earl grey pear muffin.

The beauty of making do with what you have, and using up stuff in the pantry, is the surprisingly fancy combinations this frugal activity can inspire. The following recipe is a result of putting two and two together: cheap beurre bosc pears from the market and earl grey tea bags nearing their expiration date. My baking adventures suddenly sound that much more sophisticated.

Exhibit A:

Simon: What're you baking?
Me: Earl grey pear muffins.
Simon: Sounds a bit pretentious, doesn't it?

I rest my case.

Forget about winning prestige points on the name alone, though, the muffins did actually live up to my expectations. The pears, delicately infused with a buttery earl grey broth, radiate with a warm complexity. Likewise, the batter takes in soft, sensual hints of the bergamot, black tea, and pear flavours, then diffuses them gently to the muffin-eater.

Oh, and just in case you were wondering, Simon couldn't get enough of my pretentious muffins.

Exhibit B:

Simon (taking a bite): So how many did you make?
Me: Six.
Simon: So that means I can have six muffins, right? Do I get six muffins?

Again, I rest my case.

with their russet-and-gold appearance, beurre bosc pears exude romance and charm.

earl grey pear muffins
(makes 6)

3 earl grey tea bags, or 3 teaspoons loose leaf earl grey tea
1/2 cup freshly boiled hot water
2 pears (300g / 2/3lb total ±5%) peeled, cored, and chopped into 1.5cm / 0.5 inch cubes
1/4 cup salted butter, plus more for greasing
1/2 cup plain flour
1/2 cup wholemeal flour
1/4 cup raw sugar
1.5 teaspoons baking powder

Pre-heat oven to 180°C (360°F) fan-forced, or 200°C (390°F) regular.
Steep earl grey tea in freshly boiled hot water for at least 5 minutes. Once they are thoroughly steeped, remove the tea. If using tea bags, diligently squeeze the bags so you get as much of the tea infusion as possible.
Simmer pear cubes with earl grey tea and butter over a low medium heat for 5 minutes or until just tender. Let it cool slightly.
Set aside half the pear cubes, and puree the remaining mixture of pear cubes, earl grey and melted butter.
Stir together pear cubes and buttery earl grey pear puree.
Place flour, sugar and baking powder in a bowl and make a well in the centre.
Pour the pear mixture into the centre of the bowl and stir gently a few times until the wet and dry ingredients just combine to create a thick batter.
Divide batter evenly amongst 6 lightly greased muffin cases.
Bake in the oven for approximately 25 minutes or until a light earthy brown.
Let the muffins cool slightly for about 10 minutes, then serve. They're best eaten warm.

If you have a very fine-textured whole-wheat flour like atta flour, feel free to substitute 1 cup in lieu of the 1/2 cup plain, 1/2 cup wholemeal mix.
Substitute butter with a vegan spread e.g. Nuttelex, Earth Balance etc. for vegan muffins.

earl grey pear muffins, warm from the oven.

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cinnamon apple muffin cake

Life has been hectic lately. Work, extracurricular activities and social commitments swirl madly through my days, and inevitably, some things fall by the wayside.

This blog post is one such example. I tend to write a rough draft of my recipe ideas first, then do the fine-tuning as I trial them in the kitchen, updating my notes as I go; a method that usually works well. For this particular blog post, however, all I could find was my original recipe draft, so I've had to piece that together with my memories of the afternoon to recollect the ingredients and steps I added along the way... so you can see how this could, in fact, turn out to be not a recipe for cinnamon apple muffin cake, but rather a recipe for disaster. However, with a bit of work, I'm pretty sure I've finally got this right. Yes!

Folding in the sweet, buttery, cinnamon-spiced apple cubes.

This cinnamon apple muffin cake is yet another one of my simple mini loaf creations. I created it especially for my friend Kelvin's housewarming party, where, to my delight, it was enthusiastically finished by the guests in no time at all.

The secret? I lovingly cooked the apple cubes in a lush, sigh-inducing mix of butter, sugar and cinnamon before folding them to the batter. Yeah, it was hard to go wrong from there onwards...

mini cinnamon apple muffin cake
(mini loaf pan dimensions: 18cm (l) x 10cm (w) x 5.5cm (h) exterior, 15 x 8 x 5.5cm interior.)

for the cake:

1 medium apple, peeled, cored, and chopped into 1.5cm/0.5 inch cubes
1/4 cup butter, plus more for greasing
1/3 cup sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 cup self raising flour (or 1 cup flour + 1.5 teaspoons baking powder)
1 large egg
1/3 cup milk
1/8 teaspoon salt

Pre-heat oven to 180C fan-forced, or 200C regular.
Simmer apple cubes, butter, sugar, cinnamon together over a low medium heat for 5 minutes or until just tender. Remove from heat and set aside to let it cool slightly.
Place self raising flour in a bowl and make a well in the centre.
In another bowl, lightly whisk egg, then add milk and salt. Continue whisking till well combined.
Pour eggy milk mixture into the centre of the bowl with the self-raising flour and stir through gently a few times until just combined.
Pour in the apple mixture. Again, stir until just combined, taking care not to overmix the batter.
Grease the loaf tin with butter. Pour the batter in and smooth the top.
Bake in the oven for approximately 30 minutes or until the crust is a lovely golden brown.
(Note: You may also bake the batter in muffin moulds, and if so, they should be done in 20 - 25 minutes.)
Remove from oven and cool on a rack for 10 minutes, then lightly run a knife along the edges of the tin and tip the cake out onto a serving plate.

for the cinnamon syrup glaze:

1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 tablespoons raw sugar
3 tablespoons water

Combine cinnamon, sugar and water in a saucepan and bring to a boil, stirring until all the sugar has dissolved, then simmer for another minute.
If you're planning on keeping this cinnamon apple muffin cake for later, brush cinnamon syrup liberally all over the cake and let it absorb before storing. Alternatively, if you're planning to eat the cake while it's still warm, just slice and serve with a drizzle of the syrup.

Enjoy!

my cinnamon apple muffin cake, waiting to be turned out, glazed, and enjoyed with friends...

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olive oil and grapefruit cake

I have been baking, and baking often ever since I discovered the joys of having a mini loaf pan.

What are the joys of having a mini loaf pan, you ask?

Well!

Firstly, it's cute.

Secondly, I can experiment to my heart's content without worrying about a massive waste of ingredients in the event of a failure.

Thirdly, it stops me from overeating.

Fourthly, baked goods always seem more delicious when you are left wanting more.

And if it wasn't for my mini loaf pan, I probably wouldn't have bothered baking this light and gentle olive oil and grapefruit cake, which would've been a shame, because it turned out to be a great success.

olive oil and grapefruit cake... a great little snack and lovely with a cup of tea.

The first good thing was seeing my cousin licking the leftover batter in the bowl as we waited for this olive oil and grapefruit cake to finish cooking in the oven.

The second good thing was smelling the cake as it rose and browned in the oven.

The third good thing was tipping the cake out, having it come off cleanly with a gentle thud, then feeling and hearing that gorgeous crackle of the crust as I sliced through it with a knife, sending crispy crumbs a-flying.

The fourth good thing was tasting it, sharing it with loved ones, and, yes... wishing there were more.

a soft, rustic olive oil and grapefruit cake with delicate citrus flavours...

mini olive oil and grapefruit teacake
(mini loaf pan dimensions: 18cm (l) x 10cm (w) x 5.5cm (h) exterior, 15 x 8 x 5.5cm interior.)

3/4 cup self raising flour
1/4 cup raw sugar
1 large egg
1/4 cup freshly squeezed grapefruit juice
1 teaspoon grapefruit zest
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 pinch salt

Preheat oven to 180C fan-forced (200 regular).
Combine self-raising flour and raw sugar in a bowl. Make a well in the centre. Set aside.
In another bowl, lightly whisk egg, then add grapefruit juice, zest, olive oil and salt. Continue whisking till well-mixed.
Pour the wet ingredients into the well of dry ingredients. Stir together until just combined - do not overmix.
Pour the batter into a greased mini loaf pan (or other mini cake pan) and bake in the oven for approximately 25 minutes or until it boasts a lovely tan.
Let the cake cool slightly for 10 minutes, then remove from pan, slice and enjoy the cake by itself or with a nice cup of tea.

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flourless almond mandarin ricotta cake

Winter has arrived in Melbourne, and what better way to celebrate it than with cheesecake? But not just any cheesecake. A light yet soothing gluten-free mandarin ricotta cheesecake, studded with almond slivers, perfect as an almost-guilt-free treat with a hot cup of tea on a lazy afternoon. Alternatively, you may prefer the indulgent route, and have it with stewed fruit and fresh cream or ice cream, perhaps with the finishing touch of a drizzle of honey or syrup...

baked almond and mandarin ricotta cake.

Alright, so some of my almonds look almost a little too brown, and some of my cake didn't quite extricate itself completely from the bottom of the loaf pan. No matter. It was still delicious, and I can assure you that this is a great dessert option if you're looking for something that's relatively healthy and not too heavy. The crumbly baked ricotta, infused with the delicate citrus perfume of mandarins and laced throughout with the nutty, aromatic crunch of toasted almonds is quite a delight. If you're keen on a richer version, I would suggest that you could experiment by adding a little butter or cream to the mix.

sweet, sweet ricotta: fruity, nutty, and ready to be baked in the oven...

mini flourless almond mandarin ricotta cake
(mini loaf pan dimensions: 18cm (l) x 10cm (w) x 5.5cm (h) exterior, 15 x 8 x 5.5cm interior.)
(serves 2 - 4)

1 cup ricotta (approx. 250g or a little less), drained of excess liquid
1 large to extra large egg (55 - 65g)
1 very small and preferably organic mandarin (approx. 5 cms/2 inches in diameter)
1/4 cup raw sugar
1/4 cup slivered almonds
a pinch of salt
oil or butter, for greasing/brushing

Toast slivered almonds by dry-frying them in a pan till golden brown, moving them around frequently to prevent them from burning. Set aside.

Preheat oven to 180°C/350°F fan forced (or 200°C/390°F normal).

Prepare a petite loaf pan by brushing the inside with oil or melted butter. You may also use ramekins or a mini cake pan, and I dare say it could work with cupcake or muffin trays as well.

Peel the mandarin and remove any seeds. Blend or process egg, mandarin peel, mandarin flesh, sugar and salt, then add to ricotta and combine well. Stir in toasted almond slivers. Pour into the greased loaf pan and smooth the surface of the mixture with the back of a spoon.

Bake in the oven for 50 minutes or until golden brown on top and firm to the touch. Let it cool for 10 minutes and then turn the loaf pan over onto a plate or chopping board. Tap it to release the baked ricotta cake.

Slice and serve immediately, or store in an airtight container. If for some ridiculous reason you can't devour this lovely flourless cake the same day you make it, it will keep in the fridge for a few days.

I particularly adore this ricotta cake when it's still warm and moist after emerging from the oven, though it also tends to be more fragile at this time. But honestly, do I really care if my freshly baked ricotta falls apart a little when I'm shoving it into my mouth? No. I'm too busy shoving it into my mouth...

warm, freshly baked mandarin almond ricotta cake, sliced and ready to be consumed.

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balsamic portobello mushroom burger with bocconcini cheese, fried egg, lettuce and tomato

Why, hello, handsome.

I know there are plenty of you out there who simply refuse to believe in vegetarian burgers. But just bear with me for a moment. As a huge mushroom enthusiast, I want to share my joy with you in regards to my unprecedented mushroom burger success this weekend.

Portobello mushrooms. Also known as portabella mushrooms or field mushrooms. And very delicious.

The burger I am about to introduce is a juicy, sexy ol' hunk of mushroomy goodness, dewy with a lush balsamic vinegar dressing that winks with the piquancy of crushed garlic, shallot and herbs. The bocconcini exudes a creamy self-assurance, while the fried egg brings a little attitude. And ever so reliably, lettuce, tomato and crusty bread brings the whole package together. Yes. Yes, I think I'm in love.

Portobello mushroom marinating in a tangy dressing made with balsamic vinegar, olive oil, garlic and shallot.

balsamic portobello mushroom and bocconcini burger with fried egg, lettuce and tomato (makes 2)

2 large field/portobello mushrooms, stems trimmed
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 clove garlic, chopped
1 shallot, chopped
8 baby bocconcini or 2 regular bocconcini, thickly sliced (may be substituted with other melting cheese)
a few lettuce leaves (I used green oak lettuce; spinach or rocket/arugula will also work well)
a few tomato slices
sea salt, black pepper and dried or fresh herbs (e.g. parsley, thyme, etc.) to taste
2 eggs
4 slices of toasted crusty bread

- Combine garlic, shallot, balsamic vinegar, olive oil and a liberal pinch each of sea salt, black pepper and herbs in a mortar. Grind, pound and mix well with the pestle to create a marinade and brush or drizzle this mixture generously over the portobello mushrooms. Let it sit for 15 minutes.
- In a bowl, toss lettuce leaves and tomato together in any leftover marinade and set aside.
- Preheat the oven to 180°C/360°F fan-forced (200°C/390°F conventional).
- Place the marinated portobello mushrooms gills side up in the oven and bake for 10-15 minutes.
- While you wait for the mushrooms to cook, fry the eggs to your liking, keeping each one separate, and season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Scatter bocconcini slices on top of the mushrooms and bake for another 3 minutes or until the cheese is just melted. Retrieve mushrooms from oven.
- To assemble each burger, layer lettuce leaves, one mushroom (cheese side up), a slice or two of tomato, one fried egg and more lettuce on a piece of bread, and top off with another piece of bread.
- Enjoy with wild abandon, casting aside all unreasonable thoughts of maintaining any sense of decorum.

Bocconcini mushroom burger with fried egg, lettuce and tomato.

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mochi milk cookies / biscuits

mochi milk cookie

Mochi milk cookies? Why not! I recently found out about CSR Sugar's Bake a Difference donation drive from Jeroxie. (Click on the cupcake if you want to join in or find out more!) It really gave me a good push to get around to testing out this cookie idea that I had been toying with lately.

From the CSR Bake a Difference website:

Every year, the lives of thousands of disadvantaged Australians are transformed by the support of Mission Australia. This Christmas, please join with CSR Sugar to give others a fair go by baking gifts for your loved ones, friends and co-workers and donate the money saved from buying presents to Mission Australia. In return, CSR Sugar will match your donation, dollar for dollar, up to a total of $100,000.

I didn't know what I should call these cookies at first. Actually, we call them biscuits/bickies here, but I think many of my readers are from North America, and identify these as cookies. So cookies it shall be. Milk cookies? Shortbread cookies? Sugar cookies? I finally christened them mochi milk cookies, because that sounds like a cute and appealing name (to me, at least). They also happen to be gluten-free and egg-free!

mochi milk cookie dough

It all started with the glutinous rice flour I have left over from when I made my lavender tang yuan. Every time I opened the cupboard, I felt like it was imploring me to use it up. Alright then. I had not baked cookies in ages, so one fine Friday (my favourite day off work for my cooking adventures) I set about making my mochi milk cookies with that guilt-tripping glutinous rice flour. The eggless thing was not actually intentional; I was planning to make the cookies with eggs. But there was only one left in the fridge, and it belonged to Simon's housemate. I might have borrowed if there were still a few left, but it didn't feel right taking the last one. I couldn't be bothered leaving the house just to get eggs - an egg-free recipe was thus born!

I'm sure there is room for improvement, but for now, here is my simple gluten-free and egg-free mochi milk cookie recipe for a small test batch of approximately 20 cookies. P.S. - with Christmas just round the corner, I made them with angel and star cookie cutters to get into the festive spirit!

before baking

mochi milk cookies / biscuits

1/2 cup glutinous rice flour + 2 tablespoons
1/8 cup butter
1/4 cup full cream instant milk powder
1/4 cup caster sugar + 1.5 tablespoons
1/4 cup water
pinch of salt

- Set aside 1/2 cup glutinous rice flour in a bowl.

- Put 1/8 cup butter, 1/4 cup full cream instant milk powder, 1/4 cup caster sugar, 1/4 cup water and a pinch of salt in a saucepan. Bring to boil, then turn down to a simmer, stirring.

- When all ingredients have thoroughly dissolved, pour the thick golden liquid into the bowl with the glutinous rice flour. Mix it up with a wooden spoon.

- At this point, things may still be looking a bit gluggy. Not to worry, just add more of the dry ingredients. In my case, I combined 2 tablespoons of glutinous rice flour and 1 and a half tablespoons of caster sugar, and mixed that in.

- This should form a workable dough that is soft and moist with a hint of oiliness. You can chill it for awhile if you like but I didn't and they still turned out fine. Shhh, I'm breaking all the rules.

- Roll dough out on lightly floured surface. Cut out shapes with cookie cutters and place on lined trays.

- Bake at 180C/350F for about 10 minutes or until edges start to brown. Remove from oven.

- You can decorate these cookies if you like.

Note: Aim for a dough that is smooth, soft and workable - it doesn't matter if the ingredient amounts don't match up exactly with my recipe.

team crunchy...                                                                                                                                              or team chewy?

Since many people can be quite particular about how they like their cookies, I feel the need to note that the texture of these mochi cookies will probably be quite different to what most are used to, though those of you familiar with glutinous rice flour will have some idea of what you'll be getting into! However, you can play with baking times, temperatures and the thickness of the cookies to create rather different outcomes.

I baked them all together at the same time and temperature, but made the cookies in varying degrees of thickness. The thicker ones came out more mochi-like with a moist, dense and chewy texture. The thinner ones turned out hard, dry and crunchy like biscotti. Quite a contrast!

While I don't know if these cookies are for everyone, I am intrigued enough to experiment more with the concept, plus they were well-received by Simon and his housemates, which is always nice! I also found that I really liked them with English Breakfast tea. No need to add milk or sugar, just have the tea plain with these cookies! One bite of cookie, one sip of tea... mmmmmm, contentment.

sweet milk cookies + English breakfast tea = fabulous flavour match!

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