An Apple Cake for the Afternoon

There's nothing quite like settling down to a cup of tea at 3 in the afternoon with a wee slice of cake. Afternoon tea is an incredibly English institution (nothing wrong with that) which I've taken into my own hands. Here is a recipe adapted from The Real Food Companion by Matthew Evans a.k.a. The Gourmet Farmer. The result is a deliciously moist cake with a fine crumb that you don't have to do the hard yards for i.e. my kind of recipe. Enjoy this one, especially as the days get cooler.

"Just a small slice": the best thing about this cake is certainly the apples. Cut into generous cubes, they are the star of the show here. Land yourself some apples from you local farmer's markets, the growers can advise you on which are best to use

Ingredientsss

1kg cooking apples, peeled, cored and cut into 1.5cm dice

200g raw sugar

2 eggs, lightly beaten

A few drops of vanilla extract

125ml extra virgin olive oil

200g walnuts, roughly chopped

250g self-raising flour

1.5 tspn ground cinnamon

A pinch of salt

Method

1. Preheat oven to 180 degrees, grease and line a round 28cm cake tin (I've used a loaf tin out of convenience)

2. Mix apples in a bowl with sugar, egg, vanilla, oils and walnuts

3. Sift in flour, cinnamon and salt and stir

4. Pour the mixture into the tin and bake for ~45 minutes

5. Allow the cake to cool in the tin for 5 minutes until turning onto a wire rack to continue cooling

6. Serve that baby up!

Don't be alarmed by the apple to cake batter ratio, it does seem like an awful lot of fruit to be baking in there. Miraculously though, it just works with beautiful results!

This cake is just one of those recipes that are handy to have around, when friends drop by or you're craving something to tie you over until lunch time. It will keep for a good 3 days in a container  too. Can't go wrong with this one!

Thanks for reading and happy baking!

xGourmand

Rhubarb, Pistachio & Orange Cakes

This cake is a pocket rocket. With the last rhubarb of the year (in a surprisingly long season), I was scrounging for a new recipe. I'm usually asked to make the same old but I do get bored and decided to try something different. The even more amazing thing is that it worked and with spectacular results (others can attest)! This particular recipe is adapted from my old faithful, Gourmet Traveller magazine. Find the original link here.

The finished product: chuffed!

There are a couple of component bits to this recipe; one for the roasted rhubarb that tops each individual cake, the second for the cake batter. The roasted rhubarb will yield an incredible technicolour syrup with which to serve over the cakes for an extra dash of orange. 

Ingredientsss
6 egg whites
185g unsalted butter, melted and cooled
240g icing sugar (I used just over half this amount)
150g pistachio kernels, finely ground (I didn't quite have enough, so substituted in part with walnuts)
2/3 cup plain flour
1 orange, finely grated rind
To serve: crème fraîche

Roasted rhubarb with orange blossom
300g rhubarb (about 3 stalks), trimmed and cut into 5cm lengths
1/4 cup golden caster sugar
1 orange, rind finely grated and juiced
1 tbsp orange blossom water

Shades of rhubarb

Method

1. Preheat oven to 180 degrees. For roasted rhubarb, combine ingredients in a baking dish, cover with foil and roast for 10 minutes or until tender. Cool and reserve cooking juices (liquid gold, I tell you)



2. Whisk egg whites in a bowl until frothy, add melted butter and whisk to combine. Add remaining dry ingredients and rind and stir to combine. Note: the mixture is supposed to be quite runny, I had a mini freak out when I saw how runny it was. But it works, trust me

3. Spoon mixture into 6 deep, lightly greased, 10cm diameter loose-bottomed flan tins (I used regular sized muffin tins). Arrange 3 pieces of rhubarb on top of each. 

4. Bake for 25 minutes or until a skewer withdraws clean (roughly 15 minutes for cupcake pan). Stand in pan for 5 minutes

Cakies fresh out of the oven

5. Serve warm, fizzled with reserved juices and crème fraîche

There's so much going for this, whether it be for tea or dessert - there are some nice little touches that give it an edge over your stock standard blueberry muffin or vanilla cupcake. The pistachio adds a subtle crunch and green tinge to the cake which is itself moist. The baked rhubarb and syrup are delicious in their own right

There's my little show and tell, now go forth and bake/prosper!

Thanks for reading

xGourmand

A Kinfolk Salad

I don't know about you, but I adore receiving things in the mail. Snail mail, as it's come to be referred. Call me a nana but in an age where everything is about instant gratification, a small reminder of the old ways is a welcome relief. The day I was delivered The Kinfolk Table was a particularly exciting one. A self -proclaimed disciple of the Kinfolk camp, their philosophy is all about simplifying in the best possible sense. Singing the virtues of the shared table where time itself is the greatest luxury.

To my excitement, the Kinfolk Table is quite a tome to be pored over again and again Photo: Kinfolk

I want to cook everything in this book, the recipes are not there to challenge or dazzle you with technique but to simply enjoy the process: the market shop, the meander in the kitchen almost an idle.  Here is the first thing I made from the cookbook at home, it was a pleasure to put together (because that's all it was really) and to devour. 

Hearty Barley Salad with Broiled Feta and Tomatoes
Recipe by Nathalie Schwer

The finished product, a serving of deliciousness - and sort of healthy too!

Ingredientsss
Don't let this longish list of ingredients deter you!

230g feta cut into small cubes
230g small ripe tomatoes, halved
70g pitted black olives
1/4 cup chopped fresh herbs e.g. rosemary, oregano, thyme
60ml (1/4 cup) extra virgin olive oil
200g pearled barley
2 cups water
Salt
2 ripe avocados, cut into cubes
455g marinated artichokes, in wedges
1 cucumber, seeded and chopped
2 cups fresh basil leaves, thinly sliced
30ml (2 tbspn) fresh lemon juice
Freshly ground pepper

Method
1. Preheat oven to 200 degrees, position rack in centre of oven

2. Combine feta, tomatoes, olives, herbs and olive oil on a foil lined baking tray and toss to mix

3. Bake for 25 mins or until the feta has melted and the tomatoes soft and brown

Oh man, just imagining this as a tart/quiche filling right now...

4. Meanwhile, bring barley, water and 1/2 tspn salt to boil in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Reduce the heat to medium, cover and simmer for 20 mins or until tender. Fluff barley with fork and transfer to a salad bowl

Believe it or not, I haven't actually cooked with pearl barley before. I had to buy it from the trusty health food shop up the road. It has a texture very similar to brown rice, slightly nutty

5. Add avocados, artichokes, cucumber, basil and lemon juice to barley and toss to combine

Any other day, I would happily sit down and polish these off just as they are

6. Stir in the feta mixture. Season to taste with S & P

Be aware that feta tends to be quite salty so don't be too heavy handed with seasoning

7. Serve warm with bread and/or charcuterie (whatever's lying around) and a glass of wine

A hodge podge of veg and colour! I found the feta let off a lot of oil once baked, add the pan juices to the salad with care

There's a lot going on with this salad flavour wise. The feta offers a real kick that is tempered by the sweetness of the tomatoes and cucumber. Add in those divine artichokes and the occasional olive saltiness. The freshness of the basil features with almost every mouthful. The recipe apparently serves 4 but I stretched it to 6 pretty generous serves. Great as a party starter!

Thanks for reading!
xGourmand

Black Diamonds

This could quite possibly be the world's most expensive breakfast. There's no other ingredient around that is as prized as the truffle and now 'tis the season. Presenting, a truffled omelette [emph-A-sis on the truffle part ;)] cooked with a bit too much butter and crowned with slithers of fresh black truffle, the eggs still a bit runny of course. It's a once a year occurrence and a culinary splurge, for sure. Miam-miam! 

Omelette with fresh black truffle: it's a deadly simple recipe to really show-off the flavour of the truffle. Now I know what it really tastes like!

Costing a very pretty penny (for a black diamond!), truffles can be found at our local farmer's markets for a strictly limited season. The truffles (or should I say truffle chunk) that we got our hands on were from Lowes Mount Truffles in Oberon, NSW. Another more famous Australian truffière (or whatever they are called, 'cultivators') is Manjimup Truffles from WA. Black truffles or Tuber melanosporum really are such beautiful things, organically formed and speckled white but etched inside.

Hai ya! This photograph is just pure indulgence. Photo credit: Fx Cuisine

'They say' that truffles taste differently to each individual, they are perhaps an acquired taste. They're earthiness and texture really is something entirely unique. A true gem in the foodie world. And it's no wonder, because they only grow amongst specific trees - hazelnut and oak for example and found only by trained dogs or pigs (although the latter tend to scoff them, unabashedly). Finally, we have started to grow them on our shores, Australia being the largest producer outside of the EU. These days there's even the annual Truffle Festival with truffle hunts and cooking classes held in the Canberra region. We can definitely hold our own!

RECIPE - it's a cinch

Truffled Omelette from Andrew McConnell's Cumulus Inc.

Serves 1 (greedy guts)

Oh, this is making me hungry. The foaming butter just tops it all off, not to mention those truffles!

Ingredientsss

2 eggs (choose free range or organic, you know the deal)

1 tbsp milk

pinch of salt

1 tbsp butter

1 tbsp olive oil

pinch of chives, chopped

1 tsp parmesan, finely grated

10g sliced fresh truffle (go nuts, i say)

1 tsp crème fraîche

pinch freshly ground white pepper

Method

1. Whisk eggs, milk and salt together at high speed for 2 mins

2. Melt butter with oil in pain over medium heat

3. Once butter is foaming, add egg and stir before reducing the heat to low

4. Sprinkle over chives and parmesan, then scatter truffle slices evenly on top

5. Dollop over crème fraîche and sprinkle over pepper, then cook for ~30 seconds

6. When underside of omelette is golden, and the egg is almost set, fold omelette in half and cook for another 30 secs before turning out

To appease my obsessive-compulsive streak I have collated a number of truffle/egg recipes from the interwebs. Choose your poison...

French Food Safari with Guillaume Brahimi (video) Scrambled Egg with Truffle

Gourmet Traveller's Truffle Omelette

and...

Oh mercy. Katie Quinn Davies' Black Truffle Fried Egg, with the addition of blue cheese and mushies. Source: What Katie Ate

From the lauded truffle shops in Paris to the humblest jar of truffle honey, everyone can savour the flavour of truffles. The magic of this ingredient is that you only need a few grams to really transform a dish, a light dusting over egg pasta or risotto is all that required. Bellissimo.

Sniff it out! Why have a truffle dog when you can have a truffle pig? Infinitely cooler. Photo credit: The Times UK

Thanks for reading!
xGourmand

Xmas in July (the Mini-Break)

I wish I could re-capture the feeling. That of sheer bliss, watching the morning mist drift over the rolling hills and linger in the valley in front of me. Cradling my cup of coffee and nibbling on breakfast fruit cake. It can't be beat. In this post I'll be chronicling a jaunt in country New South Wales mit meinen Freunden.

The genius of Nigella's Christmas Cake with the inclusion of cocoa powder adds that extra richness that none of us need but are happy to indulge in, just this once...

Stoked that I captured this! My little Ricoh can do a decent macro shot ;)

The gang and I had (finally) gotten our act together and decided to up stumps and go away for a weekend in July. The aim of course was to put on a Christmas in July to rival all Winter Christmases in the Northern hemisphere. We've traded snow fall for sunshine and morning fog.

The number one order of the day: coffee. One of the morning afters, brekkie to fuel a day of wandering the town and shop for Xmas pressies (yes, we totally did Kris Kringle)

Surprisingly it didn't take long for the ball to get rolling. It is just too easy to spend hours trolling on Stayz.com to find 'the perfect place'. We made a shortlist of the top ten and did a vote - the winner being a hill top house in Berry NSW about 2 hours from Sydney. Aye.

Nibblies to start the big cook: parmesan sable biscuits (don't even think about the butter content okay) and Hendrick's Cucumber G&T's, so smooth - if only it were about 10 degrees warmer outside!

Half the fun (well, almost) was the planning and preparation. Brainstorming ideas about what to cook, what to drink and the places to see (to be honest we didn't get very far!). The anticipation in the days leading up to our escape was immense! Packing your tiniest weekender bag, ugg boots and PJs are essential. At the end of the work week, we were out in a flash and hitting the road.

Sunset over the property dam, and B&W makes it damn near perfect

 As the sun went down we worked like busy bees in the kitchen, spreading ourselves across every countertop, and the perfect playlist playing in the background with lots of Macklemore, Matt Corby and Gotye as well as a bit of 90s R&B (the golden era!)

There's no better time to whip out Brussel Sprouts than Xmas, right? With honey glazed Dutch carrots and the beginnings of Yotam Ottolenghi's signature dish - roasted eggplant

Failing to find a whole turkey at 5pm on a Friday night we resigned ourselves to roasting an organic chook instead. We made Neil Perry's Thyme, Oregano and Citrus chicken, it's easy peasey. Marinade for maximum effect. On the right is a homemade Bombe Alaska, not the flaming kind but still delicious. And made without a blow torch!

Two of my most favouritest things ever: mulled wine which was absolutely to-die-for (use the best red you can afford, okay) and roasting marshmallows over an open fire = BONKERS

By the end of our feasting we had pretty much left a trail of destruction in the kitchen, but it was all worth it. Sharing a meal with friends, be it as extravagant and on such a ridiculous scale as this or not, we had so much to be thankful for: the company, the food and surrounds. And thank god for the dish washer, so NOT kidding there ;)

We were pleasantly surprised to find huge mandarin and lemon trees, which smelt divine! On the right, some cows and lavender for good measure ;)

I couldn't resist not to include this Christmas cake once again. This time with the recipe, thanks to Nigella (if you're known on first name basis, you've pretty much made it, right?). Being sticklers for tradition, the coffee liqueur was traded back for brandy. Granny always knows best

We finished our weekend pretty much as we started, lapping up that view to stay burned in our collective memory. Good times were had. Many toasts later and with bellies filled to bursting we tottered back to the big smoke leaving those greener pastures...until next time!

 The morning valley view *sigh* + those passive-aggressive cows can really stare you down...eep. Smell ya later Berry!

Thanks for reading!

xGourmand

Rhubarb & Apple Crumble

If there's one thing that I've come to realise from writing this blog, it's that seasonal is ALWAYS best. No exceptions. Strolling the farmer's markets with a coffee cup in hand (how Sydney + pretentious is that) I can't help but pick the produce that is a) in abundance and b) more affordable as a result! For me, this season is all about the heirloom vegetables; carrots, jerusalem artichokes and plump beurre boscs... 

Can you hear angels sounding their trumpets?! Baha. Baked rhubarb and apple crowned in oaty crumbley goodness, gosh

In case you haven't noticed, I've got a bit of a thing for rhubarb (see here). It's tartness which, when stewed down is so heavenly and fits wintery desserts like a glove. Here is dear Maggie Beer's rhubarb & apple crumble (find the original link here); a celebration of Winter's finest. 

Ingredientsss

[crumble]
1 cup plain flour
1/2 cup soft brown sugar
1 cup rolled oats
1 tspn ground cinnamon
1 tspn ground ginger
60g unsalted butter, chopped


[fruit mixture]
1/4 cup soft brown sugar
1/4 cup verjuice (or orange juice for a slightly sweeter version)
50g unsalted butter (melted), 20g extra (chopped) -> let's be honest, it just wouldn't be Maggie without the addition of verjuice!!!
6 granny smith apples, peeled and cored
20 sticks of rhubarb, washed, trimmed and cut into 3cm lengths
cream or ice cream, to serve (duh)

Method to Madness
1. Preheat oven to 180 degrees
2. For crumble, combine flour, sugar, oats and spices in a large bowl. Rub butter into dry ingredients until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Set aside
3. Combine sugar, verjuice/orange juice and melted butter in a bowl. At this point I like to add the seeds scraped from a vanilla bean :) 
4. Cut the apple into thin slices and add to the verjuice mixture, toss to combine. Transfer to a baking dish, spreading evenly. Scatter the rhubarb on top
5. Bake apple/rhubarb for 20 mins
6. Spread crumble mix over the top and dot with extra chopped butter. Bake for an extra 30-35 mins or until the fruit mixture bubbles around the edges and the crumble is golden brown
7. Dish that baby up with a nice quinelle of double cream or even better, vanilla bean ice cream. Boo. Yah.

This portion size shows a LOT of restraint, let me tell you. Bon apettit!

As always, thanks for reading!

xGourmand

Chocolate Beetroot Cake

Greetings from the rainy city (Sydney, apparently)! Isn't it a great relief to be able to enjoy the pouring rain from the comfort of your own bed ;) Today I'm sharing with you a tried and treasured recipe adapted from Neil Perry's The Food I Love - his dark chocolate beetroot cake. I found it in Gourmet Traveller a while back. This one is completely perfect as beetroot is coming into season. If you haven't noticed already I kind of have a thing for vegetables incorporated in desserts... See here and here. This recipe leads the pack though for sure!

Completely irresistible, why stop at just one? I love the pinky purple tinge to this cake too :)

Without further ado...

Ingredientsss
400g dark chocolate (at least 60% cocoa solids), coarsely chopped
6 eggs, separated
150g (3/4 cup) caster sugar
200g beetroot (1 large), very finely grated Note: I love beetroot so I usually put in double the quantity in the recipe. It doesn't overpower the cake at all, in case you were wondering :D
100ml pouring cream, whisked to soft peaks
75g almond meal
Butter for greasing
Dutch process cocoa powder, double cream or ice cream to serve

Method
1. Butter and line a 20cm square watertight cake tin. Preheat oven to 175 degrees celcius. Melt chocolate in a heatproof bowl over a saucepan or simmering water until smooth (3-5 minutes). Set aside
2. Whisk yolks and 2/3 of sugar in an electric mixer until pale and creamy (3-5 minutes). Add melted chocolate and grated beetroot, stir to combine and set aside
3. Whisk eggwhite in an electric mixer to soft peaks, add remaining sugar and whisk until smooth and glossy. 
4. Fold cream and eggwhite through chocolate mixture, then fold through almond meal, spoon into tin. 
5. Place in a roasting pan, pour in enough boiling water to come halfway up the sides of tin and bake for 45 minutes. Then, reduce oven to 150 degrees and bake until cake springs back when lightly pressed (30 minutes). 
6. Turn off oven but leave cake in oven for further 20 minutes, then run a knife around sides and cool in pan for another 15 minutes before turning out. Dust with cocoa powder and serve with cream or ice cream.
7. HellOOO!

Sheer indulgence with a side of veggies. Bueno!

Thanks for reading and happy baking!
xGourmand

Lamington 101

I'm taking us all away from Spain for a moment *gasp!* and back to the kitchen. I have been neglecting my cookery a little lately - this was the remedy.

Presenting, my 2nd Road Test (only haha)! I'd like to share the trial and tribulations (mostly trials) of making lamingtons, a complete Aussie classic that I have somehow never made over the years! Their reputation is often tarnished by the awfully soggy supermarket versions that break apart on first contact, and fluffy sponge that stays so for days on end (suspicious!)

Twas a triumph! Admittedly this was my second attempt, but I was very pleased to  finally succeed

My first attempt was a bit of a disaster. The sponge turned out flat as a pancake. Trying a recipe without a leavening agent, I was really struggling to introduce air into the mix with a stick blender/whisk. 8 eggs later...yeah, that did not go well! I'm still dreaming of a KitchenAid, pretty much the Ferrari of the kitchen ;)


Here's the eye-candy, haha

The one and only...the KitchenAid KSM150 in Imperial Grey, matte finish. Yup, totally have the colour picked out already. This sits very high on my wishlist!

Here is my Frankenstein lamington recipe: a combination of 3 recipes from the NSW CWA (good on you ladies!), Gourmet Traveller and Broadsheet). 

Ingredientsss
SPONGE
125g butter, softened
3/4 cup castor sugar
2 eggs
1 tspn vanilla essence or 1/2 tspn vanilla extract
1 3/4 cups of self raising flour
2/3 cup of milk

CHOCOLATE GANACHE
200g coarsely chopped dark chocolate (at least 65% cocoa solids)
100ml pouring cream 

TOASTED COCONUT (NOM)
~200gm shredded coconut (or the texture to your taste) + extra

Method 
Okay, it's long winded but stay with me...

1. For toasted coconut, toast at low heat (around 120°C) for 45 mins or until even golden colour. I was a little impatient myself and cranked my oven, consequently taking mine to the brink! I mixed it with untoasted coconut in the end.
2. For the sponge cake, preheat oven to moderate heat (180°C). Line rectangular tray (28 x 18 cm or thereabouts) with baking paper. Or if you prefer, grease tin with unsalted butter
3. Cream butter and sugar until pale and fluffy
4. Add vanilla and eggs one at a time, combining between additions
5. Add flour alternatively with milk in batches
6. Bake in oven for ~30 mins or until cooked through (skewer comes out clean)
7. Cool briefly in tin, then transfer to wire rack to continue. In order to help the assembly stage, it is a great idea to pop the cake in the freezer for an hour or 2 to firm up (wrap in foil 1st). Crumbling cake = not good
8. Whilst the cake is doing it's thang, prep the ganache: combine chocolate and cream in a heatproof bowl over a saucepan of gently simmering water. I usually put the bowl on top from the very beginning to heat gently and prevent burning. When the chocolate begins to melt stir gently until combined, aiming for a smooth & glossy finish. Add milk to the mix (steady!) if it's too thick. The ganache should be nice and runny so that the excess can still drip off, add some boiling H2O if necessary
9. Slice cake into cubes (to the size you'd like), squaring off edges. I was a bit naughty and pretty much left mine as is...rustic, if you may!
10. ASSembly: this can get messy, so brace yourself! Using 2 forks or chopsticks (in my case haha), dip each side lightly in the ganache. Alternatively, use a spoon to ladle on. Let the excess drip off for a nice even coating. The more cooled the cakes are the easier this step will be
11. Roll those babies in toasted coconut. Shake off excess...
12. Oooooooh YEAAHHHH

And hopefully this is your finished product! Baha.

These are certainly not mine, something to work towards! I love Broadsheet's addition of the toasted coconut, I think it makes a world of (flavour) difference Source: Broadsheet Melbourne

Now I know a.k.a top tips!

• Toasted coconut to a golden brown in the oven. Keep your peepers on it! Stir occasionally if you're worried/paranoid like I am
• The freezer trick: harden the cake to slice easily and prevent crumbling
• Make them as pretty-to-look-at as you like. I didn't even out my edges for perfect cubes. I can live with a little bit of chaos. Plus I'm not entering any baking competitions soon that I know of! And yes, the CWA ladies are probably all 'tsking' at me right now
• Chopsticks, are an Asian girl's best friend!
• After they've been assembled, pop the lamingtons in the fridge for 30mins-1hr for the chocolate to set. You'll probably have most of the chocolate & coconut on your fingers at this point...I certainly did!
• Crisis aversion: store lamingtons on a bed of coconut to prevent them sticking together, leaving a mass trail of chocolatey destruction (yum!)

In all its toasted 'coconutty' goodness. I was relieved when they turned out. Chocolate and coconut do fix everything!

Et voilà! Yes, lamingtons can be a little bit fiddly but they're totally worth the effort! I cannot believe I have been without them for so long. This batch was gone in a matter of days. Very very happy :)

Thanks for reading!
xGourmand

Jus†ice

Not only an awesome French electro duo (Youtube away) but also hopefully what I have achieved in attempting to make THE BEST CARROT CAKE IN THE WORLD. Yes, I am boldly going there but more on that later ;)

Five months ago, I found myself with some friends in a wee little city called Paris...*swoon*! Having ticked off a huge number of tourist attractions/traps one day (Notre Dame, Sacre Coeur...La Tour was to come) we wandered into Rose Bakery (46 rue de Martyrs, Montmartre) for a brisk lunch.

Front and centre: I swear I could have walked straight past the place had I not had my eyes peeled like a crazy person. P.S. Montmartre is a lovely arrondissement - you'd get killer legs as well from all that incline work! Image from The Cultured Anthropologist

Unbeknownst to us, there was a good going queue ahead of us for a table so we were forced to wait squished between the food counter (salads, cakes, quiches...heaven!) and the organic produce in wooden crates against the wall. Probably a bit of an OH&S issue but what do they care right...? Anyway, it was definitely worth the 20 minute wait despite some poor manners (Tres brusque! Or maybe that's just the French) and blatant ignoring on their part. Was it the language barrier? Sadly, no. Most staffers are expats and speak perfectly good english. They were just completely chockers with customers and we were resigned to being extra sardines wanting to join the party ;)

The menu: sort of like a mirage in the desert whilst we were waiting for a table...slow torture!

Run by Rose Carrarini and hus-band Jean-Charles, there are Rose Bakeries popping up around Paris and London (one at super snobby Dover St Market but definitely not as good as the originals - i did check btw). I was inspired to check the place out after buying Rose's cookbook (duh!) several years ago. I think I must have been sucked in by the neon green cover - like a moth to flame...

(Left) The book - great photography, formatted as a "Day in the Life of Rose Bakery". The recipes always work (unless you muck them up)! (Right) And a little portrait of Rose thrown in for good measure. Images from Phaidon & yayayanonono

So with a bit of confusion and pointing, we were ushered to a table. The bakery has a very pared back interior and at the back you're sort of transported back to kindergarten, just for a second with the rainbow splashes of paint on the walls and little chairs. Lucky I'm small! What I like about it is that it's no fuss. Rose Bakery has no delusions of grandeur, although it is probably the worst kept secret in Paris.

Smuggled out the back, 3 of us were crammed around a little table. Imagine this but with heaps more bums on seats! Photo: hg2

So, to luncheon!
I ordered a cappuccino for my requisite "one coffee a day" - sadly it was nothing to write home about (so a little ironic that i choose to do so here). It tasted like boiling muddy water if i'm to be honest. Hey, I'm Australian so I think I can stake my claim on knowing what good vs. bad coffee is. I'll just have to pop over to Italy or Turkey or Melbourne to get the real deal then eh. Suits me! Anyway, we obviously came quite late in the piece because things were being crossed from the menu left, right and centre...Nooo! Anyway, I ordered 'just a quiche' (even these were running low) et voila...

A rather scrumptious lunch featuring aubergine and red pepper quiche (how is that egg filling so light?), a cucumber salad and some grains/lentils. Props to whoever can "name that grain" - i'm totally clueless on that part. I must say I felt rather healthy after polishing that off - i soon took care of that though...

Here we are as promised, THE BEST CARROT CAKE IN THE WORLD. And surpise surprise, it's Rose's #1 bestseller. The cake was so soft (I will not use the word 'moist' to save sensitive ears) and crumbly (in a good way). And so light! This is what I want in a cake - AIR. Haha. Plus that creeeaaaamy cream cheese icing is T.D.F (To.Die.For)!!!

Spilling the beans (or should I say carrots)...here's the recipe for the cake :o
Ingredientsss
4 eggs
1 cup (generous) caster sugar
300ml sunflower oil
4-5 medium carrots, grated
2 cups sifted plain flour
1 tspn ground cinnamon
1 rounded tspn baking powder
1/2 tspn bicarb soda
1/2 tspn salt
1+1/2 cups finely chopped walnuts (ESSENTIAL)

Icing
125g softened unsalted butter
250g cream cheese
1/2 tspn vanilla extract
1/2-3/4 cup icing sugar (adjust according to your preference)

Method
1. Preheat oven to 180 degrees. Grease cake tin with butter and line with baking paper
2. Beat eggs and caster sugar until light and fluffy 
3. Pour in oil and beat for a few more mins
4. Fold in carrots and then the flour/cinnamon/baking powder/bicarb soda/salt. Fold in walnuts
5. Pour mixture into tin and bake for 45 mins or until skewer comes out clean. Cool in tin before extricating ;)

For icing
1. Beat butter and cream cheese for a few minutes until mixture is smooth
2. Add vanilla extract and icing sugar
3. Ice when the cake has cooled

Easy peasy! Here's one I prepared earlier:

Here's my 'lo cal' version sans frosting. It still tastes freakin' amazing btw. I didn't have the equipment (trays) to do individual cakes so I've baked it in a round cake tin (+++ extra baking time). And no, that is not mould you are seeing but gratings of my purple heirloom carrots from here!!

Et finalement...

Loafin' around...if only your kitchen counter looked like this!!! I tried the pistachio loaf back in London town and it is SO SICKLY SWEET. I needed like 1L of water to wash the sugar down...yikes

And there you have it, a snippet of my 5 day jaunt to Paris! If you can't get yourself there in person you can make a pretty cracking rendition at home, as I have attempted :) I will post you up some other foodie adventures, hopefully soon! Thanks for reading x