Pear and cranberry spice cake

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This pear and cranberry spice cake could proudly grace the counter of any well known coffee and cake establishment around the country, it is that good. Lou managed to arrange the pear slices perfectly, and topped with the apricot jam glaze it looked beautifully glossy, professional and inviting.

It wasn't a cinch to assemble though. There are a few stages to making this cake, befitting it worthy as an elegant accompaniment to any celebration or special event. Lou also chose to bake this cake to celebrate her parent's 70th wedding anniversary, and even though they are in Perth, they were thrilled. I think that is a lovely story.

This cake was originally created by Chef Lorraine Godsmark, at Sydney's Yellow Bistro and Food Store and published in Wine Selector Magazine, Autumn 08.A timeless recipe.

Onc. Heaven Scent Redolence

Onc. Heaven Scent Redolence photographed on the patio.

Heaven Scent Redolence, so aptly named, for Mother's Day. In my kitchen behold my beautifully flowering and lightly perfumed Oncidium Heaven Scent Redolence, only one spray, but it is the first flowering since I bought it in 2013. Mother's Day and flowering orchids are synonymous for me, something I inherited from Hope, my very special Mum. Last year, I went on a tour of orchid nurseries in the area surrounding Mackay, in sub-tropical Queensland,  and learnt a lot as well as coming home with a few new orchids, as you do, and very envious of the gardens I visited.

I purchased an Oncidium Heaven Scent 'Redolence', which was in flower, and this was a variation from my other oncidiums, all Dancing Ladies, which flower prolifically later in the year. It is so difficult to choose a specific orchid when there is a profusion of impressive varieties, perhaps I was swayed by the maroon and white flowers, Queensland colours of course. I have been very careful with my new Heaven Scent variety, growing it next to my also new and more temperamental Phalaenopsis, in my orchid house, but with lower light, less feeding, and watering almost daily. Apparently it has adjusted to these conditions, has remained pest free, and has been a dream to grow.

After this flowering, I think I will move it  into a more well lit area of the orchid house and monitor it to see how it adjusts and perhaps next year I will be rewarded with more than one spray. I don't think it will need repotting this year.

However Anne, my wonderful neighbour, knows all there is to know regarding orchids and I think I will consult with her after it has flowered. It is wonderful how plants bring people together as well as providing personal enjoyment.

Meanwhile, I will enjoy my Heaven Scent Redolence and her perfume, in my kitchen and my LC. Little Suzie x Chocolate Drop which is also flowering beautifully in a pot on the patio at present but she has another story to tell.

For more information on Phalaenopsis click here:

Cauliflower Pickles

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Cauliflower  Pickles are perfect to prepare now as cauliflowers are in season, reasonably priced, and of beautiful quality. This is my version of a recipe which I found on the ABC website, and which won first prize in the Best Pickles category of the ABC Gardening Talkback Great Home-made Pickles and Jam Challenge. However, I like my pickles just a bit sweeter, with less vinegar, so I adjusted the quantities accordingly.The pickle is a beautiful golden colour in the jar, and I added Bay Leaves to the bottles for texture and contrast. This will be a delicious  warming pickle during winter.

However, the original winning ABC recipe is the traditional Mustard Cauliflower style recipe which is also very popular.

Old-fashioned Boiled Fruit Cake

Fruit cake is traditionally a favourite despite cake fanciers always experimenting with variations of cake recipes. It certainly still comes into its own at Christmas time. This is my Mum's recipe for Boiled Fruit cake, and as it has been a nostalgic week with Easter and Anzac Day so close together I decided to bake it, along with the compulsory Anzac Biscuits of course. Boiled Fruit cake is such a great standby for surprise visitors, or just to have when you are feeling needy with a cup of tea or coffee, and keeps fresh for a few weeks.

 This is an economical version compared to some, originating from the 60's or even earlier I suspect. The Christmas Fruit Cake recipe is much richer and needs lots more time, ingredients and work than this one.

Ingredients:

115g (4oz) butter or margarine
1 cup water
1 cup brown sugar
1 pkt Mixed Fruit (375 g.)
2 teasp. Bicarbonate Soda (Carb. Soda)
1 teasp. Mixed Spice
1 teasp. ground Ginger, or finely chopped crystallised ginger (if  liked)
1/2 teasp. ground Nutmeg (preferably grated fresh)

Place above ingredients in saucepan and boil for 10 minutes. Stir occasionally to ensure it doesn't burn. Allow to cool.

Add ingredients listed below to cooled mixture in saucepan:

1 cup S.R. Flour - Sifted
1 cup Plain Flour - Sifted
1 teasp. Vanilla
1 large beaten egg
2 tablespoons Bundy rum (opt.) or 1 tablespoon marmalade

When saucepan mixture is quite cold, add above ingredients and mix in well.

Pour into well greased loaf tin or round cake tin lined with 2 layers of brown paper to prevent  burning. Decorate the surface in a pattern with whole blanched almonds if desired.

Cook in oven for 1 1/2 hours at 160 deg. or until a skewer comes out clean.

When still hot, pour 1 tablespoon of rum over surface of cake.

It is preferable to keep the cake for a week before cutting for the flavours to really develop. I need to make two cakes to ensure that at least one cake doesn't get cut and eaten!

The Classic and Original Zucchini and Bacon Slice

Zucchini slice was originally created, back in the 1980's to assist very busy Mothers to cook a healthy, nutritious and very tasty savoury slice for the family, requiring no precooking of any ingredients, just some grating and slicing. It became so popular, that  you could depend on  there being a Zucchini slice at any family gathering or party.

The Rosella Harvest has begun

The Rosella harvest has begun

My rosella plants are beckoning for attention. Once again this morning I have been sidetracked from writing the difficult conclusion to my latest family history chapter by my garden, specifically my rosellas. As Neil and I wander around the garden, our freshly brewed coffee in hand, and with rain showers imminent, he remarks that some of the rosellas look as if they are ready to be harvested. After all he has some experience in this area having volunteered once when he was in his still in his teens to assist a struggling family near Byfield, Yeppoon,  with harvesting their rosella farm. So of course I quickly perform a couple of google searches, and yes it looks like some of them are ready although there still isn't that much information on when to precisely harvest this precious commodity. Three weeks after flowering seems to be the consensus of opinion, when the fleshy red calyx, is surrounding a still green seedpod, however when all of the flowers erupt at different times this is a difficult thing to gauge.Also, all of the fruit are different sizes, some nice and large, some quite small, even though their seedpods are nice and green and are calling out to me to be picked. So I oblige.

Homemade Galangal Pickle

Homemade Galangal Pickle  (recipe)

Galangal Pickle

Galangal pickle, homemade, and a luscious salmon pink colour, as I had hoped. It has taken four hours concocting this Asian delicacy, but well worth it. It takes three hours down time though waiting for the galangal to tenderise in the salt, while you can be doing other things, and the rest is the actual bottling and cooking  time. This recipe is for long-term pickles that will keep in your pantry for at least 12 months. As you can see, this recipe, when almost doubled makes 2 large jars of pickle and around 8 large roots were needed for that amount. An essential piece of equipment for this pickle is a mandolin, as the galangal needs to be sliced paper thin. This can only be achieved on the freshest, tenderest sections or knobs of the root. You will know that the galangal isn't tender enough when the mandolin refuses to slice it. This is my first batch, and I am so pleased with it that I will be making more, however because it will also make great gifts, and is somewhat of a delicacy, it should be packaged in small jars. A little bit goes a long way.