blackberry macaroon tarts

blackberry macaroon tarts

2 May 2011

I did so much baking for Passover and haven't had the chance to share any of it, so that's what I'll be posting for the next few weeks. I found this Heidi Swanson recipe a few weeks ago and thought it would be perfect for Passover without the crust - the first of many mistakes I made.

For those of you who do bake, you'll notice there's often a glossary of terms in cookbooks translating words or substituting ingredients. I stumbled on the concept of unsweetened finely shredded coconut. In Australia shredded coconut means long strands of coconut, which is what I used. I think they meant to use what we'd call desiccated coconut.

There wasn't enough coconut to hold the tart together so when I tried to take it out of the tin, it crumbled into a gazillion pieces. No matter, I just ate it from the tin with a spoon like a dessert.

Would I make it again? Maybe but I think it's more of a slice than a tart, so I'd bake it in a different tin, because it needs baking paper to prevent the macaroon filling from sticking. Or I could make it into a proper tart using a sweet shortcrust pastry with the blackberry macaroon filling. Any thoughts on which version I should make?

I hope you all enjoyed your weekends. Apart from a much needed haircut I did a bit of shopping as I have no winter clothes to speak of. I didn't come home with much but I'm very pleased with a cute pair of Midas black granny boots I purchased. I can tell I won't take them off all winter.

I'll be back Wednesday with some photos from the Sydney launch of My Heart Wanders, so until then,

Jillian

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in the garden

in the garden

29 Apr 2011

Whenever I travel to Dungog I make some time to spend in the garden, chatting to the chooks and photographing the flowers. It's between seasons at the moment so the vegie patch was a bit bare.

The dahlias, zinnias and asters were still in bloom though.

Sometimes I find flowers well past their bloom, at their most beautiful.

The solitude of the garden was disturbed by a number of these cockatoos, creating quite a racket. The others were shy and flew away but this one posed happily for me.

A still life from the garden and the promise of things to come.

Have a great weekend and enjoy watching the Royal Wedding. I can't wait to see Kate's dress!

Bye for now,

Jillian

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anzac day 2011 - part 2

anzac day 2011 - part 2

27 Apr 2011

I began my Anzac Day post with this image as I felt it best represented Anzac Day - a chest full of medals with a sprig of rosemary for remembrance.

It's been years since I last attended an Anzac Day march so I thought I'd combine a visit to Farmer Andrew with the Anzac Day commemoration. Just about the whole of Dungog came out to watch the parade.

Both the young and the old came to watch



and to march.



The march made it's way along Dowling Street then headed up the hill to the RSL for the service.

I took a few moments to look at the wreaths that had been laid at the memorial. I spoke to the lady who made this one from flowers she'd gathered from the garden earlier that morning.

Maybe next year I'll finally make it to the Anzac Day Dawn Service.

I just survived my first day back at work - now just 2 more to go until the weekend and this event.

Bye for now,

Jillian

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coconut and macadamia macaroons

coconut and macadamia macaroons

26 Apr 2011

I promised you a full post on coconut macaroons and as I'm good for my word, here it is. 



I've been making coconut macaroons for passover for years and I've always used the same recipe. This year, I decided to try something new from my man bill.

 It took a little bit of tracking down to find this recipe for you, but here it is.

Coconut Macaroons
2 egg whites
115g caster (superfine) sugar
150g shredded coconut
100g roughly chopped macadamia nuts 
1 teaspoon lime zest

Preheat the oven to 160°C. Mix together the egg whites, caster sugar, coconut, nuts and lime zest in a bowl (you may need to use your hands). Shape tablespoons of the mixture in to mounds on paper-lined baking trays. Bake 10-15 minutes or until light golden brown. Cool on trays. Makes 20.

The grated lime rind was a nice addition to the recipe but overall I think the recipe needed more coconut. 

I baked up a storm for Passover and I'm a little scared to step onto the scales. In addition to the macaroons, I made 2 types of brownies, a batch of Nonna's cookies and a failed attempt at this macaroon tart recipe, so there are plenty more posts and pictures to come.

Back to work for me tomorrow following a much needed 5 day break.

Bye for now,

Jillian

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anzac day 2011

anzac day 2011

25 Apr 2011

We've had an extra long Easter break here due to the Anzac Day holiday coinciding with Easter. Today was Anzac Day, which commemorates the landing of Australian troops at Gallipoli during the first World War. For my overseas readers, Anzac Day is the Australian and New Zealand version of Remembrance Day.

We like to claim Gallipoli as own own but many troops from many nations died there. I watched the parade in Dungog, a tiny little place but one which would have seen many of it's young men leaving to serve in the War. I took quite a few photos but the 4 hour drive back to Sydney in pouring rain has tired me out a bit, so I'll post the images later in the week.

I hope you enjoyed your Easter break. I'll be back tomorrow with some baking so I'll see you all then,

Jillian

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hot cross buns

hot cross buns

21 Apr 2011

Do you remember a few months ago, I bemoaned my inability to bake bread? Well I checked the yeast I was using and it had expired quite some time back. A fresh tin of yeast and my yeast cooking disasters were over. One of my favourite Easter treats are hot cross buns and with my yeast cooking mojo back in action, I decided to make a batch.

I used a recipe from my Margaret Fulton cookbook.

I think I made my first batch of hot cross buns when I was still in high school and this would have been the recipe I used. It's still a good recipe even after all these years. 

As soon as they were out of the oven I had to try one, topped with a little bit of butter. Well actually, I had to try two! I took the rest into work and stored a few in the freezer to eat once Passover is over.



Do you have any favourite Easter treats you like to make?

This week has been a bit of a trial so I'm glad it's at an end. I'm really looking forward to my 5 day break. Have a great Easter and try not to eat too many Easter eggs and hot cross buns. 

I'll see you all again next week,

Jillian

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