Dreaming of Swedish Cardamom Buns

If you're going to crack open your blog after a long period of absence, it'd have to be a pretty special post. Well, look who's here - Swedish cardamom buns!

I have been pining for these since I got back from Edinburgh a couple of months ago. Yes, I miss my family. Yes I miss my friends. I miss the constant company and the constant chitter chatter. And walking everywhere inhaling the architecture. But foodwise I have not stopped thinking about the cardamom buns at Peter's Yard (and yes, I have trumpeted about these before here).

At the first chance I got, and after an eighteen month absence, I braved the Edinburgh wind chill for a brisk walk to the Swedish cafe for the usual flat white and cardamom bun. This time I managed to get both sisters there. Much younger sister (her words, not mine) swooned over the cinnamon buns and was hesitant to diversify. Middle sister kept to other fancies. All of us had lunch there one afternoon - the only time I didn't have a cardamom bun because, let me tell you, their soups, served with chunks of wholesome bread and silky butter, are delicious too.

So, short of planning a weekly visit to Edinbugh from New Zealand, all I've been doing since my return is sifting through the photographs and dreaming about them.

Then I googled and found this recipe for Swedish Cardamom Buns on the FixFeastFlair blog. I was a little hesitant as I have tried other recipes without success, but the comments on this post seemed positive and it was all so well mapped out.

I'm not going to lie, it did take a lot of the day to get this done but this was more to do with my speed, lack of pre-planning and waiting for dough to rise rather than any problems with the recipe. In fact the whole process was relatively easy and, as I said before, explained thoroughly with lots of hints and a video on how to twirl up those buns.

I had managed to grind the spices the day before which was a big help and also a sensory wonder as the sharp, exotic scent of cardamom hit me. As the recipe states, use cardamom pods and remove all the seeds (this is a very meditative process, especially while you ponder the rewards to come) and crush in a grinder. It is absolutely worth it as the flavour is way more intense.

Just after the first rise, I discovered the newly-bought jar of yeast had expired the day before which made me a trifle deflated (along with the dough). At that point I nearly gave up as I didn't think they would be successful without the rise but thankfully I didn't.

I halved the recipe (as there is only two of us) which made the strands shorter to work with in the final execution.  So there I was, more like a contortionist than a baker. Of course I didn't reach the perfection of FixFeastFlair's design, nor Peter's Yard (although my sister did think I'd pinched one of their photos) but for a novice bun twister I think I did okay.

So, how did they compare to Peter's Yard? Well, I absolutely loved them! I couldn't compare them side by side but I'd swear the flavour was all there and I was ecstatic. The dough was less dense than the cafe one and I actually preferred that.

This is an absolute keeper recipe. Thanks to Alana at Fix Feast Flair who has made me a very happy person.

If you want to have a go, the recipe is here on FixFeastFlair.  If you are in Edinburgh, you can find Peter's Yard or Soderburg cafes here.

espresso & walnut loaf

Work is just too busy at the moment. It got me thinking of my first job back in Edinburgh. Worked 9.30am-5pm (I think?) with both a morning and afternoon tea break and one and a half hours for lunch. One and a half hours for lunch! It was so long that I sometimes used to hop on a bus a couple of stops into Princes Street and go clothes shopping. Other times I could be found among the journos supping at the wee pub right opposite the handy side exit. What a cruisy time. I must have spent more time on breaks than actual work.

This cake is also a flashback to Edinburgh. As a child, I discovered the indubitable marriage of coffee and walnut. Back then it came from Fullers. Although my memory of the Fullers' cake is high up there, I fear now that I’d find the cake too sweet. Who knows? Since then I’ve often thought of making one. My earlier coffee and walnut cupcakes (see here) were similar but I like this loaf better as it's a bit more complex and dense. It’s a delicious way to get your coffee fix with its triple caffeine hit in the layers.

Espresso & walnut layer cake

225g self-raising flour

225g light muscovado or brown sugar

½ tsp sea salt

225ml rice bran oil

4 eggs, separated

50ml espresso*, cooled

50ml whole milk

75g walnuts, chopped, plus 6-8 whole walnuts for decoration

Espresso cream

125g mascarpone

2 tsp cold espresso*

1 tsp golden syrup

1 tsp icing sugar sifted

Icing

100g icing sugar, sifted

1 tbsp espresso*, cooled

* If you don’t have espresso, use very strong instant or filter coffee.

Preheat oven to 190°C. Grease a 900g/2lb loaf tin (about 23cm long).

Sift the flour, sugar and salt into a bowl. Add the oil, egg yolks, espresso and milk and beat until smooth with a wooden spoon. Whisk the egg whites until stiff. Fold them into the mix in two goes. Stir in the chopped walnuts and transfer the mix into the loaf tin, smoothing the surface. Give the tin a couple of sharp taps on the kitchen bench to allow any bubbles to rise.

Bake for 50-55 minutes or until a skewer inserted in the centre comes out clean. Leave loaf in tin for 5 minutes then turn onto a wire rack to cool.

Meanwhile, make the espresso cream and the icing.

To make the espresso cream, spoon the mascarpone into a bowl and beat in the coffee, then the syrup and icing sugar. Once the loaf is cool, cut through it twice horizontally to make three layers. Spread the espresso cream across the two layers and sandwich together.

To make the icing, blend the icing sugar and espresso coffee together in a bowl. Drizzle down the centre of the cake, smoothing it towards the sides using a palette knife and let the icing trickle down the side.

Decorate the top with the remaining walnut halves. Leave to set for 1 hour. 

Recipe adapted slightly from "Gorgeous Cakes" by Annie Bell

Portugese Tarts

Portugese tarts are creamy, baked custard tarts in a crisp pastry shell.  They're super easy and are just so delicious that you will want to make more. I know this as I only made a few (which was probably just as well) but made me feel sad on the day.  I made them several weeks ago and, as usual, had not got around to posting them on the blog until now. I’ve been distracted by having a little fling with Instagram. It’s very tempting to just snap a photo, post it with very few words and hey presto there’s your story. No writer’s block involved nor, for that matter, much styling. But it is nice to come back to the blog now and again.

If you’re a perfectionist, you’ll want to know in advance that the custardy filling does sag a little after baking. But hey the taste is the thing here so let's just let that one go, okay?

Before starting, bear in mind there's an hour's chilling time once you've placed the pastry circles in the tin.

Add a sprinkle of cinnamon if you want, it’s in most recipes, but I left it out as I’d just made a chocolate cake which contained cinnamon and the taste came through quite strongly.  As noted in the recipe below, I had no single cream so used double cream - double yummy I think! Well worth doing again ... and again.

Portugese Tarts

Serves 9

2 sheets frozen puff pastry
1 egg
2 egg yolks
100g caster sugar
2 tbsp cornflour
300ml cream*
100ml standard/full cream milk
a couple of strips of orange peel (I used mandarin)
vanilla bean

*I used the wonderful Lewis Road double cream as I didn't have single cream.


Remove pastry from freezer to defrost.

Lightly spray 9 holes of a 12-hole tart tin with oil or grease lightly with butter.

Using a 9cm diameter cookie cutter (or top of a glass or a lid) cut 9 circles out of the pastry and press gently into the holes to fit. Place in the fridge to chill for an hour.

Meanwhile, make the custard by placing the egg, two egg yolks, caster sugar and cornflour in a medium saucepan (don't turn heat on yet) and stir to combine. Add the milk and cream and stir again. Add orange or mandarin peel and whole vanilla bean and heat gently, stirring constantly until the mixture thickens and just comes to the boil.

Remove from heat, discard peel and vanilla bean (this can be rinsed, dried and used again). Transfer custard to a pouring jug and cover the top of the custard with plastic wrap to stop it from forming a skin. Leave to cool completely.

Heat oven to 220°C. Divide mixture evenly between the pastry cases and bake 20-25 minutes until pastry and custard are just starting to colour.

Remove from the oven, leave in tin for 5 minutes then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

These are best eaten on the same day at room temperature. Actually, these are best eaten - full stop.

etcetera ... road trip

After what must have been five months of summer - best summer I can remember here -  we have gone slap bang into winter with single digit temperatures overnight, extra heaters under the desk in the office and a quick rethink of the summer duvet chill experience. There must be a name for someone who always feel the cold? Every time I voice this feeling of real, not laid-back, chill, I am told I should be used to it coming from Scotland. Hmm....

It's not particularly cold inside the house today but I am sitting here with one thermal layer, one hooded sweatshirt and, topping it all off, a fleece jacket (I took the gloves off when I came inside!). Hard to believe that just six weeks ago Bill and I were basking in the sun in T-shirts on our mini road trip to the aptly-named Bay of Plenty - an area of New Zealand I had yet to discover.

It was a bit scary setting off without pre-arranged accommodation (school holidays, anyone?) but I wanted to cast my eye over the place before deciding.  So, it felt like a bit of an adventure as we headed off towards the Hauraki Plains through Ngatea and stopped in Paeroa for a coffee and a browse around the many antique and second-hand shops. Then it was a quick "we have to do this" photo op at the L&P bottle (which was strangely hard to find) and a short walk through the Karangahake gorge where I attempted to traverse a swingy bridge purely, it seemed, for the amusement of two bored youths jumping up and down on it to make it swing more. Thanks, guys ... now I'm dizzy.

As usual with me, it is always going to be all about the coffee and the food and I was not disappointed. There were a couple of recommended options for dinner at Waihi Beach and I generously let Bill decide. He chose the Waihi Beach Hotel which I was secretly hoping he would. It is strange to have a Hip Group owned restaurant (which honestly would look more in place at one of Auckland's beaches but hey I am not complaining). There were very few diners that Monday night, but the service was friendly and the food was locally sourced, fresh and flavoursome and doesn't leave you feeling too full. That means you get to try one of their gorgeous desserts. Plus, it was just along from where we were staying.

Beach walks, a visit to Waihi township and, of course, Martha's Mine - a vast gold mine pit right alongside, but almost hidden from, the main street.  And apparently there were some award-winning pies in the main street so Bill just had to have one of these.

Moving on, we drove south stopping at Bowentown, climbing a hill to admire the views and murmur about how beautiful New Zealand is. The traffic increased as we headed for Tauranga (and there were lots of roadworks to slow the pace right down) but we were in no hurry.  We hit Tauranga just as the office workers broke for lunch and joined some of them at Alimento for lunch. Good coffee (all I ask for) and so many good-looking salads it took us a while to order.

Tauranga's city centre looked pretty busy. In a store I overheard an assistant wonder why there was such an increase in the town's population. I crept out rather than explain it was Aucklanders evacuating their expensive city.

I was expecting not to like Mount Maunganui and on first experience, driving rather erratically around trying to find the visitor info centre or a place for the night, I was certain of it. Once we'd settled on a place close to the centre, we had a wander. Bill was a perhaps reluctant partner to my shopping but in the end it was he who made the first purchase. What was so delightful about the shopping experience was the many young retail staff who were happy to chat to us, recommend places to eat (Flour & Water - great!) and generally be so charming it really made our trip. So my impressions were wrong. It's a lovely mix of beautiful beaches, good eateries and really good shops. Let's not forget not the Mount itself. I can't.

Mount Maunganui. Something happened to me on that peak. We started our ascent early (but not sunrise early) in the morning. For those of you who don't know me, I have a very sedentary job and have had for most of my life. I am also a bit sloth-like and not keen on exercise. Going up the Mount was a challenge then. Two (possibly three?) times, I stopped and told Bill I didn't think I could continue (in my defence, I wasn't feeling 100% okay either). Each time, we stopped and waited...

A group of tourists had started the climb at the same time as us. One of them was a little man, possibly in his seventies, with a walking stick. Standing on the track taking long, slow breaths, I would see that this little man was catching up with me. My pride would not let him overtake, so each time this happened, I would continue the climb with renewed vigour.  I made it to the top. I'm not sure about the man. He was not at the summit at the same time but I hope he did and I hope he felt the same sense of accomplishment that I did.

A couple of days later we were in Tairua in the Coromandel and I did not hesitate to include myself in a walk up the summit of Paku - something I had not attempted in a number of years. And yes, I got the top there too!

It's funny to think back on that climb up the Mount. It kind of changed everything and I can't explain it. All I know is I feel better since I did it and that is it. That is enough.

Spicy Mince on Aubergine Slices

This spin on the ubiquitous "mince on toast" has become a favourite of mine ever since I tried something similar in a local cafe. A slice of aubergine (or eggplant if you must) replaces the carbs, making it a delicious but light dish.

I did my own take on it back home and it's now a regular, simple supper, even winning over the "not too fond of aubergine" person (too bad if he's just being polite!).

Use your favourite bolognese or savoury mince sauce. For two people, one large aubergine should be enough and there may even be sauce left over for another mince dish - just depends on your appetite.

Here's my simple (but very adaptable) bolognese sauce.

Bolognese Sauce

1 tbsp olive oil
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1 clove garlic, crushed
500g premium beef mince
1 tin (400g) crushed Italian tomatoes
1/4 cup tomato paste
1/4 cup water
1 beef stock cube, crumbled
a few drops of Lea & Perrins worcestershire sauce (optional)
1/2 tsp each of dried basil, oregano & sugar
salt & pepper

Optional but recommended: add fresh chopped herbs e.g. basil, oregano, thyme once cooked. Coriander is nice if you are using the sauce for spicy dishes.

Heat oil in a medium-large saucepan. Add onion and garlic and cook gently, stirring constantly, for 5 minutes until onion is translucent and soft.

Turn heat up, add mince, stir constantly over high heat, breaking it up as you go. Cook until browned.

Add tin of tomatoes, tomato paste, water, stock cube (crumble into sauce), dried herbs, sugar, salt and pepper and simmer over a low heat for 20-30 minutes (add a little water if it begins to dry).

Turn off the heat and stir in fresh herbs, if using.

Sauce can be chilled in fridge or frozen.

To make the Spicy Mince on Aubergine Slices (use a ridged grill pan or outdoor barbecue).

This isn't so much a recipe, more a few ideas on how to put together.

One large aubergine (for two serves)

Olive oil

pre-made bolognese sauce (see above)

fresh chilli or hot chilli or harissa paste

grated cheddar cheese or mozzarella

fresh, chopped coriander leaves

sour cream

Spice up the bolognese sauce by adding a finely diced fresh chilli pepper or hot chilli sauce or 1/2 to 1 teaspoon of harissa paste or any other little wonder sauce (check the heat is to your taste).

Preheat the grill and the barbecue (if you are using a barbecue for aubergines).

Place the ridged grill pan on a medium heat whilst you prepare the aubergine. Rinse the aubergine and dry. Remove top and bottom. Cut into 1cm thick long slices (see photo above). If you leave the curvy bits on it makes it difficult to cook evenly so trim to make both sides flat.

Brush some olive oil on one side of aubergine slices and place oil side down on pre-heated ridged grill pan. Cook until brown on underside. Brush more oil on top side then turn over slices and cook until browned and tender. Transfer to a warm plate. If aubergine slices are too oily, place them on paper towels.

Put cooked aubergine slices on a baking tray. Spoon spicy mince evenly over top.  Grate some cheddar cheese (or mozzarella) on top.  Place under the baking tray under the grill until the cheese has melted.

Transfer to warm serving plates and top with a spoonful of sour cream, a drizzle of hot chilli sauce and a sprinkle of freshly chopped coriander leaves.

Serve on its own or with a salad.

Etcetera - 5th Anniversary & Rejuvenation

Normal service has resumed, hasn't it? I think so. Well, while it may have resumed on the calendar, on the fifth year anniversary of this blog I feel I need to refocus and rejuvenate - get back to the original idea of having a food blog and blogging about other things, whatever they may be.

This comes after some time spent pondering as to whether or not to continue blogging. But in January I was inspired by other blogs (some food, some non-food) and it hit me that I did want to continue. From now I will be moving in the direction I first envisaged. Bear with me - I'd love that.

With that in mind, I'm leaving you with my favourite books of 2015. There were many good ones to choose from, as well as some re-reads, but these two held a special place in my bookworm heart. Both use the landscape around them in such an evocative way as to immerse the reader completely in the storytelling.

Mr Mac & Me   -   Esther Freud
As a long-time admirer of Scottish architect, designer & artist, Charles Rennie Mackintosh, it was with some trepidation I opened this book. I need not have feared, this gently unfolding story, based on an episode in CRM's life, held me captive throughout its gentle pace. Set at the outbreak of War World 1 in a Suffolk coastal village (a place where Mackintosh and his artist wife, Margaret McDonald, spent some time and which is also the author's home), the narrator, a 12-year old local boy, Thomas, is both suspicious and interested in the artists' lives. Thomas's talent in drawing draws the boy and couple together. The only part which felt out of place was the ending.

Burial Rites - Hannah Kent
In an accomplished first novel, Burial Rites takes the reader to 19th century rural Iceland. As an exchange student in Iceland, the author was fascinated by the real life story of a young woman accused of murder which gave her the inspiration to write her own fictional account. A superb, moving evocation of landscape, isolation, injustice and hardship and the people who inhabit the land.

I found this photo essay very beneficial as a companion to the book.

Panna Cotta with baked orange blossom rhubarb

I'm not ashamed to admit I am hooked on Masterchef Australia's current season showing here in New Zealand. It does appear to be a bit "kinder" than most of these types of shows. Granted it's still a competition, but the focus is less on "who did/said what to who" and more on the food.

Well there's been a few panna cottas whipped up in the Masterchef  kitchen which has got me in the mood to revisit, even though I've made a similar one a few years back. It's such a simple, prepare-ahead dessert perfect for a balmy, summer evening  - something else which we've been having a few of recently.

This latest is topped with some exquisitely fragrant orange blossom rhubarb (recipe from Sweet Treats from Little & Friday cookbook). I cut back heavily on the sugar stated in the book (1 to 2 cups - either that's a typo or someone has a very sweet tooth!) as a 1/2 cup was plenty.

Bake the rhubarb in advance and leave it to cool in the fridge. It will keep for a few days in a sealed container in the fridge and you can use the rest in your breakfast cereal.

A small biscuit such as shortbread (whole or crumbed) or tuile is a nice touch and adds some extra texture.

For a superior vanilla flavour, I urge you to use either the seeds scraped from a vanilla pod or vanilla extract or even vanilla essence in preference to imitation vanilla which has an artificial flavour and will really do nothing for the taste.

I like that you can see the vanilla seeds in the final result but if you don't want the seeds showing in your panna cotta, strain the final mix through a very fine sieve or muslin cloth.

Lastly, I admit to being a bit of a coward. I didn't go the whole Masterchef way and upend the panna cotta onto a plate from a mould fearing a disaster! One day I must give it a try...


For the Baked Orange Blossom Rhubarb

5 stalks rhubarb, washed & trimmed*
juice and zest of 3-5 oranges
1/2 cup caster sugar
1/8 to 1/4 cup orange blossom water

*I had more stalks but there was a mix of thick and thin so I cut the thick stalks horizontally to ensure they were all of a similar thickness to cook evenly.

Preheat oven to 180 degrees C.

Cut rhubarb into 4cm-5cm slices and place in a large bowl. Add the orange juice and zest, sugar and orange blossom water and toss to coat evenly.  Transfer to a baking tray and cook in oven for approximately 20 minutes or until rhubarb is tender.

Cool and store in the fridge in a sealed container.



For the Panna Cotta (makes approximately 6-8 serves)

3 level tsp gelatine powder
2 tbsp cold water
2 cups single cream
1 cup whole milk
1/4 tsp vanilla paste concentrate (or substitute with scraped seeds from vanilla pod or 1 tsp vanilla extract or essence)
1/3 cup caster sugar

Have 6-8 ramekins or glasses ready.

Whisk the gelatine powder into the cold water until it is fully mixed and set aside while you make panna cotta.

In a heavy based saucepan, slowly bring the cream, milk, vanilla and sugar to the boil and just as it bubbles, remove from heat.

Give the gelatine mix a final whisk, then whisk it into the panna cotta mix in the saucepan until it has all dissolved.  Leave to cool slightly.

Pour the mixture evenly amongst the ramekins or glasses.  Transfer to the fridge to chill until set.

To serve: Top panna cottas with about 3 pieces of baked rhubarb (choose the pink ones!) or other fruit of your choice and shortbread or tuiles if desired.

Panna cottas will keep in the fridge for about 2 days.