Chez Moi

January 27, 2016

Christmas Breakfast: Summer Celebration Tart

This year we had a wonderful Christmas with our families back in New Zealand. After spending the previous three Christmases on our own, cocooned in rustic cottages in various wine regions around the country, it was lovely indeed to return home, help create a shared feast, watch the kids gleefully open their presents, and bunk down amongst various animal and human bodies to watch Robin Williams’ Flubber into the night.

Over the last three years it has been my tradition to put my Christmas energies into the creation of a celebratory breakfast. Christmas breakfast was never a thing in my parental household though. Growing up, breakfast was a mere after-thought, a dutiful act of sustenance sandwiched between the main event of opening presents and the rounds of present-viewing, playing and swimming that followed. In contrast, Christmas dinners were of epic proportions. For a few years in a row our extended family ate dinner seated around the table tennis table, which groaned under the weight of roasted turkey and chicken, trays of kumara and potatoes, and steaming bowls of Poppa’s beans. Nana, Mum and my aunties slaved for the entire afternoon to create these feasts.

Fast-forward a few years and Christmas has entered a new incarnation, but dinner is still the main culinary focus. Thankfully for me, I have an accommodating family who were willing to incorporate my own breakfast tradition into the day. My sister and I prepared the gluten free Breakfast Tart from Sarah Britton’s new book and followed this with the Corn & Feta Fritters I had perfected the year before. Although it was very easy on the eye, the tart was not quite what I had imagined in terms of taste and texture. Still, a breakfast tart is a beautiful concept and there was enough promise in the recipe to try it again back home.

In the version pictured here, I paired sunflower seeds with oats, almond meal and a little wholemeal flour. The resulting crust is tender and nutty, marrying the toothsomeness of a traditional shortcrust pastry with the salubrious qualities of whole seeds and grains. The yoghurt is scented with lemon zest and honey and I have taken the fruit in a late-summer direction, using earthy blackberries and peaches lifted by the bright tang of raspberry coulis. This is breakfast, yes, but a very special one indeed.

If you plan to make this for a special occasion, I recommend baking the crust and preparing the coulis the night before. Both will keep overnight (the coulis in the fridge and the crust in a sealed container) so that in the morning, it will be a simple task to stir the yoghurt, wash the fruit and assemble the tart. This is a breakfast that will impress – a celebratory start to any festive occasion.

Summer Celebration Breakfast Tart

Servings: 8
Print

Adapted from Sarah Britton My New Roots

For the tart crust:
1/2 cup sunflower seeds
1/2 cup rolled oats
1/2 cup almond meal
Wholemeal flour (or gluten free flour)
1/4 tsp fine salt
1/4 cup coconut oil, chilled until very cold
2 Tbsp maple syrup
2 Tbsp iced water

For the coulis:
1 cup frozen raspberries
2 Tbsp water
1 Tbsp runny honey

For the tart filling:
2 cups Greek yoghurt
Finely grated zest of half a lemon (reserve the other half for grating on top)
2 Tbsp runny honey
Selection of fresh fruit (I used 250g blackberries, 125g blueberries and 1 peach)

First make the tart crust. Toast the sunflowers seeds for a few minutes in a dry pan over medium heat. As soon as the seeds start to release their oil, remove from the heat, spread on a plate and place in the fridge to cool. Measure the rolled oats and grind in a food processor for 2-3 minutes. Add the cooled sunflower seeds and grind together with the oats until both are fine. Add the almond meal, then remove the mixture to a bowl. Weigh the mixture and add just enough wholemeal flour to bring the total weight to 220g.

Return the dry ingredients to the food processor. Add the salt, chilled coconut oil, maple syrup and iced water and pulse to combine. Keep pulsing until the coconut oil is cut into tiny pieces (but is still visible) and the mixture is beginning to clump together. Tip onto a board, press firmly together into a ball. Roll out the pastry on a piece of baking paper until it is 4-5mm thick and large enough to fit a 23cm loose-bottom tart tin. If your pastry is soft and warm by this stage, a common problem in the heat of an Australian summer, return the rolled pastry to the fridge to chill for 10 minutes before flipping into the base of the tin. Press the pastry into the corners and use any trimmings to patch the cracks. Chill the lined tin for a further 10 minutes while you preheat the oven to 190°C / 375°F. Bake the crust for 15-20 minutes until the edges are beginning to turn light brown. Set aside to cool (or store overnight in an airtight container).

To make the coulis, measure the raspberries, water and honey into a small saucepan and set over medium-high heat. Bring to a gentle simmer and cook until the raspberries have released their juices and broken apart, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a small bowl and place in the fridge to cool.

To prepare the filling, measure the yoghurt into a medium bowl, add the honey and lemon zest and stir to combine. Wash and cut the fruit however you please.

To assemble the tart, carefully transfer the crust to a serving board or dish. Spread the yoghurt evenly over the surface then dot with spoonfuls of raspberry coulis. Use a knife to gently swirl the coulis through the yoghurt. Arrange the fruit on top and grate over a little more lemon zest. Serve immediately, as the yoghurt filling will quickly start to soften the crust.

January 10, 2016

comments 13

The year that was: 2015

Towards the end of 2014 we often talked about craving some change. We thought about another extended holiday, talked about moving cities and even considered moving back to New Zealand. All of those ideas will appear in some form in our future, but what actually happened in 2015 was that our employment situations shifted. Change is as good as a holiday, they say, and new jobs and business opportunities provided a new perspective. In this way, 2015 was a satisfying year.

Blogging-wise it was a little patchy. A busy life provides lots of material for blogging, but little time in which to write posts. Still, there were some stand-out moments. With regard to food, the blog’s raison d’être, the most popular post was Best Roast Chicken, generating the most website hits (by far) that I have ever had in one day (I blame the golden crispy skin in one of the photos!). However, my personal favourite was A taste of home (Fish & Fennel Pie) for the fishing photographs as much as for the recipe.

Another key theme of the blog is the ways that we create or make a home. The post My home is green and gold was an opportunity to reflect on the different landscapes and colours of my two homes, Australia and New Zealand. The post was extremely cathartic to write, and seemed to hit a nerve for ex-pat readers, New Zealanders and otherwise.

As for 2014, travel was a bit light. My post Road Trip was therefore an attempt to relive a past holiday and re-explore a favourite idea – the liminal nature of the journey. Photographically, the post Small things: Flowers & Fur was was the most satisfying to produce, and a good reminder to notice the minutiae of every day life.

My year in review posts always follow the convention of selecting one photograph to represent each month, using a photograph that was taken during that month. Some months have ample material from which to choose; others have very little and it’s harder to find something decent. Nonetheless, I enjoy the discipline of attempting to sum up an entire year in just 12 images – it’s my once-per-year journal entry. Thank you for reading Chez Moi in 2015 and best wishes for the year ahead!

January: I visited Cairns (in Far North Queensland) three times in 2015, all for work. This photo was taken on the first trip, from the window of the plane as we descended. Over the course of four days April and I flew from Cairns to Townsville then drove to Airlie Beach, MacKay and finally to Rockhampton. It was blisteringly hot, but a great way to see some more of this beautiful state.

February: February was a tough month as my lovely grandmother died. Despite the sadness, it was a privilege to help care for her during her final days, back in New Zealand. This photo was taken at Lamington National Park on the weekend I returned to Brisbane. The cool air of the deep green rainforest was just what I needed.

March: I love how the Albert St Uniting Church looks miniaturised from this angle. This photo was taken from the top of the Clock Tower at City Hall, which is accessed via the Museum of Brisbane – the best little free museum you’ll ever go to. On this day we were there for the Costumes from the Golden Age of Hollywood exhibition.

April: We travelled back to New Zealand for a week during late March and early April. Thanks to Dad, we squeezed in an early morning fishing trip on Doubtless Bay. It was a pristine day, and as the sun came up the fish were in a frenzy to eat our bait. Exciting fishing!

May: May was for celebrating the birthday of our dear friend Greg with pavlova in New Farm Park. It was also the month that I started saying goodbye to friends and colleagues in preparation for starting my new job. Four delicious cakes helped me show my appreciation for them.

June: In early June we had a lovely weekend at Coolum Beach on the Sunshine Coast, a last hurrah before I started my new job. We climbed Mt Coolum, had a massage in Noosa and enjoyed long walks on the beautiful beach. A perfect weekend getaway before knuckling down to the task of remembering all those new names.

July: I must have been busy in July, because the only photos I have are of Chocolate & Cardamom Muesli Bars. There was an unexpected trip to Perth in July, but beyond that, maybe we were still recovering from the epic party we threw in June to celebrate Colin’s 40th birthday? Quite possibly.

August: One morning in August I woke up to find the apartment flooded with golden light. Winter in Brisbane is a beautiful thing indeed. Other clues to August events lie in my calendar and photo library – new cafe discoveries, yoga with friends, and a winter sniffle. Not pictured: the flatmate experiment that went spectacularly wrong.

September: And here it is, the most popular food post of the year – Best Roast Chicken – in which a process of dry-brining leads to crispy skin and succulent meat nirvana. Besides roasting chickens, in September we also enjoyed a weekend away at the Glasshouse Mountains and my work activities took a smelly turn at the local rubbish tip.

October: October was a cultured month, with a delightful visit to the heritage-listed St Isidore’s for lunch with my book club group, and a roam through some of Brisbane’s most iconic buildings courtesy of Brisbane Open House. This photo was taken inside the Old Windmill in Spring Hill, which has a bloody history indeed.

November: November swooped towards year’s end at an alarming rate. Even so, being in the kitchen is one of my ways to relax and unwind and I found time to make many things, including some recipes I’m still working on. These Tahini Cookies are an old favourite and they never fail to please.

December: The last month of the year always feels so short. December was busy with end-of-year celebrations, baking homemade gifts, shopping and wrapping presents. Christmas was extra special in 2015 because we were at home for the first Christmas in four years. Mum always picks flowers for our room whenever we make it home, and this time they seemed especially lovely.

December 22, 2015

comments 14

Christmas & Cantuccini

It’s beginning to feel like Christmas – at last! The miniature tree is up, along with a few baubles and subtle decorations (I’m an under-stated decorator). Christmas parties and catch-up drinks have mostly been had. Hoards of shoppers have been fought. Presents have been paid for and are sitting there, wrapped, labelled and be-ribboned. All is cheery and bright.

To be honest though, it’s been a tough year for many people close to me, and on a broader scale, world events have been especially tumultuous. News headlines dish out the bizarre and horrific on a daily basis and I find myself swinging from shock and disbelief to overloaded indifference. It feels like there is nothing of great significance that can be done. At times like this you stick together and care for your people because what else can you do?

Homemade baking is absolutely and utterly insignificant. Yet despite this, I’ll never forget my second day at a new job in a new country, sitting there feeling completely overwhelmed and wondering when they were going to figure out that I wasn’t all that I said I was. The woman at the desk next to me offered me two small cookies wrapped in plastic – a sample from the batch she had baked the night before. She had observed me eating a muesli bar on my first day, she said, and she just knew that I would like her healthy cookies made with whole grains and honey. Two cookies is all it took and just like that I was no longer alone, freaking out at my desk.

Last year I made homemade cookies as Christmas gifts for the first time. The baking marathon nearly killed me, and thanks to the freshness of that memory, I sensibly scaled it back this year. I made one thing only and that thing was Nadine Abensur’s divine Cantuccini. Cantuccini is like a rustic biscotti, only it remains a little softer and won’t chip your teeth. It can be eaten alone or, like biscotti, dunked into coffee or hot chocolate. Nadine’s recipe makes a huge quantity of biscuits, so it’s perfect for Christmas baking. This year I flavoured mine with orange zest and paired it with figs, dates and hazelnuts, creating a rich, Christmas-cakey flavour. I also love a fresher version, using lemon zest, dried apricots and pistachios.

This year half of my little red sacks of homemade cantuccini have been given to a few friends and relatives who have been stand out supports this year (and if I haven’t given you any, it doesn’t mean that I don’t love you! See comment above re: “baking marathon”). The other half have gone to people who have brightened my days in unexpected ways – the busker at the train station who cheekily asks, every now and then, if my husband is treating me right, and the neighbour, a few doors down, who lets me pick herbs from the pots by his door. If I can find him, a sack will also go to my Big Issue vendor, who is always keen for a chat whether I buy a copy or not. Homemade baking is insignificant, yes, but not wholly without significance. Have a wonderful, safe and happy Christmas everyone.

Fig & Hazelnut Cantuccini

Servings: makes about 70 pieces
Print

Adapted slightly from Nadine Abensur The Crank’s Bible

500g plain flour
500g castor sugar
1 Tbsp baking powder
5 small eggs, lightly beaten with a pinch of salt
150g figs (or dried apricots)
150g dates
150g blanched almonds
150g hazelnuts (or pistachio)
Finely grated zest of 2 oranges (or lemon)

Preheat the oven to 180°C / 360°F. Weigh the dried fruit and slice into small pieces. Place into a medium bowl along with the nuts (you don’t need to bother with chopping the nuts). Grate the orange zest into the bowl and mix together with the fruit. Set aside.

Sieve the flour, sugar and baking powder together into a large, wide bowl. Whisk to ensure that the dry ingredients are well incorporated. Add half of the lightly beaten egg and work through using a metal spoon. Add another half of the remaining egg and mix again, then begin to work the moisture into the flour using your fingertips. You want the dough to stick together without being too wet, and the mixture can be deceiving. Resist adding more egg yet. Add the fruit to the bowl and, still using your fingers, mix thoroughly into the dough. The moisture from the fruit will help to bring the dough together, but if your fruit is on the dry side, you may need a little more egg. Push the dough together into a ball. If most of it sticks together, then it is wet enough. If you’ve gone too far and the dough is too sticky, add small amounts of flour until it becomes manageable.

Tip the dough out onto a board and form into a sausage shape. Cut into six even pieces. Roll each piece into a log approximately two and a half centimetres wide. Place the logs onto two oven trays lined with baking parchment (if you only have one tray, like me, you will need to bake the cantuccini in two batches). Slightly flatten each log and slide the trays into the oven. Bake until brown for 25-30 minutes.

Remove the tray and lift the loaves of cantuccini onto a rack to cool slightly. Leave for 10 minutes then slice into pieces, about 1cm wide. Lay the pieces flat on the oven tray/s and then return to the oven for 10-15 minutes until deep golden brown. Cool on a rack until crisp then store in an airtight container.

December 9, 2015

comments 15

Date Night Salad

Let me first talk about Date Night. Although it’s a common enough term, “dating” has always seemed a distinctly American concept to me. Maybe that’s because I started “dating” Colin so long ago, when I was a mere teenager. In that time and place the terminology was “going around together” or maybe “going out”; words which seem so innocently quaint now when in truth the local scene was anything but. “Dating” was something that we only knew about from watching American TV shows and it seemed to involve an awful lot of going to the movies and eating pasta at Italian restaurants. The nearest cinema was a full two-hours drive away from where I grew up in rural New Zealand, and the only spaghetti we ever had came out of a can. “Dating” was infinitely more sophisticated than anything I knew.

I first heard about the concept of “date night” from the American sitcom Roseanne, centred on a blue collar family in Illinois – a strange segue perhaps, but imported British and American TV dominated our media exposure back then. In episode 3 of the first season Roseanne and Dan get a babysitter for the kids so they can go out for dinner; a far-fetched idea, as I didn’t know anyone whose parents regularly went out for dinner. I have a memory of another episode where “date night” is code for sex and we are led to understand that the couple have a regular, weekly appointment. My younger self was a bit freaked out by the idea of scheduling sex, and when tired Dan falls asleep and Roseanne is left high-and-dry (and characteristically pissed off), I realised that this was “wedded bliss meets 9 to 5, three kids and a mortgage”. My adult self, my thoroughly married self, views date night positively. Whatever it involves, prioritising quality time with your partner is simply an ongoing investment in your relationship. I don’t need to spell it out for you.

Friday night’s have been our date night lately, a chance to have some fun, reconnect after the busy week and get into a weekend groove. On one Friday recently we didn’t feel like venturing out into the hum of the city and elected to eat at home instead. The fridge revealed a few sad vegetables and the freezer gave up a solitary packet of chicken breasts, but that was challenge enough. I cooked freekeh for the first time, roasted the odds and ends of vegetables until sweet, defrosted the chicken in the microwave (let’s not discuss that, ok?), pounded it flat and fried it with a sprinkle of spice. With a nice bottle of wine and Nina Simone crooning in the background, date night at home was a resounding success.

I could just as easily call this “Clean Out Your Fridge Salad”, but it doesn’t sound as appetising and what memory could I have conjured out of that idea? But in some ways, that’s exactly what this is. In the weeks since my first attempt, I have made the salad several more times. I’ve settled on the close-to-optimal version seen in the photos here, featuring Lebanese flavours that go brilliantly with seared lamb. However, the last time I made it the fridge was bare (again), and I made do with carrot, fennel bulb, onion and cauliflower – it was still delicious. I added steamed asparagus to the version in the photos, but I’d probably leave it out next time, or roast it instead. The slivered almonds can be pine nuts or pistachios and feta can be added if you wish. The point is, that this is a roadmap rather than a recipe. It’s flexible, just like a good marriage should be.

The freekeh adds a real point of difference, but you could easily substitute rice, quinoa, barley or even green lentils. Freekeh is young green wheat that has been roasted and dried, and when cooked it retains a fantastic chewiness and slight smokey flavour. I’ve learned recently that most grains are more digestible if you soak them before cooking, so that’s what I try to do these days – if I remember. To maximise the reward for such forethought, the quantities given below make a huge bowl of salad that you can pick at all weekend long. If there’s any left over on Monday, take it to work for lunch. Count how many colleagues look longingly at your plate while they chew their sandwich or poke their noodles.

For an alternative to date night, try Jess’ idea of a regular mid-week breakfast. Her sweet post partly inspired mine.

Freekeh with Aubergine, Almond and Mint

Servings: 4-6
Print

1 cup freekeh (or other wholegrain of your choice)
1 Tbsp lemon juice or cider vinegar
1 small aubergine (eggplant)
1 medium red capsicum
1 large red onion
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp ground coriander
1/4 tsp dried chilli flakes
1 bunch asparagus (optional)
1/4 cup slivered almonds
Handful of mint and another of parsley
4 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
Salt and pepper
Serving suggestions: sliced avocado, garlicky hummus, spiced and seared lamb steaks

Place the freekeh in a large bowl and cover with water. Wash the grains thoroughly by scrubbing them between your palms for a couple of minutes. Pour off the murky water and refill the bowl with fresh water. Rinse the grains several times until the water runs clear. To soak the freekeh, cover the clean grains with plenty of fresh water and add 1 Tbsp lemon juice or cider vinegar. Leave the freekeh to soak and rehydrate for 24 hours.

When ready to cook, pour off the soaking water, rinse the grains and place the freekeh in a medium saucepan. Cover with fresh water and resist the urge to add salt. Bring the covered pan to the boil then simmer gently for about 35-40 minutes, until the grains are tender but still chewy. When cooked, drain off any excess cooking water, transfer the freekeh to a large serving bowl and dress with 2 Tbsp olive oil, a generous pinch of salt and a few grinds of black pepper.

While the freekeh is cooking, prepare the rest of the salad. Preheat the oven to 200°C / 390°F and put a pan of water onto boil for steaming the asparagus. Clean and slice the eggplant, capsicum and onion. Toss with the cumin, coriander, chilli, 2 Tbsp olive oil, salt and pepper and spread out on a baking tray. Roast for 20 minutes until beginning to brown slightly. Trim the asparagus, cut into 2 inch pieces and steam for a few minutes until tender-crisp. Toast the slivered almonds in a small pan until lightly browned, and roughly chop the herbs.

Transfer the cooked vegetables, almonds and herbs to the serving bowl and toss gently with the freekeh. Taste and adjust the seasonings then serve with sliced avocado, garlicky hummus, and spiced and seared lamb steaks.