Category: Fruit


May
2020

Quince Blancmange

categories: Desserts, Fruit

I’m fairly sure that Quince Blancmange was invented when someone put the names of the most old fashioned fruit and the most vintage of desserts through a random generator to see what came up.  It could have been worse.  We could have been eating Medlar Junkets.   or Whortleberry Possets.  BTW…just in case you are writing an academic history of quince blancmange don’t quote me on that origin story!  For everyone else?  That’s how it happened.  Other people will tell you that blancmange originated in the Middle Ages and used to contain chicken and other meaty treats.  That it moved from savoury to sweet in around 1600 and that the name is a portmanteau of the French words for white (blanc) and to eat (manger).  And I’m not saying that they are wrong.  “Quince” blancmange however?  Random name generator.  For sure.  100%.

Quince Blancmange1

Quince are one of the weirdest fruit around!  If you are not familiar with them, they are those bright yellow fruit that look like large misshapen pears that you might see in your greengrocer in autumn.  When you cut them open the flesh is white and so, so sour and a little bit bitter.  But when you cook them that flesh becomes a glorious deep pink to dark red and sweet.

And blancmange? Is pretty much jelly / jello with cream or milk mixed through it.  Who knew!

So, I bought a quince because I didn’t really read the recipe first and made the assumption that quince blancmange would contain quince.  I mean stands to reason right?

Hmmm….wrong.  The quince blancmange recipe uses the quince jelly you buy to eat with cheese.  Now, for some reason we had a shit ton of this in our fridge.  Well, one of them was Fig paste but for the purpose of the blancmange, it was all the same.  I have no idea why we had so much of this.  I suspect they came in hampers or were freebies with something because the only other time I have ever cooked quince was to make my own membrillo which is the proper name of Spanish Quince paste and we have been eating that.  Delicious too I might add!  If you do make it, a little splash of vanilla essence in the quince mix does not go astray.  Trust me on that one.

Quince Pastes

Quince blancmange is so easy to make.

First, tip your paste into a sauce pan, add water and melt that jelly down.  Taste.  Add sugar if needed, or if already very sweet a dash of lemon juice.  Add a splash of vanilla too.  Then, turn off the heat, allow to cool slightly and stir through the cream.  This looked so pretty as it made a beautiful marbled pattern.  It was very soothing moving the spoon through the swirls of colour…

Quince Blancmange 5

Then add some gelatine pour into the mould and you are done!

Print

Quince Blancmange

Quince Blancmange1
Print Recipe

A fruity dessert that tastes better than it looks!

  • Yield: 6 1x
  • Category: Dessert

Ingredients

Scale
  • 200 grams Quince Jelly
  • 100 grams water (Plus moe for gelatime)
  • 1 tsp Vanilla extract
  • 4 Gelatine leaves
  • Sugar, to taste
  • Lemon juice, to taste
  • 250 ml Cream
  • Berries to serve (Optionaal)

Instructions

  1. Add the quince jelly to the water in a small saucepan and simmer over medium heat until the jelly melts.
  2. Add the vanilla.
  3. Taste and add sugar and / or lemon juice to taste.
  4. Remove from heat. Stir through the cream.
  5. Soften the gelatine leaves in a little cool water, then removeand squeeze out the excess water. Stir the gelatine into the warm cream andquince mixture.
  6. Pour into a mould and chill until set.
  7. To serve, invert the mould and garnish with the berries.

If I did not now know this was quince flavoured I would not have guessed that was it was.  And I don’t think that was because of the figs because it did not taste overly figgy either.  It tasted generically fruity sweet.  The Quince Blancmange was much nicer to eat than it was to look at.  Because it looked revolting.  Really bad.  It reminded me of being back in school and seeing a picture of some lungs with all the arteries and veins running through it.

Spot the Difference

Quince Blancmange 8

So, not fail but not a total win.  I probably will not make this exact recipe again but I am definitely going to experiment with blancmange a bit more to try to bring out the actual flavour of the fruit.  I wonder if it would have been different if I had used fresh quince instead of the jelly?

Have a great week friends and stay safe!

 

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Apr
2020

Peach Melba – Dining with The Dame 2

categories: Desserts, Dining With The Dame, Peaches

Welcome to the second chapter of Dining with the Dame which is all about cooking the food found in the novels of Agatha Christie.  Today we are delving into Agatha’s second novel The Secret Adversary which features the classic Peach Melba.  I was planning to make  Peach Melba for a “Name Plates” post down the track but The Secret Adversary pipped it at the post!

Peach Melba1

The Secret Adversary

The Secret Adversary is Dame Christie’s second published novel (1922).  It introduces “The Young Adventurers” Tommy and Tuppence to the reading world.  I have a real soft spot for Tommy and Tuppence.  They are both a little displaced, not to mention broke after the WW1 where they worked as soldier and nurse respectively. Seeking excitement and cold hard cash they place an advertisement in the paper offering their services “No unreasonable offer refused”.

This leads to a tale of hijinks involving fake names, American millionaires, missing cousins and state secrets, and of course a criminal mastermind evil genius!  It all ends happily and with the sound of wedding bells in the distance for Tommy and Tuppence!

If you do not fancy reading the book there is a made for tv adaptation from 1983 which, at the time of writing is available on Daily Motion.

Peach Melba2

There is also a more modern version set in the 1950’s starring David Walliams as Tommy and Jessica Raine as Tuppence.  I have only been able to see the trailers for this on You Tube as I could not find it to buy / rent anywhere.  It looks good but I think moving it to the 1950’s will change some of the dynamic of the book.  One of the most moving images in the book was that returned soldiers unable to find work after the war would go from door to door selling poems!

The Covers

I find it odd that not many of the old style covers feature Tommy and Tuppence. My favourite here is the pulp fictionesque cover on the top right.  I also like the red, black and white one bottom left and the middle bottom one that references the sinking of the Lusitania.

My least favourites are middle left where the secret adversary seems to be an overgrown fly.  Who let Jeff Goldblum in? I also think that the mask in the bottom right one looks a little bit like Vincent Price.

 

Secret Adversary Covers

The Recipe

“On second thoughts I prefer The Picadilly.  It’s nearer”

…

“Is this a new brand of humour? Or is your brain really unhinged?” inquired Tommy.

“Your last supposition is the correct one.  I have come into money and the shock has been too much for me.  For that particular form of mental trouble an eminent physician recommends unlimited hors-d’œuvre, Lobster a l’américane, Chicken Newberg, and Pêche Melba”

Peach Melba combines peaches, fresh raspberries and raspberry coulis with vanilla icecream.  So simple! So delicious!

Peach season was pretty much over when I made this so I used tinned peaches.  Fresh poached peaches would be amazing!!!!  I also added in some almonds for a bit of crunch but essentially I used Nigella Lawson’s Peach Melba recipe.

Peach Melba3

Other Food Mentioned in The Secret Adversary

Have you read The Secret Adversary? What did you think of it? Which is your favourite cover?  I am really enjoying these old style mystery stories whilst in iso.  Book 3 is back to Poirot for a murder mystery set in France.  Ooh la la!

Have a great week.  Stay home, stay safe!

 

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Apr
2020

Bruléed Grapefruit

categories: Breakfast, Grapefruit

I am not normally a breakfast person.  If I am super organised I throw some granola and yogurt into a bowl and eat that once I get into the office.  Or I will grab a bagel on my way.  But usually, my breakfast is a coffee (or two).  Nowadays, maybe because I am walking my dogs early in the morning or because I am at home and surrounded by food, by about 10:30 I am HUNGRY!   Bruléed grapefruit, which many of you will recognise as the darling of the 1970’s diet book has become my breakfast of choice.

Why?

  • It can be made in stages so easy to do between calls
  • So tasty!
  • All those 1970’s diet books can’t be wrong  – this is kind  of healthy for you!
  • Using a culinary blowtorch is fun!
  • It looks so pretty and colourful, it cheers me up (all these days we need all the cheering up we can get!).

Bruleed Grapefruit 1

How are you all coping with life in social isolation?  I am in week three of work from home and oh boy, it’s a rollercoaster.  I woke up with a sore throat the other morning and immediately assumed I had the ‘rona. Which I do not. The days seem to drag even though my work has seemingly doubled.  And how can I go from looking totally respectable in my bathroom mirror to looking like trash 5 minutes later on a video call?   But I’m still working which is something to be very grateful for when there are so many people being laid off so the vortex of ugly between my bathroom and my computer  seems like a small price to pay!

Bruleed Grapefruit 2

Variations

I like to top my bruléed grapefruit with some coyo and usually either some granola or chopped pistachio nuts.  Of course on the day I decided to take photos I had neither in the house.  So, I topped it with a maraschino cherry.  Which was delicious!

Other toppings could include:

  • Greek or Flavoured Yoghurt or whipped cream
  • Berries or other fruit
  • Nuts or seeds of your choice
  • Vanilla ice cream (hey, you’re working from home, who’s going to know!)

Another way to mix this up is to vary the flavourings in the sugar:

  • Add some cinnamon for a warming and sweetly spicy effect
  • Adding lavender or other flower infused sugar will bring out the floral notes in the grapefruit
  • Give it an Asian twist by adding a little chilli, some chopped up  crystallised ginger and a dash of salt

Hmm…my recipe plugin is not working at the mo so here is recipe old school style

Bruléed Grapefruit

  • 1/2 ruby red grapefruit
  • 1 tbsp caster sugar
  • A large dollop coconut (or other) yoghurt
  • 1 Maraschino cherry

Place the grapefruit cut side adown on kitchen paper and leave for around 5 minutes to drain any juice from the top.  The drier it is, the better it will brulée.

Sprinkle the sugar on the cut side of the grapefruit.

Set your blowtorch to high and move to and fro over the grapefruit to caramelise the sugar.  (If you do not have a blowtorch, set your grill (broiler) to high, wait until it is hot and set your grapefruit under it until the sugar caramelises).

Serve immediately with a dollop of yoghurt and a cherry on the top!

Bruleed Grapefruit 4

I have no stories since it is week 3 in the house but I thought it might be interesting if we started to share how we are entertaining ourselves during social distancing.  This is what I’ve been up to:

Doing

This puzzle again….Arrgghhhh…what is wrong with me?

Watching

I watched Dare Me on Netflix which I really liked.  I am about halfway through The Haunting of Hill House which I am loving but I can only watch in small doses because it scares the hell out of me.

For film club I need to watch The Martian and Stand By Me.

Hmm…maybe we all need to watch The Martian…

Reading

I am reading Two Can Keep a Secret which is the sequel to One of Us is Lying which I loved!!!!  As well as an Agatha Christie for the next Dining With The Dame.

 

What are you reading, watching doing during lockdown?  I would love to get ideas for new things!

Stay home, stay safe, eat grapefruit for breakfast!

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Oct
2019

Old Fashioned Lemonade

categories: Drinks, Lemon, Non - Alcoholic

So, what do you do when life gives you lemons?  Make lemonade of course!  

Old Fashioned Lemonade1

 

And oh boy has life given me lemons!  We came home from holidays to find a tree that was so laden with lemons that the branches were nearly lying on the ground!

Lemon Tree

Poor tree!!!!  

Emergency lemon measures were called for!  Friends and family were called.  However, friends and family were either having their own too many lemon dilemmas or were already hooked up with other peoples too many lemon dilemmas. So, unable to give them away, I started thinking about how to deal with the lemon glut of 2019 on my own!  
Lemonade5

My old fashioned lemonade is a total classic. It’s the kind of lemonade you can imagine kids selling from a homemade stand, Lucy Van Pelt style back in the day.  Or the kind that these kids gave away to marchers during the 1963 March on Washington led by Martin Luther King, Jr.  Bless their non-capitalist hearts!

Old Fashioned lemonade is also incredibly easy to make!  It has just three ingredients –  Lemon juice, sugar and sparkling water.  Garnishes of lemon wedges, mint leaves and ice cubes are optional. 

But if you also wanted to add a little splash of booze, well, I won’t judge you.  😉

Print

Old Fashioned Lemonade

Print Recipe

A simple and refreshing drink.

Ingredients

Scale
  • 375mls of freshly squeezed lemon juice
  • 200grm caster sugar
  • sparkling water
  • Ice cubes, lemon wedges and mint leaves to garnis

Instructions

  1. Stir the sugar into the lemon juice until it has completelty melted.
  2. When ready to serve, fill a glass to about a third with the lemon and sugar mixture.
  3. Add icecubes.
  4. Top with sparkling water.
  5. Garnish with lemon wedges and mint leaves.

Notes

  • The lemon and sugar mixture will keep for about a week in a bottle in the fridge.

I’m sure I will have many more lemony dishes in the coming months including a much more fancy lemonade and a super sounding pickle that was in a book I got for my birthday. 

Let me know what you would make if you had a million lemons – I need all the inspiration I can get. 

Have a great week!

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Jun
2019

Use By: Watermelon and Feta Salad

categories: Feta, Fruit, Salad, Use By, Watermelon

To me, watermelon is an icon of summer and happiness.  And I love feta cheese.  So I am unsure why I was initially so resistant to the idea of a watermelon and feta salad. But the minute I tried it, I realised how wrong I had been.  It is DELICIOUS!!!!  And a really good way to use up a little bit of watermelon you may have left in your fridge.

It is winter and dark and grey here in Melbourne at the moment so this salad is a mere memory of sunshine.  However, for those of you in the Northern Hemisphere, I hope this becomes as much a staple on your summer table as it is now on mine!

Before we even get onto the taste, let’s talk about how my Watermelon and Feta salad looks!.

It is such a lovely contrast of colours – the deep pink of the watermelon against the white of the feta, the deep blackish purple of the olives, the lighter purple of the onions and the bright green of the leaves.

And as for the taste?  It will get your tastebuds dancing lust ike this!

The girl in the white mini dress is the watermelon…it’s the first thing you notice and she’s bringing the sweetness.

The girl in the leafy bikini is the feta. Also up front but bringing a bit more complexity by adding some salty creaminess to the mix.

Blue Speedo guy is the red onion.  He’s adding some pow!

Sitting down girl is the olives – she’s bringing some more salt and a briny oiliness and somehow keeping all the others on beat.

White bikini in the background?  She’s the leaves – she’s bascially a supporting player for the front four

And finally, orange Speedo’s?  He’s  the sprinkle of fresh dill and chilli flakes….not noticeable all the time…but when you do…it’s memorable!

Add them all together and you’ve got a party just ready to happen!

This is a fun salad and if you aren’t into the beach party breakdown I have given you, look at some other ways people have had fun with it:

Rubik’s Cube Salad (via Cityline TV)

 

Watermelon Cups (via Clean Food Crush)

 

And my favourite, just because it is so pretty! Watermelon Stars (via Taste.com.au)

This starry version will be part of Christmas lunch this year for sure!

My recipe is fairly loose, depending on what I have on hand.  Check out any of the recipes above for an exact version.

But don’t forget to add the olives.  None of the other recipes include them and believe me, they bring it!!!

Have a fabulous week!