 Back in 2013 I took a trip to NZ to see my family. I had a glorious fortnight catching up with loved ones, driving to the top of the north island to see my favourite pottery studios, taking my then 5 & 3yo children to the black sand beaches of my childhood. 11 years later, my son's sole memory of the holiday was going to the cinema in Auckland to see Despicable Me. Typical. Except I'm not much better, because the memory I keep returning to is a glorious breakfast I had in Ponsonby - it was a plate of gingerbread spiced pancakes, stacked high and dripping with butter and syrup.
When I returned home I set about creating my own version and it's since become a family favourite. I like to serve these pancakes with whipped honey cinnamon butter. I've added the simple instructions on how to make it after the pancake recipe - try it and I swear you'll wonder why you ever bothered eating pancakes without whipped butter!  Australians and New Zealanders love a slice. There's nowhere else in the world where a slice means what it does to us. I remember confusing my American cousin with talk of ‘making a weetbix slice’ - explaining weetbix was tough enough (there's no equivalent in the US, with all cereal being bite size), but then I also had to explain a slice! I deferred to the Australian Women's Weekly definition:
‘Somewhere between a cake and a tart and baked in a large slab, slices are sweet treats that can be made of one mixture or have multiple layers, with a base that’s covered with a topping and/or a filling’. This Blueberry Crumble Slice is so delicious and surprisingly simple and speedy to make. That's because it gives the illusion of having three separate layers; in actual fact it's just a classic crumble mixture pressed into a brownie tin then a scattering of blueberries, which are then sandwiched under another layer of crumble placed on top.  Clockwise from top: Garden salad with Sweet Miso Dressing, Blanched spinach with Toasted Sesame Dressing, Blanched Green Beans with Toasted Sesame Dressing, Julienne Carrot Salad with Shoyu Dressing, Cucumber Salad with Shoyu Dressing. Inspired by Sydney's warmer spring days as well as Suzanne & Paul's recent trip to Japan, I thought it might be fun to make a selection of Japanese salad dressings, each with a different flavour profile and adaptable for countless dishes.
These dressings provide a gorgeous umami hit that elevates even a simple bowl of lettuce. Use them interchangeably as the mood or occasion suits. And feel free to think beyond salad - they'd pair wonderfully with fish, barbecue, or noodles. Warning: for days after you make this you're going to want more of the Sweet Miso Sesame dressing, so go ahead and double the recipe. Tomorrow you will thank today you. 😊  There are a few incarnations of semolina cake. The classic Persian Love Cake is a very popular version, often infused with lemon and rosewater. Some semolina cake recipes use orange and cardamom. They can be topped with a sharp and sweet citrus icing or a sticky syrup. The one common element is they almost all contain semolina, almond meal and citrus.
I wanted to give this one an Australian profile using Rosella (a type of hibiscus). I paired it with lime because it's a combination hard to resist. Not only was the resulting flavour combination fantastic but the deep pink of the Rosella (Hibiscus) syrup made it impossible not to dive in immediately. In retrospect, I should have experimented by finishing the cake with a tiny sprinkling of Tasmanian Mountain Pepperberries - I can just imagine their sharp, fruity heat adding a fabulous, unexpected dimension to the lime and Rosella. Ah well, next time. If you decide to give the pepperberries a go I would love to know how it went! It's easy, and it's a crowd pleaser. I think you'll love this cake :) Note: Remember to read through the recipe thoroughly before beginning!  There was a time when cooking a tagine was a regular thing for me, and it's high time it made a comeback. North African food is unique due to its geographic location and cultural history; the cuisine is like a merging of Middle Eastern, African and French flavour profiles.
A prominent feature of Moroccan food is the combination of protein and fruit, and often nuts - think classic dishes like chicken with preserved lemon, or couscous with a smattering of dried fruit and toasted almonds tumbled through it. Moroccan dishes often also feature honey. Lamb, Prune and Almond Tagine hits all of those beautiful flavour notes. Often made with apricots, I love the prune version because of the subtle sweetness and delicious stickiness they develop as it cooks. Speaking of pots… Tagine the Food vs Tagine the Cooking Vessel When a dish is named after the vessel it's cooked in, things can sound a little confusing. A Tagine - the cooking vessel - is a clay cooking pot with a funnelled lid. Tagine - the food - is a combination of meat, vegetables and spices cooked in this pot. I don't use a tagine pot, which is not the cultural crime it may seem! Most restaurants and many homes in Morocco these days use regular pots instead, as traditional tagines are designed for cooking over a fire. The signature spice blend of Morocco is ras-el-hanout. A true essential in cooking food from this region, in Arabic it literally means ‘head of the shop’. Its true translation ‘top shelf’; think of it as the cornerstone of the Moroccan flavour profile. You can buy ready-made ras-el-hanout in supermarkets, but chances are you already have most of the spices in your pantry. If you're missing one or two spices, it's not a big deal - the recipe changes from region to region. What to serve with tagine: Flatbread, tomato and cucumber salad, green salad, saffron rice all pair nicely with tagine. Interestingly, tagine is not traditionally served with couscous but it works well with it so go ahead! |
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