If angels wore perfume it would smell like this cake. It is possible I'm being dramatic again, but it is equally as possible the scent of it baking will make you want to sit next to the oven, fork in hand, in order to eat it bite by bite straight from the pan while fending off advances of anyone who dare ask for a taste. When I chose 'Seasonal Produce' as the theme for this month's Sweet Adventures Blog Hop this delightful creation was the first thing that came to mind to make the … [Read more...]
Spiced Quinoa Apple Crumble
I don't believe in feeling guilty about eating dessert. A slice of cake or scoop of ice cream or stack of cookies should bring a smile to your face not a grimace or bad feelings. However I understand that the guilt felt by many about overeating sweets is not aimed at the sheer pleasure of the act, but the ingredients contained within the treat - or the physiological result of the activity. Sugar highs and crashes, tummy troubles and far too many bad calories are forever associated with … [Read more...]
Rhubarb & Apple Spread. Or it is curd… or perhaps jam. No probably not jam, not really curd either…
One bunch of rhubarb well past its prime languished in my crisper. A few unsightly end of season apples picked up from the organic food store sat forlornly on the bench top. Cooking them down was the only option I could see. I haven't had much luck baking with rhubarb in the past. As a compote it works just fine but baked into anything it just never has any taste to me. Once I used it with with coconut and pear and produced a cake loaf that was so awful even toasting couldn't save … [Read more...]
Perfect Apple Crumble Pie
I love Pie, it's as simple as that. Crust I can take or leave - unless it's chocolate or graham cracker and attached to Cheesecake but that is another dream for another day - but Pie filling, yes please. Custard, cream, fruit, whatever, they're all fair game. Needless to say, I was quite happy when we chose 'Sweet as Pie' for our June Sweet Adventures Blog Hop. I'm not sure if you remember my Crazy Pink Pie from a few months back but shortly after making that one I went even more out … [Read more...]
Eat Immediately Apple Bircher Muesli
I might be a little bit obsessed with apples. As much as I love summer fruit - peaches and mangos and plums oh my - I do mourn the brief break in the apple season. Yes, of course you can get them year round in the big chain grocery stores but when stone fruit is ripe for the picking the apple trees are just starting to bloom again... draw your own conclusions... Apple season just launched again here and this will be the first full season Australian growers are using 'Aussie Apples' … [Read more...]
Purple Carrot Cake and Sparkling Apple Jelly Trifle
Yep, it's time again for the Sweet Adventures Blog Hop, and once again I'm back with something slightly outside the norm - shocker. The theme this month is 'Layer upon Layer' and I thought long and hard about what I wanted to do. At the beginning I had intended to make a dessert with lots and lots of layers like a baklava - or something else equally flaky and sticky - but I couldn't bring myself do it. You see, I'm a bit rich-fooded and sugared out right now. It started with March into … [Read more...]
Loaded Oats for the New Year
I was having a look back at some posts from the end of 2011 and realised that for someone who doesn't really eat sugar there were a hell of a lot of desserts and almost no savory dishes being shared... oops. Some of it has to do with my ongoing struggle with nighttime photography and not having the right lighting [vow to sort that out sooner rather than later] because most cooking is being done after getting home from the real-life job. And while I used to snap away and post delicious recipes … [Read more...]