Food, Finds & Forays
Hey there....
Firstly I owe you a huge thank you. This is our 20th Thursday morning together. We receive loads of information, bills and junk sent through our inboxes every single day so the fact that you take a few minutes out of yours to open mine, read it, cook from it, follow links and sometimes respond brings me enormous joy and gratitude.
I’ve reflected a lot this week on the role of joy and escapism in difficult times and boy do they continue to be difficult don’t they? Heartache, terror and violence continues to rage across Ukraine. Weather on the east coast of Australia sweeps across the land leaving communities ravaged by destructive flood waters and we lost one of most revered sportsman at a relatively young age very suddenly, reminding us all life can turn on a dime. It’s all heavy. So as I said last week I can’t change the world but I can pop in with a few moments of distraction and what better distraction than an easy chocolate cake from my kitchen
I’ve also found a couple of interesting recipes to escape in the kitchen with, you might like to try them too. Also this week I took a trip down memory lane and surprise, surprise added to the book collection and in my own inbox, escaped to lands near and far in the beautiful words of some of my favourite writers.
I hope you’re finding moments of peace amongst all the upheaval in the world at the moment and the rest of your week is a good one.
Sal xx
Food
As she reversed out of the driveway waving, concern etched on her face, I worked hard to maintain my poorly palour waving a reassuring hand back to her through rain splattered windows. Once the car was gone and I was sure I was alone I turned and walked to the fridge, retrieved my prize and turned on the television. The year was 1984, I was 13 and the LA Olympics were the first to be broadcast to the extent that the Hollywood games were. I’d pulled it off, I’d convinced my mum I was too sick for school and should definitely stay home for the day for the first time on my own and I’d managed to avoid a day of that teen angst and uncertainty of the first year of high school, which I wasn’t loving. My first attempt at Chocolate cake from the fridge on the coffee table, Olympics on the screen, I was set. Now I’m not promoting the great aussie ‘sicky’ (that’s a fake sick day at home for overseas readers) nor am I promoting the health ‘benefits’ of a sedentary day on the couch with chocolate cake. What I am suggesting is that sometimes a slice of chocolate cake is the greatest comfort food and the greatest escape. Not too sweet, chocolatey, a little squishy, crumbly on the palate, the perfect salve on days when a little bit of comfort food is the only answer.
All that said there’s nothing worse than needing to satisfy that yearning but being short on time and motivation. Now, if you guys have made my Chai Cake you’ll know I love a melt and mix for a quick fix and this one is no different. In the oven 15 minutes after the urge hits, she’ll be out of the oven by the time you’ve finished cleaning up. A bit of time to cool, crowned in oozy chocolate icing and you’re good. Don’t forget cream, no cake is complete without a good dollop.
Ingredients:
150gm butter melted and cooled
50 gm dark chocolate melted and cooled ( do this in the microwave, work smarter not harder)
1 ½ c self raising flour
100 gm caster sugar
100 gm brown sugar
½ tsp baking powder
¼ c cocoa powder (Dutch process, the unsweetened variety)
2/3 c buttermilk ( or full cream milk with a 1 tsp lemon juice left to stand for 5 mins before using)
2 eggs at room temperature beaten
1 tsp of vanilla
Pinch of salt
Method:
Preheat oven to 180 c. Line and grease a 20cm round springform cake tin.
Melt butter and chocolate separately and leave to cool while you assemble all the other ingredients.
Combine all dry ingredients in the bowl of an electric mixer and stir with a balloon whisk to combine thoroughly, break up any lumps and add a little lightness. You can sift them all together if you're less lazy than me if you wish but it doesn’t make a huge difference.
Pour over all the wet ingredients and begin mixing in a stand mixer on low speed to bring everything together then increase to high speed for 30 second- 1 minute or until everything is just combined.
Spoon into prepared baking tin, smooth over top lightly and bang on the bench a couple times to move any big air bubbles.
Bake 50 minutes or until the old skewer inserted comes out clean.
Cool in tin placed on a wire rack 15 mins then remove from tin, cooling right side up on rack until completely cooled.
Top with icing and tuck in.
Icing:
1 ½ c icing sugar
2 tb cocoa (dutch process again please)
100 gm soft butter
1-2 tb milk
Combine sugar, cocoa, butter and 1 tb milk in the bowl of a stand mixer. Combine on slow until it’s all wet enough( you may need some or all of that second Tb of milk for this) to not leave you in a cloud of icing sugar when you increase speed. Increase to high and mix until light and fluffy. We’re aiming for something resembling chocolate butter cream though lighter in texture, silky and indulgent.
Finds & Forays
In December I mentioned a city lunch catch up I had planned with an old friend. Well we finally made it there after a few cancelled attempts thanks to you know what. As expected it was incredibly delicious, in a beautiful modern, funky room who’s tables lay around an open chefs station creating a little bit of theatre amongst the lunch hour hubbub. It was lovely to be out and about amongst people again and beyond the borders of my quiet little outer Melbourne suburb. Strolling back to the train to return home we ducked into my old favourite book shop. Sitting discreetly behind a narrow shopfront Melbourne’s oldest bookstore, still proudly independent, has been a little haven of biblio peace from the city bustle for 100 years. It was lovely enjoying a reminiscent stroll amongst the shelves and as you’d expect even lovelier nabbing this little read for food nerd’s.
If you find yourself needing some respite from the news bombardment this week and a little escape I highly recommend a virtual visit to a Tasmanian sheep station at the bottom of the world or a wander through a citrus garden in Tuscany. I was also inspired by this newsletter shared by Sophie Hansen in her wonderful , the best cure for mondayitis.
In the last two years as we ride the peaks and troughs of history’s newest chapters I’ve found the ups and downs reflected in my movement around my kitchen. In the first year determined to use, what we thought would be a short period, for good I mastered sourdough. I lost sleep, I angrily tossed bricks of flour and water in the bin and almost cried tears of frustration at the seemingly insurmountable culinary mountain. Last year as intermittent breaks in lockdowns were gifted to us, I found myself cooking feasts. Every evening spent with friends and family at the table were cause for celebration with no holds barred arrays of dishes as offerings of love and appreciation for the people we’d loved and missed. This year as one chapter of history occupies less of the live annuls of these new pages and the horrors of war and flood fill our minds, I feel driven to nourish. Boy 1 & 2 are from ‘boys’ these days, indeed they’re 19 and 22, but with their busy work and study lives I still feel compelled to feed and nurture. These hearty handfuls of goodness that fuelled the first female winner of the New York marathon in 40 years, look like great grab and go brekky solutions. Likewise these will be handy in the freezer for a quick zap in the microwave and wolfed down during the morning commute or stuffed in the lunch box for an easy lunch warmed up or cold.
Finally I’m going to pull this one out for the coming long weekend and remind myself how extraordinary and resilient a species we really are….we’re going to to be ok xx
Photo credit:
Maggie Mckellar's lovely Partner and Emiko Davies
