Food, Finds & Forays
Hey there....
...so another week rolls around. It always seems to come so quickly, this little letter of mine offering me a moment to reflect every week on what I’ve been up to rather than the weeks blending into each other.
It was a long weekend here in Melbourne and we got away with friends to the coast. We were blessed with lovely weather, great company and lots of laughter. Small getaways like that are always a refreshing escape especially when there’s salt and sand involved.
After a few online conversations this week about the ubiquitous scone I thought I’d share with you my favourite go to recipe. An Australian favourite, she’s very different to the north American version and enjoyed a little differently too. Following our British roots the Aussie version is more of the afternoon tea variety but really, delicious at any time of day, best slathered in jam and cream. To help this along I’m sharing my mixed berry, rhubarb and vanilla jam for you to dollop on top.
Whenever we take a jaunt away from Melbourne I’m reminded how wonderful our Australian bush is and indeed it’s stoic and unique people. This week I’m sharing a favourite bush publication and brilliant podcast. There are so many untold stories outside the suburban borders that I always find enthralling.
Finally I came across a couple of delicious dishes in my scrolling this week that I’m going to try out on the family, maybe your family might like them too.
Have a great week folks,
S xx
Food
A couple of weeks ago I was reading a NY Times food article written by Krysten Chambrot on scones. I reached out to her on Instagram having a chat about the difference between the anglo version and north American one. Only a week later Lindsay Cameron Wilson‘s always wonderful newsletter told the story of a swirly delicious bundt cake which used a cup of 7Up in the ingredients. Another online conversation ensued where I shared with Lindsay my favourite recipe for scones. A food nerd like myself and perhaps intrigued by using the 7 Up in a different context she suggested she’d try the recipe for post ski race snacks for her son.
Food is often a bridge between cultures, one that spans sometimes great divides. Something as seemingly simple as a scone sparked conversations between oceans and highlighted the evolution of a simple recipe to something quite different and enjoyed differently. Little conversations like this really are like small exercises in anthropology and a study in different interpretations of the same thing, interestingly in this case, in two English speaking countries both with British ancestry. Perhaps as I’ve alluded to before food really is the common ‘currency’ of humanity.
This scone is made with what Australians call lemonade. In north America this drink is called 7Up or Sprite using its commercial name. I’m not sure why we use the generic term of lemonade but when you hear an Aussie use that term they’re most likely not referring to the drink traditional made with lemon, sugar and water and no fizz. This recipe is used by Australia’s famed Country Women’s Association for their large-scale catering in times of crisis and country shows (a fair for American readers). They’re fast and easy and always reliable. Just like the jam recipe I’m sharing with you. You don’t need to be an export to make this jam just remember it’s a little like chemistry and require a little loyalty to the recipe, don’t go rogue and experiment if you’ve never made jam before. Also fast it does however require your full attention and is a lovely opportunity to switch off from the world for a little while and just concentrate on the sweet alchemy of deeply coloured, fragrant fruit bubbling away on the stove.
***Note: As mentioned above when I refer to lemonade I’m referring to the clear canned fizzy soft drink commercially known with such popular brands as 7Up and Sprite.***
Ingredients:
Scones:
3 c self raising flour
¼ salt flakes
1 c lemonade/7Up/Sprite
1 c cream (thickened or thick pouring cream for whipping)
Jam:
200 gm blueberries
200 gm raspberries
100 gm blackberries halved crossways if they’re large
100 gm rhubarb sliced
1 vanilla bean halved and scraped seed pod reserved
Peel of an orange peeled using a veg peeler or pairing knife(preferably blood orange if available)
2 tb fresh orange juice from the orange
1 tb lemon juice
200 gm white sugar
Cream to serve whipped with vanilla and icing/powdered sugar.
Method:
Preheat oven to 220c without a fan if possible 200 c if using fan forced.
Measure flour and salt in a large bowl mixing lightly with a balloon whisk to lighten and break up any clumping. Make a well in the centre and pour in the cream then the ‘lemonade’ over the top. Gently fold together until all the moisture is only just absorbed. Using floured hands gently bring together until starting to resemble a dough and turn out onto a floured surface. With a light touch softly knead with a few turn to smooth out the surface. Pat down rather than roll to flatten to no less than 2 cms thick. Using a 6 cm cutter cut rounds placing on a baking tray/sheet. I like to place them ½ cm apart so they nudge up against each other as they expand and rise. This makes a bakers dozen. Brush with full cream/whole milk and bake for 12-15 minutes. They should have doubled in height and have a lovely burnished golden brown top.
Place a small plate in the freezer, you’ll use this later to test the set of the jam so it needs to be cold.
Combine the berries and sugar in a bowl to macerate for 15 minutes while you prepare the orange peel, juices and vanilla. Combine all ingredients in a medium sized heavy based saucepan and bring to a simmer over medium flame. Once it reaches a rolling simmer and the blueberries start to swell and burst (about 10 minutes) increase the heat slightly to med-high. Cook with surface bubbling but not boiling until reduced and thickened slightly but not getting too solid, another 10 minutes. The Jam needs you to stay with it and stir almost constantly. I use a spatula to do this so as to scrape the sides down of sugar crystals and splashes as much as stirring it. At the second 10 min mark, when it’s starting to look like jam, drop a teaspoon full on the cold plate and leave for a minute. If it firms like a jam and you can run your finger through it leaving a trail it’s ready. At this point if you prefer a stiffer jam you can keep cooking for another minute or two but with a very close eye as it could turn quickly and stick or burn.
Allow to cool slightly then pour into warm sterilised jars. Seal with a tight lid and turn upside down until cooled completely.
To serve break scones apart by hand, it’s just nicer than cut. I have absolutely no reasoning or research to offer you on this it just is.
Then, with jam and whipped sweetened cream alongside, debate which goes first... jam or cream…… Spoiler alert, it’s the jam.
Finds & Forays
As we left the city heading east for our long weekend jaunt to the coast, the traffic faded, great swathes of suburban homes thinned out to nothing and the summer yellowed rolling hills of Gippsland lined the highway. It’s a beautiful drive we’ve done many times and one that always leaves me daydreaming of a simpler rural life. With my city girl/country heart beating away, and let's face it boredom setting in, I searched for a podcast to listen to. Life on the Land by Graziher magazine was the Pod de Jour in the end. I made my way through episodes enjoying the story of fascinating and extraordinary rural women we’d otherwise not hear of. It’s a wonderful podcast hosted by Skye Manson and her melodic gentle voice. She softly draws a story out of her subjects and leaves you feeling like you're eaves drooping on a conversation in a café, one that’s so intriguing you order another coffee and continue you’re surreptitious audience with strangers. As a follow along, over the course of the weekend I also made my way through the pages of the print magazine of the same name. With pages filled with beautiful photography of evocative scenes and colours of the Australian bush and stories drawing you into the lives of those who inhabit the bush. It’s a read I always look forward to.
Stories of Australian rural life seems to fill my reading pile. Bush Journal is a gorgeous new publication launched late last year by Bush Collective. Born of the collective stories of ten incredible rural female photographers spread across Australia, sharing the stories they’ve collected on their creative journeys, the imagery is transportive and the stories enthralling. It’s printed on old school newspaper stock with traditional newsprint which transports you back in time. I felt like I was visiting my grandparents reading a copy of their old Weekly Times newspaper.
On the to cook list this week is a new take on a traditional Indonesian dish much loved in this house. Chicken Satay is one of my favourite Asian dishes, this one looks particularly delish and pretty straight forward.
I’m off to a party on the weekend. It will be a rollicking affair marking all the milestones celebrated by a dear friends family over the last two years. The host has come up with a novel answer for the usual question of “what shall I bring?” If your birthday is an odd number bring a salad and if even a dessert. Whilst strictly speaking mine is an even number and our dear host is quite partial to my lemon tart I saw this one a few days ago and I think I might go rogue, it looks very, very good and i do love Julia's food.
