“YEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE HAWWWWWWWWWWWWWW!!!!!” That’s me screaming with excitement as I left university this afternoon (an internal scream of course). It was my final exam of the year and I have never looked more forward to the end of semester than I have this year. When I decided to go back to uni part time coupled with full time work, I didn’t think it was going to be a breeze, but I didn’t think it was going to be as tough as I have experienced. I have learnt a lot in my studies over the last two semesters and have thoroughly enjoyed the weekly discussion with my peers, but I spent way too many weekends reading and studying at the library and fighting peak hour traffic on Tuesday nights to get to lectures on time. There were also too many nights where I had to come home after a full day of constant meetings, emails and headaches to complete an assignment late into the night. Suffice to say, Linda was not a happy girl!

Now that school is over, I finally have some more time up my sleeve! I’m looking forward to summer, going to the beach, catching up on reading and exploring photography more (my camera has been idle and gathering dust on my bookshelf). More time up my sleeve means more time with Z, friends and family, lazy days and just having more time to do whatever the hell I wish to. I’m going to start another blog with a my sweet friend Amanda too which is rather exciting! I will also get to spend more time baking and blogging, sharing more yummy recipes like this upside down pear and ginger cake. It’s sticky, it’s moist and has just the right amount of sugar and spice.

So three cheers for finishing school and celebrating with yummy cake! Hip hip hooray!

Upside Down Pear Ginger Cake

Adapted from a recipe found on Taste.

1 and 2/3 cups brown sugar

250g butter, melted

4 medium pears, cored, peeled and cut into 2cm slices

1 cup golden syrup

2 eggs

1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda

big pinch of salt

2 and 1/2 cups plain flour

1 tablespoon ground ginger

1 and 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

200ml buttermilk or sour cream

1. Preheat the oven to 160C (140C if fan forced). Grease and line a 23cm square cake pan.
2. Sprinkle 1 cup of sugar over the base of pan. Pour 1/3 cup butter over the sugar and arrange the pear slices in a single layer over the butter and sugar.
3. In a large bowl, combine the remaining butter, eggs, sugar and golden syrup. Sift in the flour, spices, salt and bicarbonate of soda. Fold through the buttermilk or sour cream. Pour this batter over the pears.
4. Bake for an hour and half or until cooked through and tested with a skewer. Stand for 10 minutes before turning out. Serve warm or cold.

There’s just something about ice cream. I’ve been reminiscing about all kinds of events in my past, from my childhood, my teenage years, great summers and all sorts of celebrations and many of the happy memories involve my favourite treat of all: ice cream!

For instance, when I think back to past family holidays, whether they be day trips to the beach in Torquay or holidays driving along the coast all the way to Brisbane or even the trip I took to the States when I was 10, I remember eating LOTS of ice cream. I remember our trip to sunny Queensland when I was 8, driving for what seemed like eternity along the eastern coast, right in the heart of summer and was just so damn hot, with the temperature in the mid 40s everyday.  There is nothing worse for a kid (or a anyone for that matter) than to be stuck inside a hot car for hours on end and with nothing but a Gameboy and Tetris to keep me occupied (fun things like iPods and the Nintendo DSi weren’t invented yet) and on that trip, nothing made me happier than to stop at a service station, to get out of the sticky car, stretch my legs and cooling down with an icypole (aka popscicle) or a Paddle Pop ice cream. Bliss!!

I remember when I was 17 and thinking about my first few months dating Z. We would be the uber cool kids, taking the train into the city and just hanging out. We didn’t really do anything special on our city dates, being students with student budgets and all, but I recall roaming the streets, holding hands, watching yet another movie or playing endless arcade games until we ran out of change and winning absolutely nothing. We would always visit the Crown complex and get huge ice creams and then just sit and talk. We’d share flavours (“here, have a lick”) and Z would always tease me and more often than not he would try to squash his ice cream in my face, just for a laugh. To this day, when we visit an ice cream shop, we still get huge ice creams, always getting different flavours so we can share and he still thinks his ice-cream-smooshed-in-my-face routine is funny!

I know that as life goes on, more and more ice cream memories will be made and my stomach and I are very much looking forward to them!

Salted Caramel Ice Cream

Drooooooooooooool. That’s all I can say about this ice cream. The flavours in this ice cream are AMAZING!! It’s sweet, little salty, crunchy and smooth all at once. An ice cream party in your mouth!

To make it, visit David Lebovitz’s website and find the ingredients and instructions here.

Enjoy!

Yeah, I know what you’re thinking: “zucchini in cake?!” You’re  probably used to sweet baked goods made with chocolate or fruit, but using vegetables in cakes isn’t as odd as it would seem. There are so many different sweet recipes out there that use all kinds of vegetables; think traditional favourites of pumpkin pie and carrot cake, and more unusual recipes like chocolate beetroot cake or spinach brownies! After being in a bit of a baking  funk, I wanted to make something that was not only delicious but also something a little different. I thought about making Jessica Seinfeld’s recipe for brownies with spinach, but I wasn’t in the mood for something chocolatey. After searching through my very disorganised folder of online recipes I’ve bookmarked, I came across this recipe and knew it was the one to make.

It’s very similar to a carrot cake, only with grated zucchini and different spices instead. It is a very simple recipe and takes hardly anytime to prepare at all.  I didn’t follow the recipe as printed (I’m such a rebel!) and used walnuts instead of pistachios and added cinnamon and cloves to the mix. I’m quite time poor these days, so I didn’t even bother with the frosting and it’s a one-bowl recipe which means less time washing up and more time eating!

Zucchini Spice Loaf

Adapted from recipe found in Delicious magazine, February 2007 here.

3/4 cup (185ml) sunflower oil

1 cup (220g) caster sugar

3 eggs

1 tsp vanilla extract

1/2 cup (75g) walnuts, finely chopped

1/2 cup (60g) almond meal

2 cups grated zucchini (about 2 big ones)

1 teaspoon ground cardamom

1/2 teaspoon ground mixed spice

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

dash of ground cloves

1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda

1 1/2 cups (225g) self-raising flour

1/2 cup (75g) plain flour

1. Preheat oven to 180°C. Grease a loaf tin and line base and sides with baking paper.
2. Using a whisk, combine the oil, sugar, eggs and vanilla until thick. Stir in chopped nuts, meal, zucchini and spices. Sift over baking soda and flours, and stir to combine. Pour into pan and bake for 60 minutes or until a skewer inserted in centre comes out clean. Cool in pan for 20 minutes, then turn onto a wire rack and cool completely.

Growing up, I was really blessed to be fed homecooked fresh Vietnamese food every night made by my mum. The usual meals would include rice vermicelli with satay pork and peanuts, rice paper rolls with prawns and hoisin dipping sauce, chicken congee with crunchy fried crullers, heady and fragrant beef pho and desserts would always feature coconut cream in some form. I didn’t really appreciate this when I was younger, always whining and complaining about eating the same thing every night, “Rice with caramelised pork again?!” and I constantly looked forward playing at my non-Vietnamese friends’ homes as it would guarantee a rice free, fish sauce free, soy sauce free, noodle free, non-Asian meal. ‘Meat and two veg’ was really appealing to me back then!

I especially loved eating at my friend Sarah’s house as her mum was a terrific baker and would always have some kind of cake or slice to be enjoyed for afternoon tea. My absolute favourite treat by Sarah’s mum was the quintessentially Australian chocolate caramel slice – a shortbread base sometimes flavoured with coconut, topped with a rich, fudgy caramel layer and finished with a slick of chocolate, just in case you didn’t think it was sweet enough. I would make this slice often as a child with my own mum who would always claim it was far too sweet for her own tastes, but would happily let me indulge in my sugar fix.

As an adult now, I can reflect on my childhood and I love that I grew up on Vietnamese food. Now I’m always wanting to learn how to recreate my mum’s traditional dishes and finding out what all of mum’s secret ingredients are. It’s a part of my heritage that I want to retain and will pass down onto my own children one day. It’s nice to know that I will not only teach my future kids how to make the best nuoc mam or pho bo, but I will also get to show them how to make the Australian favourites I also grew up on.

Chocolate Caramel Slice (aka Millionaire’s Shortbread)

Base

85g butter, melted

2/3 cup self raising flour

1/2 cup brown sugar

2/3 cup dessicated coconut

Caramel Layer

400g (1 can) condensed milk

2 gloriously big tablespoons of golden syrup

1 tablespoon of butter

Chocolate Layer

125g best quality dark chocolate (you can use milk chocolate, but I find it way too sweet)

1. Line a 20 centimetre (8 inch) square tin with non-stick baking paper, being sure to leave excess paper overhanging to be able to lift the finished slice when baked. Preheat oven to 180C.
2. In a medium bowl, combine all base ingredients and press into prepared tin and bake for 15 minutes or until risen and golden brown. Allow to cool.
3. In a small saucepan, combine the caramel layer ingredients and cook over medium heat for around 10 minutes or until a light golden brown colour. Don’t forget to constantly stir with a whisk or spatula as you cook, or else it will get lumpy.
4. Pour the caramel filling over cooked base and return to oven. Bake until the caramel layer is just set – this should take 10 – 15 minutes or so. When done, remove from oven and allow to cool completely.
5. Melt chocolate in a double boiler or microwave and spread evenly over cooled slice. Once chocolate is set, cut into squares using a hot knife.

Dear Summer,

I really, really miss you. Melbourne is now well and truly into it’s winter season and boy, am I already over it. I know I shouldn’t complain since Winter is pretty bearable, but I want you here NOW! You’re only five months away, but it seems like way too long to wait for some warmth and energy. I am eagerly anticipating your arrival like a little kid awaits Santa come December.

I am not as content as I can be in this current season, with the short days and chilly winds of July kind of  getting me down. I hate waking up with no sunlight streaming through my window, I hate leaving work at 5.30pm to drive home in complete darkness and although I do love my winter scarf collection very much, I really just want to throw on a pair of shorts and have my flip-flops permanently stuck to my feet. I want to be at the park at yet another BBQ, eating yet another burnt sausage in plasticky white bread and downing a beer or two. I want to go indulge myself in the gorgeous fruits of the season: peaches, apricots, nectarines, mangoes, cherries, strawberries, melons, plums… oh I could go on and on.

I do admit, sometimes you can get on my nerves. It sometimes gets so hot, it gets so sticky, so exasperatingly unbearable with the sun burning down so fiercely that I then wish for you to go away, but I do want you here.  I love the sunshine. I love the longer, leisurely days. I love the happiness you bring.

I made this batch of raspberry ice-cream to remind me of what you’re all about. Endless days, warm nights and good times with great friends. I miss that.

Come back soon.

With love,

Linda xox

Raspberry Ice-Cream

Recipe from David Lebovitz’s ‘The Perfect Scoop’, probably one of the best ever ice-cream books I have ever read/used.

1½ cups (375ml) of half-and-half (this isn’t available in Australia, so I substituted 1 cup for milk and ½ cup cream)

1 cup (200g) caster sugar

1½ cups (375ml) heavy cream

4 large egg yolks

1½ cups (375ml) strained raspberry puree (I used frozen ones)

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1. Warm the half-and-half (or alternative) and sugar in a medium saucepan. Pour the cream into a large bowl and set a mesh strainer over the top.
2. In a separate medium bowl, whisk together the egg yolks. Slowly pour the warm milk into the egg yolks, whisking constantly, then scrape the warmed egg yolks back into the saucepan.
3. Stir the mixture constantly over medium heat with a heatproof spatula, scraping the bottom as you stir, until the mixture thickens and coats the spatula. Pour the custard through the strainer and stir it into the cream. Mix in the raspberry puree and lemon juice, then stir until cool over an ice bath.
4. Chill thoroughly in the refrigerator, but to preserve the fresh raspberry taste, churn the ice cream within 4 hours after making the mixture.

Thirty things that make me smile…

A perfectly baked sponge cake with jam and cream.

Photographing in natural light.

Reminiscing about my first kiss.

Soulful music.

Eating anything wrapped in pastry.

Laughter and uncontrollable giggles.

Receiving a compliment from a stranger.

Birthday and festive season celebrations with family.

Deep and meaningful conversation with close friends.

The kind of love that makes your heart ache when you’re not with them.

Ice-cream in summer anytime of the year.

Kindness. Gentleness. Understanding. Patience.

That look on someone’s face when they open up their gifts.

Farmers’ markets and fresh, seasonal produce.

Shopping until my feet hurt and so much money is spent.

Cupcakes with frosting and sprinkles.

Making new friends.

Flicking through design magazines for inspiration.

A coffee made from ground beans, perfectly steamed milk and served at the right temperature. Then drinking another one.

Fruit smoothies with honey.

Being loved for who I am.

Spending hours and hours in a bookshop, trying to find the right book to take home.

Turning the mobile/laptop off and being disconnected.

Being appreciated and acknowledged.

Log fires, hot chocolate and marshmallows in winter.

Watermelon, floral dresses, flip-flops, last minute BBQs and trips to the beach in summer.

Finding that perfect dress/top/skirt/jeans/shoes that actually fit for a bargain price.

The sense of accomplishment when something difficult has finally been completed.

Reading a book from beginning to end in one sitting.

Thick slices of banana chocolate bread, still warm from the oven…

Banana Chocolate Bread

250g plain flour

2.5 teaspoons baking powder

big pinch of salt

125g dark or milk chocolate, finely chopped

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 cup caster sugar

2 large eggs

4 large, ripe bananas, mashed (don’t add anymore bananas – it will be too stodgy).

1. Preheat oven to 200C. Grease and line a loaf tin and set aside.
2. In a bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder and salt. Stir through the chocolate.
3. In a larger bowl, mix together the eggs, sugar, vanilla and banana.
4. Gently combine the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients and be careful not to overmix.
5. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 45 minutes or until golden brown and a skewer inserted in the centre comes out clean.
6. Cool on a wire rack, but eat it warm. It tastes good toasted the next day too :)

Sunday is my favourite day of the week in winter. It’s the perfect day to stay indoors, curled up on the sofa with a warm blanket, a mug of hot tea and a little something sweet to nibble on. That “little something sweet” for this Sunday is this really lemony blueberry cake. I first saw it on Deb’s blog a year ago but had never tried to make it until this morning.

Read more »

Just where oh where does the time go?! It has been a few weeks since I have done anything remotely interesting in the kitchen (let alone anywhere actually) since my life has recently been eaten up by my end of semester exams. These are the first exams I have undertaken since graduating from my undergraduate degree in 2006 and it definitely doesn’t get any easier with ‘experience’, let me tell you.

I have spent the last three weeks with my nose buried deep within a mountain of textbooks, journal articles and scribbly notes and spent countless and rather lonely late-night hours in the library studying hard. I am mentally buggered and I still have one more exam to go! :(

A pleasant distraction came my way today when my mum came home with a big box of delicious currants and other dried fruits, so I’ve decided to use the currants in a batch of buttermilk scones. These scones are slightly buttery (not cardboard tasting), fluffy and moist in the middle with a slight tang from the buttermilk, and begging to be eaten warm, liberally spread with butter or served with jam and cream.

One last thing too, I do apologise to you all for not posting enough, but hopefully I will be able to do more during my mid-semester break :)

Enjoy the scones!

Buttermilk Scones

Makes around 12-16, depending on how big you make them.

200g wholemeal flour

400g self raising flour

½ cup (55g) caster sugar

big pinch of salt

150g unsalted butter, very cold and cut into chunks

200g currants, sultanas, other dried fruits or none at all

500ml buttermilk

lots of flour, for dusting

milk, for glazing (optional)

1. Preheat the oven to 200°C. Line a baking tray with baking paper and set aside.
2. In a food processor, whiz the flours, sugar and salt until just mixed together. Add the butter and process until the mixture resembles coarse breadcrumbs. You can do this with the tips of your fingers, rubbing the butter into the flour if you don’t have a food processor.
3. Tip the mixture into a large bowl and mix through the dried fruit if using. Using a butter knife, lightly mix through the buttermilk until it all come together.
4. Lightly knead the dough on a floured surface until it feels ever so slightly elastic (only a few minutes). Pat the dough down until 4cm high and using a round cutter or upside down tumbler, cut out rounds. Repeat with any scraps.
5. Place the scones quite close together on the prepared baking tray and either brush with milk (for shiny scones) or lightly dust the tops with flour and bake for 20 minutes or so or until golden brown. Remove them from the oven and immediately cover with a clean teatowel for 5 minutes.

Oh, gluttony is a sin I always seem to indulge in quite willingly and when it comes to Indian food, boy, do I indulge! My boyfriend and I eat Indian food quite often and we’re lucky that there are many great (and cheap!) Indian restaurants in Melbourne. It’s almost become a tradition to over-order and eat way too much. There’s just so many great dishes to try. Our favourites are lamb vindaloo, chicken makhani,  garlic naan, pappadums, raita, chutneys… I could go on and on!

At the end of every Indian dinner we have, Z likes to finish off with kulfi, a really sweet iced dessert made with milk and usually flavoured with spices, nuts or fruit. It’s similar to ice-cream, but is quite dense and solid as opposed to the airy, light texture of ice-cream. It’s the perfect sweet treat to finish off a rich and spicy meal.

So, last night, I decided to try and make kulfi myself and after perusing a few recipes online, I think I have come up with a pretty good version. Try it for yourself. It’s delicious!

Cardamom Pistachio Kulfi

2 cups full cream milk

¾ cup sugar

10 cardamom pods, crushed

½ cup pistachios, chopped

extra pistachios, to sprinkle

1. In a large heavy-based saucepan, boil the milk and sugar until the volume is reduced to a third. It should smell very sweet and be quite thick.
2. Remove from the heat, add the cardamom (shells and all). Allow to cool to room temperature.
3. Strain the mixture, then add the pistachios. Divide the mixture into individual ramekins, cover with plastic wrap and freeze overnight.
4. To serve, dip the ramekins into hot water for 20 seonds or so, invert onto a plate and sprinkle with extra nuts.

Makes 4 to 6, depending on the size of the ramekin.

To tweet or not to tweet? That is the question that has been on my mind for the last few weeks or so (well that and “should I pay $3000 for a new MacBook Pro?”). It seems that Twitter is “like, the coolest thing everrrrr” right now and I’m wondering if it’s worth jumping on the bandwagon. Do people actually want updates on what I am doing? Do I want to hear about Oprah gushing about puppies, or when Ashton Kutcher reaches his two million followers or what my boss’ wife made for dinner last night or what every other person in the world is doing at that very second? I know it’s a great networking tool and understand that technology is just evolving by allowing us to communicate and connect  with each other more easily, but do we really have to go this far now?

It’s similar to the Facebook phenomenon. Everyone seems to be on Facebook, making ‘friends’, joining common groups and generally spending hours stalking ex-boyfriends/ex-girlfriends/potential partners/friends you wish death upon. Don’t get me wrong, I have a Facebook account and I quite like it. I can see what my friends and family are up to, from those that live down the road, to workmates I see five days a week, to family on the other side of the globe. It’s great… but  the constant status updates of pure drivel from everyone are really starting to do my head in. Worthy examples include:

‘Amy just ate a bowl of milk-less cereal’

‘Christine wore purple socks today!’

‘Kevin is waiting for the 501 bus’

I either have really dull ‘friends’ or just really unimaginative ones, haha! But seriously, before Facebook and Twitter came along, who would have thought to share with the world every boring detail of our lives?

But back to the original point, to tweet or not to tweet? Do I join? Hmm… not sure yet. Maybe I should only follow people who actually compose interesting tweets (but we all know that the majority don’t!).  I’m a bit unsure at this point, but I reckon if I joined today, my first tweet would be:

Hungry? Get this French toast in your belly. You know you want to :) http://tinyurl.com/r6avpd

French Toast with Spiced Pears

Serves 4.

3 eggs

½ cup milk

1 tablespoon caster sugar

½ teaspoon ground cinnamon

8 thick slices of white bread

butter, to fry

Pears

3 large pears, peeled, cored, quartered

30g butter

¼ cup brown sugar

good splash of maple syrup

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

maple syrup, to serve

1. For pears: in a small saucepan, melt butter until slightly foamy and the crackling noises stop. This is the water coming out of the butter. Add pears, sugar, cinnamon and maple syrup and mix well. Cook over moderate heat until pears are cooked through.
2. For French toast: in a large bowl, combine all ingredients. Melt a tablespoon or so of butter in a large non-stick saucepan. Wait until foamy, then dip the bread into the egg mixture, place into hot pan and fry until golden brown. Repeat with remaining bread.
3. To serve, place the French toast on a plate, topped with pears and extra maple syrup.

Cream, vanilla ice-cream or plain yoghurt make nice accompaniments.

*Update: 9 October 2009 – Considering this post, I’ve actually joined Twitter now. Follow me @_lindanguyen_ if you are a fellow foodie or friend.