The Apple Shed ( Willie Smith And Sons)

Posted on June 4, 2016 by rosalindentree

A story from a while ago but such great photos.

I had to celebrate the apple isle Tasmania yet again, especially as we are flush with our northern NSW apples now.

It’s all about baked apples (recipe below) and apple crumble at our house right now.

Just out of Huonville lies the recently renovated Apple Shed and museum

Surrounded by the extensive organic Willie Smith apple orchards.

It’s a great old shed converted into cafe, bar, museum and brewery.

I am very fond of industrial building conversions.

In the wood grain is the echoes of clashing machines and chatter and shouts, dust, busy-ness, productivity and apple perfume.

The great Apple wall had us captivated with such a quantity of names! Quite poetic really.

The old sorting and packing relics are beautifully preserved, I particularly liked the sorting bench with the different sized holes for apples to drop through and land in soft hessian baskets.

It’s fabulous getting around with someone who knows so much!



When we got home, Keith’s home made apple pie was yummier than theirs….

Baked Apples x 8

8 large apples cored and with a belt line scored around their tummy

Almonds up to 16 of them

1/4 cup each of

Desiccated coconut

And

Almond meal
Mixed with

2 tablespoons rapadura sugar

1 tsp ground cinnamon

Mix dry things with about

1/4 cup of melted butter

To get a stiff pasty mix

Plug the bottom of each cored apple with an almond or two

and line them up in a baking dish

Stuff with your yummy mixture and bake for about 1/2 an hour at 180’c

Or Until You can’t wait any longer! You could always make more as they are delicious cold the next day, put in the lunch boxes.

Enjoy x

Roselinde

Makings in Advent/Cinnamon star recipe

Posted on December 25, 2015 by rosalindentree

Makings in advent.

Air dried clay ornaments,( in between arguing over who had more clay)the children had a great time making me guess what implements had made what impressions. We used cookie cutters to cut them out and they took 2 days to dry thoroughly.

  So many stars…

Sweet Swiss wood cut decorations from our time in the Interlaken region this year.

lily made her own cosy house transparency one morning.
As we love our Swiss Christmas biscuit tradition so much, I will share

I have a new favourite Zimpt Sterne Rezept / cinnamon star recipe this year

This one is gluten free also.

(sorry S for giving you the sticky old one…)

I can’t remember if it’s a copy from somewhere or if I adapted something else. It’s written on a scrap of torn paper with a swimming lesson note on the back….

Zimpt Sterne/Cinnamon Stars

250g almond meal for the biscuits

150g almond meal Extra for sticky dough or dusting while you roll out

1 cup rapadura sugar

2tsp ground cinnamon or more to taste

A small pinch of clove powder

2 egg whites beaten stiff

Mix 250g almond meal, sugar, spices and egg white to a pliable dough. Add more almond meal if it’s too sticky. You will know! It really shouldn’t be a painful messy experience! I knead the dough quite vigorously in the bowl.

Dust with almond meal and roll out on/or between baking paper to about 5 mm thick.

Refrigerate overnight or at least three hours.

Cut out your stars, rinse your cutters if they’re getting too sticky, dust everything with almond meal as you go if needed.

Bake at 180’c for about 8 minutes. Pull them out of the oven when the bottoms are going slightly brown as I like them when they’re more chewy than dry and crisp! Oops many a black star has come outta my kitchen.

Cool them on a rack and invite me around for a cuppa and a biscuit.

I mean share them with your friends and family….

As an option you can mix beaten egg white with icing sugar and decorate them pre baking. More sticky messy fun! I bought a piping bag especially. Then you have snow capped biscuits. So appropriate for Advent in summer Australia, don’t you agree?

Inspired by The Children Of Noisy Village(Astrid Lindgren) Cedar suggested we have a bean guessing game and make a prize cookie from all the scraps of dough. They got a jar of chickpeas and a notebook to record all the guesses from our home and neighbours. The children ran around giving biscuit samples and collecting guesses, displaying the prize cookie!
Well done J for guessing 1004, hard to believe this little jar held 1163 chickpeas! mm enjoy that cookie! I was sure there where only 381…..

Peace

X Roselinde

Broad bean harvest

Posted on October 21, 2015 by rosalindentree

Alongside Parsley, spring onions, silver beet and kale, broad beans are the staple harvest right now. I planted a healthy patch before leaving for Europe in late April and my neighbour planted a whole bunch more, since we returned in September it’s been a steady crop of beans. Such a wonderful self sustaining plant. They are surviving in a dry hot season very well. They all fall over in the wind but shoot up again. I never did get around to tying them up like last year.

Mostly I pod and steam them with a pile of silverbeet or enjoy them in soups. Also delicious is to quickly sauté the beans with garlic olive oil salt and lemon juice. The young pods can be cut into little slivers for this dish.

I did try the cream of broad bean soup from The Silver Spoon Italian cookbook last week when a girlfriend visited. Wonderful with a smattering of fresh herbs.

I am so heartily satisfied to eat from my own garden and be nourished by this green freshness!

What are you harvesting?

Xx Roselinde

A moment in time. Or balaclavas.

Posted on October 16, 2015 by rosalindentree

Baklava in process. Lily can do it all! For the school stall tomorrow (with some for home of course)!

Please remind her of this when she complains about never being allowed to have sweet stuff… Ever….

I have evidence of at least one time!
balaclava / baklava

For the sauce

Dissolve over low heat

1/2 c honey

1/2 c sugar

In 1 cup of water

With

1 stick of cinnamon

Peel of an orange or lemon

Squeeze of citrus juice

Let it simmer for the time you make the rolls then let it cool while you bake them
For the filling

1 1/2 cups of walnuts (I reckon you can mix up the nut blend. Sssh.)

1/2 cup almonds

Pulse in the blender until in small pieces

Add

1 cup of sugar

1 teaspoon of ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp of ground clove
Prepare the wrappers

1 box of filo pastry, carefully cut the stack of sheets into thirds, about 12 or so cm wide, keep covered with a slightly damp towel

And the bit that makes it all so crispy and good

Melt 150g unsalted butter
Oven on at 180c and butter an oven tray
Now get ready to brush and roll

Take three sheets aside, brush all over with your butter

Put a couple of tablespoons of filling at one end of the papers

Fold in the sides, butter the sides

Carefully roll the filling up in the filo and then pop on your tray with gaps in between them

Repeat repeat repeat until you have a tray full.

Bake until crispy brown all over

Pour over syrup while still warm

Let cool and enjoy

Lily says they are even better after a day or two as they soak up so much yummy syrup.

Did I say strain the syrup when you pour it over the baklava rolls?

Ps I did not artistically put the cumquats, guitar or ukulele there. This was a real cute kitchen counter odd bod moment for all you blog skeptics who think it’s all a setup. Just occasionally it is real life…

I guess you want to see the end result huh? Well if there’s any left by morning…..

Home made Mayonnaise ~ easier than you think

Posted on September 2, 2013 by rosalindentree

i have attempted mayonnaisse once before, it was a terrible gloppety glop which seperated in the first hour and no-one would eat. boo. condiment disaster.

and then one day recently, like a home cooking queen, my dear friend Dalee {Owl and Snail blog} casually offers to whip up some mayo to accompany lunch as the rice is not cooked yet. WHAT? squawks I

what can’t this woman do?

whip up mayonnaisse? i thought it was a half hour hand whisking ordeal for secondary results?

not anymore ladies and gentleman.

mayonnaisse, fresh, lemony, creamy mayo is within your grasp {if you have a power source/sauce and a blender}

no more sad sandwiches gasping for some moisture, no more shop tainted slaw,

read on and then

quick get your apron on and blender out…

Dalee’s deelicious home made whip it up casually MAYONNAISE

disclaimer~recipe is just a guideline, adjust ingredients as you see fit…

pop into your blender jug

2 good and fresh eggs and another egg yolk
juice of half a lemon or more
1 clove garlic
1/2 teaspoon of salt
1/2 teaspoon mustard
1 teaspoon of honey or similar

whizz til smooth then with motor running slOWly pour in oil in a steady drizzle until mixture thickens to your liking… ta da!!

approximately more than 1 cup of good oil but possibly less than 2 {depends on the weather}

Dalee recommended a blend of olive and a lighter oil like sunflower, i agree after tonights recipe trial. i also added a sprig of parsley to dye it an appealing shade of rolling meadows green

then good people, dollop, slather, spread, dip, splat, lick, enjoy!
Keep it in the fridge. I can’t legally recommend an exact UBD but perhaps up to 7 days?? do not leave out of the fridge for extended periods as it contains raw eggs, food poisoning is a concern.

try with roast potatoes, fish and salad {my dinner above. mm not bad… in another life i am a food shooter for culinary prints}

try it with….

vegie sticks

in coleslaw

in nori rolls

in chicken salad

egg sandwitches

in salad dressings

on frittata

on pancakes…?

well go on, make some soon and tell me what you enjoyed it with {as long as it’s food now}

looks good, tastes great and has raw eggs in it!

and what about Miss Dalee, artist, mama, musician, crafter, pioneer, yurt dwelling, homeschooling, mayonnaise queen. did you go look at her blog? or her skilled husband Jesse, who handcrafts beautiful Shakahachi flutes.
some more moments from my visit

Lily plays for The Ridge children

view from community house/kitchen to the sea

the kitchen of mayonnaise heaven…

Dalee also makes KimChi {fermented spicy vegetable condiment from Korean origin}

Lily disappears into the schoolroom within arms length of the bookshelf

playful artworks by Dalee and children

The Yurt~temporary home while they build/wait for approval to build from council

so cosy and light. furnished with many handmade pieces from the hands of mama and papa

a wedding gift from Jesse’s dad

circus fun

jesse dalee and eltham

remember this great toy? another child loves it too…

my cute wee home for the night.

rainbows

peace

and mayonnaise

there is another good mayo recipe and scientific examination of the sauce here

thankyou Ridge friends, you where the last stop on the way to Bellingen. i enjoyed my three fun days of inspiration with different friends and i left you feeling full and motivated and, well, inspired!

Good Airplane food

Posted on June 6, 2013 by rosalindentree

Good morning me, you’re up about 12 km above earth today! Fathom that… Is the highest mountains on earth about this high? I heard on Mars there’s a volcano about 28km high! I believe it’s the lack of gravity which enables it to keep growing unlike on earth. (Note to self, research stuff like this so I can score at Trivial pursuit. I mean get the facts straight before you publish it on your reputable blog Rosi!)

Transitioning mentally and emotionally began last night as I repacked my bag…
Do you know that moment when you become aware you are no longer fully here but not yet there…
I had pre travel tension through the night so blearily arose at 5.30 wondering why I chose the early flight…
Anyway the point of this post is the food. The inspiration I had because I’d rather not eat plane food. Plain food good. Plane food bad.
So I put together this morning

Yep iPhone photo not up to scratch…
Recipe as below, adapt to your taste and ingredients

A cup of full fat creamy Barambah honey yoghurt
A crisp apple washed cored and diced
A handful of Buckini (soaked and dehydrated buckwheat, crunchy yum)
A handful of black Chia seeds (excellent for digestion)
A dozen chopped almonds

Variations
Add sunflower seeds or pepitas
LSA
Cinnamon
Vanilla
Natural yoghurt (personal preference. Honey yoghurt too sweet)
Fresh berries or other fruits
Rolled oats
…….
I’ve also a great yoghurt recipe with beautiful photographs here…

Pack Into a leak proof container, maybe in a ziplock bag, pack a spoon
When you get peckish halfway from here to there you have a light but sustaining, healthy snack. Mmmm
Great for lunch boxes or car trips also. Make sure it’s with an ice pack if its a hot day.
Ps open your container away from you in the air as I’ve learnt the pressure build up inside the pot can make your yoghurt explode all over your nice charcoal grey city clothes:)

How would you do it?
Any plane survival tips anyone??

potato, dill and goat’s cheese frittata

Posted on June 4, 2013 by rosalindentree

good food good times, this yummy simple dish featured as a girl’s dinner in during my time away from home…

though i like it also for lunch and breakfast and leftover for lunchboxes and um well anytime….

Potato, Dill and Goat’s Cheese Frittata

To begin dice up 1 medium potato per person into maximun size 2cm cubes

heat a good 2 tablespoons of oil in a heavy bottom fry pan {cast iron really is best for this as it will retain enough heat to cook through the thick frittata without burning the bottom}

lay in the potato chunks and lid on, cook about 10 minutes, shake or turn occasionally

Meanwhile

chop fine 1 small onion and 2 cloves good garlic
dice a small zucchini
dice a small capsicum
slice 1/2 cup pitted kalamata olives
shred a little dill
get some goats cheese ready {about 3 tablespoons}
whisk up at least 6 eggs {maximum 12} with a couple tablespoons of milk

when the spuds are cooked pop in a bowl

now heat a little more oil and lightly fry your onion and then add garlic

add the potato back to the pan and onto a low heat now

mix it all up with the zucchini and capsicum

pour over your egg mix

lay on the olives and some decorative capsicum and season well with salt and pepper

spoon on little chunks of goats cheese

and sprinkle on the dill

pop a lid on {low heat remember}

check regularly until the frittata is cooked about 2/3 from the bottom of the pan, up to 10 minutes

make sure it’s not burning on the bottom

get a grill nice and hot because you will now put the pan under the heat {keep the handle sticking outside the grill unless metal}

watch the eggy top puff up and brown slightly

it’s ready, be careful it’s so hot!

oh delicious, i’m hungry again just thinking of it…

i like to serve with some good chutney or kasundi and a big salad…

so many varietiations depending on what you have on hand… experiment…

or just stick to potato and eggs for more simplicity, like a more traditional spanish omelette…

ps when we are in the bus i don’t have a grill {i don’t have a lid that fits the pan either i use a thick plate…}

but about that grill, instead just keep up the low steady heat and keep an eye on it, or loosen it all underneath and slide onto a plate and flip back into the pan to cook the top if it’s taking too long. not as pretty but just as tasty.

see, good simple nourishing food, easy and should be less than half an hour til it’s on the table…

oh yes i did burn a few bottoms before i got the frittata regularly great, so don’t you fret, just trim it off and enjoy…