TWD - Rose Fraisier

In the Northern hemisphere, it is summer - days filled with warmth and sunshine.  Accordingly, for Tuesdays with Dorie this month, two very summery desserts have been chosen as our recipes -  Rose Fraisier, and Rice Pudding, Strawberries and Spiced Hibiscus Syrup.

I am aware that in Australia, we are very lucky - our winters are very mild compared with much of the rest of the world.  However, that doesn't mean that I enjoy them.  Grey, cold and wet days do not for happiness make, and I will impatiently wait for the next 5 months or so to pass (because once it gets cold in Victoria, it stays cold) and for the warmth and sunshine to bless us once again.

In the meantime, I will enjoy the Northern hemisphere summer by proxy through reading everyone's wonderful summery posts, and by creating my own little splash of summer with a summery dessert or two.  For my first pick, I went with the Rose Fraisier.  I chose this one first because it seemed to have the most steps/be the most time consuming, and I know that later in the month, time will not be my friend.  "Fraisier" means "strawberry bush", and refers to the many, many strawberries in this luxurious dessert.

I have made a Fraisier once before, for Daring Bakers way back in 2011.  That one was a different beast altogether, made with chiffon cake and filled with pastry cream, and assembled in a spring form pan.  Dorie's Fraisier is made with a rose flavoured yoghurt cake base, and filled freeform with a mixture of pastry cream and whipped cream to make it light and fluffy.  Dorie herself has tweaked her Fraisier recipe from the traditional Fraisier you will find in France, so I feel OK that I accidentally tweaked Dorie's recipe by putting my strawberries the wrong way around.  This was not a deliberate act of rebellion - more an act of inattention, but I still think it looks pretty.  

The photo of the Fraisier in the book does not reflect what you will get if you follow the method in the recipe, because (a) the pastry cream is tinted pink - however, there is nothing in the filling recipe that would make it pink; and (b) the straight sides of the Fraisier indicate that it was constructed in a springform pan like the Daring Bakers version, rather than assembled freeform as per the Chez Moi instructions.  I mention this so that if you subsequently make this, you are not disheartened because your Fraisier does not turn out just like the photo - rather, it seems that the food stylist here went for the prettiest result.  

My Fraisier was never going to look like the photo because I placed the strawberries the wrong way around on the perimeter of the cake, and didn't even realise until it was fully assembled.  Also, I couldn't have a forest of strawberries inside my cake because I didn't have enough strawberries - I had more of an ordered garden of strawberries planted carefully in circular beds.  (Strawberries were $4.99 a punnet, so I could not justify buying more than 2 punnets.) Nonetheless, I was happy with my Fraisier - I am a huge advocate of putting your own spin on recipes so that they are uniquely yours, and that certainly applies in this case.  As a final twist, I glazed my Fraisier with apricot jam - red currant jelly or, for that matter, anything containing red currants, is as rare as hen's teeth in Australia, so the good old baker's fallback of apricot jam worked a treat here.

Here is the rose/lime/ginger flavoured yoghurt cake which forms the foundation for the Fraisier:

And here is a look inside my Fraisier:

And here is my slice:

I can't say that I really noticed the rose flavour in the cake.  The creamy filling and the strawberries were the standout impression that I had, but I guess that is as it is meant to be.  As Dorie says, "This sweet is all about the berries and cream and the skinny cake is just there to frame them."

I enjoyed this dessert.  Although I like pastry cream without the added cream better, I think the whipped cream added a lightness that is well suited to a dessert like this.

To see whether the other Doristas made rice puddings or Fraisiers this week, and what they thought of them, visit the LYL section of the TWD website.

Donovans, St Kilda for Sandra's birthday

Recently, my friend Sandra celebrated a milestone birthday.  She had always wanted to try Donovans in St Kilda, so that is where she invited a group of her friends to mark the milestone with her. 

Inside, Donovans has cosy couches for having drinks while waiting for your table, and is decorated with an eclectic collection of curios of all kinds:

While waiting for the rest of the group to arrive, we started off with cocktails.  I chose the Chop Chop Charlie ($19) - a passionfruit concoction that slid down the throat way too easily:

For a starter, most of us ordered the arancini ball ($5), with a crisp outer shell disguising the tasty risotto within, and a creamy sauce streaked across the plate:

For a shared entrée, two of the guests ordered the chicken liver parfait ($22), which came with a shallot and ginger compote and lovely sourdough to eat it on:

For main course, I selected the crispy skin barramundi with kipfler potatoes, sautéed spinach, cherry tomatoes and capers ($48):

Although on the pricey side, I can say that my main meal was absolutely delicious, and the barramundi had a crispy skin as promised.

Sandra and Jana ordered the seafood linguine with Moreton Bay bug ($52):

Vanda ordered the 500g grilled snapper served with chips and salad (no idea of the price, market price on the day):

Andy went for an entrée size of the confit duck gnocchi ($27):

We also ordered cos leaves with parmesan to share ($12):

The grand finale was dessert.  The four chocolate lovers at the table shared the bombe Alaska, their signature dessert, with chocolate hazelnut icecream inside ($45):

Although the bombe Alaska is advertised on the menu as being for two, it is rather large, so I think dividing it among four people was just right.

Andy and Jana had also brought Sandra a chocolate mud cake:

Here is a peek inside the bombe Alaska:

And here are the happy diners before proceedings kicked off:

The service at Donovans was friendly and efficient.  When Sandra expressed an interest in the old photographs decorating the walls, the owner himself was happy to come out and discuss them with her.  Now that's old fashioned service.

While Donovan is definitely a special occasion restaurant, I really enjoyed my meal and would go back for another special occasion.

Donovans

40 Jacka Boulevard

St Kilda VIC 3182

Ph: (03) 9534 8221

Roast Chicken with Oregano and Thyme

There's nothing like a roast dinner in winter - while it is cooking, it warms the house and fills it with delicious aromas, and it warms the cockles of the soul when it is eaten.  There are many different ways that you can flavour the humble roast chook when roasting it.  Recently, I enjoyed a herbed version with oregano and thyme from The Good Life by Sally Obermeder and Maha Koraiem.  The recipe can also be found online here.

This version of roast chicken involves flavouring the chicken with oregano and thyme, which are placed both inside the cavity and under the skin of the chicken.  I was super proud that I was able to use oregano and thyme from my own herb garden - I am not a green thumb, so I am in awe every day that I have managed to grow herbs successfully.  The chicken is also flavoured with lemon, a la Nigella Lawson.  The chicken is roasted on a bed of carrots, onion and potatoes, with more lemons thrown in for flavour.

I served my chicken with a side of boiled green beans.  It was a super delicious yet super simple dinner, and one that I would make again.

Coffee Walnut Cake for The Melbourne Cake Club - Be Our Guest!

The Melbourne Cake Club met last night at Berlin Bar, tucked away in a laneway and up several flights of stairs in the Melbourne CBD.  Five members of the Cake Club and three guests (Tamara, Judy and Marilyn) braved the chilly weather to drink cocktails and share cake.

Finding Berlin Bar is a challenge in itself, as it doesn't exactly scream its presence.  Once you have found it, even then, you have to ring a doorbell and wait outside until the staff let you in.  

You enter Berlin Bar through the "West":

but in a separate room out the back, you enter the "East":

Berlin Bar has an extensive range of cocktails, both cold and warm (flaming, even).  I ordered the cocktail of the week - the Seemann Getrank (literally "Seaman's Drink"), described by Berlin Bar as follows:

In the 19th century, sailors were suffering of scurvy due to a lack of vitamin C while on long voyages without fresh supplies of fruits and vegetables. Surgeon General Sir Gimelette from the Royal Navy find a way to fight this disease and to make his crew happy, he has created a [alcoholic] drink made of gin and lime juice [full of vitamin C]. This week, to celebrate world gin day, Berlin is modernising the original recipe from Sir Gimelette with Botanica Gin mixed with Lillet Blanc, Angostura bitters, agave, fig and cinnamon; to create a botanical sweet and sour drink.  Get on board sailor! 

(Photograph courtesy of the Berlin Bar Facebook page)

Onto the cakes!  I made Nigella Lawson's Coffee Walnut Cake from Kitchen.  I forgot that I had made this once before, but no matter - it is a real winner of a cake.

Dalya brought a delicious chocolate layer cake sandwiched with ganache and with cream and pomegranate seeds on top:

Nicole made a 5-layer chocolate cake sandwiched with vanilla buttercream, sprayed black on the outside, and topped with a white chocolate ganache "drip" which was then painted gold with rosewater and gold lustre dust:

Judy brought an apple and almond upside down cake:

Abi brought along a fun cake that I, as a sweet tooth, adored - a Skittles pinata cake with Skittles syrup, Skittles icing and Skittles baked in the middle:

Alex brought along some Italian biscuits that he says are good with alcohol:

Here are the cake slices so you can see inside all of the cakes:

It was another fun meeting of the Melbourne Cake Club.  Next month's theme is Savoury Cakes - join us if you would like to!

Berlin Bar

2/16 Corrs Lane

Melbourne VIC 3000

Ph: (03) 9639 3396

EwE - Thai Vegetable Curry with Tofu - Where's The Beef

For Eating with Ellie this week, Margaret chose the theme of Where's The Beef?  Interpreting this to mean vegetarian meals, I selected Ellie's Thai Vegetable Curry with Tofu.

I served this curry with brown rice for a bit of added oomph.  I really enjoyed it, and it was my lunch for work during the week that I made it.

To see what the others made for Where's The Beef?, visit the LYL section of the EwE website. 

Maple Oat Banana Loaf

If you are looking for a cake that is jam packed with good things to eat, and uses up those pesky bananas on the turn, then look no further - I have the perfect cake for you.  Thomasina Miers' Maple Oat Banana Loaf fits the bill to a "T", and tastes fabulous to boot.

I halved the recipe to make just one cake, as I couldn't handle two at once.  However, I would definitely make this again - it is just so tasty, and with all of those great ingredients (carrots, bananas, pepitas, apple, sultanas, walnuts), I dare say it is on the healthy side too.

Do yourself a favour and make this cake - you will be back for more.

Solarino, Melbourne CBD

A couple of weeks ago, Tim and I went to see The Beatles Orchestrated, performed by The Beatle Boys in conjunction with the Australian Symphony Orchestra.   The event was staged at Hamer Hall, and was a grand evening - you can see some photos of the event here.

We decided to make a night of it and went to dinner beforehand.  We didn't have any plans, so we just wandered through the city at random, and came across Solarino, an Italian restaurant in a laneway off Little Collins Street:

Italian is always a good choice, so we ventured in and were shown to a cosy corner table.

To start, we ordered the bruschetta with gorgonzola, fig and pancetta ($15.90):

If you love ficci biondi, then this is for you.  Personally, I adored this starter - sharp cheese, sweet figs, salty meat and crispy bread, a winning combination.

For main, Tim ordered the risotto with scallops, pumpkin, basil and spring onions ($26.90):

I didn't personally taste this, but Tim enjoyed it.

I went for the Soft shell chilli crab salad with rucola, green beans, basil aioli and balsamic reduction ($24.90):

I fell in love with soft shell crab at The Smith in New York, so it was wonderful to be able to have it again.  This version did not disappoint, with crispy, juicy crab atop a tasty rocket and green bean salad.

For dessert, we had the tiramisu ($13.90), of course!

It may not look fancy, but it was delicious.

The service was friendly and efficient, leaving us plenty of time to wander up to our show.

Solarino was a great find, and I would definitely go back there.

San Paolo Solarino
7 Howey Pl, Melbourne VIC 3000

Phone:(03) 9663 2636