In my kitchen…
…is my first successful attempt at decorative slashing on sourdough loaves…
I used a new razor blade and baked the loaves in my enamel pots…
I followed a wonderful instructional video posted by Bonnie of Alchemy Bread Co – always so kind of professional bakers to share their knowledge!
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In my kitchen…
…is a genius little sushi mould, which does away with all the sticky-handedness of forming rice balls. My sister Cynthia found it in Singapore, and the boys love it…
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In my kitchen…
…is yet another treasure from Cynthia, a set of tiny hand painted Turkish espresso cups. I adore them (and her!)…
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In my kitchen…
…was a Jamie Oliver Earl Grey Tea Cake. It was easy to make and even easier to eat, with cranberry studded Wensleydale cheese…
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In my kitchen…
…is a lytoceras ammonite, formed more than 100 million years ago. It’s palm-sized, and covered in the most exquisite suture pattern. There’s something magical when nature produces such artistry…
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In my kitchen…
…is a gift from lovely Gretchen, made with recycled glass. I love the clever wire work…
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In my kitchen…
…we’ve been making dumplings! My nephew Bryan and the gorgeous Lilian came over on Saturday afternoon to learn. Mum was on hand to offer her wise advice…
The half-moon pleat is tricky, but Lilian nailed it on her first attempt…
Bryan was hilariously rubbish at folding, but managed to produce edible dumplings nonetheless…
In the end, we made 160 dumplings, half pork and half chicken and prawn. One tray’s worth went into the freezer, and the rest were either boiled, steamed or deep-fried. Big Boy and Monkey Girl made sushi as well. They’re all such good kids, they even tidied up after dinner!
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Tell me, what’s happening in your kitchen?
If you’d like to write an In My Kitchen post, please do so by the 10th March and send your link to Maureen at The Orgasmic Chef. Thanks for hosting Maureen! x
Fig Jam and Lime Cordial 
I might have to get that special blade (mine is dull now, after a few years) and study the video – your scoring is perfect!
160 dumplings… WOW! That is a lot of work, but definitely fun when you have a bunch of cool people to do it with you, right?
Nice post, Celia… as usual! I am not sure I’ll be joining this month. I probably have enough stuff to blog about but not sure I can wrap up a post before the 10th….
there’s always April ;-)
Hello lovely one…yes, get a new razor blade. But watch your fingers – the only ones I could get here were double-sided and…well, you can imagine the result.. ;-)
Wonderful post. I’ll be looking up the recipe for the tea cake, and I especially love the ammonite. Yes, an exquisite pattern.
Thanks Laurie! The tea cake is really good, I’m pretty sure you’ll find the recipe online somewhere. It’s from the Jamie Oliver Great Britain cookbook.
The bread looks so good and making 160 dumplings, that’s amazing. It looks like everybody had fun.
The kids were laughing so hard that the dumplings just got messier and messier.. ;-)
The decorative slashing turned out perfect! I will be baking bread tomorrrow and will give it a try. Looks like you all had lots of fun making dumplings. It’s always fun when there are more people to help. No matter how perfect or imperfect they are made, all get eaten in the end. All are delicious! The sushi board looks interesting! You always have such interesting things in your kitchen.
Enjoy your week!
M, have fun with the slashing, I’m so impressed by how well it’s been working on my pot baked loaves! Not perfect yet, but definitely improving (slowly)!
That bread looks amazing – like the pattern on a Fougasse loaf (which if I remember correctly you have also mastered!). Ok, so when can I move in with you and your famiyl and pretend I am some long lost batty, middle aged woman. I want to sit in your kitchen and drink coffee out of those gorgeous cups, meet the children and nephews, make dumplings and sushi then scoff the lot! Take care xx
Don’t tease me woman! Come and visit! :) xxx
I hope one day I’ll make it back to Sydney again!
Mmmmm. Dumplings. Yum!!
So. Many. Dumplings. I counted and there’s about fifty in the freezer still! :)
Just beautiful, can’t emphasize that enough (I also love bread in general)
Thank you!
Beautiful slashing – your loaves look fab.
Many, many years ago we went to a local “Eat all you can pile on a plate” Oriental place and a woman on a nearby table piled her plate with sushi in the mistaken belief that it was pudding. The resulting squawk was very funny.
That’s hilarious! I can see how you could mistake it for a sweet if you’d never encountered it before! :D
Love that slashing!!
Looks fantastic, Celia! Everything! I too follow Alchemy Bread and have wondered about that decorative slashing. You nailed it. Must give it a try soon… xx
Em, I know you, so I fully expect you to suddenly start turning out the most amazing looking loaves ever! :) You’re one of the cleverest sourdough bakers I know! xxx
Inspiring bread slashing- must get myself a razor blade and have a go. Bryan and Lilian look very much at home making dumplings in your kitchen- how lovely to have beautiful helpers.
Fra, you know how glorious it is to have young people in the kitchen, and they really did a brilliant job! Well, Lilian did, but we deepfried all of Bryan’s dumplings and they held together just fine, so that’s a success, right? :)
Very impressive. The slashing takes it to a whole new level!!
Thank you, thank you. I’m feeling very chuffed with them! :)
I have slashing envy, your loaves look fabulous Celia.
Sandra, it works surprisingly well – I think the pot baking is the secret!!
Not a lot happening in my Italian kitchen, but I did make a clementine cake with farro flour…interesting.
I’ve never tried farro flour before, but I think I have some in the fridge! I hope it was interesting nice, not interesting weird.. :)
The sushi and dumplings look marvellous and the bread most elegant but my eyes simply do not believe the wonder of nature on that ammonite . . . what a glorious pattern no human could reproduce . . . do hope life is treating you fairly . . .
Eha, I’m so glad you like the ammonite too – I’m constantly amazed by it!
That’s a lot of dumplings! Great slashing action. In fact there’s always a lot of action in your kitchen.
Nancy, we all ate that night until we were sick. See, that’s the problem with dumplings – easy to overindulge and then we can’t look at them again for a few weeks! :)
I need to make an appointment for dumpling pleating. I’m really quite shocking. :)
Your bread is gorgeous. I keep telling myself I’m going to get one of those baskets and a lame. One day.
That bread with the cranberry cheese is calling my name!
Come to Sydney and we’ll go shopping love.. xxx
Wonderful IMK post, Celia. I’ve yet to come across a Jamie Oliver recipe that was a failure. They’ve all been consistently easy to prepare with tasty results. Looks like you all shared a fun day in the kitchen. Bryan’s smile says it all. The glass in the doors behind him is quite beautiful. :)
John, the JO recipes are remarkably foolproof, aren’t they? I think he’s my favourite chef cookbook author for that reason. And thank you for the compliment on the stained glass doors – we had to hunt those down and cut them to size when we were in our mid-20s. We found them at a place that sold surplus bits from demolished houses. We wanted to open up the doorway to the adjoining sunroom – when we moved in, there was a 1950s glass cabinet built into the wall there!
The ammonite is beautiful. It must feel quite extraordinary to hold it in your hand and contemplate it’s age. Much merry making around your kitchen table, Celia. What lovely kids. The cheese with cranberries sounds, and looks, very good and I so much want to be a slasher (with panacher) I think perhaps I leave the second prove too long. Hope you are feeling a bit better. I tried to send a video of my prism/refraction moment to your last post and got into all sorts of strife – that’s another thing I need to get a handle on.
Jan, it was so lovely to “chat” the other day. And I loved your Pollyanna moment! :)
Celia, your slashing is just gorgeous. Well done. Oh that feast of sushi and dumplings looks incredible. What a wonderful way to spend a Saturday afternoon. x
Praise from the master baker, thanks Jane! And it really was a glorious way to spend a Saturday arvo!
The sushi rice mould is very cool. Love the decorative slashing on the bread!
I’m going to ask my sister to get me another mould – it makes the whole sushi process SO much easier (and less sticky!).
Your bread is absolutely spectacular, Celia. Hope you are keeping well, love xx
Oooh, PS, I just pleated my first dumplings this week… they were not too bad at all! xx
Lizzy, I saw the post come up in my email feed! They look amazing!
Your dumplings are really impressive! Especially since you appear to have made the wrappers yourself. It must be fun to make them a group project. All your new treasures are also fun to see.
best… mae
Oh you’re kind, but I’m too lazy to make my own wrappers. I buy them direct from the factory though, so they’re very fresh!
Must invest in a special bread slashing blade as your loaves are a work of art. Just brought some Wensleydale studded with cranberries back from a quick trip to the UK. Great cheese! Love the ammonite. I have a small one as a pendant fossilised in pyrite, otherwise known as fool’s gold. Fossils – as well as sea worn glass – make interesting and unique jewellery. Great IMK and an amazing number of dumplings.
Debi, you’re so right about fossils making interesting jewellery! I’ve just posted my birthday pendants today!
https://figjamandlimecordial.com/2016/03/15/birthday-pendants/
All looking wonderful in your kitchen. I’m looking forward to temperatures climbing and helping give my sourdough starter a boost – but worrying about The Management declaring that he intends to learn to cook. Oh, my poor kitchen!
Kim, hang in there, it’s good for them to learn to cook. I think. ;-)
I have such bread envy. I must start working on my slashes, yours are incredibly beautiful. That is a lot of dumplings, plus sushi. Good thing they clean up too. The espresso cups are so lovely and perfectly fitting for you. Glad you liked the necklace, I’ve already got my eye on one for myself! The bread and cheese looks fantastic, every Jamie Oliver recipe I’ve tried is a huge success.
Gretchen, I love the necklace, thank you! I love wirework! John was saying the same thing about JO recipes, and I have to agree, I think they’re wonderfully consistent!
Super slashing, Celia! Yum…those dumplings look superb! I wonder if the sushi molds are available here? My kids would love them too! Gorgeous cups and that cake….mmmmm!
Jaqi, your kids would love them! Haven’t seen the molds here, but please let me know if you find them!
Your Mum must have been super chuffed to be able to pass on her knowledge. I love Bryan’s joy in making his dumpling. Isn’t that what cooking should be about ~ the joy of sharing and making?!
Anne, I think she’s enjoying being the matriarch! :) Hopefully she hasn’t figured out my blog well enough to find the comments section yet, so she won’t rouse on me for saying that… hahaha
Love it!
Your bread is always so beautiful, I never got rund to using that sourdough starter you sent me :(
If it’s been in the fridge, it should still be fine! But it’s not a big deal at all! Let me know if you’d ever like to try again and I’ll send you some more. :)
Yes to that tea loaf and cheese. As to 160 dumplings. I bet it seemed like a good idea but by #80, I bet spirits were flagging. They’re done now!
Oh no, they were enthusiastic until the end. I’m quite a good slave driver. :) Hey, when are you coming back? I still have your umbrella! :)
The SLASHER! I love her story, thanks for the link. I would love to run a little business like that. Getting closer to a real oven so I might consider it! I did think there was a lot of dumpling filling in that bowl and when you said how many dumplings you made I can see why. Cranberry Wensleydale? Interesting…..Hope you are feeling better. :) M
Maree, you’re hilarious, I love that you’re thinking about it when you’re still baking in a dodgy oven! And thank you, yes, feeling better!
There is always so much love in your kitchen Celia. How wonderful! Your bread is a work of art and I would love to get hold of your nifty sushi mould for my cousin – she seems to have everything else but that!
Have a beautiful and happy day.
:-) Mandy xo
Mandy, my sister is always the queen for finding something unusual like that. I’m going to ask her to get me another one! Much love to you, take care of yourself! xxx
As always such interesting things in your kitchen Celia. The bread slashings look very professional. I’ve got some dumpling wrappers in the fridge waiting for me to build up courage to make them, will have to give them a go now. Will also check out that Earl Gray Tea bread.
Thanks Vicki! The Earl Grey Tea bread recipe came from Jamie’s Great Britain cookbook, but I reckon you could probably find it online.
Now I’m desperate for a plate full of your dumplings!!! Lovely post Celia. x
Thanks Jen! Hope you’re well! xxx
Celia, I have yet to find any dumpling, no matter how inexpertly folded, inedible! How lovely that your whole family gathers to make and share a meal. That is so, so special.
I love your decorative slashing and the wonderful gifts in your kitchen :)
Thanks Lisa! I hope baby boy is on the mend – fevers are tricky at that age! xx
What a wonderful post, Celia. I love those beautiful loaves!
Thanks Jhuls! Have a great month!
I love how everyone seems to get in and help in your kitchen Celia! I need a dumpling day! I also need a pasta day too! But it is just me cooking so I love it but then I have to clean up as well! :-)
Oh and fantastic effort on the slashing! Well done!
Liz x
We’ve never had a pasta day before, but I think we might try dumpling day again! It was so much fun!
Love your new sushi rice maker & gorgeous Turkish espresso cups from your sister Celia – aren’t sisters the best ever! :) You bread, as always, looks amazing! Looks like you had some great help making your dumplings, I just made over 300 dumplings for our Grand Prix party we’re having next week! Hope all is going well & you’re taking care of yourself xx
http://missfoodfairy.com/2016/03/10/in-my-kitchen-march-2015/
Nic, that’s a ridiculous number of dumplings! Did you make them all on your own! What a star you are! :)
All by myself Celia! Over two days though – it’s what I love doing and it relaxes me. It also makes me smile when friends & family tell me how amazing they are ;) xx
I love your Turkish espresso cups, Celia, and the Earl Grey tea cake sounds very yummy!
Chris, I SO love my espresso cups – I’m using them every day!!
what a wonderful post celia. you may recall in one of my posts i mentioned i collect fossils too. this one of yours is exquisite! just glorious. and those turkish cups are divine. how marvellous to make that many dumplings together. such fun. that sushi thingy is a bit of fun too. and lovely bread too. so many lovely things here.
Sherry, please have a look at my latest post! It’s full of ammonites! :)