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In My Kitchen, October 2012

October 1, 2012 by Celia @ Fig Jam and Lime Cordial

In my kitchen…

…are lobster picks! I found them at Chefs’ Warehouse for $1.50 each…

I loved the embossing, although our lobsters don’t have claws…

Here’s a photo of the Eastern Australian Rock Lobster for Karen…

In my kitchen…

…are the results of our raspberry liqueur experiment.  We combined frozen raspberries with vodka, brandy and sugar and left it to mature for three months.  Although it lacks the complexity of our President plum brandy, it’s a delicious tipple nonetheless…

In my kitchen…

…are tins of chestnut puree, picked up at half price from a deli in the city. I’m hoping to make Sally’s chocolate and chestnut terrine with them…

In my kitchen…

…are funky tea infusers, a gift from the lovely Lorraine…

They’ve been getting up to all sorts of mischief…

In my kitchen…

…is a bowl of ripening sourdough starter.  See all the bubbles breaking the surface? That’s a good thing…

In my kitchen…

…is a very old Royal Worcester Evesham Gold casserole pot – a wedding gift from Auntie Anna. We’ve used it until the gold is chipping off…

In my kitchen…

…are tonka beans! I haven’t tried using them yet – any suggestions?  Pete has requested tonka-bean flavoured shortbread cookies…

In my kitchen…

…is an infrared thermometer. I bought it on a whim last year with my tax return.  At the time I wasn’t sure what we’d do with it, but it’s turned out to be a frequently used tool in our kitchen.

It measures the temperature remotely – you aim the red laser pointer at a hot surface and click the button.  We use it for taking the temperature of hot pans before frying and a variety of other tasks, although it only measures surface temperature, so I can’t use it for chocolate tempering…

In my kitchen…

…is chocolate cake for Luca’s birthday!  It was whipped up in the food processor using our chocolate pound cake recipe…

 . . . . .

Tell me, what’s happening in your kitchen this month?

If you’d like to do an In My Kitchen post on your own blog, please feel free  to do so. We’d love to see what’s happening in your kitchen this month!  Please link back to this blog, and let us know when your post is up, and we’ll add it to our monthly listing.

. . . . .

Here are this month’s posts…

Christie @ Fig & Cherry

Christine @ Invisible Spice

Christine @ Food Wine Travel

Anna @ Adobo Down Under

Misky @ Misk Cooks

Claire @ Claire K Creations

Siobhan @ Garden Correspondent

Pamela @ Spoon Feast

Shelley @ All Litten Up

Amanda @ Lambs’ Ears & Honey

Tandy @ Lavender and Lime

Lorraine @ Not Quite Nigella

Mrs Mulberry @ Mulberry and Pomegranate

Heidi @ Steps on the Journey

Johanna @ Green Gourmet Giraffe

Brydie @ CityHippyFarmGirl

Emilie @ The Clever Carrot

My Experiments & Food

Mandy @ The Complete Cookbook

Mel @ The Adventures of Miss Piggy

Pam @ Grow, Bake, Run

Zirkie @ Pink Polka Dot Food

Anne @ Life in Mud Spattered Boots

Lizzy @ Bizzy Lizzy’s Good Things

Tania @ My Kitchen Stories

Jane @ The Shady Baker

Glenda @ Passion Fruit Garden

 

Posted in In My Kitchen | Tagged , , , , , | 111 Comments »

Superheroes

September 28, 2012 by Celia @ Fig Jam and Lime Cordial

We mothers are funny creatures.

Most people looking at the photo above would see two teenagers with fresh haircuts.

I see superheroes.

I took this photo of Big Boy (right) and Small Man (left) when we were in town yesterday and loved it so much that I had to share it with you. Even from behind, it’s easy to see that they’re brothers.

Big Boy hurt his leg yesterday morning and was walking with a slight limp.  Small Man automatically, and unconsciously, adjusted his gait to match his brother’s.

They strolled off ahead of Pete and I, and we followed behind, shaking our heads at how enormous they’ve become, marveling at their closeness, and overjoyed by what fine young men they’ve grown up to be.

Posted in My Photos | 47 Comments »

School Holidays

September 25, 2012 by Celia @ Fig Jam and Lime Cordial

It’s school holidays, and Pete’s brothers and sisters are coming to visit!

It’s rare for the five of them to be in the same place at the same time, so we’ll be taking a small blog break to spend time with them.

I’ll be back for the October In My Kitchen post.  Have a great week! ♥

Posted in Food & Friends | 23 Comments »

Cockatoo Island, Sydney Harbour

September 24, 2012 by Celia @ Fig Jam and Lime Cordial

Cockatoo Island is a great place to explore.

Located in Sydney Harbour at the junction of the Parramatta and Lane Cove rivers, it’s just a short ferry ride from Circular Quay.  Pete and I visited the Biennale exhibit there a couple of weeks ago, and were so blown away by the island itself that I felt it deserved a post of its own.

Sydney turned on her shiniest spring weather for our trip.  The free Biennale ferry took us past the Opera House and under the Harbour Bridge. We really do live in one of the most beautiful cities in the world…

The 18ha (44 acres) island operated as a penal colony in the mid-1800s, and as one of Australia’s largest and longest running shipyards from 1857 to 1991.  The view from the restored houses at the top of the cliffs is breathtaking…

The island was listed by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site in 2010…

The dock below was built by convicts in the 1800s…

The island is a huge seagull nesting site – I didn’t want to get too close with my iPhone camera to the dark coloured chicks, many of whom were nested on the ground in the care of their parents.  The sky was full of gulls, riding the winds…

Some of the old buildings are still standing, although many were demolished when the shipyard closed in 1991…

The island is dotted with heavy machinery from a previous era…

…and remnants of its penal colony past…

There are two tunnels cutting through the cliffs from one side of the island to the other.  We weren’t sure if the lighting in this one was utilitarian or an art installation…

Cockatoo Island is a fascinating landmark, and definitely worth a visit if you ever get a chance.  The ferry ride alone is worth the trip!

Posted in Cool Things, Food & Friends, My Photos | Tagged , , , | 51 Comments »

Chocolate Sorbet

September 22, 2012 by Celia @ Fig Jam and Lime Cordial

This chocolate sorbet is dairy free, very dark and very grown-up.

It’s based on a recipe from Smitten Kitchen, which was in turn adapted from a David Lebovitz recipe.

  • 560ml (2¼ cups) water, divided into two portions (see below)
  • 220g (1 cup) white sugar
  • 75g (¾ cup) Dutch-processed cocoa powder (I used Callebaut)
  • small pinch of salt
  • 170g (6oz) semisweet chocolate (I used Callebaut 811 54%)
  • ½ teaspoon vanilla extract (I used homemade)

Note: resist the urge to use darker chocolate – our first batch was made with Callebaut 70% and it was too dark even for us! These quantities make approximately one litre of sorbet.

1. In a large stew pot over a medium heat, whisk together 375ml (1½ cups) of water, sugar, cocoa powder and salt.  Continue whisking until the mixture boils. Still whisking, allow to boil for about a minute.

2. Add the chocolate and vanilla extract to the mixture and stir until smooth.  Stir in the remaining 185ml (¾ cup) of water.  Pour the mixture into a blender and blitz for a slow count of 15. Don’t be tempted to skip this step – I think it helps to ensure a smooth sorbet.  Resist drinking the mixture at this point (but do taste it – I thought it would make a lovely dairy-free hot chocolate!).

3. Pour the mixture into a metal mixing bowl, cover, and refrigerate until cold (we left ours overnight).  The mixture will set semi-solid as it cools – give it a good whisking to loosen it up, then pour it into an icecream maker to churn. Allow to set in the freezer for several hours before serving.

The sorbet freezes solidly, which is not a bad thing, as it makes it difficult to consume the whole tub in one sitting!  As you can see from the photo below though, we did make a fair dent on it while it was still semi-frozen…

Definitely the perfect fix for a serious chocolate craving!

Posted in Recipes | Tagged , , , | 58 Comments »

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