Let them eat cake: A new twist on an old favourite

Bored one day and desperate to create, I thought I would trial a new flavour combination: a basic vanilla sponge with lavender infused honey, vanilla cream and fresh raspberry puree.

Basic sponge recipe:
190 g plain flour
1/4 t bi-carbonate soda
6 eggs (3 separated)
3/4 C sugar
65 g butter, melted
1 t vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 165 degrees.

Thoroughly sieve flour and bicarb soda (2-3 times). Set aside.

Whip 3 egg whites for approximately 3 minutes, until whites start to thicken and gloss. Slowly add 1/2 cup sugar while beating. Beat until stiff peaks form, similar to meringue mixture. Set aside.

Beat 3 whole eggs and 3 egg yolks with sugar until mixture becomes light and creamy, and has tripled in size (approx 5 minutes on a medium beat). Add melted butter and vanilla extract.


Using a spatula, fold flour into the egg mixture. Fold until flour is incorporated, but do not over-mix. Start by adding approx 1/3 of the meringue mixture and fold through very gently, as you want to keep as much air in as possible. Repeat until all ingredients are mixed together.


Pour batter into lined and greased 20cm cake pan and bake for around 55 minutes, until the cake is springy to touch and a skewer comes out clean.


As soon as the cake came out of the oven, I lightly heated 200g honey, 50g water with 3 lavender buds. Do not let the honey mixture boil as it will thicken and turn to toffee.


Once your lavender infused honey syrup is complete, slice the top off the cake to flatten and cut cake in half. Open the middle halves and drizzle honey syrup onto cake. I used approx 3/4 of this mixture, just enough so the honey and lavender fragrance really shone through.


Beat 500g cream and add 1 cup icing sugar. Cream should be thick enough to spread and keep its shape. Add cream to the middle of the cake and place the second layer of cake on top. Spread with more cream and drizzle with fresh raspberry puree*.

*To make the raspberry puree, I put 250g raspberries with a dash of sugar and water in a heavy based pot or saucepan. Cook until raspberries break down and mixture is thick and glossy. Push through sieve to remove seeds.

Preparing the puree (excuse the terrible lighting!)

It seems like a dedicated process but it's not - and the little touches made the cake completely worthwhile!

a bientot et bonne nuit

xx emmsy

The Commons, Darlinghurst (an uncommon adventure)

Dear internet followers

First off I must apologise for leaving it so long between posts. Especially with my favourite foodie, Jas, travelling the US of A, I really need to be much more diligent because there is no shortage of food in my life!


Believe you me that that is nothing common about The Commons. It is located on the uber trendy Burton St and, following several write ups in SMH's Good Living, it is officially an uber trend. The Commons was my place around town that always served delicious, hearty fare and always had a nice seat for me, either on the sun-drenched courtyard or inside the shadowed sandstone cottage. But no more - upon my arrival on Saturday, I was devastated to see that it was almost entirely booked out. On the plus side - at least they take bookings :)


The Commons do a well-rounded, but short menu and is open for breakfast, lunch and dinner on certain days (refer to website!). They also do a pretty mean list of daily specials that call out your name.

The pan fried silver dory on mash with caper lemon butter is soft, juicy and rich. The fish is cooked perfectly and just falls away with the fork and the delicious lemon caper butter is well seasoned and smooth. It does get a little rich by the time you find yourself with an empty plate, but isn't that what eating out is all about?

The blue cheese  beef burger comes on fresh sourdough. The blue cheese is very mild and the predominant flavour are the caramelised onions and aioli. It is definitely tasty, and worth picking up and getting your hands dirty, but it really doesn't come close to my recent burger experiences. That said, it is completely unfair of me to evaluate this to the Deus Veal and the LOTUS MY LOVER burgers of late. The hand cut chips are sadly a let down - soggy!

Uncharacteristically, I am full after most of my burger, so i have to walk away before trying the rhubarb crumble - something I already know I would love!!

The Commons also has a private dining room upstairs, and a "Secret garden" that can be booked for approx 12-16 people. Downstairs they  have what I like to call the whisky & beer den - it is underground, a little damp, and filled with pool tables and old armchairs. In the summer time (and perhaps all year round!) you can hire bicycles from the Humble Vintage Cyclists through The Commons, with the option of a "guide to Sydney" and a gourmet picnic hamper. It is one little gem you should check out!

xx emmsy


The Commons Local Eating House
32 Burton St
Darlinghurst

District Dining has all the right stuff

The younger, light-hearted sibling to two-hatted Assiette, District Dining seemed like a perfect spot to grab lunch with colleagues on a Friday.  Although only 9 months in the making, Warren Turnbull's new baby has already had some excellent reviews for it's bistro quality, value and professionalism.  As the clean and bright dining room gets busier, it becomes evident that DD is a favourite for the local media and corporate business crowd. It's an ideal place to catch up, share some plates and indulge in a bit of everything for a nice price.

We're all in a rush to get back to the office so we skip the alcoholic beverages, although we'll definitely be indulging in a cocktail or mulled wine next time - they look oh-so appealing as they stream to our neighbouring tables. 

To begin, Crispy school prawns & lime mayonnaise ($16) were going down too easily, with the right balance of crunch and flavour. The steak tartare, aioli, french fries & sourdough ($20) was lovely and fresh and could even be enjoyed by seasoned palettes sans garlic mayo.  The Seared scallops(4), jerusalem artichoke, crispy pancetta & prune ($20) were a treat - like most scallops are - although we'd probably forgo them a second time around and just order another serve of those winning crispy prawns.

Soon after to arrive were our more substantial dishes of Sweet potato, gorgonzola, risotto & preserved pear ($25) and Rabbit ragout, parpardelle, green olive & pangrattato ($29).  The risotto was a good texture and a fine balance of sharp and sweet flavours, nice for sharing.   Though, the star of this show was clearly the ragout and had some of our previously apprehensive fluffy animal eaters totally reformed. 

A special mention about the excellent service; the right level of hospitality really helped to enhance our dining experience.  Keep up the good work Mr Turnbull and team, and congratulations on your gorgeous new arrival !

Jas.xx

District Dining

17 Randle Street

Surry Hills NSW 2010

http://www.districtdining.com.au/

Merivale madness: Lotus

It is a cold Thursday night in winter and 8 girls are out on the town. The wine list is 9 pages and the cocktail list bumps it out by another 5. Couple that with the $60 banquet menu, it is a recipe for schoolnighthangoverdisaster. Otherwise known as a great night out.

Until the end of July Lotus have a 6-7pm earlybird dining special where two courses is $30 and 3 courses is $39. We are too late for this, so we opt for the 8+ pax set menu consisting of NINE dishes for $60. That's right, nine. neuf. nove. chin. negen. siyam. 九. My mind is excited but my stomach knows the struggle ahead as my appetite was still MIA.

Merivale describes Lotus as "one of the jewels of Sydney's eastern suburbs... a sophisticated, award-winning bistro and cocktail bar with a reputation for outstanding service... Dan Hong's menu  marries European influences with fresh Asian flavours". Dan Hong, I am under severe European influence and some might describe me as a "fresh asian flavour". Marry me.

My oh Ms.G's !

Sydney Eastern Suburbs.  Late one chilly Thursday night. Hungry for something tasty. Need warmth. A trendy vibe too.  Hmmm, not that much choice really (attention Clover Moore !)  But then we remember Ms. G's in Potts Point, a new-ish estblishment that's quickly making itself into a Sydney institution.  Then again, Merivale hardly ever get it wrong.  With views over the city and harbour and four levels of ultra cool design, ithis is a truly unique modern Asian dining and drinking extravanganza.  Here's why.

By the time we arrive, it's around 10pm and not too crowded.  We are seated on a table for two, although there are several communal tables for large groups and shared dining alike.  The menu requires some careful decision making because it all sounds way too delicious - and inventive.  Now the specialty cocktails here are not just any cocktails.  You might feel like you're a kid at Easyway as they arrive packaged just like an asian pearl tea, sealed with plastic.  Just grab an extra wide colourful straw from your table setting and bottoms up; so much fun.  I'm glad I chose the Green Iced Tea ($13). The flavours of Zubrowka vodka, Cloud & Mist tea, grapefruit bitters, green apple and soda are right up my alley. 

It's not a long wait before our Chicken Katsu Mini bánh mì ($6ea) arrive and boy, does this little burger deliver big satisfaction.  By this stage, we are settled right in and salivating for more. Cue the Egg noodles with XO sauce, braised duck, soft poached egg ($18), which taletented chefs Dan Hong and Jowett Yu (Lotus) recommend we mix before eating.  Once everything is deliciously coated in that beautiful yolk, the texture and flavour lifts to another level.  The duck is lovely and I wouldn't change anything about it. But our stand-out favourite was Jow’s Sweet & Sour lamb ribs ($23).  Ribs aren't usually on my radar but I'll never forget this dish.  In fact, I won't go back to Ms G's without having it.  The lamb is so tender, so meaty and so soft, that you could almost eat these ribs with a knife and fork. The sauce is so heavenly that we don't want to waste a drop.



Must try - Jow's Sweet & Sour lamb ribs



Hungry to experience more, we were sure to leave enough room for dessert.  True to it's name, the “Stoner’s Delight” consisting of doughnut ice cream, chocolate, rice bubble, pretzel, peanut brittle and marshmallow ($12) was worth it.  The best part is the saltiness of the peanut brittle combined with the sweetness of the other elements of the dish.  It's almost an absurd idea but this after dinner treat kicks ass.

At this stage, all our senses have been pleased and we're even dancing in our seats to the cool beats reverbrating through the graffitied dining room.  The waitstaff have been fantastic and their night is winding down, so they even have time to chat and share a joke with us, although maintaining profressionalism always.  After a Vittoria coffee and digestif (no authentic Italian limoncello though, unfortunately), we're ready to rock'n'roll on home.


We're the last to leave but will be the first ones back because Ms. G's, you are special.


Jas.xx


Ms. G's
155 Victoria Street
Potts Point
Mon - Sat 5pm-11pm
Fri 12pm-3pm
Sun 1pm-9pm (Bar 1pm-10pm)

And the award winning cake is...

Thanks for the kind congratulations on the Bake Off 1st prize - I'm stoked!  Most importantly, we managed to raise $900 as part of Cancer Council's Australia's Biggest Morning Tea, which makes me even happier :)

Have to say Emmsy, your turkish delight cake probably would have knocked mine out of the ball park, it looks capital Unreal.  Recipe, please?!

Here is the recipe for my award winning Pink Velvet Cake (I added a gorgeous - and expensive - pile of fresh raspberries to decorate), courtesy of The Australian Women's Weekly, which is one of my favourite culinary sources.  Happy baking !  Jas.xx

Because everybody loves (good) noodles

Our usual post-French class hunger led us to Noodles Your Way, a quiet joint tucked down low in World Square, which is an unusually bustling shopping spot at 9pm on a Tuesday.  Following the advice of our favourite man of the land Bear Grylls, we literally ran here to warm ourselves up from the chilly Winter's eve.  Hence, we were looking forward to a fast and hearty meal, and boy, did NYW deliver !

The menu is simple and not too overwhelming but there are enough choices to make it a difficult one.  Looking around, this is a place for the noodle-serious so we get the feeling that it must be good.  We avoid the bain marie options and settle to share the Braised Beef Noodle Soup and the Pork and Soy Egg Noodles ($9.80 each).  Before we could start making blog notes, our steaming bowls had arrived. 

Given the tender meat and tasty broth, it's no wonder the beef noodles come recommended.  If this is the chef's standard, we'll be back to try all of his suggestions ! The saucy pork noodles are delicious, so much so, we almost forgot to add our favourite condiment, vinegar, but once we did, our tastebuds were in over-drive.  Though we were stuffed by the end of our feast, we were already planning on next time's order - Pork & Spicy Paste Dry Noodles as well as Egg Dumpling & Glass Noodle Hot Pot...bring it on :)

It's easy to get duped into the late night bright lights and often over-priced fare in nearby Chinatown but this hidden gem opens till 10pm (last orders at 9:30pm) and is right up there in quality with the likes of it's upstairs neighbour Din Tai Fung.

So, heads down, chopsticks up...and slurp away !

Jas.xx

Noodles Your Way

Shop 9.18 World Square, 644 George Street
Sydney, 2000

a shout out and HUGE congratulations...

to my home girl jas, who took out FIRST PLACE today at her work's baking challenge. Jas doesn't work just anywhere, guest judges included Jared Ingersoll founder of Danks St Depot, and Joanna Savill, editor of SMH's Good Living and the annual Good Food Guide.

She has promised to post some pictures up but i know already that she's whipped up something pretty special.

To tide you over until she knocks you over with her mean skills, i present to you, an orange + almond cake with a cream cheese frosting, dressed with pistachios, turkish delight and freeze dried strawberries. it looks like christmas :)

xx emmsy