COMING SOON DEVOUR TAKE AWAY in CYGNET TASMANIA

Well the good news is after what seems like years of delays (its been approximately 6-8 weeks) it looks like we will be opening our new take away cafe in about 2 weeks...HOORAY!! Look out Cygnet you are about to get some AWESOME food fast!!

New Aprons to share....and news from the business front

I was at the last cygnet Market and my neighbor from across the road came to tell me how much she loved her apron she recieved as a gift( thanks janene) and that she would love another one. It was the week before mothers day and I only had one ladies apron left and it was pretty but she wanted something in a bit darket colours and with a pocket
on the colourful side...I usually put the pocket on the plain side. Here is what I came up with and when I gave it to her this afternoon she was very complimentary and loved it (great this is the plan I like to stick too, as I put a lot of thought into what goes with which spot or dot or colour...anyhoo its not always about ME!!) So I thought while I was here showing off one I have sold...I would show you another one I have sold but its still in my possesion and I wanted to share it as the colours are fabulous

I called it african dream as the colours are not the typical african colours you see. In fact I havent taken the best photo of it either I was trying to work out how to take a pic so you can see both sides of the ladies apron as they as well as the girls are all double sided.

This one is FOR SALE $30 plus $6 postage and handling(AUSTRALIA only prices contact me for international)  The colours again are really cute but vibrant reminded me of Aztec type pattern but the pinks blues and browns really come together and make is something special with the polka dot flounce.



And one thing I have not forgotten is the young boys out there who like to cook and in fact the teenage boys and young men. I have made a special apron for a lad in WA who I hope to get a pic on here or on the purplepumpkinaprons facebook page (please come and join us on facebook if you havent already) So here are 2 of my boys aprons size 6-12 they are $18 plus $6 postage and handling

And finally I thought I would put a pic of me wearing a great purple hat that a very special friend bought me(thank you princess moonheart) My imaginary friends out there in blogger land will appreciate it I'm sure

oh the news on the business front...well lets just say there is DEFINATELY something in the pipeline for us this year...not far from home...watch this space...

MINCE PIES...are they only for christmas time??

Thought I would share a recipe for mince pies (or tarts whatever you like to call them) from sunny rainy sometimes hailing (and that was just yesterday)Cygnet
I only have a rough estimate on the fruit mince because I just make a big batch at the start of December to use in muffins and mince pies when its xmas
FRUIT MINCE
500g sultanas
200g raisins
200g currants
100g glace`red cherries
100g dried apricots
100g dates
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup brandy(yes it sounds a lot but it all gets soaked up and the more you toss it around and leave it to marinate the better)
2 grated apples
A welcome addition to this is also 100gchopped pistachios and 200gdried cranberries
PASTRY
250g plain flour
150g butter
100g caster sugar
1 egg
1/2 tsp vanilla
pinch of salt
Rub butter into flour with the pinch of salt

til it resembles breadcrumbs.

Add the sugar and give a stir through. Then add your egg and vanilla and mix thouroughly till it molds into a ball. This is quite a wet mix so it allows for a fair amount of flour when rolling.

Roll out to approximately 1/2 cm thickness. Use 2 cookie cutters of different shapes the larger one for putting into a greased patty pan tin, also known as a drop scone tin. The smaller cutter to use for the lid of your tart.

Put the larger size piece of pastry into the tin until the tray is full then put approx 1 teaspoon of fruit mince into each tart base. Using some egg wash, brush around the lids before you put them onto the tart bottoms.This is to ensure the lids stay stuck to the bases. Egg wash the tops of the tarts and sprinkle with sugar.( prick a small hole in top of pastry to allow hot air out and no exploding tarts!!)



uncooked tarts

Put into a moderate(150-160) oven for approximately 20 minutes, until they are golden on top. take out of oven and let cool on wire rack then sprinkle with icing sugar and serve by themselves or with cream and icecream.

I also made Mr Purple Chef a special treat and used the same pastry and fruit mince and just made him a slice.





Its JAM SEASON in Cygnet.

Ok with the aroma of strawberry jam now absent from my house(OH boy it smelt so sweet and dreamy...YUMMO). I thought I would share this recipe for strawberry jam with you all to try or just read and imagine us enjoying it.
I was given a couple of kilo's of strawberries last weekend by a lovely new friend we met through cricket. I will tell you all the same as I told Marie...if you want to make jam buy yourself a $12 candy thermometer from a kitchen shop. It takes all the guess work and putting plates in the freezer and setting tests etc away from it. It makes jam making more fun than you think. Once you have jam making down pat then relishes and pickles are easy. First things first PUT ON YOUR APRON...the prettier the better...and put music on and enjoy yourself (grab a glass of wine if that's your fancy....or a lindt chocolate ball or ten...oh thats my fancy..)

STRAWBERRY JAM
2.1 kg hulled strawberries(approx 2.4 before hull)
1.6 kg warmed sugar
150ml lemon juice
150ml water

METHOD
Put all ingredients in heavy based saucepan & warm gently without boiling and stir with wooden spoon.

Increase heat slightly and without boiling stir for 10 minutes until sugar has dissolved. Increase heat and boil for ten minutes stirring often(PLEASE DONT LET IT CATCH) turn it down to a gentle simmer and start  skimming scum off top( there is a lot from strawberries are they are made up of a lot of liquid)

 check temperature with candy thermometer and simmer til it gets to about 105 - 106 degrees. this will take approximately 20 minutes

(times can vary between electric and gas cooking equipment also)
Take off the heat ( being very careful as jam does burn if you spill on your skin.)
 Pour into preheated sterilised jars. Put the lids on and invert them for 2 minutes. Turn them back over and let cool. Label and date. Store in a cool dark place for 6-12 months. Refrigerate after opening for up to 6 weeks.

I have also done a little experiment that worked very well so I can recommend it. Soak your strawberries in butterscotch schnapps for 2 days before you make the jam...DIVINE...  

Now employed....busy girl

 Paddington Check little girls apron. My first apron I sold

 One that I sold which I really loved and that was purple on the other side....no regrets...I will make myself another purple apron...I did make myself a non purple one ...Its the Wizard of Oz

My stall at Cygnet market.

Well I'm ashamed to say Ive been to busy with a new job and making aprons to sell that I have neglected my blog...but my very good friend Kath from TrailblazeHer is going great guns and getting so many visitors she amazes me with her strength and character and her ability to keep going when things are tough. You GO GIRL I am with you all the way. Ok so I got a job and its pretty much full time and Ive also done 2 markets with another coming up this sunday and Ive been selling my aprons. I have had a great start and sold 5 at the first market and 7 last time and 3 ordered from that market. Im very excited about this and have made some absolutely gorgeous little girls aprons and ladies as well as boys and mens(shown below with chefs hat...another new thing I'm making)

So hi ho hi ho its off to work I go...happy cooking all my lovely friends

How to make herbs last all year

Spring...or still Winter

Its has been unusually cold here...in fact nearly 5 degrees colder on average...thats pretty cold. My lambs are growing fast though and the grass is coming on with more sunshine around.

 the chooks have not laid a bloody egg for months because its so damn cold...( Mr Purple chef is starting to dislike them immensely as they have done nothing but cost us money with nothing in return)

We have coloured sheep as you can see and they give us lovely meat and if I could spin then I would never run out of wool ever again even if I lived to be 100...but alas...I cannot spin I think all the fairy stories from my childhood of having to spin put me off...sounded hard although my Nana C enjoyed spinning wool and it knitted beautifully.

Seeing as it really is spring and time to cut back herbs and replant etc. I have just potted a whole heap of my old herbs as we are bulldozing our old veggie garden. I also grew our own purple garlic last year so Im using that as well. We have so much in abundance that I thought I would share a preserving trick with you for when you have so much you dont know what to do with it.
                                                                         


My temporary Herb Garden


Herb Stock Mix

now for quantities of herbs Ive tried to measure them to give an accurate recipe and herbs washing them and taking them
off the stalks as much as possible
120g fresh thyme (which is approximately 2 good sized bunches)
180g fresh parsley
180g fresh rosemary
2 tablespoons fresh cracked pepper
6 fresh bay leaves
12 cloves of garlic
3 1/2 cups of salt ( I use flossy salt for preserving from a butcher supply)

You need to blend the herbs in batches with approx 1 tblsp salt until all blended. adding pepper and garlic and bay to blender with herbs. add rest of salt mix through leave to sit for half an hour then mix through again then put into clean dry jars and store in cupboard. There is NO mistake about the amount of salt remember it is a preserving agent this will last you 6-12 months in the cupboard in a screw tight jar and you will have your own stock powder to use with a fresh hit of herbs at ANY time.
TO USE:
add 1 semi heaped teaspoon to 1 litre boiling water and use in place of store bought stock. Always remember it has salt in it so when you are using it in cooking check your seasoning before you add any extra salt after you have used this for anything. It can be used in soups, casseroles, braises you can even add it to your cream for pasta. If your feeling a little bit off colour and don't know what to eat this is perfect for a light broth.

NOT ANY OLD FRUITCAKE......or a cake by any other name tastes just as sweet

moist delicious fruit cake

When I was younger I went through a stage of not liking fruit cake. The closest I would get would be christmas pudding and that was only because there was money in there and it was also smothered in custard AND cream. A couple of years ago I asked my mum for a fruit cake recipe of some kind as I didnt want just any old fruitcake I wanted one with history ie; mum , nana costolloe or nana brown, other relatives who are food driven like our whole family seems to be.
So she gave me a recipe that she had used quite successfully for a number of years. I then asked where it was from and she said it was from when we lived in Singapore(I was ONE I am now past 40) a cookbook came out from the expats in the area as I'm lead to believe. So I had a go at it and found I wanted more fruit in it and a couple of other little tweaks and I think I have made a foolproof fruitcake recipe. Its really nice and I now like fruit cake again. I have done it with a number of different fruit combinations and all have worked well. I have done it leaving the grated apple out and it is nice BUT it is even nicer and moister and tastier with the grated apple, but this is just so you know it can be played around with a little tiny bit and still work beautifully.
 It is NOT low fat but it is also not meant to be eaten 3 slices at a time. Remember everything in moderation
Danie & Mum's Boiled Fruit Cake
250 g butter
1 cup sugar(brown, white, raw a mixture is ok too)
1 cup water
1 teaspoon bi-carb soda
475-500g mixed dried fruit( I used dates, sultanas, dried apricots, currants, raisins,macadamias, pecans &
glace cherries. Any combination is good as long as the dried fruit is the biggest quantity)
Put all these ingredients in a saucepan and bring to the boil then simmer for 10 min. It will look glorious and syrupy and taste sweet and butterscotchy. Leave to cool for 10 minutes.
In a bowl
 1 cup plain flour
1 cup self raising flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon nutmeg
1 teaspoon mixed spice
When fruit mixture is cooled add to dry ingredients. Add 1 grated apple. Mix together 2 eggs with 1 teaspoon vanilla and the juice from 1 orange. Add to the rest of the mixture & mix well. Put into greaseproof lined 8 inch loaf tin
cook @160degrees for one hour. take out of oven and rest somewhere to cool for an hour.
 You can slice it and eat as is...or you can get some butter and put a lashings on it...OR you can make custard and have it warm. You can also play with the ingredients to add some zing...put some cardoman and extra mixed spice and more dates and apricots than sultanas a few pistachios and you have a
very morroccan twist to a lovely Aussie/English Favourite

BOOKS ABOUT FOOD.....mmmmm food and reading what more could we want

I love to readand I love to cook.

I love to read cook books....but what I have discovered is...I love to read stories with food and cooking woven through it.....FICTION or NON FICTION...Im not fussy. I remember my first bookclub I joined in W.A the first book I read was Like Water for Chocolate by Laura Esquival. Which I really enjoyed and we talked it through so lovingly with food in our hearts and mouths( I love a good bookclub meeting with plenty of food lots of talk, laughter and freedom to say what you want) that was my first "taste" of food fiction .......OR so I thought. I started really thinking about it...and my FIRST memories of food through books was years before that....

Enid Blyton take a bow because I think you opened up so many little foodies with your fantastic stories of midnights feasts, treacle tarts,...and who still dreams of having one of

Moon-face's pop biscuits or a google bun( I bet it's got nothing to do with the internet)

Hurrah for the fantastic picnic baskets in The Famous Five with ham sandwiches,homemade lemonade or gingerbeer with ices after the adventure

(Iwondered what ices where for a while...wouldn't julian dick anne and george love the array of icecreams we have these days...almost TOO MANY to choose)

But I think the first of her books to show me the way was...Mr Pinkwhistle

He always went to or threw a fabulous party with all sorts of sweetys and divine sounding things.

So I have had a trip down memory lane and Im a bit older than I was when reading lovely Enid Blyton stories..and I have moved on to other books but still enjoy books with food through them. I just finished reading Pomegranate Soup By Marsha Mehran and I have started on The Last Chinese Chef by Nicole Mones. Maeve Binchy wrote a couple of good ones for the light fluffy romantic foody type Scarlett Feather & Quentins.

I have put about 4 on hold to come in for me at the library...and on my list...there are another 35 books I have written down..and I am absolutely postive that more will be added to that list. I would love to hear recommendations from others who love the same.....ok happy reading dreaming about food..think I will go and have a mid morning snack pate, crackers and some king island double brie...mmmmm FOOD

More Aprons.....or Aprons for Sale...??

I have decided to make and sell some aprons. Being a chef I love this design of double sided. One side is the practical or plain side and the other side is for fun and can be a bit whimsical(look out fairy lovers) The great thing is you can wear the plain side while you are cooking and doing the kitchen bit then when it is time to go into your dining room you can turn the apron around and have a clean apron and still look pretty or of course you can try the other way. Be fun and whimsical while you ARE cooking with your fun sided apron and then when it's time to serve your guests or just the family you can turn it around and be sensible practical kitchen wench/mum This is the reason that they are not purple. If they were purple I wouldn't be able to sell them. If I do other colours I can look at them and appreciate the beauty of the colours and the cuteness of the designs and be really happy when someone takes one home. I am only doing one of a kind aprons. I don't want anyone having the same. $25 and I suppose I will have to add postage onto that which Im taking a guess would be about $6 but I will check that out next week. I am currently finishing another one which is chocolate brown on one side(practical) and pink with browns aqua pink orange. I have had a bit of a job deciding what colour to put with the brown but I think orange is the go but it wasn't going to work with the pink so I've decided on both .....wait and see it will look great...another pic in the next 2 days I promise(kath thats for you...my lone reader/commenter)

Aprons, cute & frilly BUT practical....is there ever too many....how many make an obsession??

Wikipedia says:

An apron is an outer protective garment that covers primarily the front of the body. It may be worn for hygienic reasons as well as in order to protect clothes from wear and tear.

Ok I have a confession to make....I love aprons!! I think it may have started a really long time ago when I was little...ok lets not say a really long time ago but in years gone by....So in years gone by.... I watched as my Nan C  would head straight for the kitchen put on her pinny and start her day. This is, of course, if she didn't walk down to the local shop for her unsliced loaf  first. Oh the smell of that bread....Anyhow pinny on ready to go. If I was to "help" in the kitchen there were 2 small aprons or if there were more than 2 of us wanting to help then I seem to remember a  teatowel and pin came out. The thing we were mainly allowed to "help" with was scones....always tending to end up like little hard rocks from over kneading and Nans were that awesome scone that only old ladies seem to be able to make. I've become attached to wearing an apron. I enjoy wearing an apron  it makes me feel like I'm doing something.

This apron I picked up in Hobart City Mission Shop because it reminded me straight away of nan and her  scone making...and it was PURPLE!!

This is another of my CWA shop type pick ups...it was a whole 50c.

                                                                                                                                                               They really do save your clothes as they were intendedThis apron is one of my faves it was sent by a very dear friend when she lived in Canada. They apparently really know how to celebrate the holidays there and I love the whole Halloween experience.

Look at this georgeous fruit fabric that I made another apron from yesterday

I have a childrens apron that an old friend who lives in the UK sent my oldest son when he was about 2 or 3(he is now 22) its from Harrods

My other nana was english Nan B and she wore a shift sort of apron when she was "getting mucky" as she would say. That would usually be general housework but she was "saving her clothes" by wearing her shift/apron.

I have made a number of aprons and have found that I enjoy making them and this will be my creative outlet for a little while. I love that aprons of all sorts have come into vogue again...I really love some of the vintage ones I've seen

This one is double sided and is my favourite at the moment.....til I make another one!!

Excuses for not blogging.....

Ok I will admit I havent blogged for a couple of weeks and I will tell you the honest truth...its because its winter!! Well thats not completely true...its winter and our computer is in the spare room which is like sitting in an icebox and more so at night, so needless to say I'm not all that excited about jumping in here to start writing anything.....BUT things are going to change. We decided in all our wisdom to maybe move the computer into our lounge....when we actually do this is a different matter. We have a few important thangs happening at the moment...the biggest one is that we have been looking at a few businesses over the last few months....and decicions are getting close....keep your eye here for coming information...stay beautiful and enjoy th winter weather...BBBRRRRRRR

Golden Syrup Dumplings....mmmm winter comfort food

Ok I made these the other day I havent had them for a few years now and they are a childhood favourite and they were as good as I remember. So I thought I had better share them with you. If you are not a sweet tooth don't bother because they are sickly sweet and disgustingly divine and you must have double cream with them to cut down the sweetness....ooohh my mouth is watering just thinking about them again.

Sauce

40g butter

3/4 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup golden syrup

1 2/3 cups water

combine all ingredients in pan with bottom about 18cm wide. Stir over heat without boiling until sugar dissolved. Bring to boil without stirring reduce to simmer

Dumplings

1 1/4 cups SR flour

30 g butter

1/3 cup golden syrup

1 tbsp milk(with another to spare in case the mix is too dry)

Sift flour into bowl, rub in butter, gradually stir in syrup and milk. Drop heaped teaspoonsful into simmering sauce. Simmer covered for approx 15 minutes or until dumplings are cooked through. Serve with sauce and double cream or ice cream(or both if you are piggies like us)

Muffins the UNBOUGHT way

ok my peeps here is a great muffin recipe without all the hype. I was a muffin disliker myself until I disovered that muffins don't have to be dry and tasteless. Give this recipe a go it works, I have made them hundreds of times. You can add any sort of fruit or spices for sweet muffins or leave out the sugar and add some savoury elements eg bacon , onion, ham sundried tomatoes, any sort of cheese & herbs.

Muffins by Lavendah

2 1/2 cups SR flour

100g butter(my preference always)or margarine

1 cup castor sugar

1 1/4 cups milk

1 egg

1 grated apple(the apple is to keep the muffin moist when you add other fruit you dont really get the apple as a flavour so use 2 if you want more apple flavour.

Once you have your ingredients together then grease your muffin tins or use muffin wraps or large patty pan cases, make sure you do give the tin a light spray even if you are using patty pans(which I highly recommend anyway) as it stops the muffin tops from sticking to the tin. Turn your oven on to preheat to 160

Rub the butter into the flour until it resembles breadcrumbs. Add the sugar and mix through, mix the egg and milk together and then mix into the dry ingredients with the apple. Don't overmix it but dont be scared to mix the ingredients in. Add whatever fruit you wish for your flavourings.

Fill whatever size muffin tins you are using 3/4 full if you want an overflowing effect(how a muffin should look) or half fill if you want them to be the same size as the actual tin. Bake in a moderate to oven for 20-25 minutes the muffins should bounce back when you touch them, if it leaves an indent when you push them, put them back in for another 5-10 minutes keeping an eye on them but not opening the oven to let the heat escape.

Remove from oven and let cool for about 5 min in the tins then carefully run a butter knife around the edge of the muffin to losen it from the tin and put them on a cooling rack. Eat when hungry!!

An easy dessert is to make a berry sauce or a caramel sauce and serve the muffins warm with cream and ice cream.

Some of my sweet favourites are; raspberry and white chocolate, blackberry honey and apple, banana date and walnut, blueberry, apple & cinnamon.

savoury faves are fetta and herb, ham cheese and tomato, pumpkin & fetta...(generally anything and fetta I will like)

Gluten free Lemon curd tarts...for people more commonly known as "glutards"

Ok here is a gluten free tart recipe that is mine...I thought seeing as there were so many people out there with this gluten intolerance I would try and make some pasrty that tasted nice as well as not having gluten. And of course anything with lemon curd is always going to be divine!!.

I must tell you this was a bit of a hit and miss and the pastry I went with my "chefs feel" for the texture.

1/4 cup cornflour

1/4 cup rice flour

1/4 cup almond meal

100 g butter cold

pinch salt

Put all dry ingredients together in a bowl then grate the butter in the middle. Rub in butter with fingers until it resembles thick breadcrumbs. Add 2 tbsp cold water and mix gently. It depends upon your dry ingredients on how much water you will need. You want the dough firm and slightly tacky but not wet knead it slightly to combine ingredients properly, then refrigerate for half an hour.

Lemon Curd

This is enough to fill approx 12 mini tart cases if I make more I will eat it with a spoon and my hips will not be happy although my mouth is singing just thinking about it.

2 egg yolks

1/3 cup castor sugar

60 ml lemon juice

2 tsp lemon zest

75 g butter

Add the sugar tp the egg yolks and mix up til its all incorporated. Put into a heavy based small saucepan on low heat. Add the zest and lemon juice and a few small knobs of butter gradually increase heat slightly and keep stirring. As your stirring add the rest of the butter in small amounts stirring and let it thicken without boiling or burning it, this whole process shouldnt take longer than 3 or 4 minutes. Remove from heat and put aside to cool. Remove pastry from fridge and have some cornflour to use to roll out pastry(so it doesnt stick) I use patty pan cases for my mini tarts so I just spray them with non stick spray(sometimes when feel nostalgic I butter and flour and boy it does make a difference to the taste...ahh I remember the old ways) and get a scone cutter ready that is slightly bigger than the area of the tart cases. Roll out pastry (using lots of sprinkled cornflour) to approx 2.5mm thick and cut out with scone cutter. Press gently into greased patty pan tray. dock the pastry so it doesnt rise . cook for 15-20 min oven @ 155 degrees

make sure they are golden brown underneath. This is a very crisp shortbread like pastry. While they are still warm add the lemon curd into the tart cases and put into warm oven for another 5 minute remove from oven and serve with cream or on their own and cooled down or hot.