Who would have thought it? What started a few years ago as one little square in a far corner of the internet feels to have taken on a life of its own. For me, Instagram was initially a space to dip my toe in the waters of social media, but as time passed, I realised it was becoming much more. Although I only post once a week, on a Sunday, I noticed that I was getting more and more comments from people about what quickly became known as my "Sunday Post". These have continued to grow over time, and I've been surprised, touched, and more than a little overwhelmed by the extraordinary response my posts receive.
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I talk about simple, everyday life - the farmers I know and the markets I visit; cakes, pies and pythons (in our case!); cooking and eating, and my cooking classes. And I make observations about the extraordinary world of nature that is so much part of my daily life. These posts seem to have struck a chord with a remarkable number of people. I've had ongoing chats for years with many of those who follow my posts, so much so that we almost feel like family. There's a sense of community and a return to a simpler life around what I do and what I share.
The result of all that puzzling is the book you now hold in your hands. I don't quite know how to describe it - I haven't figured that piece of the puzzle out yet! It's a cross between a cookbook, a journal, a conversation, and reflections on the world around me. I see it being as much a bedside book just to read, as a cookbook, although I'd love to think that the pages become splotched and smudged from constant use.
Happy Sunday, Belinda.
Sunday, June 21
We receive many comments about the beautiful rainbow eggs that we use in our cooking classes. I think virtually the first photo our students take when they arrive is of these eggs. Often, we'll find seven or eight different colours nestled within the one carton and it can take me a while to convince people that I haven't hand-painted them. We're trying to twist Obi and Ash's arms (of Good Goog Eggs) to do us a map, like the ones in chocolate boxes, so we know which eggs come from which one of their heritage chooks. We feel very fortunate to live just around the corner from their farm and even more so last week when Obi arrived at my front door, a big smile on his face and his arms laden with trays of the most gorgeous little eggs. He explained they call these "practice" eggs, which are the first lays from their girls and, as they're too small to sell, he thought I might be able to use them. I think that's called an understatement!
Even though I've been using rainbow eggs for a long while now, I'm still blown away not only by their beauty, but also by the incredibly rich flavour and colour of the yolks - everything made with them looks as though it has been infused with saffron. As you can imagine, I've cooked up a storm of eggy things - lemon curd, lemon tart, chiffon cakes, ice-cream, let alone poached, boiled, scrambled and coddled eggs. This lovely lemon curd and shortbread tart is a particular favourite of mine. The shortbread "pastry" is grated, so there's no rolling involved. And the lemon curd recipe isn't too sweet, which allows the tang of lemon to really come through. I hope you enjoy it!
Happy Sunday. Belinda
Lemon curd and shortbread tart
The lemon curd in this tart is wonderful for all sorts of things, such as sandwiching cake or meringue layers, topping little pavlovas, folding into cream and plopping onto scones, or simply spreading thickly on toast. If you want to make a separate batch, it keeps well in the fridge for up to 10 days.
Ingredients
- icing sugar, for dusting
- softly whipped cream or double cream, to serve, optional
Shortbread pastry:
- 300g plain flour, plus extra, for dusting
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/8 tsp salt
- 250g unsalted butter, at cool room temperature, roughly chopped
- 220g caster sugar
- 2 egg yolks (from 60g eggs)
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
Lemon curd:
- 3 60g eggs
- 90g caster sugar
- 125ml freshly squeezed lemon juice, strained
- 90g unsalted butter, melted
- finely grated zest of 1 large lemon
Method
1. For the shortbread pastry, put the flour, baking powder and salt into the bowl of a food processor fitted with the steel blade and whiz them together so they're thoroughly mixed. Tip them into a bowl and set it aside.
2. Put the butter in the food processor along with the caster sugar and whiz for about 40 seconds or until the mixture is pale and creamy (you may need to stop the machine and scrape down the sides once or twice). Add the egg yolks and vanilla, then process again for 15 seconds or until well combined. Now add the flour mixture to the butter mixture and pulse the machine in short bursts until a ball of pastry forms around the blade (try not to overdo this mixing or the pastry may be a bit tough).
3. Turn the pastry out onto a board very lightly dusted with flour and shape it into two equal-size logs (if the pastry seems too soft, chill it for a little while so it firms up enough to handle comfortably). Wrap each log in baking paper, then pop them in the fridge and chill for at least three hours (or overnight) until they're really firm.
4. While the pastry is chilling, make the lemon curd. You can make the curd a week or so ahead, if you like. Put the eggs and caster sugar into a medium-size, heavy-based saucepan and whisk them together with a balloon whisk until they're thoroughly combined but not too frothy. Whisking gently, mix in the lemon juice and the melted butter.
5. Sit the pan over medium-low heat. Cook the mixture, stirring constantly with a flat-based wooden spoon or sauce whisk, until it thickens to a lovely, custard-like consistency. As you stir, try to use a figure-eight motion to cover the entire base of the pan so the curd doesn't catch and burn. The most important thing of all is not to let it boil, otherwise it may curdle. As soon as it's ready, remove the curd from the heat and strain it through a fine sieve into a heatproof jug. Stir in the lemon zest, then cover the jug loosely with a sheet of baking paper and leave the curd to cool. Once cool, cover securely and pop it into the fridge. It will keep well for up to 10 days.
6. Preheat your oven to 180C. Very lightly butter a 25cm loose-based tart tin. Remove one pastry log from the fridge. Use the side of a box grater with the largest holes to grate the pastry onto a plate. I tend to do this in batches as the grater fills quickly and the pastry strands will squash if they become too compacted. As you finish each batch, carefully transfer the grated dough to the prepared tin. When you have finished grating, gently pat the dough strands out evenly over the base of the tin, trying not to squash them down too much.
7. Now dollop the lemon curd evenly over the grated pastry. Smooth it out thinly with a palette knife as best you can, leaving a 1cm border around the edges. Grate the remaining pastry log the same way as before and sprinkle it over the lemon curd. Give it the lightest pat down to even it out.
8. Carefully transfer the tin to the oven (watch out you don't pop the base up - unfortunately, it's quite easily done) and bake the tart for about 35 minutes or until it's golden brown. Remove it from the oven and cool completely in the tin on a rack.
9. To serve, carefully remove the tart from the tin and place on a serving plate. Sometimes the tart may feel as though it's sticking to the tin and doesn't want to release from the base. If you find this happens, check underneath the tin to see if a bit of mixture has run out and stuck the base and sides of the tin together. If it has, use a fine palette knife to scrape away any crusted-on bits of pastry and the tart should release.
10. Dust the tart with icing sugar and serve with softly whipped cream. It's equally lovely served simply with a cup of tea or coffee or as dessert with double cream.
Serves 8-12.
Sunday, May 3
One savoury tart = three local growers. Maths was never my strong point, but this is an equation I do understand!
Yesterday, as I was making a smoked salmon tart with leftover pastry from my classes, I found myself smiling as I counted the different local farmers whose ingredients had gone into making it. There was beautiful milk, crème frache and marinated feta from Debra Allard of Cheeses Loves You. Debra, an award-winning cheesemaker, and her husband, Jim, have a herd of much-loved Jersey cows, whose milk is used to make her wonderful cheeses, yoghurt, buttermilk and dairy products. I love visiting her stall at the farmers market as there is always laughter ringing out from it and many Very Important Discussions being had about which cheese to choose. There were fragrant, rusty-coloured kampot peppercorns and hand-picked capers from growers extraordinaire, John and Lyndall Picone from Picone Exotics, who live close by and grow all sorts of glorious fruits. The eggs, which made a custard so golden it looked as though it had been infused with saffron, were from the gorgeous heirloom chooks raised just up the road by Obi and Ash of Good Goog Eggs. There were also bunches of chives and dill from our garden. I'm not hugely green-fingered, but just growing these few additions makes me feel incredibly productive.
I can't tell you the pleasure this simple calculation gave me. I feel so very fortunate to be able to cook beautiful fresh produce like this, grown locally by people I know and admire. Their efforts and work inform and inspire everything I do in my writing and my classes, and I'm so very grateful to them.
Happy Sunday. Belinda
Smoked salmon, caper, dill and goat's cheese tart
This is wonderful served with a salad that includes fennel, as the two go beautifully together.
Ingredients
- 1 blind-baked 25-26cm shortcrust pastry tart shell, in its tin (see recipe below)
- 5 60g eggs
- 300ml milk
- 150ml cream (sour cream or crème frache)
- 1 tsp sea salt flakes
- 1/4 tsp freshly ground nutmeg
- good grinding of black peppercorns
- 2 tbsp finely chopped dill
- 2 tbsp finely chopped chives
- 200g smoked salmon, torn into bite-size pieces
- 11/2 tbsp capers (salted, if possible)
- 100g (or so) soft feta or marinated goat's cheese, drained and lightly crushed
- herb sprigs and leaves, to garnish
Method
1. Preheat your oven to 175C. Sit the tart tin with the cooked pastry shell on a baking sheet and set it aside.
2. In a large bowl, lightly whisk the eggs with a balloon whisk to break them up. Add the milk, cream, salt, nutmeg and pepper and whisk everything thoroughly together. Stir in the dill and chives. Pour the mixture into a jug, cover it and put it in the fridge until you're ready to use it. You can do this a couple of hours ahead of time, if you like.
3. When you're ready to bake the tart, strew the smoked salmon, capers, and feta or goat's cheese evenly over the base of the tart. Give the egg mixture another quick whisk as it will have settled somewhat, then pour it into the tart shell. I usually do this right by the oven or put the baking sheet with the tart shell on the partly pulled-out oven shelf before pouring in the liquid, as it's easy to spill if you carry the tray any distance, which I've learnt the hard way!
4. Slide the baking sheet with the tart carefully into the oven. Cook for about 35 minutes or until the filling is set but still a little wobbly. The best way to check this is to very lightly rest the palm of your hand on the filling and give it a gentle jiggle. Remove the tart from the oven and leave it to settle in the tin for five minutes or so. It's also lovely served just-warm.
5. To serve, remove the outer ring of the tart tin, then use a long palette knife to help slide the tart off the base and onto a serving platter. Strew fresh herb sprigs and leaves over the top.
Serves 6-8.
Simple shortcrust pastry tart shell
This is the pastry recipe that I use all the time - it makes terrific pastry that's short and buttery without being too difficult to handle. In fact, over the years I've noticed that many of my students who have sworn off ever making pastry, have actually become remarkably adept once they try this recipe. So even if you feel a little nervous about making it, please give it a go, it really does work well. I've been racking my brains about what the most important tips are that I can pass on to you. One in particular that keeps surfacing is just what a difference it makes when you get a handle on when pastry is at the right stage for rolling. It's not hard to pick this up, however, you may have to make it a few times before you feel entirely comfortable with it. Basically, if the pastry seems too soft to roll, chill it a bit longer; if it's hard and cracks around the edges as you begin to flatten it, then let it soften a bit more. The temperature of the room where you're rolling the pastry also makes a difference. Pastry is always much easier to handle when the weather is cooler, as it softens rapidly in warm weather. Having said that, I live in a near-tropical climate and still make it - so there is hope! I tend to roll it early in the morning before the temperature soars and also try to work quite quickly to prevent it becoming too warm and soft.
Ingredients
- 225g plain flour
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 125g cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
- 1 egg yolk (from 60g egg) mixed with 2 teaspoons cold water, for glazing
Method
1. Whiz the flour and salt together in a food processor. Add the butter and whiz until the mixture resembles medium breadcrumbs. With the motor running, pour in 60ml iced water and process only until the dough forms a ball around the blade. The time for this varies depending on the weather; when it's warm it comes together faster.
2. Tip the dough out onto a board and shape it into a ball. Now, flatten it into a disc and wrap tightly in cling film. Chill the disc in the fridge for about 40 minutes or until the pastry is firm but supple enough to roll out. By the way, if you want to make the pastry ahead of time, it keeps well in the fridge for up to three days, but it will be too firm to roll at this stage, so let it warm up at room temperature until it's pliable. (You can also make the pastry a few weeks ahead and freeze it, then just defrost it in the fridge overnight.)
3. On a lightly floured board, roll out the pastry to a large round to fit a 26-28cm loose-based tart tin (or use a 30cm 21cm rectangular tin, as I did). Roll the pastry over your rolling pin to transfer it to the tin. Then gently drape it over the tin, being careful you don't press down on the sharp edges, which may cut through it.
4. Use your knuckles to gently press the pastry into the tin, leaving an overhang all around. Trim a little pastry from the overhang and keep it in the fridge in case you need to patch any cracks later on. Sit the tin on a baking tray (this makes it much easier to manoeuvre both now and later when the tart is baking) and chill for 40 minutes or until the pastry is firm.
5. Preheat your oven to 200C. Completely cover the pastry with a large sheet of foil, pressing it gently down into the corners. Spread baking weights, uncooked rice or dried beans all over the base to a depth of about 1cm.
6. Slide the baking tray into the oven and bake the tart shell for 20 minutes or until it's nearly set. Remove it from the oven and run a rolling pin over the foil on the top edge to cut off the pastry overhang. Return the tin to the oven with the foil and weights still intact and bake the pastry for another 10 minutes or until it's lightly coloured and feels firm and dry. Take it out again and carefully remove the foil and weights. Don't worry if there are any fine cracks in the shell, just patch them with the reserved pastry.
7. Brush the egg yolk mixture over the pastry, making sure it is well coated, then return the tart shell to the oven for a few minutes so the egg wash sets to a shiny glaze. If you're wondering what the egg wash does, it's to help seal the pastry by filling in any hairline cracks, forming a lacquer-like layer between the crust and filling, which in turn, helps prevent the filling leaking into the base and making it soggy.
8. When it's set, remove the tart shell from the oven and leave it to cool in the tin on a rack. It's then ready to be filled.
PS: If you would rather higher sides and a fluted rim for your tart, you need to do things a little differently. Once you've lined the tin with pastry, trim off the excess with a sharp knife but leave a 2cm border all the way around. Turn this border inwards, slightly over on itself and then pinch it so it sits up higher than the rim of the tin. If you like, flute the edge by pinching it gently between your thumb and forefinger. To blind bake it, line the tin as above with the foil and baking weights, but leave them intact for the full 30 minutes cooking time. Then continue with the glaze.
Makes 1 tart shell.
Sunday, March 22
I love these first few weeks of March. I'm not in full-on work mode yet, but find my days are a blend of early morning swims, spring cleaning (I know it's autumn, but I never did get to it in spring), doing all sorts of odd jobs in the garden that have been waiting patiently to be addressed, and my greatest pleasure of all - creating new recipes for my classes and books. Without other pressing things to attend to, I feel incredibly fired up creatively to finetune recipes, come up with ideas, and just generally try out new things. As I made this hummus yesterday, I realised yet again that it's the simple dishes I love. I have no doubt there are zillions of recipes for hummus, but the real beauty of it lies in finding that wonderful balance of flavours, texture and temperature when everything is "just right". We ate this while it was still warm and almost cloud-like in its lightness - it was truly ambrosial. As I said, simple things, but when they're really good, they can be extraordinary.
Happy Sunday. Belinda
My tried-and-true hummus
You'll find the flavours of the cumin and garlic will become a bit more pronounced over a few days, so keep this in mind when you make it.
Ingredients
- 170g dried chickpeas
- 1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda
- 3 cloves garlic, 2 crushed and 1 finely chopped
- 1 dried red chilli
- 1 bay leaf
- 125ml freshly squeezed lemon juice, or more to taste
- 2 tsp sea salt flakes, or more to taste
- 250ml tahini
- 80ml extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 slightly heaped tsp freshly ground cumin seeds
- a little olive oil, a pinch of smoked paprika, finely sliced chilli and tiny herb leaves, to garnish, optional
Method
1. Wash the chickpeas really well and check them for any little stones or discoloured peas. Put them to soak in a large bowl of cold water. Sprinkle the bicarbonate of soda into the water and stir to ensure it dissolves (the bicarbonate of soda helps the chickpeas to soften more quickly). You need about four times the amount of water as there are chickpeas. Leave them in a cool spot overnight. If the weather is warm, it's a good idea to pop them in the fridge, otherwise they can ferment and start to bubble.
2. The next day, drain the chickpeas and rinse them again. Put them into a large saucepan and cover with cold water by at least an index finger-length. Add the crushed garlic cloves, chilli and bay leaf to the pan. Bring the water to the boil, then reduce the heat so it bubbles steadily. Cook the chickpeas until they're tender and creamy but not mushy - if the water level starts to look low, top it up with very hot water. Spoon away any impurities that form on the surface as the chickpeas cook. The cooking time can vary widely depending on just how fresh the chickpeas are; recently dried chickpeas can cook in about 45 minutes, but older ones may take up to 1 1/2 hours or more. The best way to check is to scoop out a couple and try them - they should be tender. As soon as they're ready, thoroughly drain the chickpeas but hang onto about 160ml of the cooking water to thin the hummus a little, if necessary. Pluck out and discard the garlic cloves, chilli and bay leaf.
3. Scrape the chopped garlic into a blender or food processor (a blender is ideal as it makes for a finer texture), then add the lemon juice and salt. Leave them to sit for five minutes - this helps soften the powerful bite of the garlic. Add the tahini and 125ml iced water and puree until the mixture is smooth. With the motor running, pour in the olive oil in a fine stream. When the mixture is lovely and creamy, stop the machine and add all but one tablespoon of chickpeas and the ground cumin. Continue to blend everything together until the mixture is as smooth, light and creamy as possible. This may take five to six minutes, depending on your blender or processor. If the hummus seems a bit too thick and dense, pour in some of the reserved cooking water to thin it a little (remember that it will thicken a bit more once it cools). Finally, taste the hummus and add a little more lemon juice, salt or cumin to balance out the flavours.
4. To serve, spoon the hummus into a bowl. Drizzle over a little olive oil and sprinkle with the reserved chickpeas, smoked paprika, sliced chilli and herb leaves, if using. The hummus keeps well in a tightly covered container in the fridge for up to one week. Just remember to bring it to room temperature before serving.
Makes 3-4 cups.
- Extract from A Year of Sundays, by Belinda Jeffery. Simon & Schuster. $45.