Thursday, January 24, 2013

Upside-Down Plum Cake


Thank you to our lovely friend Shar for the abundance of sweet plums from her tree.  We made this delicious upside-down plum cake, which is the perfect way to put them to good use!

Ingredients

  • 10 tablespoons (1 1/4 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature, plus more for pan
  • 1/3 cup packed light-brown sugar
  • 6 medium plums, halved and pitted
  • 1/2 pint raspberries
  • 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon grated nutmeg
  • 3/4 cup granulated sugar
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • 3 large egg yolks
  • 1/2 cup sour cream

Method

  1. Preheat oven to 180 degrees. Butter a round a springform pan; line with parchment paper. Melt 2 tablespoons butter; pour into pan. Using a sieve, sprinkle light-brown sugar evenly over the melted butter. Arrange plum halves cut side down on top of the brown sugar, squeezing in as many plums as possible to allow for shrinkage during baking.
  2. Sift together the flour, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and nutmeg; set aside. In an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the remaining 8 tablespoons butter and the sugar until light. Beat in the vanilla extract. Add the egg yolks, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add half the flour mixture, and beat until combined. Beat in the sour cream. Beat in the remaining flour mixture.
  3. Spoon cake batter on top of plums, spreading evenly with a small spatula. Place the pan on a rimmed baking sheet to catch any juices; transfer to the oven, and bake until a cake tester inserted into the cake comes out clean, 60 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool, about 1 hour. Run a knife around edge of pan to loosen cake. Remove ring; invert onto a serving plate. Serve slightly warm or at room temperature.
 

    Pineapple & Basil Cocktail

    It's hitting a balmy 37 degrees today, which means it's cocktail o'clock with this delicious combination: sweet pineapple and peppery basil! 
     

    Ingredients

    • 3 large basil leaves
    • 1/4 of a lime
    • 50g fresh pineapple
    • 1/4 cup pineapple juice
    • 1/4 tsp brown sugar
    • 1 1/2 oz gin
    • soda water
    • ice

    Method

    Muddle fresh pineapple, lime, basil and sugar in a glass with a wooden spoon or pestle. Add pineapple juice, gin, loads of ice cubes and top with soda water.  Garnish with slice of pineapple and a sprig of basil.

    Wednesday, January 23, 2013

    A Palette of Spreads



    We thought you might like to surprise your guests using this fun and interactive plate at your next gathering. The dips were handmade and consisted of basil pesto, beetroot & feta, olive tapenade and pumpkin & ricotta.  Totilla breads were gently baked in the oven till golden for the "paper" element of the dish.

    Friday, January 18, 2013

    Brick Bay Vineyard

    We decided to spend an afternoon at Brick Bay Vineyard, ten minutes drive from Matakana.  We indulged in a tasting of their range of handcrafted wines including Pinot Gris, Rosé, a Bordeaux style red and their premium red wine, Pharos.  We were drawn to the vineyard, not only for its selection of wine, but the sculpture trail carefully nestled within the surroundings.  The building is composed of glass veils and is  cantilevered over a lake of waterlillies.  Their freshly prepared Glass House Platter is not to be missed, along with a crisp glass of Pinot Gris in the warmth of the sun.

    Have a happy weekend everyone! x

    { wild posies line the driveway }
    { the glass house platter }


    { pinot gris, perfect for a summery afternoon lunch }

    Thursday, January 17, 2013

    New Years Eve Banquet


    Our New Years Eve at Marble Bay included a few hours of prep in the kitchen to perfect our home-made Vietnamese and Thai inspired banquet.  The flavours were deliciously fresh and this has definitely encouraged us to create new dishes!

    Our Menu

    prawn rice paper rolls with cucumber, spring onion, mint & ginger
     
    pork & chilli money-bags, tied with chives
     
    thai green chicken curry
     
    beef meatballs with peanut satay sauce
     
     beef salad
     
    jasmine rice
     




    beautiful Marble Bay looking out to the Arrow Rocks

    Wednesday, January 16, 2013

    Riley's 1st Birthday


    We had such a wonderful day styling and attending Riley's Very Hungry Caterpillar themed first birthday!  Our highlight was watching Riley and all the other little kids exploring and interacting with their bright balloon garden!  Happy Birthday Riley xx



    { on our way, with a boot full of balloons }
     
    { suspended lanterns, butterfly nets & balloon gardens }




     
     {miniature hotdogs to compliment the book's cheerio and gherkin theme }
     




     






    

     

    { butterfly cakes & cherry pie }

    { little leaf letters, which guests wrote on and pegged up for Riley }

    { hungry caterpillar tea cakes with fondant icing }




     

    Tuesday, January 15, 2013

    French Toast

    It's not easy getting back into the swing of things after a long summer holiday, but this may assist!  We made a great start to our morning today by making Omaha Blueberry French Toast with Bacon.  We soaked a mixture of egg and milk into Paneton french stick for thirty minutes and fried it till it was golden brown.

    Blueberries make a healthy addition to your diet not only for their antioxidants which prevent damage to your body's cells and tissues caused by free radicals, but blueberries also boost immunity, are low in calories and  have also been linked to improving brain function.

    Have a great day!

    x





    Monday, January 14, 2013

    Hello 2013!

    Hello 2013! We're loving our kiwi summer holiday, complete with sunshine and hokey pokey icecream! Looking forward to the year ahead ♥