Honey Syrup Cake

Most of you know that I keep bees.  Hubby and I share this fascinating hobby.
Our honey is delightfully fresh and flavour some.
It could be classified as organic due to our stringent conditions and that the inside of the bee hives are coated with beeswax rather than painted.  As well as using no chemicals and the absence of nearby farms.  I will look into certification after Winter when the bees are less active.

I recently asked a few friends what we should call our honey and I laughed at the answers.
You see, over time I have had quite a few stings to my head resulting in a swollen face or head.  Sometimes it is my hand that becomes enlarged and of course all of my friends tell me to take care.
Here are some of their responses to naming our honey business;

• Lynette  Merryn's Marvellous Honey!

  30 April at 17:15 · Unlike · 1
• Donna  Honey love

  30 April at 18:39 · Unlike · 1
• Craig  B2U honey.

  30 April at 20:55 · Like
• Donna Honey Buzz

  30 April at 21:19 · Like
• Gay  Merryhoney

  Yesterday at 05:53 · Like
• Dee How about "Merry's hard earned honey".....hahaha

  Yesterday at 06:56 · Like
• Annette G''s Golden Honey

  Yesterday at 07:57 · Like
• Graeme  Honey honey honey show me the money.

  Yesterday at 09:14 · Like
• Graeme  Stingers Honey .

  Yesterday at 09:15 · Like
• Merryn  I love your suggestions. We are leaning towards Hawke Honey at the moment but by golly some of these names made me laugh : D

  22 hrs · Like
• Graeme Ril Good Honey .

  17 hrs · Like
• Margaret  Pure Honey Sunshine.

  15 hrs · Edited · Like
• • Karen Honeysuckle

    Like · Reply · 30 April at 15:25
  • Karen  Wildflower

    Like · Reply · 30 April at 15:26
  • Karen Queen Bee

    Like · Reply · 30 April at 15:27
  • Karen  Honeylicious

    Like · Reply · 30 April at 15:27
  • 
    

Anyway, here is an amazing honey cake recipe courtesy of Guy Grossi from "Love Italy" which will become one of your favourite recipes as well after you make it.

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Honey Syrup Cake
Torta di Miele

3/4 cup (180ml) olive oil
1 1/2 cups (330g) caster sugar
2 eggs
1/2 cup (140g) natural yoghurt
1/2 cup (180g) honey
2 cups (300g) self raising flour, sifted   (N.B. I add 2 extra teaspoons sifted baking powder)

Honey Syrup
25g unsalted butter
3 tablespoons honey
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 tablespoons water

Preheat the oven to 170˚C.  Grease and flour a 25cm spring form cake tin.
Whisk together the olive oil and sugar in an electric mixer.  Add the eggs and whisk for about 5 minutes, until the mixture is creamy, then whisk in the yoghurt and honey.
Fold in the sifted flour by and until just combined, be careful not to over mix otherwise the cooked cake will be heavy.
Spoon the cake batter into the tin and bake for 50 minutes or until a skewer inserted in to the centre comes out clean.
Remove the cake from the oven and place on  wire rack.  Leave to cook in the tin for 10 minutes.
For the honey syrup, place all the ingredients in a small saucepan and bring to the boil.  Reduce the heat and simmer for 5 minutes.  Leave to cool for 5 minutes.
Make holes all over the top of the cake using a wooden skewer then brush over the honey syrup. Serve at room temperature.


Doesn't this cake sound good for you?  It keeps for about 3 days in an airtight container at room temperature.

Buon appetito, enjoy Merryn xx

Olive Oil Cake

Some cookbooks really have a huge appeal to me and often I will refer back to again and again to a particular recipe that is outstanding.
Prior to Christmas I bought myself Guy Grossi's "Love Italy" and it is a delight to browse through and read every word.  Embracing people, towns and food traditions that span back hundreds of years. As you follow Guy around Italy discovering food wonders and much heritage you could well be there yourself.   This is a heartwarming book and every recipe I have cooked is a huge success.

Olive oil cake - moist and light

Look at this amazingly fluffy texture

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Õlive Oil Cake
Torta all'olio d'oliva

5 egg yolks

175g caster sugar, plus 75g extra

1 tablespoon finely grated lemon zest

200g plain flour, sifted

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup (125ml) vin santo  (sweet dessert wine)  

1/2 cup (215 ml) olive oil

7 egg whites

whipped cream, to serve, optional

Preheat oven to 170˚C.  Grease and flour a 24cm spring form cake tin.

Whisky the yolks and the 175g of sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer until creamy.  Add the zest, flour and salt and mix on slow speed until combined.  Increase the speed to medium and add the vin santo and the olive oil in a steady stream until combined.

Beat the egg whites with the extra 75g sugar until soft peaks form.  Gently fold into the batter.

Pour the batter into the prepared cake tin and bake for 25-30 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the middle comes out clean.  Remove from the oven and allow to cool in the cake tin.

Serve at room temperature with some whipped cream alongside, if you like.   This is especially delicious with a glass of vin santo.

Buon appetito, Enjoy Merryn xx

La Jiao Jiang - chilli paste

I found this recipe whilst browsing on the internet.
You can never have too much chilli so I had to make this side accompaniment.
It is such a delightful chilli paste to add to your meal when served at the table.   It complements egg dishes, fried meat, chicken or fish, fried rice, curried dishes, anything to which you could possibly add chilli.
 

I am a busy woman.  Wife, mother, daughter, sister and friend to many -  there is always something to do and each day is filled with work and activities. 
It is nice to have a chilli dish like this prepared so you can add the chilli taste at the end of cooking which can save you 2 minutes of cooking time.  (Note 2 minutes x 3 times per day x 7 days = a total of 42 minutes saved per week).

Just last weekend I decided to de cobweb the house.  Picture me looking skyward with a broom that just reached the eaves ... neck ache, arm ache and double vision but so rewarding seeing the clean walls and eaves.    Then the oven needed a clean, even though you can burn off a lot of debris, those racks always need a scrub.
I bought a new storage cupboard, a flat-pack, just for hubby to enjoy building.   I closed my ears to his grumbling and then it was so nice to move objects into this cupboard for storage, very satisfying.

Somehow, we still manage to cook for our loved ones and catch up with friends for a coffee...  the small rewards we all enjoy.

 

La Jiao Jiang

7 hot chilli peppers  (as 7 is my favourite number).  I used cayennes and jalapenos.

1 small clove garlic, minced very finely 

1 1/2 tablespoons of vegetable oil

1 dash salt
1 teaspoon white sugar

1 tablespoon white vinegar

 

Chop the peppers finely or blend them roughly in a mini food processor. Do not discard the seeds. Dried chili peppers can also be used if you rehydrate them in hot water for 20 minutes. Finely mince the garlic or shallot.

Heat oil and a dash of salt in a small sauce pan or wok. Add the peppers and let them fry for a few minutes, stirring frequently. Once the peppers have begun releasing their juices and fragrance, lower the heat and add the garlic. After a few minutes add the vinegar, sugar and cover. Let simmer on lowest heat setting for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until peppers are dark red and gorgeous.

Let cool and store in an air tight glass container.  Cover and refrigerate for up to 3 weeks.  It can also be stored indefinitely in the freezer.

 

The flavour is robust, well rounded but some of the heat of the chilli is lost. 

Try it, you will be delighted.

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Tell me dear friend, are you time poor as well?   What is your best time saving tip?

 

Buon appetito, enjoy Merryn xx

Green Papaya Salad - vegetarian version

We have been away recently, travelling to South Australia for our nephew's wedding.
We had a wonderful time, seeing my husband's family, long time friends and watching the union of two beautiful young people.

Luckily the weather was good, warm days with cooler evenings.  When we arrived at Tullamarine in Melbourne and stepped out of the airport building, the winds blew a strong 100kmh so I patted hubby on the back and said "Welcome Home!"

My husband's family are predominantly Italian with a slight German factor and they all cook incredibly well, I did not lift a spatula all week.   Lunch would consist of a pasta course, meat course, vegetable and salad course.  Dinner was very light as you would still be full from your lunchtime.

My brother-in-law is a talented fisherman who offered us beautiful South Australian flake, caught in the cool Indian Ocean and one gorgeous sister-in-law is a chef.  Combined with catching up with extended family, great cooking and warm hospitality, we were glowing with goodness during the entire visit.

It was however still delightful to return to our warmer haven in coastal New South Wales and I was craving light, summer Asian inspired salads.  It was wonderful to see so many green pawpaws and papayas on the trees with the sun dancing through their leaves.  I couldn't wait to pick one for dinner.

I like to take short cuts when I can so I peel the green papaya, quarter it lengthwise and remove the seeds before placing the quarters into the food processor so it can quickly grate them (large disc).

This is a favourite of my family, they especially enjoyed having us return so I could cook for them. (Picture 3 teenagers surviving on frozen meat peas, pizza, maccas and chips whilst we were away.)

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Green Papaya Salad

1 green papaya, peeled and roughly grated

4 snake beans, chopped into 1cm pieces (or plain green beans)
1 red tomato, seeds removed and finely chopped

4 cloves garlic 

2 red chillies, seeds removed and finely chopped  (or to taste)

2 green shallots

juice of 2 limes

1 teaspoon fine salt

2 teaspoons white sugar

1/3 cup chopped roasted peanuts

1/2 cup chopped fresh coriander

Combine the grated papaya, the chopped beans, tomato and chopped chillies in a large bowl.

Pound the garlic with the shallots, salt and sugar in a mortar and pestle then add to bowl.

Squeeze over the juice of 2 limes, the mix thoroughly.

Sprinkle the chopped peanuts over top.

You can add chopped fresh coriander at this point but I serve it in a separate bowl so guests can help themselves.  

You can also offer a bowl of extra green and red chillies chopped for people like me, who love this recipe hot.  

This recipe is based on one depicted in The Accidental Vegetarian by Simmon Rimmer.  I served this as a side with barbecued chicken thigh cutlets, but it is equally delicious served with prawns or other seafood.

So tell me, do you like your food with extra chillies?  Have you ever prepared green papaya salad?

Buon appetito, enjoy Merryn xx

Figs with walnuts, blue vein cheese and balsamic vinegar

As I was driving to Newcastle it occurred to me how much trust we have when driving on the road.

We trust that other drivers, especially those travelling towards us on the other side, will stay on their side of the road.

We trust that when a driver puts on their blinker to indicate that they are turning, that they do, in fact, turn.

As evidenced when a car on my right was approaching a roundabout with their right blinker on, I am so glad I hesitated before turning onto this roundabout as the driver when straight ahead anyway, turning his blinker off when already on the roundabout.  I would have been struck on my side door.

Therefore trust is a very big issue when we are driving.

Much like when we read a recipe we believe that it actually tastes good.

We trust that each author, cook or blogger is offering us a good dish

After you have tried these delicious figs I trust you will tell me how wonderfully good they taste.

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Grilled Figs with walnuts, blue vein cheese and balsamic vinegar.

1 dozen figs - these are Black Genoa Figs

6 walnuts, shelled

1/4 cup blue vein cheese cut into chunks

Balsamic vinegar 

Preheat grill to medium high.

Rinse and cut figs in half lengthwise.  Place upturned on baking tray.

Insert half a walnut and a small square of blue vein cheese into the middle of the fig.

Drizzle each fig with a little balsamic vinegar, about 1/2 teaspoon.

Place under grill, grill for 5 minutes.

The balsamic caramelizes and creates a sweet dressing.

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I know you will love figs prepared this way, they are so delicious and taste decadent.

 P.S.  I trust you will stay on your side of the road and only indicate when you actually intend to turn.

Buon appetito, enjoy Merryn xx

March Garden Share Collective - the joy of fresh fruit.

Finally the olives have ripened and are ready for brining.
It was four 1/2 years ago I planted my first olive tree, looking forward to this day.

Here they are in the 20% brine solution so the bitterness can leach out and they will become soft.

Today's harvest, quinces, tamarillos, avocadoes, three types of eggplant, bananas and pomegranate.

Luscious black genoa figs, my favourite.

We are still picking a small amount of strawberries.

Elderberries, I don't know what to do with them yet!

Here are green olives, delightfully hanging on the tree.

Pomegranates are so pretty on the tree.

The capsicums have grown prolifically this summer.

We are again eating corn!

Limes, just perfect for so many dishes, especially in Mexican cooking.

My lovely red papaya.

March is a wonderfully productive garden month.  From fruit to vegetables the soil is warm and the days are long.  This is hosted as part of the Garden Share Collective hosted by Liz.  

Have a look around the other gardens to see what can be grown at this time of year in different climates.

Buon appetito, enjoy, Merryn xx