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While holidaying here on my parents farm, there is so much fresh fruit growing, I get a stomach ache from noshing on everything.  I am making a lot of regular recipes -  Lemon yogurt loaf, lasagne, zucchini bread and some fresh fruit crostata’s.  But really my favorite thing about summer is just fruit salad.  Here’s some of what’s growing right now.

Macintosh Apples.

Pistachios

Nashi/Asian pears

Figs

Plums

Lemons

There are also a lot of regular veggies we collect every day.  Zucchini, carrots, assorted lettuce, nasturtium flowers, tomato’s, silverbeet, Vietnamese mint, cucumbers, basil, purple beans and radishes.  It really is awesome to have a massive veggie garden and orchards.  I dream of having more than my little balcony to grow these tasty treats on.  One day.  For now, I’ll just enjoy someone else’s hard work.  Hope you’re all having a good first fortnight of 2012.

A little absence from the blog over the hols – although all of us have been really cooking up a storm!  I wanted to wish you all a Happy New Year.  I was up early for an Aussie sunrise a few mornings ago and it was a pink delight.  Definitely glad to be healthy and with family in the new year!

It is my Mum’s birthday today and we celebrated with a fat sweet pecan pie sent all the way from Texas.   See you back here very soon for tons of great new recipes!  Happy 2012!

xo Peas and Beans.

There is nothing more special to me than when someone shares a family recipe.  This time of year I especially love to know what people like to make for the holidays.  One of those recipes you just can’t imagine living without at this time.  One that was passed on from Grandparents.  A taste that brings you back to a certain memory the instant it touches your tongue.  Here’s one now from Alex in Australia, via Colorado – sweet, easy and irresistible.

Mama Chambers’ Peanut Brittle.

• 1 c sugar
  1/2 c light corn syrup (Aussies look for light Karo in IGA)
  1/2 c water
  pinch salt
  1 c or so, raw peanuts
  1 Tbsp Butter
  1 tsp vanilla
  1 tsp baking soda

Cook the sugar, corn syrup, water and salt in a saucepan on med-high heat until hard ball stage, stirring occasionally (about 10+ minutes).  Add the peanuts and butter and cook until light brown, (another 5+ minutes, stirring occasionally so you don’t burn the peanuts) remove from heat, add vanilla and baking soda. (The soda will make the mixture expand and fizz.)

Pour immediately onto a buttered non stick baking tray, and pull thin and even with 2 buttered forks.  Set aside to cool. Once the brittle has cooled completely, snap it into pieces and store in an airtight container for up to 3 weeks.  This recipe is also great if you add a handful of macadamias.

YUMMO!!!  Thanks Alex!

Song for this recipe:

“Doin’ Time” – Sublime

This album is like one of those familiar recipes for me – everyone has one like this.  Brings you back to certain memories in an instant.  In my early days of glass-blowing this album was a hot-shop fav.  Now every time I hear the reggae/ska beats and poor old Brad Nowell’s voice I am immediately directed back in time to fun school days when I spent time learning an awesome art with good friends like Alex.  Bring on the memories – and happy holidays my friends.

I love to bake with fresh herbs, they go wonderfully in sweet treats, because the familiar flavors are usually very fragrant, so you only need a little to give a cookie or a cake a little special something extra.  This summer we made a version of this recipe but with lemon, lime and basil.  Now that it’s cooler and my basil has long gone, I wanted to use winter thyme with the citrus instead.  This is a really simple recipe that has a wonderful unexpected flavor.

• 115 g (4 oz/1 stick) butter, at room temperature
• 3/4 c caster sugar
• 1 egg
• 1/2 tsp vanilla
• Zest from 1 lemon
• 1 tsp thyme leaves, finely chopped (if you want to use basil – use 2 tsp)
• 1 2/3 c flour
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 tsp salt

Preheat the oven to 180ºC (350ºF) line a baking tray.

Cream the butter and sugar in a bowl until pale in color, then add the egg and beat again.  Add the herbs and the zest and mix once more.  In another bowl, mix the flour baking soda and salt and then add this gradually to the butter mixture.

Roll walnut sized balls and place about and inch apart on the prepared tray.  Flatten them a little and them pop the tray in the oven for 10 – 15 minutes.  10 for chewier cookies, 15 for a little more crunch.

This recipe is adapted from Chasing Delicious

Song for this recipe:

“Concerto #4 in F minor – Winter – Largo” – Berliner Philharmoniker

Vivaldi’s 4 Seasons is one of my favorite collections of music.  My favorite is recorded by the Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra and it is a fantastic version.  This particular Largo is not a very long piece, but as the snow falls here in Montreal it’s the absolute best thing I can possibly listen to that audibly explains the snowfall.  It is so perfectly descriptive it makes me emotional.  This Sunday I could sit with a cup of tea and a fresh baked cookie and watch the sparkling snow fall for hours.

The last couple years we put together a bunch of our favorite cookies to make around the holidays.  Personally I think a box of mixed cookies is one of the best presents ever.  It’s thoughtful and personal, home-made, waste-free, and delicious!!  Because the Gas-man never showed up to restart the gas in our building this weekend (boo). Here are some links to our favorite cookies for the holidays – paying special attention to the fact that they need to be strong enough to withstand someone shaking the box!  No delicate cookies!!  More to come very shortly.

Amaretti – Wonderful Italian almond cookies.  Crunchy and perfect with coffee.

Anzac biscuits – Although these are usually made on Anzac day (of course- ha), they really are too good not to make more often. They are my favorite cookies.

Biscotti – Another delicious crunchy Italian cookie – these are a little more time consuming, but well worth it.

Chocolate Christmas cookies – These ones are great for decorating.

Florentines – They look so festive to begin with.  The fruity nutty mix is a good crowd pleaser.

Real mint and Chocolate chip cookies – An eatpress favorite.  This recipe is our most popular cookie ever!

Pfeffernüsse These cookies are made in Germany at Christmas time. Spicy and a little chewy, they are our Dad’s favorite.

Shortbread – two recipes – traditional and spiced.  Perfect holiday tea-time biccies.

Snickerdoodles – The most ridiculously named cookie ever.  But the cinnamon-ny crust makes it one of the best.

For more ideas, have a look at our recipe index under cookies.  Happy holidays.

I was inspired this chilly weekend to make a spice cake, especially after reading Emma from A Splash of Vanilla’s recipe for buttermilk spice cake.  Also I’ve been thinking a lot about my lovely distant friend Sarina lately, who I thought would enjoy this cake.  My choice of spiced cake this weekend is an old Dutch recipe for Ontbijtoek, which translates to breakfast cake. It’s an interesting one because it has no eggs or butter.  It has a dark, moist, but springy texture almost like bread, is wonderfully fragrant with spices and perfect slathered with butter for afternoon tea – or breakfast, for that matter.

• 2 c white flour
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 c brown sugar
• 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon, ginger and nutmeg
• 1/4 tsp ground cardamom, cloves and salt
• 1/4 c golden or maple syrup
• 1 c milk
• Walnut halves on top are optional.
• Also optional use half white flour and half rye flour for a more traditional flavour.

Preheat the oven to 150ºC (300ºF) and grease a loaf tin.

In a bowl mix together the dry ingredients, flour, baking powder, brown sugar, salt and spices.  Make a well in the middle and add the syrup and then stir in the milk bit by bit.  Mix until smooth, it should pour into the pan in a thick ribbon.

I like to top the cake with walnut halves and a little brown sugar for a little crunch, but this is not traditional.

Bake in the preheated oven for 1 hour, but check at 50 minutes with a toothpick that should come out clean.  Let cool in the pan and eat slices regularly!  Best served with unsweetened whipped cream and honey.

This recipe is a combination of a few, primarily it is from the Dutch association of Australia’s website with inspiration from Milkmansion.

Song for this recipe:

“I Can Show You” – Tim and Jean

Sometimes I really feel like some synthpop, not often, but if the weather is gloomy, I find it lifts my spirits.  You have to wait a while for this cake to bake too, so I figure getting a little dance workout in before I pig out can’t be a bad thing.  Tim and Jean are a great indie-pop duo from Western Australia.  They have a bunch of catchy dance tunes, maybe they’re a bit similar to MGMT or Passion Pit, but this tune in particular and Come around are great fun.

I guess most people love these – I know I do.  You can’t go wrong with yeasty sweet bread and cinnamon EVER in my book.  But I don’t love them gooey like most – So I ice them differently (don’t worry I’ll give you the gooey option too).  I’ve made many different recipes, but this one is by far the best and luckily – easiest.  I wouldn’t mind making a difficult recipe for these, because they are worth it, but happily, this recipe is so easy, I can make them all the time.

• 8g (1/4 oz) package yeast
• 1/2 c warm water
• 1/2 c scalded milk*
• 1/4 c sugar
• 1/3 c butter or shortening
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 egg
• 3 1/2 to 4 c all-purpose flour

Filling:

• 1/2 c melted butter, plus more for pan
• 3/4 c sugar, plus more for pan
• 1 Tbsp ground cinnamon
• 3/4 c raisins, walnuts, or pecans – optional

Icing:

• 1 Tbsp butter
• 2 Tbsp cream cheese (or you can use 3 T butter instead)
• 1 1/2 c powdered sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1- 2 Tbsp milk