In the mood for soup: Curried red lentil and mango soup

The cold weather makes me want to hoover everything edible in my path, in particular temperature raising foods like slow-cooked meat casseroles so rich and savoury they leave your lips sticky, hearty soups, golden-roasted root vegetables seasoned with crunchy flakes of salt and espelette, spicy Indian curry with roti, pomme puree, thick slices of warm toast with soft and creamy scrambled eggs, cups of hot chocolate that leave you a Marx-ian moustache everytime you take a sip, freshly steamed sticky date pudding and the list continues.

This time last year, all I wanted to eat for every meal was macaroni and cheese! I made several variations of the dish, each time, using a different type of pasta and cheese. My favourite version was one I made with a smoked aged cheddar and casareccia which I ate with a piquant tomato chutney and a bitter salad on the side. Sometimes the marvellously simple dishes are the ones that deliver absolute pleasure in the eating, wouldn't you agree?

Before I share the recipe I made today, I would like to dispel any implication that my obsession for including a little bit of "summer" in my dishes is a reflection of any detestation for this cold weather. I love winter as much as I do summer and autum, but maybe less than spring, but I am sure that this is understandable. Winter has its charm, its character and its own moments -- like how the air smells "forest fresh" after an overnight shower, and how the grass looks greener and brighter with the early morning sun breaking through the blanket of mist. When else would you draw more pleasure and comfort from watching steam rise out of your coffee cup than on those crisp cold winter mornings?

So here it is, today's soup incited by traditional Indian dahl served with bread or rice, it is prepared in a short time and is absolutely loaded with taste. I included curry powder, fresh grated ginger and garlic which add a gentle spiciness to the soup and a few kaffir lime leaves for citrus tones without the sharp acidity. I simply adore citrus in soups! I then finished the soup with some light coconut cream and roughly chopped mango flesh. Served with some pappadums, this soup is so satisfyingly flavourful it left me wanting nothing more but a second helping!

Curried red lentil and mango soup

2 medium onions, finely diced

3 small-medium sized waxy potatoes, diced

1 large red chilli, finely chopped

3 cloves garlic, roughly chopped

piece of ginger, grated (i used one the size of my thumb)

3-4 kaffir lime leaves

1 1/2 cups red lentils

2 tsp curry powder (i used a mild one)

3-4 small ripe tomatoes, roughly chopped (or use a tin of chopped tomatoes)

1 tin of mango in natural juice, roughly chopped

1 small tin of light/regular coconut cream

(generously serves 6 hungry adults)

sweat onions with a couple of tablespoons of vege oil in a medium sized heavy based pot until soft but not brown. This will take about 4 minutes over medium low heat

add curry powder, chilli, garlic and ginger to the onions and cook until your kitchen is filled with spicy fragrance

stir in the diced potatoes and lentils to coat with the

cook for 2 minutes, stirring the whole time so the mixture doesn't catch on the bottom of the pot and add a teaspoon of salt

add 500ml (about 2 cups) water and bring to a boil

add the kaffir lime leaves, chopped tomatoes and the juices from the tinned mangoes

gently simmer until the lentils and potatoes are tender (you may have to add another cup of water to adjust the consistency at this point)

**you may at this point remove the kaffir lime leaves and blend the soup to achieve a smooth consistency**

finish with coconut cream and chopped mango

season with salt and pepper to taste

And a dessert in between...

I have just started at my new job -- one that is less demanding than the last, thus leaving me more time to the setting up of my little project. The 2-month hiatus I took has obviously done me some good as I finally have clarity of thought and the might of a nourished spirit to actuate what I have been pussy-footing about the past couple of years. Yes, it's about bloody time!

I thought I would leave loyal followers of this space a little something I made whilst awaiting my post-interview news earlier this week. Admittedly pleased, I was a little astonished by the girl-y pallette of the final product as most of you may already have realised, I struggle a little with the concepts of pretty and cute. I consider my style: rustic.

The inspiration for this dessert came from my longing for the warm weather I have grown accustomed to during my time away. I wanted to create something bright and summery but not incredulously so, like a summer berry pudding in the middle of winter, so I settled for the flavours of rhubarb and tangelo - both currently in season, in a Charlotte.

My initial attempts at incorporating the puree of poached rhubarb into a mousse base resulted in a curdled mess and my suspicion lies in the puree being too acidic (but I could be wrong) so I altered my game plan and made bavarois flavoured with fruit instead.

bavarois

130ml whole milk

3 egg yolks

50g sugar

130g rhubarb puree/tangelo juice

1/2tsp vanilla paste/grated zest of 1 tangelo

11g sheet gelatine, allow to bloom in cold water

250ml cream, lightly whipped

pre-chill a medium sized stainless steel bowl heat milk with vanilla paste or tangelo zest until the surface is just quivering whisk yolks and eggs in a medium bowl gradually add heated milk to egg mix and whisk to mix return milk and egg mixture to saucepan and cook gently until custard coats the back of a spoon add gelatine and stir until melted and dissolved add rhubarb puree or juice at this point and mix well strain custard into a pre-chilled bowl and set over a ice/cold water bath stir custard until gelatin just begins to set and mixture is visibly thicker remove from water bath and whisk in 1/3 softly whipped cream then fold remainder of the cream into the mixture pour into cake ring lined with a thin layer of genoise.

Although lengthy in procedure, one can definately derive a lot of satisfaction in delicately folding the flour into the genoise batter and then painstakingly piping regular lengths of batter for the ladyfingers that "fence" the perimeter of the cake. Again, if you lack the patience or would rather challenge your technical skills another day, you are most welcome to use store bought sponge cake and ladyfingers, also known as savoiardi - but they wouldn't be pink! I do urge you however, to give the recipes below a go because you will be rewarded with a product with less sugar and superior in both quality and taste.

genoise
preheat oven to 190C line the base of a 20x30cm baking tray with baking paper melt 110g unsalted butter and set aside to cool sift 150g flour 3 times and set aside whisk 360g eggs with 180g sugar until triple in volume (NB it helps if the eggs are at room temperature) add flour into egg mixture at once and gently fold without compromising too much volume remove a third of this mixture and place into a medium sized mixing bowl stir melted butter into this mixture until well combined fold butter-ed mixture into the remaining batter pour into prepared pan tap the pan on the counter top to ensure no large bubbles are trapped bake for 15 minutes or until the cake springs back when press gently.

lady fingers
preheat oven to 180C line the base of a baking tray with baking paper and draw lines measuring the height of the cake ring you decide to use for your Charlotte (NB this helps with piping equal length lady fingers) whisk 3 large egg yolks with 75g sugar until thick and pale (it should form a ribbon) **optional add colour of your choice** whisk 3 egg whites in a separate bowl until frothy and gradually add 50g sugar, whisking the entire time until sugar has dissolved and a shiny stiff meringue is obtained fold meringue into the yolk mixture then sift 75g flour into the egg mix and fold to combine well pipe ladyfingers onto the prepared baking tray sift icing sugar over the piped ladyfingers allow to stand for 10 minutes then bake for 10-12 minutes allow to cool before removing from baking paper

to assemble Charlotte
line the outside of the mold you decide to use with the ladyfingers place a disc of genoise on the bottom to fit snugly brush with tangelo juice or the liquid used to poach the rhubard in top with the rhubarb bavarois allow to set in the fridge for 15 minutes place another genoise disc and top with the tangelo-flavoured bavarois allow to set for 3 hours or overnight finish with a berry jelly (heat 150g strained raspberry puree and 10g sugar add 5g gelatin sheet (bloomed) allow to cool).

Paws of a bear and a Danish braid

Firstly, I want to sincerely apologise for missing 3 Daring Bakers challenges in a row. But if anyone has noticed, my blog laid dormant for the months of March and April, which explains my absence from 2 of the challenges. As for the month of May, the call to make the Spring-inspired Opera gateaux, well, I was on the road, so that in itself presented a few of its own difficulties (map reading has never been my forte).

So with apologies and reasons for my absence out of the way, I present you this month's DB challenge : "Danish Braid" from Sherry Yard's "The Secrets of Baking", hosted by Kelly and Ben

I have to admit I wasn't particularly enthusiastic about the prospect of having to make and work with a laminated dough because I envisioned the buttery mess I had to contend with and clean afterwards (and I am most certain, for many Daring Bakers hailing from North America who experienced the heatwave earlier this month and those living in the Tropics, this would have been the case). Let's all face it folks, butter is great in food and not so great on the kitchen counter. Nonetheless, I completed the challenge with an apple-custard Danish braid and 2 pairs of generously-sized bear paws bursting with walnuts and chewy dried figs.

Before I get into technical details, I have included some terminology below:

detrempe : ball of dough

beurrage : butter block

turn : each “fold & roll” of the dough produces a single turn. It is a 3-step process where the dough is folded exactly like a business letter in 3 columns. Each single turn creates 3 layers with this method.

laminated dough : is layering dough (detrempe) with butter (beurrage) by performing turns.

The key to achieving a golden, flaky, soft and deliciously crisp Danish pastry, is in the incorporation of butter into the dough, a process known as lamination. Commercially, pastry margarine is favoured over butter in the production of Danish pastries because it is more malleable and has a higher melting temperature thus making it easier to distribute evenly between layers of dough. However, I find the palate cling in vegetable-based fats very unpleasant and prefer to use butter as prescribed in the recipe for our challenge.

To achieve an even distribution of fat between layers of dough, firstly, ensure the dough has the same temperature and "consistency" as the butter. This is to say, they should both offer a similar resistance when you press down with a finger. I prefer working with a slightly stiffer dough which is more difficult to knead but I find it aids the lamination process greatly. As the dough rests in the fridge, begin to plasticise the butter. This sounds more complex than it actually is and only involves beating a pat of cold (but not stone hard) butter with a rolling pin until the desired thickness is achieved. This is best done on a piece of baking paper or plastic wrap so the butter can be lifted off the work surface easily. It is very important to allow the dough to rest and chill sufficiently before rolling and in between turns in order to maintain a fairly constant temperature and consistency.

With adequate lamination, steam is released by the butter between the layers of dough as the pastry cooks yielding a light and puffy product. If the butter layers between the dough are too thick and few, a greasey and flat pastry will result as butter melts and seeps out of the dough as it bakes. Conversely, if the layers of butter are too thin and many, a dense and bread-like finished product will be obtained. Technically, 27 even layers of butter between the dough which equates to 3 turns, will yield the qualities of a good Danish. But as if modern-day life isn't complicated enough, the laminated dough should not be rolled too thinly (3.5-4.5 mm is ideal) when shaping the braid as this will displace the butter layers causing them to fuse together thus resulting in a brioche braid instead of a Danish one.

Much attention has been placed into the even lamination of butter in the dough up to the stages of proofing and baking, it is therefore critical to ensure the right temperatures are kept at each of these stages to allow the butter to work its magic. I proof my pastries at a low temperature of approximately 22 degrees C until they double in size. This usually takes longer (about 2 hours) than other yeasted doughs I have made in the past but I promise you it is well worth the wait as the layers of butter remain intact albeit soft. I then bake them in a 200 degrees C oven for 7 minutes before turning the temperature down to 180 degrees C for the remaining baking time.

I have not included the recipe for the Danish dough in this post as it can be found on numerous DB's posts but here is how I prepared the apple compote and vanilla custard used in my Danish braid.

apple compote (enough for 1 braid plus a lil extra to enjoy with vanilla yogurt later)

peel 3 medium sized granny smith apples and cut into 2x2cm cubes. heat a saute pan until it is nearly smoking hot drop in a tablespoon of cold butter into the pan followed by the diced apples resist the temptation to stir the apples around as you want them to have a bit of colour and caramelisation add a tablespoon of sugar to the apples and give the pan a toss finish with a splash of rum or calvados and a small handful of raisins.

vanilla custard (enough for 1 braid plus 2 small danish pastries)

chill a medium sized bowl in the freezer beat together 2 yolks, a teaspoon of vanilla extract, 50g sugar and 20g cornflour in a small bowl. heat 250ml of whole milk in a small saucepan 'til just quivering add half the milk to the egg mixture and whisk combine egg mixture with the rest of the milk in the saucepan stir until mixture thickens allow to cook a little longer stirring the whole time remove custard and place in pre-chilled bowl place plastic film directly over the custard to prevent a skin from forming allow to cool completely before using.

Thanking Kelly, Ben and other fellow Daring Bakers again for another great challenge, and the endless support, advice and encouragement on the forums.

Midnight blueberry muffins

Mick used to go to bed rather late so whenever I had an urge to bake at midnight, he would always be there for me to bounce ideas off him. Sometimes he would ask for a progress report ("what is the consistency of the dough/batter?", "does it smell/taste/look good?", "when is it going to be ready?"), but he would always know of the outcome (by picture and word) before anyone else does.

Blueberry muffins have been on my "to-bake" list for a while now and after swimming with my nephew yesterday and seeing his cute little tummy spill over his board shorts like a generous muffin top, I decided I had to make some blueberry muffins when I got home.

The reason behind the lapse in decision making and executing, is that I have been doing a little bit of research on gluten-free (GF) baking and on how to replace sugar with agave nectar. Although there seem to be an inexhaustible resource on the internet on how to combine the both to produce delicious vegan and gluten-free muffins, I gave up my quest for tonight and decided to use a basic muffin recipe instead with some alterations made to accomodate the agave nectar, kamut and GF flour I intended to use.

Blueberry muffins

1/2 cup gluten free flour

1/2 cup kamut flour

1/2 cup plain flour

2 tsp baking powder

1/8 tsp salt

1 tsp vanilla extract

2 large eggs

1/3 cup soy milk

1/3 cup vegetable oil

1/4 cup agave nectar

1/2 cup frozen blueberries

(makes 6 medium sized muffins)

preheat oven to 180C

grease 6 holes on a 12-hole muffin tin

combine dry ingredients together in a bowl

beat together wet ingredients in a measuring jug

add wet ingredients to dry ingredients

**stir until just combined! **

fold in the frozen berries

divide mixture equally into the prepared muffin tin

bake for 25 minutes or until a skewer inserted comes out clean.

A special gluten free orange cake

Lately, I've been finding myself trawling through the internet looking for vegetarian, vegan and gluten-free products and recipes. It isn't that I have recently been diagnosed with an intolerance towards certain food groups (though oysters and mussels do make me crook!) but since returning from my vacation, I have felt this urgency for a lifestyle overhaul. I am not sure if it post-vacation guilt - the sort you experience knowing you've lived up one too many excesses but it definately feels like: "Can someone hit my reset button, please?".

A few days ago, I caught up with my friend D who lives in Sydney and had a self-indulgent whinge-fest. The usual "Life sucks, my legs look like cottage cheese in a pair of nude stockings, I need a new job and any idea where I can find all the answers to every question I will ever have to ask so I don't have to ask them?" type of conversation.

He listened empathically and replied, and I am paraphrasing here, "Darl, do the 15-day detox and start working in a big pharmaceutical company."

Why of course! That's what I need. D is wise beyond his age.

The 15-day detox plan he refers to follows a fairly strict diet of unprocessed food, no dairy, no eggs, no alcohol or caffeine, white fish but only 3 times a week and $70 worth of non-medically proven, herbal supplement tablets that make you feel cleansed from within. I've done it before - it works.

It is not for the lack of commitment to a lifestyle change that I have not begun the abovementioned detox but I am looking towards a long-term strategy, something more sustainable so it becomes part of my being. I began researching the benefits and drawbacks of various types of diets: ovo-lacto vegetarian, vegan, macrobiotic and raw food.

Needless to say, one thing led to another and I soon found myself perusing gluten-free websites and now have a better understanding of what coeliac is. I would like to digress a little, now many years ago, I suffered asymptomatic arthiritis and after prolonged medicating with non-steroidal anti-inflammatories, my condition did not improve. What made matters worse, I was taking more drugs to counteract the side effects of the anti-inflammatory drugs. Incidentally, I started reading Eat Right for Your Type by Dr Peter D'Adamo, a text which suggests a diet based on an individual's blood type and to cut a long story short, I refrained from products containing dairy and wheat, consumed more plant-based protein, and together with the power of positive thought, I no longer felt I had the body of a geriatric. Admittedly, I did grow weary of eating the same types of food and never grew accustomed to the texture and flavour of wheat-free baked products. But now, with a more open mind and palate, I am more than eager to explore alternative ingredients again.

I tasted a flourless orange cake for the very first time at a Sunday picnic a few years ago and I was totally captured; left utterly speechless with my first mouthful. It's texture, a very unusual combination of nibbly, dense and moist bordering creamy but lacking the taste of creamery butter. It is more reminiscent of a steamed pudding - minus the cloying sweetness and the richness. Simply put, its texture was completely different to the conventional crumb of what I knew made a cake.

Yesterday, I revisited this experience and made an orange cake following the recipe found in Stephanie Alexander's The Cook's Companion. There are many contemporary renditions of this classic cake some with the inclusion of flour and meringue to ligthen its texture, maybe fewer eggs and even replacing the oranges with other citrus fruit that may be in season. Here, I adapted Alexander's recipe with the addition of some ground wattleseed (by Oz Tukka) and oat flour (NB the jury is still out on the appropriateness of oats in a gluten-free diet). Edible wattleseed was developed as a food flavouring back in the mid 1980s when its coffee, chocolate and hazelnut profiles were discovered and have since been popularised in modern Australian cuisine. With such characteristics, it comes as no surprise how I arrived at my orange and wattleseed pairing and why this cake is so delectably more-ish!

Orange-wattleseed cake

3 small unwaxed oranges

250g sugar

250g ground almonds

6 large eggs

1 1/2 tsp ground wattleseed

1 tsp baking powder

5 tbs oat flour (optional)

(makes 1 20x20cm square cake)

cover oranges with water in a medium saucepan and boil for 10 minutes

drain oranges and cover again with water

cook oranges in boiling water for 30 minutes, topping up the water level if necessary

cool oranges and puree the entire fruit (yes, pith and all - minus the pips of course!) in a food processor/blender

line the base of the baking tin with baking paper

preheat oven to 170C

combine almond meal, baking powder, wattleseed and oatflour (if using) in a bowl. whisk to mix thoroughly

beat sugar and eggs until double in volume (this results in a lighter "mousse" textured cake. If you find yourself lacking the equipment or the patience, skip this step completely. Just combine the eggs, sugar and orange puree in a single step)

stir orange puree into egg mixture until just combined - do not overmix

fold dry ingredients into the mixture

pour into prepared baking tin

bake for 50 minutes or until only a few crumbs are attached to the skewer when testing for doneness.