tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31828473747013131082024-03-20T03:18:04.924-07:00bike-n-bakechirpy annhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03371778334988395881noreply@blogger.comBlogger14125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3182847374701313108.post-89687045307274087122013-02-26T02:16:00.002-08:002013-02-26T02:16:40.769-08:00Gems from the summer garden<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />chirpy annhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03371778334988395881noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3182847374701313108.post-53303222715132386242013-02-23T02:08:00.000-08:002013-02-26T02:09:22.477-08:00Beetroot sourdough with barley and linseed<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />chirpy annhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03371778334988395881noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3182847374701313108.post-42160144302089291282013-01-28T00:15:00.000-08:002013-01-29T19:52:47.956-08:00Mt Donna Buang pea souper - Australia Day 2013What better way to spend the public holiday that is Australia Day than to wake up, eat brekky, go for a big ride up a mountain, hang out with some wildlife, and devour a Vietnamese BBQ pork roll on the way home?<br />
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(Almost as good as seeing the Aboriginal flag raised with our official flag on Sydney Harbour Bridge this Australia Day <a href="http://www.smh.com.au/national/aboriginal-flag-raised-on-harbour-bridge-20130126-2dd01.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">for the first time</a>).<br />
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Australia Day is a great chance to do something fun - like riding singlespeed MTBs up Mt Donna Buang. Donna Buang apparently means "the body of the mountain" in the Wurundjeri language. About halfway up our ascent we veered off northwest to Badger Creek to check out some new territory. We were curious to find out whether the dirt surface of Don Road would continue down to Healesville.<br />
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Unfortunately the dirt ends at the T-intersection. Don Road from the intersection to Healesville is all bitumen, but makes for nice and fast descending. This is all good when gravity is your friend, but climbing back up is a tad painful when you've only got one gear and the Garmin is saying its 10-13%. 5% became the new perception of "flat" here.<br />
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While it was a warm 20 or so degrees down in the lower altitudes of Don Rd, the temperature quickly dropped and it became misty once we reached the top third of Donna Buang Rd. I couldn't see much in my favourite rainforest section on Donna - usually I take in the sights of moss-covered myrtles, tall tree-ferns and birds flitting through the shrubs. But today, it was pea soup. Visibility dropped to about 10 m at the summit. Given that we've had 40degC days recently, riding in 7 deg felt like a trip to Antarctica. Glad I brought a wind jacket!<br />
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There was plenty of wildlife around though - you could see and hear it. Kookaburras, lyrebirds, wrens, and a fat black wallaby who hopped across the road as it heard us crunching along the gravel through the fog.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Donna Buang rd - wallabies in the mist!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Yes, it is summer in 'Straya</td></tr>
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So after a chilling descent which numbed our hands and feet, we got back in the Fun-Baru (Subaru), feeling pretty used up but pleased with our little adventure. Having well and truly burnt up a bit of energy, we had to stop at the world's best take-away: Bun Bun bakery in Springvale.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">2, 4, 6, 8, bog in don't wait!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mmmm, juicy BBQ pork roll. Bun Bun we salute you!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">And a home-made coffee made by Champion Hubby when we arrived home</td></tr>
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<br />chirpy annhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03371778334988395881noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3182847374701313108.post-10389630894423535092013-01-13T23:28:00.000-08:002013-01-22T02:13:12.336-08:00Sourdough experimentThanks to my green-thumbed gardening friend <a href="http://harvestbeyondmyfrontdoor.wordpress.com/about/" target="_blank">Penny</a> for the sourdough tip which has made my starter a lot happier - using filtered water! (and also giving me some of her crazy bubbly starter)<br />
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With an active-looking starter and using the sponge method, I decided to make two loaves to see what difference commercial yeast makes. My starter was mainly made with wholemeal spelt. The flours in the bread are strong wheat flour and durum semonlina. I cooked some barley and quinoa to add in the dough, and sprinkled pumpkin seeds on top. They look like cakes because they were baked in silicon cake tins! (the ones I usually use for my Christmas cakes/<a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=3182847374701313108#editor/target=post;postID=7241827191257144609" target="_blank">EOFYCs</a>) I think I'm going to get some bannetons.<br />
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Here are the results:<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-AIKt-uuY8rM/UP465W6VoqI/AAAAAAAAAM4/wsyVDcjKnQ8/s1600/P1020964+-+Copy.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="360" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-AIKt-uuY8rM/UP465W6VoqI/AAAAAAAAAM4/wsyVDcjKnQ8/s640/P1020964+-+Copy.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">BREAD 1: On the right: bread leavened with commercial yeast and my sourdough.<br />
BREAD 2: On the left: bread leavened with only my sourdough starter.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-t5xUivAzy-E/UP46168lUnI/AAAAAAAAAMY/7WEIsK6L8i0/s1600/P1020959+-+Copy.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="360" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-t5xUivAzy-E/UP46168lUnI/AAAAAAAAAMY/7WEIsK6L8i0/s640/P1020959+-+Copy.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bread 1 leavened with commercial yeast and my sourdough</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-UjgBeKCYqVY/UP466lqSJkI/AAAAAAAAANA/MCgW7FV_HhU/s1600/P1020967+-+Copy.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="360" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-UjgBeKCYqVY/UP466lqSJkI/AAAAAAAAANA/MCgW7FV_HhU/s640/P1020967+-+Copy.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bread 1 leavened with commercial yeast and my sourdough</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-lKCfTcNnM9I/UP469KasTsI/AAAAAAAAANM/b3kzzc9Zn34/s1600/P1020968+-+Copy.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="360" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-lKCfTcNnM9I/UP469KasTsI/AAAAAAAAANM/b3kzzc9Zn34/s640/P1020968+-+Copy.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bread 1 leavened with commercial yeast and my sourdough</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-VD0SBbV44Cw/UP464Vz38hI/AAAAAAAAAMw/aoTjGohhzdk/s1600/P1020963+-+Copy.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="360" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-VD0SBbV44Cw/UP464Vz38hI/AAAAAAAAAMw/aoTjGohhzdk/s640/P1020963+-+Copy.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bread 1 leavened with commercial yeast and my sourdough</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bread 2 leavened with only my sourdough starter - what a surprise! This also had more flour in it than Bread 1 because I thought it was a little runny. That's probably why this sits up taller.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bread 2 leavened with only my sourdough starter </td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bread 2 leavened with only my sourdough starter </td></tr>
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The crumb texture was definitely better in bread 2 (sourdough only). I think the extra flour in it helped, and it was chewier. The commercial yeast tends to give bread a crumbly texture.<br />
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While both of these were fairly moist, I ended up blitzing the last few slices with rolled oats to make crumb for pork and beef schnitzels!! It worked really well. I wish I took pics of my schnitzels, which were crumbed in two different coatings - Western (with dried tarragon, sage, black pepper and salt) and Szechuan-inspired (five spice, fennel seed, red Szechuan pepper, white pepper and salt). I think I invented Chinese schnitzels!chirpy annhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03371778334988395881noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3182847374701313108.post-54291655965599790332013-01-04T23:01:00.000-08:002013-01-22T02:07:52.951-08:00Onde onde (Malaysian sweet potato, glutinous rice, pandan and palm sugar flavour explosions!)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
These are a distant memory from my Malaysian childhood. I haven't made these since I was a teenager rolling them into a ball and cooking them with my mum. Now that I've flown the nest, I have to fend for myself. Lucky I got the texture of the dough right without mum. While I thought they were ace (how can anything pandan-flavoured and exploding with brown syrupy gula melaka be bad?), mum and dad were the real judges. To my relief, I got a thumbs up and "ho sek / 好吃!" from them.</div>
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<br />chirpy annhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03371778334988395881noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3182847374701313108.post-64177786104967342922012-12-30T22:54:00.000-08:002013-01-21T22:54:26.219-08:00Mushroom garlic rosemary and sea salt focaccia<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
As a novice sourdough baker, focaccia is probably the most fail-safe and rewarding thing to make. You don't have to shape it. Just pop it in a slice pan and bake away with your fave toppings! This is covered in mushrooms, garlic, rosemary, sea salt and a good glug of olive oil. The base was super crispy and the middle spongy and soft.</div>
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I made this following the River Cottage recipe. It has commercial yeast and my own sourdough starter in it, together with durum semolina and strong wheat flour. Semolina makes bread nice and puffy.</div>
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<br />chirpy annhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03371778334988395881noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3182847374701313108.post-76599113605549949612012-12-27T22:39:00.000-08:002013-01-21T22:46:50.665-08:00Post-Christmas meat pieWhat to do with all that meat left after Christmas? Make the tastiest meat pie ever! Don't waste a good opportunity.<br />
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I followed Jamie Oliver's savoury shortcrust pastry recipe (from Jamie's America book). I threw in herbs including lavender (a little too much! It made me think of soap!), rosemary, thyme and sage. Blitz the pastry in a food processor (BUT NOT a blender. I have done that before and destroyed the blender. Poor thing, it had no idea I thought it was the same as a food processor).<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This cuts nicely once refrigerated. It looks shabby here because it was hot right out of the oven</td></tr>
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Here are some from 2011 (arty touch courtesy of my hubby)<br />
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chirpy annhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03371778334988395881noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3182847374701313108.post-24386819577244438402012-11-21T22:23:00.000-08:002013-01-21T22:24:08.372-08:00Bees, birds and blueberries - that time of year!Spring has (finally) sprung! Bring on the sunshine, dry out our boggy MTB trails, ripen my blueberries and make the birds and bees happy.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">peony poppies</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">edible chrysanthemum (<span class="listjyutping">tung hou</span>/茼蒿) flowers - which don't make bad tea! They're much "grassier" in flavour than dried chrysanthemum flowers/tea brought from stores or served at dim sum restaurants (<span class="listjyutping">guk pou<span class="tone">/</span></span><span class="chinesemed">菊普 or <span class="listjyutping">guk faa caa/</span><span class="chinesemed">菊花茶)</span></span>.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"Comin in for landing!"</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"Hmmm, what's in here then?"</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"Om nom nom nom nom...."</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"What's down here? Oh more polleny goodness!"</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"I like sage with my pollen. Forget that French lavender stuff behind."</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">8 Nov: Green blueberries waiting for more sunshine before being devoured!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Chillin like villains</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">21 Nov: what a difference 2 weeks makes! Blueberries ready for pickin</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Safe under the net. I pedalled my little heart out to Bunnings to buy bird netting the morning I saw these being gorged on by birds. Indian mynas, blackbirds and even huge yellow-eye currawongs have craned their heads through the gaps in this net to get at ripe blueberries. They get purple heart bravery points for trying (and not getting strangled)!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Basil, grain amaranth (tall plants) and comfrey (bottom left). The corrugated tank is from WT Grant in Brighton and is excellent as a ready-to-go vegie garden. They can supply the tank with soil/compost, delivered.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-tebygZv7CgY/UP4pKiiwxRI/AAAAAAAAAII/78exQHt4XJo/s1600/P1020901+-+Copy.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="360" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-tebygZv7CgY/UP4pKiiwxRI/AAAAAAAAAII/78exQHt4XJo/s640/P1020901+-+Copy.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">As the amaranth grows taller during summer, the basil gets more shade so it doesn't burn. It's a bit of a balancing act - we have to keep eating the amaranth leaves or else the basil won't get enough light. It's not easy keeping pace with productive amaranth which puts out new growth overnight.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-q1MvlA43QLk/UP4pLuhWrkI/AAAAAAAAAIQ/DJhte-9V1gI/s1600/P1020902+-+Copy.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="360" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-q1MvlA43QLk/UP4pLuhWrkI/AAAAAAAAAIQ/DJhte-9V1gI/s640/P1020902+-+Copy.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">kangaroo paws - choice of wattle birds who swing onto them like wannabe filmstars in the upcoming Australian kung-fu epic "Crouching Wattle Bird, Hidden Noisy Myna"</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Yn6OL3RIuaY/UP4pOuaEjuI/AAAAAAAAAIc/_b2Amq6AGcQ/s1600/P1020905+-+Copy.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="360" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Yn6OL3RIuaY/UP4pOuaEjuI/AAAAAAAAAIc/_b2Amq6AGcQ/s640/P1020905+-+Copy.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">21 Nov: first pick of the season! Until Jan 2013, I have picked about 10x this amount. Two thumbs up for Nelly Kellie blueberries (an impressive Bunnings purchase!)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-jH1PwwCk99c/UP4pPEHCtTI/AAAAAAAAAIg/q9vQZko547U/s1600/P1020906+-+Copy.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="360" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-jH1PwwCk99c/UP4pPEHCtTI/AAAAAAAAAIg/q9vQZko547U/s640/P1020906+-+Copy.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">In case you need another angle</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-CweabvXDUaU/UP4pQoMdnCI/AAAAAAAAAIw/OsCK_bkE6N4/s1600/P1020907+-+Copy.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="360" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-CweabvXDUaU/UP4pQoMdnCI/AAAAAAAAAIw/OsCK_bkE6N4/s640/P1020907+-+Copy.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">How bout a close up?</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
chirpy annhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03371778334988395881noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3182847374701313108.post-66203200696375231082012-11-05T21:34:00.000-08:002013-01-21T21:43:33.688-08:00Cherry LinzertorteMade following <a href="http://www.chefkoch.de/rezepte/1279990424577/Linzer-Torte.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">this recipe</a>, using Turkish Tamek brand sour cherry jam as the filling.<br />
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The pastry was too crunchy for my liking (I would prefer it a bit soft/chewy like gingerbread). Next time I'll be using less than the 250 g butter stated in the recipe.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-m2Grqpkal5c/UP4eDAAtWcI/AAAAAAAAAGA/YTvn_yxzyyc/s1600/DSC_8763ed.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="424" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-m2Grqpkal5c/UP4eDAAtWcI/AAAAAAAAAGA/YTvn_yxzyyc/s640/DSC_8763ed.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-TXME1ajDDus/UP4eC7Kc-dI/AAAAAAAAAF8/NjhBKQDw8iA/s1600/DSC_8767ed.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="424" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-TXME1ajDDus/UP4eC7Kc-dI/AAAAAAAAAF8/NjhBKQDw8iA/s640/DSC_8767ed.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />chirpy annhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03371778334988395881noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3182847374701313108.post-15467359754307929972012-10-08T21:32:00.000-07:002013-01-21T22:29:59.664-08:00Spring garden Oct 2012When I named this blog bike-n-bake I obviously wasn't thinking about my other attention-seeking hobby - gardening. So perhaps it should be renamed <em>grow-cook-eat-ride</em>. Not quite as punchy though.<br />
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Anyway, here's what happened in Spring (Oct 2012) in my Melbourne backyard:<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-APimb4Q29QY/UP4cnJoLUJI/AAAAAAAAAD0/N0uNx3dyM1c/s1600/P1020868edit.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-APimb4Q29QY/UP4cnJoLUJI/AAAAAAAAAD0/N0uNx3dyM1c/s640/P1020868edit.jpg" width="360" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Welcome to galangal, the newest addition, recently potted. A work colleague heard how nuts I was about growing and eating my own produce and kindly dug up some of her homegrown galangal plant to give me. Eager to plant it, and commuting by bike that day, I strapped this little sapling onto my backpack and rode home hoping it wouldn't get destroyed in the wind. It's now kicking ass and four times as big (in 3 months)! Go nature!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-V6ffTE0w4JE/UP4cqHkGiBI/AAAAAAAAAEE/9x4PequI_qY/s1600/P1020869edit.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="360" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-V6ffTE0w4JE/UP4cqHkGiBI/AAAAAAAAAEE/9x4PequI_qY/s640/P1020869edit.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"Sunburn garden" - named after suffering to establish this. Thankfully it's full of anti-oxidant rich tasty greens like purple sprouting broccoli, mammoth dill, parsley, <span class="listjyutping">tung hou (</span>茼蒿), thyme, rainbow chard and red cabbage. Lots of these leafy greens were eaten in "snoods" - noodles in soup made by me and my hubby.</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-RNxlJBqJSs8/UP4cmeCDznI/AAAAAAAAADw/_6BAfRZ7sFI/s1600/P1020870ed.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="360" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-RNxlJBqJSs8/UP4cmeCDznI/AAAAAAAAADw/_6BAfRZ7sFI/s640/P1020870ed.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">purple sprouting broccoli</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-xplkjTjRG8c/UP4cpSOshKI/AAAAAAAAAEA/9Ou1ho41ZHg/s1600/P1020873ed.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="360" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-xplkjTjRG8c/UP4cpSOshKI/AAAAAAAAAEA/9Ou1ho41ZHg/s640/P1020873ed.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">red cabbage</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-qOl4fT6f4iI/UP4crbJ_CnI/AAAAAAAAAEM/L9oMns43rbk/s1600/P1020874ed.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="360" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-qOl4fT6f4iI/UP4crbJ_CnI/AAAAAAAAAEM/L9oMns43rbk/s640/P1020874ed.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">more purple sprouting broccolli with dill as companions</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-DJjbYoBSepU/UP4csKiWjzI/AAAAAAAAAEU/fYBjAHZ4F6E/s1600/P1020875ed.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="360" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-DJjbYoBSepU/UP4csKiWjzI/AAAAAAAAAEU/fYBjAHZ4F6E/s640/P1020875ed.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">PSB again, with red lettuce behind (Rouge d'Hiver)</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-p4w-8RBnNuk/UP4cuzEEn4I/AAAAAAAAAEg/rEAzKZf3RmY/s1600/P1020877ed.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="360" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-p4w-8RBnNuk/UP4cuzEEn4I/AAAAAAAAAEg/rEAzKZf3RmY/s640/P1020877ed.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">red lettuce (Rouge d'Hiver)</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Pmi66otrsuc/UP4cuxvRC9I/AAAAAAAAAEk/5zfkOjyuXWM/s1600/P1020879ed.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="360" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Pmi66otrsuc/UP4cuxvRC9I/AAAAAAAAAEk/5zfkOjyuXWM/s640/P1020879ed.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">blueberries to be! (Nelly Kellie)</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-xlUHyk1U3EU/UP4cv-fjZ_I/AAAAAAAAAEo/Nyg2bD3GGdg/s1600/P1020880ed.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="360" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-xlUHyk1U3EU/UP4cv-fjZ_I/AAAAAAAAAEo/Nyg2bD3GGdg/s640/P1020880ed.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">the blueberry bush</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-6nLI22eZEZw/UP4czqpI5bI/AAAAAAAAAE8/rVkGzGJbh04/s1600/P1020881ed.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="360" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-6nLI22eZEZw/UP4czqpI5bI/AAAAAAAAAE8/rVkGzGJbh04/s640/P1020881ed.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hokowase strawberries</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-yCdFlBuSsuA/UP4czF_E0rI/AAAAAAAAAE4/4Cwz8dNg-vw/s1600/P1020882ed.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="360" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-yCdFlBuSsuA/UP4czF_E0rI/AAAAAAAAAE4/4Cwz8dNg-vw/s640/P1020882ed.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">other strawberries (whose name I forget!)</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-xNlHGFzIx-E/UP4czyAEBFI/AAAAAAAAAFA/IIH7oGFmfxw/s1600/P1020883ed.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="360" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-xNlHGFzIx-E/UP4czyAEBFI/AAAAAAAAAFA/IIH7oGFmfxw/s640/P1020883ed.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"Honeymoon garden" - named because this is what hubby and I did on a rainy Spring day a couple of years ago. There's nothing quite like shovelling 4 tonne of compost and topsoil after tying the knot! My faves in this include the red ranunculas, peony poppies (not in flower), rainbow chard, sage (purple flowers) and French lavendar (at the far end). The pumpkins got ripped out after they proved useless and greedy hogging all the space and not sharing sunlight with others!</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-YW4F5ygOqwk/UP4c2BdIi6I/AAAAAAAAAFQ/GWVeB-yBRik/s1600/P1020884ed.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-YW4F5ygOqwk/UP4c2BdIi6I/AAAAAAAAAFQ/GWVeB-yBRik/s640/P1020884ed.jpg" width="360" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">blood orange tree and brown Turkish fig behind. The orange blossoms smelled wonderful and wafted around!</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-jv8JVKHuvfM/UP4c4WltKkI/AAAAAAAAAFc/-4Ck6GH8pPQ/s1600/P1020886ed.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="360" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-jv8JVKHuvfM/UP4c4WltKkI/AAAAAAAAAFc/-4Ck6GH8pPQ/s640/P1020886ed.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Japanese maple, still fighting fit after years of drought (including 46degC on Black Saturday), and providing a leafy home to a nest of noisy mynas. One little fluffy myna got bullied by its siblings, pushed out of the nest and didn't survive very long(nature sucks sometimes). We tried to save it in a shoe box but it didn't eat or drink. The little fella was buried under the maple tree, giving back to what initially supported it.</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-elgj2eTEnCc/UP4c3KaA8SI/AAAAAAAAAFY/pPDkok5XhAs/s1600/P1020888ed.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="360" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-elgj2eTEnCc/UP4c3KaA8SI/AAAAAAAAAFY/pPDkok5XhAs/s640/P1020888ed.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">PET bottle plants according to my hubby. "No!" I say, they're little basils in mini hothouses </td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-slWbZ0-HNbc/UP4c5DXzDWI/AAAAAAAAAFk/cX_xL0guCWI/s1600/P1020889ed.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="360" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-slWbZ0-HNbc/UP4c5DXzDWI/AAAAAAAAAFk/cX_xL0guCWI/s640/P1020889ed.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">More nursery plants - leaf amaranth in top left, basil at top/centre, bergamot in top right, capsicum in bottom right, yellow zucchini centre/bottom, chia in left/bottom</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />chirpy annhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03371778334988395881noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3182847374701313108.post-63042195031002538472012-10-07T15:54:00.000-07:002013-01-21T15:56:18.942-08:00Lo Mai Fan 糯米饭 (savoury glutinous rice, my way)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-nk2YtL3sxbU/UP3UWgX0wQI/AAAAAAAAACc/Ro1rEioZSkY/s1600/P1020841edit.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="476" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-nk2YtL3sxbU/UP3UWgX0wQI/AAAAAAAAACc/Ro1rEioZSkY/s640/P1020841edit.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">Lo mai
fan is one of my fave one-pot dishes. Although my blog is called bike-n-<i>bake</i>,
I can't help sneaking in my other kitchen creations. I should rename it <i>cook-eat-ride.</i></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">I had
black glutinous rice in my cupboards, and wasn't keen on using it to make Thai
black glutinous rice pudding. I wondered whether I could use it in Chinese
lo mai fan, which is traditionally made with white glutinous rice.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">This
recipe is not traditional, but it's my version with everything yummy that I
would like to eat in it! I dare say it's one of the fastest ways to make
lo mai fan. My cooking time was only 30 min. With a pressure cooker
and an induction stove I was able to get stuck into it sooner. Yum :) <o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-outline-level: 2;">
<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 18pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">Ingredients</span></b></div>
<ul type="disc">
<li class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">1.5 cups black glutinous
rice, rinsed<o:p></o:p></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">0.5 cup black eyed
beans, rinsed<o:p></o:p></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">1.5 cups white basmati rice,
rinsed<o:p></o:p></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">2 cloves garlic, smashed,
peeled and chopped<o:p></o:p></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">20-30 dried shrimp, chopped
then soaked before cooking<o:p></o:p></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">3 lup cheong (Chinese pork
sausage), sliced<o:p></o:p></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">~100g lup yook (Chinese
dried pork), sliced<o:p></o:p></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">~300g sliced lean pork
medallion, seasoned in soy sauce, sesame oil, white pepper, Chinese rice
wine<o:p></o:p></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">~10 fresh shitake mushrooms
(these are a product of Australia. Your local greengrocer should have
these, if not try an Asian grocer)<o:p></o:p></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">handful of dried shitake
mushrooms, rehydrated and chopped<o:p></o:p></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">pre-cooked pork shoulder in
soy sauce and garlic (I happened to have this in my freezer from an
earlier meal. You can just add more meat of your choice instead)<o:p></o:p></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">white pepper and caramel
dark soy sauce to taste <o:p></o:p></span></li>
</ul>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-wOpYCsW7G_M/UP3ULjPFLTI/AAAAAAAAACM/hsWye1cwvrQ/s1600/P1020836edit.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-wOpYCsW7G_M/UP3ULjPFLTI/AAAAAAAAACM/hsWye1cwvrQ/s640/P1020836edit.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-outline-level: 2;">
<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 18pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">Getting prepped<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">Rinse
black glutinous rice and black eyed beans. Soak in water to allow to soften
before cooking. I think 4 hours is fine, but I ended up soaking them for 7
hours (got distracted doing other things).<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">If using
dried shitake mushrooms, also soak these in some water. When rehydrated,
roughly dice They need a minimum of 2 hours to rehydrate if whole, or 30 min if
pre-sliced. Mine were pre-sliced, which is convenient, but they aren't as
tasty as whole ones. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">Chop
dried shrimp and soak in some water (30 min - 1 hr).<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">If you go
over these times, don't worry. It doesn't make a difference. The aim is just to
get these dry ingredients rehydrated a little.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Ugiu3fEtncM/UP3UY5-5ybI/AAAAAAAAACo/7LxcMk5bzN8/s1600/P1020837edit.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Ugiu3fEtncM/UP3UY5-5ybI/AAAAAAAAACo/7LxcMk5bzN8/s640/P1020837edit.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-outline-level: 2;">
<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 18pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">Time to cook!</span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-outline-level: 2;">
1. Heat pressure cooker on
induction stove in stir-fry mode. I didn't use any oil to start with as
the lup cheong and lup yook are full of fatty goodness. Add these and
garlic to the pot as it starts to get hot. They will sizzle as it gets
hotter. Stir fry.<o:p></o:p>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo2; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">2. Add chopped shrimp and
continue stir frying.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo2; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">3. </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">Add sliced pork and continue
stir frying.<o:p></o:p></span>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo2; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">4. Add rice and beans. Stir to
pick up fried ingredients from bottom of pot.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-OdT7SbM0ZIc/UP3UY6Am0zI/AAAAAAAAACk/WHIWJYkxLqU/s1600/P1020838edit.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-OdT7SbM0ZIc/UP3UY6Am0zI/AAAAAAAAACk/WHIWJYkxLqU/s640/P1020838edit.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">5. Add
mushrooms and cooked pork, dark soy sauce and white pepper to taste. Cook for a
few minutes on medium-high heat.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">6. Secure
pressure cooker lid to seal it. Cook for 20-30 min under pressure (once you get
some slow steam releasing, turn the heat down to keep it at the low
"hiss"). Wait for the pressure to drop before opening the lid
and dishing up. This is what mine looked like:</span><br />
<br />
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-J2v7FkyjjhQ/UP3UScAaZ1I/AAAAAAAAACU/XWRiSsU1Ty4/s1600/P1020839edit.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-J2v7FkyjjhQ/UP3UScAaZ1I/AAAAAAAAACU/XWRiSsU1Ty4/s640/P1020839edit.jpg" width="640" /></a><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;"><o:p> </o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">7. Serve
with chopped spring onions and optional crunchy deep-fried Malaysian onions
(bawang goreng).</span></div>
chirpy annhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03371778334988395881noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3182847374701313108.post-72418271912571446092012-06-19T16:44:00.000-07:002012-06-22T20:34:03.242-07:00Christmas baking 2012 - Part 1<span style="color: #38761d; font-size: large;"><strong>EOFYXCs (aka, <em>End Of Financial Year Xmas Cakes</em>)</strong></span><br />
<br />
You can buy cakes, but you can't buy time, making these cakes rather special! This is the second time I have made Christmas cakes by my end-of-financial-year rule. The idea is to make them before 30 June so they have time to mature into beautifully rich and moist cakes, ready for eating. I gave one each to my parents and in-laws last year and they loved them.<br />
<br />
These cakes fill your kitchen/house with beautiful aromas while baking. It's a great thing to do in the middle of an Australian winter. If you're making these as gifts, it'll also free up your November/December to enjoy the sunshine.<br />
<br />
Here are the ones I made this year on 17 June 2012:<br />
<br />
<img id="lightBoxImage" src="http://burkey.smugmug.com/Food/BakerSu-Ann/i-tWdRSRB/0/L/P1020754-L.jpg" style="height: 450px; width: 800px;" /><br />
<br />
I adapted my recipe from the <span style="color: black;">Rich Fruit Cake recipe in <em>Country Women's Association: Cakes</em>, 2009, page 26</span>.<br />
<br />
Here's what went into them (<span style="color: black;">for 2 x 20 cm round cakes and 1 x 25 cm square cake</span>):<br />
<ul>
<li>1 kg sultanas</li>
<li>710 g currants (they were all I had left in the cupboard)</li>
<li>500 g raisins</li>
<li>500 g crystallised ginger, chopped</li>
<li>200 g mixed peel</li>
<li>300 g walnuts</li>
<li>540 g glace cherries (I like random measures!)</li>
<li>~4 tsp mixed spice</li>
<li>~1 tsp salt</li>
<li>~4 tsp ground cinnamon (I roasted 4 cassia sticks in the warming oven and enlisted help of hubby to grind with mortar and pestle)</li>
<li>~4 tsp grated nutmeg</li>
<li>To soak fruit in: ~1 cup dry sherry (original recipe asks for sweet sherry but I only had dry <a href="http://www.wine-searcher.com/wine-124250-0001-mcwilliams-royal-reserve-dry-sherry-australia" target="_blank">McWilliam's Royal Reserve dry sherry</a>) + "happy" glug of brandy (as much/little as you'd like. I used <a href="http://www.stagnesbrandy.com.au/site.html" target="_blank">St Agnes 3 Star brandy</a>)</li>
<li>600 g butter (original recipe would have required 1 kg but I found this was too much from last year's results)</li>
<li>dollop of molasses (I have a knack for not measuring! There was plenty of sugar from the fruit in this so I decided to cut out the sugar altogether and instead at a touch of molasses for flavour/colour)</li>
<li>2 dozen eggs</li>
<li>1 kg plain flour</li>
<li>200 self raising flour</li>
</ul>
<strong>Method:</strong><br />
<br />
(given the large quantities in this recipe, you may have to do this in 2 mixing bowls and add each quantity of ingredients in halves)<br />
<ol>
<li>On the day/night before baking, get the biggest mixing bowl you have (if not a clean bucket!) and soak the fruit in sherry/brandy. I only managed to fit the currants, raisins, glace cherries and mixed peel into my bowl, so these got soaked in sherry and brandy. Next time, I would get a bigger container so I could soak <em>all </em>my fruit.</li>
<li>On the day of baking, add walnuts to the mixed fruit.</li>
<li>In a separate bowl, melt the butter, and then add the spices, salt and molasses. Mix.</li>
<li>Into a separate bowl, crack the eggs and whisk/beat to combine. Tip eggs into butter mixture and mix until even.</li>
<li>Pour egg/butter mixture over fruit/nuts.</li>
<li>Weigh out flours. Add to wet ingredients. Mix until combined. Add extra brandy/sherry/water if mixture looks too dry.</li>
<li>Spoon into baking tins. Tap tins on benchtop/floor to ensure the cake batter settles. You don't want gaps.</li>
<li>Bake at 140 degrees C (if you have a fan-forced oven) / 150 deg C (if not) for 2 hours. Although I didn't do this, I would have covered my cakes with foil for at least the first hour of baking to prevent the cakes from drying. After a post-baking chat with the master baker (aka my English mother in-law who's full of baking wisdom), I realised most recipes call for fruit cakes to be baked with foil to seal in the goodness. Traps for young players!!</li>
</ol>
While the cakes look OK, I cut part of the square one to see the texture inside. Unfortunately it was a bit dry. I will be pouring brandy over these every now and again until Christmas, so I'm hoping that will add some much needed moisture.<br />
<br />
I won't be using the loose-base tin again. I found that the butter seeped out the bottom while baking. That could have been a reason why my square cake (baked in the loose-base tin) was a little dry. I can't check the round cakes - they're gifts! Fingers crossed they're not as dry.<br />
<br />
When the cakes cooled, I poured brandy over the top and wrapped them. They're now sitting in a cupboard waiting for the next "drink". They'll get a sip every now and again til they're wrapped up as gifts.<br />
<br />
The fruit and nut mixture (not all of it is in this bowl):<br />
<img id="lightBoxImage" src="http://burkey.smugmug.com/Food/BakerSu-Ann/i-R8p4pW5/0/L/P1020751-L.jpg" style="height: 450px; width: 800px;" /><br />
<br />
The round cakes:<br />
<img id="lightBoxImage" src="http://burkey.smugmug.com/Food/BakerSu-Ann/i-hjHJH3n/0/L/P1020755-L.jpg" style="height: 450px; width: 800px;" /><br />
<br />
The square cake (you can see where the butter seeped out at the base - I won't be using a loose-base tin next time. They're good for tarts, not so good for heavy fruit cakes):<br />
<img id="lightBoxImage" src="http://burkey.smugmug.com/Food/BakerSu-Ann/i-dBGLTWx/0/L/P1020756-L.jpg" style="height: 450px; width: 800px;" />chirpy annhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03371778334988395881noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3182847374701313108.post-19777235119226851562012-06-18T05:27:00.002-07:002013-02-14T14:28:30.543-08:00My charming Cielo Sportif Racer SE<div style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">
<img id="lightBoxImage" src="http://burkey.smugmug.com/Sports/Sus-new-bike/i-wgDDDmL/0/L/DSC8586a-L.jpg" style="height: 532px; width: 800px;" /> </div>
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<br />
Waiting for this little beauty to take shape has been like waiting for a truffle to grow. My hubby sowed the seed sometime in Oct 2011 by sending me this link: <a href="http://cielo.chrisking.com/bikes/sportif-racer-stainless/">http://cielo.chrisking.com/bikes/sportif-racer-stainless/</a>. We had just come back from a trip to the US which included navigating our way by bike to the Chris King factory in Portland, Oregon. Of course, we had to take a happy snap in front of their branded delivery truck. A nearby taco truck driver chuckled at us - two tourists in an industrial zone. I knew I had to bring a bit of Portland back to Melbourne. </div>
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After 9 months of patiently waiting, my frame (the women's frame) and fork finally arrived. And just as Cameron from Cielo promised, it was worth the wait. From the outset, I was impressed with how it was packaged - it was super neat, secured at a number of places by form-fitting card inserts and taped with kraft tape so the entire thing was recyclable. More businesses should care like Cielo/Chris King do!! I also found my Chris King hub set in this box (R45 ceramic bearings). Super smooth :)</div>
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I was torn between the original Cielo steel fork and the Enve 2.0 road fork which I bought as an alternative to keep the weight down. The Enve fork has been installed, but I'm saving the steel Cielo fork for another special bike.</div>
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Here are some pics of the final build (thanks to my fabulous hubby who deserved a case of Sierra Nevada Pale Ale in return). You can see our young broccoli plants growing in the background too!</div>
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<a href="http://burkey.smugmug.com/Sports/Sus-new-bike/23590671_NNrQNs#%21i=1908413793&k=XLpDhj4"></a> <img id="lightBoxImage" src="http://burkey.smugmug.com/Sports/Sus-new-bike/i-XLpDhj4/0/L/DSC8590a-L.jpg" style="height: 532px; width: 800px;" /></div>
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<div style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">
I believe part of this frame's long gestation (9 mths - just like a real baby!) came about from its side-trip to Colorado. Cielo sent it to their former powder coater in CO "<em>for the special treatment on the SS frame that provides the three dimensional abrasion that is the logo on the downtube," </em>as I was informed. While I'm far from learned about powder coating or metal finishing, I look at these logos and wonder how they get the different finishes despite it all being the same stainless steel. I guess that's what makes Cielo/Chris King so cool!</div>
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<img id="lightBoxImage" src="http://burkey.smugmug.com/Sports/Sus-new-bike/i-CgdQDbN/0/L/DSC8591a-L.jpg" style="height: 532px; width: 800px;" /></div>
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<img id="lightBoxImage" src="http://burkey.smugmug.com/Sports/Sus-new-bike/i-CM5QmZ5/0/L/DSC8592a-L.jpg" style="height: 532px; width: 800px;" /></div>
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Mmm, mango ceramic hubs...</div>
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<img id="lightBoxImage" src="http://burkey.smugmug.com/Sports/Sus-new-bike/i-sn9L23b/0/L/DSC8593a-L.jpg" style="height: 532px; width: 800px;" /></div>
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<img id="lightBoxImage" src="http://burkey.smugmug.com/Sports/Sus-new-bike/i-vS52gGs/0/L/DSC8598a-L.jpg" style="height: 532px; width: 800px;" /></div>
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<br /></div>
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<img id="lightBoxImage" src="http://burkey.smugmug.com/Sports/Sus-new-bike/i-fzcNTz3/0/L/DSC8600a-L.jpg" style="height: 532px; width: 800px;" /></div>
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<br /></div>
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DiPell bar tape - handmade in Melbourne :)</div>
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<img id="lightBoxImage" src="http://burkey.smugmug.com/Sports/Sus-new-bike/i-MpwWPWq/0/L/DSC8601a-L.jpg" style="height: 532px; width: 800px;" /></div>
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"<em>I'm not worthy!!"</em> - can't believe I have a bike that's built by Chris King.</div>
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I got my wheels made by <a href="http://www.kaoscustombikes.com.au/home.html" target="_blank">Andy, proprietor and perfectionist at Kaos Custom Bikes</a>. You won't find a more pedantic, high quality wheel builder. He introduced me to the Melbourne-made <a href="http://dipell.com/" target="_blank">DiPell</a> bar tape. <br />
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Sadly, I haven't had a chance to try this sweet rig out yet (unless putting it on the indoor trainer at home on a rainy day to watch The Castle counts). Dirt is not allowed to touch this bike yet and it's currently wet and wintry in Melb. But I'm hoping to take it out to the Dandenongs for a long hill ride this weekend. Praying for crisp winter sunshine!</div>
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While it's probably not going to help me win Strava QOMs (weighing in at 7.4 kg), that has never been part of the gameplan. This is a bike made by people who care, which is why I got it. It's a beautifully made work of artistic craftsmanship (happy to moot this with any copyright nerds) with a whole lot more charm and personality than the masses of crabon on Beach Rd. (@<a href="http://twitter.com/bikesnobnyc/statuses/40178454464962560" target="_blank">Bike Snob NYC</a>: come ride Beach Rd!).</div>
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Thanks to my do-it-all hubby for putting this beautiful bicycle together for me, Cielo for their beautiful frame work and attention to detail in EVERYTHING, Chris King for their buttery smooth cermic hubs, and, not to forget, Mr Kaos for his super neat wheels :)</div>
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Happy riding y'all!<br />
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<u>First ride update, 23 June 2012</u>: <br />
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Went for a quick spin with hubby up to Port Melbourne. It's a lively bike. Feels a whole lot more sprightly than my 2003 Giant TCR1 (now converted to the singlespeed commuter). The steel frame is nice and stiff.<br />
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The Enve bars have nice drops in just the right place, and very comfy wide top bits to rest your palms on. They will make for good climbing. <br />
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The Chris King ceramic hubs roll buttery smooth. Funnily enough, they got some attention on my maiden voyage. While waiting at the Kerferd Rd traffic lights, a pedestrian was looking at me like I had something stuck on the back of my leg. He then said, "Most people probably won't appreciate this, but those are some really nice hubs." Thanks random stranger! I smiled and replied, "Yep, thanks - they're fresh out of the Chris King factory." And finally, I can't say it better than Mr Akiyoshi Takamura, who has said of Chris King hubs: "<a href="http://chrisking.com/store/t_shirts/t_angrybee" target="_blank">It rolls good with angry bee sound</a>". Ticks all round.</div>
chirpy annhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03371778334988395881noreply@blogger.com6Melbourne VIC, Australia-37.8136111 144.9630556-37.838699600000005 144.9235736 -37.7885226 145.00253759999998tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3182847374701313108.post-15821219211859580412012-04-15T03:19:00.000-07:002012-04-15T03:20:32.669-07:00Sourdough ciabatta<div class="separator" style="background-color: #e69138; clear: both; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: center;">
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I baked my first ciabatta today! I followed Daniel Stevens' recipe in <i>River Cottage Handbook No. 3: Bread.</i></div>
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In an ideal world, I would have made this completely with my own sourdough starter, but, being short on time and not being able to give my starter the full-time attention it needs, I make do supplementing my starter with commercial yeast (Lowan's dried yeast). Indeed, Stevens' recipes are all based on commercial yeast and, for best results, he recommends adding a good "glug" of your own starter (which I do).</div>
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I omitted the oil from his recipe as I read that oil makes it less chewy: <a href="http://sourdough.com/blog/sourdough-ciabatta" target="_blank">http://sourdough.com/blog/<wbr></wbr>sourdough-ciabatta</a>.</div>
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The crust was certainly crunchy, chewy in the middle, nice big holes, great doughy texture.</div>
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Flours in my starter: started with wholemeal spelt, rye and then spelt. Gave the ciabatta a pleasant sourness.</div>
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Flours in the ciabatta: 750g Laucke baker's flour (wheat) + 250g semolina</div>
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<br /></div>chirpy annhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03371778334988395881noreply@blogger.com2