The quiver of a 17th-century courtesan's inner thigh...

... I'm talking about panna cotta of course.

Nigella Lawson famously keyed that analogy when referring to the perfect panna cotta. While the imagery may put you off, it is perfect for how you want your panna cotta to look once it's out of the mould.

It's an item that appears on many restaurant menus, from your upscale hatted restaurants, to a basic cafe. Why would that be? Because there are endless flavour combinations, it's ridiculously simple to make and above all else, it's delicious.

Panna cotta is an Italian dessert which translates into 'cooked cream'. Essentially all you have to do is simmer thickened cream, milk and sugar together, add some gelatine and you're done.

I'm going to share with you my favourite panna cotta recipe at the moment. It's a White Chocolate and Yoghurt Panna Cotta that I invented on my own, but using the ratios that Philippa Sibley uses in her book 'PS Desserts'. It's a really light dessert perfect for the summer months ahead, which tastes great with fresh berries and stone fruits!

If you've never made a panna cotta before then you should try Philippa Sibley's recipe because she takes you through the processes step by step and gives you useful suggestions. Better yet buy her book because it is amazing!

My personal tips:
1. Use gold strength gelatine leaves (avoid sachet/loose gelatine because it really does affect the flavour)
2. Use a wooden spoon to stir
3. If there are air bubbles appearing once you've put the panna cotta in the moulds, give them a firm bang on the bench top (but avoid spilling it everywhere!
4. Buy the best quality cream you can find / afford because it will make a difference in the overall texture and taste (please don't use home brand/Coles/Woolworth's, because it will be thin and watery)
5. Melt the white chocolate slowly because it has a lower melting temperature then milk chocolate and is easier to spoil.
6. Never add the yoghurt to the mixture while the heat is still on or it will curdle and your panna cotta will seperate.

Alison's White Chocolate & Yoghurt Panna Cotta

Ingredients:
350ml thickened cream
300ml natural full fat yoghurt
300ml milk
200g white chocolate
2 tablespoons of caster sugar (you could easily swap this with some honey)
4 gold strength gelatine leaves
Ice cubes to soak the gelatine in

Utensils:
Saucepan
Bowl
Wooden spoon
Strainer
Measuring jug
Measuring spoons
Moulds/ cups ( something to put the panna cotta mixture into)

Method:
1. In a bowl filled with cold water and ice, soak the gelatine leaves so they are fully immersed.
2. Measure out the cream, milk and sugar and place into the saucepan. Stir with the wooden spoon and bring to a simmer (about medium-low heat)
3. Break the white chocolate into small pieces and melt slowly ( I usually do this in the microwave for 22 second spurts at a time )
3. Once simmering, get the gelatine leaves and squeeze over the bowl to get rid of any excess water. Then place the gelatine leaves into the hot cream mixture and stir until dissolved.
4. Add some of the hot cream mixture to the melted chocolate and stir together. Transfer this mixture into the hot cream mixture and stir until smooth and take off the heat.
5. Lastly add the yoghurt and stir until smooth.
6. Pour into moulds or glasses and place in the refrigerator for a minimum of three hours.


I hope you enjoy this recipe, and honestly it's so simple so just have fun with it!

Perhaps it's supposed to be spelt 'Maca-ruin'

Macaron... a word that has the ability to excite you when the possibility of eating one is presented, or when attempting to make them from scratch, a word that can cause a groan, a smack to the forehead, tears, anger, frustration... the list can go on really.

My first attempt at macarons wasnt as horrible as I thought it'd be, but by all means it was a failure. There was something done wrong at every turn; there wasn't enough almond meal used, the eggs weren't beaten enough before the sugar syrup was added to make the meringue, the mixture was too runny, they spread too much when piped out, the oven was set too low, they were undercooked and they stuck to the silicone matt. I'm sure there were even more problems with them.

In April I finally got a Kitchenaid Stand Mixer that I had been waiting on for about a month as a birthday present thanks to the contributions of some lovely friends. I had the book 'The Secrets of Macarons' sitting on my book shelf (also a gift from two of my friends), and so with that as my guide I attempted macarons for the second time. This time the meringue was beautiful and stiff and the overall mixture looked a lot thicker. I split the mixture into a pink raspberry batch and a chocolate peanut butter batch. Then I anxiously waited for the crust to form on them. I put them into the oven at 150C and let them cook for 14 minutes. I set an alarm on my phone so I couldn't possibly burn them. My tediousness paid off, because the feet formed evenly, they cooked beatifully without any discolouration and the peeled perfectly off of the baking trays. I have never been more happy that a recipe has worked out.



Raspberry and Chocolate Ganache Macarons



Chocolate and Peanut Butter Macarons



The next time I made them (only a few days later) was with hazelnut meal and I made a nutella filling for them. These also turned out decently.



Hazelnut Macarons with a Nutella Filling

 

About a week later I made them for the third time and they definitely were macaruins. I suspect it was because I was rushed to make them as my brother told me he promised his teacher he'd bring some in for her and only told me that evening once I had returned from work. They weren't forming a crust quickly enough so I impatiently cooked them, and they cracked on the tops and the mixture stuck to the cooking trays. I was not pleased with them, but I did manage to salvage enough to fill up a jar for my brothers teacher.



Raspberry Coulis Macarons

What have I learnt about macarons? No matter how closely you follow the instructions something can go wrong. Just give them lots of love, because if you don't they will know and will act accordingly!

 

“Cookery is not chemistry. It is an art. It requires instinct and taste rather than exact measurements.” – Marcel Boulestin

“Recipes don’t work unless you use your heart! “ – Dylan Jones

“Nothing would be more tiresome than eating and drinking if God had not made them a pleasure as well as a necessity.” – Voltaire

“The only real stumbling block is fear of failure. In cooking you’ve got to have a what-the-hell attitude.” – Julia Child

Words from a beautiful and wise woman

'Let's face it, a nice creamy chocolate cake does a lot for a lot of people; it does for me.'

Haunted by Harry

Let me start off by saying that I have never been a Harry Potter fan. While many of my friends were enveloped by the Harry Potter books and films (and all the games, and playing cards that followed) I was on my own adventure in Middle Earth. I was and am a Lord of the Rings kind of girl and I had no room in my heart for any of this Harry Potter business. And now it just feels too late to join that band-wagon. Unfortunately for me, I have a few friends who love Harry Potter. The amount of conversations that have completely passed over my head because of all these terms which made no sense to me are too many to count (and I still don't understand what a horcrux is!). One of the most fervent fans is my good friend Jade. She went to Harry Potter World in America, she has memorabilia, she's got a wand; she lives and breathes Harry Potter. Last Friday she turned 22 and she had a pretty average day (she was sick and the exhaust on her car fell off on her way to work). So I wanted to show her how much I love her (despite her love for all things Harry Potter related). Alas, she got Harry Potter cupcakes.

On Thursday morning I got up and started baking some choc-hazelnut cupcakes. I used my favourite chocolate mudcake recipe, however I substituted the plain flour for hazelnut meal and used hazelnut extract instead of vanilla extract.


About to go into the oven

I allowed them to cool while I went out for the day, and then returned home that night to decorate them. I made up two types of icing for the 24 cup cakes. A raspberry buttercream and a nutella buttercream icing. To make the raspberry buttercream I made a coulis, however with a lot less sugar so the raspberry flavour would shine through. I thought the raspberry icing tasted great especially since the tartness of the raspberry cut through the sugar in the icing. The nutella icing was pretty straight forward, I made it in the same way I would've made a chocolate buttercream, but I added in warmed nutella instead of melted chocolate. I think I might make a swiss meringue nutella icing next time (I was decorating these cupcakes at midnight so I had a time restraint).

After making the icings I started dying the fondants and making shapes to place as toppers on the cupcakes. I made 'sorting hats', 'snitches', brooms and Harry scar shaped toppers. I could've dyed the raspberry icing maroon so they would look like 'Gryffindor' coloured cupcakes, but I didn't realise that they were the colours until I had finished the icings. I guess I can do this for her 23rd birthday next year! I think they turned out alright considering I was a little pressed for time and am not a Harry Potter fan (I am eternally thankful to good for providing me with pictures!) Anyway, I'm glad I got to make these for her because she is wonderful and deserves all the love and appreciation in the world. Happy 22nd Birthday Jade!




Harry Potter Cupcakes!




The 'Broom' toppers (left) and 'Sorting Hat' toppers (right)

 


The ever wise and inspirational Julia Child

“Learn how to cook; try new recipes, learn from your mistakes, be fearless, and above all have fun!”

- Julia Child

Julia Child

Pour me a glass of that.

TEA is something that gives me a warm fuzzy feeling, not only when I'm drinking it but when I associate it with past events. I grew up being read Beatrix Potter books, and then when I was older I watched the animation on ABC, and now I own the books myself and the animation on DVD. I loved how the depiction of Beatrix Potter during the opening credits of the series would see her scurrying home in the rain, and arriving to her home with a fire crackling, then she pours herself a cup of tea. For those of you who are familiar with the books and series, her characters are constantly drinking tea as well. Tea would comfort me when I'm sick, I could make a cup for my Nana to show her I love her, or allow for my mum and I to spend some time with one another. We would make a pot of tea, and I'd get the Japanese tea cups out, and we'd sit with each other enjoying (usually) a variety of green tea. My other favourite tea memory would be when my Dad would take me to China town and we'd have yum cha, and we'd get a pot of Chinese Tea, which I would hurry to drink so I could tip the lid and see how long it took for the waiter to give us a refill. Tea was definately present in some of the nicer moments of my childhood.

 

My tea cup & submarine strainer

Tea seems to have made a come back lately with the establishment of T2 helping this progress, especially having only been in Adelaide for not even a year. Before that there was T-Bar in the David Jones building and at the Central Markets. We've also got Saldechin which has been around for quite a number of years which not only has an extensive tea menu, but a cocktail menu which features a few martinis that have been infused with tea. Many restaurants and cafes have a larger tea selection, which is wodnerful for those of us who are tea lovers. East Terrace Continetal serves T2 teas now and Devour Dessert Bar has a really enticing tea selection (the raspberry tea was delightful). A good tea selection definately enhances my opinion of a place.

I definately urge anyone who enjoys tea to grab a friend (or a book) and venture out and find a cafe to enjoy some nice tea, or maybe visit T2 or T-Bar (if you dare) and find some beautiful teas to take home with you. This is a risky idea because you could end up walking away with many teas, but an empty bank account. My next T-venture will be to the new establishment 'Teasel' (was named 'Teawana') that has just opened in James Place opposite Southern Cross Arcade.





Raspberry Tea from 'Devour Dessert Bar'

 

Farmers markets in Adelaide

 

“Shipping is a terrible thing to do to vegetables. 
They probably get jet-lagged, just like people.”
~ Elizabeth Berry

Every Sunday, there are many wonderful farmers markets on throughout SA. Our closest one is the Gepps Cross Markets that are held in the drive in. For the first time in months I went to do the families fruit and veg shopping seeing as my mum usually does it, and she's away at the moment. So it was raining when I woke up and it looked down right dreary, but I mustered up the strength to leave the warm house and venture out.

Once I arrived the sun was actually out and it wasn't too cold or muddy, and then the fun began. I spent about $80 on fruit and veg, mind you this will last my family 2 weeks, maybe a little more. I love that so many of the famers can say that they were up that morning picking the produce and are now selling it to us. While I got some beautiful pink lady apples, organic oranges, and my personal favourite, some tangelos, I think the items I was most excited about were the carrots. They were stunning just sitting there glistening in the sun, and I just had to get a bunch (or two).

Next time I get a Sunday off (and the weather is decent) I'll head down to the Adelaide Showgrounds Farmers Market.

When people put effort into a meal

At the moment my mum is away which means I am doing the majority of the cooking for the family, and I am definately not complaining. A few nights ago my cousin, who lives with us, asked if he could cook dinner on Wednesday night (which is tonight). I said yes of course, whilst being a little skeptical because he does not cook very often. He wanted to cook a Thai dish, seeing as he is Thai and misses the food sometimes, so found a recipe for a dish he loves and set out to get the ingredients for it (I was pretty pleased to see pork belly in the fridge last night). I arrive home after work today to a beautiful aroma throughout the house, hints of star anise, cinnamon, garlic and pork were the most prominent of those. He proudly served up his dish with some rice, and it was delicious.

So the point of this post was to verbalise that it was really nice being cooked for by someone who put an effort into making a nice meal for the family, and it was even nicer being able to arrive home from work and just relax. I hope this will become a more frequent occurance! 

Food Quotes

"If more of us valued food and cheer and song above hoarded gold, it would be a merrier world" J. R. R. Tolkien

Introductions and all that jazz

So this is my first blog post and even though I have had a blog for a couple of months now, the one thing that prevented me from writing my first blog was coming up with a name. All the names I thought of seemed lame and a little poxy. I certainly did not want to have mine as ‘Alison Bakes’ or ‘Alison Cooks’, because they sound a little generic and I am sure there are many Alison’s that cook and bake. Alison’s bitchin’ bakin’ sound a little aggressive, and as you may be able to tell, I started over analysing a simple blog name. And yet, I eventually found one that I was happy with so I decided it was time to start my blog.

So, my name is Alison and I reside in the city of Adelaide, SA in Australia. I am 21 years old, I attend the University of Adelaide studying Social Sciences (and hate every moment of it), I have two jobs and I live at home with my family. Oh yeah, and I love cooking. It is my favourite hobby and I can spend hours upon hours reading cook books, magazines, food blogs, and of course actually cooking. I also love pouring through twitter and instagram to see what my favourite chefs, cooks and fellow food lovers are up to, in a non-creepy way. 

What food do I like to cook? Umm, everything. But I do have a soft spot with the sweeter side of cooking. Baking is something I love to do, but also love to share with my friends. And for those of you that know me, you know that you benefit from this regularly. And so, my friends get baked goods regularly and my family doesn’t have to deal with the temptation of eating these goods every week.

I hope to one day turn my passion of food into my career, but I think I'm a little way off of that for now. So I will contently blog about my culinary ventures, the things I cook, things I may read, places I visit and things about my home town. But they will certainly all be food related.

Here is a small selection of my own creations and I look forward to sharing more with y'all.