The Smells and Flavours of Christmas

 THE SMELL OF THE EARTH ON A HOT SUMMER MORNING - SUMMER BERRIES and CHERRIES

YES, YES, YES PLEASE - CHERRIES :) 

Summer Breakfast Salad, a little earlier in the year, just as the strawberries and mulberries were cropping. 

Right up, I can tell you I'm not a summer person, but I live in Perth, so honestly you'd think by  now I would be accustomed to it. But the thing that I absolutely love about those very hot summer mornings is the smell of the earth.  The east winds howl over the dessert and reach Perth on the very hot days - when they are howling, you know it's going to be a stinking hot day. But that smell - I 'm not sure how to describe it. It is the earth, but a very West Australian earth and slightly sweet. As I breathe it in I know I am meant to be here, and am part of this country. I feel grounded. Very early in the morning (around 5ish ) it is actually still cool. I'm up because the birds wake me up and it's light, and I go out and potter in the vegetable garden, water the pots and get what needs to be done outside done. But the thing is, you don't want to eat that much on a hot morning. So this is what I do, I make a summer breakfast salad. The idea came from a delicious salad I had at the Frog Hollow Farm in San Francisco some years back. The goat cheese and nuts give it a bit more nutrient density and keep you going. You can use any fruit (me? I'm using strawberries and cherries) and the trick is to try and match the dressing to the fruit - playing with the vinegars or oil. For example a raspberry vinegar is delicious with berries or balsamic with cherries or strawberries. If you have access to this delicious Wellwood Walnut Oil, I would most definitely use that - it's a Victorian brand, but I know that Alive Organics in West Australia certainly stocks it (and as they wholesale, other shops should be able to access it). But - make sure that walnut oil is not rancid - it is an Omega 3 oil, thus highly unstable to heat, light and oxygen. It should come from and be kept in the fridge and once open have a short life span. 

I'll be back next week with some serious Christmas eating, but in the meantime, if you're doing Fruit Mince Tarts, have you got your fruit mince and pastry made? If not check out here and you might be game enough to put up some puff pastry for a quick treat - truly, it's not as hard as it looks....

Summer Breakfast Salad

Take as many lettuce and garden greens as you would like and scatter them on a platter. Sprinkle with fruit as desired – berries and stone fruit are especially good. Top with a soft goat cheese ( I like the Ringwould in WA and Holy Goat in Victoria)  and drizzle with dressing. Top with fresh herbs.

The dressing should be simple – extra virgin olive oil (or if you have a fresh, not rancid, high quality nut oil such as walnut, use that), raspberry or balsamic vinegar, touch of mustard and salt. I keep garlic out of this. I use a classic ratio of 3 parts oil to 1 part vinegar, but rely more on taste - adding more vinegar if the fruit is very sweet. Make it how you like it.

Toasted nuts would be delicious and add a little more density.