Dream, Ramble and Roam

TALES FROM MY TRAVELS and more

Meeting in Brisbane - from left, Bel, Danella, myself, Violet and Jean

I have dreamed, I have most certainly rambled (often in classes I suspect) and I've certainly roamed. It seems like a month, but in reality only 2 weeks away for a wedding of dear friends and classes in Melbourne, onto Sydney for Recipe Testing and then Brisbane for classes. I loved shopping in Melbourne  at the Prahran Markets (me, very much in love with the range of apples available) for our "To Market, To Market" class with Essential Ingredient and in all, can I tell you how much I love meeting each and every one of you at classes, in every state. Honestly, I love doing this work and find it so deeply rewarding when I see people go home and make a bowl of chicken stock, make a simple soup and have their child, who up to that point would only eat bread, eat that soup and enjoy it.  Thank you to all who came to classes, thank you to those who organize them - we do meaningful work there in those classes - it's a good and true thing.

Also a good and true thing was taking an opportunity to catch up with family and dear friends in Melbourne, and above in Qld - both Bel and Nell live in Qld and are graduates of my Whole and Natural Foods Chef Training program. My dearest friend Jeanie (who also teaches during the program) lives in Upper Cyrstal Creek on the NSW border and drove up with her daughter Violet for a reunion - after traffic jams for many (not me), we had time together - these are the moments that you remember. I know I live a blessed life.

Alas, no recipe this time round, I've stepped off the plane, checked out my plants (thank goodness for my daughter Nessie and wonderful neighbours Jenni and Corine) and am packing the car to head down south for the Easter holiday. It's our family time away and this year we will be close to the sea. Sleep will be slept, books will be read, editing will not sit patiently by so that will also happen and food will be cooked and eaten. Can I suggest you might like to make the Walnut and Yoghurt Cake I posted for Easter last year - a simple and delicious cake for the cooler weather, or some Blueberry and Lemon Scones (wow, there were some amazing Moondarra Organic late season blueberries in Melbourne!!), but given you will be chilling a little, what about some Oat, Apple and Buckwheat Pancakes for breakfast? 

I also thought you would like to be a little involved in the recipe testing for the new baking book - this is what confronts me at approx 2.30 each day. Myself, my food editor, editor and others head downstairs to the kitchen where others have been given your recipe to cook. You can see them there sitting on the printed recipes. They are not spiffed up, simply as is and the main thing we are looking for is that the recipe works, and the crumb (this being baking) is sound. As a whole, it went very well - a few little tweaks here and there, but nothing too drastic. The main thing to come out of the week is how important ones relationship to the oven is -as you can see, some are a little too brown - this is a result of too hot an oven. But given I have a whole section on that, we were all happy. I have a couple of cakes to just double check a thing or two on, but the tasters were happy (they tasted good) and I was happy (the crumb was good).  What you can see here, clockwise from the front is the Barley Shortcrust Quince and Winter Compote Rustic Tart, Low Gluten Apple Pie, Carrot/Amaranth and Pistachio Cake (gf), Candied Hazlenut, Rhubarb and Buckwheat Cake (gf), Brown Rice Crackers (gf), Cocoa Nib Panna Cotta, Chocolate, and Blackberry Trifle (in the only container available - a bowl :) ) and Labne Tart.

The most stunning Dahlia's - the flowers on the back of the chairs at the wedding in Daylesford

After Easter I head back to Sydney for the photography, and I'll hopefully be able to snap a few shots of the action for you. I'm also tremendously looking forward to the seminar in Sydney on Sunday 15th April with another dear and good friend Holly Davis, and Rosalba Courtney. I'm looking forward to seeing and meeting you all. 

Have a wonderful and peaceful Easter break, and I'll see you soon.