http://youfoundkeke.com Keke Mon, 25 Feb 2013 22:07:11 +0000 http://youfoundkeke.com en http://www.youfoundkeke.com/Pumpkin-and-bee-pollen-cake http://www.youfoundkeke.com/following/youfoundkeke.com/Pumpkin-and-bee-pollen-cake Mon, 25 Feb 2013 22:07:11 +0000 Keke 5053391 <img src="http://payload137.cargocollective.com/1/4/144931/5053391/keke_kirra_jamison_brooke_holm_LR-12_640.jpg" width="640" height="426" width_o="1024" height_o="683" src_o="http://payload137.cargocollective.com/1/4/144931/5053391/keke_kirra_jamison_brooke_holm_LR-12_o.jpg" data-mid="27103139" border="0" align="left"/><img src="http://payload137.cargocollective.com/1/4/144931/5053391/keke_kirra_jamison_brooke_holm_LR-35_640.jpg" width="640" height="959" width_o="683" height_o="1024" src_o="http://payload137.cargocollective.com/1/4/144931/5053391/keke_kirra_jamison_brooke_holm_LR-35_o.jpg" data-mid="27100693" border="0" align="left"/><img src="http://payload137.cargocollective.com/1/4/144931/5053391/keke_kirra_jamison_brooke_holm_LR-38_640.jpg" width="640" height="426" width_o="1024" height_o="683" src_o="http://payload137.cargocollective.com/1/4/144931/5053391/keke_kirra_jamison_brooke_holm_LR-38_o.jpg" data-mid="27100666" border="0" align="left"/><img src="http://payload137.cargocollective.com/1/4/144931/5053391/keke_kirra_jamison_brooke_holm_LR-37_640.jpg" width="640" height="426" width_o="1024" height_o="683" src_o="http://payload137.cargocollective.com/1/4/144931/5053391/keke_kirra_jamison_brooke_holm_LR-37_o.jpg" data-mid="27100671" border="0" align="left"/><img src="http://payload137.cargocollective.com/1/4/144931/5053391/keke_kirra_jamison_brooke_holm_LR-2_640.jpg" width="640" height="426" width_o="1024" height_o="683" src_o="http://payload137.cargocollective.com/1/4/144931/5053391/keke_kirra_jamison_brooke_holm_LR-2_o.jpg" data-mid="27100592" border="0" align="left"/><img src="http://payload137.cargocollective.com/1/4/144931/5053391/togethercake_640.jpg" width="640" height="457" width_o="700" height_o="500" src_o="http://payload137.cargocollective.com/1/4/144931/5053391/togethercake_o.jpg" data-mid="27104292" border="0" align="left"/><img src="http://payload137.cargocollective.com/1/4/144931/5053391/keke_kirra_jamison_brooke_holm_LR-11_640.jpg" width="640" height="426" width_o="1024" height_o="683" src_o="http://payload137.cargocollective.com/1/4/144931/5053391/keke_kirra_jamison_brooke_holm_LR-11_o.jpg" data-mid="27103141" border="0" align="left"/><img src="http://payload137.cargocollective.com/1/4/144931/5053391/keke_kirra_jamison_brooke_holm_LR-25_640.jpg" width="640" height="426" width_o="1024" height_o="683" src_o="http://payload137.cargocollective.com/1/4/144931/5053391/keke_kirra_jamison_brooke_holm_LR-25_o.jpg" data-mid="27100776" border="0" align="left"/>This dreamy recipe comes from me to you as a celebration of summer as it draws to an end once more. A cool and creamy cake with a subtle salty, kind-of-caramel, pumpkin layer, light lemon center and walnut base. Finished with a sprinkling of crunchy bee pollen deliciousness. It is truly as divine as it looks. This recipe is dedicated to my friend Tomomi, the first ever guest on Keke. Her incredible Osaka pumpkin and tofu cake was the initial kernel of inspiration for this treat. As some of you may know I have been a guest contributor over on The Design Files every Tuesday this month. It’s been a joy developing recipes that explore my love for wholesome vegetarian Japanese food. And as a result my kitchen table has been awash with Japanese flavours for most of this year. Bonus! Follow the links for my Zakkokumai nori rolls with pickled daikon, Matcha and avocado popsicles dipped in white chocolate, Walnut, mushroom and miso pocket and Sake roast pumpkin salad with pickled ginger and umeboshi plum vinegar. Bee pollen Bee pollen is flower pollen that has been collected by bees and carried on their mini legs to their hives. Just before they enter the hives the good mannered bees wipe their feet at the entrance. It is from here that the bee pollen is collected. Just like honey all bee pollens have a different flavour depending on what flowers the bees have been busying themselves with. Yes, eagle eye you have not been mistaken, there is no bee pollen shown in these images. Why? There are two answers. One, because the bee pollen needs to be sprinkled on the top of the cake immediately before serving so it remains crunchy. And two...because I forgot to include it. Doh. It is however a vitally important addition to this cake! Unless you’re on a shoestring then you MUST include it. It gives this cold creamy cake a crazy healthy Golden Gaytime ice-cream vibe. Completely genius! Crust ingredients 14 medjool dates ½ heaped cup of walnuts a pinch of celtic sea salt For crust 1. Line just the base of a 20 cm spring-form pan with a sheet of baking paper that is bigger than the base. Your paper should be hanging out the edges about 4 cm all around as pictured. Now attach the top of the pan so the cut hangs out the side. This will allow you to side the cake off the base of the pan easily. 2. Add all ingredients to a blender and ‘chop’ just enough so that everything mixes together. You want an even consistency but you don’t want to blend for too long or you will end up with paste. It’s best if there are visible chunks of walnuts. I recommend you pulse for a couple of seconds, loosen mixture with spatula and pulse again. This will all depend on your blender. 3. Transfer mixture to pan and again making use of a spatula spread across to even it out. Cake ingredients 1 cup of Japanese pumpkin 1 cup soaked raw raw cashews ½ cup (drained) silken tofu ⅓ cup coconut oil ¼ cup maple syrup 1 tbsp kudzu powder (read up about it here) 1 tsp ground vanilla splash of pure vanilla essence 1 tbsp white miso paste juice of 1 lemon bee pollen for serving For cake 1. Cut pumpkin in 3cm x 3cm cubes, steam and set aside. You may like to do this a day in advance as you want the pumpkin to be completely cool. 2. In a blender combine drained cashews, tofu, coconut oil, maple syrup, kudzu, ground vanilla and pure vanilla essence. Blend on highest setting until completely smooth and with zero graininess. In a high power blender this will be very quick. 3. Remove ½ cup of the cashew mixture from blender and set aside. 4. Add the lemon juice to the remaining mixture in blender and pulse a few times to combine. 5. Pour the contents of blender into the cake pan and gently bang on kitchen counter until the layer appears even. 6. Now return your ½ cup of cake mix to blender along with pumpkin and miso. Blend until you have a smooth even consistency. 6. Pour the pumpkin layer on top of the white layer and again gently bang the tin on the countertop. 7. Leave cake in freezer for a good eight hours. 8. Remove from freezer and carefully release cake from tin. Slide cake onto a serving plate and allow to defrost a little. It should be cold and set but not frozen. Sprinkle either entire cake or each individual piece with bee pollen just before serving...this depends on how much you’ll be eating in one sitting. 9. Slicing this cake takes some care. I recommend cleaning your knife and brushing it with coconut oil between each cut. A cake server will also come in handy. Store cake tightly covered in the fridge for up to four days. Photos by Brooke Holm. This dreamy recipe comes from me to you as a celebration of summer as it draws to an end once more. A cool and creamy cake with a subtle salty, kind-of-caramel,... http://www.youfoundkeke.com/Mullum-market-stack http://www.youfoundkeke.com/following/youfoundkeke.com/Mullum-market-stack Wed, 09 Jan 2013 05:57:50 +0000 Keke 4569104 <img src="http://payload113.cargocollective.com/1/4/144931/4569104/AmberWallisKeke-40.jpg" width="640" height="529" width_o="640" height_o="529" src_o="http://payload113.cargocollective.com/1/4/144931/4569104/AmberWallisKeke-40_o.jpg" data-mid="24589457" border="0" align="left"/><img src="http://payload113.cargocollective.com/1/4/144931/4569104/AmberWallisKeke-47.jpg" width="640" height="433" width_o="640" height_o="433" src_o="http://payload113.cargocollective.com/1/4/144931/4569104/AmberWallisKeke-47_o.jpg" data-mid="24590115" border="0" align="left"/><img src="http://payload113.cargocollective.com/1/4/144931/4569104/AmberWallisKeke-2.jpg" width="640" height="427" width_o="640" height_o="427" src_o="http://payload113.cargocollective.com/1/4/144931/4569104/AmberWallisKeke-2_o.jpg" data-mid="24567351" border="0" align="left"/><img src="http://payload113.cargocollective.com/1/4/144931/4569104/AmberWallisKeke-48.jpg" width="640" height="427" width_o="640" height_o="427" src_o="http://payload113.cargocollective.com/1/4/144931/4569104/AmberWallisKeke-48_o.jpg" data-mid="24590213" border="0" align="left"/><img src="http://payload113.cargocollective.com/1/4/144931/4569104/AmberWallisKeke-28.jpg" width="640" height="332" width_o="640" height_o="332" src_o="http://payload113.cargocollective.com/1/4/144931/4569104/AmberWallisKeke-28_o.jpg" data-mid="24589468" border="0" align="left"/><img src="http://payload113.cargocollective.com/1/4/144931/4569104/AmberWallisKeke-42.jpg" width="640" height="427" width_o="640" height_o="427" src_o="http://payload113.cargocollective.com/1/4/144931/4569104/AmberWallisKeke-42_o.jpg" data-mid="24590323" border="0" align="left"/><img src="http://payload113.cargocollective.com/1/4/144931/4569104/AmberWallisKeke-53_27.jpg" width="640" height="427" width_o="640" height_o="427" src_o="http://payload113.cargocollective.com/1/4/144931/4569104/AmberWallisKeke-53_27_o.jpg" data-mid="24664333" border="0" align="left"/><img src="http://payload113.cargocollective.com/1/4/144931/4569104/AmberWallisKeke-36.jpg" width="640" height="427" width_o="640" height_o="427" src_o="http://payload113.cargocollective.com/1/4/144931/4569104/AmberWallisKeke-36_o.jpg" data-mid="24664395" border="0" align="left"/><img src="http://payload113.cargocollective.com/1/4/144931/4569104/AmberWallisKeke-5.jpg" width="640" height="427" width_o="640" height_o="427" src_o="http://payload113.cargocollective.com/1/4/144931/4569104/AmberWallisKeke-5_o.jpg" data-mid="24567508" border="0" align="left"/><img src="http://payload113.cargocollective.com/1/4/144931/4569104/AmberWallisKeke-51.jpg" width="640" height="392" width_o="640" height_o="392" src_o="http://payload113.cargocollective.com/1/4/144931/4569104/AmberWallisKeke-51_o.jpg" data-mid="24591085" border="0" align="left"/><img src="http://payload113.cargocollective.com/1/4/144931/4569104/AmberWallisKeke-58.jpg" width="640" height="427" width_o="640" height_o="427" src_o="http://payload113.cargocollective.com/1/4/144931/4569104/AmberWallisKeke-58_o.jpg" data-mid="24591557" border="0" align="left"/><img src="http://payload113.cargocollective.com/1/4/144931/4569104/AmberWallisKeke-35.jpg" width="640" height="427" width_o="640" height_o="427" src_o="http://payload113.cargocollective.com/1/4/144931/4569104/AmberWallisKeke-35_o.jpg" data-mid="24589642" border="0" align="left"/><img src="http://payload113.cargocollective.com/1/4/144931/4569104/AmberWallisKeke-31.jpg" width="640" height="427" width_o="640" height_o="427" src_o="http://payload113.cargocollective.com/1/4/144931/4569104/AmberWallisKeke-31_o.jpg" data-mid="24589722" border="0" align="left"/><img src="http://payload113.cargocollective.com/1/4/144931/4569104/AmberWallisKeke-55.jpg" width="640" height="427" width_o="640" height_o="427" src_o="http://payload113.cargocollective.com/1/4/144931/4569104/AmberWallisKeke-55_o.jpg" data-mid="24591204" border="0" align="left"/>Years ago, upon deciding to uproot my life and move from California to Melbourne, I looked on Gumtree for a room to rent. From a tiny library nestled in the San Jacinto mountains I began (email) chatting with Amber, an artist who had a spare room to let. As it turned out the said room didn’t have a window and therefore didn’t feel right for me so I didn’t meet Amber at this time, but I remembered her name when I began seeing her beautiful paintings around town. When we did meet by chance recently Amber was on the cusp of a major geographical shift of her own. Five months ago Amber and her partner Brenden relocated from Melbourne to a big house in the rainforest in Federal, Northern NSW. Here they live on a ten acre property which also homes wallabies, pythons, microbats, koalas, leeches and in the near future some chooks. And they even have their own private water hole! Paradisio! On a warm rainy Friday morning I joined Amber, and her five month old pup Toody, on their weekly trip to the Mullumbimby farmers market. With green juices in one hand and umbrellas in the other we scoured the produce and threw around a few ideas before Amber settled on a veggie stack comprised of a cannellini mash, roast field mushroom with fresh peppercorns, spring onions and goats cheese with a nopales and brazil cherry salsa and a green leaf, sprout and parsley salad. Wild. I love Amber’s approach to cooking- healthy, spontaneous, brave and totally laid back. Here is a run down of some of the local produce Amber picked up. Nopales (aka cactus!) Nopales are the tender, fleshy pad segments of the nopal cactus (prickly pear), a cactus native to the mountains of Mexico. As such it has been a feature in Mexican and Tex-Mex cuisine for centuries and is often added to pico de gallo, a fiery raw vegetable medley made with tomatoes, onions, jalapeno peppers and coriander. There are other ways to serve it; lightly grilled or sauteed with onions as a garnish for tortillas or scrambled eggs (huevos con nopales), or eaten raw in salads. To me the raw nopales tasted like roast peppers...but maybe I’m alone in this. Most people describe the taste as being more akin to green beans. Research within the past ten years has caused Nopal cactus to be considered a super food, due to its antioxidant and cholesterol-reducing properties and has become popular with the raw foodies of the world. It is loaded with amino acids, vitamins and minerals and contains antioxidant flavonoids, which neutralize free radicals, thereby decreasing the liver’s load. Nopal helps counteract the effects of alcohol consumption, re-hydrating the body, soothing the stomach and preventing headaches and stomach aches. (Hello hangover cure!) Besides eating it, the sap of the cactus can be used to treat burns, wounds and cuts. Brazil cherry Brazil cherry, surinam cherry, cheyenne cherry, or pitanga...whatever you wish to call it, belongs to the Myrtaceae family. It is native to the Amazon rainforest, the south of Brazil, French Guiana, Uruguay and Guyana. The Brazil cherry can be grown in tropical or sub-tropical regions around the globe including northern NSW. The aromatic leaves contain essential oils including citronella; crush them for an instant, natural insect repellent. Brazilian cherry trees have delicate white flowers. Within three weeks of blossoming a small ribbed fruit appears which changes from green, to orange, to maroon when fully ripe. The taste ranges from sweet to sour, depending on the cultivar and level of ripeness (the darker red to black range is quite sweet, while the green to orange range is strikingly tart). Amber’s Brazil cherries were highly flavored, tart and peppery but the taste is difficult to pinpoint. Some say it’s similar to a mango though the texture is like a tomato. And just like strawberries this fruit readily releases its juices when sprinkled with sugar, and is often used to make jams, jellies and sorbet. Brazil cherries are rich in vitamin C, phosphorus, calcium, iron, riboflavin and niacin, as well as being an excellent source of vitamin A. The Brazil Cherry fruit is also rich in the antioxidants lycopene, beta-cryptoxanthin, gamma-carotene and rubixanthin. Bonus. Tatsoi Tatsoi is one of Amber’s favourite dark leafy green veggies and something I vaguely remember cooking with in Japan. It’s rich in vitamins A, C and K and has high levels of calcium, potassium, phosphorous and iron. Tatsoi’s thick leaves are mild in flavour, a little like bok choy and could be described as tasting like a slightly mustardy Swiss chard. The creamy white stalks are a little sweeter in flavour than the leaves. Salsa Ingredients Cherry tomatoes Brazil cherries Nopales Apple cider vinegar Other Ingredients Large field mushrooms (one per person) Garlic Fresh peppercorns (crushed in a mortar & pestle) Apple cider vinegar Olive oil Goats cheese Spring onions Mixed green leaves Tatsoi Spouts (any kind of mix will do, the possibilities are endless) Verjuice Cannellini beans (canned is okay) Butter Flat leaf parsley Method 1. Preheat oven to 180 degrees. 2. Begin by making your salsa as it needs 30 minutes to marinate. Quarter cherry tomatoes, pit Brazil cherries by slitting the fruit vertically on one side and open to release the seed. 3. Trim the "eyes" off napoles with a knife to remove any remaining prickers. Also trim off any dry or fibrous areas and rinse thoroughly to remove any stray prickers and sticky fluid. Again using a knife cut napoles into thin strips and finely dice. 4. Add tomato, brazil cherries and napoles to a bowl and add a dash of apple cider vinegar and a pinch of salt. Set aside. 5. Arrange mushrooms, stalks up, on a baking tray. Add a some chopped garlic, a few crushed peppercorns, a pinch of salt and drizzle with apple cider vinegar and olive oil. Place tray into oven for roasting for approximately 20 minutes. When the mushrooms are roasted cover each mushroom with a generous piece of goats cheese and some spring onions, cook till the cheese softens. 6. Next prepare your salad by throwing together your washed and dried leaves, including the tatsoi, with sprouts and dress with a little verjuice. 7. In a saucepan or frying pan add the cannellini beans with good helping of butter. Mash and stir as you go until you have a nice creamy consistency. You might want to add some water or milk to keep it moist and like a ‘mashed potato consistency’ but don’t over cook; you are really just warming the beans. 8. Remove mushrooms from oven. 9. Make stacks directly onto each person’s plate. Bean mash first, then mushroom (stalk up) followed by the salsa and some chopped fresh parsley. Serve with the salad and some fresh buttered bread. Info source: livestrong.com, wikidepedia, naturalnews.com, foodconnect.com Years ago, upon deciding to uproot my life and move from California to Melbourne, I looked on Gumtree for a room to rent. From a tiny library nestled in the San... http://www.youfoundkeke.com/Pollo-con-pimientos http://www.youfoundkeke.com/following/youfoundkeke.com/Pollo-con-pimientos Fri, 14 Sep 2012 20:35:01 +0000 Keke 3189720 <img src="http://payload44.cargocollective.com/1/4/144931/3189720/Juan Ford-17.jpg" width="640" height="427" width_o="640" height_o="427" src_o="http://payload44.cargocollective.com/1/4/144931/3189720/Juan Ford-17_o.jpg" data-mid="16324083" border="0" align="left"/><img src="http://payload44.cargocollective.com/1/4/144931/3189720/juan ford-25.jpg" width="640" height="427" width_o="640" height_o="427" src_o="http://payload44.cargocollective.com/1/4/144931/3189720/juan ford-25_o.jpg" data-mid="21319437" border="0" align="left"/><img src="http://payload44.cargocollective.com/1/4/144931/3189720/Juan Ford-16.jpg" width="640" height="427" width_o="640" height_o="427" src_o="http://payload44.cargocollective.com/1/4/144931/3189720/Juan Ford-16_o.jpg" data-mid="16324084" border="0" align="left"/><img src="http://payload44.cargocollective.com/1/4/144931/3189720/Juan Ford-11.jpg" width="640" height="451" width_o="640" height_o="451" src_o="http://payload44.cargocollective.com/1/4/144931/3189720/Juan Ford-11_o.jpg" data-mid="16323426" border="0" align="left"/><img src="http://payload44.cargocollective.com/1/4/144931/3189720/juan ford-24.jpg" width="640" height="427" width_o="640" height_o="427" src_o="http://payload44.cargocollective.com/1/4/144931/3189720/juan ford-24_o.jpg" data-mid="21319394" border="0" align="left"/><img src="http://payload44.cargocollective.com/1/4/144931/3189720/juan20ford-19.jpg" width="640" height="427" width_o="640" height_o="427" src_o="http://payload44.cargocollective.com/1/4/144931/3189720/juan20ford-19_o.jpg" data-mid="21349654" border="0" align="left"/><img src="http://payload44.cargocollective.com/1/4/144931/3189720/Juan Ford-13.jpg" width="640" height="427" width_o="640" height_o="427" src_o="http://payload44.cargocollective.com/1/4/144931/3189720/Juan Ford-13_o.jpg" data-mid="16323606" border="0" align="left"/><img src="http://payload44.cargocollective.com/1/4/144931/3189720/Juan Ford-12.jpg" width="640" height="427" width_o="640" height_o="427" src_o="http://payload44.cargocollective.com/1/4/144931/3189720/Juan Ford-12_o.jpg" data-mid="16323552" border="0" align="left"/><img src="http://payload44.cargocollective.com/1/4/144931/3189720/Juan Ford-14.jpg" width="640" height="419" width_o="640" height_o="419" src_o="http://payload44.cargocollective.com/1/4/144931/3189720/Juan Ford-14_o.jpg" data-mid="16323779" border="0" align="left"/><img src="http://payload44.cargocollective.com/1/4/144931/3189720/Juan Ford-8_1.jpg" width="640" height="427" width_o="640" height_o="427" src_o="http://payload44.cargocollective.com/1/4/144931/3189720/Juan Ford-8_1_o.jpg" data-mid="19768937" border="0" align="left"/><img src="http://payload44.cargocollective.com/1/4/144931/3189720/juan ford-8.jpg" width="640" height="427" width_o="640" height_o="427" src_o="http://payload44.cargocollective.com/1/4/144931/3189720/juan ford-8_o.jpg" data-mid="21318738" border="0" align="left"/><img src="http://payload44.cargocollective.com/1/4/144931/3189720/juanmod-1.jpg" width="640" height="427" width_o="640" height_o="427" src_o="http://payload44.cargocollective.com/1/4/144931/3189720/juanmod-1_o.jpg" data-mid="21349661" border="0" align="left"/><img src="http://payload44.cargocollective.com/1/4/144931/3189720/juan ford-18.jpg" width="640" height="427" width_o="640" height_o="427" src_o="http://payload44.cargocollective.com/1/4/144931/3189720/juan ford-18_o.jpg" data-mid="21318788" border="0" align="left"/><img src="http://payload44.cargocollective.com/1/4/144931/3189720/juan ford-23.jpg" width="640" height="427" width_o="640" height_o="427" src_o="http://payload44.cargocollective.com/1/4/144931/3189720/juan ford-23_o.jpg" data-mid="21319343" border="0" align="left"/><img src="http://payload44.cargocollective.com/1/4/144931/3189720/juan ford-26.jpg" width="640" height="427" width_o="640" height_o="427" src_o="http://payload44.cargocollective.com/1/4/144931/3189720/juan ford-26_o.jpg" data-mid="21387249" border="0" align="left"/><img src="http://payload44.cargocollective.com/1/4/144931/3189720/juan_ford_peppers-4.jpg" width="640" height="601" width_o="640" height_o="601" src_o="http://payload44.cargocollective.com/1/4/144931/3189720/juan_ford_peppers-4_o.jpg" data-mid="21423880" border="0" align="left"/><img src="http://payload44.cargocollective.com/1/4/144931/3189720/juan ford-11.jpg" width="640" height="427" width_o="640" height_o="427" src_o="http://payload44.cargocollective.com/1/4/144931/3189720/juan ford-11_o.jpg" data-mid="21318717" border="0" align="left"/><img src="http://payload44.cargocollective.com/1/4/144931/3189720/juan ford-9.jpg" width="640" height="427" width_o="640" height_o="427" src_o="http://payload44.cargocollective.com/1/4/144931/3189720/juan ford-9_o.jpg" data-mid="21319256" border="0" align="left"/>Juan is an artist who was born in Melbourne in the early seventies, the first of three kids from a Spanish mother and an Australian father. Juan’s parents raised him in the town of Sunbury, out past the airport. His father promised his mum that he'd get her back to see family in Spain every year, and managed this by working for an airline. Consequently Juan, along with his family, travelled to Spain each August for next to nothing, on standby. Because they had to take whatever flights were available the routes were pretty mental. A typical journey to arrive in Spain could be: Melbourne - Singapore - Tokyo - Abu Dhabi - Amsterdam - London - Madrid - and then an eight hour drive to Tapia de Casariego, on the northern coast. Sometimes the journey took a week. So cool - kudos to them! Juan says this way of living gave him a larger perspective on life from a young age. For all the travel, his family lived quite humbly in Sunbury. It's a town Juan escaped as soon as he could. He says ‘whatever natural beauty it did have was stripped away before my eyes as a child and teenager, and replaced with concrete’. Now the place is a sea of mcmansions. ‘It's fucked up.’ Witnessing this destruction has turned him into a lifelong environmentalist. These days Juan lives with his wife Mel live in this incredible 1970's flat roof home designed by Fasham Johnson in leafy in Eltham. Juan and met Mel in the late 90’s, while they were both working for artist John Young. Life is pretty sweet in their Eltham oasis where they live surrounded by gums and are woken each morning by Kookaburra calls, and other birdlife. Their three great loves in life are one another, food and art. Going by the immaculate state of their home I think Juan and Mel may also share a great love for organisation. This Pollo con pimentos is Juan’s variation on his Spanish gran's recipe in that he uses a whole lot less oil, more varieties of peppers (like in the French a la Basquaise) plus homemade chicken stock and capers. Worry not he says, this is all very acceptably Spanish. Some families and regions are happy to use capers, less oil etc. For this meal Juan used quite a few veggies from the garden and organic produce picked up on his weekly visit to St Andrews Market. This dish is just so simple, honest and fresh. I love it and have made it several times already...never as well as Juan though. As it’s a little saucy you are going to want some fresh bread to mop up that delicious juice. It's way too good to just leave on your plate. Juan served a 100% rye from the Warrandyte Bakery, which was melt- in- your- mouth- molasses- delicious. If you prefer rice, that's ok too. Buen provecho! A word on Pimientos de Padrón Pimientons de Padron (Padron Peppers) are tiny green peppers and a traditional tapa treat from the Galicia region of Spain. Usually one in about a ten peppers is spicy hot, and the rest have a mild and grassy flavour. Juan dissuades you from using capsicums in your Pollo con pimentos. Horn peppers, if in season, have a far better taste. The peppers he used were: two green horn peppers, two red cherry peppers and a couple of green jalapeño chilies from the garden, as well as eight or so Pimientos del Padrón from his parents' friend's garden in Shepparton and a couple of green jalapeño chilies from the garden. And good news for us - you can get organic Padrón peppers locally at Midyim Eco! - fry ‘em up spanish style in a pile oil and salt - yum! Ingredients 1kg of organic free range chicken thighs (or if you like it on the bone, just chop up a whole chicken into pieces) olive oil 250 ml dry white wine 1 onion a variety of sweet peppers (3 horn peppers are perfect, plus any heirloom peppers growing in your patch) 3 cloves of garlic a small handful of cherry tomatoes small capers 250 ml chicken stock (make your own, it’s worth it!) salt pepper flat leaf parsley fresh bread Directions 1. Cut up your chicken into small pieces. 2. Add a generous amount of olive oil to a pan and fry chicken pieces one batches at a time until golden brown. Make sure you don’t over crowd your pan. Deglaze the pan with the wine in between each batch and add more olive oil. 3. While frying the chicken, finely chop the onion and peppers, removing the seeds and place set aside. 4. Finely chop the garlic and tomatoes as well and set aside in a separate bowl. 5. Once you think your chicken is done, fry it some more like Juan’s grandma would tell you too. Now you can remove the chicken from the pan and set aside. Be sure to save the deglazing liquid, this emulsion of oil and wine and chicken is vital. 6. Now using the same pan-fry the onion and peppers until onion begins to caramelise. Add garlic, tomato and a generous teaspoon of capers. Stir in and fry for a couple more minutes. 7. At this point add the fried chicken and deglazing liquid, plus the stock, and any remaining white wine. Add salt and pepper to taste and simmer for 25 mins. 8. Transfer to a serving dish and sprinkle freshly chopped parsley over the top and a generous slice of bread. Images by Kirra Jamison and Dane Lovett. Juan is an artist who was born in Melbourne in the early seventies, the first of three kids from a Spanish mother and an Australian father. Juan’s parents raised... http://www.youfoundkeke.com/Kyuri-asazuke-pickled-cucumber http://www.youfoundkeke.com/following/youfoundkeke.com/Kyuri-asazuke-pickled-cucumber Wed, 12 Sep 2012 18:23:08 +0000 Keke 1928716 <img src="http://payload.cargocollective.com/1/4/144931/1928716/kirrascucumberpick-1.jpg" width="670" height="446" width_o="1500" height_o="1000" src_o="http://payload.cargocollective.com/1/4/144931/1928716/kirrascucumberpick-1_o.jpg" data-mid="9561169" border="0" align="left"/><img src="http://payload.cargocollective.com/1/4/144931/1928716/kirrascucumberpick-2.jpg" width="670" height="472" width_o="1500" height_o="1057" src_o="http://payload.cargocollective.com/1/4/144931/1928716/kirrascucumberpick-2_o.jpg" data-mid="9561184" border="0" align="left"/><img src="http://payload.cargocollective.com/1/4/144931/1928716/kirrascucumberpickle-4.jpg" width="670" height="531" width_o="1500" height_o="1190" src_o="http://payload.cargocollective.com/1/4/144931/1928716/kirrascucumberpickle-4_o.jpg" data-mid="9561195" border="0" align="left"/><img src="http://payload.cargocollective.com/1/4/144931/1928716/picklecombine2.jpg" width="670" height="357" width_o="700" height_o="373" src_o="http://payload.cargocollective.com/1/4/144931/1928716/picklecombine2_o.jpg" data-mid="10235441" border="0" align="left"/>Kyuri asazuke is a kind of pickled, lightly salted Japanese cucumber. It's super simple to make, perfect for summer and adds a fresh crunch and colour to just about any dish. I have used a plastic pickle press with a metal spring- however this is not ideal as the metal can interfere with the flavour. My preference would be a glass pickle press but any kind of tupperware or even a plastic bag will work. Kyuri Asazuke is highly perishable and should be eaten within a few days. Ingredients Japanese cucumbers (any kind of cucumber will work if you can't find these) sea salt ¾ cup of brown rice vinegar 1 tsp raw sugar Method 1. Sliced cucumbers into thin coins and cover with 2 Tbsp. of sea salt for 5-10 minutes. 2. Combine brown rice vinegar, 1 tsp of sea salt and 1 tsp of sugar in a bowl. 3. Rinse well and pat dry your salted cucumber before combining with other ingredients. 4. Transfer all ingredients to pickle press. Your Kyuri asazuke will be ready to eat within a few hours. Photos by Dane Lovett. Kyuri asazuke is a kind of pickled, lightly salted Japanese cucumber. It's super simple to make, perfect for summer and adds a fresh crunch and colour to just about... http://www.youfoundkeke.com/Beni-shoga-pickled-ginger http://www.youfoundkeke.com/following/youfoundkeke.com/Beni-shoga-pickled-ginger Wed, 12 Sep 2012 18:23:07 +0000 Keke 1928656 <img src="http://payload.cargocollective.com/1/4/144931/1928656/kirrasgingerpick-1.jpg" width="670" height="446" width_o="1500" height_o="1000" src_o="http://payload.cargocollective.com/1/4/144931/1928656/kirrasgingerpick-1_o.jpg" data-mid="9560906" border="0" align="left"/><img src="http://payload.cargocollective.com/1/4/144931/1928656/kirrasgingerpick-2.jpg" width="670" height="446" width_o="1500" height_o="1000" src_o="http://payload.cargocollective.com/1/4/144931/1928656/kirrasgingerpick-2_o.jpg" data-mid="9560914" border="0" align="left"/><img src="http://payload.cargocollective.com/1/4/144931/1928656/kirrasgingerpick-3.jpg" width="670" height="446" width_o="1500" height_o="1000" src_o="http://payload.cargocollective.com/1/4/144931/1928656/kirrasgingerpick-3_o.jpg" data-mid="9560920" border="0" align="left"/><img src="http://payload.cargocollective.com/1/4/144931/1928656/kirrasgingerpick-4.jpg" width="670" height="1004" width_o="1000" height_o="1500" src_o="http://payload.cargocollective.com/1/4/144931/1928656/kirrasgingerpick-4_o.jpg" data-mid="9560935" border="0" align="left"/><img src="http://payload.cargocollective.com/1/4/144931/1928656/kirrasgingerpick-5.jpg" width="670" height="446" width_o="1500" height_o="1000" src_o="http://payload.cargocollective.com/1/4/144931/1928656/kirrasgingerpick-5_o.jpg" data-mid="9560944" border="0" align="left"/><img src="http://payload.cargocollective.com/1/4/144931/1928656/kirrasgingerpick-6.jpg" width="670" height="1074" width_o="935" height_o="1500" src_o="http://payload.cargocollective.com/1/4/144931/1928656/kirrasgingerpick-6_o.jpg" data-mid="9560945" border="0" align="left"/><img src="http://payload.cargocollective.com/1/4/144931/1928656/soybean and tofu salad.jpg" width="670" height="676" width_o="1485" height_o="1500" src_o="http://payload.cargocollective.com/1/4/144931/1928656/soybean and tofu salad_o.jpg" data-mid="9560946" border="0" align="left"/>There are two types of pickled ginger in Japanese cooking. The first is gari which is a rosy pink colour. This kind is thinly sliced young ginger which is sweet in flavour is eaten with sushi. The pickled ginger I have made is a kind of beni shoga. Traditionally Beni shoga's deep magenta colour comes from red shiso leaves, however if you buy beni shoga in a supermarket it's likely to be artificially coloured. Instead of shiso leaves I've used beetroot because it is much easier to get hold of outside of Japan and is the perfect natural colourant. Benji shoga is delicious with rice, okonomiyaki or cold soba noodles (my favourite!). Beni shoga should be eaten within a few days so you might want to halve the of the below quantities. Ingredients 3 small knobs of ginger ½ a beetroot ¾ cup brown rice vinegar ½ Tbsp of sea salt ¼ cup raw cane sugar Method 1. Peel ginger and beetroot. 2. Thinly slice or grate into matchstick both the ginger and the beetroot. 3. Gently combine all ingredients in a bowl. 4. Transfer everything to pickle press for about 12 hours. If you don't have a pickle press any kind of tupperware will work fine but I imagine the flavour may not be quite as intense. 5. Store benji shoga in an airtight sterilised container. If you are using a jar with a metal lid place a piece of plastic wrap between the lid and the juice (I forgot to do this!) each time you reseal the jar. You will avoid the flavour being affected by the metal this way. Excess pickling juice can be used as salad dressing. I used a tiny dash on this silken tofu and soybean salad. Photos by Dane Lovett. There are two types of pickled ginger in Japanese cooking. The first is gari which is a rosy pink colour. This kind is thinly sliced young ginger which is sweet in... http://www.youfoundkeke.com/Osaka-pumpkin-and-tofu-cake http://www.youfoundkeke.com/following/youfoundkeke.com/Osaka-pumpkin-and-tofu-cake Wed, 12 Sep 2012 18:23:05 +0000 Keke 2034035 <img src="http://payload.cargocollective.com/1/4/144931/2034035/Pumkin and tofu-57.jpg" width="640" height="451" width_o="640" height_o="451" src_o="http://payload.cargocollective.com/1/4/144931/2034035/Pumkin and tofu-57_o.jpg" data-mid="10292566" border="0" align="left"/><img src="http://payload.cargocollective.com/1/4/144931/2034035/Pumkin and tofu-62.jpg" width="640" height="346" width_o="640" height_o="346" src_o="http://payload.cargocollective.com/1/4/144931/2034035/Pumkin and tofu-62_o.jpg" data-mid="10293245" border="0" align="left"/><img src="http://payload.cargocollective.com/1/4/144931/2034035/Tomimo guitar_640.jpg" width="640" height="426" width_o="1200" height_o="800" src_o="http://payload.cargocollective.com/1/4/144931/2034035/Tomimo guitar_o.jpg" data-mid="10574084" border="0" align="left"/><img src="http://payload.cargocollective.com/1/4/144931/2034035/Tomimo tarp_640.jpg" width="640" height="426" width_o="1200" height_o="800" src_o="http://payload.cargocollective.com/1/4/144931/2034035/Tomimo tarp_o.jpg" data-mid="10574086" border="0" align="left"/><img src="http://payload.cargocollective.com/1/4/144931/2034035/pumpkin comp1.jpg" width="640" height="480" width_o="640" height_o="480" src_o="http://payload.cargocollective.com/1/4/144931/2034035/pumpkin comp1_o.jpg" data-mid="10449512" border="0" align="left"/><img src="http://payload.cargocollective.com/1/4/144931/2034035/pumpkin cake grain-5.jpg" width="640" height="301" width_o="640" height_o="301" src_o="http://payload.cargocollective.com/1/4/144931/2034035/pumpkin cake grain-5_o.jpg" data-mid="10448890" border="0" align="left"/><img src="http://payload.cargocollective.com/1/4/144931/2034035/pumkin comp2.jpg" width="640" height="533" width_o="640" height_o="533" src_o="http://payload.cargocollective.com/1/4/144931/2034035/pumkin comp2_o.jpg" data-mid="10449560" border="0" align="left"/><img src="http://payload.cargocollective.com/1/4/144931/2034035/pumpkin cake grain-10.jpg" width="640" height="477" width_o="640" height_o="477" src_o="http://payload.cargocollective.com/1/4/144931/2034035/pumpkin cake grain-10_o.jpg" data-mid="10448913" border="0" align="left"/>On my first morning in Osaka I discovered organic cafe Le Coccole. With its pretty courtyard nestled between two tall concrete buildings I liked the look of the place right away. Despite the cafe not yet being open for the morning (oops!) owner Tomomi Yokota, being the gracious host that she is, made me a delicious coffee anyway. Two nights later I went back to Le Coccole for dinner and Tomomi again was super cool...and totally kawaii! She chatted to me about her love of macrobiotic cooking and her brother's organic farm in Nara where she sources much of the produce for the cafe. I invited Tomomi to participate in the first guest recipe post for Keke. Tomimo accepted and made this incredible vegan pumpkin and tofu cake. This cake is her adaptation of Patrico Garcia de Parcede's recipe from his book ‘Non Sugar Sweets’. This cake does take a little time and love but having eaten it in Osaka and made it myself back in Melbourne I promise you that the result is worth it. This cake has an overall nuttiness and subtle toffee flavour. Refrigerated in an airtight container this cake will last for up to a week and I find it tastes better and better each day. Tomomi used a couple of ingredients that I had never cooked with and perhaps you haven't either so I’ve made some notes below: Kudzu (or kuzu) vine powder is a form of starch that has been used for centuries in traditional Japanese cooking. Kudzu vine powder can be bought in a powdered form or in little white chunks. If you get the solid kind just crush it up in a mortar and pestle until you have a fine powder. Kudzu vine powder is super easy to find - I know for sure it's available from The Fruit Pedallers, Northcote and Naturally On High, Thornbury. Arrowroot powder or cornstarch are suitable replacements if you can't find it. Kudzu is pronounced KOOD-zoo. Organic beet sugar syrup is a soft refined sugar made from beets - a root vegetable that contains a high concentration of sucrose. Beet sugar has a more complex flavour than cane sugar. To make beet sugar syrup dissolve 2 parts sugar with 1 part water in a saucepan over low heat. Bring to boil once and remove from heat. When I make this cake I follow the same method and use coconut palm sugar as a 1:1 replacement for the beet sugar. Agave syrup could also be a good substitute but be sure that whenever you use agave instead of sugar use 25% less than the recipe calls for. Before you get started Preheat oven to 180°C. Start by baking your pumpkin. To do this cut pumpkin in half and scoop out the seeds. Drizzle with a little mirin and a pinch of salt. Completely cover pumpkin in aluminium foil and bake in oven for 30-60 minutes or until pumpkin is soft. You need to remove the excess water from the tofu- to do this place a bamboo mat, sieve (or anything that will allow the water to drain) over a bowl. Place tofu on top and then something heavy on top of the tofu - I use books with some paper towel between. And don't forget to make up some beet sugar syrup. MAKES 8 GIANT SLICES. Ingredients for crust 50ml beet syrup 65ml rapeseed oil 50g finely chopped walnuts 65g whole wheat flour 65g middle gluten 3 pinches of salt Making the crust 1. Oil and line (bottom only) an 18 cm cake tin. 2. Whisk together beet syrup and rapeseed oil in a small bowl. 3. In a larger bowl combine crushed walnuts, flour, gluten and salt. 4. Gradually whisk in beet syrup and oil into dry mixture. Add additional beet syrup and oil in equal parts if mixture appears too crumbly. 5. Place mixture into cake tin, level with a spatula and lightly pierce all over with a fork. 6. Place in oven for 10 minutes. 7. Once crust is removed from the oven turn temperature down to 170°C. Ingredients for cake 1 small Japanese pumpkin (you need a pumpkin with green skin) 75g almond meal 25-50ml beet syrup (this depending on the sweetness of the pumpkin so have a taste) 50ml maple syrup 65ml cold pressed rapeseed oil 1 Tbsp kudzu vine powder ½ Tbsp white miso paste 300g silken tofu 8 whole walnuts small handful of baby spinach leaves (optional) Making the cake 1. In a blender combine almond meal, beet syrup and maple syrup, rapeseed oil, kuzu vine powder, miso paste and tofu (roughly chopped into two inch pieces) until smooth. 2. Put aside ⅓ of your baked pumpkin to use later. Now using the remaining ⅔ - scoop flesh from skin and add to blender. It's important not to include any skin at this stage. Combine in blender until smooth. 3. Remove approximately half of the mixture from blender and place in bowl. This is your 'orange batch'. 5. Now what you want to do is turn what's left in the blender green! If you have a seriously awesome blender (lucky you!) you can just add chopped pumpkin skin to your blender. If however your blender is a little low-fi like mine, push the left over skin of pumpkin through a sieve with a wooden spoon before adding to blender, as illustrated. I found this to be quite a bit of work so instead I found by adding a small handful of chopped baby spinach leaves I got the same visual effect without any effect on the flavour. Whichever way you go blend until you have a smooth consistency and all over green colour. 6. Now you should have two batches, one green and one orange. Using a spatula pour the green batch into cake tin on top of crust and distribute as evenly as possible. 8. Cut the remaining ⅓ of pumpkin into three slices and place into cake tin as shown. 9. Pour in orange batch and smooth top. 10. Finally lightly press whole walnuts into cake. 11. Place in oven uncovered for 30 minutes or until lightly golden. Loosely cover cake with aluminum foil and bake for a further 10 minutes. Allow this cake to cool completely before removing from tin. Give each slice a quick brush over with beet sugar syrup for a glossy finish and serve with a little cream. Tomimo uses a yummy soy cream garnished with a teeny tiny mint leaf. Don't forget this cake must be refrigerated. Photos by Dane Lovett. Tweet !function(d,s,id){var js,fjs=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0];if(!d.getElementById(id)){js=d.createElement(s);js.id=id;js.src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js";fjs.parentNode.insertBefore(js,fjs);}}(document,"script","twitter-wjs"); On my first morning in Osaka I discovered organic cafe Le Coccole. With its pretty courtyard nestled between two tall concrete buildings I liked the look of the... http://www.youfoundkeke.com/Miso-soup http://www.youfoundkeke.com/following/youfoundkeke.com/Miso-soup Wed, 12 Sep 2012 18:23:01 +0000 Keke 2049435 <img src="http://payload.cargocollective.com/1/4/144931/2049435/misocolour-6.jpg" width="640" height="444" width_o="640" height_o="444" src_o="http://payload.cargocollective.com/1/4/144931/2049435/misocolour-6_o.jpg" data-mid="10627184" border="0" align="left"/><img src="http://payload.cargocollective.com/1/4/144931/2049435/misocolour-3.jpg" width="640" height="427" width_o="640" height_o="427" src_o="http://payload.cargocollective.com/1/4/144931/2049435/misocolour-3_o.jpg" data-mid="10627227" border="0" align="left"/><img src="http://payload.cargocollective.com/1/4/144931/2049435/misocolour-5.jpg" width="640" height="427" width_o="640" height_o="427" src_o="http://payload.cargocollective.com/1/4/144931/2049435/misocolour-5_o.jpg" data-mid="10627230" border="0" align="left"/>The humble miso soup- simple, delicious, nourishing. Comfort in a bowl. Dashi is the basis for miso soup. For this soup I have used ichiban dashi which contains fish. If you are vegetarian or prefer a milder taste you can use kombu dashi. Current kombu, a vital ingredient in dashi, cannot be imported into Australia. Luckily there are some good quality instant dashi available. Instead of tofu I've added onion, carrot and potato to this soup. Miso paste is fermented soybean. Through the process of fermentation the natural sweetness of the soybeans is slowly removed. The longer the soybeans are allowed to ferment the more salt that is needed to preserve them and this accounts for the different types of miso available. Basically there are three types- white, brown and red miso, you can use any of these to make miso soup. If you are gluten intolerant keep in mind that while it is possible to find wheat free miso paste many do contain wheat. White miso is the sweetest and mildest miso as it has fermented for just two or three months. It is popular in Kyoto and is actually my favourite. Brown miso is pretty much the standard paste used throughout Japan. Brown miso is fermented for five to seven months. Red miso can ferment for up to a year or more and as a result is the richest in both colour and flavour. Red miso soup is often served in sushi restuarants because the strong, salty flavour provides a balance to the mild taste of sushi. This soup I have made uses red as that happens to be what I have in the fridge at the moment. Refrigerated a tub of miso paste is good for three to four months. I learn't this recipe from Taro Saeki at Haru Cooking School in Kyoto. SERVES 4 Miso soup ingredients 1 litre of prepared dashi stock ½ onion ½ carrot ½ small potato 1 tsp wakame (seaweed) spring onion 1.5 Tbsp. miso paste tamari (optional) Method 1. Heat dashi stock in a saucepan on medium heat. Add onion, carrot and potato and cook for a few minutes. 5. Remove from heat and add miso paste - mixing and dissolving gradually through a strainer. By using a strainer you not only avoid getting lumps of miso paste in your soup but you are also removing the wheat from the miso paste. Do not allow to boil. 6. Now add the wakame. Depending on how salty you like it you can either add a splash of tamari or more water at this point. 7. Add spring onions before serving. 8. Sluuuuuuuuurp. Photos by Dane Lovett. The humble miso soup- simple, delicious, nourishing. Comfort in a bowl. Dashi is the basis for miso soup. For this soup I have used ichiban dashi which contains... http://www.youfoundkeke.com/Chevre-souffles-baked-in-Mud http://www.youfoundkeke.com/following/youfoundkeke.com/Chevre-souffles-baked-in-Mud Wed, 12 Sep 2012 18:22:28 +0000 Keke 2391131 <img src="http://payload4.cargocollective.com/1/4/144931/2391131/Books Japan-20_640.jpg" width="640" height="426" width_o="700" height_o="467" src_o="http://payload4.cargocollective.com/1/4/144931/2391131/Books Japan-20_o.jpg" data-mid="12058111" border="0" align="left"/><img src="http://payload4.cargocollective.com/1/4/144931/2391131/Books Japan-5_640.jpg" width="640" height="419" width_o="700" height_o="459" src_o="http://payload4.cargocollective.com/1/4/144931/2391131/Books Japan-5_o.jpg" data-mid="12058337" border="0" align="left"/><img src="http://payload4.cargocollective.com/1/4/144931/2391131/Books Japan-7_640.jpg" width="640" height="426" width_o="700" height_o="467" src_o="http://payload4.cargocollective.com/1/4/144931/2391131/Books Japan-7_o.jpg" data-mid="12058413" border="0" align="left"/><img src="http://payload4.cargocollective.com/1/4/144931/2391131/Books Japan-12_640.jpg" width="640" height="426" width_o="700" height_o="467" src_o="http://payload4.cargocollective.com/1/4/144931/2391131/Books Japan-12_o.jpg" data-mid="12058198" border="0" align="left"/><img src="http://payload4.cargocollective.com/1/4/144931/2391131/Books Japan-17_640.jpg" width="640" height="426" width_o="700" height_o="467" src_o="http://payload4.cargocollective.com/1/4/144931/2391131/Books Japan-17_o.jpg" data-mid="12058136" border="0" align="left"/><img src="http://payload4.cargocollective.com/1/4/144931/2391131/Books Japan-19_640.jpg" width="640" height="426" width_o="700" height_o="467" src_o="http://payload4.cargocollective.com/1/4/144931/2391131/Books Japan-19_o.jpg" data-mid="12058157" border="0" align="left"/>Today I took the afternoon off from the studio and instead got inspired in the kitchen by Mud Australia's competition Baked in Mud. This recipe is from Yotam Ottolenghi's book Plenty and is baked in three Mud baby noodle bowls. For these soufflés I've used organic, unhomogenised, full cream milk, Green Eggs and a chèvre (goat's cheese) from Holland. This particular chèvre is white in colour and has a mild, buttery flavour and smooth texture. Anything you make with cheese this good is fail-safe! Serve soufflés directly from the oven and still inside their bowls. One between two is plenty so enjoy with someone you L.O.V.E love and a glass of wine. Ottolenghi suggests pairing these soufflés with vanilla-poached peaches (recipe here), but I've opted for a fresh salad of radish, shelled snap peas, watercress and nasturtium flowers. SERVES 6 Ingredients for soufflés 60g ground hazelnuts 280ml milk 1 bay leaf 1 small onion, studded with a few cloves 60g unsalted butter, at room temperature, plus more for brushing 40g plain flour 180g hard chèvre, broken up into pieces 4 medium eggs, separated, plus one extra white ½ tsp salt Method 1. Preheat the oven to 190°C. Pour enough boiling water into a large roasting tray to come 2cm up its sides, and put in the oven. 2. Brush soft butter over the insides of your ramekins. Sprinkle some hazelnuts into each, turn to evenly coat. Tip out any excess nuts and place ramekins in fridge. 3. In a small saucepan combine milk, bay leaf and onion. Bring to a boil and immediately set aside. 4. In another pan, melt the butter on medium heat, add the flour as you stir with a wooden spoon and cook while stirring for two minutes. 5. Discard the bay leaf and onion and gradually add the milk to the butter mix as you stir. Continue cooking and stirring for 3 minutes, until the mixture thickens. 6. Off the heat, stir in the cheese - it should melt in quickly - followed by the egg yolks and salt. Transfer to a mixing bowl. 7. In a separate bowl whisk the egg whites to soft peaks, then gently fold into the cheese mix. 8. Divide among the bowls or ramekins, filling them almost to the brim. 9. Set them carefully into the water-filled tray and bake for 20 minutes, or until golden brown and well risen. Photos by Dane Lovett and Kirra Jamison. Tweet !function(d,s,id){var js,fjs=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0];if(!d.getElementById(id)){js=d.createElement(s);js.id=id;js.src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js";fjs.parentNode.insertBefore(js,fjs);}}(document,"script","twitter-wjs"); Today I took the afternoon off from the studio and instead got inspired in the kitchen by Mud Australia's competition Baked in Mud. This recipe is from Yotam... http://www.youfoundkeke.com/A-true-garden-salad http://www.youfoundkeke.com/following/youfoundkeke.com/A-true-garden-salad Wed, 12 Sep 2012 18:22:26 +0000 Keke 2421844 <img src="http://payload6.cargocollective.com/1/4/144931/2421844/Yvette-23_640.jpg" width="640" height="426" width_o="700" height_o="467" src_o="http://payload6.cargocollective.com/1/4/144931/2421844/Yvette-23_o.jpg" data-mid="12193898" border="0" align="left"/><img src="http://payload6.cargocollective.com/1/4/144931/2421844/Yvette-27_640.jpg" width="640" height="433" width_o="700" height_o="474" src_o="http://payload6.cargocollective.com/1/4/144931/2421844/Yvette-27_o.jpg" data-mid="12194020" border="0" align="left"/><img src="http://payload6.cargocollective.com/1/4/144931/2421844/Yvette-32_640.jpg" width="640" height="426" width_o="700" height_o="467" src_o="http://payload6.cargocollective.com/1/4/144931/2421844/Yvette-32_o.jpg" data-mid="12194022" border="0" align="left"/><img src="http://payload6.cargocollective.com/1/4/144931/2421844/Yvette-31_640.jpg" width="640" height="426" width_o="700" height_o="467" src_o="http://payload6.cargocollective.com/1/4/144931/2421844/Yvette-31_o.jpg" data-mid="12194027" border="0" align="left"/><img src="http://payload6.cargocollective.com/1/4/144931/2421844/Yvette-30_640.jpg" width="640" height="426" width_o="700" height_o="467" src_o="http://payload6.cargocollective.com/1/4/144931/2421844/Yvette-30_o.jpg" data-mid="12194031" border="0" align="left"/><img src="http://payload6.cargocollective.com/1/4/144931/2421844/Yvette-29_640.jpg" width="640" height="426" width_o="700" height_o="467" src_o="http://payload6.cargocollective.com/1/4/144931/2421844/Yvette-29_o.jpg" data-mid="12194034" border="0" align="left"/><img src="http://payload6.cargocollective.com/1/4/144931/2421844/Harriet-3_640.jpg" width="640" height="440" width_o="700" height_o="482" src_o="http://payload6.cargocollective.com/1/4/144931/2421844/Harriet-3_o.jpg" data-mid="12515907" border="0" align="left"/><img src="http://payload6.cargocollective.com/1/4/144931/2421844/Harriet-5_640.jpg" width="640" height="377" width_o="700" height_o="413" src_o="http://payload6.cargocollective.com/1/4/144931/2421844/Harriet-5_o.jpg" data-mid="12516055" border="0" align="left"/><img src="http://payload6.cargocollective.com/1/4/144931/2421844/Harriet-4_640.jpg" width="640" height="416" width_o="700" height_o="455" src_o="http://payload6.cargocollective.com/1/4/144931/2421844/Harriet-4_o.jpg" data-mid="12516057" border="0" align="left"/><img src="http://payload6.cargocollective.com/1/4/144931/2421844/Harriet-18_640.jpg" width="640" height="426" width_o="700" height_o="467" src_o="http://payload6.cargocollective.com/1/4/144931/2421844/Harriet-18_o.jpg" data-mid="12516136" border="0" align="left"/><img src="http://payload6.cargocollective.com/1/4/144931/2421844/Harriet-15_640.jpg" width="640" height="426" width_o="700" height_o="467" src_o="http://payload6.cargocollective.com/1/4/144931/2421844/Harriet-15_o.jpg" data-mid="12516262" border="0" align="left"/>Hello 2012! After all the indulgence that is Christmas and New Year here is an incredibly clean and healthy garden salad that your body is surely craving. This salad comes to you from my friend Yvette, and is made almost entirely from fresh produce plucked from her kitchen garden. Yvette is a Melbourne based painter who lives with her two kitties, Nini and Nounou, in this seriously beautiful Caulfield oasis. Her decisions in the kitchen are influenced by what's both time efficient and what's high quality fuel for the body. Being a painter requires her to have lots of physical and mental energy so she likes to eat organic unprocessed foods that don't demand much prepping or cooking. The secret to the healthy soil in her garden is pea straw which she laid over the ground for two months before the veggies went in. This enriched the tired old soil, and before long worms started shifting in. Three months on Yvette says her garden is like a convenience store but healthier. She loves the feeling of having run out of food in the fridge but still being able to make a salad or a meal with what she has in her backyard 'shop'. Sorrel This salad includes sorrel; one of my favourite leafy greens. Sorrel is a perennial herb with juicy stems and slender edible, arrow-shaped leaves. The upper leaves frequently become a crimson colour and in summer reddish-green flowers bloom. Due to a small amount of oxalic acid sorrel has a tangy flavour that is a bit similar to kiwifruit or sour wild strawberries. It's best to tear or shred sorrel with your fingers - if you do chop it do so only with a stainless steel knife and never cook in an iron pan. This herb tastes best in early spring, and becomes increasingly bitter as the season progresses. Use the tender, young leaves in salads and cook larger ones just as you would spinach. Sorrel complements goat's cheese, eggs and poultry. Sorrel's other match made in heaven is oily fish - including salmon, sea trout, sea bass and mackerel. I'm sure a sorrel pesto would be very tasty too. The good news about sorrel, other than it's delicious, is that it is rich in vitamin C and said to cool and cleanse the liver while strengthening the heart. The bad news is that while it was once a central to many culinary recipes (frequently appearing in early cookbooks, especially those of the Medieval era) sorrel vanished from use hundreds of years ago. Today it's making a modest come back but rarely appears in markets. Why? Because it must be used immediately after harvest. Looks like you'll just have to grow it. Ingredients sorrel beetroot leaves spinach spring onion flat leaf parsley curly leaf parsley mint vietnamese mint nasturtium leaves and flowers 3 eggs 1 avocado half a lemon tamari seseme oil fresh ginger salt and pepper 1 tbps chia seeds Method 1. Wash and drain all leaves and herbs well taking particular care not to crush the nasturtium flowers. 2. Remove and discard the stalks and chop the leaves coarsely or simply shred before adding to a bowl. 3. Chop and add avocado to salad. 4. Scramble the eggs with salt and pepper in olive oil then roughly slice and toss through salad. 5. To make dressing whisk together lemon juice, finely diced or grated ginger and tamari, sesame oil, salt and pepper to taste. Finally sprinkle with chia seeds. Yvette served this salad with a lemon geranium, mint and ginger tea (again straight from the garden!) and a brown rice dish which her friend Amelie calls Macrobiotica Exotica. To make it cook brown rice with black eyed beans, green lentils, umbeoshi plums, shitake mushrooms and some Massel Bouillon vegetable-based chicken stock. It's yum, try it. Sorrel info source: Essentially Delicious, Herb Companion and Complete Book of Herbs and Spices by Sarah Garland. Hello 2012! After all the indulgence that is Christmas and New Year here is an incredibly clean and healthy garden salad that your body is surely craving. This... http://www.youfoundkeke.com/Chickpea-and-sesame-salad http://www.youfoundkeke.com/following/youfoundkeke.com/Chickpea-and-sesame-salad Wed, 12 Sep 2012 18:22:05 +0000 Keke 2391628 <img src="http://payload4.cargocollective.com/1/4/144931/2391628/Alex-7_640.jpg" width="640" height="426" width_o="700" height_o="467" src_o="http://payload4.cargocollective.com/1/4/144931/2391628/Alex-7_o.jpg" data-mid="12221833" border="0" align="left"/><img src="http://payload4.cargocollective.com/1/4/144931/2391628/Kirra Tokyo-3_640.jpg" width="640" height="426" width_o="700" height_o="467" src_o="http://payload4.cargocollective.com/1/4/144931/2391628/Kirra Tokyo-3_o.jpg" data-mid="12193317" border="0" align="left"/><img src="http://payload4.cargocollective.com/1/4/144931/2391628/Alex-8_640.jpg" width="640" height="426" width_o="700" height_o="467" src_o="http://payload4.cargocollective.com/1/4/144931/2391628/Alex-8_o.jpg" data-mid="12221834" border="0" align="left"/><img src="http://payload4.cargocollective.com/1/4/144931/2391628/Alex pale hound-8_640.jpg" width="640" height="426" width_o="700" height_o="467" src_o="http://payload4.cargocollective.com/1/4/144931/2391628/Alex pale hound-8_o.jpg" data-mid="12316613" border="0" align="left"/><img src="http://payload4.cargocollective.com/1/4/144931/2391628/Kirra Tokyo-2_640.jpg" width="640" height="460" width_o="700" height_o="504" src_o="http://payload4.cargocollective.com/1/4/144931/2391628/Kirra Tokyo-2_o.jpg" data-mid="12193319" border="0" align="left"/><img src="http://payload4.cargocollective.com/1/4/144931/2391628/Kirra Tokyo_4_640.jpg" width="640" height="426" width_o="700" height_o="467" src_o="http://payload4.cargocollective.com/1/4/144931/2391628/Kirra Tokyo_4_o.jpg" data-mid="12316452" border="0" align="left"/><img src="http://payload4.cargocollective.com/1/4/144931/2391628/Alex-11_640.jpg" width="640" height="426" width_o="700" height_o="467" src_o="http://payload4.cargocollective.com/1/4/144931/2391628/Alex-11_o.jpg" data-mid="12221886" border="0" align="left"/><img src="http://payload4.cargocollective.com/1/4/144931/2391628/Alex pale hound-4_640.jpg" width="640" height="426" width_o="700" height_o="467" src_o="http://payload4.cargocollective.com/1/4/144931/2391628/Alex pale hound-4_o.jpg" data-mid="12316317" border="0" align="left"/><img src="http://payload4.cargocollective.com/1/4/144931/2391628/Alex pale hound-7_640.jpg" width="640" height="426" width_o="700" height_o="467" src_o="http://payload4.cargocollective.com/1/4/144931/2391628/Alex pale hound-7_o.jpg" data-mid="12316287" border="0" align="left"/><img src="http://payload4.cargocollective.com/1/4/144931/2391628/Alex-9_640.jpg" width="640" height="426" width_o="700" height_o="467" src_o="http://payload4.cargocollective.com/1/4/144931/2391628/Alex-9_o.jpg" data-mid="12221830" border="0" align="left"/>Alex is the co-owner of Lakota Trading, a recycled, vintage and antique furniture store in Sydney's Kensington which also serves great coffee and treats. Alex likes old Holdens, crystals, the ocean, the sun, the moon, the stars and wearing flowers in her hair...but none of it in a hipster kind of way. When Alex and I were in our early twenties we travelled through France and Portugal together, needless to say, we have shared plenty of amazing and memorable meals. But when I really think of what my favourite Alex -food memories are, it's humble, healthy, homemade lunches that come to mind. Salty, sun kissed and starving after a long, lazy day at Tamarama Beach we would make a quick but satisfying salad, with whatever ingredients we could afford, in my barely- there kitchen in a share house on Bondi Road. This flavour bomb of a salad is a reminder of the good ol' days. Jam packed with fresh herbs, buttery chunks of avocado, crunchy cucumber and protein rich chickpeas. And all that goodness generously dressed in a tangy tahini dressing. I'm going to use this dressing on everything this summer! If you have a jar of tahini stashed in the back of your fridge it's time to get reacquainted. This salad makes a substantial lunch and for under four dollars a plate is super economical. SERVES 4 Ingredients 800g cooked chickpeas (canned is fine) 1 punnet of mini roma tomatoes a decent pile of baby spinach 2 lebanese cucumbers 1 avocado (on the firm side) 1 medium spanish onion 2-3 cloves of garlic 2 Tspb lemon juice 2 Tspb hulled tahini 1 Tbsp balsamic vinegar 1 Tbsp spoon virgin olive oil 1 tsp dark agave salt pepper ½ bunch parsley shredded Method 1. Wash spinach leaves and allow to dry, your salad will become slimy if the leaves are too wet. 2. Rinse and drain chickpeas thoroughly and add to large salad bowl. 3. Adding each vegetable as you go, top and tail cucumber, slice lengthways and chop into even quarters. 4. Chop off tops of tomatoes and dice into bite size pieces. 5. Very finely dice onion. 6. Shred baby spinach leaves. 7. Dice and add avocado. 8. Very finely dice garlic and add to salad. 9. To make the dressing add lemon, tahini, balsamic vinegar, olive oil, agave, salt and pepper to a jar or jug and whisk until smooth. Pour over salad and gently toss through parsley. 10. Sprinkle with sesame seeds. Tweet !function(d,s,id){var js,fjs=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0];if(!d.getElementById(id)){js=d.createElement(s);js.id=id;js.src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js";fjs.parentNode.insertBefore(js,fjs);}}(document,"script","twitter-wjs"); Alex is the co-owner of Lakota Trading, a recycled, vintage and antique furniture store in Sydney's Kensington which also serves great coffee and treats. Alex...