Kalamata Focaccia...

You will need:

2 tablespoons of yeast

1 & 1/2 cups of warm water

1 teaspoon of honey

3 cups of strong bread flour

2 teaspoons of salt

2 tablespoons of dried herbs

1 cup of pitted kalamata olives

olive oil to drizzle

Method:

- Gently combine the yeast, warm water and honey in a medium bowl and set aside for 10 minutes.

- Tip the salt into the flour first, then add the flour to the yeast mixture and gently fold with your hands until the flour is completely combined.

- Throw in the dried herbs and kalamata olives and evenly mix the ingredients through.

- Transfer the mixture to a large oiled bowl and cover it with clingfilm. Leave it to rise for 1 hour, and it should double in size.

- Flour a large baking tray.

- Flip the dough out onto a floured surface and break it up into 2 or 3 equal portions. dust some flour over the top of each piece before picking it up and letting it stretch between your hands, the dough should do the work for you as you pull you hands apart.

- Lay out the stretched pieces of dough evenly on the tray.

- Use your knuckle to punch mini holes all over each portion and drizzle with olive oil.

- Bake for 20-30 minutes in a forced oven at 190oC until the bread is golden and easily slides off the metal oven tray.

Wrap it with some baking paper and cute string for your friends or just dip it in some olive oil and eat it straight up!

Fiesta Ice....

Make ice fun over the holiday season and surprise your guests with some festive ice cubes that not only look beautiful but create an aromatic decadence when added to any drink...

As it is summertime here in Australia, I cut sprigs of flowering rosemary and lavender blooms from my parents organic garden and popped a sweet surprise in each ice compartment. I filled the tray 1/3 of the way with water and let the herbs float to the surface before freezing. The secret to keeping the herbs inside the ice is to turn each one over once the water has frozen and fill with water to the top before freezing again.

You can experiment with lots of beautiful fragrances and flavours, just be sure to make sure the organics are edible and not at all harmful to digest.

Try a rose ice cube with rosè and edible rose petals, or this mint and ginger twist using apple ginger juice and young mint leaves!

Not so Naughty Salted Caramel and Coconut Balls...

15 small medjool dates

1/2 cup water

In a saucepan, bring to the boil and reduce water. This should only take a few minutes.

1/2 cup coconut milk

Place coconut milk with softened dates in a blender and blend until smooth.

1/2 cup coconut flour

1/2 cup almond meal

Mix the dry ingredients together with the wet ingredients until combined.

2 tablespoons coconut oil

1 tablespoon honey

Melt the coconut oil and honey in the microwave and add to the mixture. Mix it all together until all ingredients are combined.

Sea salt flakes

Sprinkle 3 inches of sea salt flakes into the mixture and spread through with a fork.

Hazelnuts

Shredded coconut

Take a tablespoon of mixture and press a hazelnut into the centre, closing the mixture around it and forming a ball. Roll the balls in shredded coconut and refrigerate overnight.

Yoghurt pops...

It's this simple...

Blend 1/4 cup of mango puree with 1/2 cup of yoghurt and 1/2 cup of either milk or juice.

Pour this liquid gold into popsicle molds, stopping at intervals to add some blueberries. Freeze.

 The easiest way to take these out is to let them sit at room temperature for 10 minutes, give them a good squeeze and they should slide right out!

My gorgeous friend Jessie gives them the thumbs up! And BTW how cool is that picture she created in the background!

Cocoa Protein Balls...

I don't think you should ever feel guilty about treats and snacking and giving into cravings as long as you're careful not to over indulge... which is hard to do most of the time!

Don't get me wrong, it's not like there is anything necessarily 'good' about this recipe (other than the taste of course), but the all natural ingredients and portion sizes don't make it bad for you either :)

So if you're after a guilt free, satisfying snack that you can have enough of without running to the gym to burn off a million calories or collapsing into a heap of emotional regret, then these will do the trick.

Mix

- 1/2 cup almond meal
     
- 1 1/2 cups of 100% whey protein powder (vanilla)

- 1/2 cup shredded coconut

- 1 tablespoon sifted cocoa powder

Melt

- 3 tablespoons coconut oil

- 2 tablespoons organic   peanut butter

- 3 tablespoons of organic honey






Stir the melted ingredients vigorously to combine before adding to the dry ingredients.

Use your hands to combine the two mixtures and if you think it still seems a little dry, add a tablespoon of warm water and continue to mix.

(clearly I'd forgotten the cocoa powder at this point so I just sifted it in here). Take about 2 teaspoon fulls of mixture into the palm of your hand and roll into a bite sized ball. 

Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week if your cravings don't take over and you eat them all in a day. Recipe makes about 20 balls :)

The Edible Wonders of Travel...

Oh the sights that you see,

and the experiences that be,

when you travel are wonders to behold.

But the food that you find,

when you're lost and don't mind,

is most often worth it's own weight in gold.

Portuguese custard tarts from Casa Pasteis De Belem - Lisbon

Xuxu from Pasteleria Escriba Las Ramblas - Barcelona

Delicacies from a few places in Europe, 2014.

x o x o x

Apple and Bluberry Pie...

During a visit to the picturesque Taunus mountain region of Germany to see family recently, we happened upon their bountiful apple tree and found ourselves in harmony on a blissfully rainy afternoon... making pie!

A P P L E  &  B L U E B E R R Y  F I L L I N G...
8 medium sized apples
300g blueberries (fresh or frozen)
3-5 tablespoons of caster sugar
2 tablespoons of cornflour
1 cup of cold water

Peel, core and slice the apples and place half of them in a deep saucepan with half of the blueberries, setting aside the rest of the fruit for later. Add sugar in tablespoons to taste. Depending on how seasonal the fruit is depends on how sweet the end result will be, so it's best to add 3 tablespoons first with the idea that you can add more as you taste it along the away.

Stir the cornflour into the cold water until it has dissolved and add to the saucepan. Stir everything together and simmer on a medium heat for about 20 minutes. Be sure to stir the mixture throughout the cooking process to ensure it doesn't stick to the bottom of the saucepan.

Once the mixture looks similar to chunky jam (you can add more sugar here if you wish), add the rest of the fruit and continue cooking for another 10 minutes, or until the apples are turning soft.

P A S T R Y...
200g soft butter
100g caster sugar
1 egg
50g cornflour
200g flour

Cream the butter and sugar together using an electric mixer, then beat in the egg. Add the flours and fold the mixture into a ball using either your hands or a paddle attachment.

No need to roll out your dough, I just save a small piece to decorate the top of the pie with and then press the rest of the mixture evenly into the pie dish (I have found a ceramic dish is best and prevents the pastry from sticking).

Prick the pastry all over with a fork and bake it in the oven for about 20 minutes on 180oC. When it is a golden brown colour yet soft to the touch it is ready for the filling.

Let the pastry cool for 10 minutes before adding the pie filling and decorate the top with the left over pastry any way you choose!

Bake again in the same oven (180oC) for about 20 minutes, or just until the pastry on top has cooked.

Serve warm out of the oven, or even cold for breakfast the next day as we did :)