Wedding of Marion and Mark – 09.09.09

Well Wednesday the 9th of the 9th 09 heralded the wedding of my friend from university Maz and her boyfriend Mark. (He likes numbers and proposed on the 8th of the 8th 08) It was a lovely wedding at one of Sydney's prettiest churches - St Marks Anglican Church in Vaucluse. The reception was held in the church gardens on a sunny spring day with views to the harbour. There was sparkling pink moscato to drink and the canapes that floated around were enjoyable. 

I particularly loved how she had set the gardens up for the wedding and she used the bonbonnerie gifts of little basil herb pots very well to add layers of colour and texture, it was a design element that worked well for their low budget and I for one am grateful for the delicious addition to my balcony's herb patch. The gifts table and cake table were also very charming, I just love all the old wooden tables. Overall this wedding was such a classic English Garden Wedding.

Painting Presents

It is my friends wedding next Wednesday morning and I have bought her a nice bison ceramic salad bowl in a pretty sagey green colour with wooden salad servers. Lately I have gone off purchasing wrapping paper, the designs are either boring or horrendously expensive and just not in my budget but the time the present is purchased. I have a big roll of brown paper I'm using as a base for everything and I just wrap it in an unusual style with odd folded flaps or oragami flourishes at the end, then I can wrap ribbons round it or stick a small bit of feature paper from my supplies to it. For a wedding though something special is required so I dug out my roll of Chinese Silk Paper and paints and did a brush painting of some blue flowers... I forgot I was going to put yellow centres on them once they had dried and in the confusion I wrapped the present before going "oops" I still think it looks find though. 

A few weeks ago for my friends birthday I did her a chinese brush painting of a mountain landscape. She was the one who kindly gave me a framed picture of a duck for my birthday. I decided to make this into a scroll type painting with two balsa rounds. 

The Japanese Haiku in the top corner is very nice and when I get home I will look it up and add it onto this post in a bit

I wish I had a scanner to get a better image of these, they photograph poorly with my mobile phone

A year of nesting

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This weekend I celebrated a year of having left the nest. Saturday started off simply enough with a walk down to the Kings Cross Markets for breakfast and some stops at the fruit and veg, deli, supermarket aisles. On the way back, the cake shop had miniature croquemboche's for sale so this was perfect, a little tower of decadence to carry carefully home and enjoy on the balcony in the afternoon. There was also a little mini bottle of Möet that I had been saving for an occasion and so this too was shared. A simple celebration but quite fine and dandy indeed. 

On Sunday I had my Grandmother over for afternoon but as usual forgot to photograph my creations. I made leaf shaped honey and lavendar madeline cakes, crackers with english cloth bound cheddar cheese, another with a lovely soft french chevre with Italian proscuitto and a broadbean and mint purree with pork and fennel salami. I also made these cute little cupcakes that are inspired by the concept of a fruit custard tart. You make the basic vanilla cupcake recipe, scoop out a bit in a centre, fill with custard (home made from scratch, no powder involved) and then topped with some fruits (strawberries, blueberries and golden kiwi fruit) and glazed with a little melted strawberry and vanilla jam. I was running late though and rushing at the end to have everything laid out so the doorbell rang before I could photoshoot it. All I had left was two dodgy ones at the end of the day to remind me of the occasion. Everything else was demolished. 

Aspiring to the Art of Food

Since moving out of the family nest and establishing my own it is interesting to reflect on how much my thoughts and priorities have switched. 

Previously I would be far more outward minded, thinking about the world around me and how all the dots connected, considering the twists and turns of society, the things that inspired me and the things I despised in the world. I would follow the news more and think about the events that impacted on us or what they said about us as people.

Now though I have new challenges which I am dedicating my time to and relishing in many ways. I never expected my blog to wind up focusing on so much food but I do love a good meal and I am trying to improve my cooking by massive strides. It helps that I have taken to it quite naturally and I have a well developed palette from years of eating good tasty food. 

Yet I want to achieve more than simply making a meal that tastes good. Gradually I want my dishes to start looking like little artworks as well. This is of course a hangover from being too busy to paint much any more either. 

That is is of course the challenge of new responsibilities, your thoughts and energies are refocused on other  things in your life whilst prior passions get left behind, at least for a while. 

In the meantime this is my latest creation. On the base is a pancake/fritter consisting of pulverised corn and fennel mixed in with a thick pancake batter to make a nice hearty fritter. On top of that is some shredded chicken which I poached in water with a teaspoon of ras el hanout spice mix to give it a delicate yet rich flavour. Then scattered on top is some pistachio nuts, toasted pine nuts, cranberries and coriander leaves. On road testing this got full marks for taste and flavour and I rather like the beautiful colours in with its jewels of red and green on a golden base. Now all I need is a name for it. 

Snowdrops

It may only be half way through July yet the sight of snowdrops popping up fills me with pleasure. I have always thought there was something quite magical about this particular flower that I have loved ever since I was a small child. 

In amongst the branches of the tree houses that formed my early life my friends and I were enthralled with the world of Cecily Mary Barker's flower fairies, we each had our different favourites and mine was not the more popular rose, lavender or sweetpea, nor was it the bright columbine or fuscia flowers my friend adored. My favourite was the snowdrop along with the willow and gentle forget-me-not. Even as a child I was more of an introvert who preferred to reflect quietly along the river banks than frolic around in bright colours with the other fairies. 

The snowdrop is a flower that is delicate yet tenacious. It's flowers are fragile, quivering little white bells on the end of bright green stems. From a design perspective they are nicely balanced with the stem colour being carried through into the delicate spotting design along the petals edge. They crush easily, wilt easily but they are strong and determined little things popping up when it's still a bit cold and taking those first steps into spring. I took them to heart as a metaphor, I can cope with the cold and desolation when things are not always rosey. I may be fragile in some ways but strong in others. It appears as a lonely flower sometimes yet its role is also a herald for better times ahead. I am not an obvious beauty yet if you peer closely and can appreciate the subtleties then yes beauty is definitely to be found there. Of course it is not a complete metaphor by any degree, but rather a sliver of a whole.

So it was with great joy when I went home to check on mum and dads place while they were away, to clear the letterbox and sweep the fallen camellias from the drive, that I spotted these lovely little darlings springing up at the base of the old magnolia tree. Again this is part of their beauty, growing up at the base of a tree, adding that little splash of green and dashing flair to the trunk of a tree whose own magnificence is further upwards. I brought some of them home with me and popped them into a humble glass bottle. As I sit here drink my tea they do indeed still bring a smile to my face thinking of their beauty and the memories they conjure up for me of idyllic days amongst the garden beds. 

I had forgotten the beauty of these flowers in many ways, I guess I wished to distance myself from the struggles of childhood, to reach forward into new things, at the florist I would select something different and unusual, a striking native or an amusing broccoli-like creation. Orchids and other exotics would grab my attention and I had no time for the humble snowdrop. Now though I am willing to embrace it again, to enjoy my rediscovery of it. I guess in ways too that I have settled now into my new life and am comfortable embracing the old, perhaps also it is a hint I am beginning to feel ready to start thinking about children and how I will guide them into life. 

Vive Le Tour

Time speeds past and it is already July. What happened to June, how did it get so buried under pressing duties, long work hours and endless things demanding my time and energy. 

For me July heralds the start of the Tour de France, a great event that I have been following for quite a number of years now. I never really took to sport and nor can I claim to be much of a cyclist at all. Yet despite this there is something quite appealing about this particular event. The scenery itself is so spectacular and no other sport can claim such a stunningly beautiful stadium.

So it is such a pleasure to snuggle up late at night and sleepily watch the roads of France unwind before you. The photographers have a real visual eye for capturing fascinating things and so many of the people it passes are also making their little contributions to the event with their roadside decorations. 

So in the spirit of the Tour de France I have baked some bicycle cookies, they are a ginger/cinnamon flavour with a hint of lemon peel. 

Now if only the members of my Fantasy Cycling Tour will start performing so I can stop regretting the decision to omit Cancellara and Cavendish from my team. Fingers crossed and good luck to you Cadel... 

Birthday with the Queen

This year I was able to enjoy a nice relaxing Monday in which to celebrate turning 26 thanks to the Queens Birthday falling on the same date. The whole long weekend really was a chance to simply relax and enjoy.

On the Saturday night my parents came over and joined Geoff and I for a kaiseki dinner at a local sushi restaurant - Zushi. It was a great meal if somewhat overwhelmed with food. There were 8 courses all together and they didn't skimp in portions, a platter of sashimi came with at least a dozen pieces each, a sushi plate came with 8 nigiri, one course was a whole steamed snapper to share between two. There was also lobster miso soup, tender chunks of wagyu beef with mushrooms, an egg custard thing, dessert and a trio of appetisers. 

Sunday started off slowly with a wander over to Paddington to share a French omelette and pastry at the boulangerie near Five Ways. A quick yum cha at Fu Man Chu with my friend Jasmin before catching up with the other girls for hot chocolate, waffles and ganache pieces at Boon. Food and conversation is a pleasure that should never be underestimated.

In the evening Geoff took me to Le Pelican on Bourke street where I had the sand whiting entree which came served with a delicious potato mash, crispy crouton with olive tapenade and seafood bisque sauce to meld it all together with. Geoff ordered oysters so I had a few from his plate. For the main it was Seafood Pie - filled with smoked fish, asparagus and broad beans whilst Geoff had the duck two ways, slow cooked confitted leg and roasted and spiced breast, his dish came with some very nice leeks and cubes of beetroot. Desserts were spectacular, I had the Grand Marnier Souffle and Geoff the Chocolate Fondant, a warm melting blob of joy. The table next to us had ordered some amazing Creme Brulee's so next time I shall try that (they were served in a wide flat bowl so had lots of toffee and a cylinder of chocolate and berried rising from the centre. 

And so to Monday. Another sleepy start to the day before brunch at Forbes and Burton which was very crowded and we ended up jammed onto a tiny table. We shared Bubble and Squeak and "Hot Vanilla Rice with Sexy Pears" and yes the pears are sexy. Then the return to the home nest to visit Mum and Dad. Dinner is about family favourites, chicken leek and bacon casserole and Delia's Squidgy chocolate Log with a mixture of the rich lindt mousse and the tangy prune filling. 

So to some presents which are rich in those lovely little 'twigs' for making a comfortable home...

These beautiful cups are by Madhulika Ghosh and are inspired by Tibetan Buddhist prayers. The fine translucence porcelain evokes the Himalayan light and they are very divine. Geoff did well to pick two really nice pieces after I had simply directed him to the artist and the shop where he could buy them. I'm sure as the years go by he will gradually grow in confidence to learn how to buy things undirected. He also bought me a couple of books and some chocolate. 

My best friend Jasmin painted me this gorgeous painting of a Chinese Wood Duck with Peony Flowers. We had recently done the Chinese Brush Painting course together so it is a great reminder of how much fun we had together doing the course as well as looking very fine on my wall. I also got some nice ceramic bowls from Alison, artist finger puppets for the fridge from Susan and some wine from Emma. 

Mum and Dad gave me a nice alpaca blanket, some dvd's and a book, a small crystal bowl for serving cream in and some Yen for spending on my trip to Japan coming up in October. So after a long weekend of indulgence it is now simply back to work and settling into life at 26.