In My Kitchen March 2016
The end of February marked my 4th Anniversary of blogging. It been a remarkably enjoyable, fulfilling and unexpected experience. Please Pass The Recipe began as a way to share family recipes with my daughter interstate. Little did I anticipate the warmth and friendliness of the blogging community, the generosity of sharing and the sense of accomplishment I would feel not only as a cook, photographer and writer, but personally. Thank you dear friends for making it such a wonderful experience.
In My Kitchen is hosted by Maureen “The Orgasmic Chef.” There is always something new to learn from the worldwide community of fellow food bloggers. Follow the link, check out the list in the sidebar and click through to see for yourself. Better still, why not join in.
The passed month has been fairly quiet in my kitchen.
Rather than being the centre of cooking activities, there has been a stream of designers and tradesmen through the kitchen assessing my space and quoting on a refurbishment. It’s been interesting to see the impact that an individual personality has on design concepts. We decided against the designer who said “yes, whatever you want” and the bloke who said “you don’t want that” and have settled on a company whose designer worked with our ideas adding practicality and some pleasing aesthetic touches. We’ve chosen the layout, all the fittings, finishes and appliances, everything except a tap.
Sourdough 100% Spelt
I’ve been seriously bitten by the sourdough bread baking bug. A couple of times a week I bake a 100% spelt flour loaf which I prove overnight. I am still incredulous of the quality of my loaves. I wish I knew exactly what happened when I switched to the overnight method a few weeks ago which has resulted in such amazing bread. I’m feel ready now to start experimenting with some variations using the 100% spelt sourdough as the base. Hot Cross Buns, I’m looking at you….
Breadbaking References
In My Kitchen I have Elizabeth David’s “English Bread and Yeast Cookery.” Published in 1977 this unassuming paperback holds a wealth of information and good reliable recipes. I’ll be using it as a guide to adding fruit, spices and sugar to my spelt bread dough for the above mentioned Hot Cross Buns. I also have “Crust” by Richard Bertinet borrowed from my local library and my copy of Carol Field’s “The Italian Baker” on my kitchen reading stack. There is a slim chance I’m becoming bread obsessed.
Turkish Fire
I also have an exciting new book Turkish Fire by Sevtap Yuce, an Aussie chef who writes of her return to her Turkish roots. It’s a book to linger over, not only for the delicious food, but also for the photos of real people who influenced Sevtap’s cooking, the places she visited and for her warm anecdotes of connection with both.
Tomatoes, tomato ginger jam, spicy tomato relish
It’s hard to resist luscious plump late summer tomatoes. I experimented with a flavour memory from our trip to NZ and made a delicious Tomato and Ginger Jam. It’s sweet but with a delicious savoury edge. I also experimented and made a low FODMAP Spicy Tomato Chutney, no onion, no garlic and no fruit. I was so hungry for the flavour of chutney that the jar was empty in a few days, so In My Kitchen there are tomatoes to make more chutney.
Amarena Cherry Stuffed Amaretti with cherries
In My Kitchen I have a great big jar of Amarena cherries, a gift from my daughter Leah who knows I have a weakness for these delicious morsels. I especially love them when stuffed into homemade Amaretti but it’s hard to stop at just one. I’ve been tempted by cheese and chocolate cakes too but I think vanilla will be my flavour of choice for the next Amarena accompaniment experiment.
What’s been happening in your kitchen?
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57 comments on “In My Kitchen March 2016”
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Please Pass the Recipe by Sandra Gay is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 3.0 Unported License.
Please Pass the Recipe 
Happy anniversary Sandra! Isn’t food blogging such a wonderful way to meet new people & make great friends 🙂 Your spelt sourdough is looking fantastic! I’ll be learning everything I need to know from you 😉 And you’re a woman after my own heart – cookbooks! Enjoy baking & happy #IMK xx
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Thanks Nicole
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i think i have read a book by that turkish writer. i do love that sort of food. i like the sound of that tomato and ginger jam. and tomato relish is always a winner.
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I love Turkish food too Sherry, do you have a favourite cafe/ restaurant here in Brissy?
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caravanserai in West End is very popular – always full. and efes one in albion is okay too.
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Yay! Congratulations! And thanks for sharing your kitchen. 😀
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Thanks Jhuls, you’re welcome
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Your spelt loaf looks amazing Sandra! I still haven’t had luck with sourdough so it amazes me when I see other people create beautiful bread. I need to give another sourdough starter a go, I think… I’ve killed three, so maybe four is the magic number?! As for the rest of your beautiful IMK post, I love the look of those cookbooks, the glossy tomatoes and that tomato ginger jam. YUM! I can imagine using it for both sweet and savoury applications. Gorgeous!
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Hi Laura, I’m pretty new to sourdough, it was the IMK community who inspired me, supplied starter and walked me through the first tentative steps. I would be very happy to send you some dried spelt starter if you would like to take a crack at it. Baking 100% spelt sourdough is probably the most satisfying thing I’ve done in the kitchen, ever
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Oh that is so kind of you! That would actually be wonderful, the thought makes me so excited! Do you think it would send ok? I could send you an email and would be happy to do some sort of exchange? x
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Hi Laura, The sourdough starter dries and reconstitutes brilliantly well. I’ll set aside some to dry from the batch I activated it a few hours ago. If you send me a snail mail address, click my avatar for my email, I should have it winging your way in a week. I’ll let you know when it’s on the way. Sandra
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Oh ok, I am so excited!! Thank you lovely! Will do xx
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Congratulations on your blog anniversary Sandra and exciting renovations going on in your kitchen. Your sourdough bread looks fabulous and love that gorgeous jar of cherries your lovely daughter gave you. The Turkish cookbook sounds wonderful too. 🙂
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Thanks Moya, very excited about the reno
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A new kitchen sounds like a new adventure. Lucky you. Love your sourdough bread. I bake it at least once a week. Can’t get enough of the stuff.
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Happy 4th Blogoversary! Here’s to the next wonderful 4 years. I have just found 20 old cookbooks in a trunk and can’t wait to go through them all.
Have a beautiful weekend.
🙂 Mandy xo
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Sounds like a treasure trove Mandy, a good week end ahead for you.
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I love all your cook books. Very exciting that you have finalised the kitchen design, I can’t wait to see the end result.
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Probably some angst to come first but plans are moving apace.
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You’ve got some seriously good things going on here. Richard Bertinet is a bit of a spunk I reckon. I call his dough handling technique the ‘slap and tickle’ method. I’m working through Carol Field’s book too, some great recipes in there. Love to see how your kitchen comes up. Close to my heart at the moment! Thanks for letting me visit! Cheers, Maree.
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Glad you popped in Maree how’s your reno progressing? I have a serious bread baking addiction, the reading is teaching me to relax, there are no hard and fast rules
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Hi, progressing slowly, but it is progressing! I too just love my bread adventures 🙂
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I guess the disruption is the worst part, but you seem to be keeping your sense of humour, but then a new grandchild help keep things in perspective
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No sense of humour, no life! Little Charlie is such a joy and watching my daughter being such a great mum is something I could never explain. I must have done something right along the way and I need to remind myself of that when it’s so easy to bag myself. Cheers, M 🙂
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Congrats on the the blogaverisary – I can honestly say I always learn something new every time I pop in. I wish I could put my hand through the screen and take that plate of amaretti stuffed with cherries from you!
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Thanks Nancy, the amaratti/amarena cherry combo is unbelievably good, enjoy…
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Forgot…congrats on the 4th anniversary. We must have started the same year, my 4th was a few months ago. xx
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Thanks and belated congrats to you 💐
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I loved your description of the two kitchen designers you didn’t choose! My creations in the kitchen are on the ‘go slow’ in the heat this time of year, which doesn’t appear to be bothering you! I can hardly contain my excitement to start making the sourdough spelt bread 🙂 Thanks Sandra.
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It’s been interesting choosing kitchen designers. Anyway we’ve signed on the dotted line. I don’t feel I’m battling the summer heat in the kitchen in Brissy like I did in Melbourne so I’ve been happy to keep cooking.
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Oh my goodness, those amaretti! And can’t wait to see pics of the new kitchen.
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Thanks Michelle, I can’t wait for the new kitchen, should be up and running by the end of May
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Congrats dear Sandra on your 4th blogiversary – such an achievement! Sounds like you’re making great progress on the kitchen reno… do you have a start date yet? I’m particularly envious of your sourdough making skills… before winter makes another appearance I need to see if I can get a starter happening. In fact you’ve inspired me to give it another shot right now! Your loaves indeed look beautiful. M.xx
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Hi Margot, we’ll know next week our start date, it’s very exciting. I could mail you some dried sourdough starter if you like, it’s a sure fire way to get a reliable starter up and running, let me know…
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Such a kind offer Sandra. I’ll see how I go over the coming week with this one and let you know. Thanks, M.xx
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Happy 4th anniversary. I am loving all your bread loaves, the look so beautiful and spelt is indeed delicious. Good luck with all the renovations.
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Thanks Gretchen I’m definitely bitten by the sourdough bug
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Happy anniversary!
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Thank you…
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Almond and cherry flavors go so well together. Your amaretti must be delicious! Congrats on your 4th anniversary, Sandra. Did you ever think you’d still be at it 4 years later or that it would be so rewarding? I certainly had no idea what I’d started when I hit publish for the first time.
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I had no idea at all what was to come, but blogging has been very rewarding
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Oh and congrats on your 4th anniversary. Nearly time for the FODMAP book?
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Thanks! One day……
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I had missed those stuffed amaretti. They look lovely.
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Very moreish!
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Hi Sandra, Good luck with the renos!!
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Thanks Glenda, I’m sure there’ll be some challenges
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Congrats on four years! You are on a bread roll indeed! (Tee hee…)
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Too true….
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A lovely round up, Sandra. Congratulations on your blog anniversary.
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Thanks Liz, time has flown by…
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Bread, chutney, and various sorts of jam sound like very delicious cooking projects. I always let chutney age for a couple of weeks, or I’d eat mine in a day as well.
best… mae at maefood.blogspot.com
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I need to make a large batch of chutney while the tomatoes are good to see me through the year. Thanks for commenting Mae
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Those cherries are my downfall. I have two jars now and I know if I open one, they’ll both be gone in a couple of days. I love your bread and those cookbooks, especially the Turkish Fire has me wanting to go book shopping.
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Amarena cherries are so moreish I know exactly what you mean. I’m trying to find some different ways to serve them rather than just scoffing them from the jar
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I share your obsession with sourdough bread, though now that I have made more than 100 loaves, I am easing off a bit, especially in summer. When the cold comes, I will be back into it. I mostly make it for Mr T and other visitors as I find that I can only eat a little bread, 100% spelt included. Good luck with the fruit versions of Hot Cross Buns. That Turkish Fire book looks interesting- hope we will see some recipes coming our way too.
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I hope I can make hot X buns successfully. It’s been quite a few years since I was able to enjoy them. The book is quite inspiring, I love Turkish food
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