Rhubarb & ginger creme brûlée tarts
Baking in lockdown, continued
While Melbourne’s lockdown stretches out interminably (can you believe it’s September already??), I’m also currently on 2 weeks of forced annual leave. Hopes of an overseas adventure were initially reduced to thoughts of heading home to Auckland, or a possible beach trip to Queensland (I think I was in denial for a while, ok), and have morphed into a strict 5km radius from home, no visitors and an 8pm curfew. Copious amounts of sugar have been involved in maintaining sanity thus far – the clear winner being these rhubarb & ginger creme brûlée tarts. Buttery pastry, creamy ginger and cardamom spiced custard, sharp rhubarb and a glassy caramelised surface - they’re worth the effort, I promise. Read more and get the recipe here.
You may have also noticed that this newsletter is arriving in a slightly different format to usual - I’ve transitioned from mailchimp to substack, mainly due to cost. The other benefit is that you can view all previous newsletters on the substack website, complete with lists of recommended recipes and books.
This month
Currently cooking
Babka, because apparently everyone in Melbourne is doing it (it’s the new sourdough- definitely a thing). I’ve tried Ottolenghi’s krantz cake recipe a couple of times, and there’s also a pear, dark chocolate and hazelnut version on my blog.
Ottolenghi’s coffee & walnut friands: if you’re wondering what to do with the 6 egg whites left from your creme brûlée tarts, this is your answer.
Alison Roman’s green beans with mustard and anchovied walnuts: who knew you could do so much with green beans?! Why have I been simply sautéing them all my life?
This salted peanut caramel slice aka snickers on crack or how to befriend strangers instantly. Go make it.
Currently reading
The Vanishing Half, Brit Bennett. A new 2020 novel (debuted top of the NYT fiction list) exploring race in the US through the divergent lives of estranged twin sisters. Would highly recommend.
The War Doctor, David Nott. A memoir of years spent volunteering in trauma and vascular surgery in conflict and disaster zones all over the world, including operating in secret hospitals under bomb strikes in the midst of war torn Aleppo. Equally horrifying and fascinating.
The Secrets We Kept, Lara Prescott: a novel set between cold war Moscow and Washington detailing the CIA’s role in distributing the censored Soviet Union novel Doctor Zhivago around the world - a tool known as ‘cultural diplomacy’ aimed at introducing Western values into communist nations.
