Winter Warmers.........

So technically there are only 13 days before spring officially arrives in NZ and we are surrounded by daffodils and other flourishing spring blooms. This year Mr weatherman upstairs seems to be super confused in terms of the whats supposed to be happening. I don't think he quite remembers that we actually do in fact have seasons that generally begin and end at roughly the same time each year! This year we haven't been experiencing the usual intense cold snaps that habitually grace us with there presence during winter. Generally the cold icy weather would start to disappear during this time of year in order to let the gorgeous spring sunshine creep in ........but not this year!!!

Winter decided to really set in yesterday......in the middle of AUGUST!! what is going on!!! I feel this is rather inconvenient!! It was only last week that I was embracing the sunshine whilst sipping my tea at Mission bay enjoying the calm waters before me thinking that summer was well and truly on its way ....... How wrong was I!!!

Yesterday I had to drag my biggest, warmest, heaviest coat out from the back of my wardrobe (where I had happily shoved it when I THOUGHT I wouldn't be needing it again this year) so I could survive the icy polar blast that has decided to sweep over NZ. Despite this there was something that managed to perk me up and get me super excited ......the snow in Auckland!!! I know it was only a light sprinkling but still it was SNOW in AUCKLAND. It is a little embarrassing that I did get soo excited about the meagre dusting!!!.......but it NEVER snows here so I think I was entitled to my few minutes of acting like a 4 year old child who had never seen snow in her life.

The temperature at one point during the day plummeted to a mere 7 degrees which is way below the acceptable 15/16 degrees I have become accustomed to! Whilst caught outside in the snow shower yesterday I decided it would be a night where a super hearty meal would be required. I ended up embracing my roots and making an amazing lamb curry (adapted from a Bill Granger recipe) which is sooo easy to make, you just throw everything into a pot and pretty much leave it till its done! It is also really delicious. And as well as that I made a super scrumptious pear crumble - you could substitute the pear for apple if your not a pear fan. I used Donna Hay's crumble topped vanilla pear recipe and turned it into a crumble instead of individual desserts. I also substituted the almonds with extra rolled oats as my brother has a severe nut allergy, but I think it would taste better with almonds for extra crunch. I served it with vanilla bean ice cream but custard's also a good option :)

The aromas that filled the house were soooo good and at the risk of sounding super cheesy mouth watering!!! The indulgent curry and crumble combo (strange combo but noone had any qualms) definitely satisfied everyone on the cold wintry night and fulfilled the brief of a hearty meal. simran x

Lamb Curry

1 kg lamb pieces

2tsp ground coriander

11/2tsp ground cumin

1tsp tumeric

1tsp dried chilli flakes

1tsp paprika

1tsp cardamom pods crushed

3 cinnamon sticks

1tbsp grated ginger

1tbsp olive oil

25g butter

2 large brown onions chopped 

400g tin tomatoes

1 cup plain yoghurt

250mL water

juice of 1/2 or 1 lime- depending on your taste

Place the lamb in a large bowl, add the spices and ginger and toss to coat all the lamb.

Season with salt.

Place a large heavy-based pan over medium-high heat.

Heat the oil and butter, add the onion and cook for 5 minutes until softened.

Add the lamb and cook for 5 minutes until the meat is browned.

Add the tomatoes, yoghurt and water and bring the pan to the boil.

Turn the heat down to medium-low, cover and simmer for two hours ( I left mine for 1 1/2 hours and it turned out perfect)

Stir in the lime juice and serve with basmati rice and naan bread.

Pear Crumble

4 beurre bosc pears

1/3 cup caster sugar

1/3 cup water

1 Tbsp vanilla extract

50g butter

crumble topping

1cup plain flour

1/2 cup brown sugar

100g butter, softened

1 cup rolled oats (recipe says 1/2 cup almonds and 1/2 oats)

Preheat oven to 190 degrees.

Place the pears in an ovenproof dish with the sugar, water and vanilla and toss to combine.

Top with butter, cover with foil and bake for 1 hour.

Remove the foil and bake for a further 10 minutes till pears are tender.

Place the flour, sugar and butter in a bowl and rub with your fingers until the mixture resembles coarse breadcrumbs.

Add the oats (and almonds if using) and toss to combine.

Top the pears with this mixture and bake for a further 20 minutes.



Easter Fare

I should have probably written this post last week when I made these hot cross buns ..... before easter!!! but oh well! I must say hot cross bun making is no walk in the park! It's a bit of a laborious task, good for cold rainy days when you have no plans and have time to wait for extended periods of time for things to rise!

This was my first attempt at the art of hot cross bun making and I was pretty happy with the finished product. They were a little doughy I thought ...... this might have been because I received a rather lengthy phone call from mother dearest (who always manages to call at the best times!!!) and by the end of it I couldn't remember if I had in fact already added the four and a quarter cups of flour required or if I'd only added three and a quarter! I decided to go with three and so added another just to be safe. This extra cup may have been the fourth and final that was necessary to create the buns or it could have been an additional cup which wasn't needed and led to the buns being a tad on the doughy side!! Either way the buns turned out to be packed with flavour (often lacking in the store bought varieties) and tasted good toasted and smothered with good old fashioned butter - none of the healthy cholesterol lowering rubbish!! All in all the recipients of the buns were happy with their Easter goodies so that's what counts :)

To create these hot cross buns I once again turned to one of my trusty donna hay cookbooks. This recipe is from the modern classics book 2.

Hot Cross Buns

1 tablespoon active dry yeast
1/2 cup caster sugar
1 1/2 cups lukewarm milk
4 1/4 cups plain flour, sifted
2 teaspoons mixed spice
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
50g butter, melted
1 egg
1 1/2 cups sultanas
1/3 cup candied mixed peel, (optional but I think it adds a nice flavour)

For the Cross

1/2 cup plain flour
1/3 cup water

Glaze

1/3 cup caster sugar
1/3 cup cold water

Place the yeast, 2 teaspoons of the sugar and all of the milk in a bowl and set aside for 5 minutes.
The mixture will start to foam, indicating that the yeast is active.
Add the flour, mixed spice, cinnamon, butter, egg, sultanas, mixed peel and the remaining sugar to the yeast mixture and mix using a butter knife until a sticky dough forms.
Knead the dough on a lightly floured surface for 8 minutes or until it feels elastic.

Place in an oiled bowl, cover with a tea towel and allow to stand in a warm place for 1 hour or until doubled in size. Divide the dough into 12 pieces and roll into balls.
Grease a 23cm square cake tin (or just put on a baking tray) and line with non-stick baking paper.
Place the dough balls in the tin, cover with a clean tea towel and set aside in a warm place for 30 minutes or until they rise.
Preheat the oven to 200 degrees Celsius or 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
Combine the flour and water for the cross and place in a piping bag or plastic bag with the end snipped off, and pipe crosses on the buns.
Bake for 35 minutes or until well browned and springy to touch.
Meanwhile to make the glaze place the sugar and water in a saucepan over medium heat.
Cook, stirring for 3 minutes or until sugar dissolves and mixture thickens slightly.
Brush buns with the warm glaze while the buns are hot.

Serve warm, makes 12

I had a great Easter weekend, it was very relaxing and as it was such average weather here in Auckland it was the perfect time to rug up, watch movies and eat chocolate! and this is exactly what I did all weekend!! Hope you had a lovely long weekend whatever you got up too : ) simran xx

Sweet Temptations

Baking sweet treats is one of my favourite pastimes especially when the weather starts to cool down. It's not for everyone but I find it to be somewhat therapeutic and a fantastic stress release....even better when combined with a secret sing along to some super girly beats! (Britney, lady gaga and katy perry make perfect companions .... part of a playlist especially saved for such occasions!)

Chocolate Brownies are one of the greatest afternoon delights and difficult for many to resist. They are especially good when paired with a piping hot cup of tea. 
So yesterday when the weather was a bit average outside and slightly confused about whether it wanted to rain or shine, I decided to whip up some chocolate brownies to share with friends over afternoon tea.

Chocolate brownies are especially good when they have a firm outer shell and a gooey fudgy centre. My favourite chocolate brownie recipe is by Donna Hay. She is definitely one of my favourite Australian chefs with her 'fresh, fast and simple' attitude to food. I admire her ability to style food in such a way that is simple and incredibly aesthetically pleasing. Her books are filled with beautiful photography and amazing recipes.

 This luscious brownie recipe is sure to please. It's smooth and rich with a sensational texture and has the ability to transport anyone into chocolate brownie heaven!!!



 Chocolate Brownies

250g butter, chopped

200g dark chocolate, chopped (70% cocoa if possible)

1 3/4 (200g) cups brown sugar

4 eggs

1 1/3 (200g) cups plain flour, sifted

1/3 cup (35g) cocoa, sifted

1/4 teaspoon baking powder, sifted

Preheat oven to 160 degrees Celsius or 325 degrees Fahrenheit. Place the butter and chocolate in a saucepan over low heat and stir until melted and smooth.

Place the sugar and eggs in a bowl and whisk to combine.

Add the chocolate mixture to the egg mixture and whisk until well combined.

Add the flour, cocoa and baking powder and whisk until smooth.

Pour mixture into a lightly greased tin lined with non-stick baking paper and bake for 40-45 minutes or just set and allow to cool in the tin. When cooled you could dust with icing sugar or cover with chocolate icing and sprinkles if your feeling a little young at heart....who doesn't love rainbow coloured sprinkles!!

 To make icing combine 40g of melted butter, 2 tablespoons of sifted cocoa, 1 1/2 cups (240g) of sifted icing sugar and 1/3 cup (80ml) boiling water in a bowl Stir until well combined and spread evenly over cooled brownie using a palette knife if you have one :)





Antonia, Jacinda and Grace enjoying tea and baking at Jacinda's cute little abode


When I was in Sydney in February I popped into Donna's gorgeous store on holdsworth street in the super cute suburb of Woollahra and instantly fell in love!!! The Donna Hay general store is filled with gorgeous homewares, books and delectable sweet treats! These are a few pictures I took outside :)
Simran x