Mad for Macarons

 



 



 

 

Yesterday we all went up to Montville and Maleny for a drive with my husbands Aunt who is visiting from France at the moment. She bought us a coffee and a macaron for afternoon tea which was lovely. I had a pistachio one and my husband chose a lemon one. They reminded me of some photos I took back in July this year that I have not shared here yet.  Our neighbour had been on a family holiday to Sydney and she bought us back this beautiful collection from Adriano Zumbos shop.  So of course what do I do before I eat them - I photograph them. 

 

I am a bit of a macaron freak. I have never made them and I don't really want to, as that means I will have to eat them (not good for my diet). But it's okay to look at them and drool.   Adriano Zumbo became famous for his macaron tower and countless other spectacular patisserie thingys on the TV show Masterchef (my husband is a big fan of the show and so are our kids).

 

 

Direct from the house of Zumbo

So nicely packaged

They really do look too good to eat....

But we did eat them of course!

 

 

The master himself with his famous macaron tower (picture from the internet)

And another selection of beauties (picture from the internet)

 

I hope I haven't teased you too much with this post

Of course you could always run off and make your own

But I bet they won't look as good as these !

Recipe here

Backyard Damper - Take Two

Last weekend saw us out in the backyard cooking damper in our brazier again - it is becoming a yearly tradition, and one that we all enjoy very much. We were joined by our neighbours again and I have to say it would not be the same without them. The more the merrier as they say. I have photographed and posted the recipe for you - it comes from Julie Goodwins "Our family table".

The kids all got really involved, and the damper tasted much better than last year, thanks to Julies recipe. We followed up as always with a bag of marshmallows and then a bit later we had a bbq dinner, sat around the fire and ate lamb and drank red wine. What a way to enjoy a cool winters evening.

The damper would not be complete without the golden syrup and butter, when you slide the damper off the stick you simply fill the cavity with the syrup and butter and wait for it to melt.

I do have to say it was "finger lickin good" and I can't wait til next winter. What's your familys' favourite winter tradition?

MASTERCHEF !!!!!!!

Yesterday, before I got stuck into sewing for Mammas Markets, I did some cooking. I cook every day (except on weekends when my husband takes over - yay!). It was our dinner which we eventually ate that evening, but firstly it had to get photographed for a new magazine that is about to hit the Sunshine Coast. I can't say too much more at the moment but I can give you a sneak peek. I just hope that the photos they took look better than mine. My husband had the great idea of using the banana leaf on the platter. Two minutes before the photographer is due to arrive I plate up and then take this photo, I SMS it to my husband with the message HELP !!! I was struggling to get it looking right. He suggested the asparagus were too long, and there was too much chicken on the platter. And I hear a knock at the door, the photographer has arrived, it's too late. I feel like a contestant on the Masterchef - my time is up, and I have to stand away from the dish. So, that was that, the best thing was no-one had to taste it - what a relief. Actually, it wasn't too bad, I have cooked it a thousand times before, it's my mother-in-laws recipe, a home styled szechuan chicken dish that you cannot buy in a restaurant. I have to say though that my husband can cook it a thousand times better than me, maybe he should have been the star chef. I will post the recipe on my blog when I get around to typing it up - one day !