san gimginano, italia

...a post card from the past! - it reads;

Dear Naomi,
Wish you were here,
Love from the 'town of towers', San Gimginano.

PS Please Come Back to Italy! :)

quiche

good afternoon !

I haven't really mastered making photogenic quiche. it's a taste bud delight, but my delish dish just doesn't work with the camera yet~

Anyway, black and white made it look best - so imagine juicy ripe red tomato, deep green silver beet, peppered with vibrant green basil, and chalk-white crumbled danish feta. in a deep home made butter-coloured pastry crust. (we all ok with the colours now?)


Recipe as is follows:

Pie Pastry:
2 cups of plain flour, sifted into a deep bowl
125g of chopped cold butter

Mix until crumbly consistency (if your using a mixer just 1 min)
add 2-4 table spoons of cold water, mixing swiftly until pastry just comes together

Roll onto floured surface and bring together in a ball. Cover in plastic cling wrap, and refrigerate for min 30 mins.

When it's done chilling out in the fridge, roll out onto floured surface again, use a rolling pin to flatten to the size of your pie dish. i'm big on high crusts - so i always leave extra above the rim. blind bake for 15 mins to get that pastry cooked, then add your fillings - mine were in roughly this order;

handful of thinly sliced silverbeet on base
pre-cooked 1/2 onion and clove of garlic
Herbs (basil, parsley, chives)
8 eggs, beaten with a dash of milk/cream
- I add fresh shredded herbs to onion mix, and mix into to the eggs for better distribution + salt and pepper to taste

thinly sliced tomatos, laid on top for beautiful (photographic) effect! - i tried
and crumbled feta, grated parmesan.

bake at 190degrees for approx 30mins - until egg has set

enjoy. take a photo. share

warmth

warm colours for the rain drenched east coast of australia.
a good cause Red Cross


left to right: paper daisy centre (Helichrysum), a close up of a decorative vase from www.habitatflowers.com.au, and a patch of zinnia flowers.

snap shot

posy via web cam = digital petals :)

my day

sold this bouquet - sweet smelling longi lilies, matthiola and roses.
Then made and installed a corporate out at the International airport lounge (a 3 hour job...consisting of walking miles and miles up the departure lounge twice lugging a trolley laden with flowers, and then the reverse with the old flowers!) today was magenta Vanda orchids, pink Asiatic lilies, glorious privet berry and magnolia and rolled trop leaves.

oh, there is BIG joy for giving old flowers away to people at airport. seriously worth the walk.

formal

phalaenopsis orchid wristlet and buttonhole. backed with a woven mini flax leaf mat. the buttonhole was secured with a magnet, and the wristlet consisted of two mats glued together with a single white ribbon in between - and then left free on either side to tie onto her wrist. a little 'garnish' of ficus root diagonally across the back as well.

from 2008

green 2

green is a very great colour. I may have mentioned this before, but its one of my favourites in the spectrum.
and.. it inspires some great paint names. gecko, frappe, peppermint fresh, blade green, frisky, honeydew, lime parfait, dinosaur, tendril and mint circle.

dinosaur!? who invents paint names... I want that job.

mad with joy!

“People from a planet without flowers would think we must be mad with joy the whole time to have such things about us.” – Iris Murdoch

Chocolate Fondant

Well, I would love to say this is what my fondants looked like ... however I forgot to take a photograph-how eager I was to taste them! So, full credits to my recipe book for the photograph, and of course, the recipe.. from "Decadence" by Philip Johnson.

Chocolate Fondants (shown in picture with mint vodka ice cream, which I wasn't game to try to make just yet!)

You need:
200g of good quality chopped dark chocolate (couverture is best)
240g unsalted butter, diced
4 eggs
90g or 1/3 cup of caster sugar
30g or 1 tblsp of plain flour

icing sugar to dust.

you will also need 6 8x4cm metal cooking rings, OR 6 small ceramic souffle dishes (185ml)

So, if using the rings, grease and line the metal rings with baking paper on a greased tray.
Using souffle dishes, grease and dust with small amount of flour, shaking off excess. (i used souffle dishes and it worked well)

Put the chocolate and butter into a dish over saucepan of simmering water and melt, stirring frequently, until smooth. Remove from heat and allow to cool to room temperature.

In a bowl, whisk the eggs and sugar until they are thick and pale (mine didn't go noticeably "thick" but they where definitely thick-er than usual!)
Fold in the cooled chocolate mix, then fold in the flour.

Pour into the prepared rings or dishes and refrigerate for 2 hours (this helps the fondant's retain their gooey centre)

as 2 hours is nearing, preheat oven to 200 degrees - bake the fondants for 10-25 minutes, or until set on the outside. they should be cooked and cake-like consistency on the outside and the centre will be runny chocolate saucy goodness. if you used metal rings, transfer to a serving plate using a spatula or serving knife, removing all the paper and rings. Souffle dishes can be served as is, with a dollop of ice cream or cream!

Yumo! ...reallyy yumo!

les Tilleuls posy

road side posy gathered in southern france. ...oh how I wish I could, easily get on a plane and go there right now!

outlook

two posts for today!
this was the reflective positions of some surfers on the noosa coast.

tulip fever

obsession and desire consumed early tulip appreciators. they spent their fortunes for the privilege to own and witness a bloom in growth.