ignite!

a mardi gras of colour!

tea

camellia sinensis

abstract red flag

A bract from a slipper vine.
Red Tibetan flags fluttering noiselessly in the wind

solanacea

patterned like jigsaw - soft like down - pretty like fuzzy green snow flakes - related to the potato

Dahlia in Roma

pretty white tipped dahlia from roma street gardens in Brisbane.

Vistas!

Wine Poached Pear

So I finally achieved a wine-poached pear desert the other day. It was very rewarding and I am thinking of other ideas already! Rum pears, or spicy poached peaches..... mmm

Simple recipe:
2 Cups of red wine, in a saucepan with 1/2 cup sugar and peeled pears - I left mine whole with the stalk, but you can half and core the pears.
Steam until the wine reduces and thickens, add a small dash of vanilla extract.
In a pan, gently melt a tablespoon of unsalted butter and scorch gently 1/2 cup rough-cut macadamia nuts, 1/3 cup rolled oats, 1/3 cup puffed rice in the butter - adding a few table spoons of the poached wine juice into the pan to help the "scorching" part! I added 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon as well. Served with Marscapone cream cheese with castor sugar dusting.