The Australian Way

 Dear Readers,

This month I have decided to explore vintage Australian desserts and sweets. The 'Australian' part has been slightly more challenging than I would have liked. After much research, Ive found that the pavlova really is from New Zealand, Peach Melba was created by a french chef and rock cakes are a british invention.
The things we can claim are damper, hedgehog slice, anzac biscuits, golden dumplings, chocolate ripple cake, lamingtons and neenish tarts.

At first, I felt slightly disappointed by my discoveries. The thought of a popular australian sweet being made dominantly from broken up packeted biscuits, didnt exactly feel like something to be proud about. Not to mention the cave man like method of rolling a square of sponge cake (often shop bought) in a thin chocolately icing, (a rather unappetising consistency), using two cutlery forks before smothering it in coconut. All whilst trying desperately to avoid breaking the whole thing in half in the process!

And then I and my criticism was saved.... A cake request came in at work. So I set off to do some research, in the only way I know how. I went straight to my cookbook collection to try to find the first ever lamington cake recipe. Unfortunetly my cookbooks only date back to the 1930's so I had to ask 'google' for a few answers. It turns out that the first ever lamington was claimed to be made between 1896 and 1901 for the governor of queensland, 'Lord Lamington'.

 
Of course there are several accounts on how this bake sale necessity came about (some less sensible than others)... this is my favourite; apparently "Lord Lamingtons' cook, 'accidently' dropped a block of sponge cake into a dish of chocolate.. later discovering that dessicated coconut sprinkled over the top made the cakes more appealing." ('Lamington-The Oz National Dish', Ozworlds, Australian national dictionary centre, May 1999). The sheer simplicity of this claim made me laugh.

Anyway, after much deliberation I decided to go with Flora Pell's lamington recipe.



Flora Pell, Our cookery Book, melbourne/victoria,The Speciality Press Ltd.
Twenty third edition, undated, believed to be dated between 1947-1950.
Please Note: this recipe has been converted from pounds to grams.

HOW TO MAKE-
Lamingtons


PREHEAT your oven to 180 C

RECIPE

PLAIN CAKE

375g self raising flour
1/4 tsp essence of lemon (I used 1/2 tsp of lemon zest, 3 tsps of lemon juice and 1/2 tsp vanilla essence instead).

250g castor sugar
125g butter
3 eggs

1/2 cup milk ( I used 1/4 cup)

METHOD

Prepare your cake tin. Grease your tin with butter and line with baking paper.
I used a rectangle slice tin. (28cm x 18cm. About 3.5cm in height.)  
You could quite easily use a square tin if you wanted. You can also use a large roasting dish, just double the recipe and add on another 15 minutes to the baking time.


Sift the flour into a large mixing bowl and set aside.

Combine the butter and the sugar in your mixmaster bowl and beat on a medium speed til light, pale and fluffy. I used my 1948 Sunbeam mixmaster, but you can use any stand mixer or electric hand beater. Or of course a very strong arm and a whisk!

Add the eggs one at a time. If the mixture curdles add in a little flour (3 tablespoons at a time) til you get a creamy mix. At this point you can add in the lemon essence or lemon juice, lemon rind and vanilla.

Once all the eggs have been added in, start adding the remaining flour and the milk.(I recommend using half the amount of milk, than the original recipe as the mixture may curdle otherwise). Turn your mixer up to a medium to high speed so all the ingredients get thoroughly combined.



Scrape down the bowl and beat for another 5 seconds. Pour the contents of the bowl into your lined baking tin and roughly level off with a spatula. Place into the oven for 20-30 minutes. Keep an eye on the oven. Test the cake with a skewer, if it comes out clean its ready.

Set the cake aside in its tin for 15 minutes to cool.
Flip the sponge onto a cake rack and place into your freezer for 40 minutes. In the meantime, sit down and make yourself a cup of tea...

Once the sponge has cooled, flip it onto a large chopping board and slice into 12 rectangular pieces. Set up a production line to make the construction of the lamington as easy and as mess free as possible.


CHOCOLATE ICING

375g icing sugar (sifted)
90g cocoa powder (sifted)
4 1/2 tbsp boiling water
If you find that the icing is getting too thick half way through coating your sponge squares you can always add 1 tbsp of boiling water at a time until you get a runny gloo type consistency. 

Combine all ingredients in a large mixing bowl to form a smooth silky icing. You should get a thick yet slightly
runny consistency. Pour 2 cups of dessicated coconut onto a plate or tray for coating.

The best way to coat a lamington is with two forks, two steady hands and some gumption!

Take a square of your sponge cake and place it into your chocolate mix, turn it over gently until its thoroughly coated. Push one of your forks HALF WAY into the top of the sponge. If you push it too far your sponge will break in half.

Lift the chocolate coated sponge out of the icing mix and smooth out the sides as much as you can. The main idea is to remove the excess icing. Remember it doesnt need to be neat by any measure as the coconut will help disguise uneveness.

Drop the sponge onto your tray of coconut and coat it lightly on all sides. Pop your beautiful little chocolate lamingtons onto a serving dish and serve with whipped cream and strawberries or just
on their own.

Lamingtons are a quite forgiving cake for those who dont have much time or patience for cake decoration. But if you still find yourself staring at pieces of broken sponge, a bench full of chocolate coconut mess and swearing at the computer screen, (I am a repeated victim of untested internet recipes) then please have a read of my cookery tips, which will hopefully help to answer some of your queries and calm some of your nerves!


MONTHLY COOKERY TIPS
LAMINGTONS

-The most important tip which i learnt soley from my mother, is to put your sponge into the freezer for at least 40 minutes before attempting construction. I cannot stress this enough!
-Tips for perfect lamington icing-
To keep your icing the right consistency, keep your bowl over a saucepan of simmering hot water and stir occasionally. Alternatively you can add a couple of tablespoons of boiling water to your icing mixture but remember that too much will compromise the taste of your lamingtons.
-If you are worried about the appearance of uneven coating, use shredded coconut instead of fine dessicated coconut, as this will camoflague patches more adequately. This will also make them easier to handle.
Keep your lamingtons in an airtight container to help them stay fresh for longer.
-Variations on the classic-
Jelly lamingtons are a kids birthday favourite. Make up a packet of shop bought jelly and cool til semi set. Coat sponge squares in jelly mix, then dessicated coconut.
Pink lamingtons. These are a more traditional variation. Substitute the chocolate icing mix for a simple icing sugar icing which some pink food colouring or juice from few raspberries.



Thankyou. I sincerely hope you've enjoyed reading this blog as much as Ive enjoyed writing it. Remember to follow me for lots more delicious recipes and ideas for your vintage kitchen!

Its all in the pudding

Dear readers,

Welcome to my blog! Im a 24 year old female pastry chef with an infectious love of vintage cookery.

When I was growing up, my parents would spend weekends scouring antique shops and warehouses for depression glass and edwardian furniture amongst various other antiques.
I remember hating day trips, i resented being dragged back and forth through the musty crowded buildings of what i then considered junk. Argueing and fighting with my brother in the back seat from the minute we left home, to the second we arrived back in the early evening. what hell we must have put mum and dad through!
Funnily enough, 15 years later my collection of old cookbooks, vintage mixmasters and general kitchenalia is insidious and i hate to think of all the rare and wonderful collectables i missed out on.

My first introduction to baking was from my mothers australian womens weekly cookbooks. With their triple tested recipes, basic ingredients and straight forward step by step instructions, anything seemed possible. My mother was (and still is) a fantastic cook. Every week there would be a freshly baked cake and a container of biscuits at the very least. And if we were extra lucky, a delicious slice as well! We were spoilt for choice and I remember having school friends amazed at how incredible it all tasted; probably compared to their artificial tasting LCM bars and rainbow roll ups. Dont get me wrong, I remember wishing my mother would buy those  red rollups, like all the other mothers. But if you asked me today,
Id trade pretty much any packaged sweet for a fresh piece of 'great grandmothers chocolate cake' or a finger of 'lemon slice'.

Working as a pastry chef is very rewarding. Im lucky enough to be working for a business that allows their employees creative freedom, infact its almost a pre requisite. Passion is very important to be a successful cook. I suppose when you think about it, passion is a key part of progress in any career. I didnt always want to be a cook. When I was 16 I wanted to be an artist.
I even studied it, being accepted into a fine arts degree at Rmit. But after 6 months I found it wasnt for me. They say pastry chefs and bakers are artists. I think you have to have a certain amount of artistic licence to create something of substance, day in and day out. If I wasnt doing what Im doing now, I think Id be lost. Thats when you know you've found your calling.


The bakery is a fantastic place to work. Everyday Jason arrives in the freezing cold at 1.30am to start firing up our 1930s wood fired oven with Dave, located at the back of the bakery. 
By the time I arrive for my shift at 5.30am, the shop is warm and cosy. By this time the various different doughs have already been mixed and are starting to be weighed and shaped up. Everything is made by hand as it would have been done back in the day.
There are no snazzy machines, nasty pre-mixes or short cuts. Just plain hard work, quality ingredients and love and care.

The pastry kitchen is my domain. This is where all the cakes, pastries, croissants, scrolls and tarts (and anything else that may be on the drawing board)  are made. Everyday is different, which leaves lots of room for creative experimenting!

At 9am the shop opens. The bread is brushed before it goes out onto the shelves to sell and the shop is set up for the day. You will always know the first customer has come in when you hear the ding of our 1950s cash register, as its sound rings right through to the back of the bakery. Its one of those rings that fills you with an irresistable feeling of nostalgia.

My blog will have an exciting new entry every month, filled with recipes, cookery methods, household hints,
kitchenalia and culinary history.
Remember, 'there is no sincerer love than the love of food'
(George Bernard Shaw), so join me in the kitchen and cook up a storm of yesteryear wonder.

How to make-
Bread and butter pudding

PREHEAT your oven to 180 C (moderate)
You will need-

-3/4 of a large 1 kg loaf of fruit loaf,
(preferably a thick sourdough fruit bread)
-80g butter (room temperature)
- 3 egg yolks
- 2 tbsp corn flour
- 120g castor sugar
- 240ml cream
- 180ml milk
- 2 tsp vanilla extract

HISTORY
Bread and Butter pudding was originally called 'white pot'. Invented by the british in the mid 17th century through to the mid to late 18th century, bread and butter pudding was made up of bread (often stale), cream, milk, eggs, sugar, spices and sweet dried fruits such as raisins and sultanas. The original white pot sometimes contained marrow instead of or as well as butter and was cooked in a pudding basin. 'Bread pudding' often associated with bread and butter pudding is a simpler less extravagant version of bread and butter pudding, cooked often by the poor or working class. The bread is steamed beforehand, and then is combined with sugar syrup, fruit or meats and a similar custard base made up of eggs and milk.

Modern british cooks such as delia smith and Nigella Lawson to name a few have brought this dish back into fashion with different updated variations on the dessert. 'Delia Smith's winter collection' (Delia Smith, 1995.London, BBC books/BBC worldwide publishing), has a dark chocolate and rum version, along with a marmalade version with orange zest and candied peel. Nigella's version in 'The domestic goddess' (Nigella Lawson, 2003, Great Britain, Chatto & Windus), is named pain au chocolat pudding, chocolate croissants with a traditional custard base.

METHOD

Cut your fruit loaf into slices, approximately 1.5-2cm in thickness. Spread generously with your butter, then stack together, in lots of 3 to cut off the crusts. Dont worry if its not perfect, as texture in this pudding is always a plus. Cut each piece of bread in half, diagonally, to form triangles.

Grease a 30cm x 20cm casserole or roasting dish with butter. If you only have a large deep roasting dish, double the recipe. Place your prepared fruit loaf into your roasting dish as pictured below. Set aside.

In a small to medium saucepan, using a whisk, thoroughly combine the egg yolks, sugar and corn flour. Gradually, (and I mean gradually) add the cream and milk til you get a creamy liquid mixture. If you find that there are a few lumps, sieve the mixture into a spare bowl. Then pour the mixture back into the saucepan. Before cooking the custard, prepare a larger bowl by adding the vanilla extract to it. This way, when you have cooked your custard to prefection, you can pour it straight into the large bowl to cool. This prevents any further cooking (or more importantly, burning) from the hot saucepan.

Place your saucepan on a low to medium heat and stir. Do not leave the saucepan at any point! The egg mixture must be stirred continously (with a spoon) to prevent it from catching on the bottom of the pan. When your mixture has thickened and is bubbling, pour it straight into your prepared large bowl. Stir the custard and the vanilla extract together.

Pour your custard mixer over the fruit loaf evenly and place into the oven for 25-45 minutes. The reason there is such a large range in the cooking time has to do with the type of bread used. Sourdough bread makes the dish cook quicker because of its density. Whereas softer yeast fruit loaves can take longer to set because they are much lighter, which makes for a soggier mixture.

Serve this delicious dessert hot with cream or ice cream. Yum!

MONTHLY COOKERY TIPS
BREAD AND BUTTER PUDDING

To get the best results when making bread and butter pudding, make sure you use stale bread that is at least 1 day old.
Using poor quality fresh bread that is not stale will result in a soggy wet type consistency. I used a soudough fruit loaf. Using sourdough as opposed to white supermarket bread will give you a richer result with a wider range of textures throughout the dish.

Enhancing the taste of bread and butter pudding-
- Instead of or as well as butter, spread your bread with a thin layer of raspberry jam, apricot jam or marmalade for a sweeter dessert.
- Day old croissants can be used in place of the bread for a fluffy buttery texture.
- For a modern more decadent edge to this dessert add dark choc chips or raspberries with white choc chips.

Thankyou. I sincerely hope you've enjoyed reading this blog as much as Ive enjoyed writing it. Remember to follow me for lots more delicious recipes and ideas for your vintage kitchen!