November, 2023 - Retro Food For Modern Times

08
Nov
2023

Midweek Quickie – Oeufs Caroline (2)

categories: Eggs

Welcome to another midweek quickie! I was delighted last week when the lovely Jenny from Silver Screen Suppers sent me this gorgeous photo of her dinner…or should that be supper…of Oeufs Caroline.

Jenny agreed that the eggs were yummy and they certainly look very pretty on her vintage plate! If you have cooked any of my recipes and would like your creation to feature on a midweek quickie, please get in touch! I would love to see your versions!

If you feel like even more cooking, why not hit up Jenny over at Silver Screen Suppers. She is looking for recipe testers for the second volume of her Murder She Cooked book. I will be doing some testing very shortly! If you don’t want to test but want to cook up some recipes by characters from Murder She Wrote, you can pick up the first volume here.

I have a copy of this and am looking forward to cooking from it!!! As a childhood fan of Gilligan’s Island, Alan Hale’s Skipper’s Dream Sandwich is high on my list of things to make. As is Claude Akin’s recipe for Barbecued Honey Orange Chicken and Samantha Eggar’s Tostada Salad. And who could resist Jerry Orbach’s Tough Guys Desert…ok..I want to cook the whole book! 😂

But enough from me, these posts are meant to be short and sweet! I hope the week is being kind to you!

06
Nov
2023

White Ladies Part Two

categories: Australian Gourmet Traveller, Baking, Biscuits / Cookies, Posh Food

Hello Friends, today we are indulging in a sweet treat called a White Lady. Hold up, I hear you say, haven’t we already done this recipe back in March? Well, apparently recipes for White Ladies are like busses. You wait for ages for one to come along and then, all of a sudden three come at once. Because, spoiler alert, there will be another White Lady recipe appearing soon! Last time, our white lady was a very yummy ice cream with chocolate sauce, this white lady is a delicious shortbread-style cookie.

But not just any shortbread cookie because these have white chocolate and rose water icing and then a dusting of icing sugar on top of that. Delicious. But sweet.

These need to be balanced out with a nice strong coffee. The recipe for these White Ladies comes from that bastion of posh food, Australian Gourmet Traveller, the May 1993 issue to be exact. This is the same mag that brought us a lovely Warm Chestnut Salad a while back. The recipe for White Ladies recipe comes from an article on chocolate and the powerful memories it can evoke in people.

“What is it about chocolate that makes us cherish the memory of certain occasions with such ecstacy?

And if you think that quote possibly goes a little bit too over the top, what about this one?

One friend’s most potent memory is of eating dark Arabian chocolate on a sultry night while being serenaded by eunuchs

I feel that night might have been memorable even without the chocolate….

My own favourite chocolate memory is of a bright cold day in winter a few years aog. My best friend and I were in the country celebrating my birthday on a girl’s weekend. After a morning spent at the Hepburn Spa we drove to nearby Daylesford for some afternoon tea. I had an Italian hot chocolate which I’m pretty sure was pure melted chocolate. It was warm and sweet and rich and made for the perfect end to the perfect weekend!

Happily, or possibly sadly for some of you, you don’t need a hot night in Arabia or a chorus of eunuchs to enjoy these white ladies. A cup of coffee and a few moments of peace are enough!

The Recipe – White Ladies

For those of you who like to gift cookies as part of the holiday season, White Ladies could become a perfect addition to your gifting regime If they last long enough for you to give any away that is!

Have a great week!

01
Nov
2023

Midweek Quickie – Lilac Sweetpeas and Lillies

categories: Non Food Related Posts

Hello flower lovers! I was walking past the florist the other day and these lilac sweetpeas reminded me so much of the Grazier’s wife that I had to buy them. They are the most gorgeous colour and they smell divine!

When dinner is ready I light the candles and limit the lights in the dining room to a corner lamp. The stereo set continues playing soft mood music all evening. My large dining table will be set with a plain lilac linen tablecloth and moss green linen table napkins. The main decoration will be a small bowl of lilac sweet peas with deeper mauve candles inserted into the centre of the float bowl. On each woman’s napkin there will be a freshly picked pink rosebud tied with a narrow lilac velvet bow

I don’t have the moss green linen or the mauve candles but the Lilac sweetpeas were a gorgeous addition to my dining room table at our latest Tasty Reads Cookbook Club meeting. My friend Leesa brought me this equally gorgeous bouquet of Calla Lillies, Rosemary and Seaside Daisies all from her garden as a hostess gift! 😍

I very rarely buy flowers because I get a little bit sad when they start to wilt but the scented simplicity of my sweetpeas and the creative combo of Leesa’s bouquet brought me so much joy that maybe I will rethink my stance!

I hope your week is blooming great!

Month: November 2023

The Recipe – White Ladies