RHUBARB GALETTE

Food is often memory. That describes a little of my relationship with rhubarb.

In the garden where I grew up as a young girl in England, my mum grew several fruits, such as strawberries and gooseberries as well as red currants. We also had a crab apple tree. But it is the rhubarb that I associate so strongly with my childhood. Perhaps because during the summer months we enjoyed it often but then when my family emigrated to Australia, it wasn't so easy to find and it was years before I got to enjoy it again.

Anyway, when I can, I enjoy making a rhubarb compote. Sometimes I just eat it with yoghurt as a snack or for dessert. Other times it goes under a crumble top - something like this apple and rhubarb crumble. And, most recently, it became a galette. 

We were making pizza and had some leftover dough. To make a quick dessert for everyone I smothered the top of one pizza with the compote, turned the pastry edges and cooked for about 15 minutes in the already warm oven. We served it with cream, and it was delicious. Not a crumb left. Recipe below.

PIZZA DOUGH RECIPE
1 cup of self-raising flour
1/2 cup of natural or Greek yoghurt

1. Mix the ingredients and knead until the dough is elastic.
2. Cut into half or quarters, depending on the size of pizza you want, and knead into balls. Roll each ball out until you get a circle shape.

RHUBARB COMPOTE
Bunch of rhubarb
4 apples, peeled and cored
1 orange, juiced
1/2 tsp ground cardamom

1. Clean and chop fruit. Add to a saucepan with orange juice and cardamom and simmer for about 20-30 minutes on a low heat.

RHUBARB GALETTE
1. Place compote on top of pizza base, leaving a space of about 2cm from the edge.
2. Fold the edge of the pastry over to enclose the compote.
3. Brush milk onto the folded crust and sprinkle with coconut sugar.
4. Bake for about 15 minutes and serve with cream or ice-cream.

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CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES

The school holidays are nearly here and so I thought it might be a good time to share the recipe for Chocolate Chip Cookies that we made recently. 

Cookies and cake are probably the two types of baking recipes I prefer to make with the children - they are all about measuring, mixing and putting something in the oven until it's ready. The former is a lot quicker, and seems to result in less wastage too.

This recipe is adapted from Donna Hay Modern Classics: Book 2 - I substituted brown sugar for coconut sugar and halved the quantity. Also, I used dark chocolate, which prevented them from being too sweet.

CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES

125g (4 oz) butter, softened
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup coconut sugar
2 eggs
2 cups plain (all-purpose) flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 cup desiccated coconut
185g (6 oz) milk or dark chocolate, broken into chunks

1. Preheat the oven to 190-degrees C (375-degrees F). Place the butter, vanilla and sugar in a bowl and beat until creamy. Beat in the eggs. Stir through the flour, baking powder, coconut and chocolate.
2. Roll tablespoonfuls of the mixture into balls. Place on baking trays lined with non-stick baking paper, allowing for the cookies to spread, and flatten slightly.
3. Bake for 10-12  minutes or until lightly browned. Makes about 25.

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HOT CROSS BUNS

We have made these hot cross buns a few times over the years but I realised today that I hadn't posted the recipe here. 

So if you're feeling inspired to make your own hot cross buns, I'd recommend this Donna Hay recipe. And given that I was walking past a grocery store the other day and it had a photo of hot cross buns with the label "palm oil free" I was even more determined not to buy mass-produced buns. It's only now they are claiming they don't contain palm oil - but what else is inside? And what will they be proclaiming next year?

Hot cross buns - amongst a host of other foods - have become a huge money-generating exercise for business, especially supermarkets. These Easter foods have been on sale since just after Christmas and the other day there were mounds of them on display. I have always enjoyed hot cross buns, and never read the ingredients too closely, but when I saw the sign it made me angry. As consumers, we have to check every label. We have to be conscious of what foods we buy. We have to be food warriors against the chase for profits, which results in cheap ingredients that degrade our health and environment.

Anyway, I hope you enjoy this wholefood version.

INGREDIENTS
1 tablespoon active dry yeast
1/2 cup caster sugar
1 1/2 cups lukewarm milk
4 1/4 cups plain flour
2 teaspoons mixed spice
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
50g butter, melted
1 egg
1 1/2 cups sultanas
1/2 cup plain flour, extra
1/3 cup water

Glaze - I didn't use this - but if you want to add, here are the details: Place 1/2 sugar and 1/4 cup water in a small saucepan over low heat, stirring until the sugar is dissolved. Remove any sugar crystals on the side with a pastry brush dipped in water. Add 2 teaspoons powdered gelatine sprinkled over 1 tablespoon water and cook for 1 minute. Set aside to cool. Brush over buns. Refrigerate to set.

1. Place yeast, 2 teaspoons of sugar and all of milk in a bowl and set aside for 5 minutes. The mixture will start to foam, indicating the yeast is active.
2. Add the flour, mixed spice, cinnamon, butter, egg, sultanas and remaining sugar to the yeast mixture and mix using a butter knife until a sticky dough forms. Knead the dough on a lightly floured surface for 8 minutes or until it feels elastic. Place in an oiled bowl, cover with a tea towel and allow to stand in a warm place for 1 hour or until doubled in size. Divide the dough into 12 pieces and roll into balls.
3. Grease a 23cm (9 in) square cake tin and line with non-stick baking paper. Place the dough balls in the tin, cover with a clean tea towel and set aside in a warm place for 30 minutes or until they rise. Preheat the oven to 200-degrees-C (400-F). Combine the extra flour and water, place a piping bag or a plastic bag with one corner snipped off, and pipe crosses on the buns. 
4. Bake for 35 minutes or until well browned and springy to touch. Brush with the warm glaze while the buns are hot. Serve warm with butter. Makes 12.

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JAM COOKIES

A few weeks ago I was making these cookies regularly - a couple of times a week, at least. Well, usually with a little helper or two alongside me. They are great to have on hand for afternoon tea, after school snacks or lunch boxes. The jam provides some sweetness, but otherwise they have a slight salty taste. The almonds gives them a lovely grainy texture too. They are an adaption of Gwyneth Paltrow's "Lalo's Famous Cookies" recipe from the Notes From My Kitchen Table cookbook.

INGREDIENTS
450g plain organic flour
450g almond meal
1 teaspoon fine salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
250ml olive oil
250ml maple syrup
Jam, I used homemade raspberry

1. Preheat the oven to 180-degrees-C. Line a baking tray with baking paper.
2. Combine all the ingredients, except the jam, in a large bowl, using a wooden spoon. Form tablespoonfuls of mixture into balls and space evenly on the baking paper. Use your index finger to make an indent in each cookie. Fill each indent with jam.
3. Bake until golden, about 20 minutes. Allow to cool before eating.

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HEALTHY BANANA BREAD

It never ceases to amaze me how many non-healthy ingredients go into most banana breads, especially the ones that are commonly available at cafes. We always prefer a homemade version. However, even then, it's not exactly "healthy". When we had a pile of browning bananas recently I decided to hunt out a version that wasn't so oily or full of sugar. I adapted a recipe from The Healthy Chef as I didn't have all of her ingredients to hand. One of the main differences is that she used almond meal in place of the flour to make it gluten free, which you could do. I also didn't have flaxseed so substituted that with some other ingredients, listed below.

It was a big hit. In fact, I thought we might have some leftover for a playdate but I had to make a second batch.

INGREDIENTS 
butter, for greasing
3 large smashed ripe bananas
3 free range/organic eggs
2 tablespoons honey or maple syrup
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 cup olive oil
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon bicarb soda
1 tablespoon lemon juice
2 cups plain flour
1 cup desiccated coconut
1/4 cup ground flaxseed (or substitute ground almond/chia seeds as we did)

1. Preheat oven to 180-degrees-C. Grease a loaf tin with butter. Line the tin with baking paper.
2. Combine smashed banana, honey, oil, cinnamon, vanilla, eggs, bicarb and lemon. (The lemon activates the bicarb.)
3. Add flour, coconut and flaxseed/almond meal and mix well. Spoon batter into tin and bake for 45-60 minutes (my oven took closer to 1 hour) until golden and a skewer comes out clean.
4. Cool in tin before turning out onto a wire rack.

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SUMMER FRUIT SLICE

Popping to the shop to pick up a little treat for afternoon tea is not quite as quick as it used to be. So we've taken to making our own. In many ways it's more convenient though as we have a fairly well stocked pantry for baking and use what we have to hand. For this recipe we only had one peach and some nectarines, so that's what we used. I can imagine sliced pear would taste equally delicious at another time of year. Or apples and blueberries. The recipe is adapted from Bill Granger's Every Day cookbook, one of my favourites. I substituted caster and brown sugar for coconut sugar, a lower GI version.

Note: To peel the peaches we scored them with a cross and placed them in boiling water for 30 seconds and peeled them in cold water.

INGREDIENTS

185g (6.5 oz or 1.5 cups) plain (all-purpose flour)

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder, plus an extra 1/2 teaspoon

125g (4.5oz) butter, chilled and diced

230G (8 oz or 2 cups) coconut sugar

3 ripe peaches, peeled and sliced into wedges

90g (3 1/4 oz or 3/4 cup) raspberries – fresh or frozen

2 teaspoons natural vanilla extract

1 egg, lightly beaten

185ml (6fl oz or 3/4 cup) milk

1. Preheat the oven to 180C (350F/Gas 4). Grease and line the base of a 20x30cm (8x12in) baking tray.

2. Mix the the flour and baking powder into a large bowl and then rub in the butter with your fingertips. Stir in sugar. Press half the mixture over the base of the tin. Lay the peaches over the top and sprinkle with raspberries.

3. Add vanilla extract, extra baking powder, egg and milk to the rest of the base mixture and stir well - don’t worry too much about lumps. Pour evenly over the top of the peaches and raspberries and bake for 1 hour. Cool and then cut into squares to serve.

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KEY LIME PIE

The other day I spied that limes were in season. I wanted to make something with them, and the first idea that came to mind was Key Lime Pie. I have never made it before - this was my first attempt - but I have to say it was delicious.

I tried to cheat a little and make a recipe that didn't require refrigerating but I have to admit that it tasted much better the following day after it had been chilled - it wasn't quite so tart. (Although we enjoyed it warm too.) So this is a recipe that I'd recommend making the day before - which is quite handy in a way, especially if it's for guests as you don't need to worry about baking and cleaning up afterwards. Otherwise, make it in the morning if you plan to consume in the afternoon or evening.

Also, more traditional recipes call for whipped cream on top. I can understand that this neutralises the tartness a little, especially if served warm. But I'm not big on cream, and so we had ours with (coconut) ice-cream instead - which was a delicious flavour accompaniment.

INGREDIENTS 
200g wheatmeal or Granita biscuits
1/4 cup ground almonds
1 tablespoon coconut sugar
100g butter, melted
4 eggs, lightly beaten
395g can condensed milk
2/3 cup (160ml) cream
Finely grated rind and juice of 4 limes

1. Preheat oven to 170-degrees C. Grease and line base of a 20cm springform tin with baking paper.
2. Process biscuits until fine crumbs. Add almonds, sugar and butter, process until combined. Press mixture firmly into the base and 3cm up sides of tin. Refrigerate.
3. Whisk eggs, milk, cream, lime rind and juice until smooth. Pour into biscuit crust. 
4. Place on tray and bake for 40-45 min or until set. Cool. Serve with extra lime slices.

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FISH + CHIPS

We often make our own fish and chips for dinner. Not every week, but often enough that I am getting closer and closer to making the crunchiest chips possible. At our previous home I had to deep-fry the chips in oil as our old gas oven was hopeless. I've read that you need to deep fry them twice to get them extra crunchy, but I was never game enough to do that (to our arteries, or our patience!).

However, now that we have an electric oven that seems to work quite well, I was able to try once again the method of cooking them in a hot oven. Everyone was happy with the result. Below, is the method I used. [Feel free to add any tips you may have too!]

Also, a note on the fish. I've mentioned previously how much Peter Singer's book The Ethics of What We Eat changed the way I shop for food. One big point he makes is about avoiding endangered fish, such as Orange Roughy, which is also marketed as Deep Sea Perch and Sea Perch. There is a list here on which fish are better to eat, and better to avoid. As well as an extensive list here for NSW waters.  Greenpeace has an international list too. We always look for responsibly sourced seafood.

INGREDIENTS
Potatoes, about 1 large potato per person
Sunflower oil, a glug
Salt
Fish, such as snapper or flathead
Butter, knob
Parsley, optional
Lemon, optional

1. Preheat oven to 220-degrees-C (or hotter, if you can). Peel potatoes and cut into 1.5cm slices. Place in a large saucepan and bring to the boil. Place baking tray in oven (to heat up). Once boiling, remove and drain. Return to pan over low heat to "dry out" and to ensure all excess liquid has evaporated.
2. Cover with oil and transfer to a hot baking tray. Ensure that the chips aren't swimming in oil. (I use tongs or sometimes drain them in a colander. Cook on a high heat for about 20-30 minutes until golden. Sprinkle with salt while still hot.
3. Meanwhile, melt butter in a frying pan. Cook fish fillets, turning after about 5 minutes. Serve with lemon cheeks.

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BLUEBERRY MUFFINS

We've tried a few different berry muffin recipes over the years and this one turned out really well. Plus, the seven-year-old made them pretty much by himself - so super easy. They are adapted from a Bill Granger recipe - from one my most used cookbooks, Every Day.

INGREDIENTS
2 1/2 cups self-raising flour
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
3/4 cup soft brown sugar
1 cup milk
1/2 cup natural yoghurt
2 eggs, lightly beaten
2 tablespoons sunflower oil
2 cups blueberries

1. Preheat oven to 180-degrees C (350-degrees F). Line a 12-hole muffin tin with paper cases (we cut ours from baking paper (12.5cm x 12.5cm).
2. Mix the flour and cinnamon in a large bowl. Stir in sugar and make a well in the centre. 
3. Pour milk, yoghurt, eggs and oil into a large bowl and whisk with a fork until just combined.
4. Pour into the well in the dry ingredients and stir with a wooden spoon until just combined. Add berries and stir until just combined (careful not to overmix). Spoon into muffin tin and bas for 20 minutes, or until golden.

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OATMEAL AND RAISIN COOKIES

I should know the ingredients for this recipe off-by-heart now. I've made these cookies so many times. They are one of my go-to make-at-home snacks and treats for the kids. I've recently started replacing the brown sugar with coconut sugar and while it does taste less sweet, it's no less of a hit with the children.

One of the reasons I like this recipe so much is that it doesn't involve making a dough and rolling it out. It means that the children can get involved easily and we can be eating them about 45 minutes after getting the ingredients out - and I always have all the ingredients in the pantry - quicker than a run to and from the shops!

They are based on a Bill Granger recipe from his Every Day cookbook.

INGREDIENTS
150g (5 1/2 oz) unsalted butter, softened
225g (8 oz/1 cup) coconut sugar (or soft brown sugar)
1 egg, lightly beaten
2 teaspoons natural vanilla extract
125g (4 1/2 oz/1 cup) plain (all-purpose) flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
235g (8 1/2 oz/2 1/3 cups) rolled oats
125g (4 1/2 oz/1 cup) raisins

1. Preheat the oven to 180-degrees C (350-degrees F). Line two large baking trays with baking paper.
2. Cream the butter and sugar together until fluffy and smooth. Add the egg and vanilla extract and beat until smooth. Add the flour and baking powder into the bowl and mix lightly. Add the oats and raisins and stir together.
3. Roll teaspoons of the mixture into balls and place on baking trays. Flatten the balls slightly. Bake for 20 minutes or until pale golden. Remove from the oven and cool on the trays for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

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HOMEMADE CUSTARD

Most of the time we have fruit or fruit and yoghurt for dessert. Sometimes with a dash of maple syrup or honey. Recently we've been fortunate enough to have some honey courtesy of a neighbour's bees. However, every now and then we have a proper dessert - something baked or made from scratch. As a treat the other day, I made custard. Well, everyone wanted to help! Delicious with slices of juicy ripe nectarines. It is based on this recipe.

INGREDIENTS
1 cup milk
1 cup thickened cream
1 tsp vanilla extract
4 egg yolks
1 tablespoon cornflour
1/3 cup caster sugar (optional - we had it without sugar this time and sometimes we only have 1tbsp)

1. Combine milk and cream in a small saucepan. Add vanilla extract. Place over medium heat. Cook, stirring constantly, for five minutes or until hot (do not allow to boil). Remove saucepan from heat.
2. Whisk egg yolks, cornflour and sugar in heatproof bowl until well combined. Pour hot milk over egg yolk mixture, whisking constantly.
3. Return mixture to saucepan over low heat. Cook, stirring constantly, for about 10 to 15 minute or until custard thickens and coats the back of a spoon. (Do not allow to boil as may curdle.)

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HOMEMADE SAUSAGE ROLLS

The weather has turned wet and cold again in Sydney so it seems a good time to share our sausage roll recipe. We have made them for all of the kids birthday parties - based on a Bill Granger recipe, and they always get devoured. The girls also enjoy making them during the week too. In fact, they enjoy making anything to do with puff pastry. It's like edible play dough!

INGREDIENTS
Puff pastry, frozen
Sausage mince (or homemade stuffing, below)
1 egg yolk
Sesame seeds, optional

1. Preheat oven to 180-degrees-C. Defrost puff pastry. Squeeze the meat out of a sausage onto one end of the pastry.
2. Spread egg yolk along the length of the other end. Roll pastry, enclosing meat. 
3. Brush tops with egg yolk and sprinkle with sesame seeds (optional).
4. Cook for about 25 minutes in the oven, or until golden.

HOMEMADE STUFFING
500g minced meat
1/2 cup breadcrumbs
1 grated carrot
1/4 cup shredded cabbage
1 tbsp rosemary, chopped
1 tbsp thyme, chopped 
1 egg, lightly beaten

1. Mix all the ingredients until well combined. Apply to pastry, as above.

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EASY PIZZA TARTS

Pizza always goes down well in our house, but we've fallen out of preparing the dough itself. So the other day I decided to use puff pastry as a base. We've been using it for cooking quite a bit recently as the kids seem to enjoy it - and it's always fast and easy to use.

I used to do this years ago and forgot that sometimes it's worthwhile blind baking the pastry to prevent a soggy base. They all turned out pretty well - but one or two were a little soft - probably due to the amount of "wet" tomato sauce on top - but the children certainly didn't notice. Next time I'm also going to prick the pastry base with a fork to see if that helps.

INGREDIENTS

Pizza 1
Puff pastry, frozen base
Pesto
Bacon
Tomato
Mozzarella

Pizza 2
Puff pastry, frozen base
Pesto

Asparagus

Parmesan, shavings

Black pepper, grinned

Sea salt, grinded

Olive oil

Pizza 3

Puff pastry, frozen base

Tomato passata (or tinned tomatoes)

Salami, chopped

Mushrooms

Mozzarella

Pizza 4

Puff pastry, frozen base

Tomato passata (or tinned tomatoes)

Salami, whole slices

Mozzarella

1. Preheat oven to 180-degrees-C. Spray baking tray with olive oil and sprinkle with semolina or line with baking paper.

2. Place puff pastry on tray and pin prick all over. Add ingredients.

3. Cook for about 15-20 minutes, until golden.

Sides

Because not everyone likes rocket or olives we often put these in separate bowls and add according to taste.

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IS ORGANIC FOOD REALLY BETTER?

When we can we head down our local farmers market and buy fresh flowers and produce. It's a short walk from our home, and while we would like to do it more often, for various reasons it doesn't always happen. But sometimes that gnaws at me.

When we had one child, we always shopped at what was then Macro Wholefoods in Bondi Junction. It was moderately more expensive but we enjoyed the food on offer, supporting a small business, and being conscious consumers.

However, when we moved out of the area, it was more difficult to head to About Life, which is now our nearest wholefoods store. Instead, we shop at a national grocer, and it bugs me. But it's really convenient - mainly related to time. And more recently we have gone back to online shopping. Again, it's a convenience issue, although I struggle with the fact that all the groceries are delivered in plastic bags not boxes, as was the case years ago (when we used to shop this way). And while the delivery driver will take the bags back to recycle, I always think it's better not to use plastic in the first place.

Notwithstanding where we shop, we have started to add more organic items into our shopping cart. When the children were younger we always bought organic milk but when they went to preschool and were eating and drinking non-organic foods, I questioned if it made any difference given they were receiving a mixed diet. And it was so much cheaper to buy non-organic milk. We go through about 12 litres a week. (That's more than $600 a year - just on milk! In comparison, it costs more than $1500 a year to buy organic milk.)

Recently I was talking to someone who is not faddish when it comes to these issues and they said they always bought organic milk after learning about farming practices in Australia. Now, one of the reasons I stopped buying organic milk and meat was because I always bought Australian made and was led to believe that we have high food standards.

What I was told more recently was that farmers allow their cattle to graze on land that has often been sprayed. This was reported in a reputable news program. When I heard about this, I didn't want to touch non-organic dairy-related products again. 

At about the same time, I watched this video. It was quite a revelation.

But this brings me back to the farmers market. It's not an organic farmer's market. It is buying directly from the producer, and that feels good. It's not food that has been cold stored or shipped across continents either. And the fruit - such as apples and mandarins - taste a million times better than anything in a supermarket. So I don't feel bad buying from the farmers - even if they're not organic.

I spoke to a farmer in Italy and she said to be classified organic means you have to go through a lot of paperwork and it's a lot of rigmarole - something that's not always easy for a small-scale hands-on producer. But her farm was completely chemical free. Sometimes labels can be deceptive.

What changed my mind originally on the topic of eating organically was The Ethics of What We Eat by Dr Peter Singer. It's a book that really altered my view of the world. It wasn't just about the nutritional benefits of eating organically, but about the farm practices that you're helping to encourage or discourage, whatever the case may be. It's important to me to support producers who want to farm keeping in mind the health of the animals and earth as much as their profits.

However, I do struggle with organic food that is excessively packaged - as seems to be the case when bought from supermarkets. It it such a contradiction. And given the choice of buying food from Australia that's non-organic versus something that's been shipped from another country and is organic, I will tend to go for local (due to the carbon cost). Also, a few years ago I ate food from a Wholefoods store in the USA and the food tasted highly processed. I don't know what regulations are in place State-side but it seems no matter what you eat or where you buy your food, you need to check the labels.

Here are some interesting articles on the topic:
Body + Soul includes interviews with chemical-free farmers and their viewpoints on organic farming,
Huffington Post sites a study and the benefits of organic food.
Better Health on the facts about how to recognise organic food and the nutritional benefits.

Do you eat organic food? Exclusively? What is the basis for this? Can you recommend any reputable studies, websites or books? Why is organic food consumption an issue - or not - for you and your family?

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