Bacon fat or lard?  Well, why not?

After a lazy brunch at Ms.G’s Josh and I did a little food shopping in Potts Point.  We stumbled upon GRUB, Grass Roots Urban Butchery.  Great little local butcher, which seems to pride itself on organic and top quality produce.  I couldn’t resist picking up some pork products, slices of paper thin prosciutto, a gorgeous piece of rolled pork belly and some beautiful looking Australian bacon.

Originally the bacon was going to be transformed into a simple bacon and egg breakfast.  Instead I decided to whip up a quiche one night for dinner.  One thing I have found when buying really good boutique style Aussie farmed and produced bacon, the fat content is higher on the rashers.  As I sliced the bacon fat away from the meat, I ended up with a nice mound fat.  Read more →

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Easter means different things to different people.  For some it is a long weekend and a great chance to escape Sydney or get some of those jobs done around the house.  Others, it means getting together with loved ones and family, generally on Easter Sunday.  It may be your window of opportunity to head to the Royal Easter Show and pat a cow (the cows rock).  Maybe Easter is a little deeper for you, not just a holiday, but a significant religious event on your calendar.

For me it is a mixture.  I’m not escaping.  I will and have quietly reflected on the religious significance of the holiday.  I will be spending time with my loved ones, well some of them, sadly I won’t be seeing Mum and Dad, I will be catching up with them next month. Read more →

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My grandmother made Pashka religiously each Easter.  I adore it.   The tanginess of the farmers cheese, with citrus, the richness of the butter and eggs added.  What completes this is the toasted flaked almonds with gives the dessert a nutty accent.

Traditional Latvian dishes were/are a major part of celebratory occasions like Easter and Christmas with my family.  Most of you may of heard of Pashka and immediately think of it as a Russian dish.  It is, but it is also a traditional Easter Latvian dish.

Due to the geographical location of Latvia, the cuisine is very influenced by Russia, or is it the other way round?  I won’t go into Russian occupation and Latvian history which also would weigh in on the cuisine.

You will see recipes that have candied peel mixed through.  I am not a fan of mixed peel at all and it is unceremoniously discarded from my recipe.  Instead I am a little more generous with the lemon and orange zest.  I have even seen glace cherries added to some recipes.  Sorry as far as I am concerned that is sacrilegious.  Read more →

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I am a stickler for tradition when it comes to hot cross buns.  They are only eaten at our place on Good Friday.  I shudder when I see them the day after New Year’s Eve, along with Easter Eggs, in supermarkets like Coles.  When you can buy and eat them months before Good Friday, they’re no longer special and I feel that the tradition is lost.  Okay, now jumping off my hot cross soap box.

Over the years I have eased my stance on Easter eggs, and you will find a bowl of mini eggs in the kitchen a week or two heading up to Easter.  Since I started blogging hot cross buns too are consumed before Good Friday.  Of course they are only eaten for taste testing of recipes I play around with.  So eating them is sort of considered a ‘have to chore’ and therefore I feel I am still sticking to tradition.  It works in my mind, so let me have that one, please. Read more →

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