The birthday gift

birthday moon @ Mission Beach

My 40th 50th birthday has finally now come and gone.  Even though I did not realise it at the time, I must have been feeling the pressure of reaching this landmark age. Because I now feel slightly liberated somehow, as if a light weight has been lifted off me, or the feeling you get when you get your hair cut, or the transition of spring to summer when you can finally throw off the winter woolies (anyway, you get the idea). 

the holiday house

birthday prawns

With two weeks of intensive celebrations that included a wonderful and large gathering of friends and family from Canberra and beyond at Chris and Jill's house on the Saturday before my birthday, and then the pilgrimage to Mission Beach in Queensland with the Skelton side of the family in tropical paradise, I can think of no better way of turning 50. I slipped from one decade to the next, relatively pain free (apart from a red wine headache or two), while buffered and cocooned by my family and friends (many of who are already enjoying their 50s and 60s) telling me this is okay, don't worry you'll be fine (not to mention, well yes I will..... providing lots of delicious food and wine to make the transition that much easier).

family feast

So, I would like to thank all my family and friends for the nurturing, love and effort that made this such a special time for me and gave me the gift of feeling loved and the making of many happy memories.

While on the subject of food, we experienced a fantastic meal in Mission Beach in an absolutely magical setting at the Bibesia Beachclub restaurant of the newly renovated Castaways Resort, situated 300metres along the beach from our holiday house. The menu had a tropical fruit and seafood focus with the simple meals well presented with tight flavours.  The thing that stood out for us was the casual, but stylish presentation of the atmosphere, food and service.  Would definitely recommend the restaurant. Photos by Steve Shanahan
http://www.castaways.com.au/

Cassoulet

This column first published in the Canberra Times 25 August 2010.

So humble and satisfying and one of the great dishes of the Languedoc Region in France, the cassoulet continues to be a standard on French menus. A rich and hearty casserole of slow cooked white beans, often served with duck or goose, is just as comfortably eaten as a stand- alone meal when served with crusty sourdough bread and butter. I especially love the depth of flavour the smoked meats impart, and the aromas that flow through the house when the cassoulet is cooking. Like any form of long cooked stew, its basic ingredients of beans and meat can be varied and I have adapted this modern version to be leaner and faster, while still retaining that sticky deliciousness that is so satisfying.

Legend has it, that among the best French cooks it is considered a heinous crime to open the oven door or to create any kind of draught until the crumbs on top are golden brown and the cassoulet is ready to eat. The cassoulet can be cooked in an earthenware pot and kept in the fridge and reheated in the same pot. This is a dish that ages well, and will keep refrigerated for about 4 days. You may find you need to add the remainder of the retained broth when reheating, depending on the consistency. I found this is perfect for serving on a chilly winter evening or a relaxed weekend lunch. Remember, this dish requires preparation the night before to allow time to soak the beans.

Easily serves 6

350g cannellini beans

Photo by Steve Shanahan

½ tsp bicarbonate of soda

400g bacon pieces

1 pork hock

2 pigs trotters

6 pork sausages (toulouse style are good)

4 small onions

1 leek sliced

3 garlic cloves chopped

1 stick of celery sliced

2 carrots chopped

4 bay leaves
3 tblsp tomato paste
3 cloves
bunch of thyme
bunch of chopped parsley
fresh baguette breadcrumbs

Preheat oven to 180C. Soak the beans overnight in the bicarbonate of soda and water to cover. Brown the bacon pieces in a large ovenproof dish. Add all the meats, chopped leek, whole onions, chopped carrots, celery, bay leaf, thyme, garlic and cloves and cover with water. Bring to the boil, turn down the heat and cook gently for about one and half hours. Remove the meats from the casserole dish, reserving the stock. Add the drained, rinsed beans and tomato paste to the stock and simmer very gently until al dente and can be squashed with the back of a spoon– this should take about one to one and half hours. Slice the meats and return to the casserole dish and bring back to simmering point. Spoon out excess broth so the level comes to about one centimetre below the top of the beans. Retain the leftover broth in the fridge if needed when reheating. Sprinkle with a thick layer of breadcrumbs and cook in the oven for one and half hours and breadcrumbs are golden. Press down the breadcrumbs mid way through cooking to allow the crumbs to become golden and crispy. Top with chopped parsley and serve with crusty sourdough bread and butter, washed down with a humble red.

Jewish Apple Cake

First published Canberra Times 11 August 2010. When I was young I learnt a lot from my Mum while standing on a chair in the kitchen watching her cook. Mum was a great cook and always encouraged my interest in food. Migrating from Holland with her family in the 1950’s, she arrived here to find a very different culture and appreciation of food. Like many other women back in the 1960’s, she dedicated a particular day of the week for baking cakes and biscuits for our family, and if we were lucky this stash would last out the week. Many of the neighbourhood kids would front up on weekends and after school to taste the treats she had cooked during the week and she was pretty popular for her contributions to the annual Coal Point primary school fete. It was a rare occasion when any store bought biscuits or cakes passed through our front door.


This apple cake evokes many memories and was a very popular choice whenever it appeared on the menu at Red Box. Who could resist the sweet smell of cooked apples and cinnamon in the shop? A great morning or afternoon tea cake or a delicious dessert, it can be served hot or cold with custard, cream, ice cream or yoghurt but my favourite is to serve it warm with whipped vanilla bean cream. I prefer to use fresh apples, such as Fuji or Braeburn as they hold their shape well and result in a tangy fresh flavour.

The great thing about this recipe is that it doesn’t require an electric mixer, just a wooden spoon. This recipe makes a very generously proportioned cake, so for it to cook completely through without burning requires a large greased high sided ring cake pan lined with baking paper, on both the bottom and sides of the pan. I like to use a 27 centimetre non stick ring pan due to the cake’s proportions and cool the cake in the tin to ensure it is supported by the tin while still warm, otherwise it may topple over.

5 fresh apples

1 tblsp Dutch cinnamon

¼ teaspoon ground cloves

4 tblsp castor sugar

1 tblsp lemon juice

3 cups sifted plain flour

1 tblsp baking powder

1 tsp salt

1 cup vegetable oil

1 ½ cups sugar

½ cup orange juice

2 teaspoons vanilla

4 eggs

1 cup chopped walnuts

Preheat oven to 175C. Grease and paper a 27cm non stick ring cake pan. Peel, core and chop apples into chunks. Toss with cinnamon, cloves, sugar and lemon juice and set aside.

Sift together the flour, baking powder and salt into a large mixing bowl. In a separate bowl, whisk together the oil, orange juice, sugar and vanilla. Mix wet ingredients into the dry ones, then add eggs one at a time. Add nuts and mix till all ingredients are just incorporated, do not over mix, as the cake will be tough.

Spoon just under half the cake batter into prepared pan. Spread half of the apple and sugar mixture over it. Spoon the remaining batter over the apples and arrange the remaining apples on top. Push the apples gently down with the spoon to ensure they are embedded in the batter. Bake for about 1 ¼ hours or until a skewer comes out clean.

Leave cake in pan till cool then remove from pan and peel off paper. Cool further on a wire rack before serving. It can be served on day of cooking although is best served on day two when the apple juices have seeped through. This moist cake keeps well in an airtight container for about a week or can be frozen and then lightly warmed through by putting in the microwave on medium for 30 seconds. 

Photo by Steve Shanahan