Ash Cloud

I realise that I have been MIA (Missing In Action) from the blog lately, but like so many I have the ash cloud to thank for that. I was stranded in England at my Aunt and Uncle’s house for 2.5 weeks and despite me being the guest who would never leave…  it was a wonderful silver lining to the whole airline drama and one that landed me back in the kitchen…

I made Country Pork Pate with Kip (I think we will soon have a Kip’s Corner, after the Garibaldi success and fig jam…) and then there was ginger biscuits baking with my aunt. When I finally got back home I had to remove a nasty virus from my computer (another week down the drain) and am only now back online.

This is all to say that new recipes are on the way, as is an interview I did with wonderful cake maker Silvia Felix of Cuddles Cakes.

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WINNER Lemon squeezer contest!

 

Thank you all for participating in the Lékué Luki lemon squeezer contest. As promised I am writing to announce the results of the draw….

so with no futher a do,

drum roll please …….

Lékué Luki LEMON SQUEEZER!

Lékué Lemon Squeezer

What is it ? It’s your solution to 1/2 a lemon!!!

The new designer lemon squeezer by Lékué :

• Cut a lemon in 1/2
• Put inside the  squeezer
• Squeeze the exact quantity of juice you need
• No pips, no splashes
• Store in the fridge
• Quick & easy to use
• Made of 100% platinum silicone and very hygenic
• Dishwasher safe

WIN your very own Lékué LEMON SQUEEZER

ENTER the contest with THREE easy steps:

1. Go to the Lékué website by clicking HERE
2. Choose your favorite Lékué product
3. Leave a comment on this SWEET PEA post:  stating what your favorite Lékué product is & your email address.  ie) “My favourite Lékué product is the cooking mesh!!”

You are now entered in the free draw!

Click on link below for free draw & LEMON CAKE recipe!

NEWS: Menu for Hope

5th annual MENU FOR HOPE fundraiser (December 15 – 24)

“Every year, Food Bloggers from all over the world join together for a fundraising campaign.  We call it ‘Menu for Hope’.  Last year, we raised over $90K for the UN World Food Program.” Chez Pim

The idea:  an annual raffle in support of the UN’s World Food Program (WFP)

• you donate $10 
• you get 1 virtual raffle ticket towards many fabulous foodie prizes
• and you help the UN’s WFP to support the children’s school lunch program in Lesotho (South Africa) and their local procurement initiative = helping local farmers to help themselves

For more information on ‘Menu for Hope 2008’ please click HERE
Money can be donated through the First Giving website, please click HERE

It’s a small way to make a big difference 🙂

HOLLAND – Rotterdam, Amsterdam trip

My NEW Dutch FOOD ADDICTION….  

ROAD TRIP – ok that’s not 100% true as I took a plane, so it’s PLANE trip…  and that just doesn’t have the same ring now does it. Oh well.  

Point being, I went to visit my brother in Holland this past weekend. Didn’t really know what to expect – outside the lovely architecture, Dutch paintings & Amsterdam’s claims to fame (wacky tabcky & the dancing shows…) But I was really there to see him so the rest was just details.  

Despite being warned that Holland was not one of the top 10 ten gastronomic heavens of this world,  (there was mention of much frying, mayonnaise & starchy carbs ), I still managed to followed my stomach around like a blood hound on the scent…

NEWS: Olive picking in Provence

 

***NEWS: OLIVE PICKING IN PROVENCE***

We escaped the city this past weekend for a little sun & olive picking. Despite a very trying train journey… apparently booking a ticket does not automatically include a seat…. and the fact that it poured rain all of Saturday (hail was an added bonus!), we still managed to get in some quality olive picking.

NEWS: Roasted Chestnuts (Marroni), Switzerland

***NEWS : ROASTED CHESTNUTS (MARRONI)***

The appearance of roasted chestnuts, or marroni as they are called here, is the sign that Autumn has arrived in Switzerland. Dotted around the city of Geneva, are little wooden huts with steaming cauldrons of roasting chestnuts, wafting their sweet nutty scent into the cold air.

This is a popular snack, which draws passersby into the lines of anxiously waiting people, for a paper cone of these toasty warm nuggets.

When I enquired about how they were made, the lady told me it was simple:

• Ingredients = chestnuts!
• They are normally from the chestnut-growing region of Ticino in the Italian part of Switzerland
• Directions :cut a small slit in the shell for the steam pressure to be released & pile them into a cauldron. Cook at 100°C for 25 mins
• Eat while warm

NOTE : The slit in the shell is particularly important, otherwise imagine popcorn, but on a larger scale!! When I was a little girl, I found this out the hard way, after placing a tray of perfectly plum chestnuts into the oven, only to have them exploding half an hour later. Needless to say I learned my lesson.

The taste of roasted chestnuts is tender and rather sweet. It gives you a warm and comforting feeling like being curled up in a thick blanket. So the next time you are strolling around Geneva or another Swiss city, from September through to December, I highly recommend treating yourself to few.

 

SWISS CHEESE SHOP: Fromagerie Bruand, Geneva

A MAN OF 300 CHEESE: In my ever growing pursuit to support & promote our local specialty food shops & producers, those who sweat & toil to bring us superior quality, hand made produce direct from the source, I recently organised an interview with Dominique Ryser, current owner of the Fromagerie Bruand in Geneva.

This was a great opportunity to meeting the man behind the cheese !!!  I have often passed his store, and each time la gourmandise (love of food) takes over my senses – no longer am I the self composed, rational shopper with list – no, I have become a mouse… and a large drooling one at that. Completely mesmerized by his cheese display, I forget where I am walking, thinking only of the endless choices infront of me  … salty Gruyere, soft tomme, nippy cheddar, crumbly sbrinz, creamy vacherin, velvety chevre…. and all the wonderful recipes that I could make with these. It is truly a sight to hold.

HISTORY: The Fromagerie Bruand was started in 1982 by Mr. & Mrs Bruand, mother & step-father to Dominique Ryser. In 1998 they decided to turn their attention to other pastures, these being outside of Geneva, in the Swiss town of Ovronnaz – Valais. It was here that they opened the Chalet Gourmand, a fine food store offering cheeses (fromages), dried meats (charcuterie), wine (vinothéque) and other local specialty products. The silver lining of this move was that it left room for Dominique, a chef by trade, and his wife Carole to take over the family business that same year.

TODAY: Today they are the proud owners of this flourishing local cheese shop, located in the heart of Geneva’s most prominent food hall, Halle de Rive (the same location of my recent on Pain d’épice (spice bread). Their shop is well lay out and boast a superb collection of over 300 types of cheeses, of which 60% are Swiss, 30% European and 10% coming from abroad. It comes as no surprise that with Dominique’s welcoming attitude, extensive knowledge of cheese and wide selection of quality produce, that the Fromagerie Bruand  has build up a loyal clientele and a name of excellence in the industry.