Tropical Fruit Salad in Kaffir Lime Leaf Syrup

Dhanggit from Dhanggit's Kitchen is hosting this edition of Weekend Herb Blogging and this week I've finally satisfied my longing for Longans

Senorita Banana Fritters

There's something new that has found its way into my shopping basket - the oh-too-cute senorita banana.

Weekend Herb Blogging #222 Hosting

This week Dhanggit from Dhanggit's Kitchen joins us from her new home to host Weekend Herb Blogging.

The rules are simple - post about any herb, fruit, vegetable, flower or plant. Your post can be informative, spotlight a particular ingredient and/or include a recipe where your chosen ingredient is one of the primary ingredients in the recipe.

Entries must be submitted by:

* 3pm Sunday - Utah Time
* 10pm Sunday - London Time
* 11pm Sunday - Rome Time
* 9am Monday - Melbourne (Aus) DS Time

Send your posts to dhanggit AT gmail DOT com
with WHB#222 in the subject line and the following details:

* Your name
* Your Blog/URL
* Your Post URL
* Your Location
* Attach a Photo: 400px wide

Lemon and Finger Lime Curd

Cinzia from Cindystar is hosting this edition of Weekend Herb Blogging and I've finally managed to get my fingers around a native Australian ingredient - Finger limes

Sardines

With the start of lent on Ash Wednesday, the demand for fish based meals is on the rise. While salmon and tuna will get most of the attention I want to do my part and help an often maligned fish - the humble sardine.

Ricotta Pancakes

Shrove Tuesday, Pancake Day or Fat Tuesday - it means the same things, pancakes are on the menu.

This time I'm revisiting my recipe for ricotta pancakes. While I enjoyed that recipe in recent times I've been enjoying a different take on this dish from local restaurant Home Dining Room. Rather than having the ricotta blended in with the batter, it's served as large chunks through the batter, resulting in a much more interesting mouth feel and texture.

With that as my inspiration, I've devised a new and improved Ricotta Pancake to enjoy today.

Weekend Herb Blogging #221 Hosting

This week Cinzia from Cindystar is our host.

The rules are simple - post about any herb, fruit, vegetable, flower or plant. Your post can be informative, spotlight a particular ingredient and/or include a recipe where your chosen ingredient is one of the primary ingredients in the recipe.

Entries must be submitted by:

• 3pm Sunday - Utah Time
• 10pm Sunday - London Time
• 11pm Sunday - Rome Time
• 9am Monday - Melbourne (Aus) DS Time

Send your posts to cmc AT cindystar DOT it
with WHB#221 in the subject line and the following details:

• Your name
• Your Blog/URL
• Your Post URL
• Your Location
• include a photo sized: 300px wide

Happy Valentines Day

I hope this isn't too cheesy!

WHB#220 - Farro Risotto

Chris from Mele Cotte is hosting this edition of Weekend Herb Blogging and this week I'll be taking a closer look at Farro

Mamey Sapote Smoothie

No need to play "what is this?" since the title of the post gives it away but you might still be left asking "What is Mamey Sapote?"

Weekend Herb Blogging #220 Hosting

This week we welcome back Chris from Mele Cotte as our host.

If you're new to Weekend Herb Blogging or haven't joined in for a while, here's a quick recap of the rules.

You have the week to post about any herb, fruit, vegetable, flower or plant. Your post can be informative, spotlight a particular ingredient and/or include a recipe where your chosen ingredient is one of the primary ingredients in the recipe.

Entries must be submitted by:

* 3pm Sunday - Utah Time
* 10pm Sunday - London Time
* 11pm Sunday - Rome Time
* 9am Monday - Melbourne (Aus) DS Time

Send your posts to melecotteblogevents AT gmail DOT com
with WHB#220 in the subject line and the following details:

* Your name
* Your Blog/URL
* Your Post URL
* Your Location
* Attach a Photo: 250px wide

Sticky Black Rice Pudding

Simona from Briciole is hosting this edition of Weekend Herb Blogging and this week I've felt the urge to play with pandan leaves.

Nutella and Banana Pastries

February 5th has been designated World Nutella Day and in celebration Sara from Ms. Adventures in Italy and Michelle from Bleeding Espresso are co-hosting this event to honour this wonderful Italian creation.


One of the great friends of Nutella is banana, ah yes, banana and nutella sandwiches are a child's delight but I've taken that combination a little further and possibly made it just a little more naughtier.

One Thousand

It seems that even at 1000 posts I wasn't too sure whether I should mark the occasion or not but as I've been assured, it is something that I should acknowledge.

So here's a look in photo form




While putting these photos together what surprised me is just how much I've forgotten I've actually done - there's many a time when I've said "when did I make that?"which is met with Paalo's "oh you should make that again!"

As I said at 500 I really wasn't sure I'd get to fifty, approaching this number is a bit like the twilight zone.  I must, once again, thank everyone that has taken the time to write or comment - it is such a lovely feeling to know that you've enjoyed these things I've made even moreso that you've tried them and enjoyed them.

I'll be back with one thousand and one...

Burrata

I have to only hear the word Burrata and immediately I'm flooded with memories of Italy and our first encounters with this most amazing cheese. While it would bring joy it would also bring sadness as we knew we'd never be able to experience the same level of freshness with an imported product here in Australia.

As with our local mozzarellas which can be quite good in isolation, when placed in direct comparison all their flaws are immediately obvious. The main problem is that mozzarella and its sister cheeses are so delicate and time sensitive. As one of the speakers told us so clearly in a mozzarella masterclass, it has to be eaten fresh and begins to deteriorate within just a few hours of manufacture.

When you encounter a freshly made mozzarella it's a different beast - it's much looser and the flesh seems to weep milk but with our local cheese, the flesh is tight and stringy and that internal liquid has gone and it's all got to do the supply chain, refrigeration and the time it takes to get the product onto the shelves.

So when we heard that a Mozzarella laboratory had opened up here in Carlton, well, it was obvious we wouldn't be too long before we visited.

Entering this store is like having the golden ticket to visit Willy Wonka - countless varieties of bocconcini, mozzarella, burrata, provolone etc all made out the back - you can't get any fresher than this. There's lots of cheese to explore but I'm going to start with their burrata and serve it as I would in Italy.