Holidays and a few things

Still a few roses about, this one I think is Peace

Holidays have started for the boarding school refugee.  On his first night home I made Eton Mess for pudding, which is indeed a mess, but an utterly delicious one.

I made some meringues with some leftover egg whites (which, by the way, you can freeze...just remember to write how many are in the container/zip lock bag).

3 egg whites
165g castor sugar
1 teaspoon vinegar

Preheat oven to 120c.  Line a baking sheet with baking paper.
Whisk egg whites to stiff peaks.  Add castor sugar gradually while whisking until glossy.  Whisk in vinegar.
Put tablespoons of the mix onto the baking tray and cook  for 1 hour.   Turn off the oven and leave in the oven for an hour to crisp up.

Because strawberries are not at their peak at the moment I decided to roast them, which I did for 15 minutes after sprinkling them lightly with castor sugar.

When they came out I drizzled over some Vinocotto and let them cool.  I also put about 500g of frozen raspberries in a saucepan with the juice of an orange and a teaspoon of castor sugar and simmered them for five minutes.  Then I mixed them with the strawberries to make a lovely sauce.

Whipped some cream with the seeds of one vanilla bean and smothered the meringues with it before pouring over the strawberry sauce.  It was devoured in minutes.

I haven't been watching much of Masterchef this series.  I love the cooking and watching our friend Matt strut his stuff, but I really can't tolerate the "reality" side of it (all that sobbing!).   I did see it last Sunday night when they went to Matt Moran's farm to cook lamb and massacre it on the barbeque.  It was quite telling that the most popular dish of the day was rocky road and is it odd that no-one had much of an idea about how to cook lamb over hot coals?  It is all very well to dish up wanky cheffy dishes for the judges each night in the studio kitchen but I think the contestants need to learn the basics.  The last series was worse.  They just try too hard.  A chop on the BBQ would have probably won the day although I concede not easy to butcher a whole lamb if you've never done it before.  If nothing else it was a marvellous advertisement for our favourite outdoor gear, Drizabone.

Nice picture of no particular relevance

What we have been watching is Downton Abbey, if for nothing else to enjoy the loveliness of Highclere Castle where it was filmed.  If you are finding it a bit slow going, you must watch the Comic Relief version here (Uptown Downstairs Abbey).  It is a hoot.

After last weekend I felt that my beloved could do with his own Bates.  He wore his grandfather's morning coat to a 70th birthday on Saturday and looked every bit as smart and well heeled as Lord Grantham.

imbd

On Sunday we watched the start of the local hunt (the birthday was for the Master of the Hounds):

When we got home his clothes were strewn all the way across our bedroom floor.  Where is a Bates when you need one?

Cold

The last couple of days have been, in a word, freezing.  To call it cold, wet and miserable is being kind.   Proper, western district bleakness that requires two jumpers (one wool, one possum), two pairs of socks, ugg boots and a roaring fire and the chill still goes right through you.  The little princess (darling daughter, aged 10) had to play netball yesterday afternoon in the pouring rain and it was seven degrees.  It was no fun to watch either, it took hours for my feet to thaw out (note to self, next time cast fashion aside and wear gumboots).  I felt too guilty to sit in the car and read my book with the heater on flat out..

How I have managed to endure this winter (remember, bluestone house, no heating) can be answered in two words:  woollen socks.  Beautiful thin woollen socks have changed my life as I hate not wearing shoes in the house (mostly because my feet get cold and you can detect underfoot the shortcomings of your housekeeping) so I need thin socks for my inside shoes.  Then I have a thicker pair to put on when I go outside and put on my gumboots or blunnies.  I was alerted to the wonders of woollen socks by Ewan Sparrow, who came to visit in May, mercifully before winter had really taken hold.  Ewan is the head of the New Zealand Sock Co:  www.nzsock.co.nz/ and he buys some of our wool for the socks, hence the visit.  He is the man when it comes to socks and the kiwis know a thing or two about being cold and they have developed an amazing array of socks, some of which he showed us.  He then sent us a few samples and we are loving them.  Tim swears by them and has declared that he's never worn better, especially then ones you tuck your jeans into before putting on your gumboots.

I love that a family owned business is still successful and has not sent its manufacturing overseas.  (I know it's NZ, but at least it's our wool).  DJs stock their socks in Australia.

Anyway those lemons just don't want to go away, so time for a nice winter pud.  This is a classic that is probably in every CWA book there is.


Lemon Delicious Pudding   Serves 6


1 tablespoon butter
1 cup castor sugar
2 tablespoons SR flour
juice and zest of 1 lemon (I use the zest of two to make it more lemony)
1 cup milk
2 eggs, separated

Preheat oven to 180
Cream butter and sugar, add flour, lemon juice and zest, milk and well beaten egg yolks.  Beat well.
Beat egg whites until stiff.  Fold whites into butter mix and pour into a buttered pudding dish.
Set in a baking dish of water and bake for 45 minutes or until golden brown on top.
Serve with cream or ice cream.

I served this with some caramelised oranges, which was very chalet girl-ish but quite good....