autumn fruit
March 29, 2019 § Leave a comment
With this beautiful change of season here is a simple little recipe. Dried Persimmons filled with the nostalgia of an autumn day holding all the summer in that beautiful colour. They are a delight to pick and peel and then watch as they turn a deep brown drying in the winter sun. And its so simple. Only a little preparation and then a little waiting is required. My friend John C showed me how to do it a year ago now, and I have been waiting for the right time to share the recipe here with you.
To do this, you will need a whole bunch of persimmons that are nice and golden but also still hard. You have to catch them before they go soft. This is really important.
Then you simply peel, leaving the leaves and stalk. These become very useful when you are ready to tie them up and hang them in a sunny place to dry.
Then, take some string. Tie the string around the stalk or around and under the leaves.
Find a sunny window to hang them in for about 2 – 3 months.
When they’re ready they will turn a beautiful deep rich brownie red.
They are delicious sliced up thinly and eaten with cheese and crackers, or in a winter salad.
Persian Love Cake
November 8, 2013 § 2 Comments
A few weeks back I went to Melbourne for a friend’s wedding in East Gippsland. There on a small property amongst the green and rolling hills we walked up to the top of a ridge, the sun golden and almost setting, to share with them their love and vows of togetherness and foreverness. I was so moved by the graciousness of love on that day, not just in the space between them, but also amongst us, all their friends, who each shared in that love for them. What a thing to celebrate! I danced until 4am in the morning and could barely move the next day, but my sore calves were a welcome reminder of the joy we can find between each other.
As you can probably guess there was cake involved… 15 different kinds to be precise. Each guest was asked to bring a plate for dinner, and most of us being most of us, naturally wanted to bring cake.
The cake I have for you today is a Persian Love Cake. With a name like that, could you really resist? In Persia, this cake is cooked by a mother in law for her daughters husband to be. The story goes, that once he eats the cake he will fall madly in love and they will have a happy marriage.
Thanks to Gourmet traveller and a dear friend for introducing me to this cake. I haven’t looked back!
Recipe for Persian Love Cake
360 gm (3 cups) almond meal
220 gm (1 cup) raw sugar (I used a bit less)
220 gm (1 cup) brown sugar (I used a bit less)
120 gm unsalted butter, softened
2 eggs, lightly beaten
250 gm Greek-style yoghurt, plus extra to serve
1 tbsp freshly grated nutmeg
45 gm (¼ cup) pistachios, coarsely chopped (optional)
Method
Preheat your oven to 180C. Combine almond meal, sugars, butter and 1 tsp salt in a bowl, then rub with fingertips until coarse crumbs form. Spoon half the mixture into a lightly buttered and lined 26cm-diameter springform pan, gently pressing to evenly cover base.
Add egg, yoghurt and nutmeg to remaining crumble mixture and beat with a wooden spoon until smooth and creamy. Pour over prepared base, smooth top and scatter pistachios around the edge. The recipe says to bake for 30 -35 minutes. I baked mine for about 45 minutes. And its good to keep in mind that the cake can still be a bit soft in the middle. It will keep in an airtight container for up to a week.
Enjoy!
the invisible cookbook 