Lemon Cardamom Buns | Normal People

Beside her on the desk is her breakfast, which she just purchased from the supermarket across the street: one black coffee with brown sugar, one lemon pastry roll.
Normal People
Sally Rooney

I'm sure many people were inspired to pick up the story of Normal People recently, with the release of the brilliant television adaptation. I was one of those people, I had read Normal People probably a year ago or so - but realised I remembered little of the plot when the ads for the show started to emerge. I think it's a bit of second read phenomenon but I utterly devoured the story this second go around. I couldn't tell you of any significant parts the first time I read it, with most of the plot seemingly a blur in my head. The second time though, I went back to read over paragraphs again and again, inhaling the words at a frightening speed - and connecting far more than I would have thought.

Moral of the story here is basically - don't give up on a book the first try, sometimes the second read if what you need.

Normal People is lacking a little in the delightful mentions of food that other authors tend to do so well with, but the lemon roll that Marianne snacks on carefully in Sweden was the only dish that really caught my attention. Possibly because I'm eternally jealous I haven't yet been to Sweden - or really anywhere in Europe. Either way, this recipe below is a bit of a twist on the classic Swedish cinnamon bun, introducing a good amount of lemon into the glaze that really left the final product as a delicious, sticky, sweet and slightly tarty treat.

Lemon Cardamom Buns
Makes approx. 7 - 8
Ingredients
Dough
385g plain flour
2 1/2 tsp dried instant yeast
60g caster sugar
240ml milk, lightly warmed
60g butter, melted at room temp
1 tsp ground cardamom, or finely ground if using pods
1/4 tsp sea salt
Filling
40g brown sugar
60g butter, softened
1tsp ground cardamom
1 tbsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground nutmeg
Glaze
60g caster sugar
80ml water
Zest and juice of 2 lemons

1. To make the dough place the yeast, flour, cardamom, sugar and salt into a bowl - mixing well. Add in the melted butter and milk at intervals, mixing the dough together until all liquids have been added and the dough is coming away from the sides of the bowl. You may need to use your hands for this to properly combine everything.

2. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead for about 8 minutes, until the dough softens and becomes quite smooth and stretchy. Lightly oil a bowl and place the dough inside, turning to cover it with oil - this will help stop the dough from drying out. Cover with some cling wrap and leave in a warm spot for around an hour or until the dough has doubled in size.

3. During this time is a good opportunity to prep the filling. Combine the butter, brown sugar, nutmeg, cinnamon and cardamom together, mixing until it is all combined into a paste and is easy to spread.

4. Preheat oven to 180C and prepare an oven tray with a layer of baking paper (you may need two trays depending how big they are).

5. Once the dough has doubled in size, tip it out onto a lightly floured surface and roll it into a square that is around 25cm by 25cm. Gently spread your filling onto it, so it is evenly distributed.

6. Fold your square of dough into thirds - like a business letter. Using a sharp knife, cut strips length ways down (ensuring you're cutting to get the longest possible strips of dough), each strip should be around 5cms wide.

7. I recommend looking up some Youtube tutorials for shaping these as it helped me a lot initially. One strip of dough at a time, you want to hold each end and twist gently while slowly stretching it out a little. One the strip of dough has spiralled, gently wrap it around your hand twice, tucking the end of the dough into the middle of the spiral as to seal it off.

8. Place on the oven tray, leaving as much distance between them as possible and cover with a clean tea towel. Leave for an additional 45 minutes to allow the shaped buns to rise some more.

9. While the second rise is happening, it's a good time to prepare the glaze. Combine the sugar, water, lemon juice and lemon zest in a small saucepan and cook on a medium heat until the sugar has dissolved and the mixture is lightly bubbling. If you want it quite sticky and thick, you can leave it on the stove for longer to cook - otherwise remove it and leave it to the side to cool.

10. Once the formed buns have risen, bake them in the preheated oven for around 15 - 17 minutes, keep an eye on them as it's easy for them to start browning very quickly.

11. You can leave the buns to cool - but it's more fun to glaze when hot so you get the lovely sizzle. Use a pastry brush to spread your prepared lemon glaze all over the buns. Enjoy!

Anzac Biscuits | The Third Day, the Frost

She was so good in the kitchen that she intimidated me a bit; I kept to the simplest cooking: scrambled eggs, lamb chops, pasta, Anzac biscuits.
The Third Day, the Frost
John Marsden

The Tomorrow, when the War Began series was a life changing one for myself when growing - and for most Australian's around my age group most likely. It was my first exposure to the now popular YA dystopian genre, where a group of young teenagers are forced to defend themselves and their country against invaders. Growing up in the middle of the countryside probably also helped me connect to the story itself - memories of camping on all holidays (before I came to the conclusion that camping was not for me, though maybe it is a trait of getting older, I would quite like a short camping trip now and then).

I had the joy in my teenage years of attending John Marsden's, the author of the Tomorrow series, writing camp. Spending a week on his bush property learning to write while exploring the areas that clearly influenced him when penning his own work. It was lovely, and the memories of it were probably what prompted me to pick the series up again last year, thankfully my housemate had the books I was missing from my collection and I was able to finish all within a few weeks.

Outside of the classics I read when quite young, Peter Rabbit or Winnie the Pooh, I don't think any other book has given me such clear nostalgia. Of course, no Australian penned book would be complete without mention of Anzac biscuits, a classic in the early months of the year, or really - any time of the year. I did actually make these around the Anzac day weekend, realising that I had all the necessary ingredients in my cupboard at the time. I'd forgotten just how delicious they were with a cup of tea. 

Anzac Biscuits
Makes approx. 15
Ingredients
150g plain flour
100g rolled oats
80g desiccated coconut
90g brown sugar
60g raw caster sugar
135g butter
3 tbsp golden syrup
1/2 tsp bicarb soda
2 tbsp water

1. Preheat the oven to 160C and line two baking sheets with baking paper.

2. Combine the flour, oats, coconut and both sugars together in a medium bowl.

3. Heat the butter, golden syrup and water together on a medium heat, until the butter melts and the mixture is smooth. Stir in the bicarb soda (it'll froth up a little) and add into the oat mixture, stirring until well mixed.

4. Roll spoonfuls of the mixture into balls, placing them onto the baking trays - leaving about 5cms between them, pressing down on top of each ball to flatten them out. I tend to squish mine down quite a bit - I like them crispy and chewy - which does leave them a bit of a mess but still delicious!

5. Bake for around 10 - 12 minutes if you want them soft and chewy or 15 minutes if you prefer them crispy and crunchy. Leave to cool on the tray for about 15 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack. Enjoy!

Crumpets | Girl, Woman, Other

She showed me how to toast crumpets over the coal fire How to make tea using proper milk and not condensed How to put milk in last and not first
Girl, Woman, Other
Bernadine Evaristo

Girl, Woman, Other is a book I think I devoured within a single weekend. I plucked it from my TBR pile on a whim and began reading, and did not stop. By the end of the weekend I had finished it and was eagerly adding more of Bernadine Evartisto's work to my buy list. I have a particularly fondness for short stories, and the entire book had that atmosphere of it, despite not being short stories.

There is an array of delicious foods mentioned throughout the pages of Girl, Women, Other and choosing to make crumpets from it was a bit of a surprisingly choice, even for myself. I had been wanting to attempt a crumpet recipe however and it seemed like the perfect opportunity. These turned out amazing - so amazing in fact that my partner spent the morning on a continuous trek from the table to the stovetop, where he would pluck a freshly cooked crumpet from the pan every few minutes. We devoured all 14 crumpets in the space of 20 minutes that morning.

These are surprisingly easy to make, but can be a little tricky when first doing them. If you're having issues getting the bubbles to form, try adding a little more water to the mixture. It took a few tries before I was able to get the perfect crumpet out of the pan.

Crumpets
Makes approximately 13 crumpets
Ingredients
430ml milk, lukewarm
100ml water, lukewarm
1 tbsp dry yeast
1 tsp bi-carb soda
1 tsp caster sugar
300g plain flour
1/2 tsp salt
2 tbsp vegetable oil

1. Combine the yeast, warm milk, sugar and warm water together. Leave for about five minutes or until it begins to froth a little.

2. Sift in the flour, bicarb and salt into a large bowl, make a well in the centre and add the yeast mixture. Whisk well - it should have the consistency of thick cream, if it's too thick add a splash more water. Cover with cling wrap and leave in a warm place for 45 minutes.

3. After 45 minutes have passed, the mixture should have a lot of tiny bubbles all over the surface. It may have thickened during this time also, so don't be scared to add a little more water in. If it's too thick, the bubbles won't form properly when cooking.

4. Heat a frying pan on medium heat, grease two egg rings and the pan. Arrange the rings in the pan and spoon the mixture into each - don't leave it go over the top of the rings. They will take around 5 - 10 minutes to cook, but bubbles should begin to appear on the tops of each crumpet. When it's at this stage, you can remove the rings with some tongs - or hands if you're feeling particularly daring - and flip the crumpets. Cook on the other side for no more than 1 minute - just to brown the top.

5. Repeat the process with the remaining mixture and enjoy hot with butter and jam!

Spaghetti and Meatballs | Brooklyn

Over the previous weekend, Eilis had received instructions from Diana about how to eat spaghetti properly using a fork only, but what was served was not as thin and slippery as the spaghetti Diana had made for her. The sauce was just as red, but was filled with flavours that she had never sampled before.
Brooklyn
Colm Tóibín

Autumn has rushed through Melbourne in a hurry and the cold chill of winter has begun to set in. For me this means a hot water bottle every night, excuses to go for a walk in the rain, re-reading classics and an array of carb-heavy comfort foods.

One such classic was Brooklyn from Colm Tóibín, a book I pick up after every rewatch of the film - something that also happens quite a bit. An amazing book about the perils of being homesick, creating a family in another country and a fascinating look at the toxicity that can emerge in small communities.

While there is an array of Irish foods sprinkled throughout this book, I of course had to make some spaghetti and meatballs, inspired by the first meal Eilis shares with Tony's family, one in which she had to practice eating spaghetti beforehand.

My last foray into meatball making was a good six years ago - the only memories I have from it are awful unfortunately. I think the meat may have been old and despite taking only a single bite, I experienced absolutely dreadful food poisoning that lasted throughout New Years Eve and the next day. An experience like that will absolutely turn you away from the food. Only recently I felt inspired to give them another go - albeit with plant based mince and a much lower chance of possible food poisoning.

The end result was a fantastic hearty meal - with a sharp red sauce (that can easily be made in advance and bottled!). Add in some fresh basil and cheese and you really can't go wrong.

*Note: I used Funky Fields plant based mince for my meatballs. I would do a combination of pork and beef mince if using real mince. The sauce as well needs to cook for a good hour or so - so make sure you get started on that earlier, it keeps really well also, so can be made quite a bit in advance. 

Spaghetti and Meatballs
Approx. 5 servings
Ingredients
Meatballs
400g minced meat *see note
2 tbsp plain yoghurt
1/4 cup parmesan cheese
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup of fine breadcrumbs
2 tbsp tomato paste
1 1/2 tsp dried basil3
tbsp olive oil
Pinch sea salt
Fresh pepper
Sauce *see note
800g tinned peeled tomatoes
400g tinned diced tomatoes
2 brown onions, diced
5 cloves of garlic, roughly chopped
2 tsp dried oregano
2 tbsp olive oil
2 tsp dried chilli flakes
3 tbsp fresh basil
100ml red wine, optional
100ml water
Sea salt
Fresh pepper
350g spaghetti, my recipe is here if you want to make it yourself!

Sauce

1. In a large drying pan heat 2 tbsp of olive oil and cook the diced onions for around 2 minutes before adding in the roughly chopped garlic - cook for around 5 -6 minutes or until onion is translucent.

2. Add in the red wine, cooking it off for a few minutes before adding in all the tomatoes, oregano, chilli flakes, a good pinch of sea salt and pinch of pepper.

3. Leave the sauce on a medium heat until it starts to bubble, add in the 100ml of water and fresh basil and leave to continue cooking . You want to leave it on the stove for at least an hour - but it can easily be left for a good four hours or so - the flavours will only grow.

Meatballs

1. Add all the ingredients for the meatballs into a large bowl, except for the olive oil. Combine well, using your hands to mix the ingredients in - you don't want to bite down on a chunk of anything.

2. Shape the mince mixture into balls - whatever size you want!

3. Heat the leftover olive oil in a pan until hot and place the meatballs in - turning occasionally until all are browned and cooked.

4. At this stage you want to have a large pot of water on the stove boiling - make sure that you liberally salt the water as well. Cook the spaghetti according to instructions and drain when ready.

5. Divide the meatballs and sauce with the cooked spaghetti, serve with fresh basil and parmesan.

Char Siu Bao | The Surprising Power of a Good Dumpling

I'm speechless again for the second time in as many minutes. A part of me is terrified. But another part of my brain is running wild with the possibilities. Maybe we could make Xiao Long Bao or BBQ pork buns. A yum cha style takeaway? For dinner!
The Surprising Power of a Good Dumpling
Wai Chim

I experienced my first ever yum cha recently. Visiting Sydney for the Mardi Gras parade, I remembered that there was an all vegan yum cha venue - something that is sorely lacking from Melbourne, but possibly for the best considering I spent over $100 within the first thirty minutes, eager to taste everything that got brought past our table. The small town I grew up in had no such options, vegan or otherwise, within it - there was a Chinese buffet from memory, but by most reports from high school friends, eating there would result in a bout of food poisoning unfortunately.

My favourite item (aside from dumplings, because obviously) was probably the steamed buns - hugely fluffy and light, with perfectly cooked and seasoned faux pork inside. Usually I would try and source a plant-based pork to make this with, to ensure that it was as close to the book mention as possible. Unfortunately with everything happening related to COVID-19, it's been harder to make trips out to the usual store that sells the majority of faux meat I buy. I made this recipe twice - once with brined jackfruit and once with mushrooms. While jackfruit will get you closer to the correct texture of pork, I found it was a bit too sweet for me. The mushrooms however absorbed the sauce instantly, providing a flavour that was not too sweet and not too overpowering.

I've read through The Surprising Power of a Good Dumpling a few time - it was a purchase made on a whim when browsing Readings bookstore near Cinema Nova (something made very dangerous by it being open till 11pm - the perfect time for browsing as a movie gets out). While definitely located within the young adult genre, it is still a well done book about the challenges of growing up with immigrant parents, along with an even deeper look into the shame of mental health in some cultures. Definitely worth a read at some stage.

Char Siu Bao
Makes approx. 15 buns
IngredientsDough
1 tsp instant yeast
180ml warm water
2 tbsp sugar
1/4 vegetable oil
2 1/2 tsp baking power
Filling
250g king oyster mushrooms, diced very small
1 brown onion, finely diced
3 - 4 cloves of garlic, minced
2 tbsp tamari/soy sauce
1 tbsp rice wine vinegar
2 tbsp hoisin sauce
1 tsp sugar
1 tbsp vegetable oil
1 tbsp fresh ginger, minced
1/4 tsp Chinese five spice
1 tbsp cornflour
2 tbsp water

1. Combine the warm water and yeast, leaving to sit for around five minutes or until the mixture turns a bit foamy.

2. Add in the flour, sugar, oil and mix until a soft dough forms.

3. On a gently floured surfaced, knead the dough until it becomes smooth and elastic. You may need to add a little more flour at this point or water - you don't want the dough to be too dry or too sticky. Place into an oiled bowl, cover with a clean tea towel and leave for around 45 minutes to rest.

4. During this time, make the filling. Combine the rice wine vinegar, tamari or soy sauce, sugar, hoisin sauce, ginger, minced garlic and Chinese 5 spice and place to the side.

5. Heat the vegetable oil in a pan and cook the finely diced garlic until soft before adding in the diced mushrooms. You want to cook them for around 5 - 10 minutes until the moisture cooks out of the mushrooms.

6. Add in the prepared sauce to the pan, mixing with the cooked mushrooms and onion until they are all well covered. Combine the 2 tbsp water and 1 tbsp cornflour until a slurry mix and add into the pan. It will only take a minute or so for the mixture to thicken - make sure you keep moving it during this time otherwise it will congeal.

7. Remove from the heat and place to the side to cool.

8. Back to the dough! Pull the dough out onto a lightly floured surface again, lightly pushing down to get the air from it. Now is when you want to add the baking powder in, folding it into the dough until it is combined.

9. Divide the dough into 15 equal pieces (you can do more or less at this stage depending how big you want the buns to be), rolling each piece into a circle.

10. Prepare a number of circles cut from baking paper - you want enough to match however many buns you're making.

11. Cup the circle of flattened dough in your hand and place a spoonful of filling in the middle - sealing them is a bit tricky and I still haven't mastered it, I recommended looking up some tutorials on Youtube. Basically, you're wanting to sort of pleat the outside all the way around, pinching it off until it's closed.

12. While doing this, get a pot of water on to boil - I always use a bamboo steamer to help avoid things sticking - but any steamer is fine. As you make the buns, place them into the steamer on one of the baking paper circles. They'll take around 5 - 8 minutes to cook through depending on how hot the water is. Once you've had one it's a good indication of cooking time.

13. Enjoy with tamari, chilli or vinegar!

Vanilla Layer Cake | Anne of Green Gables

The cake did rise, however, and came out of the oven as light and feathery as golden foam. Anne, flushed with delight, clapped it together with layers of ruby jelly, and, in imagination, saw Mrs Allan eating it and possibly asking for another piece!
Anne of Green Gables
L.M Montgomery

I dived into Anne of Green Gables for the (what I thought) first time recently - I found a very scraggly copy at a local bookstores sale and had the price knocked down to a mere $2 based on the fact that the back few pages had basically been cut off. The further I got into it's pages, the more familiar it seemed and I realised that I had actually read this book before. It must have been when I was quite young, young enough to have no solid memory but enough that small pieces came back to me the further in I read.

Like many children's books, there's an abundance of cosiness and quaintness throughout the pages, bringing forth images of cottages, spring time and, of course, baking. I tried my hand at the cake Anne so desperately wants to impress Mrs Allan with, an attempt that fails when she accidentally replaces the necessary vanilla with medicine instead. This cake is luckily fluffy, delicious and very full of vanilla.

Though don't make my mistake and bake is during a quarantine as you will be forced to either eat it all yourself, or force it onto a roommate or partner.

Vanilla Layer Cake
Ingredients
Cake
2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
1/4 cups milk
620g plain flour
450g raw caster sugar
1 tbsp baking powder
1 1/2 tsp bi-carb soda
1/4 cup vegetable oil
3 tsp vanilla extract
Pinch sea salt
Frosting
100g vegetable shortening, softened
250g butter, softened
500g icing sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
Pinch sea salt
Jam of your choice

1. Preheat oven to 180C, and prepare three 8” cake tins - greasing the sides and bottoms well. I recommend putting a circle of baking paper at the bottom as well, it’ll help get them out better.

2. Combine the vinegar and milk and let it sit to the side to curdle - will take about five minutes or so. If it gets a bit chunky - perfect!

3. Combine the flour, baking power bi-carb soda, sugar and salt together in a large mixing bowl.

4. Add the oil and vanilla extract to the vinegar and milk and add to the mixed dry ingredients. Mix until everything is combined but make sure not to over-mix.

5. Divide the batter between the three prepared tins and bake for about 30 - 35 minutes or until the tops are golden and a skewer inserted int he middle comes out clean.

6. Remove from the oven and leave to cool for about ten minutes before removing the cakes from the tins. Turn them out onto a cooling rack and wait till they are completed cooled before frosting. You can pop them in the fridge to rush the process along a little if needed.

7. While the cakes cooling - prepare the frosting. Combine the shortening and butter in the bowl of a mixer and cream until fluffy.

8. Add in the vanilla, salt before gradually adding in the icing sugar a little at a time until it has all combined. It should be fluffy and easy to spread.

9. Sandwich the three cake layers together with a good layer of the jam and frosting between - depending how skilled you are at cake frosting, either decorate the sides of the cake or have it as is! Either way will be delicious, and I guarantee even if this cake isn’t the prettiest at the end, it will still be delicious.

10. Enjoy!