When life gives you Lemons, continued........

And so the juicy, citrus rush continues..........

It is World Baking Day today..... nothing could smell more like home and bring back comforting  memories than Apple cake served with chantilly cream. This version is my quick and easy recipe which I have been baking for years. It also features lemon zest added to the batter to infuse a delcate lemon tang.

  Since we are celebrating  World Baking Day today, I have included this image of my favourite Apple and Cinnamon muffin flavoured with lemon zest.... I also scatter the lemon zest in the sugar topping for an extra crunch... mmm...

Back to the workbench where dreams are created........

Herewith a quote worth sharing, any crafter will agree!

I am a beadaholic......
If you are a decent person, you will (not) sell me one more bead!!

I have always wanted to create a piece of jewellery on the spur of the moment especially to match an outfit. Well, I found the inspiration I required when I scrolled  through the Vogue newsletter .
Have a look at http://www.vogue.co.uk/spy/celebrity-photos


A beautiful gown created by Elie Saab was worn by Fan Bingbing at the Cannes Film Festival....... the gown is a festival of delicate lemon yellow with an embroidered lace bodice and long flowing skirt. Look at the Summer 2013 collection  www.eliesaab.com

 

And so, back to the kitchen for a little more juicy, citrus inspired recipes.

Firstly, if someone offers you a bag of freshly picked lemons, grab it as you will discover endless ways to be creative in the kitchen. My first thought is always creamy, delicate and zesty Lemon Curd.

Herewith a quick, tried and tested recipe:

100g Butter
4 large eggs
Juice from 5 lemons
Zest of 1 lemon
100g Castor sugar
2 x 250 ml Glass Jars, sterilised

Melt the butter, gently in a saucepan. Pull off the heat, cool.
When cooled, add the eggs, sugar, juice and lemon zest.
Whisk the mixture over a gentle heat until it becomes thicker and more viscous.
Allow to cool before filling the glass jars.
Refrigerate and enjoy!

For an unbelievable treat, enjoy on top of a layer of cream cheese on a slice of wholewheat toast!


I have discovered many recipes worthy of sharing, so I can see I will be featuring this citrus issue for a while..... until next time!

When life gives you Lemons..........

.....I make Lemon Pudding, as featured before in a previous blog, but worthy of a repeat!

 

 The reason for today's blog is to match this delicate, light , zesty and dreamy lemon pudding with these icy lemon glass beads I happened to be working with at the bead shop, StringBead at Eden on the Bay yesterday. 

These are the icy lemon yellow beads that set my mind off on a lemon pudding run yesterday..... oh what I do for fun! Perhaps simple to some, but creative to me!

I suddenly had a flash and all I could think of was lemon pudding and cream, since I was working with icy, frosted lemon yellow coloured, glass beads and small white glass pearl beads. To top it all the contrasting bead had a wonderful punch of delicate green mint in it!

Well, these colours are also perfectly represented above by the gooseberries and delicate pineapple mint..... I am sure you can see where my inspiration comes from?

 Now we have the ultimate Lemon Pudding, a Jensen family treat!
The memories attached to this pudding come back to life when enjoyed with lashings of cream, the way we were taught  to experience it! Naughty but nice!

The ingredients for this dreamy pudding are simple, like the best things in life.

Lemon zest and juice of 2 Lemons
2 Eggs plus an extra 3 egg whites
1 Cup sugar plus and extra 2 Tablespoons Castor sugar
2 Heaped Tablespoons cornflour mixed with a 1/4 cup cold water
2 Cups boiling water

First combine 2 egg yolks with the cup of sugar, lemon juice and zest as well as the cornflour and water mixture.
Add the boiling water , mix well and bring to the boil in a saucepan. Stir gently until the mixture thickens.
Set aside to cool in a bath of cold water.
Beat all the egg whites until stiff with the castor sugar.
Gently fold the two mixtures together so not to destroy all the air trapped in the egg whites. Do this in two stages to be safe.  
Place in your favourite, festive glass bowl and place in the fridge to set overnight.
Serve with lashings of cream!
Do not forget to garnish with mint leaves.

Now you have the recipe for the memory and picture in my mind!

Here is a wonderful quote that perhaps only those of us who appreciate how special it is to sit down to a dinner served at a dining room table will appreciate.
"The dining room is possibly the only place in our lives where we still have a sense of ceremony."

 John Saladino.

The ultimate lemon pudding, as only the Jensen girl's know how to make ...... well, maybe some others have also managed it!

I found another fitting quote. According to David Hicks one approaches flower arranging like everything else in design. "There are no sacred rules, no sacred cows; it's all part of your personal style."

So, be creative, free and flexible.....design and create as you wish.
Until next time with some more inspiration to match this juicy, citrus rush!

FLORA TEA........Watch this spectacular flowering tea unfold.

Defenition by FLORA TEA CO UK  Limited.

Flora tea ( flowering teas) are hand tied individual green tea leaves with dried aromatic flowers forming a ball which reveals its secret centre when placed in boiling water - blooming into an artistic and captivating display  with an enriching taste.
For more information go to www.floratea.com

Was that not just like watching an underwater spectacle in a glass mug?
FLORA TEA ...... Taste first with your eyes, feel next with your heart. 

More to come in my next blog........ with a touch of lemon.

Easter 2013.

Welcome to my inspiration for this Easter. As always, I love to pull out my favourite decorations collected over the years.....and create a few new ones!

I love making wreaths and this one is my best ever Easter wreath! Special thanks to my sister,  Anneli Hubberstey for all her able bodied help....... I could not have done it  without all your effort.

As with Christmas, I enjoy making the kitchen, the heart of my home, the starting point with my decorations.

No matter how humble your home, a friendly welcome at the front door is always appreciated!

A friendly collection of  Easter cheer.

Guess who rules the roost?

How I miss my 'potting' days....... this is still one of my favourite creations.

As you would have noticed, my decorations hang around from one celebration to the next! So the hearts arrived for Christmas, they stayed out for Valentine's Day and now they have been included in Easter celebrations.....Why not? The glass Easter decoration is hand painted and totally unique.

The 2013 Easter edition of my beloved clothes dryer.

My special friend, Tina is responsible for many of these delightful decorations....... thanks for keeping me well stocked and inspired, dear Tina! I look forward to discovering more treasures in August! Just a reminder that the red heart decoration came from + Chehoma atelier d'ambiances in France.

I was once asked in an interview which was my most favourite food store in the world. Well, here is the answer..... KaDeWe  in Berlin. The best of the world's selection of  the freshest and finest that there is to find.  Take a virtual tour and indulge your senses........now if only I could visit this gourmet paradise more regularly!

Fortunately I had preserved this preserve jar from +KaDeWe. I bought it from the Feinschmecker -etage in 1990 when visiting Berlin.

Two of my homemade decorations......the wooden bead bunny and the yellow button egg.

As always, I have to find a gem to associate with the topic under discussion. Herewith my selection for today...... creamy white pearls to match those eggs nestled in my Easter wreath.

Easter blessings to you all.

Herewith the Pickled Fish served up after maturing in the fridge for 3 days. It is delicious! The recipe is from + Jenny Morris.

The ultimate treat.....a fillet cooked to perfection on the weber  braai. This time I followed an Ina Paarman recipe, Blue Cheese Beef  Braai. You will not believe the flavour combination..... blue cheese with beef stock, cream and coffee!

 

A beautiful sunset to set the scene for the Easter celebrations. How perfect is that cloud formation ? How gentle are the colours, and how special is it to have a revamped swimming pool with water in it?

Until next time, stay creative in the kitchen, garden and home....... I will be back to inspire you yet again! 

Happy Easter to everyone!

Before this special Easter Sunday comes to an end, I have to share some of my creative Easter Inspiration with you......Enjoy and more to come later.

My homemade button Easter decorations...... such fun to create. Raid everyone's button stock and you will be amazed at what you can create! For this tree I used Aloe from the garden..... a local touch on a European tradition.

An Easter collection from over the years....... just love it more each year.

An Easter Tree in the midst of chaos....... at least it happens!

Loads more tomorrow!

Preparing for Easter..... Pickled Fish is ready.

And so Easter is upon us again......how time flies by.  I have only recently finished packing away my Christmas decorations!

A real Cape Tradition is Pickled Fish. It is one of the oldest and best known dishes from the Cape. Pickling is a great way to preserve food and add flavour at the same time. Centuries ago Malay fishermen lived off their catch and devised this method of preserving the fish with vinegar and spices. This method and tradition came with them to the Cape.
The inspiration and  recipe came from Jenny Morris.....Thanks Jenny!    

Best prepared three days before serving to allow the flavours to develop.

Select 2 kg firm white fish fillets such as Snoek or Kabeljou.

 

Cut  fillets into slices and season well.

Sprinkle with a little cake flour.

Shallow fry the fish in oil and drain on kitchen paper towels when done.

Prepare the sauce with the following ingredients and cook for 10 minutes.

 

 Curry Sauce ingredients:

750 ml White Vinegar
250 ml Water
250 g White Sugar
30 g Curry Powder
5 g Salt
15 g Black Peppercorns
4 Onions, peeled and sliced
6 Lemon leaves
15 g Crushed Fresh Ginger
250 g Sultanas
2 Bay leaves
15 g Turmeric
15 g Cake Flour

Combine Vinegar, water, sugar, salt, peppercorns and spices.
Bring to the boil.
Add onions, lemon leaves, ginger and bay leaves.
Simmer gently for 10 minutes, remembering that the onion should remain crunchy in texture.
Mix cake flour to a paste with a little water and add to sauce to thicken slightly.
Stir in Sultanas.
Layer fish and sauce, cool and refrigerate for 3 days before serving.

If you can resist the temptation, store for 3 days before serving...... but with the wonderful spicy aroma's wafting around the house it will be difficult!

And then, I have to be creative and match this wonderful colour of the Pickled Fish with a gem stone or two and some flowers......

What could be more fitting than Cirine? The wonderful deep honey, yellow colour of this gem perfectly matches the curry sauce with the yellow turmeric spice.

 

My favourite Amber, or Bernstein is the other most suitable organic gem to match with the Pickled Fish.

And finally, a splash of golden, warm yellow of the Nasturtinum would be my choice of flower to match the Pickled Fish.

More Easter inspiration in my next blog.