So here we go with the pastry, it is my grandma’s recipe and I have used it for more than 10 years. She’s been using it for a lot longer, so it’s kind of trusted.

Ingredients:
200g Flour
100g Sugar (white or brown, you can use both)
100g Butter (at room temperature, in small cubes)
1 Egg
1 Yolk
1 Pinch of Salt

Arrange the flour and sugar on a bench in a volcano shape, eggs and butter in the middle. Start working the dough, until nice and smooth. It is going to be a little crumbly at first, don’t panic and keep going. Wrap in cling foil and let rest in the fridge for about 20 minutes. Meanwhile, butter the tart tins (I like small tarts, with this recipe you can make up to 6 x 10cm) and dust with flour.
Take the dough from the fridge, divide in 6 equal portions and roll it to fit into the tin, then pierce the base with a fork. Heat the oven to 180°C, put baking paper and some dry chikpeas on top so that the base doesn’t rise. Bake for about 10/15 minutes until golden, take the baking paper and chickpeas off and let bake for another couple of minutes. Let rest and cool down outside of the oven.

For the curd:
250ml of Lemon and Lime Juice  (1 1/2 Lemon and 6 Limes)
160g Sugar
4 Eggs
120g Butter (at room temperature, in small cubes)
Lemon and Lime zest (I used about 3 limes and 1 lemon, the more the punchier!)

Slightly beat the eggs, add the sugar, the zest and slowly the juice. Place the bowl over a saucepan with simmering water, the heat shouldn’t be too strong as this may cook the curd too fast. Also, the boiling water should not touch the bowl, this is very important. Keep whisking to make sure that there are no lumps in the mixture, it will take about 15 minutes to become nice and thick, it will change pretty fast so be ready to take off the heat and cool in some cold water. Add the butter and gently mix it into the curd until smooth.

When the curd has cooled down a little, you can pour it into the tarts and then refrigerate for a few hours… or if you can manage that long, a day.
Enjoy!

Ps. For the curd, I used a recipe from one of my favourite blogs… the quantities are for passion fruit, but the principle works well for this too. Thanks Cavoletto!

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It was on my list for the things to do for this 2011… so here I am!

I will be running the City2Surf and, at the same time, raising money for the wonderful Guide Dogs Australia. It’s going to be heaps of fun, there will be targets and depending on the result big or huge donations. If you feel you would like to contribute as well, please feel free to visit my page and donate as much or as little as you like.

xx Lilac

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There are things you do in your childhood that, for some reason, just stick with you. Whether are names, dates, faces, episodes or stories… they just stay with you and come back and visit, every once in a while.  My memory of today is a cake, a particular one. On winter Sunday afternoons, after having lunch with family, watching football on TV, done with homework it was time to bake. The recipe was always the same so it is probably no surprise that after 25 years I still remember it and do it exactly the way I used to.

It’s super easy, you only need to use one mixer (so incredibly fast to clean kitchen afterwards) but the ingredients need to go in this order… very important, and make sure you taste all the way!
First in the processor are 300gr sugar and 150gr unsalted butter. Let it go for a while, until sugar and butter have no lumps. Next step, add 4 eggs and let it go for couple of minutes and then add 300gr of  flour 00. While the mixture is going, add 1 glass of milk, this should make the mixture a lot softer. Also add 1 bag of Pane degli Angeli yeast, it’s beautiful for cakes and you can find it in little Italian shops, it comes in a box of ten I think and it’s really the best.

After a few minutes when the mix is nice and smooth, batter a baking tin and dust over some flour. Make sure that the layer of flour is light but cover across the whole tin and then pour the mixture. You can leave it as it is, or put some chocolate chips… up to you!

The one I did this afternoon was with chocolate chips and orange zest… the cake has to bake for about 45 minutes at 180°/190°. Check with a toothpick that the cake is cooked through and let rest out of the oven for a while. Then make a tea, call some friends and enjoy a good movie. Or maybe a cartoon… it’s always good to feel like little kids again!

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Sometimes the best discoveries are the ones perchance… I have no idea where I found this one in particular, but isn’t showing and sharing things with other people, the reason why we all write blogs so passionately? I believe so. What you see above is Wasara, a Japanese company that produces paper tableware.

Overly delicate, sinuous and elegant, this range of ephemeral plates and bowls flows gracefully over the table: the nature of paper tableware is in itself a one time only, however Wasara creates these collection using bamboo and sugarcane waste (bagasse), making their collection completely environmentally-friendly. As they say, “Earth to Earth”…

I couldn’t find a retailer in Australia, but there is a New Zealand distributor, named Epicure Trading… maybe they can help!

Every year, Vivid Festival transform Sydney in a city of lights… Skyscrapers with magical luminous effects, the Opera House becomes a multiform of colours, geometry and shades, and Circular Quay is all dressed up. This year, Custom House is taking the scene with the most amazing sound and light effects. For approximately five minutes, you see the front of the building changing shapes and colours, it’s truly spectacular.

It all last until Monday 13th, so if you are in Sydney for this long weekend make sure to go down to the Rocks for a quick look… Sydney is beautiful when all the lights are turned on!

Ops, I forgot… click on the pictures to watch the video. Just in case you cannot see this in real life, quality is not great but gives you a very good idea on how amazing this is… ;)

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Bottega Veneta…

… Yves Saint Laurent…

… and Donna Karan.

There is a lot more on the always amazing Style.com, this was just a quick sneak peak to take my mind off a busy work week. There is nothing better than some blogging to put my mind at ease!

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From time to time I like to look at Pronovias website. If you haven’t heard the name before, they sell the most amazing, über-chic wedding gown by Elie Saab, Manuel Mota and of course Pronovias, and other beautiful brands. There was no particular reason really, I am not getting married anytime soon… although, I do like weddings and it does make sense to keep up to date, right?

This one here is the 2012 Advance Collection, I believe there’s gonna be more before the end of the year, or at least I hope so. Look at the details, the Paris organza, the lace-edged tulle, hand embroidery… simply stunning!

Hope you find some inspiration for your wedding dress, be careful though… it’s easy to get lost!

Photo courtesy of Pronovias

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And so it happens that time goes by… 1 becomes 2, 2 turns into 3 and then all of a sudden, you’re 30!
For my big 3-0 I was lucky enough to spend 3 wonderful days in the beautiful Barossa Valley. If you haven’t been there, make sure you choose a weekend, pack your bag and get ready to spend couple of truly amazing days. So, following my recommendations, just a few things you cannot miss.

From the airport it’s very easy to hire a car, and then in only few minutes from landing in South Australia you can be on your way to Barossa or Clare Valley. My birthday was on Friday, after one hour freezing cold flight, at 8am in the morning a well deserved breakfast was very much needed. There is something about me you have probably figured out by now… I love chocolate. It’s easy to love chocolate, and there is nothing wrong with that, but how many of you could actually have a divine chocolate cake for brekkie? Not sure how many…

Anyway, what you see above on the left hand side was my treat for being such a good girl for the last 30 years, a little bit of auto-celebration never killed anyone so if you want to give it a go, whether is your birthday or not, write this down or visit the website. A place to remember!
Cocolat
283 Rundle Street (East End)
Adelaide 5000

So after our luscious start of the day, jump back in the car and drive to the Barossa. It takes approximately 1 1/2, no rush, and it’s a lovely drive although there is not much to do or see, you can enjoy the scenery and make plans on what is just about to come.

Of course wine testing is on top of the list. There are hundreds of Winery Estates, everyone with its own story, background and wines. Make sure you take breaks between testing as your palate could get easily fatigued and the result could be that you don’t taste the wine properly anymore. During this trip, I fell in love with sweet wines more than ever. I guess it’s a common misconception that sweet wines are only for dessert. You would be surprised by how many go so well with cheese and dry fruit, tabbouleh and salads. You just need to be a bit adventurous, but why not give it a try?
My top purchases? Here we go:

1. The Last Straw by Turkey Flat
2. Museum Reserve Muscat by Yalumba
3. White Fort by Chateau Dorrien

After the wine tasting, and shopping, you probably feel hungry right? So why don’t stop at the amazing Maggie Beer Farm Shop!
Every product is produced right there, and you can taste olive oil, wine, cheese, jam… everything you want, they are amazingly fresh and if you want to have a bite, you simply order one of the baskets on the menu and eat outside in the shade, over looking the water. Quite spectacular.
What else? Well, for dinner try 1918, an extraordinary restaurant with, as head chef Christian Fletcher describes “fresh, seasonally-inspired cuisine based on modern Australian tastes and flavours borrowed from Asia and the Middle East”. I have had the most amazing vegetarian dinner, with fried haloumi, hummus and freekah wheat tabbouleh for entrée and Tempura of stuffed zucchini flowers with goats curd and a cherry tomato vinaigrette for main. Soooo delicious!!!

And finally, on your way back to Adelaide, make sure you stop in Hahndorf. All of a sudden, it seems you are in a different country, but definitely not Australia!
The German influence is quite obvious, however if you don’t feel like würstel, pretzels or beer (especially if you get there around 10am!) I highly recommend the White House, an adorable café on the main street. An exquisite place where everyone is welcoming and lovely, coffee is great and food is quite special. They also have an Open Air Cinema so if you have enough time, stick around…
Sadly, time to leave… But we’ll be back for more!

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Make sure to pencil this date on your calendar: March 21. Why? Because the lovely Emma Watson, Harry Potter’s Hermione, designed a new, young and fresh collection for Italian uber-chic brand Alberta Ferretti realised with ecological cottons. Above just a preview…

So have a look at www.albertaferretti.com and maybe get one of these romantic, unique pieces. Prices start from €250.

Photo courtesy of Repubblica

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You probably have noticed my increasing love and interest in event planning… It pretty much started here in Australia, but then a year ago New Yorker Amy Atlas showed me that there is another level of event planning, decorations and styling. She is the master in dessert tables and it seems that she started some sort of new trend, because there are now many other businesses walking down the same path, I’d say with reasons.

Think about it: you organise an event and in a little corner, you put together something so divine, so special, that each and everyone of your guests will remember that one last melting-in-your-mouth macaroon or the perfect icing on the cupcake and how beautiful the ensemble looked. Doesn’t matter if the risotto was overcooked or the salmon fillet too raw… it’s all about creating a strong, happy memory, and what is best than joyful guests leaving the party with smile on their faces?

The photographer is Monique Simone and her friend Azar is the clever mind running Montreal wedding planner business, Principal Planner. The tables you see here is the cooperation between the two friends, both working on a blog named Bride Scouts. Of course they live in Canada, but I am sure you can find plenty of inspiration to recreate something similar everywhere you are.

Photo courtesy of Monique Simone

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