In My Kitchen: June 2022

Wow where has May gone? It is just one week now until I fly to Paris, I will be there for two weeks before the big move to Toronto. It hasn't been a busy month in my kitchen since I've been furiously eating what is in my fridge / freezer / cupboard. However, I have been steadily visiting my bucket list places in Australia.. check out my adventures in Tasmania, Blue mountains and Newcastle. 

Let's take a look... 

I made these longevity peaches for my grandma's 100th birthday. In Chinese traditional culture, cakes are not commonly eaten since ovens are not popular there. The longevity peaches are often offered to seniors to signify longlife as it was part of a legend - these peaches are available in heaven and eaten to sustain longevity. 

Here I tried writing the Chinese character for longlife onto one of the peaches, but it started to run! I ended up piping it onto a piece of baking paper instead to lie flat in front of the peach display. The colour is made from pink food colouring brushed using a sieve onto the buns, which are a plain steamed bun dough. The leaves are mixed with green food colouring. I'd never made them before but I'm glad I went to the effort of making them - it was a wonderful celebration and she passed away just 22 days after her 100th birthday. 

I love swirly things - here I mixed a plain milk sourdough dough with a matcha dough, and swirled it with a red bean mixture. 

A couple of really handsome loaves from a weekly bake 

These were traditional pfitz-auf moulds that my music friend had brought over decades ago from South African (they are of German background). The batter is so simple- just flour, milk and eggs - but it really popped straight out! 

 

The last of my dad's chokoes were shared around - some of them were a very healthy size!

The curveball this month... 

I started doing jigsaws during covid - they are such a great diversion and I love the feeling of slotting pieces into place. This one was a birthday present I received last year, it was so colourful and bright that I felt like I couldn't get started on it until I was in the right mood. I'm glad I finished it in May just before the big move! 

I'm sending this to Sherry who hosts the monthly In My Kitchen series - see you all next month from Canada! 

The Australian Bucket List (3) - Newcastle region

The last four years of living in Newcastle have really been some of the best years of my life. Living close to my work has tremendously improved my quality of life - I don't have the same daily commute and parking stresses like when I lived in Sydney. The proximity to the coast and to other beautiful nature spots has been life changing. When I lived in Sydney, I would be less than 10km from the nearest beach, but in between navigating public transport or the troubles of finding parking, I would rarely go to the beach. The last few years, I've been lucky enough to live close enough that I am there most weeks, and in summer often many times a week. 

Here are some of my favourite spots in the Newcastle region. 

Newcastle 

Let's start with the best and most stunning view in all of Newcastle - the Strzelecki lookout on top of the hill overlooking Bar/Merewether beach. On a clear day in winter, one can usually spot whales passing by here. 

Bar beach - Can you believe this was my local beach for the last 4 years? 

Blackbutt reserve is one of the first places I visited when I moved to Newcastle. It's literally across the road from the hospital where I work - there are some really nice walking trails in the reserve weaving amongst the tall gums. 

Dudley beach is also one of my favourites - it's quieter than the "main" beaches and there is a long beach to walk along. 

The view from the top of the cliffs in Dudley is pretty amazing - one can see all the way across Dudley to Merewether to Newcastle beach. 

I will miss these little lantana flowers found all over the Australian bush. 

Majestic gum trees in the Awakabal nature reserve, along the walk from Dudley to Redhead

Redhead lagoon, a peaceful spot to sit and read

I love Caves beach - on the surface it looks like an ordinary beach but at the southern end is a set of ocean caves that one can access only at low tide. Unfortunately it's been "discovered" by the Internet/Youtubers or whatever, and it seems more and more popular. 

From the caves 

Myall National Park 

There are some pretty amazing sand dune systems near Newcastle. I think the one near Stockton going up to Anna Bay / Port Stephens is very famous and lots of people visit the 32km stretch sand dune which is supposed to be the biggest in the Southern Hemisphere. Here I was visiting the dunes at Dark Point, a totally deserted spot in the Myall NP. 

You could completely get lost in these dunes

What a glorious day it was to be amongst the amazing fine sand. I didn't see a single soul. 

The waters of Myall NP are really amazing - there is something very gentle about the lake system, that is different to the sea that is very nearby. I love how the waves lap at the shore, creating an unique tinkering sound. 

Amazing melaleuca - paperbark gum trees along the lake system 

There are also patches of rainforest in Myall NP - such a strange landscape with these giant gum trees scattered amongst rainforest. 

Last but not least, my favourite beach in the region is actually Jimmy's / Bennett's. In the Hawks Nest area, there is an amazing ocean beach (Bennett's) which has the nicest finest sand and goes on forever, and is usually very quiet. Around the corner there is a sheltered beach (Jimmy's) where the swimming is just the best in summer. I made a little pilgrimage to Jimmy's, one of my favourite places in the universe.