The Art of Making Fruit Cake

Recently, dear Aunty Poh Sim supervised a few of us in making Christmas fruit cake. Her measurements followed the Imperial standards and one needs to convert them to the metric system.

Cherries are to be prepared ahead of the baking session - it is ideal to soak them with 3 to 4 tablespoonfuls of sherry at least over night. Cherries are to be sliced, before mixing with seedless dates, brown raisins, mixed orange peel and almond thins. (images above and below). Use 1.5 pounds of brown raisins, half a pound of seedless dates, a quarter pound of mixed orange peel, another quarter pound of cherries and a half pound of almond thins.

The oven has to be preheated to at least 325 degrees Fahrenheit. Use a nine inch round or square baking container - brush it with butter and then line the surface with two layers of grease proof paper. Also brush the butter between the paper layers and on to its outside surface.

Cream the ten ounces of butter and five ounces of brown sugar together, until they are soft and pale in colour (below). Add in contents of 5 well beaten eggs and ensure consistency and thoroughness of the resulting mixture. Then add in 4 tablespoons of golden syrup.

Stir in first only half the amount of fruit mixtures prepared and sift in likewise half the dry flour ingredients. Then separately add the other half of fruit and dry ingredients. Add another four tabelspoonfuls of sherry to the mixture. The dry flour mixtures consist of seven ounces of plain version and another three ounces of raising flour. (image below)

Two teaspoons of all spice powder and half a teaspoon of nutmeg powder are then added to enhance the flavour of the resulting cake mixture (image above).

Before placing in the oven, ensure smoothening the cake mixture surface to slope towards the centre - this shall better ensure the resulting baked cake is level, once the mixture has risen when baked. First place the cake mixture tin on the lower half of the oven, to help ensure that it is not over browned in the baking process. Bake on this lower section of the oven for 120 to 150 minutes at 300 degrees Fahrenheit. Monitor the emerging fruit cake when in the oven, especially during the second stage baking at the lower temperatures.

Reduce the oven heat to 275 degrees Fahrenheit for the second stage of baking, for another hour. For this second phase, cover the cake with grease proof paper folded over a piece of dampened paper.

Always use a cake skewer to test whether the resulting cake is ready to be taken out of the oven.

After taking the cake out of the oven, do rest the cake for at least five minutes in the oven before placing it on a wire tray. The result is not ready to be consumed at this stage - it should be soaked with two tablespoons of sherry every two or three days for a fortnight, before being served.

From an idea and flour, to the piece that we bite into on Christmas Day, the process requires love, concentration and patience. A wonderful reflection of care we have for family and friends.

The Art of Making Roti Jala

Netted crepes are made of eggs, so there is some similarity with the ubiquitous noodles but they can then be so different. We eat such crepes dry and not in soups, but accompanied by luscious gravy of meat curry (image below). Best made fresh, best consumed fresh and while they retain their texture. In order to make such crepes, a mould (first image above), which allows the dough to be pressed through constrained holes, is used to produce the netted results (second image above).

Roti jala, the South-east Asian name for netted crepes, offers an alternative to rice, naans or baked bread, in accompanying chicken curry, mutton kurma or curry kapitan, at a meal.

Its origins are from south India, but are a popular choice in Indonesia, Singapore and Malaysia, especially with Straits Chinese families and Western backpackers. A dash of butter, one and a half cups of coconut milk, five eggs lightly beaten, a touch of tumeric powder and 20 ounces of sifted plain flour are all the ingredients required (image above). The pan used must be greased before hand to allow non-sticking of the dough when making the roti itself.

To Prepare : Recipe from malaysiafood.net

In a bowl, lightly whisk coconut milk, eggs, water, salt and turmeric powder
Sift all-purpose flour into a mixing bowl
Stir in the coconut-egg mixture gradually and mix, until a thin 'crepe-like batter' is achieved
Strain the batter through a fine sieve
On medium-low heat, grease and heat a griddle or a medium sized non-stick pan
Put a ladleful of batter into a Roti Jala mould/cup and in a circular motion, form a thin lacy pattern in the pan [about 8 inch in diameter]
Cook until set, turn over onto a plate [There is no need to cook the other side, much like a regular crepe]
Fold each crepe into quarters, staking them up as you go
As you make the crepes, grease the pan ever so often. Add a little water to the batter if it becomes too thick to maintain a crepe-like batter.

The flour has to sieved into a mixing bowl (image above) before adding the other ingredients, and as a general rule of thumb put in the dry ingredients before the wet ones. It is best to blend the dough in small portions to attain a rather smooth texture and to ensure no lumps exist by adding around 2 cups of water. (Image below - adding the coconut milk).

Once you are satisfied with the right texture/consistency of dough, pour small amounts through the mould contraption with minuscule holes - this allows the dough to be strained and fall out dripping on the other side to form a net like result.

Gatherings and Parties

Party time, and what to lay out to sustain, distract and amuse? Perhaps for a start, lay out bite-sized fruit slices, crispy nuts and the always appreciated cheese platter. Walnuts, apricots, chestnuts and more, even if they are not for Christmas. More healthy choices to nibble whilst holding a conversation - and a drink. Carving knives, napkins, biscuits and plates all add to the presentation (image above).

The choice of drinks depends on the crowd and purpose of event. Are they all twenty somethings, or older blokes thinking of the pub? We either settle for the optimal denominator, or attempt something special. We do not want staff members to break rules of the applicable code of conduct at end of year parties. At the same time, in this day and age, we may not want to be stiff upper lips at informal house gatherings. If we want some people to impress others, that has to be handled sensitively. Maybe Italian bottled mineral water is best, with less health issues. a bit of elegance and more common sense. Are we encouraging the party goers to help themselves, or is there someone to serve and mix the drinks?

Provide one stand-out serving item - with youngsters, sausage rolls from a reputable bakery (image below) ; with Gen X, vodka and seafood platter; with baby boomers, caviar and champagne. That will set the tone, the rest are to grace the table, the occasion and the conversation. We must be conscious not to detract from the purpose of the occasion, whether it is a reunion of family or good mates, a networking possibility or a business function, a birthday or an anniversary.

Allow an exotic element to the menu, not just as variety, but to make guests get out of any comfort zone. Celebrate the story behind the preferred item, be it be an unusual birthday cake, moon cakes from East Asia (image below) or Vegemite from Australia. Allow party goers to get out of their comfort zone in a positve way, when their minds and spirits are already loosened up.

It can break the ice in conversation between prior strangers, meeting up for the first time. Most important of all, enjoy the pace and party mood!

Dawn at Diggies, North Gong Beach, NSW

630am, on a Friday, is when there is a zen-like calm on North Gong Beach's Diggies Cafe and Restaurant. However, outside, as spring progresses, the sun is already up and running - and so are many nearby residents, cycling, running, power-walking, strolling or accompanying a trotting dog. As the light got more intense, the Tasman Sea remained steady. The staff at Diggies were already ready for the day and their first customers.

Nothing is as uplifting like a good new idea. I tried the Morning Sandwich (image above), as envisaged by Diggies - made up of fresh lettuce bites, juicy tomato slices, refreshing cuts of bacon, a tangy aroma of cheese and topped up with a deep fried omelette. I already felt like I was in the middle of a weekend - and my accompanying mates did too. We all felt the presence of the wood in Diggies at this time of day more than our previous times at lunch - before the crowds arrived, we felt how the layout and accessories provided flowed well with the time and tide of the beach outside. We savoured this magical moment in time.

Chatswood, NSW - The Concourse on a Rainy Day

Willoughby Council has embarked on an ambitious course in providing a state of the art facility in the heart of Chatswood - not just for Council meetings, community gatherings and the Council Library, but an exquisite auditorium for performance, plenty of space for the public to stroll and function rooms for other purposes.

I had the opportunity to visit the newly opened facility on a rainy and overcast weekend. Called the Concourse, I offer my image reflections at the start of the journey for this complex, and I am sure it will show signs of appreciated use in the near future. Utilities include the new Concert Hall, Theatre, Civic Pavilion and Studio, all a part of the Performing Arts Centre on The Concourse.