One of the best things left after Christmas was the Organic Turkey carcass, with roasted wings still attached. I made that into a simple stock with the last of the carrots and leeks from the garden (in truth, they were a tad dodgy for delicious eating – it’s been crazy hot, and the garden was at it’s end), some bay leaves and a few peppercorns and a generous splash of white wine. I let it simmer from first light to sundown and it was a stunner – the king of stocks. I also reduced it down a fair bit and it was silky with a deeply coloured hue. Smelling it reminded me instantly of chicken soup we had when we were children. When cold it wibbled and wobbled showing that a fair amount of gelatine was in the stock. Excellent. I’ve frozen a fair bit, but dinner this night was corn chowder. The corn has started to crop here in Perth, and fresh from my favourite growers at the Subiaco Farmers Market, Hamel Home Grown it was unbelievably sweet and perfect. The soup was rich, creamy, chunky and just perfect for a summers night, with left overs for breakfast.
But that’s not all that we’ve been eating – the apricots have been some of the best I’ve seen for years, and these were simply halved, sprinkled with coconut palm sugar, vanilla paste and butter and roasted in the oven. We ate these with the last of the ice – cream my daughter made for Christmas Day – a simple, perfect dessert in every way.
This is me going cracker dog. My daughter (at 28) has felt I’ve neglected her need for Lemon Meringue of the past year, so I made one. I’ve got to say, this was the best one I think I’ve ever done. In the picture below the curd hadn’t quite set, but we ate it anyway. The meringue was an Italian Meringue, where you make a sugar syrup (I did it with a less refined, golden castor sugar) beating that into the whites. This gives you a very, very stable meringue, which lasts. Indeed this one lasted 3 days in the fridge, with no deterioration to the meringue at all. Very happy. Also I did a lime/lemon curd – I am a huge fan of the lime, and these Tahitian limes were gorgeous. Yes, we had a sliver for breakfast also.
And the cooking goes on – the board in the kitchen looks quite empty at the moment, with just a reminder to culture the cream with kefir, but will undoubtably fill up over the coming weeks and year. I’m starting work on my new book – on baking – and I’ll be keeping you updated. But summer also rolls on, and I hope to share with you some of the simple meals that keep me going everyday, especially important when there will be so much cake around!! New Years Resolution – make sure I do walk most mornings in the cool, I have to taste those biscuits, muffins, cakes and pies after all to make sure they are perfect for you. I wish you the most wonderful new year, may you be nourished in every way.
x Jude
CORN CHOWDER:
will only be gluten free if the tamari used is wheat free
A delicious, quick and easy dinner in mid – summer when the corn is abundant. Coriander is a great addition to this if available, added at the last minute. Because corn has such a touch outer skin, you may like to sieve the soup after blending. It’s very forgiving with ingredients – I didn’t have onions (but had leeks), and left celery out all together.
2 tablespoons ghee, butter or olive oil
1 large, or 2 small onions, cut into small dice
2 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
4 stalks celery, cut into small dice
4 medium / 250 gm carrots, well scrubbed and cut into small dice
2 medium potatoes / 360 gm, well scrubbed and cut into small dice
Generous handful of fresh basil, roughly chopped
4 corn, kernels cut off
pinch sea salt
4 cups chicken or vegetable stock
7 medium leaves / 45 gm Tuscan Black kale, finely sliced. If the kale is very large (such as Curly or Russian), reduce the amount,
finely slice, and then roughly chop.
Wheat free tamari for balancing
Mirin for balancing
Add the ghee to a 24 cm pot with the onions, celery, carrots, potatoes, basil, corn kernels, salt and cook over a gentle heat for 8 mins or so, stirring every now and then. Add the stock, partly cover with a lid and cook at a gentle simmer for 30 mins or until the vegetables are soft.
Remove approx 1/3 – ½ (one third – half) of the mixture and blend to a puree (taking care not to burn yourself), and return to the pot. Check for taste, adjusting the flavours if need be – chicken stock will generally be sweeter than a vegetable. Add a little tamari or mirin if needed ½ (half) – 1 teaspoon. Add the kale, stir though and cook at a gentle simmer for 10 minutes.
