From my Garden in August

Extreme weather results.

Skinny purple carrots, hollow 3-legged radish and funny shaped pumpkin...

Food Carving

When I'm under stress or have a restless mind, the world may seem hostile. Over the years, I have turned to/discovered some ways to 'chill out' as my son like to say. One of my 'chill out' method to achieve deep peace, quiet mind and new strength to resecure the balance with my emotions is FOOD CARVING. It took me more than hour to finish this piece and I must admit, pretty satisfied with the result. Peace !!

Basic Homesick Food

Anyone who lives outside of their homeland will at some point feel homesick for familiar tastes and smells. This feeling of nostalgia hit me this morning when I picked a corgette from my garden.

A very basic dish without much preparation. Suitable for people who are 'spice shy'. Dress it up with chilli sauce, soya sauce, ketchup or even with a sprinkle of garam masala, it becomes a multiculture dish.

Ingredients

• 300-400 gm corgette (sliced into sticks)
• 3-4 eggs (whisked)
• 2 pips of garlic
• 3 tbsp cooking oil
• 1 1tsp salt or 1tsp chicken broth powder
• 1 fresh milled pepper

Method

1. Heat up a pan (preferably non-stick), add oil into pan when it is hot. Once it starts to smoke (yes!! smoke!): add garlic.
2. Stir garlic till it starts to brown. Add corgette and stir-fry for 1-2 minutes.
3. Add salt or chicken broth powder. Pour whisked eggs over the whole surface of corgette and let the egg cook.
4. Do not stir. It will only take about 30 seconds (if the flame is high).
5. Flip the 'omelette' over, try not to break it up.
   ^{I was not successful with mine...   ;-(}
6. Cook for another 30 seconds. Done. Serve warm.

Annual Water Festi-/Carnival in Ulm - July

This is an annual festival in summer. It happens in Ulm, mostly on the Danube river.

Thousands of people are floating down the river.

Everybody having lots of fun. Dozens of fully-manned brass and marching bands participate.

It's like a carnival on water.

People bring their home-made rafts, struggling not to capsize.

All the while, everybody splashes the next guy or gal. But only if you are on the water...

Splashing spectators is strictly forbidden

Thousands of boats and thousands of spectators lining the river banks.

Black Currant and Cranberry Cake (Glutenfree)

Yummie, yummie...

Found this receipe in an 'Organic' magazine. What caught my attention was this cake was using YEAST instead of baking powder.

I have some dried cranberries, fresh black currants and a bag of glutenfree flour. And of course, other basic baking ingredients like eggs and butter which I always have.

Ingredients

• 150 gm butter
• 150 gm brown sugar
• 4 eggs (small)
• 180 gm glutenfree flour
• 1 pack yeast
• 1 pinch of salt
• 200 gm fresh black currants
• 50 gm dried cranberries

Method

1. Cream butter with sugar and salt.
2. Whisk eggs and slowly add into butter cream.
3. Sieve yeast and flour together and fold into batter.
_{At this stage, I let the batter 'rest' for 20 minutes to give the yeast a chance to proof. Meanwhile, preheat oven at 220°C.}
4. Line a loaf pan with baking paper to prevent cake from sticking.
5. Dust black currants and cranberries with 2 tbsp flour.

6. Carefully fold the berries into the batter.
7. Fill batter into pan and 'proof' another 5-10 minutes. Bake 15 minutes at 220°C. Reduce temperature down to 180°C and bake further 20 minutes or until brown.
8. Remove cake from loaf pan but do not remove baking paper and let cool.
9. Once cooled, remove baking paper and dust over with icing sugar.

Conclusion

The cake did not raise as high as a yeast dough should. No taste of yeast is detected in the cake.

That means, an alternative raising agent like baking powder or cream of tartar (Weinsteinpulver) is acceptable.

As there was no vanilla essence added, the aroma of black currants and cranberries were quite prominent - tangy and fruity. Perfect for people with gluten allergy or celiac disease.