Flea Market Finds

This week's finds were part of a giant haul that I found at the Sacred Heart Op Shop just up the road from the fab Dr Jekyll. I took Mr Tea for lunch there after raving about their chicken sandwiches and top-notch service. His verdict? "I could definitely see myself coming here again." Indeed!

For one lobster (that's $20 for those of you that don't live in 'Stralia) I managed to pick up: 6 gorgeous yellow tea cups (I left the saucers behind because they were blue and yucky); a wooden kitchen chair for my friend The Snake who is collecting a mismatched set for his kitchen (it came with complimentary bird poo); and a an old fashioned soda syphon to add to my ever-growing collection of glassware (I cannot for the life of me figure out how to open it).

The syphon is from the Boon Spa company which according to the googles used the Muir's Spring out near Daylesford up until 1998 to bottle to water. According the bay of Es it is worth about $30 and even though the bottle states it "...always remains the property of Boon Spa" I believe in the credo "finders keepers" so it's mine now!

Head over to Her Library Adventures for more fab finds. I'm heading out west for the last lamb shanks of the year...

Enjoy!

Flea Market Finds - Pear & Almond Upside Down Cake

This weeks Flea Market Find comes from the beautiful seaside town of Port Fairy. I was lucky enough to spend the weekend there and enjoyed fabulous food, good company and probably a little bit too much champagne...


I stayed at The Coastal Barn B&B - run by possibly the world's most gorgeous family - and dined at the two hat, absolutely spectacular Merrijig Inn. We choose the 6 course degustation menu and Ryan Sessions' food alone is worth the 3 hour drive from Melbourne to this little part of the world. The standout dishes for me were the crayfish, salsify, roe, coastal herbs and 'sand' and the Wagyu eye fillet, roast garlic, potato, roasted milk skin and paddock herbs.

My favourite part of taking trips to the country is trawling op shops. Port Fairy has two op shops on the main drag and the bigger of the two is worth having a good hunt around in. I bought two blue glass bowls to match some glasses I had found a while ago and also a cut glass platter. I'd been looking for a an old fashioned platter for sometime and this one fit the bill for $3 - a bargain! I can just see it covered in butterfly cakes for an afternoon tea party...


Lovely Rita who owns and operates The Coastal Barn is a woman of many talents and one of them is baking, so perhaps you can have a go at making the pear and almond updside down cake that she made for us and while it's in the oven, pop over to Sophie's for more Flea Market Finds.


Enjoy!

Flea Market Finds

Today's Flea Market Find comes from the Salvos on Carlisle Street. Possibly the world's most expensive op-shop, you really have to hunt to around to find the bargains. And hunt I did, discovering Australia Women's Weekly Cookbook gold! I got 5 books for $10! They are all late 80s publications and include: Dinner Party Cookbook; Barbecue Cookbook; Salads; Vegetarian Cooking; and Microwave Cookbook #2.


I've been enjoying taking a step back in culinary time...a time when vegetarians were only allowed to use carob in desserts and apricots were the ingredient de jour.
A lot of these recipes may be out of fashion and the styling would make Donna Hay faint but these books are still useful and a great resource for 'retro-style' cooking or old favourites - prawn cocktails come on down!

Cappu-what? Ooh la la fancy!

My favourite is the Dinner Party Cookbook as it gives you complete menus of 3-4 courses comprising 5-6 dishes in each. For my next dinner party I am tossing up between:

Smoked Trout Pate
Steaks with Brandy Cream Sauce
Vegetable Platter
Minted Cucumber Salad
Cherry Rum Cake

OR

Potted Seafood
Chicken in a Basket
Julienne of Zucchini
Onion Rings
Potato Straws
Chocolate Ice-cream Log

Once I make my mind up your invite will be in the post.

Note the presentation of the avocado

I was also very interested to see a croquembouche featured in the Barbecue Book. Decorated with crystallised violets and spun sugar no less. Now where would I have seen one of those before?

Well before Adriano ever made one...

For more Flea Market Finds, and lovely blogs, head over to Sophie's place.

Enjoy!

Flea Market Finds - Passionfruit Cheese Slice - 1 - $ - V

My Flea Market Find this week is an absolute gem! The Australian Women's Weekly 100 Fabulous Cheesecakes cookbook - for the bargain price of $2 from the Salvos on Chapel Street.
On further inspection I thought I had been ripped off because the inside cover showed an asking price of $1 written in lead pencil BUT the next page showed another pencil price of $2.99 so I am happy to go with the split-the-difference two bucks.

When I flipped through the pages of this comprehensive guide to cheese-based desserts I was delighted to find a flyer for a 'handsome recipe box' valued at $6.00 that could be mine free if I was OK about 'examining' the first set of recipe cards. I really want to post it and see if I can still score the recipe card holder even though the offer was printed in 1971.

I was also delighted to see how to make an old-school biscuit base with some smashed up biscuits, melted butter and a glass. I was instantly transported back to my mum's kitchen: standing on a chair in order to the reach the table, wearing a massive apron and helping make a non-baked cheesecake (lemon flavoured being my mum's signature dish that was only busted out on special occasions).

This book basically has 4 recipes and then you just change the hero ingredient to come up with 100 variations. It's genius!

The following is my favourite cheesecake slice recipe - one of the 16 slices rounding out a century of cheesecakes fabulousness. There's a conversion chart over here should you need it.

Ingredients - Passionfruit Cheese Slice


Crumb Crust
6 oz. coconut biscuits
3 oz. butter

Topping
8 oz. cottage cheese
8 oz. cream cheese
14 oz. can sweetened condensed milk
1/4 cup water
1/4 cup lemon juice
1 tsp grated lemon rind
2 tsp vinegar (oh yes, you read right)
1 dessertspoon gelatine or agar-agar (the latter my modern addition)
3/4 cup cream
4 passionfruit

For the crust: Crush biscuits and combine with melted butter. Press mixture onto the base of a 7 inch x 11 inch slice tin, lined with foil. Refrigerate until firm.

Topping: Soften gelatine or agar-agar in water according to packet directions. Sieve cheeses and beat together until smooth. Add condensed milk, lemon juice and rind, gelatine/agar-agar and vinegar. Continue to beat until creamy and fold in whipped cream.
Very carefully fold in the pulp of two passionfruits and then pour the mixture onto the crumb base, spreading out evenly and smoothly.
Spread the pulp of the remaining passionfruits on top and then refrigerate until set.
Cut into slices, pour some Crème de menthe and serve after the fondue.

Enjoy!

Flea Market Finds

Today's Flea Market Finds come from the Sunday Best Jumble Sale that happens bi-monthly over at the fab Captains of Industry in the heart of Melbourne's CBD. I'm glad I found out after attending that there was a bake-off today or I would have been extra gutted about my present lack of oven situation. Come 1st August I will be presenting a tasty entry if there is another competition!

And the sugar said to the machine 'You spin me right round baby right round'

There are lots of vintage wears to peruse at the jumble; cakes and finger sandwiches if you please; live music and fairy floss to boot! Word on the street is that the next one will be taking over the lane behind Captains with some hot looking cars and more music - huzzah!

My purchases today are both a little bit country, but not too western and were a bargain for $10. The long sleeve ruffled blouse will be perfect under overalls or a pinafore and the little dress won't have to wait long as I will be debuting it in Thailand next week. Whoever said redheads can't wear red was wrong!

If you go over to Sophie's place you will see loads more Flea Market Finds from this weekend and here are some cakes for you to try if you have a bake-off coming up.

Enjoy!

Op Shop Finds & Reader Recipe: 10 Minute Cookies - 2 - $ - V

Put your hand up if you love op shops! I certainly do and over at Sophie's there's a whole bunch of people that do too.

It is perfect timing that I found Sophie's blog today because I wanted to show you the amazing jars I picked up at the op shop for $4. For both! An absolute bargain wouldn't you say?

My plan is to make the smaller one a cookie jar, which is also perfect timing because this week I will be bringing you an ANZAC biscuit recipe and Lady Maria over at Sleekit has been kind enough to send the following 10 minute cookie recipe. Maria these biccies in the River Cottage Every Day book and says they are the perfect way to get rid of your leftover Easter eggs.


All this sharing and blogging and recycling makes you feel all warm and fuzzy doesn't it? Hooray!

Now go and preheat your oven and get baking - thanks Maria for the pic too!

Ingredients (makes 14-16 cookies)

125g unsalted butter
100g caster sugar
75g soft light brown sugar
1 medium size egg, lightly beaten
2 tsp vanilla extract
150gm plain flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
a pinch of sea salt
100gm chocolate milk or dark chopped into smallish chunks (left over Easter eggs, perfect!)

Preheat oven to 190C degrees.
Gently melt the butter in a small saucepan. Put both sugars into a mixing bowl, pour in the melted butter and beat well with a wooden spoon. Beat in the egg and vanilla.
Sift the flour, baking powder and salt into the bowl and stir to combine, then add the chocolate. You should have a pretty sloppy sort of mixture.

Dot heaped dessertspoonfuls of the mixture onto 2 baking trays lined with baking paper, leaving a good 4cm in between each one as they really spread out. Place in the oven and bake for 8-10 minutes until the cookies are a pale golden brown.

Remove from the oven and leave on the baking trays for a couple of minutes to firm up. Then carefully lift the baking paper onto a wire rack and leave to cool completely. Inevitably they will be eaten as soon as they are cool enough not to burn fingers.

Enjoy!