Zucchini Bread (Cake?)

It’s interesting that carrot cake is always cake, but banana cake and zucchini cake are often called breads. The ingredients for all of these are very similar, but we never say carrot bread (or beetroot bread!) do we! I think they’re all really cake, because bread in my view is generally a savoury thing. But who am I to argue with the masses…….

Anyway I came across this great looking zucchini “bread” recipe a couple of weeks ago via a Food.com e-newsletter, and decided to make it for morning tea at work, last week. As I had successfully made my usual carrot cake in the bread machine the week before, I looked at the zucchini bread ingredients and thought hmmmmm they’re very similar in quantity etc. so I’ll do this one in the bread machine too.

It worked, but it was not as moist as the carrot cake, so I think this one would be better eaten straight after cooking (I made it the night before taking it to work). Also it didn’t rise quite as much and I think would have been better on the medium crust setting, which would have baked it about 8 minutes longer. It was good enough to be a “keeper” though, so I will change the baking time slightly next time.

Below is my bread machine version for 1 cake – if you want to do it the original, oven way, here is the website I got it from – which is in fact quantities for 2 loaves.

The Ultimate Zucchini Bread (CAKE!!)

In order, place the following ingredients in bread machine bowl:

2 eggs

1/2 cup sugar

1/4 cup vegetable oil

1/2 cup walnuts, coarsely chopped

1 1/4 cups grated zucchini

1 tbsp orange zest, grated

1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

1/4 tsp freshly grated nutmeg

1/8 tsp ground cloves

1 3/4 cups plain flour

1 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp bi-carb soda

1/2 tsp salt

Bake on bread machine’s Cake setting, with Medium crust and 750gm loaf settings.

If you’re feeling like a more savoury bread, try this lemon & dill bread, also in the bread machine. I made this again recently and we had it at work with apricot & almond cream cheese on top – a great combination with the bread flavours.

Happy Fooding!

Restaurant Review

I’ve been in Melbourne for a few days, to celebrate my son’s 21st birthday. I took he and my daughter to Counting House, a French restaurant in Mornington, for a birthday lunch. The restaurant is a heritage-listed, huge old weatherboard house – room upon room with hallways and a big front verandah/decking. The weather was lovely so we were able to sit out the front, very pleasant indeed.

We chose the $30 per head, 2 course + glass of wine option. I went for an entree and a main, and both of the kids had a main and a dessert. My entree (duck liver parfait) was delicious, a light and creamy pate with homemade brioche slices and a very rich caramelised onion chutney.

For main I had the Moroccan vegetable tagine – it looked small but was super filling – carrot, pumpkin, onion, parsnip, on top of a bed of couscous.

Both of the children (I say children, but they’re 21 and 24!) had the steak, and pronounced them to be perfectly cooked and tender. I tasted the celeriac puree (doesn’t it look great – full marks for presentation!) and it was divine. Celeriac is something I’ve never really used in my cooking, but I am going to try it out after this tasting.

Dessert chosen was the cheese platter x 2 – small but elegant and apparently the French triple brie was delightful.

I didn’t have a dessert but I did have a second glass of wine…..it was a special occasion, after all.

Happy Fooding!

Still Sharing Christmas With You….

Although it is now January and I am fully expecting Easter eggs to arrive in the supermarkets any minute (!), I am still half in Christmas mode (why doesn’t it go for longer than 1 day??!!)……here is the microwave Christmas pudding recipe that I have been making for about 20 years – I was given the recipe by a nurse where I worked, many years ago. Actually I haven’t made one at all for the last few years, so I wondered if I still had the knack, but never fear it did turn out very well!

I make this on Christmas Eve, and then on the day itself just cut slices and reheat them individually.

The Parisian essence is included to make the pudding a lovely rich chocolatey-brown colour, like a baked one – you can get this where the vanilla essence etc is in the cake baking section of the supermarket. Failing that, you could actually leave it out altogether, as it won’t affect the flavour but the pudding will be paler in colour.

Microwave Christmas Pudding

4 slices of plain white bread, crusts removed

4 tbsp brandy, sherry or port

125 gms butter

125 gms brown sugar

pinch of salt

3 eggs, beaten

2 tbsp Parisian essence

375 gms mixed dried fruit

50 gms blanched almonds, chopped

1/4 tsp freshly ground nutmeg

1/4 tsp ground mixed spice

1/2 tsp ground ginger

1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda

1/2 cup plain flour

Finely chop or crumb the bread; soak in the brandy (or sherry or port) for a few minutes. Cream the butter with the sugar and salt; add the eggs and Parisian essence. Add the bread mixture, then fold in the dried fruit and almonds alternately with the sifted dry ingredients.

Spoon into a greased, 18cm microwaveable pudding-shaped basin (Starmaid used to have one in their range, and Pyrex make a glass one). Cover with plastic wrap.

Microwave on REHEAT for 7 minutes, then reduce to MEDIUM for a further 8 minutes. Turn out onto foil and completely enclose until cold.

Slice and reheat as needed, and serve with brandy sauce, cream or custard (or all 3!!).

Happy Post-Christmas Fooding!