Rhubarb love

Hurrah - forced rhubarb is back on our shelves! It's delicately pink, full of flavour and delicious for cooking and eating. I picked up a bunch at a farm shop in Buckinghamshire today and will prepare it in my usual way - braised slowly in the oven its own juices (and a sprinkling of sugar).

I used to always boil rhubarb with water and sugar and often ended up with a slimy mess that looked like phlegm. It tasted ok, but nothing like when its baked in the oven. I discovered this little secret from Dan Lepard who shared the method in his column in The Guardian. It's not rocket science but when measured and cooked correctly - you will never go back. So, hat's off to Mr Lepard here for the measurements.

800 g chopped rhubarb
100 g of caster sugar

Set oven to 170 degrees C or 150 degrees C (fan forced oven). Chop the rhubarb stalks into lengths about 3-4 cms long. Place the chopped rhubarb in a shallow baking dish so that it is about one layer deep and sprinkle evenly with sugar. Cover the dish with foil. Bake in a warmed over for about 20-25 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow to cool with the foil on (to retain the colour and moisture).

I have shared this method with family and friends and it is what helped me on my winning way preparing the Rhubarb Pie on Baking Mad with Eric Lanlard. When I was in New Zealand I shared it with my friend Gwyneth and her Mum who have been baking the stalks in the same way. They took some of their homecooked stalks into Sugar Juice Cafe recently and the final result ended up on sale - The Rhubarb and Apple Shortcake and Rhubarb Dream Slice look to die for! Take a look at the pictures below.

Try this method and you will never boil rhubarb ever again.

In praise of the slice

The baked slice is an unsung hero. They are fairly simple to assemble, don't usually require too much fuss, bake quickly and deliver fabulous results. Slices are not as popular in cafes and bakeries in the UK as they are Down Under. They are even more prolific in New Zealand. And what struck me was not only their popularity - it was their size. The slices in New Zealand are Mahoosive.

On a recent trip I rediscovered my love for the humble slice. Lots of them utilise a biscuit base or one that's a cross between a biscuit and brownie. I personally prefer biscuit/brownie cross myself and anything with chocolate and caramel - I'm sold. Consequently, most of the slices I indulged in were of this variety. The best - well my personal favourite was at a cafe in New Plymouth called Elixir. Served with a strong Flat Whie (what else?) I opted for the Caramel Brulee Slice (pictured above). It featured the said brownie/biscuit base with a thick layer of caramel and was dusted with a layer of sugar that was caramelised. It was pure heaven.

Down the road at Sugar Juice Cafe where my dear friend Gwenyth works there were nine slices on display (and they tell me that was less than normal). Sugar Juice is in Opunake and is worth the trip alone (head towards Taranaki from Wellington and follow the signs). I am reliably informed that Sharon creates lots of the slices. On this particular day she has turned her hand to a Dream Bar, Gooey Nutty Caramel Slice and the Chocolate Caramel Slice (pictured) amongst others.I was of course in heaven and grabbed a Chocolate Caramel Slice to go. It fed two people sufficiently. Divine.

So I have rekindled my love for the slice. The perfect slice is something that is an indulgent sweet treat, usually something you wouldn't have every day - but a spur of the moment decision, accompanied by the response "Oh go on then, one can't hurt."

Henceforth, my plan is to work on a few slice recipes of my own and share them. They will, I can assure you involve choclate and caramel. If you can't wait until then, check out Amazon for a selection of the Australian Women's Weekly Cookbooks on the topic. Here's a link to one, but there's heaps in the series. http://www.amazon.co.uk/Simple-Slices-Australian-Womens-Weekly/dp/186396665X

The land of the long flat white

Flat White at Midnight Espresso

In the pursuit of great coffee I have searched far and wide and naturally that search should include New Zealand. The capital, Wellington, often referred to as the Capital of Cool was the first stop. It's widely reported that Wellington has more cafes per capita than New York and from what I found they are all excellent. Producing fine and fabulous Flat Whites, I was left buzzing for the whole stay. A truly Antipodean drink there is some dispute about which country actually invented the Flat White - was it Australia or New Zealand? My reading up on the subject could find no definitive answer, however, due to their virtual addiction of to the brew, lets settle on New Zealand for this post.

It is prepared by pouring microfoam  (steamed milk from the bottom of a pitcher) over a single or double shot of espresso. A quality cup is topped with a touch of barista art and comes in a small cup - so its not drowned by milk.

Midnight Espresso

If you want to sample the local Flat White in Wellington, head on down to Cuba Street a mix of pedestrianised shopping precinct and trendy cafes and a few bohemian shops. We were confidently recommended Midnight Espresso that's been around since 1989 and it didn't disappoint. It was strong, full bodied and bloody beautiful.

But it wasn't only Midnight Espresso that delivered the goods, every cafe we tried came up trumps. Fidel's Cafe (again on Cuba Street) was fab, Caffiend in Petone (up the road from Wellington) perked us up on a Sunday morning and the lovely Sugar Juice in Opunake (more to follow) was fab, we also loved Elixir in New Plymouth and indeed we never had a bad coffee in the week we were in the land of the long white cloud.

Breakfast at Kaffiend

If you google Flat White or New Zealand coffee there are lots of statistics to keep you occupied for an hour or so, the site I loved most was Kiwianarama - a sort of Kiwi Wikipedia - here's a link to check out: http://www.kiwianarama.co.nz/the-flat-white/