Jasmyne Tea

Cornish Pasties

"Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, ate a pasty five feet long,
Bit it once, Bit it twice, Oh my Lord, it's full of mice!"
- West Country schoolyard rhyme

This recipe is a winter favourite for us, a traditional Cornish Pasty - although, it's not traditional AT ALL according to the Cornish Pasty Association (seriously, don't these people have anything better to do?). The Cornish Pasty was awarded Protected Geographical Indication last year, meaning that a pasty has to comply with a whole list of rules to be considered Cornish. Rules include:

• A Cornish Pasty should be shaped like a ‘D’ and crimped on one side, not on the top.
• The ingredients should include uncooked beef and roughly chopped swedes, potatoes, and onion - carrots are frowned upon.
• Cornish Pasties must be prepared in Cornwall.

Anyways, rules are meant to be broken, right? This pasty was made right here in Oz, has garlic, carrot, and corn in the filling, and is crimped on the top. Because that's how we roll. And also how Curtis Stone rolls, who we stole borrowed this recipe from.

Cornish Pasty
*Adapted from here

INGREDIENTS

1 tbsp + 1 tsp  olive oil
400g beef mince
1 small brown onion, finely diced
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 medium carrot, peeled and cut into 1cm cubes
1 baby potato, peeled and cut into 1cm cubes
1/2 cup fresh corn kernels
1 medium tomato, finely diced
4 cups baby spinach
1/4 cup fresh parsley, roughly chopped
4 sheets short crust pastry, cut into 20cm rounds, leaving plastic on base
1 egg, lightly beaten
Grated parmesan cheese

1. Preheat the oven to 200°C. Heat 1 tbsp oil in a large fry pan over high heat and brown the beef for 5 minutes, breaking up any clumps with a wooden spoon. Strain the beef and discard liquid from pan.

2. Place the pan back on heat and add 1 teaspoon of oil. Add the onion, garlic, and cook for 3 minutes, stirring regularly. Add the carrot and potato to the pan and cook for an additional 3 minutes.

3. Return beef to the pan, add the corn, tomato and spinach and cook until the spinach has wilted. Remove from heat and stir through the parsley, season to taste with salt and pepper and let cool for 15 minutes.

4. Lay the 4 rounds of pastry onto a clean work surface and divide the filling evenly between each round of pastry. Brush the edges of the pastry with the egg wash and carefully fold and crimp the edges together to seal the pasties. Remove the plastic and poke several small holes with a knife in the pastry to allow steam to escape whilst cooking.

5. Place pasties onto a baking tray lined with baking paper, brush with a little of the remaining egg

wash, and sprinkle the cheese over the pasties. Bake for 18-20 minutes or until the pastry is glossy and golden brown, and the filling is cooked through. Leave to cool for 5 minutes before serving - with tomato sauce. :)

An Ode to Shepherd's Pie

Everyone knows the evocative power of memory certain flavours and scents have over people - many people remember the smell of their first perfume, or the taste of their first forbidden alcoholic beverage. Every now and then I'll catch a whiff of something and then become astounded by the strength of the image or memory that scent brings to mind.

I cooked from a recipe for the first time in my life when I was in year 7. My teacher was elderly, crotchety, unforgiving, and had lost her passion for her subject (and was constantly calling me "Janice"), but when she got my class into the school kitchens and handed us our recipes, I was excited as anything. My potatoes still had bits of peel on them, I was almost too scared to use the knives, and I overcooked the mince, but at the end of the period I presented my shepherd's pie, pleased as punch.

I got a 4 out of 10.

However, I did try my best to perfect this dish at home, and I still use that recipe as the basis for my shepherd's pie today. One bite of this pie, with succulent mince and cubes of carrot and onion hidden away like little jewels, and with it's creamy mash top and melted cheese, takes me back to simpler days when the most pressing thing on my mind was how to make a shepherd's pie.

Shepherd's Pie

INGREDIENTS

1 tbs olive oil
1 brown onion, halved, finely chopped
1 carrot, peeled, finely chopped
400g beef mince
1 1/2 tbs plain flour
300ml beef stock
1 tbs tomato paste
Salt & freshly ground black pepper
4 potatoes, peeled, chopped (I used desiree_
40g butter
125ml milk
Grated cheese (I used colby)

1. Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add onion and carrot and cook, stirring, for 5 minutes or until soft. Add mince and brown for 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Add flour and stir until combined. Add stock and tomato paste. Bring to the boil, then reduce heat to low and cook, stirring occasionally until sauce thickens, about 20 - 30 mins. Season.

2. Boil potato in salted boiling water until tender. Drain, then return to the pan with the butter. Mash, then add milk. Combine, then season with salt and pepper.

3. Preheat oven to 180°C. Spoon mince mixture into an 8-cup capacity baking dish. Top with mashed potato and cheese. Bake in preheated oven for 10 - 15 minutes until cheese is melted. Serve immediately

Top Tea House, Sydney

The ritual of the English afternoon tea has always fascinated me. It was invented in the mid 1840s by Anna Maria Russell, Duchess of Bedford, as a filler between luncheon (normally eaten at mid-day) and dinner (served 8pm or later). In Australia, we often refer to an English afternoon tea, incorperating scones, cakes, and sandwiches, as 'High Tea', when in actual fact a high tea traditionally refers to a late afternoon meal of hot food (like fish and chips) with cake and bread, and sometimes cured meats as well.

Anna Maria Russell - All Hail! (Source)

No matter what it's called, high or afternoon tea is a favourite of mine. I love the dainty little sandwiches and cakes that are in small enough portions so that you can try different varieties. Knowing this, my step-mum Elain booked a table for us at Top Tea House.

For $55.00 each, the three of us each ordered the Deluxe High Tea which includes a pot of tea, assorted sandwiches, scones with jam and cream, hot food, sweets and a glass of French champagne. We rocked up at our scheduled time but were made to wait by the hostess - apparently they were still setting up.

Chocolate Tea

Top Tea House has a massive list of different teas, but the chocolate tea leapt out at me from the page. The flavour was very earthy and bitter and not sweet at all until I added sugar, but I still quite liked it.

Earl Grey

We also ordered the familiar Earl Grey, which was a bit stronger in bergamot flavour than the usual Twinings version.

We started our meal with the warm food. Adorable mini quiches were the first to go, with three varieties to choose from: classic bacon and onion, delicious spinach and cheese, and moreish capsicum and cheese. Spinach and feta triangles also became casualties, tempting us with their crunchy, flaky exteriors and their salty innards.

Our second stop was the sandwich plate. We were served a decent selection of sandwiches; smoked salmon, baby capers and avacado; roast beef, gherkin and mustard; turkey, cranberry and avocado; roast chicken, lettuce and mayo. All were fresh and served on either white bread or wholemeal.

The top plate was reserved for the scones. Unfortunately they didn't really nail this one - while the cream and the strawberry jam were perfect, the scones were small, hard and dense.

Around this time we finally received our Champagne - after many repetitions of us asking where it was - so at least we got to enjoy it before our meal ended.

The dessert plate was actually pretty spectacular! Macarons of strawberry, vanilla and pistachio flavours were presented to us, and all were quite good, crisp yet chewy and strong in flavour. Mini fruit mince pies were also present, fruity and spicy and rich. Little dark chocolate truffles dotted the centre of the plate, but the small slices of chocolate mint cream cake were outstanding and outshone everything else with elegant simplicity.

 A cup of chamomile tea finished us off nicely, then it was off to some shopping in The Rocks. Top Tea House has an impressive tea menu and decent food, but service is a little lacking, especially when you ask for something a little out of the ordinary, like information on vegetarian options or whether or not a certain pastry uses eggs - the staff tend to not come back to you with what you need. Requests need to be repeated as well. However, if I were in the area I would come back, probably just for that chocolate mint cake.

"Untitled" by Barry McGee - a little something we saw on our travels.

Top Tea House

5 Hunter St
Sydney, NSW
2000

Phone: 9223 8757

http://www.toptea.com.au

The High Tea Party at Shangri-La Hotel, The Rocks

We apologise for the delay - Stephen and I have been super busy moving into my parent's place (long story), but we now return you to your scheduled programming :)

~

"A gorgeous excuse to catch up with the girls".

I often struggle to find things to do with my female friends. Not all of them have much in common or like the same things, so thinking of things to do can be hell. Some of them are foodies, whilst some of them couldn't give a rat's what lands on their plate. Some of them like drinking and bar-hopping, and some of them like bowling and go-karting. When I was invited to The High Tea Party, I knew that this would probably only interest friends with a taste for luxury and pampering.

The High Tea Party is an annual event held in Sydney and Melbourne. This year it was held  in association with Interplast Australia & New Zealand, a charity that works with developing countries in the Asia-Pacific region.  It's an all-day event that features boutique stalls selling everything from teapots to jewellery, cake tasting, makeup demonstrations, and even a lingerie and swimsuit fashion show. A high tea sitting is also included in the ticket price ($90), which included finger sandwiches, scones, assorted desserts, a free gift-bag, and a Perri Cutten fashion show.

So on Sunday, Mary and I took the train to Circular Quay and walked (uphill :|) to the Shangri-La hotel. We walked through the lobby to register, then we were told that there were 4 levels of stalls to check out - we set to it straight away.

The High Tea Company was the first stall we came across, selling dainty tea sets, delicious preserves, and lovely canisters of tea.

Buttercream Bakery offered creative cakes and cake pops to take home and to sample - I was particularly taken with the High Tea themed cake.

There was a lovely display advertising Gwinganna Health Retreat over on the Gold Coast. Touted as the "ultimate hen's weekend", guests can choose from between 2 to 7 days of relaxation and detox, with seminars and lessons on how to lead a healthier life, spas and activities, and organic cuisine.

Phyt's, a company that offers organic cosmetics and skin-care products, had tables set up for mini hand treatments - I don't like people touching my hands though, so I opted out.

Check out the awesome soap masquerading as cake!

Nana May's Magic Hands Scrub

After checking out all of the stalls, we ventured down to the Ballroom where the High Tea sitting was being held. Although the line to get in was massive, we managed to make it to our table within 5 minutes.

The High Tea consisted of a bottom layer of finger sandwiches (smoked salmon with cream cheese, minted cucumber, York ham with mustard mayo and tomato and cheese) which were all slightly dry and crusty, probably because they had all been pre-made to cater to the sheer number of people. The middle layer contained a selection of mini Sarah Lee sweets - special mention for the caramel cheesecake, which was superb. The highest plate was reserved for scones with dried strawberry in them, and a divine homemade strawberry jam that wasn't too sweet, which countered the sweetened whipped cream.

We were supplied with Mount Franklin sparkling water, and sparkling wine (although a server spilled my glass all over my lap).

Tea was supplied by Madura, an Australian tea company, and varieties on offer were ginger and lemongrass, Earl Grey, and sweet green tea. I sampled the Earl Grey, and found it to have a more delicate bergamot flavour than the Twining's version.

There was a fashion show as well, but, no offence to Perri Cutten, I was not as interested in the clothes as I was the food. The style was just too mature for me, and I found the most interesting articles to be the headpieces.

The High Tea Party was a day of glamour and sophistication, and I found it to be a great way to spend time with friends of the same interests. The food, the boutique shopping, the fashion, and the demonstrations and shows all make you feel like you're getting your money's worth, especially when you also walk away with a bag brimming with free things like chocolate and magazines. I definitely urge you to check it out when it rolls around next year.

JasmyneTea attended The High Tea Party as a guest of OurDeal.

Shangri-La Hotel

176 Cumberland St
The Rocks, Sydney, NSW
2000

Phone: 02 9250 6000

Sausage Rolls

Stephen here.

Summer is a coming, or at least for us in the southern hemisphere. And hand-in-hand with our seasonal change comes a backflip in the food coming out of our kitchens, from heavy comfort foods, like soups, daube and casserole, roasts, and pies, we turn to quick and light meals, such as steak sandwishes, fish and fig tartlets.

But what better way to start the warmer days than an Aussie favourite like a sausage roll as the sun goes down on our ever lengthening days?

"Best sausage roll ever" - Jasmyne

Sausage Rolls - Serves 4 

Ingredients

- 2 tbs olive oil

- Small carrot, peeled and finely diced

- Small brown onion, finely chopped

- 2 garlic cloves, crushed

- 1 tsp dried thyme

- 500g veal and pork mince

- 1/2 tbs dried oregano

- 1 cup breadcrumbs

- 2 sheets of pre-rolled puffy pastry, thawed and cut in half to obtain long rectangles

- 1 egg, lightly beaten

- Sesame and poppy seeds, to garnish

Method

1 - Preheat the oven to 200⁰C.

2 - Heat the oil in a saucepan over medium heat, then saute the carrot, onion, garlic and thyme for about 5 minutes, or until softened. Transfer this mixture to a large bowl to cool.

3 - Add the mince, oregano, breadcrumbs and some freshly ground black pepper and sea salt to the cooled vegetables, and mix well with your hands.

4 - Divide the meat mixture into 4 even portions and roll each out into a log shape the longer length of your pastry (which should be around 25cm). Please the meat onto the pastry along the longer edge and roll the pastry around the meat. Seal the pastry where it meets with some of the egg wash and repeat for each portion of meat.

5 - Place the sausage rolls onto a baking tray lined with non-stick baking paper and top each with some of the egg wash, then generously sprinkle either poppy or sesame seeds over the top of each.

6 - Bake in the oven for 25-30 minutes, or until golden brown and the base has cooked through.

7 - Cut the sausage rolls into quarters and serve hot with your choice of sauce, and perhaps some hand cut wedges and salad.

Although the sausage roll originates from the UK, I think this can be an all round favourite world-wide. This recipe is quick, easy and not expensive to make, but the result is just excellent. The meat within is still succulent and the herbs shine through well and at least you know exactly whats going into your sausage roll (unlike those you buy from the shops). Enjoy.

Lamb and Barley Soup

I love Kylie Kwong's It Tastes Better. It's a cookbook that also features some of Kylie's favourite suppliers of sustainable produce, and most of the recipes inside are really simple, the better to feature the ingredients shown.

I especially found Virginia Kurtz's Lamb & Barley Soup appealing. It looks warm and comforting, and I just so happen to love barley, so I asked Stephen to give it a go on one of his cooking days - the results were astounding.

Lamb & Barley Soup
*Adapted from Kylie Kwong's It Tastes Better

INGREDIENTS

Lamb Stock
1 kg lamb neck, meat cut into chunks and bone included
6 litres of water
1 large white onion, chopped
1 large carrot, chopped
1 celery stick, chopped
1 clove garlic, crushed
1 teaspoon salt flakes

Soup
3 tablespoons evo oil
3 garlic cloves, crushed
1 teaspoon of salt flakes
150g pearl barley
150g split peas
2 carrots, diced
3 small parsnips, diced
2 turnips, diced
1 swede, diced
1 white onion, sliced
2 sticks celery, chopped
freshly ground black pepper
flat leaf parsely to garnish

1. Bring all of the stock ingredients to the boil, skim, then reduce heat and simmer for 2 hours. Strain stock, saving the lamb meat. Pull the meat apart into small pieces and set aside.

2. Heat olive oil in a large pot and fry garlic and salt until aromatic. Add the parley, split peas and lamb and three litres of stock and bring to the boil. Reduce heat, and simmer for 10 minutes.

3. Add vegetables and cook for a further 30 minutes.

4. Season to taste, add parsely and serve with bread.

Lemonade Scones

When Stephen's mum told  me about a scone recipe that included lemonade, I reflexively laughed. It sounded so ridiculous to me, as I'd never heard of such a thing. Lemonade in a scone? Pffft.

Rosie made these scones to show me that they do actually work, and I was astounded. They were possibly the best scones I'd ever had! They were light and fluffy, solid but without that clumsy heaviness you sometimes get with the conventional recipe. It's such an easy recipe, I simply had to share it.

Lemonade Scones

INGREDIENTS

 3 cups self-raising flour
1 cup thickened cream
1 cup lemonade
1 pinch salt


    1. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius. Sift the flour into a bowl, then make a well in the centre and add the cream, lemonade and salt.

    2. Mix quickly until it just comes together, then lay dough out on a bench and use a glass or a cookie cutter to cut out circles. Place on a tray and dust with flour.

    3. Bake for 12 - 15 minutes, allow to cool slightly, then serve with jam and cream.

Tea Parlour, Redfern

Everyone should have a friend like Roxy. We've been friends for almost 10 years, and she's the friend I can talk to about anything and everything. Throughout our friendship, she's often delighted in exposing me to new types of dining and entertainment; she introduced me to Adriano Zumbo's patisserie, Sake Restaurant, the small bar scene, and Tapas. In fact, she inspired me to start this blog. For my birthday Roxy took me for High Tea for the first time. I'm pretty late to this, but better late than never, right?

Tea Parlour at Redfern looks like a hole in the wall at first glance. It's flanked by a bottle-o and a laundromat, and the interior is obscured from the street by large blue curtains. When we stepped inside, it was a different story:

The interior is an eclectic mix-and-match of old books, vintage furniture, and anything else that Amelia (the proprietor) finds interesting. It's a tiny room, and it was half full when we walked through the door. Roxy had tried to make a booking, but apparently things had been really hectic, and the place was booked for the day. Luckily, one of the ladies who booked had two people who didn't show, so we snagged two chairs at the back of the room and perused the simple menu.

The menu came in the middle pages of classic novels, and was short and to the point. There was a choice between high tea, tea and scones, cucumber sandwiches with tea, and a pretty good selection of teas that Amelia told us she imports from Sri Lanka (there are two from T2 as well). We went with the high tea option (it was my birthday after all!) which includes a sweet layer, cucumber sandwiches, a pot of tea and scones for $20 per person.

Blackberry Tea, $4.00 a pot

The Blackberry tea was deliciously fragrant, and was a vibrant shade of magenta. I found it a bit weird that no sugar was provided, but I didn't think that this particular brew needed anything added. The pot was quite large for $4.00, holding about 4 to 5 full cups of tea.

Sweet Platter

The sweet platter came out soon after the tea, and was devoured with gusto. Amelia told us she makes everything from scratch herself, and these treats definitely have a home-spun look to them. The scones are rustic and a little on the heavy side, but they're cooked through and come with some glorious raspberry jam and thickened cream.

There were also a couple of mini-tarts, one filled with dulce de leche and the other with raspberries and white chocolate; a luscious chocolate mud-cake bite topped with half a fresh strawberry that was so moist I almost cried with happiness; a light, airy lemon-curd tart; small, moreish pieces of rocky road, and a couple of other yummy treats that didn't leave our table unscathed.

Cucumber Sandwiches

The cucumber sandwiches were made with fluffy white bread (which is a bit of a luxury for me), with fresh, thinly sliced cucumber, a thin layer of cream cheese and some mixed herbs. They were a first for me, but I found myself liking them more than the cakes - I have always been a savoury girl, though.

We had one more pot of tea (monk pear), then paid our bill. I was so impressed with the quirkiness of the decor, the classy yet relaxing atmosphere, and the quality teas and homemade treats that the slightly delayed service (which comes with only one person running the establishment) wasn't even noticed. I found it a wonderful experience for my birthday. Thanks Roxy!

 

Tea Parlour

569 Elizabeth St
Redfern, NSW
2016

Phone: 0414 335 224

Stephen's Famous Banoffee Pie

The first time Stephen made this, no one we knew had even heard of a banoffee pie. Stephen's family and I all crowded around in curiosity as he made a chewy caramel out of condensed milk, peeled and chopped bananas, and whipped cream, all of which he placed inside a walnut-meal pie case and drizzled with chocolate. My first bite was a revelation as fluffy whipped cream gave way to dense, chewy caramel and a crunchy, nutty base. Soon this pie was requested for many special occasions, and it even made an appearance at our engagement party.

While trying to decide what cake to make for my step-mum Elain's birthday, she let slip that banoffee pie is her FAVOURITE thing to order in a cafe; there were also bunches of bananas practically falling off the trees in the backyard. Thus we came to make this for her - Happy Birthday Elain!

Banoffee Pie

INGREDIENTS

Pastry
1 1/4 cups plain flour
2 tbsp icing sugar
85g ground walnuts
80g chilled unsalted butter
2-3 teaspoons cold water

Filling
800g condensed milk (2 cans)
60g unsalted butter
2 tbsp golden syrup
4 large bananas, sliced thinly
400 mL thickened cream, whipped
80 g dark or milk chocolate

    1. Sift the flour and the icing sugar into a large bowl, then add the ground walnuts and 80g of the butter and rub with your fingertips until the mixture resembles loose breadcrumbs.

    2. Mix in 2 tablespoons of cold water with a butter knife to form a firm dough. Gather dough together and wrap in cling wrap, then chill for 15 minutes. Roll out to a 3mm thickness, place in a pie tin and chill for 20 minutes.

    3. Preheat oven to 180 degrees Celsius. Line pastry with crumpled baking paper, and fill with enough rice to weigh it down. Blind bake for 15 minutes, then remove rice and paper and bake for another 10 minutes until golden. Leave to cool completely.

    4. For the filling, place the condensed milk, golden syrup and butter in a saucepan over a low heat until it boils, thickens, and turns a golden colour. Arrange sliced bananas over pastry, and cover with caramel.

    5. When caramel is set and cool to the touch, drop spoonfuls of whipped cream over the caramel and drizzle with melted chocolate. Serve!