...so there's a right way to eat a macaron?

Apparently there is! Petite bouchees has hit the nail on the head – savour it, don’t scoff it.

...New cake #2

Here is another new cake at Adriano Zumbo. It's made of hazelnut praline mousse, and like Pinky below, it also has sponge cake in it. Topped with a tangled toupee of dark and white chocolate.

Sorry the description is so vague - it didn't last long after I took it out of the box.
PS: Don't know the name either. Very mysterious.

...It's open

Check out the Turquoise blue bag as you walk in...

…it’s Pinky Tuscadero!

Rumour has it that three (3!) new cakes are debuting at Adriano Zumbo. Only managed to get my hands on 2 so far. None of them have names yet, though their descriptions are written on a bit of paper that Charlie can read out to you.

So, in the absence of a moniker, I dub this one ‘Pinky Tuscadero’, in honour of the supercool Happy Days girl.

Pinky reminds me of those creamy Chinese cakes from places like Helen’s and St Honore in Chinatown. It has a sponge cake base filled with strawberry mousse that is more tangy than sweet, so it isn’t too rich. I love the curl of choc on top as well. Rock on!!

…Adventures in Auckland

I’ve just returned from a couple of days in Auckland, New Zealand. Frankly, though NZ is supposed to be a haven for the adventurous, I didn’t really do that much because I was there for work and spent most of my time in the office. The hotel I stayed it did have a bungy jump off its tower though.

It only takes 3 hours to get there from Sydney. Not bad except you have to endure the worst airline food. I had the ‘baked pasta’ which was olive green broccoli and cheese pasta. The best part of the meal was the bread roll. I ate it because I had to (we were arriving after 10pm). Why can’t they make up a bento box with some sushi rolls and katsu chicken or something? Not aussie enough, probably, though most people would gobble it up.


Because I was at work all day, I felt I had to take some pictures of the little bit of Auckland on the walk from the hotel to the office. Here it is. Also had lunch at a really nice place, Divan Café, which is in a laneway off Queen St (next to Louis Vuitton). The hotel left some complimentary chocolates because they thought we were return customers (we weren’t!).

Dinner on night 1 was at Merlot Wine Café in O’Connell St. When in NZ, have lamb. Lamb cutlets, which were delicious (no photo because it was too dark).

The 2nd night was at the Sky City Tower revolving restaurant. It sounds touristy, and it is, but the food was excellent, as was the view. Had NZ salmon, then ‘Valrhona guanaja chocolate curd’ cake & passionfruit sorbet to finish. Best meal so far.

On the flight home to Sydney, we got breakfast. It was pretty ordinary. I ate it because I was hungry.

When I got back to work, a kind colleague gave me a cupcake. So nice.

…best ever Cheesecake

If recipes were clothes, then this one would be ‘vintage’. It’s been my favourite cheesecake recipe (since 1989) because it doesn’t have a kilo of cream cheese like a lot of others. I’ve changed it to include light as well as full fat cream cheese, and I use light sour cream as well. There’s no difference to the taste as a result; in fact, I think the texture is finer.
It’s also delicious spread with passionfruit curd before serving.

Cheesecake
Serves 6-8

The base:
1 cup Arnotts Scotch Finger or Nice biscuit crumbs (about 9 Nice biscuits – crush in food processor)
6 tablespoons melted butter
3 tablespoons sugar

The filling:
375g cream cheese
2 eggs
½ cup sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla essence
1 cup light sour cream

To make the base:
Line a 20cm springform cake tin with aluminium foil, leaving an overhang to lift out the cheesecake. Combine all ingredients and press firmly into the base.

To make the filling:
Beat the cream cheese a little until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, sugar and vanilla and beat until smooth. Stir in sour cream and mix well. Spoon into the crust and bake in the centre of a pre-heated 120 deg C oven for 35 minutes or until the filling is set.
Remove from the oven and cool in the tin on a cake rack.
Serve at room temperature.


Adapted from Vogue Entertaining Oct/Nov 1989. So last century, but so good.

...I love macarons

Especially macarons from Adriano Zumbo.

…Mambo Italiano

Bertoni Casalinga is just across the road from Adriano Zumbo, but a world away when it comes to coffee culture and noisy bustle. Bertoni has customers at a big wooden table inside and spilling onto the footpath outside, on milk crates .
The food is also different, with lots of mama’s homemade meatballs, pasta, and a fantastic orzo salad.
Sitting on the counter today were Italian donuts, just like ‘normal’ ones, but double the size and with no hole. Had one split, spread with Nutella and toasted. Results below.

…Caribbean dream

Barbados is another perennial at Zumbo, and I got it again on Saturday because it was getting late and there wasn’t much left in the shop.
What a great surprise it was. I’d forgotten about the creamy, toffee bit (‘caramelised palm sugar mousse’) and the really tasty biscuit base (‘sable breton’). The rest is ‘mango and coconut jelly with pineapple pieces’, and it’s sprinkled with pistachios. Yummo.

First tasted in Sept 2007. Revisited in February 2008

… on Cloud 9.5

I suppose the name of this cake means that it is 5.5556% better than Cloud Nine. Or is it a version upgrade of Cloud 9.0?
The peaks of meringue are just kissed by a blow torch and the lemon/passionfruit base is nice and tangy.
There is a mango version out at the moment called.… ‘Summer Cloud 9.75’.

First tasted in September 2007.