Some very scenic breakfasts

The Floral Apron family tour bus has been busy of late. It’s has been a delight to discover that Kiwi’s take their public holidays very seriously and in the month of November we have enjoyed 2 long weekends!! This has resulted in some outrageously scenic breakfasts,

 

And yes; standing out in the elements cooking breakfast for the family was a little chilly. The scientifically minded might put two and two together and work out that gas bottles are not at their most efficient in freezing conditions, there is very good reason that the neighbouring tables are not teaming with fellow bacon enthusiasts.

Then there was the honey toast and tea in the mid south farming heartland;

As you can see it was a hum dinger of a day, but owning to the last few nights spent in a freezing campervan the children or my husband were not interested in trying to recreate scenes from The Sound of Music and had little tolerance for excessive cheer. Onwards we went..

Pies from a bakery always hit the spot for an outdoorsy weekend and the Fairlie bakehouse was notably fine.Then there was this;

If you look very closely in this picture you can see a little campervan parked amongst the pines. If you look even closer you can find me drinking wine and reading a book in that same vehicle and generally sulking that my husband had picked a very very ugly place to call home for the night.
Imagine the surprise and delight the next morning once the storm clouds had quite literally broken and this is the scene that greeted us.

 

There was celebratory rock skimming,

All was forgiven and thoughts turned to lamb for dinner.

 As you can see; life is never dull or colourless in New Zealand.

 

 

Mussel time

They say that calm seas do not a skilled mariner make, and so with the hurly burly of family life and notable absence of an IT department my fledgling blogg has suffered.

But I am guessing that I am not the Lone Ranger in having an erratic ebb and flow of domestic demands. “We’ve been so busy” seems to be the all encompassing excuse that blurts out so easily these days. And I get it, I really do. There are bills to be paid and mouths to feed and only so many hours in a day that one can indulge in pretty picture and jaunty new recipes.

Times like this call for instant gratification, and I happen to think that nothing pleases the senses more than a big bowl of steaming fresh mussels. I am a tactile creature, and whilst shell fish may not be every ones first choice to regain culinary momentum, I just love their holiday like rhythm of preparation.

First comes the simple and repetitive diddling about with scrubbing and debearding, and actually that’s about as difficult as things get. Then its just a quick (less than 5 min) hot sauna in a boozy juice before being served in a large bowl that invites busy fingers to uncover the plump juicy jewels of meat.

It is not a meal that can be hurried and one that demands a certain level of joyous and enthusiastic participation. As the discarded shells pile up, the juices dribble down your fingers and conversation bubbles freely it becomes abundantly clear that it is impossible not to love a meal that takes longer to eat than it does to cook.

 

Mussels in white wine

 

One of the perks of living in New Zealand is the cheap and fabulously good supply of beautiful vibrant green lipped mussels.

 

1.5 kg cleaned mussels

30 g butter

1 large shallot fined chopped

1 clove of garlic

1 sprig of thyme

1 cup of dry white wine

 2 tablespoons of chopped parsley

 

Scrub and de beard mussels. Discard any that have broken shells or do not close when tapped. Cover and refrigerate until required.

To cook the mussels: In large pan melt butter, add chopped shallot, garlic and thyme. Cook over a moderate heat until softened. Pour in the wine and bring to the boil.
Over a high heat add the mussels to the wine bath. Cover with a tight fitting lid and give the pan a good shake to ensure an even distribution. Cook for 3-4 minutes by which time the shells should have opened (if not give them another minute or two).
Serve with crusty bread to mop up the juices and a big old rustic bowl for the shells. Keeping with the NZ theme; a cheeky little sav blanc goes rather magnificently too!!

Neighbours that can bake

Back in the good old days recipes were swapped across fences. The art of baking was a unifying force as the sweet waft of stoves in action filled streets. I can only imagine it would be a stroke of pure blessed luck to lob alongside cooks that were generous in knowledge and skilled in their craft.

Hence my delight that for the next little while the cosy south island of New Zealand is my home. Christchurch to be precise. A poor wounded city that is bravely rebuilding a future. A city with its fair share of quirks and snarls, but city with quite possibly some of the finest baking I have ever spied.

Let it go on official record that our Kiwi neighbours are damn fine bakers. Fingers crossed that during my NZ tenure I learn a trick or two from my fellow Antipodeans.

Check out this delicious assortment on offer at my local Saturday morning haunt - The Riccarton Markets - baking at its best!

 

The Kiwis are masters of sweet toothsome millimetre perfect slices. A cup of tea with out a little square of one of these is a wasted opportunity.

 

This is Anna - she bakes like a woman possessed every week to deliver cakes that are plump and bursting with interesting things. I stalk her stall every week to see what is on offer.

 

Each little home made morsel is as perfect as can be. The hazelnut ameretti are crunchy on the outside and sweet and succulent on the inside - just like they should be.

Row upon pretty row of macaroons at their picture perfect best, Rose with cinnamon happen to be my favourite, closely followed by salted caramel.

 

 

and yes the custard does playfully ooze from these beauties with each bite.

 

Even the much maligned doughnut is given a delicious twist and turned  irresistible by the deft hand of a Kiwi baker.

 If you want the low down on the biggest, best most delicious thing then just ask a hungry wide eyed boy on limited income!

 Yes New Zealand- with your fairy tale beauty and old fashioned hospitality - I think we are going to get along famously.