Shoes and Cake

I’m not a Valentines Dayist, but since I have these heart-shaped ramekins (thanks to Miss Woolly), a block of extraordinary chocolate and a rather fast pudding recipe, I have whipped up a St Valentine’s bake.

As with all baking, it’s no surprise that the quality of your ingredients makes all the difference.

This chocolate from Belgium is blisteringly fancy. It’s dark, bitter and expensive. Well I think it is, it was a gift, along with a long strip of handmade vanilla bean marshmallow. Amazing they both are.

Chocolate St Valentine’s day puds:
125 grams dark chocolate of the most amazing quality
125 grams unsalted butter
3 eggs
3/4 cup caster sugar
2 tablespoons of spelt flour
1 teaspoon of vanilla extract

Preheat your oven to 180 degrees, grease your ramekins – heart-shaped or not.

Melt the butter and choc in a bowl over a simmering pan.

Whisk eggs, sugar, flour and vanilla together, then whisk in chocolate mixture.

Pour into your ramekins, which I place on one large baking tray, then into the oven for 10-12 mins.

They’re done once the top is just set. Don’t be tempted to leave them longer or you won’t get the dark, gooey middle.

Serve with saucy love.

Posted on February 8th, 2012 by Melanie Tags: Cake, UK // Comments Off

I have a very strict sales buying strategy. I never loose my head and buy something I wouldn’t normally buy just because it’s reduced.

My philosophy is basically that it’s not a matter of what great discounts I can nab, and brag about, it’s about how I can improve my existing wardrobe with well-priced pieces I really want.

Anna Dello Russo said that when shopping during sales, you should not buy randomly, you should choose your favourite pieces, stick to a budget and you should only buy materpieces.

I don’t know if my budget will stretch to masterpieces, but she’s a woman after my own heart when it comes to budgeting, and being selective.

Last year in the winter sales I bought the Surface To Air wedge sandals in tan, which I wore all summer and then again on winter holidays chasing the sun.

I’ll always love them, and the tan leather is gaining a nice patina as the shoes wear in.

My sales picks for the winter sales are quiet strict. They are a pair of very sensible black heels for work, a pair of fun bright Surface To Air wedge sandals in red which will be perfect this summer and an everyday pair of black boots.

I can’t afford the black Acne pistols that I’ve been hankering for for years, as they’re 390 quid. But these Surface To Air numbers are quite similar, and at 210 Euros, I can still buy my bus fare.

Melrose patent black heels, 164 quid from Acne

Surface To Air buckle sandal in red, 155 Euros

Surface To Air Paul Boots VI 210 Euros

Posted on January 21st, 2012 by Melanie Tags: Shoes, UK // Comments Off

Cupcake Girl from Pamela Reed + Matthew Rader on Vimeo.

We are all equally afflicted by cupcakes. It seems there’s no escaping these bite-sized noms of deliciousness. This video is made by the lovely Pamela and Matthew over at Meowzas.

Posted on January 2nd, 2012 by Melanie Tags: Abroad, Cake // Comments Off

This madly bright Liza Bruce kaftan has reconfigured my summer. It’s wild, slightly mental and is a big hit with my Nana. Wearing it, I feel quite Bjorkish, only without the worldwide team of weird musical instrument developers and stellar career in sound and direct access to Mike Paton.

There’s only one way to go with a mad dress like this, and that’s a with a simple sandal.

These Isabel Marant Merrys, from places like net-a-porter.

The kaftan wafts like a spinnaker when you wear it, so a more extravagant shoe would only draw more attention. One spinnaker draws enough attention for me, but if you’re feeling low, I guess you could throw on a gold wedge like my fav YSL numbers.

I am all for one hot shot of colour in every outfit. I find it the most manageable and timeless way of using colour, plus, you avoid trends like colour blocking which spring up and require you to buy whole new outfits.

You can pick up a unique silk kaftan from Liza Bruce at 9 Pont Street London.

Posted on January 2nd, 2012 by Melanie Tags: Abroad, Shoes // Comments Off

I mentioned in my trifle post that one of the best side effects of custard making is egg whites for pavlova, and here’s mine from Christmas day.

My mum and, actually, come to think of it, most of my family are pretty good at making pavs. It would be an embarrassment as an Australian not to be able to make one, as we invented the lovely thing*.

There’s a few basic requirements for a successful pav:
• a good clean steel bowl
• pure egg whites unpolluted by yolk
• a slow oven and trained householders who won’t open it

Pavs are bascially a process of beating and drying.

Beat 6 egg whites, adding 1 cup castor sugar and 1/4 cup regular granular sugar slowly.
Before they reach stiff peaks, add a tablespoon of cornflour and a tablespoon of lemon juice or white vinegar.

When the whites make stiff, glossy peaks, slop six spoonfuls onto a baking sheet covered in baking paper.

Smooth the blobs together to make a circle, add any more whites on top of your circle.

I took a palette knife and made stripes up the side, so the pav went into the oven as a dome.

I baked it in a slow oven, around 150 degrees, for 40 minutes, or until lightly golden, then left it in there to dry out over night.

Dairy fans can fill it with whipped cream, I just dropped a punnet of blueberries on the top.

*highly contentious! My best Kiwi friend can’t stop claiming the invention of the pav EVERY time we’re in a cake shop. I say they get Russell Crowe and Mel Gibson, we have the pav. Fair trade, non?

Posted on January 2nd, 2012 by Melanie Tags: Abroad, Cake // Comments Off

So these YSL brogue/wedge/sandals are on sale right now, down to £472 on net-a-porter. But that’s not why I have to talk about them.

This is in aid of an insight into my mind.

I was at a dinner, standing around in a perfectly adequate pair of classic red suede courts – my wedding shoes in fact – but I could not stop thinking about these sandal/brogue/wedges and how improved my conversation would be were I to be wearing them.

No one would notice them, they’d be sneaking around down low in the dark, under my long black skirts. But they’d be there. And I’d know.

They’d be lurking about being a bright shoe/sandal/work horse of an accessory, and I’d know their magnificence was powering my every nuanced word. People would tilt their heads and laugh gaily at my wit, and it would be all thanks to this shoe.

I believe the conversation was adequate – something about the invention of the modern diesel engine and the rivalry between Italian motor manufacturers etc.

But there’s every possibility it could have been improved.

Posted on January 2nd, 2012 by Melanie Tags: Shoes, UK // Comments Off

As a St Kilda local, I very much took Acland Street and its bevvy of cake shops completely for granted.

I’ve just had the pleasure of directing my in-laws down there for a spot of touristing, and they brought me back this beautiful meringue.

I can’t bring myself to eat it, but it was a giant fluffy reminder that a row of creamy European cakes is a rarity, even for well-travelled Brits.

Posted on January 2nd, 2012 by Melanie Tags: Abroad, Cake // Comments Off

I’m non-stop gluten and dairy-free, but that didn’t stop my family requesting a trifle for Christmas day.

Nana is no longer able to answer questions about how she used to do trifle, but I remembered her saying “sherry makes you merry”, so I sloshed on plenty.

My recipe is below:

Cake layer:
1 x cheap and nasty jam roll from the supermarket
1 x bottle sherry

Jelly layer:
1 x packet of gelatine
1 x bottle sparkling rose
sugar

Custard layer:
1 x pint cream
1 x vanilla pod, split, seeded
6 eggs
sugar
cornflour

1 x punnet strawberries, cut into heart shapes

Cream layer:
1 x pint (600ml) thickened cream
2 x teaspoons sugar
1 x punnet blueberries

Cut up sponge as you like and layer in the base of the bowl. Slosh with sherry so that it all appears wet with the good liquor.

Lay some blueberries on top of the sponge.

Make 600mls of jelly following instructions on the gelatine packet, only use champers instead of water. Don’t forget to add a load of sugar. Gourmet traveller has a nice way with champagne jelly. Chill in fridge until nearly set, then layer onto sponge.

While the jelly is cooling, make your custard. Or just buy some. I like the Mary Berry traditional custard method, which I used here.

Your custard needs to cool before adding on top of the jelly layer, so while this is happening, cut your strawberries into heart shapes.

I slice three good centre sections out of each strawberry, then trim the natural dip in the top for a more rounded strawberry shape.

Place the hearts around the edge of the bowl. Pressing them well into the glass will keep them visible once you pour in the custard. Do this next. Chill again, then add a layer of whipped cream.

Top with whatever you like – nuts, blueberries, honeycomb. Then nom heartily.

Guess what? They side effect of using all those eggs for the custard is that you have leftover eggs for a pavlova, and that’s coming up next.

Posted on January 2nd, 2012 by Melanie Tags: Abroad, Cake // Comments Off

April and Jerry

Posted on November 21st, 2011 by Shoes And Cake Tags: Uncategorized // Comments Off

This is the time of year you’ll find me on my knees in front of someone super famous and tres fashion. Yup, fashion week means I’m out hunting the who’s who of feet. I walk around eyes cast down, not to avoid eye contact, but to see who’s feet I should creep up on next.

Here are Emanuelle Alt’s lovely little lace booties at Burberry’s ss12 show. Her style is, as you well know, wild, and I love the way she counters simple denim jeans and a blazer (both quite masculine) with something as feminine as a lace boot.

Posted on September 25th, 2011 by Melanie Tags: Shoes, UK // Comments Off