Coffee and Cake

Try a slice of Orange and Walnut Bundt Cake with your coffee today.

I recently shared the recipe at my sister site Old Farm, New Farm.

Incorporating a whole, blended orange had delightfully unexpected results.

Coffea Arabica (Coffee Tree) in Flower

I've been waiting patiently for 18 months for this baby to flower. It seems the sunny kitchen window was just what it needed. Now, fingers crossed for some bright red coffee cherries.

Red Hill Farmers Market - Sunday 26 Nov

Roadhouse Roast has some great coffees on offer at tomorrows Red Hill Farmers Market. The weather will be clearing so it'll be a great day for a drive through the Red Hill hinterland. There will be fresh produce in abundance and of course fresh roasted coffee.

We'll be at the Red Hill Consolidated School from 9am to 1pm. So be quick, stocks are limited.

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The November Range

We offer whole bean and ground coffee, 200g/bag.

Blacktop Blend

Flavour notes: Full bodied and dark with mouth-watering blackberries and rich stouty overtone.

Comments: This blend is named after the 1971 film Two-lane Blacktop, the quintessential road trip film of that era. The blend is predominantly Brazilian, with Peruvian and Indonesian beans to round it off. Great for espresso based drinks. My personal favourite at the moment!

Guatemala 'Nueva Granada' Estate RFA

Flavour notes: Sweet candy apple aroma with a smooth choc-caramel sweetness.

Comments: This Rainforest Alliance certified coffee is grown on the mountainous slopes of San Marcos, Guatemala. The Coffee of Nueva Granada is shade grown with shade trees providing sanctuary for birds and small wildlife. Since joining the Rainforest Alliance program, Nueva Granada has planted over 30,000 additional trees.

Indonesian Mandheling Lumika Lintong

Flavour notes: Dark morello cherries with delightful coconut perfume, smooth earthy finish.

Comments: This Lintong coffee is produced in the Lake Toba region of Sumatra. It is hand selected by 72 year old Lumika who is renowned for her keen eye for quality. She purchases only the best parchment coffee from small local growers. Lumika and her sons own their own processing facility in which they apply strict quality control to produce a superior and consistent product.

Simple Pistachio Macaroons

I am currently searching for a biscuit recipe to replicate something I tasted awhile ago. I can still remember its soft sweet gooey texture and polenta bite. They were so good as an after dinner treat accompanied by a nice little espresso to cut through the sweetness. The only problem is I have no idea how they were made.

For my first test on trying to replicate these biscuits I chose a simple macaroon recipe - 1 cup ground nuts, 1/4 cup icing sugar and 1 egg white. But as you can see below couldn't help myself but throw in everything I had in the cupboard. Note to self - learn to follow the recipe.

The result was more cakey than I was looking for but delicious non the less. They were perfect with my afternoon latte.

Simple Pistachio Macaroons

3/4 cup Ground Pistachios
2 tbsp Almond Meal
2 tbsp Polenta
1/4 cup icing sugar
2 tbsp Self Raising Flour
2 Egg Whites

Combine all ingredients and and rest in the fridge for 1/2 hour. With wet hands role into small balls and bake for 10min in a moderate oven. When cool role in icing sugar and serve.

Bendigo then back to Southern Cross

Southern Cross Station and the afternoon sun.

 I was in Bendigo last week for a work conference and I couldn't resist checking out the coffee scene while I was there. On my short walk back to the train station I managed to stumble across two cafe roasteries. I wonder how many roasters that is per capita? They're doing pretty well for a country town.

My coffee purchases.

Roadhouse Roast - An Existential Coffee

Roadhouse Roast, the business, was born out of wanting something more from life. It was the realisation that I had to do something for myself to give my own life meaning. I couldn't sit back any longer. I had to jump into the drivers seat, both hands on the wheel.

And, like on any road trip sometimes you need to pull over at the Roadhouse, reorientate, find clarity, and reflect on where you have been before moving on to your next destination.

 
The first blend to be offered by the Roadhouse is the Blacktop Espresso. The name comes from the 1971 film Two-lane Blacktop, the quintessential existentialist road trip movie of that era. The tag line...

'Their world is a two-lane blacktop,

No beginning...
No end...
No speed limit'

Flavour notes:

Full bodied and dark with mouth watering blackberries and rich stouty overtone.

Hungover? Try This

I found this recipe while I was flicking through some vintage Floyd - Keith Floyd that is. This particular recipe is not actually one of Floyd's but from a book titled White Trash Cooking that Floyd came across while filming Floyd's American Pie in the late 80's. 

I'm guessing that it might only be good for hangovers, and it would have to be a pretty good one to try this. I don't think we'll be seeing it on the breakfast table any time soon. Even Floyd wasn't game enough to try it and neither am I. 

Red Eye Gravy

'After cooking the breakfast meat (bacon, ham, or sausage), remove it from the iron skillet and put it aside. To the drippins add 65ml of strong coffee and stir while continuing to heat. Pour over hot grits or sop up with hot biscuits.'