Win a Hummingbird Cake baked by Simmone!

People often ask me why it's called a Hummingbird cake and, to be honest, I don't know the answer to that.  Although I can tell you where I got the original recipe.

I discovered it in a Vogue Entertainer magazine, circa 1982... A gorgeously moist carrot and pineapple cake, adorned with fluffy peaks of white Philadelphia icing.  Of course it caught my eye and later my taste buds to become one of our biggest sellers in the Simmone Logue repertoire.

I added some walnuts for crunch and a layer of fresh mango in the centre of the cake to embellish on the recipe... as I do... and created what has become a favourite of many of my customers.

I make the cake now in many formats: 10" and 7" round cakes, a 500g loaf cake (easy to slice into school lunch boxes) and our adorable little hummingbird cupcakes.

"Like" my Simmone Logue Fine Food Company page on Facebook this month, and share this post on your page to go into the draw to win a Hummingbird cake baked by yours truly!  Winner will be announced on May 28th.

Happy cooking

Simmone xx

Lovely Buttery and Velvety Cupcakes

Every day at around four o'clock I delve into the pastry cabinet at work and retrieve a fluffy, dreamy and luxuriously buttery pink cream cup cake... It's one of the perks of being Simmone Logue I suppose, and the little sugar hit coupled with a double shot latte is just what the doctor ordered to catapult me into a busy afternoon.... :)  Well that's my excuse and I'm sticking to it!!!

This week leading up to Mothers Day I'm getting well prepared to mix, fold, bake and ice many of these pretty pastel cakes in a celebration of my Mum and both my Grannies on the one day of the year which we can spoil them.

 

 Next Saturday and Sunday to celebrate Mother's Day I will be with my team in my stores in Cammeray and Double Bay and at Thomas Dux in Paddington offering these fancy little pastel cakes on special, and packed in a pretty red gingham boxes with a gorgeous organza ribbon.

 

Come on down and try before you buy, and if I'm there with my cupcake stand you can even have a go at icing your own.

See you there and if you're time poor you can call us and we'll have your fresh box of cupcakes ready for you to collect ... No worries!

 

Happy baking,

Simmone xx

Weekend at Essington Park

I never desensitise to how beautiful our gorgeous Essington Park is. I can't remember it as green as I found it last weekend as I meandered along the country road approaching our gate. I was so excited with anticipation about the pine mushrooms we planned to pick the next day.

The wild bush quinces were on the trees on the back road to Bathurst as it's the right time of year for these autumnal goodies. With the weather on my side we had great luck in our annual forage.

While we were out, we also made a point to collect some fire starters for the fireplace.

 

Afterwards, it was time for magic hour on the back verandah with a mint-spiked cocktail and the preparation of a lovely silky seafood risotto spiked with saffron and lemon zest.

 

 

The rest of the night was spent curled up by the fire with our resident Essington Park cat.

 

 

On the way home we were lucky enough to come across a farm gate selling the last of the late summer's sunshine in a box of cherry tomatoes and the freshest, most lovely sacks of just ploughed potatoes. We rummaged around in the console of the car, under the seats and in the glove box for lost bits of coin to put in the honest box.

 

 

I am at my happiest when I'm in the country. I love the smell of the morning dew on the grass, the distant cry of the lambs, and how we always have softly turned eggs with crispy bacon in the morning.

 

 

The gorgeous quinces and berry bush from our garden now adorn my favourite piece of furniture from Elements I Love back at my Double Bay store.

 

 

Happy autumn to all!

 

Simmone x





Hot Cross Buns! Hot Cross Buns! One A Penny, Two A Penny, Hot Cross Buns!

For me these sweet little buns mean the end of a hot dry summer and the beginning of all the wonder which autumn brings.

Pumpkin a bounty, fossicking for mushrooms in the pine forest, and stacking the wood pile readying for the winter months ahead.

I just love this time of year when we drive to Essington Park through the mountains and the fiery reds and oranges of the maple trees. It's time to get into the veggie patch and pick the last of the late summer tomatoes, and fill the baskets by the fireplaces with pine cones for the fire.

A few weeks ago in our production kitchen, while we were putting together our schedule to produce our yearly batch of hot cross buns, the team and I got chatting about the superstitions around the hot cross buns.............

Did you know by sharing a hot cross bun with a friend it is said to solidify your friendship for at least another year? Especially if you sing this little ditty: "Half for you and half for me, between us two shall good will be". You just have to make sure you're not too much of a piggy and you share it evenly! :)

It is also said that if you hang a bun in your kitchen your cakes will rise and your bread will be perfect, replacing the bun each year. Most interestingly, did you know that they say it is sacrilegious and bad luck to bake and eat hot cross buns before Good Friday?! Whoops!!!


My (not to be baked before Good Friday) Hot Cross Buns
Ingredients
2 tsp dried instant yeast
500g plain flour
90g sugar
1 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground all spice
1/4 tsp fresh grated nutmeg
60g butter
1 large egg
140g sultanas
30g mixed peel

Crosses
2 tbsp self-raising flour
2 tbsp cold water

Glaze
4 tbsp sugar
1/4 tsp cinnamon
150ml boiling water

1. Sift together flour, spices, salt and yeast to evenly distribute.
2. In a small saucepan gently heat the milk over a low temperature and melt the butter into it.
3. In a seperate bowl beat the egg. Add the milk and butter mixture to the flour and mix thorougly. Add the egg and mix well to form a dough. Work in the dried fruit and peel.
4. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until it feels smooth and is no longer sticky (approximately 10mins). Then place in a lightly oiled bowl, cover with cling wrap and place in a warm spot to prove. Leave for an hour or until it has doubled in size.
5. Punch the dough down and then seperate into 12 equal portions. Place the buns close together on a lightly greased baking tray. Cover and allow to rise until it has double in size and very light (approximately an hour).
6. For the crosses mix the flour and water thoroughly to form a thick paste. Spoon into a zip lock bag, cut a little hole out of the corner of the bag and pipe the mixture in crosses on the top of the buns. Bake the topped buns at 220⁰C for 15-20mins.
7. For the glaze mix together all ingredients, dissolving the sugar in the boiling water. Brush over the buns lightly while still hot.
8. Best eaten toasted with lashings of unsalted butter!!

My yummy buns are available from now through to Easter at both Simmone Logue stores; $9.50 for half a dozen, and $17.50 for a dozen.

Happy cooking and go safe this Easter!
Simmone x

CEO CookOff!

I had so much fun at the CEO CookOff event on Monday! Hosted by Qantas Airways and OzHarvest, we raised over $1,000,000.00 for some very noteworthy charities. It was a fab chance to catch up with my contemporaries and meet some very motivated and successful company CEOs.

I cooked with my friend, Matt Moran, which was great!

He is such a wonderful cook and his dish of slow roasted lamb shoulder, chickpea and heirloom tomato salad was right up my culinary alley. The lamb had been roasted on a very low heat for hours, it fell right off the bone. Smothered in a vibrant salsa verde it was an absolute mouth watering sensation!!

 

Thank you to the lovely people who got behind me and donated money to this great cause of helping people less fortunate than we are.

 

A big thank you to Louie from Premier Northpak (our packaging people), Adrienne and Peter Glass (the lovely, generous people behind the Green Gecko Project), my dear friends Brooke and Timbo from Elements I Love , and John Lewis from Kauri Cliffs).

 

Congrats to Paul Higers, a fellow CEO whom I cooked with, for raising $73,880.00!!! What a great effort and thanks for the tips for next year, Paul.

 

So until next year, any food left in the house or money left in your pocket....... call OzHarvest!

 

Happy cooking,

Simmone x







Valentine's Day

With Valentine's Day just around the corner we thought it would be cute to don the top of our cupcakes with little red hearts.

With only nine days to go why not plan a little picnic and let the Simmone Logue team put together a basket of goodies to help bring the romance your way thick and fast! All you need to do is grab the champagne, pick a nice spot, phone 9519 3680 and let us take care of the rest!

High Tea will be available in both Simmone Logue stores as well, so spoil that someone special with our dainty cakes, delicious finger sandwiches, great coffee and beautiful quality tea. $18.50 per person.

Happy Valentine's!

Simmone x

Clean, Beautiful and Fragrant Food......

......is a good way to talk about the Chinese meal my bro, chef Andy Logue, whipped up for Tuesday night's dinner.

We had white poached chicken with ginger and shallots, stir fried noodles with mushrooms, and Chinese broccoli in oyster sauce.

Mixed in with laughter, exquisite wine and company, the meal was just what I craved after a busy day in my own kitchen.

With Neil Perry's "Balance and Harmony" cookbook perched on the side board, I saw where the usually Italian-justified cook got his inspiration for the night. So after dinner with cheeks sore from laughter and a belly full of comfort food, I cuddled up in bed and devoured the book myself.

Heaven!

Poached Chicken with Ginger and Shallots

Ingredients
1 chicken, rinsed
2 knobs of ginger, sliced
5 shallots, trimmed
2 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp Chinese rice wine
1 star anise
1/2 tsp sesame oil
Sea salt
Vegetable oil

1. Place chicken in a snug-fitting saucepan and cover with cold water. Then remove the chook and add one knob of ginger, two shallots, soy sauce, rice wine, star anise and sesame oil to the water. Bring water to the boil.
2. Place chicken, breast side down, back into the pot and return to the boil. Cover saucepan with a lid, remove from heat and stand for two hours.
3. In a mortar and pestle, pound the remaining ginger, shallots and a pinch of sea salt into a paste. Cover with a little vegetable oil.
4. Remove chicken from the pot. Then remove the breast and legs and cut into pieces. Serve with ginger and shallot paste.

Happy eating,
Simmone x