The Pah Café

Located inside Monte Cecilia Park is this beautiful building, The Pah Homestead.  Gorgeous huh?  This building is actually not very far from where I currently live; Simon and I discovered it on our way home one day when I asked if we could head up the driveway for Monte Cecilia Park to take a look. 

Here’s a bit of history about the building for you… the place was built between 1877 and 1879 for Auckland businessman, James Williamson as his ‘gentleman’s residence’.  After he died in 1888, the homestead was leased to the Anglican church and was used as a school.  In 1913, the Sisters of Mercy and The Roman Catholic Bishop of Auckland, Henry Cleary purchased the homestead.

I took Courtenay here for brunch one day and she had actually been here before when she was younger as her school used it for retreats.  In 2002 the Auckland Council purchased the homestead and began an extensive restoration.  The building was opened to the public in August of 2010 and now houses an art gallery and café.  The café offers a pretty standard menu with nothing out of the ordinary, but does have quite a delicious looking selection of goodies in their cabinet.

If the weather is nice when you visit, take full advantage of the sun and sit out on the large wrap-around veranda out the back.  The homestead has some great views of Auckland and is surrounded by beautiful park grounds (apparently over 15 ha in fact).  It is the perfect setting to enjoy the cafés tea and scones.

The Homestead can also be hired as a venue for functions such as conferences, meetings and weddings.  You can see more pictures and find out more information about the park and homestead on the Auckland Council’s website and check out the café’s menu on The Pah café’s website.

The Pah Café
72 Hillsborough Road, Hillsborough, Auckland, New Zealand
Opening hours: Tuesday – Friday 10am-3pm, Saturday 10am-5pm
www.pahcafe.co.nz

Time To Party

Max is turning 1! This is an updated picture of him smashing his 11 month cake, I snapped it on my phone at a cake smash photo shoot we did with Andie who has guest blogged on here before. Of course we are throwing a party to celebrate, it is also doubling as a leaving party since our family has relocated to Taranaki (from Auckland) as of a week ago – which means a trip up to Auckland, the first of many to come I am sure.

I started looking for ideas for Maxie’s party when he was about 5 months old and and decided on a robots and rockets theme to match the bedroom theme we picked before he was born, after settling on the theme I created this little inspiration board…


I have had lots of fun coming up with decorating ideas and planning lots of yummy food. Since we don’t have a house in Auckland to have the party in we have hired a venue at the botanical gardens, I will only have half an hour set up time so I have to have all my decorations ready to go and the food has to look and taste delicious but easy to transport. Below are my two updated inspiration boards and a sneak peek at some of the goodies I have collected!

   
I will be sure to share all the yummy goodies with you after the party and I am sure I will be testing out my new kitchen once we are properly settled in our new home, I’m having serious baking withdrawals!

Lunchbox Bakes – Berry and Oat Muffins

These muffins are pretty tasty and they are easy to whip up.  I find them quite filling too.  They are suitable to freeze for later as well.  Lets get started…

Makes 8.

1 ½ cups self raising flour
⅓ cup caster sugar
1 cup rolled oats
¾ cup milk
1 egg, lightly beaten
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 teaspoon grated lemon or lime rind
1 cup mixed berries (fresh or frozen)

Preheat the oven to 200°C.  Line 8 holes of a 12-hole muffin pan with paper cases.

Combine the flour, sugar and oats in a large bowl.  Combine the milk, egg, oil and rind in a separate bowl.  Add the milk mixture to the flour mixture and stir until just combined.  Stir in the berries, leaving a few out to decorate the tops of the muffins.

Divide the mixture into the muffin cases.  Place the remaining berries on the top.  If you want to be extra fancy you could sprinkle some coffee sugar over the tops or decorate each muffin with a banana chip – I had both to try but forgot!  Bake for 20 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the muffin comes out cleanly.  Transfer to a wire rack and allow to cool.

So that is my first recipe for Lunchbox Bakes, a new feature that I introduced to you yesterday.  Remember you can take part too and get a link to your blog up on our next Lunchbox Bakes post.  If you are interested, there are more details on the Lunchbox Bakes page :)
If you make one of the recipes from our blog, leave a comment on the post or take a pic and post it up on our facebook page!

New Feature – Lunchbox Bakes!

I’m starting up a new feature on our blog (conveniently just in time for the start of the school year too!) called ‘Lunchbox Bakes’.
Basically each fortnight (or weekly if I can manage it) I am going to post up a recipe of something I have made to take to work as part of my lunch for the week.
Why?  Well, I want to eat healthier but I do want to keep up my baking.  I’m aiming to make some stuff with less sugar and chocolate than most of the recipes I have posted up on here, but hopefully they will be yummy enough that buying something from the cafe will not be a temptation.  I also like the idea that since I’ve cooked it, I’ll know what is in it unlike some of the offerings at the supermarket.
You can join in too!  If you have a blog and have made something appropriate for lunch, share your blog post with us.  Grab the Lunchbox Bakes badge (see the buttons page) or logo and put this and/or a link back to our homepage on your post if you want to participate.  Then send us an email (bmtbblog@gmail.com) that includes the names of: you, your recipe, your blog and a link to your blog post.  I’ve made a page for this new feature, which you can access through our menu bar if you need to check back on the details.
I’ve already baked my first lunchbox treat, so I’ll share that with you tomorrow.  Each time I put up a new Lunchbox Bakes post after that, I will include a list of of people who have emailed in and linked up for the feature :)

In other news, Courtenay and her little family have moved down to New Plymouth and seem to be settling in well from the few pics she has managed to post up on facebook.  She is still waiting for her internet to be connected up, but once it is she will be back and posting.  It’s Max’s first birthday party this weekend (exciting!) so no doubt there will be some mouth watering recipes from the event making their way onto the blog in the coming weeks!
So, that’s the latest.  Get involved in Lunchbox Bakes and send us an email with your details to get your link posted on our site!

Shaky Isles

I can’t believe we haven’t written about Shaky Isles before - I go here quite a bit and love it.  I’ve also introduced Courtenay to it, who likes it too.

There are two Shaky Isles cafés; one in Britomart and the original in Kingsland.  Shaky Isles in Kingsland is small and intimate (the pics in the post were taken at Shaky Isles Kingsland), while the one in Britomart is a larger, more loft-like space.  However, both places share the same great decor of exposed brick and plaster, quirky lighting and cute cartoon pictures dotted around the place.  Both also have open wireless networks.

The menu is great – the food is reasonably priced and offers something a little different to other places.  On my recent visit I had the Brioche Bene with kransky (their kransky are yum!) and my friend had one of their Bruschetta meals.

Their hot chocolates and mochas come with a Whittakers sante bar and are always served with a pretty vintage teaspoon.  Shaky Isles also make delicious milkshakes – quite often you can look around the place and see someone with a ‘World’s longest drink’ cup on pretty much every table.

The Kingsland branch can get quite packed on weekend, but that is only because everyone knows Shaky Isles is a great place for a coffee and a bite to eat :)

Shaky Isles Kingsland
492 New North Road, Kingsland, Auckland
Ph: 09 815 3591

Shaky Isles Britomart
22 Customs Street East, Britomart, Auckland
Ph: 09 377 9310

E: info@shakyisles.co.nz
www.shakyisles.co.nz

White Chocolate Tart

Last night I hosted a catch up for the girls I met and made friends with while I worked in retail during my Uni years.  It was so much fun; I don’t think we have all been in the same room for about 4-5 years.  Dinner was just pizza so I decided to make us something a bit more special for dessert.  This White Chocolate Tart went down a real treat :)

The tart is actually really simple to make.  I made my pastry from scratch, but if you buy some pre-made pastry or a ready-made shell, making the tart would probably take only 10 minutes!

You will need:
1 quantity of short crust pastry (I used this recipe that I have previously posted up)
300g white chocolate (I used a mix of Whittakers white choc and Nestlé choc melts)
50g crème fraîche
100g soft butter
½ teaspoon vanilla essence
Your choice of decoration

Prepare and bake your short crust pastry then allow to cool (I followed this recipe).

Chop the chocolate and melt in a bowl over the top of a pan of hot water.  Heat the crème fraîche for 10 seconds in the microwave then add to the chocolate.  Stir to combine.  Stir in the vanilla.  Gradually add and stir in the soft butter.  Pour the mixture into the pastry shell, spread smoothly and chill.

I decorated my tart with lots of berries.  I purchased a bag of frozen berries from the supermarket, defrosted them and mixed them with icing sugar to taste (fresh ones were way to expensive).  You could decorate it with just few berries and some raspberry sauce, or shards of dark chocolate would look quite fancy.

Waterfront Café and Bar

My only plan for my summer holidays has been sleep ins and café lunches.  So far, so good!

Apparently our Auckland weather is going to finally sort itself out and we’re about to get the Summer sun we have been waiting for.  Waterfront is the perfect café to head along to for lunch and a drink while soaking up the sun.  Sit out on the deck out the back and watch the coming and goings of the boats nearby.

I chose to come here for lunch the other day with my friend Michelle because they have a good selection of offerings on their menu and it is in the Entertainment book, which gives you a voucher entitling you to some $$ off your meal.  Also, I hadn’t been there for a while.  I had the Smoked Chicken Panini and like all the other plates I saw at neighbouring tables, there was a massive amount of food!  The service was good, but someone could have come back to check if we wanted more drinks.

Waterfront is also a restaurant and a bar, so it’s pretty much always open.  Brunch, lunch, dinner, dessert, drinks and dancing – I’ve done the lot here.
If you are looking for somewhere to unwind pop on in; it’s not fine dining but it is a nice place in the Viaduct with a good atmosphere and setting :)

Waterfront Café and Bar
Maritime Museum, Viaduct Basin, Auckland, New Zealand
Ph: 09 359 9914
E: info@thewaterfrontcafe.co.nz

Plum Jam

For the past year, Simon and I have been unsure about a couple of the trees that are in our garden; we couldn’t figure out what variety of fruit tree they were.  Turns out they were a couple of different types of plums.  So, the other day I picked all the ripe fruit and I made jam.
It turns out making Plum Jam is really easy – you don’t need anything fancy because as my research has told me, Plums have a lot of natural Pectin in them.  That’s the stuff that helps the jam to set, which means you don’t need to add anything.


Our lovely trees gave me 2.7 kg of fruit before I cut them up to remove the stones.
You will need:
Equal weight of plums and sugar (at least 1.5kg – just reduce the amount of water if you have less)
A little bit of water (about ⅔ cup)


Chop up the plums, removing the stones and put into a large pot with a heavy base.  Add a little bit of water (I put in about ½ a cup for all my plums).


Bring the pot up to a boil and simmer uncovered for an hour, stirring occasionally.  The liquid should be reduced by ⅔ and the fruit should be soft.
Put a small plate into the freezer to make it cold for testing the jam later.
Add the sugar into the simmering fruit.  I would start with a small amount of sugar and taste the jam before adding more (I used about 1kg of sugar to my 2.7ish kgs of fruit because I found it sweet enough).  Stir until it is completely dissolved.Turn up the heat and bring the mixture to a rapid boil while stirring.  Boil for 10 minutes.


Remove the plate from the freezer and place a blob of the mixture on to it.  Once the mixture has cooled a little, run your finger through it; if the mixture stays separated it is ready to be put into jars.  If the mixture comes back together, boil it for a few more minutes before testing again.  Once the mixture is ready, remove from the heat and pour into sterilised jam jars (I used some from the supermarket that have the lids that pop in when they have sealed.  There’s heaps of info about how to sterilise them on the internet.)

 

I found this You Tube video really helpful and recommend it if you are going to give making Plum Jam a go.
Once opened the jars of jam will last for about 8 weeks.

Chocolate and Caramel Mousse Cake

This delicious creation was another Christmas day treat! It is perfect to take along to summer BBQ’s as a dessert plate. This is another recipe that I have had in a folder that I have been meaning to try for a year+ and again I wish I had tried it earlier, it is very easy but you need to have a bit of time on your hands as there is a bit of a wait between steps.

Ingredients:
125g plain biscuit crumbs (I used ‘Round Wines’)
75g butter, melted
1½ teaspoons gelatin
1 tablespoon hot water
380g tin of caramel condensed milk
¾ cup cream
1 cup dark chocolate melts
2 teaspoons gelatin
2 tablespoons hot water
1 cup cream, softly whipped

Method:
Line a  20cm round spring-form tin with wax baking paper (base and sides).
Combine the biscuit crumbs and butter and press mixture into the lined base of tin. Place in the fridge to chill.
In a bowl dissolve the first measure of gelatin in the hot water and when smooth stir through the caramel. Evenly spread the caramel mix over the base and return to fridge.
Pour ¾ cup cream into a pan and heat until it is nearly boiling. Remove from the heat and stir through your dark chocolate melts until they are dissolved and the mix is smooth. Set aside to cool.
Dissolve the second measure of gelatin in the water and stir it into the chocolate cream. Chill until thickened but not set, about 15 minutes.
Fold the softly whipped cream through the chocolate cream and spread the mousse over the caramel base. Chill for a minimum of 3-4 hours before serving, it can also be made a day ahead.

You can garnish the cake with summer berries, chocolate lattices or some white chocolate curls/shavings like me.

Tip: If I had been at home on Christmas day I would have grabbed a spoon and run it under hot water (then dried it) so I could use the back of it to smooth off the rough edge where I had removed the wax paper.

 
This will probably be my last recipe for a wee while I am sad to say, we move out of our house next Friday and will be staying with family for a little while before the big move to New Plymouth. We also have Max’s birthday party the weekend after our move – which I am super excited about, so I may find some time in amongst the chaos to give all of you lovely readers a sneak peek at what we have planned.

Inspiration: Neenish Tarts

One thing I want to attempt to make before my school holidays are up and I have to go back to work are some Neenish Tarts.

I love them but I haven’t eaten one in a super long time.  My Mum is a creature of habit and does her grocery shopping on Wednesday night each week.  When I lived at home it used to mean that we would have something easy that night for dinner, usually burgers (while she was out we would actually have a bet on what we thought the meal would be).  She also used to bring home a slice or something sweet for us to have after dinner and I think that is how I was introduced to Neenish Tarts.

They look quite fiddly and time consuming which is a bit off putting.  However, now that I’ve declared that I want to make them hopefully I will feel obliged to follow though and actually do it :)

The Library Café

Simon likes this place – he goes here and has a coffee when he wants a place to study.  We’ve been to The Library Café a few times for brunch / lunch too.  We came here just the other day (since the weather has been so miserable in Auckland lately, a nice hot breakfast indoors sounded perfect) so I’ve decided to share it with you.

The café is inside a gorgeous old building and has won the Metro award for the Best Café in Onehunga for 2008, 2009 and 2010.  There is plenty of seating and you can also hire the venue for weddings or private functions.  There are two areas to the café, one is a large dinning room and the other is a smaller ‘reading lounge’ which has a wall of bookcases packed with titles for you to peruse.  Simon and I usually head in here and grab ourselves a board game to play; this time it was scrabble.

On this visit Simon had a Mango Smoothie and Bacon Eggs Benedict while I had a Hot Chocolate and built my meal from their side dishes – you can’t see it in the photo below as they are hiding under the eggs, but I has some pretty yummy hash browns on that plate.  The service was quick, friendly and efficient too :)

The Library Café pride themselves on using as much certified organic, free-range, sustainable and locally grown or manufactured  products as possible.  Vegan and gluten free options are clearly labelled on their menu and their cabinet food looks delicious too.  They are also Gold Greenbizcheck certified as they choose their suppliers based on their environmental policies, fair trade and sustainability practises.  The Library Café also try to use environmentally friendly products in the cafe from their packaging to the soap used in the bathroom.

Head along to The Library Café’s website for more background information, menus and opening hours.  If you join their mailing list every now and then you get sent an update which usually has vouchers attached giving you discounts or special offers at the cafe :)

The Library Café
55 Princes St, Onehunga, Auckland, New Zealand
Ph: 09 636 7292
Fax: 09 636 7293
E:  info@librarycafe.co.nz
www.librarycafe.co.nz