definitive, ultimate fig leather

fig dilemma.

the last two years, i've made fig jam (delicious, but there's only so much jam i and my associates can eat, and i usually end up with a fridge still full of last year's batch when the new season rolls around), and i wanted something portable and unusual (ie something i wouldn't buy) to preserve and enjoy this bounty. there are many, many recipes and techniques available on the net for making fruit leather, and even specifically fig leather, but none had sufficient detail. i have compiled my learnings for DEFINITIVE, ULTIMATE FIG LEATHER

• surprisingly easy but requires patience (about 6 hours' worth)
• don't underestimate the weather- pick a sufficiently cool (and preferably dry) day as the stove and oven will be on a while. also get a book or dvd to fill in the time, and a timer.
• the recipe below makes two 40cm x 30cm sheets; but if you can, double the recipe to make 4 trays and fill your whole oven because the amount of work is the same, and unlike jam, your whole proceeds may very well disappear in an afternoon
• the amount of sweetener is probably not very important; figs being very sweet as it is, i wonder if one could do without sweetener altogether
• an oven thermometer is very, very useful for this recipe. a dehydrator with a reliable temperature gauge would also do well

2-3kgs figs, rinsed

2-3Tbs lemon juice

0.25c agave syrup

3Tbs ground cinnamon, aniseed (optional)

halve or quarter figs; remove pithy top of stem. cook figs in large saucepan (8-10L) sealed with lid on low heat until some juice is released- about 10-15 minutes. remove lid, stir and cook on medium heat (gentle simmer), stirring every few minutes with a wooden spoon (so it doesn't stick) for the next 30-40 minutes. 

set oven to 50C. if oven only goes to 80C-100C, prop the door open 1-2cm with a wooden spoon or other item.

figs should be mushy. remove from heat for a minute, blend with a stabmixer in the saucepan until there are no bits of fruit; the seeds won't blend, and give a nice texture. stir in the lemon juice and agave nectar, and stir every minute over medium-low heat for a further 20-30 minutes until mixture is thick (ie the mixture doesn't slide back together immediately when a spoon is drawn in a line through the centre of the mixture).

spread half the mixture 0.5cm thick on a silicon baking sheet sprayed lightly with oil (or a cookie sheet covered with baking paper sprayed with oil). allow for 1-2cm border free from mixture; spread the rest on a second sheet. if using, sprinkle top with ground cinnamon and aniseed.

place on upper racks of oven for 3-4 hours until the leather is not too tacky or soft to the touch; there should be very little give. during this time, you may want to rotate the sheets front to back (my oven is hotter towards the door), and top and bottom trays (as heat rises and will dry the top tray more than the bottom). 

remove each sheet one at a time from oven temporarily. lightly spray a piece of baking paper (one for each sheet of leather) with oil and lay on each sheet of leather. lay a chopping board or other flat item on top, then flip the lot over and peel the silicon/baking paper bottom carefully off the leather. return the leather now on the baking paper to the oven for a further 30-45 minutes, or until the centre is not tacky to touch. switch the oven off and leave the door closed for 1-2 hours.

to store, cut with a sharp knife into stips and layer alternating with baking paper in an airtight container in the fridge.

pakora!

it's so easy to love these crunchy, tasty patties of veggie goodness! a very flexible recipe and fairly quick to make too.

1c chickpea (also called besan) flour

1c mashed sweet potato (or mix of plain and sweet)

1c chopped cauliflower

1 small onion, finely sliced

1tsp each ground cumin, turmeric, coriander seeds, chilli powder

0.5tsp salt 

oil for frying

serve with salad and mango chutney.

mix everything in a bowl. shallow fry heaped tablespoons into patties; turn after a couple of minutes, flatten with a spatula and fry for about 5 more minutes.

new from old necklace

thank you to the lovely miss s for the two necklaces and bracelet that formed the basis of this necklace!

sheets and stockings

hooray for upcycling!!
 

for the necklace, i cut open a leg of a pretty, watermelony mesh stocking into a 3cm wide strip and as long as i wanted (about 40cm). i encased large, faceted plastic crystal beads in the stocking, wrapping the fabric around each bead then sectioning them off with soft wire or sewing thread.

the flower brooch is made of 10 equal circles of happy, floral flannel sheet; leave one circle flat, fold the next circle into quarters to form a triangle, then stich or hot glue to the base circle. continue folding the circles and overlap them to form the petals. attach a button in the centre and a brooch pin on the back.

turkish delight

i made this for the first time a couple of years ago "for a laugh". my arms have just recovered, so i asked 15-year-old kitchen whiz liam to "help" this time (ie be the mixing robot- hahaha, dastardly, i know). it turned out delicious, though a double batch is advised, given the enormous amount of work this is.



400g white sugar
150ml water

1 tsp lemon juice

50g (100ml) cornflour (not wheaten cornflour)

175ml cold water

5-10 drops red food colouring

1.5 tsp rose essence (queen brand works well), or to taste

optional flavours:

80g lightly roasted, unsalted pistachios shelled

for dusting, sift together:

25g (50ml) cornflour

50g pure icing sugar

heat the sugar, water and lemon juice in a small saucepan; stir continuously over medium heat until brought to the boil. reduce heat to as low as possible and don't stir any further.  wash down the walls of the saucepan with a wet pastry brush occasionally to hinder the creation of large crystals in the sugar syrup. keep simmering the syrup for 15 minutes or just before soft ball stage (110C if you have a candy thermometer): stop before the sugar starts to turn golden. 

place the cornflour in a medium-large saucepan and use a whisk to mix in the cold water. stir constantly over low heat, using the whisk to scrape into the corners of the pan. as soon as the thickening starts, remove the saucepan from the heat and keep stirring. return to the heat for 30 seconds and continue stirring; the mixture should be thick and smooth like mashed potato.

pour half a cup of the sugar syrup into the cornflour paste and mix well until the paste is smooth again. gradually add the remaining syrup (about a quarter of a cup at a time), stirring it in well each time.

bring the cornflour-syrup mixture to the boil, stirring thoroughly and constantly. as soon as bubbles appear, turn the heat as low as possible, using a diffuser if necessary. 

keep stirring thoroughly and gently for about 20-30 minutes, the mixture should be thick enough for a spoon drawn across the bottom of the pan to leave a path which takes at least 10 seconds to close up. to test the texture of the finished sweet, dip a spoon into the mixture and then into a glass of cold water for 30 seconds. keep cooking for 5 more minutes if you want it chewier, otherwise take it off the heat.

scrape mixture into lined pan using a silicone spatula; allow to cool at room temperature for at least 3 hours, then cut and dust with icing sugar mixture and store in brown paper.

nori rolls

ahh, nori rolls; super tasty power food, work colleague impresser and comfort delight in one. i'm glad to have given this a go at home (much easier and quicker than expected), as i am limited to the tofu or pickle rolls at sushi places which contain poor quality ingredients.

this dish becomes more than a handy snack when made with organic tofu, traditional pickled ginger and wasabi powder (no artificial colours or sweeteners). the most important part is to cook the rice correctly, then it's just a matter of filling and rolling however you like.

3c japanese rice

3.25 water

0.3 rice vinegar or rice vinegar/rice wine blend

2Tbs sugar

1tsp salt

rinse rice in a large bowl or sieve. place the rice in rice cooker and add water. cook for 15-20 minutes. spread the rice thinly on a large ceramic bowl or plate so it cools quicker. dissolve the sugar and salt in the vinegar; sprinkle on the rice and fold together gently (don't squash the rice).

my favourite fillings are shredded carrot, panfried tofu, avocado, toasted sesame seeds, pickled ginger, shredded daikon root.

you don't need to wet the seaweed sheets before rolling; they will soften with the moisture of the rice. these keep well overnight in an airtight container in the fridge. 

new obsession: rice salad

i am loving rice salad right now. 2c of brown rice cooked with 4c water and a pinch of salt makes enough for 6-8 hungry people, and it's a great outdoorsy day lunch.

cook the rice, allow to cool for an hour if possible and mix in a large bowl with any combination of finely chopped or cubed yummies such as: apple, almonds, dill pickles, red cabbage, sultanas, red capsicum, parsley, toasted sesame seeds, raw onion, fresh mushrooms. add lemon juice and olive oil (plenty, as it will be absorbed by the rice), herbs and ground spices to taste. this is even better the next day, and shared with friends!

fried rice a thousand ways

i completely, utterly, unabashedly adore rice. steamed rice with spicy satay sauce or soy sauce and sesame oil... oh, so good!


this is a little more work, but so worthwhile; it can be done alone but it is best done, as it is many mornings each week, with another person: one to chop and one to fry.


anything can be used (especially little leftover veggies), but my proportions are usually 20% rice, 30% extra firm tofu, 50% veggies. i use a wok and a frying pan to speed things up.


steam the rice the night before, and allow to cool overnight in the fridge. 


cut tofu into 1cm or smaller cubes. pan fry with salt, ground pepper and garlic powder or fresh ginger, remove from heat and set aside.


chop all veggies into 1cm pieces; my favourites are carrot, cabbage, broccoli or cauliflower, enoki mushrooms (the long stringy ones found prepackaged in asian supermarkets) and snowpeas, but will use anything i have.


heat the wok and fry all the veggies at once; cook for 2 minutes, then add in a crushed clove of garlic; cook 3-4 more minutes, then tip the veggies into the frying pan on top of the tofu and set aside. 


lower the heat in the wok, add a little oil and then the rice. try to keep it moving for a minute, then add crushed garlic to taste (2 cloves might do it, though i do more); fry for another 1-2 minutes, then add the veggies and tofu back in. fry together for 1 minute, then add soy sauce and serve. drizzle with sesame oil for extra deliciousness!

vietnamese rice paper rolls

beautiful salad ingredients wrapped in rice paper with fried tofu; delicious, fun and healthy!


it's also my favourite hot weather meal due to the minimal cooking and refreshing flavours, which can be included to taste- here are my favourites, all of which can be found in most asian grocers and many supermarkets:


shredded carrot
finely sliced cucumber
mint
coriander
bean shoots
fried tofu
satay or hoi sin sauce (i like to drizzle some inside the roll rather than use a dipping sauce)
shredded black fungus (sold dry, soak a handful in boiling water for 5 minutes, then pan fry with ginder and garlic for 5 minutes)


the rice paper needs to be wet, not soaked; you can either run the sheet you are about to use under a tap, or dip in a bowl of water (it does not need to be hot or warm) so that the whole sheet is wet. lay the sheet on a dinner plate, and line up a little of each desired ingredient about 2cm inside one of the edges of the paper; then you're ready to roll!


don't worry if your roll doesn't work so well the first time, or falls apart- it'll still taste great!

collingwood