Silverbeet: Tart with Blue Cheese

A tart or quiche is a great way to use up lots of leafy green vegetables - silverbeet, kale, chard, spinach (or anything green dying in the fridge), combined with cheese and cream they take on a whole new level of YUM. Tarts can be quite rich so you don't need a large piece to be satisfied, and served with a big salad it is just right for a spring time lunch...

Silverbeet: Baked eggs with Silverbeet pesto

This week is all about silverbeet (Swiss chard for those of you in the UK)- for breakfast, lunch and dinner...

 

We spent last weekend at a friend's house in  St Andrews, a 45 minute drive from Melbourne and one of our favourite places to get out of the city and relax. St Andrews has a fantastic community market every Saturday come rain, hail or shine, and let's face it, you may get all of those in one day, set amongst the eucalypts with stalls selling seasonal organic produce, home made jams and cakes, as well as anything from old farm tools to massages, what more could I possibly want?  

Strawberry Jam: BBQ Sauce Ribs

As far as I'm concerned fruit and meat go hand in hand, blending sweet and savoury to create balance, (the acid in the fruit also helps to tenderise the meat if used as a marinade). Some of my favourite foods from around the world have this sweet/savoury combination... Duck a l'orange, Moroccan lamb tagine with apricots, or chicken with olives and prunes... So why not strawberry jam and ribs?

Strawberry Jam: Doughnuts

I love fried doughy food and could eat my way around the world seeking out different types - from churros in Spain to beignet in France or New Orleans, and it just wouldn't be New Year's Eve in Holland without visiting every neighbour and sharing oliebollen (literally 'oil balls'). There is a strong theory that suggests American doughnuts originated from oliebollen recipes brought to the States by early Dutch settlers, so with an American mother and Dutch father I think doughnuts must be in my blood.

Strawberry Jam: Scones with jam & cream

My good friend Belle's mum (the lovely Erica) makes amazing strawberry jam, full of large chunks of sweet, soft fruit - it tastes like real strawberries have turned to nectar basking in the spring afternoon sunshine... I do not exaggerate.

So at our last weekly catch-up when Belle casually said, "oh, I almost forgot, I have something for you", then pulled out a jar of homemade strawberry jam I was so excited and rushed for the spoon drawer and cracked it open. Bliss! Just like her mum's. It finally feels like spring is here...

Introducing Three Bears...

Hello ether...

 

... this is a blog about my culinary adventures in a small Melbourne kitchen, it's all about looking at a dish or ingredient three ways. If everything goes according to plan (so, wishful thinking on my part) I hope to post three recipes a week either exploring different versions of the same dish, or different recipes with the same key ingredient.