Pu erh tea

16. December 2024
by troutandhawk
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Drinks

Pu erh tea is a dark, aged tea that stems from the Chinese province of Yunnan. Like fine wines Pu erh teas become better with age. I would describe the taste as earthy, rich and warm. For a tea to be classified as Pu erh it must be made from the large-leaf Assamica variety of the Camellia sinensis tea plant and must be grown in the Yunnan province.

The true characteristics of Pu erh stem from the process after harvesting. The leaves are heat treated in an incredibly precise process of withering, oxidation, rolling and sun drying. Then the farmers sell the dried loose leaf tea to processors who compress it into various shapes like bricks, cakes, logs or mini cakes.
After compression Pu erh is stored in cellars under unique temperature and moisture conditions which mature and mellow the tea over time.

Benefits

Pu erh tea is said to promote weight loss as it contains probiotics benefical to gut bacteria. It boosts energy (30 to 100mg of caffeine/cup) and prevents illness due to its high amount of antioxidants.
Despite containing caffeine Pu erh tea has been shown to increase the production of natural Melatonin in the brain which promotes better sleep and stress reduction.

How to brew

With a special Pu erh pick (or oyster knife or any other sturdy tool) cut off the amount of approx. 2 teaspoons from the tea cake and place them into a small teapot. Add boiling water and let the tea leaves enfold and float.
Strain into cups. A perfectly brewed Pu erh should have the colour of dark liquid honey. When it gets too dark and strong, just add hot water until the desired colour reappears.

celery root gratin

8. December 2024
by troutandhawk
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Lunch

Back from a long walk through the Saxonian Switzerland a hearty and simple meal like baked celery root with olive oil and parmesan hits the right spot.

celery root gratin
(yields 4)

2 celeriacs
200g parmesan, grated
olive oil
sea salt and freshly grated black pepper

Preheat oven to 200°C.

Clean celeriacs, peel, halve and cut in fine slices

Spread olive oil onto an oven-safe dish, start layering the celery slices in a fish-scale pattern.
On each layer sprinkle olive oil, salt (sparsely), grated pepper and about a small handful of parmesan. Repeat until the celery is used up.

Finish with a top layer of olive oil and parmesan.

After 30 minutes in the oven cover with a lid or aluminium foil. Continue baking for 40 minutes more.

Serve the gratin with a big salad of the season.

📷 Saxonian Switzerland: Antje

salted white chocolate oat cookies

30. October 2024
by troutandhawk
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Cakes + Cookies / Guest Post

guest post by Loui

A quick and easy recipe for the upcoming festive season!

salted white chocolate oat cookies

ingredients
250g salted butter or normal butter with 1/2 tsp salt added
1 tsp vanilla extract
75g caster sugar
30g brown sugar
120g plain flour
120g spelt or rye flour
110g rolled oats
120g white chocolate, roughly chopped

how to
Place softened butter, sugar and vanilla extract in a mixing bowl and use a hand beater to mix until fluffy.

Once fluffy, add spelt and flour and beat on low speed until combined. Repeat by adding rolled oats and chopped white chocolate. If necessary, use your hands or a spatula to mix all ingredients together.

Divide dough into two equal parts and place each part on a separate sheet of cling wrap. Form an even dough roll with your hands and cover in cling wrap. Place dough roll in the freezer/refrigerator for ca.45 minutes until firm.

Preheat oven to 150° Celsius.

Take one roll from the refrigerator and cut dough into 1cm wide pieces using a sharp knife. Don’t worry should the pieces fall apart. Simply press the dough together again and place the pieces on a baking tray – about 3cm apart – and bake for ca. 10-15 minutes until they are light brown around the edges.

Keep the second portion of dough in the freezer to satisfy spontaneous cookie cravings. Otherwise bake both batches at once. One batch provides enough dough for ca. 18 cookies.

xxx Loui



bone broth

15. October 2024
by troutandhawk
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Soups

Bone broth

2 kg bones from a good source (marrow and knuckle)
1 cup vinegar
water

Place the bones in a 5l pot, fill completely with cold water and add the vinegar. Heat the water to a gentle boil and let it simmer slowly for 8 to 12 hours. The vinegar helps to extract the minerals from the bones.

Let it cool and skim off the fat for further use. Discard the bones.

Freeze small portions of the broth in glass jars (filled to 80% to prevent the glass from breaking) or freezer bags to add it later to your soups and roasts. It’s mineral loaded and very nutritious.

a gentle fast

1. September 2024
by troutandhawk
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Drinks

Day 1

08:00 – 14:00 fruit, vegetables and salads

14:00 – 18:00 cedar nut milk

After 18:00 nothing but water

Day 2

All day until 18:00 nothing but water

18:00 – 20:00 fresh juice or some juicy fruit like orange or watermelon

Day 3

08:00 – 13:00 fresh juice or cedar nut milk and fruit

13:00 – 18.00 fruit, vegetables and salads

How to make cedar nut milk

Blend
1/3 cup cedar nuts
1 tablespoon honey or 3-4 dates
1l water

No need to squeeze it through a nut milk bag. Just shake the bottle before serving.

seed bread

26. August 2024
by troutandhawk
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Breakfast

seed bread

140g seeds (e.g. 90g sunflower seeds, 15g pumpkin seeds, 10 g sesame seeds, 20g poppy seeds, 5g hemp seeds)
90g linseeds ( can be replaced by lincake)
150g rolled oats
70g nuts, coarsely chopped
3 tablespoons psyllium husks
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon bread condiment

340ml water
1 tablespoon honey or maple syrup
80g butter or coconut oil

In a bowl mix the dry ingredients thoroughly.
Warm the water, add butter/oil and honey. Stir to combine.
Quickly combine the wet and the dry ingredients (with your hand or a wooden spoon) and fill the dough into a baking form lined with parchment paper. Let it rest overnight, or at least for 4 hours.

Preheat oven to 180°C.

Bake for 20 minutes in the baking form. After 20 minutes remove baking form and parchment paper and continue baking for additional 40 minutes to create a nice crust.

grilled tomatoes with chili, garlic and ginger

11. July 2024
by troutandhawk
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Dinner / Lunch

(an Ottolenghi inspired recipe)

A quick and simple summer dish I often prepare for lunch as soon as the tomato season starts. Its deep and rich flavour comes from the olive oil which has been slowly sizzling together with chili, garlic, ginger and cilantro stems adopting their fragrance. This a technique Ottolenghi often uses.

grilled tomatoes with chili, garlic and ginger
(serves 2)

3 tablespoons olive oil
1 mild red chili, sliced
4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
1 piece fresh ginger (2cm), peeled and thinly sliced
about 10 cilantro stems, keep leaves for the garnish
ripe tomatoes (amount depending on the variety available and your hunger; beef tomatoes work especially well)
salt and pepper

Heat the grill/oven to maximum.

Heat the olive oil in a small sauce pan. Add chili, garlic and ginger and fry over low heat until the chili softens and the garlic starts to brown. Add the cilantro stems and let sizzle for another 2-3 minutes.

With a slotted spoon take out all ingredients and let them cool. Keep the infused oil for later.

Slice the tomatoes and place them on a baking tray. Now drizzle the infused oil onto the tomatoes and season with salt and pepper. Grill for about 10 minutes.

Once ready and out of the oven top with the chili-garlic-ginger mixture and garnish with cilantro leaves.

I love to enjoy this dish with a big mound of Greek yoghurt.


reasons to visit Brisbane

3. July 2024
by troutandhawk
comments 2
Guest Post

guest post by Loui

Since moving to Brisbane in May 2024 I got to love the city already. Below you can find some of the reasons why I would always recommend visiting the city.

1. Amazing coffee, food and more

  • Lune is a croissanterie founded by an aerospace engineer. The “spacy” croissanterie does not only offer sweet and savoury croissants but also great coffee. I always love the flat white.
    You can find Lune in the CBD and South Bank.

  • Tuk Tuk is an authentic Thai restaurant located on Park Road in Milton. Besides Pad Thai and the curries, I can highly recommend the “beef waterfall”, a spicy Thai style beef salad.
  • Etna, an Italian Pizzeria and wine bar located in Fortitude Valley. I especially enjoy dinner at Etna due to the open kitchen and its cosy atmosphere.
  • Gelato Messina, also located in Fortitude Valley, serves ice cream beyond the traditional flavours. I would always recommend one of their weekly specials.
  • Felons is a brewery located at Brisbane’s famous Story Bridge. Enjoy the amazing view of the bridge, accompanied by a cold beer or a cocktail
Felons
Tuk Tuk

2. Tranquility in a buzzing city

  • City Botanic Garden – Wander through beautiful bamboo groves and fig avenues or enjoy tranquility at one of the ornamental ponds. Bring a book to read sitting on the grass or simply enjoy the beauty of the flora.

  • Archives Fine Books – At 40 Charlotte St you can lose track of time between “one million books on every topic”

3. Beautiful Hinterland

  • Scenic Rim – Explore the Scenic Rim on a bush walk in Mt Barney National Park. The Upper Portals hike offers wide trails that lead to rocky gorges and swimming holes along Mt Barney Creek
  • Sunshine Coast – get up early in the morning to do the hike up Mt Coolum while it is still not too warm. Afterwards, grab a refreshing juice or an iced coffee at the little coffee van at the foot of Mt Coolum. Before you head back to Brisbane cool off with a dip at Coolum beach.

wedding in the woods + the honeybee signature cocktail

25. June 2024
by troutandhawk
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Drinks / Uncategorized

the venue: hidden in the Ontarian woods at the bride’s parents’ place

the mood: misty and enchanted

the guests: friends and family came from Canada, the U.S., HongKong, Greece and Germany to celebrate Sara and Peter. There’s nothing better than extending the family!

the food: a delightful variety of dishes, occasionally with a Canadian hint 🍁 (note to self: must urgently ask for the recipe of the homemade wedding cake. A lemony tiered masterpiece baked by Sara’s aunt)

photo credit: the wedding photographer

the drinks: find my favourite one at the end of this post, the delicious HoneyBee made with honey from the family’s beehives

the honeybee cocktail

4cl Bourbon
2cl lemon juice
1cl honey simple syrup

Straight from the jar honey doesn’t mix well with cold drinks, but turning it into simple syrup solves the problem.

Fill a cocktail shaker with ice. Pour in the bourbon, lemon juice and honey syrup. Shake the mixture for about 10 to 15 seconds until the the outside of the shaker feels ice cold.
Fill a glass with ice cubes. Strain the mixture into your prepared glass. Garnish with an lemon wedge.

Honey simple syrup

1/2 cup honey
1/2 cup water
In a small saucepan combine honey and water and warm the mixture over medium heat until clear. There may be no swirls of honey visible. Let the mixture cool to room temperature.