Thursday, November 5, 2009
Thursday, September 10, 2009
Experiments in virtuality
and photo placement in Blogger.
Some paintings from autumn (southern hemisphere) 2008 of country seen: these are the small images – professionally photographed, not by me:: Blogger is still defeating me with placement although the images are much better. A bit small though. I'll try later with larger versions.
These are all Old Holland/Schminke/Holbein on Sennelier hp watercolour paper (I think).
Tuesday, September 8, 2009
Cupcakes trial
Malaise du blog seems to be continuing. This is a scanning trial to see if I can work out how to improve my scanning-of-watercolour skills (which are very limited):: although my blogger placement skills still aren't much better. It's above the text and I want it to be below .....
Saturday, August 8, 2009
A truly inspirational life sty
as one of the online real estate advertisements which currently occupy my days says.
Life's been too piggy to post; this seems to be a general malaise, even the mega blogger Katherine Tyrrell http://makingamark.blogspot.com/ is blogged off for the now being.
More blogging later. ::Post 100:: will eventually be achieved!
Life's been too piggy to post; this seems to be a general malaise, even the mega blogger Katherine Tyrrell http://makingamark.blogspot.com/ is blogged off for the now being.
More blogging later. ::Post 100:: will eventually be achieved!
Thursday, July 23, 2009
Sunny with a sprinkle of rain ...
... right when I thought it was time to sit in the Gardens and sketch Captain Phillip from the rear!
Can't find a photo of him on his fountain so here's another place where I was rained on when sketching en plein air: (beta blogging strikes again! I want it here and it's above ...).
The dangers of working en plein air should not be underestimated: consider the fate of Clarice Beckett (aka "The Divine Clarissa") who went to the great studio in the sky after unwisely sketching epa with a cold, although wind, dust, ants and passers-by are usually my problems.
Tuesday, July 21, 2009
Crumbling fast
If you're prepared, that is.
A crumble is the most comforting of puddings: a pretense can be made that it's just fruit.
It's always the season for crumble, as far as I'm concerned, even today when in Sydney it's a warm clear spring/summer like day of 25ºC (until the cool front arrives this afternoon and takes us - some of us hope - back to winter).
There are an enormous range of crumble formulas (formulae) in circulation. It can even be made in an emergency or when pressed for time by crumbling/crushing plain biscuits: Duchy shortbread/ginger/butterscotch are great, if expensive, lubricated with melted butter, like a biscuit crumb crust and a bit of extra sugar for crunch.
My standard crumble mixture is equal quantities by weight of butter, caster sugar, unblanched almonds and plain flour, ground until coarse in a food processor. It can be done by hand if you can chop the almonds coarsely or have flaked almonds.
In Australia it's usually easiest to do this based on a 250g package of butter (unsalted or lightly salted). Leftovers can live happily in the freezer and can be sprinkled ready frozen.
A pinch of salt helps if you're not salophobic, luxury can be achieved with the scraped seeds of a vanilla pod (or a dash of Queen* if you have a more traditional, vanilla bean less, Australian kitchen). Or, in a well run kitchen, using vanilla sugar (or darker sugars: muscavado, dark/light brown, raw, turbinado can all be used)
I sometimes use rolled oats - which can be lightly toasted in a non stick frying pan - and use a proportion of self raising flour (maybe half) for a bit of fluffiness. BUT NEVER COCONUT.
Fresh or pre-cooked fruit as a base? It depends on how much time you have and what you've got. I prefer cooked fruit; fresh fruit always takes a bit longer than you think to cook thoroughly: the point of a crumble is the contrast between the soft fruit and the crunchy crumbly top. There is no place for undercooked apple.
The fruit of the crumble is ....? Apple or apple and something or in a pinch pear (apple and pear is good). Apple and rhubarb, apple and quince, apple and feijoa (a sublime combination), apple and guava. Apricot and peach have their place. Pineapple and banana don't (I confess now to having made tuti-fruti crumbles in a microwave including banana and the forbidden coconut: I now know better).
Crumbles containing molten de-frozen blackberries are surely prohibited by international agreement, and are best left to a doubtful existence in country motel dining rooms (but if only they were); on the other hand, the combination of rhubarb and strawberry works well (strawberries can be baked, truly).
Spice is nice with the fruit but not too much clove or cinnamon, and probably not "mixed" spice unless you are stranded on a hillside two hour's from the nearest Colesworth's**, traditonal though it may be.
The fruit should be well sugared and some lemon juice used to bring out the flavour. If uncooked fruit is to be used it should be tossed with a teaspoon or so of cornflour to absorb the juices.
The crumble should be generously spread and fairly well cooked: it's not something to do in a hurry (crumbled Duchy version notwithstanding) - 30 to 45 minutes in a moderate-ish oven (170ºC - 180ºC), maybe a bit longer at a lower temperature if the fruit is uncooked (eg 40 to 60 minutes at 150ºC - 170ºC). There should be a good bit of caramelised bubbling going on by the time it's ready.
Like so many things, possibly tastes even better the next day - especially for breakfast.
Baked in a large communal dish not individual egg cups, best on a baking sheet lined with foil in hope of enthusiastic dribbling.
Eat at a bit above warm room temperature (not isolated Australian hillside in July temperature) but not mouth burningly hot (those microwaving country roadside motels again).
And to eat with? Anything you like: Golden Cow brand frozen dairy like product, milk company readymade custard, evaporated skim milk, organic sheep's milk yoghurt except perhaps whipped or clotted cream. My favourite is ordinary runny cream, even if all you can find is the Australian gelatinized version, although it once was creme anglaise/custard. Even tinned cream (another great Australian tradition) will work, although maybe then the the apples should also be tinned for complimentary flavour.
If it all sounds too much work, empty an individual package of two fruits into a tea cup (not one of your Granny's), top with muesli and microwave on high for three minutes, eat with no fat vanilla inspired yoghurt.
Unless Colesworth's is having a special on no fat apple crumble flavour yoghurt this week ...
*Queen (trademarked, I'm sure) is the traditional brand of vanilla essence/extract in Australian kitchens. It gives the right taste ie the one we're used to, even if it may not be the foodistically most correct substance. Also the label looks "right" - little enough does since Mother's Choice flour boxes disappeared. Anchor flour from Western Australia is not without it's charms but it's foreign, even if still in boxes.
** They're so hard to distinguish, why try?
A crumble is the most comforting of puddings: a pretense can be made that it's just fruit.
It's always the season for crumble, as far as I'm concerned, even today when in Sydney it's a warm clear spring/summer like day of 25ºC (until the cool front arrives this afternoon and takes us - some of us hope - back to winter).
There are an enormous range of crumble formulas (formulae) in circulation. It can even be made in an emergency or when pressed for time by crumbling/crushing plain biscuits: Duchy shortbread/ginger/butterscotch are great, if expensive, lubricated with melted butter, like a biscuit crumb crust and a bit of extra sugar for crunch.
My standard crumble mixture is equal quantities by weight of butter, caster sugar, unblanched almonds and plain flour, ground until coarse in a food processor. It can be done by hand if you can chop the almonds coarsely or have flaked almonds.
In Australia it's usually easiest to do this based on a 250g package of butter (unsalted or lightly salted). Leftovers can live happily in the freezer and can be sprinkled ready frozen.
A pinch of salt helps if you're not salophobic, luxury can be achieved with the scraped seeds of a vanilla pod (or a dash of Queen* if you have a more traditional, vanilla bean less, Australian kitchen). Or, in a well run kitchen, using vanilla sugar (or darker sugars: muscavado, dark/light brown, raw, turbinado can all be used)
I sometimes use rolled oats - which can be lightly toasted in a non stick frying pan - and use a proportion of self raising flour (maybe half) for a bit of fluffiness. BUT NEVER COCONUT.
Fresh or pre-cooked fruit as a base? It depends on how much time you have and what you've got. I prefer cooked fruit; fresh fruit always takes a bit longer than you think to cook thoroughly: the point of a crumble is the contrast between the soft fruit and the crunchy crumbly top. There is no place for undercooked apple.
The fruit of the crumble is ....? Apple or apple and something or in a pinch pear (apple and pear is good). Apple and rhubarb, apple and quince, apple and feijoa (a sublime combination), apple and guava. Apricot and peach have their place. Pineapple and banana don't (I confess now to having made tuti-fruti crumbles in a microwave including banana and the forbidden coconut: I now know better).
Crumbles containing molten de-frozen blackberries are surely prohibited by international agreement, and are best left to a doubtful existence in country motel dining rooms (but if only they were); on the other hand, the combination of rhubarb and strawberry works well (strawberries can be baked, truly).
Spice is nice with the fruit but not too much clove or cinnamon, and probably not "mixed" spice unless you are stranded on a hillside two hour's from the nearest Colesworth's**, traditonal though it may be.
The fruit should be well sugared and some lemon juice used to bring out the flavour. If uncooked fruit is to be used it should be tossed with a teaspoon or so of cornflour to absorb the juices.
The crumble should be generously spread and fairly well cooked: it's not something to do in a hurry (crumbled Duchy version notwithstanding) - 30 to 45 minutes in a moderate-ish oven (170ºC - 180ºC), maybe a bit longer at a lower temperature if the fruit is uncooked (eg 40 to 60 minutes at 150ºC - 170ºC). There should be a good bit of caramelised bubbling going on by the time it's ready.
Like so many things, possibly tastes even better the next day - especially for breakfast.
Baked in a large communal dish not individual egg cups, best on a baking sheet lined with foil in hope of enthusiastic dribbling.
Eat at a bit above warm room temperature (not isolated Australian hillside in July temperature) but not mouth burningly hot (those microwaving country roadside motels again).
And to eat with? Anything you like: Golden Cow brand frozen dairy like product, milk company readymade custard, evaporated skim milk, organic sheep's milk yoghurt except perhaps whipped or clotted cream. My favourite is ordinary runny cream, even if all you can find is the Australian gelatinized version, although it once was creme anglaise/custard. Even tinned cream (another great Australian tradition) will work, although maybe then the the apples should also be tinned for complimentary flavour.
If it all sounds too much work, empty an individual package of two fruits into a tea cup (not one of your Granny's), top with muesli and microwave on high for three minutes, eat with no fat vanilla inspired yoghurt.
Unless Colesworth's is having a special on no fat apple crumble flavour yoghurt this week ...
*Queen (trademarked, I'm sure) is the traditional brand of vanilla essence/extract in Australian kitchens. It gives the right taste ie the one we're used to, even if it may not be the foodistically most correct substance. Also the label looks "right" - little enough does since Mother's Choice flour boxes disappeared. Anchor flour from Western Australia is not without it's charms but it's foreign, even if still in boxes.
** They're so hard to distinguish, why try?
Monday, July 20, 2009
"Executive residents for sale"
There are certainly some unexpected (unwelcome, quite possibly) inclusions in the current internet real estate market.
They must be very tied to their (former) home.
Perhaps they will graze quietly and help to avoid garden care costs?
They must be very tied to their (former) home.
Perhaps they will graze quietly and help to avoid garden care costs?
More less than moving experiences
If there's anything more dispiriting than internet house hunting, I can't currently think of it*.
We only need one house, but even casting a net across of what seems like all of south-east Australia we end up with a very short list indeed, and that's before we've been inside any.
As George Bernard Shaw said, there are two great tragedies in life: one is not to have your heart's desire, the other is to have it (a house with a fireplace in a fairly cool climate, or what passes for a fairly cool climate hereabouts; settling snow is optional although desirable - but unlikely).
Or is it about eating cake and having it? (Which I have never really understood: what's the point of having an uneatable cake?)
* well I can, but it's all a matter of context.
We only need one house, but even casting a net across of what seems like all of south-east Australia we end up with a very short list indeed, and that's before we've been inside any.
As George Bernard Shaw said, there are two great tragedies in life: one is not to have your heart's desire, the other is to have it (a house with a fireplace in a fairly cool climate, or what passes for a fairly cool climate hereabouts; settling snow is optional although desirable - but unlikely).
Or is it about eating cake and having it? (Which I have never really understood: what's the point of having an uneatable cake?)
* well I can, but it's all a matter of context.
Sunday, July 19, 2009
Time Troubling in beta blogging
Maybe by :: Post100 :: I'll have worked out how to post showing local time!
I'm a day behind but I'm really a day ahead :: posts are usually 18.00 to 20.00 AEST whatever Blogger says.
Out of step with reality as USuAl!
I'm a day behind but I'm really a day ahead :: posts are usually 18.00 to 20.00 AEST whatever Blogger says.
Out of step with reality as USuAl!
Saturday, July 18, 2009
Painting at Hill End with Amanda
A series of watercolours of the area around Hill End mostly completed in Sydney after visiting APH at Hill End in June 2006.
The small square paintings are the official "Painting at Hill End with Amanda" series of 24 currently languishing in storage.
Holbein and Jacques Blockx (and maybe some Old Holland?) watercolours on Sennelier HP, CP and a small number of RP Watercolour blocks - now sadly unavailable at least in Australian retail.
Hill End is losing some it's high tableland isolation, so attractive to some of us, with the sealing of a large section of the road from Turondale.
If you don't know about Hill End, which occupies quiet a special place for many artists in NSW, there is a small Wikipedia entry: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hill_End,_New_South_Wales
and a local site: www.hillend.org/.
It is an old gold mining town which attracted artistic attention firstly with Donald Friend in the 1940's and later with others, now with continuing artistic associations with residencies.
Unfortunately for my current puposes there doesn't seem to be anything habitable for sale (there is land for sale on the Mudgee road, but we're not up to building just at the moment and need something that we can move into).
Finding pretty little cottages in rural Australia is not easy, as we are discovering (we didn't think that it was but it's even harder than we thought). One very quickly understands the practical appeal of colourbond and hardiplank and kit homes even if one doesn't always appreciate the results. I look longingly, online, at the stone built fix-me-ups of the Loire! But having only menu and metro French and not being able to hammer a nail without bending it make those a dream too far.
The photos are in the wrong order; I expect to be beta-blogging for at least the first hundred posts! Thanks to anyone who persists through them.
Winter at Hill End
An unanticipated trip to Wattle Flat and Sofala for the purpose of (external) real estate inspections saw us end up at Hill End, where it was sunny with very high cloud.The picture is of a morning at the end of June 2006, outside Haflagers (misspelt; sorry) Cottage where APH was then in residence.
A reprise of "Painting at Hill End with Amanda" tomorrow.
Friday, July 17, 2009
I wish I was in Paris
But maybe it'd be too hot and busy. I could have breakfast in the Rue Royale at Laduree (take no photographs). But right now I'll have to settle for Paris Breakfasts (in links below).
By the next time I'm there, if I ever am, I might have learned a bit of Blogger control so that things go where I want them!
(Most of my photos of Paris - hundreds - seem to have been taken on grey Sunday mornings! Empty streets :: room at Laduree, even downstairs!)
Thursday, July 16, 2009
Two Pair
Two watercolour pairs of pears [Corella::Packham::Bosc::Josephine](Holbein Watercolour on Arches CP 300gsm) which look slightly better, to my eye, in reality than photographed via MacBook (cameras currently having strayed).
Posted in order to provide "truth in sub-title".
The Chicken and The Egg
In the beginning there was space.
And then it was filled (here by Blood Orange Cake, Blood Orange Sorbet and Poached Corella Pear :: all from a distant past).
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