The Tartlet Fiasco

Yesterday I embraced the domestic goddess within and spent all night making rhubarb tartlets. It took me an hour and a half to prepare them (on account of the rhubarb having to sit for an hour to soak up all the bloody sugar and then trying to find a substitute for brandy). Getting all excited about my culinary success, I placed them on the tray in a beautiful flower shape and opened up the oven. But why was the oven still cold? It had been on for 45 minutes. It is about 20 degrees in there. I would say it was probably colder in the oven than in the house. Ah yes, the oven was broken. Calling around frantically and keeping everyone up to date on my highly exciting wednesday night on facebook, I finally got a hold of an oven. Mother drove me over to taylor's house where I stood watching the tartlets in my pyjamas waiting for them to bake. Everyone there was getting dressed up all nice and pretty to go out on the town, offering me vodka and lemonade which I refused seeing as I would probably be sound asleep in bed in about an hour. Anyway, after all that the tartlets looked delicious despite a little bit of overflowing in the oven. May or may not have snuck a taste of one this morning. The verdict: definately worth all the hassel.

Here is the recipe if you have a working oven:

Rhubarb and Frangipane Tart
1/2 bunch rhubarb cut into 4cm lengths
1/2 cup caster sugar
6 prepared shortcrust pastry cups
90g unsalted butter
1/2 cup caster sugar
3/4 cup almond meal
1 egg + 1 egg yolk
1 tablespoon brandy (i used blackcurrant liquer)



1) Preheat oven to 180 C.
2) Mix together rhubarb and sugar in big bowl and let sit for an hour.
3)Place pastry cups in a beautiful flower shape on a baking tray.
4)Transfer rhubarb mixture to a saucepan and stir on low heat for sugar to dissolve.
   Let simmer for 3-4 minutes until rhubarb is soft and squishy and let cool.
5) Combine butter and sugar in a food processor. Add meal, egg and brandy.
6) Fill cups almost full with this mixture (they call it frangipane).
7) Top with rhubarb.
8) Bake for 10-12 minutes or until the frangipane goes a little bit golden.

Art

It almost shames me to say that i am not exactly a great lover of visual art. Sure it is pleasing to the eye but I can't seem to appreciate a brush stroke and the use of light and shade to a serious extent. But every now and then a photograph, a drawing or a painting really smashes me in the face and eternal love is born. This happened today while scrolling through my mothers photos on picassa. I have no clue who painted it or when it was painted. All I know is it is glorious. The vibrant colours, the way that the paint has been positively lathered on, the childlike illustration. Doesn't it just fill you up with happiness? So here it is for you all to enjoy just as much as I have.

Adorable Things

Walking through Elizabeth Arcade I was captivated by a little shop with little things. In this den of cuteness was possibly the cutest creation to ever grace my eyes. It is a brooch. Made of felt, beads and thin silver chains. And yes your guessed it. ITS A STORM CLOUD. When you walk the chains swing to a diagonal and it looks like there is some seriously thunderous rain on your bosom.











The internet has opened my eyes to the wild and wonderful world of screen printed tea towels. Lovely ones to check out if you like pretty tea towels that you never actually use but rather admire the beauty of:
two ruffians
third drawer down







But then I think, especially in third drawer down, who would pay 40 bucks for a tea towel that has been screen-printed for about 5 dollars. Well actually probably me. If I was rollin' in it. Maybe when I retire I can spend my pension on tea towels that I can drape around my house. It could be quite a conversation starter.

And in the spirit of autumn-almost-winter-but-im-only-embracing-autumn-now on etsy.com they have these beautiful autumn foliage hairpins. I love the colours of autumn. Strolling down Neuluns rd one afternoon was the first time this year I saw the changing leaves of autumn. Neuluns rd is shaded by huge trees which had all turned red and burnt orange. So get in the spirit and put these on your wishlist.

A Love Post

"My goal for my life is to fall in love with someone who loves me in return." I wrote that in my diary at the beginning of last year. Then I fell completely in love.

It is what everyone has always been told they want to do. "You want to fall in love. Then you will be happy"
I never regret meeting him but I don't know if I would tell others that being in love is what you need to be happy. The truth is love is the greatest pain you could ever experience. Once you let yourself fall you pine to feel that person, hear them speak, touch their skin, constantly. The time you have with them is absolute nirvana but it can never last long enough. And so the pain sets in again. The fear and emptiness. Your whole being is completely dependent on the existence of another person.

At the end of last year he went away. Every day I didn't hear from him made my heart sink. I don't think I have ever felt so lost and confused in my life. I had only known him for 3 months then. I hate to imagine how it would feel to lose him now. There's the fear again.

Don't go away.

Sick