One Egg Anglaise

35 years ago our quarter acre property on the outskirts of Sydney was a poultry farm. Or so they told me AFTER I dug up a pile of finger-length bones as a ten year old and flung them around the backyard screaming. I have a confession to make. I'm a scrooge when it comes to buying eggs. It's not a conscious decision to be heart healthy and all that. Working for a pitance, it's rather more a case of "HMM! Instead of using five eggs perhaps I could get by with only using one. The two dollars I'll save can go towards my Better World Books wishlist..". Obviously it's not always possible to skimp on the fundamentals but I try hard to and you can too!

One Egg Anglaise

320 milk
1/2 vanilla pod
1 egg
55 g castor sugar
6 g potato starch
1 g salt
20 g unsalted butter

Bring milk and vanilla to a simmer in a small pot.
Remove from heat and allow to infuse for half an hour.
Cream egg, sugar, starch and salt in a bowl.
Temper egg mix with milk and return to heat.
Stir continuously with a spatula over low heat until it reaches 84ºC.
Remove from heat and stir to cool.
Add butter when it cools below 55ºC (higher temp will change butters setting properties).
Stir until combined and refrigerate.
Stir every half hour until cold to prevent skin from forming.

Some Food For Thought

black sesame nougatine

alice medrich's sesame seed cake
with lemon creme fraiche & bloodwood honey

Dreaming of White

I saw the most beautiful woman last night at The Bank. It was like a vision. Her curly blonde locks flowed over her shoulders and her eyes danced wickedly in the low light. A half-smoked cigarette touched her lips and at that moment I wished that I was like the cake I had made that very afternoon - smooth and sensible, delicately balanced with a hint of zest.

A yoghurt souffle cake for TongueTicklers FIC - White. King Island yoghurt, minimal butter and sugar. Sensible. Breaking through the cracked and sunken crust reveals a delightfully creamy interior which appears to melt on contact with the tongue. Smooth. And well, the zest speaks for itself.

Yoghurt Souffle Cake

5 eggs, separated
115 g castor sugar
50 g flour
2 g salt
450 g yoghurt
5 g vanilla extract
5 g orange zest
5 g lemon zest
20 g lemon juice

Butter and flour an 8" tin.
Cream yolks (88 g) and sugar until doubled in volume.
Sift flour and mix thoroughly.
Combine with salt, yoghurt, vanilla zests and juice.
Whisk egg whites (157 g) until stiff and fold through batter.
Pour into tin and bake at 170ºC for 45 mins.
Cool in tin then remove.
Serve with generous dusting of icing sugar.