lazing into summer + spinach & herb mini loaves with savoury buttercream
Home Baked: A Year of Seasonal Baking - Summer
Happy New Year! I’m not a fan of New Year's resolutions, but I do like the thought of a fresh start - a bit of a clean slate or a reset and an opportunity to reevaluate what’s important. For me, it’s about family and friends, being part of a local community, enjoying (mostly) what I do, finding pleasure in the kitchen and the garden - fairly simple things, really. I hope this year you are able to do what you enjoy and to relish life.
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The summer holidays really begin on Boxing Day, the day after Christmas, when the pressure subsides and the relaxation begins. Summer is a lazy season, the pattern established by the week between Christmas and New Year, when the world seems to still for just a few days. The fridge is hopefully still full of leftovers from Christmas, and with some luck, the weather is finally starting to feel like it might actually be summer. These are days when a slow amble to walk off the feasting means encounters with like-minded residents, a wave or a chat as we soak up the sun’s warmth and watch the light shimmer on the river.
These are beach days. For most of the year, a walk on our local dog-friendly beach might have you believe that you are one of just a handful of people who live in this part of the world. Our dogs’ enthusiasm for the beach has us braving the elements all year round. Neither cold, wind, nor rain dampens their beach experience. There are sometimes like-minded souls whose own dogs demand a walk, but it mostly reinforces the fact that we are part of a small population who choose to live at the bottom of the world.
Kent Beach, the off-lease beach we frequent, is sheltered; it runs the length of a little inlet just around from where the Huon River meets the ocean. The waves are generally small, often little more than ripples on the surface of the water. During days of calm weather, the water is crystal clear, making it possible to view schools of small fish or the occasional stingray. Tendrils of seaweed swish in the water, gently moving with the ocean current. Sometimes, mounds of seaweed wash up on the beach to be collected by avid local gardeners for adding to the compost heap (there is a daily limit of 100 kg per person!). I like nothing more than to wander up and down looking for interesting specimens. Some are vividly coloured, some almost neon pink, and others are attached to rocks or shells with the most fantastic shapes. More than a few have found their way home and adorn small spaces on shelves or mantlepieces.
It’s not a beach with a lot of shells, which makes any find all the more significant. There is the occasional abalone shell, the pearly oil slick-coloured surface glinting in the sun. Sea urchin shells are becoming increasingly common, this invasive species moving south as the water warms. There are interesting sticks rubbed smooth by the sand and the water.
Even at the height of the summer holidays, while there are more people around, there are no issues on Kent Beach finding a spot to spread your towel. There are family groups with kids splashing in the water, people swimming and kayaking, walking along the beach, and dogs darting around. It’s a place where it’s still possible to leave your kayak high on the beach and know that it will still be there the you return. There are people fishing and evidence of lobster traps bobbing a short distance from the shore.
The days are long, and an evening sitting on the beach with a bottle of wine and some nibbles, or perhaps something a little more substantial but still portable, is the best way to end the day.
These mini savoury loaves are ideal for the beach or, indeed, for any sort of picnic. The savoury buttercream adds a cheesy element without the messing around of having to add it outdoors. Everything is done, meaning it just needs eating. We have silverbeet (Swiss chard) growing most of the year, so that tends to be what I use when making recipes using spinach, which I’ve done here. Baby spinach can be substituted, or rocket also works. Vary the herbs depending on what you have available. I find soft herbs work best, and you can also include a finely chopped spring onion. I’ve used Danish feta in the buttercream to maintain a smooth texture. You can use regular feta, but the texture might be a little more grainy.
Spinach & Herb Mini Loaves with Savoury Buttercream
Makes 8 mini loaves
170 g plain flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
1 teaspoon salt
several grinds of black pepper
125 g natural or Greek yoghurt
2 eggs
80 ml olive oil
50 g silverbeet (stalkless weight), chopped
70 g semi-dried tomatoes
20 g fresh herbs, finely chopped
Savoury Buttercream
125 g cream cheese, softened
60 g salted butter, softened
60 g Danish feta
squeeze lemon juice
Preheat the oven to 170°C. Grease and line an 8-hole mini loaf tin.
Put the flour, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda, salt and pepper into a large bowl. Use a balloon whisk to mix everything together and remove any lumps.
Mix the yoghurt, eggs, and olive oil in a small bowl. Pour this into the dry ingredients and add the remaining ingredients. Mix until just combined. Take care not to over mix. Spoon the batter into the tin and bake for 18 - 20 minutes. The loaves should be lightly browned and spring back when pressed gently in the centre.
Cool for five minutes before turning out on a wire rack to cool completely.
To make the buttercream, add the cream cheese, butter and feta to the bowl of a stand mixer. Use the paddle attachment and beat until smooth. Add lemon juice a little at a time to loosen the mixture a little. Beat until light and fluffy.
Spread the buttercream over each loaf and decorate with herbs and flowers.
Next time: an orchard of summer stone fruit + peach & tarragon crumble cake
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