In my kitchen:
Are homemade Granita biscuits – well, as close as I am going to get, anyway. I appreciate that my recipe has butter and egg in it and the commercial ones would have neither, so they are certainly no replica, but I do not intend to start using palm oil in an endeavour to recreate commercial biscuits. These biscuits look like Granitas and taste like Granitas but are harder than the real thing.
Postscript: This is my recipe for Granitas: 112g butter, ½ cup sugar, ¼ cup golden syrup, 1 egg, 1½ cups Atta flour (or sifted whole meal flour) 1¼ SR flour, pinch of salt, ½ cup crushed wheat flakes (eg Weeties) milk to form dough. If you skip the egg, replace the butter with palm oil (or another vegetable oil and replace the milk with water, I am sure you would be very close.
For those interested in china… The setting here is Jewel by Sosume. It was Maus’ mum’s. I really like it.
In my kitchen:
Is my new docker that Maus made me. With all my biscuit making in search of the perfect Granita recipe, I needed something to make holes in my biscuits – a fork just would not do. This one was made for my Graham Crackers. I told Maus that I needed one with the nails in a circle for my Granitas but she hasn’t produced one yet. I don’t know … it is hard to get good help these days.
In my kitchen:
Is lots of chocolate-coated orange peel.
I made a huge pile of candied orange peel last November. At last, it has seen the light of day. Yesterday, Maus and I surprised ourselves by successfully tempering half a kilo of chocolate and coated about half of the peel.
I honestly don’t think tempering chocolate is for us. I am the messiest and bossiest person around. As a result, there was chocolate everywhere and I spent the whole time bossing Maus around, trying to get her to move quickly before the chocolate went out of temper. Now, those who know Maus know that speed is a concept she does not understand. I asked her to stir the tempered chocolate, thinking she would do it whilst dipping the orange peel – she does have two hands, all said and done. No such luck. She resisted my insistent calls for multi tasking. I was amazed, as we scraped the last of the chocolate from the pot, to see that it set perfectly, with no streaks. We may have nailed it. Before I get too excited, I want to repeat the exercise, just in case it was a fluke.
In my kitchen:
Are some rather successful scones, if I say so myself. I found the recipe in a very old cookbook and thought I would try it. I was very impressed. I intend to do some adapting and, if that works, will do a post on the original recipe and the adaptation.
In my kitchen:
Are some more purchases from my trip to Sydney. I can’t blame Celia for these – except to the extent that she was the one who took me to Harkola where I bought them – I actually think Celia was amazed when I picked them up. When I saw them, I pounced on them because they were round. We have a microwave convection oven with a turntable and only light, round cookware works in it. If it is too heavy, the turntable will not go round. These pans are perfect. I have used them quite a few times already. They were surprisingly cheap, even though they are made in France by Tefal. I think the absence of Jamie Oliver’s face and signature on the packaging would have reduced the price somewhat.
In my kitchen:
Is another Sydney purchase, a lemon squeezer. My mate, Big Al, was telling me that he had one and it is his favourite kitchen gadget. How could he have a favourite gadget that I didn’t have? The situation had to be remedied straight away. They do work particularly well.
In my kitchen:
Are some new books. After I burnt, to smithereens, the first meal I tried to make in the Römertopf, I decided I needed some advice. I did a search in Amazon and up popped Paula Wolfert’s Clay Pot Cooking. I then decided to search “Paula Wolfert“ and that was the end of me ….. 😦
In my kitchen:
Is a loaf of spelt bread. After show-casing a loaf last month, a few people were interested in the brand of flour I used. As it is sold in bulk, I had to go back to the shop to find out the brand. For those who are interested, it is German – Schapfen Feinstes Dinkelmehl Spelt wheat flour, type 630. I bought it from Kakulas Sister in Nollamara. It certainly makes a lovely loaf of bread. Sandra, from Please Pass the Recipe, has researched it and concluded it is not readily available. I feel pretty special that we can get something in the West that is not readily available in the East. He he :).
In my kitchen:
Is some truffle oil from The Wine & Truffle Co in Manjimup, the next town on from Bridgetown. We went to their annual Truffle Kerfuffle on Saturday and bought some local produce and wine. I tasted truffles for the very first time. It was a little underwhelming and at $2.00 a gram, I didn’t buy any.
In my kitchen:
Are these Honey Walnuts that are made by the Pretsel family at the Pretsel Vineyard in Manjimup. The ingredients are listed as green walnuts, honey, lemon, spices, fresh ginger and rainwater. The spiel says: “Green walnuts preserved in Persian style spiced honey syrup. Ancient delicacy with exotic, salty-sweet flavour perfect for desserts such as sorbet, creamy yoghurt, icecream or pastries. Delectable on salads or with soft cheeses. Can also be served in iced water or champagne.” Sounds very weird to me but I am willing to give them a go. I am thinking that they may go well with a nice slab of triple-creamed brie.
In my kitchen:
Is another local product, this time from Margaret River. It was a gift from Big Al and Steve. The ingredients are apple juice, sugar, vinegar, pectin, rosemary and garlic. The serving suggestions are: “Stir through steamed vegetables or baste a slow cooked leg of lamb. Spread on crusty bread rolls with smoked ham or add to pan juices of a favourite roast.” Now that does sound good.
In my kitchen:
Is one more local product, this time from Wandering. It reminds me that I intended to make vino cotto this year from our grapes until the bloody birds decided to come along and nip off every bunch. This vino cotto is made from Shiraz grapes that have been crushed and the resulting must boiled slowly, reducing the original quantity by 80%. That is exactly what I was gunna do. Grrrr, bloody birds.
In my kitchen:
Is a find from the local second-hand shop. It is a little hand-made tin. It is tiny, 16 cm square. I don’t know what it is for but I am guessing some sort of confectionery. It is very cute.
If you would like to see what is in other bloggers’ kitchens this month, visit Celia at Fig Jam and Lime Cordial. Celia hosts In My Kitchen each month.
Passion Fruit Garden 
Mills an Wares made the best Granita biscuit.
Hi.
Where (or what) is the method for your Granita biscuits?
You only have ingredients listed.
Thanks
Here is a link to a previous recipe I made. I would have used the same Method. https://passionfruitgarden.com/2014/06/24/wheat-biscuits/
Pingback: Wheat biscuits | Passion Fruit Garden
Oh my goodness, so many delicious things! Your candied peel looks amazing. I’ve never done it before. I’m going to try some of those Granita biscuits too – they look delicious !
Thanks Tina
Thanks for that biscuit recipe Glenda, which is how I got here 🙂 If you pass through Busso on your travels I’ll award you an edible plant of your choice. I have many, its what I do,
Hi Graham. I hope you enjoy your biscuits. I haven’t been to Busselton for ages.
Such wonderful treasures. I need a lemon squeezer like yours. I am new to IMK so my post was a bit late. It is up now if you would like to read it. I look forward to reading more of your blog. Emma.
Hi Emma thanks for visiting.
Candied orange peel is such a treat and I also love making them too. Rosemary and Garlic Jelly, scones, honeyed walnuts and truffle oil… delicious goodies in your kitchen. I like the custom made tool for creating marks in your homemade granites biscuits. Thanks for the peek into your kitchen Glenda 🙂
Hi Moya, thanks for visiting.
what a great post! I love my lemon squeezer too – use it every day for my morning lemon juice in warm water. I need to make my own Granita biscuits – they are my favourite biscuits. I love them with cheese and honey on top 🙂
Hi Mel. The lemon squeezer really is useful. Granitas are my favourites too.
Lots of lovely goodies indeed!
G’day! I love everything in your kitchen this month Glenda! Your kitchen is always so warm and welcoming! I could not get my eyes off your cups, but finally saw the biscuits and thought I could go for some of these right now! Thanks also for this month’s kitchen view too!
Cheers! Joanne
Thanks Joanne
so many goodies here in your kitchen. i am impressed that you made your own granita. very clever. and i love all the books and kitchen gadgets. i have several of those citrus squeezers- they are really beaut.
Hi Sherry, thanks for stopping by. the lemon squeezers are pretty good, aren’t they?
the squeezers are excellent. i use my lime one alot.
Hi Glenda, I left a comment the other day, but it disappeared. I don’t think Blogger and WordPress like each other at the moment.
Just wanted to say, your homemade granitas and scones look awesome. Thanks for the tour.
Hi Jennifer. It is so annoying when that happens grrr. Thanks for persevering.
so much good stuff here – love the granitas and the hole punch – also the bread looks beautiful. I had some sweet green walnuts that sound like yours but I was told it was a secret recipe – they tasted very unusual and I think might go nicely in a salad with some soft cheese. I also have a couple of 15 cm square cake tins and find them very useful for fudge and intense slices.
Hi Johanna. I think fudge will be perfect for my little tin. I honestly don’t know about the honeyed green walnuts but I had to give them a go.
Your kitchen is always an interesting place Glenda. I am especially impressed with the scones and bread. That little square tin looks like a great find!
Thanks Jane, your kitchen is always pretty interesting too.
I am loving your Granita journey. I haven’t had a good Granita in ages. You are so lucky to have Maus who can just whip you up the equipment you need. I have a huge stack of candied orange in my freezer, but I use it in fruit bread as I am not really a huge fan of chocolate dipped orange. I was going to try tempering but I think you may have dissuaded me 🙂
Hi Tania. I hate tempering chocolate though I have found another technique that looks easy that I might try. You have a Thermomix. It is supposed to be easy in a Thermomix.
Glenda… that China… gasp! It would be like drinking tea (or coffee) in a Monet… soooo beautiful. I also liked the serving suggestions (yours & the makers) for the honey spiced walnuts and garlic/rosemary jelly… yum!
Hi Kim, thanks. I thinks I will have the honeyed walnuts with brie. I will give an update.
Holy cow, Glenda, you always have the best stuff in your kitchen. I’m almost ashamed to join in sometimes. I’m in awe of the lovelies that you find. I always look forward to your kitchen.
Hi Maureen thanks so much.
oooooohh honey walnuts, definitely a delicacy in the Armenian culture too, yum!! My MIL used to make them, green walnuts pickled in a sugar syrup with cinnamon and cloves. Oh I miss that so much!
Hi Lisa. You wouldn’t have a recipe for honeyed green walnuts would you? Anne from Mud Splattered Boots would like one.
How did you know that I was going to ask about that china? It’s really beautiful. I’m so glad that you explained the docker because there is no way that I would have figured that one out. Very clever of Maus but what are you yelling at her for? Don’t you all have the storybook about the tortoise and the hare over there? Slow and steady wins the race. I could spend a little time snacking on those orange rinds but oh please, send me some of those scones! I’ll bet by the next IMK you’ll have found something to put in that little tin.
Hi Diane. Everyone feels sorry for Maus. I don’t know why! Those scones were my best yet. I am going to make them again just to make sure it wasn’t a fluke.
I don’t think those scones were a fluke – just too good to be a fluke, but I’d say definitely make them again. I’d say everyone feels sorry for Maus just the way everyone feels sorry for my husband when he’s trying to help in the kitchen.
You are so kind Diane. I will make them again and see what happens.
What a fantastic selection this month Glenda. Please pass me some of that chocolate dipped candied orange peel!
Hi Tandy, Thanks for stopping by.
Look at those sky-high scones! Very impressive, Glenda.
Thanks Misky. I am not usually a scone maker so I was very impressed too.
Yum… what a fantastic looking kitchen you have! I am very jealous of all that lovely food! 🙂 I too am not a fan of tempering chocolate, until I go my Thermomix and it does it all in a matter of minutes and then you get the yummiest hot chocolate with what is left in the bowl! I have that wonderful Truffle Oil as well and use every excuse to put it in my cooking!
Thanks for sharing
Liz x
Oh Liz, I don’t have a Thermomix and have never wanted one but now you tell me I can temper chocolate in it I have changed my mind. Termpering chocolate is bloody stressful. I don’t know how Celia does it all the time.
Poor Maus getting a roasting for ‘helping’ out and after she made you a docker too! The garlic and rosemary jelly sounds perfect with a roast – so many good things in your kitchen this month.
Hi Nancy. Are you feeling better? How come everyone feels sorry for Maus?
Always enjoy IMK. I can visualise poor Maus running around & you barking instructions. I am laughing out loud & hope Maus is once again smiling. I am going to make Scones this Saturday & hope they turn out.
Deb x
Hiya Deb, I can bark instructions as long as I like but she doesn’t seem to take any notice 😦 I would love to hear how your scones go.
I think your little tin was probably made in someone’s high school metalwork class. I have a similar one that my husband made.
Hi Jo. Do you have any idea what the little tin would be for or did they just make them for the sake of it?
Yum I love chocolate-coated orange peel. Those cookbooks look inviting.
Hi Emma, I have already had too many pieces of that chocolate coated orange peel.
Well, I’m totally in love with those Granitas as I they are one of my faves. I can’t believe though that you had to create them under such trying conditions with such poor labor assisting you. The walnuts sound delicious – you can always just put them on a cheese plate. Thanks for the tasty tour.
Hi Fiona, Good labour is hard to get, I tell you. Thanks for visiting.
Any choc orange combo makes me weak at the knees. They look delish- love the story with them too! Such an interesting mix of kitchen delights too and love that tin….it looks so old yet sturdy! Thks for sharing xx
Hi Kylie thanks for stopping by and commenting.
It’s the scones and cook books that have caught my imagination… supplemented by a cup of tea and a patch of sun, they would make a lovely combination.
Ah Ella, you are right there.
Your kitchen is full of such wonderful treasure. I love the sound of rosemary and garlic jelly. Old tins are irresistable kitchenalia, and your gorgeous bread and scones!!!
Thanks Francesca.
Glenda, your choc coated orange rinds look beautiful. I’ve never tempered chocolate, I’m not sure I could handle the stress anymore. I get bossy in situations like that too, but no one to take it out on in my kitchen, but me. Pjckled walnuts are so delicious, incredible texture, I’m envious! Paula Wolfert is a gem, have fun and and thanks for the shout out
Hi Sandra, I find tempering chocolate quite stressful. Chocolate ends up everywhere and you have to move it before it goes out of temper. I certainly don’t find it to be fun. Paula Wolfert is certainly a classic. I hear she is not well – what a pity.
You know Glenda, I haven’t dipped orange peel in chocolate since the 1970s! I must do that again… you have so much good stuff there, I don’t know where to begin… love it!
Thanks Liz
I’m still smiling at the thought of you and Maus tempering chocolate. (I’m going on a chocolate making class as I fear I’m too messy to master it while trying to read instructions from a book.) Your Honey Walnuts sound very interesting and a better way to preserve green walnuts than my current method. Do you know how they do it?
Hi Anne, looking at the ingredients and from the tasting I am guessing – they make a syrup with all the ingredients (except the walnuts), chop the walnuts into about 1cm bits and then cook the walnuts in the syrup and then bottle. The syrup is quite runny so it is probably the consistency of a light syrup. I have recipes for green unripe walnuts in sugar syrup and pickled unripe walnuts from the book Mouneh by Barbara Abdeni Massaad that I could email you if you like.
I have some recipes for pickling walnuts but it would be great if you could email the recipe using sugar syrup. Thanks Glenda.
No probs.
I DID wonder what those Tefal pans were going to be used for! Your chocolate covered rind looks divine, and I love the biscuit docker Maus made for you. I’ve only got the one Paula Wolfert book, but now I’ll have to check out the other ones on Kindle! 🙂
Hi Celia, Paula Walfert is such a classic author on Mediterranean cooking, I figured I couldn’t go wrong.
This made me giggle, poor Maus, only two hands!! Midn you I’ve yet to be brave enough to temper chocolate and I would love to do it as chocolate-orange is my favourite. And I NEED a lemon squeezer, see I didn’t know I needed it befor ei read your post 🙂
Poor Maus! I don’t think so, she has it good. I do think a lemon squeezer is a good idea. Go get it.
I thoroughly enjoy your IMK posts Glenda, always something different and fun to see each month.
Have a super day and happy July ahead.
🙂 Mandy xo
Thanks so much, Mandy.