EXPLORE all the trends – from styling to sell, the importance of art, the latest design trends, the iconic feature wall and many other ideas including what’s the latest out there…. This section will help you dress your home, throw new ideas at you and inspire you to experiment with “tried and tested” guidelines that I’m sure will arm you with the best advice to sell your property and enjoy life.
Whole mandarin and white chocolate cake |
09.06.20 |
We visited the picturesque Wiseman’s Ferry area on the weekend for Mandarin picking at https://fordsfarm.com.au/. As you may know, fruit picking is one of my favourite pastimes and eating and cooking with seasonal fruits seems not only right but everything tastes so much better. The orchard was full of mandarins, lemons, limes and cumquats of which we collected multiple buckets (not only to eat ourselves but also to share with family and friends). The produce was so tasty and the drive and scenery so beautiful. Now what to do with all this fruit – see below for one recipe idea with the mandarins!
3 large (600g) seedless mandarins, unpeeled
180g white chocolate, chopped
6 eggs
1 ¾ cup (385g) caster sugar
1 ½ cups (175g) almond meal
½ cup (75g) self-raising flour
Thickened cream, to serve
To remove the bitterness form the mandarin peel, place whole mandarins in a saucepan. Cover with cold water. Bring to boil over high heat. Drain and repeat.
Place the mandarins back into pan and cover with water. Bring to boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for 30-35 minutes or until very tender. Drain, reserving 1 cup (250ml) of the poaching liquid and set aside with the mandarins.
Preheat oven to 180°C. Grease and line the base and side of a 22cm round springform pan.
Place the chocolate in a heatproof bowl over a saucepan of simmer water, being careful the bottom of the bowl doesn’t touch the water, until melted. Remove from the heat.
Place the cooled mandarins in a food processor and process until smooth. Place the eggs and 1 cup (220g) of sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a whisk attachment and whisk for 6-8 minutes or until mixture is pale and doubles in size. Carefully fold through the mandarin puree, almond meal and flour until just combined. Fold through the chocolate and pour into the prepared pan. Bake for 50-60 mins or until a skewer inserted in centre comes out clean.
Meanwhile, place the remaining ¾ cup (165g) of caster sugar in a small saucepan with the 1 reserved mandarin water over low heat and stir until the sugar dissolves. Increase heat to high, bring to the boil and cook for 3-4 minutes or until thickens slightly. Pour the syrup over the cake and allow to cool completely before removing from the pan and serving with cream.
Serves 6-8.
Image and Styling: Kirsten Jenkins
Beef and rice noodle herb salad with Thai basil pesto |
17.03.20 |
This creation came about after bringing an ‘Asian pesto’ back from a shoot years ago. It morphed into this recipe and I have cooked it time and time again since then. The pesto is really versatile and works spooned along side a grilled piece of fish and just with the steak on it’s own.
200g (7 oz) flat rice stick noodles
2 eshallots, peeled and thinly sliced
The juice of 1 lime
400g (14 oz) skirt steak, room temperature
½ tbsp rice bran oil
1 (130g/4 ½ oz) Lebanese cucumber, thinly sliced
½ cup each of coriander, mint & Thai basil leaves
salted roasted peanuts and black sesame seeds, to serve
Thai basil pesto
1 cup each Thai basil & coriander leaves
1/3 cup (50g/1 ½ oz) unsalted roasted peanuts
2 garlic cloves, chopped
2 tbsps sesame oil
1 tsp soy sauce
1 tbsp fish sauce
¼ cup rice wine vinegar
Cook the noodles in a saucepan of boiling water for 6-8 minutes or until just tender. Drain, reserving ½ cup of cooking water. Combine the eshallots and lime juice in a bowl and set aside for 20 minutes to pickle.
Meanwhile, to make the Thai basil pesto, place all ingredients in a bowl of a food processor and process until roughly combined. Set aside.
Heat a large non-stick frying pan over high heat. Drizzle the steak with the oil and season with salt and pepper. Cook for 3-4 minutes each side for medium or until cooked to your liking. Transfer to a plate and loosely cover with foil. Set aside for 10 minutes to rest.
Place the noodles in a bowl with the pesto (add as much or as little pesto as you like, depending on your taste you may have some pesto left over) and add some of the cooking water to loosen the pesto slightly. The rice noodles absorb a lot of water so continue to add some of the water if you need to loosen further.
Divide the noodles between serving plates and top with the eshallots, cucumber and herbs. Slice the steak and place on top and finish with the peanuts and sesame seeds.
Serves 4.
Dairy Free Recipe
You can order the full e-book at the following link : Kirsten Jenkins “One Leaf at a Time”
Image and Styling: Kirsten Jenkins
The Best Chocolate Around Sydney For Easter |
17.03.20 |
ONE of the best things about Easter is of course all the yummy chocolate you can share with your family and friends…and being that I love chocolate, I thought I would send you on a journey to the best chocolate (courtesy of Anna Cleary – chocolate blog extraordinaire “Triple Choc“) around Sydney just in time for Easter!
There are so many great chocolate shops around, but I have rounded up the Top Shops for the best Easter Eggs!
If you are a real chocolate lover and want even more inspiration and ideas, head over to the Triple Choc Blog where you will find all sorts of yummy treats and recipes!
Happy Easter!!
Mexican BBQ Corn and Black Beans Salad with a Tamarind Vinaigrette |
15.02.20 |
I love the elements that make up this salad. A Mexican base with a curveball of a dressing, in Australia we mostly think Asian food when we think tamarind, but it’s actually used in Mexican food too. I have spent years trying to work out the recipe for the amazing tamarind dressing that used to be on one of Mike McEnearney’s salads at the original Kitchen by Mike…..I don’t know if I totally nailed it but I’m still really happy with this version.
2 (800g/1 lb 12 oz) fresh corn cobs, husks removed
1 tbsp tamarind concentrate
½ – 1 tbsp agave syrup or honey
1 tbsp white balsamic vinegar
2 tbsps extra virgin olive oil
½ (360g/12 ½ oz) iceberg lettuce, shredded
400g (14 oz) tin black beans, rinsed and drained
1 (250g/8 ½ oz) avocado, halved, seed removed and sliced
6 (50g/1 ½ oz) radishes, halved
1 fresh jalapeno, thinly sliced
100g (3 ½ oz) Greek feta, crumbled
Salted blue corn chips, to serve
Preheat a chargrill pan over medium heat, cook the corn, turning occasionally, for 20-25 minutes or until well charred and tender. Remove and when cool enough cut the corn from the cob.
Place the tamarind, agave or honey, vinegar, oil and 1 tbsp of water in a screw top jar and shake well to emulsify.
Arrange the lettuce, beans, corn, avocado and radishes on a serving plate and top with the jalapenos and feta. Pour over the dressing and serve with the corn chips.
Serves 8.
Vegetarian Recipe
You can order the full e-book at the following link : Kirsten Jenkins “One Leaf at a Time”
Image and Styling: Kirsten Jenkins
SELLING homes is not just a career; it is an art form – one that is carefully honed over years of life experience and knowledge. And, I can proudly say, that I still absolutely love what I do – day in, day out.
For over 30 years, I have immersed myself in real estate and have built an untarnished reputation in the eastern suburbs of Sydney, among my peers and with my clients – many of who are my friends. People say I exude positivity, and I accept this as the highest compliment.