#9: Homemade mini tortillas with chicken and pico de gallo

The hardest thing about starting and blogging this 52 dishes challenge was always going to be honesty. In particular, honesty about failure. Having made the commitment to cook each week and write a post about it here tied me in to sharing even some of the dishes which went a little bit awry. On a good week I get in the kitchen more than once, giving me a bit of margin for error, while during busier periods I've got no leeway. This last week was one such week.

The weather is turning here in Perth. Autumn (or at least, what passes for autumn here) is around the corner, and before long I'll be able to bust out my casserole dish and eat out of that for the brief period that can loosely be described as 'winter' in Perth. The days are getting shorter, I have to wear a jumper on my trips to the beach, and we've put the duvet back on the bed. All this means one thing - I've got to make the most of light summer cooking while I still can.

That was the driving force behind these tortillas, or 'faux tortillas', since I'm being honest. I've never made tortillas before, and as a result I made the amateur mistake of thinking cornflour is an adequate substitute for masa harina . It's not. It wasn't a complete disaster; I supplemented the dough with plain flour until I could had something malleable and workable (cornflour plus water makes a great, and messy, game for a little child, it doesn't make tortillas). These were then grilled for around 1 -2 minutes on each side. They puffed out slightly (hello cornflour!)  but this made them sturdy enough to be eaten flat with food piled up on top. Messy finger food - perfect for a night in with someone who loves you even when you've got food down your front!

If you'd like to make tortillas, I recommend you follow this recipe from Gourmet Traveller, and learn from my mistakes. The chicken marinade, however, was pretty lovely, so I'll just share that instead.

I'm nothing if not honest.

2 Chicken thighs

1 lime

1-2 small red chillies 

1 tsp paprika

Black pepper

Dice the chicken, chop the chillies finely and add to chicken. Add the juice from the lime, paprika and pepper and leave to marinade for an hour or so.

Eating out in Bondi Beach

Alongside my regular weekly recipe updates, I thought I might begin a highly irregular series of 'eating out in...' posts. Less of a 'where to eat' guide, but rather a 'where I ate' rundown. One of the perks of my current job is that sometimes I get to fly off somewhere new, and as a result, I get to try the local cuisine. Eating out is one of my favourite aspects about being away from home - it almost makes up for the time I have to spend away from my husband and dog - and I will happily spend an hour each day wandering between menu stands which line the streets, making the choice of where I'll park myself that evening.

I tend to eat in cafes. I have something of a homing device for finding spots with free wifi (particularly if I'm away for work), and I'm a big fan of sitting outside. I peer into a bustling cafe and check out what's on everyone's plates, and I love a good wine list.

So here's an overview of some of the places I ate during my time staying in Bondi Beach, Sydney.

Dinner

Cafe Bikini

I loved this small cafe situated under a dirty awning on Hall Street. It housed a simple drinks menu and a short list of dishes, but eating here twice I was really impressed. A slow roasted lamb and feta salad was probably my favourite meal of the trip. The staff were friendly and knowledgeable, and - I might be biased - but anywhere that doesn't shove you on the worst table just because you're eating alone always gets extra points from me!

Mad Pizza E Bar

A family-friendly pizzeria that turns into a nightclub halfway through your meal? Why not! Happy hour starts at 9.30pm until close. Dancing permitted.

For breakfast, brunch & lunch

Gertrude & Alice

A bookshop-cafe is probably my idea of heaven, throw in the 'lucky dip' book boxes and the divine toasted pear and raspberry bread, and this is a level beyond even that! As books go, they stock both new and secondhand books, and will also buy books off you. I sat here for a good few hours working my way through Hilary Mantel's Wolf Hall with a cup of tea, and overheard at least three different groups discussing how amazing the halloumi salad was (I might have to book another trip to Sydney just to try it!). Icing on the cake: they're licensed. Need I say more?

Lyrebird Corn Fritters

The corn fritters stall at Bondi Farmer's Market is apparently something of a local favourite, and you're lucky if you don't have to queue for a good ten minutes before ordering up your breakfast. Served up with bacon, sausages and homemade relishes, they're worth every second you're in that queue! I got a plate of fritters on my last morning in Bondi - a lovely way to finish off my time there.

Le Paris Go Cafe
*cash only*
Apparently also great for dinner, this place is heaving at pretty much any hour of the day. It's worth squeezing in here for a cup of coffee or some french toast, although not ideal if you're in a hurry.

Coffee & drinks

Chapter One
Coffee by day, wine by night. If one venue ever summed up my life, it would be Chapter One. There are a few seats outside with a great view over the ocean for watching the sunset and the surf (or just the surfers). Inside its cosy - perfect for when the wind picks up. They also do breakfast and lunch.

The Living Room
Upstairs at the Corner House on Bondi Road. Great drinks list, fun bar staff and quirky furniture. What more could you ask for from a Sydney bar?

Things to note: lots of places in Bondi Beach seem to be cash only, and to make things worse, this is explained only in the small-print at the bottom of a menu. I had to leave one or two places after being seated for this reason as the ATM was the other end of the street - it's worth keeping an eye out for this!

#8: French toast with caramelised pears

I'm playing catch up at the moment, having been away from my kitchen for three weeks in February. So now I'm trying to make up for lost time, which I suppose can only be a good thing. I collected a few recipe ideas I'm keen to try out after eating in some great cafes while I was away. This is one such recipe - I had breakfast at the Tricycle Cafe in the Salamanca Arts Centre while I was staying in Hobart. It was a lovely and relaxed cafe, and a nice hideaway from the busy market in Salamanca Place on a Saturday morning. The poached pear french toast they served was enormous, dished up with a vanilla syrup, cream and currants - it was beautiful but a little too rich for me to be able to finish. I therefore tried a simpler version for a sunny Saturday morning brunch.

I used a soft ciabatta loaf from a local bakery for this recipe, and it was perfect. I'd steer away from anything harder, like sourdough or crusty broad bread, but that's my personal preference. I also used Packham pears, as they're in season in my area, but I'll be playing around with differen varieties and different fruit in future.

serves 2
20 minutes



For the pears:
1 large pear, cored and sliced
1 tablespoon of honey
A generous splash of rum (amaretto might also be lovely)
A teaspoon of vanilla essence

For the toast:
4-6 thick slices of soft white bread (depending on the size of the loaf)
6 eggs
A teaspoon of vanilla essence

Over a low heat, mix the honey, rum and vanilla essence in a pan.

When you have a smooth mixture, add the pear slices and put the lid on.

Check the pears regularly, turning them as required. They should become noticeably soft. The sugary rum mixture will also become tacky.

When soft, remove the pears from the pan and place on a plate at the side.

Melt some butter in the pan with the remnants of the sugary rum mix.

Crack and mix together the eggs and another teaspoon of vanilla essence

Cover each slice of bread in egg and place in the pan. The bread should be turned once or twice, and served up when the egg is cooked.

Place the pears on the french toast, and serve with icing sugar and maple syrup