Fig and Goat's Cheese Pizza topped with Rocket and Balsamic Glaze

Watching the recent vegetarian challenge on Masterchef, I was inspired by Claire and Jonathon's fig and goat's cheese dish. I felt that the flavour combination would translate well into a pizza, so I gave it a try, and it was very successful :)

An original Ladybird creation. Per pizza (serves 1):
Ingredients
1 greek pitta bread*
2 tbsp passata
30g goat's cheese, crumbled
30g mozzarella, grated
1.5 figs, thinly sliced
handful rocket
extra virgin olive oil
balsamic vinegar
salt and pepper to taste

* I imagine a homemade pizza base would be beautiful with these toppings, but Greek pitta breads make for a quick and easy alternative. They also go beautifully crispy once baked.

Method
1. Place pitta on a tray and top with the passata and season.
2. Arrange the fig slices and the cheeses. Season and drizzle with a little olive oil.
3. Bake at 200 degrees celsius for about 20 minutes or until golden.
4. Top with rocket and drizzle with a little extra virgin olive oil and balsamic vinegar.
5. Serve immediately.

For a slight variation, you could add proscuitto if you wanted to.

I am not a big fig eater but I am totally won over with this combination. The caramelisation and sweetness of the fig beautifully offset the strong flavour of the goat's cheese, and the rocket and balsamic added an extra kick of flavour. Yummy :)

Ladybird x

Classic Chocolate Ice Cream

When food blogging I am conscious of hyperbole, and try to use it sparingly. On this occasion, I simply cannot restrain myself - this is the best chocolate ice cream ever! It is rich, decadent, and oh so velvety... almost too good to share! I admit, I do hesitate when serving this to guests at home.. I think it's my inner ice cream demon saying "No! It's mine!" To counter the demon's taunts, I make sure I have a stash of this ice cream in the freezer at all times :) Then everyone's happy!

This is an adapted recipe from the instruction booklet that came with my Sunbeam 'Snowy'. In don't usually try recipes that come in appliances' instruction manuals, but I have found these recipes to be very reliable. This makes approx. 1 L and there's no telling how long it will last...

Ingredients
1 cup full cream milk
2 cups double cream
150 g dark chocolate (I used Lindt 70% cocoa)
4 egg yolks
130 g caster sugar

Method
1. Stir milk, cream and chocolate in a saucepan over a medium heat until the chocolate melts; increase heat and almost bring to the boil.
2. In a large bowl whisk egg yolks and sugar until well combined. The mixture should become creamy and pale in colour, as depicted below.

3. Slowly whisk hot chocolate mixture into yolk mixture until well combined.

4. Place the bowl of a pot of simmering water (water not touching the bowl), and cook over a low heat until the mixture has thickened and coats the back of a wooden spoon.

5. Transfer to a large bowl and allow to cool before covering and placing in the fridge to chill for several hours.
6. Churn in ice cream machine for about 30 minutes then transfer to a container and place in the freezer.
7. To serve, transfer to the fridge about 20 minutes prior to serving.

If you don't own an ice cream machine, I would recommend considering getting one. You really can't compare homemade ice cream to the bought stuff... It's superb! Hand on heart, getting an ice cream machine is probably the best $50 I have ever spent. Again, sorry about the hyperbole, but it's true!!!


Ladybird x

Barmuda Café, Newtown

Barmuda Café in Newtown holds a special place in my heart. I'm being soppy, I know.. But let me tell the story!

A couple of years ago I visited the café for the first time during a trip to Sydney with Mr Ladybird. At the time we were living in Brisbane and thinking about heading south to make a fresh start in a new city.

During our trip we were staying in Australia St, Newtown and were looking for a place to enjoy a good coffee and some breeakfast. We quickly stumbled upon Barmuda Café and the smells of fresh coffee and breakfast invited us inside.

It was during our first breakfast together at Barmuda that we seriously discussed the possibility of moving to Sydney. Maybe it was the diverse vibe of Newtown that attracted me. Or maybe it was the ambience of the cafe. Or maybe, just maybe, it was the taste of these ricotta hotcakes that sweetened the prospect. At any rate, we decided that a move to Sydney would be a very good idea... And so I now fondly refer to these Ricotta Hotcakes as.. The Life Changing Hotcakes. A big call, I know, but it's not that far-fetched! Beside the life changing factor, they are very nice, with oozy blobs of soft ricotta throughout...

Ricotta Hotcakes with Berry Compote and Maple Syrup

So now that we live in Sydney, we try to make it back to Barmuda occasionally. Unfortunately, the Newtown traffic and parking situation is a slight deterrent, but I'm always glad when we return.

Lattés

Mr Ladybird enjoyed his favourite cooked breakfast with all the trimmings... including a fantastic, crunchy potato cake (far better than any processed hashbrown out there!)

Planet Newtown

Mr Ladybird got to catch up on his World Cup reading over coffee , and I was happy to watch Newtown locals going about their day and take some photos. Check out this adorable little boy and his puppy :)

All in all a nice breakfast on a (at long last!) sunny winter morning at one of my favourite cafés in Sydney's inner west.
 
I forgot to take note of the prices of our coffees and dishes. However as an estimate, coffees are average price (about $3.50). Breakfast dishes are between $10 to $15.
 
Barmuda
283 Australia St
Newtown
(02) 9516 3341
 
 


Ladybird x