Hello from Sydney!
It’s a very brisk morning here in Sydney’s north shore today. I woke up to 8°C (felt like 3°C!), rugged up in my big maroon puffer, donned my purple headphones and went on a fast walk before work. It was glorious. Felt like winter, and it should because we are smack dab in the middle of it.
Autumn and winter are my favourite seasons. The cold makes me come alive. And I love the whole pomp and splendour around these seasons... the magnificent display of trees ablaze in reds and yellows, billowing wispy smoke curling from the tops of chimneys, the mysterious fog descending like a shroud and the pale slivers of sunlight lighting up spiderwebs like a million diamond drops on display.
I also adore the food, the glorious wintery comfort food. A chance to slow down, simmer, bake, shape, roll, rise and coax. Browned butter and warming spices, toasty crumbles and creamy sauces. It is all wonderful.
Tonight I will be baking a Chai Spiced Apple Crumble (one of our favourite winter desserts and a beautiful twist on an old-fashioned classic). I am sharing the recipe below and hope you make it too.
In the spirit of winter, I have new classes announced at the Cooking School. The Pasta and Focaccia class is popular and a fun afternoon of making delicious things from scratch and enjoying them over a leisurely lunch. The first July session is sold out; make sure you get in for the August session. For the Sourdough Workshop, Cherie is coming back later in August, and we are running this on my birthday. I hope you can join us for a wonderful afternoon of all things Sourdough.
Sneh
xx
Pasta & Focaccia Cooking Class (Sydney)
Jul 4, 2026 (Saturday) - SOLD OUT
Aug 8, 2026 (Saturday) - FEW SPOTS LEFTHandmade Fettuccine Pasta + Creamy Vodka Sauce
2-HR Focaccia + Italian Sides
Wine & Tiramisu
Buns, Bagels & Crackers Sourdough Cooking Class (Sydney)
Aug 22, 2026 (Saturday) Braided Spiced Sourdough Buns
Sourdough Pizza Crackers
Sourdough Bagels
Sourdough Starter + Shaping + Rolling + Long lunch
Serves 8-10
Filling
450g Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored and cut into 1cm pieces
4 cloves
½ star anise pod
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon ground cardamom
¼ teaspoon ground ginger
60g brown sugar
1 tablespoon plain flour
1 tablespoon lemon juice
Crumble
1 cup almond meal
1 cup flour
¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
a pinch of salt
160g brown sugar
200g unsalted butter, softened
clotted cream or vanilla ice cream, to serve
Preheat the oven to 180°C. Grease a 23cm ovenproof frying pan or dish with butter.
To make the filling, place the apple in a large bowl. Place the spices into a mortar and grind to a fine powder with the pestle. Sprinkle the apple with the spice mixture, sugar, flour and lemon juice. Mix well with a spoon and set aside while you make the crumble.
To make the crumble, place almond meal, flour, nutmeg and salt in a large bowl. Stir in the sugar. Take a little butter at a time and rub into the flour and sugar mixture. Keep rubbing until all the butter is used up and the mixture resembles breadcrumbs.
Spoon the fruit mixture into the prepared pan, and sprinkle the crumble on top. Bake for 30 to 40 minutes, or until the top is golden.
Serve warm with clotted cream or vanilla ice cream.
These Minced Pork Noodles are inspired by a Chinese twice-cooked pork belly recipe I had years ago. They are packed with flavour, incredibly easy, quick to make and a perfect weeknight dinner for your noodle-loving hearts! The secret, of course, lies in this one ingredient you might have in your spice drawer.
This cookbook - Chopsticks or Fork? by Jennifer Wong and Lin Jie Kong
Easy Cocktail Prawn Rolls for lunch.
Lewis Hamilton winning his first race with Ferrari, breaking a long 686-day winless streak. Remember who you are!
The Anti-Ageing Grocery List you need after 40.
Really consumed by The Chestnut Man on Netflix, a brilliant depiction of Nordic Noir. A worthy crime series punctuated by the moody, atmospheric unfolding of a very dark crime.
Thoroughly enjoyed The Castle, a heartfelt, tongue-in-cheek, bittersweet comedy revolving around the Kerrigan family. Australiana at its best!
And finally immersed in Time by Gill Meller (website), former head chef of River Cottage. I love Gill’s ethos and recipes. Very inspiring!
Until next time!!
Thanks for reading Hungry & Curious! This post is public so feel free to share it.
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