Quick and Easy Spicy Baked Beans Recipe

 My dad used to sing a little ditty about baked beans but it isn’t appropriate for print — well not in a cookbook anyway! The baked beans we eat today are believed to draw upon Native American as well as French or Italian origins. Baked beans were first produced commercially by the Americans in the late 1800s, with the British following close behind. Although the tinned form is very handy, it just doesn’t compare with this flavoursome version, which is almost, but not quite, as quick as opening the tin.

By request, from my cookbook 'Grub - Favourite Food Memories' here is a simple recipe for making your own Spicy Baked Beans at home.

serves 2 as a main and 4 as a side

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 small brown onion, chopped

1 slice of bacon, finely chopped, optional if you are veggo

1 garlic clove, crushed

60 g (21/4 oz/1/4 cup) tomato paste (concentrated purée)

1 bay leaf 

1 teaspoon sweet paprika (or smoked sweet paprika if not using bacon)

large pinch of cayenne pepper

2 teaspoons mustard powder 

2 tablespoons worcestershire sauce

2 tablespoons golden syrup (if unavailable, substitute with maple syrup  or honey) 

11/2 teaspoons sea salt flakes

2 x 400 g (14 oz) tins cannellini beans, drained

Heat the olive oil in a saucepan over medium–high heat. Add the onion and the bacon, if using, and sauté for 5 minutes, or until lightly golden. Add the garlic, tomato paste, bay leaf, paprika, cayenne pepper, mustard powder, worcestershire sauce, golden syrup, sea salt flakes and 375 ml (13 fl oz/11/2 cups) water. Stir well and bring to the boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 10 minutes.

Add the beans and cook, stirring occasionally, for a further 10–15 minutes, or until the mixture is thick and saucy and the beans are tender but not mushy.

Season to taste and serve on thick slabs of buttered toast or as a side dish for fried or poached eggs. These spicy baked beans also make a great jaffle filling.

**This recipe is from my cookbook Grub published by Murdoch Books  - all text and images are the copyright of Jane Lawson and may not be replicated without permission.

Image by super lovely photographer Steve Brown.  

Homemade Crumpets

Australians have a fond attachment to this bubbly, yeast-leavened version of the pancake. Crumpets are (or were) commonly eaten toasted for breakfast - smothered with butter and  honey or Vegemite!

Thank you dear Simon Marnie (ABC Radio) for sharing your love of this recipe with your audience. It makes me smile to think of you whipping these up at home for the family! I agree - the store-bought version has NOTHING on homemade crumpets!

makes about 12 (serves 4–6)

2 teaspoons dried yeast
1 teaspoon caster (superfine) sugar
310 ml (103/4 fl oz/11/4 cups) warm milk
250 g (9 oz/2 cups) plain (all-purpose) flour
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1/4 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda (baking soda)
vegetable oil, for cooking (choose one with a mild flavour)

3 tablespoons drained stem ginger in syrup, very finely chopped, plus 1 tablespoon of the syrup
 250 g (9 oz/1 heaped cup) mascarpone cheese
4 ripe nectarines or small peaches, cut into thin wedges
golden syrup, maple syrup or honey, for drizzling


To make the crumpets, sprinkle the yeast and sugar over 125 ml (4 fl oz/1/2 cup) of the warm milk and stir until the yeast has dissolved. Cover with a clean tea towel (dish towel) and leave to sit in a warm place for 15 minutes, or until frothy.

Sift the flour and 1 teaspoon salt into a bowl and make a well in the centre. Whisk the remaining milk with the egg and pour into the well. Add the yeast mixture, then whisk to form a smooth, soft batter. Cover with a tea towel and allow to rest in a warm place for 1 hour, or until the batter has doubled in volume and is covered with bubbles. Mix the bicarbonate of soda with 1 tablespoon water and beat it into the batter. Leave to rest for a further 10 minutes before cooking.

Meanwhile, mix the chopped ginger and ginger syrup through the mascarpone cheese and refrigerate until ready to serve.

Heat a large, heavy-based frying pan over medium heat. Brush with vegetable oil. Working in batches, carefully ladle 1/4 cupfuls of the crumpet batter into the pan, leaving space in between for spreading. Cook for 5 minutes, or until the top is completely covered with popped bubbles and is dry to touch. If you like, flip the crumpets over and cook for a further 30 seconds, or until just very lightly golden. Remove from the pan and cover with a tea towel to keep warm while you cook the remainder. (You can also cook the mixture inside egg rings for a less rustic result, but you will need to use a little less mixture in each one.)

Serve two or three crumpets per plate, topped with a dollop of ginger marscapone, some nectarine slices and a drizzle of golden syrup. You can reheat any leftover crumpets by toasting or grilling (broiling) them.

VARIATION: For a savoury breakfast, smear the hot crumpets with butter and Vegemite or Marmite and top with a poached egg.


PSSST! If you like the recipes from GRUB you are going to love my new book 
MILKBAR MEMORIES! Check it out HERE!


*Image above by the seriously lovely Photographer Steve Brown
Grub was published in 2007  by Murdoch Books and is currently out of print. Jane Lawson now owns the copyright of text and images which must not be used without permission.

Bacon and Egg Rolls with Homemade BBQ Sauce

While I'm feeling generous  .... Here's another recipe from my cookbook 'Grub - Favourite Food Memories'.  It is easy to make excellent Bacon and Egg sangers at home when you know how to make your own quick and easy BBQ sauce !

serves 4

BARBECUE SAUCE
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 small brown onion, chopped
11/2 tablespoons tomato paste (concentrated purée)
1 tablespoon golden syrup  ( you can use maple too)
11/2 tablespoons worcestershire sauce
pinch of cayenne pepper
1/4 teaspoon smoked sweet paprika
11/2 teaspoons mustard powder

6 long, thin slices of good-quality bacon
olive oil/ butter, for pan-frying
4 large eggs, at room temperature
2 large handfuls of baby rocket (arugula) leaves or baby English spinach
4 soft white bread rolls, split & buttered ( or you can spread with good quality mayo or aioli)


To make the barbecue sauce, heat the olive oil in a small saucepan over medium–high heat. Add the onion and sauté for 5 minutes, or until lightly golden. Stir in the tomato paste and cook for a few seconds, then add the golden syrup, Worcestershire sauce, cayenne pepper, paprika, mustard powder and 80 ml (21/2 fl oz/ 1/3 cup) water. Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, for 8 minutes, or until thickened. Season to taste and set aside.

Cut the bacon into half-lengths. Brush a large frying pan with a little olive oil if your bacon is particularly lean ( this would never happen in my house - we like it streaky!) and place over high heat. Add the bacon and cook, turning occasionally, for 4–5 minutes, or until cooked to your liking.
When the bacon is almost ready, heat some butter in a  large, heavy-based frying pan over medium–high heat and carefully crack the eggs into the pan, keeping them well spaced so they don’t run into each other (use egg rings if you prefer). Fry the eggs until cooked to your liking — if you like your yolks runny like I do, especially when served in a roll, don’t flip the egg, just cook it without turning for 2–3 minutes, or until the white is fully set and the yolk is still a little wobbly.

Put some baby salad leaves on the bottom half of each bread roll and top each one with three pieces of bacon, an egg and a dollop of the barbecue sauce. Top with the bread roll lids and serve immediately. This one is best eaten with your hands!

*Image above by the seriously lovely Photographer Steve Brown and must not be replicated without permission.

Grub was published in 2007  by Murdoch Books and is now out of print. The rights to text and images have reverted to Jane Lawson.

Banana Bread with Brown Sugar Butter

For those who asked for the Banana Bread recipe from my book Grub  - here 'tis!
It's similar to the banana bread you have in Australian cafes and is great toasted with or without the brown sugar butter! Plain good quality butter works just as well.



BANANA BREAD RECIPE from GRUB by Jane Lawson
makes 1 loaf (serves 6–8)

150 g (51/2 oz) unsalted butter, chopped & slightly softened
115 g (4 oz/1/2 cup) caster (superfine) sugar
45 g (13/4 oz/1/4 cup) soft brown sugar
2 large eggs 250 g (9 oz/2 cups) plain (all-purpose) flour
1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda (baking soda)
11/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
5–6 (about 900 g/2 lb) very ripe bananas, mashed
1 teaspoon natural vanilla extract 125 g
(41/2 oz/1/2 cup) sour cream (you can use a good creamy yoghurt too)
50 g (13/4 oz/about 1/2 cup) walnuts, pecans or macadamia nuts, chopped, optional

BROWN SUGAR BUTTER
125 g (41/2 oz) unsalted butter, softened
45 g (13/4 oz/1/4 cup) dark brown sugar
1 teaspoon natural vanilla extract

Preheat the oven to 160°C (315°F/Gas 2–3).
Grease the base of a loaf (bar) tin approximately 22 cm (81/2 inches) long, 9 cm (31/2 inches) wide and 9 cm (31/2 inches) deep. Line the base with baking paper.

Cream the butter with the caster sugar and brown sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs one at a time until well incorporated. Sift the flour, bicarbonate of soda and cinnamon with a pinch of salt, then beat it into the butter mixture to form a thick batter.

Combine the banana, vanilla and sour cream and fold into the butter mixture, with the nuts if using, until just combined. Pour into the prepared tin and smooth over the top.

Bake for 11/4 hours, or until a skewer inserted in the middle comes out clean. Allow to cool in the tin for 15 minutes, then invert onto a wire rack to cool to room temperature.

While the cake is cooling, make the brown sugar butter by beating the butter, sugar and vanilla until light and fluffy. (Do not refrigerate unless you are preparing the butter in advance, in which case remove it from the fridge before serving so it softens enough to spread easily.)

Thickly slice the banana bread using a bread knife or serrated knife. Toast and serve hot, spread with the brown sugar butter.

VARIATION: Top a slice of banana bread with thinly sliced banana, dollop with a little of the butter and place under a hot grill (broiler) until lightly golden.

Pssst... For those trying to eliminate/cut back on wheat flour there is another version here.  It used almond meal and potato flour etc but sometimes I replace them with coconut and coconut flour . Sometimes I add yoghurt, sometimes dates, or other nuts if not using almonds. Sometimes honey, sometimes maple syrup. A bit of chopped dark chocolate stirred through the batter is pretty damn good too.



*Image above by the seriously lovely Photographer Steve Brown
Grub was published in 2007  by Murdoch Books and is now out of print. Jane Lawson now owns the copyright of text and images which must not be used without permission. 

Breakfast in Kyoto. To be continued....

This post has been moved to HERE

Gluten Free Banana Bread

Yes, I did say gluten free.  There comes a time in some of our lives when, like it or not, we must accept the fact that wheat flour and it's glutinous properties may not be the best match for our gut ( I said "some" of us OK  - so don't start jumping up and down if you are one of those lucky buggers who can eat whatever they like and feel fabulous! ) and that replacing certain foods with their gluten free, wheat free alternatives might just possibly be of benefit.

I feel terribly geriatric admitting this but both my partner and I do tend to suffer when we eat pasta,  bread and the like so we have taken to trialling versions based on white or brown rice, spelt, even corn (not great...)... and eating such bizarre things as quinoa bread - you know, that kind of thing.  We have had to trial a number of brands to find product that tastes good and satisfies when it comes to texture  but we have managed to score a few beauties over time. They aren't cheap but we simply eat less (not a bad thing), and less regularly and really enjoy it. And importantly it has made quite a difference to the way we feel post dining. I won't go into detail - if you suffer from the same you will know what I mean...

So, the other day I had the responsibility of squishing some evil looking, overripe bananas into oblivion in order to make some banana bread. I have a quirky aversion to raw monkey treats (there's a story for another time) so having to touch, let alone PEEL,  the  err, flaccid, assaultingly aromatic fruit was a total love job  - however I am considering seeking some form of compensation when my partner least expects it.

I found a couple of recipes for reference then did my own thing - the result was wonderful (although this instagram pic does not do it justice and the edges did get a little charred under the grill when I was toasting it...  but never mind).  The flavour and texture were both excellent.  We enjoyed some straight away then I sliced the remainder, wrapped them individually and froze them - ready to pop in the toaster when the mood strikes. Oh how domesticated.

So - I'd like to share with you a little bit of my new found gluten free joy. And it is super easy  -well apart from the banana handling bit...

GLUTEN FREE BANANA BREAD RECIPE
Makes about 10 thick slices

4 large overripe, slushy bananas
4 large, good quality eggs from happy chooks
1/3 cup organic maple syrup or honey
1 teaspoon or so of pure vanilla extract
1/2 -1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
80g good quality butter, melted
a rounded 1/2 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
13/4 cups finely ground almonds/almond meal
1/2 cup potato or rice flour/starch - I added this to help soften the texture but if you wish to leave out the flour all together - increase the almond meal to just over 2 cups. It makes a more dense loaf but still tastes great.

Preheat your oven to 160C. Grease a loaf tin - approximately 23 cm long, 10cm wide and 12 cm deep and lightly flour with a little potato flour.

Put the bananas in a large bowl and mash them until as smooth as possible. If they are super ripe they will become quite fluid.  Add the eggs, maple syrup, vanilla, cinnamon, ginger and melted butter and beat well to ensure all ingredients are thoroughly combined.

Add the bicarb in the centre of the bowl then add the lemon juice on top - this will start the reaction you need to lighten the texture of the loaf. Stir well then add the almond meal and potato starch and mix well again until all ingredients are perfectly well combined.

Pour into the prepared tin and cook in the preheated oven for around 45-55 minutes or until a skewer inserted comes out reasonably dry. Every oven is different so you may need to cook a little less or  more depending on how accurate the temperature guage is. Leave to cool a little in the tin before turning out onto a serving plate or wooden board.

Eat that day, refrigerate for up to a week or cut into slices and individually wrap for freezing for up to 3 months. Toast when ready to enjoy. Some good quality butter  is probably all you need but the slice above is topped with some of Burch and Purchese's wonderful pineapple jam. Tres Tropical.

Enjoy.
Jane x

Milk and cookies at Iyemon Salon

Kyoto's Iyemon Salon is one of those places that's easy to go to any time of the day - they do brekky  - a rarity in Kyoto town, lunch, dinner and pretty much everything in between in the calm but cavernous space.  Plus there is internet available if you need it and a great little design store upstairs.  

One afternoon not so long ago a friend and I stopped in for a cuppa after a long walk and found that they have a delightful little cookie plate on offer with your drinks.. mine this time, an iced Matcha milk. Oishii! The perfect afternoon pick me up. 

More HERE (don't forget to use Google Chrome with auto translator on so it converts to English or your own language. 

Brunch at Bubby's

My first Shrimp and Grits - for brunch at Bubby's in Tribeca. Not a bad way to start the day.  Strong neighbourhood vibe, bit of buzz but laid back all the same, decent grub. Good portions. And a photo booth downstairs near the toilets - what's not to like?

Homemade Cucumber limeade - this was really refreshing and I loved the presentation. 

Buvette Gastroteque

Gorgeous, gorgeous, gorgeous spot for a lady to lunch/brunch/sip whatever takes your fancy. Buvette Gastroteque was the perfect place for moi to enjoy a little farewell NYC brunch on my own. A superb croque madam and a little bowl of shaved raw brussel sprouts with walnuts in vinaigrette. And a lovely glass of Chardonnay. So very civilised. Would have loved to have checked out more of their goods - ah well... next time. All aspects of this gem are so beautifully considered - check it out :

Now that is a croque madame - ooh la la...

Breakfast at Iyemon Salon

Although it is a tea salon Iyemon is one of the few places open early (8am) for brekkie in downtown Kyoto.  In fact it is rather difficult to come across a decent cafe breakfast in Kyoto - there are a few boulangerie and fast food joints of course but I am on a mission to find alternatives for when I have an early start away from home. 

If you are staying in a hotel or ryokan you will have other options of course. And if you are in an apartment - well all the usual western stuff is available if you look for it - including yoghurt (easy to find in supermarkets), cereal, very good quality breads and pastries, jams, eggs, bacon, veges etc. And of course you could have miso shiru (soup), rice, fish, natto and veges if you want to break the fast a little more traditionally!

Iyemon Salon is quite a large space but is popular and fills up quickly  - however there wont be much of a wait for a table so stick around if you do find it full.  It is quite a relaxing spot for that part of the city so make the most of it and take a book along - it seemed to be the thing to do. And they top up your glass with tea at regular intervals so its a bit of a bargain! 

Scrambled egg and pork sandwich - sounded just fine to me for brekkie! a litle potato salad and greenery on the side - and an iced coffee. I'm a bit addicted to coffee with ice in it at the moment but that will change over the next month or two as the days grow cooler. Can't wait! love my winter! 

If you order Matcha/Maccha the staff will prepare it in front of you. Lovely.

 You can also purchase their own branded tea and there are a few cookbooks and tea related paraphernalia on a table near the entrance. 

The Cupping Room Cafe - Soho NYC

 Its a good thing that the Cupping Room is so cavernous as it was pumping on several occasions when I walked by ( and while it looks empty on this occasion - it certainly filled up very quickly). Although there were a few locals huddled in a corner bar area there were a significant number of travellers (which made sense as there isn't a huge range for breakfast in that particular part of Soho and its likely that more than just my hotel had recommended it) - which resulted in a a slightly touristy vibe - which I usually try to avoid. However the room was charming enough to distract me. 

I only managed to squeeze in a breakfast but I did eye off the cake stand for a little longer than I probably should have. Especially the red velvet cake... it looked like it might be worth returning for... ah well, one day.  The brekkie was decent enough- and the coffee ok. A fuss free joint, perfect for when you just need to get in and out again - the service and food all happened pretty quickly and painlessly and it opens earlier than many other places in the area.  

Breakfast at Balthazar

It was a perfect morning in New York City. Where else should one go for a lovely breakfast after watching the sun rise  - Balthazar of course Dhaaarlings... 

Sticky bun with pecans and a bowl of cafe au lait

Eggs en cocotte with toast soldiers, omelette and homefries

A real NYC experience  (even if it does feel like you have stepped into a little corner of Paris) 

Lindy was suitably dressed...

Even the bathrooms (and waiting area) were gorgeous...

Thank you lovely Sarah for treating me to a very fine breakfast indeed!

x