June 2016 Entries

As a first year teacher, posted in a country town 9 hours away from my friends and family, baking has become my nirvana. This Strawberry Meringue Cake provided the perfect succour to chase away my home sickness. As our Aussie winter has muted the vibrancy and sweetness of our local strawberries, I used one of Nigella's tips to restore their flavour by macerating them in a few drops of high quality balsamic vinegar, and served them alongside. To ensure the cake had an element of sweet, in lieu of the berries, I added some cherry conserve that I picked up at our local farmers market. These small tweaks imbued each component of the cake with mid-Summer euphoria. Tea party for one, done right.