It was the last week-end of Summer.
Officially the end, but inside of me, the hope Summer will linger…
The week-end was good. Partly spent indoors at Pataka museum to see the latest exhibitions: Large scale charcoal drawings of Catherine O’Donnell depicting urban environment with precision and intriguing atmosphere; And a photographic journey to Bamiyan, a provincial town in Afghanistan, with breathtaking landscapes and stunning portraits. If you are around here, I strongly advice you to see it. Many photographers including Pedram Pirnia have contributed to it.
Then, outdoor to enjoy the fine weather: a delicious pizza at the terrace of a deli, a walk along the beach, a ride on Paekakariki hill road and an expansive view of Kapiti coast and island and across Cook strait, the Marlborough sounds – South Island.
I really like the delicate silhouette of the sounds on a clear day.
On the way back home, we stopped at Battle Hill Farm, where roosters and hens welcomed us on their land.
It was late afternoon, so we just had a quick look around and promised ourselves to come back another day.
Hope you had a lovely week-end too, where ever you are…
La suite en français…
Posted in Breathtaking, Entertaining | Tagged kapiti coast, Kapiti island, nature, New Zealand, Wellington | 9 Comments »
February 27, 2010 by Vanille
Summer is definitely my season. But you have probably guessed that already…
It has everything I cherish: light, warmth and my favourite fruits and vegetables !
I’ve seen the first apples at the farmers market, but my heart is still in love with stone fruits: apricot, peach, nectarine, plum and peacherine !
I honestly didn’t know about peacherine before last Sunday.
I read the fruit is the result of the cross-pollination between a peach and a nectarine.
And as you can see, it looks very similar to a peach with a furry skin and tastes as good with a yellow and firm flesh.
The best way in my opinion is to enjoy them raw like all the other seasonal fruits.
For a fancier way, I like to prepare a salad: Thin slices of fruits marinated in honey and lemon juice, served with a handful of nuts and a dollop of whipped cream. Fresh and simple.
And for a baked version, I favour tart.
This time, to give a twist to the frangipane filling, I made a batter with ground dessicated coconut. I was expecting that it would overpower the taste of the peacherine, but the result turned out well balanced.
Peacherine tart with Coconut (about 20cm wide)
Dough
250g flour
80ml water
125g butter at room temperature and diced
1 pinch of salt
Filling
75g ground dessicated coconut
50g caster sugar
2tbsp cornflour
1 egg
20g unsalted melted butter
1 peacherine, pitted and cut in wedges
In a large bowl mix together flour and salt // Add butter to flour and mix with your finger tips to get a fine sandy texture // Add water and mix quickly with your hand to form a dough // Wrap the dough in cling wrap and let it rest for one hour in the fridge // In a bowl mix together ground dessicated coconut, cornflour and melted butter // In an other bowl whip egg and sugar until pale // Pour egg mixture into coconut mix and stir well to combine // Preheat oven to 180°C // Roll down the dough on a dusted flour surface. Use your tart pan to trim your dough like with a big cookie cutter. Prick the bottom of the dough with a fork // Spread the coconut batter leaving a free border and place on top peacherine wedges. Fold up edges inside // Bake for 30 minutes or until nicely golden on top // Remove from the oven and let it cool on a rack.
La suite en français…
Posted in Delicious | Tagged fruit, fruit salad, peacherine, pie, stone fruit, Summer, tart, tarte | 14 Comments »
February 23, 2010 by Vanille
The initial idea was to walk by the sea, but the harsh sun and the fairly strong wind on the coast have changed our mind.
After a lunch on the beach, sheltered behind a rock, we turn back and drive along the Wainuiomata river to the neighbour Catchpool valley, the most popular entrance to the Rimutaka forest park.
We choose one of the short loop track.
The green canopy of black beeches makes it ideal for a walk in a hot sunny day: The light is filtered in a nice way and gives such a cool atmosphere.
We stop now and then to observe mushrooms, ferns and trees…
The track on the way back is on the ridge, but does not offer any particularly interesting view.
No doubt, the vegetation and little streams crossed along the way were the highlights of this Sunday walk.
La suite en français…
Posted in Breathtaking | Tagged "Rimutaka forest", nature, walk, Wellington | 6 Comments »
February 20, 2010 by Vanille
Oh, no ! Don’t look for a delicate scented tea, nor sweet cookies to go with…
Because, it’s just about the teapot. A paper one.
Hope you enjoy it !
Shall I bring the cups, then ? 
Have a lovely week-end !
La suite en français…
Posted in Creative | Tagged craft, orange, paper, papercut, teapot | 10 Comments »
February 17, 2010 by Vanille
I started a paper cut yesterday.
It’s been a long time… The last one was made last year: the Christmas tree. No, you can’t remember, I didn’t have time to post about it…
This time, the design is largely inspired by an image I’ve seen in a book lately.
I hope to share with you soon the completed piece that will give you a better idea what it is…
Today starts the French film festival in Wellington. We plan to see Korkoro and the Hedgehog. My sister M. has recommended the latter to me. Have you seen it ?
La suite en français…
Posted in Creative, Entertaining | Tagged cinema, craft, movie, paper, papercut | 8 Comments »
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