It made me realize that I was a deeply nostalgic person, but not a sad nostalgic always wishing it were still the good old days. No, I am a content nostalgic. Memories appease me, wrap me up like a soft blanket and give me a sense of direction. It is hard to find the calm when words and events hurt you or saddened you and instead I try to find a way to let them in, to let them show me a missing key to that big puzzle that is life. August is a tough month for me, remembering my grandmother and my brother, missing granpa's 98th birthday and as he said himself "statistics start to look less and less optimistic at that age"...now that just about cracked me up! But I have found comfort in continuity as I was observing C's twins playing in the creek, fishing, riding their bikes through the neighborhood, perpetrating the same pranks and tricks we used to do with my cousins at the same age.
Some people need to touch things to feel connected, to visit places again...I can't do any of that. I did not bring "things" to the US, just two suitcases, I can't go home for a long weekend escapade. But I can remember and talk and with this grew my ever growing love for interactions with people. I am not one of those intruding neighbors always poking my head through the fence or stopping whomever and whatever on the street just to have a conversation. No, I am not saying I am shy either...I just think my brain is always turned on to the "outside/out there" mode. This may not be news for you, but after so many years, I feel actually quite wise (hmm, hmm!) that I have discovered one of my inner mechanisms: memories ground me in being and taking in the present.
When I wrote this post, one new(er) terrific blogger, Christy, emailed me with concerns and questions about moving far away from "home". We emailed back and forth and I tried to reassure her that it is looks more daunting that it actually is. With a good head on your shoulder, a sense of curiosity, an open mind and a good smile, (ok that is the condensed version of the expat "must haves"), it all goes pretty smoothly. She insisted on sending me something as a thank you for answering her questions and since she lives in Australia I thought about light stuff that would not cost her an arm and a leg to ship: the famous Tim Tam cookies, (check her generosity) and ground wattleseed.
Wattle - what? Ha! I blame my Aussie neighbor Liz down the street for that one since she was listing its origins, properties and many different uses. Wattleseed refers to the edible seeds from Australia Acacia (loose term because they are over 100 varieties), and ground acacia flour known as wattleseeds is not only use in baked goods, but also as a replacement for coffee or chocolate, nuts. Moreover it is completely gluten free, has a low glycemic index but a high nutritious content. I just wished they'd sell it by the bucket here because from the moment I took some tiny granules to my nose I was hooked. Nutty and toasty like hazelnuts with a texture similar to ground flax seeds. Guess after the tomatoes and ever growing wild lemongrass I will be growing acacia next!!
It did not take me long, once I tried tasted a tiny little bit, to figure out how I wanted to use them. That nutty aromas is perfect with juicy apricots and the flour aspect of wattleseeds made me think of tea cakes and substituting some of the all purpose flour with it. Next thought was about the kind of tea cakes I wanted. In my family, Sunday lunches often turned into tea times with my aunt Agnes famous yogurt cake. You can guess that tea breaks inevitably turned into light dinners before my grandparents would send everybody in their respective abodes...lucky us we lived next door! See...memories...So yogurt cake it was, with apricots, wattleseeds and the usual yogurt cake suspects (say that 3 times fast). The result was just the softest, nuttiest, apricot-est mini bites we had Sunday afternoon while the twins were playing fetch with Bailey who was too hot to be bothered!
Makes about 12 (can be made in any dish/mold you have like regular muffin tins)
6 apricots
2 large eggs
6 oz (on standard US container) (about 180 gr) whole milk plain unsweetened yogurt
1/2 cup sugar (100g)
zest of one lemon
1/3 cup (80ml) vegetable or olive oil
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup (115gr) ground wattleseeds
1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/4 Tb lemon juice
Preheat your oven to 350° F, spray a muffin pan or 12 molds of your preference with cooking spray and set aside while you prepare the cake batter.
Cut the apricot in half and slice each half in thin slices, you will use about one half for each tea cake. Set aside. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, whip the eggs and sugar until pale. Add the yogurt, oil, vanilla, lemon zest and juice. Whip to combine and add the flour, wattleseeds and baking powder. Whip on medium speed for 30 seconds to make sure all the ingredients are combined and the batter is smooth. Scrape the bottom of your bowl if necessary and give the batter another 10 seconds whirl. Do not overwork the batter or your cake will turn out gummy. Divide the batter into the prepared tins, arrange the apricot slices on top and bake for 30 to 35 minutes, until a cake tester (skewer or tip of your knife) inserted in the center comes out clean. Let stand for ten minutes, and transfer onto a rack to cool.
Tuesday, August 05, 2008
Apricot And Wattleseeds Tea Cakes
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65 comments:
Interesting and intriguing! I've never heard of wattleseed before. I'll keep an eye out for it now.
Lovely reflection on nostalgia.
I'm glad you're loving the gifts!! And so happy that you've found a good way to use the wattleseeds! You used quite a bit on the cakes so tell me if you need more and I'll send a few more packets over to you.
I know exactly what you mean, Helen... I am quite content in my memories too :) Sigh, I'll keep your expat checklist in mind, I might need it soon!
Beautiful golden gateaux au yaourt! With a *very* exotic ingredient, yet! :D
ooo gorgeous, these sounds fantastic altogher. and I agree with you about the memories, you don't need to be there touching them to let them in and enjoy them!!!
wateleseed what? :)
and as an expat myself i can only relate.
Thanks for the interesting post! Now, I know what wattleseeds are...
Those cakes look delicious! Fabulous!
Cheers,
Rosa
Helene, I LOVE memories and I think it is wonderful to rehash them frequently. Your post brought back fond memories too. When i studied in Melbourne, I lived in an apartment which had a small sundry shop behind located on - wait for it - Wattletree Road!!
Helen- I also share your nostalgia, the good kind nostalgia. The positive one that makes you appreciate where you come from and love where you are now. Great story and lovely recipe as always.
these look yummy. didn t know what wattleseeds are , thanks for the info. nice pics
ENFIN!
Perfecto! ! !
I LOVE LOVE LOVE the cerise!!!
BRAVO :)
I mean it too!
Lovely story by the way :)
Beautiful story, Helen. :)
I keep on hearing about wattleseed, but I've never found nor tasted it! I'm so curious... If only I could get my hands on it!
Some of your posts do reflect on your character of ..nostalgia..
I've never seen wattle seeds and the tea cakes that you made look delectable.
helen, the colors in these photos are so bright and summery...pretty!
that's so cute, it's like a little baking culture exchange. i had never heard of wattle seeds, but i think Bea used them in something. I would send you something from here but....well, spokane isn't known for much...ingredient wise. There are onions and potatoes near by! oh brother.
bisou bisou
What fun to be blessed with wattleseeds! I hope to see more fun, intriguing recipes using them.
Ooof! Wattleseed sounds amazing :) I love nutty things (you included!) - there is such a variety and spectrum of flavors!
Absolutely agree with you that memories keep us grounded. At least, you and me. You know what I mean... xxoo
I'm content to stroll down memory lane, but my husband wants to build a house on the corner of "nostalgia" and "unrealistic expectations."
Helen, the cakes are so lovely! Beautiful photos!
I'm hooked just because of your discription of the wattleseeds and will have to investigate aquiring them.
The tea cakes look perfect for an afternoon outdoor tea.
You sound so Proustian, about memories grounding you in the present. I adore Proust, and he takes little bits of daily life, seemingly insignificant and creates a weaving tapestry of memories. I truly enjoyed this post, and I can't wait to make it. Do you think they carry waddleseed at most health food stores?
Talk about pretty little tea cakes! Awesome stuff. Great presentation as usual.
"Memories appease me, wrap me up like a soft blanket and give me a sense of direction." That is SO beautifully worded!! I feel the same way.
Gorgeous tea cakes!!
Dear Helen, I can really relate to the good nostalgia part, I am the same. Really loved your post, as always, and the cakes look wonderful!
Tu racontes si bien tes souvenirs, no doubt you have a good nostalgia!
These little tea cakes are so cute ! Gorgeous pictures ! A delight !
I really like the sound of wattleseeds. Nuttiness and a floury texture but without the huge amount of saturated fat from actual nuts. I'll have to see if I can track some down in the UK.
The teacakes look wondderful!
Helen I simply love the way your nostaly seams to shape your life in such a positiv way. Lucky you, those australian cookies look great. I don't remember ever tasting wattleseeds, so I'll have to take your word for it.
The tea cakes sounded so good I just had to find Wattleseeds and I did!!! They are on their way and I will be making the tea cakes next week, hope they tast as good as your look! Thanks for such interesting recipes and memories, Robin
Hi Helen, my husband doesn't read my blogs either and neither does he partake of most of my baking ventures. He simply does not like cakes!
It is lovely to have memories. I am a very nostaligic person too and I love the fact you can access them like their own photo album. They are exactly like a soft blanket.
Glad to hear you are enjoying some australian delicacies!!
Ali
I have to say this might be my favorite post yet! from the gorgeous photographs to the lovely thought about memories...i try to live in the moment so when i think of the past it usually happy thoughts.
Well I have learned something new today! I had never heard of the Wattle. How interesting. And how nice of you to have created a special litle dessert to accentuate your gift!
Love it.
please tell me it's not your handwriting: no one can be that perfect :)
great photos!
Manger la ville: I haven't seen it here in the south but I would try Amazon or ebay.
Olga: no (!)...it's good old Microsoft word!!
There is something impossibly appealing about the name "wattleseeds," just as there is something impossibly appealing about those tea cakes.
I love your blue dishes! They are just too cute
Interesting and intriguing! I've never heard of wattleseed before. I doubt we get it here in India, will keep an eye for it. Lovely photographs
Whoa...wattle-what-a-pretty-good-thing-to-have-for-tea! Beautiful Helen...fruit in bakes finds the baker in me do a merry gig. Sadly I shall have to wait for next summer as apricots have upped & gone away. Stunning little cakes...with great pictures too! BTW, my DH checks my blog the first thing in the morning...funny how men are!! Ciao Deeba
I love going down memeory lane( both good and bad).It inspiresme to move forward. I have to ask my Aussie friend now for some Wattleseed when she goes back home!
The first time I heard about wattleseeds was in Haalo's blog - she had baked some pretty madeleines with them.
These cakes are so adorable, Helen!
I sometimes feel nostalgic, too - there's even a word in Portuguese to describe that, "saudade", and that word doesn't exist in any other language. I think about the good things I had when I was little, especially having my mom around, and they make me happy. But I don't have bitter feelings - missing those things make me want to be a better person and to create new memories for the future.
The cake looks awesome Helen! I don't know what wattleseeds are, but need to look up info on them. I need to give this one a try.
The only time - except now - that I've heard of wattleseed was on Top Chef. I'm intrigued, though, and may have my sister pick some up on her next trip down under!
Here is where I found the Wattleseeds in the US.
http://www.igourmet.com/search/search.asp?keywords=wattleseed
The cakes are lovely!
Mm, lovely - I had wattleseed ice cream and fell in love with it - but have not been able to find wattleseeds anywhere here in the states!
Never heard of Wattleseeds before, but looks like a fun and interesting dessert! Love the table set-up!
Ok, Helen. Be that way. Make me drool all over my keyboard.
Now I need to go look up wattleseeds, I have no idea what those are.
Ok, is that your new pooch or are you fostering him. He's *so* damn cute!
Fit-Chick: thank you for the link. Amazon also lists them through igourmet.
Forgot: KayKat, Bailey became ours after the neighbors' kids decided they'd rather play and be boys rather than train. He's been a lovely handfull!
These are delightful and I can't wait to get my hands on some wattleseeds. How exciting to come across something new I've never tried!
Great post!
the pastry on your blog were giving me a very comfortable view somehow , especially the berry pavlova, lovely.awaiting to see more of your post
I had never heard of wattleseeds. I even tried translating the word but there doesn't seem to be a word for it in French ("graines d'acacia" didn't turn up anything)! Those cakes look delicious. An African friend of mine who had lived in France made yogurt cake for me once and I've been hooked ever since. Simple is best. :)
Absolutely stunning photo, gorgeous sounding teacakes and a lovely post too :) Perfect Helen.
Absolutely stunning photo, gorgeous sounding teacakes and a lovely post too :) Perfect Helen.
I love your writing in this post - I just wrote about memory in my post too, as it seems like we are always on the same wavelength:) I think sometimes I become more a sad nostalgic, but then I take a look at my life now and realize things are pretty good and there's no point pining away for the past. Onward to bigger and better pastries:)
these look great! i love using wattleseed in baked stuff. i'll have to bring stash home with me when we move back to the states! and of course a stash of tim tams, too!
I too view nostalgia in a positive light. It's not about dwelling in the past, per se, rather, I see it as celebrating what has gone on before.
I am from Australia and I love wattleseed teacakes, yours look scrummy.
I adore apricots! These look delish! You are a busy girl! BREATHE!
Oh! Such pretty little tea time set you have there. It looks so appetising! Will definitely be dropping by more often for those wonderful recipe. (^^,)
Jade
I loved reading your reflections on nostalgia. I did the opposite move: from the States to France, and I can see how memories from growing up in France would be comforting in a sort of faraway way over in the States. As for me, it's weird things that send me back to my hometown: sometimes the evening light hits just right in Paris, and I feel like I'm back in New York again. Thanks for the moment of content nostalgia!
I'd say memories ground me, too, Helen. And I enjoyed listening to you, getting the impression that as busy as I know you are, that your mind is never at a stand still, always working on something. I don't need to tell you I love your sweet creations, but I will say I truly enjoyed this post and your thoughts about life. The wattlecakes (couldn't resist) are gorgeous.
I am totally intrigued with the wattleseeds! I am a nester so when I go anywhere even to work, I bring a bag of a few belongings. If I moved from afar to the states, all my belongings would have to come with me.
And there are soo many more types of Tim Tams available as well.
I've never used wattleseed before, so I must try it soon
If you ever feel really adventurous one day try and get someone to send you some Vegemite.
Fantastic stuff.
Best eaten with grilled cheese on toast.
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