In my kitchen - February 2014 (with chocolate, books, yacon, and Australian coconut ice cream!)

I am linking this post in to Celia's monthly In My Kitchen event at Fig Jam and Lime Cordial.

There is quite a lot happening in my kitchen this month. With recipe testing for Ricki Heller's upcoming new cookbook, there are an unprecedented number of dishes being created (and eaten!) each week. If you don't already follow me on Facebook or Twitter, they are your chance to see some of the recipes I'm testing out!

Ricki's raw carrot cake energy balls

With all the recipe testing, it's hard to believe there are other things in the kitchen too. But...there are. Amongst them was this loaf of carrot, zucchini and sultana bread. It was a bit like the apricot and sultana loaf I made in 2011, and also a bit like the 'ugly duckling' (apple, carrot and zucchini) muffins I made in 2012. Sadly, the loaf wasn't quite right: it tasted good but failed to set in the middle. Not a recipe for sharing.

Semi-fail carrot, zucchini and sultana bread

Some things that are worth sharing are the new (or at least, new to me) Yum fruits flavours. I first discovered the Yum fruits range in 2012, and since then have tried the chocolate-coated mango and chocolate-coated raisin varieties. These pineapple, coconut and cranberry flavours are very welcome additions, and all are dairy-free and vegan (despite only the cranberry packet having a V marked!).

Continuing the chocolate trend, I bought this Cocopod kirsch cherries in dark chocolate block at Perth's Oxfam shop. The Cocopod range is new to Perth, and there was also a fig and hazelnut block that I bought to give my Mum. She has endorsed that one, and I can attest to the quality of the cherry block.

I couldn't taste the kirsch component per se, but the dried cherries were as tart as they were sweet (as dried cherries should be) and the chocolate blended deep cocoa and semi-sweet tones beautifully (as dark chocolate should do).

In my kitchen, George R. R. Martin's Song of Ice and Fire books have returned. I loved the first book (A Game of Thrones), but then found the second (A Clash of Kings) a little less enjoyable, and the third (A Storm of Swords) somewhat slow. Fortunately, book four (A Feast for Crows) is redeeming the series, and I am reading it whenever I can snatch time to do so!

A book, a lunch, a flower

In my kitchen, there are some new varieties of coconut ice cream. This cocofrio brand has only recently appeared, and whilst it costs as much as the imported American varieties, it has the advantage of being Australian made and not shipped halfway around the world to reach me.

I was excited by both of these flavours, but the salted caramel seemed to be all caramel and no salt. Sadly, I found it a bit too sweet for my liking.

Salted caramel ice cream

In contrast, the black sesame flavour completely won me over. Tahini in ice cream is my new favourite thing!

Black sesame ice cream

In my parent's kitchen, there have been some boxes of childhood toys. My mother sensibly requested that I sort through the many (many!) childhood items they've retained before I leave Australia later this year. I now have several large boxes of things "to keep", which my parents will kindly keep for me until I have a house with sufficient storage to take possession of them myself. There is something quite odd about re-visiting childhood toys, but it is an enjoyable process all the same.

In my kitchen, there are these cinnamon toast pretzel crisps. I expected them to taste like cinnamon, but instead they just tasted like salt. Perhaps I should have put them in my low salt salted caramel ice cream...

They were improved by peanut butter and being dipped in tea, but in all they were not a huge success.

Last but not least, in my kitchen there is Yacon syrup. 

Have you heard of it? Like agave, it is made from a plant (the yacon root, which grows in Peru), but unlike agave, it doesn't increase blood glucose levels. It is also classified as a prebiotic and tastes a bit like treacle. I'm looking forward to trying it out!

What is happening in your kitchen this month?

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