Taste Bud Tuesday: Green Tea Cookies

Photo Credit: Chocolate and Zucchini

We stumbled across this delicious recipe on French food blog, Chocolate and Zucchini. Packed full of anti-oxidents they must be good for you right?...and did we mention they're green, how fun!

Ingredients
100 grams (7 tablespoons) butter
50 grams caster sugar
1 egg yolk
90 grams flour
40 grams (6 tablespoons) finely ground almonds
2 tablespoons Matcha* (green tea powder)
2 tablespoons cane sugar

Method
In a medium mixing bowl, cream together the butter and caster sugar with a spatula. Add the egg yolk and mix it in thoroughly.

In another bowl, combine the flour, ground almonds, and matcha, and stir with a whisk to remove any lumps. Add this to the first bowl and stir until the mixture comes together to form a ball, don't overwork the dough. Roll it into a log, wrap it in cling film and place in the freezer to firm up for 40 minutes (or in the fridge for 2 hours).

Preheat the oven to 180°C and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Sprinkle the sugar on a plate and roll the log in it to coat on all sides, pressing it down a bit if necessary. Using a sharp knife, cut the log into 1cm slices and arrange on the prepared baking sheet. Remember the cookies will spread a little so be strategic when placing them.

Slip into the oven and bake for 12 minutes, or until the cookies just begin to turn golden at the edges. Let them rest for 5 minutes on the baking sheet before transferring to a rack to cool completely.

Make a cup of a tea (preferably iced in this sweltering weather), grab a cookie and enjoy.

*Matcha powder can be found at asian grocers or at your local tea shop.

Bon Appétit!

Seam is launching!

Seam Magazine's The Start-Ups Issue

Huzzah! Seam is here! We thought we’d give all you super swell followers a sneak peek of our cover as thanks for being such great chums. The photography for the cover is by our editor Linsey Rendell and the illustration is by Karen Wallis (also issue one’s designer) and Lucy Dalzell.

After eight super busy months of planning, writing, photography, designing and all those sneaky business bits that go into setting up a magazine, we’re finally launching our first issue this weekend! The delightful folk over at Brew are hosting our afternoon-to-evening celebratory soiree, so there’ll be plenty of tea, coffee, cocktails and other intriguing beverages on tap. There’ll also be an array of homebaked goods that would impress the slippers off your nanna.

Three young Brisbane artists – Clare Barrett, Jaclyn Bates and Holly Riding – have put together nine artworks for your eyeballing pleasure, recreating images from issue one in their own styles. And Brisbane band Inland Sea’s latest EP Fortune will be available for purchase before it’s even hit record store shelves!

We’re also holding a raffle with first prize an iPad2! And there's also a bunch of handmade goodies for ladies and lads to be won – tickets are 3 for $5.

And of course you’ll all have first dibs on Seam’s The Start-Ups Issue, retailing for $15. Wizzer!

Come along and support our little creative team at Seam's launch. Brew has a capacity limit of 120, so make sure you rock up early to nab a sofa or a stool amongst this highly coveted creative event. À bientôt!

Worker Bee Wednesday

Photo credit: Perth Zine Collective

Here's some way cool stuff to get you through your working week... and beyond!

Read: Have you ever wanted to look into the mind of a creative? Well put your reading glasses on and get comfy... Conversations with Creative Women is a collection of interviews with 14 of Australia's most talented creative women. The book gushes with inspiration, as each of these women shed light on their road to success. This literary gem could be just the ticket you need to get your own creative juices flowing! Pre-order your copy here... you can even save $5!


Shop: As a keen vintage shopper, I love a good op-shop rummage as much as the next, but when House of Maryanne has already hand picked a range of nifty vintage pieces, you can leave your brogues in the cupboard. Maryanne Bridges, the craftswoman behind the online house, collects and sells pre-loved clothing from around the world. With HoM stock updated weekly, your days of hittin' the op-shop high street could soon be dwindling! Those of you trying to save your pennies, look away now... To snap up some of HoM's beautiful pieces visit the facebook page. It's as easy as 1, 2, 3 (or writing 'sold' in the comment box)!


Visit: If you haven't had time to visit The Festival of Unpopular Culture yet, that's ok, it's running until October 16th, so there is still plenty of time to check it out. The festival is a celebration of alternative ideas, garnished with exhibitions, parties, concerts and overall radness. The sole aim of the festival, is to strip away prejudice, and run free in creativity. For more unpopular details, visit the website.


See: With a month of residency already under their belt, Perth Zine Collective have extended their stay at the Perth Institute of Contemporary Arts until the 30th October (hip, hip hooray!) These pint-sized publications are on display in the zine library and are available for purchase... you can even have a go at making your own little zine! Opening hours are Tues-Sun 11am-6pm.


Stamp: I'm sure if there are any eager bakers out there, at one point or another, you've had to defend the homemade authenticity of your baked goods... well not anymore! This super cute 'homemade' stamp from The Spoon Sisters, lets everyone know just how much of a genius baker you are... you know it's true!

Tastebud Tuesday: Blueberry Yoghurt Cake

Aren’t mums just the greatest? They teach you all the dos and don’ts, shower you with love and pass down their favourite recipes. Every time mum finds something new and tasty to bake she gives me a copy of the recipe – so I have quite the collection of hand written recipes filed away in a folder with a hand drawn wooden spoon on the cover (thanks mum!). This Blueberry Yoghurt Cake isn’t an original recipe of mums, but it’s a delightfully good one. It was a reader recipe by Elaine McDonald in MiNDFOOD magazine some time ago, and each time I make it I use a different combination of fruit and yoghurt and it always turns out a treat. It’s supposed to be baked in a ring tin, but I’ve tried it banana bread style in a loaf tin and in muffin form as well (adjusting the cooking time accordingly). We’ve baked it muffin style today with grated apple, sliced strawberries and organic raspberry yoghurt. I always use more fruit than specified in the ingredients as well. Get creative and invent your own combo!

125g butter, at room temperature
¾ cup firmly packed brown sugar
2 eggs
1 ¼ cup SR Flour
200g blueberry yoghurt
¾ cup frozen blueberries

Preheat over to 180°C. Grease and line a 20cm ring tin with baking paper (or loaf tin or muffin tin). Using an electric hand mixer, beat butter and sugar until light and creamy. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Sift flour over batter. Add yoghurt and blueberries (or strawberries, apply, mango, banana…). Using a large metal spoon, gently stir until well combined. Spoon into prepared tin and bake for 40-45 mins (about 15 mins for muffins) or until a skewer inserted into cake comes out clean. Stand for 5 minutes before turning out onto a wire rack to cool. Dust with icing sugar and add a spoonful of cream if desired.

Happy baking!