Moist, Buttery Citrus Cake with rose petal icing resting on a crochet tablecloth that was thoughtfully hand-made by my late grandmother, Baba Joka.  

The remaining carton of eggs in my fridge will be empty by the time tomorrow’s breakfast dishes have been scraped clean. That equates to 48 eggs being consumed by my family this week. We usually go through three dozen eggs, but this number bumps up by an extra carton of 12 when I am in the midst of a baking bliss. As was the case today, when a talented team from The Australian Women’s Weekly came over to do a shoot for a forthcoming issue. 

Styling and photographing a family of eight took a good deal of planning, patience and skill, so a restorative afternoon tea was a must. Even a person with great dietary resolve would find it difficult to resist Chocolate Brownies, Fluffy Scones with Vanilla Cream and Jam, moist Buttery Citrus Cake and Spinach Cheese Pastries. Besides, I feel it is essential, good manners in fact to offer refreshments to visitors. I don’t think I’ve ever had anyone come over who has left without sampling something from my kitchen. 

This is all that was left by the end of today’s afternoon tea – a reassuring sign that everyone enjoyed a selection of my family’s favourite home baked treats. 


Oh and by the way, the promise of cake provides an excellent way of encouraging little ones to smile and cooperate for the camera. Some people may frown and call that bribery. I like to think of it as effective edible enticement. 

I used a recipe for the Spinach Cheese Pastries that was published in the June 2014 issue of The Australian Women’s Weekly as Spinach and Feta Rolls. I substituted the silver beet for English spinach because that was in my veggie fridge and also included full cream ricotta as I had some left over that needed to be used by today. Dried oregano was added instead of the dill or mint because I especially like the flavour paired with feta. 

240 grams English spinach chopped coarsely
1 tablespoon olive oil
6 green onions (green shallots) thinly sliced
2 cloves garlic crushed
200 grams Greek feta, crumbled
125 grams full cream ricotta
40 grams grated parmesan plus extra for sprinkling on top
1 teaspoon dried oregano or 2 tablespoons coarsely chopped fresh dill or mint (as suggested in the original Weekly recipe)
140 grams stale breadcrumbs
2 egg yolks
2 sheets butter puff pastry partially defrosted
1 egg beaten lightly

* This recipe can be doubled with great results which is what I did today.

Preheat oven to 200 degrees conventional setting.

In a large frypan sauté the onions and garlic in olive oil over a low heat until softened. Add the English spinach and stir until wilted. Remove from the heat and allow to cool. This step is important. If you add a warm mixture to the cheese and then try to fill the pastry, it will become very soft and difficult to handle.

In a large bowl, combine the feta, ricotta, parmesan, herbs, breadcrumbs, 2 egg yolks and stir until combined.

Lay out your pastry sheets on a clean kitchen bench or table. Each sheet will be used to make 2 long rolls that will then be cut into 4 smaller portions. Place the spinach cheese mixture down the length of the pastry, cut the sheet in half and brush along the side with the beaten egg. Roll the pastry over to form a seal. Cut each length into four even portions. Brush the tops with beaten egg and sprinkle with extra grated parmesan. Repeat with the remaining mixture and pastry. 

Arrange on baking trays with baking paper to prevent sticking, and place in the oven for 20 minutes or until golden and crispy. Although these are best eaten warm, they are still incredibly tasty even when they cool down.