A reliable oven has a huge impact on the overall cooking experience and resulting dishes. Cakes are especially susceptible to sudden changes in oven temperatures which can cause your most delicious creations to end up either a disappointingly undercooked or burnt, mass of batter. Ovens come in a variety of sizes, finishes, features and price tags and ultimately, the home cook needs to choose the appliance that best suits their individual needs. 


My mother-in-law turns out perfectly formed pastries and bread with her Westinghouse; whilst my mother has made memorable meals with her Miele for over 20 years. Similarly, I am thrilled with my new Ilve Nostalgie 90 centimetre freestanding oven. The performance is mirrored by the company’s admirable customer service and knowledgable technical and installation teams in Australia. Oh, and even their website is appealing (finally a campaign with colour and verve and people actually enjoying food!) Take a look at http://ilve.com.au

This afternoon I baked this fantastically fluffy and moist passionfruit Victoria sponge cake. I have published this recipe previously in August 2013 but included apples in the mixture. This time I omitted them and halved the recipe to end up with one cake in a 23cm tin. It rose and cooked through evenly and developed an appealing golden outer colour. Once it cooled completely, I mixed together until completely combined: 1 cup of icing sugar, with 1 tablespoon of unsalted melted butter and the pulp of 3 passionfruit. This was poured evenly over the top of the cake BEFORE it was removed from the cake tin. I placed the cake with the icing in the fridge for 30 minutes to just set the icing before removing from the tin and serving. 

Crispy skinned roasted pomegranate molasses chicken pictured above, is a lip smacking tasty delight. My Ilve did a perfect job of keeping the chicken moist, whilst still managing a crisp skin with superb stickiness, due to the addition of concentrated pomegranate as a glaze. Look up this recipe in the SEARCH gadget in my blog. This is a different way of making the most of a humble chook for a family dinner. 

Here are some of the other delightful dishes that have come out of my kitchen over the past week, with some whipped up by my mum during her stay in Sydney. 
Chocolate orange and oat yeasted bread

Good morning granola
Tasty, golden tuna patties
Crispy coriander chicken salad
Chocolate chip, coconut and oat cookies

School holiday pizza scrolls

Fresh raspberry coconut muffins