Vanilla slice

Banana Boogie Bakery Vanilla Slice.

Posted by Gary

You can skip the introduction and jump to the recipe if you don’t care for my rambling palaver.

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Dear Reader,

Introduction

I hope you’ve had a good week.

My week was busy. Thursday was Anzac Day. Kathleen and I went for a drive. We took a look at Windy Point Lookout.

Windy Point Lookout
Windy Point Lookout

What have I been watching?

Star Trek: Voyager and Star Trek: Deep Space 9

I’ve now finished watching Star Trek: Voyager (VOY). It’s been an enjoyable rewatch. I will finish Star Trek: Deep Space 9 (DS9) soon. I will start watching Enterprise (ENT).

I’ve also started watching Bosch and there are Star Trek connections. Jeri Ryan from VOY and Linda Park from ENT.

I’ll share more on Bosch in another post.

National Rugby League

This has been a ripper season for footy. The Dolphins and Brisbane Broncos are in the top 8, and I’m happy. I enjoy having a decent TV with free-to-air access to watch live NRL footy.

I am looking forward to the State of Origin series to begin this year. The Queensland Maroons have a depleted side this season with many players injured. The “away” game this year is in Melbourne.

Four corners

Uncovering the Ozempic and Mounjaro black market

If you have the time, I recommend watching this. The drugs were designed to help patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus. The drugs have gained favour with people who are clinically obese. The mechanism of action slows the stomach (the organ and not the vague description some people use to describe their abdomen).

The drugs have serious adverse reactions, such as gastroparesis. It is not surprising that medical practitioners who advocate for low-carbohydrate, healthy-fat eating prefer a lifestyle change to bring T2DM into remission and to remedy clinical obesity.

Banana Boogie Bakery Vanilla Slice

Vanilla slice from Banana Boogie Bakery Belair

Did I eat a Banana Boogie Bakery vanilla slice?

Yes, I did.

Aren’t I low carbohydrate, healthy fat eating?

Yes, I am.

Is the vanilla slice low in carbohydrates and healthy fat?

No, it isn’t.

Why did you eat the vanilla slice?

It was Anzac Day, and Kathleen and I went for a drive. I wanted to do something special with Kathleen. When I cook, it’s usually biased toward my way of eating. I wanted to do something together with Kathleen.

What was the vanilla slice like?

It was good. It reminded me of the vanilla slice from the Gumnut Patisserie in Bowral. The custard pastry interface had notes of caramel, and the vanilla flavour was well balanced with the sweetness. The mouthfeel of the custard and pastry combined well. The icing was not excessively sweet.

Would you eat another one?

Maybe. If I want to do something special with Kathleen again, I might go for one of the other vanilla slice options.

Were there any after-effects worth noting?

A couple of hours after eating the vanilla slice, we drove into the city, and I started getting an anterior compartment cramp in my right leg. Not long after, my left leg had a similar cramp. The pain was moderate, and the cramping persisted for about an hour. It made walking uncomfortable. When I weighed myself the following morning, I was 2.0 kg heavier. I assumed it was retained water.

Vanilla slice from Banana Boogie Bakery Belair

What have I been eating?

An animal-based diet means great leftover meals. Because my local supermarket doesn’t have a great meat selection, I’ve been buying beef short ribs from Baa Moo Oink.

Leftover rib meat is on par with leftover cold lamb shoulder. The protein and fat content of the rib meat is perfect.

The method I use for heating the rib meat is simple. I cut the cold meat into one cubic centimetre pieces and put them into a frypan. I then add about 100 mL of water and turn on the heat. As the water simmers, the meat softens, and the muscle fibres separate. The fat is released as the meat breaks down, and the water evaporates. I’m left with a soft, tender, and moist bowl of meat. I often finish with butter and pure cream to improve the mouthfeel.

The leftover cooking liquor is an added benefit of cooking with a pressure cooker or slow cooker. I keep it in the refrigerator, and when it’s cold, I lift the solid fat off and put it into a container for later use. I then use a tablespoon or two of the jellied meat broth and make a hot drink with boiling water.

Leftover beef short rib meat and hot beef broth
Bone in ribeye steak from Baa Moo Oink. Cooked in a water bath for 3 hours at 57 °C and seared on a Weber Q+.
Scotch fillet steak. Pan-fried in butter.
Scotch fillet steak. Pan-fried in butter.
Chucke steak and speck
Leftover beef short rib meat.
Bone in ribeye steak from Baa Moo Oink. Cooked in a water bath for 3 hours at 57 °C and seared on a Weber Q+.
Scotch fillet steak. Pan-fried in butter.
Bone in ribeye steak from Baa Moo Oink. Cooked in a water bath for 3 hours at 57 °C and seared on a Weber Q+.
Leftover beef short rib meat and coffee
Leftover beef short rib meat and coffee
Bone in ribeye steak from Baa Moo Oink. Cooked in a water bath for 3 hours at 57 °C and seared on a Weber Q+.
Chucke steak and speck
Bone in ribeye steak from Baa Moo Oink. Cooked in a water bath for 3 hours at 57 °C and seared on a Weber Q+.

Recipe

I had some beef chuck and speck cooked in the pressure cooker tonight.

Equipment

  • Pressure cooker.
  • Carbon steel frypan.

Ingredients

  • Chuck steak.
  • Speck
  • Meat broth.
Chuck steak and speck

Instructions

  1. Dice the beef and pork and put the meat into the pressure cooker.
  2. Add the meat broth.
  3. Cook under pressure for 1 hour.
  4. Open the lid and remove the mixed meat with a slotted spoon when the pressure equilibrates with atmospheric pressure.
  5. Sieve the cooking liquor and refrigerate the broth.
  6. Transfer the meat to a frypan and turn on the heat.
  7. Gently cook with a little butter and cream.
  8. Transfer the meat to a dinner plate.
  9. If you’re following a meat-only diet, just the meat will be more than sufficient to satisfy your hunger.
  10. If you’re eating a low-carbohydrate diet, meat and plant-based foods like avocado, leafy green leaves, olives, and tomatoes are a good combination.
  11. If you’re not concerned with carbohydrates, fill your boots.
  12. If you’re vegetarian or vegan, this meat won’t be suitable.
  13. Always give thanks to the Lord.
  14. Eat with whatever implements you prefer. I used a spoon.
Chucke steak and speck
Chucke steak and speck
Chucke steak and speck

Thoughts on the meal

The more I eat meat, the more I like it and the more I’m enjoying this way of eating. The speck was a good addition to the chuck. It gave the dish a nice smoky flavour.

There are sufficient leftovers for a few meals this week.

Final thoughts

  • Do you occasionally deviate from routines like a diet?
  • Have you watched the TV show “Bosch”? What did you think?

Disclaimer and comments

This post and other posts on this blog are not medical or health advice. I’m sharing my personal experiences from my lived experience. My opinions remain mine.

For health advice, see your regular medical practitioner. For diet advice, consult with appropriately registered professionals.

Dream Cuisine Vanilla Slice

Posted by Gary

Regular readers of Yummy Lummy know of my deep seated love of vanilla slice. Last year I took a driving holiday to Geelong and back and much of that trip focussed on my favourite pastry.This is a photograph of Dream Cuisine Vanilla Slice

Last week twenty Canberra Food Bloggers took a trip to Fyshwick (better known for Australia’s pornography industry, brothels and sex shops) to visit Owen at Dream Cuisine and enjoy his pastries. At the time Owen mentioned that his vanilla slice isn’t a constant feature because they are a little labour intensive and he needs a full complement of staff if he’s going to make them available. He did hint though he may have some ready for this week.

While I was at work yesterday (Friday) I thought I’d give Dream Cuisine a call to see if I should plan a Saturday breakfast in Fyshwick. Owen answered the telephone and said he would get his chefs to prepare some for Saturday. I was stoked.

So this morning I head out to try Owen’s Dream Cuisine vanilla slice. Would it be good? Would it compare with my favourites? Who knows, either way, I knew that the Myrtleford Butter Owen uses and his amazing custard would make me happy. I was pretty confident I’d like Owen’s version because he mentioned caramelised pastry. In my mind that would at least put it into the Gumnut Patisserie league.

So when I arrived there they were in the display case. Four slices of happiness with “Dream” written in icing sugar on the top piece of pastry.

I asked for a flat white coffee and a single slice.

This is a photograph of Dream Cuisine Vanilla Slice

When I checked in using the swarm app I become Mayor of Dream Cuisine 

 

This is a photograph of Dream Cuisine Vanilla Slice, coffee and Bundaberg raw sugar

 

I always like to see Bundaberg sugar at a cafe or restaurant. In my mind it’s the best sugar in Australia and helps me think of my maternal grandparents.

So what did I think of Owen’s Dream Cuisine vanilla slice? As I mentioned on Instagram, it was sensationally dreamy. This is a show piece vanilla slice. There’s no way a Victorian could call this a snot block and if a Victorian did call it a snot block and I was Owen I’d be insulted. Does it meet my expectations for a good vanilla slice? Yes and no. Yes, this is delicious. The caramelised pastry was crisp and sweet and full bodied in flavour. The custard was delicate. It was sweet but not too sweet and it had the right amount of vanilla. All together it was fabulous. But no it’s not my perfect vanilla slice because this is a fancy pastry that tastes really good. For me, my perfect vanilla slice has all this flavour but it also has the right texture and consistency. I want that caramelised pastry to be firm but not soggy and not crisp. I want to be able to bite through it without it fracturing, it needs to break apart. A fork needs to be able to do the same thing. In my perfect vanilla slice the custard won’t squeeze out when pressure is applied to the top and bottom pastry layers either by my teeth or a fork.

I’d highly recommend Dream Cuisine’s vanilla slice to pastry lovers. If you live in Canberra, there’s no excuse, you need to visit Dream Cuisine. It’s not only in Fyshwick. If you’re visiting Canberra, put some time in your diary to make a visit, stay for a coffee and enjoy a treat. The service is great. It’s friendly and you’re served with a smile. They also have good quality containers for takeaway too.

Lake Ginninderra
Lake Ginninderra

I bought my afternoon tea while I was there.

 

This is a photograph of Dream Cuisine Vanilla Slice, lavendar macaron and salted caramel macaron

The lavender and salted caramel macarons are to die for.

Fellow Canberra Food Blogger Tales of a Confectionist also reviewed the vanilla slice

Yatala Pies vanilla slice fail

Posted by Gary

I’ve spent the weekend in Brisbane visiting Miss13, Miss17 and my parents. We have some activities planned and I’ve taken Monday as recreation leave so we could fit things in. I’m writing a series of short posts about the food we ate on this visit. 

 

It’s Sunday morning and we’re on our way to the Gold Coast for the day. Part of the journey is breakfast at Yatala Pies which is a bit of an institution in God’s own (i.e., Queensland). 

Yatala Pies on Urbanspoon

 

Miss13 and Miss17 had no qualms about pastry for breakfast. We were on the road at 7.30 and by the time we got there a little after 8 we were all pretty hungry. 

Miss13 asked for a caramel tart sans cream, Miss17 went for a vanilla slice as did I. I also asked for a jam and cream doughnut that we could share.

There were no vanilla slices on the counter when we arrived and when the lady went out the back to investigate if they had any my heart sank when she emerged with two slices that looked like they’d been in the cold room.

Long time readers will know of my devotion to the good old Aussie vanilla slice which Mexicans (aka Victorians) call snot blocks. If you want to know what I reckon makes a good vanilla slice here is my review. It’s become such a thing I regularly have conversations with a couple of very senior colleagues at work. So much so we send text messages to one another along with photographs when we come across a new vanilla slice we haven’t tried.

This vanilla slice had multiple problems. The icing was too thick and the pastry was too stiff. The custard while tasting nice was also a little gelatinous. 

2015-01-11_08.18.57_001_GARY_LUM 2015-01-11_08.19.44_003_GARY_LUM 2015-01-11_08.19.17_002_GARY_LUM

The jam and cream doughnut on the other hand was delicious. It was light and fluffy and not at all doughy. The cream wasn’t too sweet and the jam wasn’t either. Miss17 thought a little more jam would have made it just a little better. 

Please don’t get me wrong, Yatala Pies make great hot pies. I’ve enjoyed them over the years and they’re consistently good. My advice though is steer clear of the vanilla slice and have a jam and cream doughnut instead. 

Have you had a Yatala Pie? What did you think?

Yummy Lummy’s vanilla slice review

Posted by Gary

Over a five day road trip I enjoyed 5 types of vanilla slice

This post is dedicated to one of my favourite pastries, i.e., the vanilla slice. I’m not talking about the pooncy Mille-feulle that the French make. I’m talking about a good old fashioned vanilla slice that you find at school fetes, an Australian classic. An Australian legend. 

This post is not about the story of the vanilla slice and its iconic position in modern Australian history. This is my opinion (only) on what makes a good vanilla slice.

As I was driving home yesterday, I was chatting with Mum on the telephone. I was describing my holiday experience and the vanilla slices I’d eaten. We discussed how we remember vanilla slices from the time I was a young boy when you get them at the school tuck shop and at school fetes. 

In my mind a good vanilla slice isn’t too tall, that is, the layer of custard only needs to be a centimetre or so not the two or more centimetres you see in most shops. The custard should also be rich and creamy without too much gelatin. I’ve had some vanilla slices which I’m sure I could bounce off a wall because the custard was like a squash ball. You don’t want your tongue to slide off the custard, the custard needs to be soft enough that you can manipulate the custard with the tip of your tongue. You want to be able to savour and taste the custard, it needs to coat your tongue so that all the amazing flavour of the custard can give you that amazing rush. The pastry should be thin but not so flaky and hard that when you bite into it it cracks and creates a flaky snow storm. I don’t mean soggy, soggy pastry isn’t good, but soft to firm. This goes for both the bottom layer of pastry and the top layer. The icing is contentious. I’m a fan of both the passionfruit and pink icing variations. I’m not a fan of the white icing with chocolate swirls. That sort of fanciness has no place in vanilla slice making (IMHO). The icing needs to be subtle, sweet, but not sickly sweet. It also needs to be thin, not thick, thick makes it too sweet. The icing also needs to be soft so that when you bite into the slice your maxillary incisors can slice cleanly through the icing into the custard and the mandibular incisors cleanly slice through the pastry and into the custard. You don’t want to make a mess. You don’t want your fingers to be too sticky. You want to be able to eat a vanilla slice with your hands or if you’re with polite company with a fork. Modern day vanilla slices often have icing that is too thick or too ‘tempered’ so it snaps or embeds into the custard as you push down with a fork. 

In terms of shape and size, rectangles or squares are fine but not too big. Everything in moderation people, you want to have that feeling of wanting more but knowing you’ve had enough with just one slice. 

Okay here’s the lineup of vanilla slices from my recent holiday. 

Holbrook Bakery (central)

This was the first vanilla slice of the trip. It’s from the (central) Holbrook Bakery (there are two, viz., central and southern). You can see the icing has been dusted with icing sugar. I believe this is superfluous. If the pastry is too stiff when you bite in or when you use a fork the icing sugar goes all over the place, not a good thing if you’re wearing a black shirt. I made the mistake of going for the French vanilla slice which has a layer of cream. The cream was good but because the pastry was too hard you basically squirt the cream all over the place making for a messy experience. If I was eating this over my kitchen sink or in the bath tub with my hands that would be fine but not in a bakery or cafe. 

Vanilla slice from the central Holbrook bakery Apple iPhone 6 with iPhone 6 Plus back camera 4.15mm f/2.2 at 4mm and f/2.2, 1/30sec, ISO 40
Vanilla slice from the central Holbrook bakery Apple iPhone 6 with iPhone 6 Plus back camera 4.15mm f/2.2 at 4mm and f/2.2, 1/30sec, ISO 40

Henri’s Wodonga Bakery

Henri’s is a big bakery in the Coles car park in Wodonga. There’s a lot of tables and chairs and a great selection of cakes. The pastry and custard in this vanilla slice was good. The icing though was too thick. Way too thick. I lifted it off when I couldn’t get my fork through it. I ate the icing separately. I really enjoyed the custard and the pastry but the icing was too sweet. 

Vanilla slice from Henri's bakery in Wodonga Apple iPhone 6 with iPhone 6 Plus back camera 4.15mm f/2.2 at 4mm and f/2.2, 1/30sec, ISO 50
Vanilla slice from Henri’s bakery in Wodonga Apple iPhone 6 with iPhone 6 Plus back camera 4.15mm f/2.2 at 4mm and f/2.2, 1/30sec, ISO 50

Hides Bakery Benalla

So this was the only passionfruit icing I came across on my trip. It was really nice and the flavour was subtle. The tang of the passionfruit was there and contrasted nicely with the sweetness of the soft and light icing. The custard though was a little too gelatinous. 

Passionfruit vanilla slice from Hides Bakery in Benalla Apple iPhone 6 with iPhone 6 Plus back camera 4.15mm f/2.2 at 4mm and f/2.2, 1/30sec, ISO 40
Passionfruit vanilla slice from Hides Bakery in Benalla Apple iPhone 6 with iPhone 6 Plus back camera 4.15mm f/2.2 at 4mm and f/2.2, 1/30sec, ISO 40

Kemp’s Bakery in Kilmore

Before I describe the vanilla slice let me say this is a really good bakery/cafe. The staff are friendly and helpful. The tables and chairs are great and not too close together. The best part of the bakery is the toilets. Best, cleanest well lit toilets I came across on this trip. I’d happily read a newspaper in the toilets in Kemp’s Bakery in Kilmore. Now the icing on this vanilla is this pink. Can it be too pink? Who knows! What I found odd was the strawberry flavour in the icing. The custard was set a little too high and was a bit gelatinous too. 

Vanilla slice from Kemp's Bakery in Kilmore Apple iPhone 6 with iPhone 6 Plus back camera 4.15mm f/2.2 at 4mm and f/2.2, 1/120sec, ISO 32
Vanilla slice from Kemp’s Bakery in Kilmore Apple iPhone 6 with iPhone 6 Plus back camera 4.15mm f/2.2 at 4mm and f/2.2, 1/120sec, ISO 32

Beechworth Bakery in Beechworth

I didn’t have Beechworth in my original itinerary. That said, quite a few friends told me they thought the Beechworth vanilla slice was the best. One friend in particular who I know to be a connoisseur of vanilla slices thought Beechworth was the place to go. Given I was driving at a leisurely pace on this holiday, I took a detour from Wangaratta to Beechworth and then headed on to Holbrook. The Beechworth Bakery is impressive and if you check out yesterday’s post you’ll see why in the display case photograph I posted. This vanilla slice was certainly good. The custard wasn’t too high. The custard wasn’t too gelatinous. The pastry was softish. The icing though was thick. That said, the Beechworth Bakery Vanilla slice was probably the best of this trip and I’m glad I took some time out to visit. The better reason though to visit Beechworth Bakery is their beesting. OMG the best beesting ever. Custard in light sweet pastry. It was amazing. 

Vanilla slice from Beechworth Bakery

 

So have these vanilla slices been better than my all time favourite of recent years? NO The vanilla slice from the Gumnut Patisserie at Bowral (or Mittagong or Moss Vale) still ranks as the best even though it does have pooncy white icing with chocolate swirls. 

Sunday morning tea. Vanilla slices from Gumnut Patisserie in Bowral. The best vanilla slice in the world I reckon. | SONY ILCE-7S with E 35mm F1.8 OSS at 35mm and f/4, 1/1000sec, ISO 100
Sunday morning tea. Vanilla slices from Gumnut Patisserie in Bowral. The best vanilla slice in the world I reckon. | SONY ILCE-7S with E 35mm F1.8 OSS at 35mm and f/4, 1/1000sec, ISO 100

The last word on my vanilla slice journey comes from my Mum. “Gary you know the only way you’re going to enjoy the perfect vanilla slice is if you practice and make it yourself”.
 

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I also want to mention that one of the enjoyable parts of my driving holiday wasn’t just listening to podcasts on Star Trek and photography, but the book The Crossroad by Mark Donaldson, VC. It’s an open account of what made the man. I’d recommend the book to anyone interested in defending human rights, being Australian and loving life.  

So no more bakeries for me (for a week or two anyway) Do you have a vanilla slice story you’d like to share? Please leave a comment.  

1 vanilla slice, 1 cottage pie and salmon

Posted by Gary

So today ends the driving portion of my short holiday. I woke up in Wangaratta after another crapulent sleep and after not seeing the kettle yesterday when I checked in found the kettle and some instant coffee. After a shower I packed up and set off for Beechworth. I had been told by a number of friends that the best bakery to visit in Victoria is the Beechworth Bakery just east of Wangaratta. I thought a detour was in order. 

My jeans are already tight and what is a few more calories going to change? 

I plan to write a specific post about vanilla slices on this trip so I won’t go into detail about what I think makes for a good vanilla slice. Suffice to say, the vanilla slice from the Beechworth bakery is good but not amazingly good and is still not a patch on the Gumnut Patisserie in Bowral. The pink icing was subtle with little or no flavour besides the sweetness of the sugar. The custard had a very nice flavour and the custard wasn’t too gelatinous, and was probably the best custard of this trip. 

Vanilla slice from Beechworth Bakery

This bakery though has another pastry that I adore and again it’s a custard filled pastry. Can you guess what I’m buzzing at? That’s a clue there too. 

Take a look at this photograph and you’ll know what I mean.

Beechworth Bakery

So my next stop was in Holbrook, I’d already tried the central Holbrook Bakery so today I went to the southern one and enjoyed a cottage pie. So far on this trip every bakery I’ve been in hasn’t had a potato pie, either they had sold out or they just didn’t have them.

Cottage Pie

I finally got into Canberra sometime after 3 pm and after grocery shopping went for a walk to move my legs after sitting on my big fat arse all day 

It’s Monday and you know what that means right?

Curry salmon and rice

Curried salmon with peas, corn and fried onions on brown rice. 

 

For dessert I had the best beesting ever.

Beesting Beesting