Becs: A tucked away gem in Dunedin is the Highgate Bridge Bakery (known mostly as 'The Friday Shop'). A team of chefs cook up a storm all week - prepping pastries, pies, tarts, braises and other delicious take-home meals - and open the doors bright and early on Friday mornings only to sell out a few hours later. We love their family-sized chicken and mushroom pies, homemade down to the chicken stock in the sauce and the butter puff pastry. Big thanks to Caroline for delivering a couple while visiting this weekend!
Libby: That big white blob is mascarpone! I had a go at making some myself over the weekend and was pleasantly surprised by how successful it was. I consulted the internet and went with the following method: heat 1 litre of cream to 85 degrees Celsius (in a double boiler), add 2 tablespoons of lemon juice, keep at a constant 85 degrees C and stir for five minutes. Cool to room temperature then pour into a cheesecloth (or in my case chux cloth) lined sieve and leave to drain overnight or until firm. I ended up with 700g of mascarpone and used about about third in a filling for fresh ravioli... now what to do with the rest? Give it a go yourself... the only "special" equipment you need is a thermometer and a couple of unused chux cloths.
