Roast Pork Shoulder

I managed to finally cook roast pork over the long Easter weekend. It seemed pretty straight forward. Simply let the oven do the job. You have to be patient as well and cross your fingers that it is cooked all the way through, after resting time. Well, it is a long process with checking the temperature and not knowing if it is ready or not. However, it was worth the wait, since the crackling was amazing and the meat tender. 

I made a vegetable trivet for the pork and then slightly scored the skin. Firstly, I roasted the meat on high (220c) for about 30 minutes and then reduce to 180c for another 1.5 hours. After making sure the internal temperature is reached, I took it out of the oven and let rest for around 15 minutes. 

I was so happy to see the meat cooked throughout, after carving it all. It was a real delight to produce such a hearty meal. I paired the dish with some roast pumpkin, and some greens. 

Post-Easter egg hunt

Easter is over, but here is my post-easter egg hunt. I got super cheap Easter eggs at Target (75% off!). So much for post-easter chocolate control. Oh well, I shall do better next year! 

I got a golden egg from Magnum, some Lindt easter rabbits- dark and hazelnut-, Humpty Dumpty from Red Tulip and some Lindt frogs and turtles- my favourite so far. 

I tried the magnum chocolate and it was divine. It tasted pretty much just like the couverture chocolate on their ice-cream, which I enjoy so much. It also came with three separate chocolate bars- dark, milk and white. I will take these as an extra treat. 

Happy Easter

Happy Easter. Have a blessed, joyful and peaceful Easter. Let us rejoice on this great occasion and celebrate the resurrection of Jesus.

As mentioned earlier, I made some bunny and easter egg-shaped macarons. I am pretty pleased at how they turned out. Yes, I am a happy bunny. Well, Easter would not be Easter without chocolate, so happy easter eggs hunting. It's not too late to overindulge in chocolate- I know I did.

...and here is just a sneak peak of pre-decorating the bunnies. 

Hot Cross Scrolls

I found out that traditionally, hot cross buns are meant to be eaten on Good Friday and only on this day. The cross sign on the buns is to remind of Jesus on the cross. Indeed, this is the symbolism of the cross. It is widely commercial nowadays- I mean it's been on sale for what seems like forever now. It is hardly a tradition unless you find yourself waiting impatiently for Good Friday to eat them. It is a tough one. I tried the chocolate and the choc-orange ones from Coles and they were quite nice, if not a little bit too doughy to my liking. The traditional ones are made with mixed spices, but now there are different flavours to choose from. 

Well, this year I decided to make cross buns. I mean you only get the chance once a year, better use it. I tried once and it was a semi-success. I decided to make them into scrolls to differentiate from the usual square ones after stumbling across the below recipe in this week's Woolworths' catalogue. Good timing. I managed to wake up at 5.30.a.m in the morning to get started. Scrolls were ready at 7.30. I was quite happy with the result. I did not have all ingredients on hand, of course, referring to the currants and mixed peel, but I assumed it should be fine without. I also did a flour-water cross instead of the icing. I think it still looked good. The scrolls were nice. The dough itself is not sweet, but once combined with the raisins, it is well-balanced in terms of flavour. 

Time to show the steps by steps of turning the dough into scrolls.