ADELA AND NEM’S TASTES OF TRAVEL

POSTCARD 1

BLUE BOX CAFE: BREAKFAST AT TIFFANYS

Postcard 1 recreates their Breakfast at Tiffany’s experience at the iconic Fifth Avenue flagship. Featuring: 

• decadent walnut and chai spice cinnamon scrolls

• strawberry and caramel fluffy pancakes topped with limited edition manuka honey tim tam crumble

• sticky chai latte

The recipe for the cinnamon rolls can be found here, however we did adapt it slightly including adding more nuts to the filling.

Using your favourite fluffy pancake recipe, top a stack with some fresh strawberries, Bonne Maman caramel and crumbled Tim Tams. A cup of home-brewed sticky chai with soy milk is highly recommended.

POSTCARD 2

BLUE BOX CAFE: HIGH TEA STYLE

Postcard 2 returns to Tiffany & Co’s Blue Box Café on Fifth Avenue for high tea - but not quite the classic affair. Take a break from the hustle and feast your eyes on this luxurious selection of delicacies; all your favourites with the modern New York touch. After all, the unexpected is expected, in this bustling city that never sleeps.

Featuring:

• homemade scones & cream / luxurious mini sponge cakes (strawberry jam + raspberries / fig jam + blueberries)

• decadent sweet tarts (ricotta, blueberry + cinnamon / chai spiced apple, walnut + strawberry / chocolate raspberry)

• golden bruschetta / savoury tarts (grilled zucchini, ricotta + olive / mushroom + ricotta / caprese salad)

• dainty finger sandwiches (lemon butter, tomato, cucumber + olive / egg, spinach + aioli

• baked feta with honey + lemon thyme

• giant tim tam s’more (jumbo marshmallows, manuka honey tim tams + fresh berries) 

Time to dig out grandma’s handed down scone recipe! You can pair this perfectly with some whipped cream and two combinations of toppings: strawberry jam and raspberries as well as fig jam and blueberries. These same combinations can be used with the sponge cake - we made a large cake (tip: use a larger cake pan so that you end up with thinner cake for layers) and used a cookie cutter to cut circles.

Handy hint: we picked up some pre-made tart shells to save time but feel free to make your own! Our favourite fillings: 1) fresh ricotta cheese, blueberries and a dusting of cinnamon, 2) diced apple and walnut with chai spice and caramel mixed on the stove, topped with strawberries and 3) melted chocolate with raspberries.

For our bruschetta we used some fresh sourdough topped with 1) fresh ricotta, lightly grilled zucchini and diced olives, 2) fresh ricotta and pan fried mushroom and 3) fresh tomato, sliced mozzarella and basil. We used these same fillings in tart shells for the savoury tarts.

We made our finger sandwiches with fresh bakery bread, filled with lemon butter (just mix some softened butter with lemon juice), fresh tomato, cucumber and chopped olives. A second filling option is a mixture made of mashed hard boiled eggs and aioli, topped with spinach.

The recipe for our baked feta can be found here- we used farm fresh honey and lemon thyme. The inspo for our s’mores can be found here- we used Manuka honey Tim Tams with jumbo marshmallows and finished it with some fresh berries and icing sugar.

POSTCARD 3

CHEESY COMFORTS - CLASSICS REIMAGINED

Postcard 3 epitomises the perfect culinary solution to any rainy day. It is inspired by our visit to Cheeseboat Brooklyn for hearty Georgian eats, including to try their namesake; the *extremely* cheesy pull-apart bread, as well as to the iconic Murray’s Cheese Bar in Greenwich Village, for their house mac n cheese with a secret blend of cheeses. These classic comfort foods have been re-imagined with a unique twist; pulling together a spread that definitely requires a ravenous appetite and an empty stomach… but is guaranteed to nourish the soul and cure those rainy day (carb) cravings.

Featuring:

• gooey cheese fondue with swiss and cheddar; perfect for dipping in a selection of carrots, celery, capsicum, sourdough croutons, apples, oranges & grapes 

• homemade pull-apart cheesy sage and garlic bread; inspired by the Liguria region of Italy

• extremely cheesy mac n cheese bake with creamed spinach, gruyere, cheddar and Parmesan 

• addictive oven-baked ravioli bites with homemade marinara dipping sauce 

• decadent baked brie with honey balsamic-roasted strawberries, pistachios, walnuts and mint

The recipe we used as a guide for our cheese fondue can be found here. We used Swiss and cheddar and it was a brilliant combination! Our platter featured two types of sourdough croutons, capsicum, carrot, celery, apples, oranges and grapes.

Everyone’s cheesy comfort fave- mac n cheese! We followed this recipe and used gruyere, cheddar and parmesan cheese but feel free to use any combo you like! Would definitely recommend adding a little extra spinach if you like it.

A twist on classic garlic bread, the cheesy sage pull apart bread recipe can be found here. We added some extra herbs as well as chilli flakes to the pesto for some extra flavour.

Our new favourite moorish treat, this recipe for the ravioli bites is guaranteed to be addictive. You can easily dip them into some ready made sauce, however we quickly whipped up a basic marinara sauce with some things we had lying around using this recipe as a basic guide.

On the sweet menu today was our baked brie which was absolutely divine! If you’re going to try anything from this postcard, make sure it’s this! The recipe can be found here and we promise you will not be disappointed.