Paper Palate

I don’t think my friends realize I have a problem.  Or maybe they do and they’re just too nice to say anything to me, but they share eyebrow raises behind my back: “There she goes again.”  I try to hide it, I do.

I am hopelessly addicted to Australian cooking magazines.  Particularly Donna Hay magazine, which contains pictures that are amazingly, breathtakingly, painfully beautiful, and recipes that practically take you by the hand, lift you off of the couch and lead you into the kitchen, pressing a spatula into your hand and whispering, “Cook, now.” 

The allure of this magazine for me, beyond the incredible pictures and fabulous recipes (what, there’s more?) is the delightful fresh twist on recipe inspiration.  The columns in most cooking magazines fall primarily into two categories: theme inspired by ingredient, or theme inspired by event.  Donna Hay’s team takes it a step further, and finds inspiration in the world around them: folded, paper thin, white, stacked.  The recipes in these sections may be for sweet or savory, appetizer, main or dessert. 

For those who share my addiction (or become similarly hooked after reading this and investigating) there are two ways to get a “fix.”  The first is by subscribing to the magazine through their website.  It’s not cheap, but the comfort of knowing that there’s a new issue on my way to me every other month is well worth the price.  The second is by going to a larger bookseller or newsagent, and buying it.

If you chose to subscribe, I would remind you that antipodean seasons are opposite of the Northern hemisphere.  Be prepared to receive a December/January issue urging you to invite your mates over for a New Year’s celebration cooked on the barbie with drinks served out of the esky on the deck (barbie = bar-b-que grill, of course; esky = cooler).  On the plus side, if you subscribe, you’ll be able to reach back two issues and grab the one for the appropriate season when that season arrives.  This is what I do.

If you choose to frequent your local newsagent, you can learn from my sad experience: most of these places get only a few issues, and they may sell out quickly.  However, because there’s a delay in the shipping, they usually have the issue for the correct season on the rack, so you don’t find yourself standing there in shorts and t-shirt flipping past pictures of leg of lamb and prime rib roasts more fitting for autumn or deep winter.

The issue on the newsstand right now is #35, Spring, October/November 2007.  Highlights include features on Spring Essentials: Crunchy Salads, In Season: Basil, How to Cook: Pound Cake, Inspired: Citrus (which has a wonderful lemon tart recipe) and Favourite Things: Dairy (which includes instructions on how to make ricotta cheese, along with recipes using it).

Since ricotta cheese is astonishingly simple to make, here’s the process (it’s not even much of a recipe):

Ricotta Cheese
from Donna Hay Magazine, Issue #35
makes 1 ½ cups of cheese

6 cups whole milk
2 tablespoons white vinegar

Line a colander with cheesecloth, and set it over a large bowl.  In a large saucepan, warm milk over medium heat until it reaches 176 degrees F (use a candy thermometer to monitor the temperature).  Remove pan from heat and add vinegar.  Curds will start to form immediately.  Let sit for 5 or so minutes, then gently (to keep curds from breaking up) scoop curds into prepared colander and allow to drain for another 5 to 10 minutes.

You can add a pinch of salt to the milk as it’s heating, if you like.  Fresh ricotta tastes like spring, it really does.  It’s soft and bright-tasting, like a day in early spring when the weather is just turning.  Of course you can use it to make things—lasagna, ricotta cheesecake, manicotti—but I must tell you it is delicious eaten for breakfast with a handful of pistachios or cashews and a drizzle of honey.

N.B. Another great way to get acquainted with Donna Hay is to check out her cookbooks.  They’re as beautiful and useful as her magazine, but come out much less frequently.  Us addicts can’t wait two years!  Her most recent book is called Instant Entertaining.