Ros Welch and Angela Bakker met through the arts but, for us, they have a food link. Angela Bakker is a silversmith who studied at the ANU School of Art and graduated in 2011. In her studio at M16 Artspace in Griffith, her work is based around making functional pieces, bowls, spoons and platters. The small, tactile, silver-plated bowl and spoon sets are used for condiments, sauces and jams/preserves. She was commissioned to make sugar spoons for the Members Lounge at the National Gallery of Australia in 2015. Ros attends a weekly art class at M16, painting in watercolours and acrylics.
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Angela wanted to make something specifically for the Versailles exhibition at the NGA and had discussions with the manager of the shop. They decided on a cake stand and cake servers - an obvious reference to the 'let them eat cake' statement so often quoted. In researching for the design, the importance and prevalence of flowers inspired a flower cut out motif for the items. In keeping with the style of the time, she used brass to reflect the gold and gilt in the artworks and objects of Versailles. Given the opulent nature of the era, Angela imagined the cake stand should hold a decadent cake or dessert.
Ros Welch was born in England but, as leader of a youth group, she went on an exchange program to France and stayed with the Deligny family in Berry au Back near Reims. The daughter of the family, Therese, was a leader for the French youth group and she and Ros still keep intouch. Ros's hosts owned patisserie businesses in Reims and surrounding villages and were marvellous cooks and Madam Deligny gave Ros her apple clafoutis recipe in 1964. Ros made the clafoutis for us to eat at Angela's studio and shared the recipe.
Both Angela and Ros have vegetable and fruit growing in their family histories. Angela grew up in Garran from the age of eleven. The garden still has a productive Meyer lemon tree, grapes, three varieties of apple trees, apricots, pears, plums and olives and in the vegetable garden there is silverbeet, rhubarb, strawberries, potatoes, carrots and beans. Her father, Norman Bakker, inherited his father's gardening knack of not doing anything by halves so the produce keeps the whole family and sometimes the street in fruit and vegetables and her mother, Sarah, in the kitchen cooking, stewing and preserving.
Ros's father, Billy Wood, and his five brothers all had allotments in the UK and shared all their produce including potatoes, cauliflowers, cabbages, Brussel sprouts and carrots as well as raspberries, strawberries, fresh eggs from the chooks and apples. Leeks were grown for the Annual Leek Show every year in their village so the men took turns to stay in the garden overnight so no one could steal their prized leeks. Ros did not enjoy cookery lessons at grammar school but her mother, Hannah, died when Ros was 17 so she started to cook northeastern British food for the family. After she married and lived in Uganda from 1969 her passion for cooking started. The houseboy, Paulo, was a wonderful cook who taught her about entertaining. There was also a huge garden and who garden boys who helped her experiment with new vegetables. Living in the Sultanate of Oman her friend Aziza and Ros had cooking days when they shared recipes.
On a rainy day in Canberra, Ros bakes all day. She loves making pies and family favourites are corned beef, leek and potato, cheese and onion, and apple with cardamom instead of cinnamon.
She has printed a book for her grandchildren called "50 of Grannie Ros's Biscuit Recipes and a few other family favourites".
At home in Canberra, Angela grows Meyer and Eureka lemon trees in pots on the back deck. She also inherited a large cumquat and makes marmalade from the prolific fruit crop. The lemons are used in cooking and to make preserved lemons but Angela also makes a paste of bicarb soda and lemon juice to gently rub in a circular motion on brass to keep it clean and remove tarnishing. This works best when the brass is warm so give it a quick soak in warm water first.
For the clafoutis Ros uses any juicy sweet apples including red delicious, jazz or pink ladies. The cake keeps beautifully and is probably better on the second or third day. It is quite moist.
CLAFOUTIS AUX POMMES
(FRENCH APPLE CAKE)
2 eggs
1 tea cup caster sugar
a cup SR flour
pinch salt
2 tbsp vanilla sugar
half teacup of hot milk (not boiled)
90g butter
3 juicy apples cut into slices
A shallow round 28cm baking tin or quiche dish may be used.
Beat eggs and caster sugar. Add SR flour and salt, fold into mixture. Add vanilla sugar. Heat the milk and butter until butter has all melted. Beat this into the mixture (which is like a batter). Add the sliced apples. Bake in a moderate oven 180C. Note: chopped crystallised ginger can be added to the mixture.
Susan Parsons is a Canberra writer.
