Willem Claesz Heda, Breakfast Table with Blackberry Pie, 1631
oil on wood, 54 x 82 cm, Gemäldegalerie, Dresden

As one of the earliest still life painters of the Dutch Golden Age, Willem Claesz Heda is known for his little breakfast scenes called ontbijtjes. Heda’s paintings are dramatically lit with a multitude of reflective trinkets, glasses and bowls. The table, laden with objects, is divided by the white tablecloth with a knife and a key on blue ribbon protruding into the viewer’s space. The objects are tousled, glasses overturned and the pie half eaten, which gives the painting a feeling of action. Heda’s work is similar in composition and colouration to that of his contemporary, Pieter Claesz, another notable Dutch still life painter. Breakfast Table with Blackberry Pie is closely related to the painting Still Life (Bodegón with pie of fruits and diverse objects) painted three years later and housed at the Museo Thyssen-Bornemisza. The Spanish museum applied the term bodegón - a kitchen/pantry scene where the objects are arranged against a dark background. The Spanish bodegón scenes were derived from Dutch Golden Age paintings similar to Breakfast Table with Blackberry Pie.

{Plum & Blackberry Streusel Pie}

adapted from Gourmet

4 plums
1 c blackberries
2/3 + 1/2 c sugar (divided)
3TB tapioca
2 TB cornstarch
1 tsp lemon zest
3/4 tsp salt (divided)
pastry crust
1 c oats
1/2 c flour
1 stick butter
vanilla ice cream to serve

Preheat the oven to 375F/190C. Slice the plums and in a large bowl, toss them with the blackberries,  2/3 c sugar, tapioca, cornstarch, zest and salt.

In another bowl, stir together the oats, flour, 1/2 c sugar and 1/2 tsp salt. Using your fingertips, rub the butter into the flour mixture until it forms small clumps.

Place the pie crust in the pie pan and on a large flat baking tray. Mound the fruit into the shell and cover the filling with the crumbled streusel topping.

Bake the pie for about 1 hour and 15 minutes until the streusel topping is golden brown. Let the pie cool completely, at least 3 to 4 hours in order to set. If sliced too soon after baking the filling will turn to berry soup on the plate. Serve with vanilla ice cream.

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1 Year Ago: Fernand Léger – Michelada

Raphaelle Peale, Blackberries, c.1813
oil on wood panel, 18.4 x 26 cm, de Young Fine Art Museum

Raphaelle Peale exhibited Blackberries twice at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, first in 1814 and then again in 1817. The small painting depicts both ripe and unripe berries in a small shallow bowl. The subject matter is typical for work by Peale who was fond of balancing his still life compositions with everyday items. The audience for the painting was a limited one given the small panel size. Only one person could properly view the artwork at any given time giving the composition a sense of intimacy.  The hovering berries and luminous colour convey the perception of life and movement to the inanimate objects (1).

{Wild Blackberry & Honey Frozen Yogurt}

This is a sour yogurt recipe. To sweeten, double the amount of sugar.

1 1/2 c (300 g) Greek yogurt
1 lemon, juiced
3 TB sugar
3 tsp honey*
3 c wild blackberries

In a plastic tub suitable for use in a freezer add the Greek yogurt and honey. In a small cup, add the juice from the lemon and sugar and stir until the sugar has dissolved. Add the lemon-sugar mixture to the honey yogurt.

Chop the wild blackberries in a blender. Strain out the seeds and add the blackberry juice to the yogurt mixture. Stir well and place in fridge for 3-5 hours or until firm. Once the yogurt begins to firm, remove from freezer and stir to break the ice crystals. This will ensure the ice cream is smooth.

Spoon in a pretty dish and add a couple of fresh berries for a contrast in texture (I used blackberries and thimbleberries). Will keep for a couple of weeks in the freezer.

*I used a really lovely lavender honey my mother brought home from France. Regular honey will work just as fine but it would be really fun to try different flavoured honeys.

This is the first part in a two part series featuring wild blackberries and Raphaelle Peale.

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1 Year Ago: Fernando Botero – Frozen Watermelon Margarita

In other news, my two wonderfully creative friends Ness & Mel of parliament of two** recently launched their first joint jewelery line. I did a few portraits for them several months ago and am absolutely loving the new collection. The brooches are inspired by medical illustrations and feature quirky titles like this little gem, the snail: pass the salt. Click here to visit their website, shop, blog, and Facebook page. Be sure to grab a brooch before they all sell out!

Bartolomeo Bimbi, Cherries, 1699
Poggio a Caiano, Villa Medicea

The Florentine still life painter Bartolomeo Bimbi (1648-1729) enjoyed the patronage of the Medici family and to this day, several of his works can still be found in the Medici villas (including the painting above). Bimbi worked in a large scale and his paintings are often referred to as “portraits” due to their scientific focus on various botanic species and anomalies of nature, an interest pursued by his patron. He often painted many varieties of the same species upon his canvases which acted as inventory for Cosimo III (1). The idyllic landscape in which Bimbi placed the opulent cherries echoes their iconographic meaning, the fruit of paradise (2).

{Sour Cherry Turnovers with Goat Cheese}

Adapted from Bon Appetit, July 2008
time: 45 minutes, serves 8

300 g frozen pitted cherries, thawed
1/4 c sugar
1 tsp flour
1 tsp fresh lemon juice
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
2 sheets frozen puff pastry, thawed
goat cheese to serve

Combine the cherries, sugar, flour, lemon juice and vanilla extract in a small saucepan. Over medium heat, bring to a boil and let simmer 5-8 minutes until the compote has thickened slightly. Set aside to cool.

Line a tray with parchment paper and preheat the oven to 190C (375F). Use a large glass or small bowl to mark 8 circles in the puff pastry and cut with a sharp knife. On one half of the pastry cut three small holes to allow the steam to escape.

Spoon cherry compote on the half of the pastry without the holes and fold the pastry to make a semi-circle. Press down sealing the edges and crimp with a fork. Line the turnovers on the parchment paper and bake for about 30 minutes until the tops are golden and the juices are bubbling out of the holes. Serve warm with soft goat cheese.

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1 Year Ago: Andy Warhol – Tomato Soup Cake

Paul Cézanne, Still Life with Ginger Jar, Sugar Bowl, and Oranges, 1902-06
Oil on canvas, 60.6 x 73.3 cm, Museum of Modern Art, New York City

Cézanne’s Still Life with Ginger Jar, Sugar Bowl, and Oranges was painted during a period of turmoil in his personal life and completed in the year of his death, 1906. After an estrangement from his wife, Cézanne purchased a property in Aix-en-Provence where he built a studio and most likely completed this painting. The work from this late period is characterised by a richness of colour and depth. The skilled compositions are an attempt to return to classic modes of representation and the forms attain a sculptural quality with thick black outlines delineating shape and shadow. During this time he focused his attention on the landscape and painted Mt. Ste. Victoire multiple times after climbing it in 1895. It is thought that the sharp peaks of the mountain found their way into the folds of the tablecloth in his later still life paintings.

{Chocolate Ginger Cake with Simmered Oranges}

adapted from Better Homes and Gardens, January 2009

2 3/4 c flour
1 TB ground ginger
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground cloves
1 c molasses
1 c water
1/2 c + 4 TB butter
2 TB fresh ginger, minced
1 c sugar
2 eggs
1 1/2 bars dark chocolate (85% cocoa), chopped
Greek yogurt
simmered oranges (recipe below)

Preheat the oven to 180C. In a bowl combine the molasses, 1 c water and 2 TB of melted butter. Stir to combine and set aside.

In a frying pan, add 2 TB of butter and the minced fresh ginger. Stir over medium heat until the butter is melted and the ginger becomes fragrant. Remove from heat and pour into baking dish. Tilt the dish ensuring the butter/ginger mixture covers the entire surface (including the sides) and that the ginger is evenly dispersed over the bottom of the dish. Set aside.

In a large bowl cream 1/2 c of butter for about 30 seconds with a hand mixer. Add the sugar and continue to beat until the butter becomes light and fluffy (about one minute). Add each egg, one at a time, mixing well between each one. Add the ground ginger, ground cloves, salt, baking soda, baking powder and 3/4 cup flour and mix well. Add half of the molasses mixture and mix well. Alternate between the remaining flour (2 more cups) and the molasses until all of the ingredients are incorporated. By hand, stir in the chopped chocolate and then add to the prepared baking dish.

Bake for about 50 minutes until a toothpick inserted into the centre of the cake comes out clean. Cool and serve warm with simmered oranges, Greek yogurt and crystallized ginger.

{Simmered Oranges}

adapted from Better Homes and Gardens, January 2009

1 lemon
1 orange
1/3 c water
1/3 c sugar

Thinly slice the orange and set aside. Juice the lemon and add to a small pot with the water and sugar. Stir to dissolve the sugar and bring to a boil. Once boiling reduce the heat to a simmer and leave to cook uncovered for 10 minutes.

After 10 minutes, once the liquid becomes syrupy, add the orange slices and bring back up to a boil. Once boiling again reduce the heat to a simmer and leave for three minutes turning the oranges occasionally so that they are all evenly cooked. Remove from the heat and let cool. Spoon over the cake & yogurt.

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1 Year Ago: Edouard Manet – Asparagus with Hollandaise Sauce

I want to send a quick thank you to Sarah and Otiena. Sarah designed beautiful business cards for my blog and business and Otiena interviewed me for the site Under My Bed. Also there are only 26 more days until the recipe contest closes – entries are already rolling in, don’t forget to submit yours!

Damien Hirst, Cineole, 2004
etching in colours, 114 x 112 cm, edition of 145

Damien Hirst is one of the leading members of the ‘Young British Artists’, an art group active in the 1990s. He rose to fame with his works featuring dead animals suspended in tanks of formaldehyde. His spot paintings were composed of randomly coloured circles each a slightly different variation and were named after pharmaceuticals. The spot series along with the spin paintings were produced in a factory by his assistants. According to Hirst he only created a handful of spot paintings himself  because “I couldn’t be f**king arsed doing it; They’re shit compared to … the best person who ever painted spots for me was Rachel. She’s brilliant. Absolutely f**king brilliant. The best spot painting you can have by me is one painted by Rachel.”

{Velvet Cupcakes}

adapted from Jamie’s America
makes around 30 mini-cupcakes

3 TB butter
1 c sugar
1 egg
pinch of salt
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 TB cocoa powder
1 c flour
125 ml buttermilk
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 tsp white vinegar
food colouring
cream cheese frosting

Preheat the oven to 180C and prepare a mini muffin tin with butter. Mix the butter and sugar together until it is light and fluffy. Gently stir in the egg, pinch of salt and vanilla extract. Alternate adding the cocoa, flour, and buttermilk to the egg mixture, stirring gently until you have a smooth batter.

In a small cup add the baking soda to the vinegar until it begins to fizz and add this to the cake mix.

Spoon the cake batter into the mini-muffin tins and slide into the oven. The little cakes will finish quite quickly so keep an eye on them. Mine were done in about 8-10 minutes. Pop out of the tray and let cool before frosting.

Make one batch of the cream cheese frosting and divide into small bowls. Experiment with tinting with food colouring and mixing the colours. Create a different shade for each cupcake.

{Coconut Milk Ice Cream with Caramelized Papaya & Lime}

adapted from Bon Appétit, July 2002

1 can (400ml) coconut milk
1/2 c thickened cream
1/2 c sugar
zest of 1 lime
juice of 1 1/2 limes
1 TB natural ginger uncrystallized, finely minced
pinch of salt

Papaya, sliced into wedges
1/2 lime, thinly sliced
1 TB butter
2 TB brown sugar

Combine all ingredients into a freezer safe container ensuring the salt and sugars have dissolved. Place in freezer and stir every 30 minutes to break up ice crystals to ensure the ice cream is smooth.

Once the ice cream has set, melt the butter in a skillet and add the brown sugar until melted. Place the sliced fruit on the hot skillet and flip after 30 seconds or once golden. Serve together immediately.

This is the first post in a five part series examining the still life paintings of Frida Kahlo.

Marian Drew, Crow with Salt, 2006
112 x 134 cm, digital image on German etching paper – archival pigments, from the series Art Fair

Marian Drew was directly influenced by the traditional still life paintings she studied while living in Germany. Ranked the lowest in the hierarchy of genres created in the 17th century, still lifes were considered to be merely a record of inanimate objects. The Dutch depicted opulent banquets with a seemingly endless bounty spilling over the edges of tables while the French presented an ordered and contained tableaux of goods. The fare was delivered to the viewer to be visually consumed and became a dialogue between a prosperous society and their material possessions. The still life genre featuring small game and poultry acted as a signifier of wealth. In Germany in the 15th-century, hunting rights were only granted to the aristocracy. The still lifes demonstrated not only their control over nature by commanded their authoritative stature in society. This theme is continued by Drew who examines the dominating relationship between the urban landscape and it’s natural fauna. Life is juxtaposed against death and contemporary cultural identity is explored through the traditions of the still life.

Marian Drew, Kingfisher with Chinese Cloth and Strawberries, 2009
112 x 134 cm, archival pigment on cotton paper, from the series Birds

While driving down a dusty road in the short documentary Australiana, Drew states that in Australia, citizens are not encouraged to pick up roadkill because it acts as food for other native animals. With this in mind, her compositions take on a whole new meaning. What we consider to be inedible waste becomes a meal for another. Although I cannot appreciate four and twenty blackbirds baked in a pie, the blushing strawberries and the sunny lemon would make a tempting dessert to set before a king.

(The photograph of the Berry & Lemon pie was created using the same methods developed by Marian Drew.)

{Berry & Lemon Cheese Pie with a Lemon Butter Crust}

1 punnet fresh strawberries
1/3 c honey
1 lemon
3 TB sugar
1 pkg cream cheese
1 tsp vanilla
1 punnet fresh berries (blueberries or blackberries)

Prepare the Lemon Butter Crust (recipe below) and have ready and chilled. In a medium bowl, mix the cream cheese, vanilla, sugar, and tsp lemon zest. Cream with an electric mixer until light and fluffy and the sugar has dissolved. Spread onto the bottom of the baked pie crust.

Divide the strawberries and cut half into quarters and place in a new bowl. With a hand blender puree the strawberries and mix in the juice from half of the lemon and the honey (alternatively you could mash the strawberries with the back of a fork). Pour the mixture into a small sauce pan and bring to a boil. Meanwhile slice the remaining strawberries. Once the strawberry mixture is boiling begin to stir continuously to keep from burning. Cook for two minutes and take off the heat. Add the remaining strawberries and blueberries, mix, and pour over the lemon cheese layer in the pie.

Chill the pie in the refrigerator until the berries have set an a slice will hold it’s shape (about 3 hours). Serve cold.

{Lemon Butter Crust}

1 1/4 c plain flour
1/2 c unsalted butter (room temperature)
1 tsp lemon zest
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp salt
1 TB water

Place the flour, butter, lemon zest, sugar, and salt in a large bowl. Begin rubbing the butter into the flour working it until the mixture resembles wet sand and clumps together. Add 1 TB of water and mix turning out onto a floured surface and kneading slightly. Form into a round disk and chill in the refrigerator for 1 hour.

Work the dough into a 1 cm round on a floured surface with a floured rolling pin. Fit into a buttered pie pan. If the pastry breaks up you can fit it back together by pressing it into the pie tin. Ensure there is an even layer of pastry within the tin. To create the decorative edge roll the remaining pastry into small balls and press around the edge of the tin. Once assembled in the pie tin, place the pastry in the freezer.

Heat the oven to 180C. Remove the tin from the freezer and place a sheet of parchment paper over it and pour in dried beans or rice to weight the pastry. This will keep the base from rising. Slide into the oven for 20 minutes. Remove the baking weights and prick the base of the crust with a fork to release steam. Return the crust into the oven for an additional 10 minutes until golden. Add non-cooked filling.

Be sure to visit Liz’s blog for the recipe for Scarlet Poached Pears and Ginger Pumpkin Bread.

Louis Comfort Tiffany, Pumpkin and Beets window, c.1899-1900
Leaded Favrile glass, 114 x 142.9 cm, The Charles Hosmer Morse Museum of American Art

Louis Comfort Tiffany was originally trained as a painter before pursuing the art of glassmaking in the late nineteenth century. He is linked with the Art Nouveau movement which embodies floral motifs with flowing and stylized curves (1). Tiffany preferred to work with glass that contained mineral impurities and often composed his decorative arts with a variety of colours and textures of opalescent glass. The natural jewel-like hues of pumpkin and beetroot are a fitting subject for an art work focused on saturated colour and light. Tiffany’s painterly background is evident with tonal variation used to denote the shape and the form of the organic shapes of the vegetables and the foliage.

As a staple dessert at any Thanksgiving Day celebration, Pumpkin Pie is firmly rooted in autumnal tradition. The New York Times recounts the pie’s history,

“First introduced to Tudor England by the French, the flesh of the “pompion” was quickly accepted as a pie filler. However, while pumpkin pie sailed with the Pilgrims back to the birthplace of its main ingredient — where it survived in more or less its original form — it all but disappeared in its country of origin.” (2)

Traditionally spiced with ginger, cinnamon, and nutmeg, my addition of chipotle chili gives the pie a savory bend and an additional dimension of smoky heat. Although Pumpkin Pie is generally more palatable for Americans, all of the Australians I tested this recipe on gobbled it up in an instant (and yes I chose the verb gobble to reference the other Thanksgiving staple – Turkey!)

{Pumpkin Chipotle Tartelette with Beetroot Jam & Chevre}

1 kilogram pumpkin
3 TB maple syrup
1 tsp brown sugar
1/2 tsp dried chipotle chili
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp butter
pinch of salt
2 TB buttermilk
2 eggs

frozen shortcrust pastry
beetroot jam
chevre

De-seed the pumpkin and cut it into cubes (about half the size of your thumb). Place on greased baking tray and drizzle with the maple syrup. Toss with your hands to evenly coat the pumpkin and bake in a 180C oven for about 40 minutes until soft.

Puree the baked pumpkin in a large bowl with a hand blender. Add the butter, brown sugar, chipotle, cinnamon, and salt. Mix well. Meanwhile butter the tatelette trays (or muffin tins) and line them with the shortcrust pastry. Once the pumpkin puree has cooled add the two eggs and buttermilk and mix well. Fill the pastry bases and slide into the 180C oven for about 40 minutes. Carefully watch the tartelettes to keep them from burning.

Top the tartelettes with a spoon of beetroot jam and chevre.

**A special thanks to my friend and colleague Lindsay for helping me develop this recipe!

{Beetroot Jam}

2 beetroots, grated
1 red onion, finely sliced
1 dried chili
1 tsp thyme
1 TB butter
1 TB olive oil
1 TB brown sugar
2 TB balsamic vinegar

Heat the butter and the oil in a large pot and sweat the red onion. Once soft add the beetroot, thyme, and dried chili and cook for 1 hour. With 20 minutes remaining add the sugar and vinegar and continue to stir to keep the jam from burning. If the jam becomes too thick then add a bit of water to loosen it.

This is the second recipe in a four part series for a smoky & spicy Thanksgiving. If you enjoyed this recipe please vote for it at the Bon Appetit Blog Envy Bake-Off (it is on the 4th page of entries in the pie category.)

Andy Warhol, Bananas, 1978
Polaroid photography, Paul Kasmin Gallery

The Polaroid camera fit perfectly into Andy Warhol’s artistic methods of mass production. Warhol began working with Polaroid cameras in the early 1960s and according to him “There is something about the camera that makes the person look just right” (1). Often if Warhol particularly liked a photo he would turn it into an acetate before working with the image in his infamous mode of silkscreen reproduction. The ready-made nature of the Polaroid format was well suited to the pop icons captured as subjects. Although Warhol’s Polaroid photographs were never intended to be viewed as art but instead as a means to an end, the small body of work is perhaps the most revealing with regard to who Warhol was as a person.

Within the realm of upside-down cakes, the pineapple variety is perhaps the most famous. The upside-down pineapple cake is a product of the 20th century but the technique is much older with fruit on the bottom cakes made in a skillet dating back to the middle ages. Typically these cakes were made with apples and cherries and were called skillet cakes. In addition to the famed pineapple cake – the 20th century also brought with it the modern convenience of electric/gas oven baking and so the cake recipe adapted to its present form.

{Upside-Down Banana Cake}
adapted from Gourmet

3/4 c brown sugar
50 g (4 TB) butter
2 large bananas, sliced

1 1/2 c flour
3/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
2 mashed bananas
1/2 c buttermilk
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/4 c vanilla sugar
1/3 c butter
2 eggs

Preheat the oven to 180C. Cream the 4 TB of butter and brown sugar with an electric mixer until it is fluffy. Spread on the bottom of a cake pan and arrange the slices of banana to cover the entire mixture.

Cream the vanilla sugar and remaining 1/3 c of butter in another bowl. Once fluffy add the eggs one at a time and then the buttermilk and vanilla extract and mix well. Add the dry ingredients and once incorporated stir in the mashed banana. Pour into the cake pan over the sliced banana.

Bake about an hour and fifteen minutes until a tester inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean and the sides of the cake begin to pull away from the pan. Cool and then invert onto a serving platter.

Edvard Munch, The Scream (Skrik), 1893
Oil, tempera, and pastel on cardboard, 91 x 73.5 cm, National Gallery, Oslo

Edvard Munch is best known for his painting The Scream that is part of the series titled The Frieze of Life. The entire series of works embodied themes of life and death, love and fear as well as melancholy. Painted in an expressionist style, the painting depicts a figure in agony against a foreboding sky and the landscape of Oslofjord. The original title of the painting was the German phrase Der Schrei der Natur (The Scream of Nature). According to the writing of Munch,

“I was walking down the road with two friends when the sun set; suddenly, the sky turned as red as blood. I stopped and leaned against the fence, feeling unspeakably tired. Tongues of fire and blood stretched over the bluish black fjord. My friends went on walking, while I lagged behind, shivering with fear. Then I heard the enormous, infinite scream of nature.” (1)

If you like baking and vintage aprons then you will love Siri’s blog, The Transplanted Baker. She has been posting a collection of bun recipes that range from Norwegian classics like Skolleboller to American favorites like Buttermilk Biscuits Spiked with Jalapeño and Cheddar in celebration of her own little bun in the oven. In addition to a vast assortment of recipes of anything and everything baking-related, Siri includes photographs of breathtaking Norwegian landscapes. I especially like her series of Yellow August photographs and those from her cherry picking adventure in Hardanger. If you ever dreamed of living in a place with idyllic mountain vistas and a creamy brown goat’s milk cheese called Geitost then I highly suggest living vicariously through Siri on her blog The Transplanted Baker.

{Pink Peppercorn Ice Cream}
Adapted from A Homemade Life

1 c whole milk
2 c double cream
3/4 c vanilla sugar
pinch of salt
6 egg yolks
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/2 tsp ground pink peppercorns

Combine the milk, 1 c of cream, sugar and salt in a saucepan over medium heat. Stir occasionally until hot but be sure to keep the mixture from boiling.

Whisk the egg yolks in a medium size bowl and place it in an ice bath (a larger bowl with 1 c of water and several ice cubes). Remove the hot milk mixture from the heat and let it cool for about 30 seconds before slowly pouring half of the mixture into the egg yolks while continuously whisking. Pour the warm egg mixture back into the saucepan with the remaining milk mixture.

Cook over medium-low heat until the sauce begins to thicken and it will coat the back of a wooden spoon (about 5 minutes). Pour the remaining cream in a large bowl and place a strainer over it. Strain the milk/egg mixture into the cream and place into the ice bath. Let cool in the ice bath before stirring in the vanilla and pink peppercorns. Spoon into an airtight container and place in the freezer.

Check the ice cream after 45 minutes. Once it begins to freeze around the edges, remove it from the freezer and beat with a hand-held mixer. This will break up the crystals and yield a smoother ice cream. Once mixed, return to the freezer and repeat the process every 30 minutes for 2-3 hours until the ice cream is frozen. The ice cream is best enjoyed immediately.

{Bittersweet Chocolate Chips with Heather Salt}
Adapted from the NY Times

2 c minus 2 TB cake flour
1 2/3 c all-purpose flour
1 1/4 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 1/4 c butter
1 1/4 c brown sugar
1 c + 1 TB sugar
2 eggs
2 tsp vanilla extract
500 g 60% cacao content bittersweet chocolate
heather salt

Sift flour, baking powder and soda, and salt into a bowl. Cream the butter and sugar together for 5 minutes until light. Add eggs, mixing between each addition and then the vanilla. Mix the dry ingredients on a a low speed until just combined. Carefully mix in the chocolate pieces, wrap in plastic and chill in the fridge for 36 hours (up to 72).

Preheat the oven to 180C and line the baking tray with parchment paper. Scoop six golf-ball size balls of dough and place on tray. Sprinkle with the heather salt and bake about 18 minutes until golden brown but still soft. Transfer cookies to a wire rack to cool.