Our popular monthly cooking class with chef, Fiona Zielinski featured several mouth watering desserts. Here is one of the recipes for you to try.

Fresh Fig, Raspberry and Almond Cake

2 fresh figs
2 cups icing sugar
2/3 cup self raising flour
2 cups almond meal
1 tblsp grated orange zest
8 egg whites
185g butter, melted
1½ tblsp milk
200g fresh raspberries
1½ tsp Demerara sugar

Preheat oven to 180˚C. Grease and line 23cm round cake tin ensuring you extend paper up the sides. Remove stems from figs and cut lengthways into 5mm slices. Sift icing sugar and flour into large bowl. Stir in almond meal and orange zest until combined.
Place egg whites in a bowl and whish lightly with a fork for a few seconds. Add egg whites, melted butter and milk to almond mixture and stir until just combined. Fold through ½ the raspberries, do not overmix.

Pour ½ the cake mix into the tin, sprinkle with more berries (reserve some for top of the cake). Pour over the remaining mix and gently press on the figs and scatter the rest of the berries. Sprinkle evenly with Demerara sugar. Bake for 1 hour 15 minutes, test with a skewer. If cake is getting too brown cover the top with foil. Leave in tin for 10 minutes then turn out and serve with fresh cream.

Over 70 people, including many Watermark residents, packed the Castle Cove Library to hear author Thomas Keneally talk about his new book ‘Australians: Origins to Eureka’. The talk was followed by a book signing in the library forecourt.

Watermark retirement village’s Art & Craft Room is now fully operational and home to our many resident artists both professional and amateur. In the coming months this facility will see classes conducted in decoupage, scrapbooking, mosaics and patchworking for anyone interested in trying a new creative pursuit. Pictured is artist Roy Stokes applying the finishing touches to his latest commission.

Watermark retirement village residents enjoyed a wonderful day of racing at Rosehill Gardens Racecourse.  The weather for Silver Slipper Day was perfect as was the delicious lunch in the Ascot Club.  It was a fabulous day of food, fashion, fillies and fun!

Chef Fiona’s latest cooking class was once again a great success with residents enjoying both the demonstration and the lunch that followed. Here is Fiona’s delicious recipe for you to try.

CHICKEN & CACCIATORE CASSEROLE

Ingredients:

• 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 6 chicken drumsticks, trimmed of excess fat, skin on
• 6 chicken thighs, trimmed of excess fat, skin on
• 1 large onion, chopped 2 celery sticks, chopped
• 2 carrots, peeled, chopped
• 150g sliced cacciatore chopped 3 cloves garlic, crushed
• 125g mushrooms, sliced
• 100ml dry white wine
• 720ml tomato passata
• ½ tsp soft brown sugar
• 1 tbsp organic balsamic vinegar
• 1 tbsp sherry vinegar
• 1 tbsp chopped fresh rosemary
• 1 bay leaf 150ml chicken stock
• 1 cup pitted olives Chopped flat-leaf parsley, to garnish

Method:

Heat the oil in a large casserole dish over medium-high heat. Add the chicken pieces and cook until browned all over. Transfer to a plate and set aside. Add the onion, celery, carrot and cacciatore to the pan and cook over low heat for 5 minutes until the onion softens. Add the garlic and mushrooms and cook for a further minute. Return chicken pieces to the pan, add the wine and allow to simmer 1-2 minutes. Add the tomatoes, sugar, vinegar, herbs and stock. Bring to the boil, then reduce heat to low and cook, covered, for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the olives and cook for a further 10 minutes. Transfer chicken to a platter, then reduce the sauce over high heat for 5-6 minutes. Serve garnished with parsley.

Chef Fiona Zielinski’s Cooking Class has become a very popular and much anticipated monthly event. We hope you enjoy her latest recipe.

CHICKEN CURRY

• 300g chicken thigh fillets diced
• 1 small onion finely diced
• 1 piece lemon grass, finely chopped
• 2.5cm piece ginger
• 4 cloves garlic
• 6 curry leaves
• 1 tsp cumin seeds
• 1 tsp coriander seeds
• 1 tsp black mustard seeds
• 2 tsp tumeric powder
• 2 small tomatoes, finely chopped
• fresh coriander leaf, for garnish
• salt and black pepper
• 2 tbsp vegetable oil for shallow frying the spice mix In a mortar

Add: lemon grass, ginger, garlic, cumin, coriander and black mustard seeds. Pound/grind to a fine paste. Heat the oil to medium and fry the spice mix gently and add the tumeric powder. Fry for about 2 – 3 minutes. Add the chicken, turn up the heat a bit and fry for 5 – 10 minutes. Add the chopped tomatoes, pepper and salt. Turn down and simmer for a further 5 – 10 minutes. Chop the fresh coriander and mix through. Serve with rice.

Today, Mayor Pat Reilly officially opened the Watermark Castle Cove library! Watermark Castle Cove is the first facility of its kind to have a Community Library on the premises. Residents are privileged to have a brand new Library operated by Willoughby Council. The Library stocks in excess of 6,000 items with collections including fiction, non-fiction and AV material for adults and young children. It also has an associated Community room available for private meetings, pilates and other uses. Council’s Environmental Services Director, Greg Woodhams stated ” Council is pleased that Watermark has incorporated the Library in this exciting project as it will bring the residents and the local community together”.

Some 70 residents and guests celebrated the first Watermark Christmas in fine style with a 4 course banquet created by Chef Fiona Zielinski’.

Watermark Castle Cove offers residents a new lifestyle of comfort, security and companionship in a unique boutique community of just 50 apartments. Our first residents are all relishing the great facilities with the Bridge Club, fitness room and cinema proving extremely popular. A friendly community is developing with new friends being made at daily afternoon teas where residents meet to discuss various activities, hobbies, outings and for those still working the day at the office.

5 GOLD and 1 SILVER for “our Rod” at The World Masters Games. Rod’s transition to rowing began as a boy in Wollongong where he rowed his Father’s wooden fishing boat. Over the years Rod has had an affinity to the water through canoeing and sailing and about twenty years ago as he was passing some rowers he thought “I’ll have a go at that”. He was fortunate enough to meet up with Spencer Grace, an ex-Olympian, who taught him the art of Rowing. Up until 7 years ago Rod rowed for pleasure but he then decided to join a team and commenced rowing competitively. Rod modestly claims he’s had mixed results over the years but his recent medals prove his natural skill. He competed in the Games in Zagreb in Croatia in 2005 and competes in many Regatta’s, a favourite being the “Annual Head of the Yarra” in Melbourne. Rod’s current crew joined together in 2006 and have trained 3 days a week on water and 1 day on a machine to prepare for the Sydney Masters. Rod says, he was extremely lucky to have been in the team and it would not have been possible without the dedication and enthusiasm of all the crew. Rod says they may be seniors but remain very competitive and the plus is the improvement in fitness. Rod also enjoys the companionship of his team members and the opportunity to row with many ex-Olympians who contribute to his technique and rowing skills.