Rebirth, renewal & hot cross bun regret
Easter with its themes of renewal and rebirth may seem as incongruous with our southern hemisphere autumn as the Sexyland Superstore that’s located near the Essendon off-ramp on the Tullamarine Freeway.
But when it comes to produce this time of year there is a kind a renewal, a changing of the guard; gone are the bold stone fruits of summer – the apricots, cherries, nectarines, plums and peaches and emerging in their place over the coming weeks we’ll welcome the subtle autumn joys of;
– fresh pistachos from Shane O’Dea
– Paul Haar’s feijoas
– kiwifruit from Ian Cummings
– Noleen Glavish’s heirloom pumpkins
– and quinces from Jenny Indian in Stanley
Along with produce renewal has been a fifteen year resurrection of the hot cross bun. Bakers like Loafer’s Andrea Brabazon with their dense, fruity, flavourful sourdough and vegan and gluten free buns are almost unrecognisable from the fluffy mass-produced, number-filled bakery staple we ate in the 80’s and 90’s.
Oh and if you’re planning to go away this Easter remember to order ahead to avoid “hot cross bun regret” – that terrible scenario of going away with family or friends and finding yourself on Easter Saturday in a road house/mini-mart staring ruefully at that last bag of half-squashed, factory-fluffy buns.
