A Flute Bakery Post

It has been a while between posts about The Flute Bakery.  Don't think this is because I've gone off them, they are still 100% my bakery of choice, particularly for special events, it is just that we have been through somewhat of a birthday drought.

But luckily one of my colleagues was good enough to be born several years ago and so we could celebrate with a cherry, vanilla, chocolate cake.  A light chocolate sponge, topped with vanilla mousse, a layer of morello cherries and covered in rich chocolate mousse made for an amazing interpretation of the old Black Forrest Cake.  Needless to say, it disappeared quickly.

And with only one macaroon on offer competition was fierce.  The birthday boy and the macaroon addict agreed to share it.

Gratuitous Food Shots - AKA I went to the Flute Bakery this morning

It has been awhile since we have had a post filled with gratuitous food photos of something delicious I ate from The Flute bakery.  But yesterday was a colleague's birthday, so instead of my usual 15-20 minute commute, this morning I did the hour long trip to come to work via The Flute.  As I've mentioned before, it is stuck in an out of the way location, open odd times (8-3 weekdays) and only takes cash, but by the time I arrived at 8.30am most of the outside tables were full and supplies of popular items like chocolate crossiants were already running dangerously low.

Every time I go, the temptation to take one of everything is massive.  But I was restrained and just picked up this delicious flourless chocolate terrine and a few extra macaroons for the birthday boy.

As with many of Flute's creations, you don't get a full appreciation until you cut into it.  The terrine was a rich and fluffy mousse, topped with toasted hazelnuts.  But inside was a hidden layer of flourless orange cake on a raspberry jelly.  The flavour and texture combination was superb.

And luckily for the rest of us, while birthday boy had his own macaroon supply, the cake was decorated with a row of vanilla and orange macaroons for the rest of us to share.  It certainly made Monday morning at the office a bit easier to cope with.

And lets finish with a macaroon close up.

Frocktober - day twenty-eight

I don't usually do frills.  I like them - on other people - they have just never made it into my wardrobe.  But when you borrow dresses, you end up with things that are different from your usual and I've discovered that I love wearing fills!  The one on the hem flips as I walk and the fills on my shoulders are such a nice alternate to sleeves.  Maybe I will have to fill-ify my wardrobe!

And now for a gratuitous cake shot because we haven't had one for awhile given the current frock focus of my blog.  It was a colleague's birthday today which of course necessitates a visit to the Flue and resulted in the purchase of this amazing chocolate caramel cake topped with various flavours of macaroon.  I had both a caramel (the white one) and blood orange (the orange one) as well as some cake and it was all incredibly delicious.

A farewell to jeans

I need to start with a quick Flute story.  I was there yesterday for lunch with a friend (we go there because it is close to his work, really it is about the convenience) and I ran into some friends who were visiting from interstate.  They had come to check it out based on this blog!  How exciting that my blog inspired something.  I hope you guys enjoyed your selection, even if being lunchtime on public service payday meant that the selection was more limited than usual owing to what must have been an early rush..

Given that I was already there, I took the opportunity to pick up some delightful desserts as S and I cooked dinner for my Dad last night.  I bought us each one of these gorgeous treats - caramel mousse topped with apricot crumble and accompanied by a creme filled profiterole topped with a strawberry.  Yum-o and awesome value for $6.50 each!

But today's blog is really an ode to pants, jeans, trousers, etc.  This is not a fashion blog, I don't do outfit shots, but for the next month I will be, as I take part in Frocktober.  For the whole of October I will be packing away my pants, in fact packing away my separates and spending my time in frocks.

I do love dresses, I always have.  But I also adore my jeans.  They are so comfy, so useful, so easy to wear.  Last October I really missed them.  But they are being put away for good reason, this year I'm hoping to raise at least $3,000 for the Ovarian Cancer Research Foundation as they look for an early detection test and ultimately a cure for ovarian cancer.  You can follow my progress over on Everyday Hero, or just check out the photos here as I push the limits of appropriate dressing.  How many cocktail dresses will I wear to work this year?

The Flute - Apple and Walnut cake

It has been a little while since I blogged about a delicious Flute bakery treat.  Today I got there just after opening.  It was brilliant, for a moment, it was just me in the shop and the shelves were packed full.

The macaroons were piled high.  Usually I see it with just a few and lots of empty space left.  The breads were stacked in great piles and the danishes, filled brioches and individual sweets filled every spot looking (and smelling) amazing.  For a moment I contemplated how much cash was in my wallet (they are cash only) and pondered just how much I could purchase.  But I brought my self back down to earth and returned to the job at hand, you see I had come in search of a cake.  There must have been 20 on display but the one that caught my attention was this delicious apple and walnut gluten free cake.

It was amazingly moist and delicately spiced.  It had a smattering of currents, chunks of walnut, the delicious tang of apple and a great hit of cinnamon and nutmeg.  If left to my own devices I'm pretty sure I could have eaten the whole thing, because it was also really quite light and fluffy. 

Like all Flute cakes it was beautifully presented, topped with three tiny preserved apples.  Ahhh, this bakery can do no wrong!

Oops I did it again - return to the Flute

Today I had to run an errand out to Fyshwick.  As I let the crew know where I was going, an eager head popped around the corner.  "Does that mean you are going to Flute" he asked.

I would be lying if my proximity to the bakery that has stolen my heart hadn't occurred to me, but now there was office expectation.  It was my duty - my duty I tell you - to return with delicious baked goods.

And so I diligently went, found a park, made my way through the crowds and selected this drool-worthy strawberry tart.  Encased in a crisp pastry shell was a layer of berry frangipane, topped with custard and gorgeous strawberries.  Just the scent of those strawberries was enough to make the mouth water.

And yes, it was as delicious as it looks and was devoured by a hungry team in record time.

Food Porn

Do you like food porn?  You know, those gloriously perfect photos of amazing food.  I love it.  I'm well known for whipping out a camera or phone to take photos of people's plates.  In fact my subscription to Gourmet Traveller is basically to allow me to drool over detectible dishes that I have little intention of ever making.

As regular followers of this blog will know, in the last year I have developed a deep and abiding love for a Canberra bakery called the Flute.  I thank the lord that it is located inconveniently and has limited opening hours or I may be on first name terms with the wait staff, however I did spot its truck outside a cafe just near my work yesterday - oh dear!

So please, enjoy some delightful food porn of fabulous baked products. (Note most of the shots are taken still in the box.  This is because once they come out of the box, they never last long enough to take a photo of!)

Macaroons.  I'm still not 100% on the macaroon bandwagon, but they were pretty tasty.  Chocolate cherry and vanilla and raspberry flavours.

Chocolate mud cake - sooooo rich, yet somehow without that heavy stoginess that I don't like in mud cake.

Pear galette - the perfect flaky pastry

Jaffa dome - a base of crunchy chocolate feuilletine, followed by flowerless orange cake, then layers of orange and chocolate mousse.   So intense - I got a migraine from it the first time I had it and overindulged!

Mixed berry tart  with frangipane

 An arty shot of the caramel and pear cake - don't be fooled by the name, it also contains serious amounts of chocolate!

Bakery fresh

So if it hasn't already been obvious from recent posts, it is c-c-c-cold in Canberra.  Of course it gets cold here every winter, I just want to point out that it isn't winter yet!  -7 degree mornings in May are just a little out of the ordinary and it has caught me somewhat off guard.  My brain hasn't quite switched to winter dressing and I've been caught chilly a couple of times recently.

All of which makes me ever the more grateful for warming things in life.

This morning was freezing - literally.  There was ice everywhere accompanied by a thick fog so that you couldn't even bask in the sun to warm up.  I bundled myself up and headed off to work via The Flute bakery to pick up a cake for a colleague's birthday.

The cake was delicious (an apricot frangipane tart) but my smile for the day was the moment of stepping into the bakery.  On a cold and - well to be honest - miserable morning, I don't think anything smells quite as fantastic as a bakery.  And of course The Flute being the bakery to end all bakeries it smelt extra fab.  It is a combination of the smell of yeasty fresh bread, rich sweetness and the warmth of the ovens.  It was like stepping into a little bit of heaven.

Stepping out was difficult, however I did have my (now) hot little hands full of baked goodness, so that softened the blow.

The goodness of 3 in one neat bun

I believe it has been well established on this blog that I lurve the Flute Bakery.  I've also written about my special relationship with hot cross buns.  One thing that may not have been covered is how much I love brioche, a type of sweet bread which I often use for super excellent french toast.

So can you imagine my reaction when I walked into the Flute to discover that they make brioche into hot cross buns!  If you are thinking that it is possible that I bought a large number of them, then you would probably be correct.  If you are imagining that I squealed and then did a little happy dance, you may also be correct, although that part happened in my head (at least I hope it was only in my head). 

I must admit I haven't tried them yet, I'm waiting to share them with S.  They are currently sitting on my desk wafting an orange zest and raisin laden yeasty smell of deliciousness at me.  The only reason I've been able to resist this long is the flourless orange cake that I brought back to the office which has tided me over, but I better get these home soon or my resolution may crack!

P.S. These were truly excellent.  With quite a strong aroma of orange, the spices were nicely balanced and the sultanas particularly fat and tasty.  The glaze on top was also a sticky, finger licking delight.

Mmmmm lemon meringue

When I fall off the wagon I stay right off. Yup today was another Flute Bakery day. A lemon meringue pie kind of day. Imagine crisp pastry shell, perfectly tart lemon filling and piles of sweet, fluffy, soft, piled meringue. Oh my, everything there is just so fantastic.

I don't care if I'm addicted - I love this too much to stop.

Raspberry and custard filled brioche

I fell off the wagon today and landed at ... the Flute Bakery.

Oh how I love that place.  I'm thrilled it is out of my way, because if I'm ever in the vicinity in its limited opening hours I just cannot resist its Siren call.  Today is a grey, wet day, so dashing out of the rain and into its warm interior filled with the delicious scent of pastries of every description made it even more welcoming.

Once inside however, the decision making process needs to take place and believe me, it ain't no easy process.  There are pastries, macaroons, cakes and desserts that look more like a work of art than something you should eat, not to mention the variety of savoury pies, rolls and quiches.  I dithered for awhile, seriously considering filling my entire car with treats, but in the end I talked myself off the ledge and purchased just one thing - a raspberry and vanilla custard brioche.

Before I discovered the Flute, I had never come across the concept of a filled brioche.  For me, brioche was something you toasted succulent slices of and topped with jam, or made into french toast, or used as a base for Queen of Puddings.  But now a new world of possibility has opened up - the filled brioche.

Imagine the love child of a mini brioche and a jam donut - but instead of jam you have real raspberries, vanilla custard and a sprinkle of pistachios.  I cut it in half, intending on saving half for later in the day, but it was too good, I couldn't stop myself and I ate it all in one sitting.  Soooo good.

Tasty Treats and Spontaneous Visits

There was a birthday in the office today. You know what that means - a trip to the Flute Bakery. Today's request was a mixed berry frangipan tart (and yes, I do take the picture in the box, once out it never lasts long in this office). Oh it was good, the berries juicy, the frangapan moist, the pastry crisp. It was a delicious combination.

Of course I needed a little reward for driving all that way and today it came in the form of an apple and rasin strussel danish. It was another stunning example of their brilliant flakey, buttery golden pastry, topped with apples, a few raisins (not to many which was good) and excellent straussel. My Mum is the straussel queen and I can say, that the Flute's almost completes with hers. Toped off with a light dusting of cinnamon, it was worthy of licking the paper bag out for any last crumbs.

But today had an extra surprise. Only moments after happy birthday had been sung and the tart devoured, my phone rang and it was A who was in the vicinity and wondered if I had time for a quick coffee. I love a spontaneous occasion, so I jumped at the opportunity. We had a drink and a catchup while baby-S slept peacefully.

What a particularly excellent morning!

Another visit to the Flute

We had a birthday in the office (well 3 actually) so you know what that means - oh yeah, I've been to the Flute. I'm sorry to be repedative but it is just so damn good!

As there were three of us (yes, it is my birthday soon) we had a complex negotiation to decide on which of their amazing delicacies to choose. It is a difficult decision!

First you need to decide if you are going to pre-order or wing it. Evey day they have a stunning selection of cakes and not all of them are available for pre-order. But if you do decide to go the pre-order route, you then have to make your way through the tantalising list.

We ended up with a Jaffa Dome. It has a crunchy chocolate base, flourless orange cake and layers of dark chocolate and orange mousse. It was so fab I ate two pieces. I'm kind of regretting that now as it was extremely rich but oh so good.
In fact I may need rehab, this Flute addiction is getting serious!

The taste of the flute

No food blogs all week, then two in a row!

Today is a colleague's birthday so I made my way out to my spiritual home, The Flute Bakery. Predictable yes, but honestly, it is just so faaaaaabulous!

She wanted chocolate, so I got her this stunning mud cake. Have you ever seen a mud cake look like this? It was so delicious, I often find mud cake a bit too heavy, but this was super rich without hitting that sickly note you often get in a mud cake - wowsers.

I also got myself a pear galette. I've written about their amazing puff pastry before and it is like an addiction, I can't go out there without getting something flaky and crispy.

In what may prove to be a dangerous move, I've also got myself their pre-order list. You can't pre-order everything they make, but the 20 options are a pretty amazing selection. I'm serious people, if you are in Canberra on a weekday, get your self out to Fyshwick and try the heaven that is the Flute Bakery.

Disclaimer, I am in no way connected to the Flute, except by a growing and possibly serious addiction to their pastry.

REAL puff pastry

I know I've written before about the wonder that is The Flute bakery, but today I had another sample of its delights (and you will note, once again, no photo, everything got eaten too quickly).

I ventured out again to retrieve afternoon tea for the office. This time we indulged in milk chocolate and vanilla bean mousse cake on a hazelnut praline base - yes it was as delicious and as attractive as that sounds.

But what I'm really here to rave about it the wonder that is The Flute's puff pastry. Given I had trekked out early in the morning I thought I would treat myself to a pear galette. Can I just say, I don't think I've ever had something that could compete with the light, flakey, buttery yet crispy wonderourness that was that puff pastry. Topped with pear that was sweet and almost creamy in texture, it was a sensation - a $3 sensation! Gosh I'm glad it is a trek to get there, if that was close my waistline would be in serious trouble.