🤤 This Cob Loaf Is Peak Winter Comfort

Plus: Nostalgic for finger buns? Give them a grown-up glow-up 🍓

Author

Livia Lun
July 12, 2025

Well howdy friends! It’s about time I slid back into your inboxes.

This week I’ve been whipping up some recipes using old-school Aussie ingredients. There were Nerds, mac and cheese, and a lot of ice cream involved. So…can you guess what I made?

We’ve got two banging recipes in store today: first up is Ryan’s nostalgic, squishy finger buns, which I’ve been craving all week. (And let me know your thoughts, but finger buns > vanilla slices in my opinion.)

Next is my tomato soup cob loaf, which is the only thing I want to eat during this freezing Sydney winter. Invite your mates over, pour a red, turn on some Role Model, and serve up tomato soup cobs… Thank me later for the perfect Saturday.

See you next week!

Fancy Finger Buns

✨ Makes 6 ✨

Ingredients ✍️

  • 5 eggs

  • ½ cup caster sugar

  • 1 cup cream

  • 1 tbsp vanilla extract

  • 6 soft hot dog buns

  • 100g unsalted butter

  • 250g cream cheese, softened

  • 2 cups icing sugar, sifted

  • 2 drops pink food gel

  • 1 jar strawberry jam

  • ½ cup desiccated coconut

Method ✍️

  1. In a large bowl, combine the eggs and caster sugar then whisk until combined. Add cream and vanilla extract, then whisk once more until the mixture is silky and smooth.

  2. Take a soft hot dog bun and using your thumb, press 3 holes in the top spaced evenly, being careful not to piece all the way through. Dunk the bun in the egg mixture and allow to soak for a minute, ensuring each hole is filled. Set aside and repeat this step until all the soft hot dog buns have been soaked.

  3. In a pan over low heat, add a chunk of butter, about 35g, to coat the base. Place 2 soaked hot dog buns in the pan, and then place a lid on top. Allow the bun to cook, rotating every minute until all 4 sides have turned golden brown. Set the cooked buns aside and repeat this step until all buns have been cooked.

  4. To a large bowl add the cream cheese and beat on low until it’s light and fluffy. Add the icing sugar ½ a cup at a time, and mix using a spatula until fully incorporated. Add 2 drops of pink food gel and beat the mixture once more until it turns completely pink and fluffy. Add a tablespoon of strawberry jam to the mix and lightly fold through using a spoon to create a ripple effect.

  5. Fill the holes of the buns with strawberry jam.

  6. Spread the strawberry rippled cream cheese over each bun in a thick layer, ensuring to cover each hole, and then sprinkle with desiccated coconut to finish. Serve and enjoy!

Tips From Tanika 👩🏻‍🍳🥘

Ever tried to get golden mushrooms in a pan but ended up with a watery mess instead? Here’s the fix: hold off on the salt until after they’ve browned.

Vegetables like mushrooms and zucchini carry a lot of water, and seasoning them too early draws that moisture out, which means steam city instead of golden, crispy edges. So first, make sure they’re totally dry before they go into the pan. Then, let them cook first, pick up some colour, and release their liquid. Finally, hit ’em with the salt!

Tomato Soup Cob Loaf

✨Serves 4 ✨

Ingredients ✍️

  • 1 cob loaf

  • 2 tbsp olive oil

  • 1 cup grated mozzarella

  • 10 tomatoes, quartered

  • 2 red onions, quartered

  • 8 garlic cloves

  • 2 tbsp olive oil

  • 1 tsp salt flakes

  • ½ tsp pepper

  • 2 cups vegetable stock

  • ½ cup cream

  • ¼ cup basil leaves

Tip: if you want cute little individual portions, swap out the big cob for mini cob rolls! It makes the perfect appetiser.

Method ✍️

  1. Preheat oven to 180°C.

  2. Place the cob loaf onto a lined baking tray.

  3. Cut a circle into the cob loaf and remove the interior. Rip into pieces and place around the cob loaf.

  4. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle over the cheese.

  5. Bake in the oven for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown. Set aside.

  6. Line a tray with baking paper and add the tomatoes, onions, garlic, olive oil, salt and pepper.

  7. Bake for 35-45 minutes or until soft and roasted.

  8. Allow the vegetables to cool slightly, then blend with the vegetable stock and cream. Let the steam escape through the top lid to ensure it doesn’t explode, or use a stick blender.

  9. Add extra vegetable stock to thin the soup out if desired.

  10. Place the cob onto the serving plate, and fill with the tomato soup.

  11. Top with an extra drizzle of cream, and fresh basil. Enjoy!

If You’re Feeling A Sweet Breakfast…

Try This Choccy Milk French Toast!

If choccy milk were born a human, it’d be named ‘Nobody’ — because nobody’s perfect. Until science makes that possible, this is the next best evolution of everyone’s favourite beveragino: French toast soaked in chocolate milk.

To modify your average French toast, simply beat the eggs and choccy milk together. Add MasterFoods Ground Cinnamon if you wish. With strawberries, choc-hazelnut drizzle, and plenty more on top, this ain’t your Bordeaux buddy’s French toast. This is true blue French toast for me and you.

For more delicious inspo and rapid recipes, make sure you’re following:

Gnocchi 101

Get The Ratio Right

After testing, we found the perfect gnocchi ratio: ¼ tsp salt, 1 large egg yolk, 450g raw potato, and ¼ cup 00 flour — ideal for one serving.

Remember to always weigh the potatoes raw, since their weight changes after cooking.

Use High-Starch Potatoes

Don’t just grab any spud! Go for varieties like russet, sebago (often sold in supermarkets as “brushed” potatoes), or King Edward — an older, floury variety.

These potatoes are packed with starch, which helps create a lighter, fluffier dough.

Bake, Don’t Boil

Potatoes are super absorbent, and boiling them adds too much moisture. That means you’ll need more flour in your dough, which can make your gnocchi too heavy.

Instead, pierce the potatoes with a fork and bake at 220°C for 40 minutes until tender.

 

Use A Potato Ricer

After baking, scoop out the potato flesh with a spoon. While you can use a masher or strain them, these methods will overwork the potatoes, giving them a gummy texture.

If you have one, a potato ricer is the best tool for the job. It keeps the texture light and fluffy.

00 Flour > All-Purpose Flour

All-purpose flour can give you a decent gnocchi, but 00 flour is even better. It’s super finely ground, resulting in a much lighter, more delicate texture.

Always sift the flour over your potato mixture. This helps spread it evenly and reduces the risk of overworking the dough.

Use A Fork To Make Ridges

Once your gnocchi dough is ready and cut into 2.5cm pieces, you can boil them as-is, or take an extra step to add some classic ridges.

No pasta board? Just use a fork! Gently press each piece and roll it slightly. Be careful not to press too hard, as you don’t want to break the gnocchi.

Cook Until They Float

Always salt your water before boiling gnocchi. Gently drop them in and give one light stir to prevent sticking, but don’t overdo it, or they might break apart.

Cook until they float to the top (about 3 minutes). Scoop them out, top with your sauce of choice, and voilà!

What'd you think of this email?

Login or Subscribe to participate in polls.