Join Caroline Wilson and Corrie Perkin for Ep 143.

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SHOW NOTES

After a COVID scare in our usual studios - we're recording completly remotely this week. Caro and Corrie share their experiences of COVID testing and isolation and discuss the extension of Stage 4 lockdown in Melbourne.

We look at new data suggestion our food shopping habits may have changed a lot during the pandemic (if the US experience is a guide) and Caro updates us on the latest news from the AFL - including the most recent protocol breaching behaviour to come out of hub land.

Corrie's 'Crush of the Week' for Red Energy is Casey Briggs from ABC News for his consistenly thorough COVID reporting.

In 'BSF' - Caro's been reading Rebecca's Tale by Sally Beauman. On the small screen Caro's recommending Jane Eyre on Stan and the movie Primal Fear on Netflix.

Corrie's been baking Julia Pear, Ricotta and Pine Nut Cake from Julia Busuttil Nishimura's A Year of Simple Family Food. To place your order for the second print run - contact My Bookshop HERE. See the recipe below.

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Pear, Ricotta and Pine Nut Cake

(from A Year of Simple Family Food by Julia Busuttil Nishimura)

SEVES 8-10

150 g unsalted butter, softened

150 g (3/4 cup) caster sugar

2 eggs

200g fresh full-fat ricotta

1 vanilla pod, split and seeds scraped OR 1 teaspoon of vanilla bean paste

Finely grated zest of 2 lemons

250g (1 2/3rds cup) sifted self-raising flour

3 pears, peeled and cored and cut into 2cm pieces

3 tablespoons pine nuts

Icing sugar for dusting

Preheat over to 180 degrees C. Grease a 21 cm round cake tin with butter and line with baking paper.

Cream the butter and sugar together using either a wooden spoon or a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, until light and fluffy.

Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well between each addition.

Spoon in the ricotta along with the vanilla and lemon zest.

Add the flour and gently mix until the batter is smooth and the flour is well incorporated,

Stir in the pear then spoon the batter into the prepared tin.

The batter will be quite stiff so be as gentle as possible.

Top with pine nuts and bake for 45 minutes or until skewer comes out clean when inserted in the centre.

Leave to cool in the tin for a few minutes then invert onto a wire rack to cool completely.

Light dust the cake with icing sugar before serving.

Can be served with cream or plain yoghurt and blueberries.

Don't Shoot the Messenger is produced by Corrie Perkin, Caroline Wilson and produced, engineered and edited by Jane Nield for Crocmedia.