Passion Fruit and Lemon Bars

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So, I found myself browsing @offoodandart 's blog after spotting a particularly alluring Thai-Style omelet (delicious things to see there, folks. Pop on by!) and stumbled upon a pretty awesome initiative: #myturn

Essentially, it's a way to give credit to those who inspire you. Simply give a shout-out to the original creator and use the #myturn tag.

I'm stoked to have learned about the tag for a few reasons:

I've been taking part in brilliant weekly contest hosted by @offoodandart, @pandamama and @chefsteve collectively known as the @cookwithus team. As a new blogger, it's been a great way to stay inspired and meet other bloggers, all of whom post amazing content and offer tips and support. Each week has a theme and I find myself bookmarking so many recipes I can't wait to try, but was nervous blogging about because I don't want to steal the original poster's thunder!

I've traveled all over South Africa for work the last decade or so, and haven't been able to return home or visit family as often as I'd like. As you can imagine, the homesickness really starts getting to me at times.

I met lovely fellow South African @lizelle through the @cookwithus contest. She's coincidentally from the same area of Durban I grew up in, and something about her posts always triggers the homesickness (my mom doesn't mind, she gets a good long call every time). Anyway, she posted the most luscious looking Lemon Bars and I knew I had to give them a go, the perfect opportunity for my first #myturn post!

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Since I made only one minor adjustment to @lizelle's recipe (I replaced 1/3 of the lemon with passion fruit, as per her suggestion), I think it best to visit her blog for the step-by-step recipe here

Instead, I've decided to use the #myturn platform to give props to awesome inspiring cooks, and practice new things I learn about photography (thank you for suggesting I blog about it, @foodforsoul! (And indulge in the results, of course)

Before I continue with how I shot these tart little beauties, a little 'Review', if you could call it that... (Channeling my inner Matt Preston, here. Ahem....)

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This recipe is almost too good to be true. I whipped up the flour, icing sugar and butter for the base by hand in minutes. While that baked, the lemon, passion fruit, egg and icing sugar for the curd topping was whisked together in just seconds.

For less than 5 minutes of work (and the hard graft of leaving them alone in the oven for 30 minutes while my house was perfumed with the summery scent of lemon, passion fruit and the unmistakable aroma of biscuits on the bake) the result is incredible. The biscuit base is indulgently short and buttery, topped with a curd textured somewhere between freshly made Turkish delight and fudge. In short, perfection. (It took all I had not to eat them all before I could shoot them!) This recipe has been penned firmly into my collection of fool-proofs. Thank you, @lizelle!

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Now, photography things I learned this week, and how I applied them:

1. Tell a story:

• I incorporated all the ingredients for the bars and did a few test shots. The stark white of the flour and sugar were too distracting so I decided to stick with the stars of the show: The lemon and passion fruit.

1. Contrast, Contrast, Contrast.

• I put these babies on a wooden serving board at first, but the brown of the biscuit base was too close in colour and the pictures fell flat. As the passion fruit skin has a lovely pink rind, I swapped out the board for a Himalayan salt slab. Muchhh better, but it needed more.

1. Green adds vibrancy.

• I cannot overstate the difference it makes. While there's no mint in the recipe, it's a herb that generally goes well with lemon and sweet dishes. Don't just add green for the sake of it. It must make sense. A sprig of coriander would not have worked here! Just so happens my mint is flowering at the moment and the little white blooms add another layer of contrast.

1. Look for the light.

• As a rule, I shoot at 90 degrees from my key light source (the window in my dining room). In this instance, a couple of shots with the window behind the subject helped convey the translucency of the curd topping, and as long as you have enough ambient light in the room, you won't lose any details on the subject.

1. Don't settle on the setup.

• I was in the habit of carefully placing every element and shooting the same setup from every possible angle, instead of focusing on how to best showcase the food. Don't be afraid to move things around, especially if shooting free-hand.

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So there it is. I'd love any feedback from photographers in the hood and look forward to seeing more @myturn posts in my feed!

For more on my blog:

• Crème brûlée Milktart

• Coconut Mousse Cake

• Decadent Coconut Truffles

• Sweet, sticky koeksisters.

• Salted Caramel and Chocolate Shortbread

• Mushroom Risotto, Steak and Zuchinni

• The Crunchiest Chicken Wings on Earth

• Fancy-Ass Victoria Sponge Cookies

• The World's Most Versatile Dough use it to make crusty, delicious Rosemary and Olive Bread

• Spicy Pumpkin Soup

• Thank Duck It's Friday Gin Grapefruit and Tonic Cocktail

• Decadent Chocolate Mousse Cake

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Or check things out on Insta!

Official Viral.Crowd Instagram
Here's my personal Instagram.for progress on my photography and behind-the-scenes stuff in the kitchen