tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4524590203328225802024-03-13T10:08:03.815+11:00food, glorious foodfood, glorious foodhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16765820511694771346noreply@blogger.comBlogger32125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-452459020332822580.post-40266045685182966352012-10-21T11:47:00.000+11:002012-10-21T11:47:40.329+11:00Master Class with Peter GilmoreQuay restaurant has got to be on the top of every food lover's 'wish list'. It ticks all the right boxes - a spectacular view of Sydney's Opera House and Harbour Bridge, a world renowned executive chef in Peter Gilmore and a spot in the coveted San Pallegrino Top 50 Restaurants in the world.<br />
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I was recently given the opportunity by The Good Guys to attend a Master Class with the amazing Peter Gilmore of Quay at the Electrolux Cooking School in the Queen Victoria Market. If you haven't attended a Master Class of this kind, I can't recommend it highly enough. It's a fantastic opportunity to learn cooking tips from an industry expert while enjoying tastings of exquisite dishes.<br />
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<b>Gentle braise of organic pink turnips, prawns, octopus, diamond shell clams and garlic custard</b><br />
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The heart of this dish is the garlic custard. Silky and delicate, it sits just beneath the seafood and makes this dish pop.<br />
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The biggest secret however is that the seafood is actually poached in clarified butter (not water). You'd expect it to be greasy, right? Wrong. The butter creates a gorgeous gloss but there's really no grease in sight. And the aroma is divine. By poaching the seafood in butter, the flavour of the seafood doesn't get lost in the poaching liquid and therefore retains it's flavour. Truly, I doubt that I'll poach seafood in anything other than butter ever again. Like someone said to me on Twitter, it seems that I have seen the poaching 'light'!<br />
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<b>Smoked and confit pig jowl, shiitake, shaved scallop, Jerusalem artichoke, juniper and bay</b><br />
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Pig jowl is a cut of pork that you don't see a lot in Australia. It comes from the neck and is topped with about three inches of fat (...now that's my kind of pork!). Peter steams the jowl for eight hours. He then removes the skin and most of the fat, cold smokes the remaining meat and then, you guessed it, poaches it in butter infused with juniper berries, bay leaves and sliced jamon. Heaven. Porky heaven.<br />
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Now let's talk crackling. It's apparently impossible to get crackling on jowl. So what does Peter do? Creates a Jerusalem artichoke 'crackling'. Sounds like a horrible vegetarian nightmare, right? Well, I must say it's not that bad. I won't be giving up my pork crackling any time soon but this was a great alternative to having no crackling at all.<br />
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<b>Caramelised brioche with warm cherry compote</b><br />
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In trouble with your spouse? Peter's advice is to bake them this dish.<br />
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This is actually a relatively simple dish to recreate at home and it tastes sensational (I could have easily eaten the rest of the brioche loaf). The brioche is dunked in a vanilla custard mixture and steamed for three minutes. It's then coated in a hot caramel and topped with cherry compote.<br />
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Divine.<br />
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<i>Thank you to The Good Guys (@thegoodguysau) and the Electrolux Cooking School (@ElectroluxAUS) for inviting me to attend the Master Class with Peter Gilmore.</i>food, glorious foodhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16765820511694771346noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-452459020332822580.post-1927995959955288532012-06-10T16:52:00.002+10:002012-06-10T16:53:55.001+10:00Pork ribs and beer-battered onion rings - does life get any better than this?Mr K has been begging me to make onion rings for quite some time now. I've never been much of a fan of onion rings but I couldn't deny Mr K his request. Queen's birthday long weekend sounded like the perfect weekend for our gluttonous Texan feast.<br />
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Pork ribs, beer-battered onion rings, chips, coleslaw and beer. I'm sure life doesn't get much better than this.<br />
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I just couldn't get over how crispy the onion rings turned out. Even after they had cooled they were still incredibly crunchy (not even a hint of sogginess in sight). And the ribs. Well I don't even know what to say about the ribs. They were perfect in every way. The meat literally fell off the bone and melted in your melt.<br />
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Mr K and I ate this entire meal in dead silence. It was THAT good!<br />
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<b>Pork ribs (adopted from <a href="http://www.sbs.com.au/food/recipe/673/Barbecued_ribs_with_marinated_coleslaw">SBS Food Safari USA</a></b><b>)</b><br />
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2 racks American pork spare ribs (about 1 kg)<br />
375ml bottle beer (we like to use Budweiser)<br />
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<i>For the dry spice rub</i><br />
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1 tbsp sweet paprika<br />
1 tbsp salt<br />
1 tbsp garlic powder<br />
1/2 tbsp black pepper<br />
1 tbsp cayenne pepper<br />
1/2 tbsp dried oregano<br />
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<i>For the bbq sauce</i><br />
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1 1/2 cups Masterfoods smoky barbeque sauce<br />
1 tbsp worcestershire sauce<br />
1 tbsp cayenne pepper (optional)<br />
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Rub the ribs on both sides with spice rub. Place in a large sealable bag or on a large sheet of aluminium foil placed in a large roasting pan. Cover with beer and seal. Marinate in the fridge for an hour or two (preferably overnight).<br />
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Remove the ribs from the bag or aluminium foil and bring to room temperature.<br />
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Preheat the oven to 160 degrees. Line a large baking sheet with aluminium foil and remove ribs from marinade. Lay ribs on top, and tightly cover with foil. Roast 2 hours.<br />
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Pre heat the grill or bbq to medium heat.<br />
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Remove ribs from oven and uncover. Place the ribs onto the hot barbeque grill, brush ribs with sauce so that it caramelises onto the ribs . Cook over heat for 6-8 minutes on each side. Baste as necessary (you can NEVER have too much sauce!).<br />
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Remove from BBQ and serve with additional BBQ sauce on the side.<br />
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<b>Beer-battered onion rings (recipe from <a href="http://www.taste.com.au/recipes/7020/beer+battered+onion+rings">taste.com.au</a>)</b><br />
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190g (1 1/4 cups) plain flour<br />
1/2 tsp baking powder<br />
Pinch of salt<br />
375ml botttle chilled beer<br />
Vegetable oil, to deep-fry<br />
4 medium (about 720g) white onions, cut into 1cm thick rings, rings separated<br />
Sea salt flake<br />
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Combine the flour, baking powder and salt in a large bowl and make a well in the centre. Use a balloon whisk to whisk in the beer until the mixture is smooth.<br />
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Add enough oil to a large wok or saucepan to reach a depth of 10cm. Heat to 190°C over high heat (when oil is ready, a cube of bread will turn golden brown in 10 seconds).<br />
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Dip onion rings, 1 at a time, into the beer batter to evenly coat, then straight into the hot oil. Note that you may need to do this in 3 to 4 batches depending on the size of your pan. The trick is not too overcrowd the pan.<br />
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Deep-fry for 2-3 minutes or until crisp, golden and cooked through.<br />
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Transfer to a tray lined with paper towel. Repeat, in batches, with the remaining onion rings and batter, reheating the oil between batches.<br />
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Arrange the beer-battered onion rings on a serving platter and season with sea salt flakes. Serve immediately.<br />
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<br />food, glorious foodhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16765820511694771346noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-452459020332822580.post-42198818470454664822012-05-07T17:21:00.000+10:002012-05-07T17:22:44.220+10:00Lady in redI recently created another engagement cake, this time for a friend of a friend.<br />
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Jess, the bride to be, came to me with the following design.<br />
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She was quite taken by the black stripes and the highly polished red roses and eager to utilise those as the starting point for the design of her cake. I put together a number of different sketches, but we eventually decided on a white two-teir cake, the bottom tier being double-barelled and adorned with black stripes and the top tier accented by varnished red roses.<br />
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During our initial consultation we also discussed the flavour of the cake. Jess wanted a rich, moist chocolate mud-cake with a dark-chocolate centre, covered in chocolate ganache. She wasn't thrilled about the idea of having to serve the fondant covered slices of cake so we improvised and decided to create a display cake for her to cut in front of guests and a delicious chocolate slab cake for her to serve. It worked out perfectly as she got plenty of photos with her beautiful cake and the guests were all thrilled to have a delicious chocolate cake to devour at the end of the night.<br />
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So back to the cake. The cake was topped with 12 polished sugar roses that I made from scratch. When I set out to do this I never envisaged the ludicrous amount of moulding paste and time this would take. My favourite part was definitely varnishing the flower with the edible varnish. They came our perfectly!<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6Tn4zlHkmFj7nGUKnm-X0WCbZ2q86sdZ4xUTBBKt_7D6wRucQzSkelc3Cxh4GO1PkjimdT4RQmt4krJuYa6vgJ3YYu_jZ0y9lUPVwbRFPz5kFhTXrMPYEYLOj8P2msj45Df-gwRD-jRdT/s1600/IMG01232-20120318-1107.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6Tn4zlHkmFj7nGUKnm-X0WCbZ2q86sdZ4xUTBBKt_7D6wRucQzSkelc3Cxh4GO1PkjimdT4RQmt4krJuYa6vgJ3YYu_jZ0y9lUPVwbRFPz5kFhTXrMPYEYLOj8P2msj45Df-gwRD-jRdT/s320/IMG01232-20120318-1107.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Red sugar roses before varnishing</td></tr>
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The hardest part about the stripes was lining them up on the cake so that they sat straight. Thank god for Mr K or else I think I may have ended up in the foetal position after about the second stripe!<br />
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Deciding on the colour of the ribbon was also difficult. We originally went with white but then decided that the use of black on the top tier would provide a better contrast against the white.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUlNAfwaS3BP5KKFY0suZVgm6LpTpTPJk8WhqmWs8jen2KMFrg8LuYO8cynQ_FAjdMN2PwFmmfDTPf931mkA6OGvJkAMrRJvARkqLdEK2WjEAggp_AAY-3uFJizEuKUhG3SPfEO9v5FJvp/s1600/IMG01266-20120402-1935.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUlNAfwaS3BP5KKFY0suZVgm6LpTpTPJk8WhqmWs8jen2KMFrg8LuYO8cynQ_FAjdMN2PwFmmfDTPf931mkA6OGvJkAMrRJvARkqLdEK2WjEAggp_AAY-3uFJizEuKUhG3SPfEO9v5FJvp/s320/IMG01266-20120402-1935.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Testing the cake with white ribbon</td></tr>
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Looking back now at the photos, I do wonder whether we should have stuck with the white.<br />
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Here is the final product. You'll have to excuse the TERRIBLE photo and lighting. But you get the idea!<br />
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Jess, the bride-to-be, looked sensational in red and I wish her and her fiance all the best as they enter the exciting (be-it crazy!) world of planning a wedding. Thank you again for allowing me the opportunity to be a part of your day.food, glorious foodhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16765820511694771346noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-452459020332822580.post-69743962224916500772012-03-12T20:34:00.001+11:002012-03-13T09:02:28.314+11:00Porteno (Sydney)<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">It's 5.45pm and I'm yelling at Mr K, "we've got to go, right now. We can't be late, we just can't!" He doesn't quite understand and looks back at me with that look....that look of desperation that says 'no-more, please, no more'. Poor Mr K has been dragged around Sydney the entire weekend as I try to make my way through the long list of hot Sydney restaurants to eat at. With a flutter of some eyelashes and promises of beer and pork, Mr K shuts off the tv and we leave our hotel room en route to dinner. </span><br />
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</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">We arrive out the front of <a href="http://www.porteno.com.au/">Porteno</a> at 6.03pm and again, I'm yelling at Mr K "hurrryyy upp.....there's a line...I told you there'd be a line....quicccck". </span></div></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">That's right. It's pensioner hour and there's already a line of people waiting to get in. Mr K can see the tears forming. He's anxious, not quite sure what's worse, having to comfort me and the 'ugly tears' or having to eat any more food. 'Ugly tears' averted - we score two seats at a communal table.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">We start with some small-plates. The pickled veal tongue is sensational and reminds me of a similar dish my grandfather would make on special occasions. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">The pan de casa with olive oil and the most gorgeous, light, pork pate that I could eat by the kilo! </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">And the absoloute standout - bbq eggplant, pepper cauliflower with tahini and quail egg. This dish, despite being vegetarian, had both Mr K and I ooooh-ing and aaah-ing. The quail egg is cooked perfectly, the tahini adds a delightful tang and the smokiness of the bbq'd vegetables on the crisp tortilla are just....amazing. </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPBfJNPynz3wiNSYELF97SU3_DZU7AsXciRJc43d4pJVr7hNlklLl60VzsJ9HG8Yno1cy2eH09HEIImFrtO0Whb_npQEKNvdK_UZghp3Q4PyEkNSCQmkIZJaJKdP31DSGnHVtKc8ERoPUL/s1600/IMG-20120312-WA003.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><img border="0" height="238" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPBfJNPynz3wiNSYELF97SU3_DZU7AsXciRJc43d4pJVr7hNlklLl60VzsJ9HG8Yno1cy2eH09HEIImFrtO0Whb_npQEKNvdK_UZghp3Q4PyEkNSCQmkIZJaJKdP31DSGnHVtKc8ERoPUL/s320/IMG-20120312-WA003.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">According to their website each morning two of each the suckling pigs and lambs are prepared in a cross, set to cook over burning embers of ironbark wood until 6pm when the doors open for dinner. </span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4RW1_z4ro4icDInErj8gAAOwtXxIY3FHhWS7FpgXyRKNBCjO9yh_x0XW1I-K8DZrgmN8sm_N3alTr0QrZvBnAhAvovRf0U6hvs8d9_sA71K-LQaESXCkKWWd6SiC1JipqljzZM97F0zrL/s1600/IMG-20120312-WA008-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4RW1_z4ro4icDInErj8gAAOwtXxIY3FHhWS7FpgXyRKNBCjO9yh_x0XW1I-K8DZrgmN8sm_N3alTr0QrZvBnAhAvovRf0U6hvs8d9_sA71K-LQaESXCkKWWd6SiC1JipqljzZM97F0zrL/s320/IMG-20120312-WA008-2.jpg" width="238" /></span></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #633c0a; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">The fire pit is truly an amazing sight to see and embarks a flavour in the meat that is completely indescribable. We decide on the 8-hour wood-fired pig and it is perfect - moist and juicy meat and a perfectly crispy crackling. The way pork should be.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #633c0a; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHHF-LZK8TU1ffJFLghyphenhyphenq8ovbjo-Tb6hozqBEDFpSM8Sof-GJQz4Uz9-R_JQHIuIZnrfzJKW_sM6yyLP7ut0mZItkxobmy_s0siNP2Jke90lZWWwnFzNOVceNFctHbGwicwlqewd9LiWbv/s1600/IMG-20120312-WA004.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><img border="0" height="238" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHHF-LZK8TU1ffJFLghyphenhyphenq8ovbjo-Tb6hozqBEDFpSM8Sof-GJQz4Uz9-R_JQHIuIZnrfzJKW_sM6yyLP7ut0mZItkxobmy_s0siNP2Jke90lZWWwnFzNOVceNFctHbGwicwlqewd9LiWbv/s320/IMG-20120312-WA004.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #633c0a; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">We finish with burnt milk custard with orange jam (note - the best popcorn I've ever had!) and of course a glass of sherry for Mr K.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhd3_hQox3vpoGRswiLkGgMZ59LNdTwYYiZDexJMZ1F3B6I6xVuFTGCslw8nc4QqBEAfObXbVOUI3MB0qp2rfTyRSsn7w3JoKJC3navQX6ADfB_l2Ki8iNkthey6Zohzzzmbfxni16k33np/s1600/IMG-20120312-WA006.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="238" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhd3_hQox3vpoGRswiLkGgMZ59LNdTwYYiZDexJMZ1F3B6I6xVuFTGCslw8nc4QqBEAfObXbVOUI3MB0qp2rfTyRSsn7w3JoKJC3navQX6ADfB_l2Ki8iNkthey6Zohzzzmbfxni16k33np/s320/IMG-20120312-WA006.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">And so the night ends. Thankfully for Mr K, I had made my way through the list and his nightmare of having to eat at anymore food is over. For this trip anyway...</span></div>food, glorious foodhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16765820511694771346noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-452459020332822580.post-19505710217660727152012-02-23T16:32:00.000+11:002012-02-23T16:32:45.843+11:00Congratulations Blaire & DaveAnyone who follows me on twitter will know that I've been frantically baking for the last week. In fact, anyone who has so much as even looked at me recently knows that I've been frantically baking for the last week. <br />
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And no-one knows this as well as my beloved Mr K who's been holding down the forte during my, let's call it, 'absence'.<br />
<br />
So here it is....in all it's glory.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtBxsbE6PIMt1RcdEMakiAa_BVowGw6_lBKt6G0o2Qq6gShWRAIdstgywJD3oXTVssuu5AJ4Fg9AClDJICL_SfAXBU6i5GhO4MmiXeinX8yOfeoqEEZ5OoTGBDuGOMs5FnY_Q1QQjUlRuu/s1600/IMG-20120218-WA000.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtBxsbE6PIMt1RcdEMakiAa_BVowGw6_lBKt6G0o2Qq6gShWRAIdstgywJD3oXTVssuu5AJ4Fg9AClDJICL_SfAXBU6i5GhO4MmiXeinX8yOfeoqEEZ5OoTGBDuGOMs5FnY_Q1QQjUlRuu/s320/IMG-20120218-WA000.jpg" width="238" /></a></div><br />
55 glorious centimetres of layered mudcake, nestled under a tower of 60 chocolate profiteroles.<br />
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Special thanks goes out to my gorgeous girlfriend (and bride-to-be) Blaire who believed in my ability enough to ask me to create this masterpiece for her engagement. And of course, an equally special thanks to Mr K who, night after night, assured me that it would turn out picture-perfect. Love you guys xxfood, glorious foodhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16765820511694771346noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-452459020332822580.post-79497652797331109442011-11-11T14:08:00.000+11:002011-11-11T14:08:59.853+11:00'Nothing is too much trouble if it turns out the way it should' - Julia Child<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">When I started this blog, almost 18 months ago, I wasn't really sure where it would go and what would come of it. In fact, I didn't even know whether I'd make it past the first post.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"></div><div class="PTtabletext">It really is amazing how much things can change in 18 months. Mr K and I are now married, we live in a beautiful house in the ‘burbs with our beloved pooch Lilly (aka Lillo, Lil or ‘Lilly NO’) and I love food more than ever. </div><div class="PTtabletext"><br />
</div><div class="PTtabletext">But it’s different now. </div><div class="PTtabletext"><br />
</div><div class="PTtabletext">Back then it was more about the eating than it was about the cooking. </div><div class="PTtabletext"><br />
</div><div class="PTtabletext">But these days, you almost have to drag me out of the kitchen kicking and screaming.</div><div class="PTtabletext"><br />
</div><div class="PTtabletext">And baking. Who would have ever thought I would learn to enjoy baking?! Yes, there have been some baking disasters that we will not speak, but all in all, I love it (….as do Mr K’s work colleagues).</div><div class="PTtabletext"><br />
</div><div class="PTtabletext">So, as far as blogging is concerned, it’s not over. I just prefer to spend more time wowing peoples’ tastebuds rather than their eyes. And let’s be honest, my photos were pretty horrendous anyway!</div><div class="PTtabletext"><br />
</div><div class="PTtabletext">Oh, and nothing satisfies me more than when Mr K, arguably my biggest fan but harshest critic, exclaims with great passion and enthusiasm ‘OH MY GOD….no, seriously….OH MY GOD…this is the best thing ever’. I love it. </div><div class="PTtabletext"><br />
</div><div class="PTtabletext">So here is what I’ve been cooking. If you’re after any recipes, drop me a line.</div><div class="PTtabletext"><br />
</div><div class="PTtabletext"></div><div class="PTtabletext"><b>Baked passionfruit cheesecake</b></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoBdzTqUpvDUEaUWzaL-ImHybnAkudUf90lIRDxo3-PQu9nJCu2ocI0OGvGsznic0WS9ZciM31aHrL1h0CaT64-V9uUBaSVztl9q7o9ulB5UNNQuQqrL_uDaLY4wzt-lzWYcqdOh9v81A3/s1600/IMG00987-20111101-1246.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoBdzTqUpvDUEaUWzaL-ImHybnAkudUf90lIRDxo3-PQu9nJCu2ocI0OGvGsznic0WS9ZciM31aHrL1h0CaT64-V9uUBaSVztl9q7o9ulB5UNNQuQqrL_uDaLY4wzt-lzWYcqdOh9v81A3/s320/IMG00987-20111101-1246.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;">We all know that cheesecake is Mr K’s favourite, so this was a special request by him for a cup day barbeque we were attending. I have to say, it turned out exactly like I imagined. But it was quite a battle trying to convince people that it was actually homemade and not store bought!</span></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><br />
</span></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><b> </b></div><div class="PTtabletext"><b>Fruit custard tarts</b></div><b> </b><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIX9_TySDgC7hNRMLe_MUkgq98NUO_JCurrv90n-RF9cKyayFVBHxdQP2-0jc07yXzg9hFRmO0Zp70Mljh6NLLVZ-VjA0kPhczuZ6vxIYnZliOzJ_KSlVRiHuWI7n-8YX9WJgJJaqNcouC/s1600/IMG00810-20110701-0726.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIX9_TySDgC7hNRMLe_MUkgq98NUO_JCurrv90n-RF9cKyayFVBHxdQP2-0jc07yXzg9hFRmO0Zp70Mljh6NLLVZ-VjA0kPhczuZ6vxIYnZliOzJ_KSlVRiHuWI7n-8YX9WJgJJaqNcouC/s320/IMG00810-20110701-0726.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b></b></div><div class="PTtabletext" style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;">These tarts were made especially for an afternoon tea that was held at Mr K’s work. It took a while to perfect the tart shells and ensure that they didn’t shrink – but I got there in the end. Next time though, I’ll have to take the time to glaze them. They look a bit…dull.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: -webkit-auto;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="PTtabletext" style="text-align: left;"><b>Chocolate caramel layer cake</b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdSG2FEssR_dn7CKpevEt2i1jbNF0ObX1G5kSbnxfpE2CtTeZIfMZDff3mEtFS4PTEi9lgoa5K7H841g6o0vuX84RmPNGctN6vc7eSL60VF0kh6S8jbxRrDn_UpI-OIZtjqYlaipHXBgaq/s1600/IMG00977-20111018-1113.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdSG2FEssR_dn7CKpevEt2i1jbNF0ObX1G5kSbnxfpE2CtTeZIfMZDff3mEtFS4PTEi9lgoa5K7H841g6o0vuX84RmPNGctN6vc7eSL60VF0kh6S8jbxRrDn_UpI-OIZtjqYlaipHXBgaq/s200/IMG00977-20111018-1113.jpg" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVwd2qSg0h1h9M3X2tRJu6-8qzk8kNwkQiSJGz367hKM2XwruOH7OGW7pR6Hb0Wf3Jp6InoZInnpstJOcxCuBB7Lq2m8zewpvuJuCp0cfG9ByibD1JAlf-DpFwuI8qWJgBF2IF18TYNr83/s1600/IMG00976-20111016-2057.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVwd2qSg0h1h9M3X2tRJu6-8qzk8kNwkQiSJGz367hKM2XwruOH7OGW7pR6Hb0Wf3Jp6InoZInnpstJOcxCuBB7Lq2m8zewpvuJuCp0cfG9ByibD1JAlf-DpFwuI8qWJgBF2IF18TYNr83/s200/IMG00976-20111016-2057.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I am absolutely in love with this cake. Four layers of moist mudcake – vanilla, caramel, chocolate-caramel and chocolate – sandwiched together with oozing caramel and covered in ganache. I almost slept with it on my bedside table, that is how I deeply fell in love with this cake. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"></div><div class="PTtabletext"><b><br />
</b></div><div class="PTtabletext"><b>Chocolate croquembouche</b></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaoZx9Qio6jx_ZJkVv0K8wF3qBGtsmJHMXDD_e9mEfU6-IdciHOzbJNZiy59wzulkbvGUfYsEu_ya5Y7ffxDgB_mtJaQyVOjQkVHY0hTrtnprZEzunIOUDrps9BW-3sxPzA-Dh-WPHKqEV/s1600/IMG00936-20110923-1914.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaoZx9Qio6jx_ZJkVv0K8wF3qBGtsmJHMXDD_e9mEfU6-IdciHOzbJNZiy59wzulkbvGUfYsEu_ya5Y7ffxDgB_mtJaQyVOjQkVHY0hTrtnprZEzunIOUDrps9BW-3sxPzA-Dh-WPHKqEV/s320/IMG00936-20110923-1914.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">….this was epic. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"></div><div class="PTtabletext"><b><br />
</b></div><div class="PTtabletext"><b>Slow cooked leg of lamb</b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWCW__KJeAuI5j07H_HJIrT0exrQrw5kQ-PMJswsjRGuF1t9Rw-uezX0Y0E2-RHNpS19xGQssp6sIrlvUxkszkCgTGP70oG7RdueoNmP4VoS8S8_JYvCwYj6Fjcvi195QQ8KScK_GfpUac/s1600/IMG00981-20111030-1924.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWCW__KJeAuI5j07H_HJIrT0exrQrw5kQ-PMJswsjRGuF1t9Rw-uezX0Y0E2-RHNpS19xGQssp6sIrlvUxkszkCgTGP70oG7RdueoNmP4VoS8S8_JYvCwYj6Fjcvi195QQ8KScK_GfpUac/s320/IMG00981-20111030-1924.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I will have to go so far as saying, this is the BEST lamb I have ever eaten (….and I’m European, we eat a lot of lamb!). Honestly, I don’t even don’t how to describe it, it was that good. It was moist, completely fell off the bone and the garlic and rosemary just tasted sensational.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"></div><div class="PTtabletext"><b>Chilli mussels served and crusty garlic bread</b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsEO34SpeJlaXaq_Msr4GOqxarDrO3t1fewYR6_tE8lGGMQ8dy8FJ17Q119N1-0Ilw9arv1PI_NmkPu_W1XEe4X9ytGlStdfB6L0BkKq2BALqAPp5V4uS1qbAPumXWBMlc9O_UEVchRCJn/s1600/IMG_0526.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="236" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsEO34SpeJlaXaq_Msr4GOqxarDrO3t1fewYR6_tE8lGGMQ8dy8FJ17Q119N1-0Ilw9arv1PI_NmkPu_W1XEe4X9ytGlStdfB6L0BkKq2BALqAPp5V4uS1qbAPumXWBMlc9O_UEVchRCJn/s320/IMG_0526.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="PTtabletext" style="text-align: left;">This is a real winter favourite for Mr K and I. We usually fight over who gets the last piece of garlic bread to dip into the broth. Can you guess who wins?</div>food, glorious foodhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16765820511694771346noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-452459020332822580.post-46270968400929162212011-08-31T17:56:00.012+10:002011-08-31T18:20:27.052+10:00Hatch that dream<br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Sometimes life can feel a lot like ‘Groundhog Day'. The daily grind. The desperate mid-morning coffee. The monotonous small talk with colleagues. The same faces, voices. Day after day. After day.</span></div></div><div class="PTtabletext"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></div><div class="PTtabletext"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">And then something happens when you least expect it that jolts you back to life. It sparks a fire in you</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">r soul and you remember, even if for just one hour, the feeling of being alive. The excitement. The possibilities. The dream.</span></div><div class="PTtabletext"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></div><div class="PTtabletext"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><b>Hatch that dream</b>. </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">It was those three words that struck my soul like lightning and brought me back from the monotony. Those three words that made me sit up and listen. They are now etched into my mind and consume almost every breath I take.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span id="goog_1029487103"></span><span id="goog_1029487104"></span></span><br />
<div style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; margin-top: 0px;"></div><br />
<div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"></div></div><div class="PTtabletext"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Hatch that Dream is the slogan of <a href="http://www.cupcakecentral.com.au/">Cupcake Central</a>. The brainchild of ex-IT consultant (!!) turned cupcake baker/super businesswoman Sheryl Thai. </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Her story gives me goosebumps…her success instils me with confidence, hope and absolute sheer determination.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Everyone has a dream. For Sheryl it was cupcakes….for me it is artisan cheese and charcuterie.</span></div><div class="PTtabletext"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></span></div></div><div class="PTtabletext"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDTSwkpPNoY8D_mgQZBauDU9KQtPgf-Fsp7EATOJ0IWH07rQYIVLuVyqNbAk3rVyELt_T-F57nPJ7koWnWHcpv7ZllkHCbxqJi39EeM1Id0S3nkSmmtplXtwXbnm4Q6tNZRp16yIvDc3tY/s1600/hatch.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" height="320" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5646930759130980210" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDTSwkpPNoY8D_mgQZBauDU9KQtPgf-Fsp7EATOJ0IWH07rQYIVLuVyqNbAk3rVyELt_T-F57nPJ7koWnWHcpv7ZllkHCbxqJi39EeM1Id0S3nkSmmtplXtwXbnm4Q6tNZRp16yIvDc3tY/s320/hatch.png" style="height: 320px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: center; width: 238px;" width="238" /></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></div><div class="PTtabletext" style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">So once again I am invigorated. Inspired. To make a move. Any move. Towards that dream.</span></div>food, glorious foodhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16765820511694771346noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-452459020332822580.post-37900168317955013342011-07-11T11:10:00.000+10:002011-07-11T11:10:00.368+10:00Cheesecake like no other<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Mr K loves cheesecake. He really, really loves cheesecake. In fact, I've stopped asking Mr K for suggestions of desserts because cheesecake seems to be the only thing he comes up with. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">This was the last cheesecake I made...and I have to say...it was probably the BEST cheesecake I've had in a very, very long time (...and needless to say, we eat a lot of cheesecake!)</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTbt3V2jJ3i7R7io_yqH1zjtwO-9YtEszXrmq8-iGccvw_23eS-XCMjwpbSXLg1Ruvhyphenhyphen3WblxgVu_d3fEeLCt8y6d-fY3e0ZooAbQJjXEGGyxCnUgy1K4qwC3xLCYIDfgWTFdhqu_K-THN/s1600/DSC00372.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTbt3V2jJ3i7R7io_yqH1zjtwO-9YtEszXrmq8-iGccvw_23eS-XCMjwpbSXLg1Ruvhyphenhyphen3WblxgVu_d3fEeLCt8y6d-fY3e0ZooAbQJjXEGGyxCnUgy1K4qwC3xLCYIDfgWTFdhqu_K-THN/s320/DSC00372.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', fantasy;"><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">This 'classic vanilla cheesecake' features on the cover of the ABC cookbook 'Declicious. - More please'. It's described as 'the ultimate cheesecake...super-rich' and I have to agree. The fact that it's called a 'classic vanilla cheesecake' though is completely misleading - this is a cheesecake like you've never had before!</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', fantasy;">There's quite a number of steps and you're left with 8 egg whites (did I hear someone say pavalova?!) but it truly is worth the effort.</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh11Tk7qtfEjs4DaF4TqKbH4T58lSsdKuIORwf2ArjkXrtQq0WAMMiwa0OfrOJJ5GtOx9XnFiG4Eed4xsrtPvT-YAq5Dp3QV5sJHhVS6zfaPdwi2sEYhT2C1NCmYqz-4x0vL23ltxbxDr1I/s1600/DSC00373.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh11Tk7qtfEjs4DaF4TqKbH4T58lSsdKuIORwf2ArjkXrtQq0WAMMiwa0OfrOJJ5GtOx9XnFiG4Eed4xsrtPvT-YAq5Dp3QV5sJHhVS6zfaPdwi2sEYhT2C1NCmYqz-4x0vL23ltxbxDr1I/s320/DSC00373.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', -webkit-fantasy;"><br />
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<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Classic vanilla cheesecake</span></b><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">300g shortbread biscuits </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">1 tablespoon Dutch cocoa</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">70g unsalted butter, melted</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">750g cream cheese</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">150g thickened cream</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">1 vanilla bean, split, seed scraped (this is an absolute must - the vanilla bean is what makes this cheesecake!)</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">2 eggs, plus 8 egg yolks</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">240g caster sugar</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">600ml sour cram</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Berries and chocolate sauce to serve</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', -webkit-fantasy;">Preheat oven to 160 degrees</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', -webkit-fantasy;">Line a 20cm x 30cm lamington pan with baking paper (I think my pan was slightly larger)</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', -webkit-fantasy;">Place biscuits and cocoa in processor and process to fine crumbs, then add butter and pulse until just combined</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', -webkit-fantasy;">Press biscuit mixtures into the base of the pan</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', -webkit-fantasy;">Bake for 10 minutes</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', -webkit-fantasy;">Allow to cool completely</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', -webkit-fantasy;">Reduce oven to 110 degrees</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', -webkit-fantasy;">Process cheese, cram, vanilla seeds, eggs, yolks and 200g sugar </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', -webkit-fantasy;">Pour cream mixture over biscuit base and bake for 1 hour and 15 minutes or until just set</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', -webkit-fantasy;">Meanwhile, place the sour cream and remaining 40g sugar in processor and process until completely smooth</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', -webkit-fantasy;">Pour sour cream mixture over the cheesecake, then return to the oven for a further 15 minutes</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', -webkit-fantasy;">Turn off heat and allow cheesecake to cool in the oven with the door a slight ajar</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', -webkit-fantasy;">Once cool, chill for 3 hours (I chilled overnight)</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', -webkit-fantasy;">Slice cheesecake into even bar and serve with berries and chocolate sauce</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', -webkit-fantasy;">(...keep an eye out next week for the recipe of Mr K's second favourite cheesecake...Nigella's infamous Chocolate Peanut Butter Cheesecake)</span>food, glorious foodhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16765820511694771346noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-452459020332822580.post-48163644896937175902011-06-26T17:25:00.003+10:002011-06-27T10:52:46.776+10:00Cumulus Inc. - Eating house and bar<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">So after a number of failed attempts to get a table at Cumulus Inc., Mr K and I finally scored a table for Saturday afternoon lunch. </span><br />
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<div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUXNUUmxgiQdMRi4tU03ydYfLMZiMu7wM8lwHqHVtt_fueihiYZaTVk77arXAEpcDpQNM-cOINIgRALf5dJlnpEcB1RygxxgCNSWbOn7bAmGBMy7qczFKHnuTddikhYkDoWr338G2danVd/s320/DSC00380.JPG" width="320" /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', fantasy;"><br />
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</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', fantasy;">Well, actually, we got much better than a table – we got two seats at the bar looking directly into the kitchen.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2dFSPTb0ytCYJ1RvQvWGW8fxZ66PrW9tNu-wM3ZZAUmnndvH5KR8veS7FB0gpZYHsSVCSM80He_69C4qfBj3x90ZzmfEOBRSrAXCrupJzq9it80ifMqI8rQ3kvRkGpI_p-DYoHFD0cHUJ/s320/DSC00379.JPG" width="320" /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', fantasy;"><br />
</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">The menu at Cumulus features so many of my favourites that it was really hard to decide on just a few dishes.<br />
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Mr K and I started with the kitchen charcute selection. <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', -webkit-fantasy;">The selection featured wagyu bresaola, proscuitto, coppacolla, and pig’s head rillete with apple mustard and grilled bread. We also received a plate of hand cut Sicilian salami.</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', -webkit-fantasy;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJMQhsMclcRymQp9fbOwOS2ryHFna3Ak6SyMqhdRPa7uSzN08reRCFU5JXs0y3fa2CLgWli6n982G-dxhmqbeTUE26ni42DxzKknDF5pXceLlHNetS883rt6kTqj_BGk-e-GOrXN18XVig/s1600/DSC00382.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJMQhsMclcRymQp9fbOwOS2ryHFna3Ak6SyMqhdRPa7uSzN08reRCFU5JXs0y3fa2CLgWli6n982G-dxhmqbeTUE26ni42DxzKknDF5pXceLlHNetS883rt6kTqj_BGk-e-GOrXN18XVig/s320/DSC00382.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', fantasy;"><br />
</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', fantasy;">The pig’s head rillette combined with the apple mustard was truly sensational. The smoothness of the rillette combined with the sweet tang of the apple mustard created a flavour that I can only describe as tantilising. This was without a doubt the highlight of the charcute selection.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
We continued the pig journey by ordering the mustard crumbed pig’s tale, white cabbage, poached lemon and apple. </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', fantasy;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhSMjvuHqUb7hP_mOYrAkMC9jxkmfNz358ovjoCZCP-TNXWr5E1yPmhwwT66A83llGo13jvL6PxV18y1FNd9GZRuRKk2QinXadRmA5aLINku3xYaYUaHn4kzKsAyMi6pU8Rf5JQQcG1M1v/s1600/DSC00385.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhSMjvuHqUb7hP_mOYrAkMC9jxkmfNz358ovjoCZCP-TNXWr5E1yPmhwwT66A83llGo13jvL6PxV18y1FNd9GZRuRKk2QinXadRmA5aLINku3xYaYUaHn4kzKsAyMi6pU8Rf5JQQcG1M1v/s320/DSC00385.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', fantasy;"><br />
</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Again there seemed to be a real symphony between the calm (fatty) flavours of the pork and the chaotic tang of the lemon and mustard. I loved everything about this dish other than the fact that there were only three serves on the plate, so Mr K and I had to negotiate for the last piece. I mean really, it just seems so unfair to have three single serves on the plate – who dines in threes? Two or four is fine…but surely three is just plain rude!<br />
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I believe it was somewhere during this rant that our last dish arrived - roast rabbit saddle, grilled leg, braised bean, leek and tarragon. </span><br />
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</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">I’ve expressed a real disappointment about the lack of rabbit on menus in Melbourne. If cooked correctly, it is undoubtedly one of my favourite types of meat. And this really stood out for me as an impressive dish. The braised beans added the perfect amount of creaminess against the rabbit, with the juices bringing the entire dish together. A real delight. And yes…again we had to negotiate over the last serve of saddle and leg!<br />
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To end the review here feels incomplete but it seems that I’m left with no other choice because, other than a side salad, this is all we ate for lunch. And I’d be lying if I said that I didn’t walk out of Cumulus with a real sense of regret and anxiety. There were so many dishes on the menu that I’d like to have tried but unfortunately that was just not possible when sharing the dishes between two (and in particular, for lunch). I’d love to come back to Cumulus but this time for dinner…but alas, I fear that with their no bookings policy* this is just too much effort! </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', fantasy;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZIkj0uqfLSkEfnPW8G-dK-TdCn9UMJC74SUidoPTy7k3LGTYk_4isg5VYQs1Z2dIuTvZ-KNn9nmrU0Brpc7y_0FgMtRbsEJxfYZINV4-U43fZ5gvKrH09TOKjE4RbdvRCEoNkMX6k024l/s1600/DSC00384.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZIkj0uqfLSkEfnPW8G-dK-TdCn9UMJC74SUidoPTy7k3LGTYk_4isg5VYQs1Z2dIuTvZ-KNn9nmrU0Brpc7y_0FgMtRbsEJxfYZINV4-U43fZ5gvKrH09TOKjE4RbdvRCEoNkMX6k024l/s320/DSC00384.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
For the record though, if I did have my time again, I would order the soft shell mud crab as a starter (I have no idea why we didn’t order this in the first place…I must have been having an ‘off’ day because soft shell crab is one of my ultimate favourite dishes!) and the whole slow roast lamb shoulder to share. </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', fantasy;"><br />
</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">We didn’t actually see any lamb leave the kitchen. I suspect that this was due to the fact that many of the diners were in couples or small groups of four and like us didn’t want to limit themselves to the single dish. But, just the words slow roast lamb shoulder is enough to make me think that this is a dish worth trying.<br />
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So that’s where it at at Cumulus. I really hope to go back but after the many failed attempts, I just don’t know. See the problem with a place like Cumulus is that you just want to keep going back to try more and more of the menu. But if my loyalties cannot secure me a table then I just don’t know if I'm willing to risk the disappointment.<br />
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<i>A big thank you goes out to Mr K's cousin Navinan who generously gifted us a voucher for Cumulus. Thank you Navinan.</i> </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', fantasy;"><br />
</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', -webkit-fantasy;">** Bookings are accepted for group of 7 to 14 guests</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', -webkit-fantasy;"><br />
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</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', -webkit-fantasy;"><b>Cumulus Inc.</b></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', -webkit-fantasy;">45 Flinders Lane</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', -webkit-fantasy;">Melbourne, 3000</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', -webkit-fantasy;"><br />
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</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">In-nai-kki. Innaikki. Today. </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', fantasy;"><br />
</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">I repeat these phrases. Again and again. Naalaikki – innaikki. Tomorrow – today. Again. Naalaikki – innaikki. </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', fantasy;"><br />
</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">My mother-in-law pushes me to keep going. She sounds out more words. I repeat them. Over and over. <br />
<br />
My father-in-law giggles quietly to himself. He is a man of few words. <br />
<br />
Mr. K sits, seemingly uninterested. Occasionally glancing over to smile or correct my poor pronunciation. <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', -webkit-fantasy;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', fantasy;"><br />
</span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', fantasy;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKoFlClAd5_quNpfrjl7ahpUL0IOBjqOLLzuzt1zEKS41MQJ8yx7j9Aada7N09bDZOP8lhidJhdsvsM4nptn43oFFq0sbl79kncJONPBcWqTLAHsUXoxBVXOuVXaAVFEop6d63K52_GCBE/s1600/DSC00396.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKoFlClAd5_quNpfrjl7ahpUL0IOBjqOLLzuzt1zEKS41MQJ8yx7j9Aada7N09bDZOP8lhidJhdsvsM4nptn43oFFq0sbl79kncJONPBcWqTLAHsUXoxBVXOuVXaAVFEop6d63K52_GCBE/s200/DSC00396.JPG" width="200" /></a></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
Mr. K’s parents migrated to Australia (from Sri Lanka) in the mid-eighties. But much like myself, Mr. K has spent all but six-month’s of his life in Australia. </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', fantasy;"><br />
</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">After the recent passing of both our grandmother’s (who were, strangely, very similar) it has became more important to me to learn the foods of both our cultures. </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', -webkit-fantasy;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', fantasy;"><br />
</span></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjU_Ix3CTMfAw_g4VO4hadH93b6zVSEoSOiTxXKAbi91ZrU-UYeMmZ0uWVx5wyVz763rkocwDWwvrezgGjc5NsDFGj4AlJIJQIptChHL6nZoqDzIV0kBxk2NTNRlOMv6dPEcv5tZSl4-HR-/s1600/DSC00402.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjU_Ix3CTMfAw_g4VO4hadH93b6zVSEoSOiTxXKAbi91ZrU-UYeMmZ0uWVx5wyVz763rkocwDWwvrezgGjc5NsDFGj4AlJIJQIptChHL6nZoqDzIV0kBxk2NTNRlOMv6dPEcv5tZSl4-HR-/s200/DSC00402.JPG" width="200" /></a></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', fantasy;"><br />
</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">For me, it is the food of a country that tells the human story. It is these recipes that I hope to one-day pass on to our future Australian-Sri Lankan-Armenian children. They may not understand the traditions, speak the language or be aware of the history of their ancestors but if, at the very least, I can pass on the food I can do my part is continuing our families’ past. <br />
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<b>Mrs Kumar’s Sri Lankan Chicken Curry </b><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', -webkit-fantasy;">Oil or ghee </span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">1 tablespoon of fenugreek seeds <br />
1 tablespoon of fennel seeds <br />
1 large onion, diced <br />
3 cloves garlic, crushed <br />
5 cm piece of ginger, sliced finely <br />
3 curry leaves <br />
1 pandan leaf <br />
1 green chilli, sliced <br />
1 small stick of cinnamon <br />
1 tablespoon cardamom<br />
4 pieces chicken Maryland, skin removed, cut into small pieces <br />
2 small tomatoes, diced <br />
2.5 tablespoons Sri Lankan curry powder (adjust for spicyness) <br />
1 medium sized potato, cut into bite size chunks <br />
1 tablespoon of fenugreek powder <br />
1 tablespoon of fennel powder<br />
<br />
<b>Directions:</b><br />
1. Heat oil and fry fenugreek seeds and fennel seeds for a minute <br />
2. Add the onions, garlic, ginger, curry leaves, pandan leaf and chilli and fry until soft <br />
3. Combine cinnamon and cardamom and crush in a mortar and pestle <br />
4. Add the chicken, curry powder, tomato, crushed cinnamon and cardamon mixture and stir through to allow chicken to be coated in spices <br />
5. Add water (leaving approximately 1cm from the top of the chicken) and bring to the boil <br />
6. Add potato, fenugreek and fennel <br />
7. Cover and cook for 10 minutes <br />
8. Uncover and cook for an additional 10 minutes (or until the gravy has thickened to desired consistency) </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', fantasy;"><br />
</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', -webkit-fantasy;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="text-decoration: underline;">Notes</span></span></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">- Chicken Maryland is an appropriate cut of chicken for this curry because the marrow in the bones adds flavour to the gravy. However, if you prefer something more ‘meaty’ you could use a combination of Maryland and thigh fillet or a whole chicken cut into bite size pieces. <br />
<br />
- This is Mrs. Kumar’s everyday chicken curry recipe. If you’re after something slightly more decadent, you could add a 240ml can of coconut milk and reduce the quantity of water. You could also replace oil with ghee to add an extra level of depth and complexity.</span>food, glorious foodhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16765820511694771346noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-452459020332822580.post-59004849395231733682011-05-08T21:40:00.001+10:002011-05-09T10:00:01.666+10:00All's well that ends well - MoVida Next Door<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Sometimes things just don’t go to plan. I guess that’s the only way to explain how after a series of unfortunate events (that kinda played out like an episode of 'How I met your mother) that Mr K and I ended up at MoVida Next Door.<br />
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<div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0QAdGURXpjWLuvlzSI2mO-JnYH3p93ioXq7cAQY6dF3LSrCRFSdRAZNAhXozdvBqxlKHQh-_PwKCEAwTpyl0KSFJx4pL_-TcMFZEQpcHIhuBmMuNYnfDGktWOZQH2oUFHjTxSZOoXJBT2/s1600/DSC00320.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0QAdGURXpjWLuvlzSI2mO-JnYH3p93ioXq7cAQY6dF3LSrCRFSdRAZNAhXozdvBqxlKHQh-_PwKCEAwTpyl0KSFJx4pL_-TcMFZEQpcHIhuBmMuNYnfDGktWOZQH2oUFHjTxSZOoXJBT2/s200/DSC00320.JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fresh seafood at the counter</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', -webkit-fantasy;"><br />
</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', fantasy;">MoVida. In a movie of my life, that place where ‘everybody knows your name’ would be played by MoVida. Okay, so no-one knows my name but it’s the place that Mr K and I go to celebrate, sometimes commiserate but generally just have a good time. </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', -webkit-fantasy;"><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhO4jhqiXPJFJyDRWq7kwmFT_J4I1uA0Y9sBhrz7JPLdWAD7k_yrNuGzCJqCCVuUpoF8Cz2r9UOeIQENuSorYijpdskkKA4dkL5ipFuOdGhnXhN9guHi67F850u-iXRwLZri6JH6DZJ1q55/s1600/DSC00330.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhO4jhqiXPJFJyDRWq7kwmFT_J4I1uA0Y9sBhrz7JPLdWAD7k_yrNuGzCJqCCVuUpoF8Cz2r9UOeIQENuSorYijpdskkKA4dkL5ipFuOdGhnXhN9guHi67F850u-iXRwLZri6JH6DZJ1q55/s200/DSC00330.JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ox tongue, char-grilled with chorizo and chickpeas</td></tr>
</tbody></table></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: auto;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', fantasy;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times;"><br />
</span></span></div><div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', -webkit-fantasy;">MoVida has always been there for us. </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', -webkit-fantasy;"></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', -webkit-fantasy;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', fantasy;"></span></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', -webkit-fantasy;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', fantasy;"></span></span></span></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjag5GHvpaCIP9pZa0XjcMoOspkSp68qDq-YFziXa_e4oNLY4bSL3ZmRm4WP4TVASNVkGrpvAUnFUV3-OUe69OaOPC5f1az5e0NWxyOnqI6GraV_aztt-M7SFowJCFVjN4eV7RHd0WyB7yP/s1600/DSC00343.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjag5GHvpaCIP9pZa0XjcMoOspkSp68qDq-YFziXa_e4oNLY4bSL3ZmRm4WP4TVASNVkGrpvAUnFUV3-OUe69OaOPC5f1az5e0NWxyOnqI6GraV_aztt-M7SFowJCFVjN4eV7RHd0WyB7yP/s200/DSC00343.JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A message from Frank</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', fantasy;"></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', fantasy;"></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', -webkit-fantasy;">I still remember our first time. Long before Next Door, Acqui and Terraza. Back when some of our all time favourites were still on the menu. The roast pork belly with quince aioli. The baked scallops with jamon and translucent potato foam. </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', -webkit-fantasy;"></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', -webkit-fantasy;"></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times;"></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times;"></span></div></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', fantasy;">I remember the excitement with which we pierced the egg yolk in our first wagyu steak tartare. And the sheer delight with which we ate we our hot ganache chocolate pudding (which we have since recreated with much success at home). </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', fantasy;"><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEil5fa3PlSfktKhPFmHRjRSOZv2_hcX_w0pHzLK8ZulEdLoSmYgJbhyphenhyphenWM2zl6ECaXXfGZu_Lrga3eb7_wvmAB4S_MOcL4ulq7a5C5-uXNjsY6erg2e1aFJNqutI6u-G92_JXS3THAn5SJXj/s1600/DSC00333.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEil5fa3PlSfktKhPFmHRjRSOZv2_hcX_w0pHzLK8ZulEdLoSmYgJbhyphenhyphenWM2zl6ECaXXfGZu_Lrga3eb7_wvmAB4S_MOcL4ulq7a5C5-uXNjsY6erg2e1aFJNqutI6u-G92_JXS3THAn5SJXj/s200/DSC00333.JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Catabrian anchovy with fresh curd</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', fantasy;"><br />
</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">And it’s not just me. Mr K still talks about the time Frank cooked for him and a group of friends Next Door after a ‘significant’ game of AFL football. His eyes light up when he recalls the excitement of seeing Frank in the kitchen and requesting that Frank cook for them his own personal favourites.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHFV5gL0EjwHM9ULBNfVuYwfpobDUz0ViRTthLMk_IDWkbzDGwzcy7APBtAMmIk0QBw7pUECtDAdLCAkw9JCLr90VE9EnE1FqbqyMCNf2Y-pkA-TnaqKtJYjdpHBwAaBPF9EteWJJkIlYE/s1600/DSC00329.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHFV5gL0EjwHM9ULBNfVuYwfpobDUz0ViRTthLMk_IDWkbzDGwzcy7APBtAMmIk0QBw7pUECtDAdLCAkw9JCLr90VE9EnE1FqbqyMCNf2Y-pkA-TnaqKtJYjdpHBwAaBPF9EteWJJkIlYE/s200/DSC00329.JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Chorizo-filled Catalan potato bomb with spice sauce</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', fantasy;"><br />
</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', -webkit-fantasy;">So despite things not having gone to plan, Mr K and I weren’t so disappointed to be sitting Next Door at the table overlooking the kitchen (the same table at which Frank cooked for Mr K all those many years ago). </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', -webkit-fantasy;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', fantasy;"><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjhlfkGw1QJyIAtXxkmGuFNUXeqTjxiVNzCfnX7FbjGlqstvupzw5D6xLM8fWdi21pjc9VfYlKZaqSY_9WMLMd9ZAKrc6Tjg0Iw0Um9V8_e8_03i0rczL7JlXwzhFkZ728oPxXYELV596H/s1600/DSC00321.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjhlfkGw1QJyIAtXxkmGuFNUXeqTjxiVNzCfnX7FbjGlqstvupzw5D6xLM8fWdi21pjc9VfYlKZaqSY_9WMLMd9ZAKrc6Tjg0Iw0Um9V8_e8_03i0rczL7JlXwzhFkZ728oPxXYELV596H/s200/DSC00321.JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Chef plating up pan-seared scallops on Spanish chorizo</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', fantasy;"><br />
</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">And as was expected, MoVida didn’t let us down. </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', fantasy;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', -webkit-fantasy;">In total we shared three varieties of tapas, three raciones and one dessert. If I had to narrow it down to our three favourites of the evening, it would look something like this. </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times;"></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times;"></span></div></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><b>Roasted bone marrow</b> When you really think about it, there is nothing dignified about eating bone marrow. Especially if, like my grandfather, you sit at the head of the table sucking loudly on the bone until you get hold of that slippery little sucker. </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', fantasy;"><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjV_O1Qy56NHwXEZyxRhyphenhyphenltTUdGBWLLymetETuI11FSnMIMs5uJKmpB-OAgDeXS-W-4vqJ8MJbxfC6_cwq1lGqYNooaRFYN2lMZ-mst9ORQ6mBicKDPSIhoIUk454Cr9SicIm-LljJKOVoC/s1600/DSC00327.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjV_O1Qy56NHwXEZyxRhyphenhyphenltTUdGBWLLymetETuI11FSnMIMs5uJKmpB-OAgDeXS-W-4vqJ8MJbxfC6_cwq1lGqYNooaRFYN2lMZ-mst9ORQ6mBicKDPSIhoIUk454Cr9SicIm-LljJKOVoC/s200/DSC00327.JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Roasted bone marrow</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', fantasy;"><br />
</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">But I’m quite happy to be the first to say – to hell with dignified. This tasted like pure gelatinous heaven. And when that was done, the juices soaked up in bread brought the entire dish together. You would have to be out of your mind to see this on a MoVida menu and say no. <br />
<br />
<b>Confit pork belly with Escabache puree and peppers</b> I’ve said this so many times that I’m sure people are fed up with hearing it, but is there really anything better than pork belly? Crispy skin. Juicy, sweet flesh. Salt. Fat. Can you honestly tell me that you couldn’t eat that every single day of your life? I most definitely could. <br />
</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', fantasy;"><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiORc2GeZHvTP5uPJKnArk0ysuNHB1P4mKLLu9W1mLPuV2HgHXol30ktyb1wvtDYRDuG__Oma-fWflccedkCmDAXOGeTNV6SaMBKIrpVv0qpmgfP7DN-WPDHBQAdT5aHsGtob_igkJYpzzk/s1600/DSC00332.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiORc2GeZHvTP5uPJKnArk0ysuNHB1P4mKLLu9W1mLPuV2HgHXol30ktyb1wvtDYRDuG__Oma-fWflccedkCmDAXOGeTNV6SaMBKIrpVv0qpmgfP7DN-WPDHBQAdT5aHsGtob_igkJYpzzk/s200/DSC00332.JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Confit pork belly with Escabache puree and Piparra peppers</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', -webkit-fantasy;"><br />
</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', -webkit-fantasy;">Combined with the saltiness of the peppers and the slightly tangy puree – this was truly delightful. Thank you Frank! </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
With so many savoury dishes consumed, it still surprises me that the final dish of the night was the <b>sheep’s milk cheesecake with rhubarb sorbet</b>. This dessert was truly out of this world. Poor Mr K couldn’t even drink his sherry with dessert in fear that if he stopped eating for longer than a couple seconds I would devour the entire thing. </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', fantasy;"><br />
</span></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLtlFLZgt9SyO0joilyOnj4XWhrymMt-IvRgu5i3CWqt-hA0kbur_p9TT08tAoICoe76WdJ3Y2oFEsjLXZv9ukH4-B1oF0xhKosD0sDmrD3y85WjZJ8NqG5FZ-GNDo1DhwCwZ6rb8SpKmd/s1600/DSC00334.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLtlFLZgt9SyO0joilyOnj4XWhrymMt-IvRgu5i3CWqt-hA0kbur_p9TT08tAoICoe76WdJ3Y2oFEsjLXZv9ukH4-B1oF0xhKosD0sDmrD3y85WjZJ8NqG5FZ-GNDo1DhwCwZ6rb8SpKmd/s200/DSC00334.JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sheep's milk cheesecake with rhubarb sorbet</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', fantasy;"><br />
</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', fantasy;">The body of the cheesecake was so light and fluffy and didn’t have that obnoxious cheesy bite that gives cheesecake such a terrible reputation. My only criticism would be that there really wasn’t enough crumble, with Mr K and I almost resorting to ‘rock, paper, scissors’ for the last crumb! </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">So, as they say, all’s well that ends well. And hey, if things don’t work out…at least we’ve got the Mo.</span></div></div></div><script type="text/javascript">
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</script>food, glorious foodhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16765820511694771346noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-452459020332822580.post-49833930840685126262011-05-03T21:59:00.000+10:002011-05-03T21:59:39.498+10:00Mum and the Chef Challenge - Mushrooms<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">It’s getting to that time of the year where unashamed mushroom lovers venture out with baskets in hand foraging for wild and exotic mushrooms. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Who can resist the woody, earthy and sometimes nutty flavour of mushrooms. Their sliminess and outrageous form make them incredibly sensual. </span></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiojpgnsiW5Damj8-3j6E0fNz53pibs80h_YgurEGkA2NJnUFjJll5xMIGiIt7HqtzvLy6DZWvq42ThUwnkiJsI55fDba1Rkt2PwvqOLyb_jTrBJF7zHpMo98_0cC8zPPyQZGCCgdDWNfu-/s1600/DSC00178.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiojpgnsiW5Damj8-3j6E0fNz53pibs80h_YgurEGkA2NJnUFjJll5xMIGiIt7HqtzvLy6DZWvq42ThUwnkiJsI55fDba1Rkt2PwvqOLyb_jTrBJF7zHpMo98_0cC8zPPyQZGCCgdDWNfu-/s200/DSC00178.JPG" width="200" /></a></div><div><br />
</div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', fantasy;">One of my ultimate favourite mushroom dishes is mushroom risotto. The flavour of the mushrooms intensify tremendously as they soak up the stock and leave behind their earthy tones.</span></div><div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiunLBZo4MEw4Sn88CSPFQxWfZFlp8k_EExtXpxTW1StPZ7P06k9pidE2RqAon_L65KlScObQvpSk459PKJl6S3Rl-eP4rwh4EA5QFL5enqEVknzb_i593xAwn6nCsMzQD1qHE_xFDRMSAa/s1600/DSC00181.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiunLBZo4MEw4Sn88CSPFQxWfZFlp8k_EExtXpxTW1StPZ7P06k9pidE2RqAon_L65KlScObQvpSk459PKJl6S3Rl-eP4rwh4EA5QFL5enqEVknzb_i593xAwn6nCsMzQD1qHE_xFDRMSAa/s200/DSC00181.JPG" width="200" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Marinated mushrooms are always a favourite of our Friday night antipasti so for the Mum and Chef ‘Mushroom’ Challenge I decided that marinated mushrooms were the way to go. What I love about this is that there really is no recipe - it’s all about personal taste. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', fantasy;"><br />
</span></div><!--EndFragment--> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_EvvK4F_UC6PVp2kMN5GSNoFsNESuDJyd5u8j729LtizffnzdlFEup0RcFJ4VPEanfQSfsEFKHMhqBqe13MABa1EqhTcgSmFPnyE0YxDNu9Dm7vAjbONatzQEeL7Cra7a4ImsmXnu4ehN/s1600/DSC00305.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_EvvK4F_UC6PVp2kMN5GSNoFsNESuDJyd5u8j729LtizffnzdlFEup0RcFJ4VPEanfQSfsEFKHMhqBqe13MABa1EqhTcgSmFPnyE0YxDNu9Dm7vAjbONatzQEeL7Cra7a4ImsmXnu4ehN/s200/DSC00305.JPG" width="200" /></a></div><div><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">I started off with about 150 grams of button mushrooms which I wiped clean and sautéed with garlic, parsley and olive oil. </span></div><div><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2ryANbLHbm1XW6X3-q1NFm4wDM6E3gnngmPa11VhDy-KW8gzaAzBLMCJ-5rqOySPerOa1B96kW-RfICwDKuu9mbrkHhT5ODRrUWfNIGLdvfUQC2_d76YB7XM_lzbwaGNeIPrJxm1x2aD_/s1600/DSC00265.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2ryANbLHbm1XW6X3-q1NFm4wDM6E3gnngmPa11VhDy-KW8gzaAzBLMCJ-5rqOySPerOa1B96kW-RfICwDKuu9mbrkHhT5ODRrUWfNIGLdvfUQC2_d76YB7XM_lzbwaGNeIPrJxm1x2aD_/s200/DSC00265.JPG" width="200" /></a></div><div><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">I then filled a clean jar with olive oil, thyme, a bay leaf, black peppercorn, white wine vinegar and, of course, more garlic. I left the mushroom to marinate in the jar for two days before serving. I then finished them off with a couple of shavings of parmesan. </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', fantasy;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMqU4mzYoQVhzM_N7MgioC_SUfMq1r6Z4w3YYpgeEKRcg2xvH4rDuwneAyGzDsp5oGWDyER2kNDZgyVtizdkEo9AvvMdJp5vkLnIMNlZy-IiyyS8jcNEzG78VySUOPKbtZeZUK0oB_1gEm/s1600/DSC00308.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMqU4mzYoQVhzM_N7MgioC_SUfMq1r6Z4w3YYpgeEKRcg2xvH4rDuwneAyGzDsp5oGWDyER2kNDZgyVtizdkEo9AvvMdJp5vkLnIMNlZy-IiyyS8jcNEzG78VySUOPKbtZeZUK0oB_1gEm/s200/DSC00308.JPG" width="200" /></a></div><div><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Marinating mushrooms in gorgeous fresh herbs like these truly brings out their flavour - a delicious addition to any antipasto platter.<br />
<br />
Enjoy x</span></div>food, glorious foodhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16765820511694771346noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-452459020332822580.post-11584700289058786592011-04-25T17:25:00.000+10:002011-04-25T17:25:04.367+10:00fast, fresh, simple<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', fantasy;">There are some nights I get home from work and just the thought of spending hours in the kitchen cooking (and cleaning) makes me cringe. But life is too short to eat bad food so on those nights I turn to Donna Hay's 'fast, fresh, simple' for inspiration.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', -webkit-fantasy;"><br />
</span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEji1oSTthJmcjxfeb3qmEBJDy5WAj8V0t7Jhy3BfctUzv5S0KUWmVnMZt-hGsiv5-DaZ0IRrNwpLwk4u41adBKZJrYIv7jjVqYv3FmDdzwXpCD6N0w80GKSfyFAYuWztWsb1_vzkG6Wgtvk/s1600/DSC00224.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEji1oSTthJmcjxfeb3qmEBJDy5WAj8V0t7Jhy3BfctUzv5S0KUWmVnMZt-hGsiv5-DaZ0IRrNwpLwk4u41adBKZJrYIv7jjVqYv3FmDdzwXpCD6N0w80GKSfyFAYuWztWsb1_vzkG6Wgtvk/s200/DSC00224.JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">One-pot chinese chicken</td></tr>
</tbody></table><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', -webkit-fantasy;"><br />
</span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', -webkit-fantasy;">There is so much that I love about this cookbook but I think 'fast, fresh, simple' sums it up perfectly.</span><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', fantasy;"></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', fantasy;"> </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: auto;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', -webkit-fantasy;"></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', -webkit-fantasy;"></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', -webkit-fantasy;"></span></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYtyBO5Lgj2StFGPoakYhdfCwQa7R3OZEVyS62hTGXP5g5yfMNmHURIwXlYc70VZBSy4yak_R5Bhs1KDkCjbn2dQsL6XZHKWymmCuaIb51QRML3N_-0IrHTANnbfUpu-ipK02kWxzrwDap/s1600/DSC00189.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYtyBO5Lgj2StFGPoakYhdfCwQa7R3OZEVyS62hTGXP5g5yfMNmHURIwXlYc70VZBSy4yak_R5Bhs1KDkCjbn2dQsL6XZHKWymmCuaIb51QRML3N_-0IrHTANnbfUpu-ipK02kWxzrwDap/s200/DSC00189.JPG" style="cursor: move;" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Standby porcini pasta</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', -webkit-fantasy;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', -webkit-fantasy;">So when it came to baking a cake for Mr K to take into work, it was impossible to look past DH's ultimate one-bowl chocolate cake (especially after <a href="http://www.notquitenigella.com/2011/04/12/the-ultimate-easy-one-bowl-chocolate-cake/#more-40082">Not Quite Nigella</a>’s recommendation!). </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijs1seIalLE2CFrKXBLdoo9T63nonFCvRcQTBeffo44Tt-kPQvfiXwBGwISiUckadb6WXcXdDKKRXCIjaSlCBRYfrFpMKTp7qqUyJlG7ScCL7ydvnxa0FHBLtatcu6msZbHt4aqHEe7FOv/s1600/DSC00242.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijs1seIalLE2CFrKXBLdoo9T63nonFCvRcQTBeffo44Tt-kPQvfiXwBGwISiUckadb6WXcXdDKKRXCIjaSlCBRYfrFpMKTp7qqUyJlG7ScCL7ydvnxa0FHBLtatcu6msZbHt4aqHEe7FOv/s200/DSC00242.JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ultimate one-bowl chocolate cake</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="text-align: right;"></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', fantasy;"><b></b></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', fantasy;"><b></b></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', -webkit-fantasy;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;">Everything about this cake is divine – it’s rich, moist and so easy to make (and did I mention it’s one-bowl so even the washing up is divine!!)</span></b></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', -webkit-fantasy;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', -webkit-fantasy;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">Ultimate one bowl chocolate cake</span></span></b></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', -webkit-fantasy;">125g butter, chopped</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', -webkit-fantasy;">375g dark chocolate, coarsely chopped</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', -webkit-fantasy;">1 cup (175g) brown sugar</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', -webkit-fantasy;">¼ cup (35g) plain (all-purpose) flour, sifted</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', -webkit-fantasy;">2 tablespoons milk</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', -webkit-fantasy;">1 cup (120g) almond meal</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', -webkit-fantasy;">5 eggs</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', -webkit-fantasy;">cocoa, for dusting</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', -webkit-fantasy;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', -webkit-fantasy;">Preheat oven to 170C. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', -webkit-fantasy;">Melt the butter and chocolate</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', -webkit-fantasy;">Add sugar, flour, milk and almond meal and mix to combine</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', -webkit-fantasy;">Add the eggs and mix well</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', -webkit-fantasy;">Pour mixture into a greased 22cm round springform tin lined with non-stick baking paper</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', -webkit-fantasy;">Cover the tin with aluminium foil and bake for 40 minutes</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', -webkit-fantasy;">Uncover and cool in the tin</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', -webkit-fantasy;">Dust with cocoa and s<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', fantasy;">erve with cream and berries</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></div></div>food, glorious foodhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16765820511694771346noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-452459020332822580.post-68830997446422896972011-03-31T17:19:00.000+11:002011-03-31T17:19:21.793+11:00The humble sausage roll<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">If there’s one thing that tastes best homemade, it would have to be the humble sausage roll. Nothing beats eating these babies fresh out the oven (or the beautiful smell that permeates through the kitchen hours after they are all but gone).</span><br />
<div class="PTtabletext"><a href="http://www.blogger.com/goog_108504355"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></a></div><div class="PTtabletext"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">I’ve spent a long time looking for the perfect recipe - there are so many variations out there (some suggest beef mince while others recommend barbecue sausages, some season with curry powder and worcestershire sauce while others stick to salt and pepper, one recipe I found even adds cream!). </span></div><div class="PTtabletext"><a href="http://www.blogger.com/goog_108504352"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></a></div><div class="PTtabletext"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">But the one thing that stands out for me with this sausage roll recipe is coating the rolled meat mixture in breadcrumbs before wrapping in puff pastry – a step that singlehandedly guarantees a crunchy sausage roll inside and out (you won’t find any soggy pastry here my friend!)</span></div><div class="PTtabletext"><a href="http://www.blogger.com/goog_108504348"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></a><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.blogger.com/goog_108504348"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgg_S9VsBr6BAS68EOVwMwAWrV-vrvhnuWgJi7oRvfU2ZXGIgunScDYMt3J-5jGCFV4sTXViAZXB3bXCinjqN4scnOfXRW_YAbrRg2bnNZ8vvy52P6FbZlv_M2dpL63VF_uHLn_c4jwlqUl/s320/IMG00683-20110326-1356.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Hard to believe but they taste even better than they look!</span></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><a href="http://www.blogger.com/goog_108504348"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></a></div><div class="PTtabletext"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Homemade Sausage Rolls </span></div><div class="PTtabletext"><br />
<ul><li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">1 tsp oil</span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">1 carrot, grated</span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">1 onion, finely chopped</span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">1 tsp garlic powder</span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">2 tsp dried Italian herbs</span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">2 tbs tomato puree</span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">500g beef mince</span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">250g pork mince</span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">2 eggs</span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">1 cup breadcrumbs</span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">3 tbsp soy sauce</span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Egg-wash</span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Puff pastry (approx 4 sheets but will vary depending on the size of your sausage rolls)</span></li>
</ul></div><div class="PTtabletext"><br />
<ol><li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Preheat oven to 200 degrees.</span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Lightly fry carrot and onion in oil until onion is translucent (approx. four minutes). While frying add dried herbs, garlic powder and tomato puree.</span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">In a large bowl combine beef mince, pork mince, breadcrumbs, eggs, soy sauce and hot carrot/onion mixture.</span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Roll mixture into logs (noting that they will expand as they cook) and coat each roll in extra breadcrumbs.</span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Brush puff pastry with egg wash and roll log in puff pastry, allowing a 1 cm overlap, and trim off the excess.</span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Arrange the sausage roll on the baking tray seamside down in the centre.</span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Brush the sausage rolls lightly in egg wash.</span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Cut sausage rolls to size.</span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Bake for 20-25 minutes.</span></li>
</ol><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">* This recipe was adapted from the recipe </span></span><a href="http://au.lifestyle.yahoo.com/better-homes-gardens/tv/watch/-/7557973/sausage-rolls/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">presented</span></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"> by Fast Ed on Better Homes and Gardens.</span></span></div></div>food, glorious foodhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16765820511694771346noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-452459020332822580.post-71940877157385991542011-03-27T17:44:00.000+11:002011-03-27T17:44:14.766+11:00Eating at Rumi<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">My mother, like most mothers out there, is an amazing cook. In fact, she comes from a line of women who were all amazing cooks. And when it comes to Mediterranean food (like boreg, kofta, halva, baba ganoush, dolma) my mum is the expert.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', -webkit-fantasy;">This lady is so crazy that she’ll regularly (at least once a month) invite at 12 to 15 people over for dinner. The more the merrier. And the policy on food quantity is simple really – there should be enough food to cover the entire table (even if there are only four guests seated at an eight person table!!).</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', -webkit-fantasy;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', -webkit-fantasy;">So, where am I going with this?</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', -webkit-fantasy;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', -webkit-fantasy;">You see, I had all but given up on Mediterranean restaurants (which is pretty easy to do when your mum is such an amazing cook). I’ve been to my fair share and the food is always average and the value for money is never there - let me just tell you this, one piece of shish kebab, some soggy calamari, a spoonful of rice, some bread and dips and a single serving of baclava does not make a banquet (….oh how my mother would be horrified!)</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', -webkit-fantasy;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', -webkit-fantasy;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', -webkit-fantasy;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">That was until I dined at </span><a href="http://www.rumirestaurant.com.au/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Rumi</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> in Brunswick East.</span></span></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', fantasy;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', -webkit-fantasy;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', -webkit-fantasy;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', -webkit-fantasy;">I can’t begin to express how good the food is here. And by 'good', I don’t mean good in the ‘Australian person reviewing Chinese food’ sense, I mean good as in 'this place would give my own mother a run for her money’!</span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', -webkit-fantasy;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', -webkit-fantasy;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', -webkit-fantasy;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', -webkit-fantasy;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', -webkit-fantasy;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">We ordered the </span><a href="http://www.rumirestaurant.com.au/banquet.html"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">five course banquet</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">…the food kept coming….and we kept eating….and when we finished, we all needed a nap (….which is the ONLY way you shold feel after eating a Mediterranean banquet!)</span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', fantasy;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', -webkit-fantasy;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', -webkit-fantasy;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', -webkit-fantasy;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', -webkit-fantasy;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', -webkit-fantasy;">Here are the standouts.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', -webkit-fantasy;"><br />
</span><br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Sigara boregi</span></span></div><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3m5ffTpxkESVnq1dSTKTBtRh-SxBhE2-eoSd9CoUtLuOYPdNssWksrroRddUweeiVsWasTYM3HX_ntve6afzrro29Tl-e3KMVIsejJX9oSVDedG0vesF1HpuVZIWmpcrd_YQjtNs0KXXr/s1600/IMG00600-20110203-1902.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3m5ffTpxkESVnq1dSTKTBtRh-SxBhE2-eoSd9CoUtLuOYPdNssWksrroRddUweeiVsWasTYM3HX_ntve6afzrro29Tl-e3KMVIsejJX9oSVDedG0vesF1HpuVZIWmpcrd_YQjtNs0KXXr/s320/IMG00600-20110203-1902.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sigara boregi, pickled vegetables, labne</td></tr>
</tbody></table><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', -webkit-fantasy;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', fantasy;">This translates to ‘cigar pastry’ and put simply these are cigar-shaped tubes of pastry filled with three types of cheese (haloumi, feta and kasseri) and chopped parsley that have been deep-fried to produce a golden, flaky texture on the outside and a slightly salty, gooey texture on the inside. My mum will usually fry these little babies literally within minutes of guests arriving and there’s usually a fight for the last one. These were actually even better than mothers (…but I won’t be telling her that!)</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', -webkit-fantasy;"><br />
</span><br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', fantasy;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">School spiced prawns</span></span></div><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6plmgPeUpRi9ox7m6hAlbkrOQX0ZjW_AzBpwweUPkROKwyTPg4h-25zY2Y8SQiPVfW1k-yvm1PJJltF_MjQDVZfy0oAa2lQPrH143IbBd0bh_ZdyO34yWbJNM0U8oekq2fQ-LBBfJ5iEa/s1600/IMG00601-20110203-1928.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6plmgPeUpRi9ox7m6hAlbkrOQX0ZjW_AzBpwweUPkROKwyTPg4h-25zY2Y8SQiPVfW1k-yvm1PJJltF_MjQDVZfy0oAa2lQPrH143IbBd0bh_ZdyO34yWbJNM0U8oekq2fQ-LBBfJ5iEa/s320/IMG00601-20110203-1928.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">(top left) school spiced prawns</td></tr>
</tbody></table><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', -webkit-fantasy;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', fantasy;">This is one thing my mother doesn't really cook at home but she’ll often tell me, in her broken English, that back-home she would eat these suckers like ‘popcorn’ (meaning, you can’t stop at just one…or two…or ten)! They are basically crumbed, spiced and deep-fried mini-prawns that are eaten whole. Bring me a beer I say!</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', fantasy;"><b><br />
</b></span><br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Spiced lamb shoulder with sirkanjabin</span></span></div><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIRO3llamrNqOKVjJ0DPx55esK0WP1ZNlcjTcT3gLFQ4h1tbwCULVS7G0c-cQV7xhdOoy5Udhc6oBc_OVyagrK3a1_zuKViFuKGTFQH2mRyEo4YNhb270k5ZXVa7877fTNYfQAWSbjynBj/s1600/IMG00603-20110203-2038.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIRO3llamrNqOKVjJ0DPx55esK0WP1ZNlcjTcT3gLFQ4h1tbwCULVS7G0c-cQV7xhdOoy5Udhc6oBc_OVyagrK3a1_zuKViFuKGTFQH2mRyEo4YNhb270k5ZXVa7877fTNYfQAWSbjynBj/s320/IMG00603-20110203-2038.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Spiced lamb shoulder</td></tr>
</tbody></table><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', fantasy;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">When I saw this arrive at the table, I thought to myself ‘ok, the parties over. They’ve well and truly stuffed this up’. It was black. Literally BLACK!</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', fantasy;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', -webkit-fantasy;">I’ve never been so wrong in my life.</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', -webkit-fantasy;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', -webkit-fantasy;">This was without a doubt one of the most memorable, stand out pieces of meat I have ever tasted in my life. The lamb had been slow-roasted for about 14 hours and was served with Sirkanjabin (traditionally a sweet and sour mint drink containing water, sugar, vinegar and mint but in this case served as a sweet/sour mint sauce). </span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', -webkit-fantasy;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', -webkit-fantasy;">The meat literally melted in your mouth like nothing I’ve ever really tasted before and the earthiness of the spices combined with the sweetness of the sauce...out…of…this…WORLD!</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', -webkit-fantasy;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', -webkit-fantasy;">I could honestly go back to Rumi again and again and I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend it to my friends (even my own mother would be impressed). If you’re looking for real Mediterranean food, the sort of stuff we eat at home with our extended families on a Saturday night with our glasses filled with wine (or Ouzo if you’re that way inclined), then Rumi is where you need to go.</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', -webkit-fantasy;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', fantasy;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><br />
</span></span></b></span><br />
<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Rumi</span></b><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">116 Lygon Street</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Brunswick East</span><br />
<br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="white-space: pre;"><iframe frameborder="0" height="350" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://maps.google.com.au/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=116+lygon+street,+east+bunswick&aq=&sll=-25.335448,135.745076&sspn=37.743618,77.871094&ie=UTF8&hq=&hnear=116+Lygon+St,+Brunswick+East+Victoria+3057&z=14&ll=-37.774825,144.971378&output=embed" width="425"></iframe><br />
<small><a href="http://maps.google.com.au/maps?f=q&source=embed&hl=en&geocode=&q=116+lygon+street,+east+bunswick&aq=&sll=-25.335448,135.745076&sspn=37.743618,77.871094&ie=UTF8&hq=&hnear=116+Lygon+St,+Brunswick+East+Victoria+3057&z=14&ll=-37.774825,144.971378" style="color: blue; text-align: left;">View Larger Map</a></small></span></span></span>food, glorious foodhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16765820511694771346noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-452459020332822580.post-30037051974713433602011-03-25T12:46:00.002+11:002011-03-25T12:46:34.512+11:00Eggplant as a beer-snack? Who'd have thought!<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">You know when you read something on a menu and just think ‘yep, that will never work’? Well, that’s exactly what I thought when I saw deep-fried eggplant on a menu at Riverland a couple of weeks ago.<br />
</span><br />
<div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">After all, I’ve always thought of eggplant as the type of vegetable that, like a sponge, soaks up all the oils and flavour in a dish, leaving behind a soggy albeit delicious remnants of what was once a vegetable.<br />
</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Well, let me tell you…I was absolutely wrong. This worked all-right! So much so that every single time I’ve picked up a beer since I’ve thought of these babies. </span><br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjD1qwXS3S30x2ulKlpH-_aVKRMWl2ctZ-alCiCCVjInVzNeh2M_l1CVdQeI50mTmVRvRnmsZpsYxN-yiOJVDPLYTZIENSwcmFPUoUm5zs0c3vWv8E1YWJLDP82GEGBY8q0eXMviQsxQb4P/s1600/IMG00653-20110228-1657.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjD1qwXS3S30x2ulKlpH-_aVKRMWl2ctZ-alCiCCVjInVzNeh2M_l1CVdQeI50mTmVRvRnmsZpsYxN-yiOJVDPLYTZIENSwcmFPUoUm5zs0c3vWv8E1YWJLDP82GEGBY8q0eXMviQsxQb4P/s320/IMG00653-20110228-1657.jpg" width="320" /></a></div></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Battered, deep-fried eggplant – watch this space for an upcoming recipe!</span></div>food, glorious foodhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16765820511694771346noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-452459020332822580.post-60936113256175216022011-03-19T19:28:00.002+11:002011-06-07T11:36:49.746+10:00maze Melbourne<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 17.0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #2a2a2a;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">I have to admit, I don't particularly like Gordon Ramsay, as a chef that is. It's got nothing to do with his attitude or his, well, anger management issues, it's just that, to be honest, I've never really seen the man cook (I'll plead ignorance on that one). But one thing I must say is that Gordon Rasmay’s maze restaurant holds a very dear place in my heart. </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 17.0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 17.0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #2a2a2a;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Back in July 2009, while on holiday in New York, Mr K surprised me with dinner at maze in the London Hotel . We've not forgotten that night and we often still talk about how lovely the food at maze NY was. I can still taste the lobster bisque – so smooth and creamy. Just delightful. And the scallops. Oh the scallops, roasted with heirloom tomatoes. Like little puffs of heaven. It was divine and thinking about it now just makes me smile.</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 17.0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 17.0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #2a2a2a;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">It is with this sentiment that we decided that on the first night after our wedding day, we would dine at the Melbourne Maze Restaurant. But after only a couple hours of sleep the night before and anxiety building about our impending flight that evening, we were not really in the 'mood' for fine dining (shocking I realise since I'm always in the mood for fine dining...or any dining really).</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 17.0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 17.0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #2a2a2a;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">We opted for the </span><a href="http://www.gordonramsay.com/mazemelbourne/menus/chefsmenu/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Chef's Menu</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> - 7 courses - which sounds like a lot of food, but to be honest, it's just enough. Here are some of the dishes that really stood out for me.</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 17.0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKKdhbDk3W36uBosuH6aD7M1vrHJOBR5bXNC6JP_5VR9U9-8VdfwVOE0o0cc7GtHBbFtAXMahUx1cQOWFi3gnJPPMYi0MyBiTPZkxLjAALdgRn2np3kvFePTvYI_BkQIsfzgsEyojgXWM5/s1600/IMG00654-20110228-1907.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKKdhbDk3W36uBosuH6aD7M1vrHJOBR5bXNC6JP_5VR9U9-8VdfwVOE0o0cc7GtHBbFtAXMahUx1cQOWFi3gnJPPMYi0MyBiTPZkxLjAALdgRn2np3kvFePTvYI_BkQIsfzgsEyojgXWM5/s320/IMG00654-20110228-1907.jpg" width="320" /></a><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: dimgrey; font-family: Arial, Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 11px;">Marinated beetroot with goats curd,<br />
Cabernet Sauvignon vinaigrette, toasted pine nuts</span></td></tr>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #2a2a2a; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', -webkit-fantasy; line-height: 22px;">The marinated beetroot with goats curd was a lovely way to start - although I was terrified that it would end up on my lap rather than in my mouth (...as they say 'slippery little sucker’!). The flavour of the beetroot was surprisingly subtle but my oh my did that goat's curb pack a punch - loved it!</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #2a2a2a; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', -webkit-fantasy;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 22px;"><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxd5wOnVxUbx9tO6Tq86rC_4R40K12FwsrCF6Uqs94lPq9evXtEE0DT88cGin3YgsY2SxJX_I7_dWP4agUlnVvmlNnufxiH2kXEs8g0zrWIu3FeE7yZern-CGsZlxdnqN2W18NGB0nISvg/s1600/IMG00659-20110228-1956.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxd5wOnVxUbx9tO6Tq86rC_4R40K12FwsrCF6Uqs94lPq9evXtEE0DT88cGin3YgsY2SxJX_I7_dWP4agUlnVvmlNnufxiH2kXEs8g0zrWIu3FeE7yZern-CGsZlxdnqN2W18NGB0nISvg/s320/IMG00659-20110228-1956.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: dimgrey; font-family: Arial, Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 11px;">Crispy roast pork belly calvalo nero, soybeans, dashi</span></td></tr>
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 17.0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #2a2a2a; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', fantasy;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 17.0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #2a2a2a;"><o:p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Pork belly. Crispy crackling. Layers of juicy fat and flesh. I could have done without the broth...but can you ever really go wrong with pork belly?</span></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 17.0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #2a2a2a; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', fantasy; font-size: large;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 17px;"><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZHFWY4io2IIVUW6L7ZWAcpgJ17CSGBWOKW1uzv9vYZx-RXhUO5CObLXQUSygpbbQ0uf3wsgO9rjlk2Ga6uCIhshD0qepdcS4hWfT2nnYKWtFzk4ADPa1hf4xkG8aSY6z-QuYOH1aTbFuR/s1600/IMG00662-20110228-2010.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZHFWY4io2IIVUW6L7ZWAcpgJ17CSGBWOKW1uzv9vYZx-RXhUO5CObLXQUSygpbbQ0uf3wsgO9rjlk2Ga6uCIhshD0qepdcS4hWfT2nnYKWtFzk4ADPa1hf4xkG8aSY6z-QuYOH1aTbFuR/s320/IMG00662-20110228-2010.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #2a2a2a; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', -webkit-fantasy; font-size: large;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 17px; line-height: 22px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black; font-family: Times; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px; line-height: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: dimgrey; font-family: Arial, Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 11px;">Gisborne duck breast sweet corn, cracked wheat, cherries</span></span></span></span></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 17.0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #2a2a2a; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', fantasy;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 17.0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #2a2a2a;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Anyone who knows me knows that I love duck. And the duck breast was cooked perfectly. Soft and so juicy. But the cherries...yeh well...I had to eat around those.</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 17.0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #2a2a2a; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', fantasy;"><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEii6PLG_eokFgkq5hpgtn0_0xMSmNiNcAvtdcZJybePIhsi0B75J6L9DBJPPIQVM8ZgZHUN7yAm0Pabaz3lGb8-TSqT_slCLhIdcqQWjstuplsUEfpWYu-eqPo2XclWAzeDAvxfyklzRykG/s1600/IMG00663-20110228-2034.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEii6PLG_eokFgkq5hpgtn0_0xMSmNiNcAvtdcZJybePIhsi0B75J6L9DBJPPIQVM8ZgZHUN7yAm0Pabaz3lGb8-TSqT_slCLhIdcqQWjstuplsUEfpWYu-eqPo2XclWAzeDAvxfyklzRykG/s320/IMG00663-20110228-2034.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: dimgrey; font-family: Arial, Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 11px;">maze "lamington", raspberry jam</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 17.0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #2a2a2a; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', fantasy; font-size: large;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 17px;"><br />
</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 17.0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #2a2a2a; font-size: 13pt;"><o:p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', -webkit-fantasy;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">I'm not particularly a fan of 'sponge' based cake so from the outset I was a bit skeptical about the 'lamington'. I like my desert to punch me in the face and elevate my blood sugar to levels beyond comprehension. This dessert, well, it didn't do either of those things, but wow was I impressed. Being deconstructed, the texture and the flavour in each layer developed gradually on the palate and it was hard resist going back for more...and more...and...more!</span></span></span></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #2a2a2a;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">With our ever-growing list of Melbourne restaurants to try, I’m not entirely convinced that we’ll be going back to maze Melbourne any time soon. </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #2a2a2a;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #2a2a2a;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">But I will say this – I may not be a fan of Ramsay but I love the concept of maze and we’ll definitely be trying some of his other restaurants in the near future. With any luck, next destination – London baby!</span><o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #2a2a2a; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', fantasy;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #2a2a2a;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><b>maze Restuarant Melbourne</b></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, -webkit-fantasy; line-height: 20px;">Crown Metropol</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #2a2a2a; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', -webkit-fantasy; font-size: large;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 17px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, fantasy; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20px;"></span></span></span></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #2a2a2a; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', -webkit-fantasy; font-size: large;"></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="border-bottom-color: initial; border-bottom-style: none; border-bottom-width: medium; border-left-color: initial; border-left-style: none; border-left-width: medium; border-right-color: initial; border-right-style: none; border-right-width: medium; border-top-color: initial; border-top-style: none; border-top-width: medium; clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #2a2a2a; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', -webkit-fantasy; font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">C</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">o</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">r</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">n</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">e</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">r</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">o</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">f</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> Whiteman and Clarendon Streets</span></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom-color: initial; border-bottom-style: none; border-bottom-width: medium; border-left-color: initial; border-left-style: none; border-left-width: medium; border-right-color: initial; border-right-style: none; border-right-width: medium; border-top-color: initial; border-top-style: none; border-top-width: medium; clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #2a2a2a; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', -webkit-fantasy; font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Southbank, VIC 3000</span></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom-color: initial; border-bottom-style: none; border-bottom-width: medium; border-left-color: initial; border-left-style: none; border-left-width: medium; border-right-color: initial; border-right-style: none; border-right-width: medium; border-top-color: initial; border-top-style: none; border-top-width: medium; clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #2a2a2a; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', -webkit-fantasy; font-size: large;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom-color: initial; border-bottom-style: none; border-bottom-width: medium; border-left-color: initial; border-left-style: none; border-left-width: medium; border-right-color: initial; border-right-style: none; border-right-width: medium; border-top-color: initial; border-top-style: none; border-top-width: medium; clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #2a2a2a; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', -webkit-fantasy; font-size: large;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: normal; white-space: pre-wrap;"><iframe frameborder="0" height="350" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://maps.google.com.au/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=Crown+Metropol,+Whiteman+Street,+Southbank,+Victoria&aq=0&sll=-25.335448,135.745076&sspn=37.743618,77.871094&ie=UTF8&hq=Crown+Metropol,&hnear=Whiteman+St,+Southbank+Victoria+3006&ll=-37.823548,144.959965&spn=0.011865,0.018239&z=15&output=embed" width="425"></iframe><br />
<small><a href="http://maps.google.com.au/maps?f=q&source=embed&hl=en&geocode=&q=Crown+Metropol,+Whiteman+Street,+Southbank,+Victoria&aq=0&sll=-25.335448,135.745076&sspn=37.743618,77.871094&ie=UTF8&hq=Crown+Metropol,&hnear=Whiteman+St,+Southbank+Victoria+3006&ll=-37.823548,144.959965&spn=0.011865,0.018239&z=15" style="color: blue; text-align: left;">View Larger Map</a></small></span></span></span></div>food, glorious foodhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16765820511694771346noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-452459020332822580.post-73671843521131840392011-03-17T17:03:00.000+11:002011-03-17T17:03:02.962+11:00Back to blogging<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Since I last posted back in January I’ve gotten married to the love of my life, been on honeymoon to beautiful Vietnam and moved into our new home.<br />
<br />
And needless to say I have a backlog of photos, recipes, reviews and general food talk to catch up on.<br />
<br />
So here is a sneak peak of what will be going up on the blog over the next week or so. </span><ul><li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Gordon Rasmay’s ‘Maze’ Melbourne – The good, the bad and the ugly </span></li>
</ul><ul><li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Vietnamese delights – A highlight of some of the recipes I collected on our travels, the food we ate and…well…some things I wasn’t even willing to go near </span></li>
</ul><ul><li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Rumi Restaurant (Brunswick)– Middle Eastern food that could put even my own mother to shame (just don’t tell her!) </span></li>
</ul><ul><li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Go duck yourself….again…. </span></li>
</ul><ul><li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Surprise masterclass hosted by Katrina Higham from Windsor Deli</span></li>
</ul>food, glorious foodhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16765820511694771346noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-452459020332822580.post-56074205045586545762011-01-10T21:15:00.002+11:002011-01-11T18:32:54.337+11:00Zucchini<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7M552mIEJtCUlWcWF4FBrq6nx1iB4pUKAvcBVgM2Co18Cr_KbOk85ZogvunQWwY2Yn5ibRZdLT1IN95ZANlkmf6S9z-hVsXTz5N8KhMxXhjINqkdHqFnzP-gyuZgb8aC8gyhIxQTgIIXd/s1600/zucchinifresh.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" n4="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7M552mIEJtCUlWcWF4FBrq6nx1iB4pUKAvcBVgM2Co18Cr_KbOk85ZogvunQWwY2Yn5ibRZdLT1IN95ZANlkmf6S9z-hVsXTz5N8KhMxXhjINqkdHqFnzP-gyuZgb8aC8gyhIxQTgIIXd/s200/zucchinifresh.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Zucchini is one of my favourite vegetables. Not because of how it tastes, let’s be honest it’s not the most glamorous of vegetables, but because of how versatile it is. When I think of zucchini I think of fried zucchini fritters, zucchini bread and even chocolate zucchini cake.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">When zucchini was chosen as 'The Mum and the Chef' ingredient I immediately decided that fried zucchini flowers stuffed with mozzarella and anchovy was the way to go. I remember eating these from a street vendor outside a farmers market in Naples. The stringy mozzarella combined with the salty anchovy encased in a crispy battered zucchini flower created the most amazing marriage of flavours!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">So you can imagine my disappointment when I was unable to locate any zucchini flowers!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">So what do you cook when you can't find any zucchini flowers? Fried zucchini 'crisps' apparently! And if you're like me you'll team them with a handful of mint, slivers of garlic, chunks of chilli and a pint of cold beer!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">This one is inspired by Jamie Oliver – you’ll be amazed at how crispy (although very unphotogenic) these turn out.</span></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; text-align: center;"><br />
<strong><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Fried zucchini ‘crisps’</span></strong></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjf6Hf_IlwR1mqtpvTKW5dHNjJJatJ_Kk0wXpcA6LWBWSZYAzghDAXF7-E1HU3EOxBQZq8JHOzLnDlOmkBSMX1Wi_oMwJOIFPml06_Yyiwq14EmKCybUhcvn5ENGHY9P9H8dguloKr-mSs5/s1600/zuchinni.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" n4="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjf6Hf_IlwR1mqtpvTKW5dHNjJJatJ_Kk0wXpcA6LWBWSZYAzghDAXF7-E1HU3EOxBQZq8JHOzLnDlOmkBSMX1Wi_oMwJOIFPml06_Yyiwq14EmKCybUhcvn5ENGHY9P9H8dguloKr-mSs5/s200/zuchinni.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Slice zucchini super thin using a mandolin. Dust sliced zucchini in flour or if you’re feeling really gluttonous batter lightly in a tempura style batter (this latter option was totally not allowed on the bride’s diet!). </span><br />
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</span></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Fry zucchini in a light vegetable oil until crispy and drain. Dress with slivers of garlic, fresh mint and chilli (optional), season liberally with sea salt. Serve immediately.</span></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_WdKOfNv24l9VjEwkPrO9ZhhzQmrTKb45f0S9rMJDkFhMq0-Ynid-sbGSiD6JHa87olXy_jCGPBLntbrWtaVFlEZCFPDIDDnzK2w7-492PCTInw67lM1I26l3tzO2ASm_5Js7ZW4F7VF7/s1600/IMG00533-20110110-1854%255B1%255D.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="185" n4="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_WdKOfNv24l9VjEwkPrO9ZhhzQmrTKb45f0S9rMJDkFhMq0-Ynid-sbGSiD6JHa87olXy_jCGPBLntbrWtaVFlEZCFPDIDDnzK2w7-492PCTInw67lM1I26l3tzO2ASm_5Js7ZW4F7VF7/s200/IMG00533-20110110-1854%255B1%255D.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">...very unphotogenic!</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table> <br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Check out the other 'Mum and the Chef' bloggers -</span><br />
<a href="http://windsordeli.blogspot.com/"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">http://windsordeli.blogspot.com/</span></a><br />
<a href="http://www.tarisota.typepad.com/"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">http://www.tarisota.typepad.com/</span></a><br />
<a href="http://www.gourmetgirl-friend.blogspot.com/"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">http://www.gourmetgirl-friend.blogspot.com/</span></a><br />
<a href="http://www.papecancook.blogspot.com/"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">http://www.papecancook.blogspot.com/</span></a><br />
<a href="http://www.mishdelish.com/"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">http://www.mishdelish.com/</span></a>food, glorious foodhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16765820511694771346noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-452459020332822580.post-21793951372452827732011-01-03T23:03:00.001+11:002011-01-03T23:10:56.887+11:00Neil Perry's Spice Temple<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">I write this post with somewhat trepidation given the recent <a href="http://www.smh.com.au/news/entertainment/goodliving/2009/10/15/1255195863663.html">Neil Perry and angry customer exchange</a>. But whether you love him or hate, it is hard to deny that as a chef and restaurateur Neil Perry has made a huge mark on the Australian food industry.<br />
<br />
So it was with great excitement that I accepted an invitation for a corporate Christmas lunch at his newest Melbourne restaurant the <a href="http://www.spicetemplemelbourne.com/">Spice Temple</a>. Given Perry’s long time love of Chinese food, I was expecting big things. And given my love of spice (and a huge shout out to Dainty Sichuan), I knew this had to be the place for me.<br />
<br />
But invariably with such big expectations, I was left very much disappointed.<br />
<br />
Despite the promising banquet featuring personal favourites such as spanner crab, Wagyu, quail eggs and prawns (<a href="http://www.spicetemplemelbourne.com/wp-content/uploads/Download-Spice-Temple-Menu-PDF4.pdf">banquet #2, $95 per person</a>), I found the meal to be somewhat unsatisfying. Not bad or anything, it was just missing that pazas and oompth that one should be entitled to expect of a fine dining Asian banquet.<br />
<br />
The biggest disappointment was the ‘strange flavour white chicken’. Marked in red on the menu and toted as the second hottest dish, this one was right up my ally. </span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhl3uNAUyym_FJpmCds9yB0V0i8if5Ukjd7Wi-q38Z0zoygKO13WlwfgtNY2xPcOilRSREYB6h_N1DVWS0s4MB-5CINhwfxk3dvPNIesFC1IMvBXyMJAutBoclfYaCPyzSQDv0e6xGZ8WyG/s1600/IMG00469-20101222-1248.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" n4="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhl3uNAUyym_FJpmCds9yB0V0i8if5Ukjd7Wi-q38Z0zoygKO13WlwfgtNY2xPcOilRSREYB6h_N1DVWS0s4MB-5CINhwfxk3dvPNIesFC1IMvBXyMJAutBoclfYaCPyzSQDv0e6xGZ8WyG/s320/IMG00469-20101222-1248.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">But oh how I was disappointed. Despite the smack in the mouth chilli (and I warn you, it is not for the faint hearted) and the sesame oil, I found this dish to be so bland, which is ironic really!<br />
<br />
While we’re on the topic of bland, much the same could also be said of the stir fried spanner crab, whole garlic, chilli and coriander.</span><br />
<br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiemoM77SsRiLJCyuyJTXd36Ji3GHGwXCQizppHGFtM6ieT_ejqdEuY95ZZrdIinOTWCUKsDw6OLN1tRdAC2m0K4YbpyviwacY60h1NLchDI6g4N_qWScjggrpnvvkxXPls24LrdbEZxr-T/s1600/IMG00473-20101222-1324.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" n4="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiemoM77SsRiLJCyuyJTXd36Ji3GHGwXCQizppHGFtM6ieT_ejqdEuY95ZZrdIinOTWCUKsDw6OLN1tRdAC2m0K4YbpyviwacY60h1NLchDI6g4N_qWScjggrpnvvkxXPls24LrdbEZxr-T/s320/IMG00473-20101222-1324.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"></span><br />
<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">And although the stir fried Wagyu brisket and the braised pork with pickled mustard greens were both amazing, it was very much a case of too little, too late.</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfIKczovjaU2ID4Tsm0tehuNyazQpxuLDC47WlNXbOi2ghBbovgTMIAfpS1rRe4VClmSMTRouwnvFwsFkESmhGsPZytPbm4CCSgyRO3SbC1vyE8QP9yiuKtTwYYRGmRFSp8o505sy-pcb4/s1600/IMG00475-20101222-1423.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" n4="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfIKczovjaU2ID4Tsm0tehuNyazQpxuLDC47WlNXbOi2ghBbovgTMIAfpS1rRe4VClmSMTRouwnvFwsFkESmhGsPZytPbm4CCSgyRO3SbC1vyE8QP9yiuKtTwYYRGmRFSp8o505sy-pcb4/s320/IMG00475-20101222-1423.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">That seems to be all I can say on the topic of Spice Temple.</span></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Although it wasn’t necessarily a bad experience, I don’t think I’m likely to go back. That having been said, I’m unlikely to discourage those who are keen to give it a go. </span></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Asian flavours are very much personal taste and whilst I found the flavours to be too subtle, others may find it the perfect teaser to modern Asian cooking. Drop me a line, I’d love to hear what you think!</span></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Georgia;"><strong>Spice Temple</strong></span></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Georgia;">Crown Complex</span></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Georgia;">8 Whiteman Street</span></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Georgia;">Southbank, VIC 3000</span></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Ph: (03) 8679 1888</span></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Lunch 7 day from midday</span></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Dinner 7 days from 6pm</span></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;"><strong><span style="font-family: Georgia;"><iframe frameborder="0" height="350" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://maps.google.com.au/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=8+whiteman+street+southbank&sll=-25.335448,135.745076&sspn=37.983262,59.414062&ie=UTF8&hq=&hnear=8+Whiteman+St,+Southbank+Victoria+3006&ll=-37.823547,144.959948&spn=0.023526,0.036478&z=14&iwloc=A&output=embed" width="425"></iframe><br />
<small><a href="http://maps.google.com.au/maps?f=q&source=embed&hl=en&geocode=&q=8+whiteman+street+southbank&sll=-25.335448,135.745076&sspn=37.983262,59.414062&ie=UTF8&hq=&hnear=8+Whiteman+St,+Southbank+Victoria+3006&ll=-37.823547,144.959948&spn=0.023526,0.036478&z=14&iwloc=A" style="color: blue; text-align: left;">View Larger Map</a></small></span></strong></div>food, glorious foodhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16765820511694771346noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-452459020332822580.post-56657484095006494782010-12-28T09:30:00.003+11:002010-12-28T09:49:17.848+11:00Strawberries<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQuhqiflR61PYBRtLT4UTCBuqiG21cjQQKHul5WdEtZVjnuOMlNDO9Lm7tBmyZVSAd_6iw2MIDAGTIrnCQHRSX2dtfus0U0kdEjVqOqz-O249QCZiOl8YTHSXk6l1RRYsH_CBFEHUQk7nB/s1600/strawberries.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="124" n4="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQuhqiflR61PYBRtLT4UTCBuqiG21cjQQKHul5WdEtZVjnuOMlNDO9Lm7tBmyZVSAd_6iw2MIDAGTIrnCQHRSX2dtfus0U0kdEjVqOqz-O249QCZiOl8YTHSXk6l1RRYsH_CBFEHUQk7nB/s200/strawberries.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">One of the many great things about summer is the abundance of fresh summer fruits. Mango. Lychee. Passionfruit. Pineapple. The list goes on and on.</span><br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">So when Katrina from <a href="http://www.windsordeli.blogspot.com/">Windsor Deli</a> chose strawberries as the next ingredient for 'The Mum and Chef Challenge' I was eager to move away from the decadent strawberry desserts and get back to basics.<br />
<br />
This glistening Strawberry Champagne Sorbet screams summer.</span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpvONRgsw11VKi795w18m-VkKJVSsqG0WYQjBdmnQq9ZQorW1nh-kLd9xKEvAxU3qKNjt3SvgKr0JS0pR4RuFiuPxm6Vv00gMJI4JKEtdtOXMz07JOJBCqhy5JJ8ZOkM_WX9OFA0bdWlly/s1600/sorbet.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" n4="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpvONRgsw11VKi795w18m-VkKJVSsqG0WYQjBdmnQq9ZQorW1nh-kLd9xKEvAxU3qKNjt3SvgKr0JS0pR4RuFiuPxm6Vv00gMJI4JKEtdtOXMz07JOJBCqhy5JJ8ZOkM_WX9OFA0bdWlly/s320/sorbet.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">It's so easy to make and can be stored in the freezer for those hot, summer nights. And there's no reason why you can't substitute the strawberries for other fruits such as mango or kiwi fruit (you may just need to adjust the sweetness to taste). </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">What a great alternative to the classic fruit platter!</span><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><br />
</span><strong><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"></span></strong><br />
<br />
<strong><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Strawberry champagne sorbet</span></strong><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">1/2 cup caster sugar</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">1/2 cup water</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">500g strawberries</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">1 tbs lemon juice</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">3 tbsp champagne</span><br />
<br />
<ol><li><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Melt sugar in water over a low heat. Place in the fridge to cool.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Puree strawberries in a food processor and add lemon and champagne. Place in the fridge to cool.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Once both are chilled, combine in a large bowl.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Pour combined mixture into a square baking tin and allow to freeze in the freezer.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">After 4 or 5 hours, remove tin from freezer and allow to thaw slightly.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Once thawed, remove from tin and use a food processor to break up the large ice crystals.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Pour the mixture back into the tin and place back in the freezer.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Repeat step 6 before serving.</span></li>
</ol><span style="font-family: Georgia;">For more ' The Mum and Chef Challenge' strawberry recipes, check out:</span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia;"><a href="http://www.windsordeli.blogspot.com/">http://www.windsordeli.blogspot.com/</a></span><br />
<span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia;"><a href="http://www.mishdelish.com/">http://www.mishdelish.com/</a></span><br />
<span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia;"><a href="http://www.tarisota.typepad.com/">http://www.tarisota.typepad.com/</a></span><br />
<span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia;"><a href="http://www.papecancook.blogspot.com/">http://www.papecancook.blogspot.com/</a></span><br />
<span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia;"><a href="http://www.gourmetgirl-friend.blogspot.com/">http://www.gourmetgirl-friend.blogspot.com/</a></span><br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: xx-small;">* This recipe has been adapted from </span><a href="http://www.joyofbaking.com/"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: xx-small;">www.joyofbaking.com</span></a>food, glorious foodhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16765820511694771346noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-452459020332822580.post-41699373630134931782010-12-15T17:22:00.000+11:002010-12-15T17:22:56.903+11:00Living on the edge<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">I’m not into gimmicks but I do like brownies and as far as gimmicks go this Baker’s Edge 'Edge Brownie Pan' (featured on Oprah’s favourite things) is utter genius!<br />
</span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjCPzpoWIYDtGIL4DXBCHld8dndjHnHPXT-WvJXZbtNAiROiIGfPrYPHPF5i1DIwk_5t5Vz5HwQtS54k20zcC7QoE6uGav8ZgLe09QBZNQuKVC70f8XAfjBm8Fyn1tcflrPfWdvY8nqB9r/s1600/bakers-edge-brownie-pan.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="135" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjCPzpoWIYDtGIL4DXBCHld8dndjHnHPXT-WvJXZbtNAiROiIGfPrYPHPF5i1DIwk_5t5Vz5HwQtS54k20zcC7QoE6uGav8ZgLe09QBZNQuKVC70f8XAfjBm8Fyn1tcflrPfWdvY8nqB9r/s200/bakers-edge-brownie-pan.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Baker's Edge 'Edge Brownie Pan'</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Think about it…crusty, chewy edges on every single slice of brownie – perfect isn’t it?! </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
And if you can be bothered sizing up your lasagne sheets, Baker’s Edge even have the all-over-edged 'Simple Lasagne Pan'. </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuibthyphenhyphenxzpY-iNbo74_JJz9R_FyT752dLtXPFTGepKaDlzZu1bnwyN1G_WoToOC4aYZpcLCG_xA_nl-VXBvyTe51IHRMOfFJq8K_eg6EXSfftyXy9lIJ1-clCeY3fxbyoXUvsOD-5-VPdw/s1600/BakersEdgeLasagna.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuibthyphenhyphenxzpY-iNbo74_JJz9R_FyT752dLtXPFTGepKaDlzZu1bnwyN1G_WoToOC4aYZpcLCG_xA_nl-VXBvyTe51IHRMOfFJq8K_eg6EXSfftyXy9lIJ1-clCeY3fxbyoXUvsOD-5-VPdw/s200/BakersEdgeLasagna.jpg" width="199" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Baker's Edge 'Simple Lasagna Pan'</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
So that’s the teaser …but here’s the bad news...</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Neither Baker’s Edge nor Amazon seem to ship these products to Australia. And E-bay….well there’s nothing there either! </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">So until we can get someone to deliver these pans down under it looks as though we’ll have to keep fighting over those caramelised edges.</span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div></div>food, glorious foodhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16765820511694771346noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-452459020332822580.post-81577269249561009272010-12-09T13:09:00.000+11:002010-12-09T13:09:20.313+11:00Chocolate hedgehog slice<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYAGAy5KzUcLsy6YYCK4VR10phTdQsZ-J3BO8BhrZrVsQAQxePPZ4sIAZqcAK6E_rqipAlYFnhTf5WkmcDUYc8WGKH5qEk2HUpnot14la1Dh4qBHFEXL-s_kuf-ohHB-gYUBuAH6gLGOKr/s1600/IMG00349-20101130-2031.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYAGAy5KzUcLsy6YYCK4VR10phTdQsZ-J3BO8BhrZrVsQAQxePPZ4sIAZqcAK6E_rqipAlYFnhTf5WkmcDUYc8WGKH5qEk2HUpnot14la1Dh4qBHFEXL-s_kuf-ohHB-gYUBuAH6gLGOKr/s200/IMG00349-20101130-2031.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">I’ve never met anyone who didn’t like chocolate hedgehog slice. Let’s be honest – what is there not to like? Gooey chocolate. Crunchy biscuit. Thick chocolate icing. It’s like a match made in heaven.<br />
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<br />
So after months of perfecting my chocolate hedgehog slice I have put together the recipe for everyone to try. It’s so quick and easy to make that, like me, you’ll start making (…and eating…) weekly slabs of it!<br />
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You can find my recipe on the blog <a href="http://tarisota.typepad.com/my_weblog/2010/12/christmas-recipe-day-nine.html">A Collection of Thoughts</a> as part of the Christmas Recipe Collection or you can download it <a href="http://tarisota.typepad.com/files/recipe-nine-.pdf">here</a>.<br />
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Happy eating!</span>food, glorious foodhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16765820511694771346noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-452459020332822580.post-23065299215242210312010-12-07T13:08:00.001+11:002010-12-09T12:57:25.199+11:00Cherries<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">…you either love them or you hate them!</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOEFMU4-0d3B7XWNHUVCVWL1WHiaXDxtxw59F_c7yHpJohLAf-YS2TK-OfP4qc0LrW4MkB3UE9oRM8lrEVC0vG-8oQPRlmN4S01wFI0JojMpwDxnZHRQwTHLpeq7tlkrFzTC5D7U5xv5sE/s1600/IMG00380-20101204-1041.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOEFMU4-0d3B7XWNHUVCVWL1WHiaXDxtxw59F_c7yHpJohLAf-YS2TK-OfP4qc0LrW4MkB3UE9oRM8lrEVC0vG-8oQPRlmN4S01wFI0JojMpwDxnZHRQwTHLpeq7tlkrFzTC5D7U5xv5sE/s200/IMG00380-20101204-1041.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Personally, I hate them. </span><br />
<div class="PTtabletext" style="margin-bottom: 6pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 6pt; padding-bottom: 0px !important; padding-left: 0px !important; padding-right: 0px !important; padding-top: 0px !important; text-indent: 0px !important;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></div><div class="PTtabletext" style="margin-bottom: 6pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 6pt; padding-bottom: 0px !important; padding-left: 0px !important; padding-right: 0px !important; padding-top: 0px !important; text-indent: 0px !important;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Even as a candy I find them to be detestable. Perhaps it’s that combination of tart and sweet that gets to me. Or just the fact that they’re so often squished, rather unimaginatively, between layers of sponge and lashings of cream that bores me.</span></div><div class="PTtabletext" style="margin-bottom: 6pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 6pt; padding-bottom: 0px !important; padding-left: 0px !important; padding-right: 0px !important; padding-top: 0px !important; text-indent: 0px !important;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></div><div class="PTtabletext" style="margin-bottom: 6pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 6pt; padding-bottom: 0px !important; padding-left: 0px !important; padding-right: 0px !important; padding-top: 0px !important; text-indent: 0px !important;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">So naturally, when Katrina Higham of </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><a href="http://windsordeli.blogspot.com/">Windsor Deli</a></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> announced that the chosen seasonal ingredient for December’s ‘The mum and the chef challenge’ was cherries – I was devastated.</span></div><div class="PTtabletext" style="margin-bottom: 6pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 6pt; padding-bottom: 0px !important; padding-left: 0px !important; padding-right: 0px !important; padding-top: 0px !important; text-indent: 0px !important;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></div><div class="PTtabletext" style="margin-bottom: 6pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 6pt; padding-bottom: 0px !important; padding-left: 0px !important; padding-right: 0px !important; padding-top: 0px !important; text-indent: 0px !important;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">But challenge being the name of the game - I threw on my apron and got to pitting some cherries…a lot of cherries.</span></div><div class="PTtabletext" style="margin-bottom: 6pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 6pt; padding-bottom: 0px !important; padding-left: 0px !important; padding-right: 0px !important; padding-top: 0px !important; text-indent: 0px !important;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; text-indent: 0px !important;"><br />
</span></div><div class="PTtabletext" style="margin-bottom: 6pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 6pt; padding-bottom: 0px !important; padding-left: 0px !important; padding-right: 0px !important; padding-top: 0px !important; text-align: left; text-indent: 0px !important;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; text-indent: 0px !important;">Inspired by the classic cherry ripe bar, </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">I filled several pitted cherries with desiccated coconut and condensed milk and coated them generously in thick dark chocolate. But they just didn’t make the cut - the contrast in texture of each of the layers was just too overpowering and the cherries seemed to get somewhat lost between the coconut and chocolate.</span></div><div class="PTtabletext" style="margin-bottom: 6pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 6pt; padding-bottom: 0px !important; padding-left: 0px !important; padding-right: 0px !important; padding-top: 0px !important; text-indent: 0px !important;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; text-indent: 0px !important;"><br />
</span></div><div class="PTtabletext" style="margin-bottom: 6pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 6pt; padding-bottom: 0px !important; padding-left: 0px !important; padding-right: 0px !important; padding-top: 0px !important; text-indent: 0px !important;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; text-indent: 0px !important;">Feeling rather deflated, I reverted back to ye old faithful tart. Filled with cream cheese, mascarpone and a hint of white chocolate and topped with a sticky cherry jam – it was all I had left in me.</span></div><div class="PTtabletext" style="margin-bottom: 6pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 6pt; padding-bottom: 0px !important; padding-left: 0px !important; padding-right: 0px !important; padding-top: 0px !important; text-indent: 0px !important;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOEgg0AejXwK6RHKciPN6Qx2iI6x2kmTcWa-MsQrPWBQBDL5jOhyphenhyphenCeY8xwsjTXzI-0Opx_oYewvsCxwgodcdyWqHPZFz1McYEI_rC03ZAfEIBVkOQwovb2ApxpVJtBveU1AQixhp9O-wM4/s1600/IMG_0223.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOEgg0AejXwK6RHKciPN6Qx2iI6x2kmTcWa-MsQrPWBQBDL5jOhyphenhyphenCeY8xwsjTXzI-0Opx_oYewvsCxwgodcdyWqHPZFz1McYEI_rC03ZAfEIBVkOQwovb2ApxpVJtBveU1AQixhp9O-wM4/s320/IMG_0223.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsvjOhznYXi0yh_NboyLOhqhq4b9JWj2as3wRvzu2Dmzispiq4dBl1hgfj7A8upnmCrTrzD6jU7qfHK3YEMu1rlNeYX0a1Nln3rLno7jNMCxEy6bysszR0mqv_mbcX1FCUcfutAet4uDwR/s1600/IMG00432-20101204-1635.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsvjOhznYXi0yh_NboyLOhqhq4b9JWj2as3wRvzu2Dmzispiq4dBl1hgfj7A8upnmCrTrzD6jU7qfHK3YEMu1rlNeYX0a1Nln3rLno7jNMCxEy6bysszR0mqv_mbcX1FCUcfutAet4uDwR/s320/IMG00432-20101204-1635.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="PTtabletext" style="margin-bottom: 6pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 6pt; padding-bottom: 0px !important; padding-left: 0px !important; padding-right: 0px !important; padding-top: 0px !important; text-indent: 0px !important;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="PTtabletext" style="margin-bottom: 6pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 6pt; padding-bottom: 0px !important; padding-left: 0px !important; padding-right: 0px !important; padding-top: 0px !important; text-indent: 0px !important;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">What was left of the cherry ‘jam’ was poured into the centre of some puff pastry ‘danishes’ (….and I use the term ‘danish’ very loosely!) and decorated with white chocolate.</span></div><div class="PTtabletext" style="margin-bottom: 6pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 6pt; padding-bottom: 0px !important; padding-left: 0px !important; padding-right: 0px !important; padding-top: 0px !important; text-indent: 0px !important;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCx-KwvBk-xofT6cWevx-s7binnuQEPH0hayLcPrcA6sg4OvfKjBg6iC-yRxUVNK4vf9Q7nouFG-p4rc0DOBKu9q9ettZn9Mn5-k_UXktbhllE0QeNJyy4go5FLkNPlN9Xf40611R-6XCg/s1600/IMG00391-20101204-1239.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCx-KwvBk-xofT6cWevx-s7binnuQEPH0hayLcPrcA6sg4OvfKjBg6iC-yRxUVNK4vf9Q7nouFG-p4rc0DOBKu9q9ettZn9Mn5-k_UXktbhllE0QeNJyy4go5FLkNPlN9Xf40611R-6XCg/s320/IMG00391-20101204-1239.jpg" width="320" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdZ7iF6NxjxXmbeKU0qXYKYD0MjbuoElqI2SVhn8UHKE8S-Lsos8KDykgFZQl5WVr-7TospUOXtoomO0b8WNF07Q98Kl1lf2ukB02p3WFX8nG4zK7lDm2RtiDx6kNKWMScjP9PWeUbv58i/s1600/IMG00396-20101204-1457.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdZ7iF6NxjxXmbeKU0qXYKYD0MjbuoElqI2SVhn8UHKE8S-Lsos8KDykgFZQl5WVr-7TospUOXtoomO0b8WNF07Q98Kl1lf2ukB02p3WFX8nG4zK7lDm2RtiDx6kNKWMScjP9PWeUbv58i/s320/IMG00396-20101204-1457.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="PTtabletext" style="margin-bottom: 6pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 6pt; padding-bottom: 0px !important; padding-left: 0px !important; padding-right: 0px !important; padding-top: 0px !important; text-indent: 0px !important;"><o:p style="text-indent: 0px !important;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; text-indent: 0px !important;"><br />
</span></o:p></div><div class="PTtabletext" style="margin-bottom: 6pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 6pt; padding-bottom: 0px !important; padding-left: 0px !important; padding-right: 0px !important; padding-top: 0px !important; text-indent: 0px !important;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; text-indent: 0px !important;">I was done. The challenge was complete!</span></div><div class="PTtabletext" style="margin-bottom: 6pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 6pt; padding-bottom: 0px !important; padding-left: 0px !important; padding-right: 0px !important; padding-top: 0px !important; text-indent: 0px !important;"><br />
</div><div class="PTtabletext" style="margin-bottom: 6pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 6pt; padding-bottom: 0px !important; padding-left: 0px !important; padding-right: 0px !important; padding-top: 0px !important; text-indent: 0px !important;"><b style="text-indent: 0px !important;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; text-indent: 0px !important;">So, to make my cherry tarts…<o:p style="text-indent: 0px !important;"></o:p></span></b></div><div class="PTtabletext" style="margin-bottom: 6pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 6pt; padding-bottom: 0px !important; padding-left: 0px !important; padding-right: 0px !important; padding-top: 0px !important; text-indent: 0px !important;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; text-indent: 0px !important;"><br />
</span></div><div class="PTtabletext" style="margin-bottom: 6pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 6pt; padding-bottom: 0px !important; padding-left: 0px !important; padding-right: 0px !important; padding-top: 0px !important; text-indent: 0px !important;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; text-indent: 0px !important;">I processed <b style="text-indent: 0px !important;">1 cup flour</b>, <b style="text-indent: 0px !important;">25g of icing sugar </b>and about <b style="text-indent: 0px !important;">75g of butter</b> in a food processer until it formed a crumbly breadcrumb-like mixture. I them mixed in the egg yolk and continued processing until a dough formed. After kneading it into a ball, I placed it in the fringe for 30 minutes to cool.<b style="text-indent: 0px !important;"><o:p style="text-indent: 0px !important;"></o:p></b></span></div><div class="PTtabletext" style="margin-bottom: 6pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 6pt; padding-bottom: 0px !important; padding-left: 0px !important; padding-right: 0px !important; padding-top: 0px !important; text-indent: 0px !important;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; text-indent: 0px !important;"><br />
</span></div><div class="PTtabletext" style="margin-bottom: 6pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 6pt; padding-bottom: 0px !important; padding-left: 0px !important; padding-right: 0px !important; padding-top: 0px !important; text-indent: 0px !important;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; text-indent: 0px !important;">After 30 minutes, I rolled out the dough to approximately 3mm and pressed it into the tart moulds and trimmed the edged. I allowed the moulds another 30 minutes in the fridge to cool and then blind-baked them for 15 minutes on 200 degrees.</span></div><div class="PTtabletext" style="margin-bottom: 6pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 6pt; padding-bottom: 0px !important; padding-left: 0px !important; padding-right: 0px !important; padding-top: 0px !important; text-indent: 0px !important;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; text-indent: 0px !important;"><br />
</span></div><div class="PTtabletext" style="margin-bottom: 6pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 6pt; padding-bottom: 0px !important; padding-left: 0px !important; padding-right: 0px !important; padding-top: 0px !important; text-indent: 0px !important;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; text-indent: 0px !important;">For the filling, I processed <b style="text-indent: 0px !important;">100g of softened cream cheese</b>, <b style="text-indent: 0px !important;">3 tablespoons of mascarpone</b> and <b style="text-indent: 0px !important;">40g melted white chocolate</b>. Once the tart shells cooled, I placed this filling in the centre.</span></div><div class="PTtabletext" style="margin-bottom: 6pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 6pt; padding-bottom: 0px !important; padding-left: 0px !important; padding-right: 0px !important; padding-top: 0px !important; text-indent: 0px !important;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; text-indent: 0px !important;"><br />
</span></div><div class="PTtabletext" style="margin-bottom: 6pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 6pt; padding-bottom: 0px !important; padding-left: 0px !important; padding-right: 0px !important; padding-top: 0px !important; text-indent: 0px !important;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; text-indent: 0px !important;">For the sticky cherry ‘jam’ I <span style="text-indent: 0px !important;">melted </span><b style="text-indent: 0px !important;">¼ cup of caster sugar</b> in a pot with <b style="text-indent: 0px !important;">¼ cup of red dessert wine</b> (I used Brown Brother’s Sienna). Once melted I mixed in <b style="text-indent: 0px !important;">¾ cup of pitted cherries </b>and allowed it to simmer for 5 minutes. To thicken up the sauce, I made a paste using 1 teaspoon of cornflour and some water and mixed this into the cherry sauce. Once thickened, I removed this from the heat and allowed it to cool.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcA0geuou6KeKagxkGVZqR4Onv825umRKsehhGTNjzivibXm7gPSeORsgq4XqKrQCzTKwt-GCVbB1OXGEhBZGCFHO5B6COxatqFKTUzBcGkZ3Vlwel3vOFERNaPT4C2dvrSkfDIV7t-TL-/s1600/IMG00395-20101204-1409.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcA0geuou6KeKagxkGVZqR4Onv825umRKsehhGTNjzivibXm7gPSeORsgq4XqKrQCzTKwt-GCVbB1OXGEhBZGCFHO5B6COxatqFKTUzBcGkZ3Vlwel3vOFERNaPT4C2dvrSkfDIV7t-TL-/s320/IMG00395-20101204-1409.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="PTtabletext" style="margin-bottom: 6pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 6pt; padding-bottom: 0px !important; padding-left: 0px !important; padding-right: 0px !important; padding-top: 0px !important; text-indent: 0px !important;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; text-indent: 0px !important;">With the tart shell, the filling and stick cherry jam ready – all that was left to do was assemble my tarts (3 tarts in total).</span></div><div class="PTtabletext" style="margin-bottom: 6pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 6pt; padding-bottom: 0px !important; padding-left: 0px !important; padding-right: 0px !important; padding-top: 0px !important; text-indent: 0px !important;"><br />
</div>food, glorious foodhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16765820511694771346noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-452459020332822580.post-28300176468899635302010-11-22T17:40:00.001+11:002010-11-23T08:56:30.669+11:00'...anything you can do...we can do better...'<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgM09M042abLO9FBwFryk3D0d3V1Uz41UjXOqrViL9Sz04aqpkl6gFbJV1x8toChJmjb2Z-sEF0O6qPQPQiP30-Wgdzh3_x1ZokuI8WQySaBxQk-ZgppL-B-WZ5lA1tpjhbO14YqIOGWXZz/s1600/thai1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgM09M042abLO9FBwFryk3D0d3V1Uz41UjXOqrViL9Sz04aqpkl6gFbJV1x8toChJmjb2Z-sEF0O6qPQPQiP30-Wgdzh3_x1ZokuI8WQySaBxQk-ZgppL-B-WZ5lA1tpjhbO14YqIOGWXZz/s200/thai1.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>When it comes to food Melbourne is a cultural melting pot. <br />
<br />
Whether it be Victoria Street, Sydney Road or one of Melbourne’s historic alleyways, there's something for everyone.<br />
<br />
But there’s one cuisine (or at least it’s one that I’m so desperately addicted to) that Melbourne just can’t seem to get right.<br />
<br />
Thai.<br />
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And to add insult to injury, it seems to be the one cuisine that our longtime rival (you know...the one across the border) does so very, very well!!<br />
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Now I’m not talking about your modern Thai ‘inspired’ cuisine <i>a la</i> Martin Boetz’s ‘Longrain’ - I’m talking about your no frills, authentic, grandmother’s 100 year-old secret recipe kind of place.<br />
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Luckily, <a href="http://home.alphalink.com.au/~thaiftg/">Thai Food To Go</a> in Windsor (…if you can get over the not-so-authentic restaurant name) brings us one step closer to sticking it right up those pompous Sydneysiders (competitive much?).<br />
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Thai Food To Go strikes the perfect balance between retro (in the Windsor sense of the word) and authentic. The staff are young and energetic, the décor colourful and the atmosphere bustling.<br />
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But more importantly – the food, oh the food!<br />
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Delicately wrapped parcels of shortcrust pastry oozing with soft, steaming hot, curried vegetables (vegetarian curry puff, $1.70). <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9XQ6NT5dcTj_XFT-cCkitrDM12CUqjZCBSFaw4lIe7WOhMb-Lrwq7Sme6e7GNKQSe3OM40Gf3EKjfbInDsadXXbDagwoHZi-_OAphis2WPcmsJjloV3qaoLDKnGmommFV1ao3TkGwIQU-/s1600/tha4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9XQ6NT5dcTj_XFT-cCkitrDM12CUqjZCBSFaw4lIe7WOhMb-Lrwq7Sme6e7GNKQSe3OM40Gf3EKjfbInDsadXXbDagwoHZi-_OAphis2WPcmsJjloV3qaoLDKnGmommFV1ao3TkGwIQU-/s320/tha4.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
Satay chicken skewers draped in a crunchy, super, super crunchy, peanut sauce with just enough spice to awaken the senses (satay chicken skewer, $2.80)<br />
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Chicken jungle curry which entices you with fragrant lemongrass, earthy galangal and bamboo and then, when you least expect it, smacks you right in the mouth with the most exhilarating spice ($16.50).<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjz5U8cVhzc8-S85NhR2Yzf78f5-A3aCnDbNTaqVU7cJD7nYPRuSX6IvaSA1Qry2T_o0YQHhQgcihVNDUYxE6MWKtwYArl0Ep1wtzS6kIWKiqLf5YNyGRYv5qjrvTs81NR7x2xHGlg1foyn/s1600/thai+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjz5U8cVhzc8-S85NhR2Yzf78f5-A3aCnDbNTaqVU7cJD7nYPRuSX6IvaSA1Qry2T_o0YQHhQgcihVNDUYxE6MWKtwYArl0Ep1wtzS6kIWKiqLf5YNyGRYv5qjrvTs81NR7x2xHGlg1foyn/s320/thai+1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
A much more delicate seafood Penang curry combines lemongrass, galangal, coriander and I suspect some Kaffir lime leaves and Thai sweet basil to create a soft yet fragrant taste sensation ($21).<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPzJ-2dXuJ7jQzVGxt4miPuzQXq02FAs46ri6kMR8ayM_F3-irswp9zVzWEjNyAqO4h7RJpPXWotZWNT3nkUsFQk7a4LfWcZ5oeEF8Vv7ROHJ6Dfv6rRVMS4iqHMmVgFbukeTSAWBbUoRH/s1600/tha2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPzJ-2dXuJ7jQzVGxt4miPuzQXq02FAs46ri6kMR8ayM_F3-irswp9zVzWEjNyAqO4h7RJpPXWotZWNT3nkUsFQk7a4LfWcZ5oeEF8Vv7ROHJ6Dfv6rRVMS4iqHMmVgFbukeTSAWBbUoRH/s320/tha2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
Unfortunately the green chicken curry lacks that oomph and pezaz that one should really expect from a green chicken curry but even that is unable to detract from what is an almost perfect Thai restaurant experience.<br />
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Do yourself a favour and get yourself to Thai Food To Go - without a doubt, one of the best Thai restaurants Melbourne has got to offer!<br />
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<i>Note: A new and promising addition to the Melbourne Thai food trail is <a href="http://www.easytiger.co/">Easy Tiger</a> (Smith Street, Collingwood) – a partnership between Jarrod Hudson, Simon Hall and Suzanne Tyzack, all of Giant Steps & Innocent Bystander Winery in Healesville. I will keep you posted!</i><br />
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<b>Thai Food To Go</b><br />
141 Chapel Street<br />
Windsor, VIC 3181<br />
Ph: (03) 9510 2112<br />
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Open 7 days a week 12 noon to 11pm<br />
Deliveries 6pm to 10.45pm<br />
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</i>food, glorious foodhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16765820511694771346noreply@blogger.com0