Flagrant food fawning

Middle fish- new thai temptation near Melbourne University

2012-01-16T21:00:00.000+11:00

7am-5pm on Monday to Friday

10am-4pm on Saturday and Sunday

122-128 Berkeley Street, North Melbourne

Just before the Christmas break serenity later and I headed over to Seven Seeds for a caffeine fix and noticed rumblings next door. Peeking in we saw a large warehouse set up with hip furnishings and a very enthusiastic couple welcoming us to dine in. Unfortunately, it was too early for food but we promised to return.

Now that work's started up for the new year and I'm back in the hood, I took the opportunity to check out Middle Fish (lots of other folk have already given it the thumbs up but at least we can add to the recommendations). Unfortunately we were only in a grazing mood this instance but found a few light and tasty treats.

vegetable spring rolls

Hot and sour apple, shrimp and strawberry salad

Banana Roti with condensed milk

We also tried the Green Curry and Tom Yum soup with rice on a different occasion, both delicious and very tasty. The only drawback is because it's a new, hip place-the lunch rush leaves you waiting awhile for your food, so best ot check it out before noon or after two.

Sydney seafood school- BBQ seafood lesson

2011-11-11T19:59:00.000+11:00

For Magic G's birthday last year I got a seafood BBQ voucher from the Sydney Seafood School, held at the Sydney Fish Markets. We used it over the weekend and discovered some tricks to making some simple and other more fiddly seafood meals. Altogether the cooking lesson runs for half the day- there's a 2 hour cooking demonstration with a Q and A session but by the time you get around to cooking yourself, the smells are almost enough to make you want to ditch and grab some fish n' chips from the stalls outside!

We made five different dishes, exploring step by step different methods of preparation. For the prawns we were shown how best to remove the stomach/nerve track and peel them for maximum absorption of tangy chilli marinade. They served to temper our appetite while we spent the next ninety minutes preparing the rest of our meal. We were shown how to de-bone and butterfly garfish, peel and clean squid, dry and salt salmon to make it crispy and perhaps the most frustrating part of the lesson de-beard mussels. The results are shown below. Overall it was enjoyable and practical for anyone wanting to learn how to properly BBQ seafood and the best part was eating the results at the end of the session.

butterfly BBQ garfish and rocket salad

BBQ salmon steaks with creamy lime and garlic mayonnaise

garlic butter mussels

Tiramisu

2011-11-09T11:45:00.004+11:00

If you look through the archives of this blog, you'll find a more summery take on the traditional tiramisu. This version is taken from Italian Food Safari but there are many more .... and a lot of those are more straightforward than this one!! I found the timing can get a bit tricky, especially when it comes to making the meringue, so have a think about the logistics before embarking on this step. I also tried this using my handheld mixer, and must admit that I really did think that my flimsy whisk attachment was going to break at one point. So if you have anything like a stand mixer (I wanted a KitchenAid before, but now I really want one!) then by all means use it!! That said, this did turn out really well.

3 egg yolks
60g castor sugar
500g mascarpone (but Philadelphia cream cheese works fine)
70ml Kahlua
1 packet savoiardi biscuits
80g dark chocolate, ground
hot espresso coffee

For meringue
100ml cold water
250g castor sugar
125ml egg whites

Whisk egg yolks and castor sugar on high speed, until fluffy and pale in colour. Add the mascarpone/cream cheese and whisk until mixture thickens. Once it has thickened, add Kahlua and keep mixing until just combined. Do not overmix. Set aside.

Add water to a clean saucepan. Slowly add castor sugar such that all grains get wet and there aren't any on the walls of the saucepan. On a medium heat, bring to soft ball stage. What this means is that if you take a spoonful of the sugar mixture and drop it into a cup of cold water, the sugar mixture should form a small ball.

Whisk egg whites until fluffy and forming peaks. At this stage, start adding the hot sugar mix. When all sugar added, keep whisking until cooled.

Fold the meringue into the mascarpone/cream cheese mix.

Briefly dip the biscuits in hot coffee (don't want them soggy). Line a baking tray with the biscuits alongside each other.

Add a layer of the mascarpone/cream cheese mix, then sprinkle generously with ground chocolate. Cover this with biscuits and repeat the layering of the cheese and chocolate.

Keep in fridge at least 2 hours before serving.

when in Seoul...

2011-10-01T22:56:00.000+10:00

enjoy a good ole Korean BBQ

Ottolenghi- Pear and Cranberry upside down cake

2011-09-04T16:26:00.000+10:00

Sunday afternoons can seem lonely sometimes, so it's good to forget yourself with food. Awhile back came across this recipe from one of Ottolenghi's online recipe offerings (we're big fans here of the simple and easy recipes- thanks to jfox for the introducing us!)

The recipe can be found here on the Ottolenghi website along with a much more foodperve worthy photo of the cake. My only note would be to ditch the caramel step and just sprinkle same amount of sugar on the bottom of cake tin and then add small knobs of butter before adding the fruit. Also if you feel the mixture is too wet add a bit more almond meal, if you think it's too dry add a few teaspoons of the poaching syrup.

Fanouropita- Greek vegan spiced raisin cake

2011-08-31T20:34:00.000+10:00

This cake is made around the 28th August to celebrate the patron saint of revelation and finding clarity- St Fanouros. Although it's called a pie, it's clearly a cake and a super delicious and easy one to make, you'll want to make it often and have some lying around to enjoy with tea or coffee.

What you need
- 4 cups of plain flour
- 1 ½ cups of sugar
- 4 teaspoons baking powder
- 2 teaspoons of cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon of mixed spice
- 1 cup of golden raisins (or currants, dried cranberries soaked in hot water and drained well)
- 1 cup roughly chopped walnuts
- 1 cup of light olive oil
- 1 ½ cups orange juice
- ½ cup brandy
- fine zest of 2 oranges
- 2 tsp sesame seeds

What to do:
1. Preheat oven to 180C
2. Line a 23cm square cake tin
3. Dry ingredients: Mix flour, baking powder, and spices in a bowl
4. Wet ingredients: In another bowl combine orange juice, oil, brandy with sugar and orange zest and whisk until sugar is dissolved
5. Dust fruit with flour so as not to stick to the bottom.
6. Pour wet ingredients into flour mixture. Add raisins and walnuts, mix well – will be a wet mixture.
7. Pour into cake tin and sprinkle with sesame seeds.
8. Bake at 180C for 45min to 1 hour (test to make sure inserter comes out clean).

Mister Carsisi, Kyneton

2011-08-08T23:16:00.003+10:00

Pistachio baklava, Turkish delight semifredo sandwich (oohh yeah believe it baby!) served with talumba (syrup saturated churros) to dunk in molten turkish delight from Mister Carsisi, Kyneton

Stroopwaffles- Dutch for delicious!?

2011-05-29T19:33:00.000+10:00

What's a stroopwaffle?

I didn't know until I had one of these yummy treats thanks to a generous friend at work. They taste distinctly like waffles but with a surprising thin layer of cinnamon syrup between the waffle - it's a wonder how they manage to cut the already thin waffle to spread the fragrant syrup! To be enjoyed with your coffee at morning tea I'm told, and, by popping a stroopwaffle over your coffee cup for a minute, the heat warms up the syrup and makes it perfect!

Turns out one of the guys at work has decided to get into the business of making and selling Dutch sweets with his wife online because of a lack of local, authentic and fresh options. Check out their online store at Deliciously Dutch

Hot Cross (stud) Muffins

2011-04-03T19:21:00.001+10:00

This is a quick and easy alternative to making hot cross buns (other than picking some up from the supermarket/bakery). They have the same yummy taste and light texture but you don't have to wait around for the dough rise. But be warned, because they're lighter - you'll find one isn't enough!

Hot Cross Muffins (or Mel's hot-stud muffins!)
makes 12 (recipe adapted from Delicious April 2010)

Ingredients
2 cups dried cranberries (or a mix with currants, sultanas)
2 1/2 cups of self raising flour
1/2 tsp bi-carb soda
2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
2/3 cup sunflower oil
2 eggs
2/3 cup caster sugar * (requires 200g but reduced it because it was too sweet)
1 cup buttermilk (easy to make buttermilk = use regular milk and add 1-2 tbs of white vinegar!)
Glaze
2 tbs sugar
1/4 cup water
Icing
1/4 cup icing sugar * (asks for 80g icing sugar. I think half & half of sugar/cornflour is just right)
1/4 cup cornflour *
1-2tsp lemon juice

Method
1. Preheat oven to 200 degrees celsius.
2. Soak dried fruit in boiling water for 10 min and then drain.
3. Sift dry ingredients in a bowl.
4. Mix oil, buttermilk, eggs and sugar in another bowl.
5. Combine dry and wet ingredients and stir to combine together with fruit.
6. Prepare muffin cases by cutting ~15cm squares of non-stick baking paper and place into muffin tray.
7. Spoon mixture and then bake for 20 min at 190 degrees celsius until just golden.
8. While muffins are cooking, prepare glaze by combining sugar and water and waiting for it to dissolve.
9. Brush glaze over muffins and and pop back into oven for 5 more minutes. Take out and cool on wire rack.
10. Prepare icing mixture by mixing sugar and cornflour, then squeezing lemon juice. Make sure muffins are cool before piping icing, otherwise the icing will dribble everywhere!

If you are impatient or have difficulty exercising temperance like me - skip the icing and while still warm spread muffins with some butter and enjoy with a hot cup of tea!

Agave's Mexican wave

2011-03-28T19:42:00.002+11:00

Agave Restaurante Mexicano

406 Crown Street
Surry Hills NSW 2010
(02) 9326 9072 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting (02) 9326 9072

end_of_the_skype_highlighting

Okay, we were attracted to Agave by the $10 deal on margharitas (stick with the classic and don't worry with the pre-made slushies!), but were keen to try out some of the other interesting options on the dinner menu. We wanted to try the pulpo al ajillo (octopus with guajillo chilli, garlic and rice) but they sadly they didn't have it. Instead we tried the queso fundido chorizo - a rich, fondue of cheese and sausage- very tasty and a little overpowering but good with the shredded lamb and vegetable salad. We also selected the pork as it came with nopales cactus which I was curious to try and appreciate the effort needed to remove the spines!

Queso fundido chorizo with salsa

Salpicon de borrego

Puerco En Salsa Verde

Turns out I'm not as keen on the cactus after all. It had a texture similar to okra (mmm...slimy), but the taste was okay. The chillies and tomatillo sauce/soup complimented the tender and flavoursome pork neck. By the time we finished, we had no room for dessert (damn that cheese!) Still, it was nice to have a different take on Mexican food given the variety of options around Sydney.

More Ottolenghi love: Gluten-free salads

2011-03-23T07:00:00.006+11:00

Even more neglected than the vegetarian at a BBQ is the gluten-free attendee.
Sausages? Out.
Marinated meats? Out.
Tomato sauce? BBQ sauce? Wholegrain mustard? Out. Out. Out.
Anything with soy sauce (what can I say, we're Chinese!). Out.

Here are a couple of simple salads for the gluten-free friend in your life.

The first is a fresh salad with lovely smokey flavours of charred eggplants, and the second is a broccoli salad with a bit of punch.

Enjoy!

Burnt aubergine with yellow pepper and red onion
from Ottolenghi the Cookbook
Serves 4
2 medium aubergines
2 yellow or green peppers, cored and cut into 1.5cm dice
1 medium red onion, roughly chopped
24 cherry tomatoes, halved
40g flat leaf parsley, roughl chopped
70 mL sunflower or nut oil
90 mL cider vinegar
3 tsp ground cumin
coarse sea salt and black pepper

1. Place the aubergines directly on 2 separate moderate flames on the stove and roast for 12-15 minutes, turning them occasionally with metal tongs, until the flesh is soft and the skin is burnt and flaky. Alternatively, place the aubergines under a hot grill for about an hour, turning them occasionally and continuing to cook even if they burst.
Leave to cool slightly.
2. Make a long cut through each warm aubergine. Scoop out the soft flesh while avoiding most of the burnt skin on the outside. Leave the flesh to drain in a colander for at least one hour, or overnight.
3. Chop the aubergine flesh roughly. Mix all the ingredients together, then taste and adjust the seasoning. It should be robust and pungent. Serve within 24 hours.

Chargrilled broccoli with chilli and garlic

from Ottolenghi the Cookbook

Serves 2-42 heads of broccoli (about 500g)
115 mL olive oil
4 garlic cloves
2 mild red chillies, thinly sliced
coarse sea salt and black pepper
optional - toasted flaked almonds or very thin slices of lemon (with skin) to garnish

1. Separate broccoli florets, leaving individual small stems. Fill a large saucepan with plenty of water and bring to the boil. Blanch broccoli for 2 minutes only. Quickly transfer the broccoli to a bowl full of ice-cold water to stop the cooking at once. Drain and dry completely. Toss the broccoli in 45 mL olive oil, and season with salt and pepper.
2. Place a griddled pan on high heat for five minutes, and grill the broccoli in small batches. Turn and char broccoli on each side. Transfer to heatproof bowl and continue.
3. Place the rest of the oil in a saucepan with the garlic and chillies. Cook them over a medium heat until the garlic just begins to turn golden brown. Be careful not to let the garlic or chilli burn - remember, they will keep cooking off the heat. Pour the oil, garlic and chilli over the hot broccoli an toss together well. Taste and adjust seasoning.
4. Serve warm or at room temperature. Garnish with almonds or lemon slices before serving if you wish.

Ottolenghi love: Whole wheat and mushrooms with celery and shallots

2011-03-22T08:00:00.002+11:00

Another BBQ, another tasty Ottolenghi salad. (Did I mention how much I love this book? =p)

We enjoyed a late burst of summer for a one-month old's birthday BBQ over the weekend. I was given the job of providing vegetarian and gluten-free friendly salads.

First up: one for your favourite vegetarian.
This salad goes out to all the oft-neglected vegetarians who bravely front up to meat-fuelled BBQs. This salad has a lovely sweetness and freshness, and is a fantastic side for a sausage or chop or two! Scale up ingredient amounts as required.

Enjoy!

Whole wheat and mushrooms with celery and shallots
from Ottolenghi the Cookbook
serves 4

200g whole wheat grains
3 tbsp soft brown sugar
50 mL good quality sherry vinegar (I substituted red wine vinegar)
2-3 shallots, finely chopped
3 celery stalks, finely chopped
200g button mushrooms, sliced 5mm thick
40g flat leaf parsley leaves
10g tarragon leaves
50mL olive oil
coarse sea salt and black pepper

1. Wash the wheat in plenty of cold water, then transfer to a large bowl and cover with fresh water. Leave to soak overnight.
2. The next day, drain the wheat, put it in a large pan with fresh water. Cover and simmer for 45-60 minutes. The grains should have now softened up but still have a bite. Drain in a colander and leave to cool.
3. You need to make the dressing at least an hour before serving the salad. Whisk together the sugar and vinegar until the sugar is completely dissolved. Add the shallots and celery, and leave to marinate.
4. To assemble the salad, put the mushrooms in a mixing bowl and toss with the dressing. Add the wheat and then tear in the parsely leaves. Add the whole tarragon leaves, plus the olive oil and some salt and pepper. Taste, adjust the seasoning accordingly and serve.

Tanuki's Cave- Auckland

2011-02-27T19:23:00.002+11:00

Tanuki's Cave

319b Queen Street, Auckland

No reservations

On a recent trip to Auckland, some friend's and I found ourselves at a place called Tanuki's Cave. It was clearly a popular place, we had to wait almost an hour upstairs in Tanuki's bar- but it gave us an opportunity to sample some interesting drinks and I was very happy with the sake I shared. When our table was finally ready we walked down a flight of dimly lit stairs- feeling as if you were descending into some dark lair.

By the time we sat down we were starving an decided order a plate each. We were surprised when the dishes arrived there was so much food - the servings were large for bar food and full of fried goodness!

fried calamari

Fried kumara balls with almonds flakes- yummy sweet and crunchy balls!

Roast mushroom and mince

There were also fried fish and pumpkin and some yummy BBQ corn and other fried vegetables but I didn't take photos of everything and also lost the photos of the pick up sticks/jenga tower we tried creating with the skewers.

Khoresh-e Fesenjun - Persian pomegranate and walnut chicken

2011-02-19T20:55:00.006+11:00

This dish was a test for me- I attempted cooking it this based solely on the description. I'm not sure if this is an accurate interpretation of the much loved Iranian dish but I love the taste of pomegranate molasses and the walnut adds a richness to the dish which makes for a deliciously satisfying meal.

Ingredients
400g raw walnut halves
4-6 cups water
1 cup pomegranate paste or molasses
1 onion, diced or grated
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp sea salt
1/2 tsp ground turmeric
1 piece of cinnamon bark or stick
2 cardamom pods
1/2 tsp coriander seeds
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
500-750g chicken (4-6 pieces- or you can use duck)
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon tomato paste
3-4 saffron threads
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1-2 tbs sugar
1/2 tsp golpar (optional, available from spice and nut stores)
1 tbs barberries (my twist not authentic)

Steps
1. Toast walnuts in dry frying pan over medium-low heat shaking the pan frequently for 5 minutes or until golden. Remove the nuts from the heat and grind them in a food processor.
2. Dry roast spices in a frying pan over low-medium heat until they smell fragrant, then place them in a spice grinder or a mortar and pestle and grind to a fine powder. Stir in the turmeric and set aside.
3.Warm the oil in a large, heavy pot on medium heat and add the onion. Saute the onion for 5 minutes or until soft, then add the spice mix and salt and stir well to combine.
4. Add chicken and brown for a few minutes per side until lightly golden.
5. Add the walnuts and water and bring to a simmer. Simmer for 10 minutes.
6. Stir in the pomegranate molasses and continue to simmer on a low heat for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.
7. Add cold water and cook for a further 30 minutes. The meat should start to come away easily when pulled apart.
8. If the taste is too sour add 1-2 tbs of sugar to balance. When ready, it should have a rich earthy colour and deep fragrance.
9. Remove from heat and allow to cool slightly. Serve with white jasmine rice.

What's all the who-ha with Hong Ha?

2011-02-08T23:33:00.000+11:00

Hong Ha Red Roll Bakery

1151 Botany Rd,

Mascot NSW 2020

phone: 02 9667 2069

On a hot day, there's a line stretching back more than two store fronts. Locals know and flock to this bakery - waiting to satisfy their pavlovian instincts - it is a strange sight, like lining up for a club- especially given that are many food options available along the street.

This Vietnamese bakery has a simple, but winning combination. Freshly baked bread filled with tasty fillings. BBQ chicken roll. Ham roll. Pork roll. Tuna roll. There's nothing particularly different from the other places - so it's curious to know why it's so popular. There is something about the presence of a crowd attracting more people in a self reinforcing manner and as word spreads fast, the converted to come back for more.

What is everyone lining up for?

Hong Ha's famous chicken roll- extra chili!

So what's it like? Pretty good- the bun is fresh- still warm from being baked a few hours earlier. Crusty on the outside and soft inside. The filling? We opted for the BBQ chicken roll which comes with a sweet, smoky BBQ sauce and the usual vegetable dressings including a whoppingly generous helping of fresh red chilli. Phew- that woke the senses!

So all up- yes the roll was very tasty, but I still cannot understand folks lining up for close to half an hour to get their 'fix'. Then again, there are some places which thrive on that buzz but sometimes my hunger makes me impatient- and I certainly can't think straight without food! I guess some people are better at controlling their pavlovian instincts!

German Pastry Adventure 1

2011-01-14T21:38:00.000+11:00

After reading Pooey's post about QVM donuts a few days ago made me feel like some deep fried dough covered in sugar for myself! Luckily, I'm in exactly the right country for those kinds of sweeties. I got up a bit late and wasn't able to make myself breakfast but it was okay because there's a bakery of sorts in my local U-bahn stop. Mein Deutsch ist sehr crappy, so I pointed towards something donut-y looking, paid €1.35 and continued on my way.

Eating it at work, it wasn't as comforting as a warm jam donut and I think there was a meagre attempt to make it apple flavoured. Would I eat it again? Maybe, once I made my way through all the other pastries but I suspect there would be something I preferred more.

And then this morning, I oddly enough managed to get out of my apartment a little bit earlier than normal today and so I decided to walk the *long way* to the U-bahn, hoping to meet eine Bäckerei (bakery). Now because the long way basically consists of walking in the other direction around the block, I didn't meet one, I went back to the store in the U-bahn stop and did the point and smile method of ordering again.

I got this:

Vanilla Pudding-schnecke

(aka, vanilla pudding snail - learning a language through food *thumbs up*)

Believe it or not, I actually thought it was half the size of what it actually is (like a danish), and was kinda horrified when the woman picked it out of the window and put it in the paper bag. Anyway, I'm slowly making my way through it now and my preliminary thoughts are that I'm really liking the pastry, oddly not enamoured of the vanilla custard! The flavour is nice enough but the baking has given it a kinda plasticy crust as opposed to a soft Asian egg tart layer or a sugary French-style crust. No matter, oh and I'm still working my way through it!

Giraffe Cafe - Melbourne

2011-01-11T23:31:00.003+11:00

Giraffe Cafe

302 Little Lonsdale st

Melbourne VIC 3000

phone: (03) 9640 0889

This place felt like being invited over to a friend's place for tea except that it happens to be a cafe in a little nook off Elizabeth Street in Melbourne's CBD and it's decked out with kitschy decor, students chilling out and chatting or immersed in their netbooks and getting a 'hit' of sweet treats and comfort food.

On this particular evening we'd wanted to find somewhere relaxing to stop for a quick, relaxed, cheap meal before going to watch a movie at Melbourne Central. While most of the other food options revolved around fast food (love a bit of peri peri chips) I'm glad we tried this place. We decided to go for a quick and simple gyoza with soba noodles and pumpkin curry- both vegetarian and the menu is small- but the meals were tasty.

soba goodness and crunchy fried gyoza

creamy pumpkin curry

Although we were full - we were determined to have something sweet to finish, after all half the menu options were desserts- with photos! We selected the tiramisu with espresso (super weak coffee but alright for dipping in sponge fingers) and a rich, warming chocolate pot served with a generous portion of ice cream.

tiramisu with short black

chocolate pot o' gold

I also liked this place as it's open late throughout the week (Mon- Thurs 9pm- Sat 11pm), which can be annoying if you're looking for somewhere to sit and eat cafe food after 5pm in the city. I didn't get to try the coffee or see what it's like during the day but I imagine this place serves as a good spot for students and city workers looking for a place to hide out away from the office. Overall Giraffe cafe has a quirky vibe to it- nothing unbelievably special foodwise - but it's tasty and the atmosphere is inviting and relaxed.

Check out more reviews at Eat and be Merry for tomorrow we Die(t), Eat(n)Tag and Beansprout Cafe

Strawberry Fields

2011-01-04T21:41:00.010+11:00

During the New Year, I was lucky enough to spend 6 days at Glenworth Valley with some friends at the Peats Ridge Festival. Not only a music festival, they had activities for kids- face painting, decorating masks, as well as other 'eco' related activites like how to make your own solar panel, and how to turn weeds into salads. One that was particularly appealing was how to make your own jam.
It was easy! And by the end of 40 minutes there was a pot of jam to sample.. Mmm..

The monday holiday was therefore spent picking strawberries at a hobby farm in Castleraegh. (About 40 mins south west of parramatta.) 3.5kg of strawberries later, we were on our way to making our own strawberry apple lemon jam.

There are fruit combinations which negate the need for pectin. Apparently tarty fruit like green apples, and citrus fruit contain enough pectin. Not sure about the science behind it.. Perhaps this should be a subject for some afternoon reading..

Strawberry (And apple and lemon) Jam

Ingredients:
1kg Strawberries, washed and chopped in quarters
2 granny smith apples, grated
2 lemons, zested and juiced
750g (3c) raw or white sugar

1. Boil jars in water for 5-10 mins to sterilise.
2. In a large pot, place strawberries and grated apples. Constantly stir over high heat until strawberries breakdown. Will take about 20 mins.
3. Add zest and lemon juice. Stir.
4. When fruit is broken down, add sugar and stir until a 'gloopy' consistancy. This will take another 20 mins.
5. Bottle in jars and eat!

So different and zingy from store bought jam.

The green apples and lemon provide natural pectin, so you don't have to fuss too much about that.
The recipe is basically fool proof! With wonderous results!

Parisian Patisserie- Essendon Noorth

2010-12-10T15:03:00.015+11:00

Parisian Patisserie

19 Keilor Road
Essendon, 3040

phone: (03) 9379 3815

After a weekend of celebrating and not acting my age, reality set in Monday morning.

Another airport goodbye, older but none the wiser and work waiting for my return.

Took sister and mum to this popular new landmark in Essendon to defer reality a little longer before heading in to work. Coffee and sweets also helped lift my mood and decided to pick up a New York Cheesecake for afternoon tea at work.

Blue Plate Bar and Grill - Neutral Bay, NSW

2010-12-08T23:53:00.000+11:00

Blue Plate Bar and Grill

24 Young Street (enter via Grosvenor Street),

Neutral Bay NSW 2089

bookings: +612 9953 2942

We have wanted to try South - the famous and authentic New Orleans Cajun Creole and Soul food restaurant in Neutral Bay for some time now but haven't had much luck - the place is small and it's only open for dinner. Ever since Serenity Later's New Orleans travels last year I've been curious about trying out some of the food and what better way that authentic Louisiana cuisine.

On a recent trip, we were very happy to discover it has a sister restaurant serving the same food a few blocks down and so didn't hesitate in calling up to make a booking. Still, we had to leave a message and when we arrived they hadn't received our booking but kindly accommodated us near the bar - which suited us just as well. The place is a lot to take in, a fine dining restaurant on one side as well as an oyster bar,and a bar/waiting area for more casual dining. There's some interesting decor and the outdoor area comprises of lounges to chill in after work or on a balmy evening.

Also, the bar looked straight out of the eponymous 80's film - maybe it was the red lights but I was half expecting to see those cheesy mixing moves of a certain Mr Cruise. Glad we didn't. Instead, once we sat down our cares were forgotten as we explored the menu for dishes that inspired our souls!

We ordered some potent drinks- a mighty good version of El Diablo and Long Island Ice Tea to begin with and had slow cooked pork ribs as our starter with Leo's famous BBQ sauce. I'm not sure who Leo is but those ribs were so good we were contemplating getting a second serving for our main! They were some finger lickin' succulent starters... mmmm!!!

Before the attack ...what was left

For our mains we decided on some New Orleans favourites with Cajun Crawfish Étouffée (or was it yabbie?) and the Creole fave Jambalaya - I had to laugh afterwards when I found out that etouffee means stuffed or smothered- we did feel rather etouffeed after our meal- but it was so darn good!

Jamba-la-yah!

Crawfish Etouffe

The etoufee had a fantasic gravy of green chilli, butter and Cajun spices including cayenne pepper, garlic and white pepper. The Jambalaya was also exciting although slightly more familiar with the chicken and Andouille sausage and spices reminding me of paella but with a distinctly different taste. Whenever I think of Jambalaya I remember the Seinfeld episode 'The Soup Nazi' where Newman having just scored some soup inhales deeply into his bag and says 'Jamba-la-yah!' before running off to enjoy his spoils.

We made sure to leave room for dessert and looking at the options I was disappointed at first that there was no key lime pie (though the menu online says it's available - I didn't see it). There was New York Cheesecake, pumpkin, apple and pecan pie and mississippi mud cake. We decided to try the Gentleman's pecan pie (with a lick of Bourbon) and the Verrine- a sponge layered with strawberries, white choc mousse, pistachios and jelly. While they were tasty, they weren't as dazzling as they ribs or mains. The pecan pie was extremely rich but delicious- the gooey center was so sweet and the candied pecans were a crunchy contrast. The verrine looked and tasted good but I would have enjoyed it more if there were more tangy fresh strawberries to cut through he richness of the white choc mousse.

We left with our bellies and souls feeling mighty satisfied, but discovered on the way back that some distinct dishes are only available at South (muffaletta, pulled pork and fish tacos) and not at Blue Plate- so that makes us determined to return and explore the other half of Southern dining sometime soon! Ooo-wee!

Rainbow fortune cookies - wisdom and color in a crescent!

2010-12-02T23:54:00.003+11:00

Do not adjust your screens- what you see is real.

The vibrant/violent(?) hues were created as a birthday treat for a very good friend of mine (Happy Birthday Rizzo!). Yes they are fortune cookies- which are surprisingly easy to make- the trickiest part is working fast enough to fold them with fortune sitting nicely in the middle of the crescent. The biggest surprise was discovering these little guys originated in 19th Japan and were known as "omikuji". Well maybe it's not really that much of a surprise given Japan's approach to creating novel ways of enjoying food! Anyhow, they were a hit and the fortunes inside (written beforehand and cut into little strips) made for a fun and silly evening pf celebrations!

Fortune cookie recipe

- 3 egg whites

- 3/4 cup plain flour

- 3/4 cup caster sugar (can go reduce amount of sugar by 1/4 cup if you think too sweet!)

- 1/2 tsp vanilla essence

- pinch of salt

- vegetable oil spray

- food colouring (or leave them au naturel)

- grease proof paper

- 30 fortunes written on strips of paper 5-6cm long and 1.5cm wide

1. Preheat oven to 180 degrees C. Line both trays with baking paper and spray again with oil. Set aside.

2. In a medium bowl, whisk egg whites with vanilla until foamy but not stiff.

3. In another bowl sift dry ingredients and then combine with with egg white mixture until smooth. (If mixture is too thick add a tbs of water, if too runny add tbs of flour- you want a thick but runny consistency, like PVA glue)

4. Skip this step if cookies are going nude. Otherwise, separate mixture into three equal portions in separate bowls. In one bowl add a few drops of yellow food colouring, in the second bowl a few drops of red and in the last bowl a few drops of blue colouring to desired shade. Note: If you want to create secondary colours (orange, violet and green) use half of the mixture and then add more food colouring (ie. red to yellow = orange 1 small drop of blue only to red = violet and yellow to blue = green)

5. Place a shallow tablespoon of the batter onto the greased tray. Spread the batter with spoon or by tilting tray until around 10cm in diameter. Be careful that batter is spread evenly and thinly in as much a circle as possible. (If you can be bothered, draw circles on the paper on the other side)

6. Place a maximum of 4 cookies per tray (important step) as the cookies have to be really hot (and pliable) when folding and if they cool down then you have flat cookies. I find by keeping the tray in the oven while you prepare one cookie helps prevent cookies from cooling.

7. Bake for 5 minutes or until cookie has golden edge around 1cm of the outer edge.

8. Taking tray out of oven, remove one cookie with a wide spatula onto flat surface. Return rest of tray back to oven. Quickly place fortune in the cookie, close the middle and fold the cookie in half. Be careful- it's hot! Place folded edge across rim of cup and pull ends down either side to form a saddle/crescent shape. Place folded cookie on tray to let cool further.

9. Repeat with next cookie until tray is empty, and then start again with next tray,

10. Repeat steps 5-8 until all batter is used up. Helps if you have a few helpers around who can fold cookies or put trays into oven- like a bit of a assembly line.

11. Leave cookies to cool completely and store in airtight container. Use within 24-72 hours as they absorb moisture and get soggy!)

Enjoy!

Muhamara- roasted red capsicum heaven!

2010-11-29T20:21:00.001+11:00

Everyone knows I have a thing for red capsicums. Whether raw or roasted I just can't get enough of those red temptations. Don't get me wrong, I like the crispness of a fresh green cap and I've come to appreciate the yellow ones recently too, though always thought Chairman Kaga on Iron Chef had it wrong - he should've had a red capsicum!

There's something about red capsicums... I eat them like apples. It's strange, yes,Some of my friends don't touch the stuff and complain of indigestion. To me the thought of sinking my teeth into the crunchy, firm flesh and tasting the sweet, refreshing goodness sends me into a frenzy! So I'm always on the lookout for new ways to enjoy red capsicums - salads, soups, stuffed - though to me, raw is best!

Muhamara is a Levantian hot red pepper dip- along with hummus and baba ganoush a popular mezze on any Middle Eastern table. There are many versions depending on which country lays claim, but the key ingredient is red capsicum.

Muhamara
- 3 large red capsicums, roasted, peeled and deseeded
- 1/2 cup cashews
- 1/2 cup walnuts
- 1 large clove of garlic
- 1/2 tsp cumin seeds
- 2 tbs pomegranate molasses
- 1/4 cup olive oil
-. 1 tbs salt
- 1 tbs smoked paprika
- 1 tsp chilli powder
- 1 lemon

1. Dry fry the spices in a small, shallow pan and set aside to cool.
2. Pop garlic clove into blender and blend.
3. Add capsicums and nuts and pulse into chunky texture.
4. Pour in oil to combine mixture.
5. Add spices and season to taste. Note: If mixture is too dry add lemon juice, if it's too wet add more nuts.
6. Transfer into serving bowl, drizzle over a bit more oil, pomegranate syrup and sprinkle with smoked paprika.
7. Eat as a dip with bread, as a spread or sauce for grilled meat and fish. Note: It also keeps up to a week if stored in an airtight container in the fridge.

Food perving @Guylian cafe, Circular Quay, Sydney

2010-11-11T23:38:00.001+11:00

Don't remember their names but ohhh boy, they were good!!!

Mocha walnut brownies- perfect pick me up

2010-10-24T13:25:00.001+11:00

The last few weeks have been all over the shop - schizophrenic weather (too cold to shed layers, but manage to suffer hayfever), Sisyphean work (if only it would actually amount to progress) and bursts of good fortune all too brief. So in an attempt to gain some order- I took to the kitchen and whipped up something to settle this craziness.

Originally these were going to be classic chocolate brownies but decided to throw nuts and coffee into the mix and see what happens. The result: rich, not too sweet, crumbly on the outside, gooey on the inside- the kind of pick me up that helps make everything seem better.

Ingredients:

- 200g chopped butter

- 1/2- 3/4 block of 250g dark chocolate

- 1 cup of brown sugar

- 3 eggs lightly beaten

- 1 tsp vanilla

- 3/4 cup plain flour

- 2 tbs cocoa powder

- 3-4 tbs coffee powder, such as Turkish

- 1/3 cup chopped toasted walnuts

- 1/3 cup chopped toasted hazelnuts

1. Preheat over to 150°C. Line a square cake tin with baking paper.

2. Melt butter, chocolate and sugar over low heat and set aside.

3. Add eggs and vanilla to mixture. Sift flour, cocoa and coffee and combine with mixture. Fold through nuts.

4. Pour mixture into pan and bake for 20 minutes at 180°C until just set.
5. Let it cool for 1-2 hours and cut into squares. Dust with more cocoa powder or icing sugar.
(Keeps for about a week in an airtight container)

Date Pastry (Noon Khormayi)

2010-10-20T11:40:00.009+11:00

This tasty pastry is from Kermanshah, which is an Iranian city with Kurd settelers. Kermanshah has a beautiful nature with many historic places dating back to Achamedian Empire. There is a statue of "Hercules", which was erected by Alexander the great after he took over Persia. Also, there are mountains of "bistoon" , where one of the prominent love stories of persian litereture, "Shirin and Farhad", was depicted.

And here is how it is baked:

Ingredient:

Flour 150 g

baking powder 10 g

caster sugar 10 g

salt 1/4 tsp

yogur 80 g

butter 40g
Date
Walnut

Steps:

1- Mix Flour, Baking powder, Caster sugar and Salt! pass it through colander twice, to make it smooth and fine

2- Stir yogurt until it becomes smooth!

3- Melt the butter, add the yogurt to hot butter and mix. take the butter off, before it starts to boil.

4- Add the dry ingredients to yogurt and butter mixture. Mix it with tip of finger until it granulates. then massage the whole paste and leave it for 5 to 10 min.

5- Cut the paste in strips and roll it with squashed date and chunky walnut.

6- Brush top of the rolls with egg yolk.

7- Leave it in the oven for 15 min in 200 centigrade.

Note:

* amount of date and walnut, depends on how rich you want the pastry to be.

** it is better not to use dried date, as you have to squash it. use Ammari date, or get "Mazafati date" from Ishtar (951 Sydney Rd, North Coburg phone: 03 93549212).

Pack a Headband - Part 1

2010-10-17T00:26:00.002+11:00

If someone required an arrest by suspicion, I'd suggest wafting a minuscule slither of chili under my nose and then proceed to take me to a police station. I'd require a change of shirt, pants, socks, shoes while requiring a few litres of electrolyte to replenish lost fluid.

Therefore those that know me were surprised when I mentioned that my next trip was to the land of kimchi. Unfortunately I wasn't able to experience a Korean bbq due to the discrimination over the solo, loser traveller (minimum of 2 diners), however I was able to sample foods from Korea whilst also working up more sweat from each meal than I did running 10kms. There are still some posts from my Japan trips last year, but I'll save those for later while the excitement of Korea remains in my recent memory.

In the back alleys of Seoul, I ventured into this quaint little restaurant where staff were enjoying a meal before the day started. The staff here were preparing the rice into the cute little metal containers.

I like the fact with Korean food that you receive little accompanying dishes with your main meal and I found that gobbling up these side dishes will usually result in a free top up which is handy for those that tickle your fancy.

The sides:

Warm steamed egg, kimchi, greens.

The egg was the standout, tasty and unexpectedly warm (the majority of sides are cold dishes).

Main:

Noodles with beef in a clay-pot.

No complaints over a par-cooked meal here

Rice which was piping hot can be mixed in with the soup and noodles

I love the clay-pot concept, keeping your meal hot for a longer period of time and in the case of bibimbap gradually cooking the meal as you eat. The rice I was told goes into the soup which makes for a hearty meal, (in this case breakfast) perfect for a long day of trekking through the streets. The usual, friendly hospitality of Koreans helped me season the soup (generally these come out plain and you add salt/pepper to your taste), while giving a quick game of charades to help me consume my meal correctly.

Getting naked for... pintxos?

2010-09-30T22:16:00.001+10:00

Naked for Satan

285 Brunswick Street

Fitzroy VIC 3065

(03) 9416 2238

I was lucky enough to try this place out recently for Mallymoodle's going away drinks before her trip abroad in pursuit of postdoc prospects. Good luck and enjoy the many European delights!

The name of this place I guess might be a drawcard for some (or may scare off the religious never nudes out there) but whatever the angle that's used to get you in, it certainly delivers some delicious snacks and interesting drink combinations.

Most folks know pintxos/pinchos as the popular Basque/Spanish bread based snacks- the toppings held in place by skewers (pincho = spike sp.) and best consumed with drink in hand. Another version of tapas but something that hasn't been done to death just yet.

The concept is simple- order drinks, grab a plate and load it up with some pinchos and you're off.

There's a good range of omnivorous and vegetarian options- classics such as jamon, braesola and some curious varieties like honey and eggplant. The wait staff also come by your tables to tempt you with hot pinchos straight out of hell's kitchen - the garlic octopus was awesome, the crumbed sardine a bit average so the choice is a gamble but at $2 each, you can try out as many as you like.

We were lucky to be sitting near the kitchen so had first pick on the hot options! When something is offered to you on a plate (similar to the trolleys at yum cha) it's hard to resist and soon you find yourself with a full plate - having said yes to everything!

The drinks are good too- not quite sure where they fit the in-house vodka distillery but they certainly infuse their vodkas with such things as chocolate or violets and it makes for so some interesting cocktails - such as the satanic splendor or lucifer's lovejuice. If that doesn't sway you there's also a good range of local and foreign wines and some potent sangria which comes in glass although you're better off going the carafe!

I forgot to take a snap of the decor which is also very interesting-somewhere between steam punk and seedy den, but you can check it out along with more reviews at Melbourne Gastronome, Fitzroyalty, Food Fable and Where's the Beef.

Passionfruit, macadamia & polenta cake

2010-09-26T14:12:00.000+10:00

A simple and delicious tea cake with a tangy fruity syrup- perfect for an afternoon pick up with a cup of tea or just yummy on it's own!

For the cake

- 1/2 cup fine polenta
- 1/2 cup semolina
- 1 cup of macadamias (either salted or unsalted)
- 1 tbp baking powder
- 3/4 cup caster sugar
- 4 eggs
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 50g butter
- zest of orange

For the syrup
- 120ml passionfruit pulp (from a can - or use 6 passionfruit)
- 1/2 cup icing sugar
- juice of an orange
- 20ml water

1. Pulse macadamias in a food processor to desired size (Tried making it into a fine meal but the oil in macadamia nuts makes it clump together into a paste).
2. Add dry ingredients into food processor and pulse.
3. Whisk eggs, oil and orange zest.
4. Add to dry ingredients and mix well.
5. Pour into well oiled/lined cake tin (preferably a bundt/ring tin- it needs to cook well, as it's a wet mixture)
6. Bake for 20-35min at 180 degrees.
7. Once cooked (skewer comes out clean), leave cake in tin to cool for 5-10min before turning it out.
8. Make the syrup by incorporating the icing sugar, passionfruit pulp, orange juice and water in a small saucepan. Bring to boil, reduce and simmar until it reduces to a thin syrup (If the mixture is too dry add a few more teaspoons of water. If it's too wet or not sweet enough add 1-2 more tsp of icing sugar. I like my syrup sweet but tart).
9. Pour syrup over cake and serve. You can also leave some syrup to serve on the side and it's also good with a bit of ice cream.

Note: This is essentially a gluten free cake if you omit the semolina and replace it with more polenta- it's up to you!

Also: If you have too much syrup left over, save it in a small jar and pop in the fridge- it keeps for 1-2 weeks and can be used to drizzle over fruit or ice cream! Yum-yum!

Cholo's cafe - Canberra does Peruvian cuisine

2010-09-20T23:36:00.003+10:00

Cholo's Cafe - Peruvian Charcoal Chicken

Shop B04/ 15 Bowman St

Macquarie ACT 2614

(02) 6253 1554

Find them on Facebook

Craving charcoal chicken?

Why not go Peruvian?

If you're in Canberra, head down to the Jamison shops for charcoal chicken and you'll find yourself sitting down instead in a small take away adorned with colorful cultural posters of llamas and rose-cheeked children in chullos - trying to decide whether to go the chook or opt for some other authentic Peruvian fare like the lomo saltado, papa rellena or aji de gallina. It's been a few years since returning from a trip to Peru and so was surprised to see these popular dishes available and tasting as good as I remember. I was also very excited to see chicha morada (purple corn, cinnamon and pinapple punch- like a virgin sangria with a twist) and Inca Cola as drinks options and alfajores with dulce de leche for dessert.

I chose and was very satisfied with the lomo saltado - a sort of beef stir fry with onions, tomatoes and potato chips, and served with rice- though I would have preferred the potatoes were thicker and crunchier. I tasted the aji de gallina (creamy spicy chicken), which was so good and brought back memories of our time abroad. The chicha morada was great too and while purple corn may be difficult to find in Melbourne I am happy to report it can be found at Casa Iberica along with Inca Cola (in a sachet like tang!).

The family who run it are very friendly and were pleased to see someone so enthusiastic about the cuisine. It's great knowing there's a tasty Peruvian place in Canberra and am eager to go back soon to try the charcoal chicken - forgot to try it!

Speedy croissants

2010-09-10T11:33:00.001+10:00

Remember this entry where I decided to make croissants? To be honest, after that initial foray intro French baking with yeast, I attempted to make baguettes but they failed spectacularly and I got disheartened about modifying a recipe I knew worked. If it ain't broke, don't fix it and all that.

Well. I'm on a diet of sorts right now and decided to make croissants last night. Hehehehe. And I also decided to use my scientific knowledge to get the experiment down to a reasonable procedure time! After all, incubating your immuno in the fridge is just to decrease background - you could leave it on the bench for one hour at room temperature! (Christ, I'm such a nerd.)

So here it is! Incubation modifications are all approximate based on what I did in the intervening time. The Pom says TV scheduling is not a good enough key to time, you can decide for yourselves.

Ingredients (same as before)

260ml milk + 2 tablespoons for brushing over pastry
2 tsp dry yeast
250g plain flour + 3 tablespoons (kept separate)
2 tbs sugar
1 tsp salt
180g unsalted butter (I used salted butter this time because I had the right amount in the fridge and was too lazy to get more. Whether you want to make this substitution is up to you as there wasn't an overly discernible alteration in flavour. Wikipedia says salt inhibits yeast activity but again, it seemed pretty much the same.)

Instructions

Heat 65ml of milk to lukewarm. Dissolve yeast in milk, stir in 6tbs of flour from the 250g, and whisk until lump-free. Cover with clingwrap and and let stand at room temp on top of a bowl of hot water until doubled in volume (about 20mins).
Mix sugar and salt into remaining flour.
Heat remaining 195ml of milk to lukewarm. Transfer raised dough to the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with dough hooks. Add milk, and with mixer at high speed, add sugar, salt & flour mixture, a little at a time. Lower the speed to slow-medium until dough is sticky-soft.
Cover with clingwrap, and place bowl on top of another bowl filled with hot tap water for 1-1.25 hours (incubation time started at the end of The Simpsons...I stopped it during Bondi Vet).
Bring butter to room temp (I had the heater on so it was around 19C) and incorporate the 3 tbs of flour until smooth.
Flour the working surface, shape the cold dough into a 38 x 15cm rectangle (portrait, not landscape), and spread butter on the upper 2/3 of the rectangle. Leave a 1cm border between the sides and the butter.
Fold the dough into thirds like a letter, folding the bottom (butterless) third first. Turn the dough anticlockwise, roll out into a 38 x 15cm rectangle, and fold again. Repeat multiple times (I think I did it about 4 or 5 times).
Transfer the dough into a baking pan, cover with clingwrap, and keep at room temperature for 1.25 hours (I kept it by a heater outlet, went for a short swim and shower).
Roll and fold the dough multiple times again, wrap and keep at room temp for 45 min-1 hour (did my post-swim laundry and watched the second half of Rush/start of Burn Notice at this point).
Flour working surface, roll dough into a 40cm diameter circle. Cut into quarters, then cut each quarter into three triangles.
Roll the base of the triangle towards the remaining point. Do not curl the pastry into a croissant shape. Transfer to a baking sheet and brush with 2 tbs of milk. Let stand at room temp for about 30 mins.
Preheat oven to 200C. Brush croissants with glaze (egg yolk + 1 tbs milk), and bake for 15-20mins. If they brown too fast, cover loosely with foil.
Cool before serving. I got a bit impatient so I can't tell you how long I left them for but I ate a test one during the late news.

I divided the dough in half, one half of which is in the freezer (I'll let you know how defrosted croissant dough works), packed 4 in the fridge overnight, and test baked 2 that night. Here's how they came out.

Didn't get a pic of the inside before I ate it but it was pretty fluffy.

The overnight ones were taken to work - approximate time out of the fridge would be 1.5 hours? - before baking. This is how those ones came out!

Puffy and fluffy!

I think the extra standing time meant the second batch puffed up a bit more than the rushed ones but they were both fluffy which is more than I can say for my baguettes. So yes. From three days to about 4-5 hours - now it's much less ridiculous to bake your own croissants!

Mallymoodle's view and gluttony at Taste of Melbourne 2010

2010-09-02T17:07:00.003+10:00

After going to the Taste of London Festival in 2009 and 2008, Pooey was super happy to find out that there was a Taste of Melbourne Fest and that she'd be present for it. To maximise her ability to eat food, she also bought a ticket for me.

It was held at the lovely REB and as we casually made our way towards the gardens, we got a frantic call from SEM saying that there was a HUUUUGE queue of people trying to get in and that we should hurry up!

I really liked SEM's description of the queue: "It's like Wimbledon!!!"
Luckily it moved quickly and we got inside with due haste.

So pretty on the inside with its Victorian fresco and post-Industrial Revolution metalworks.

The crowd mills around the stalls.

Now the thing about these fests is that one requires a certain level of shamelessness to push through the (more substantial than Pooey expected) crowd. Luckily, I have little shame and happily pushed through to the front to get our tastings!

Pooey with some extra crowns purchased later after we ate up our pre-bought crowns.

Happily showing off the roasted pork cheek on white polenta from Mezzo.

Close up of the pork cheek

Pooey digs in!

Our next stop was The Stokehouse stall to get some scallops and TheBombe - a dessert based on Bombe Alaska.

See that guy in the middle with the glasses? He was really rude. The Bombe wasn't ready yet (fair enough because it's a dessert and the time would have been about...oh, 12:30pm) but he was very abrupt about telling everyone of that fact, and he was even short with me even though I only asked for the scallops in recognition of what he said! Even Pooey said he was rude and she was standing a good metre behind me!

We eventually decided that the scallops were not good enough to make up for him being rude...

...which meant I wasn't very happy when I ate them.

To clear up the unhappy from Stokehouse, we went to the stall for Luke Mangan's new digs in Melb - The Palace at the Hilton. We'd been told the night before by Shefali that the Wagyu burger should be eaten. It was and it cheered us up big time!

Pushing in for the burger and ribeye steak.

Excited about the Palace's Wagyu burger!

Close up...

followed by cross-section!

The ribeye - delicious! We were a bit confused about the identity of the round white thing on top. Options included a scallop and a blob of fat before settling on it being bone marrow. Still good!

SEM got the tuna carpaccio from The Palace. Mmmm, raw fish....

The duck tortoloni from The European. While eating my ribeye/burger, I saw people walking past with this and decided I wanted it. I got it, and it was delicious and ducky.

We took a short break from stuffing our faces to have a look around some of the exhibits....and stuff our faces with free samples.

Horrible photo but fun story - the guy at the Ben&Jerry's stall gave me two samples. In answer to being told that he must have liked me, I replied that I gave him my bestest smile! However SEM's friend got A FULL CUP of ice cream! My bestest smile was no match for the people he really liked! :P~

This guy was very nice (and kinda hot in his nerdy glasses). The stall was for beef that is "As close as you can get to being labelled organic without being organic. Our cows live in pasture and eat grass the way they're meant to. See this cow behind me? They live like that. If I was a cow, I'd want to live in those conditions!"
I don't know about you guys, but I was convinced!

As you can see, he then cooked us up some minute steaks. They were tender and grassy tasting the way grain-fed beef isn't. Quite nice. He also gave me his card for the restaurant he's opening at The Olsen, Steer. I might go!

We visited some general kitchen-y stalls were we saw some super cute kitchen-y things. LIKE THESE SUPER CUTE SMEG FRIDGES!!!! THEY'RE SO CUTE THEY NEEDED A HUG!!!!

And these frilly aprons.

We then decided it was time to go upstairs and see what was there. Despite not being hungry anymore, we decided to get some more food.

I love French food and this was the rabbit rillettes and the game consomme from Libertine/Le Traiteur. I think the consomme was a bit too heavy for Pooey's tastes.

Wallaby tataki from Charcoal Lane. Insert roadkill jokes here! But honestly, the marinade was a bit heavy flavoured - I couldn't taste the wallaby.

SEM's hazelnut parfait from Embrasse. Delicious mint-flavoured ice!

We made our way back downstairs for more looking at the stalls. I was tempted to spend $20 on a teeeny jar of caviar, and then more money on a teeeeny jar of truffled honey, but I resisted. What I didn't resist were other sweeties.

CHOCOLATE FOUNTAIN!!!

Posing with the chocolate fountain

Mini-meringues!

Despite the earlier bad experience, we went back to The BOMBE and use up our crowns. This time around, we got a much nicer serving guy who was much happier to feed me. I enjoyed The Bombe so much that I even gave him the thumbs up which was enthusiastically returned!

By now we were pretty full and tired so to finish, Pooey decided to get some cheese.

Cheese lady hands over the cheese.

The cheese.

And so rubbing our comfortably full bellies and cackling over my bag of passionfruit yo-yos, we waved goodbye to Taste of Melbourne 2010. Anyone up for Taste 2011?!

Adore Tea House

2010-08-24T23:18:00.000+10:00

Adore Boutique Tea House
Federation Square One,
O'Hanlon St, Nicholls, ACT
Phone (02) 6230 9962
(Facebook page)

If you find yourself in the nations capital looking for somewhere to while away a few hours, head to Gold Creek Village in Nicholls- a quiet corner in the Canberra's North West.

Getting to the village you arrive at the famous Cockington Gardens. There's also the National Dinosaur Museum, Walk in aviary and specialty craft stores in Federation square. We went for a walk through in search of a place to sit and have something to eat/drink.
Adore Tea House is a boutique cafe and function venue which has a huge range of teas, served in custom glass teapots to show off the tea colour. There is also an online store here where you can order from over 300 blends of single-leaf and blended teas or you could just purchase them if you visit.

The menu is mostly different varieties of tea but also serves desserts including poffertjes (Dutch mini pancakes), Devonshire tea, a tasting platter of cheeses and dips and occasionally high tea is served. When we went, there were many locals sitting leisurely reading the paper over 1-2 pots of tea in the sun and sharing pancakes. We each decided to try a different tea so I had a pot of the Quince Sencha- I'm no tea expert, but was happily satisfied with the taste. The snack platter also hit the spot those there wasn't anything too revelatory. There was also a band playing easy listening mu-zac which made for a pleasant overall atmosphere.

Lastly, the walk in bird aviary next door overlooks the cafe and play area, which means an occasional squawk to be heard- especially if someone happens to sit in the outdoors section with their dog.

What is your top cookbook?

2010-08-15T21:15:00.001+10:00

If your kitchen was burning down, which cookbook would you grab?

Maybe one that features in the 50 best cookbooks of all time list published recently by the Observer?

Their Top 10 was revealed today and it tempted me a little more to add Elizabeth David's classic French Provincial Cooking or any of Nigel Slater's books to our kitchen.

image

Do you agree with their choices? What would you add? Interesting to imagine what might be included in an Aussie Top 10 too!

Sundae?

2010-08-07T22:39:00.003+10:00

I still have a pile of food pics from my Christmas '09 Japan trip and I'll finally get to posting all the food related pics and experiences. Is the following a sundae or an elaborate dessert??? From a little corner cafe in Kyoto, this hit the spot despite the temperature being in the low teens. Chestnuts, mochi and red beans with a nice mixture of green tea flavours of soft-serve, cake, jelly and a wafer made for a very tasty pit stop.

Sweet dreams... walnut stuffed kadaifi

2010-07-26T16:55:00.002+10:00

My family makes this sweet for special celebrations including Christmas and Easter most years and found some neat photos of our last cooking attempt so thought to post it given the recent sleepiness.

The low down on kadaif: It's a type of filo pastry shredded into thin strands like vermicelli and used in many Middle Eastern and Greek desserts such as the eponymous kadaifi. Most forms are sweet and typically made with nuts such as walnuts or pistachios combined with butter, spices and honey to make them rich, crunchy and super sweet. Kadif can also be used for savoury snacks to snazzy up some vegetables or meat and impress the judges of Masterchef! If you're looking for it in the supermarket it's increasingly easy to find in the deli or freezer section with other pastries-although most continental foodstores and markets tend to have fresher stock. If you're looking for a challenge you can make kadaif pastry at home- you need to be patient (set aside a few hours/whole day) and have steady hands- no coffee beforehand!

Kadaifi

Ingredients:

Filling

- 1cup of roasted walnuts or almonds, coarsely ground

- 1/4 cup caster sugar

- 1 tsp cinnamon

- 1 tsp vanilla sugar

- 1/4 tsp ground gloves

- 1 tsp grated lemon zest

- 2- 4 tbs breadcrumbs

- 1 egg white beaten

Pastry

- 1 packet (375g) kataifi pastry

- 1/4 cup melted butter

- 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

Syrup

- 2 cups water

- 2 cups caster sugar

- 1/2 cup of honey

- juice of one lemon, (less if you don't like it sour- more if like me you like things tart!)

- 2 slices of lemon

- 1 stick of cinnamon

- 3 whole cloves

The steps

Preheat oven to 200°C. Grease 5cm deep tray with butter or line with non stick paper.
Combine almonds/walnuts, sugar, breadcrumbs, lemon zest, spices and egg in a bowl.
Untangle a handful of pastry and spread on clean table.
Place a tablespoon of the nut paste/mixture on on end pastry closest to you.
Roll up tightly and place in pan. Repeat with remaining pastry, butter and filling, leaving 1cm between rolls. Bake for 30-40min or until golden.
To make the syrup. Place lemon rind, 1/4 cup lemon juice, sugar, honey, cinnamon stick, cloves and 2 cups cold water in a small saucepan over medium heat. Cook, until sugar dissolves. Increase heat to high and bring to the boil. Reduce after 5min and then simmer until syrup thickens slightly (15-20min).
Drizzle hot syrup over warm pastries. Set aside and let it cool completely.

Serve cold with coffee and a tall glass of water with vanilla fondant and let those sweet dreams come!

...a sprinkle

2010-07-21T11:44:00.000+10:00

Things have neglected on this blog for a while now- sort of like the left over food in the back of your freezer which has gathered icicles- it's probably okay but you're just not inspired to heat and eat it.

It's not as if the creating and consuming of food has stopped. Food fawning continues with much gusto, and there have been plenty of opportunities to indulge. Not sure why the adventures don't make it onto here but this signals a change that's overdue.

What will come of it? Who knows but hopefully this humble blog will come back into it's own over the next few weeks.

Izakaya Den

2010-07-03T21:42:00.005+10:00

Izakaya Den

114 Russell St Melbourne

Blink and you'll miss this restaurant, located on the corner of Little Collins and Russell streets and there's minimal signage to lead you downstairs to this hidden gem. Due to this, one would expect clientèle to have wandered down based on reading a review or word of mouth. Here a chef cannot hide, with a long, narrow kitchen open to view from hungry patrons. It provided a fascinating insight into the workings of the kitchen, with responsibilities firmly established, while here, there didn't seem to be a head chef, but rather all staff working together to delegate or assist each other. For example, in front of us the sashimi chef completed orders as they arrived, but was assisted by 3 others when orders came in a flurry, with no fuss or stress. Gather your senses quickly, as it's quite a treat seeing your food go through the process of ordering, full circle back to your plate right before your eyes.

Apologies, but I won't attempt to name the dishes! I can't remember them and their website doesn't have any details. We also devoured some unagi and octopus, whilst warming the belly with some sake. I'm pretty sure were also drinking umeshu (lemon and plum). Thanks to Leish for the great photos!

The best dish of the night. Fresh salmon, cucumber and I'm pretty sure it was radish on top

Beetroot and some tasty mushrooms

Tender little quails

Mussels in a nice sauce

Ox tongue

I can't place the type of tea, but very nice icecream with sweet potato crisps on top

Fuji Apple Mille-feuille. Great apple gelato, nice and refreshing

Rosa's Kitchen_Journal Canteen

2010-06-27T17:51:00.002+10:00

Journal Canteen
Flinders Lane, CAE

It's a guilty pleasure to duck out for lunch at Journal Canteen, we have always walked away happy and content. Rosa Mitchell's menu lists simple, clean Italian food. If you have the time to enjoy the food (service has been slow most occasions we've been there), the $35 degustation gives you a generous taste of the dishes of the day.
We had the pleasure of enjoying this Lemon Marscapone Tart recently. Too often I grab a quick bite in between experiments, so it is wonderful to have a dessert in the middle of the day!

Thanks to Elmo for the pic!

Galettes Nantaises

2010-06-07T17:00:00.004+10:00

On a dreary winters day, it should be mandatory to curl up with a good book, a pot of tea and some biccies. Maybe an open fire if you're lucky?

These delicious galettes nantaises are shortbread-y in texture, and buttery and almond-y in taste.

The beautiful colour on top of these galettes is due to free range eggs from the Queen Vic Market. I always marvel at the lovely, deep orange colour of the free range yolks. It just goes to show that you can't go wrong if you have bee-yoo-ti-fool ingredients (channelling a bit of Georgie there!).

Enjoy!

Galettes nantaises
from I know how to cook, Ginette Mathiot

60g (2 oz) butter, softenend, plus extra for greasing
125g (4 1/2 oz) flour, plus extra for dusting
40g (1 1/2 oz) ground almonds
1 teaspoon salt
60g (2 oz) caster sugar
2 egg yolks
50g (1 3/4 oz) whole blanched almonds [I used almond flakes]

Preheat the oven to 180degC, and lightly grease a baking tray with butter.

Knead together the flour, almonds, butter, salt and sugar.

Roll out the dough thinly on a lightly floured work surface and cut out into circles. Put on the prepared tray.

Mark the tops with lines with a knife or the tines of a fork. Glaze with the egg yolks. Halve the almonds. Decorate each biscuit with an almond half. Bake for 15-20 minutes, or until golden.

Olives: Day 20

2010-05-30T22:08:00.002+10:00

So an update on my experiment in making olives. I'm up to the curing step, which basically involves leaving olives in water and changing it regularly. The black olives are still in water. I'm meant to change the water every two days, but there's at least another 20 days to go. Meanwhile the green olives are ready to marinate now that I've been changing their water every day. The recipe I've followed is somewhere between the Movida book or the Cook's Companion for crushed green olives. I found the suggested 10 days weren't enough, so decided to leave them for few days (turned out to be an extra 5 days) and continue changing the water until the bitterness had been removed and they were ready for marinating

So how do you know they're ready?

Well they really should look like the olive in the middle with the distinct olive green colour. Taste to ensure bitterness has disappeared. I found some didn't absorb the water effectively and thus were still too bitter. On the other hand I had a few which got too mushy so I discarded those too.

So what you need is some olive oil, lemon juice, salt, garlic and herbs and spices. I used coriander and fennel seeds, 2 bay leaves and 1 sprig of fresh fennel. If you want you can add chillies but be warned the chili will permeate the brine and olives, so it's best to add it towards the end of the marinating process.

I sterilized some small salsa jars and stuffed them 3/4 full with olives, a bay leaf, lemon wedge, garlic and 1/4 tsp of fennel and coriander seeds. I poured in olive oil and 2 tbs of salt (these olive shave no salt and this liquid will turn into brine). I also added 1-2 tbs of white vinegar- I like my olives slightly sour but squeezing a lemon should also do the trick.

Once all the green olives have been bottled, leave to stand in brine for 2-3 weeks. Open a bottle to taste and check the olives are ready. If they are still slightly bitter leave for another week or two before opening. Once bottled these should keep for up to 6 months, but as I found out they don't last long enough... they were quickly consumed by the hungry folk who helped pick them.

At least there's still the black olives to go.

Next time: How to marinate black olives

Vanilla semi freddo

2010-05-28T22:10:00.024+10:00

Update: The real reason I didn't put up the recipe originally for this decadent vanilla bean ice cream is that I didn't follow a recipe to the letter and took a fair few liberties as my taste buds dictate. So here's my version:

- 1 cup of full cream milk

-2 cups of full cream (oooh yes, super rich!)

- 2/3 cup caster sugar

- 1 tsp vanillin sugar

- 1 vanilla bean

- 4 eggs

Whisk the 4 eggs with sugar and vanillin into pale cream.

Cut the vanilla pod lengthwise and scrape into saucepan of milk

Add cream to saucepan and warm until liquid almost comes to boil.

Pour half a cup of the hot mixture into bowl with egg mixture and whisk immediately to prevent it curdling.

Pour this back into saucepan and whisk over low heat for minute.

Change to a wooden spoon and stir continuously until back of spoon is coated.

Pour mixture through sieve and remove vanilla pod and any thicker parts.

Allow mixture to cool completely before transferring to ice cream machine and churn for half an hour.

Transfer to plastic boxes and leave in freezer to cool for more than 4 hours before serving.

The usual recipe calls for only 1 cup of cream but I decided to add another half- to whole cup for the extra richness. To serve, choose your favourite dessert although I had it as an alcoholic affogato with Bailey's irish cream or pedro ximenez.

Quick Pear & Pecan Cake

2010-05-24T22:00:00.008+10:00

Elmo and I were thrilled to catch the end of Masterchef this evening where we saw Stephanie Alexander as a judge! After our market runs, I often consult Stephanie (we're on a first name basis doncha know?) on how to store certain food, and of course, I always see what Stephanie says when I have too much of [insert item here] in our fridge.

In honour of the great lady herself, may I present this quick and easy Pear & Pecan cake.

Quick Pear & Pecan Cake
adapted from Quick Apple cake recipe
by Stephanie Alexander in The Cook's Companion2 cups peeled and chopped pears
handful of pecans, lightly toasted in the oven
140g unsalted butter
160g plain flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
3 eggs
120g caster sugar

Preheat oven to 200degC.

Use some of the butter to grease a 24cm ring tin or 22cm round cake tin.
Melt remaining butter and allow to cool.
Sift flour and baking powder. Beat eggs and sugar until thick and fluffy, and fold in flour mixture gently. Drizzle in melted butter, then fold it in. Fold in pecans, pear pieces and any juice.
Spoon into prepared tin and bake for 40 minutes until cake is golden brown and tests clean.
Serve warm or cold with cream.

Food Inc

2010-05-24T21:30:00.003+10:00

i'm depressed. and shocked.

we saw food, inc. tonight, a documentary describing the current state of the American food industry.

you may already know about some of the shocking practices currently existing in the food industry. it's depressing to think that in a mere generation or so, we have somehow shifted to viewing our animals and plants as manufactured, factory products.

while i was aware of some of the issues discussed in the film, i wasn't prepared for the extreme conditions that chickens and cows endure, all to service the economy of scale and high yield. it is truly inhumane.

what's worse, this desire for uniform and cheap food products impacts not only our diet, but in the pursuit of profits, corporations are forcing farmers to buy into financially unviable farming practices, introducing fatal E.coli strains in food due to unhygienic factories, and paying peanuts to factory workers for conveyor-belt, fast-food style work.

as margaret says, knowledge is power. she declared that she was demanding organic food everywhere she goes. vote with your wallet: we will be thinking much more about what we buy and what our dollar will support.

have you seen food, inc. or the end of the line? what did you think?

Japanese Festival

2010-05-23T18:48:00.004+10:00

Apparently there's almost a festival from a selected culture every other week down at the Box Hill town hall, and on this occasion I trundled down on a beautiful Sunday afternoon to experience a Japanese festival. Full of crafts, bonsai, flower arrangements, martial arts demonstrations and even cut price haircuts, there was a little for everyone. However occupying the nearby TAFE carpark was where most punters ventured - the food.

A hungry throng of people gathered and was disappointed I waited too long to sample the Ramen which ran out from the little stall in a flash. I was also fearful of the noodle man's pants catching fire.

I did manage to sample some okonomiyaki (although not from this stall as the line was too long!) It's always impressive how the masses are fed in a fast and furious manner however.

While you can't attend a Japanese festival without Gyoza.

Plenty

2010-05-16T15:01:00.008+10:00

Sorry to be predictable guys, but a new cookbook from Yotam Ottolenghi has just been published, yay!

Plenty features recipes from Ottolenghi's The New Vegetarian column in the Guardian. Many of these recipes seem quite meaty (ha!) and hearty, and may well encourage us to embrace vegetarianism (you know that we're all gonna have to do this at some point, right?)

We kicked things off with a Celeriac and Lentil salad.

This is the first time I've cooked with celeriac: it's such a curious vegetable, so lumpy and quite the ugly duckling, but such a lovely aroma, not quite as sharp as a celery taste/smell. As Stephanie advises, after removing the thick outer layer of the celeriac, we dropped the chopped celeriac pieces into acidulated water to prevent browning. This salad has a subtle thyme-y flavour from the lentils, a crisp hazelnut crunch and fresh apple mint.

Dare I say it: I'm in love again.

PS: I haven't seen the Ottolenghi books in the shops here, but you can definitely find these online.

UPDATE: In case you're interested, we spotted both Ottolenghi books in Readings, Lygon Street, Carlton.

Celeriac and lentils with hazelnut and mint
from Plenty by Yotam Ottolenghi
Serves 4
60g hazelnuts, skin on
200g Puy lentils
700 mL water
2 bay leaves
4 sprigs of thyme
1 small celeriac (650g), peeled and cut into 1cm chips
4 tbsp olive oil
3 tbsp hazelnut oil
3 tbsp red wine vinegar
4 tbsp chopped mint
salt and black pepper

1. Preheat oven to 140degC. Scatter hazelnuts on a small baking sheet and roast in the oven for 15 minutes. Let them cool down, then chop roughly.

2. Combine the lentils, water, bay leaves and thyme in a small saucepan. Bring to the boil, then simmer for 15-20 minutes, or until al dente. Drain in a sieve.

3. Meanwhile, in a separate saucepan, cook the celeriac in plenty of boiling salted water for 8-12 minutes, or until just tender. Drain.

4. In a large bowl, mix the hot lentils (if they have cooled down, they won't soak up all the flavours) with the olive oil, 2 tablespoons of hazelnut oil, the vinegar, some black pepper and plenty of salt. Add the celeriac and stir well. Taste and adjust the seasoning.

5. To serve straight away, stir in half the mint and half the hazelnuts. Pile onto a serving dish or in a bowl, and drizzle the remaining hazelnut oil on top. Garnish with the rest of the mint and hazelnuts.

6. To serve cold, wait for the lentils and celeriac to cool down before finally adjusting the seasoning, and possibly adding some more vinegar, if you like. Add hazelnut oil, mint and nuts in the same way as when serving hot.

::

Confession time: I've been bitten by an online book bug and have been shamelessly ordering presents for myself (and others too...cos sharing is caring doncha know? .... and ok, to allay a modicum of guilt) from Book Depository UK.

Each book has arrived in immaculate condition and I have been gleefully ripping open the packages as soon as they arrive via Royal Mail. Visit their site at your own peril!

So, we now have a lifetime of recipes courtesy of these lovelies:

Ginette Mathiot's 'I Know How to Cook" was first published in 1932 and is considered to be the bible of French home cooking. This hefty book was updated and translated into English by Clotilde Dusolier (of Chocolate & Zucchini fame) last year and is brimming with classic French dishes. We have found the savoury and sweet recipes to be succinct and fuss-free, with delicious results. More to follow!

How to make your own... Olives

2010-05-12T21:01:00.002+10:00

What of poor 'Ollie's' fate ... ?

Last weekend we picked olives from our tree which is finally bearing fruit. There weren't enough, but we went to a secret place to collect more olives- heavy with ripe fruit that would otherwise go to waste, left unpicked or being eaten by birds. We were lucky in our expedition and collected half a bucket full which equated to about 3 kilos. The olives from our tree are ligurian - small elongated black olives, similar to kalamata. The other olives are gaeta/gyeta which are also small Italian black olives that can be dry, salt cured or brine cured to give them a shiny purple colour.

So, now I've decided to undertake the task of trying to cure and marinate olives for the first time and to do so I've consulted some of the experts on how to best prepare them.

There's so much information on the web, it's overwhelming. I started off the old fashioned route and asked my mum and her friends-they all have their own way of making olives. Mum's made them a few times and while I like the taste, they can be quite sharp to the palette due to the acidity in the brine. Her friend's recommend salting them, or keeping them in a brine but the ratio of salt to water and subsequent spice/herb infusion is the key.

I then researched my cookbooks and while Maggie Beer's Maggie's Harvest has pretty pictures, I didn't find it especially helpful with instructions. Frank Camorra's and Richard Cornish's MoVida book had a good recipe for marinated green olives, which was identical to Stephanie Alexander's cracked green olives in Cook's Companion. There was another recipe for black olives which requires a long curing period 40 days compared to 10 days, changing the water daily, so I decided to split my batch into 3 groups and experiment.

Next step: Curing olives.

White choc, beetroot cake

2010-05-03T21:39:00.005+10:00

From this:

To this:

Note: Use white chocolate instead to retain blush, and a drop of rosewater for unique, sweet, aroma.

Another attempt here

All the colours of the... salad?

2010-05-02T23:09:00.001+10:00

This recipe is adapted from a salad my sister swears by and somewhat similar to one offered at the Moroccan Soup Bar, but without the butter and with some stuff that happened to be lying around- namely fresh pumpkins and pomegranates! In putting it together, the most effort comes from peeling the pomegranate pearls and waiting for the pumpkin to roast but everything else is no fuss and the end result is an explosion of colour, flavours and texture that send your tastebuds into a frenzy.

Here's how:

Roast a hunk of sweet jap pumpkin.

Grab a handful of fresh parsley- remove stalks.

Pomegranates in season- peel a whole one. Roast pine nuts. Open a can of chickpeas.

For dressing:

3 large spoonfuls of thick Greek style yoghurt

2 large spoonfuls of tahini

juice of 1 lemon

1 tsp cumin powder

1 garlic clove crushed

salt to taste

To assemble:

Combine ingredients for dressing. Add chickpeas and mix.

Add about 3/4 of roast pine nuts, pomegranate pearls and pumpkin.

Coat in dressing and mix, careful not to 'smush' pumpkin.

Add remaining pine nuts, pomegranate and pumpkin and sprinkle with parsley leaves.

Set aside for 1-2 hours in refrigerator before serving.

Despite an attempt to provide a recipe for this, I don't follow orders strictly - and so in making the dressing it's best to make it to your tastes. Add more or less of each ingredient to held bring out the complex mix of flavours intermingling.

Cool Autumn warmers... Breakfast oats with poached quince

2010-04-17T20:38:00.002+10:00

These poached quince are prepared a few days in advance and keep for several weeks in the fridge. Oats drizzled with reduced quince syrup and a few slices is perfect for a late breakfast over the weekend!

Poached quince adapted from Stephanie Alexander's Cook's companion

- 3 quinces, washed

- 1 L light sugar syrup (heat 5 cups of water with 2 1/2 cups of sugar, until dissolved)

- 1 vanilla bean

- 1 lemon, peel and juice

1. Preheat the oven to 150 degree celcius.

2. Peel quince and cut into thick wedges.

3. Cut out core and tie loosely in muslin

4. Put sugar syrup into large enamel cast iron casserole with vanilla, lemon juice, peel and muslin bag of cores. Add quince.

5. Cover tightly and bake for 4-8 hours until quince is deep red. Do not stir.

6. Cool and transfer to glass bowl and keep in refridgerator until needed.

I have used these quince in tarts or just on their own, heated, or with crumble and ice cream - but anyway you have them, these are great and a reminder that winter is approaching!

Halim Baademjun- makin' your eggplants sweat!

2010-04-13T23:01:00.003+10:00

This is a delicious snack/light meal enjoyed with some toasted crisp bread or chips. Big thanks to A for providing the detailed recipe below and importantly, bringing this tasty treat to us lucky folk at work to try!

The name halim baademjun comes from halim which means to "sweat" in Arabic, and in Persian it translates to "gravy". Baademjun /bud'em june/ means egg plant- so you're dealing with some hot, fried, sweaty goodness!

Ingredients (for 4)

- 500g diced beef or lamb
- 250g lentil/white bean
- 6 small egg plants
- 2 large white onions
- 1 litre of water, boiling
- salt and pepper
- khask (thick whey, available at continental food stores)
- 2 tsp dried mint and/or oregano
- vegetable oil

Method

1. Saute onions until golden, drain oil between absorbent towel and leave to cool.
2. In a liter of boiling water add lentils, diced beef/lamb and half the fried onions and cook in low heat, until meat softens (~ 40min)
3. While meat and lentils are cooking, slice eggplants about 1-2cm thick and fry them until softened and golden. Drain and leave to cool.
4. Drain meat, lentil and onion mixture- set aside saucepan with liquid for later use.
5. Add to fried eggplant and mash using a mortar and pestle (avoid food processor as you want to conserve the texture)

6. Return combined mixture to saucepan and cook, stirring constantly until liquid has evaporated and mixture is thick.
7. Lightly fry oregano/mint in tsp oil.

8. Assemble on each plate (need 4) garnish by sprinkling with kashk, fried herbs and onion. Season to taste.

9. Serve with toasted flat/crisp bread or chips and enjoy!

Note: Kashk is available locally at Ishtar (951 Sydney Rd, North Coburg phone: 03 93549212)

Croissants

2010-04-04T17:49:00.004+10:00

(This entry is an edited version of installments originally published here, here, and here)

Many, many moons ago, Miss Amandine sent me a book as a present. This book was the lifestyle guide, diet book, and NYT #1 best-seller extravaganza French Women Don't Get Fat. When I opened it, I did not take offense at the idea of someone sending me a diet book as a gift - I perused it for its lifestyle tips and ooohed over the recipes inside. The recipes included one for croissants that Mireille Guiliano claimed was *easy*. The catch? It takes three days. Hah! Needless to say, I never made them because I never had three days in row without work during the PhuD and Ma would probably have a heart attack watching me throw flour around the kitchen benches.

BUT NOW the PhuD is over (until the corrections get back). AND the Parental Units decided they were going to Sydney for the weekend. This means that I have the kitchen pretty much TO MYSELF!!! (Okay, I'm sharing it with the bros but I will cook and they will be happy.) And so this Easter, I will make CROISSANTS!!!

Ingredients

260ml milk + 2 tablespoons for brushing over pastry
2 tsp dry yeast
250g plain flour + 3 tablespoons (kept separate)
2 tbs sugar
1 tsp salt
180g unsalted butter

Day 1

Heat 65ml of milk to lukewarm. Dissolve yeast in milk, stir in 6tbs of flour from the 250g, and whisk until lump-free. Cover with clingwrap and and let stand at room temp until doubled in volume (about 20mins).
Mix sugar and salt into remaining flour.
Heat remaining 195ml of milk to lukewarm. Transfer raised dough to the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with dough hooks. Add milk, and with mixer at high speed, add sugar, salt & flour mixture, a little at a time. Lower the speed to slow-medium until dough is sticky-soft.
Cover with clingwrap and refrigerate overnight.

Day 2 - START IN THE MORNING, STEP 5 IS IN THE AFTERNOON

Bring butter to room temp and incorporate the 3 tbs of flour until smooth.
Flour the working surface, shape the cold dough into a 38 x 15cm rectangle (portrait, not landscape), and spread butter on the upper 2/3 of the rectangle. Leave a 1cm border between the sides and the butter.
Fold the dough into thirds like a letter, folding the bottom (butterless) third first. Turn the dough anticlockwise, roll out into a 38 x 15cm rectangle, and fold again.
Transfer dough to a baking pan, cover with clingwrap, and refrigerate for 6 hours.
(THIS IS IN THE AFTERNOON) Roll out the dough two more times, wrap and refrigerate overnight.

Day 3

About 1.5 hours before baking, remove dough from fridge, and flour working surface. Roll dough into a 40cm diameter circle. Cut into quarters, then cut each quarter into three triangles.
Roll the base of the triangle towards the remaining point. Do not curl the pastry into a croissant shape. Transfer to a baking sheet and brush with 2 tbs of milk. Let stand at room temp for about 45mins or until the croissants have doubled in volume.
Preheat oven to 200C. Brush croissants with glaze (egg yolk + 1 tbs milk), and bake for 15-20mins. If they brown too fast, cover loosely with foil.
Cool for 20 mins before serving/eating!!!

I had a bit of trouble doing the rolling into a vague croissant shape because I wasn't able to roll the dough into a perfect 40cm circle. This is probably the reason why they came out of the oven partly unrolled and really...looking kinda ugly.

However, I took some to the Vanderpoons where Rachie and Clinty taste tested them. They both gave them the thumbs up for having the right texture and being buttery while not as sweet as commercial croissants. *thumbs up*

And here are some close ups showing the fluffy texture of the croissants.

Layers, layers, layers!

So now that I'm done and they're not a failure, I will do as any good scientist does - try to optimise the protocol to improve it! Muhahahahahah! My aim being to make it not take 3 days. Happy baking!

Cranberry Hot Cross Buns

2010-03-24T23:02:00.000+11:00

Easter is just over a week away and while these guys have been around in shops since early February, I've resisted the urge to buy any, thinking I'll make some fresh ones instead. So yesterday, I came across a recipe for some yummy hot cross buns (or Cartesian plane buns- for those who are a-religious?!) and set about making them, only to realise halfway that I had no sultanas, currants or choc nibs to use for the dough. Doh!

Feeling extra lazy and resisting the urge to jump in the car and go down to the supermarket, I found a wonderful substitute for the juicy sultanas in my cupboard so used them instead! The end result was a slightly more tart, berry version of hot cross buns, which I'm looking forward to enjoying and sharing with lab folks tomorrow for morning tea!

Here's a similar recipe to the one I followed, just substitute dried cranberries and include the juice of 1/2 orange and its zest in the recipe. It makes it extra fragrant without the bitter taste of mixed peel- yuk!

Three C's salad

2010-03-23T23:42:00.003+11:00

Get some cooked chicken, some crunchy red capsicums and cos lettuce.

Cut up and mix with some oil, lemon juice and sumac and you got yourself a nice summery salad.

Toki Japanese

2010-02-27T17:07:00.002+11:00

Toki Japanese

88 Grattan Street,

Carlton

VIC 3053

phone: +61 (03) 9347 9748.

Surprisingly, I've passed this place so often over the years but only recently tried it for the first time with some friends for lunch. Just out of eyeshot from the throng of offerings on Lygon Street, one can be forgiven for walking by in pursuit of pizza and gelati. I'm glad we decided to go in, this time.

I had a hankering for some noodles and ordered the yummy tofu vegetable udon in a light and tasty broth which really hit the spot! In my haste however, I overlooked perhaps the better option of the Toki Platter- an offering of various dishes, served in small helpings so that you can sample several things from the menu at once. The platter included tempura, steamed vegetables, seasweed salad, coleslaw, sashimi (sparing, but good for a taste!) and agedashi with sesame seeds and oyster sauce. I really liked the zesty dressing on one of the salads which might have had carrot, orange, ginger and garlic - but my masterchef senses were not at their best!

This is a good option for lunch if you're looking for something reasonably priced that isn't pizza or pasta at this end of Grattan Street.

Which to sample first?

Xiao Long Bao @ Din Tai Fung, Sydney

2010-02-24T20:33:00.004+11:00

World Square Shopping Centre,

Level 4, 644 George Street,

Sydney NSW 2000 Australia

Phone: +61 2 9264 6010

Opening hours: 10-2pm, 6-10pm No bookings

Ooohh yeah, these were so good!

During the Chinese New Year celebrations was lucky to be in Sydney to enjoy the some of the festivities. We'd heard of this restaurant with high recommendations from neTTe having recently returned from a trip to the original restaurant in Taiwan, so set out to explore and try to get a seat- we didn't know what to expect given the New year celebrations and the usual mayhem which is Sydney's CBD on weekends. We arrived to find huge lines of people waiting outside (in the rain!) and thought to come back later, only to realise there is a break between lunch and dinner. Disheartened we left, but our hearts and stomachs were set on having hot, juicy dumplings so we came back and for dinner- 3rd time lucky!

Though there were a a fair number of people ahead of us in the queue, the service was very efficient and it wasn't long before we sat down to order our dumplings. Luckily while waiting we got a chance to ~~perve~~ peruse the menu. And so... we ordered all the different dumpling dishes... Yes. All. There weren't that many per serving and we were carrying our hunger for dumplings from lunch. Can you blame us? They were so damn good! Perhaps we should have tried something else too!? Well... on this occasion we didn't have enough space to fit anymore so it'll have to be next time!

Instructions on how to eat them properly!

This was a delightfully refreshing drink- mint and lychee - double yum!

We really enjoyed this place, but wish there were more dumplings per serving!!! Now we're on a mission to sample as many of the Dai Ti Fung restaurants around the world (if only they'd have one in Melbourne!)

Taste test for the best... cake

2010-02-20T01:10:00.004+11:00

I had the good fortune of being invited to a cake bake & share (thanks C!) hosted by the lovely L & K who welcomed us into their gorgeous home for an afternoon of fun feastings and taste testing !

Our instructions were simple, cook a cake off a list of suggested recipes, or our own specialty and bring along to share with everyone. Everyone's cake offering's then placed into specific cake type categories: chocolate, carrot, gluten free, banana and other. We were expected to sample each and every cake and then judge the best in each category. Tough gig but we were determined to complete the quest and provide useful feedback!

Our arrival was greeted by an overwhelming number of cakes already on display though we had to wait for a few more to appear. Those of us who arrived early had the pleasure of 'looking but no touching' though it was hard on our stomachs which kept growling impatiently and hoping to be let loose. We didn't have to wait long though and L & K did an excellent job of keeping the deliriously hungry mob under control.

And so on to the taste testing. In total there were 25 cakes and a handful of ganaches/buttercreams to sample and give our verdict and even some cakes 'planted' to test the integrity of the judges! ;)

Armed with our scoring sheets away we went tasteing each others' cakes identified only by a card. As evident from the photos- all the cakes looked fantastic and we soon discovered it would be a tough call on the judging. There were some outstanding efforts, J's Persian Love cake (right) was rich, yet delicate in taste and the personally candied rose petals, hint of rosewater and cardamon really made this exceptional.

After the 10th tasting we all started to slow down. Did I hear you say weak? It was not of that we were tired of eating, the serving's were bite size and no one was shying away from indulging in these sweet treats. In reality, the sugar and fat were rapidly increasing our chances of slipping into a hyperglycemic coma!We needed to take a short break... Phew Never thought that eating cake would be so tiring!

Can you say no to this?

A breather accompanied with slices of watermelon, and sips of water to cleanse the palette and straight back to it! No rest for these tough cookies!

In the orange poppy seed sections there were some mighty efforts including C's homage to pac-man which was bursting with lots of yummy poppy seeds! C's other entry was the 'just for fun' vanilla frosted rainbow cake - an explosion of crazy colours and I suspect a good dose of artificial additives which abet crazy behaviour!

With the banana and carrot cake category (sadly didn't get to snap pretty pics) there stand out cakes that were super moist, sweet and fluffy with a lots of gooey banana or grated carrot and cinnamon. The combination of melted mars bar as icing on one of the banana cakes gave it a surprisingly tasty caramel crust- Mmm-mmm!

The chocolate cakes were controversial namely because of two entries which were based on a Nigella Lawson recipe but which upon tasting were completely lacking in sweetness. and may have been slightly undercooked. My initial reaction was... 'hmmm interesting...wonder if my tastebuds aren't sophisticated enough to appreciate this taste.' When one of L and K's friends' reaction was an expletive followed by spitting out the rest- we eventually found out this was the cake planted to test our abilities as judges!

My offering was a very simple lemon butter cake only I should have soaked it in a super zingy syrup, but decided against doing so because it would mask the texture and taste of the cake. In retrospect, should have done so as despite juice and zest of three lemons the flavour didn't come through strongly enough and I had to renamed it as a butter cake.

With the tasting's complete, we waited, rubbing our tummies in defeat while the votes were tallied and the most popular cake announced. I forget which cake ended up being the overall favourite but it didn't matter- a wonderful time was had by all and our tastebuds and tummies were very happy!

On a final note L & K are keen to start their own cake business (and this served to allow sampling of various cake recipes for comparison without having to sit down and make each one themselves!) Rightly so too! You can see some of L's amazing sugary creations below- she handcrafted and decorated a birthday cake complete with mini C knitting on top!

I can't wait to try one of their cakes once their business is up and running hopefully in the not too distant future, but until then, here's hoping there's another crazy cake cookfest! Thanks L & K!

ps. If you are interested in having a cake made and decorated by L & K, leave a comment and I can help connect you with them!

If Only There Were Waves

2010-02-14T13:50:00.004+11:00

Kamakuru is a short train ride from Tokyo, and while the main attractions are the multitude of shrines and temples, there's a beach where ardent Japanese surfers go to. Unfortunately there isn't much in terms of waves, although it does provide a nice contrast from the dense streets and neon lights.Yes, I know I should have been eating more of the traditional foods found in Japan, but I decided stop into this burger shop for some brunch. I'd veered off the track a bit and needed to rest up in any case. Often I've found its the stories people tell you and their willingness to share that made Japan a special place to visit. On this particular occasion, one of the guys that worked there made conversation with me about where I was from and where I was staying. It turned out that Bill Granger has started up a restaurant nearby and he'd worked there forBill for a year learning from him. Then we got talking about the surf beaches in Australia (of which I know nothing about) and his wish to come to here one day (mainly for the surf!).
Anyway, I filled up with this offering:
One thing I'll say about Japan; More often than not, the actual food represents a close likeness to pictures in the menus or plastic food displays. A really nice burger, thick patty and fresh, simple salad and sauce.

Asam Laksa- Laksa Pulau Pinang

2010-02-08T22:45:00.004+11:00

Somewhere in the streets of Penang, there is a small stall outside the Lye Lye Mamak center, surrounded by dozens of similar stalls all selling their specialties. Nasi Lemak, Loh Mee, Roast BBQ chickpeas, Char Koay Teow - the heady aromas intoxicating, yet not enough to sway us from our quest. This was the place we had heard where you could get an authentic Penang Asam Laksa.

Asam Laksa or Laksa Pulau Pinang is a sour (thanks to tamarind), hot (ooh and the chilli and lemongrass) laksa soup made with flaked mackerel, thick rice noodles, tomatoes, mint and a thick sweet shrimp paste. I'm a big fan of laksa I've had this version in Melbourne but always preferred the Laksa Lemak/Curry mee version only because I love the rich creamy taste of coconut and curry infused noodles.

Curious to try an authentic Penang laksa we wandered past the other stalls, declining invitations to sample fried offerings and made for the one stall that offered Asam Laksa. We placed our order and sat to wait for our bowls of steaming hot soup to arrive. Everyone else sitting in the open air was enthusiastically chowing down, heads buried, into their bowl of laksa.

The bowls of soup arrived, the lemongrass and mint redolent and masking the strong smell of fish and shrimp paste. Mixing the shrimp paste with the soup the taste was explosive. Slightly sweet and sour from the tamarind, salty from the fish, fresh and zingy from the cucumber and tomato and with a hint of heat from the chilli and galangal that built up as we devoured it. We contemplated getting another bowl but decided to try out something else, having satisfied the Laksa cravings momentarily. Looking back now, I should've gone back for seconds (!!!) as it was without a doubt the best Asam Laksa I've tasted in my life!

Wonder if there's anywhere in Melbourne or Sydney that might offer a comparable version!?

More Ottolenghi love: Roast Aubergine with Saffron Dressing

2010-02-01T08:00:00.003+11:00

We have made this wonderful salad for a few dinners and BBQs. Crunchy toasted pine nuts, fragrant basil and beautiful pomegranate pops - a really easy and fresh salad.

We found our pomegranates at the market - pick one that feels heavy for its size (and be prepared for a bit of grunt work removing the seeds).

Roast Aubergine with Saffron Yoghurt
from the Ottolenghi Cookbook
Serves 4

3 medium aubergines, cut into 2cm slices or wedges
olive oil to brush
2 tbsp pine nuts, toasted
handful of pomegranate seeds
20 basil leaves

Yoghurt dressing
small pinch of saffron threads
3 tbsp hot water
180g greek yoghurt
1 garlic clove, crushed
2 1/2 tbsp lemon juice
3 tbsp olive oil

1. Dressing: infuse saffron in hot water for 5 minutes.
Pour infusion into bowl containing yoghurt, garlic, lemon juice, olive oil and salt.
Whisk well to get a smooth, golden sauce. Taste and adjust salt, then chill.
Sauce keeps in the fridge for 3 days.

2. Preheat oven to 220degC.
Place aubergine slices on roasting tray; brush with olive oil on both sides; sprinkle with salt and pepper. Roast for 20-35 minutes until light brown colour. Cool.
Keeps for 3 days in the fridge.

3. Serve (at room temperature): arrange aubergine on plate, drizzle with saffron dressing, sprinkle with pine nuts, pomegranate seeds and basil leaves.

Happy Australia Day: Jelly cakes

2010-01-26T09:21:00.013+11:00

While we were in Warrnambool last winter, we came across a stall at the local market that offered classic CWA-style cakes, biscuits and slices. Elmo tried jelly cakes for the first time and wondered how he ever lived life without them (or something less dramatic perhaps =) ).Essentially, jelly cakes are an alternative version of a lamington - a small vanilla (or sponge) cake rolled in unset jelly (rather than chocolate) and then coconut. These take a bit of time to make, but are well worth the effort. The pink layer of jelly keeps the cake moist and the shredded coconut adds a lovely texture. The recipe below calls for icing sugar to dust, but I think these are sweet enough as is.

Senior Australian of the Year, Maggie Beer also has a jelly cake recipe here.

Note: My additions to the recipe below are in square brackets. Don't be tempted to dip the cakes in too early - the jelly should be half set and starting to show a slight wobble.

Enjoy!

Rose water Jelly Cakes
by Karen Martini, Sunday Life Magazine, January 2010
Makes 36

250g unsalted butter
200g caster sugar
4 eggs
250g self-raising flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp vanilla essence
5 tbsp milk
1 pkt raspberry jelly
2 tbsp rose water
1 1/2 cups fine dessicated coconut [I used shredded coconut for a bit more bite]
rose petals, to garnish
icing sugar, for dusting

1. Preheat oven to 180degC conventional (160degC fan forced).
2. In a food processor, combine butter, sugar, eggs, flour, baking powder and vanilla until smooth. Gradually add the milk until combined and the mixture is smooth.
3. Place [1] tablespoonfuls into well-greased small muffin trays and bake for 8-10 minutes.
4. Make jelly according to packet instructions. Add rose water and stir every now and then till you have a slurry of unset jelly.
5. Roll the baked cakes in the jelly and then roll in coconut to coat a little. To serve, place a rose petal on each cake and dust with icing sugar.

Gompachi - Odaiba

2010-01-23T13:54:00.000+11:00

A man-made island - yes. How they make it, I don't know, but it's a great place to spend the day. After a full day of walking, experiencing museums and a theme park, this exhausted traveller rested his feet at Gompachi, a restaurant overlooking Tokyo Bay. Brunch consisted of Bleble and not having eaten for some time, I was ready to scoff down some hot food! This was actually the first experience of Shochu, so please excuse the drunk, blurry pictures.
For starters: Fried tofu with shredded crab. Delicious! The worst part of crab is the shelling, so when that's done for you, there are no complaints!
For second starters: Yakitori... again, but to put this in context, the previous post was some time after this meal. No exotic meats here, but I think I've found a new favourite food... Now if only I can find an equivalent here...
Main was cold soba noodles in a duck broth. The trick here is to take your noodles and dip them in the broth before eating. After which they will provide the soup they used to boil the noodles which you can mix with the original broth for some hearty soup.
To finish a Crème brûlée. (Hey I selected the home made dessert, there was no mention of a western dessert!)
It amazing to think that I lost weight on that trip...

Summer treats- Mango Tiramisu

2010-01-14T22:39:00.001+11:00

Figure 1. Take a packet of savoiardi biscuits, soak them in a deadly concoction of mango or pineapple nectar, booze of choice (rum or Grand Marnier) and the juice of one lemon and line them in the bottom of a shallow rectangular dish.

Figure 2. Proceed to layer with slivers of tangy mango (and remember to sample some to make sure that it's only of the highest quality!)

Figure 3. *missing* Apply another liberal drizzle of boozy nectar over mangoes in case you missed a spot- Oh and again, remember to sample some for quality assurance purposes!

Figure 4. Generously slather on half of the Marnier soaked sweetened marscapone cream. Arrange rest of soaked savoiardi, add rest of cream and top with remaining slices of mango. Toast flaked almonds and sprinkle on top. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours and 'clean up' bowl and any extra biscuits, mango slices that may be left over!

Variations of the recipe using passionfruit and or pineapple or rum can be found in December 2009 edition of Delicious, here, here and at the National Mango Board's website (beware those Mango lobbyists- they are very persuasive!)

What's yellow, rich and creamy, full of lush fruit and soaked in booze?

Well hello, what do we have here?

Yakitori-licous

2010-01-10T22:46:00.001+11:00

Yes, it's a pathetic title for a post...

I've since returned from Kyoto and Osaka, but there are still a few more food posts from my time in Tokyo...

This was from my 2nd last day of Tokyo and, walking passed this restaurant on a number of occasions wondering if I should venture in. Scoping out the interior noticing a bar-type layout around the kitchen, I ventured inside.
Pointing to the phrase: "What would you recommend?" I was directed to the sashimi. However, I struggled to convey that this wouldn't fill me up, whereupon another waiter approached with an English menu.
Sashimi. Love the presentation...
Not game enough to select the individual yakitori dishes, I opted for the "5 kinds" selection. With the option of the special sauce or salt, the choice was more obvious.
Unfortunately because I chose the variety, I don't know what I ate, although all had different textures and were delicious!
To drink, I tried shōchū. Lethal! A few more of these and I'd have to be carried out.
To finish some fried tofu, eggplant topped with shredded parsnip and ginger.

Happy New Year!

2010-01-01T10:39:00.000+11:00

Here's to a safe and fun 2010!

Good health, happiness, prosperity and exciting food adventures to all from the flagrant food fawners!

Hope you got the lucky coin in the Βασιλόπιτα/vasilopita!

Umami goodness

2009-12-27T22:47:00.000+11:00

All credit to Serenity Later, who introduced me to the wonderful explosion of taste of calamares en su tinta!

Pomegranate Salsa and Mograbiah Salad

2009-12-26T09:30:00.008+11:00

Encouraged by Fifi's countdown to Christmas, I brought some festive cheer to our Christmas lunch with this Pomegranate Salsa. This light and fresh salad is sure to brighten up your summertime picnics and BBQs.

Continuing to fan my crush on the Ottolenghi cookbook, I also tried the BBQ Quail with Mograbiah Salad recipe.

I substituted chicken thigh fillets for the quail, and marinated the pieces overnight in spices including turmeric, cinnamon, cumin, allspice and a dash of honey. This was a surprisingly light dish. There was a lovely aroma as the chicken grilled and quite a subtle flavour upon taste.

With all the herb-age, the Mograbiah Salad was a fresh and clean accompaniment. Mograbiah (also moghrabieh) is known by many names including pearl couscous or Israeli couscous, and is made with semolina and flour. I got mine from the Queen Vic Market Deli Hall.

I've left the Ottolenghi cookbook at mum's (I know, how will I live?), so for the moment, the Mograbiah Salad recipe.

Hope you had a fantastic Christmas. It's a lovely day outside: I'm typing this with the sound of cricket fans arriving at the nearby MCG for the Boxing Day Test. Enjoy the summer folks!

Mograbiah Salad
from Ottolenghi cookbook

125g mograbiah
10g unsalted butter
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 mild red chilli
1 spring onion
1 lemon
3 tablespoons coarsely chopped flat leaf parsley
3 tablespoons coarsely chopped coriander
3 tablespoons coarsely chopped mint
coarse sea salt and pepper

1. Bring a litre of water (with a pinch of salt) to the boil and add the mograbiah. Simmer for 15-18 minutes until tender, but with a substantial bite (cooking time may vary with brands). Strain into a colander, leave to drain well and transfer to a bowl.

2. Add butter and oil, stir well and season with plenty of salt and pepper. Set aside to cool.

3. Cut chilli lengthways, remove seeds and chop finely. Finely slice the spring onion. Add these to the cooling mograbiah.

4. Segment the lemon. Remove the peel and white pith. Holding the lemon over the bowl of mograbiah, cut along the while membranes encasing the segments to release segments into the bowl. Squeeze in any remaining juice.

5. Stir in chopped herbs into the mograbiah. Taste and add salt, pepper or olive oil if required.

Music to cook festive salads by: Kitty, Daisy and Lewis - the teenage trio's debut album"Kitty Daisy & Lewis" is awesome!

Short and Sweet

2009-12-24T01:23:00.005+11:00

I haven't even finished posting my food related experiences from my time in Tokyo and here's one from Osaka where I've just left today. It's a bit strange thinking about celebrating Christmas and NY's solo, but I must admit I'm not that saddened by it. Perhaps it's because I'm resigned to the fact that Santa won't visit this year, or maybe it's the excitement of seeing something other than a Video Hits compilation when the clock strikes midnight.

Anyway, this isn't the most exciting piece of food I've had, but in a balmy 5 degrees I decided to snack on some ice-cream. Ironically I didn't know until now, but Melbourne was sweltering in 38 degree heat. Honestly, I really only had a hankering for some ice-cream at the time, despite wearing gloves, a scarf and about 10 layers. (yeah, I'm not sure what goes through my head sometimes)
Ahhh the trusty vending machines deliver once again (ironically no chips, choc bars or lollies, 99% are just drinks, smokes and ice-creams). I selected the 2nd from the bottom, far right, costing approximately $1.50AudNo spilling or sticky fingers. You can also break these off to share. Yeah like that's going to happen! Chocolatey goodness with chopped nuts. (That's no Australian summer sun either!). Merry Christmas!

Season for celebrations

2009-12-20T21:26:00.003+11:00

A sweet way to celebrate a special birthday!

Happy birthday Magic G- here's to a sweet life!

Ottolenghi: Roasted sweet potato with pecan and maple

2009-12-20T19:00:00.002+11:00

Do you believe in love at first bite?
Is it possible to fall in love...with a recipe book?

One of the first things Elmo's sister, L, showed us in London was her current favourite thing: the Ottolenghi cookbook (well, after her 3 month old son...). This lovely book is written by chefs Yotam Ottolenghi and Sami Tamimi and features Middle Eastern inspired dishes from their restaurant of the same name. We tried only a few recipes from this fantastic book: a roast pork belly dish with a fabulous spicy rhubarb, plum and ginger relish, as well as a roast sweet potato salad. Every dish was an absolute winner.

Elmo and I were really excited.
You know: all tingley. all we could think was, when can we cook from the book again? what else can we try? how else can we sate our taste buds?

Keen to recruit to the Ottolenghi fan club, L immediately ordered another copy online for us to bring back to Melbs.

And so, we find ourselves with this wonderful prize, ready to tackle picnics and dinner parties for the summer.

Today, I brought an Ottolenghi salad to a family BBQ. The recipe for this Roast Sweet Potato Salad can be found online.

This salad is so simple and easy to make. Lovely fresh herbs with a sweet, zingy dressing. We ran out of maple syrup, so I substituted Stroop (a Danish sweet syrup) from our pantry stash (hope that's ok Kim!). The dressing is quite sweet, thanks to the (maple) syrup, and slightly tangy, due to lemon and orange juice and grated ginger. A great balance at meaty summertime BBQs.

And like all crushes, we're keenly anticipating the next time we meet again: a book of vegetarian recipes - Plenty, expected in May 2010.

We're not sure if this book is available in Australian bookshops, but you could try the recipes from their site if you're keen, read Yotam Ottolenghi's vegetarian column in the Guardian, or perhaps order the cookbook online (L purchased our copy from Amazon UK).

Hazelnut gelato... 10 steps to nutty heaven

2009-12-16T16:47:00.000+11:00

Ingredients

- 1 cup roasted hazelnuts, skins removed, ground

- 2 1/2 cups of milk
- 1/3 cup cream
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 4 egg yolks
- 2 tbs hazelnut cream (like nutella)
- 2 tbsp Frangelico or any other hazelnut liqueur

Preparation
1. Roast a cup of hazelnuts in a shallow pan or under grill until skin starts to peel. Remove allow to cool and rub off skin.
2. Pulse in food processor and grind to desired consistency. Set aside.
3. In a medium saucepan, simmer milk and cream for 2 min but do not boil.
4. Whisk egg yolks and sugar until pale.

5. Pour 1/3 cup of milk/cream mixture into egg/sugar mixture and whisk.
6. Transfer back into saucepan, add hazelnut spread and continue stirring until thin custard forms (coats back of spoon and when you streak your finger, spoon stays clean). If you want a darker colour add more hazelnut spread or a 1 tsp of dutch cocoa.
7. Pour into large bowl and set aside for 2 hours to cool to room temperature. If you're after a smoother gelato pour mixture through sieve (or don't- I like to discover little flecks of hazelnut- yum!)

8. Ensure bowl for ice cream maker is frozen (needs 6 hours in freezer, I've resorted to leaving it in there until the next time creativity hits)
9. Add frangelico to cooled mixture, pour into ice cream machine and let it do it's thing for 30-40 min.
10. Transfer it into airtight container and allow to set further for another 2 hours in freezer before indulging!!!

occasionally. Chill custard, covered, until cold. Freeze in an ice cream maker, then transfer to an airtight container and put in freezer to harden.

Spanakorizo: Exotic sound, simple taste

2009-12-15T23:11:00.000+11:00

Fancy name for simple spinach rice, but if celebrity chefs flog dishes with exotic names (I won't name names!), why not this little cookie? Of course this is all ridiculous and irrelevant - what counts is how it looks and tastes and that's a little hard to convey across this medium.

Spanakorizo is a yummy, no fuss to make and quick to vanish type of meal. This has been a popular choice in mum's cooking repetoire growing up, and it reminds me of coming home from high school watching The Bold & Beautiful and The Price is Right... maybe I should've been doing my homework instead?!

To make put 2 tablespoons of tomato paste (did I mention this was no fuss?) into 1-2 cups of water in a saucepan and bring to boil. Add 2 tbs of olive oil, a 'little' butter (2-4tbs?), one small chopped onion, and crushed garlic clove or 1/2 tsp garlic powder, salt and pepper and you start to get that savoury richness which forms the stock for your rice. Add 1 cup of medium grain rice (unwashed so you can get that creamy gluten-y texture) and leave to cook for 5 minutes stirring occasionally. Add a cup of chopped spinach (fresh or frozen) and let the rice absorb all the liquid (another 5-6minutes) making sure to add another 1/4 cup water if needed. Allow rice to cook through and serve immediately.

This is where my version departs from mum's to become a mutation between steamed rice and risotto. Instead of waiting for the rice to completely absorb liquid and cook through- I turn off the heat and put a lid on the saucepan so the rice cooks by 'steaming' for around 5min. I also grate 1/2 cup of parmesan style cheese, in this case salty kefalograviera. Stir through, season to taste with more salt and pepper and then eat!

Cooking with Coolio '...get yo ass to the table'

2009-12-15T12:44:00.008+11:00

Complete with 'dime bags', sauce girls (Serenity and Yoss- does the term "saucy and sassy" ring a bell?) and great catchphrases like 'shakazulu' and 'you gotta let it co-agulate' we have a new celebrity Masterchef who set to teach us how to cook!

(Language warning for those with sensitive ears!)

'...get yo ass to the table'

'You don't wanna be eating shrimp shit'

For some reason this reminds me of Bender's attempts at becoming an Iron Chef on Futurama (although he was trying to parody Emeril). Certainly makes sense if Coolio adds the very essence of taste (ie. LSD) from his spice bags. You should check out some of his other videos and see how he makes kids eat their vegetables too!

Brilliant blueberry gelato

2009-12-13T00:00:00.002+11:00

Ingredients

2 cups of blueberries (fresh or frozen)
2 tbs blueberry jam
3 large egg yolks
2 cups milk
1/4 cup water
1/2 cup sugar
2 tsp lemon juice (or pomegranate syrup)

Preparation

Place blueberries, jam and water into a small saucepan and bring to boil.
Process in blender and allow to cool.
Whisk sugar and yolks until pale.
Heat milk in saucepan for 2 min, but do not boil.
Add a third of hot milk mixture to sugar/egg mixture, stirring with a whisk.
Add to remaining saucepan, and stir constantly over med-low heat (should coat back of a spoon- be careful not to boil as it will curdle). Remove from heat.
Stir in blueberry and juice or syrup and cool completely.
Churn in ice cream maker for 30-35 min. Allow to freeze for another 2-3 hours.

Sweet & fresh - this is sure to please many if you want to share!

Room for creativity: Gingerbread architecture

2009-12-09T12:19:00.030+11:00

Dang! If only this was local! These architectural creations are the product of the combined efforts by various Vancouver architects and Creative Room a multidisciplinary collective of creative professionals as implied by the site's statement.

They've been getting together the last few years to make unique gingerbread house designs which are then auctioned off for charity. This year's offerings are an interesting bunch and my favourite is this one although Busby Perkins & Will's Candy Bar is also enticing- the only property I can afford. Hmmm... if I make a bid, what are my chances of getting it shipped all the way to Australia in one piece?

The 'MGB Ginger Tower'

by McFarlance, Green Biggar Architecture + Design Inc

Check out the other entries here

Maybe I'll just have to try and create my own...

Christmas cookies...

2009-12-08T20:11:00.004+11:00

What to give Santa and all his helper's after a year's long work in the lab?

... pistachio & cranberry and hazelnut & chocolate biscotti -

Great accompaniment for mid-afternoon caffeine run and a small thanks to all!

Boysenberry ripple ice cream

2009-11-30T21:59:00.002+11:00

Keen to anoint the new ice cream maker I received for my birthday (from the awesome Serenity Later!), we set out to make something over the weekend. While the bowl was freezing (at least 6 hours) to ensure contents is cooled as it's churned- we had plenty of time to think about potential flavours/combinations to try. (So many to try, look forward to reporting back successes/and not so successful attempts!) Thought it best to start with a classic vanilla bean ice cream, the recipe coming from with the booklet included in the recipe manual (yay-it's even got raspberry margarita's- it's going to be a good Summer!). Vanilla. Boring? Maybe. Still, it's important to get the basics right before trying out something more challenging like smoked capsicum and sweet chilli sorbet.

In the end, we relented and decided to split the mixture into two parts and do a little bit of experimenting (what do you expect from a scientist?). One part vanilla, one part boysenberry swirl.

Making the ice cream base is simple- make a vanilla custard from scratch, add cream and then allow the machine to work its magic! After mixing for 30 minutes, the ice cream is very thick but needs to be frozen for another 2 hours for the proper consistency.

For the best ripple effect, add puree at the very last moment and mix for 15-30 seconds before transferring to a container. Alternatively you can manually stir it through as we decide to do because the mixture was becoming too homogeneous.

And the final result?

...Definite swirls, luscious, smooth taste and requests for more!!!

birthday delights...

2009-11-29T20:11:00.002+11:00

What better way to celebrate an important birthday (though isn't every one?) in the company of wonderful friends, food and Pimms! Also was lucky enough to finally try Yossarian's famous Bourbon cheesecake - rich and creamy top with crumbly goodness - gobbled up quickly!

Thanks to a bunch of awesome friends am now the proud owner of the following:

...any requests?

Perusing through these foodperve-y books, there is now a library full of new recipes to try and also, hopefully, friends willing to be my test tasters! And if you're sensing a theme here you're a smart cookie! Also received a brand spanking new ice-cream maker (so many ideas- watch for upcoming posts!) and luckily something sure to help work off those extra kilos after all the cooking and eating!

Thanks to everyone for helping make this day special - am one lucky fortune(ate) cookie!

Bleble

2009-11-23T23:57:00.002+11:00

Breakfast on the man-made island was to be tough to come by as the majority of shops weren't open. Fresh bread in the morning is almost a perfect start to the day, particularly when you're not making it yourself! Located in Odaiba, (Tokyo) Bleble is tucked away at the back of a shopping centre and with this position, it would be tough to attract customers.
Upon entering, 2 bakers merely metres from the entrance, slave away preparing the next batch of bread presumably for the lunchtime rush. Behind them, ovens are filled with freshly prepared dough as that distinct waft hits you as soon as you enter the shop.

The bread was sweeter than I was used to, however the texture and taste was as good as I've had. With all the walking I was doing throughout the trip, I felt I could be excused for pigging out.
From the picture above, on top was a ham and cheese roll. Right was a tomato based, potato, capsicum, asparagus and cheese mini pizza. Finally an egg, mayo, cheese tomato and broccoli offering rounded out brunch. (The pastry casing name eludes my uncultured brain, so I'll need help here!)

In my rush, I caused half of the topping to fall off the pizza. I would've been on the brink of tears had it not been for the final offering (insert name here from more intelligent bloggers). Creamy egg throughout combined well with the other ingredients, while the sweetened pastry was soft and moist.

Nectarine TDG... that's delicious gorgeous!

2009-11-18T23:20:00.000+11:00

We are blessed with two nectarine trees in our yard which normally give us crispy, sweet nectarines- only this year sadly, we'll miss out. For the first time (due to stage 3+ watering restrictions) one of the nectarine trees has failed to flower/bear fruit - and isn't looking too well. The other one bears fruit in late february so keeping my fingers crossed!

Still, this is the start of the best time of the year for fresh fruit especially delicious stone fruit which are just coming into season. For a simple, light and damn good looking dessert grab some puff pastry, plonk a few slices of your favourite summer fruits and pop in the oven at 180C. Sprinkle some sugar with a sparing pinch of cardamon or cinnamon on the pastry and then over the nectarines if they're too tart and need mellowing. Once the pastry has turned a golden crust (and is crisp in the middle) take it out of the oven and give a quick brush over with a light marmalade/preserve. Dust with icing sugar and allow to cool or if you can't control yourself gobble it up straight away!

silly name I know but couldn't find a name for this and I think it reflects something betwixt a tart, danish and a galette. I prefer that's delicious gorgeous ... that way you score sweet points with the chef and might get a bit more!

Grilled tasmanian salmon with gremolata

2009-11-14T19:08:00.010+11:00

Picked up some beautiful tasmanian red salmon fillets from Victoria Market this week and decided to prepare it with a zesty marinade- perfect for a light summer lunch.

I went foraging in the yard for flat leaf parsley and a bit of dill- was disappointed most had succumbed to the heat. What I could salvage was chopped up finely and added to olive oil, garlic powder, a dash of hot sauce, lemon juice and zest- somewhere between a gremolata and chimichurri. The salmon was fried skin side down for a minute until crisp and grilled for a further few minutes until just cooked through.

The verdict: Hunger abated and luckily no angry bears in sight.

A cheesecake in sponge clothing?

2009-11-10T08:10:00.009+11:00

'Tis the season for birthdays once again! I made this cotton-soft Japanese cheesecake for Nette's birthday (inspired from The Little Teochew), and decided to jazz it up a bit with a mango/passionfruit salsa and whipped cream. The cake is so light and fluffy - more like a sponge than a cheesecake! With the fruit a refreshing & light indulgence to enjoy, preferably somewhere cool in this hot, hot heat!

What you need:
- 6 eggs, yolks and whites separated
- 1/4 tsp tartaric acid/cream of tartar
- 2/3 cup caster sugar
- 50g butter
- 250g cream cheese
- 1/2 cup of milk
- 4 tbs self raising flour
- 2 tbs cornflour
- 1 tbs lemon zest
- juice of one lemon
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract or vanillin sugar

To make:
- Preheat oven to 160 degrees celcius.
- In a bowl whisk egg whites with tartaric acid and caster sugar until soft peaks form.
- Melt cream cheese, butter and milk in a bowl over a water bath, allow to cool and then beat with an electric mixer/whisk until smooth.
- Add egg yolks, flour, lemon zest and juice, vanilla to cream cheese mixture and mix until incorporated.
- Fold through egg whites gently.
- Line a ~20cm spring form tin with greaseproof paper, pour mixture in - if necessary split into two as it will rise.
- Bake in a water bath for 1 hr 20min at 160 degrees, checking until golden brown and fluffy on top.
- Allow to cool and serve simply with icing sugar or with fresh fruit!

Definitely a winner and despite it being my first attempt at baking a cheesecake this will certainly be included in my repertoire of desserts from now on! Yummy!

Leave Your Teeth at the Door

2009-11-08T23:52:00.001+11:00

A trip to the Tsukiji Fish Market is one that must be on ever visitors' itinerary to Tokyo. Apparently 2246 tonnes of fish are sold in this market daily and it's an experience you won't soon forget. I wasn't able to make it to the auction area which is open to the public between 5am-6.15am, however at 7am the action is still frenetic. Unbelievably there were 1 or 2 women there in high heels and skirts, although I wouldn't recommend this due to the uneven ground and amount of water that's sprayed around. Keep your wits about you and travel light are my suggestions as fast vehicles navigate the narrow passageways in all directions, while pedestrians browse the offerings from the seemingly endless shopfronts.
I'm not sure if this is true, but someone told me that there is a language that they speak which is not recognisable to even the Japanese! Apparently this is to communicate with each other with regard to prices etc. Anything and everything seafood related is sold, while fishmongers quite rightfully take their job seriously at times using long samurai like swords to through fish with clinical ease.
The early morning surveying the vast amounts of potential food was just a cruel tease to an empty stomach, and it wasn't long before my stomach was yearning for some sustenance.
Entering a relatively large sushi shop, customers -as usual- are greeted enthusiastically, and I selected a set consisting of Tuna, Salmon, Scallop, Albacore, Prawn, Egg, Crab, Amber Jack and Tuna Hand Rolls. The team of chefs were willing to take pictures and take part in some friendly banter, as hungry customers had their orders fulfilled right before their eyes. The consistency and freshness almost meant that I didn't need to chew. Honestly! Having had sushi at other times in Tokyo, I can safely say that was the best I've had.

Fair dinkum tucker out in the 'bush

2009-11-07T16:31:00.000+11:00

...where else can you find the elusive frilled necked onion?

You can nab your own true blue tucker at the all-Oztralia themed (American owned) restaurant The Outback steakhouse in in Sydney's Strathfield (within a boomerang's reach of Homebush stadium).

With such gems as Chookaburra Wings and Chocolate Thunder (not sure I want to know what that is...) on the menu it's hard to resist the allure of Oz.

...Can easily see one opening at Crown alongside Nobu and Bistro Guillaume!

They'll Let Any Riff Raff In

2009-11-01T19:16:00.006+11:00

It's with sadness that I'm writing this post from Melbourne. Tokyo was an experience like no other; the people, culture, history and city won't soon be forgotten and as I review the 100's of pictures there's probably around 10 food related posts buried in there. Like "Mercy" which was played with siblings, I'm happy to relent on the posts if they become too repetitive.

One of the deals widely available in Tokyo are set lunch packages. Places where you wouldn't normally set a foot in due to the price suddenly appear on the radar and it's a fantastic idea to increasing patronage in a highly competitive market. Yes, it was still more than what you would pay on the busy streets, but it's certainly a different experience and a side to Tokyo you wouldn't normally be able to experience at regular prices. More often than not you will able to choose from a variety of set menus at varying prices.

The Fish Bank is located in the same ward as the famous Tokyo Fish Market, and perched on the 41st floor, I wasn't able to secure a window seat, however with 6 courses coming to 2,749 yen, ($34Aud) food more than occupied my senses. (Other set menu options start at $16Aud) Before stepping in, I put a top over my t-shirt, not because it was required, but I figured that any restaurant that has table cloths shouldn't be subject to a collar-less patron.

First up was a fresh oyster, all the way from Tasmania I was informed. When I mentioned my home was merely a stones throw away, this brought out a chuckle from the waiter. With chili sauce to add as needed, it was certainly fresher than the consumer who travelled just as far.
Next 2 were a tomato filled with couscous with a spread of octopus and fish (I can't remember for the life of me) with fresh asparagus and baby carrots.
For the final 2 courses before dessert, the dishes entailed a penne with a beef ragout sauce and a beef rissole on eggplant accompanied with tomato topped with a poached egg and a piece of seared fish on a bed of mashed potatoes. The former was certainly the standout of these offerings.
For dessert, green tea and strawberry icecream impeccably presented on top of some equivalently flavoured macaroons rounded out the meal perfectly.

Boysenberry granita

2009-11-01T17:50:00.004+11:00

Sitting here with a martini glass full of boysenberry granita thinking about how much more I'd enjoy it, if I could share it and if only that wonderful sunshine which peeked out yesterday (and inspired me to make it in the first place) was still around... Oh well.

The berries (frozen) we picked up a few weeks ago on the way back from the tulip festival along with various 'bulbs' which I promptly planted and now wait for them to bloom. Anyhoot, this here granita is decidedly evil in it's ease of preparation.

Blend about 500g (about 2 punnets or 2 cans with syrup) boysenberries
Add 1/4-1/3c sugar to 1/4c hot water and stir until dissolved. If needed put over stove and heat until dissolved. (add more or less sugar to taste, if you think it might be too sweet, add a squeeze or two of lemon juice- it helps to balance the sweetness without diluting the flavour!)
Add to fruit blend and pulse for a few seconds.
Pour into shallow plastic tray with lid. Cover and put into freezer.
Every 30min open lid and with a fork break apart the crystals which form.
When it sets ~3-4hours later, scrape with a spoon into quenelle and serve. It will melt quickly so don't wait.. dig in!

or if you can't wait...

Monty Scones

2009-10-23T08:00:00.000+11:00

This is a Monty family recipe and, like all Monty recipes, it's super easy and a real crowd pleaser. I hope they don't mind if I share this recipe with you.

They only take about half an hour from sifting the flour to delicious mouthfuls: we've been making them as after work treats. This recipe would be perfect if you have unexpected guests drop by too.

oh. so. good.

We added a couple of handfuls of sultanas in the last batch we made, but the recipe below is for your plain regular scones.

Enjoy!

Monty's Scones

2 cups self-raising flour
2 tablespoons icing sugar
pinch of salt

1 egg yolk (we didn't bother to separate the yolk from white), lightly whisked, in 1 cup then topped up with milk

1. Preheat oven at 200degC.

2. Combine dry ingredients. Sift twice.

3. Make well in dry ingredients, add the 1C egg/milk mixture. Gently combine.

4. Turn onto floured surface. The mixture will be quite sticky. Knead for 1-2 minutes, until the mixture comes together.

5. Flatten with palm to 2cm thickness. Cut out 5cm circles with cookie cutter. Place on floured tray, with sides touching.

6. Bake for 10-15 minutes, until golden brown.

7. Makes about 10. Eat with jam and cream of course!

Breakfast of Champions or Not

2009-10-22T22:08:00.005+11:00

Champion? Definitely not. What do you do for breakfast in Tokyo? A bowl of cereal? A slice of toast? A muffin? It might go a long way to demostrating why I haven't seen any overweight people in this city, but the abundance of noodle houses open from the crack of dawn more than willing to supply a hungry city with servings of hot dishes quickly seem to be the staple for many busy Japanese folk. There are a few Starbucks and golden arches around, however small noodle houses just about every 10 metres are the equivalent of those corporate giants in Tokyo. Often buried away in a basement or in a "blink and you'll miss" alleyway keen chefs await orders from the bleery eyed public.

My first venture into one of these was a bit of a shamble. Walking up the counter where there was no list of items to order, and flumixed as to what to do, I was embarrassingly on my way back out the establishment, when a timely customer walked directly to the corner to make an order. Yes, like a lot of things throughout Tokyo, the ordering is handled by a vending machine. Sometimes pictures accompany the selection and other times not. On this occaision, I was lucky enough to randomly select one that catered for ignorant folk like myself.

Upon selecting your dish a receipt is printed which you take up to the front of the counter. There, the chef greets you, and in a matter of seconds (no joke) you meal is served. Large vats of boiling soup and a quick heating of noodles and simple additions make it a no-fuss affair. No waiting for bread to toast or cheese to melt, your hot meal is ready and away to go. A hot, healthy, quick way to start the day. At less than $5aud I could eat this all day long.

On this occasion, it was noodles with seaweed a few spring onions and I was set until lunch. (I still haven't got the slurping going!)
Before you know it, lunchtime rolls around and the difficult decision needs to be made again of a place to choose. This time it was at the basement of a large office building. Again like everything else in Tokyo service is immpecable. Regardless of whether its a $5 dish or $25 dish, everyone is friendly and more than willing to help. I don't think they possess a bad bone in their bodies. Spicy pork with a side dish of rice, chicken soup, chilled vegies and an egg mixture. With all this eating its a wonder that I'm able to see any of the city...

Tokyo Tastes

2009-10-19T22:31:00.014+11:00

I'm currently resting up in my hotel in Tokyo after after 2 straight days of walking around. So I thought it would be a good time to post some food adventures here. I'm planning on documenting what I've eaten on this trip, but I've got to apologise in advance for not knowing the names of the dishes! Here, pointing and nodding is the best way to get around I've found.

Day 2
Having not eaten for a day or so (Jetstar with their no frills airfares and spending most of the night looking for my hotel), I wandered through the narrow alleyways of Ginza and walked into a small little eatery (Actually on second thoughts every eatery is small). Rice, chicken and a egg, I've found this in Melbourne, but a fine feast for an empty stomach in Tokyo coupled with excellent service (It's immaculate where-ever you go. Friendly, prompt and helpful without being intrusive)

Having had my fill, I'd walked around the main street of Ginza, where I noticed a large line. Curious, I ventured closer and noticed a rotating cake. Yes, Melbourne has the rotating chunks of meat for drunk patrons wanting a souvlaki, and Tokyo has this. The shop was called Nenrinya and with surgical precision, the pastry or effectively cakes are taken from the skewers and cleaned out and cut into small sections. I have no idea how they managed to place the mix on the skewer in the first place and allow it to cook, but it's effectively a big cake. The centre is moist with a number of layers and the exterior crisp and sweet from icing. Who could go passed chocolate? Although pricey at $8 or so dollars, 1 slice (4 high peaks, index finger wide) certainly felt like more than one serve (greedily consumed)

To round out the day I ventured close to the hotel where a bench surrounding the kitchen (think of a bar, but instead of beer, a kitchen and food replaces the beer taps and fridges!) Pointing to the menu once again, a delicious serving of udon noodles was served.
Tasty mushrooms, beef, carrots, parsnips, some sort of potato and square jelly cubes made up the contents and it certainly hit the spot after a full day of walking. At 1150 yen or around $13 its reasonably priced and it is a treat watching your meal take shape right before your eyes. Although I haven't quite gotten the hang of slurping noodles as is the tradition here, I have the idea that they are foodies. I doubt you can walk 10 metres without encountering a small restaurant (or vending machine for that matter). Some more adventures today, but this traveller needs some rest to get some energy to do some walking to justify all the eating!

Hummingbird Bakery Hazelnut and Chocolate Cupcakes

2009-10-10T18:11:00.000+11:00

So I'm supposed to be making the figures for my thesis this weekend but poor Toshi chucked a spazz and crashed Photoshop :( I decided to give the machine a break, and since I ruv Pooey, I decided to do what she wanted and make more Hummingbird products for her to eat. Even though she lives on the other side of the planet. Kekeke.

I decided to make the hazelnut cupcakes because none of the shops in my local shopping centre sold stem ginger in syrup.

So this is what the cake looks like in the book.

I also figured this would be a test run because I have my doubts about their methods. Namely, am I not supposed to cream butter and sugar together as the base for cakes? I decided to follow their directions as closely as possible. What I've put here is the one printed in the book with my changes in purple, just in case anyone wants to try it themselves.

Cupcake - makes 12
100g plain flour
20g cocoa powder
140g caster sugar
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
pinch of salt
40g unsalted butter at room temp (I lazily combined the butter/salt thing by using low-salt butter)
120ml (1/2 cup is close enough) whole milk
1 egg
Nutella
hazelnuts (to decorate)

Pre-heat the oven to 170C/325F
Put the flour, cocoa, sugar, baking powder, and butter together in a freestanding electric mixer with paddle attachment (or use a handheld electric whisk) and beat on slow speed until you get a sandy consistency and everything is combined. (I did this even though the baker in me was revolting at it. I did however start the mixing by hand with a wooden spoon to break up the butter into smaller chunks before using the mixer.)
Slowly pour the milk into the mixture, beating until all the ingredients are well mixed. Add the egg and beat well, scraping any unmixed ingredients from the side with a spatula
Spoon the mixture into the paper cases until 2/3 full and bake for 20 minutes. Cakes are ready when a skewer comes out clean. Cool slightly in tray, before turning out onto a wire rack.

Cooling on the rack

When the cupcakes are cold, hollow out a small section in the centre of each and fill each one with a dollop of nutella. I used about 1/2 tsp of Nutella depending on how large I made the holes. It varied :P

Holey cupcakes
Filled cupcakes

Frosting mixture
250g icing sugar, sifted
80g unsalted butter at room temp (again, I cheated with the low salt)
25ml whole milk
80g (2 tbs) Nutella

Beat the icing sugar and butter together in a freestanding electric mixer with paddle attachment (or use a handheld electric whisk) on medium/slow until everything is well mixed (Again, I started by hand with a wooden spoon to breat the butter and mix it in before using the mixer.)
Turn to mixer to slower speed and slowly pour int he milk. Whenthe milk is completely incorporated, turn to higher speed and beat until frosting is light and fluffy (approx 5 mins).
Stir in the nutella by hand until evenly mixed into the frosting. Spoon on top and finish with hazelnuts to garnish.

The finished products.

Firstly, I don't think this mixture makes 12 cupcakes. Unless I overfilled my first batch of 6 (entirely possible but you can judge for yourself from the ones in the pics), I think it makes closer to 10 because the second batch of 6 weren't that full. Anyway, to try and emulate the pic in the book, I cut one open and shared it with Spuey.
I think Spuey liked it and he said even though it didn't dribble out like the one in the picture, he could sure taste the Nutella in the cupcake. I therefore think this recipe passed, and I may make it again when Pooey gets back or if anyone requests*!

*Donations would aid the fulfilling of any requests :P