Caper Berry Gravy

Merry Christmas!

2006-12-25T10:57:00.000+11:00

Sorry I haven't posted for a while... family wedding, Christmas... and the year is almost over!

Merry Christmas to everyone out there. I hope you have a lovely festive and "feast"-ive season!

Belinda xoxo

Random thoughts 2

2006-12-11T20:01:00.000+11:00

You know that every now and then I just find odd things that I have to post about. What do you think this is?
Maybe it's the weather making me spot quite random things. About a month ago, snow was forecasted in the hills and I had my winter coat out... then this weekend we had temperatures of 37 and 41 celcius! Sadly fires are sweeping across our state and we're praying for rain and for those who have lost their homes to have hope that things will be OK again.

This sudden change in weather isn't helping our farmers. It's quite a sad state of affairs as due to the drought, I'm finding a lot of baby sized fruit. In this photo, the largest fruit is just an ordinary apple; the accompanying nectarines and cherries are absolutely tiny in comparison!
On a happier note for Melbournians: the Karachi tram is back! I was waiting for the tram and being tired after a long day at the office, I seriously thought I was dreaming when all this Bollywood music came towards me and happy smiling tram "conductors" (what do you call them when they no longer have to sell tickets and this tram is free anyway?) beckoned me to board.

Allen's brought out "Happy Feet" penguin lollies. They may claim to put in natural colouring and flavours (cola is a natural flavour?) but I found nothing natural about eating a penguin. Look at that detail... I had to flip the penguin over and close my eyes!

And did you guess what was in the opening photo? These are "Corn Chos", chocolate covered corn snacks! I walked past the Korean supermarket and decided to go exploring in there. They were, um, interesting. I thought they might be like chocolate covered Pringles but they were a bit chewy and the chocolate looked like it was just smeared on as an afterthought. I hope that doesn't say "MSG added" in Korean! :-)

A Menu for Hope

2006-12-11T19:47:00.000+11:00

I hope you'll consider participating in A Menu for Hope. Congratulations to Pim for holding this fantastic campaign and Helen at Grab Your Fork for hosting the Asia Pacific region. Please go to those sites to see what this is all about.

Maybe like me you didn't have time to source a raffle item but we can all take part and make a donation, it's for a wonderful cause and some amazing people have sourced fabulous prizes. Hmm... cookbooks I could add to my collection, dinner at Felix in Hong Kong overlooking the harbour, a market tour in Florence, chocolate tasting kits...

Museums, museums, museums!

2006-12-01T19:20:00.000+11:00

Art lovers who have roamed the Paris museums will have marveled at the array of options available. Although our Centre Pompidou expedition failed, there were so many alternatives it didn't matter - and so many that we wished we had several more weeks in Paris! I really recommend getting a Paris Museum Pass if you will be making multiple visits, free entry to other sites such as the Arch de Triomphe or the Notre Dame towers are also included but the biggest advantage is avoiding queues as most places have a dedicated queue for pass holders. Note though that due to security checks, some places don't have dedicated queues but the signs are pretty clear. Impressionists
Musée d'Orsay is a must for anyone who likes Impressionist/Post-Impressionist paintings however there is an immense wealth of works from 1848 to 1914 representing the period starting with the Second Republic through the Impressionist and Post-Impressionist eras of art, ending before the start of Wold War I. The museum has just turned 20 - Bon anniversaire! Opened after the transformation of the Orsay train station, the building itself is also a lovely space to walk around.We went straight to the top level where the Impressionist/Post-Impressionist works are and this was where we concentrated our time. It was such a treat to see the works of artists such as Renoir and Monet, and witness Degas' devotion to ballet (and ladies bathing!) but what really stood out for me were Seurat's "The Circus" and van Gogh's "The Church in Auvers-sur-Oise, View from the Chevet".

Make sure you head to Café des Hauteurs for the spectacular view from the balcony and this view through the clock. It was a bit smoggy but in the right weather, you can apparently see Montmatre spectacularly.For more Monet, Marmotton is just on the edge of Paris.

Louvre
Well you can't go to Paris without setting aside time for the Louvre. Lots and lots of time if possible, we went on a Wednesday when it stays open later and spent 7 hours walking around. (We still missed 1 floor and 1 wing, and did selected viewings of the rooms we did get to!) Everything from Egyptian antiquities to sculptures to a wonderful collection of French (naturally!) paintings is there.
The "Mona Lisa" is tiny when you do get to it! We were lucky in that there wasn't a crowd 3 deep around probably the most visited work there but most people are there to see that and the others of the big trio, the "Venus de Milo" and "Winged Victory of Samothrace". Again picking my favourites, I was mesmerised by Canova's sculpture of "Cupid and Psyche" and the Etruscan "Sarcophagus of the Spouses". The latter was very moving and although rather morbid, the couple in a loving embrace expresses so much joy and love, you can't not be moved.

There are plenty of café's where you can fuel yourself for more walking and we felt very sophisticated during our champagne break, enjoying the view of the nearby Tuileries Garden and the exterior of the museum. (And if you must, the Da Vinci audio guide is available for hire - the inverted pyramid is in the shopping centre part of the building that you enter from the métro exit.)

Le Royal
There are so many eateries open late it's great. Le Royal is close to the Louvre and has a very typical bistro menu. I had foie gras that was creamy and very yummy, but the sausages I had were like hot dog franks - I'm not recommending them!
Make sure you ask what the tart of the day is, this apricot one was delicious!

Musée d'Orsay
1, rue de la Légion d'Honneur
7e
(Métro: Solférino)
(RER: Musée d'Orsay)
*Closed Mondays, open late Thursdays

Musée Marmottan Monet
2, rue Boilly
16e
(Métro: Muette)

Louvre
7e
(Métro: Palais-Royal-Musée du Louvre station)
*Closed Tuesdays, open late Wednesdays and Fridays

*Current information only: always check opening times!

Le Royal
Near cnr of rue de L'Echelle and ave St Honoré
4e

Parisian food

2006-11-24T20:08:00.000+11:00

So what makes up a Paris food experience? Checked tablecloths, rude waiters, red wine and "pommes frites" with everything? We only had the rude waiter and tablecloth once but when I looked back at my food photos, I realised that I had a nice collection of classic French bistro dishes like boeuf borgignon and escargots. Almost everything came with chips and a basket of bread, good thing we were walking so much! Join me on my tour...
Mussels
We'd taken a 7am flight from London to Paris. (If you ever do that, remember that you have to allow time for check-in and nothing runs that early in London! Good thing we decided to stay at a hotel near Heathrow airport the night before so that we could just hop in a cab and go to the airport.) Having showered and checked out our selection of TV channels, my friend arrived to take us out for the day. We strolled to the Arc de Triomphe and were walking down Champs-Élysées looking at the queue outside Louis Vuitton (it's an "art gallery" on Sundays) and admiring the car showrooms that sold lifestyles, when we felt lunch was due. We decided to be tourists and eat on the avenue.

Here's my moules et frites from the Café George V. They were fiddly to eat but quite tasty and we had a lovely time sitting in the sun catching up and watching the world go by. I was too hungry to think about photographing the others' lunches, a very filling salad and boeuf borgignon. We had a very refreshing white wine which I scribbled down as "Ceserre" so highly recommend that. It is expensive on the avenue but glamour quotient is up! I didn't take down the exact address but if you're walking from the Arc de Triomphe, it's on the left hand side. Oh and don't expect too much of the service, the waiter came back 3 times to ask what we'd ordered!

Plat de jour
This is the cheapest way to eat out. Choosing the set menu ensures a speedy meal and is so much cheaper. After we found out Chez Stella was closed, we walked further down rue Thérèse to the corner with rue St Anne and spotted this cafe "B/S". We must have been in an area with many Japanese expats as I spotted numerous Japanese restaurants from teppenyaki specialists to noodle bars and the friendly French café owner suddenly started speaking very fluent Japanese to a family. The meal was only 8 euro and I had my very French Orangina. (Did anyone who did French at school ever learn to order Orangina as well?) I had really yummy lamb with so-so zucchini and T had a great roast chicken.

Macarons
Having said that I was to go macaron tasting, can you believe I only went to one place? Oh the delicate almond powder/sugar/egg white pastries and the soft creamy filling... hmm. I walked past Gosselin and got some of their violet and chocolate macarons. The violet was incredibly musky and really quite pleasant - although Niki describes the violet flavour as grandmothers and lavender! - and the chocolate was delicious. The macarons there are 4.70 euro for 100g. I was walking past La Grande Epicerie at the department store Bon Marché and it was too bad I didn't have enough time to shop because it is an incredible store of gourmet treats. The macarons there came in the brightest colours and I just wanted to taste the mint and berry flavours! Go there if you want to pack a picnic!

The Classics
Dinner in the Latin Quarter is exciting because it's such a vibrant area, forget that it depends on a tourist trade and just enjoy the great variety of cuisines. This is the university area and as with all student areas, there's something very bohemian about the place. We found this bistro right by the Church of Saint Séverin (we didn't get there in time to go in but I really wanted to check out the palm tree pillars). I didn't write down the name of the bistro but they had a wonderfully Paris menu.

I handled my escargots well and there was no slippage!
The boeuf borgignon was melt in your mouth tasty and T said it was better than the previous one he'd had at George V.
And there's always room for dessert especially these scrumptious profiteroles filled with ice-cream!
As you can see the tablecloth was checked, we did drink red wine and the waiter was fantastically rude by doing things like tease us about how long we took to read the menu and asking if we were going to photograph our meals before I pulled my camera out!

Café George V
avenue des Champs-Elysées
8e

Café B/S
Corner rue Thérèse and rue St Anne
1e

Gosselin
Corner rue de Bellechasse and blvd Saint Germain
7e

La Grande Epicerie
38 rue de Sèvres
7e

Église Saint Séverin

1 rue des prêtres Saint Séverin
5e

Seafood Paella/Risotto

2006-11-19T17:29:00.000+11:00

On Friday night we went to see Carole King on her Living Room Tour... I'm in my 20's and my colleagues said things like "Carole King, isn't she like really old?" or "She's from my generation, i.e. your mum's generation!" And yes she is! I found out that she's 64 but she is still going strong. You see when my Mum was carrying me and when I was a bub, we listened to a lot of Carole King. She still laughs thinking about how I just picked up the music and would sing along. It's funny because so many songs of hers have been covered, eg "Locomotion" isn't Kylie's and do you remember when Martika did "I feel the Earth Move"? Lisa Simpson sang "Jazzman" and everyone's heard favourites like "You've Got a Friend" and "Where You Lead" (the Gilmore Girls theme). I don't care if it was a bit daggy, I loved it and had a great time!

Now, this dish has nothing to do with the concert! I saw a prawn paella recipe of Donna Hay's from one of the Sunday paper magazines and it got my taste buds excited.

Donna Hay's Prawn Paella
6 cups Chicken stock
2 Tbl Olive oil
1 Onion, chopped
2 cloves Garlic, crushed
2 small Red Chillies, sliced
100g Chorizo sausages, sliced
2 cups Aroborio rice
2 cups Chopped tomatoes
2 Tbl Tomato paste
1 cup Dry white wine
18 Banana prawns
1/4 Flat-leaf parsley, chopped
1 lemon, cut into wedges

1) Heat the stock and bring to a simmer
2) Heat a large pan over medium heat and add the oil, onion, garlic, chilli and chorizo. Cook until onions are soft and chorizo is "golden".

3) Stir in the rice, tomatoes, tomato paste and wine and cook for several minutes.
4) Gradually add in the hot stock, stirring continuously, until all of the liquid has been absorbed and the rice is al dente.
5) Add the prawns and cook for a few more minutes until they are cooked.
6) Serve with a sprinkle of parsley and a lemon wedge.
Serves 6

Notes:
1) I decided to use some squid so only used a dozen prawns and added a squid tube. Make life easier for cook and tasters, and buy shelled and pre-cleaned!
2) I forgot about the chilli but I had some green pepper/capsicum handy so added that in for a bit of colour and added a sprinkle of dried chilli for a bit of kick.
3) It's kind of hard figuring out how many cups of chopped tomatoes are in a can at the supermarket! I just used a 400g can, it seemed about right. (And if you don't make your own stock, a 1 litre packet = 4 cups)
4) There wasn't any lemon at the greengrocers and I haven't visited anyone with a lemon tree lately, but I used lime and it tasted great!
5) I have "risotto" in the title because to bring my stock up to 6 cups, I added water... and then forgot I'd done that and added another 2 cups in. So by the time I wondered why the rice gluggier than paella and I realised what I'd done, well... but it was still really delicious!
6) I know it says serves 6 but by the time 2 people have dinner and seconds, you've only got enough for 2 generous lunches!!

Les Îles de Paris

2006-11-11T16:23:00.000+11:00

Spending time on the islands of Paris was such a pleasure. Like everyone else, visiting Notre Dame Cathedral on Île de la Cité was high on my list of things to do but on my list of recommendations is also Sainte Chapelle for the stunning stained-glass windows that bathe you in a multitude of colours. (French monuments site.)

Sainte Chapelle

Walking over to Île St-Louis, you suddenly reach residential calm - the exclusive 17th century townhouse kind of residential calm! Walking down the main street of rue Saint-Louis-en-l'Île, you will find quaint boutiques, epiceries (look at that window!) and the Île St-Louis institution of ice-cream, Berthillon. As with our other Paris food adventure stories, Berthillon is closed on a Monday and Tuesday and we were there on a Tuesday! Do not fret, plenty of other shops sell Berthillon glace!

Whilst deciding which ice-cream shop to go to, we realised it was past lunch time and saw that this restaurant served meals and ice-cream. Perfect! What a lucky find, the waiter at Les Gourmands de L'Île was friendly and the service efficient. So he must have been catering for tourists? No, locals ate there complete with dogs sitting patiently in their carrier bags and they had a 3 course lunch menu for under 20 euros. (I did write it down but can't find my notebook, I think that is a blurred 13 on the board?) The interior is very Parisian chic with candles, gilded mirrors and plush red banquettes and chairs.

Having been disappointed with the Parisian "French onion soups" up to this stage, Les Gourmands delivered this excellent soupe à l'oignon. Thanks to these tourists for a good giggle: having loudly read through the menu in French commenting on what traditional dishes her friends should try, one lady asked the lovely waiter "Your onion soup, it's French right?". I applaud his composure as her friend chastised her for being "an idiot and a total embarassment"! :-D

You'll see the glass of cider in the background. That was *the* best cider I've had, I don't know what brand or type it was but it so beat the cider I last tried at the Slow Food Festival!!

A selection of pastas was on offer for mains and I had a yummy lasagne, but most importantly was the ice-cream that finished the meal! The intense colours and flavours are apparently what is typical of Berthillon, and this cassis (blackcurrant) sorbet and praliné glace left me wanting more, more, more! The sorbet was an intense hit of natural flavours and the ice-cream was so creamy.

I heard the waiter telling someone that they'd only opened in August. Good luck to them!

Berthillon
29 rue Saint-Louis-en-l'Île
4e

Les Gourmands d'Île
54 rue Saint-Louis-en-l'Île
4e

Climate Change

2006-11-04T23:21:00.000+11:00

Not really related to my holiday or food but November 4th is the International Day of Action Against Climate Change. Unfortunately I couldn't make the Walk Against Warming but it looks like plenty of people did in Melbourne. If you missed the walk, you can sign the online petition.
You don't have to be a "greenie" to realise what risks we face. I recently watched An Inconvenient Truth and thought it was such a powerful way to drive home the message; I was also damn scared by it! Hopefully most of you would have watched it but if you haven't, I really urge you to.

The photo above was taking on Mt Titlis at the start of October on my trip. We were 3,000 metres above sea level and at this height there is year-round glacier skiing. It was magnificent up there and it was such a thrill to be so high up, but when I saw the photos of how far the glacier once spread it was terrifying to think how much temperature change must have taken place.

Maybe stopping the glaciers melting by wrapping them in foil will work, maybe it won't, there's got to be at least one thing we can each do to reduce our impact!

Added 7th Nov
We're smart people and most of us know about things like recycling and energy efficiency but I thought I'd post up some links (Australian) for further things for which there aren't common signs to remind us about. Consider:
- switching to green power
- offsetting emissions, e.g. by contributing towards renewable energy projects

J'aime Paris!

2006-10-30T19:33:00.000+11:00

Hello! So, it is back to reality. I'm back at work, just got over the jet lag and wishing I was looking at the Eiffel Tower again. Or just being anywhere on holiday again! Obviously I didn't have a chance to blog about what I was doing so there's lots to tell. Can you imagine, no stops for the internet? But seriously, there was so much to do!

Where do I start? Maybe I'll work back from the end. Paris was our final stop and I had scribbled down a list of recommendations sourced from Gourmet Traveller's Paris edition imagining long lunches between galleries and shopping. There were relatively long lunches but nowhere I'd planned. It takes a lot of planning to work out what your next day's activities will be and which arrondissement you'll be in when, I was like a schoolgirl studying every night. Unfortunately you can't plan opening hours!

I did consider selecting some of the famed restaurants and making a booking way in advance but I thought it'd be more exciting to just find cafés and maybe discover a new treasure or two. (A lot cheaper too!) There were two cafés I'd really wanted to try. Café Constant is an off-shoot of Christian Constant's Le Violon d'Ingres; we went there on a Sunday night and it was shut. OK, Le Violon d'Ingres is also closed on a Sunday so maybe they shut on a Sunday. The next day we found ourselves on rue Saint-Dominique again, hey let's see if they are open for lunch... but no, it remained shut, "chairs turned upside down, lights out" shut. I figured I gave them 2 chances but funnily enough, we didn't feel like seafood in the restaurant nearby and I now realise I turned down the other restaurant in their portfolio, Les Fables de la Fontaine. Oops!

The other café was Chez Stella because Gourmet had such a lovely description of an old favourite. (It's actually in the above website link.) We were going to head that way anyway so when Café Constant didn't come through, we headed towards Chez Stella. I knew that after 2 misses, we would have to be treated to a fantastic meal so I excitedly dragged T out of the metro, threading my way through the streets. When we got to Chez Stella there was a sign on the door, "Closed due to health reasons". Arrrghhh! We did wonder if it was the chef or the patrons' health in question. :-)

After that, I was determined to just stick to my plan of not planning and it worked a treat! Funnily enough that afternoon we were going to the Centre Pompidou. Check out what was on their door:

Don't worry, after that everything went smoothly again and we had a fantastic time. I love Paris!

Café Constant 139 rue Saint-Dominique
7e
01 4753 7334 (To check when they open!)

Chez Stella
3 rue Thérèse
1e
01 4296 2215.

Bon voyage to me!

2006-09-19T20:02:00.000+10:00

So, off to Europe we do go.

I'll try and find internet cafes to blog from but promise that I'll try lots of exciting things and tell you about them. So for now, take care and keep cooking/eating!

Five Things to Eat Before You Die (Pre-Europe trip!)

2006-09-19T19:15:00.000+10:00

OK so Mellie tagged me for this fantastic topic that Traveler's Lunchbox started. Can I cheat and call this my five things pre-2006 trip to Europe? I may discover more things as I'm visiting new places! :-)

So right *now*:

1. Peking duck from Quanjude, Beijing, China
The best duck I'd had until going to Quanjude in Beijing was from Flower Drum (before it changed hands and still had the Restaurant of the Year tag) so this *real* Peking duck must have been something special. Oh yes, it was!

So moist, so unexpectedly not fatty (a friend who went on exchange said the locals like their duck really fatty!) and the pancake just right - texture wise and not dry!

2. Fresh bread, pâté and good cheese
Like this! I try to be healthy and not eat white bread but give me a crusty baguette or roll with a soft, fluffy centre. Yum! Add creamy pâté and cheese, I can polish off the lot!

3. Balti from Birmingham, England
When I was in Birmingham about 7 or 8 years ago I had some magnificent balti. The meal was delicious, I was in the company of old and new friends... the meal was so good that we pretended not to see the rat that ran along the skirting boards at the end of the meal. An authentic touch!

4. Fresh sashimi and sushi in a Tokyo sushi bar
I had some Japanese colleagues take us to a sushi bar in Tokyo - after being utterly surprised that Australia has lots of Japanese restaurants and we really did want to eat raw food! It was amazing, the chef had fresh, long bellies of fish that he'd slice from as we decided what we wanted. There were things you wouldn't expect, just had to hold your nose and swallow if you found something you didn't like but it's the experience you go for!

5. Family meals
My grandfather was a chef and loves to cook for the family. He is slowing down and moving with less ease but put him in the kitchen and every sense comes alive. It's as if he's programmed to chop and season, boil and fry. He loves to gather the family around and spend the whole afternoon preparing a meal with the grandchildren's favourites. I love his salads at a barbecue, every bowl comes with a vegetable decoration because he can't help himself!

I'm lucky that my Mum gave me a love of cooking. My chef grandfather is actually my Dad's Dad so maybe I was lucky and got a double hit of "food appreciation" genes. Similar to grandpa, Mum will put in a ton of effort to make friends and family feel welcome and well fed. She doesn't measure, she just knows and it always comes out right. These meals made with love, you can't beat them!

Ramune

2006-09-18T22:03:00.000+10:00

I had Ramune once and recently saw it in a shop. The bottle is really fun with a marble that's sort of suspended until you open the bottle. I wondered what the history was and found the Wikipedia link... so that's how marble games started! And no, I don't think I've really mastered drinking from this bottle!

Silverbeet

2006-09-16T08:29:00.000+10:00

I can't believe we're almost in Europe... not much time for cooking between work and getting ready to go! This was from a couple of weeks ago; I saw some beautiful looking silverbeet/swiss chard and bought it without really thinking about what I wanted to do with it! Known as silverbeet here, my cook books from the US had swiss chard so I thought I'd see what the history was behind this.Had to have laugh at "mangold" as an alternative name! There's plenty to read but I still don't know why there are so many names - it's not even a Swiss vegetable! :-D
The leaves are described as close to spinach and the stems, asparagus. I went to my orange food bible (Cook's Companion) and found a simple gratin recipe. Now what else to make? Well I was at the gym and one of the channels had a Delia Smith segment on so I tuned in. She had a Italian and Spanish inspired day and pork saltimbocca was on offer.

Her recipe can actually be found online. I know, Delia is so my mother's generation but her recipes obviously work! So simple - I didn't write down the recipe and didn't think of searching the web but this wasn't hard to remember. Flatten the pork, season, lay a slice of parma ham/prosciutto on top, add a sage leaf, secure and fry on each side, sage side first. You'll see that marsala is used to deglaze, unfortunately I didn't have any on hand but that would certainly add another layer to this simple but effective dish. Looks how beautiful the red and green looks!

Stephanie's Gratin of Silverbeet Stems
1 Bunch silver beet
1 Cup cream
100g Soft blue cheese
Freshly grated nutmeg
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 tsp Softened butter
1/2 cup Fresh white breadcrumbs

1) Preheat oven to 180C
2) Cut silverbeet leaves away from stems and cut stems into 1cm wide lengths. Specifies 8cm lengths but I just freeformed.
3) Blanch stems in salted, boiling water and drain, running under cold water. Drain on some paper towel.
4) Bring cream to a boil and add in the cheese to melt over al ower heat.
5) When melted, season with the nutmeg, salt and pepper. Add in the stems and mix well.
6) Grease your gratin dish with the butter and spoon in the stem mixture. *Scatter breadcrumbs over top and bake until bubbling and golden. (Approx 25mins for a large dish.)

Notes
1) Before the breadcrumbs*, Stephanie suggests adding leaves to the mix. To prepare, roll and slice 1-2 leaves per person and blanch for 2 minutes before draining and stewing in a little butter. Forget 1-2 leaves per person I used the lot because I didn't have another dish in mind!
2) Milawa blue was a suggested cheese... damn, finished ours! In fact I didn't use blue cheese, just some cheddar we had but it was still good.
3) Depending on how you like to cook, you don't have to be too strict with exact cream and cheese measurements, the consistency is quite easy to judge.

Farmers Market and Slow Food Festival

2006-09-10T08:25:00.000+10:00

Well the Slow Food Festival was on yesterday and I'm sure there's plenty of blogging being done about it! This was being held at the Abbotsford Convent next to the Collingwood Children's Farm and entry to the Farmers Market was included. As we haven't had a chance to go to the market, Niki and I thought it was a must do. As you can see, it's all very relaxed with resting spots and a great variety of produce.Before we could start we had to fuel up. Being a busy day Farm Cafe was kept busy and although we didn't want to wait 20 minutes for coffees, we were going to wait for their breakfast bagel. The tomatoes were sweet and the combination of the bitter rocket and their relish was lovely. The staff were friendly and apologetic about delays... and about the moth in my bagel! I'd cut the bagel in half and nestled in some rocket were these tiny legs poking out - I got a juice to make up for it but I'm still not really buying that the moth must have flown in on the way from the kitchen to the table.
There were organic veggie stores, berries, jams, honey, beef, salmon and trout and other wonderful finds. Red Hill Cheese was there and their names caught my eye... I've never described cheese as "misty" and "buttery" but it sounded enticing! :-) I bought some Merricks Mist which was absolutely delicious and Niki bought some goat cheese. In the background of the photo are duck eggs from the next store and yes, to our delight they are tinged blue!
This store sold buffalo. I thought it was just cheese until I saw the sausages sizzling and the sign said "buffalo sausage". I was tempted to ask if they have buffalo wings, haha. I've never tasted buffalo and if we hadn't had breakfast I might have tried a sausage.
I also bought some delicious berry sauce called "lolly topping", I've got to figure out what to try it with (chocolate, ice-cream, biscuits, chocolate cake....) but I'll let you know how it goes. The same stand had yummy lemon butter and jams so I'll be back.

Slow Food Festival
So what is slow food? The opposite of fast food, ecoregions to preserve cultural cuisine, morally acceptable food - in a nutshell. Of course, a snail is the logo here. Very cute until it comes "ploughing" towards you unexpectedly!
These wandering musicians are great, I heard someone say that they're from Spicks and Specks.
Here's a compost recipe if you need one: raw = straw!. Straw, food scraps, cow manure, compost, garden scraps, wet sack.
And then there is food celebrity spotting! Here is Stephanie Alexander of the previously mentioned "orange food bible". She was there to let people know about her School Kitchen Garden Project. We were also on the lookout for Fergus Henderson of Nose to Tail Eating and Niki thought she'd spotted him. Did anyone attend his events?
And there was more eating! We shared a scrumptious Tasmanian tasting platter with:

"get shucked" pacfic ocean oyster with Thorpe farm wasabi mignonette
scallop ceviche with a saffron rouille
stripey trumpter soused with cider on seaweed
Bruny Island Cheese Co.'s O.D.O.
John Bignall's sheep's milk blue on rye with Julian Wolfhagen leatherwood honey

A good oyster is a good oyster! The trumpeter fillet and scallop were both in the ceviche style; the fish was lovely and we could really taste the cider but there's just something about the texture of uncooked scallop. Technically not "raw" but it just felt weird. Now the cheese was yummy. (Hmm, there has been a lot of cheese eating!) I tried to look up Bruny Island Cheese to see what this "ODO" is, their site is still being developed but ODO is One Day Old! The texture was amazingly smooth like creme brulee but quite solid almost like Philly cheese. We did need something to eat it with and I thought of dark rye as the cheese is quite salty. The sheep's milk blue was amazing against the leatherwood honey. The leatherwood tree is found mainly in Tasmania so you have to expect some honey as part of a Tassie platter! Niki has described leatherwood before so imagine 2 very strong tastes working for and against each other. I think some of this Julian Wolfhagen honey would be superb in honey snaps!
And of course there is always chocolate! Colliers Chocolate was at the festival with Swiss couveture products. In the back are the Cowboy chocolates for our friend who loves Cowboys - the drink... and the men too! - the pink striped chocolates are pickled ginger and wasabi! You could really taste the pickled ginger but I didn't get a hit of wasabi at all. The "chocolate man" did say that they were very cautious and only put in a tiny dab. Looking at the ingredients, they use horseradish powder so it may have been a milder horseradish. Niki did think that there was a bit of heat so it may just have been my palate, although we both are definitely fans. They're based in Sutton Grange which is near Bendigo so next time I'm in that region, I've got to go to this shop!
If you're reading this in Melbourne on Sunday morning, quickly get yourself out to Abbotsford Convent before the festival is over!

Tagged with:
Slow Food
Farmers Market
Melbourne Food

Prost!

2006-09-07T21:22:00.000+10:00

Parties are fun and when P & T invited us to their German party, we knew it would be a fantastic night. Check out the drinks menu - sorry it's a bit blurred, and drinking hadn't started! How awesome are these hosts?
Of course there were bretzels! I meant to find out where the bretzels came from... will let you know.
Unfortunately because of work I couldn't drink much so this made my night. Thank you, T for slaving over the grill making wurst after wurst for us. Complete with sauerkraut and mustard... yum, yum!

This is a viking wurst...

It's a frat party!

Thank you, P & T!

Gapsted and Milawa

2006-09-03T15:00:00.000+10:00

Of course no visit to the region is complete without visiting wineries and the Milawa Cheese Factory! As we'd had a lazy morning and lunch in Beechworth, we didn't have all that much time for tastings before starting the 3 hour drive home. Armed with the regional map - very handy, get one from the vistor information centre - we selected a few places and headed off.

Gapsted Wines
Driving from Beechworth to Gapsted, we reached Gapsted Wines. Unfortunately we were full from lunch; Gapsted offered a very tempting package of platters matched to wines for tasting. We loved their tasting notes and food recommendations for each wine. Not "meat dishes" or "seafood" but "seared venison fillets with roasted capsicum, on grilled polenta with a spicy cherry relish" or "spring asparagus with shaved parmesan and a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil and a squeeze of lemon". All the more reason we should have tried their platters?

The wines are excellent and as tempting as it was to stock up, we only walked away with a few bottles of their 2005 Tobacco Road Sauvignon Blanc Semillon. Very reasonably priced at under $15, the passionfruit aromas are wonderfully intense and we could imagine lazy summer evenings with a chilled glass or two of this very crisp white. One of the wine makers is Michael Cope-Williams and remembering the surname, a quick search indicates that he is connected to Cope-Willams in Romsey. Must bookmark for a visit when we're next heading torwards Mount Macedon.

Milawa Cheese Company
About 20 minutes' drive away is Milawa and the Milawa Cheese Company. Turn onto Snow Road and continue until you see the signs indicating Milawa Cheese and Brown Brothers. I love this story from their website:
"Both schoolteachers by trade, David and Anne Brown established Milawa Cheese Company with Richard Thomas in 1988. Richard sold his share of the company to them in 1990. The Milawa site was chosen because it had good water, was between Sydney and Melbourne and close to Brown Brothers Winery. David and Anne cemented their cheese and good food obsession whilst backpacking around Europe in the eighties. Known to give up a hotel room for "a good feed", David and Anne spent many a night in their tent pitched in a field or churchyard in France and England, warmed by the regional food and wine in their bellies."

With an "obsession" like that, the cheese has to be good... and it is! This wonderfully patient and smiling staff member was at the tasting counter serving crowd after crowd of visitors. (There is a tasting counter with a big sign saying "Tastings", don't be like the lady that shoved her way through the sales queue demanding to try from the wedges for sale only to be told that yes, she really had to line up at the other counter.)
We sat outside and had a little picnic with a selection including the Gold (stinky and makes your mouth quiver in such a good way), the Aged Blue (yes we like our cheese strong) and a 2 year old cheddar, and fresh apples without the wax you get on those supermarket apples. We also one of the goat's milk cheese range, I think it was the goat camembert that Niki bought. The only thing that I would have loved more was a table in the sun as it was a beautiful day, but in the afternoon the eating area is in full shade so there wasn't much we could do. Still, we weren't complaining!
We also took home some goat cheese curd and marinated goat's cheese. The former can be spread on anything and I even experimented and put some into some zucchini fritters I made, and the latter was delicious in a pasta with spinach, capsicum and peas. In Melbourne, Milawa Cheese has opened up their Australian Cheese Shop which is fantastic for avoiding the 2.5 hours to drive for this cheese!

Brown Brothers
Brown Brothers is not far and you'll be glad you came here. I'm always amazed at the huge range of wines they produce and there are plenty of cellar door only purchases to be made. I'll highlight the fruity and fizzy Moscato as there's always someone in the family who likes very sweet wines with meals, and the choice may be this lighter dessert wines. It's probably very wrong and I'm sure someone will turn their nose at the concept of having something so sweet with mains, but I joined in and it sure beats a soft drink at a barbecue! :-)

The Orange Muscat and Flora has to be tried. Smooth honey flavours, orange aromas... hmm, where's our bottle gone to? Damn, we polished it off quickly!

Safe Driving
The cellar doors at most wineries seem to close at 5pm which is a good time to start the journey back to Melbourne.I've singled out the white wines here but the reds are definitely just as drinkable. If we had more time, we would have gone further to Rutherglen (amazing Durifs and fortifieds!) where I spent a weekend about 4 years ago. If you plan to tour this region, make sure you give yourself plenty of time to cover everything, it's well worth it! I was fortunate that we had a designated driver but always remember to take it easy and drink sensibly.

Gapsted Wines
Great Alpine Road,
Gapsted,
Victoria

Milawa Cheese Company
Factory Road,
Milawa,
Victoria 3678

The Australian Cheese Shop
655 Nicholson St,
North Carlton

Brown Brothers
Bobinawarrah Road,
Milawa

Wangaratta and Beechworth

2006-08-27T15:47:00.000+10:00

Wangaratta
By the time we arrived in Wangaratta, there wasn't much time to look around the town but I'd love to return when the Jazz Festival is on.

Pizza and Pasta
We had dinner here, nice touch with the stamp they put on the paper "table cloths". I had a delicious trout fettucine and there were also wood-fired pizzas on offer. Although it looked like they literally slapped on the topping as a slab. (I think it was just the way it came out after baking!)

The service was great, no orders were mixed up or lost for our big group. I'd go again!Café Martini
Bull’s Head Hotel,
87 Murphy St,
Wangaratta

Beechworth
Is about 30 minutes' drive East of Wangaratta. In the main street are shops full of pretty homeware and we even found an African shop with sculptures and jewellery.There's plenty of Ned Kelly history around and explains the souvenirs you'll see!

Budget Accommodation
The Old Priory is set up for school camps so most rooms had bunk beds. Even if you had a double bed, there was a bunk bed in the corner! It's very basic accommodation and it was a bit eery walking down long corridors, discovering a sudden cluster of rooms tucked away behind a door or finding a massive room with 20 bunk beds however there was a lovely sitting room with a fireplace and the interior consists of warm, wooden panels and expansive ceilings.

You get a simple breakfast of cereal, juice and toast. Good value when a double only cost $80!
Beechworth Bakery
Or you can have your breakfast here! The infamous Beechworth Bakery that has spawned sister bakeries in other country towns and brought the owner Tom O'Toole fame as an author and motivational speaker. I actually went to a lunch that Tom spoke at and that man has energy; he also has a real understanding of customer satisfaction and just works on good old common sense. As he said, baking isn't anything new it's how you serve your customers that makes the difference.

Having said that, a controversial topic is how Beechworth Bakery doesn't have a numbering system for their queue so when the shop is packed - as it apparently often is - you hope the counter staff remember who got there first! (There's even a framed explanation of why they don't have a numbering system due to the number of complaints/requests!)

As we had to do tastings for you we had lunch and dessert! I had a pie - as one should in a country bakery - and Niki didn't chastise me for having tomato sauce! :-) The pastry was lovely and flaky, the filling tasted like real meat... no complaints.

The desserts in the photo (from the left): a bee sting, a Bundy ball and a blueberry snickerdoodle. (I think it was a snickerdoodle... but isn't that a "cookie". A funny name anyway!). The bee sting custard was cold so that'd been in the fridge; I'm not a fan of custard cream, strange but I'd rather have had a bowl of runny Bird's custard! Still the pastry was OK. The Bundy ball had actual rum in it, the first time I could see why it's a "rum ball"! (Reminded me of a friend at uni who only drank Bundy and coke.) And finally, the snickerdoodle was a nice way to polish off the meal. There was a layer of sweeter custard underneath the glazed berries and the pastry was a good solid shell that didn't crumble under one bite.
This isn't meant badly but Beechworth Bakery isn't producing specialty products to tempt and stand out. If you want good, standard products this is a place to go.

The Beechworth Bakery
27 Camp Street
Beechworth
Victoria 3747

High Country

2006-08-25T20:03:00.000+10:00

We recently sang in Wangaratta which is just under 3 hours' drive from Melbourne so we made a weekend of it. Driving up the Hume Highway is straight forward but a boring trip, especially for the driver - fortunately I wasn't driving!

On the way, we decided to just pick a town for lunch and settled on Seymour because it's relatively big... there must be a lot of choice! We didn't even make it to the town as we spotted this vineyard just off the highway.

Yes, we all did wonder if Seymour is famous for its wines but this is the start of the winery trail to Goulburn Valley! The above picture is of the Somerset Crossing Vineyard.

I don't know why but the crisp country air makes me want to eat bread and steak... so it was their "steak stack" for lunch. This was accompanied by a glass of rosé (I've previously posted my thoughts on rosé) that I selected only because of the name, "Lacrime rosé". Perhaps a play on lacrimosa but does that mean too much of it will make you cry?

To be honest the wine was a little too much like Ribena, but the steak stack was perfect. The steak is sliced in half so that you don't end up chewing chunks of meat and the bread (very generous as you can see) was buttery with garlic and herb. Served with good bacon and caramelised onion, you're set for the rest of the journey!

T had a steak with nice thick chips and I know Niki had something a bit healthier that the waitress did have to confirm twice. (Niki, was it a filo pastry with chicken and cheese?)

We didn't have time for wine tasting but all in all, a nice surprise off the Hume highway and a good stop for a meal in a lovely setting.

Somerset Crossing Place
1 Emily Street,
Seymour,
VIC 3660

Battle of the Chocolate Truffle

2006-08-23T20:00:00.000+10:00

Cin posted about the Chocolate Fire Cafe and one must always try new chocolate places! :) I was in a rush so couldn't sit down to test the claim of "best hot chocolate" but I decided to put Chocolate Fire up against Koko Black as they were so close to each other! (Although I did buy other varieties, I settled for the truffles in my taste test.)

First impressions
As Cin noted, the service isn't great and when I was there, there were only two of us. Nevemind, it gave me more time to feast my eyes on the huge array of chocolate dipped fruit, the New York style choc dipped Pringles... pretty much whatever you can dip? It's certainly not as glamorous as Koko Black but it's fun and bright!

Packaging (Just because...)
Chocolate can come in a plain bag as far as I'm concerned but if you're going to surprise someone with a treat the Koko bag does look good.

Truffle Time
This is the Koko Black one rolled in cocoa. If you like more bitter chocolate, this is it. A lovely texture that melts away, finished too quickly!

Chocolate Fire Cafe has more variety, there are truffles rolled in Dutch cocoa, dark chocolate, white chocolate but I went for the milk chocolate. (Well, I wasn't being strict in direct comparison so thought a little variety would be OK.) T's vote is for this one because it's sweeter and oh boy, it is so much sweeter.
As you can see from this photo, this truffle is much gooier and probably not what I would normally associate with truffle texture. But it was good and if you want something to sink your teeth into, this is it.
Value
The truffles were about the same in price ($1.40 each I think) but you can see which one is value for money!
I don't think I'll choose one over the other simply because I think it's great that so many people are making a deal of chocolate. I would guess that both shops are marketing towards different groups, Koko is upmarket and decadent (they are a "salon") whilst Chocolate Fire is fun (a "cafe") and moves away from traditional treats. (No, I can't see Koko dipping pringles quite yet!)

So if you're in Melbourne go enjoy some chocolate!

Both shops are in Royal Arcade, the Koko Black is more towards Bourke St Mall and if you keeping walking into the arcade, Chocolate Fire is down some stairs to the right.
Royal Arcade
335 Bourke St
Melbourne

Ay Oriental Tea House

2006-08-09T19:31:00.000+10:00

I love the mango pudding that you get at yum cha - I think you can get instant mango pudding but I'm yet to try. Ay Oriental Tea House is what I would brand "posh yum cha" - not quite the loud food on a trolley experience in Chinatown or in Box Hill, and not so cheap that you roll out of the restaurant having only spent $15 a head.

Having opened a series of Ay tea shops and the Prahran restaurant David's, the owner opened Ay Oriental Tea House combining tea shop and restaurant in this "Shanghainese tea house". The tea list - for both purchase and consumption - is of course long and varied with recommendations for steamed and fried foods. The decor is "ye Shanghai" - think East meets West, art deco, red pillars, Shanghai in its hey day - and if you need dim sum at night, this is the place to go.

This photo was just at the start and how much food you get is dependent on how good the service is. Unfortunately this can vary depending on the number of diners and the number of staff on. You might be happy to order a la carte and I believe this was the original intention, but trays of food are brought out and I like seeing what the kitchen decides to send out - although inevitably, the one thing that you really wanted will be brought out at the end when you can't eat any more!

You'll get the usual choices but the food is good and there is a much smaller chance of getting a soggy dumpling or octopus swimming in oil (as you may in a restaurant churning out food for the masses). The Shanghainese fare like the dumplings were magnificent. Note that you do purchase tea by the cup (a big earthen mug); given "yum cha" means to drink tea you'd expect to get a refill, one mug just didn't do the trick.

Ay Oriental Tea House
455 Chapel Street,
South Yarra

Europen Adventure

2006-08-05T08:32:00.000+10:00

I'll be in Europe very soon - Niki and I are singing there! Yay!! Most of all, I am looking forward to getting away from work.

I've been taking note of foodie recommendations so if you have suggestions (Italy, Switzerland, England, France.) please leave me comments or email me. Even if I'm not visiting the suggested destinations, someone else might.

Just as a start...

Rome
Blork blog
Passionate Cook

London
Passionate Cook
Sarah Cooks

Cambdrige
Sarah Cooks

Paris
Macaroon tasting bien sur!
Cha Xiu Bao
Passionate Cook

Quick dinner: Chicken with Tomato and Bocconcini

2006-08-02T20:14:00.000+10:00

Inspired by a Karen Martini recipe for chicken with tomato and bocconicini, I threw this together for dinner. The only work was chopping up the ingredients and it was super quick to cook. If you're really out of time, just use the straight recipe!

Here is the original recipe:

Karen Martini's Pan-fried chicken with tomato and bocconcini
4 Chicken breast fillets, trimmed
1 Tbl Olive oil
1 Brown onion, sliced
1 clove Garlic, crushed
1 large Red chilli, seeded and thinly sliced
400g can Chopped tomatoes
1/4 cup Chicken stock
4 Bocconcini, halved
1 cup Basil leaves

1) Heat a large, non-stick frying pan over high heat.
2) Brush the chicken with the oil and sprinkle with sat and pepper. Cook for 2-3 mins.
3) Add the onion, garlic, chilli, tomatoes and stock, reduce the heat and simmer for 2 mins.
4) Add the bocconcini and cook, covered for 1 minute.
5) Place the chicken on serving plates, spoon over the sauce and top with the basil.
Serves 4

My variation:
1) I used 3 chicken breasts (they came in threes!) so cut up the chicken and compensated with extra veggies. Next time, I'd use thigh meat as the breast meat was a little tough.
2) I added in a sliced eggplant* and instead of chilli, used chopped up red capsicum*. I suppose you can always add some chilli flakes for a kick but I didn't feel like anything spicy. I thought the capsicum added a little more sweetness to the tomato sauce.
3) I also used smaller bocconcini which was interesting as it melted slightly and it was almost like eating liquid pizza. That sounds really off but tasted really delicious!
4) I forgot to buy the basil but I don't think I would have added it anyway. It was tasty enough and I tend to associate basil with just tomato and bocconcini on their own.

*aubergine, bell pepper

Foodbank

2006-07-30T22:26:00.000+10:00

Well, I've only just stopped working for today. No, seriously.

From an earlier post I was wondering whether we had something like Food Runners in Australia. Foodbank exists in Australia, there are links to relevant states.

Time to go to Bedforshire...

Dinner Plan: Dinner by JD

2006-07-30T14:22:00.000+10:00

Well there's a lot of reading and blogging today. I have to work - from home - and as I'm waiting for updates from various people, I'm filling time in because I'm stuck at home!

It appears that once people realise that you keep a food blog, the expectation is that you will place high standards on all meals... even those prepared by friends! JD invited us over to his house and apparently there was panic about making everything perfect - although I think he's already a great cook anyway!

So I present to you "Dinner by JD" and suggestions of where similar recipes can be found.

Spiced pumpkin and coconut soup:
How's that for presentation? This recipe is a good start.

Steak and Horseradish Sauce, served with Potato Rosti:

I love horseradish. I haven't used this recipe but found it in Cook's Companion - ingredients are in an alphabetical listing, fortunately when I looked up "H" I didn't find horse. :) This is a wonderful recipe and reference book; I have given copies out as birthday and wedding presents. For my birthday, the lovely T bought me "Cooking & Travelling in South-West France" which is also by Stephanie Alexander. (And when I'm not so busy, I'll cook something from it!)

As it contains dill, I'd say that ideally this goes with fish. Maybe I'll experiment with other herbs for other meats and let you know.

Simple Horseradish Sauce
1 Tbl Creamed horseradish sauce*
2 Tbl Dill seeds
2 Tbl Finely chopped fresh dill leaves
120ml Sour cream

Stir all ingredients together and refrigerate until required. Makes 1/2 cup.

*If you have fresh horseradish, grate it and mix it with whipped cream and a little white-wine vinegar.

Nigella's Chocolate Cloud Cake:
Recipe can be found at Niki's. I loved this variation, the cake was served with a dark chocolate sauce and orange pieces soaked in cointreau.

Help Food for Runners!

2006-07-30T10:55:00.000+10:00

Sam is blogging for Food Runners... if you want to help what sounds like a wonderful cause, pledge a donation!

It's hard enough trying to keep a blog regularly updated, try throughout a 24 hour period!

Good luck, Sam!

Jackie's Kitchen

2006-07-27T23:06:00.000+10:00

When Mellie talked about Jackie's Kitchen, I should have remembered the name.

I've now been there twice for dinner and had completely mixed experiences. The first time the service was really good and the food was ok. (You're not there for gourmet dining.) The last time... well when you're going to make a table of people shuffle around to create a gap for serving through, use it! We almost had food poured down us as the waiter shoved between two of us - in the "non-serving gap". This was weird: I thought I left my scarf at the restaurant and rang up, I was asked if I was sure I didn't leave a hat; oh that's why my scarf never wrapped around my neck?!

It's supposed to be really good for yum cha so maybe I'll test that out one day. There's a wall of Jackie Chan merchandise, I wonder how many T-shirts and jackets are sold as I know I'm not about to pay $300 for a puffy jacket! The thing is Jackie Chan apparently doesn't even have much to do with the restaurant, I think he grants naming rights and gets appearance fees in return.

I always look for the positive, there was plenty of parking at Shoppingtown!

Bluefire

2006-07-23T02:30:00.000+10:00

We'd noticed lots of restaurants opening in Melbourne Central and thought we'd go for dinner and a movie. Conveniently located next to the Hoyts cinema was Bluefire (part of the Rivers group that also runs the restaurant cruise on the Yarra amongst many other things it seems) and seeing a good sized crowd, we thought we'd venture in. The restaurant is massive because it is split into 2 sections, the Churrascaria and the more casual pizza and tapas area.

The tapas menu was inviting so we decided to try the casual dining. Unfortunately most of the seafood items (those that did sound delicious) were no longer available but as per the photo, we tried the Moroccan meatballs, the crumb fried haloumi wrapped with prosciutto and the marinated octopus (no longer paired with mussel). The capsicum sauce for the meatballs was definitely required as the meat was a little dry and the haloumi was disappointingly chewy (it squeaked against my molars!) and far too salty to be paired with the prosciutto. But the marinated octopus was tangy and tender and that saved the platter.

Considering one origin of tapas is that a slice of bread would be put on top of drinks (tapa = lid in Spanish) to stop the flies from falling in and a snack later added on top of the bread, we weren't going to fill up on "snacks" and also had some pizza. We picked the Pork & Pancetta which had smoked pork and pancetta, with an onion compote, artichoke hearts, capsicum, parmigiano and mozzarella - all "glazed with BlueFire’s herb oil and a hint of spice". Yum! Not too greasy and they put real meat on the pizza. Other combinations were also enticing, Brazilian Fiesta (chicken and jalapeno salsa), Latino Chorizo... will be back!

But what I was disappointed in not being able to try was the dessert selection - I was too full, dessert stomach must have been used up! Check out this photo... no, behind the cute little cakes... that is flowing hot chocolate!! "Hot chocolate" is the "chocolate and coffee bar" offering cakes and home made ice-cream and liquer, all with a shot of hot chocolate.

What movie did we watch? Superman Returns we really enjoyed it and in fact tried to take some younger relatives (aged seven and eleven) last week. Maybe it's a generation thing, I remember growing up and watching Christopher Reeve's movies so I was looking forward to this version, but the seven year old was like "Superman? Nah, I want Click." Hmm, superman is a classic now? Ladies, Brandan Routh is easy on the eye and men, you have Kate Bosworth... although I really want to take the girl to Bluefire and feed her!!

Bluefire
Level 3, Melbourne Central
La Trobe St side

Macro

2006-07-21T13:20:00.000+10:00

I had a visit from this little creature at lunch, he was sitting in my salad having survived a wash and a night in the fridge!

I recently discovered Macro which is a whole foods store. (Whole foods have been minimally processed and are not neccesarily organic.) No, I haven't suddenly turned into a health nut but I've noticed the standard of fruit and veggies at the supermarket really deteriorating. The veggies do look much healthier from Macro and my Mum always says, "You know vegetables are good when the grubs choose to eat them." (Illustrated above!)

I'm sure I'd pay much less at the market for regular produce however I haven't quite got going to the market in my routine. Actually, most of the organic vegetables are quite well priced it's the fruit that is dear so sadly I'm still getting some fruit at the supermarket! Also remember that without pesticides, things won't last as long. There's also organic meat, a dairy and deli section, lots of household things like detergents and even wine.

Macro has a cafe with plenty of healthy dishes. Imagine breakfast with free range bacon and organic eggs, fresh juices, tempeh burgers, spelt items and plenty of gluten free alternatives. Yes it all sounds very good for you! ;-) I had a magnificent tofu curry with brown rice and T had a "healthy" bacon and egg sandwhich!

Parking can be hell along Bridge Road but there is a carpark in Macro's basement (limited spaces) as well as a public one at the back of their building.

Macro Wholefoods Market - Richmond
153 Bridge Road
Richmond

Dominique Portet

2006-07-07T15:00:00.000+10:00

Sam complained about the disappointing Australian rosé recommended to her when she couldn't find a French rosé. That reminded me of a lovely rosé I found... made by a Frenchman in Australia!

I had a friend from Ireland visiting and she had never been to a winery before so I decided to take her to the Yarra Valley. My friend wanted to try some dessert wines and someone suggested "Dominique's up the road" so off we went to Dominique Portet.

Now I'm not a big rosé drinker (too many bad lolly water versions) however I tasted the Fontaine Rosé and hmmm I could drink it again! Unfortunately I didn't take notes so I can't provide you with a lovely description but the winemaker notes "The colour is crucial: subtle rose-gold - “Something inviting rather than obvious”. The palate is filled with elusive flavours of raspberry and guava, with a long savoury finish." I did take away a bottle or two so I'll sample and take notes at a later date! ;-) The winery also had a selection of cute French themed tableware for sale - good gifts!

Dominique Portet
870 Maroondah Hwy
Coldstream

Whilst we were in the Yarra Valley, we also lunched at the Yarra Valley Dairy - lunch being a cheese platter because the cafe is no longer. So if you're planning a day in the Valley, drop by even if it's to purchase something for home. Their Persian Fetta is brilliant crumbled over roasted pumpkin and pasta. Look up the map (Melways) it's too hard to describe how to get there!

Yarra Valley Dairy
McMeikans Road
Yering
(Melways ref: 275 C9)

Wordsmithing

2006-07-07T14:30:00.000+10:00

You're working too hard, there's no time to cook for the blog so what do you do? Make up corporate words with a magnetic poetry kit!

Petit picnique

2006-07-06T15:30:00.000+10:00

I was walking along Lygon St ("Little Italy") when I spotted this charcuterie (France in Little Italy!) and decided to wander in. On one side were shelves of Luc biscuits - "can get that elsewhere",- and walnut oil and homemade jams - "this is starting to look interesting" - then I turned around and saw the homemade sausages, pâté/rilette*, cheeses, terrines and even ready made dishes to take home. I knew I had to buy something!

*The difference, I think, is that rillete is more coarse and is cooked in fat.

I settled on cheese, pâté and of course, a baguette - Pavé d'Affinois and chicken, sage and brandy pâté to be specific. Not a diet menu but it was delicious! The cheese (literally "paving stone") is a soft cow's milk cheese similar to brie and it was oh so creamy (oops it's triple cream!) and oozed from the rind. The pâté was just as delicious... I will return.

La Parisienne Pâté
307 Lygon St
Carlton

Pork polpette

2006-06-26T06:30:00.000+10:00

I really like Karen Martini's recipes, the ingredients always create a really lovely balance of tastes and texture. Her new book is out (one for the wish list perhaps) but this came from her weekly column in Sunday Life.

Pecorino is essentially any hard cheese made from goat's milk. It is very salty but the combination of the cheese and pistachio in these meat balls was amazing. Karen notes that these are good hot or cold, can be served as antipasto with bread or with roasted veggies and cheese. But I had it hot for dinner - perfect cold weather food!

Karen Martini's Pork Polpette with Pistachios, Lemon and Cannellini Beans
450g Minced pork
1 Egg
Sea salt and freshly cracked black pepper
1 Lemon, zest finely grated and juiced
2 pinches Ground cinnamon
2 pinches Ground nutmeg
60g Finely grated pecorino
120g Fresh breadcrumbs
80g Pistachios, coarsely chopped
100ml Olive oil
1 Bay leaf
400g can Cannellini beans, rinsed and drained

1) Place pork, egg, salt, pepper and lemon zest in a food processor and process for 1 min
2) Add cinnamon, nutmeg, pecorino and breadcrumbs and process for 30sec
3) Stir through pistachios
4) Form pork mixture into walnut-sized balls
5) Heat some of the olive oil over medium heat and brown the meatballs; add more oil as necessary
6) Add lemon juice, 250ml water and bay leaf, and bring to a simmer
7) Add cannellini beans, squashing some with the back of a spoon. Simmer for 15 mins or until meatballs are cooked and juices are slightly thickened.

Notes:
1) I confess, I didn't add the bay leaf as I'd run out. Still tasted and smelt great!
2) The recipe serves 4 as an antipasto.

Tagged with pecorino, pork polpette

Nutella cake

2006-06-22T19:52:00.000+10:00

How lucky am I? Niki made me this amazing nutella cake for my birthday! I had been (and still am) flat out at work and didn't have time to bake in between everything else. And even though Niki has been busy herself, how could I refuse the offer of one of her cakes?? It was delicious, it was not low fat, it was my birthday who cares about calories? :) THANK YOU, NIKI!

Hello again

2006-06-14T21:47:00.000+10:00

Hello! Sorry I have been quiet but I guess that's what happens when work goes crazy.

Nothing to do with food but this notice board and poster bollard made me laugh.

Honey Chocolate Cake

2006-05-14T03:07:00.000+10:00

I needed to bake a birthday cake and in my revision madness, had seen the Honey Chocolate Cake in Nigella's Feast and had my heart set on it. Those who got to taste my cake commented on the honey flavour as this rarely comes out when heated, as I typed the recipe I wondered if perhaps the muscovado sugar helped bring out more sweetness. The recipe states light muscovado but I had dark so this would have produced a sweeter cake. One friend was reminded of golden syrup so this would certainly be the molasses taste of muscovado.

When the cake came out of the oven, the smell reminded me of the Magic Faraway Tree at the Land of Treats when there are toffee pops and all things nice. It was so welcoming and sweet, and being quite delicate (hence the instructions to cool completey) if you find a small piece that flakes off, eating it will only tempt you to take a big bite out of the delicious, warm cake. You must then steady yourself and remind yourself that you are baking this for someone special and you must not destroy it!

The whole cake takes time and although the glaze is beautifully glossy, I think it's also superb on its own so would quite happily just have a plain honey chocolate cake the next time.

Nigella's Honey Chocolate Cake
Cake
100g Dark chocolate, broken into pieces
275g Light muscovado sugar
225g Soft butter
125ml Runny honey
2 Eggs
200g Plain flour
1 tsp Bicarbonate of soda
1 Tbl Cocoa
250ml Boiling Water

Glaze
60ml Water
125ml Runny honey
175g Dark chocolate (finely chopped)
75g Icing sugar

Bees
25g Marzipan - yellow if found and desired
Flaked almonds

1) Whilst melting the cake chocolate, have all ingredients out so that everything is at room temperature. Set aside the chocolate to cool slightly.
2) Preheat the oven to 180C and butter and line a 23cm springform cake tin.

Fast method:
3a) Put everything for the cake but the boiling water in a food processor, mix and scrape the batter down. Then slowly add the water down the funnel with the motor running. Go to step 7 below.

Take your time:
3b) Beat together the sugar and butter until airy and creamy, then add the honey.
4) Add 1 egg, beating it with a tablespoon of flour, then the other egg with another tablespoon of flour.
5) Fold in the melted chocolate, the rest of the flour and the bicarbonate of soda.
6) Add in the cocoa (pushed through a sift so there are no lumps) and finally, beat in the boiling water.
7) Mix everything well and pour the smooth batter into prepared tin.
8) Bake for an hour - after 45 mins, check and if the cake is "catching", cover the top lightly with foil.
9) Let the cake cool completely in the tin, on a rack.
10) For the glaze, bring the water and honey to boil in a saucepan and take off the heat.
11) Add the finely chopped chocolate and swirl it around to melt in the hot liquid.
12) Sieve in the icing sugar and whisk until smooth.
13) Cut four strips of baking paper to form a square outline for your cake to sit on. Place this on your plate or stand, this will prevent the glaze from running off your cake onto your plate.
14) Unclip the cake tin and sit the (cooled) cake on the plate, on the paper.
15) Pour the glaze over the cake and smooth it over the sides.*See note 1
16) Allow the glaze to harden - it can take an hour. Don't wash up, you want the leftover glaze.
17) Slide out the baking paper and you have a clean plate.
18) For the bees, divide the marzipan into 6 pieces and roll into fat bee bodies with a taper.
19) Push the flaked almonds into the marzipan bodies to form wings and dipping a skewer into the leftover glaze, decorate the bees.
20) Decorate your cake with the bees!

Notes:
1) Making the cake isn't hard, the glaze is the tricky part. Although I've given measures according to the recipe, *I found that I had too much glaze so don't be tempted to pour a whole lot over the cake. It is deceptively liquid and before you know it, the baking paper will have gathered a lovely pool of glaze. The glaze is also very tacky until it hardens so handle with care.
2) The marzipan quantity gives 6 bees... I wanted many more. Nigella references that smiley bees are Disney and loveable whereas just having 2 dots as the eyes is rather Napoleanic - I went Disney!
3) I haven't given an exact quantity for the flaked almonds. You know each bee has 2 wings but the almond flakes are delicate and some will inevitably break as you lovingly give your creatures wings.

Tagged with Honey Chocolate Cake Bees Honey

Random thoughts

2006-05-08T12:05:00.000+10:00

Well I've done a bit of baking and cooking and will get around to blogging results. Today is just a collection of things on a food theme.

I got a really nice surprise when I opened my carton of eggs the other day... they had happy faces on them! I am one of those people who check that every egg is intact before purchase and as the faces all happened to be hidden, I didn't discover them until I got home. Probably a good thing as I let out a little squeak of shock when I picked up an egg and it smiled at me, and then squealed with delight when I realised that Sunny Queen Farms had stamped faces on all the eggs - better to do that in the privacy of your own home!

The M&M's publicists have obviously got their green marketing right as I've seen ads everywhere and I thought it was simply the addition of green coloured M&M's to the packs. But I was buying a packet of fundraising chocolates when I saw these mint M&M's! I also then saw big packets of these new green goodies at the shops. I don't know if they're some temporary novelty thing but they're good... a bit like having a mint Aero bar in M&M form?! I just can't have too many at the one time as it's a really sweet hit!

I felt the need to eat something healty and found Sumo Salad. This is the Smoked Salmon & Goat's Cheese salad - "Fillets of glorious Tasmanian salmon, double-smoked, tossed with fresh mixed leaves, and weaved through with the flavours of BBQ potatoes, fresh cucumber, red onion and goat’s cheese. Dressed in an inspired combination of lemon and dill mayonnaise... " Very fancy for a food court salad!

The goat's cheese was really fresh and tasty, the potato slices were unnecessary (undercooked, a bit like cardboard) but the question dear readers is, is it polite to request that your salad maker doesn't mush up your salmon (and everything else in the bowl) whilst breaking it into pieces? I held back so stood there watching him pummel my salmon with a pair of closed tongs, with an expression that could only suggest that he was wondering why a piece of fish was so hard to tear apart. Or maybe the action was in the set of instructions he was following on how to put together a salad.

Comedy

2006-05-03T11:00:00.000+10:00

Sorry, no blogging for a while as I have an exam this week. Just one to keep up a professional qualification but on top of full time work and everything else, I'm plain tired!

If you're in Melbourne, get along to the Comedy Festival. I thoroughly recommend Daniel Kitson - and if you're not in Melbourne, maybe he will perform near you soon.

My friend likes Danny Bhoy because he's good looking... he's also very funny.

What's for pud? Bakewell pudding... or um, tart!

2006-04-24T02:00:00.000+10:00

Becks & Posh and Monkey Face are hosting "What's for pud?" a celebration of St George's Day and English desserts!

I chose the Bakewell Pudding; controversially also known as the Bakewell Tart. Mine was slightly overdone* but thumbs up all round for this treat sweetened by jam and laced with almond.
Bakewell is in Derbyshire in the North of England. History has this pudding being created in the 1860s at the local inn when the landlady miscommunicated an order for a strawberry jam tart and the baker instead of using egg and sugar in the tart base, spread jam over the base and then put the egg and sugar mixture over the jam.

What is the controversy? It is claimed that the Bakewell Tart is a modern version of the Bakewell Pudding, attributed to things including class differences and commercialism of the pudding, and there are those who will only eat pudding. Most recipes are for the Bakewell Tart - being a frangipane topping that uses ground almonds for a firmer topping; the Bakewell Pudding recipe I've seen uses more eggs and almond essence so that you end up with a sort of custard filling that doesn't set.

My recipe is from Nigella's "Feast" and it is the tart.

Nigella's Bakewell Tart (adapted from Cranberry Bakewell Tart recipe)
Pastry
175g Plain flour
30g Ground almonds
50g Icing sugar
125g Butter, cold and diced
1 Egg, beaten
Pinch salt
1-3 Tbl Iced water

1) Pulse together the flour, almonds and icing sugar in a food processor.
2) Add the butter and process until the mixture resembles oatmeal.
3) Beat together the beaten egg, salt and iced water, then tip into the processor as it is running to bind the pastry. "The almonds make this into a wonderfully pliable, Play-Doh of a pastry".
4) Form the pastry into a flat disc, wrap in glad wrap and leave to rest in fridge.

Filling
125g Butter
125g Caster Sugar
3 Eggs
125g Ground almond
300g Jam

5) Pre-heat the oven to 200 degrees C.
6) Melt the butter and leave to cool slightly. Beat together the sugar and eggs and add in the butter. Stir in the ground almond.
7) Roll out the pastry disk to fit a 26cm deep tart tin, prick the base with a fork.
8) Spread the jam on the pastry case and then pour over the almond mixture. Makes sure you cover all of the jam.
9) Bake for 45 minutes. "The filling will rise and look puffy in places but once it comes out of the oven it will fall back again to form an even surface."
10) Leave the tart to cool slightly then serve with cream or ice-cream. (The tart is also good cold!)

Notes:
1) *Yes, I burnt my tart slightly! I decided to divide the mixture up between 2 smaller tins and being distracted (dangerous!) I forgot about reducing the baking time. I actually had to trim the edge of the tart... the filling looks darker in the photo, it wasn't burnt and tasted fine!
2) I used plum jam; for Nigella's cranberry tart, she used cranberry jam (of course) and decorated with clementine flavoured royal icing.
3) I know Nigella uses her food processor a lot; you can do by hand or use a freestanding mixer.

Extra trivia:
- Plenty of shops claim to have the original recipe including the Bakewell Pudding Shop.
- Jane Austen fans, there are claims that Pride and Prejudice was written in during a stay in Bakewell.

Tagged with: What's For Pud? and St George's Day

Easter Egg Nest Cake

2006-04-18T11:30:00.000+10:00

Happy Easter!

Above is my Easter Egg Nest Cake from Nigella's "Feast". It actually doubled as a birthday cake for a friend and proved a hit. The point is that the cake should be collapsed but someone is going to point out that you were just disguising a mistake!

The cake is fiddly (chocolate melting, egg separating and whisking) but the end result makes it all worthwhile. And licking the spoon with the chocolate and cream is a bonus! I found another friend collapsed on the couch in ecstacy, this delectable mix of dense flourless chocolate cake smothered with chocolate cream is no ordinary treat.

Nigella's Easter Egg Nest Cake
Cake
125g Butter - unsalted, softened
250g Dark chocolate
6 eggs - 4 separated and 2 whole
175g Caster sugar
1 tsp Vanilla extract

Topping
250ml Double cream
125g Dark chocolate
1 tsp Vanilla extract
Small chocolate easter eggs - ideally sugared eggs

1) Pre-heat oven to 200 degrees C and line a springform tin with baking paper
2) For the cake, melt the butter and chocolate and allow to cool.
3) Whisk the 4 egg whites until foamy and gradually beat in 100g of the sugar until peaks form; they should not be stiff.
4) Whisk the 4 egg yolks and 2 whole eggs with the remaining 75g of sugar and the vanilla essence. Fold in the melted butter and chocolate.
5) "Lighten the chocolate mixture with a dollop of egg whites" and in three additions, fold in the rest of the egg white mixture.
6) Pour the mixture into the prepared tin and bake for 35-40mins until the cake rises and cracks on top, and the centre doesn't wobble.
7) Let the cake cool in the tin. The centre will collapse and form a crater, and the sides will crack.

8) Carefully remove the cake from the tin and place on a serving plate/cake stand.
9) Melt the chocolate and let cool. Whip the cream until it is aerated but not stiff and add in the vanilla essence. Fold the chocolate into the cream topping.
10) Fill the crater with the chocolate cream and spread towards the edge of the cake. Decorate with the chocolate eggs.

Notes
1) My cake took a little longer and I actually cracked the top of the cake myself with a wooden spoon, then returned it to the oven to bake until it didn't wobble.
2) Sugared easter eggs were nowhere to be found and all I could find were mini creme eggs; not as colourful but they did the trick.

Tagged with: Easter Treat and Easter Egg Nest Cake

Builders Arms Hotel

2006-04-13T18:42:00.000+10:00

I added back my Somerset Rarebit post with recipe.

But I bring you the Builders Arms Hotel...
The outside is deceiving; you think you're just going into a pub that has live music nights, but out the back is a sleek room of black and white wallpaper, red banquettes, a mirrored wall and funky flower lights as per the picture. (The same light fittings as Lounge Downstairs - the old Viz - on Swanston St!) This is a vibrant place to meet friends for a well-priced meal out. The dishes that dominate seem to me to be fusion Moroccan; not pub "parma and a pint" cuisine but you're not here for complicated flavours and new offerings either.

The above picture is of the chorizo salad. I didn't actually have it so I can't tell you how it tasted but I was told "fantastic so take a photo"! I did have the herb crusted veal which was just right - ie not soggy in the sauce - and it came with the most amazing pumpkin mash as an accompaniment. It's only pumpkin you say, but it was oh so sweet and creamy. From memory, the wine selection featured a few French entries but it was mostly Australian and a good selection. You won't break the bank for a great night out!

Builders Arms Hotel
211 Gertrude St
Fitzroy
(03) 9419 0818

Tribute to Helayne

2006-04-07T23:08:00.000+10:00

Thanks for dinner!

Isn't this a magnificent tribute to fresh produce and the end of summer? Although autumn theoretically started a while ago, we've had strange hot and sunny weather. Until last night that is; it's freezing in Melbourne, someone accidentally pushed the winter button!

Helayne has this wonderful way of just throwing together simple but effective dishes for a dinner party. Whilst we nibbled on an avocado, rocket and fennel salad, bread with dips and marinated mini bocconcini, and asparagus sprinkled with Yarra Valley Persian Fetta, she managed to chat to us over the kitchen bench whilst roasting a chicken and preparing a fettucine with basil and tomato. All whilst looking extremely calm and relaxed! Grrr. Note the great use of pineapples as a centrepiece! All of this was rounded off with the platter of cheeses, figs and grapes... has she inspired you?

Helayne's tip - the dip must be Poseidon Taramasalata, nothing else!

Here's to our friend O, who said "Figs are fantastic. They're so sensuous, they're to fruit like oyster is to um... like seafood"!

Why Caper Berry Gravy?

2006-04-04T15:00:00.000+10:00

Well, it's time to explain my blog title. The other day, Indy dropped by saying, "Caper Berry Gravy...Great title! Just stir it Una!" but for those who are still wondering what on earth is going on, read on.

From Bridget Jones' Diary (the movie):
Mark: What are we going to do about this dinner, then?
Bridget: We can have blue soup to start, orange pudding to end, and... well, for main course, we have... uh, congealed green gunge.
M: That is caper berry gravy.
B: Oh, yes. Yeah.
M: Do you have eggs?
B: Yes.
M: Right, omelet it is then.
B: Ah. With caper berry gravy.
M: You wouldn't by any chance have any beet root cubes? A mini-gherkin, stuffed olive?
B: No, Pam, and besides, I'm busy. The gravy needs sieving.
M Surely not. Just stir it, Una.

Why Bridget Jones? Well, no matter how good a cook you are, you will always have a blue soup day. My blog's not about perfect results, it's about food and fun things to see and do with friends who like you "just the way you are" - even with blue soup and marmalade.

And if you haven't watched the movie, get to it and see why the soup is blue!

W11: Karachi 2 Melbourne

2006-04-02T12:30:00.000+10:00

I've seen this tram go past so many times and finally caught it! I thought that with Festival Melbourne 2006 over, I'd missed my chance but it's still here. Who knows how much longer it'll be around so try and catch it if you're in Melbourne.

Tramtactic have the story behind this W11 tram.

I couldn't help but sit back and grin in awe at the beading and colourful decoration, if only the dancing conductors were there! Still, the flashing lights and Pakistani pop made it an awesome experience.

Tagged with: Tramtactic

Lord of the Fries

2006-03-31T17:00:00.000+11:00

No, it's not a typo... Lord of the Fries (website isn't developed!) is a specialty "fries" shop that sells burgers too. You'll find fries covered in "international sauces" - aussie, mexican, poutine... Of interest was the Poutine; not only is this French-Canadian delicacy a whole discussion topic in itself, there was a friendly lady in line telling all within earshot about the wonders of poutine as she is from Quebec.

I just felt like sauce so "aussie" it was but now I know where to find my poutine!

Lord of the Fries
Cnr of Elizabeth and Flinders Sts,
Melbourne

Template Problems

2006-03-25T09:14:00.000+11:00

I've been trying to fix some strange format problems with my template so if you happened to visit when a mistake was being corrected, you may have seen some strange things!

Food for the tired

2006-03-24T15:41:00.000+11:00

On 23rd Mar, I said:
What I would love right now is Welsh Rarebit. But I'm exhausted from days of running from work to other activities (namely a CD recording) and I'm too tired to cook so I'm just going to think about it.

13th Apr:
This is not just cheese on toast, this is cheese blended with milk and butter (more often with beer, the Somerset version uses cider) seasoned with mustard and spread on toast. The mixture is then grilled until it bubbles... comfort food. There are many theories about the origin of the dish's name eg the rather unflattering description of a Welshman's inability to catch a rabbit and so cheese and beer would do!

Nigella Lawson's "Somerset Rarebit"
2 English muffins (wholemeal)
150g Strong cheddar
2 tsps Soft unsalted butter
10g Flour
1/2 tsp English mustard
1 tbl Milk
3 tbl Cider

1) Toast the muffins, pre-heat your grill and grate the cheese
2) Melt the butter in a saucepan, then add flour to make a roux
3) Take the saucepan off the heat then whisk in the mustard, milk and cider
4) Placing the saucepan back on the heat, stir until you have a thick white sauce
- Nigella notes ".. don't expect to have much of it. This is a paste more than anything.."
5) Add the grated cheese and stir until it melts
6) Divide the sauce and spread over each muffin to cover
7) Place muffins under the grill, until they "blister on top and brown in spots"

iLove Water

2006-03-19T05:31:00.000+11:00

We have great water in Melbourne so there are some who refuse to buy bottled water. But maybe if you stick Jessica Simpson's face on a bottle, people will buy! Ahem, yes that must be the marketing they're going for. The concept appears to be "the world's first magazine on a bottle", you can even go to their site iLove and ask Miss Love your burning questions.

SHF 17 #: Strawberry Spritz Yoghurt Muffins

2006-03-14T04:00:00.000+11:00

Niki told me about the Sugar High Friday challenge with a theme of dairy so I thought I'd give it a go. One of my favourite cookbooks for baking is Carol Durst's "I Knew You Were Coming So I Baked a Cake" and I remembered that she had dairy suggestions.

The yoghurt muffins are really easy and this recipe is great for when you have bananas that are sitting around almost rotting away.

Yoghurt Muffins as per Carol Durst's recipe
1 cup flour
3 tsp baking powder
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 lb butter
1 egg
1 banana
1/2 cup yoghurt
1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1) Preheat oven to 180C, grease muffin tin
1) Put flour, baking powder, sugar and salt in a bowl
2) Melt the butter in a glass bowl in the microwave and add to the dry mixture
3) Add egg, banana, yoghurt and vanilla extract
4) Mix until just incorporated
5) Spoon batter into muffin tins and bake 20-25 mins

This will make 12 muffins

Notes:
1) I used low fat yoghurt by accident - I picked by flavour only so make sure you use full fat yoghurt.
2) You can vary the yoghurt flavour, I used Strawberry Spritz! This quantity is just under 1 small tub.

3) I doubled the batter and tried full size and mini muffins. Unfortunately the batter didn't rise as much as I expected so the bigger muffins are quite flat. (See photo below "Gee son, you're getting taller than me everyday.") You need to almost fill the tin up as the minimal handling of the batter means that you're not going to get a chance to get much air into the mixture.

Tagged with: SHF and Sugar High Friday

J Cafe

2006-03-12T03:00:00.000+11:00

I discovered this cute Japanese cafe on Exhibition St and went back to try their "Sushi Burger". Apparently it's a "concept" only available at J's - which incidentally has a mouthful of a restaurant name! The burger in the picture is the Kani Croquet burger which is a creamy crab croquet, lettuce and mayonaise based sauce, sandwiched between 2 "buns" made of rice with a sheet of seaweed wrapped around the whole structure. It even came in a polystyrene burger box.

It doesn't matter that you can pick up a piece or roll of sushi, it was weird picking up this rice block - but it tasted really good! There was a nice balance between the croquet's crunchy outer shell and the fluffy, creamy filling, the sauce was tasty and the rice didn't fall apart! I'm keen to go back to try the other varieties and there were some interesting sounding changing burger specials - although octopus was on offer the other day and all I could think of was tendrils poking out of a burger!

I've tried their lunch bento boxes and this place puts a lot of care into ensuring even the little accompanying dish isn't the usual carelessly tossed piece of lettuce sprinkled with beansprouts. The staff are friendly and although not cheap compared to a city deli sandwich, this place is worth going to.

Question that comes to mind: according to Wikipedia, "a cafe is a type of restaurant" and "cafes usually serve coffee and snacks", whereas "a restaurant is a place where prepared food is sold to the public". So what's a cafe restaurant?

Japanese Cafe Restaurant J
167 Exhibition Street
Melbourne

Cheat's cookies

2006-03-10T14:01:00.000+11:00

I really wanted to bake heart shaped cookies on Valentine's Day but because I finished work late, I didn't really have the energy to start from scratch. And you know, sometimes you start the thought of baking and you just have to go through with it... it's therapeutic!

So... I bought ready made dough. Shock, horror! I couldn't reveal the secret then and there so I said I'd blog it. I've been in the supermarket and gone, "How lazy could you be... " I still can't believe I was that lazy! :) But the product has been around for a while so people do buy it. And who can forget that scene from Clueless when Cher throws the whole roll of dough in the oven?

The result? I didn't mind the cookies too much. I bought 2 types: one was the Sara Lee double chocolate one, and I was really quite impressed with that, and the other was an M&M one (I can't remember the brand right now) and unfortunately, I found that any M&Ms on the base of the cookies got a bit burnt. The Sara Lee cookies were gooey like the store bought ones and the M&M ones went crisp very quickly - so monitor the baking time!

As for the heart shapes, I tried doing by hand and pushing through a heart-shaped cutter but this isn't the type of cookie dough that can be shaped. Would I do it again? I think so!

Cheat's cookies
1. Select and buy cookie "roll" (usually in refridgerator aisle)
2. Bake

Icing

2006-03-03T18:37:00.000+11:00

Inevitably there was another call for party food and this time I decided on something sweet. I had all these ideas about sugared flowers or piped icing but on the day these were baked, my trip to the supermarket was disrupted by a massive storm that hit us. So by the time I got home and dry again, I wasn't in the mood for creativity!

I ran out of flour - but I always have an extra packet in the cupboard! - and had to make a second trip to the supermarket so when I realised I had the wrong type of icing sugar, I couldn't be bothered going out again. The icing doesn't look as good as I'd like but I was assured that these were "demolished". My challenge is to post a batch that does go right!!

Oh and by the way, I found my extra flour after I finished baking. Sigh.

Party food

2006-03-01T18:33:00.000+11:00

Well we had some visitors and of course there was a supper for 70 that I roped 18 people into preparing for! So in between work, guest pick ups, other commitments... we all had to have a big think about what was quick and easy to make/bring.

My inspiration, scary to say, came from a Safeway (supermarket) catalogue - someone left it on his desk at work and I flicked through it whilst waiting for him, not a hobby read! Anyway remembering a recipe that I'd noted for its simplicity, I attempted to reproduce the chicken scrolls or "chicken thingies" as they were known when I lost ability to think during the mad round of planning.

I don't have exact quantities because you can make this when you're rushed and just want to grab stuff off the shelves! Try and do it in the morning so that you can let the spinach defrost - compared to being able to just pour hot water over the corn. You can argue that it's all going in the oven anyway but I wasn't going to tempt making the pastry soggy to begin with.

Chicken Thingies
1 Pack of puff pastry (6 sheets)
1 Kg of chicken mince
1 Small packet of frozen spinach
1 Small packet of frozen corn
Parmesan (shaved)
Parsley (optional*)

1. Defrost the spinach and corn!
2. Preheat oven to 220C
3. Mix the chicken with parsley if using
4. Take 1 sheet of puff pastry, spread some chicken along one edge
- as if you're making a sausage roll
5. Layer the corn, spinach then parmesan over the chicken
6. Now roll the pastry over the layers and make a tight roll
7. Cut up into smaller slices, bake until pastry has puffed up and is golden

Parsley (optional*) - I have to confess that I cheated because I forgot the parsley and figured there would be enough green from the spinach and enough flavour from the cheese!

I considered seasoning the chicken but the parmesan had quite a strong taste... and noone complained that it was bland! But you can see how easy it is to vary this scroll idea and try flavouring the chicken and substituting the type of cheese.

Added 2nd Mar 2006: I forgot to mention that if you use an egg glaze, the scrolls will come out golden - I didn't! Also the above quantity of chicken is supposed to be used in all 6 sheets of pastry so multiply that by say 7-8 slices per "roll" and you're getting quite a bit of finger food. You will have leftover corn because there's a lot in each packet!

More Year of the Dog

2006-02-27T17:00:00.000+11:00

Well so much has happened since my last blog so I'll try and make up for the lack of content lately!

Continuing with the Chinese New Year theme, here are some pictures taken in Box Hill where there were plenty of festivities.

From stalls selling plastic cherry blossoms to banners of blessings, there was plenty available to brighten up homes with!

And of course, what is Chinese New Year without food? There were plenty of food stalls in Box Hill and also at Crown Casino's riverfront celebrations.

And then you have a mum who visits you and can just whip up impromptu dinner for 8! Here we have spare ribs, tofu, chicken, prawns, spinach noodles, and little stuffed mushrooms that aren't hard to make - I know because she roped dad into preparing them!! Yum!

Kung Hei Fat Choi!

2006-02-06T12:50:00.000+11:00

Happy Chinese New Year! There has been a little break from blogging for overeating but stay tuned for reports!

Happy Australia Day! Celebrate big...

2006-01-27T14:03:00.000+11:00

In a previous post I mentioned the big icons in Australia. Here are some I recently visited!

This is the Giant Avocado; it's found in Tweed Heads in New South Wales, outside of Tropical Fruit World and directions are here.

Apparently this used to be "Avocadoland"!

This is Larry the Lobster who is about 18 metres tall. He can be found in Kingston S.E. in South Australia, along the Princes Highway.

Unfortunately the restaurant was closed when we were there so we couldn't try the apparently delicious seafood there.

This is the Giant Koala; it can be found along the Western Highway (between Melbourne and Adelaide) at Dadswell's Bridge.

It's 14 metres high and made out of cold cast steel.

Maybe it's like in "War of the Worlds" when the aliens sent their machines to hide in the earth and one day, these big icons will come alive. (Or it could be another one of these close to 40C days playing with my imagination!)

When it's 42C in Melbourne...

2006-01-23T17:50:00.000+11:00

... except it said 45C on the car outside temperature guage! Well, it's been a weekend of icecream eating because what else is there to do when the mercury's rising?

Trampoline - gelato with flavour, made on site, hip.
I've been to the ones in Fitzroy and Hawthorn but they are slowly venturing further, with one opening soon in the city on Swanston St. There really is so much flavour!!
Especially recommend: Bloody Orange, Chocolate Crackle, and The Mint.

Gelo Bar - popular, icon. 74 Lygon St, East Brunswick.
Apparently there was a 10 minute wait as the queue extended to the back of the shop yesterday. Today wasn't as bad but we still queued past the tempting cake and biscuit display... if only we don't fill up on ice-cream each time!
Old favourites: Ciccolato, Nocciola
New, please keep it on the menu: Grape

The Lure of Supermarkets

2006-01-22T17:52:00.000+11:00

My friend, Niki was looking for Chocopies in Melbourne. Knowing that Lotte is a Korean brand, I knew that I'd seen them in a Korean supermarket that I'd discovered. I'd also seen Chocopies, and variations of the treat, in Asian supermarkets so told Niki that I'd check next time I walked past one. (Plenty in the city.)

I went into Green Mart which stocks only Korean products and yes, Chocopies were definitely there! There are also some really good ice-creams in Green Mart; the Japanese and Koreans seem to like ice-creams that come in a biscuit/waffle case and I love that they come in interesting shapes like a shell, a fish or even a sweet potato!

Not knowing any Korean, it's fun guessing what's in the various packets. On this day, I also bought some "Alive" candy - ummm not sure why it's alive that's what was on the shelf label and there is not a word of English on the packet! (There are 3 flavours: banana, peach and strawberry and are basically chewy sweets with a gooey inside. Definitely nothing moving.)

I remember being in Tokyo and being absolutely fascinated by the supermarkets because there was all this new stuff to look at and taste. So, check this place out!

Green Mart
Shop 2/ 222 LaTrobe St, Melbourne

More Byron Bay

2005-12-12T12:00:00.000+11:00

Cape Byron is the most easterly point of the Australian mainland and the lighthouse is apparently Australia's most powerful. This was taken from Tallow Beach and the green "blob" in the back is Cape Byron! There are plenty of fantastic beaches and unfortunately this was taken just as the day was becoming overcast however I can confirm that when it is hot and sunny, the clear water and stretches of sandy beaches are very welcoming. There is plenty to do from surfing, hangliding and dolphin watching to going inland for yoga and golf. You can choose to stay near the beach or the rainforest.

Budget Accomodation
Belongil Beachouse
- Clean and comfortable, backpacking to private cottages
- Relaxed atmosphere and right by Belongil Beach, 10 minutes walk to the Main Beach in town
- Yoga school is a short walk away
- Onsite cafe serves delicious breakfasts but be prepared to wait, the atmosphere is relaxed
- Must do: Visit the Relax Haven at Belongil Beachouse for a massage and even a float session. The masseuses work magic on sore muscles!

Splurge!
The Byron at Byron
- Wow! You find yourself in a completely different world in this "environmentally sensitive" resort, just check out the website
- Lie back in a lounge chair by the pool as you relax by the edge of the rainforest, soak in your deep, freestanding tub with Sanctum products or lie back and enjoy movies on your plasma TV
- Whilst you're splurging, dinner at "Wild at Byron" is a must. The menu is seasonal; my dinner began with oysters with a sherry and lemon peel vinaigrette and finished with a Sirloin with Cafe de Paris butter. Sadly I couldn't fit in dessert especially when all the tropical sounding items were so enticing. If I go back there I'll have to make room for the degustation menu; the baked salmon with burnt blood orange sauce caught my eye and although there'll be another item in future, I know the alternative won't disappoint.

On the way
We travelled from Coolangatta and on the way back, stopped by Tropical Fruit World. I get excited by the fact that people have bothered to create "giant" objects and the purpose of stopping here was to see the Giant Avocado at the front! You can also admire the wide array of tropical fruit for sale and a park admission ticket even gives you access to things such as the plantation safari and jungle riverboat cruise. Next time...

Byron Bay

2005-12-10T15:00:00.000+11:00

OK, so I didn't start in Melbourne but this gazpacho looked amazing and I had a great photo of it! I recently went to Byron Bay which is on the East Coast of Australia in New South Wales. Over here we have "schoolies week" in November which is when the school leavers spend their year's savings on a holiday (usually at a beach location) to celebrate the end of an era.

Anyway when we discovered that we were going to Byron Bay during schoolies week, we prepared to be mobbed by 17/18 year olds! On this day the weather was perfect but as the town was absolutely packed, by lunch time I needed somewhere peaceful to get away from the crowds. "The Balcony" looked inviting and we strolled on upstairs.

Overlooking one of the busiest roundabouts in Byron Bay, the bar and restaurant are at the top of a red carpet lined staircase. The decor was very "Byron" with a stone buddha, candles and flowers, as well as local artwork. Walking in, I was pleasantly surprised to discover a welcoming verandah with timber floors, comfortable lounges and high ceilings.

The lunch menu is mainly tapas and this is where I had the above gazpacho with sand crab. Light and refreshing, the basil added just enough flavour to this perfect sunny day item. I'm not sure if it's a Byron Bay thing but fries always seem to be served with aioli, and the excellent serving at Balcony did not disappoint.

The Balcony Bar & Restaurant
Upstairs, corner of Jonson & Lawson Streets

Welcome

2005-12-08T16:18:00.000+11:00

Welcome to Caper Berry Gravy! I don't claim to be a gastronome (no, not a garden creature with a bad tummy) however I enjoy good food and I'd like to share my experiences on this blog because let's face it, who doesn't enjoy good food?

2 facts:
1) I lead a fairly hectic life and probably eat out more than I should. So as much as I'd like to write about great dishes I cook, I am more likely to be talking about what someone else cooked!
2) I live in Melbourne, Australia so most places featured will be Melbourne based. However I like to travel so I hope to also include postings from around Australia and even around the world.

I thought this would be a good first picture to post as naturally fine wine goes with fine food! The photo was taken in McLaren Vale in South Australia and if you could read the distances on the sign post, we're not exactly next door to many cities around the world. Australia is huge and yes, unlike Asia and Europe a few hours of air travel doesn't necessarily get you out of the country. But it is an amazing place and I hope that some of my stories will entice you to visit us soon!