I'm back

Apologises for the hiatus but I've been travelling (to Germany...more on that later) and now that I'm back, I've been busy settling back into work and doing "stuff". Unfortunately, this "stuff" (which hasn't really consisted of anything interesting) has caused me to neglect my blog!

Over the next month I will post some tales about my adventures in the Fatherland as well as some details about what food extravaganzas I have planned for Christmas.

My cupcakes bring all the boys to the yard...

On Sunday, I held a high tea/party lite candle party shindig at my place. For the occassion I made cupcakes and a few people have asked for my recipe. Again it is a Nigella recipe (thank you Nigella, you really are a domestic goddess) and it is easy peasy, lemon squeezy.

Ingredigents (makes 12)
125g SR flour
125g castor sugar
125g room temp butter, diced
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Method
Cream together sugar and butter until light and fluffy. Add SR and stir until combined. Add eggs one at a time and combine after each addition. Add vanilla extract and mix to combine. Divide batter among 12 cup cake cases. Bake at 180 degrees celcius for 12 minutes or until cupcakes are golden.

Once cooked, allow to cool completely before icing. Here is a great vanilla butter cream icing recipe:

Ingredients
180g room temp butter
2 cups icing sugar
3 tablespoons milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Method
mix all ingredients together until fluffy.

Darwin Delights

Last weekend I ventured up to Darwin. While I was there due to unfortunate circumstances, I still managed to take advantage of some of the local food delights.

The Darwin Festival was on during my visit so one night I made my way over to the park on the Esplanade where they had live music and food stalls. I had a lovely Malaysian chicken curry and a beef massaman from local asian food restaurant, Hanuman.

On Saturday, we treated ourselves to the Parap markets. For lunch I had chicken pad thai. The green paw paw salad is also worth tasting.

Believe it or not, Darwin is a foodie paradise. One of my favourite food memories is eating chicken satay and beef massaman on the beach at sunset at the Mindil Beach markets. Life doesn’t get much better than that really.

Check me out

I am going to digress from my food themes for just one moment to show you a picture of moi holding THE Melbourne Cup. Yes, the very cup that will be presented to this year's race winner.

Yesterday, Borders in the City had a launch of the History of the Melbourne Cup and they had it sitting outside the store! (BTW - I wasn't there for the book launch, I happened to be there because I had a 40% off voucher).

The cup weighs 4kgs and is worth $150,000. It is a shame I am not a fast runner otherwise I would have run off it.

The guy next to me is Mel Schumacher. He was the jockey who won the Cup in 1958.

Very cool indeed.

Anniversary at Anise

Last week, Mark and I celebrated our 4^th wedding anniversary and to honour this occasion, we did what we do best – go out to dinner! We ventured back to our old neck of the woods, New Farm to go to a restaurant which we have never been to before even though it has been there for many years – Anise!

Anise is a small, 21 seat European style wine bar and restaurant. There are no tables and chairs, everyone sits around the bar. I must admit at first I was not too keen on this but it turned out to be heaps of fun and really added to the ambience of the place.

The bar featured an impressive wine, spirit and cocktail menu. The friendly staff were really knowledgeable about the menu and were more than happy to chat with you about the different wines/spirits and even offered a taste of anything you weren’t familiar with.

The food menu is French inspired and it changes seasonally. We were treated with the winter menu which featured a great range of warming comfort food. My dinner consisted of the following.

· Entrée: pan seared scallops with boudin noir, celeriac puree & Caperberry noisette

· Main: grain eye fillet with carrot & Swede dauphinoise, truffle honey glazed carrots

· Dessert: profiteroles with gianduia (choc/hazelnut) ice cream, praline and chocolate ganache.

Each dish was cooked brilliantly and combined a variety of different flavours and textures. Very cool.

Find Anise at 697 Brunswick Street, New Farm

Finally, a cool coffee place in Brisbane City!

Have you checked out the great new coffee shop in the city called The Coffee Supplier? Mark calls it "under the boom gate" because it is just that - it is located down a lane way (off Elizabeth St in the city), then under a boom gate and then at the end of a warehouse. The interior is very industrial with exposed bricks and wooden beams, and the original artworks adjourn the walls. The actual coffee is great and they roast their own beans. I recommend you venture down the laneway and under the boom gate!

Aria Adventures

Last Thursday, I ventured out to Aria. No not the music awards, Matt Moran's Brisbane version of his iconic Sydney restaurant. May I say that I was most impressed and the whole experience lived up to my expectations. The food was amazing and the service was friendly and efficient.

For entree, I had the Kingfish (serviced with spanner crab, avocado, harissa and a smoked tea seasoning). I am told by a reliable source (ie fellow foodie and babysitter of Colin, Jono) this is one of Moran's signature dishes. Very nice indeed and as Matt Preston would say, it was plated beautifully.

Main course consisted of a roasted rump of lamb with piperade, smoked eggplant and a roast onion jus. Everything but the eggplant was delicious. The lamb was cooked perfectly and it was super tender.

For dessert, I had the jam doughnuts with strawberries and cinnamon ice cream. I am not sure why I was drawn to this because I am not really a big doughnut fan and they had a dark chocolate tart on the menu, but I am glad I did. I am still day dreaming about these little babies and I had no idea that doughnuts could taste this good. If you go to Aria and have only one course, make it the doughnuts!!

I also recommend going for lunch as they have a set price. It is $55 for 2 courses or $70 for 3. If I went at dinner time, I would have paid $30 for the entree, $50 for main and $20 for dessert. Lunch is definitely a bargain!! Just a little hint!

Now go on and enjoy it for yourself.

Italian Sausage Ragout (serves 4)

This meal is perfect for those weekday nights when you feel like something warm and hearty but don’t have the time to make a stew or casserole.

Ingredients
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 onion, finely diced
2 gloves garlic, crushed
500g Italian Sausages, skins removed
2 tablespoons fresh rosemary, chopped
1 cup red wine
400g can chopped tomatoes
Italian parsley, chopped
Shaved parmesan

Method
1. Heat oil in a hot frying pan and add onion and garlic. Cook until onion becomes translucent.
2. Add the sausage mince and cook until browned.
3. Add the rosemary and cook for 2 minutes.
4. Add the red wine and again, cook for 2 minutes to allow the alcohol to evaporate.
5. Add the chopped tomatoes, bring to the boil and reduce heat and allow the ragout to simmer for 5 minutes or until sauce reduces slightly to thicken.
6. Serve over pasta and top with a generous amount of parmesan and parsley

As you all know, I caved into the end of financial year sales (EOFYS!) and purchased the Kitchen Aid pasta attachment. Last weekend I gave it a test run and can I just say, it is fabulous. I went a little overboard with the amount of pasta and made quite a lot. As a result, my normal little wooden pasta hanging thing (that's its technical name) wasn’t big enough so I had to improvise and use the clothes horse. Now, little Colin loves pasta and he spent the whole evening circling,starving shark style, under the drying pasta. It was very cute.

Sarah/Donna Hay’s Raspberry- Spiked Chocolate Brownies

This recipe belongs to a friend of a friend, Sarah but it also happens to be a Donna Hay recipe. Sarah is a brilliant cook and I have had the pleasure of attending one of Sarah’s afternoons teas where she cooked up a storm. This recipe is no exception. I have modified the method a little to suit my tastes

Ingredients
200g dark (70%) chocolate
250g butter
1 ¾ cups (205g) brown sugar
4 eggs
1 1/3 cups (200g) plain flour
¼ teaspoon baking powder
1/3cup (40g) cocoa powder sifted
1 ½ cups raspberries (I use frozen)

Method
1. Preheat oven to 180°C.
2. Line and grease a square 23cm cake tin.
3. Over a low heat, melt chocolate and butter in a small saucepan. Mix should be smooth and glossy when melted.
4. In a bowl, mix sugar and eggs until mixture in light and fluffy and the sugar has dissolved.
5. Sift flour, baking powder and cocoa over sugar and egg mix, add the chocolate mix, and stir to combine (be careful not to over mix otherwise the dough will become tough).
6. Top with raspberries and push a few of them down into the middle of the mix.
7. Bake for 45mins or until set (should be fudgey in the middle).

Enjoy

The Grand New Financial Year Backflip

Remember my post from last week about the new financial year resolution, and how I said I will be saving my pennies for our upcoming overseas adventures? Well, forget about it and pretend that post never existed!

Yesterday I made a purchase. It wasn’t a huge purchase, but it wasn’t a small purchase either.... I bought a Florence Broadhurst print. It is really lovely and will look amazing in our bedroom above our bed. Look at the image above for a sneak peak of what the print looks like.

The print is fabric stretched over canvas.

I made the purchase online (god bless the internet) from Signature Prints in Sydney (http://www.signatureprints.com.au/). I will receive it in approx 3 weeks.

Signature Prints sell a wide range of other Florence Broadhurst prints, as well as fabric and wall paper. If you were clever (unlike me!) you could simply buy the fabric and stretch it over canvas yourself.

OK, I've got my Florence and my Kitchen Aid pasta attachment, enough spending!

I've done it!

I have taken advantage of the mid year sales and finally purchased myself the Kitchen Aid Pasta Roller & Fettuccine Cutter Attachment Set.

The attachment has the pasta roller which is perfect for making lasagne sheets, or pasta sheets for ravioli or pappardelle, and a fettuccine cutter.

As you would know from my previous posts, I have been day dreaming about owning this set for ages. I love pasta making and this set, together with my kitchen aid will certainly take out all of the elbow grease.

I bought the set online from Peters of Kensington (http://www.petersofkensington.com.au/)

Pasta anyone?

Food heroes

I was listening to Triple M’s The Cage a few weeks ago, and a listener shared a story about his son’s school project.

The boy’s project topic was “Who is your hero?” His answer? Well, it was:

“Steak!
I love steak because it is yum and it makes me happy. It is nice when well but a bit pink.”

In an era of badly behaved sporting heroes, and hypocritical and untrustworthy politicians, I reckon this kid is spot on the money. Non human heroes are a far safer bet!

My non human hero (besides bubble tea) would have to be carrot cake. It too is yum and makes me happy but I am also astounded by the fact that an ordinary vegetable could be so tasty in cake. Who came up with the idea? Genius.

I love the fact that every bite is like a little party in my mouth and everyone is invited. Come on over nuts, cinnamon, and cream cheese icing….

I only wish my beloved carrot cake was kinder to my thighs BUT I’m sure with all the carroty goodness, one serve of carrot cake would also be equivalent to one serve of vegetables. That’s probably the best justification of them all!

What is your non human hero?

An Ode to Bubble Tea

My work colleagues would appreciate this post more than anyone else because they witness, almost on a daily basis, my addiction to bubble tea.

What is bubble tea? Wikipedia defines bubble tea as “a sweetly flavored tea beverage. Drink recipes may vary, but most bubble teas contain a tea base mixed with fruit (or fruit syrup) and/or milk. Ice blended versions of the drink are also available, usually in fruit flavors.”

To this sweetly flavored tea beverage (I love that definition!) you add a choice of toppings which includes fruit jelly and pearls. Pearls would most accurately be described as little black balls of hard snot, but they are actually tapioca balls.

My bubble tea of choice is the honey milk tea with pearls. How do I love thee? Let me count the ways:

1. It’s sweet
2. It’s tasty
3. It makes me happy
4. It reminds me of a summer’s day
5. It’s an all in one beverage and snack
6. It could be used as a weapon (by shooting the pearls out the straw)

Happy 2010/2011

Happy (belated) new financial year!!! I get really excited around this time of year (probably not as excited as David Koch would be but more excited than the average person!!). Why this madness? Well, why not, there’s a lot to be excited about. There’s the end of financial year sales (hello Myer), tax cuts (thanks K Rudd), and it’s a time to make new financial year resolutions. What are my resolutions? To continue saving for our overseas adventures. We are off to Germany, Poland and France in October this year. We would also like to go to Norway and Denmark in the next couple of years so we will have to save our pennies for that.

I wish you all the best for the next 6 months and beyond!

Best of the Markets

As you all know, Wednesday is my favourite day because it's market day in Brisbane city. This recipe shows off the best produce from the Jan Power's Farmers' Markets. The salmon (beautiful Atlantic Salmon from Tasmania) is from the Princess Charlotte Seafoods,the tomatoes are from Classical Tomatoes*, and the herbs are from Zesty Herbs.

Salmon with tomato and lime salsa

Ingredients (serves 2)
1 long red chilli, seeds removed, finely chopped
2 tsp caster sugar
1 tbs lime juice, plus lime wedges to serve
2 tsp fish sauce
1 tsp sesame oil
1 bunch coriander leaves
½ bunch mint leaves
1 punnet grape tomatoes, halved
2 spring onions or ½ small red onion, thinly sliced
2 fillets salmon or ocean trout fillets
2 tbs olive oil

Method
1. Preheat the grill to a medium/high heat
2. Place the chilli, sugar, lime juice, fish sauce and sesame oil in a bowl and stir until the sugar has dissolved.
3. Tear the herbs in a separate bowl and add the tomatoes and onion.
4. Season the salmon fillets with salt and black pepper, then set aside.
5. Heat the olive oil in a non-stick ovenproof frypan over medium-high heat. Add the salmon and cook for 2 minutes on each side. Transfer the salmon to the grill and cook, skin side up until crispy and the salmon is cooked to your liking.
6. Just before serving, toss the dressing with the tomato mixture.
7. Place the salmon on a plate and top with the salsa. Serve with lime wedges.
8. You could serve this with steamed jasmine rice as well.

* Classical Tomatoes: these are the greatest tomatoes I have EVER tasted. The tomatoes are grown on a farm which are organic, poison free, they are pollinated by native bees, and they are grown to classical music.

Asian style chicken and corn soup

It is definitely getting colder so we’re all in need of some warming comfort food. This recipe is a nice twist on the old favourite, chicken and corn soup. The fresh coriander and chilli really freshens up the soup! I guarantee this will keep the winter blues away.

Ingredients
1 tablespoon olive oil
400g chicken thigh fillets, chopped
1 brown onion, thinly sliced
2 large cloves of garlic, crushed
4cm piece of ginger, grated finely
1 litre of good quality chicken stock
420g can creamed corn
310g canned corn kernels. drained
A dash of fish sauce
1 long red chilli, thinly sliced (and deseeded if you prefer)
½ bunch fresh coriander, chopped

Method
1. In a hot deep pan, heat olive oil and add onion. Cook until onion is translucent (do not allow to colour) and add chicken. Cook chicken until sealed all over.
2. Add garlic and ginger to the chicken and cook for 1 to 2 minutes. Again, do not allow garlic and ginger to brown (this changes the flavour of the garlic and ginger and may cause them to go bitter).
3. Add the stock, creamed corn, corn kernels and the dash of fish sauce. Bring to the boil, reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes until the chicken has cooked.
4. Divide soup amongst 4 bowls. Garnish with the coriander and chilli.

Bundy, steak and Belgian delights

My apologies for the hiatus, I’ve been too busy going out and around, in and around! This means that I now have plenty to write about in this blog post.

Last weekend Mark, Colin and I made the trek up to Bundaberg to take advantage of the long weekend and to see the family.

On the way to Bundy, we stopped at Laurel Tree Cottage coffee shop in Childers for a much needed coffee and breakfast stop. Coffee and bread is obviously very rare in Childers as the price of coffee and toast was astronomical! We paid $4.50 for a small (very average) coffee, and $4.50 for 2 pieces of thin toast with vegemite. Definitely by-pass this place if you ever venture for a Bundy or beyond adventure.

We stayed at one of the very few pet friendly accommodation options in Bundy, Absolute Ocean Front Caravan Park at Bargara. As the name suggests, the park is absolute ocean front. Our cabin was right next to the water, if we were any closer, we would have been in the ocean! The cabin was basic but contained everything you need for a weekend away. I highly recommend it. Address is 117 Woongarra Scenic Drive, Bargara.

Unfortunately I didn’t experience any gastronomical delights in Bundy this time but can I just add that I enjoyed 2 local delicacies – a rooster roll from Red Rooster and a fruit flan from the Cheesecake Shop. I will not comment any further...

On Wednesday night, I had dinner at the Regatta Boatshed and can I just say that its steaks definitely give the Breakkie Creek Hotel and the Norman Hotel a run for their money. I ordered the 300g eye fillet. A tasty bit of meat from the Angus, Hereford cross from the southern darling downs farming group. The lucky cow was pasture fed for 30 months and 100 day grain fed before it ended up on my plate. I have not had a steak that tender in a long, long time; it just melted in my mouth. The Regatta Boatshed is located at 543 Coronation Drive, Toowong.

Now what would a post be without some reference to French food. Tomorrow Mark and I are off to the Belgian Beer Café (Ok so it’s technically not French food but it is close enough). Mark and I are also celebrating our 12 month anniversary in our lovely townhouse. We will be cracking a open a bottle of Moet (very French) to celebrate. More on all that next week…

Lets get ethical, ethical. I wanna get ethical…

Ok, it’s soap box time (geez, I’ve blogging for 1 whole month and this is my very first rant!). Shopping for ingredients is obviously an important part of cooking however, how socially responsible is your shopping trolley?

So what does it mean to be an ethical consumer? It means buying products that are cruelty free, socially responsible (eg they support fair trade) and are environmentally sustainable.

It may seem a little overwhelming at first but the best place to start to think of an issue that is important to you and then start from there. For example, an issue close to my heart is animal cruelty. I therefore buy products which are cruelty free, especially chicken products. I buy only eggs that are certified free range and RSPCA approved. Yes, these products are little more expensive but the products are of a higher quality AND you know the animals haven’t suffered for our benefit. I have even convinced my nephew Kallum to buy free range eggs!! I also buy cosmetics that are against animal cruelty too.

Now, I am not saying that I am perfect however, I have taken a pledge to make a genuine effort to buy ethical products. I hope you will take the pledge too. To find out which products you should be buying, check out: http://www.ethical.org.au/

Baked Mini Cheesecakes

Cheesecakes are perfect for morning teas or to serve as a dessert. I always make these for work bake sales and they are always popular. As with everything I make, they are super easy. The secret to making a great cheesecake is to use full fat cream cheese and sour cream – none of that fat free crap. I know, I know, it’s not great for those on a diet but these are meant to be eaten in moderation so don’t stress.

Ingredients

Crust
150g sweet biscuits
70g butter, melted

Filling
500g cream cheese, softened
110g castor sugar
2 large eggs
2 tablespoons lemon zest

Topping
220g apricot jam
1 teaspoon of brandy or brandy essence

Method
1. Preheat oven to 180°C (or 160°C for fan forced ovens)
2. Line a 12 hold muffin pan with patty cases.
3. Crush biscuits until they resemble breadcrumbs (a food processor is awesome at doing this!). Add the melted butter and mix until combined. Divide the mixture between the patty cases, firmly press mixture down with the back of a spoon, and refrigerate.
4. To make the filling, mix the cream cheese and castor sugar until smooth and sugar has dissolved.
5. Add eggs one at a time and mix until smooth.
7. Add the lemon zest and mix until combined.
8. Divide the cheese mixture evenly amongest the patty cases. Spoon the cheese filling over the biscuit crust.
9. Bake cheesecakes for 20 minutes or until set. To prevent cheesecakes splitting, allow to cool in the pan.
10. To make the topping, melt apricot jam in a small saucepan over a medium heat. Add the brandy and mix until combined. Divide mixture among cooled cheesecakes. Spread topping over cheesecakes with the back of a spoon until smooth. Refrigerate until set (approx 1 hour).

Enjoy!

Cheap Eats

I may try and sound all fancy schmancy by eating out at nice restaurants, and cooking decadent food but everyone who knows me knows that I am a Torana short of being a bogan. The bogan inside me often likes to venture out so here’s a selection of my favourite cheap eats:

Brisbane City
AJ Vietnamese Noodle House. Great, cheap Vietnamese food. I recommend the spring rolls, pork and prawn rolls, and any of the noodle salads, and the won ton soup. Location 70 Charlotte Street, Brisbane.

Auchenflower
My Thai. I love this place and would have to be one of my favourite Brisbane restaurants. The food is to die for! I recommend the spring rolls and thai fish cakes for entree. For mains I recommend the Thai Green Curry, Massaman Beef, Pad Thai and the Thai Beef Basil stir fry. For dessert, you can't go past the black sticky rice. They also hold cooking classess which I highly recommend (I've been to 2). Location 115 Haig Road, Auchenflower.

Corinda (it’s my home suburb so I’m a little Corinda biased)
Lucky Corner Chinese Restaurant: good reliable chinese foods. Awesome steamed dim sims. I love the chicken cashew and the chicken chow mein. Location Shop 1/660 Oxley Road, Corinda.
Singh’s Indian Restaurant: this is a family run restaurant so the staff are really welcoming and friendly (they even come out and say hello to Colin when we pick up our take away). I recommend the Palak chicken, and the butter chicken. I love the Location 5/670 Oxley Road, Corinda.

Oxley
Pellegrini Italian Restaurant: this recommendation is actually courtesy of my mates Tan and Dan who only recently told us about this place. We tested it for the first time last Friday night and we weren’t disappointed. The pasta is so tasty. Mark had the lasagne and I had the Penne Arabiata which was beautiful. Really authentic Italian food. Location Shop 4, 113 Station Road, Oxley.

Taringa
Dos Amigos: tasty mexican food! Again my mates Tan and Dan told us about this place. Great tacos and enchiladas and cheap Coronas! Location 185 Moggill Road, Taringa, QLD 4068.

Clayfield
Sultans Kitchen: when Mark and I lived at Teneriffe, Sultans Kitchen was a favourite. They have the greatest Chicken Tikka Masala EVER and I still day dream about the meat samosas. Oh Sultan man, will you move to Corinda for me? Location: 689 Sandgate Road, Clayfield.

Oui, Oui, it is good

As the name suggests, “C’est Bon” is good! Very good in fact. The Thomas clan ventured there on Saturday night to celebrate my mother in law’s birthday. It was my 4th visit to the restaurant (I’ve also been to the Port Melbourne C’est Bon) and I wasn’t let down. The menu features classic French dishes, and the décor is typical of a Parisienne bistro (ie white linen table clothes and small yet cosy rooms). For entrée I had the salade de canard confit. The confit duck was so tender and flavoursome, and the mango and ginger vinaigrette complimented the dish beautifully. For the main, I had the carre d’agneau which was tasty and the lamb was cooked perfectly however, the serving size was really small. The restaurant usually has very generous portions so I was a little disappointed at the size of the rack of lamb. The small main did mean I had plenty of room for dessert and this time I ordered the tarte tatin which was delicious. The menu is reasonably priced, and the service is very efficient. C’est Bon is located at 609 Stanley Street, Woolloongabba, QLD.

Welcome to the Church of the Holy Cabbage. Lettuce pray

I know, I know, the subject line is completely random but I thought it was funny. It also reminds me of salads which reminded me that I should post my favourite salad recipe of ALL time. Mark loves it too so it features on our dinner plates at least once or twice a week during summer. It’s a bean salad and it goes perfectly with BBQ’ed meat of any description.

Ingredients
2 x 400g tins of cannellini beans
1 small red onion, finely diced
4 ripe tomatoes, seeds removed and diced
Handful of chopped parsley
Handful of chopped basil
100ml extra virgin olive oil
50ml red wine vinegar
1 glove of garlic, minced

Method
1. Drain cannellini beans and rinse well. Add to a salad bowl.
2. To the bowl, add the onion, tomatoes and herbs.
3. To make the dressing, mix the oil, vinegar and garlic together.
4. Add to the salad and mix well.

It’s as easy as that!

Pukka Dukkah Eggs

Breakfast is the most important meal of the day and what better way to start your day than with delicious dukkah eggs with spinach and Persian feta. I stole, I mean, this recipe was inspired by a little Deli on Brunswick Street in Fitzroy, Melbourne (for the life of me, I can’t remember its name). Anyhoo, try it this weekend. The dukka and fetta take boring old scrambled eggs to a whole new level! This recipe serves 2.

Ingredients
4 to 6 eggs (depends how hungry you are)
A dash of milk
½ tablespoon of butter
½ tablespoon of olive oil
4 tablespoons of dukkah
2 handfuls of spinach
100g Persian Fetta
Salt and pepper to season

Method
1. Scramble eggs in a large bowl. Add the milk and mix to combine. Add spinach, 1 tablespoon of dukkah, and half of the feta and mix to combine.
2. Add oil and butter to a hot frying pan. Add the egg mixture, and stir frequently until eggs have cooked to your liking.
3. Divide the eggs onto 2 plates. Sprinkle remaining dukka and feta onto the eggs. Season with salt and pepper.
4. Serve with multigrain toast or a nice sough dough.
5. You can adjust the amount of dukkah or feta to suit your tastes.

What would you do?

Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you would have heard the news about Jessica Watson’s arrival back in Oz after sailing around the world for 7 months. Because I tie everything back to food, I thought what would her first meal be after spending 7 months eating packaged and dehydrated food?! More importantly, what would I eat if I was in her position? I think I would have to order a big, juicy steak. It would have to be a flavoursome cut like rump or sirloin. I’d have beer battered chips on the side with a big garden salad to go with it. mmmmmm. Similarly, what would I eat for my last meal ever (i.e. someone told me that I was going to die tomorrow)? Now this is an important decision and not to be taken lightly (carking it is a big occasion!). I think I would have to have seafood. For entrée, I’d have seared scallops with a bacon and nice cauliflower puree (I had this once at Ecco in Brisbane). Mains would consist of a nice curry, perhaps a King Prawn Green Curry from My Thai (in Auchenflower, my favourite Thai restaurant). For dessert, I’d have to have something with berries and chocolate; perhaps a dark chocolate tart with fresh berries on top. I am starving now after all that day dreaming…

Eating humble pie in Lowood

This blog serves 2 main purposes, (1) to post my cooking experiences and favourite recipes, and (2) provide reviews of restaurants where I’ve eaten. (There is a side purpose too – to share my random thoughts and cute pics of Colin).

I consider myself to be a bit of a foodie, because I like eating out at different places however, when my friend Serena invited me out to have a seafood platter at the Club Hotel, Lowood, I didn’t exactly have high expectations (to be honest, I thought if I manage to avoid food poisoning, I’m doing well). But can I say that I am now eating humble pie because the food was really good. I didn’t have the seafood platter (Serena did and it looked pretty good), I had a 200g rib fillet steak with chips and salad. I ordered a medium rare steak and guess what, they cooked it medium rare. The chips were battered and really tasty and the salad was fresh. The service was friendly and efficient. What more could you ask plus, the steak was $17 – I’d pay at least $25 for the same meal in Brisbane. Plus, you could help yourself to free tea and coffee! Looks like there may be a few more road trips to Lowood!

Duck A L’Orange with Spiced Red Cabbage

French food is one of my favourite cuisines. Be it tasty pastries or beautifully cooked duck. One of my greatest “foodie” experiences was enjoying a salad of confit duck at A La Biche Au Bois, a classic French bistro in Paris. Another is the fabulous Duck A L’Orange which would have to be the signature dish at local Brissie restaurant, C’est Bon.

This version of Duck A L’Orange is pretty close to the C’est Bon classic (although, even I have to admit that nothing can top Michael Bonnet’s creation!). The best thing about this recipe is you don’t have to venture out to enjoy it; you can easily make it at home!

Ingredients

4 duck breasts, skin on
1 teaspoon Chinese Five Spice

Spiced Cabbage
½ red cabbage, thinly sliced
60ml water
2 tablespoons caster sugar
5cm piece of orange rind
2 bay leaves
¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
1 teaspoon yellow mustard seeds
Salt and pepper, to season

Orange Sauce
375ml fresh orange juice
375ml chicken stock
1 whole cinnamon quill
1 star anise
2 cloves garlic, crushed
2 tablespoons honey
2 tablespoons Grand Marnier (plus a little extra for the cook!)
100g butter, chopped

Caramelised Orange Segments
2 naval oranges, segmented
1 tablespoon caster sugar

Method
1. Place cabbage, spices, water, vinegar, sugar and orange rind in a saucepan. Over medium heat, cook cabbage until tender, stirring occasionally. Cover, set aside and keep warm.

2. Add orange sauce ingredients to a saucepan and gently boil until liquid has reduced by half.

3. Whisk in butter pieces.

4. Preheat oven to 200°C.

5. Score duck fat with a sharp knife. Sprinkle duck with the chinese five spice. Heat a heavy based frying pan over a high heat. Cook duck breasts, skin side down, until golden brown and skin starts to turn crispy. Turn over and cook for a further minute, or until meat is browned and sealed. Now cook duck in the oven for 5 to 10 minutes until medium rare (cooking time will depend on size of duck breasts). Stand, covered, and rest for 10 minutes.

6. To make the caramelised orange segments, drain duck fat from frying pan. Add orange slices and sprinkle with caster sugar. Cook over a medium heat until oranges caramelise.

7. To serve, spoon cabbage onto 4 plates. Top with duck (which has been thickly sliced), and then spoon over sauce. Garnish with the caramelised orange segments.

Bon Appétit!

Winter has arrived!

The temperature has definitely dropped. Even little Colin is feeling the cold. We had to buy him a jacket to help keep him warm!! He loves the jacket and struts around when he is wearing it. Just one of the joys of being a pampered pooch.

Olé Miro's

Last Friday night, Mark and I ventured over to our old neck of the woods, Teneriffe, to pay a visit to our favourite Brisbane restaurant, Miros. When we lived at Teneriffe, we would go there about once a month (Mark would have been there weekly if he had his own way!) Miro’s is a relaxed, unpretentious, casual restaurant and it serves authentic Spanish food from the Catalan region. As the name suggests, Joan Miro prints adjourn the walls which give a nice vibrancy to the walls. I’ve been to Spain twice (it’s my favourite county to visit) and I reckon Miros serves the most authentic Spanish food in the whole of Brisbane! I recommend you try the following tapas: patatas bravas (spicy potatoes), jamon serrano on crusty bread, albondigas (meatballs), and sepia a la plancha (grilled squid). For mains, you can’t go past the steak and lamb shanks. They also have a great range of Spanish beers, wines and of course, you can’t go past the sangria! Miro’s can be found at 154 Merthyr Rd, New Farm QLD.

Curry in a Hurry

BUTTER CHICKEN

Butter chicken is one of my all time favourite Indian curries however, making it at home is never the same as buying it from your local Indian restaurant. I was reminded to start looking for a recipe after my sister-in-law, Taryn, organised a curry night. Taryn made a beautiful butter chicken. I also found this one on the internet and I’ve modified it a bit to suit my tastes (I’m selfish like that!). This is the best butter chicken recipe I have ever made! Big call but I am prepared to put it out there. Try it and let me know what you think. It’s super easy too so it’s perfect for a mid-week dinner.

Ingredients
150ml natural yoghurt
50g almond meal
1.5 teaspoons chilli powder (this is for a medium curry. Add less for a mild and more for a hot curry…fancy that!)
2 bay leaves
3 cloves
¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 tsp garam masala
4 green cardamom pods
5 cm ginger, finely grated
3 large garlic cloves, crushed
400g tin crushed tomatoes
1 ¼ teaspoons salt
1kg chicken, diced into 3cm pieces
75g butter
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 medium onions, sliced
2 tablespoons fresh coriander
4 tablespoons thickened cream

Method
1. Ground bay leaves, cloves in a mortar and pestle until fine.
2. Place the yoghurt, almond meal, spices, ginger, garlic, tomatoes and salt in a mixing bowl and mix together.
3. Add chicken to yoghurt blend. Mix until all the chicken is coated. Set aside.
4. Melt butter and oil in a large frying pan over medium to high heat. Add onions and fry for 3 minutes or until onion starts to brown.
5. Reduce heat and add chicken and yoghurt mixture. Cook mixture until the chicken has cooked through (approx 10 mins). Stir occasionally.
6. Stir in coriander and cream. Bring to the boil and then remove from heat. It’s now ready to serve.
7. Garnish with more chopped coriander.

Six little ducks went out one day....

It's market day again and this week I bought some beautiful duck breasts from Dakota Vale Farm. It's the same stockists where I bought the duck marylands for the duck ragout.

This weekend I am going to attempt the french classic, Duck A L'Oranage. I'll keep you posted...

MOLTEN CHOCOLATE BABYCAKES

This is my all time favourite dessert to serve when you have friends over for dinner. Not only is it super tasty, but you can make the batter a few hours ahead of time so all that’s left is popping it in the oven before serving. It’s a Nigella recipe taken from her “How to be Domestic Goddess” cookbook (one of my all time favourite cookbooks). My old boss, Vanessa, actually gave me the heads up about this recipe and told me how good it is. I serve it with vanilla ice cream and berries but you could also serve it with double cream, crème fraîche or mascarpone. The best thing about this recipe is that people are super impressed but it's so easy!! Thank you Nigella!

INGREDIENTS
50g soft unsalted butter, plus more for greasing
350g best dark chocolate (at least 70% cocoa is best)
150g caster sugar
4 large eggs, beaten with a pinch of salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
50g plain or Italian 00 flour

METHOD
1. Unless you are making these up in advance, preheat the oven to 200ºC/gas mark 6,putting in a baking sheet at the same time. Lay 3 of the moulds on a sheet of doubled baking parchment. Draw round them, remove, and then cut out the discs as marked. Press them all into the base of the tins.
2. Melt the chocolate and let it cool slightly. Cream together the butter and sugar, and gradually beat in the eggs and salt, then the vanilla. Now add the flour, and when all is smoothly combined scrape in the cooled chocolate, blending it to a smooth batter.
3. Divide the batter between the 6 moulds, quickly whip the baking sheet out of the oven, arrange the little tins on it and replace in the oven. Cook for 10–12 minutes (the extra 2 minutes will be needed if the puddings are fridge-cold when you start) and as soon as you take them out of the oven, tip out these luscious babycakes onto small plates or shallow bowls.

Enjoy!

French Ovens and Duck Ragout

The whole point of this blog is to share with you my favourite recipes and cooking untensils. last week, I wrote about my beloved kitchen aid. this week, I would like to feature my other beloved utensil, my Le Creuset. Now it is coming into the cooler months, it is perfect for cooking our favourite warming comfort foods. Here is a great recipe to cook in I served it at a dinner party recently and it was a bit of a hit! I actually got the recipe from My Kitchen Rules however, I have varied it slightly to suit my tastes.

Duck Ragout (serves 6)

Ingredients
6 duck marylands
1.5 cups dry red wine (shiraz, merlot, cab sav etc)
3 medium carrots, chopped
3 sticks of celery, chopped
1 large brown onion, sliced
5 sprigs of thyme
2 bay leaves
4 cloves garlic, crushed
Salt and pepper
2 tablespoons of tomato paste
1.5 litre chicken stock

Method
1. In a large bowl, place duck, wine, vegetables, herbs and garlic. Season with salt and pepper. Cover and leave to marinade for at least 1 hour.
2. Drain duck and vegetables. Set marinade aside.
3. In large heavy based casserole dish (a French oven is ideal), cook duck (best to do it in batches) until brown and sealed all over. Remove duck.
4. Add vegetables and cook until lightly browned. Return duck together with tomato paste, stock, and the red wine marinade. Bring to the boil, reduce heat, and simmer, covered, for approximately 2.5 hours until the duck is tender.
5. Remove the duck, thyme stalks and the bay leaves. Simmer sauce, uncovered until reduce down to desired thickness.
6. Remove flesh from the duck and return to pan.

Cooking notes:
1. Serve with Papperdelle pasta and garnish with shaved parmesan and parsley.
2. I sourced the duck marylands from the Jan Power’s Farmers Markets. You could also ask your butcher.
3. Duck is very fatty which can be a bit overwhelming for some people. After browning the duck (step 3 of method), you could remove the skin before cooking it for 2/3 hours. Also, because the duck is so fatty, you don’t need oil when browning the duck.
4. You could substitute the duck for lamb shanks.

Today is my Friday!!

Yes, that's right, today is my Friday! How? Well, I had to work the Labour Day public holiday (how ironic) and Friday is my day in lieu. What frivolities do I have planned? I am going to disappoint and say not much other than to relax! The working week is always so hectic that I am going to take advantage of not having to get out bed at the crack of dawn.

Market Day is happy day!

One of the best things about working in Brisbane City is the Jan Power’s Farmers Markets held every Wednesday. I work really close to them so it’s super convenient for me. In fact, if I worked any closer, I’d be working in the markets! The thing that excites me the most about them is that the whole fresh food market is so European. Fresh food markets are everywhere over there and it is something that we lack in Australia so it’s great to see more and more fresh food markets starting up. I buy my weekly fruit and veg from there but it’s also a great place to pick up beautiful bread, fresh flowers and lovely freshly ground spice mixes. There is also a great stand that sells beautiful organic ducks and chicken. I made a tasty duck ragout using the Marylands which I bought there (I’ll have to post the recipe!).

Cooking Utensils

Hello (again). One of my main hopes for this blog is to share with you one of my passions...cooking! To kick start this, I thought I would share with you one of my favourite cooking untensils - my Kitchen Aid!! To say I am obsessed with it would be an understatement. Mark bought it for me for my birthday 2 years ago. I use it for everything from making pasta dough to beating egg whites. It makes cooking a dream! The cool thing about it is you can buy attachments for it. I have the mincer and sausage stuffer to make yummy home made sausages. I am currently eyeing off the pasta making attachment and the ice cream maker.

Why blog?

Following on from yesterday's post where I posed the question, "why create a blog?"... Last night I was watching Rick Stein's Far Easter Odyssey and Rick was talking about why travel writers write, and why journalists travel the world recording their experiences. He said it's because it's therapeutic and a way to escape the realities of life. I thought that applies perfectly to why I feel the need to create this blog. It's like a diary (albeit a very public diary!).

This is little Colin. He's 7 months old, and is very cheeky. I think Mark and I spoil him too much as he has a lot of toys and he sleeps in our bed. I know that's a big no, no but he's just so cute. He hasn't always slept in our bed, it's just a recent thing. We went to Melbourne over Easter and Colin stayed at a local pet motel. I was so distraught about leaving him that I vowed that I would never let him suffer again! Well, never let me suffer again as I think Colin had a "hound" of time at the pet motel.

Welcome

Greetings
This is my very first blog!! Wahoo!
Why have I decided to join the internet revolution and create a blog? Why not I say!
A blog seems to be more my style. I don't really use Facebook (too many features and applications to distract me), and I have never used Twitter (I don't get it!). A blog seemed like the only thing left that I could bore you all with the trivial things that fill my life.
Speaking about my life, here is a glimpse about me:
I live in Brisbane with my husband, Mark and our little Dachshund, Colin. We bought a townhouse in the suburbs last year. It's a nice little family that I have.
Mark and I both love to travel and have had 3 big trips to Europe. We're actually going to Europe again this year (more about that later).
I am a qualified solicitor however, I gave working for a law firm the boot 2 years ago. I now work for a large insurance company in liability claims. Having a career is very important to me and I think I'm doing pretty well so far.
I love to cook. Actually cooking is my release and down time. I also LOVE to eat (probably more so than cooking). That's another thing Mark and I love to do - eat out and try as many different places as possible.
To counter my eating, I also like to keep fit. Health is really important to me and I started to see a chinese herbalist last year. It completely changed my life (I'll post more stuff about that too).
We'll, that's a pretty good effort for a first time blogger.
Until next time....