tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-141795972024-03-15T05:19:43.697+11:00my favourite plummeandering, markets, Melbourne, too many cookbooks, food writers, food blogs, way too much chocolate and a handful of recipesplumhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12231730107670022320noreply@blogger.comBlogger157125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14179597.post-46796391955303842012008-01-10T09:35:00.000+11:002008-01-10T10:02:59.095+11:00Merry Little Christmas Redcurrant and Sultana Chocolate Clumps<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5qXaRorPfsohYxe-oGdiff5bQMA1cRbxGlCVkBkFFpZjZQsI6APRGOhhbsf13CVpSunJULcUJJoPnB52P-pxHYsoJlJiR6X9U3vKwXxmYQRzkvkezSugIY0HK28rUS0VPzuP1ug/s1600-h/currantone.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5qXaRorPfsohYxe-oGdiff5bQMA1cRbxGlCVkBkFFpZjZQsI6APRGOhhbsf13CVpSunJULcUJJoPnB52P-pxHYsoJlJiR6X9U3vKwXxmYQRzkvkezSugIY0HK28rUS0VPzuP1ug/s400/currantone.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5153610339990936802" border="0" /></a><br />Hope you had yourself a merry little Christmas. For once, there wasn't a <a href="http://myfavouriteplum.blogspot.com/2005/12/christmas-eve.html">middle of the night</a> <a href="http://myfavouriteplum.blogspot.com/2006/12/christmas-eve-2006.html">Christmas Eve</a> post here. <span style="font-weight: bold;">These are usually written after I've been up so late that it doesn't really matter if I spend another half hour on the computer after the wrapping of 70 rice paper rolls and 20 presents</span>. And I've been so busy that I thought this post might slip away too.<br /><br />But you see<span style="font-style: italic;">, these photos are from last Christmas</span>. I made these chocolate clumps with fresh redcurrants a year ago and kept meaning to post them. But time went by as it does and they were so summery that I couldn't pop them up in winter. And I consoled myself by resolving to write about them this time. So even though the Christmas tree has been sawn up and put in the green waste bin a good week ago, I'm going to tell you about these now. (Our Christmas tree did not last particularly well, possibly as a result of <span style="font-style: italic;">being carried through the suburb on Figman's back</span>. For kilometres, in 32C heat. We have a car, excellently fitted out for such things. But apparently, the needles on the upholstery make it worthwhile turning oneself into a packhorse and astounding our entire neighbourhood and assorted passerbys. Ahem.)<br /><br />F was moaning about currants and how he wanted some fresh ones. So I scuttled through the packets and bought the nicest ones I could find at the local markets. Only to produce them and hear "Oh, I didn't mean <span style="font-style: italic;">those</span> kind of currants". Oh indeed.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMT3ppAbMSjq_L92wyJF6_F21BDVpnGPAGpQ6v1DEWd1-SZwglM8wrHFyMf_AZ9hmqoYB2GdZZ9TzXnYDjsrzt1VDQ41ag9quyQGibzkmYj9tN6jaW4yV7cDj6w0W3Hz_8JcZnoQ/s1600-h/currantthree.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMT3ppAbMSjq_L92wyJF6_F21BDVpnGPAGpQ6v1DEWd1-SZwglM8wrHFyMf_AZ9hmqoYB2GdZZ9TzXnYDjsrzt1VDQ41ag9quyQGibzkmYj9tN6jaW4yV7cDj6w0W3Hz_8JcZnoQ/s400/currantthree.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5153609880429436114" border="0" /></a><br />These are quite tart and not to my taste for adding to yoghurt. So they sat in the fridge, expensively declining. Until I had a mad craving for chocolate coated sultanas and made my own. The sultanas were beautiful organic ones from Mildura (I think?) and the chocolate came from my usual stash in the cupboard. A quick melt and mix and they were ready to be dropped on a tray for setting.<br /><br />But they were so sweet. Almost overpoweringly sweet to me, who likes her chocolate on the less sugary side. And it came to me - add the currants. It was brilliance, the little beads burst as I bit into the clump, adding a sour hit to this every day confection. A touch of ground black pepper works wonders too.<br /><br />I topped each one off with a redcurrant for looks alone, and hence, I think they are quite the Christmas treat. Texturally the fresh currants and dried sultanas contrast well under the chocolate coating, but I can't vouch for how it ages, they didn't last long here.<br /><br />So Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year and here's hoping I post again before Easter. (I have too many ice cream posts to wait until next year!)plumhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12231730107670022320noreply@blogger.com32tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14179597.post-27427740230817656942007-12-06T16:32:00.000+11:002007-12-06T16:45:19.384+11:00In Which I Eat Some More Caramel Icecream<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1yZaAGjykJnHx-Xe47GozsErFK3vKyg-9BCNLPhCDHjhYvInSZXMKBq-Fd78ytSg-QXW27DmVExN9jEKD_Ul-1mJ_60vobmhSOLkfJczdL7HDP4XHDT7uPQPQaco9t6P7SKa_EQ/s1600-h/IMG_0824.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1yZaAGjykJnHx-Xe47GozsErFK3vKyg-9BCNLPhCDHjhYvInSZXMKBq-Fd78ytSg-QXW27DmVExN9jEKD_Ul-1mJ_60vobmhSOLkfJczdL7HDP4XHDT7uPQPQaco9t6P7SKa_EQ/s400/IMG_0824.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5140731757791039842" border="0" /></a><br /><br />I read about someone visiting the <a href="http://www.maggiebeer.com.au/farmshop/">Maggie Beer farmshop</a> recently and writhed with jealousy when she mentioned tasting the Burnt Fig Jam Honeycomb and Caramel Icecream. I've bought plenty of Maggie's fruit pastes and verjuice, but presumed the icecream was only being sold in South Australia.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPeae1IUZ5QvVGgFKHAWgY6HOHhS7lei4IIy06F2qg2eePLRpybrQX8hNT_j_XJUlhAY3RnniuBNUZfy_H17ARm5myIZaZQGe_ds12qQzcyAqxp5YgwZXhs7U7p1YIQlDbemRHZA/s1600-h/IMG_0838.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPeae1IUZ5QvVGgFKHAWgY6HOHhS7lei4IIy06F2qg2eePLRpybrQX8hNT_j_XJUlhAY3RnniuBNUZfy_H17ARm5myIZaZQGe_ds12qQzcyAqxp5YgwZXhs7U7p1YIQlDbemRHZA/s400/IMG_0838.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5140731504387969362" border="0" /></a><br />How wrong I was. It is on the shelves at Leo's, in upmarket delis, it can now be yours too! But only in small, small doses. This is not a mild, light ice dessert to gulp on a warm summer day. This is a full on, heavy, silky and rich cream confection, to be treasured in teaspoons. I love icecream, but after a couple of (dessert) spoonfuls, I had had enough. With no temptation to go back to the freezer for another scoop.<br /><br />I think this would be fabulous with poached pears and makes a great dessert for a dinner where you require "oomph" without effort.plumhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12231730107670022320noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14179597.post-56124668249214616492007-11-25T15:52:00.000+11:002007-11-25T15:55:18.138+11:00The Day After Election 2007I don't know what <a href="http://www.theage.com.au/news/federal-election-2007-news/rudd-romps-to-historic-win/2007/11/24/1195753377761.html?page=fullpage#contentSwap1">Kevin Rudd</a> is up to this morning, but we went out for pancakes. With a smirk.plumhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12231730107670022320noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14179597.post-75198952603184441822007-10-03T09:32:00.000+10:002007-11-12T10:43:40.232+11:00All Things Caramel<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHGrlgrXADcZcpd6Bhr36Y6SPeic-iEqFW4G_1VAwPqExf-9Y6ePec4NoXtYfkCaXxS8PuqhB8vOoisoBAx6Ezdwx9n6TEhnjEo1_uJ1ooTAZ6WlBlch-vsJ4mWAikYBBKBpPqpA/s1600-h/IMG_0505.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHGrlgrXADcZcpd6Bhr36Y6SPeic-iEqFW4G_1VAwPqExf-9Y6ePec4NoXtYfkCaXxS8PuqhB8vOoisoBAx6Ezdwx9n6TEhnjEo1_uJ1ooTAZ6WlBlch-vsJ4mWAikYBBKBpPqpA/s400/IMG_0505.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5131706872642101602" border="0" /></a><br />How did two whole months manage to go by without a post? Things are busy around here for sure! But not too busy for some new tastes. Reading blogs from around the world sets off cravings for unknown foods that sound delicious and that I <span style="font-weight: bold;">just know I'll love</span> if I try.<br /><br />When I first read <a href="http://chocolateandzucchini.com/archives/2005/10/caneles.php">Clothilde's</a> description of caneles, I thought "That's exactly my kind of thing". To quote the Little One, "I mmeeeeed it, Mummy". Let's just say I went as far as contemplating buying a <a href="http://mahnparis.blogspot.com/2005/06/wish-you-could-taste-these.html">fancy set of copper canele moulds</a> <a href="http://winosandfoodies.typepad.com/my_weblog/2005/12/wawhhh_i_need_h.html">a la Barbara</a>. Thank goodness I didn't though. Driving through Hampton the other day, I stopped off at the Phillipa's branch there and lo and behold, they featured a little plate of caneles. I bought a couple, excitedly, and couldn't wait to try them. Let's just say that after all, it wasn't my thing <span style="font-style: italic;">at all</span>. And I can't even blame Phillipa's, because they looked exactly as I've seen them and the texture and flavour seemed right, it just wasn't for me. Aaack!<br /><br />I've also had a minor internet obsession with <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2006/12/24/magazine/24food.t.html?_r=2&oref=slogin&oref=slogin">Dulce de Leche</a>. As with many things, this can be squarely blamed on <a href="http://www.davidlebovitz.com/archives/2005/11/dulce_de_lechec.html">David Lebovitz</a>. I've been meaning to make it with this method for ages, but haven't gotten around to it. And when I saw that it was featured on <a href="http://www.kokoblack.com/">Koko Black's menu </a>as the <a href="http://www.kokoblack.com/newsAndEvents/spring07.pdf">new flavour of the season</a>, I immediately took one home. (Well more than one, as you can see). These are a little banged up, as they were simply popped in a paper bag, rather than the <a href="http://myfavouriteplum.blogspot.com/2005/11/divided-loyalties.html">more elegant</a> box. And again, I was disappointed. I mean, it was fine, there was nothing wrong with it, but it was quite light and liquid, not the rich and thick caramel I'd been imagining.<br /><br />So I'd pretty much decided I needed to stop having pointless internet obsessions with foodstuffs, when we went for a family outing in St Kilda. <a href="http://www.vegout.asn.au/home.html">Veg Out</a>, the community garden, was holding its annual open day and we went along for some excellent organic lamb hot dogs and woodfired pizza. The gardens are absolutely charming - they have a quirkiness and appeal that won me over immediately. But it was a fearfully windy day and we eventually wound up strolling down Acland Street for gelato. Into 7 Apples and the whole family loaded up. After much deliberation I selected mango and dulce de leche. The mango was underwhelming - think of that pale watery orange and mango drink - and I was muttering to myself about my idiotic flavour choices. But I got through to the next scoop and <span style="font-weight: bold;">oh my! Thick, rich, perfect, delicious!</span><br /><br />Sometimes internet crushes do pay off.plumhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12231730107670022320noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14179597.post-60133851200719930412007-08-26T16:46:00.001+10:002007-08-28T09:02:24.570+10:00Smell of Spring<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5i8J_DOs74Ogdc6HUZ0W1iUSYiS3lWiY9l_se6KvaPzVlzjsX_h3LpE9wlHr1Mdfl12Xx6g96YI4J7NrWOMOZ898VDYPH6BVTtucJ4101Hkhe2HM2a8s0i01etc2t5bDrV3wHgA/s1600-h/IMG_0022.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5i8J_DOs74Ogdc6HUZ0W1iUSYiS3lWiY9l_se6KvaPzVlzjsX_h3LpE9wlHr1Mdfl12Xx6g96YI4J7NrWOMOZ898VDYPH6BVTtucJ4101Hkhe2HM2a8s0i01etc2t5bDrV3wHgA/s400/IMG_0022.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5102897531023696978" border="0" /></a><br />Last weekend, I stepped outside and smelt spring. The sky was the same (grey and clouded), the temperature chilly and unpromising, but something smelt different. It was spring. And now a week later it seems to have arrived, along with these gorgeous magnolia blossoms.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLpQK7g4oXnENqyp-yZ6Zz35HPBZbckCjRO9RNJvJaBbtWwdHlinratcg0PQzRdFTXn988UxTCm3q5DXEuImQqicMYA6-pSeY1IH-9ksk7y7zZSKA3HhKi7lkeUe4CQ3UmYwLZag/s1600-h/IMG_0023.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLpQK7g4oXnENqyp-yZ6Zz35HPBZbckCjRO9RNJvJaBbtWwdHlinratcg0PQzRdFTXn988UxTCm3q5DXEuImQqicMYA6-pSeY1IH-9ksk7y7zZSKA3HhKi7lkeUe4CQ3UmYwLZag/s400/IMG_0023.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5103515538162885730" border="0" /></a><br />These are in the garden of the <span style="font-style: italic;">nice</span> neighbours. The other neighbours I could quite cheerfully thump, as they have started home renovations which involve loud saws going off at the click of 7.30 am. Plus demolition of their garage and roof, right next to my washing line, for the past seven days, nonstop. The dust and rubble flying everywhere has left me unable to dry any washing outdoors, even on weekends. I am less than thrilled by this, as you can imagine.<br /><br />Perhaps I need some chocolate.plumhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12231730107670022320noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14179597.post-49501808687488992132007-08-21T18:52:00.000+10:002007-08-21T20:09:56.488+10:00To Market (Again)Interesting to see <a href="http://www.theage.com.au/news/epicure/bepicureb-do-farmers-markets-deliver-what-they-promise/2007/08/20/1187462157724.html?page=fullpage#contentSwap1">this article</a> about farmer's markets in today's <a href="http://www.theage.com.au/"><span style="font-style: italic;">Age</span></a>.<br /><br />The whole family toddled along to the Boroondara one on Paterson Reserve on Saturday morning. It isn't anywhere near as attractive as <a href="http://myfavouriteplum.blogspot.com/2006/04/weekend-market-collingwood-childrens.html">Collingwood Children's Farm</a>, being simply a damp oval, surrounded by busy roads with the sound of the freeway in the background. It feels somewhat outrageous to be charged the same $2 entrance fee for this locale which decidedly lacks the charm, views and animals of the other. However many of the stallholders are the same.<br /><br />Figman enjoys these excursions, although his experience was soured this time by a table of elderly ladies passing judgment on the PB's attire. Granted, he'd left her jumper in the car, but she was warmly dressed and held to him in a Baby Bjorn. <span style="font-weight: bold;"> He spent the rest of the visit muttering about what he was going to do to the next geriatric who tut tutted him about his parenting skills.<br /><br /></span>I was busy being irritated by the number of people who let their dogs poke about the produce. <span style="font-weight: bold;">When I am mentally preparing a dish of roasted vegetables, I don't like to picture some giant Dalmation's snout next to the cauliflower</span>, as happened on Saturday. I realise that farmers have dogs and this probably happens on the farms, but I don't <span style="font-style: italic;">see</span> it, and that makes all the difference. (F would point this out as I chased cats off our vegie patch, screaming "get off" at the top of my lungs. But I am somewhat deranged while pregnant.)<br /><br />But I managed to get some lovely olive oil, apples, local hazelnuts and a range of crisp, fresh vegetables at good prices. Very sadly, the <a href="http://myfavouriteplum.blogspot.com/2006/03/hot-smoked-trout-and-wasabi-ricotta.html">Buxton trout stand </a>wasn't there, so I tried another variety. The rainbow trout looked handsome in the package, but once peeled turned out to be mushy - not firm and flaky. So it was just as well that I had in mind a recipe that didn't require optimum fish flesh.<br /><br />I'd ripped a Karen Martini recipe from the Sunday life magazine a few weeks ago and pinned it to the fridge optimistically. My slightly altered version made a lovely post-market lunch, mushy fish and all.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Smoked Trout and Spring Onion Pasta<br /><br /></span>Cook 500g of wholemeal linguine in salted boiling water. Drain and keep warm. Dice four cloves of garlic and gently fry in olive oil. Add half a teaspoon of chilli flakes. Then a splash of chardonnay vinegar and 8 diced spring onions. Gently stir in the skinned, boned and flaked fish. A squirt of lemon and toss through the linguine.<br /><br />Yum. A bowl of this and the weekend papers, and not even grumpy old women or nosy dogs can ruin a market for me.<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"></span>plumhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12231730107670022320noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14179597.post-37830049653507594822007-08-15T16:33:00.000+10:002007-08-15T17:43:28.533+10:00Astoundingly Easy Lentil Tomato Soup<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIl9vxwJKB3CxHIJsrstH97U9fU_l54sRGcACOUZhNt4K2zB-HI-n7Llj3aJ3st-qaOQcwBNEwqABriKAWsgx92qj2hJwj9LOm5q-s7n4m_IPNqDiQC8yywCBjiIQf8MluXbxL1Q/s1600-h/IMG_9797.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIl9vxwJKB3CxHIJsrstH97U9fU_l54sRGcACOUZhNt4K2zB-HI-n7Llj3aJ3st-qaOQcwBNEwqABriKAWsgx92qj2hJwj9LOm5q-s7n4m_IPNqDiQC8yywCBjiIQf8MluXbxL1Q/s400/IMG_9797.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5098828190858927234" border="0" /></a><br />You know, there are those gorgeous recipes that I bookmark from the internet. I have files full of them but I never ever get around to making them. (Heidi Swanson's <a href="http://www.101cookbooks.com/archives/000050.html">Triple Chocolate Cake with Chocolate Peppermint Filling</a> from 2003, I'm looking in your direction!) They look divine, I suspect they'll taste incredible, but the time-consuming aspect means that they might get made in about, say, ten years. While the children weed the front garden and I loll about in a hammock. Yup.<br /><br />And there are those simple recipes that you spy on someone's site and instantly think: that's what I'll make for dinner one night. Granted, it has been some time since I saw this recipe for <a href="http://viciousange.blogspot.com/2006/05/tomato-red-lentil-soup.html">Tomato and Red Lentil Soup</a> on Vicious Ange's blog, but the other evening, I was gazing into the cupboard wanting to throw something quick together and this came straight to mind.<br /><br />Because I am lazy, I skipped the red lentil stage and went for a tin of brown lentils, but I happen to think that it improved the texture, as the carrot was only cooked briefly.l It all came together so quicky in fact, that Figman looked somewhat astounded when I put the bowl in front of him and asked "Did you cook that?". He was puzzled because he hadn't seen me making it and yet here it was, in all it's heartiness.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Astoundingly Easy Lentil Tomato Soup </span>based on Vicious Ange's Tomato and Red Lentil Soup<br /><br />Dice and fry one large onion and four or five carrots in a large pot. Add curry powder to taste. (I used an organic one which has to be <span style="font-weight: bold;">the most feeble curry powder I have ever come across in my life</span>. Hence I cannot give a measurement). Drain one tin of brown lentils and stir. Add two tins of chopped tomatoes and a litre of chicken or vegetable stock. Bring to the boil and simmer for ten minutes.<br /><br />When serving, I also like to add chunks of cheddar. <span style="font-weight: bold;">There is nothing like eating a wholesome vegetarian soup and thinking how good you are being and then coming across a nugget of molten cheesy goodness.</span>plumhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12231730107670022320noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14179597.post-34910128345498255822007-07-31T14:11:00.000+10:002007-07-31T14:18:27.282+10:00Ouch!I type this with fingernails caked with blood.<br /><br />My<a href="http://myfavouriteplum.blogspot.com/2007/07/stocking-up.html"> cousin</a> has returned to help us out for a few weeks. Last night she mentioned how she had cut herself on our Furi knives and that she had to be careful with them from now on.<br /><br />Cut to today: it is lunchtime and I am quickly chopping some potatoes for boiling. I am doing this over the pot, because to get out a board and wash it afterwards would be, you know, <span style="font-style: italic;">work</span>. I am holding a potato in my left hand when I realise I have cut through two thirds of the nail on my ring finger. All the way through. I wasn't even using one of the really sharp knives.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">And the thing that really gets me? At the precise moment it happened, I was thinking to myself "</span><span style="font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;">I</span><span style="font-weight: bold;"> have never cut </span><span style="font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;">myself</span><span style="font-weight: bold;"> on these knives".</span><br /><br />Smugness and sharp knives don't mix.plumhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12231730107670022320noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14179597.post-37390789080663864402007-07-01T16:50:00.001+10:002007-07-09T11:31:16.475+10:00(My Favourite Plum) Jam<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7543-xeTPiozK6iDxSjQHUGa22ZRgKVTGxhhzB0KI8VeKHOoed8jZckCg1xr4tNVevZUWli2X1-JoBQzVq45Hv-eBDtmXzuoSBt6a0zofNpfeF3jGHn1N4yfRw1dgnUgeD8AFxA/s1600-h/IMG_8880.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7543-xeTPiozK6iDxSjQHUGa22ZRgKVTGxhhzB0KI8VeKHOoed8jZckCg1xr4tNVevZUWli2X1-JoBQzVq45Hv-eBDtmXzuoSBt6a0zofNpfeF3jGHn1N4yfRw1dgnUgeD8AFxA/s400/IMG_8880.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5082117685792992434" border="0" /></a><br />I love good jam. Long gone are the days when I spread the sticky sugary supermarket stuff on my sourdough. Amongst my dozens of jars in the fridge can usually be found something from the excellent <a href="http://www.anniesmithers.com.au/main.html">Annie Smithers</a> range, a jar of Bonne Maman Peach Conserve and one or two from Phillippa's bakery in Armadale. Their raspberry jam, with raspberries from <a href="http://myfavouriteplum.blogspot.com/2006/12/holiday-traipsing-about-healesville.html">Silvan Estate</a>, was a constant until I happened upon the summer seasonal jam: strawberry jewels with vanilla. I loved this jam with a passion. Whole fruit, slipping in thick red jam. I bought jars of it at a time, I gave it for Christmas presents. Once, when I couldn't find any at the store, I walked around with an eagle eye, until I spotted the jars which had just been made on a side shelf.<br /><br />So you can imagine how I reacted when I found out that the summer supply was exhausted and there was no more until next year. I sulked. Big time.<br /><br />Until it became apparent that there was a replacement on the way. Dark, tangy plum jam. Made from damsons, this is the perfect winter preserve on toast, over yoghurt or on wheatmeal bisquits with Havarti cheese. I can't say that it's my absolute fave, but it's definitely my favourite plum jam.plumhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12231730107670022320noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14179597.post-27807670534741793282007-07-01T16:32:00.000+10:002007-07-01T16:49:49.370+10:00Stocking Up<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjg3XEwNc7aYiN_Iow36OqkYGWYhsPJEbeJGSVNWzujS8qRkbog5FwjxGb7CnRZht3mB2anRi_8mNha7Cv4ck2OcJsCCEknRKgCq9rBlx7g0rj9qqYEsmIUUL6VJXlL3T7Vrm6JZQ/s1600-h/IMG_8078.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjg3XEwNc7aYiN_Iow36OqkYGWYhsPJEbeJGSVNWzujS8qRkbog5FwjxGb7CnRZht3mB2anRi_8mNha7Cv4ck2OcJsCCEknRKgCq9rBlx7g0rj9qqYEsmIUUL6VJXlL3T7Vrm6JZQ/s400/IMG_8078.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5082114099495300258" border="0" /></a>We had a pair of helping hands for the first few weeks after the baby was born. My cousin came to stay with us, to help out with the Little One and see that Figman was sufficient nourished to attend to his duties as a second time father.<br /><br />She arrived a week before the baby was due, and we went shopping for a big stock up of the cupboards. <br /><br />"Buy <span style="font-style: italic;">anything</span> you might want" I urged. "Don't assume that I have the ingredients you need. Just get it now while you have the chance." I thought that she took me seriously, but a few nights later she was staring into the pantry, puzzled.<br /><br />"You don't seem to have ... "<br />"I told you ..."<br />"But who thinks that someone who keeps date vinegar and organic cocoa nibs in her cupboards doesn't have tomato paste???"plumhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12231730107670022320noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14179597.post-14306278135597608292007-06-02T10:27:00.000+10:002007-06-02T10:47:04.946+10:00Plum Blossom<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizoaY_dKF29mQ-bRoZCuOkcvW7vVu3cDi4P-_z78Q8LhL0Lo8-tDeLTwWRr03kid0JkrSDjBiwJPsxXK1_7OWalmdQCl2g2Wc_B_5avlDOEnNC4qIErVEPP4s2H2MmskvHG48_dw/s1600-h/IMG_6138.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizoaY_dKF29mQ-bRoZCuOkcvW7vVu3cDi4P-_z78Q8LhL0Lo8-tDeLTwWRr03kid0JkrSDjBiwJPsxXK1_7OWalmdQCl2g2Wc_B_5avlDOEnNC4qIErVEPP4s2H2MmskvHG48_dw/s400/IMG_6138.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5071257564861835938" border="0" /></a><br />This autumn, a little plum blossom has come into our lives. You may have noticed that my blogging became sporadic last year. Weeks, occasionally months went between posts. <a href="http://esurientes.blogspot.com/">Niki</a> knew, Barbara <a href="http://myfavouriteplum.blogspot.com/2006/10/persistency-pays-off.html">guessed</a>.<br /><br />I'm reading your blogs, bleary-eyed, most days but I don't often find the time (and free hands!) to comment or write a post of my own. Once my priorities aren't merely sleep, occasional food and keeping us in a semblance of clean clothing, I'll be back, but for now, the babe is calling.<br /><br />Love Plumplumhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12231730107670022320noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14179597.post-4651195932220199492007-03-08T09:23:00.000+11:002007-03-08T10:00:20.965+11:00First Cake: Plum and Vanilla Cake<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvESdDyDTDZWKR51BZ3EzPxUmFX6F44yLikeN6NUwBZ2TEcatcMW9X_GWycGHTWx78cA-66ka2GNUiLrg0LXATWkoch0d_kbpXq9C2BznnwadJdU_4JOVsPboGRPbF6XEeRqTT_A/s1600-h/Copy+%281%29+of+IMG_7729.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvESdDyDTDZWKR51BZ3EzPxUmFX6F44yLikeN6NUwBZ2TEcatcMW9X_GWycGHTWx78cA-66ka2GNUiLrg0LXATWkoch0d_kbpXq9C2BznnwadJdU_4JOVsPboGRPbF6XEeRqTT_A/s400/Copy+%281%29+of+IMG_7729.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5039315035133625394" border="0" /></a>So I eventually got around to breaking out the Kitchen Aid. (This was back in January by the way, I don't know quite where February went, but I must have done something ... ). <span style="font-weight: bold;">I went through a pile of baking books trying to find that ONE PERFECT CAKE</span> that would be worthy of this first run. I scoured internet sites and checked my bookmarks for recipes I'd put aside. I was <a href="http://myfavouriteplum.blogspot.com/2006/12/merry-little-christmas.html">convinced that it should be chocolate</a> but somehow, despite some fabulous contenders, it just didn't seem right.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQ40b2Ng1cfdeIq3es2nMDdYnL0qu_42ltx4CJiTQGSP9vAWK50L8ICDnGP9WlPZlSlSYdgzUVpp5M5eVeI0HgM9VaZoRiH8suiMeLg4cW3KmeP65bnsnMuJIS-FEnYRKdqxpY-w/s1600-h/Copy+%281%29+of+IMG_7744.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQ40b2Ng1cfdeIq3es2nMDdYnL0qu_42ltx4CJiTQGSP9vAWK50L8ICDnGP9WlPZlSlSYdgzUVpp5M5eVeI0HgM9VaZoRiH8suiMeLg4cW3KmeP65bnsnMuJIS-FEnYRKdqxpY-w/s400/Copy+%281%29+of+IMG_7744.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5039314678651339810" border="0" /></a>Now Bill Granger always has a section on afternoon tea in his books and I flicked through a few in search of inspiration. And then I found it, page 93 of <span style="font-weight: bold;">Bill's Food. </span>I have to say that I rejected it at first, thinking <span style="font-weight: bold;">"no, it's too simple. I need fancier, bigger, brighter</span>". But five books later I was back, knowing that this was my cake.<br /><br />A simple buttery vanilla base, with deep red blood plums throughout and a crumble topping. I had misgivings about the crumble which didn't seem buttery enough to me and it did turn out very brittle and sugary but very nice all the same. The rest of the cake isn't that sweet so it works well to balance it.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpaLw-yQmuUGgDVByC16nIXtxExBr3k1whhy6JCcdjAnghsdcjJFG3daripDpYBI0bpXXGU4xNqTGdQJomwrs2IG-x2A-oJx5od7HA4Nt7PwSX88cTg4kRlcIwAQuqMK5MmQfN9A/s1600-h/Copy+%281%29+of+IMG_7758.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpaLw-yQmuUGgDVByC16nIXtxExBr3k1whhy6JCcdjAnghsdcjJFG3daripDpYBI0bpXXGU4xNqTGdQJomwrs2IG-x2A-oJx5od7HA4Nt7PwSX88cTg4kRlcIwAQuqMK5MmQfN9A/s400/Copy+%281%29+of+IMG_7758.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5039314352233825298" border="0" /></a><br />It turns out that this was Figman's cake too. And, like <a href="http://imdb.com/title/tt0098635/">Harry</a>, he doesn't even like desserts! He polished off three big slices in one sitting after dinner and was outraged to find that it was almost gone the next day! When I asked what was his favourite cake so that I could make that one next he pronounced "this one" determinedly. It's very similiar to the kind of cakes I was served with coffee in Germany and the lack of cream filling or buttery frosting makes it very easy to eat over and over again.<br /><br />I used fresh plums for this cake, given the summer abundance, but I think that tinned would work in winter. This cake tastes best warm and as for with cream .... mmmm!plumhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12231730107670022320noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14179597.post-1169593462748215522007-01-24T08:41:00.000+11:002007-01-25T01:21:26.143+11:00Chocolate and Raspberry Truffles: SHF 27 Chocolate By Brand<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/3342/1275/1600/140729/chocolate%20raspberry%20truffle.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/3342/1275/400/400682/chocolate%20raspberry%20truffle.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br />Sometimes I am finicky, so much so that I drive people like the Figman mad. And at others, I am slapdash, which leads to incidents like this. I don't often enter foodblogging events these days but when I saw that <a href="http://www.davidlebovitz.com/">David Lebovitz</a> was hosting <a href="http://www.davidlebovitz.com/archives/2007/01/shf_27_chocolat.html">Sugar High Friday 27</a> and that the theme was Chocolate By Brand, I grinned as I could easily hang onto my planned post about the <a href="http://myfavouriteplum.blogspot.com/2006/12/christmas-eve-2006.html">Chocolate and Raspberry Truffles</a> I'd made for Christmas and again after a visit to the <a href="http://myfavouriteplum.blogspot.com/2006/12/holiday-traipsing-about-healesville.html">local raspberry farm</a>. And on the weekend, I flicked onto the <a href="http://www.davidlebovitz.com/archives/2007/01/sugar_high_frid.html#more">page of instructions</a>, caught the phrase <span style="font-weight:bold;">26 January</span> in bold type and closed down the screen again. Without reading the not-so-fine-print. Which would have pointed out that the closing date was actually 22 January. Humph.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/3342/1275/1600/51627/IMG_7371.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/3342/1275/400/48094/IMG_7371.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br />So I may have to beg or cajole David (I draw the line at bribery!) but here is my favourite truffle recipe of the last year and also the easiest.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Chocolate and Raspberry Truffles</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">Adapated from Gourmet Traveller December 2006</span><br /><br />Ingredients<br /><br />450 g raspberries<br />250 ml pouring cream<br />50 ml Framboise<br />600 g chocolate<br />Cocoa for dusting<br /><br />Combine 250g of the raspberries, cream and Framboise in a saucepan and bring to boil over medium heat. <br /><br />Cool slightly then force through a sieve. <br /><br />Rinse saucepan to remove raspberry seeds and return mixture to it and bring to boil again.<br /><br />Chop chocolate unless you are using callets or buttons. Melt the chocolate slightly in the microwave (medium low power for about 2 minutes but check constantly after 1 minute). Add the chocolate to the cream mixture. If the chocolate and cream are not sufficiently melded together at this point, heat very slightly over low flame.<br /><br />Mix by hand and pour half of the mixture into a paper-lined 20 x 30 cm tray. Dot mixture with remaining raspberries. Add other half of chocolate mixture and smooth top, cover and refrigerate at least 6 hours or overnight.<br /><br />Remove from tray with paper attached. Dust slab of truffles with cocoa on top and bottom and tap to remove excess. Slice with warm knife.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/3342/1275/1600/354230/IMG_7368.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/3342/1275/400/452878/IMG_7368.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br />For this recipe I used Callebaut 53.8% chocolate callets. This tends to be <a href="http://myfavouriteplum.blogspot.com/2005/09/my-right-foot.html">the everyday cooking chocolate</a> in my cupboard, because I can buy it in bulk at a reasonable price (to get bulk Valrhona here I'd have to commit to 20 kilos!). I have to admit that I did contemplate <span style="font-style:italic;">pretending</span> that I'd used our local couverture <a href="http://www.kennedyandwilson.com.au/Home.htm">Kennedy and Wilson</a>. It would be more exotic, more interesting, more local. But here's the rub: I don't like the taste of it much. I've tried. I've bought their couverture in bulk for cooking and use in chocolate making, I've eaten a range of their moulded chocolates, and while I admire their enterprise and spirit, I just don't like the taste of their chocolate. Which is a real shame. (However the Yarra Valley Ice Cream made with it is the best chocolate ice cream I've had in my life.)<br /><br />So, as in my blog, you're getting mostly the unvarnished truth. I used the common, round the block, undistinguished workhorse of the chocolate world. But you know what? These taste really really good! And the slicing method is so much simpler than piping or rolling or scooping truffles. It also allows the pretty piece of raspberry to shine through. (I increased the amount of raspberries by 50% from the original recipe as when I ate a truffle without a raspberry in it, I felt <span style="font-style:italic;">well ripped off!</span>)<br /><br />I did use Green & Black's cocoa for dusting. Their chocolate also leaves me cold, but their cocoa is so delicious I could eat it by the powdery spoonful! From the photos you can see that I could have been more exact with my cutting. Constant reheating of the knife would definitely have helped presentation but you know what, I am slapdash. <a href="http://myfavouriteplum.blogspot.com/2005/10/careless-cook.html">In chocolate as in life</a>.plumhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12231730107670022320noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14179597.post-1169462053553719442007-01-22T20:50:00.000+11:002007-01-22T21:41:28.116+11:00The First Tomatoes of Summer<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/3342/1275/1600/540249/IMG_7554.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/3342/1275/400/256845/IMG_7554.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br />The Figman loves birdsong. Me, I'm pretty indifferent and at times, downright irritated with birds. But he has books scattered around the house from a childhood passion as a birdwatcher <a href="http://myfavouriteplum.blogspot.com/2006/05/note-to-self.html">and when visitors bring me the Silver Spoon, he gets given a new pair of binoculars.</a><br /><br />But he loves his tomatoes more. He has been tending these plants since early October last year and was waiting, breath-bated, for the first crop to ripen. Ever so slowly, with our weird weather this summer, and then two weeks ago it appeared the day had come.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/3342/1275/1600/969053/IMG_7425.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/3342/1275/400/157676/IMG_7425.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Until I walked into the kitchen early one morning and spotted a blackbird pecking at an orange object in the backyard.</span> I banged on the window and, startled, the bird flew away. But left his destruction behind and the Figman was furious. "Bloody birds" he swore and went off to Bunnings to buy a new set of nets.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/3342/1275/1600/706398/IMG_7558.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/3342/1275/400/433268/IMG_7558.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><br /><br />In the meantime, the rest of the fruit on the unprotected vine was brought inside to ripen on the benchtop. I'm still waiting for those to deepen into red, but the first few tomatoes have been plucked, warm from the sun, and hastily chopped into a quick dinner for three.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/3342/1275/1600/763406/IMG_7636.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/3342/1275/400/986442/IMG_7636.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Quick pizza</span><br /><br />I used to be a make-your-own-yeast-dough-and-pizza-sauce-from-scratch girl, but these are so quick and tasty that I doubt I'll ever go back.<br /><br />Souvlaki bread toasted on one side<br />Heaped teaspoon of coriander pesto<br />Heaped teaspoon of ketchup (a bona fide Italian taught me this, so I refuse to feel ashamed!)<br />Swirl the two pastes on the soft side of the souvlaki. Add sliced cheese, anchovies, onions and fresh tomatoes and grill until cheese melts.<br /><br />If I'd remembered in time, I'd have added the fresh basil before I took the photo. But there are times to prance around with cameras and there are times to get the dinner on the table. Maybe next time, as there should be a bountiful summer of tomatoes to come!plumhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12231730107670022320noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14179597.post-1168822551013794032007-01-15T11:50:00.000+11:002007-01-15T12:08:05.720+11:00Lovely Lettuce<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/3342/1275/1600/761830/IMG_6797.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/3342/1275/400/387809/IMG_6797.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br />It's been a wild and woolly summer here in Melbourne. From hail to the hottest day on record to <span style="font-style:italic;">snow </span>all in a couple of months, it hasn't exactly been your average pleasant summer, weather-wise. <br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/3342/1275/1600/810813/IMG_7450.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/3342/1275/400/11/IMG_7450.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br />Add to that the impact of the bushfires in the Victorian countryside. There have been days when I've stepped outside, only to smell the thick layers of smoke in the air and go straight back in. This is hundreds of kilometres from the bushfires, so I can only sympathise for those living nearby.<br /><br />I expect that all of this has had an impact on the quality of the lettuce and greens available locally. Certainly what I've found at the market has been limp and drab, not up to the usual summer standards. I'm therefore very lucky to have F, who adores gardening and can be found pottering around in the garden most evenings after work, delighting in daylight saving.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/3342/1275/1600/297435/IMG_7454.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/3342/1275/400/613008/IMG_7454.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><br />From my seat at the kitchen table, I can hear him and the Little One chattering, as they taste mint and basil and pull out a few weeds. Then they move on to the hand watering of pots and pots of herbs, lettuce and tomatoes. By now the Little One is shouting determinedly "My do it! MY DO IT!!" as he lifts a watering can and tips the contents over a plant. It's so sweet to watch, even sweeter than fresh greens from the garden on a summer evening.plumhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12231730107670022320noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14179597.post-1168466943576548602007-01-11T08:48:00.000+11:002007-01-11T09:09:04.016+11:00Cutlery Redux<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/3342/1275/1600/230873/sereno_1263090000-preview.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/3342/1275/400/784383/sereno_1263090000-preview.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><blockquote>"<span style="font-style:italic;">Some of the Villeroy & Boch cutlery is beautiful but it's obscenely expensive and really, does this kind of thing belong in the hands of someone who loses a teaspoon a month? I think not."<span style="font-weight:bold;"></span></span></blockquote>Looking back for my Christmas Eve post last year<a href="http://myfavouriteplum.blogspot.com/2005/12/all-excited-about-cutlery.html">, I found one about my new cutlery set and how excited I got</a> about it.<br /><br />I was even then in love with a certain Villeroy & Boch set, but restrained myself on the grounds of cost and the above fact - teaspoons go a wandering in this house. I've been very happy with my full sets of cutlery this past year but browsing <a href="http://www.davidjones.com.au/home.jsp">in David Jones</a> for some Christmas shopping, I gazed at the V & B sets out of sheer curiousity. <span style="font-weight:bold;">Sheer curiousity as the one set I love never ever goes on sale. Ever</span>. And there it was, at 40% off. Still staggeringly expensive, but so beautiful and perfect, heavy, shiny and just right. <br /><br />I hesitated for a second. And then I left the store and went home and counted my teaspoons. It seems I may have been a little harsh on myself and my magpie abilities. <span style="font-weight:bold;">You see, of the original dozen teaspoons, I still had TWO LEFT</span>. So it wasn't one a month going out with the peelings, it was only 0.83 of a teaspoon!<br /><br />I still didn't buy the glossy set. At the time of writing we are down to one Luxor teaspoon and a startling number of the butter knives are missing in action (mostly cutting through packing tape on boxes but still ...). As it was a year ago, this sort of thing still doesn't belong in my hands ...plumhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12231730107670022320noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14179597.post-1167646539697008362007-01-01T20:45:00.000+11:002007-01-01T21:15:39.716+11:00Culinary Resolutions 2006<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/3342/1275/1600/339941/IMG_6138.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/3342/1275/400/235501/IMG_6138.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br />I was in <span style="font-weight:bold;">a flap about not having achieved all of my culinary resolutions for last year</span> when I realised that, being the procrastinator that I am, I only made the list in March 2006. So I figure that gives me another 3 months to make it!<br /><br />The one I really think I should have knocked off by now <span style="font-weight:bold;">is to make a pie. A savoury, chickeny, golden pie</span>. I'd been reading <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Tarts-Tops-How-Make-Perfect/dp/0297843761/sr=8-1/qid=1167645838/ref=sr_1_1/202-5186112-6447831?ie=UTF8&s=books">Tarts with Tops On by Tamasin Day-Lewis</a> and was convinced that <span style="font-weight:bold;">this would be the year of the pie</span>. It wasn't, well apart from the ones I ate that is. <br /><br />But I have reigned in my expectations a little and with all the food mags going on about <a href="http://www.foodbarossa.com/a8_publish/modules/publish/content.asp?id=19188&navgrp=165">Careme pastry</a> maybe I'll manage to haul a Galician Pork and Sausage Pie or some Welsh Chicken and Leek Bridies from the oven someday soon.<br /><br />Or at least before the end of March. Hehe.plumhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12231730107670022320noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14179597.post-1167475334200013192006-12-30T20:34:00.000+11:002006-12-31T16:50:41.746+11:00Holiday Traipsing About: Healesville, Silvan & Olinda<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/3342/1275/1600/95086/silvanraspberries.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/3342/1275/400/692660/silvanraspberries.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/3342/1275/1600/460256/pan3.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/3342/1275/400/738244/pan3.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Or this could be known as "In Which <a href="http://tankeduptaco.blogspot.com/2006/12/ready-steady-christmas.html">I Blame Neil</a>"</span>. Certainly Figman would if he knew ... hehehe<br /><br />Australia tends to shut down between Christmas and New Year. Even then, a lot of manufacturing industries take the entire month of January off and not a lot gets done elsewhere. Unless you are unfortunate to work in a department store, in which case you may be hiding in a change room, waiting for the hordes to GO AWAY.<br /><br />Now Figman is also on holiday until after the New Year and while I want to lounge around the house and sort out my study (so full of boxes you can hardly squeeze in there - at least all the Christmas presents are out of there now), he wants to <span style="font-style:italic;">do things</span>. Go places. Have little adventures. Eat out a lot. Unfortunately, as many suppliers and restaurants are also on holidays, this isn't the greatest time to do that. Let me just say we had some <span style="font-style:italic;">dire</span> and yet expensive food this week and that was when we could find the places to serve it. <br /><br />So I thought that a trip to the Yarra Valley and Dandenong Ranges might be sufficient distraction for F and as these are prime tourist areas I figured that most places would be up and running.<br /><br />We popped into <a href="http://www.healesvillehotel.com.au/files/index.html">the Healesville Hotel</a> for lunch and as they were fully booked, had to settle for the bar. Might have been better off at their produce store next door, as the food looked tastier and better cooked. We only just scampered to get a table as a busload of coiffed matrons wandered in, looking most put out that they couldn't be seated in the dining room.<br /><br />After lunch, Figgy wasn't particularly interested in wineries and <span style="font-weight:bold;">said those foolish words "I'm happy to go wherever you want to go"</span>. "Right" I said "I want to get some cherries and some raspberries and then there's this little shop in Olinda I want to visit on the way home .."<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/3342/1275/1600/545053/IMG_7232.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/3342/1275/400/492859/IMG_7232.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br />First stop was <a href="http://www.upickberries.com.au/first.html"><br />Blue Hills Berries and Cherries</a>. This turned out to be only pick your own berries and we had a Little One to take home and put to bed so I vetoed this plan and decided to check out the place further down the road. It wasn't in the guidebook, but had cunningly placed its sign right near Blue Hills, proclaiming its excellent cherries to just be 1km down the road. And <a href="http://www.upick.com.au/">Chappies </a>were really really good. Despite what many growers say about the smaller fruit being better, <span style="font-weight:bold;">these huge, firm cherries were so juicy and tasty that F sent me right back into the store for another kilo</span>!<br /><br />Then around a few back roads, through startlingly green countryside, rich red soil and tranquil reservoirs and ponds, we wound our way to <a href="http://www.raspberries.com.au/produce.htm">Silvan Estate Raspberries</a> for a selection of the best berries in town. Figman always gets country-life-envy when we visit this farm, so we had to leave, quickly!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/3342/1275/1600/65998/CWsauce.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/3342/1275/400/160496/CWsauce.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br />The little village of Olinda is about 10 minutes away and I browsed the Olinda Pantry while the Figman and Little One ate ice cream on the chairs outside Metisse next door. The Olinda Pantry has a solid range of products and I came away (amongst other things) with Cunliffe Waters Barbecue Sauce which I haven't seen anywhere else. I'm a big fan of their relishes and savoury sauces (there's almost always a bottle of their Hot Sour Sweet Salty sauce in my cupboard).<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/3342/1275/1600/309972/pan1.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/3342/1275/400/361450/pan1.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br />And then <a href="http://www.metisse.net.au/index.html">Metisse</a>. This tiny store has only been open for 10 weeks, before that it was run from the owner's garage. Linens, antique Frenchwares, chandelier pendants, soaps <a href="http://www.metisse.net.au/copperware.htm">and did I mention copperware</a>??<br /><br />There is a small range of vintage copper pans but I was immediately drawn to the shiny new frypans. Lined with tin and about a third of what I'd expect to pay elsewhere. I hummed and hawwed and talked extensively with the owner, <a href="http://myfavouriteplum.blogspot.com/2006/12/merry-little-christmas.html"> hesitating only because I'd just been given a lovely Christmas present</a> by the man sitting eating icecream right outside her door. And it's not exactly easy to hide a frypan under your shirt.<br /><br />But in the end I succumbed and am now the happy owner of my first proper copper pan. So I don't have to be envious of Clothilde browsing in <a href="http://chocolateandzucchini.com/archives/2003/09/e_dehillerin.php">Dehillerin</a> or <a href="http://bakerina.com/bakerina/comments/apple_blossom_time_more_sunday_food_interstitials/">Bakerina's preserving pan</a>. She did say that it will tarnish <span style="font-style:italic;">immediately</span> which made me want to cry a little. But I am all about using copper for its wonderful-heat-retaining-and-conductivity-purposes, aren't I? Not for it's glorious glossy looks. That would make me shallow. And I am deep, baby.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/3342/1275/1600/533701/pan2.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/3342/1275/400/348478/pan2.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a>plumhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12231730107670022320noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14179597.post-1167378097229979232006-12-29T18:29:00.000+11:002006-12-29T18:41:37.246+11:00Merry Little Christmas<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/3342/1275/1600/385163/kitchenaid.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/3342/1275/400/930005/kitchenaid.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br />Hope you had a lovely Christmas time with your beloveds. My sister hosted the family lunch this year, so all I had to do was turn up and indulge. Well, I did bring some <a href="http://myfavouriteplum.blogspot.com/2006/12/christmas-eve-2006.html">chocolate macadamias</a> and raspberry truffles but compared to cooking the full Christmas dinner ... I got off lightly!<br /><br />Mr Figman is doing his best to have a happy New Year - his gift to me was <a href="http://myfavouriteplum.blogspot.com/2006/10/simply-unspeakable.html">the shiny red Kitchen Aid mixer</a> which I have been wanting for ages. I adore the stand mixer but what I really love is that he got me something he knew I really wanted and wouldn't usually buy myself. Going through my <a href="http://www.petersofkensington.com.au">Peters of Kensington</a> wishlist the other day I giggled when I realised I could remove this item which has been on there for a long long time! <br /><br />And he even chose the right colour! And in time for me to get my free mixing bowl. Now I just have to select exactly the right cake to first grace my mixer ...<br /><br />Chocolate of course!plumhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12231730107670022320noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14179597.post-1166950603991645362006-12-24T19:38:00.000+11:002006-12-24T22:04:36.550+11:00Christmas Eve 2006<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/3342/1275/1600/932083/choc2.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/3342/1275/400/974647/choc2.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br />I remember last Christmas Eve well. Sitting up <a href="http://myfavouriteplum.blogspot.com/2005/12/christmas-eve.html">making insane Peppermint Bark</a> that I'd picked up from Heidi's <a href="http://www.101cookbooks.com/archives/000015.html">101 Cookbooks</a>. A confection that I cannot bear the taste of now, given that I became very sick the next day and Figman wasn't much better.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">On Christmas Day, waiting at some traffic lights en route to our THIRD function of the day</span>, Figman turned and looked at me sitting there, giant vat of duck curry on my lap. "You are NOT doing this again next year" he said. "I want you to promise me." Christmas is a lovely time of year I'm sure, but <span style="font-weight:bold;">in our family food takes over as the main event</span> and after I'd hosted one event and brought dishes to two more, I was ready to collapse, aside from the flu I'd just come down with.<br /><br />So this year we were supposed to be keeping it more simple. I wasn't bringing anything to the main Christmas lunch, just turning up. Until there was a request for chocolates. <br /><br />Since Christmas Eve fell on a weekend, I felt that there was time enough to throw together a private dinner for the three of us at home. Our Christmas lunch will be very non-traditional and so I wanted to indulge in a few basics for dinner tonight. <span style="font-weight:bold;">Butterflied turkey breast, stuffed with fruit and roasted with butternut pumpkin. Cranberry and orange sauce. Boiled brussel sprouts as requested by Figman</span> (I told you he came from a parallel universe). <span style="font-weight:bold;">Brandy ice cream pudding.</span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/3342/1275/1600/538205/choc1.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/3342/1275/400/351369/choc1.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br />I have spent the afternoon devising a stuffing recipe, trying to recreate a magical one eaten one Boxing Day from the carcass of a turkey at a friend's house. <span style="font-weight:bold;">Dried peaches, dried mango, breadcrumbs, onion, garlic, stock</span>. Preparing vegetables (I almost forgot the brussel sprouts!). <span style="font-weight:bold;">Dipping the last of the macadamias I roasted in chocolate</span>. The two boys slumbered until almost 7.00 pm and we missed the neighbours' party. (Unfortunately I suspect we are about to become pariahs as it was abundantly obvious we were home.) And now the turkey is roasted and resting, all the chocolates are in the fridge and just need parcelling up tomorrow. Dinner will be served in about 17 minutes and the Christmas cooking is done. It feels wonderful.<br /><br />Lest you think I am one smug cow, I must say that I will no doubt be up late, wrapping and arranging presents, hunting madly for the gifts I bought months ago and which are now hidden under a pile of other things. <span style="font-weight:bold;">But I will not be up at midnight this year crushing candy canes and waiting for chocolate to set. And that feels very good ideed</span>.plumhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12231730107670022320noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14179597.post-1166283302687141932006-12-17T02:34:00.000+11:002006-12-17T02:36:10.323+11:00Mecca Bah Restaurant Review<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/3342/1275/1600/472174/IMG_6751.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/3342/1275/400/500202/IMG_6751.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br />I'd never actually visited the Docklands area before, so when Figman needed to check out a venue I suggested we all head out for an early lunch at <a href="http://www.meccabah.com/">Mecca Bah</a>. We mostly skipped breakfast and therefore managed to arrive shortly before 12 on a breezy Sunday morning.<br /><br />Mecca Bah does not take reservations, hence the reconnaissance trip. We were hoping to "persuade" a manager into allowing a small booking for a festive lunch. Yes, that was likely to be successful ....<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">I had had a hankering for bastilla</span> and above is a picture of , well, a half bastilla (I couldn't wait!). It was very soft, with tender shredded chicken and I adore the traditional sprinkling of icing sugar on these pastries. <br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/3342/1275/1600/650682/IMG_6752i.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/3342/1275/400/713861/IMG_6752i.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br />The spicy lamb and pine nut bourek was the surprise hit. I mean, <span style="font-weight:bold;">lamb wrapped in pastry is always going to be good</span>, but the pine nuts took it to another level. I no longer have a hankering for bastilla. Instead, I am plotting how soon I can get back to Mecca Bah and scoff some more of these! <br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/3342/1275/1600/42421/IMG_6755.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/3342/1275/400/230463/IMG_6755.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br />The <span style="font-weight:bold;">fattoush</span> was not successful. The dressing was too sour to be palatable and this bowl was almost as full when we left the restaurant. The service was also a bit haphazard and unfocussed, with different staff serving the table and all the dishes arriving at once, resulting in half being cold when eaten.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/3342/1275/1600/285863/IMG_6756.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/3342/1275/400/638909/IMG_6756.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br />I ordered mostly from the mezze section of <a href="http://www.meccabah.com/melb/home.html">the menu</a>, with a couple of Turkish pizzas thrown in. (Query - if they are Turkish, then is it accurate to describe them as pizze in the plural? Semantics.) It would have been more balanced to try a tagine and something from the grill, but I couldn't decide between <span style="font-weight:bold;">the spicy chicken pizza with thick slices of eggplant</span> <span style="font-weight:bold;">and the pumpkin pizza with feta and rocket</span>. So we had both and they were tasty and filling (so filling that we couldn't manage dessert!).<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/3342/1275/1600/115921/IMG_6762i.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/3342/1275/400/391195/IMG_6762i.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br />Above is the view from our table. It was <span style="font-weight:bold;">excellent for keeping a small child entertained, as he not only had other diners to look at, but boats, birds and the occasional dog on the jetty.</span> We had no trouble getting a prime seat for the lunch sitting but the restaurant filled up quickly. I can understand why they might like a "no reservations" policy, but it's frustrating for occasions when it simply won't do to be told to go away and eat an ice cream for an hour until a table is free. Even the offer of a substantial deposit failed to sway the staff and so the search began for another venue. <br /><br />But if you're at a loose end or up early, Mecca Bah is a great casual dining spot amongst the plethera of Docklands restaurants.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">55a Newquay Promenade<br />Docklands 3008<br /></span>plumhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12231730107670022320noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14179597.post-1165794908341195152006-12-11T10:03:00.000+11:002006-12-11T10:55:08.456+11:00Menu for Hope III<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/3342/1275/1600/80110/menuforhopelogo%7E1.gif"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/3342/1275/400/898224/menuforhopelogo%7E1.png" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><br />The prizes for <a href="http://chezpim.typepad.com/blogs/2006/12/menu_for_hope_i.html">Menu for Hope III</a> are up now. It's all very exciting - I can't believe how many there are and the variety. I had actually intended to donate a prize myself but have been offline for this week and only realised last night that I'd missed the cutoff.<br /><br />We'd had a couple of our favourite boys visiting us in Melbourne and I'd been out taking them on their idea of a gastronomic whirlwind tour - <span style="font-weight:bold;">"We don't have Boost Juice at home" "Can we go back to <a href="http://www.suga.com.au/">that lolly shop</a> again?"</span> and after a trip to Nandos, <span style="font-weight:bold;">"That was a <span style="font-style:italic;">really</span> good burger"</span>. Lest you think they are not discerning, the elder one asked if we could make it back to Cafe di Stasio (scene of a lunch on another visit), but there just wasn't time.<br /><br />Helen at <a href="http://grabyourfork.blogspot.com/">Grab Your Fork</a> has co-ordinated <a href="http://grabyourfork.blogspot.com/2006/12/menu-for-hope.html">the Asia Pacific prize list</a>. There are FORTY different meals, books and experiences up for grabs. Some are from blogs I know well, such as Cin at <a href="http://myfavouritefoods.com/">A Few of My Favourite Things</a>, Barbara at <a href="http://winosandfoodies.typepad.com/my_weblog/2006/12/post.html">Winos and Foodies</a> and Neil from <a href="http://tankeduptaco.blogspot.com/2006/12/menu-for-hope-111.html">At My Table</a>. And others led me to new discoveries, like <a href="http://www.phnomenon.com/">Phomenon</a>. Phil is offering half a kilo of Cambodian Kampot peppercorns, which sound intriguing, although I'm a bit concerned about what Australian Customs would do to it, should I win.<br /><br />I sent a penitent email to Helen yesterday and she kindly advised me to buy up raffle tickets instead of a last minute prize. So here are the instructions for donors:<br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">Here's what you should do...<br /><br />1. Go to the donation page at (<a href="http://www.firstgiving.com/menuforhopeIII">http://www.firstgiving.com/menuforhopeIII</a>)<br /><br />2. Make a donation, each US$10 will give you one raffle ticket toward a prize of your choice. Please specify which prize or prizes you'd like in the 'Personal Message' section in the donation form when confirming your donation. Do tell us how many tickets per prize, and please use the prize code -for example, a donation of US$50 can be 2 tickets for AP01 and 3 for AP02.<br /><br />3. For US donors, if your company has agreed to match your charity donation, please remember to check the box and fill in the information so we may claim the corporate match.<br /><br />4. Please also check the box to allow us to see your email address so that we could contact you in case you win. Your email address will not be shared with anyone.<br /><br />5. Check back on Chez Pim on January 15 when we announce the results of the raffle. (The drawing will be done electronically. Our friend the code wizard Derrick at Obsession with Food is responsible for the wicked application that will do the job.)<br /></span><br /><br />I've had a look down the list and know what I have my eye on. <span style="font-weight:bold;">A very naughty part of me thinks that if I didn't add to the publicity for this, I'd have a better chance of winning the ones I want! </span> But I've been bad enough for one week ....plumhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12231730107670022320noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14179597.post-1164451081697604942006-11-25T21:20:00.000+11:002006-11-25T21:51:20.396+11:00Slow Roasted Shoulder of Lamb<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/3342/1275/1600/844074/shoulderlamb2.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/3342/1275/400/243866/shoulderlamb2.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br />Well half a shoulder of lamb actually. This is a prime example of <a href="http://myfavouriteplum.blogspot.com/2006/03/hot-smoked-trout-and-wasabi-ricotta.html">the way I use cookbooks</a> - often I enjoy flicking through and absorbing ideas and techniques, but I don't often follow a recipe diligently or really, at all.<br /><br />I was in the mood for slow cooked lamb and thought shoulder would be a nice change. The last time I cooked this cut on the bone was to make Nigella's <a href="http://www.channel4.com/life/microsites/N/nigella/bites6.shtml">Warm Shredded Lamb Sald with Mint and Pomegranate</a>. Now it's quite amazing to think that a dish with three of my favourite ingredients could turn out so ... blah ... but I won't be repeating it any time ever.<br /><br />However the method struck me as sound and I looked up the recipe again this time. My cupboards were particularly bare (still haven't restocked after move) and so instead of bothering about shallots and carrots, I flung open the fridge and mixed up what came to hand. Which was <span style="font-weight:bold;">mostly harissa, with mustard, soy and balsamic</span>. <span style="font-weight:bold;">With a bit of honey</span> tipped in for sweetness. It sounds like a bizarre combination, <span style="font-weight:bold;">but the aroma drifting through the house was tantalising and half an hour after the meat was in the oven Figman was asking "When can we eat it? Can we eat it now?"</span>. He was pretty crushed to hear that it would be at least five hours before we were tucking in.<br /><br />Nigella cooks her shoulder of lamb at 140C. I heated the oven to 210C and then turned it down to 150C once I put the meat and a cup or two of water in. I wasn't going to leave it in overnight as she recommends and I wanted to eat sometime before midnight. When I pulled the dish out, <span style="font-weight:bold;">the outer layer looked almost charred, but appearances were deceptive and the beneath the spicy sauce were delicate shreds of soft tender meat.</span><br /><br />While the half shoulder looked large (and was cheap!) the meat yield wasn't massive and this amount only served four comfortably. The Figman and Small One ate theirs with fresh baby carrots from the garden. I pulled some meat off the bone and toasted turkish bread, mixing it all up with green beans and more harissa.<br /><br />Effortless cooking and a pleasing result. And now that I've got shallots and carrots in my possession again, I could even do it Nigella's way ... or maybe not.plumhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12231730107670022320noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14179597.post-1163907744511293282006-11-19T14:25:00.000+11:002006-11-19T15:23:13.016+11:00A Little Lunch By Myself<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/3342/1275/1600/70517_55090_2.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/3342/1275/400/70517_55090_2.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a> <span style="font-style:italic;">photo from http://www2.visitvictoria.com/</span><br /><br />On Friday, I found myself unexpectedly in town, pretending to work. I don't work much and what I do, tends to be done from home. But occasionally I have to come into the office and justify my pay packet.<br /><br />I didn't dream of driving, as much of the CBD was locked down and cordoned off for the <a href="http://www.theage.com.au/news/national/police-brace-for-more-protests/2006/11/19/1163871250442.html">G20 summit</a> over the weekend. And when I went off for an early lunch, I decided not to walk across town in search of a tasty meal.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Last week, I decided to pop into David Jones Foodhall, in order to grab something quickly</span> and be back on the job asap. I made the ridiculous mistake of going at proper lunchtime ie 1pm and the place was packed. I stood at the noodle counter for 15 minutes and couldn't even get my order taken. The heavily perspiring chef was growling at people that their orders would be at least 20 minutes. So I thought I'd just grab a plain roll from the bakery. At which point eleven people materialised at the bread counter and took their sweet time.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">I left three quarters of an hour after entering, with plain bread and water.</span> Yes, they may have been ciabatta rolls and Fiji spring water, but it was still bread and f*#&ing water, okay?<br /><br />So when I caught sight of the Bistrot D'Orsay, I decided to treat myself. No $10 quickie noodles today. Bistrot D'Orsay has a handful of wicker tables and chairs on the pavements, but I chose the dark interior of the restaurant instead. And while outside would have been easier for people-watching, the occasional clouds of exhaust and dust would not have been pleasant for my food. <br /><br />Bistrot D'Orsay is a medium-priced French restaurant, with a consistent 14/20 rating from <a href="http://store.theage.com.au/web/ProductDetails.aspx?id=677">the Age Good Food Guide</a>. There were several dishes I would have liked to try, however today I plumped for the pan-fried gnocchi with mushrooms, chard and hazelnuts. And a side salad of "rocquette, pear and parmesan".<br /><br />My reactions to the food were mixed. <span style="font-weight:bold;">The gnocchi itself was a dream</span> - browned yet soft, with a consistency that did not fall apart after one bite. <span style="font-weight:bold;"> I could, and would, have eaten a giant bowl of that by itself. </span> The mushrooms were large peeled slices of field mushroom, perfectly cooked alongside small wilted pieces of chard. There were a few shavings of parmesan and then the hazelnuts. The nuts were a wrong note in this dish. They were skinned, but their texture lacked the creaminess that comes from roasting. Perhaps they had been blanched, but all they did was detract from the overall harmony. I pushed them to the side of the lovely white bowl (I do like unusual crockery in a restaurant) and ate them at the end, so did they irritate me.<br /><br />The salad was decent, perhaps a little heavy on the balsamic, but with good leaves and ample parmesan. The one thing that puzzled me was the pear. <span style="font-weight:bold;">The sweet crunch of pear is required in this salad to offset the sour of the dressing and the sharp of the cheese. </span> And it is seriously cheap - pear costs probably 1/4 the price of the rocket and and 1/10 of the price of parmesan. It therefore makes no sense to stint on it and force the diner to hunt around to find the occasional piece. Maybe their supplier couldn't get through the barricades.<br /><br />Speaking of which, it was actually quite peaceful on the Friday, although <a href="http://www.theage.com.au/news/national/the-battle-of-collins-street/2006/11/18/1163266834498.html">this report</a> says that "At times the Paris end of Collins Street looked more like Paris '68". <span style="font-weight:bold;">I saw a straggle of girls in fluro pink tutus waving tambourines</span>. They were escorted by a pack of policemen up the street. Otherwise, <span style="font-weight:bold;">apart from the Falun Dafa demonstration</span>, it was remarkably quiet. <br /><span style="font-style:italic;"><br />Sidenote</span>: I don't know much about the practice of Falun Gong, apart from reading reports of persecution in China, but I have to say, <span style="font-weight:bold;">I have never seen a more peaceful, serene group of mostly middle-aged people</span>. After watching them meditating en masse just off Swanston Street earlier I was surprised by the numbers marching up Collins Street. I had no idea it was so widely followed here.<br /><br />But apart from this demonstration, it was very much business as usual and I sat watching schoolkids and workers in suits. Shoppers in Melbourne for the day, looking for a quick rest from their Christmas lists.<br /><br />I don't often eat in public by myself - for starters I usually have the Little One or Figman along. But on Friday<span style="font-weight:bold;"> I sat back as the plate and glass opposite me were removed. I relaxed, I looked out the window and I enjoyed my food. </span>Being a guest to myself and all that. And I got back to work long before I'd have returned from DJs. A little treat that paid for itself.plumhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12231730107670022320noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14179597.post-1163233490407456532006-11-11T19:03:00.000+11:002006-11-11T20:28:58.093+11:00A Bowlful of Happiness<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/3342/1275/1600/cherrybowlmyfavouriteplum.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/3342/1275/400/cherrybowlmyfavouriteplum.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br />"<span style="font-weight:bold;">I think we bought too many cherries</span>" says the Figman, looking over the benchtop to the giant red bowl of dark ones in the sink, the half bag on the counter and the big plastic container full of Bing Cherries.<br /><br />"How can you say that?" I ask. You remember who we're talking about<a href="http://myfavouriteplum.blogspot.com/2005/12/smoked-trout-and-cherries.html"> here</a>, right?<br /><br />We toddled off to the <a href="http://myfavouriteplum.blogspot.com/2006/04/weekend-market-collingwood-childrens.html">Collingwood Children's Farmer's Market</a> this morning after being woken incredibly early. It was too early even for the waker, who quickly decided that he did not like dogs, he did not like the flies in his face, and he most decidedly did not like having to walk. (When both of his parents refused to carry him, he flung himself on the dusty straw and howled. F looked at me and said "<span style="font-style:italic;">I remember how I used to look at parents with screaming kids and think why didn't they just control their child?</span> And now ... it's me")<br /><br />The Little One soon added cherries to his dislike list - he bit into a stone and that was that. It became clear that what he needed was to go back to bed and so we headed home after a pleasant breakfast outside at the nearby Convent Bakery.<br /><br />At the bakery, I had to ask for a plastic bag as I discovered that when the Cherry Lady says that this type is soft, she means<span style="font-style:italic;"> soft</span>. <span style="font-weight:bold;">And that the best place to store a kilo of very soft cherries in a paper sack is not in a near-new handbag</span> (the lining will never be the same, but oh well).<br /><br />After we got home, I emptied half a container into a bowl and rinsed them. And despite the early start, the mis-start (we wound up at Booroondara first under the impression that the market was there today), the cranky baby and the crowds, all was good. Peace, quiet, the paper and a bowl full of cherries. Saturday morning bliss.plumhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12231730107670022320noreply@blogger.com4