Lyndey Milan - a complete food & wine person

Regional food stars at 2011 Brisbane Good Food & Wine Show

2011-10-27T16:29:00.000+11:00

For the fourth year I've been asked to host the Lyndey Milan Producers Market at the Brisbane /good Food & Wine Show.

I’ll also be chatting and interviewing these fabulous artisan and boutique producers at the Lyndey Milan Regional Producers’ Market:

Honey Lady

From Willunga in South Australia, the Honey Lady’s honey is unheated, unfiltered, raw honey. The business is a triple bottom line business – financially, environmentally and socially viable. Her product range includes honey blended with spices and herbs. She started her business from seven bee swarms that she caught one season. She harvested around 1500kg and with a 6 week old baby started to trade at the local farmers market and had only grown since then! The Honey Lady is at the Willunga Farmers Market every Saturday and at the Adelaide Showgrounds Market every Sunday.

Nutworks

Nutworks is 90 minutes north of Brisbane in Yandina on Queensland’s Sunshine Coast. They business started in the early 1990s in a small factory with six employees. In 1997, due to rapid expansion, Nutworks built a new factory and tourist facility where they are today. At well as processing nuts, the tourist orientated site includes an information area, confectionary viewing area and gift shop for take home products at factory outlet prices. The macadamias are sourced from most growing areas in Queensland. Nutworks export all over the world and locally, the range can be found at many major supermarkets and duty free outlets.

Lentilicious

From Mullumbimby in New South Wales, Lentilicious produce a range of five dry lentil blends: coconut fusion, lime time, turmeric, red chilli and Mediterranean, all with herbs and spices added. All are gluten-free. They have a range of stockists Australia wide and they do markets at Byron, Bangalow and Yamba.

Byron Bay Chilli

The chillis are grown and processed overlooking Byron Bay. Byron Bay Chilli Company make a range of sauces, salsas and corn chips which are stocked in gourmet food stores as well as Coles and Woolworths supermarkets in Queensland and Northern New South Wales as well as many delis in the United States. They sold a couple of barbecue style sauces branded with Jack Thompson’s name for Landcare Australia, one of Jack’s favourite causes.

Mix My Muesli

From Bundoora in Victoria, Mix My Muesli is Australia’s first custom mix muesli company. They also sell a pre-mixed range that includes classic swiss, goji berry antioxidant, honey crunch, organic super grains, gluten-free and Craig Mottram’s Premium Fuel which is 43% fruit and nut. Most ingredients are 100% natural, with no added sugar and are preservative-free. The bases are wholegrains such as oats and barley, the nuts and seeds are all-natural as are the added ingredients. These include dried fruits (apple, apricot, sultanas, raisins, prunes, figs, strawberries, coconut and cherries), nuts/seeds/grains (almonds, walnuts, linseed, chia and sesame seeds) and ‘naughty bits’ (chocolate and yoghurt coated nuts and seeds).

Silverwood Organics

Silverwood Organics from Longreach in western Queensland sells and delivers organic meat packs. Silverwood grows the dorper breed of sheep which naturally shed their wool and are also known for their excellent carcass and superior eating quality. The free-range lamb is grown in natural Mitchell grass paddocks without chemicals or supplement feeding. To avoid undue stress, the lamb is processed locally by an organically accredited processor. Half or full packs with associated cuts are available online for home delivery.

Careme Pastry

Located in the Barossa Valley, Careme Pastry is owned and operated by William and Claire Wood, who, coming from a restaurant background we were always disappointed with the quality of commercially available ready-made pastry. Careme only use natural ingredients, free of additives, preservatives and colours to produce their hand-crafted pastry products. Their product range includes ready to use pastry dough: all butter puff, sour cream shortcrust, vanilla bean sweet shortcrust and dark chocolate shortcrust as well as a range of tarts, pies, savoury galettes and sweet tarts and croissants and pastries. Stephanie Alexander commends it!

OlivFresh

Estate grown and produced, Olivfresh, on Lake Wivenhoe in South-East Queensland, sources its olives from their 700 tree certified organic olive estate. The olives are naturally fermented in rainwater and sea salt. The product range includes Ligurian style olives, Arbequina black olives, Olive and fig tapenade dip, Green olive and avocado tapenade dip, Sun dried black olives, Green olives and Party mix olives.

La Cour Patisserie

La Cour Patisserie is a Sydney based business that was established in 2010. It sells a range of gourmet baking kits that taste ‘made from scratch’. The range includes cupcakes, brownies and biscuits. All are preservative and artificial colouring free and made from the best ingredients. The kits are sold a range of gourmet food stores in New South Wales, Queensland, the ACT and South Australia.

Robins Foods

Located in Altona, Victoria Robins Foods and was formed by recognised pioneers of the native food industry, Ian and Juleigh Robins, in 1997. The range of products are branded Outback Spirit and the vision is to bring indigenous foods to the mainstream market locally and internationally while giving back to indigenous communities. The product range includes chutneys, preserves, dry marinades, seasoning salts, seasoning sprinklers, sauces, dressings, crushed garlic, herbs and rejuvenating water and are available from major and independent supermarkets nationally as well as Oxfam Fair Trade stores.

Gwydir Olives

Margi Kirkby and Jenni Birch started Gwydir Grove in 1996 with a second-hand olive press. Soon after they started selling their oil in local shops in north west New South Wales. Today they still grow, press, blend and market their products. Their Infused range includes bush berb, lemon myrtle, blood orange, lime, lemon, native mint & garlic and spicy chilli & fresh lime. Their olive range includes kalamata olives, manzanillo olives and manzanillo olive pate. They also sell balsamic vinegar and olive oil soap (lavender, eucalyptus and fragrance-free).

Yumm Dressings

Yumm Dressings from Sydney make dressings from natural ingredients with no artificial preservatives, colours or flavours. Each bottle is hand-made and many ingredients are sourced from local producers and markets. The product range includes Very Original (blend of olive and sesame oils, fresh garlic and honey), Poppy Splash (red wine and raspberry vinegars, Spanish onion and poppy seeds), Balsamic Drizzle, So Provincial (apple cider vinegar, honey and tarragon), Maple Zest (orange juice and maple syrup). They are available online and from various gourmet food stores and farmers’ markets. They really do taste home made.

The Peanut Van

From Queensland’s peanut capital, Kingaroy, comes The Peanut Van, who recently celebrated their 40^th birthday. Their extensive range of products includes sugar coated, dry roasted, sweet & salty, hickory smoked, savoury tomato, salt & vinegar, garlic, chilli & lime and Mexican delight. All peanuts are jumbo and freshness is guaranteed. Theirs is always a popular stand at the show.

Details

Brisbane Convention & Exhibition Centre

10am-6pm 4&5 November

10am-5pm 6 November

Click here for more information

Come and see me at Sydney’s new cooking school, Quarter 21!

2011-08-05T13:43:00.000+10:00

On Monday 29 August I’m cooking at Justin North’s new cooking school, Quarter Twenty One.

Justin recently relocated his 3 hat restaurant Becasse to Westfield in Pitt Street Mall and added a bakery, grocer, wine store and cooking school.

The school is kitted out with state of the art equipment, including ovens and cooktops by Fagor and the best appliances. Retaining a feeling of home, this relaxed environment is perfect for sharing knowledge and having fun.

I’ll be demonstrating six easy, yet impressive, recipes from Greek-style rabbit to my favourite spiced duck with pomegranate sauce and the extraordinary Chocolate almond fondant pudding. There will be wine too!

The three hour class starts at 6:30pm and is limited to 16. There a couple of spots left and I’d love to see you there. For more information or to book:

Visit http://www.quartertwentyone.com.au/
Email cookeryschool@quartertwentyone.com.au
Telephone 02 9283 3440

Talking turkey

2011-07-20T12:04:00.001+10:00

This week I MC’ed an event for Ingham’s Turkey. Four chefs, Miguel Maestre, Adrian Richardson, Damian Heads and Christine Manfield were selected to showcase different turkey cuts in unique and inspired ways.

I’ve always had a fondness for turkey; it is a regular on the table at my extended family Christmas lunch. But it is not just for Christmas, particularly considering the range of interesting cuts now available in the supermarket. Apparently it is also classed as a ‘superfood’ – ie high protein coupled with low fat. All I know is that it is packed with flavour and, if cooked properly, is lovely and tender. And never dry.

I’ve cooked a couple of turkey dishes recently. The other night I roasted a whole bird that I stuffed with quinoa, toasted nuts, onion, garlic, parsley and porcini. I covered the breast with muslin soaked in melted butter and cooked the bird on a rack over water, all encased in foil. The liquid then becomes the basis for a flavoursome sauce. On Kerri-Anne the other week I cooked Sticky turkey wings with wok tossed vegetables and hokkein noodles.

The chefs this week came up with quite a range of ideas for different cuts.

Miguel Maestre used the breast in his dish, Aussie Spiced Turkey Popcorn with Lemon Aioli: a tender and juicy morsel of Turkey Breast Steaks smothered in Australian herbs and spices including wattle seed, lemon myrtle and bush pepper, deep fried beside a dollop of lemon aioli

Adrian Richardson used turkey Marylands in his Turkey & Sage sausage: a combination of breast and thigh, in three different grinds, sage, parsley and a dash of good scotch whiskey, paired with creamy potato skordalia and drizzled with sweet sherry glaze

Damian Heads used the centre of the turkey wing to create twice (but really thrice) cooked turkey wings, sweet soy and szechuan salt: the wings were marinated, steamed, deboned, pressed, steamed again, chilled and then deep fried, paired with a sweet soy sauce and a dash of Szechuan salt. Great technique and amazing flavour.

Christine Manfield created Turkey drumsticks slow braised in spiced coconut sauce: an authentic Asian curry including red curry paste, fresh ginger, lemongrass and palm sugar, this creamy spiced coconut curry brings warmth and comfort and very tender drumstick pieces

Christine has kindly shared her recipe:

Turkey drumsticks slow braised in spiced coconut sauce

Serves 4
2 brown onions, finely sliced
6 garlic clove, chopped
1 tbsp minced ginger
2 long red chillies, finely chopped
4 tbsp red curry paste
1 tbsp minced lemongrass
1 litre coconut cream
1200ml chicken stock
2 tbsp oyster sauce
2 tbsp palm sugar
4 turkey drumsticks
1 kg way potatoes, peeled and cut into large chunks
fish sauce

Saute onion, garlic, ginger and chilli in oil till softened, about 5-6 mins.
Add curry paste, lemongrass and cook for 3 mins, then add coconut milk.
Bring to boil, reduce heat and simmer for 5 mins.
Add stock, oyster sauce and palm sugar and bring back to boil.
Add turkey drumsticks and potato, reduce heat to gentle simmer and cook for 1 hour until meat and potatoes are tender.
Add fish sauce and taste – adjust if necessary.
Remove from heat and cool slightly. Remove drumsticks from sauce and remove meat from bones and cut into large chunks. Discard bones.
Return meat to sauce, add herbs and serve with steamed jasmine rice.

Christine serving her drumstick curry

Miguel, me, Damian and Adrian

Links

Miguel’s restaurant: Aperitif
Adrian’s restaurant: La Luna Bistro
Damian’s restaurants: Pony The Rocks, Pony Neutral Bay and Steel Bar & Grill
Christine’s restaurant: Universal

Last Taste of Greece

2011-07-05T13:12:00.000+10:00

The final episode of Lyndey & Blair’s Taste of Greece will air this Thursday night at 8pm on SBS One. I have been overwhelmed by messages of support and the ratings have been excellent. Many others have commented that they didn’t know how good Greek food could be, or that they now wanted to visit or re-visit Greece. I am also pleased that Blair’s terrific performance as a presenter has been immortalised.

This week we go to Olympia where Blair energetically runs the length of the original ancient Olympic stadium in only 25 seconds! We also visit Mercouri Wine Estate, where this precious photo was taken:

At Mercouri we tasted wine made with Refosco grapes which I also used with trachanas in a stuffing for lamb. Trachanas is a traditional Greek ingredient made by combining soured milk (usually goat’s) with cracked wheat. I used it in my stuffing recipe, but more traditionally it is made into porridge or added to soup. It is rich and nourishing. Comfort food, Greek style.

Next up we diversify from traditional Greek cooking at Aldemar Restaurant where, after learning how to prepare peppers stuffed with feta and graviera and rabbit stifado, we are treated to quite a different menu for our finale dinner: modern Greek food which draws on Greek tradition but creates something more contemporary. This was also my birthday. Don’t miss this last episode.

To other news, SBS are releasing the DVD of Lyndey & Blair’s Taste of Greece series on 3 August. Click here to order.

I’m also busily working on Lyndey & Blair’s Taste of Greece the cookbook, which should be out next year in time for Mothers’ day. The book will contain a mix of traditional and modern recipes as well as beauty shots of the majestic Peloponnese and stills from the series.

2011 President’s Medal – competition and night like no other

2011-06-29T09:41:00.002+10:00

Last year’s President’s Medal was held at Four Seasons Sydney. This year the celebration of six champion producers from the Sydney Royal Wine, Dairy and Fine Food shows moves to Sydney Showground at Sydney Olympic Park in the historic Badgery Pavilion. Executive Chef Tim Browne is amazingly talented and, with his team, more than up to the task. He has relished the opportunity to develop a special menu and show the wider community what he can do with award winning produce.

Since its inception in 2006, the President’s Medal has been recognised as the pinnacle of producer awards. Over 5000 products are submitted across three shows, Champions are named; the best of the best judged by industry experts, ‘palates’, producers themselves and educators. The Chairs and Committees of Sydney Royal Wine, Cheese & Dairy and Fine Food shows then nominate two Champions each to vie for the President’s Medal. An in-depth judging process ensues which includes site visits and a triple bottom line evaluation.

The judging process is aptly managed by Simon Marnie, ABC 702 presenter and Scott Davenport, Chief Economist, NSW Department of Primary Industries in collaboration with celebrated chef Mark Best of Marque Restaurant in Sydney’s Surry Hills and Tony De Thomasis, Senior Business Manager, Woolworths. Mark Best has also designed the dessert course.

Not only is there world class food, but outstanding wines in a night hosted by 702 ABC Presenter, James Valentine, with roving reporter “Fast Ed” Halmagyi from Better Homes and Gardens. See behind-the-scenes videos from the finalists and be there to learn the outcome!

The medal will be presented on Thursday 7 July at a celebration dinner. Click here for more information or to book tickets. The menu will feature produce from the six producers vying for this prestigious award.

Cobram Estate, for their Fresh & Fruity Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Country Valley, for their Organic Milk
Fonterra Australia – Spreyton, for their Duck River Premium Butter
Jelm Pastoral Company, for their Jelm MSA Lamb - Grass Fed 20 - 23kg
Phillip Shaw Wines, for their The Idiot by Philip Shaw 2009
The Yalumba Wine Company, for their Yalumba FSW8B Botrytis Viognier (2009)

The Blair Milan Fund – supporting Theatre/Media students at Charles Sturt University

2011-06-22T12:41:00.002+10:00

I have previously posted about the death of my amazing son Blair whose joyful life was suddenly cut short by Acute Myeloid Leukaemia on 17 April. Our family has been overwhelmed with support, well wishes and messages of love.

My family and Blair’s close friends have teamed up with Blair’s old university, Charles Sturt University, to form The Blair Milan Fund and we are seeking help to ensure his legacy will live on for years to come.

Blair graduated as a Bachelor of Arts (Communication –Theatre/Media) at Charles Sturt University in Bathurst with Distinction in 2003 (as did his sister, Lucy, in 2005). As Blair brought passion to everything he did it only seemed right that his passion and enthusiasm for the arts be passed on to future Theatre/Media students. I also want his name to live on though his life was cut short.

The Blair Milan Fund comprises two components:

PART ONE: The Blair Milan Scholarship
A scholarship of $3000 will be awarded annually to one second year Theatre/Media student who exemplifies the generous artistic spirit and attitude of Blair. The student will be carefully selected by the academic staff of the Theatre/Media course with input from Blair’s family and peers. Selection will based on the student’s community involvement, academic and on stage performance as well as goals and motivation. The scholarship aims to encourage students studying Theatre/Media to demonstrate optimism, enthusiasm and a passion for their chosen field.

PART TWO: The Blair Milan Tour
One of the most significant moments in Blair’s early career was performing in the production Death’s Waiting Room. This production was originally produced by Theatre/Media students in their final year who were fortunate enough to secure funding to bring the work to Sydney. Funding from the Blair Milan Tour will give other works the same opportunity by providing financial support for the presentation of the work of final year Theatre/Media students before metropolitan and/or regional communities. An amount of $7,000 will be provided annually to assist the chosen production which will be selected by academic staff of the Theatre/ Media course with input from Blair’s peers and the Milan family. Profits realised from this presentation will be returned to the Blair Milan Touring Fund.

The objective is to raise over $100,000 so that the annual awards can be funded from the income of the Blair Milan Fund in perpetuity. My partner John Caldon and I have undertaken to match dollar for dollar (up to $50,000) the amounts received during the initial fund raising in commemoration of the role played by Blair Milan in our Naked Flame production of Lyndey and Blair’s Taste of Greece which is currently being shown on SBS.

The Fund Raising
The Blair Milan Fund will sit within the Theatre/Media Foundation of the Charles Sturt University. There are no additional administration costs with the creation of this new Fund.

Administration
We are currently accepting donations by cheque, bank transfer or credit card. Click here to download a donation form. You will be sent a receipt in order to claim your tax deduction. With your help we will ensure Blair’s legacy continues forever through the work and creativity of new Australian artists.

Please give generously.

How you can help
Click here to download a donation form.
Click here to like on facebook.

Wenonians’ Women of Spirit

2011-06-21T12:31:00.000+10:00

I was invited as a guest speaker to the recent Wenonians Inc Women of Spirit breakfast at Rydges Hotel, North Sydney. As an old girl and mother of an old girl, I was delighted to speak to one hundred Wenonians and their friends about my career and the food/wine/travel/adventure television series I shot with my late son, Blair, Lyndey & Blair’s Taste of Greece, now showing on SBS One at 8pm on Thursdays. The fifth episode will air this Thursday, 23 June, the sixth on 30 June and the final on 7 July. If you missed the first few episodes you can download them here.

Various auctions were held, including a ticket to my next class at the Sydney Seafood School. The winning bidder was Marcelle Perko, who I look forward to seeing on 10 August. It was gratifying that, in their 125th year, over $4,000 was raised for Wenona education scholarships.

Marcelle Perko with me and Trish O’Brien, Executive Director, Wenona Foundation

In honour of Blair’s memory, guests were asked to support the Leukaemia Foundation. A total of $750 was donated with more expected to follow. It was very gratifying to be able to help this organisation.

The real ragu

2011-06-09T08:42:00.000+10:00

I’ve blogged before about my fondness for comfort food and slow cooking. I think ragu is the ultimate winter recipe with the ultimate combination of comfort and slow cooking.

Like many traditional Italian recipes, there are seemingly endless ragu variations. My favourite version uses a mix of pork and veal mince (for flavor and sweetness), white wine, not too much tomato and a drop of milk at the end – definitely not your average spaghetti bolognaise!

The secret is long, slow cooking. I also love to add chicken livers with the meat but not everyone likes offal. I find short pasta works best with this sauce, but you could use whatever you have to hand.

As this is so good, my tip is to double the recipe and freeze half for later. As well as serving the ragu with pasta, use it to stuff cannelloni shells or as a lasagne filling.

Here is a link to the recipe on my main site.

Lyndey & Blair’s Taste of Greece media launch at Sydney Studio Kitchen

2011-06-01T13:13:00.006+10:00

You may know that the first episode of the television series I shot with my late son, Blair, in Greece aired at 8pm last Thursday night on SBS One. In the week prior, we hosted a dinner at Sydney Studio Kitchen for twenty journalists to launch the series.

For the night our Sydney Studio Kitchen was transformed from a television studio into a glamorous event space, complete with gorgeous little jars of olive branches.

We even decorated the napkins with olive branches and Greek evil eyes (which actually are lucky charms).

The menu was Greek (of course!), some courses from the show, others inspired by it and included:

Haloumi, about to be grilled until golden brown, and served with a spritz of lemon

Baby prawns which were deep fried until crisp

Tiny white fish got the same treatment

I helped out by preparing the mezethes in the set kitchen

My fabulous mates Julie Ballard and her son Andrew (pictured) prepared the entree, main course and dessert. We began with an easy Mediterranean fish soup, much easier than the traditional kakavia. My good friend, Greek-born chef Janni Kyritsis proudly told me it was the precursor to the popular French bouillabaisse coming from the Phoenicians, an Ancient Greek people who founded Marseille in 600 BC.

For mains, we feasted on goat two ways – grilled long rib cutlets with rigani and stewed shoulder and leg with eggplant and tomatoes (from episode 2 so don’t miss it!), lemon potatoes, horta (wild greens) and my favourite marouli salad – a fresh mix of cos lettuce and dill. The mains were served ‘family-style’ as is traditional in Greece, in the middle of the table.

Dessert was Greek rice pudding, known as Rizogalo, which we served drizzled with fragrant Greek honey and poached quinces.

Executive Producer, John Caldon with Erik Dwyer, Executive Producer Food & Leisure, SBS

Yasmin Newman, MasterChef Magazine, Jessica Brook, delicious magazine and Deb McDiarmid, Sydney Studio Kitchen

As well as Greek wine, we also drank ouzo

Feedback on the first episode has been fantastic. The second episode airs at 8pm on Thursday 2 June on SBS One.

Our beautiful Blair

2011-05-04T17:08:00.000+10:00

I am unsure about writing this blog but the news has been so public about the loss of my beautiful son Blair, and the interest so intense, that I wanted to share the facts. Also, we do have something to celebrate with the upcoming screening of the seven part TV series Lyndey & Blair’s Taste of Greece which I was lucky enough to shoot with him last year. It starts on Thursday May 26 at 8pm on SBS nationally. Click here to follow on Facebook.

Blair died suddenly from Acute Myeloid Leukaemia in the early hours of Sunday 17 April. He was taken ill on the previous Thursday and rushed to Royal Prince Alfred Hospital. I was overseas with my partner John and flew back immediately. By the time I arrived on the Saturday morning he was medically sedated on a ventilator in intensive care. Blair’s father, Nigel, had been with him from the Thursday and was magnificent, as was the hospital. We spent a precious 17½ hours at his bedside. There were 30 people in the waiting room, another 30 outside and even more old school friends at the pub! Blair would be pleased.

He was the most positive person I had ever met, and it was a joy and a privilege to have been his mother.

Blair’s friends and family flew in from around the globe. A bunch of his Charles Sturt University friends set up in our offices at the Sydney Studio Kitchen and spent a fortnight producing audio visual tributes. Ultimately Blair was farewelled in a heartfelt service in the chapel of his old school, Barker College on Saturday 30 April with an audience of 800 packed inside and also standing outside in the pouring rain. Several of us near and dear spoke at the service and Blair’s sister Lucy who flew in from London, and a close friend sang beautifully. A celebration followed at Sydney Theatre which culminated in theatre-style tributes by many of his friends. They sang, read poetry and spoke of their love for Blair. The finale was this appropriately upbeat, for Blair was a party man, video compilation put together by his friends from Charles Sturt University.

Tribute from Lyndey Milan on Vimeo.

Afternoon delights matched with NSW wines at The Bayside Lounge

2011-04-11T12:15:00.002+10:00

As well as those stunning duck confit pies I wrote about last year, The Bayside Lounge at the Sydney Convention & Exhibition Centre is also serving up a fantastic selection of New South Wales wines – many by the glass – until the end of July. As a fierce proponent of NSW wines being offered in NSW venues, this makes me really happy.

The list was compiled by Sydney Convention & Exhibition Centre’s Certified Sommelier, William Wilson. William is one of only a handful of Australasian sommeliers to attain the Court of Master Sommeliers’ title of Certified Sommelier; a title that recognises high standards of wine service, commitment to quality customer care and extensive knowledge of international wine, beer and spirits.

Sydney Convention & Exhibition Centre's William Wilson at work tasting wines

William Wilson with me

Scottish-born William (who incidentally looks fabulous in a kilt!) has remarkable wine knowledge that is as vast as it is impressive. He has handpicked some outstanding wines from New South Wales regions including Cowra, the Southern Highlands as well as the Hunter Valley, Mudgee and Orange. The newer alpine region of Tumbarumba is also well represented on Williams’s list (and I love the way he says Tumbarumba too, with his Scottish accent!). If you are not familiar with wines from Tumbarumba or the Snowy Mountains, the relatively high altitude and cool climate make for ideal pinot noir, chardonnay and sauvignon blanc styles.

William’s two stand-out wines are both from New England: 2009 Toppers Gewurztraminer and 2009 Zappa Reserve Release Barbera. With its rose and citrus nose and mild spicy plate, think cinnamon and nutmeg, the Gewurztraminer would complement many of Uwe’s sweet and savoury afternoon delights, especially the Crystal Bay prawn and cucumber bruschetta and the Orange and vanilla crème brûlée. Barbera is an Italian red grape variety with low tannins and high acid. Why not enjoy the Zappa Reserve Release Barbera with those duck confit pies?

Pop in for an afternoon delight at The Bayside Lounge. It is served from 1pm to 4pm on Wednesday through to Sunday. The menu is presided over by Executive Chef Uwe Habermehl and highlights include duck confit pies, Crystal Bay prawn and cucumber bruschetta and white chocolate pistachio eclair. Click here for more details.

Executive Chef Uwe Habermehl with me in The Bayside Lounge enjoying afternoon delights

Click here to view venue details including the full wine list and menu.

Celebrating Sydney Royal Trophy winners and Champions on Kerri-Anne

2011-04-04T17:00:00.000+10:00

Last week in my regular segment on Kerri-Anne (Thursdays at 9:40am) on the Nine Network I presented a selection of the newly crowned champion and trophy winners from the 2010/2011 Sydney Royal Wine, Fine Food and Cheese & Dairy Produce Shows. I combined a few of these products into a mouth-watering:

Striploin steak sourdough sandwich with walnut chilli dip and eggplant

and

Crab, Potato & Leek Ravioli with truffle infused extra virgin olive oil

Click on the links below for the recipes on my main site:
Stockyard Striploin steak on Brasserie Bread Boulot with Hasham’s Walnut Chilli Dip and eggplant
Pasta Di Porto Crab, Potato & Leek Ravioli with Pukara Estate Truffle Infused Extra Virgin Olive Oil

I have a long history with the Royal Agricultural Society of NSW. I am a long time councillor and board member. This is my first year as Chair of the Sydney Royal Wine Show; formerly I was founding Chair of the Sydney Royal Fine Food Show. Australian producers enter thousands of products into the three Sydney Royal Shows each year. To maintain credibility and integrity, the products are judged by panels made up of industry experts, producers such as winemakers and educators and specialist media.

Here is a full list of the champion and trophy winning products featured on Kerri-Anne:

Sydney Royal Wine Show
Three time trophy winner (Macquarie Group Perpetual Trophy, Royal Agricultural Society of NSW Annual Prize for Best Semillon and Albert Chan Memorial Prize for Best White Wine of Show): 2005 Margaret Semillon, Peter Lehmann Wines. This true Barossa Semillon is named in honour of Peter Lehmann’s wife, Margaret. Released as a five year old wine, Margaret is a fruit driven, deliciously dry, white wine.

Sydney Royal Fine Food Show
Champion Oyster: Pristine Angasi, Pristine Oyster Farm. Brothers Brendan, Tony and Guidera have been farming oysters in Coffin Bay, South Australia for twenty years. The award-winning native angasi oyster is plump, sweet and strong tasting.

Champion Prawn: Crystal Bay Farm prawns 21/30. Grown by Seafarm, one of the largest prawn farming operations in Australia, sustainable Crystal Bay prawns are available all year as fresh-chilled, cooked and uncooked.

Champion Beef: Stockyard Gold Beef. Established in 1948, family owned and operated, Stockyard is one of Australia’s most reputable producers with an internationally recognised brand. The award winning, consistently tender and flavoursome Gold range is derived from Angus genetics, fed and cared for over 200 days and MSA graded to ensure superior eating quality.

Champion Deli Meat Gourmet Product: Barossa Fine Foods Duck Terrine. All Barossa Fine Foods’ products are 100% gluten-free and made from traditional recipes handed down through four generations.

Champion Flavour Infused Extra Virgin Olive Oil: Pukara Estate Truffle Infused Extra Virgin Olive Oil. Hunter Valley based multi-award winning Pukara Estate produces distinctive, sophisticated and flavoursome extra virgin olive oils and vinegars. The Truffle Infused oil is rich, earthy and decadent.

Champion Regional Food: Nicholson Fine Foods Euro Style Spiced Beetroot Finishing Vinegar. Nicholson Fine Foods is an artisan food company that creates and develops an eclectic range of products for professional chefs and home cooks alike. With spiced earthiness, the multi-purpose Euro style Spiced Beetroot Finishing Vinegar can be used to dress salads, barbecued meat, fish or chicken.

Champion Fancy Pasta: Pasta Di Porto’s Champion Crab, Potato & Leek Ravioli. Pasta Di Porto’s range is free of artificial colours, preservatives and flavour enhancers. Most ingredients are grown by local farmers and/or sourced nearby. Some are also certified organic. To maintain high quality and freshness, only small quantities are made.

Champion Sourdough or Artisan Bread: Brasserie Bread Boulot. As well as supplying numerous cafes, restaurants and delis, Brasserie Bread runs their own café, baking school and retail shop in Sydney’s Botany. Taking two days to make, the Boulot is a traditional round sourdough with ingredients that include 16 year old sourdough starter, organic flour and river salt.

Champion Bottled Beer: Matilda Bay Brewing Company Alpha Pale Ale. In 1984 a group of guys got together in Fremantle, Western Australia to make beer under the Matilda Bay Brewing Company brand. Alpha Pale Ale mirrors traditional English India Pale Ale yet with assertive bitterness and distinctive fruit and citrus aromas from local hops.

Champion Traditional Sausage: Avoca Beach Butchery's Australian Breakfast Sausage. Robbie Hunt from NSW Central Coast based Avoca Beach Butchery has a passion for quality meat. He produces a range of sausages with an emphasis on quality and versatility – suitable for the oven or barbecue.

Sydney Royal Cheese & Dairy Produce Show
Champion Butter: Fonterra Spreyton Duck River Premium Butter. Fonterra Spreyton, near Devonport is supplied with high quality cow’s milk from some of the best dairying land in Australia. The Duck River Brand is named after the Duck River near Smithton, where the factory was originally established in 1904.

Gold Medal Dip: Hasham’s Dips Walnut Chilli Dip. Established in 1998 Hasham’s Dips is a Cairns based family owned and operated business. Their variety of dips, tapenades, pesto and marinated vegetables are made from local produce, using traditional recipes. Turkish style Walnut Chilli Dip is made from fresh walnuts and hot chilli.

Greenhouse by Joost: where sustainable practice and living meets the urban environment

2011-03-08T11:24:00.002+11:00

Designer, horticulturalist and eco-friendly pop-up restaurateur extraordinaire, Joost Bakker has chosen Campbells Cove on glorious Sydney Harbour as the Sydney location for his ground-breaking venue.

Joost Bakker speaking at the Greenhouse launch

This eco-friendly restaurant is built using 100% recycled and recyclable materials. Think shipping containers and packing crates with straw bales for insulation. All furniture, light fittings, crockery, glasses and staff uniforms are also made from recycled and recyclable materials. It gets better … water is collected, waste is recycled and the generator runs on cooking oil.

First impressions are intriguing – shipping crates, strawberries growing up the exterior walls, herbs growing on the roof and a white walled interior covered with menu written in graffiti style, apparently by Joost, and completed in one night. Is there no end to this man’s talent?

I was delighted to officiate as MC at the launch and finally I got back there last week to see the venue completed and try the whole experience.

Greenhouse by Joost’s exterior during construction.

Now the outside is covered with strawberry plants.

The staff are lovely, from the gorgeous multi-talented maître’d (industrial designer by day and member of Joost’s hospitality team by night) and the cornucopia of friendly young’uns working the floor to the über chef-of-the-moment, Matt Stone, formerly of the Greenhouse in Perth.

Matt’s menu is short but well-crafted with a workable assortment of snacks, salads and bigger offerings. Many of the components – bread, pastries, pizza, yoghurt and butter – are made on site. The drinks list is also short with one red, one white, one beer and one cider for those who fancy the hard staff. All are served in glass jars.

The food presentation was as much fun as the venue, served either on pieces of recycled plywood or in wide-necked glass jars.

I loved the Wagyu on romesco, especially as it was a little used cut, girello – perfectly cooked beef (grass-fed of course) served sliced on a well-textured romesco sauce heady with smoked paprika. Mint added a lovely freshness to the quinoa and avocado salad. Oysters sang with freshness, the spiced cauliflower in a paper cone left me wanting more, the deep-fried school prawns were hot and crisp and you can’t go past the pizza of the day from the wood-fired oven.

Greenhouse by Joost’s interior.

The tables are made from old signs.

If you are a Sydneysider, my advice is get down there! This is a totally new concept which works because the food is so good. It’s an alternate view of the world and how we can co-exist sustainably. The bonus is the million dollar view and the soundtrack of water ebbing and flowing against the harbour wall. Go knowing you are learning vicariously how to make better food choices while, if you are like me, being equally thrilled by Joost’s flair and vision.

Greenhouse by Joost is open until the end of March 2011.

Celebrity dish … Michael Moore, owner of The Summit Restaurant and author of Moore to Food

2011-02-22T17:33:00.000+11:00

Michael and I go way back to when he was a young pony-tailed chef and I was just moving from catering into the media. I have always been a big fan his food. He is also one great guy. We cooked together after he joined Fresh on the Nine Network where I was co-host and until he stopped this year, we both present weekly cooking segments on Kerri-Anne on the same network.

Sydneysiders will know Michael’s restaurant – The Summit, on top of Australia Square. This iconic restaurant recently opened a very special private dining room, Salon Privé by Champagne Taittinger. Michael has created bespoke menus for this beautifully designed

room with its 360 degree views of the city and Sydney Harbour.

Michael is also one the new resident chefs at Westfield in Pitt Street Mall, Sydney. His venture EAT Deli Kitchen purports it to be the Australian home of the Reuben sandwich – that classic New York combo of salt beef, pickles and mustard on rye. Michael’s version features Wagyu Salt Beef and is served hot. I haven’t tried one yet but it’s on my food wish list for my next visit to Westfield.

As well as launching a new restaurant, late last year Michael launched his new book, Moore to Food (New Holland) where he shares his culinary secrets and presents recipes and tips for entertaining at home in a stylish, yet comprehensive manual format. Definitely a book for anyone who loves to entertain.

With a 25 year plus career owning and running top restaurants in his native London and adopted Sydney, where he has been awarded a number of chefs’ hats from the Sydney Morning Herald’s Good Food Guide, Michael is certainly well qualified to be a celebrity dish.

Over to Michael:

What is your earliest food memory: Making blackcurrant jam and rock cakes with my Nan back home in the U.K!

What is the strangest meal you’ve ever been served: Chickens feet and pigs bum (Andouillette sausage)

What is your signature dish: Twice cooked pork belly with roasted apple marmalade and glass crackling

What is your favourite cookbook: Marcella Hazan ‘Italian Cooking’

What do you never eat: Andouillette sausage

What are the five ingredients you would take to a desert island: Buffalo mozzarella, tomatoes, olive oil, bread, chocolate

What are you having for dinner tonight: Wagyu salt beef ‘Reuben’ sandwich on rye, swiss cheese, pickles, mustard mayonnaise

Thanks Michael.

The details:

The Summit Restaurant

Level 47, Australia Square, 264 George Street, Sydney

Telephone 02 9247 9777

Email reservations@summitrestaurant.com.au

EAT Deli Kitchen

Level 5, Westfield Sydney

Pitt Street Mall, Sydney

Telephone 0423 441 220

It is love … a three course romantic dinner in 30 minutes

2011-02-14T11:04:00.000+11:00

I prepared this simple, yet impressive three course romantic dinner on the Kerri Anne show on the 9 Network last Thursday. To quote a cliché: minimum effort for maximum effect.

Easy is a word that best sums up this menu. The ingredients are easy to source, the recipes are easy to follow, all three courses are easy to eat and, last but not least (another cliché) the food is easy on the stomach. Oh, and easy on the eye too.

Oysters natural, served on the shell, is the first course. They should be freshly shucked. If you are unsure about shucking oysters, ask your fishmonger to release the hinge, but keep the top of the oyster attached. Why would anyone forgo the delicious liquor inside? The oysters are served simply with a squeeze of lemon and freshly ground black pepper.

For mains, beautiful fillets of Regal King Salmon are wrapped in prosciutto and simply baked with asparagus spears. Eight minutes in the oven and you are ready to serve.

Dessert takes minutes too. Top seasonal fruit – I love a mixture of blueberries and raspberries – with light sour cream or crème fraîche, sprinkle with dark brown sugar and grill or blowtorch until golden and bubbling. Serve with a crisp biscuit or wafer.

Dinner is served.

Click on the links below for the recipes.
Oysters Natural
Regal Salmon with proscuitto and asparagus
Cheat's berry brulee

Happy Valentine’s Day.

Australian Pork masterclass

2011-02-10T12:10:00.002+11:00

Back in October I blogged about how you could win with Australian Pork.

Even though everyone wins when eating or cooking with Australian Pork, one lucky taste.com.au reader, Fotini Starvridis, was a triple winner. She won a pork masterclass, a Brilliant Cut Knife and my three latest books: Just Add Spice, Lyndey Milan’s Best Collection and Balance. Matching Food and Wine, What Works and Why.

The pork masterclass was held a couple of weeks ago. Fotini and I had a lovely time getting to know each other while delighting in lots of porky goodness.

Prior to the masterclass, Fotini nominated roast pork (with crackling) and pork larb as two recipes she would like to cook with me. I added char siew and pork belly to bring the number of pork recipes to four and to demonstrate different cuts and cooking methods.

First up, we cooked Glass Crackling Pork Belly, adapted from a recipe by chef Michael Moore.

Glass Crackling Pork Belly

Click here for the Glass Crackling Pork Belly recipe. When you make this recipe, plan ahead as the rind (crackle) really benefits from two hours pre-salting to reduce moisture and ensure the resultant crackle is ‘glass-like’. I know the method is fairly lengthy (salting and then marinating), but I recommend you follow all the steps to achieve excellent crackle and tender meat, ever so lightly scented with Chinese five spice.

Next up we cooked the perennial Chinese favourite, Char Siew Pork which we later served with noodles and vegetables.

Char Siew Pork just out of the oven

I have been cooking this recipe for many years. The taste, texture and flavour belie the effortless method and store cupboard ingredients. Char Siew Pork is so versatile – we served it warm with noodles and baby bok choy but it is equally delicious the next day served cold, sliced with salad greens and a dash of chilli soy dressing. Cook it now to celebrate Chinese New Year!

Char Siew Pork with noodles and bok choy

Click here for the recipe on my main site.
The celebratory pork rack was next. We cooked Gingered Pork Rack, a recipe from Just Add Spice. This is a great dinner party recipe that can be prepared and cooked in under an hour. The 1kg rack (perfect for four serves) is roasted and while it rests, the sauce comes together in the pan juices with the addition of ginger, cinnamon, marmalade, orange segments and my favourite Indonesian soy sauce, Kecap Manis.

We served the Gingered Pork Rack with roasted potatoes and broccolini in a pool of the gingery orange sauce.

Gingered Rack of Pork

Click here for the recipe on my main site.

The last recipe of the day was one I cooked on my Brilliant Cut Knife dvd, Pork Larb, the ten minute wonder!

There are quite a few ingredients, but all are pretty easy to find at your local fruit and vegetable shop or Asian grocery store. The sweetness of the pork mince is the perfect carrier for these strong Asian flavours. For a more substantial dish, you can add reconstituted rice stick noodles, but don’t substitute the lettuce cups – they are the perfect serving vessel.

Click here for the recipe on my main site.

Day trip to Cabramatta

2011-02-01T11:45:00.007+11:00

My long time friend Carol Selva Rajah has been hosting tours to Cabramatta for 20 years. I attended one of her first tours with my daughter Lucy – she was 5 years old and I recall she loved the Vietnamese duck soup. So it was fitting that I went along to celebrate Carol’s milestone late last year. Sadly Lucy lives in London now and couldn’t make it.

The group with Carol (in white) in the middle

We headed off bright and early on a Saturday morning and while some things at Cabramatta have changed since my first visit, many have stayed the same. The bright towering displays of fresh produce are certainly the same. Back then, of course, many of the herbs, fruit and vegetables sold in Cabramatta were alien to most of us, nowadays coriander is about as common as iceberg lettuce!

Carol at one of the vibrant fruit & vegetable stores

It was fabulous to have insider knowledge of where to go for the best of everything at Cabramatta and Carol didn’t disappoint. I was especially enamoured with the produce.

Banana flowers – commonly used to made a salad with coconut cream and prawns

And the pork!

Behind the scenes at the pork roasting house

Then it was time for lunch at Lina Lam’s modern Vietnamese restaurant, Ban Truong (42 John Street, Cabramatta 2166 – telephone 02 9727 4492), where we met Dai Le, the former ABC journalist wife of Markus Lambert, PR Manager at Fairfield Council.

Margaret Fulton with Dai Lee

As you would expect lunch featured many new and innovative examples of Vietnamese cuisine.
As well as Australian wines, we sipped sake cocktails made from Australian sake from the Sun-Masamune Brewery at Penrith. Refreshing and deliciously sour.

Sake Cocktail

Now to the food:

Goi Bo Bop Thau - Beef & Mango Salad

Nem Nuong Xa Cay - Chargrilled pork mince on lemongrass skewers

Vit Xi Muoi - Main Meal of Seared Duck with plum sauce & steamed okra

Ca Cha Ca –Triple flavour fishcake in clear soup garnished with dill

Chao tom – Chargrilled Prawn paste on sugarcane skewers

Chem Nuong La Choi – Chargrilled whole Perch wrapped in banana leaves

Chuoi Nuong la Dua – Banana cooked with pandan, served with sago and coconut custard

These dishes made up a wonderful banquet. To experience a similar banquet, some of the dishes will need to be ordered in advance, namely the triple flavour fishcakes, seared duck in plum sauce and the banana cooked with pandan.

Thanks for a great day Carol!

Click here for more information about Carol’s tours.

Festive greetings!

2010-12-16T11:10:00.001+11:00

Click here for my Christmas postcard which includes my food and wine (top seasonal cheer!) tips for an easy yet impressive Christmas as well as my highlights (there are a lot!) of 2010.

Wishing you a fabulous holiday season full of family, friends and good food and wine.

High five for Plumm Glassware

2010-12-01T12:49:00.000+11:00

Have you heard of Plumm Glassware? Maybe not. Have you heard of Riedel Glassware? Probably. A great product with a great philosophy – the taste of wine changes depending on where it is delivered into the mouth, so different wines taste better with different glasses. Most wine shows like the Sydney Royal, judge using Riedel glasses finding they show up the qualities and faults in wine in a more superior way to XL5 tasting glasses. However, there are now a dizzying array of different glasses – which can be a bit confusing for the wine lover at home.

For over fifteen years some of the Plumm team worked for Riedel in Australia. However, Riedel have established an independent presence here now, so this team came up with Plumm and have launched their own range. Talk about learning from the master.

Plumm undertook extensive research with wine aficionados and wine makers around the globe. What they came up with is surprisingly simple. The Australian designed Plumm Glassware found they need only offer five glass shapes:

Simply called, left to right:

REDa – suitable for big reds – shiraz and cabernet
REDb – suitable for medium reds – pinot and merlot
WHITEa – suitable for crisp, fresh whites – sauvignon blanc and gewürztraminer
WHITEb – suitable medium whites – chardonnay, pinot gris/grigio
Sparkling – duh

Simple! And easy to recognise in the glass cabinet.

As well as being not new to glassware, Plumm are not new to the wine industry. They have interests in vineyards, wineries, distribution and wine retailing. Utilising these credentials, Plumm have designed a stylish range of glassware that works well over innumerable wine styles.

The Plumm ‘5’ are available in four different ranges:
Handmade Vintage (hand blown) – for special occasions
Vintage (machine made) – for every day
Glass (stemless) – great for cocktails and beer as well as desserts
Outdoors (unbreakable polycarbonate) – they look like the real thing

I know they will be on every well-dressed table this holiday season!

The golden rules of freezing

2010-11-25T15:20:00.000+11:00

As I’m often asked about freezing I thought it was high time I posted a summary of the tips and tricks I’ve picked up over many years cooking and eating.

Why freeze?
~ Freezing will preserve flavour, colour, texture and nutritional value as long as foods are frozen frozen fresh and in good condition
~ Great way to store leftovers and avoid waste
~ Out-of-season produce is available all year
~ Food bacteria stops growing (note: freezing won’t kill bacteria but does stop it growing)
~ Partial freezing of meat or fish makes it easier to slice, eg carpaccio

Why not?
~ Organisation is required for defrosting; frozen food normally stored in the fridge should be defrosted in the fridge
~ Some foods will spoil, eg food with high salt like ham or high sugar like jam can be watery when defrosted

What should I freeze?
~ Liquid based dishes – such as stock, soup, sauces and casseroles
~ Berries – such as strawberries (place in a single layer on a baking tray to open freeze, when frozen transfer to container and return to freezer)
~ Muffins, cakes and slices – double wrap (plastic and foil) and store in a plastic bag
~ Egg whites – try individually in an ice-cube tray
~ Meat – remove from butcher’s packing and wrap portions separately in plastic wrap
~ Mince – in a plastic bag and flattened to allow for even defrosting
~ Nuts – stops them becoming rancid
~ Ice-cream – cover surface with plastic wrap to prevent freezer burn
~ Pastry – make sure it is well wrapped

What shouldn’t I freeze?
~ Vegetables with high water, eg asparagus and most salad vegetables
~ Jam could go runny due to high sugar
~ Dairy products may curdle
~ Egg-based sauces such as bearnaise will separate
~ Egg yolks will be dry
~ Stuffed foods as raw meat juice will be absorbed by the stuffing and could cause bacteria to grow

What about packing?
~ Label and date food
~ Remove all air from wrapping material
~ Leave between 2cm and 5cm at the top of the container when freezing liquid foods as they will expand
~ Pack food loosely or open freeze first and then package for easy defrosting, eg cooked meatballs
~ Pack food into quantities that suit your lifestyle, eg don’t freeze stock in 2L containers when cooking for one or two
~ Cool all cooked food before packing for the freezer

How long can I freeze food?
Raw meat
Beef mince - 3 months
Beef steaks & roasts - 6 months
Veal mince - 3 months
Lamb mince - 3-6 months
Lamb cutlets, chops & roasts
Pork mince - 2 months
Pork chops & roasts - 3-6 months
Bacon & prosciutto - 1 month
Meat sausages - 3 months

Raw poultry
Mince - 3 months
Chicken pieces - 6 months
Whole chicken - 12 months
Duck - 3 months

Raw seafood
White fish fillets - 6 months
Oily fish (salmon / trout) - 2 months
Shellfish - 2 months

Cooked / prepared foods
Beef & lamb casseroles - 3 months
Pork casseroles - 1 month
Vegetarian casseroles - 6 months
Cooked and shelled prawns - 1 month
Cooked leftover meats - 2 months
Soups - 4 months
Fresh pasta - 3 months

Baked goods
Cakes - 4 months
Pancakes & crepes - 2 months
Bread - 8 months
Pastries - 8 months
Muffins - 12 months
Fruit cakes - 12 months
Pies - 4 months

Dairy products
Butter, salted - 12 months
Butter, unsalted - 3 months
Firm cheeses, such as cheddar - 3 months
Egg whites - 3 months

How do I thaw food?
~ Foods with low moisture content – such as cakes, muffins and biscuits – are best thawed wrapped in their freezer packaging at room temperature
~ Foods for a medium moisture content – such as fresh pasta and frozen bread – can be reheated / cooked immediately
~ Foods with a high moisture content – such as meat and fruit – should be thawed in the fridge to prevent bacteria growth

Quick summary
~ Freeze foods as soon as possible
~ Pack and wrap food properly, making sure to avoid air as this can cause freezer burn
~ Don’t forgot to affix a label with the date and contents
~ Be aware of what is in your freezer to avoid having to discard food past its freezer use-by date
~ For best results, take note of thawing instructions above

Lastly, the good news is that it is more energy efficient to keep a full freezer as less power is needed to circulate cold air and accordingly keep food frozen.

Happy freezing.

Happy 150th birthday Tahbilk!

2010-11-11T10:38:00.001+11:00

I have long been drinking Tahbilk wines, one of Victoria’s oldest wineries and family owned by the Purbrick family since 1925. I was delighted to be invited to celebrate this milestone at a grand dinner at the Plaza Ballroom in Melbourne last month – not the least because I had the pleasure of going there to do a beautiful pictorial story last February.

John Caldon with Rosa Purbrick and me

Guests, including many generations of the Purbrick family with their extended families and friends delighted in the Rococco themed dinner. Also in attendance were a who’s who of the wine industry, notably CEOs from Australia’s First Families of Wine (of which Tahbilk is a founding member) such as Robert Hill Smith (Yalumba), Stephen Henschke (Henschke), Bruce Tyrrell (Tyrrell’s), Ross Brown (Brown Brothers), Colin Campbell (Campbell’s), Peter Barry (Jim Barry Wines), Mitchell Taylor (Taylor’s), Doug McWilliam (McWilliam’s), Chester Osborn (d’Arenberg), Coonawarra’s Bruce Redman and Ian Hollick, and Victoria’s Stephen Shelmerdine.

The food and wine matching were well thought out – 2008 Tahbilk Sparkling Marsanne with canapés, a bracket of 2002 and 2009 Tahbilk Marsanne with the tiger prawn agnolotto entrée and 1999 Tahbilk Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon and 2004 Tahbilk ESP Cabernet with the seared Asian-style duck with ginger, orange and palm sugar sauce main. Finally Tahbilk’s iconic 2004 1860 Vines Shiraz and ESP Shiraz perfectly complemented a selection of Australian cheeses.

When not focusing on the excellent food and wine, James Morrison and his band with vocalist Emma Pask, charmed guests with their jazz. Some even ventured onto the dance floor.

Then it was time for cake, a sweet version of Tahbilk’s iconic tower which was wheeled out after CEO Alister Purbrikc’s speech and cut by all the family. Guests’ rendition of Happy Birthday raised the rafters!

Happy Birthday Tahbilk!

The easiest chocolate almond fondant pudding ever – and gluten-free too!

2010-11-05T15:31:00.000+11:00

Really, these delicious, gooey puddings are almost too easy! They can be mixed together quickly in a saucepan (saves washing up), spooned into greased muffin tins or ramekins and baked immediately or set aside for an hour or two or even overnight – whatever suits your schedule. One important point … before baking don’t forget to insert a square or two of chocolate into each pudding to achieve the classic fondant melting interior. These decadent puddings are excellent with cream or ice-cream or, my favourite, thick Greek yoghurt. I find the slight sourness balances the richness of the chocolate.

These crowd pleasing puddings are perfect just as they are, but if you are seeking variety, add a teaspoon of finely grated orange rind or a tablespoon of strong coffee to the pudding mixture. And, for a really unusual twist (and a little heat), add a pinch of dried red chili flakes.

The other variation I was thinking is substituting ground hazelnuts or pistachios for the almonds. I’ll let you know how it goes …

Click here for the recipe on my main site.

Regional food stars at Brisbane Good Food & Wine Show - starts this Friday

2010-11-03T17:19:00.002+11:00

For the third year running I’ve been asked to host the Lyndey Milan Producers’ Market at the Brisbane Good Food & Wine Show.

My friends at Forever Knives will be there too and I’ll be demonstrating my Brilliant Cut Knife on their stand at various times throughout the day. Make sure you come and say Hi.

I’ll also be chatting and interviewing these fabulous artisan and boutique producers at the Lyndey Milan Regional Producers’ Market:

Hills of Byron is an award winning, plantation roasted coffee from the Bryon Bay hinterland with rich flavour and aroma. The 18,000 Arabica coffee trees meet pesticide and herbicide free growing standards prior to being processed, roasted and packed. A judge at a recent coffee competition stated ‘the coffee has a good sweet aroma with hints of pleasant strong toasty fragrance and mix of molasses or honey’.

Silverwood Organics from Longreach in western Queensland sells and delivers organic meat packs. Silverwood grows the dorper breed of sheep which naturally shed their wool and are also known for their excellent carcass and superior eating quality. The free-range lamb is grown in natural Mitchell grass paddocks without chemicals or supplement feeding. To avoid undue stress, the lamb is processed locally by an organically accredited processor. Half or full packs with associated cuts are available online for home delivery. Just one taste and you will be convinced.

Located in the Barossa Valley, Careme Pastry, is owned and operated by William and Claire Wood, who, coming from a restaurant background we were always disappointed with the quality of commercially available ready-made pastry. Careme only use natural ingredients, free of additives, preservatives and colours to produce their hand-crafted pastry products. Their product range includes ready to use pastry dough: all butter puff, sour cream shortcrust, vanilla bean sweet shortcrust and dark chocolate shortcrust as well as a range of tarts, pies, savoury galettes and sweet tarts and croissants and pastries. Stephanie Alexander commends it!

Estate grown and produced, Olivfresh, on the shores of Lake Wivenhoe in South-East Queensland, sources its olives from their 700 tree certified organic olive estate. The olives are naturally fermented in rainwater and sea salt. The product range includes Ligurian style olives, Arbequina black olives, Olive and fig tapenade dip, Green olive and avocado tapenade dip, Sun dried black olives, Green olives and Party mix olives.

Bellissimo Coffee is located in Fortitude Valley in Brisbane. They are a relatively new boutique coffee roaster that uses the highest quality beans which are organic, satisfy fair trade arrangements and are rainforest friendly. As a first time exhibitor, Bellissimo won a Gold Medal and Class Champion (overall winner) Espresso at 2010 Sydney Royal Fine Food Show for their premium blend Bellissimo Emporio. Amazingly Bellissimo Emporio was only created in 2010 and as well as being awarded Sydney Royal Champion also won a Gold Medal in the Cappuccino class at the Royal Hobart Fine Food Show.

Robert Channon from the picturesque Granite Belt in Southern Queensland produces some of the finest Australian Verdelho, Chardonnay, Pinot Gris and Cabernet Sauvignon from its family-owned winery and vineyard. Recent awards include National Champion Sparkling Wine & Gold Medal Australian Small Winemakers Show 2010 for Singing Lake Sparkling Chardonnay 2008 and Robert Channon’s Reserve Chardonnay 2007 was awarded five stars from Winestate Magazine and the trophy for the Best White Wine and a Gold Medal in the Queensland Wine Awards 2010. However, it is his Verdelho which first found fame as arguably the best in Australia.

Robins Food is located in Altona, Victoria and was formed by recognised pioneers of the native food industry, Ian and Juleigh Robins, in 1997. The range of products are branded Outback Spirit and the vision is to bring indigenous foods to the mainstream market locally and internationally while giving back to indigenous communities. The product range includes chutneys, preserves, dry marinades, seasoning salts, seasoning sprinklers, sauces, dressings, crushed garlic, herbs and rejuvenating water and are available from major and independent supermarkets nationally as well as Oxfam Fair Trade stores.

Family owned, Queensland based Authentic Turkish Bakehouse has been producing breads and baked goods using traditional recipes for ten years. The products are stocked at many local supermarkets, cafes and restaurants in Queensland. The range include Turkish pide (all shapes and sizes) as well as ciabatta, panini, focaccia, Lebanese bread and cinnamon fruit loaf and banana bread for sweet bread lovers.

Murray River Salt has been harvesting in Hattah, North West Victoria since 1983 and more recently producing their iconic pink flake salts at Mildura. This unique product is additive and preservative free and the pink hue is created naturally via mineralized brines. In the natural world salinity is a major issue and by removing it Murray River Salt is doing their bit for the environment. This is my salt of choice especially as I much prefer Australian over imported product.

From Queensland’s peanut capital, Kingaroy, comes The Peanut Van, who celebrated their 40th birthday last year. Their extensive range of products includes sugar coated, dry roasted, sweet & salty, hickory smoke, savoury tomato, salt & vinegar, garlic, chilli & lime and Mexican delight. All peanuts are jumbo and freshness is guaranteed. Theirs is always a popular stand at the show.

Melbourne based Larder Fresh have been producing delicious falafels and nougat using fresh, locally sourced ingredients that are preservative and additive free for nearly ten years. They are gluten and dairy free and available around Australia.

Yumm Dressings from Sydney make dressings from natural ingredients with no artificial preservatives, colours or flavours. Each bottle is hand-made and many ingredients are sourced from local producers and farmers’ markets. The product range includes Very Original (blend of olive and sesame oils, fresh garlic and honey), Poppy Splash (red wine and raspberry vinegars, Spanish onion and poppy seeds), Balsamic Drizzle, So Provincial (apple cider vinegar, honey and tarragon), Maple Zest (orange juice and maple syrup). They are available online and from various gourmet food stores and farmers’ markets. They really do taste home made.

Yarra Valley Salmon has been farming salmon in the Yarra Valley Ranges since 1992. Clean, cold oxygen-rich water from the Victorian Alps flows through to the ponds where the salmon live. The salmon is reared naturally without antibiotics or chemicals and hand milked to provide plump flawless eggs bursting with flavour. The product range includes: caviar – the salmon are given a natural anaesthetic and gently hand milked – preservative and additive free and sold fresh in jars; salmon – antibiotic and chemical free and sold fresh, smoked and poached as whole fish and fillets.

See you there!

Steak Haus – new neighbourhood gem

2010-11-01T14:03:00.001+11:00

Don’t you love finding a great new and affordable local?

After finishing a meeting my colleagues and I headed out for a quick dinner in the Potts Point / Kings Cross environs. I had previously heard about the very newly opened (a few days prior) Steak Haus and was keen to give it a try. Situated around the corner from the Coke sign in the premises that formerly housed Blanco, the interior screams chic with the obligatory communal table, low lighting and friendly wait staff. In a word, stylish. One thing I didn’t like was the soundtrack – maybe it is just me but the Gypsy Kings (I think?) on repeat was just a tad too much – and too loud. Also, as the night wore on it was harder and harder to hear with the buzz from other tables. That aside, the concept is great, the food good and the whole very budget friendly.

The Steak Haus offers a three course set menu with a few options for $30. Kind of like the $5 pub steak, but oh so much better.

The one size fits all entrée was a classic bistro style green salad taken to the next level with a herby mustard dressing and fresh crunchy walnuts and buttery croutons offering toothsome crunch.

Mains came with frites – shoestring fries to the non-Francophiles – and lots of them. They were good too. Protein choices were steak or tuna plus a vegetarian option. Our table sampled the steak and tuna. The thinly cut steaks (again a generous serve) appeared sporting char grill marks, and all were cooked as ordered, as was the tuna.

Accompanying the protein and frites was a selection of four sauces served DIY style in the middle of the table. My pick was the Chimmie Churrie (sic), although I would have enjoyed the Le Paris (with café de paris butter style flavours) a little more if it hadn’t separated. Chilli and mushroom sauces made up the quartet.

L to R le Paris, mushroom, chimmie churrie (sic) and chilli

The wine list was also approachable – with a concise selection of good local and international (France, Italy, New Zealand and Argentinian) offerings. We enjoyed a couple of bottles of 2009 Merricks Creek Pinot Noir which seemed to suit both the meat and fish eaters.

There were four desserts in the set menu and like good sports, we decided to have one of each. The usual suspects appeared – panna cotta, macaron, profiterole and brulee, however all were sweetly satisfying, especially the profiterole adorned with crisp caramel and the vivid pink macaron with creamy white chocolate filling. Apparently all house-made.

For a restaurant that has only been open for a couple of weeks, they are certainly getting a lot right. It’s one you could go back to time and again, as long as the noise didn’t put you off.

Steak Haus is at 5-9a Roslyn Avenue, Potts Point. Telephone 02 8065 1812. As yet there is no website.

My new projects

2010-10-29T17:29:00.000+11:00

There are a few very exciting things happening at the moment and I wanted to share them with you.

In December Lyndey Milan Enterprises is launching a dedicated facility for culinary and lifestyle filming and photography in Artarmon, to be called the Sydney Studio Kitchen. The studio will feature kitchen and lifestyle sets with clever customised, interchangeable components and equipment. There will also be crew and other services for hire. The studio aims to meet the needs of advertising agencies and production companies which demand not just an elevated sense of design and functionality to enhance a product or a program’s identity, but also deliver production efficiencies. Also the set can look different for different clients!

As well as providing an innovative environment to showcase brands and shoot television content, we will also provide post production solutions with a fully equipped edit suite on site.

Upstairs will house the headquarters of Lyndey Milan Enterprises.

The other noteworthy project is the production company we have created to focus on unique television offers that will be filmed and marketed around the world. More about that soon…

While the core of my business (and life!) will always be my enduring love for all things gastronomic – food, wine, people and telling the stories behind them, I am thrilled that my new business ventures combine perfectly to fuel that love.

Lastly, with all this work … I’ve decided to leave ACP Magazines. I’ve loved my ten plus years at The Australian Women’s Weekly but feel now is the time to focus on these exciting projects. I will, of course, continue to appear regularly on Kerri-Anne on the Nine Network and will be sharing my new media commitments with you very soon.

Exciting times ahead!

Champion producers at Restaurant 2010

2010-10-22T10:46:00.000+11:00

Restaurant 2010 is the key trade show for the food and wine industry, attracting business owners, restaurateurs, significant hospitality suppliers as well as key primary producers. It runs for two days (25 & 26 October) at the Royal Hall of Industries at Moore Park, Sydney.

Following very successful Lyndey Milan Regional Producers’ Markets at Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane Good Food & Wine Shows for the past three years, the exhibition organisers, Diversified, have asked me to put together a similar producers market for Restaurant 2010. The focus for Restaurant 2010 is on champion producers with a product suitable for the food service and/or restaurant trade market with supporting sales and marketing channels. Also there is only one per product category.

Click here to register. Its free!

I am delighted to present a fabulous group of champion producers:

Sublime Gelato
For nearly 10 years Sublime Gelato has been making authentic Italian gelato, sorbet and desserts in Sydney. All products are hand-made and the wide range of flavours is authentic yet innovative and unique. Sublime Cookies and Cream Gelato was recently awarded NSW Champion Frozen Dairy Confection Classes at the 2010 DIAA awards. Gelato have also won numerous medals at the Sydney Royal Cheese & Dairy Show as well the Grand Dairy Awards.

At Restaurant 2010, Sublime will be exhibiting:
Gelato: Pistachio, Belgian Chocolate, Cookies and Cream, Vanilla Bean (French Vanilla), Hazelnut, Tiramisu and Caramello
Sorbet: Mango, Lemon, Strawberry and Passionfruit

Jelm Lamb Pastoral Company
Multi-award winning Jelm is a family run business located at Sunnydale near Cootamundra in the Riverina district of NSW. The lambs and their environment are hormone and chemical free to ensure maximum quality, taste and texture. Proprietor Mark Williams manages the process from the farm to the abattoir through to preparation, packaging, delivery and storage. The result is numerous Sydney Royal Medals covering grass, grain and milk fed lamb. Jelm will be exhibiting their range of lamb products.

Stockyard Beef
Stockyard Beef, established in 1958, own and operate a 9200 head feedlot with supporting grain and pasture properties in Oakey, Queensland. They specialise in grain fed beef, especially high quality long fed and wagyu categories. Key values such as selecting superior genetics such as Angus, raising cattle in a clean and stress free environment and the right balance of nutritious feed ensure consistent tenderness and flavour. Stockyard is MSA graded to ensure superior eating quality. As well as Australia, their markets include Japan, Korea, Middle East, Hong Kong, China, Singapore, USA and Russia. Stockyard has won numerous medals and trophies and in 2010 Stockyard was awarded Champion status in both the Sydney Royal Fine Food Branded Beef Competition and the Royal Queensland Food and Wine Show. In fact, since 2006, Stockyard has been awarded Champion four times, making it the most successful beef brand in Australia.

Stockyard will be exhibiting their multi-award winning Gold range as well as Grain Fed (a young beef category grain fed for 70 days and MSA graded), CAAB (a 150 day Angus product certified by Australian Angus Beef) and Stockyard Wagyu (the ultimate in eating quality utilising Stockyard’s own wagyu genetics and unique feeding program).

Bellissimo Coffee
Bellissimo Coffee is located in Fortitude Valley in Brisbane. They are a new boutique coffee roaster that uses the highest quality beans that are organic, satisfy fair trade arrangements and are rainforest friendly. As a first time exhibitor, Bellissimo won a Gold Medal and Class Champion (overall winner) Espresso at 2010 Sydney Royal Fine Food Show for their premium blend Bellissimo Emporio. Amazingly Bellissimo Emporio was only created in 2010 and as well as being awarded Sydney Royal Champion also won a Gold Medal in the Cappuccino class at the Royal Hobart Fine Food Show.

Bellissimo will be exhibiting their range of coffees, including their multi-award winning Bellissimo Emporio. They will also be exhibiting Conti commercial espresso machines (the Conti Twin Star 2 – the first commercial coffee machine in Australia to feature a revolutionary top model multiple boiler coffee machine with a newly developed group head design to provide optimum flavours during extraction and the Conti Essika SsK2) and Santos commercial coffee grinders (Santos 40A and Santos 55 – with the newly developed silent operating system which significantly reduces noise and automatic dosing control grind on demand technology for precision grinding).

Country Valley
Country Valley is located one hour south-west of Sydney in rural Picton and the Fairley family have been farming the lush valley for over 150 years. The dairy was established in 1958 and is now managed by John & Sally Fairley who run about 145 head of Freisian/Jersey cross cattle on 300 acres, producing a range that includes milk, yoghurt and cream. To maintain supreme freshness the dairy is 100 metres from the processing plant. Country Valley have won numerous awards and medals including Champion Yoghurt for their Lush Traditional Homemade Natural Yoghurt at the 2010 Sydney Royal Cheese & Dairy Show plus seven Gold Medals for other products. Most significantly they won the 2009 Sydney Royal President’s Medal – there were up again five other champion producers from the wine, dairy and fine food competitions, judged on a multi-faceted basis.

At Restaurant 2010, they will be exhibiting:
Country Valley Organic Milk
Country Valley Organic Lite Milk
Country Valley Premium Full Cream Milk
Country Valley Lite Milk
Country Valley Skim Milk
Country Valley Classic Cream
“Lush” natural yoghurt (champion at RAS 2008 & 2010)
“Lush” plain (sweetened) yoghurt

Managing Director (and farmer), John Fairley, will be on the stand for the duration of the show.

Grima’s Farm Fresh
For over 50 years Grima’s Farm Fresh Produce has operated in the Sydney basin. The family business has been managed for the past 20 years by third generation Grima brothers Sam and Stephen who, with their wives run the business as well as participate in growers’ markets. In recent years Grima’s have diversified in growing a wide variety of baby vegetables for the restaurant trade. The brothers are also working with local chefs in growing other varieties of vegetables. Grima’s are regulars at most Sydney growers’ markets: Entertainment Quarter Moore Park, The Good Living Growers Market at Pyrmont, Northside Produce Market at North Sydney and Hawkesbury Harvest Market at Castle Hill. They also at the Flemington Market in the growers section.

At Restaurant 2010 they will be exhibiting an array of their vegetables including pencil leeks, golden beetroot, target beetroot, baby beetroot, radishes, baby turnips and finger and baby fennel.

Sam and Stephen with their wives Theresa and Sharon will be on the stand.

See you there!

Edna’s Table native Australian lunch

2010-10-19T14:10:00.003+11:00

Following the visit by world renowned chef Rene Redzepi from Noma in Copenhagen, who champions his native food (and wonders why we don’t champion ours … huh?), my great friends Raymond Kersh AM and Jennice Kersh AM of Edna’s Table rose to the challenge. See recent media.

Jennice and Ray set about putting together a spontaneous event using indigenous ingredients for some of the visiting chefs and media to sample.

The Royal Botanic Gardens was the obvious choice of venue and lunch in the sun dappled courtyard was preceded by a fascinating walk among the indigenous plants led by aboriginal education officers Leon Jinnabinga Burchall and Clarence Slockee. Most interesting was their explanation of regionality and the differences in plants and names for different areas, as well as the many medicinal uses for such plants.

A diverse group of lunch guests was assembled, including:
* Musa Dagdeverin and Murad Llgicioglu, visiting chefs from Turkey
* Jennifer 8 Lee, a food writer from America
* Margaret Xu Yuan, chef from Hong Kong
* Somer Sivriotlu, owner/chef of Efendy Restaurant, Balmain
* Leon Jinnabinga Burchall and Clarence Slockee
* Simon Marnie, Weekends Presenter, ABC 702 Sydney

Ray was assisted in the kitchen by chef Ashley Hughes from Alio Restaurant and Daniel Dewar, who also ran the floor spectacularly with Blair Milan.

Musa, Murad and Margaret were especially enchanted by the flavours. Margaret was avidly collecting samples while the Turkish chefs went into the kitchen to make a traditional onion salad, using Davidson Plum in place of sumac! Brilliant.

Ray and Jennice were extremely grateful to the following food producers who supported the lunch with fantastic product:
Lenah Game Meats John Kelly provided his fantastic Tasmanian wallaby
Herbie’s Spices My mate Ian ‘Herbie’ Hemphill has a very extensive range of native herbs and spices
Kurrajong Australian Native Foods

Leon Jinnbinga Burchall collecting nectar from bottlebrush

Even though Ray & Jennice's award-winning restaurant Edna’s Table closed several years ago, they haven’t lose their touch for hospitality, attention to detail and warmth and, of course, Ray’s magic touch with native food was showcased with his stunning menu.

Wines were generous supplied by my friends at NSW Wine from their recently announced Top 40 wines. They matched superbly.

Following are pictures of each course with matching wine.

Marinated emu, Mulloon Creek honey and native finger lime salad
Shaw Vineyard Estate 2009 Premium Riesling, Canberra

Magnetic Island cheese fruit & goats cheese tartlet with mango basil & lemon myrtle oil

Meerea Park 2005 Alexander Munro Semillon, Hunter Valley

Tasmanian grilled wallaby fillet filled with enoki mushrooms, La Perouse warrigal greens and pandanus leaf sauce

Hungerford Hill 2008 Epic Chardonnay, Tumbarumba

Northern Territory crocodile, corn & coriander nori parcel with hot sour native aniseed broth

Angullong Wines 2010 Sauvignon Blanc, Orange

Grilled fillet of kangaroo, kumara sweet potato, beetroot & Mulloon Creek wild rocket and ponzu dressing

Thomas Wines 2009 Sweetwater Shiraz, Hunter Valley

Sadly I didn’t take a photograph of dessert – Native Davidson plum & mountain pepperberry ice cream, Wattleseed crème brulee, Rosella buds & quandongs, delightfully matched with McWilliam’s 2008 Morning Light Botrytis Semillon from the Riverina.

Let’s hope this is the beginning of a revival of interest in native flavours!

Week of Tastes starts today!

2010-10-14T10:57:00.000+11:00

… and runs until 24 October. I love being part of this fantastic initiative to involve and educate 8 and 9 year olds regarding food identification, preparation and taste. More than just school visits, the program includes events and special restaurant menus that aim to teach kids about using all the senses when they eat – sweet, sour, salty, bitter and umami as well as expanding their food vocabulary and showing them that trying new, unknown foods is not scary.

A board of senses and tastes at St Francis School, Paddington (participants in 2009)

As I previously mentioned I’ll be at Willoughby Primary School on Friday 22 October from 10am. This year over 120 school classes are participating – a record!

If the school your children attends is not involved with the program, there are a couple of other ways you and your family can get involved.

Week of Tastes menus
As part of Sydney International Food Festival a number of restaurants including Bathers’ Pavilion and Glass Brassiere are offering child-friendly menus (often designed by the chef’s children), served at family-friendly hours, designed to be both educational and enjoyable.

Tickle your Taste Buds
A few of Sydney’s top chefs, including Justin North and Alex Herbert, together with well-known journalist Simon Thomsen will guide this hands-on family workshop on Sunday 17 October between 10:30am and 3:15pm at the Powerhouse Museum. Click here to book.

For more details visit the Week of Tastes website.

The Rocks Markets Cheese Showcase

2010-10-08T17:41:00.000+11:00

There is so much on this weekend! If you are not heading out of town to the McGuigan Seasonal Market in the Hunter Valley don’t miss The Rocks Markets Cheese Showcase – on Sunday 10 October from 10am until 5pm in Jack Mundey Place.

In association with The Australian Specialist Cheesemakers’ Association, the Rocks will come alive with market stalls featuring a rich array of boutique cheeses (see list below) and wines from Yering Station and Cumulus. When you are there don’t forget to pick up my cheese and wine matching recommendations. Here is the list of beautiful cheeses you can taste and buy on Sunday:

Milawa Cheese Company
Camembert: velvety, white mould made in the Normandy style with a mushroomy aroma and a mild salty flavour and, when ripe, a creamy golden interior
Brie: soft, luscious white mould cheese. When matured develops a rich milky melting taste with a buttery flowing centre
King River Gold: a speciality washed rind yet subtle cheese
Gold: a European style cheese inspired by such famous classics as Port Salut and pont L’Eveque. This piquant, ambrosial cheese has a distinct gold to red rind
Blue: soft blue cheese with a mild flavour enhanced by the restrained growth of delicate green/white mould
Chèvre: a fresh, sharp acidic cheese with a subtle goat flavour
Native Pepper Chèvre: a light dusting of crushed native leaves and berries with a uniquely Australian mild pepper/eucalypt bite
Goat’s Camembert: this fast ripening cheese with more complex, earthy flavours than normal Camembert
Ceridwen (ker-id-wen): fresh chèvre with vine ash and white mould, typical of Loire Valley styles
Capricornia: hard goats cheese with a mild nutty bite when aged

Shaw River Buffalo Cheese
Buffalino: white with a smooth creamy texture and tangy fruit taste
Smoked Buffalino: a light smoking turns this cheese a golden caramel colour with a soft creamy texture that melts in the mouth
Annie Baxter: semi hard cooked cheese with a smooth and aromatic palate that is creamy white in colour with a light natural rind

Small Cow Farm
Camembert: a mild creamy camembert with a buttery interior
Fetta: fresh cows curd textured cheese
Marinated Fetta: fresh cows curd textured cheese marinated in garlic, herbs and olive oil
Blue: strong bitey blue in a stilton style, piquant and robust

Yarra Valley Dairy
Persian Fetta: first created 15 years ago this cheese is soft and creamy and marinated in an extra-virgin olive oil blend with thyme and garlic
Juno: soft fresh goats' cheese marinated with juniper berries, green olive, rosemary, red capsicum and garlic
Cardi: soft fresh goats' milk cheese marinated with cardamom pods, shallots, coriander and black pepper
Saffy: creamy fresh cows' milk cheese marinated with saffron, lemon zest, cumin seeds and garlic
Black Savourine: semi-mature goats’ milk cheese made in the shape of a pyramid and coated with vine ash with a full, rich flavour of roasted nuts, citrus and cooked cream
Geo George: handcrafted goat cheese with unique complexity and depth made in the traditional French soft curd style using lactic acid fermentation with a creamy full bodied interior with a citrussy tang and nutty overtones

Capra Cheese
Fresco Fromage Blanc/Fromage Frais: soft, fresh goat's milk curd that is both light and creamy as well as deliciously moist and fluffy, and exhibits floral overtones with a refreshing acidity
Allegro Chèvre: firm, fresh goat's cheese with a dense and sensuous texture and a slight citrus tang and delicately clean finish
Mountain Ash: traditional French-style pyramid with a delicate sweetness is balanced by gentle acidity
Cameo: mature ashed & white mould cheese that is aromatic, intense and slightly sweet, with a lingering mouthfeel, hint of blue tones and a creamy texture.
Velvet: signature French-barrel style mature white mould cheese which, when young, is nutty with a mushroomy aroma and subtle suggestions of truffle and as it ages, develops a sweet, full-bodied richness.
Serenade: mature heart-shaped cheese with a velvety, white mould rind and an ash layer running through the centre that is smooth and rich, with complex cheddar and blue overtones and a heady hint of spiciness when fully mature.

And the wines:

Yering Station
2006 Yarrabank Cuvee
2008 Yering Station Chardonnay
2010 Yering Station ED Pinot Noir Rose
2008 Yering Station Pinot Noir
2007 Yering Station Shiraz Viognier
2008 Yering Station Cabernet Sauvignon
2008 Yering Station Late Harvest Riesling

Cumulus
2010 Rolling Moscato
2009 Rolling Sparkling Pinot Grigio Chardonnay
2009 Climbing Sauvignon Blanc
2009 Climbing Pinot Gris
2008 Climbing Chardonnay
2009 Rolling Pink
2008 Climbing Merlot
2008 Rolling Shiraz
2007 Cumulus Shiraz
2008 Climbing Cabernet Sauvignon
2008 Five Friends Cabernet Shiraz

About the Australian Specialist Cheesemakers' Association
ASCA is the peak body representing the Australian specialist cheese industry. Its role is to promote and accelerate excellence and bring together the best available knowledge and expertise to stimulate dialogue and provide continuing education, operational guidance, recognition and professional growth and development for its members.

There will also be two different cheese tasting plates on sale. Talented presenter Blair Milan is hosting interviews with cheese and wine producers between 11am and 4pm.

Enjoy!

Seasonal delights at McGuigan Hunter Valley

2010-10-08T10:42:00.002+11:00

You may recall I hosted the McGuigan Season in the Barossa last June. What a great day – lots of amazing producers and, of course, wine.

The good news is that the markets are on again but this time in the Hunter Valley – this Sunday, 10 October – at McGuigan’s cellar door. Click here for location and directions.

Like the seasonal market in the Barossa, McGuigan Winery in the Hunter Valley will transform into a vibrant farmers’ market, showcasing the finest local product from the Valley with live music and family entertainment as well as wine.

Producers and restaurants attending this Sunday include:

Tar10

Mikes Got Worms
Pukara Estate
Hunter Valley Cheese Factory
Gelato Company
Alldinga Oysters
Hunter Valley Chocolate Company
Lambert Macadamias
Good Food Distributors Australian Beef
The Steakhouse Restaurant
The Verandah Restaurant

I will be doing a cooking demonstration using a selection of produce gathered exclusively from the market. Can’t wait!

Come along and also enjoy a glass of wine from award winning McGuigan Wines, International Winemaker of the Year in 2009, at the International Wine and Spirit Competition, London. A fine selection of their wines will be available at the market, including the McGuigan Bin 9000 Semillon 2003, which has scooped awards at the International Wine Challenge and the Decanter World Wine Awards this year and a selection of quality wines from the McGuigan Wines Discover range. Impressive.

I will also have a selection of my books for sale and the new Lyndey Milan Brilliant Cut Knife. Come along and try it out for yourself.

Details are:
McGuigan Seasonal Market
09:30am – 3:00pm
McGuigan Hunter Valley Cellar Door
Cnr Broke & McDonalds Roads, Pokolbin
Click here for more details.

See you there!

How to win with Australian Pork – a pork masterclass, Brilliant Cut Knife and my latest three books

2010-10-07T14:03:00.001+11:00

I am excited to let you know that I have teamed up with my friends at Australian Pork who are running a fabulous competition with taste.com.au.

I’ve written about my love for Australian pork and my main website features a few of my favourite pork recipes plus a round up of cured pork.

Click here for your chance to win:

First prize
* A one-on-one Australian Pork masterclass with me in Sydney (which includes economy flights from your nearest capital city and ground transfers in Sydney – value $2,500).
* A Brilliant Cut Knife including sharpener and 52 minute DVD featuring five of my favourite recipes plus hints and tips on how to get the most from the Brilliant Cut Knife – value $278.95
* Copies of my latest three books: Lyndey Milan The Best Collection (New Holland), value $50; Just Add Spice (Lantern) co-written with Ian ‘Herbie’ Hemphill, value $50; and Balance, Matching Food and Wine, What Works and Why (Hachette) co-written with Colin Corney, value $35

Runners-up prizes
* Three Brilliant Cut Knives including sharpener and 52 minute DVD featuring five of my favourite recipes plus hints and tips on how to get the most from the Brilliant Cut Knife – value $278.95

Good luck!

What makes the confit duck pies at the Bayside Lounge so delectable?

2010-09-20T14:47:00.001+10:00

That’s a good question and one that I hope to discover ...

As you may know I’m the newly appointed Food & Beverage Ambassador for the Sydney Convention and Exhibition Centre, the home of the stylish new Bayside Lounge. As such I get to work with some truly lovely people: Ton van Amerongen, Chief Executive; Simon Lomas, Director of Food & Beverage and the uber talented Uwe Habermehl, Executive Chef.

I’ve long been impressed with the food and service at the Sydney Convention and Exhibition Centre, especially at the annual Australia Day lunch. You can read my post about Australia Day this year here.

I’m also very happy to be presenting The Magic of Spices at the Bayside Terrace (the event is part of the Sydney International Food Festival) on 12 October with my Just Add Spice co-author, Ian ‘Herbie’ Hemphill. For event details click here.

Executive Chef Uew Habermehl feeding (!) me that pie

Now back to that pie … Uwe is keeping his recipe secret … don’t you hate that? I know that the Sydney Convention and Exhibition Centre promotes Australian produce so we know that it contains good stuff. But what?

If you’ve ever made duck confit (confession: I haven’t for quite a while) you’ll know that it is a bit of a process. Two to three days to be precise. First you have to rub the duck with spices. What spices does Uwe use? My palate detected thyme, garlic and pepper, but what else? Think I need to sample a few more to sure. In the interests of research you understand. Uwe?

Oh, and the duck is lovely and meaty and melts in the mouth. Uwe buys his duck from the Macleay Valley in New South Wales. Gotta love regional New South Wales produce.

Once I’ve figured out the confit flavourings, I’ll begin work on the pastry. Two types I think – one for the base and another for the top. Might need a few more research samples … Uwe?

Diary date: Week of Tastes (14-24 October)

2010-09-13T15:23:00.000+10:00

Week of Tastes, a fantastic food related initiative targeted at 8 and 9 year old children, runs from 14-24 October. I’m delighted to be involved this year. It’s always great to go somewhere you have a connection and my great nephews attend the infants department of Willoughby Public School, so that’s where I’m headed to give a lesson.

I have long believed on exposing kids to different flavours and cuisines and engendering a love of new foods. When my kids were at pre-school I went and taught pasta making to 4 year olds – and how positively they responded! Therefore I’m committed to educating everyone, especially children, on making good and informed food choices, the enjoyment of cooking and the hospitality of the table.

A little bit of history … Week of Tastes is based on a French program that has been running across Europe and the US for 20 years. There are two elements: the teacher delivers an introductory lesson covering food appreciation and good health through a series of experiential exercises and cooks or chefs follow up with further, more specific education about the world of taste, food and cooking.

Briefly Week of Tastes aims to:

* Develop children’s relationship with food and address some habits that might contribute to obesity.
* Create positive associations with the process of food creation, taste and the act of making good food choices.

The lesson plan delivered by the teacher contains some lessons for us all:

* An understanding of how the senses affect both taste and appreciation of food
* Expanding your food vocabulary
* Developing positive attitudes towards trying new foods
* The link between food and good health

How are these for comments from children, teachers and chefs:

"I also learned that even though something doesn’t look good, it doesn’t mean it doesn’t taste good. It was an adventure for my taste buds." Zak, grade 4 student, Hunters Hill Primary

"We feel the multi-sensory learning experiences were so successful that we plan to extend the program in 2010." Debbie Campbell, teacher at Redlands College

"The teacher was provided with lesson plans that integrated the health strand of PDHPE with Science and English. A highlight of the week was a visit from a French pastry chef. He talked about different types of pastry and methods of preparation. He also brought samples for the students to try! The children presented an assembly item at the conclusion of this week. Feedback was overwhelmingly positive from the students, the teacher and the parents. If you have the opportunity to participate in this program I strongly encourage you to do so." Amanda Donlan, principal at Northbridge Primary

"Programs like the Week of Tastes help to instil in growing children the importance of good health and understanding of where our food comes from. I think taste education programs are so important. Food appreciation started young will result in healthy happy kids." Pete Evans, chef, My Kitchen Rules

Look at these pictures from Week of Tastes 2009

Chef Peter Evans at Bondi Primary

Chef Kylie Kwong at St Francis Paddington

If you are a teacher, chef or child and want to be involved visit www.weekoftastes.com.au.

Or maybe I’ll see you at Willoughby Primary on Friday 22 October at 10am!

The pasta of spring

2010-09-03T17:17:00.000+10:00

How many times can one welcome Spring? First we had GLAMB and now it’s time for spring pasta or Pasta Primavera - a quick and simple 15 minute bowl of spring freshness and goodness.

I’ve used new season’s asparagus, the smallest zucchinis I could find, crunchy snow peas as well as broad beans. I do love broadbeans: the fresh variety is in season from spring right through to mid-summer but sometimes can be difficult to find. If you are lucky to find them, remember to double peel, ie remove the beans from the long pods, then blanch in boiling water for a few minutes, then run under a cold tap before peeling away the second layer of skin around the bean. Use your fingers to pop the bean out. This is a great job for the kids. If you can’t find fresh broad beans, frozen are just as good. But again, I recommend peeling away (or popping!) the skin surrounding the bean.

The sauce is the perfect foil to the fresh vegetables, based on egg and freshly grated parmesan as in pasta carbonara, with the addition of warm milk (or cream if you are feeling decadent) and freshly grated parmesan. Easy. Dinner in 15 minutes. I couldn’t be happier. And Kerri-Anne really tucked in during the commercial break!

Click here for the recipe on my main site.

Spring into lamb with GLAMB

2010-09-01T16:22:00.001+10:00

I love love love lamb, especially spring lamb and am delighted to front the food side of MLA’s spring lamb campaign this month.

The Milan Collection is about fashion – but what you eat rather than what you wear! I developed a number of main course and picnic style recipes using cuts such as rump, backstrap, easy carve leg, butterflied shoulder, loin chop, forequarter chop, rack and cutlets for a fabulous booklet attached to October Australian Good Food magazine, called Chop Til You Drop. Nicole Vonwiller and Clementine Whyte from ACP have done a fantastic job and I especially love all the ‘fashion’ references in the booklet including:

Lamb-alicious: the coolest cuts this spring
Lamb is the best dressed meat this season
Lyndey’s latest are a leg ahead

And the booklet was beautifully styled by Margot Braddon and shot by Chris Chen who also shot my latest book Just Add Spice.

To give you a taste, some of the recipes from the Milan Spring Lamb Collection are:

Thai stir-fried lamb rump and glass noodle salad
Poached lamb backstrap with baby spring vegetables and garlic cream
Spanish-style lamb forequarter chops with warm vegetable medley
Slow roasted lamb shoulder with rocket, goat’s cheese and orange salad
Grilled sticky lamb with kecap manis, ginger and lime

I’ll be cooking a selection of these glamorous lamb (also known as GLAMB) recipes on Kerri-Anne in September as part of my regular Thursday cooking segment at around 10:40am.

The official launch was today at Chophouse in the Sydney CBD. I was there with Henry Roth fashion designer extraordinaire and Project Runway Australia mentor talking up GLAMB during the live weather crosses on the Today Show. He was so much fun and as enthusiastic about my lamb as the models. The models looked amazing and the whole thing featured throughout the Today Show!

The Today Show’s weatherman Steve Jacobs with the models dressed as a garlic bulb and a barbeque

Henry Roth on the catwalk

The models

The sweetest thing

2010-08-27T15:08:00.001+10:00

I start every day with fresh seasonal fruit and while I love winter vegies, find fruit choices much more limited during this season. However, surprisingly this is the best time of year for a tropical fruit – luscious sweet pineapples.

Pineapples are a super food, high in vitamin C and low in sugar. In fact just one cup of pineapple provides the daily recommended dose of vitamin C. To my mind, eating pineapple beats taking cold and flu medicine.

When selecting pineapples, look for fruit that is free from soft spots, bruises and darkened eyes, all indicating the fruit is past its prime. While pineapples will happily sit in the fruit basket for a couple of days, after skinning and slicing you should store in the fridge for up to 6 days.

I enjoy pineapple in savoury dishes – think Asian-style pork belly or filet with chilli pineapple salsa or red duck curry with pineapple –as well as sweet treats like this dessert style cake from my recently released cookbook Just Add Spice [http://www.lyndeymilan.com/books/books.php]. The flavour is intriguing because it contains quatre epices – a seductive blend of cinnamon, allspice, cloves and black pepper which provides an interesting, complement to the sweetness of the pineapple.

Here is a link to the recipe on my main site.

Chicken & tarragon pie in 30 minutes

2010-08-16T10:38:00.000+10:00

Winter is all about comfort food – not the we always have time on our side. This pie, however, doesn’t take that long, pleases adults and children alike and is smart enough for a midweek dinner party.

I love the classic French combination of chicken and tarragon and have further highlighted the aniseed flavour by including fennel (in season now!) in the filling and finishing the tart off with a sprinkle of fennel seeds for crunch, aroma and, of course, flavour.

A quick word on the chicken – I’m a fan of thighs for their meatiness and flavour, however breasts can easily be substituted, just be careful you don’t overcook them.

The pie is topped with filo, instead of traditional puff pastry. I like filo because it is easy to work with, quick, incredibly forgiving … and always in my freezer.

I’ve made one big family-style pie, but the recipes work equally well as individual pies cooked in ramekins – these can be topped with filo or circles of puff pastry.

Here is a link to the recipe on my main site.

My ultimate four cheese macaroni

2010-07-20T12:57:00.001+10:00

Comfort food, is comfort food, is comfort food. I can’t say I ever really liked macaroni cheese – until I played around and made an indulgent one. I love using different cheeses and the combination of ricotta, sharp cheddar, gruyere and parmesan is a firm favourite. While the success of this recipe depends on the choice of cheeses, feel free to mix it up. Next I’m going to try a mild blue cheese with mozzarella and ricotta.

The other reason I love this recipe is that you don’t need to make a béchamel or white sauce; ricotta is an ideal replacement to bind everything together in combination with a beaten egg. In this version I’ve also used a sharp, mature cheddar for flavour and bite, parmesan for a salty punch and a gruyere style (Australian is available) for delightful melting qualities and rich, nutty flavour.

One of the other delights is the crunchy topping – a combination of prosciutto, more (!) cheese and fresh breadcrumbs baked until golden – the perfect cover for the creamy cheese lurking below.

Here is a link to the recipe on my main site.

My Brilliant Cut Knife makes easy work of chicken larb on Kerrie-Ann

2010-07-15T16:22:00.000+10:00

This morning I appeared on Kerrie-Ann (Nine Network – weekdays from 9am) as I usually do on a Thursday morning, and cooked one of my favourite fast and fabulous recipes, Chicken larb with rice noodles.

Using my Brilliant Cut Knife makes this recipe extra speedy! The fine blade (a unique alloy of diamonds, silver, ceramic and titanium) makes easy work of the fine chopping involved – garlic, ginger, chilli and kaffir lime leaves – all done in a flash!

Larb is a Laotian dish that found its way to northern Thailand and is now loved across Thailand and, in fact Australia. It is a salad of finely chopped or minced meat or fish cooked gently with aromatics and mixed with a fragrant dressing. While the dressing has lots of variations, the core ingredients are fish sauce, lime juice and lots of fresh herbs such as coriander and mint. I like to include basil too, and slicing basil leaves into a chiffonnade couldn’t be easier with the Brilliant Cut Knife plus the leaves won’t oxidise and discolour because the blade doesn’t contain steel.

Larb can be served a number of ways. I like to place a spoonful in a lettuce cup (baby cos are good), roll up and eat with my fingers. Another way to serve it is over rice or rice noodles. Both are good.

On Kerrie-Ann today I served it over rice noodles

I think Kerrie-Ann and Jamie liked it!

Here is a link to the recipe on my main site.
Here is some more information about my Brilliant Cut Knife

Regional food stars at Sydney Good Food & Wine Show

2010-07-14T18:18:00.002+10:00

For the third year running I’ve been asked to host the Lyndey Milan Regional Producers’ Market at the Sydney Good Food & Wine Show.

Here is a list of the fabulous artisan and boutique producers exhibiting in Sydney:

Otway Estate Winery & Brewery is near Colac, two hours from Melbourne. They produce wine, beer, cider and cordials from natural local products – grapes, local fruit and berries and pure Otway rainwater. On site there is a restaurant/café with lots of space for big events such as weddings, concerts and Oktoberfest, a cellar door that stocks regional and home-made produce as well as a few self-contained cottages that can be rented. The winemaker Matthew DiScascio produces premium wines including a range of sparkling wines available exclusively at the cellar door. Head Brewer Luke Scott is responsible for the medal winning Prickly Moses beers, ales and stouts. Finally, the organic cider is made from locally grown Gellibrand apples.

Beechworth Honey has been operating since the 1880s and is a fourth generation family business with a strong ethical and community focus. The product range includes honey (including blackbox, blackberry, blue gum, clover, orange blossom and hill gum), beauty products (lotions, balms and soaps), gourmet items (sparkling honey, creamy honey and lollies) and candles.

Located in the Barossa Valley, Careme Pastry is owned and operated by William and Claire Wood, who, coming from a restaurant background we were always disappointed with the quality of commercially available ready-made pastry. Careme only use natural ingredients, free from additives, preservatives and colours to produce their hand-crafted pastry products. Their product range includes ready to use pastry dough: all butter puff, sour cream shortcrust, vanilla bean sweet shortcrust and dark chocolate shortcrust as well as a range of tarts, pies, savoury galettes and sweet tarts and croissants and pastries.

Bellissimo Coffee is located in Fortitude Valley in Brisbane. They are a new boutique coffee roaster that use the highest quality coffees that are organic, satisfy fair trade arrangements and are rainforest friendly. As a first time exhibitor, Bellissimo won a Gold Medal and Class Champion (overall winner) Espresso at 2010 Sydney Royal Fine Food Show awards for their premium blend Bellissimo Emporio. They were also the first Queensland company to win a Gold Medal for the Espresso Class and to be awarded Class Champion status. Their range includes: Blends – Emporio, Optimo, Italian dark roast, Aspromonte and Mocha Java as well as decaffeinated and single origin coffee. As well as coffee, they also sell a section of tea, chocolate, nut and other gourmet products and commercial and home coffee machines. Other services include servicing coffee machines and grinders as well as barista training.

Yumm from Sydney make dressings from natural ingredients with no artificial preservatives, colours or flavours. Each bottle is hand-made and many ingredients are sourced from local producers and farmers markets. The product range includes Very Original (blend of olive and sesame oils, fresh garlic and honey), Poppy Splash (red wine and raspberry vinegars, Spanish onion and poppy seeds), Balsamic Drizzle, So Provincial (apple cider vinegar, honey and tarragon), Maple Zest (orange juice and maple syrup). They are available online and from various gourmet food stores and farmers’ markets.

Hunter Valley based Tintilla Estate is a family run vineyard near Pokolbin in the Hunter Valley producing wines that represent the balance between land, climate and the vines. The range includes sparkling, semillon, chardonnay, merlot, shiraz, sangiovese, cabernet merlot and pinot noir. They also produce a range of olive (preserved, tapenade and oils), verjus and vinegars.

Cookie Couture commenced business in Sydney in 2006 with handcrafted pink, heart-shaped gingerbreads, made by founder Nadine Ingram for her favourite neighbourhood café. Natalie now supplies gingerbread cookies for baby showers, birthdays, weddings, anniversaries, corporate events, and other special occasions. She uses only natural ingredients to create a soft, spiced gingerbread that is balanced with the delicate crunch of beautifully applied icing. The range has expanded to include rustic cookies, brownies, macaroons as well as a seasonal range. They are available from gourmet food stores and cafes in Sydney as well as special orders direct.

River Roast was created in 2008 by Edwardo Milan (no relation!) with a mission is to provide exceptional coffee, service and training to cafes, restaurants and other coffee establishments. Edwardo sells a few different blends – Barrington, Hunter and Decaf as well as a few fair trade organic coffees – East Timor Maubisse, Ethiopian Harrar and Guatemalan. River Roast is available online and at various cafes and gourmet food stores in the Newcastle area. They also offer service of coffee machines, training, naked branding and custom blending.

Owner and head pastry chef Frank Gulisano’s Sydney based Dolcettini creates unique quality desserts with exquisite taste, texture and finish. They specialise in creating quality Italian and French inspired desserts made from the finest, freshest ingredients such as free range eggs, creamy butter and Callebaut chocolate. All products are created and prepared by hand using traditional French and Italian pastry methods combined with contemporary ideas. Product range includes croquembouche, individual desserts (eg cheesecakes, mousse cakes and choux pastry), petit fours, speciality cakes, pastries and biscotti.

Game Farm is located in Galston on the northern outskirts of Sydney. Since being founded in 1975 Game Farm has grown to the largest multi species game bird producer in the southern hemisphere. Products include game birds (quail, poussin, duck, chicken, guinea fowl, pheasant, turkey, squab, emu and ostrich), game meats (venison, kangaroo, crocodile, rabbit, wild boar, camel and alpaca as well as other products such as premium lamb, beef and wagyu beef. The products are distributed to restaurants, five star hotels, supermarkets, specialty butchers, airlines, shipping companies and caterers, both in Australia and internationally. Game Farm is committed to investing in state of the art breeding, hatching, growing and processing facilities.

Vitek Vodka is the brainchild of Polish born Vitek who grew up watching his father distilling and infusing vodka. By using traditional infusion methods with regional Australian ingredients, Vitek creates a range of fresh produce vodkas that are 25% alcohol. They are designed to be enjoyed for their flavour – drunk with food much like wine and are best served from the freezer. They are available from various bottle shops around Sydney and online.

Cattleman’s Reserve is located in Dungowan (near Tamworth). Wagyu cattle joined existing Angus stock on the Cattleman’s Reserve property following the first taste of Wagyu by the owners in 2006 at the Wagyu Conference. At this conference they learned that the best Australian grown wagyu was sent overseas and Australians were left with the cuts other countries didn’t want. It became a goal of Cattleman’s Reserve to keep every cut for Australia customers. The entire production – from gate to plate – is controlled. No hormone growth promoters are used and the beef is naturally grown free-range. Small family packs (12.5kg) and large family packs (49kg) as well as barbeque packs can be purchased direct from Cattleman’s Reserve who deliver direct from the farm to various parts on NSW on a monthly rotation cycle.

Lime Grove from Narromine, near Dubbo is a haven of 10,000 lime trees, grown without chemicals. There is a café onsite that is open 7 days a week. The Lime Grove product range includes: Lime Grove Lime Infused Oil, Lime Grove Lime Juice Cordial, Lime Grove Lime Juice Cordial, Lime Grove Lime & Chilli Seeded Mustard, Lime Grove Lime Zest Honey, Lime Grove Lime Juice Dressing, Lime Grove Lime Asian Marinade and Lime Grove Lime Olives in Brine. The products are available online as well as at the onsite café.

Robin’s Foods is located in Altona, Victoria and was formed by recognised pioneers of the native food industry, Ian and Juleigh Robins, in 1997. The range of products are branded Outback Spirit and the vision is to bring indigenous foods to the mainstream market locally and internationally. The product range includes chutneys, preserves, dry marinades, seasoning salts, seasoning sprinklers, sauces, dressings, crushed garlic, herbs and rejuvenating water and are available from major and independent supermarkets nationally as well as Oxfam Fair Trade stores.

Yarra Valley Salmon has been farming salmon in the Yarra Valley Ranges since 1992. Clean, cold oxygen-rich water from the Victorian Alps flows through to the ponds where the salmon live. The salmon is reared naturally without antibiotics or chemicals and hand milked to provide plump flawless eggs bursting with flavour. The product range includes:
Caviar – the salmon are given a natural anaesthetic, gently hand milked and returned to the water while. The eggs are drained and packed immediately with no preservatives or additives. Sold fresh in jars (have a shelf life of 10 weeks).
Salmon – antibiotic and chemical free and live in ponds fed by waterfalls which create a strong current, producing a lean fish with superior body tone and significantly lower fat content. Sold fresh, smoked and poached. as whole fish and fillets and poached whole fish.

The Really Stuffed Olive Company is from the Central Coast of NSW. They have been providing gourmet foods made from quality ingredients since 1993. As well as their namesake, stuffed olives, the range also includes vinegars, dukkahs, sauces, wine salts and tablewear.

See you there. I'll have a knife!

Diamonds really are a girl’s best friend

2010-07-08T17:29:00.003+10:00

I am very excited to announce that my Brilliant Cut Knife has arrived!

This is the first time in my 25 year career in the food industry that I’ve put my name to a product. However after testing this knife and working with the Forever Knives’ developers and designers for over 12 months, I couldn’t say no. I love it.

First of all, it hardly ever needs sharpening. According to world leading testing organisation CATRA (UK) the blade will hold its cutting edge up to 45 times longer than steel. Impressive. The more so because so many of us just don’t know how to sharpen knives properly. My pet hate is trying to work in someone else’s kitchen without a decent sharp knife. This one is so versatile, it can suit all your needs.

Back to the cutting edge, the blade is made of a unique alloy – also a world-first – that combines diamonds, silver, ceramic and titanium:

DIAMONDS a world-first for incredible performance and durability
SILVER with unique anti-bacterial properties for good health
CERAMIC for sharpness and holding the cutting edge for a very long time
TITANIUM is corrosion resistant, flexible and lightweight to reduce fatigue

The other things I love include:
 it is lightweight and perfectly balanced, hence comfortable for long periods in the kitchen or for those who find chefs’ knives too heavy
 it is dishwasher safe
 the blade is sharp, durable and flexible and can tackle all kitchen jobs such as slicing, chopping, shredding and dicing with ease and precision – this means no “crying” when cutting onions
 because there is no steel and no oxidation, you can cut lettuce and basil and there is no discolouration!

The Brilliant Cut Knife will be making its debut at the Sydney Good Food & Wine Show, 16-18 July, Sydney Convention & Exhibition Centre, Darling Harbour. I’ll be demonstrating the knife at the Forever Knives stand (i40) on the hour, each hour. The show times are:

Friday 16 July 10am-6pm
Saturday 17 July 10am-6pm
Sunday 18 July 10am-5pm

The knife will retail at the show at the introductory price of $199 (though the RRP is $249.00) inc GST including a special sharpener for fool-proof sharpening when it does finally need it.

**As a special limited offer Sydney Good Food & Wine Show purchasers will receive a FREE 52 minute DVD featuring five of my favourite fast and fabulous recipes with step-by-step instructions plus lots of handy knife tips and tricks, normally valued at $29.95.**

Click here for more information about the Brilliant Cut Knife
Click here for online sales at Forever Knives

Six Champions, one medal

2010-07-02T14:46:00.002+10:00

The 2010 President’s Medal is shaping up as a great event and a unique celebration of Sydney Royal champions and gold medal winners from the recent Sydney Royal Wine, Cheese & Dairy and Fine Food shows.

As Chair of the Fine Food Show, I’ve been heavily involved in the planning of the event - including testing the menu and the wines! I’m delighted that one of my favourite people, Justin North (Owner and Executive Chef of Becasse and Etch restaurants) has co-designed the menu, featuring the six finalists:

Bulla Dairy Foods
Australian family company, Bulla Dairy Foods are a second time finalist. Bulla has been making quality dairy products in country Victoria since 1910. The commitment of Bulla's traditional values is built into both their products and their dealings with customers and suppliers. Bulla Dairy Foods was awarded Champion Cream or Dairy Dessert for their Light Sour Cream at the 2010 Sydney Royal Cheese and Dairy Produce Show.

Holy Goat Cheese
Committed to sustainable farming, Holy Goat Cheese is about honouring the soil, pasture and a beautiful goat herd that produces high quality 100% certified organic cheeses that reflect the Sutton Grange region in Victoria. Holy Goat Cheese La Luna Goat Cheese was awarded Champion Sheep, Goat and Buffalo Milk Product at the 2010 Sydney Royal Cheese and Dairy Produce Show.

Yalumba Wine Company
Established in 1849, Yalumba Wine Company is Australia's oldest family-owned wine company. With more than 160 years of winemaking experience Yalumba has remained independent and progressive across six generations of the Hill Smith family. Yalumba was awarded the The Rudy Komon Memorial Perpetual trophy for best Shiraz Viognier for their 2008 Yalumba Hand Picked Shiraz Viognier and The Jones, Steains and Waller Perpetual Trophy for highest number of points in the Varietal Wine Classes at the 2010 Macquarie Group Sydney Royal Wine Show.

Peter Lehmann Wines
During the 1970s Peter Lehmann refused his employer’s instruction to renege on his customary handshake agreement with independent grape growers when there was an over-supply of fruit. Starting his own business and offering to pay after the wine was made, he saved then from ffinancial ruin. Now as an unlisted public company, loyalty, hard work, talent, patience, teamwork and recognition of other people's talents are the values which permeate their workforce. Peter Lehmann Wines was awarded the Douglas Lamb Perpetual Trophy for best riesling for their 2006 Wigan Eden Valley Riesling at the 2010 Macquarie Group Sydney Royal Wine Show.

Huon Aquaculture
Founded in 1988 at Hideaway Bay in Tasmania, Huon Aquaculture began as a diversification to the family cattle and sheep business and soon grew into a highly successful business. Preserving and protecting the marine environment, Huon follows world's best environmental management practices. Huon Aquaculture was awarded Champion Salmon Product for their Banquet Slice Tasmanian Smoked Salmon at the 2010 Sydney Royal Fine Food Show.

T&R Pastoral
T&R Pastoral of South Australia has grown to become Australia's largest small stock processor. Recently acquiring plants in Queensland and New South Wales they now supply three states and export to over 80 countries. T&R Pastoral was awarded the Grand Champion Lamb Exhibit for their Murraylands Premium Lamb at the 2010 Sydney Royal Fine Food Show.

The President’s Medal
Awarded by the Royal Agricultural Society of NSW to promote and reward profitable and sustainable Australian primary industries, it is the only award where Champion producers from the wine, dairy and fine food industries are judged on a multifaceted basis. Simon Marnie of 702 ABC Local Radio and Scott Davenport of Industry & Investment NSW judge in the field on environmental, economic and social sustainability. Then the products are assessed by Annette Karantoni from Woolworths and Justin North on marketability.

The event
Always a fun night, with videos made by the finalists and the one and only HG Nelson as Roving Reporter, The President’s Medal will be awarded at a celebratory dinner on and with extraordinary food and wine it is a dinner not to be missed. The menu will feature the six finalists’ products plus other Sydney Royal medal winners. As mentioned above, the menu was designed by consulting chef Justin North in conjunction with our own very talented executive chef from Sydney Showground, Tim Browne and the banqueting team at Four Seasons Sydney.

More information and ticket bookings
Click here or email Mahalia Hicks, RAS Wine, Dairy & Fine Food Co-ordinator.

Insider chat with … Victor Pisapia, chef and founder of VictorsFood

2010-07-01T14:57:00.002+10:00

I’ve known Victor for about 20 years. He was the co-owner and chef at Rattlesnake Grill in Neutral Bay in Sydney and not only was his food fabulous, they used to have these amazing Gospel Brunches where we got to sing! I used to take my parents there and even had my son’s 18th birthday there. It was one fun place!

Victor’s mother was Italian so he grew up with a love of sharing food around a table. Prior to arriving in Australia in 1994, Victor ran restaurants and nightclubs in his native America. His first, Back Porch in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, is still open today. Victor became known for his ‘New American Cuisine’, a trend that he brought to Australia when he opened the hugely popular Rattlesnake Grill. Now Victor combines his love of teaching, food and cooking at VictorsFood.

VictorsFood is a food experience company that offers group cooking events for team building, food tours, cooking classes and culinary journeys to South America. Having owned seven restaurants in the past has made Victor’s food journey quite varied and brought a depth of knowledge and experience to VictorsFood.

Over to Victor

Briefly describe a typical day: A typical day is working with clients to produce a great team building event, buying fresh local ingredients to cook with and making sure the event space is set up for an interactive cooking activity.

Tell me something that is not generally known about your industry: Most people love cooking for an event and men seem to love it the most.

The best and worst things about your job are: The worst thing is packing and unpacking equipment for jobs that are off premise. The best thing is to be kissed and hugged by the organiser from each event after the event is finished.

What did you eat today: Fresh Snapper Fish Tacos with fresh guacamole, fire roasted salsa then chicken mole with coriander pepita seed rice, sautéed bananas and pears with cajeta sauce – yes I had a dinner party!

What do you never eat: Fast food or frozen dinners

What is your signature dish: Chocolate Chilli Truffles

What are your ten favourite ingredients: chipotle chilli, garlic, fresh coriander, corn, quinoa, any fresh fish, fresh basil, tomatoes, white anchovies and tamales

If the world ends tomorrow, what will you be eating and drinking today: My Italian mother’s homemade ravioli, a robust Italian red wine, olive and rosemary foccacio and her strawberry shortcake. This memory of my childhood is one I will remember forever.

Thanks Victor

Other Tasmanian delights

2010-06-22T15:17:00.004+10:00

Meadowbank Vineyard

A couple of weeks ago I went to Tasmania for Savour Tasmania and have already blogged about that. On arrival in Hobart, a friend collected me and took me to the Meadowbank vineyard for lunch. Here I was surprised and delighted to find Wayne Smith and his wife Emmanuelle. I had long been a fan of Wayne’s cooking when they had La Goulue in Crows Nest, now sadly closed down. We shared rillettes and terrine with a glass of excellent pinot noir and then had a second entrée of whiting with a remarkably mild and delicate citrus sauce matched with pinot gris. There is also a shop attached which is full of interesting products and a good range of food and wine books, including Balance Matching Food and Wine. What Works and Why co-authored with Colin Corney (Hachette $35).

Rabbit rillette, crostini & cornichons

Game terrine, mustard fruits & cornichons

Pan fried whiting with citrus sauce

I stayed at the historic, beautifully renovated Henry Jones Art Hotel (25 Hunter Street, Hobart) where not only are the staff extraordinarily friendly and accommodating, but there is a complimentary history walk, and research done on your ancestry by their resident history buff.

The Saturday Salamanca markets are huge, and sell just about everything, with a few food stalls scattered in between them. I was pleased to visit the newer Farmers Markets on Sunday in the Melville Street outdoor carpark where everything sold is Tasmanian. I brought home some organic pork pies and pork rillette but loved the range of potatoes and gorgeous vegetables on sale.

Tasmanian produce at the Farmers' Market

Another revelation was the Lark Distillery (14 Davey Street, Hobart) where I learned that Tasmania has its own peat bogs, one of the necessary components for making whisky. Peat, with malted barley prepared and supplied by the Cascade Brewery are made into several different styles. However, the biggest revelation to me was their Pepperberry gin. It tasted amazing, even at room temperature, so a bottle made its way into my bag. I can’t wait for my first gin martini!

Lark Distillary Pepperberry Gin

The King of Salmon

2010-06-18T14:31:00.002+10:00

On a recent trip to New Zealand I tasted New Zealand King Salmon and to my delight have discovered that not only is King Salmon (also known as Regal Salmon) the salmon of choice for many top restaurants but it has recently hit the Sydney Fish Market’s auction floor and is available at de Costi, Aldi, IGA stores in NSW, Victoria and Queensland as well as specialist food shops and fishmongers.

Comparable in price to local salmon, it is higher in healthy Omega-3 fat which makes it difficult to overcook and has vitamins and minerals that promote good health. Fantastic as sashimi, it is available year round as whole and portioned fish, cold smoked, wood roasted and as dips and caviar. It has clean, green credentials being grown in the remote pristine waters of the Marlborough Sounds in the South Island of New Zealand without any chemicals or medicines.

Back to my trip … we were taken on a fascinating tour of the farm and my overriding thoughts were pristine and pure. The farm is compliant to robust environmental regulatory framework and is the only salmon producing region with no antibiotics. Further, pesticides or sea lice treatments are not used and there is a pressurised water system to clean the nets rather than anti-foulant paint.

When I looked at the whole fish the fins and tails were not clubbed, this is a sign of low intensity production – these fish are free to swim around with no overcrowding. Predators, principally seals, are not treated lethally but kept out with caging and the like rather than shooting.

Okay so the salmon are happy, but what about the people? Yes! I met many staff members at the farm and factory and they certainly are a happy and loyal bunch!

When I returned home I was dying to get my hands on the product. I’ve cooked with it several times in the past month – both at home and at my cooking classes – and I’m pleased to note several things:

Why does it freeze better? King Salmon has a very high oil content which gives the product great freezing attributes. What happens is the high oil content and reduced water content causes less crystallization in the flesh/cell structure of the product thus when the product thaws it resembles a fresh product and very few people can tell the difference if the product is thawed under refrigeration. In actual fact product blast frozen in the factory will have as good a shelf life as fresh once thawed. Unlike meats when forced thawed or even under refrigeration has fluid or blood loss.

Less odour Again the high oil content ensures the product has a pleasant and not fishy odour. Most fish with little oil content have again more water content which over time is where the product degrades and causes the odour. There was a remarkable lack of odour in the factory.

Yield? The King Salmon has approximately 7% more yield than the Atlantic due to their stockier shape and thicker girth; the Atlantic is longer and more tubular.

In terms of recipes, I’ve tried a few different methods and styles and while I love pan fried or roasted salmon with a simple salad or seasonal vegetables, I especially love the salmon raw with a slick of my new favourite citrus flavoured ponzu style soy sauce.

You should try it for yourself. Click here for a list of stockists or ask for it by name at your local fishmonger and they can order it in for you from the Sydney Fish Markets.

I cooked Regal Salmon with braised lentils and spinach yesterday on Mornings with Kerri-Anne, click here to view the video and click here for the recipe on my main site.

June = Hunter Valley Wine & Food Month

2010-06-15T14:17:00.001+10:00

Hunter Valley Wine & Food Month – a celebration of local wine and food – is on again!

Presented by the Hunter Valley Wine Industry Association this month long event includes a series of ‘how to’ classes, winemaker dinners and unique food and wine matching experiences including my Spicy Experience at McWilliams Mount Pleasant Wine & Food Estate at Pokolbin this Saturday, 19 June from 11am. Click here for more details.

The class includes lunch based on recipes from Just Add Spice matched with wines by McWilliams Mount Pleasant. There are still a couple of spaces left. Bookings are essential, telephone 02 4998 7505 or email mtpleasant@mcwilliams.wines.com.au. I hope to see you there!

As I am the ambassador this year I developed this recipe, based on fabulous local Hunter Valley ingredients including Nulkaba Farm spatchcock, Morpeth sourdough, Hunter Valley Cheese Company Branxton Brie, Pukara Estate olive oil and olives and River Flats Estate Pear and Fennel Chutney, and cooked it on Mornings with Kerri-Anne last week.

Here is a link to the recipe on my main site.

Click here for more details of the other events on during Hunter Valley Food & Wine Month.

Duo of Greek dips

2010-06-09T11:36:00.000+10:00

I’m reliving my recent trip to Greece through cooking.

I fell in love with Fava – a bright yellow split pea puree that is usually served as part of mezethes (or mezze). On the menu they were listed as chick peas but on further research I found that fava in fact are split yellow peas. It is delicious scooped up on fresh bread. Look for the split peas at a Greek grocer, Indian market (called yellow dal moong) or your local grocery store. Sprinkle the top with some finely sliced onion (though in Greece they would serve quarters) and some good olives. I am still not sure why in Greece they were bright yellow – perhaps some saffron was added to the cooking water? Does anyone know?

My trip to Greece also reminded me how good home made Tzatziki is, rather than shop bought, especially when made with sheep’s milk yoghurt. For best results you need to strain the yoghurt – I spoon it into a fine strainer (or piece of muslin) placed over a larger bowl and refrigerate overnight to drain. The secret to this dip is an ample slug of your best olive oil.

Here is a link to the recipes on my main site.

Regional food stars at Melbourne Good Food & Wine Show

2010-06-02T17:05:00.001+10:00

For the third year I'll be hosting the Lyndey Milan Regional Producers' Market the Melbourne Good Food & Wine Show - which runs from Friday 4 June until Sunday 6 June.

2009 Sydney Good Food & Wine Show

Here is a list of the fabulous artisan and boutique producers exhibiting in Melbourne:

Salute Oliva is a family business run by Marlies and Peter Eicher, specialising in producing extra virgin olive oil and table olives from organically grown olives. The family complete the entire process from growing and tending to the trees to irrigation management, harvesting and pressing or pickling the fruit. The bottling is also done in-house and making small batches ensures maximum freshness.

Glenora Grove Olives & Olive Oil is run by Wayne and Caitlin Kay from Bonegilla in north-east Victorian. They are a first time exhibitor and normally sell their products at local farmers’ markets.

Otway Estate Winery & Brewery, two hours south-west of Melbourne produces wine, beer, cider and cordials from natural local products – grapes, local fruit and berries and pure Otway rainwater. Winemaker Matthew DiScascio has receiving accolades for his range of sparkling wines as has head brewer, Luke Scott – his Prickly Moses beers, ales and stouts are testament to his skill. The organic cider is made from locally grown Gellibrand apples and each yearly release is quickly snapped up.

Beechworth Honey has been operating since the 1880s and is a fourth generation family business with a strong enthical and community focus. The product range includes honey (including blackbox, blackberry, blue gum, clover, orange blossom and hill gum), beauty products (lotions, balms and soaps), gourmet items (sparkling honey, creamy honey and lollies) and candles.

Max and Dex from Healesville in the Yarra Valley is a family owned and run business with a range of spice blends and rubs. Their products can be used in many ways – bbq, roast, stir fry and slow cooking and are preservative free and all natural. Owners Jeff and Melanie blend in small batches to control the quality and freshness. The product range includes 17 spice rub, Cajun rub, backyard blend, formula 39 steak rub, mad curry mix, Max’s dust and Max’s spicy dust.

Owner Julie Barbour from Tasmanian Gourmet Sauce Company, Evandale near Launceston selects the very best fruits from Tasmania to use in her time-honoured recipes of delightful sauces, conserves and condiments. Her product range includes dessert and savoury sauces, cookies, mustards, pasta sauces, chutneys, relishes, jams and conserves.

Tasmanian Lamb Direct is grown in the north-east of Tasmania – a magical farming area that benefits from a year round growing season and is famous for its excellent soils, nutritious pastures, temperature climate and irrigation from local pristine rivers. Free range and grass fed, all lambs are hung for a minimum of five days to ensure lactic acid production to enhance meat tenderisation and water evaporation to concentrate flavour. No hormones, growth promotants or antibiotics are used; animals are raised on natural pastures free of genetic modification and the lambs are processed close to farm to ensure minimum stress.

St Germains Estate Olive Oil, located near Shepparton, was established in 2001 by Abu Nasser, a Palestinian refugee, who planted the grove using ancient Palestinian methods. His small grove of 3,650 trees contains a mix of Italian and Spanish olive varieties. The preservative-free, green-gold fruity cold pressed oil is smooth, aromatic and flavoursome and contains antioxidants.

The Original Gourmet is located in Mornington and stocks a huge range of gourmet products including: Enspice: spice mixes; Bondi chai; Kick Ice Cocktail mixes; Gingerbread Shack biscuits; Tea Tonic teas; Pukara Estate olive oil, vinegar and olives; Fare to Remember: slices, cookies, cheesecakes, cupcakes, puddings, cakes and shortbread, jams, chutneys, sauces, confectionary and truffles; and Gluten Free Gourmet: cookies, muffins, slices, cakes, tarts, shortbread, gingerbread, chocolate and frozen savoury products such as pasta, quiche and pies.

Yarra Valley Preserves have been making a range of relishes, jams and chutneys for 15 years without preservatives, artificial flavours or emulsifiers. Their range includes oil, vinegar, jam, jelly, mustard, chutney, pickle, relish, sauce and dressing.

Beloka Estate’s Lightly Sparkling Natural Mineral Water and Naturally Still Mineral Water has its origins in the Kosciuszko National Park, where it’s purity is ranked among the finest in the world. Beloka’s unique magnesium and calcium rich water is similar in flavour and mouthfeel to many of the premium European bottled waters and the interplay of magnesium, calcium, sodium and potassium are essential for the healthy development and maintenance of the human muscular, skeletal and nervous systems.

Laharum Grove Olives, in the Grampians, west of Melbourne were first planted in 1943. Never irrigated, the trees thrive in the sandy loam and their fight for survival in the semi-arid climate apparently produces fruit of great character. Their product range includes Laharum Grove Extra Virgin Olive Oil – a blend of Verdale, Benito, Boquettier and Manzanilla olives; Vanilla Bean Infusion Extra Virgin Olive Oil; Caper Tapenade and Spicy Tomato Marmelatta – spiced tomato jam.

Located in the Barossa Valley, Careme Pastry, is owned and operated by William and Claire Wood, who, coming from a restaurant background we were always disappointed with the quality of commercially available ready-made pastry. Careme only use natural ingredients, free of additives, preservatives and colours to produce their hand-crafted pastry products. Their product range includes ready to use pastry dough: all butter puff, sour cream shortcrust, vanilla bean sweet shortcrust and dark chocolate shortcrust as well as a range of tarts, pies, savoury galettes and sweet tarts and croissants and pastries.

Sisters Linda and Kerrie Thornton of Baby Cakes by Design design and produce artisan style cakes, bespoke stationery and table styling. They specialise in babycakes – small cakes baked in child friendly and gourmet flavour combinations. Their award winning cakes, biscuits and muffins are individually handmade and handcrafted sourcing the best seasonal and local produce available.

Established in 1998 with a single nut cart at the South Melbourne Market, The Gourmet Nut Company from Mordialloc, Victoria now sell close to 1,000 tonne of roasted and coated almonds, cashews, pistachios, hazelnuts and pecans nuts in Australia and across the Asia Pacific region. The nuts are not cooked in oil; all are cholesterol free, gluten free, low GI and wheat free. Flavours include: honey, cinnamon, lemon myrtle, Indian chai, Moroccan tajine, thai sweet chilli and Japanese wasabi.

At Hall, 25 minutes from Canberra, Poachers Pantry have been producing gourmet smoked meat, poultry and vegetables since 1991 – taking farm-fresh produce and curing with unique blends of herbs, spices and other basics such as brandy and honey. In 1998, Wily Trout Vineyard was planted to produce cool climate wines to compliment the smoked meats and in 2002 the Smokehouse Café opened to combine food, wine and countryside.

Australian Harvest from Coldstream in Victoria's Yarra Valley, produces a wide range of gourmet foods, including the recently released BIO-GRAPE range of delicious functional foods, which compliments the existing range of liquored fruits and panforte, nougat, rich jellies, pastes, jams, sauces, mustards and olives.

Seasonal delights at McGuigan Barossa Valley

2010-06-02T11:16:00.000+10:00

I’m thrilled to be co-hosting the inaugural McGuigan Seasonal Market at McGuigan Wines in the Barossa Valley on Sunday 13 June with Senior Winemaker James Evers.

The farmers’ market style event will feature local produce (fruit and vegetables, quality meats, artisan cheeses, beautiful cakes, olive oils, native foods, fresh flowers and herbs), alongside wine tasting, live music, helicopter rides and childrens’ games including face painting.

I first went to the Barossa Valley for a Gourmet weekend in the late 1980s and what a time I had. I immediately felt at home and now I am able to call so many in the Valley my friends. I am well known for saying that Barossa Valley shiraz flows in my veins! I return as often as I can and have been to the weekly farmers markets many times, filmed there with Fresh and even cooked there when The Australian Women’s Weekly road train was in town. So I am well familiar with the history and traditions of the Barossa and how this plays out in modern day produce and wines.

Speaking of wines, there will be a selection of award winning McGuigan Wines, winner of International Winemaker of the Year in 2009 at the International Wine and Sprit Competition, London, on offer.

The day promises to be a great day out for everyone who loves food and wine.

I’ll be chatting to James Evers and the local producers as well as doing a cooking demonstration.

I hope to see you there.

Here are the details:
McGuigan Seasonal Market
Hermann Thumm Drive, Lyndoch SA 5351
09:30am – 4:00pm on Sunday 13 June
Click here for more information
McGuigan Barossa Valley is located 2km from the town center of Lyndoch at the start of the Barossa Valley. It is an easy one hour drive from Adelaide via the town of Gawler.

Savour Tasmania wrap up: Demon chef Alvin Leung at Mee Wah and Maggie & Simon’s Masterclass

2010-05-31T16:22:00.000+10:00

I recently wrote about Savour Tasmania and having just returned from Hobart, wanted to share further details and images with you.

I was thrilled to be part of the second annual Savour Tasmania, an epicurean festival featuring Australian and international chefs and fabulous Tasmanian produce. Beginning on 27 May there were various sell-out degustation dinners and masterclasses for students and the public in Hobart and next weekend more events in Launceston and Burnie.

Guests came from around Australia to dine on the cuisine of Spain’s Paco Roncero from Casino de Madrid, Alvin Leung from Bo Innovation in Hong Kong, Philippe Nouzillat from Brasserie Wolf in Singapore, New Zealand’s Martin Bosley from Martin Bosley’s in Wellington and our very own The Cook and the Chef, Maggie Beer and Simon Bryant.

I mced two dinners by Alvin Leung, whose restaurant, Bo Innovation in Hong Kong recently catapulted up the San Pellegrino Top 100 List from position 97 to position 65. Held at Mee Wah, which brought elegant and sophisticated Cantonese dining to Tasmania, the dinners were as much fun as they were innovative.

Alvin, with his streaked hair, sunglasses, funky clothes and ‘Demon chef’ tattoos, held the audience captivated as he explained the motivation behind his dishes created with the science of molecular gastronomy. All had a recognisable basis in Chinese cuisine from his Molecular ‘xiao long bao’ transforming the much loved Shanghainese dumpling into a sphere which popped in the mouth with familiar flavours

Trio of Chinese Appetizers - Molecular xiao long bao

M8+ Wagyu Beef with vegemite, cheung fun, black truffle

While loving these, my favourite was South Cape Crayfish, har mi oil & powder, vermicelli and wasabi leaves, the comforting starch of the vermicelli given a little kick with chilli in the shrimp oil and powder.

South Cape Crayfish har mi oil & powder, vermicelli and wasabi leaves

With this food we drank delightful Tasmanian wines, including 2003 Kregliner Vintage Brut Sparkling, Riesling, gewürztraminer and a Botrytis Riesling from Pipers Brook and a range of wines from Domaine A. On chatting with the owners Peter and Ruth Authaus, I was fascinated to learn that they never add acid to their wine (which can be done in Australia where grapes ripen so well, as opposed to Europe where the addition of sugar is allowed) believing that grapes can be picked in perfect balance. Interestingly when wine writer Andrew Jefford was in Australia as wine writer in residence, he applauded this, saying that acid is the enemy of terroir – the microclimate which gives grapes their sense of place.

Other highlights of the weekend included a Masterclass and lunch from Maggie Beer and Simon Bryant. Maggie revealed that her favourite food in the whole world is sea urchin, and although they couldn’t source enough for the 270 there, she had made every apprentice in the kitchen try some during prep the day before. We also found out that in their show The Cook and the Chef, neither of them knew what the other was cooking, though their executive producer did!

Maggie Beer, Kate McGhie & Simon Bryant

In the final chat on the couch, hosted by my friend and colleague Kate McGhie, Simon implored everyone to “have a think about where you food comes from and ask a few questions”.

Sunday lunch at the magnificently restored Islington Hotel saw the chefs and food writers mingle for a casual ‘Aussie BBQ’ as a pleasantly low key finale to a stimulating weekend.

Paco Roncero and me

There’s still next weekend to go (Burnie and Launceston) but if you have missed out this year, Savour Tasmania is set to take place again in May 2011 with some exciting plans already in place. For more information visit http://www.savourtasmania.com.au/.

Hunting the truffle

2010-05-27T17:03:00.000+10:00

One of the ultimate food experiences would have be eating truffles. Once smelt and enjoyed they are unforgettable. There are both black and white truffles, the latter principally from the Alba region of Italy. However, black truffles are also grown in Australia and are beginning to get some critical mass.

The good news is that not living in Europe is therefore no longer a barrier to hunting the mysterious black diamond. Imagine plucking one of these prized fungi from the earth and inhaling that evocative aroma.

The truffle industry in Australia in certainly burgeoning, however truffles have been successfully grown in all Australian states – but they can take up to 10 years to grow. What a long and tantalising wait. If you are interested in growing your own or want more info about the Australian industry click here.

To experience first-hand the joys of the truffle hunting, a number of farms around Australia offer hunting. And if you have a spare weekend in June, July, August or September why not indulge.

Here are some suggestions:

Urban Graze at Millthorpe, fifteen minutes from Orange offers truffle weekend packages that include accommodation, the hunt, a gourmet truffle dinner as well as high tea. Click here for more information.

*Rosewood Trufferie & Perigord Truffles in the Southern Highlands of New South Wales has 1,000 truffle bearing oak and hazelnut trees and offer limited hunting experiences with lunch each Sunday between July and September. Send an email to register your interest.

Manjimup Truffle Farm is the largest truffle producer in the southern hemisphere and they make wine too! Located 300km from Perth in the south-west corner of Western Australia, their hunts are hosted by a truffle master and include wine tasting. Stay on for lunch at their gourmet café and take home a keepsake such as truffle oil, truffle honey or truffle salt. Click here for more information.

Truffles Australis is the home of Australia’s first black truffle and is located 9km from Deloraine in Tasmania’s north. They offer hands on tours all year round and hunts in season, from June until September. Click here for more information.

Enjoy and remember that unfortunately finders doesn’t mean keepers.

*Update … I’m going truffling in the Southern Highlands with Rosewood Trufferie & Perigord Truffles in early July and will report back!

Savouring Tasmania at Savour Tasmania

2010-05-24T13:24:00.000+10:00

The countdown has begun to one of the best food festivals in Australia – Savour Tasmania – a celebration of the outstanding regional produce from Tasmania combined with Australian and international talent.

It takes place in two locations:
27 May – 29 May Hobart
5 June – 6 June Burnie & Launceston

The inaugural festival in 2009 was a sell out success and this year’s program looks to be just as exciting with an interesting line up of degustation dinners, lunches and masterclasses.

I’ll be mcing two dinners at Me Wah Restaurant, Sandy Bay, entitled ‘Deconstructed Dining by Hong Kong’s demon chef, Alvin Leung’. I met Alvin from Bo Innovation when he was in Australia for the Sydney International Food Festival. He is one lively chef, as you might tell from his picture, so should keep things moving and far from predictable.

Other food personalities hosting dinners include Kate McGhie from the Herald Sun, John Lethlean from The Weekend Australian, Richard Cornish from The Age and wine writer Max Allen.

As well as Alvin Leung, there is a formidable line up of international chefs including Philippe Nouzillat from Brasserie Wolf, Singapore; Martin Bosley from Martin Bosley's, New Zealand; and Paco Roncero from La Terraza, Madrid. They will be joined by local heros, Maggie Beer, fresh from being inducted in the Tasting Australia Hall of Fame and Simon Bryant.

For more information and to book tickets visit www.savourtasmania.com.au.

Yia sas from Crete

2010-05-20T12:41:00.000+10:00

Wild artichokes

Click here to read about my eating and drinking adventures in Crete.

Multi-tasking at Signorelli Gastronomia

2010-05-17T15:04:00.000+10:00

Where’s the latest place to go for a casual Trattoria-style lunch or dinner, salumeria selection, drink at the bar, cooking class or a gourmet shopping experience which includes wine?

Signorelli Gastronomia at Doltone House, Darling Island Wharf, 48 Pirrama Road, Pyrmont is a haven for all things Italian with a local flavour. The whole space has been devised by Paul Signorelli and his sisters, Anna Cesarano and Nina Milazzo, as homage to their late father, the pioneering greengrocer and hospitality entrepreneur, Biaggio Signorelli. They’ve even commissioned a sculpture of him outside.

The antipasto bar

I had lunch there a couple of weeks ago with my mate Glenn Wheeler, from radio 2GB.

I first met Executive Chef James Viles of Doltone House’s Darling Island Wharf, years ago when I taught a special holiday class at Pittwater House school. I have seen him sporadically over the years and it was great to see him here. The menu encompassed wood-fired pizza, stone oven dishes (including porchetta with agrodolce – traditional Italian sweet and sour – requiring 24 hour pre-order), oysters, a comprehensive list of cured meats, primi, secondi and dolce.

The salumeria selection

We trialled a little of many menu items from the salumeria selection from crisp pizza and a wonderful squid ink risotto with Hawkesbury cuttlefish and soft poached egg. Though it’s hard to go past the goat’s cheese & broadbean ravioli with glazed golden beetroot or the beef served with either foie gras, gorgonzola or porcini butter. To finish, an affogato of ice-cream, espresso and little gel ''pearls'' of Nocello formed in a calcium bath.

After lunch I visited the cheese room and checked out the food offerings. Interestingly the focus was on local produce. Apparently Signorelli Gastronomia’s philosophy is to stock seasonal produce, mainly sourced within a 100 mile radius. I was told there are more than 500 product lines.

I stuck my head in the wine room – an impressive 200+ bottle collection of Australian and international wine as well as a shelf devoted to organic wine.

I left nearly three hours later with the biggest rib eye on the bone you’ve ever seen – of Flintstone proportions - it weighed 1.6 kilos. It cooked beautifully on the BBQ, some of the time with the lid down and rested nicely. It’s nearly time to go back and get another one. The cooking school also looks interesting and there is a calendar of upcoming tastings, exhibitions and events on their website.

Hummm hummingbird cake

2010-05-13T13:02:00.000+10:00

This is one of my favourite cake recipes – I’ve been making it since I had my café back in the early 90s.

It is a southern USA speciality and while there are a number of theories behind it’s name, I like the idea that the cake was named after the Hummingbird who is drawn to sweet things – like this cake!

The addition of undrained crushed pineapple and banana makes this cake incredibly moist and it is especially delicious topped with cream cheese icing.

Here is a link to the recipe on my main site.

The stars of food safety

2010-05-11T11:33:00.000+10:00

Canada Bay Council Mayor Angelo Tsirekas launched their Food Safety Star Rating Project yesterday at Aqua Vista Restaurant, Henley Marine Drive, Drummoyne.

While we are familiar with restaurants being rated with chefs hats or scores, now there is an easy to understand and easy to recognize rating system to allow us to make safe food choices; whether we are dining in a restaurant, café, club or pub or buying take-away food.

This ‘scores on door’ program will publicly recognise businesses that make a consistent and serious commitment to food safety. They will be awarded three, four or five stars depending on their level of compliance with criteria, designed to ensure that only the safest businesses receive star ratings.

More importantly, it teaches owners and employees good food practice – something which will stand them and their business in good stead.

I mc’ed the launch which, along with Mayor Angelo Tsirekas, was also attended by Alan Coutts, CEO, NSW Food Authority; Gary Sawyer, General Manager, City of Canada Bay Council plus other councilors and council employees and local Star Rated business owners and representatives.

Canada Bay Mayor Angelo Tsirekas with me, Aqua Vista Chef Anthony Ishak and Deputy CEO of NSW Food Authority Craig Sahlin

I hope other councils follow Canada Bay’s initiative. Food safety is taken ever more seriously and this Star Rating system is a guarantee to consumers that these food businesses have achieved a pre-determined standard which was independently assessed.

As I mentioned above, the launch was held at Aqua Vista Restaurant, who incidentally have achieved a 5 Star Rating.

Executive Chef Anthony Ishak presented a delightful array of canapes, including this one which caught my eye as being not only quick and simple but also impressive. Here is his recipe:

Skewered gnocchi and prawns with pesto

250g potato gnocchi, cooked until al dente, rinsed and drained
500g cooked medium prawns, peeled
Dressing
1 teaspoon pesto
dash Tabasco, or to taste
2 tablespoons lemon juice
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

Combine dressing ingredients and season to taste with salt and pepper. Add gnocchi and prawns, mix well and set aside for 10 minutes. Thread two gnocchi and one prawn on small bamboo skewers, starting with gnocchi. Serve immediately or make a few hours ahead and refrigerate, however return to room temperature for serving.

Thanks Anthony!