viktoria1969

Geneva Day 3: St Imier, Broc and Gruyeres

Day 3 saw us with an extra early start. We had a 2 ½ hour drive to the dial factory, Cadrans Flückiger at St Imier in the Canton of Jura. Under grey skies and a light shower we boarded our bus and headed out of Geneva along the lake. Once we were out of the city we drove through beautiful green countryside with the occasional rainbow.

Cadrans Flückiger S.A. is a subsidiary company of Patek Philippe. They specialize in the manufacture and finishing of dials. Not only do they make dials for Patek Philippe, they also do dials for companies such as Audemars Piguet and IWC, among others. It was fascinating to learn that a dial can have anywhere from 40 to 70 processes applied to it and can take up to 3 months to make.

Dial enamelling and guilloché engraving are also carried out at Cadrans Flückiger and we were fortunate to be able to see the artisans working at both techniques. Enameling is very pretty but the amount of work involved explains why the pricing can be quite a bit more for an enamel dial watch. The engraving studio also had several guilloché machines dating back to the 1800’s still being used.

Lunch was at the Hotel Beau Rivage Neuchatel,a hotel we stayed at several years ago. Not associated with the Beau Rivage Geneva, this stately hotel is also situated by a lake, Lake Neuchatel to be precise. It was nice to return even if for a little while.

Memories of our dinner on our last visit had us anticipating the wonderful lunch that awaited us.

The wild mushrooms in puff pastry were very tasty and the freshness of the mushrooms was evident in the level of flavor.

Main course was a simple prepared chicken supreme, with vegetables and a chorizo cream sauce. The sauce had a nice spiciness to it.

Dessert was an apple tart tatin, beautifully presented and very delicious!

After lunch we had time for a quick walk outside.

After our fantastic lunch it was back on to the bus. Our next destination was a visit to the chocolate factory of Maison Cailler, located in the town of Broc, situated in the mountains of the La Gruyere region. Now part of the Nestle Group, Maison Cailler was founded in the early 1800’s by Francois-Lois Cailler. Over the next 100 or so years the manufacturing of chocolate was perfected with the ultimate secret to creaminess being the use of condensed milk made with the high quality milk from the cows of the region.

We took part in a tour of the factory which started with a series of rooms, each depicting a different period in the history of chocolate. From the Aztecs to the Conquisatadors, the arrival of chocolate in Europe, right up to the founding of Maison Cailler and the 20^th century. Very interesting and well presented.

Arrival of chocolate into Europe trhough Spain

The search for the perfect location for Maison Cailler

After the history rooms you start in to the factory proper. Glass walls separate the factory from the tour area where displays and samples of ingredients are arranged. An audio device is given to each tour member at the start and when held to an icon at each display, you learn more about the ingredients and where they are from. There is also information on the farmers/growers and their locations in the world.

Cailler "Branches" in production — Cailler “Branches” in production

And of course you can’t finish a chocolate factory tour without trying some freshly made chocolate. There were around a dozen samples to taste. Thankfully I only tried 4 which was quite sufficient.

We also had time for a bit of chocolate retail therapy.

This ends part 1 of Day 3 part two will see us head to the historic for town of Gruyeres for dinner.

16/11/2015 1

Geneva Day 2: Visit To Patek Philippe Factory And Museum

For history buffs: the Beau Rivage Geneva started operations in 1865 and since then they have had many famous guests. Empress Sissi of Austria spent her final days here before being assassinated while boarding a boat to Montreux. She was returned to the hotel and died shortly after. In 1918 documents were signed in the Masaryk Salon creating Czechoslovakia. Other famous guests have included Sarah Bernhardt, Charles de Gaulle, composer Richard Wagner, boxer Sugar Ray Robinson(who enjoyed sardines with strawberry jam for breakfast at the Beau Rivage), drummer/singer Phil Collins, the Duke and Duchess of Windsor, Jean Cocteau, King Farouk of Egypt and many more.

Since 1987 it has also been the Geneva location for Sotheby’s jewel and watch auctions, of which the most spectacular must be the auction of the Duchess of Windsor’s collection of jewels. It was also the first hotel in Switzerland to have an electric elevator (third in the world) and the first in Switzerland to offer wireless LAN connections to guests.

Back to the tour!

Waking up early we headed down for breakfast. An elegant enclosed terrace overlooks the lake and provides a perfect backdrop for enjoying a relaxing breakfast.

Checking our weather app we found we were in for another beautiful, sunny day.

Like the Beau Rivage in Neuchatel, the buffet isn’t large but offers a great selection of local produce. Freshly baked breads were delicious and there were several types each day.

After breakfast it was back up to the room to get ready for our first full day of the trip. As you can see from how I am dressed the first day was quite formal.

A quick bus trip found us at Plan Les Ouates, an industrial area on the southern side of Geneva. I know what you are thinking, luxury watches in an industrial area? Plan Les Ouates is no ordinary industrial area. Locals give it the nickname Plan Les Watches as it is home to many Swiss watch brands (Rolex, Vacheron Constantin, Patek Philippe, Piaget, amongst others). It is also home to several Swiss beauty/cosmetic brands like Clarins.

The fence with construction work behind is part of The Patek Philippe Factory. This new extension will house the dial factory, jewel and case manufacturing a watchmaking school and more. Patek Philippe is bringing everything in to one location rather than having departments spread out.

Upon arriving we had a quick coffee, met our guides and then headed in to the lecture room/ auditorium for a presentation about the Patek Philippe brand.

Me out front of the Patek Philippe main entrance

Sculpture inside front entrance — Sculpture in foyer

After the presentation we were broken in to two smaller groups to begin our tour of the factory. Sadly we were not able to take photos inside the factory areas, but it was fascinating to see how the parts are manufactured and machined. The size of some of the watch parts is mind blowing and then you think how hard it is to do polishing and finishing on a piece that is less than 1mm in size.

After the tour it was time for lunch which was in the private dining salon. Mr. Thierry Stern was our host for lunch. What a lunch it was! A three course lunch prepared by a chef poached from a Michelin star restaurant, we were informed that he also prepared the menus for the 2 staff cafeterias. These are not your ordinary run of the mill staff cafeterias either.

Lasagne style Zita pasta # 18, eggplant confit, poultry and Pata Negra ham.

Brittany lobster, cauliflower and curry foam.

Lemon cheese cake, thin vanilla crepes.

Coffee and chocolates ended our meal.

After our fabulous lunch we got on the bus for the short journey back to central Geneva for our tour of the Patek Philippe Watch Museum. WOW what a museum! The Patek Philippe Watch museum houses thousands of watches and pocket watches, and has examples of clock and watch making from the 1500’s right up to the year 2000. In the collection are pieces owned by many historical figures, Kings, Queens, aristocrats, Popes, Presidents, industrialists(think Getty’s, Astors, Graves, Chrysler), artists, actors etc.

Mr. Philippe Stern has built up a fabulous collection and continues to add to it, waiting for fine examples at auction or being offered for sale by other private collectors. The museum is broken in to two sections, Antique watches 1500’s to 1800’s and the Patek Philippe collection 1839 to present. There is so much to see that we will definitely be going back for another visit, you could spend a whole day looking at these masterpieces of horlogerie. My favourites were any of the enamelled antique pieces and the beautiful jewelled pieces from the Art Deco period.

Photography was not permitted in the museum but we managed to get the one below.

After a wonderful 2 hours in this fascinating museum it was back to the Beau Rivage for a quick freshen up and then to dinner at L’Observatoire Restaurant. We knew it was short walk from our hotel but didn’t realise it was in the hotel next to ours, Hotel D’Angleterre. The hotel is very old school British in style, very elegant and sophisticated. They even have a proper cigar lounge with wood panelling and buttoned leather chairs and sofas.

Offering views over Lake Geneva and the Alps, L’Observatoire is the private dining salon within Windows Restaurant at Hotel D’Angleterre.

I love a unique butter presentation!

Mille-feuille of crispy potatoes, vegetable puree flavoured with truffles and crispy chips.

Veal medallion Gamay jus, stuffed vegetables and mushroom filled potatoes.

Caramel pear, pink praline custard and orchid ice cream.

After our second three course meal of the day we were very glad it wasn’t too far back to our hotel and another good night of sleep.

05/11/2015 0

Geneva – Patek Philippe Factory Tour With LK Boutique

Late September saw us jetting to Geneva, Switzerland for a watch factory tour. We were invited by LK Boutique and Patek Philippe to visit the Patek Philippe factories and see behind the scenes of watch making. I will focus only on the food, hotel and scenery in this post. We unfortunately were not able to take photos while in the factory but let me say it was a truly amazing experience.

We traveled with Emirates to Geneva with a stopover in Dubai. On previous trips to Europe it has always been after a week in New York, so it was a novelty for me to fly west and north from Sydney. The flight is of course LOOOONNGGGGG, nearly 14 hours to Dubai with a 2 ½ hour layover, then a further 7 hours to Geneva. Of course First class lounges help.

The first meal of our trip was dinner in the Qantas First Class lounge in Sydney. A glass of rose Champagne got the trip of to a nice start. Mr. CA4G ordered minute steak with chips and salsa verde and I ordered pork with kale and sweet potato.

For our second course we ordered the cheese selection and a fig, toasted hazelnut and honey tart with a rosemary infused cream, housemade ricotta whey sorbet. Great cheeses and the tart was delicious and light.

Cheese selection Qantas First Class Lounge Sydney

Fig, Toasted hazelnut and honey tart, Qantas First Class Lounge Sydney

Flying First Class is a rare experience and when you can upgrade to First you really enjoy the treat.

We arrived in Dubai early in the morning and after going through all the barriers, we stumbled along to Emirates First Class lounge. OMG!! Talk about a lounge. Massive, with water features, plenty of lounging areas, dining room, spa(you never know when you might need a quick massage or facial), business desks. One thing I really liked was the charging lockers where you could charge all your gadgets securely while you relax. The service was impeccable and the lounge very relaxing.

Freshly squeezed juice and bakers basket.

Fresh baked breads and freshly squeezed juice

The only thing missing from breakfast was some bacon but it is a small thing. The sausages that we had (veal or chicken) with our scrambled eggs were sensational

Scrambled eggs, toast, veal sausages, roesti and baked beans

Back on to the plane for the second leg of the trip, the sun had fully risen so we got some shots of Dubai as we left.

We forgot to take some photos of the fabulous food served in Emirates first class between Sydney and Dubai but here is what lunch looked like.

Caviar entree - Emirates First Class Dubai to Geneva — Caviar entree – Emirates First Class Dubai to Geneva

Steamed fish, rice and vegetables - Emirates First Class Dubai to Geneva — Steamed fish, rice and vegetables – Emirates First Class Dubai to Geneva

Fruit Plate - Emirates First Class Dubai to Geneva — Fruit Plate – Emirates First Class Dubai to Geneva

The flight from Dubai to Geneva saw us fly up over Iran, then across Turkey and the Balkans before crossing the northern parts of the Adriatic and Italy, over the majestic Alps and then in to Geneva airport.

After landing we headed to our hotel, The Beau Rivage, Geneva. Located across the road from Lake Geneva, it offers an old world touch of luxury with modern conveniences(namely excellent wifi!!).

Exterior Beau Rivage, Geneva.

Our room was one of several that had a balcony facing the lake and the Jet d’Eau, with views to the Alps and Mont Blanc in the distance.

One of our two bathrooms in our room at the Beau Rivage

After settling in, we had a little time to ourselves and decided to take advantage of the sunshine to explore a little. Our group was given public transport vouchers for the duration of the stay. We decided to use ours to take one of the Mouettes Genevoise across the lake. The Mouettes Genevoise, are wooden boats that have a long history on Lake Geneva. There are three routes to choose from and we took the one that goes directly across the lake and offers good views of the Jet d’Eau fountain.

From our drop off wharf we walked back to the city centre, a walk of around 10 minutes. Naturally, we had to find some watch boutiques.

We were also successful in finding M.A.D. Gallery, where Mr. CA4G was to catch up with Mr. Max Busser later in the week.

We also found the carousel/merry go round located in the street leading up to the cathedral.

A bit more walking found us at the Quai de l’Ile, historic headquarters of Vacheron Constantin. This building is now home to a Vacheron Constantin boutique as well as home to their heritage department.

Quai de l'ile, Vacheron Constantin in the middle of shot — Quai de l’ile, Vacheron Constantin in the middle of shot

At this point, Lake Geneva starts to narrow again and become the mighty Rhone River. I never realized that the Rhone River starts its 812 kilometer journey down from the Lepontine Alps in the canton of Valais. You can see the water starting to flow quite quickly in the photo above and below.

Lake Geneva/Lac Leman becoming the Rhone River again

Peak hour traffic was a nightmare! We thought Sydney was bad, but the traffic in Geneva shocked us a bit. Although we were later told that the road in front of the Hotel is the main one people use to go around the bottom of Lake Geneva and there is only the one vehicular bridge at that point.

Back at the hotel we had enough time for a quick freshen up before meeting the other members of our tour group at a welcome cocktail party/dinner. Only a few shots of the food, as it was also dinner there was plenty of food and all delicious.

Yum Foie Gras Canapes, Beau Rivage, Geneva — Yum, Foie Gras Canapes, Beau Rivage, Geneva

Tiredness was starting to catch up with us so we headed back to our room where we had this stunning view out the window.

Jet d'Eau by night from our balcony — Jet d’Eau by night from our balcony

That was the end of our first day in Geneva, stay tuned for more on our trip.

02/11/2015 0

Watches of Switzerland and A. Lange & Söhne: Dinner at Quay

Two days before our departure for Geneva we received an invitation to the A.Lange & Söhne 2015 Novelty Tour. This event to be held at Quay in the Rocks, was organized by Watches of Switzerland and A. Lange & Söhne.

The day of the event was an early taste of summer with temperatures in the mid 30’s. As a matter of fact the first few days of October have been more like summer than spring, but can’t complain better a bit of heat than cold.

We were a little disappointed when we arrived at Circular Quay to see a cruise ship docked at the Overseas Passenger Terminal. Thankfully we soon learnt that it was due for departure around the same time as the event started.

As the boat backed out from the dock, the sun set giving a brilliant display of light over the Opera House.

The dinner was held in the Tower room of Quay which comfortably seated the 30 of us. Mr. Wilhelm Schmid, CEO of A. Lange & Söhne was able to make the long flight down under to be with us for the evening, Mr Eric van der Griend, managing director of Watches of Switzerland was our host for the evening.

View from Quay's tower room — View from Quay’s tower room

Scattered around the perimeter of the room were several display boxes with the novelties for 2015.

A Lange & Söhne watches, Datograph variants and Zeitwerk

Butter was artfully presented, beats the standard square, triangle or round presentation.

Mr. CA4G chose the raw smoked Blackmoore wagyu, horseradish, soured cream, fermented rye crisps and raw funghi. Quay has a delightfully, unique way of preparing and presenting food. Mr. CA4G was suitably impressed with his entrée and the flavours in it.

Raw smoked Blackmore wagyu,horseradish, soured cream, fermented rye crisps, raw funghi

I contemplated the Marron dish but wasn’t too sure about Dory caviar. I opted instead to have the vegetarian entrée of spring ewe’s milk curd, broad beans, caper and freekah crumb, apple, nasturtium and purslane. Very tasty and perfect for a hot day. I have never tried purslane before but enjoyed the flavour, contemplating adding it to my herb garden.

Spring ewe's milk curd, broad beans, caper and freekah crumb, apple, nasturtium, purslane — Spring ewe’s milk curd, broad beans, caper and freekah crumb, apple, nasturtium, purslane

For his main Mr. CA4G again went for beef this time choosing the roasted grass fed beef fillet, morel cream, braised mushroom, roasted ancient grains caught the eye of Mr. CA4G. A nice tall fillet topped with all the extras. His only comments were about the great flavor and the tenderness of the meat.

Roasted grass fedbeeffillet, morel cream, braised mushroom, aancient grains — Roasted grass fed beef fillet, morel cream, braised mushroom, ancient grains

I have been wanting to try the pork jowl ever since I saw it on the menu when looking at Quay’s website. I was delighted to see it on our menu for the evening. Smoked and confit pig jowl, scallops, shiitake, Jerusalem artichoke crackling. The meat was so tender, the scallopswere a perfect complement to the sweetness of the pork, nice bit of earthy mushroom flavor and the Jerusalem artichoke crackling was pleasing both visually and flavor wise.

Smoked and confitpig jowl, scallops, shiitake, Jerusalem artichoke crackling

Of course we had some sides to share, mixed leaf salad, super creamy potato puree and lovely fresh beans.

For our final course, both of us chose one of Quay’s signature desserts, Quay’s seven texture Valrhona chocolate cake. Yes the one that has appeared on MasterChef. So rich and tasty.

Quay's seven textures of chocolate — Quay’s seven textures of chocolate

Cheese was also bought out for the tables to share, sadly we ate it before we could take a photo. They were very nice cheeses and smelt amazing!

Looking back towards the city from the tower room. Sydney is so sparkly at night.

Yes I did get to try on a fancy watch or two. Two very elegant watches in white and rose gold with mother of pearl dial.

We would like to thank Watches of Switzerland and A. Lange & Söhne for inviting us to be a part of this very special and fun evening.

25/10/2015 0

Halle de Rive, Geneva

On the last day of our trip to Geneva, after I dragged Mr. CA4G to look at some posh cutlery, we came across Halle de Rive on Boulevarde Helvetique. A ‘covered market’, it was full of little individual shops/stalls selling all manner of edible deliciousness.

Upon entering our noses were joyously twitching with the aroma of many types of cheese. There were 3 cheese sellers, several boucheries (butchers) and poisonniers (fishmongers), along with fruitier (fruit and vegetable) and several charcuteries (smoked goods like bacons, hams and cured sausages etc).

You could buy the raw ingredients or there were also many ready to heat options available too. For example, cooked Nicaraguan lobster with a filling of Russian salad CHF25 per half (around AUD$35.60).

And many types of salads ready to go.

Civet de cerf (deer stew) in the front, caramelized chestnuts in the back and on the right vol au vents with a chicken, veal, ham, mushroom and veloute filling. Buy your filling, get the vol au vent shells and heat at home.

In the next photo is the chicken, poultry and game shop which also sold the fat of duck, chicken and goose, sausages, terrines and pates made from the birds and small game. There are signs for foie de lapin (rabbit livers), foie de volaille(chicken livers), terrine de canard(duck terrine) and terrine de volaille(chicken terrine) all with prices per 100grams. The brown tins in the front contain Terrine de lievre( hare terrine).

Here is one of the seafood sellers. Those huge prawns/shrimp at the front of the display came from the Atlantic side of the USA and were CHF80 (approx. AUD$114) per kilo. They were around 5cm across and were the largest prawns we had ever seen. They possibly weighed close to 200 grams each. I think they could be a bit tough though. Any salt water fish are obviously imported. There were several types of fresh water fish as well, mostly caught in the lakes and streams in Switzerland and neighbouring countries.

Boucherie, look at the size of those ribs!! Those sausages looked mighty tasty too. It would be nice to rent an apartment for a couple of weeks just to go shopping in this market so I could cook.

Charcuterie with pates, terrines, jambon(ham) amd petit terrines and pates en croute. Would have been perfect to grab some charcuterie items, cheese, bread and salad, then sit and have a picnic by the lake.

Our favourite section, one of the fromageries. So many types of cheese, it was a shame we didn’t find Halle de Rive on our first day in Geneva. Although I guess we might have bought too much cheese to eat. Choosing a cheese might have been hard too, so many types/varieties that we just don’t find here in Australia.

Most of the fruit and vegetables are local. All items have a country of origin and there were even some that had country and town/area of origin. Prices were quite high, you can see the melon on the left is CHF8 (approx. AUD$11.40) per kilogram, green plums(prunes) in the front CHF10 (approx. AUD$ 14.25) per kilogram. It makes me feel even luckier to live in Australia when I see price comparisons like that. Although I have to say you often see a larger array of varieties and often rarer varieties when travelling.

Behind the wall on the left is Bistrot Halle de Rive a restaurant where you could enjoy a meal before or after shopping. Or further along on the right is a coffee seller if you need a caffeine hit.

Hope you enjoyed a quick look at Halle de Rive, Geneva. Keep an eye out for more of our Geneva trip coming soon.

09/10/2015 0

Lemon Tart – Recipe Time

On our last menu was a luscious lemon tart which is served with some slightly sweetend mascarpone, pistachio praline and a slice of caramelised lemon. Not as heavy as the lemon curd tart we used to make but just as delicious.

All measurements are metric and spoon/cup measures are Australian Standards.

You will need a digital thermometer and food processor for this recipe.

LEMON TART

Pastry: (Enough for two and freezes well so you can make another one later)

Flour – 300grams

Unsalted butter, softened – 150grams

Egg yolks – 3

Icing sugar – 120grams

Vanilla bean 1,

Lemon fine zest of 1/2

Salt – pinch

Egg extra for brushing and sealing the tart case

Slice the vanilla bean down the length and carefully scape the seeds from each half out. Keep the pod and place it in your sugar pot to infuse.

Place all ingredients except egg yolks in processor and blitz until mixture looks like sandy texture.

Slowly drop in the egg yolks one at a time. the mixture should come together and form a ball.

Turn machine off and remove the pastry.

Almost there, a little bit of a squeeze together and all is good

Weigh pastry and divide in to two balls, place on cling film and press down to a circle, wrap completely. Place 1 piece in refrigerator for an hour and freeze the other for future use.

Dividing up, one for now one for next time

Remove pastry from refrigerator, place on to a piece of gladbake/silicon paper, allow to soften slightly and then roll to 3mm thick.

Spray a loose bottomed flan tin with oil spray and being careful pick up the paper and turn the pastry over and in to the flan tin. It will break a bit but you can press the gaps together and fill in any spaces with the pastry that breaks off. Grab a fork and prick the base all over.

Breakups can be messy but you can patch things up — Breakups can be messy but most times you can patch things up

Return to the fridge for 30 minutes to rest. Take a nap if you like or grab a Jackie Collins novel and read for a bit.

Preheat oven to 150Celsius. Put the flan tin on a baking sheet this will catch drips and make it easy to carry.

Place a sheet of silicon paper over the tart shell and fill with beans/rice/bakers beads, pushing in to the corners. Blind bake for approximately 18 minutes, then remove the paper and whatever you used as weight, CAREFUL IT IS HOT!!

Return the pastry case to the oven to cook out a bit more around 5 -6 minutes. The pastry should look cooked but not too brown, think of a shortbread biscuit.

Crack the extra whole egg, whisk it up and then brush the pastry case with the egg. This is to seal the pastry and make it a bit more “water proof”. Return to the oven to cook for around 5 minutes.

Now you are ready to fill!!

LEMON FILLIING

Caster sugar – 195grams

Cream – 150grams Yeah I know I often weigh liquids)

Eggs – 5 (4 whole and 1 yolk)

Lemon – 2 1/2 juiced and strained

While your pastry is resting you can make the filling instead of reading or having a nap.

Whisk together lemon juice, cream, sugar, whole eggs and yolk until well combined but not frothy.

Strain in to a saucepan and over medium heat stir until you reach 60 celsius(digital thermometer time)

Strain in to a dry jug.

It needs to stand for a little bit and you will notice that the top has a layer of froth.

If you time it right this should coincide with the tart case finishing the final cook after being brushed with the egg.

Remove the tart from the oven and cool the oven down to 120 celsius and choose NO FAN. Return the tart to the oven, skim the froth off the top of the filling and pour the mixture slowly over the back of a large spoon in to the tart case. Pour slowly as you don’t want to form any bubbles. Having the fan off also helps form a nice smooth top.

Close the oven door and set the timer for 25 minutes. When the timer goes off give the tart a little jiggle, if it just wobbles a little it is ready. if it still looks quite liquid give it a couple more minutes until it just wobbles.

Remove from oven and cool to room temperature.

Serve with some mascarpone or whipped cream. You can sweeten the mascarpone a little if you like. You could also glaze the top of the tart by sprinkling a little sugar on top and caramelising with a butane torch.

Enjoy!

05/10/2015 1

Vacheron Constantin Harmony Collection Sydney Dinner

We recently received an invitation from J. Farren-Price to join them for the Sydney launch of the 260^th Anniversary Harmony Collection watches from Vacheron-Constantin. The evening was to be held in the Kent Street Kitchen at The Langham, Sydney. Of course we couldn’t say no!

The Langham, Sydney was formerly The Observatory Hotel, a hotel we had wanted to go to but for some reason never made it down to the Rocks to stay there. Upon walking through the front doors we were suitably impressed. Very luxurious! Cream walls, marble and wood floors, in some areas the rugs were recessed in to the marble. Beautiful soft pastel shades on the furnishings, wood, marble and glass topped tables, consoles and coffee tables abounded and everywhere gorgeous floral displays, polished brass highlighting everything. I miss polishing brass sometimes.

We made our way into the Kent Street Kitchen, where we were met by the staff of J Farren-Price, in a reception area decorated with historical images of some of the vintage watches used as inspiration for the Harmony Collection special editions. A video of the Harmony Collection watches being constructed and designed was playing on a dividing wall. Very fascinating to see the level of craftsmanship and detail that goes into high end luxury watches.

After canapes and a couple of glasses of Dom Perignon, we were taken through to the dining area where a display table with the Vacheron Constantin 260^th Anniversary Harmony Collection was set close to the dining table.

A long communal table was dressed elegantly in a crisp black cloth, white linen serviettes, gleaming silver ware and a variety of white flowers and foliage in sparkly crystal.

A relaxed seating/lounging area was also adjacent to the dining area.

Looking at the menu, we saw an interesting and delicious array of food planned for our dinner, with some French wines that we were eager to sample.

First course was smoked ocean trout, escabeche, rocket, lemon pearls, pumpernickel. A very light yet flavoursome entree. The pumpernickel was done as crumbs, rocket presented as a puree with little crispy bits of fish skin served like crackling. This was served with a Domaine Christian Salmon Sancerre from the Loire Valley in France, a nice crisp wine that matched the fish perfectly.

Two main courses were offered, the first being butter poached West Australian marron, burnt onion and shellfish risotto. I was a bit unsure about the risotto as I know that sometimes a seafood stock can be quite strong, however I was very pleasantly surprised as this had quite a delicate seafood flavor. The nasturtium leaves gave a nice peppery hit to the dish. Our wine with this course was Domaine Tempier Bandol Rose from Provence, France. The Bandol Rose was a blend of Mouverdre, Grenache, Cinsault and Carignan. Cinsault and Carignan are two varieties that we aren’t too familiar with here in Australia.

Butter poached marron and shellfish risotto

Second main course was a twice cooked beef short rib, marrow gelee, parsnip puree, Brussels sprouts. The beef ribs were nice and tender, the parsnip puree very smooth and creamy, and the Brussels sprouts cooked al dente, several of the Brussels sprout leaves were removed, crisped and scattered around, the bone was filled with a herbed crumb. Really a delicious course! Our wine was of course a very nice Bordeaux, Chateau St. Georges, from St. Georges-St. Emilion, France. At 80% Merlot, 10% Cabernet Sauvignon and 10% Cabernet Franc it was a great pairing with the richness of the rib. Again with liking a high percentage Merlot, sacre bleu!! But still can’t handle an Aussie Merlot, go figure! Must be something in the soil in Bordeaux.

Twice cooked Beef rib,parsnip puree,marrow gelee, Brussels sprouts

Chateau St. Georges, St. Georges-St. Emilion, Bordeaux

Dessert was apple mousse, honey cremeux and chocolate crumble. Very cute dessert and it was a shame to eat it. Tasted delicious, the green outer glaze concealed the apple mousse, so when you put your spoon in to it, it looked like a Granny Smith apple. The chocolate crumble was presented so that it resembles dirt, the dish looked like an apple had fallen to the ground.

Apple mousse, honey cremeux, chocolate crumble

It was a truly wonderful event, in very elegant surroundings, with wonderful people, food and wine. We would like to thank J. Farren-Price and Vacheron Constantin for inviting us to be part of the night.

02/10/2015 0

Chocolate Spiders – Recipe Time

When we were in our teenage years, one of the treats Mum used to make around Christmas for parties was chocolate spiders. So tasty, but eat too many and you were soon feeling a bit squeamish.

The other day while shopping I had a craving for some, I had a general idea on what was needed, peanut butter, chocolate and Chang’s noodle. I was about to ring Mum and get the recipe until I looked on the back of the noodle packet and there it was.

Only three ingredients needed and a short amount of time.

While making these I thought of another peanut butter and chocolate sweet that I like, Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups. All you would need to make your own version is the little paper cups, smooth peanut butter and leave out the noodles, SIMPLES!!

All measurements are metric and use Australian Standards sizing for spoons and cup measures.

The ingredients as found on the packet:

1 packet Chang’s Original Fried Noodles

200 grams Chocolate, milk OR dark ( I used milk)

2 Tablespoons crunchy peanut butter

MY METHOD:

Place peanut butter and chocolate in a clean dry bowl. Remember chocolate hates moisture, so ensure none gets in the bowl while you are melting it.

Place the bowl over a pot of simmering water and melt, stirring occasionally to combine.

Fold in the noodles to coat, being careful not to crush them too much.

Mixing in the noodles — Mixed and ready to shape

Lay a sheet of silicone paper(GladBake or similar) on a tray and using two teaspoons place the mixture on to the paper. You can also set these in little patty cases if you like.

Place in refrigerator to set.

When set, ATTACK!! Just not too many at once.

I hope you try these, especially for a Christmas treat!

13/09/2015 0

Walnut Bread – Recipe Time

On our regular menu and recently used as part of a cheese board for one of our wine dinners, this walnut bread is quite easy and quick(ish) to make.

Cheese board with hous emade breads — Cheese board with house made breads

To save a bit of time kneading we mix the dough with a dough hook on the mixer and let it go for 6 to 9 minutes. Certainly saves some damage to the wrists and manicure.

(All measurements are metric and spoon measurements are Australian Standards sizing.)

WALNUT BREAD

Plain flour – 250 grams

Yeast – 2 teaspoons ( I use Lowan Instant Dried Yeast, which you can store in the freezer)

Honey – 1 ½ tablespoons

Extra Virgin olive oil – 2 tablespoons

Water (36 celsius) – 165 ml

Walnuts – 120G

Salt – pinch

Place all ingredients except walnuts in to bowl of mixer, mix on slow to combine and then turn to medium for 6 – 9 minutes. If you feel that it is too dry add a little water, if it seems too wet add a little flour. It should form a nice ball but not be too firm.

Remove the dough from the bowl, spray the bowl with oil spray and return the dough to the bowl, cover with a dampened cloth and leave in a warm spot. If your oven has a proving setting, take advantage of it.

While your dough is rising, break your walnuts up a bit. I just use my fingers and break them in about 6 pieces, you don’t want them too fine.

Spray a small loaf tin, ours are 21 x 5 x 5 cm. or you can free form it for a rustic look.

When the dough has doubled in size, approximately 45 minutes, turn it out on to a floured bench and knead lightly for 2 minutes and then push it in to a rectangular shape. Lay the nuts over the dough and then roll it all up in to a sausage shape and then bring the ends into make a pile of dough again.

Now for the hardest part, kneading with nuts. You knead for about 6 minutes by which time the nuts should be fairly well combined with the dough and not falling out. Don’t be too hard on the nuts while kneading, you don’t really want to crush them too much.

Shape the dough to fit you tin or if you are free forming, spray a heavy baking sheet with oil spray and form the dough in to a sausage shape and place on to the tray. Cover with the damp cloth and leave to rise for 45 minutes in a warm spot. If you a re free forming try to keep the cloth off the dough.

While you wait to for it to rise, have a coffee (or champagne) and catch up on my blog.

Pre heat your oven to 170C fan forced.

I usually just give the top a quick spray with the oil spray before placing in the oven to cook for approximately 25 minutes. Should sound hollow wen tapped on the bottom if not give it a couple of minutes extra.

Place on a cooling rack to cool.

Slice to your desired thickness and serve with your favourite cheese selection. This goes really well with a nice soft cheese.

Hope you enjoy this recipe!

06/09/2015 3

	Caiden C on Collected: FLOURLESS CHOCOLATE…
	Breanne Dyck on Kazahana, Conrad Hotel, Shiodo…
	viktoria1969 on L’Osier, Ginza, Tokyo
	Shinta on L’Osier, Ginza, Tokyo
	africanbirding on Tokyo – Day 1 Omiya

Cooking Across 4 Generations

Using recipes collected from 4 generations of one family

Author

viktoria1969

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