Cooking Across 4 Generations

You may remember in an earlier post, that my partner chef Rachel and I got through to the finals of Clubs NSW Chef’s Table. We had our judging event on the 28th March 2011.

I got back from my holiday to Auckland on Saturday 26th March and next day(still on holidays) I went in to work to start prep for the competition. As some things really needed to be done the day before it was necessary to go in. So first up a few photos of the prep as I went along.

The first thing I needed to get on was our slow cooked feather steak. This is an oyster blade that is slow cooked then lightly compressed before being cut in to steaks. I seared the meat then sauted some vegies and garlic deglazed with a bit (ok 1.5 litres) of shiraz added a bit of stock and then covered it all and cooked it for 3 hours on a low temperature. Nice and easy dish.

I also needed to get the pannacottas set to go with the feather steak. Pannacotta, I hear you say? We needed to have mushrooms somewhere in the menu. So a little play time resulted in mushroom pannacotta with red wine jelly. First step was to make the jelly, set it and then top with the pannacotta mix which also needed to set. As we needed to have exact measurements out came the syringe to measure exactly 10 mls jelly and scales to weigh exactly 50 mls of pannacotta.

Next up was a batch of brioche dough for the bread and butter pudding. I love making this bread it is so easy.

So from the bread to the finished product, Brioche Bread and Butter puddings with Pecans, Maple Syrup and Mascarpone Ice-cream. I love making mascarpone ice cream. Sweet but with a touch of acidity from the mascarpone. Of course we made our own mascarpone, so much cheaper and tastier than bought.

Mushroom beignets to accompany our feather steak.

Some photos of how we set the room up. We had the “A Team” of waiting staff for the night Ernesto and Di. They did such a great job of setting up the restaurant and serving the meals, having them both working the floor made our job a breeze.

And finally some photos of the plated meals.

We had a great night at the awards ceremony too and congratulations to the winners Elanora Country Club – Paul Sanders & Christopher Devine.

Thanks for having a look and yes we are already starting to plan for next year!

Growing up in a country town meant lots of school fetes, corner stalls and other fundraising activities. Days would be spent making all manner of sweet delights to contribute to the cause. One of the easiest by far was sherbert. Remember those little sachets of fizzy, tingly goodness with the plastic spoon? Or the little marshmallow cones with a bite at the end? That’s what I am talking about. Four ingredients and a bit of sifting et voila, sherbert.

Living in the country we didn’t have access to the little cones to make our own sherbert cones. We improvised with the normal sized ones, a lot more sherbert and a lot more marshmallow. We even made our own marshmallow to top the cones. Nan got the  sherbert recipe from Robyn Stuart who was a lovely lady who lived 2 doors down from Nan. I only just managed to find the recipe again after Nan thinking that she didn’t have it. So on a quiet night at work I whipped up a batch.

It looks suspiciously like something illegal (would like to see the drug squad analyse it if they found it).LOL

1 cup icing sugar
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp citric acid
1 tsp tartaric acid

Sieve all ingredients together three times until well combined. Place in to sachets with a little spoon or spoon in to mini ice cream cones and top with home made marshmallow sprinkled with hundreds and thousands

Thanks for dropping by!

The week before my holiday to Auckland was a touch busy at work. Not only did we have a function on but we also had to start prepp for pur New Zealand wine dinner which was on Thursday, two days before my departure. Now, it would have made more sense to go to New Zealand BEFORE the wine night but that didn’t happen.

We sold the dinner out in 7 days AND we were over our maximum(shows how much people love wine from NZ). Total guests was 108! A lot for us.

I was working on a slide show for the evening as we had a drop down screen installed in the restaurant, got some DVDs from NZ Tourism and NZ Wine Growers Assoc, and Villa Maria. Unfortunately as we needed the space for tables, we could only run with the DVDs out on the big screen in the main bar, while canapes were served. Bit of a downer, but I did teach myself Powerpoint which is a good thing!

As usual I tried to use items that are from New Zealand and did a HEAP of research on distinctly New Zealand food items. We were able to source some native spices/herbs from Will at 24 Carrot, Kawakawa, horopito and piko piko. We also used New Zealand Lamb and Hoka. As it was impractical to build a hangi for the night we looked at what foods they actually use in a hangi and decided to use the main ingredients in a dish. 

Between the fish and lamb courses we had our mystery wine which was a Villa Maria Cellar Selection Chardonnay. Most people think that NZ is best for Sauvignon Blanc and for Pinot Noir, but the most widely planted grape variety in New Zealand is actually chardonnay. We decided to go with the chardonnay to show that NZ does do other varieties really well too.

Naturally I had to make mention of the fact that the pavlova is no longer an Australain creation as we lost the claim to the Kiwi’s.

As usual bubbles on arrival with canapes. We used the Te Hana Sparkling Reserve Cuvee to start the night off.

First course: Twice baked two cheese souffle, frisee, hazelnut and chrizo crisp served with Mt Difficulty Roaring Meg Pinot Gris

Second course: Pork and mushroom terrine with a grape, plum and cardamom jelly served with a slightly chilled Villa Maria Cellar Selection Pinot Noir

Third course: Pan fried hoka fillet, kumera puree, piko piko pesto and pan juices served with Villa Maria Two Valleys Sauvignon Blanc 

Fourth course: Double lamb cutlet with horopito and kawakawa rub, watercress, pine nut, fetta, and raisin salad with a port and red wine reduction served with Trinity Hill “The Trinity” red blend. No photo unfortunately as my model got eaten before I could snap a pic, D’oh!!!

Fifth course: Deconstructed pavlova served with Lindauer Fraise Sparkling. You can see how hot the kitchen is even though any heat source was turned off, this was within 5 minutes of the sparkling strawberry jelly going on the plate, more of a jellied puddle than jelly.

The two most popular dishes on the night were the souffle and the pavlova. In all it was another great evening, and everyone was happy with their meals and wines.

Make sure you pop back to see photos from my trip to Auckland AND photos from our Clubs NSW Chef’s Table entry.

Thanks for stopping by today!!

Recently I was invited to the fabulous new HONEY BIRDETTE store in Westfield Sydney(aka Centrepoint) for an intimate(small group of 10) evening viewing their products. This is a gorgeous store with lots of lovely sexy lingerie and other ‘bits’. They are also online(see links). As part of their refreshments they offered a luxurious sounding and looking cupcake. This was my first introduction to the delicious and sensual Red Velvet Cupcake.

Featured in the film Steel Magnolia’s as an Armadillo shaped cake for the groom, the red velvet cake is often regarded  as a southern American specialty, although there are other stories as to it’s origin as well. Red velvet cake gets its colour from cocoa and red colouring with the addition of an acid which works to lessen the brown colour from the chocolate and makes the red stand out more. The acid used can vary, vinegar or buttermilk are the two most commonly used acidifying agents.

After trying this cake I was inspired to have a go at making one myself. After Googling, I had several recipes to try. As we need a dessert of the day at work I decided to make the Red Velvet cake and to take photos as I went along. (No recipe today as it is in my recipe folder at work.)

Layering complete. I made two cakes and cut each cake in to two layers. They are sandwiched with a  cream cheese filling.

Here the first coating of the white chocolate butter cream has gone on. So handy having a revolving cake stand.

I thought it looked a bit plain so with the frosting that was left I added some pillar box red  colour and then decided to go with a random ‘ribbon’ over the surface of the white.

It would be rude of me not to show what it looked like inside and  tell you that it tasted divine.

And a little something from the Honey Birdette collection:

When I make it again I think I will go with cupcake size(using a muffin tin mould). Having it as a four layer cake was delicious but just a little too rich for one person to eat alone. We also decided that it would have been the perfect dessert for the Burlesque show that had been on the week before. So next time the Burlesque show comes to work this cake will be making a come back.

Thanks for dropping by for a visit!

Recently Rachel( my partner chef at the club) and I submitted an entry for Clubs NSW Chef’sTable 2011 competition. Today I got a phone call to say that we were throught o the final 12. So excited when I got the call. I was very surprised as I didn’t think part of the entry was as good as it could have been.
As yet we haven’t taken any photos, but we will be practicing over the next few weeks so will have a chance to get some then.

How the competition works…
Chefs at clubs in NSW form teams of 2 chefs, they then submit a 3 course menu for 24 people with a food cost of $18.00 per head ex GST. There is also a kitchen innovation component as well. Our menu is quite simple but lots of flavours going on.

This year there is a compulsory ingredient, which is mushrooms, specifically agaricus(buttons, cups and flats etc). This ingredient had to be used in at least one of the courses. The teams submit their menu, which is then assessed and judged to get the final 12 teams. These teams then select a date for the practical part of the competition which is cooking lunch or dinner(chefs choice). Then the judges award the points and winners are announced in May at the ClubsNSW Awards for Excellence. The winner then goes on to compete in the National Clubs Chefs Table competition.

OurMenu

First course:

Watermelon, Persian fetta, pistachio and mint salad with

olive dust and rose water. (This was from the Tasmanian dinner we had at the end of last year).

Second course:

Slow cooked angel steak, pea puree, mushroom pannacotta with red wine jelly, mushroom beignets and jus.

Third course:
Brioche and pecan bread and butter pudding, maple reduction, mascarpone ice cream, pecan praline.

This is the second time I have competed in this competition and I am very excited to have gotten through to the finals. It is quite a tough competition but well worth the effort. The day I submitted the menu I felt a sense of relief to have gotten the whole thing done on time.

So wish Rachel and I lots of luck as we go up against some other great Club chefs from all over our state.

Thanks for dropping by!!! V

This year R and I decided to have a quiet Christmas at home.

For the first time in ages I was able to be home for Christmas Eve, usually I am working. We had a simple dinner of prawns, oysters and cold meats with salad. Of course we needed a bottle of Champagne to go with it so we had a bottle of Piper Heidsieck.

Christmas Day I cooked up some eggs benedict, R’s favourite breakfast. With slices of proscuitto instead of ham it takes on a whole new flavour profile.

Lunch was more fresh seafood. I made a platter of Prawns, lobsters and coffin Bay oysters, with some ham and turkey, potato salad and sliced yellow tomatoes with basil and balsamic vinaigrette. Nic ebottle of Veuve Clicquot for lunch.

 Huge prawns this year!! For comparison I took a photo of two with my mobile.

Dinner was another platter, this time turkey, ham,, salad and dips with bread. Cheese from Fromart was also out for both lunch and diner. Of course we had to have Christmas pudding. This year I bought the Woolworth’s Select Christmas pudding, and it was very good. As always I followed family tradition and made rum sauce to go with the pudding. I know traditionally it should be a brandy custard, but I was raised on rum sauce with Christmas pudding. It is really simple to make, no eggs.

We have never had a recipe for it we all just know the ingredients and make enough for however many are having it(plus a litle left over for seconds). The ingredients are milk ( I add a little cream as well), sugar to taste, rum to taste, cornflour(corn cornflour not wheaten) and I add a little vanilla too. Basically you brong the milk to a simmer stir in sugar until dissolved, add thevanilla and rum( a little or a lot up to you), make a slurry of cornflour and milk, add to the saucepan and stir to desired thickness. When I asked my Grandmother how much rum her reply was, “there is no quantity, just as much as you like”.

I also happened to get a few shots of the table set up from work.

I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas and that 2011 is bright and happy for you! My one resolution for this year is to make my pudding for Christmas this year.

Thanks for dropping in!!

On the 11th November we held our last gourmet night for this year. This time we had not one but two wineries from Tasmania, Pirie Estate and Freycinet Vineyards.

We had 60 people for this event which was a nice easy number of people to cater for and meant we were able to enjoy the night a little more than usual.

As we are coming in to summer I chose several lighter dishes and in keeping with the fact we were using some great Tasmanian wines, I decided where possible to use Tasmanian products or if they were not available items that were indicative of what is available from Tasmania.

So on to the menu and photos of what we served.

As usual we had canapes on arrival which were served with Pirie Sparkling

First course: A salad of compressed watermelon, Persian fetta, pistachio, mint, rosewater with a sprinkle of olive dust…..

WIne: Pirie South Estelle (Riesling, Gewurtztraminer, Pinot Gris) 2007

Second Course: House cured ocean trout, Wakame jelly, sake sorbet and ocean trout roe…..

Wine: Freycinet Riesling 2009

Third course: Crisp skinned king fish on asparagus tips and peas with a saffron foam…..

Wine: Pirie Estate Chardonnay 2006

Fourth course: Panfried venison, pommes gallete and berry jus(riberries, blackberries and blue berries)…..

Wine: Pirie Estate Pinot Noir 2007

Fifth course: Pyengana cloth bound cheddar with apple paste and lavosh and Old Telegraph Road Blue with leatherwood honey and walnut bread…..

Wine: Freycinet Cabernet Merlot 2005

In all it was a great night. There were several things I was worried about being a bit out there for our guests but they were things that ended being popular with the diners. I love at the end of the night when we get to go out and meet the guests and talk to them, bit of a confidence boost.

So now we are planning our menus for next year four gourmet nights plus a couple of smaller ‘theme’ nights where we will cook around a specific ingredient or beer or wine. We also have to get our entry for Clubs NSW Chef’s Table competition in soon so another menu to prepare. Looking forward to an exciting year next year in the restaurant.

Thanks for popping in for a look!

V

When I was young and learning to cook I always wanted to learn to make lemon butter. I used to love it on toast(still do). Nan would always say it was difficult to make so  I never learnt to make it.

When I started in the restaurant I now work in, I had to learn to make it. We use it in one of our more popular desserts, lemon curd tart. I didn’t realise it would be so easy. I can now knock a batch up with out even referring to the recipe, one of the few things I can do that with.  I suppose when you make it every week it is bound to get stuck in your memory.

This is the recipe:

150 grams sugar

200 grams unsalted butter

3 lemons zest only (we use a zester and our mix has long strands in it, if you prefer grate the zest from the lemon on the fine part of the grater)

50 mls lemon juice

150 grams sugar

6 egg yolks ( we use 60gram eggs)

Put the first 4 ingredients in to a small saucepan and melt over medium heat, do not boil.

Whisk yolks and sugar together until well combined.

Pour butter mixture into the egg and sugar and stir. Return to sauce pan, reduce heat to low and stir until thickened. You will need to keep stirring as the high sugar content can catch and then burn. Be careful not to let it boil.  Should be quite thick and it will set more once cold.

We use a normal sweet crust for the tarts and then fill them with the lemon curd filling. We sprinkle icing sugar over the top and then caramelise it with a brulee torch. So easy and totally delicious!

You can also use the curd to  sandwich a sponge together, smother some  on toast, even straight from the spoon(very naughty). You could even stir it through some cheese cake mix.

Thanks for visiting.

V

The price of mangoes is dropping now as they start to enter their season. This has bought to  mind a memory from when I was young. Dad’s brother Rex used to live in Far North Queensland for many years. Around late November Dad would get a call from the railway station to advise him that there was a delivery waiting for him to pick up. Off we would go to the station to pick up a crate approx 80 x 80x 40cm. Inside was a treasure trove of mangoes and pawpaws. Unfortunately I wouldn’t eat them. My brothers and parents would devour them with glee. Now of course I wish I had tried them back then.

So bad was my aversion to mangoes I would not even drink orange and mango juice.

It took me until I was in my 20’s before I actually tried one. Now however it is a different story. Come the warmer months, I actually get cravings for mangoes. The scent of a perfectly ripe one will send me in to a bit of a buying frenzy. We will have mangoes nearly every night when they are at their best. Nothing fancy just nice simple chunks of mango. Should I have a couple of passion fruit in the bowl I will sometimes spoon them over the mango for a touch of tropical bliss. Shame we are eating them in an inner west suburb of Sydney and not on some far tropical beach, swinging in a hammock with a cocktail in one hand. Mmmmm cocktail with mnagoes, time for a google search on that one I think.

Well I’m off to get a mango!