Australians All Let Us Rejoice

It's AUSTRALIA DAY today so I won't consider it too garish to get a little patriotic say a big G'day to all of you! And if you were thinking that we are all putting that trite little shrimp on the barbie then think again, first of all we call them prawns down here and were most likely going to be putting snags or chops on the barbie. Yes, snags or chops. Sausages or steaks.

You have to love the Aussie lexicon. It's baffling and nonsensical to the outsider; we love to attach silly terms to words that are in perfect working order and love to shorten everything, but if you are Australian it makes perfect sense. Like a cup of tea being a cuppa, chewing gum becomes chewie, breakfast being breakkie, and anyone called Darren, Karen and Lauren will indubitably be given the nickname Dazza, Kazza, and Lozza. I love being Australian.

Another thing quintessentially Australian and proudly so, is the barbie- the barbeque. Now I'm pretty sure it wasn't the early settlers who thought up this way of grilling meat over hot coals, I'm sure it was around for a lot longer than that. But what we do pride ourselves in are our barbies. Most people will get together today and put a few snags on their barbie, have a beer and good laugh. We're not into formality and being all ceremonious about things, and the barbie epitomises all that is casual about the Australian lifestyle.

There's something about meat that is cooked over an open flame that just makes it taste better. All that smoke and fire permeating the meat, charring the outside and leaving the inside tender. It's a joy to behold and even more so to eat.

Right now I'm on a bit of a sausage bent. I have it with my pasta, I have in my sandwiches and I have it on my pizza. Right now I'm obsessed with finding good sausages all over Sydney and for this moment my taste buds go ga-ga for any sausage by the Eumundi Smokehouse people. They are a small business operating out of Dulwich Hill and if you're in Sydney and you like your meat, then this is your Mecca. They also have stalls at several markets like the monthly Pyrmont ones and the Farmer's Market in the Entertainment Quarter and most of their stuff can be found at organic wholefood stores like Macro and Aboutlife.

Their chorizos are probably one of the best I have tasted in Sydney, and at $32/kilo for the Russian Farmer's sausage, it's gold for the discriminating carnivore. As much as the shop is filled with exotic fare, there are also simpler stuff that I find are a delight- like the beef and Guinness, lamb and rosemary, chicken and leek, Tolouse and Italian sausages. My personal favourite is the lamb and rosemary. When you cook them up, the kitchen fills up with that distinct aroma of lamb, and soon enough it's perfume has summoned everyone to the kitchen.

I went to the farmer's market at the old Fox Studios lot this week to get my ration of sausages for the weekend and it seems that most of Sydney had the same idea. By the time I had arrived at the Eumundi stall most of their sausages had already sold out including the lamb and rosemary, so I was left with what was still there. Not that the stuff left behind was second-rate. It's actually top-notch stuff that I thoroughly enjoy today.

So have a barbie and get a few sausage sangas (sausage sandwiches) and beers into your belly, be up standing for the national anthem and enjoy this beautiful land we call Australia.

Eumundi Smokehouse Sydney
402 New Canterbury Rd,
Dulwich Hill, NSW
Phone: (02) 9569 0205
Opening Hours: Thursday-Friday 11am-6pm, Saturday 7am-2pm

Sydney Food and Wine Fair 2007

Sydneysiders it seems are a charitable bunch, especially when there’s food involved. Pair good food, some wine and a splash of good weather and you will surely pull a crowd. Last Saturday found us at the annual Sydney Food and Wine Fair at Hyde Park. It was a full house that day and it seemed that right at noon, the entire population of Sydney descended upon Hyde Park for a veritable feast.

Over 100 of Sydney’s finest food and wine makers come together each year to raise funds and awareness for the AIDS Trust of Australia. And like many others we turned out to lend our support and our bellies. Last year we were at Tetsuya's, but this year I was determined not to miss out.

Most of the usual restaurants and cafes were present offering pretty much the same fare as they did the previous years. Although this didn’t bother us, as you never get to sample all of the goods on offer on that day. You only get two hours to peruse all of the stalls, navigate through the sea of people, decide what you want to eat, get on the queue and finally get around to eating it.

I had spotted a few things I fancied for lunch although I was quickly put off by the inexorable wait. G spotted the grilled prawns with black pepper and curry leaf dressing by Flying Fish and decided that his stomach couldn't resist and plucked up the fortitude to wait patiently on the line. I on the other hand traipsed up and down the longest stall-lined avenue in Hyde Park and couldn't make a decision. I got the annoyed "why are you so indecisive?" look from G when he saw that I was still empty-handed after having surveyed the options.

After making a rash, yet sound decision I ended up with The Tea Room lunch pack that had a combination of sweet and savoury bites. It consisted of an egg sandwich, a spinach and ricotta pastry, tomato filo tart with avocado and for the sweets a chocolate cake, a strawberry and mascarpone tart, orange and almond tart and passionfruit sable.

After downing a couple of beers from several stalls including the Belgian Bier Cafe and Industrie: South of France, we decided that dessert couldn't wait any longer.

And for dessert, well, we couldn't pass up Serge Dansereau's of Bathers Pavilion almond tart with fresh berries and cream. He has been making this desert for the past few years I have attended and yet I cannot say no to another helping. I was about to try Marque's toasted marshmallow and strawberry although I knew that we would still be hankering for a taste of Serge's tart. So off we went and joined the line at the Bather's stall.

By the time we polished off the the tart, soaked up the sun and watched some of the festival entertainment our bellies were full and the two hours of philanthropic banqueting were almost over. We had two spare coupons and were looking for somewhere we could spend it quickly. Most stalls had either run out of food or were only selling things worth 3 coupons or more, so it was decided that the last 2 tickets be spent on another cup of beer. What's a balmy day in Sydney without a refreshing beer to cool oneself down.

As we lazily made our way out of Hyde Park we came across a some chess enthusiasts who seemed to be completely oblivious to the feasting that was going on close by. We thought the man in the bright blue shirt and white beard (bottom right) bore an uncanny resemblance to Steven Spielberg. What do you think? Incognito holiday down under?

The Sydney Food and Wine Fair is held annually during the month of October as part of Sydney's Good Food Month.

To see all that went down during our month of good food, then go to Morsels and Musings for the weekly round up of all events covered by Sydney food bloggers.

Other Good Food Month posts:
A Spring Pick-i-nik
Sugar Hit: Four Seasons Hotel
A Lunch With Berry Simple
Serendipity Ice Cream Class: Part I
Serendipity Ice Cream Class: Part II
A Lunch Affair: SMH Dymocks Literary Lunch with Matt Moran

Weekend Wedding, Hunter Valley Part II

Everyone loves a wedding, don’t they? I guess the answer would be yes, unless you are really sombre and sullen, then any reason to party would always be reason enough. And if you are like most, then a place where food, wine and music converge is definitely a place worth being at. No matter how many weddings I’ve been to any no matter how many times I whinge and whine about being invited to another wedding, I always come away from each one happy that I attended. If a free meal, some booze and a reason to get dolled up is enough, then I don’t know what is.

At least this time, the wedding was nowhere near Sydney, so it gave most of us a nice reprieve from the stock city weddings that we had all gotten so accustomed to. And besides, breathing in a little bit of fresh country air couldn't hurt. could it? I know I was lapping it all up because a weekend away always goes quicker than you expect.

So I can admittedly say that, a wedding is always fun, it's a time where memories are made; whether it turns out better than you imagined, or it's dotted with little mishaps or tainted with calamity- you will remember it for better or for worse. And what better place to meet up with friends and make new ones. This wedding certainly was nothing different.

It was G’s (step)sister J’s wedding and we couldn’t have been more than happier to be there. Being the cheeky ushers that we were, we just couldn’t help taking random photographs of the chapel and ourselves in between handing out programs, bubbles and petals. The petals and bubbles were for throwing at the bride and groom after the ceremony, I was in charge of the petals and G the bubbles- he quickly gained the moniker bubble boy by the end of the ceremony.

After the vows were exchanged and pictures were taken, drinks and canapes of prawn cocktails and Vietnamese spring rolls were being served at the garden in front of the Barrel Room where the reception was going to be held.

The Barrel Room looks and sounds rather warehouse-like and crude when unadorned in the daytime, but come dusk when all of the fairy lights and candelabras are lit, the place turns into an ethereal den that's fit for the romantic occasion. To top it off, there's even a fireplace to makes things a lot cosier.

The Hunter was the perfect setting for such an occasion, there's just something about wine country that leaves an indelible impression on anyone who visits. More so than the wines and the produce, there's something about the people and the place that in seeps into your being.

I can't wait to crack into that wine we bought someday and reminisce about the time we had in the Hunter Valley.

Weekend Escape, Hunter Valley Part I

Rolling meadows and undulating slopes, long dusty trails and an endless horizon of vineyards; the October labour day long weekend found us right in the middle of NSW wine country- the Hunter Valley. To call it picturesque would be stating the obvious, its charming rural chic and tranquil ambience lingers with you long after you leave the place.

We were in the Hunter Valley for G’s sister’s wedding at the Peppers Creek Vineyards in Pokolbin. And we couldn’t find a better excuse to make a quick getaway to the countryside but for a wedding. We arrived a day earlier just so we could visit some wineries and sample the best this region had to offer, and sample we did.

ON THE WAY

We left early Thursday morning in order to avoid the peak hour traffic and decided to take the scenic route, which fortuitously enough was empty. We passed though quaint little rural towns like Laguna and Yallambie and there were signs almost every 500 metres for locally grown produce, like strawberries and oranges and fresh eggs being sold at family farms. I was tempted to plead with G to stop at the strawberry farm, but because we had left so early, I doubt they would have been open.

We did make a short pit stop at the a large tourist map near Wollombi, just so we could check that we hadn’t completely driven off track and would end up taking the extremely scenic route. We figured out we were not far from Cessnock and just as we did, to my delight we were greeted by two very cute horses, who were very friendly this early in the morning. They started towards us and came right up to the edge of the fence, I was quite surprised at how forthcoming they were to strangers. And because the current horse flu epidemic only affects those of the equine variety, we were in no danger of catching anything and weren’t hesitant in giving them a right old pat.

THE WINERIES, THE VINEYEARDS

There’s something festive and convivial about walking into a cellar door, perhaps it’s all of that alcohol being consumed at the premises and the hospitable way they readily pour you a glass of whatever you please no sooner than when you have made yourself comfortable at the bar. I love it. And have you noticed how everyone is so chatty at the cellar door bar? Everyone is loose, happy and boozed up and that's what makes it a great place to be at. I've never seen anyone leave a winery with a frown on their face, never.

But on the other hand, if you are more than eager to try to your hearts content a winery’s range of vintages, then you have to be just as willing to buy some of that which you have tried. It’s not obligatory, and no one’s there to twist your arm after the tastings, but I can’t help but feel that it’s somewhat expected.

Our first stop was the De Bortoli winery as it’s the first one before you make a left at Broke Rd, where most of the other vineyards are. After perusing the cellar door’s wine list we went home with some white and some red.

So these are some of the goodies that we came home with:
De Bortoli 2006 Syrah Roussanne
De Bortoli 2007 Semillon
Tempus Two Botrytis Semillon
Tempus Two 2007 Moscato
Roche 2007 Talawanta Rosé
Lindeman’s Pophrys
Seppelt Tokay DP37
Audey Wilkinson Liqueur Verdelho
Tulloch 2006 Verdelho
Tyrrell’s 2007 Traminer Reisling
Tyrrell’s 2007 Cabernet Merlot
Tyrrell’s Special Aged Tawny

We also bought up at the Hunter Valley Chocolate Company and the various cheese shops around Pokolbin, although we either scoffed it all up or it melted beyond recognition in the car before I could take a photograph of them.

Of all the wineries we visited, I think Tyrrell's Vineyards (pictured above) were probably the most magnificent looking. Endless rows of grapevines as far as the eye can see, a myriad of green stems covering blocks and blocks of land. It's hemmed in by a small creek at the bottom and if you look further, you you will find that the property is set against a backdrop of these grandiose looking mountains. You couldn't ask for a better view. Unfortunately the day we visited Tyrrell's was so hot and windy, we took just a few snaps an hurried ourselves into the cellar door.

And, the best cellar door I have to say was the imposing sprawl of the Tempus Two winery. The cellar building looks almost like a shrine to wine, as you walk up the cathedral-like steps into the ultra-chic cellar bar that houses, all of the Tempus Two and Roche Wines and two restaurants. Wall to wall wines meet you as you enter the uber-stylish and spacious bar and if it weren't for the helpful staff, we wouldn't have known where to start.

Coming up next... Part II: The Wedding and Reception

At Last...

It’s Thursday morning; I hear the pitter-patter of raindrops against my bedroom window. It’s been a long time coming, but finally Sydney and pressumably the rest of the state receives a serious drenching that it has been waiting a long time for. I don’t think it’s safe to say that the drought has been lifted but it certainly was nice to see some moisture descending upon this dry state. I know I have never been happier to see a thick blanket of grey and a continual downpour, and I am sure many farmers were ecstatic too.

No sooner than when I said that the winter weather has been “unusually clement” that we get a beating of gale force winds and heavy rains, let’s just say the weather turned inclement all of a sudden. I guess we all wanted it to rain, but the weather has been out of control. I know I’ll be spending my weekend curled up in a ball at home but I really don’t mind.

* * * * *

On a sweeter topic, you have heard me harping on it before and here I am doing it again. If you regularly attend the Good Living Grower’s Market, then you will probably be familiar with Australian Honey Cellars, and if you have been reading this blog for some time, then you might be familiar with my posts about Tasmanian Leatherwood honey here and here. Well the good news is that the honey people have launched a new online store, which means you can now buy their gourmand selection of Australian honeys online. Great if you can't leave the house because of the wild weather.

To finish this off, here is a gratuitous shot of some honey on toast to subliminally goad you into checking out the site.

Happy Australia Day

Bondi Beach

I might be 24 hours too late, but I just wanted to wish everyone a great Australia Day. In whatever way you chose to celebrate it, I hope you did it with a bang.

rockpool at Avoca

We have ourselves a magnificent country, so go ahead and enjoy every bit of it!

Luna Park, Sydney

Serendipity Ice Cream Class: Part II

All hands on deck

Eighteen strangers arrived at Serendipity's Marickville factory on a crisp Wednesday evening with eager anticipation and probably a certain amount of trepidation as to what delights or possibly horrors were in store for them that night. Thankfully, within the first 5 minutes of the class, owner Sarah Mandelson had already managed to capture the attention of her class regaling us with amusing anecdotes and enthusing about her love for ice cream. You could tell that ice cream is her passion and she and husband Richard have really staked their reputation on making some of the finest and most luxurious ice cream in Sydney.

The first portion of the class was a basic introduction to her and a short history on how Serendipity Ice Cream came about; which was actually borne more out of necessity than pure chance. Her mother Alix Mandelson, who was an American married to an Australian, missed all the “wacky” American ice cream flavours like Run and Raisin and Rocky Road that were not available here in Sydney during the 60’s. So she found Serendipity Ice cream; and back then Alix would make all the ice cream for the shop using her manual self-churn ice cream maker, an austere contraption that looked a lot like a bucket with a wheel attached to churn the cream while it was submerged in some ice. Now that’s a lot of elbow grease! Ice cream is most certainly in Sarah’s blood, as her mother was not only heavily pregnant while (self)-churning her first batch of Serendipity ice cream but she was actually in labour with Sarah.

The ice cream being made for the class was a Wattleseed and Grand Marnier Ice Cream. You start off with a crème anglaise consisting of cream (35%-40% fat content), milk (full cream or 4% fat) and egg yolks (free-range). This mixture needs to be stirred over a double broiler continuously. Once you have started this process you shouldn't leave the stove, as Sarah emphasises the minute you leave the stove is the instant the crème anglaise will decide to turn into scrambled eggs.

While stirring the crème anglaise, you can now add your sugar; you can also use honey, golden syrup, maple syrup or glucose, whatever you like. Also other flavours you would like to infuse your ice cream with can also be added now, especially things such as herbs, spices and coffee which need to be steeped to release their flavour. Just remember solids such as cinammon sticks and cloves will need to be strained before churning. Once the crème anglaise has thickened, which is after about 20 minutes of continuous stirring you now have your base for your ice cream.

Now it's time to add your flavourings- today we are using wattleseeds, orange zest, orange essential oil and Grand Marnier. Sarah mentions it is advisable to add several types of flavourings if your base flavour is not potent enough. For example, the orange zest would not have been sufficient to render our ice cream the orange flavour we desired, so to solve this, we added some orange oil and Grand Marnier to boost its overall orange flavour. For the purposes of the class and time restrictions we made a concentrated crème anglaise base and just added this to a large batch of plain crème anglaise that Sarah had made and chilled earlier. That is why the crème anglaise looks extremely dark here.

The next step, which is vital, is to chill your crème anglaise; as it is not advisable to pour your mixture into any type of ice cream machine while still warm. As Sarah recalls, this is how you would effectively destroy your ice cream machine and your crème anglaise. If this ever happens, you will need to start over. Seeing that for our class Sarah had already prepared a chilled batch of crème anglaise, all we had to do was pour in our concentrated wattleseed mixture into the prepared batch and take a short walk to Gina, their affectionately named ice cream machine.

Then you play the waiting game. Luckily for us, Gina is a commercial ice cream machine and can churn nearly 20 litres in less than a mere 10 minutes. After Gina spits out the churned ice cream into buckets we were then allowed to go for our life and fill our 1-litre containers. Sarah asserts that we all fill our containers to the brim as that pockets of air in the container will cause undesired ice crystals to form when frozen. We gladly took her advice and with even more enthusiam accepted the offer to make sure we licked our giant ice cream spatulas clean. They didn't call it hands on for nothing.

After you have placed your ice cream in its container you will have to chill it for some time until it is completely frozen. Depending on how efficient your freezer is, this could take an hour or so. We were lucky that Sarah packed our ice cream with some dry ice to continue the freezing process on the way home. Once the ice cream is frozen, the only step left is to devour it with as much gusto and appreciation that was excercised while making the ice cream.

These are some things I learned...
+ Sugar not only makes you ice cream taste better, but it also acts to depress the freezing point of your ice cream thus making for a softer product that is easier to eat. It is actually better to use natural sugars as opposed to artificial sweeteners when making ice cream as that the sugar helps to bind and create a smooth luscious texture to your ice cream.
+ When substituting sugars, replace it weight for weight as sugar volumes vary between different sweeteners. So substituting by weight is a safer bet.
+ Unless you are making gelato or sorbet (not ice cream), do not skimp on the cream or the amount of butterfat content, using more milk or water will cause your ice cream to be harder and not as velvety. They don’t call it ice cream for nothing.
+ Do not use too much alcohol in your ice cream, as that alcohol will cause the ice cream not to freeze at all, resulting in a gooey mush that evidently will not look or taste like ice cream. As a guideline, your ice cream should have no more than 2%-4% alcoholic volume. You can cook the alcohol off first if you want to use more for flavour.
+ Alcohol will actually give the ice cream a very cold “mouth feel”. But adding too much will result in a disaster.
+ When making a vanilla bean ice cream, rub the vanilla beans into the sugar to disperse the seeds and not form clumps.
+ Pieces of nuts should not be added to your crème anglaise. To get maximum flavour, roast them first, chop them and then mix through after churning.
+ Never under any circumstances add citrus juice (acids) to your crème anglaise unless you want to make yoghurt. For citrus flavours, use the zest or essential oils instead.
+ Fruits that have high water content may need to be cooked to a jam consistency before adding to your crème anglaise.
+ When it comes to ice cream, you are only limited by your imagination!

See Part I, with pictures of the the final product

Serendipity
333 Enmore Rd
Marickville NSW 2204
Phone: (02) 9557 8986

Check out the last of the round up for Good Food Month here.

Serendipity Ice Cream Class: Part I

[I apologise now for this rather verbose post, but when it comes to ice cream I just cannot be concise]

When one is presented with the opportunity to witness ice cream being made by one of the city’s leading artisans, one should not retreat into reticence but rather do everything in their power to get themselves to that class. Be it feigning illness to get out work commitments or even selling the proverbial kidney, do whatever needs to be done to get to there, especially when one claims to love ice cream almost as much as breathing itself.

Boy do I love ice cream.

Okay, perhaps my passion for ice cream really does not extend so far as to support those outlandish claims, but I cannot ignore the fact that I love ice cream. Even as a child I have vivid memories of how slowly and meticulously I would eat a scoop of ice cream, scooping, scraping and licking in a methodical and almost Zen-like fashion. So whatever it is I love about ice cream, it began at an early age and I am forever ruined for it. Nothing else can compare to a creamy scoop of velvety ice cream, or gelato, or sorbet or semi freddo. Anything frozen and scoop-able is encompassed in this affection.

So where does this lovesick introduction lead us? To the Serendipity “hands on” class being run during Good Food Month, that’s where!

Running the hands on class was Sarah Mandelson, who along with her husband is the owner at the helm of Serendipity. I was delighted to see that she was nowhere near the size of a house and thus proved to me that ice cream does not cause you to, let’s just say, “chubbify”.

A little bit of history. The company was started by Sarah’s mother Alix, who as an American living in Australia pined for the “wacky” American ice cream flavours that seemed to be absent in Australia. Apparently the only unconventional flavour Australia boasted back then was the humble Neapolitan, and unfortunately her mother was allergic to chocolate which left for an uninspired combination of strawberry and vanilla. So what this meant was that an alternative had to be birthed, and so came Serendipity.

The underlying mantra for Serendipity is to use all natural ingredients and to use the best, which means no skimping on the cream and to always use the freshest eggs. This I cannot agree with more and after tasting a scoop of Sarah’s ice cream, you will notice how lacking the conventional store-bought ice creams really are. She claims that for the money you would pay for a seemingly “premium” ice cream from the supermarket, there is probably more air churned into the mixture than ice cream itself. Serendipity can pride themselves on making “super premium” ice cream which refers to the fat content (at least 14%) in their ice cream. I know what you’re thinking, whoa mama that's a lot of fat! Although this may seem like a lot, one scoop of her rich and creamy ice cream is more than enough to satisfy. Her ice cream wasn’t designed to be eaten in bulk; it’s more of a luxury item than a cheap thrill.

Sarah’s teaching style is light-hearted and humorous, and her approach to making ice cream is simple and straightforward. She is not one for convoluted techniques and asserts that those long-winded steps are just being “too precious”. What she lacks in convolutions she makes up for creativity, and urges us that the flavour of ice cream is only limited by our imagination. For instance, she tells us of a Laksa ice cream her and her husband concocted for a recent festival in Chinatown. Probably one of the few ice creams to ever contain seafood products! I don't know if I would have fancied this flavour, but this is what she coins as, “intellectual ice cream”- ice cream that will make you think, but will not make you go for another scoop; as opposed to “emotional ice cream”- the kind that you always want more of despite better judgment (and your hips) telling you no.

The class cost me $40 for 1½ hours but to be honest, I felt like I got a lot for my money. When I left the Marickville factory, I came away with a handful of great ice cream recipes, a wealth of knowledge in making homemade ice cream from scratch, a truly enjoyable time, and a 1-litre tub of freshly made Wattleseed and Grand Marnier Ice Cream packed with my very own reserve of dry ice to keep my ice cream frozen throughout the trip home. All bases were covered and really, what more could you ask for?

Part II: an ice cream class pictorial

See more hands on experiences during Good Food Month at Rebecca Cucina.

Serendipity
333 Enmore Rd
Marickville NSW 2204
Phone: (02) 9557 8986

Foods to Try Before You Die: The Australian Edition

Melissa of The Traveller's Lunchbox has called on a few bloggers, namely five, to help her gather a compendium of must-try foods before you die. Well those five food bloggers have now also passed the baton on to another five food bloggers and I have had the pleasure of being tagged by both Helen of the amazing Sydney food blog, Grab Your Fork and the delightful Ximena of Lobstersquad.

Now this list does not necessarily contain the finest examples of cuisine in the world, but I do think they are flavours one must definitely experience at least once. Perhaps, just so you can say you have tried it or even at least find out whether you like it or not, it’s worth discovering. The choices may be somewhat unconventional; you might say they are off the beaten track. Just think of the beaten track, then turn left and around the corner and that is where you will probably find some of these things.

Because we are rather isolated down here, I know this because so many people were shocked at the fact that we did not experience the heatwave most of the northern population did just recently, these are things that are truly unique to Australia. So I guess the only way to sample them is to come here for yourself; which isn’t a bad thing if you really think about it, and trust me it isn’t that far away. If the British and Portuguese back in the day were making those long haul trips to India to get a bunch of spices, then I’m sure it won’t be too bad getting on a plane and making the trip over. Anyway, enough rants, here goes the list.

1. Tasmanian Leatherwood Honey
At the risk of sounding like a broken record, I have said it before and I am saying it again, you must and I repeat you must try this honey. You will either love it or hate it but try it nonetheless. This honey is harvested from bees that feed on the nectar of Leatherwood flowers, which evidently are endemic to Tasmania. Lucky for you non-Australians we export this delicacy, as that it appears that foreigners have a taste for this honey more than we Australians do, so keep your eyes peeled. This honey bears a distinctive aromatic and piquant flavour and no other honey tastes like it, either way you will never forget its taste.

If you want to read more, go here.

2. Arnott’s Tim Tams
Now this next statement might be debatable, but I am under the strong impression that Australians are unanimous in their love for Tim Tams. Correct me if i'm wrong, but I don’t think I have ever met an Aussie that didn’t love a Tim Tam. This chocolate coated, cream filled biscuit has changed the face of Australian snacking the day it hit the shelves in 1964 and has captured our affections ever since. Our devotion to the Tim Tam is relentless as it is the best-selling biscuit in the country. I think it is because they are the ultimate comfort snack and oh so terribly addictive. Once you open a pack, the voraciousness at which the Tim Tams can be devoured is astounding.

For those of you overseas lucky enough to get hold of such valuable booty, the best way to sample this fine treat is to do what is called a Tim Tam Slam. You do this by taking a hot cup of something, be it coffee, Milo or hot chocolate and a Tim Tam biscuit, then bite off the two ends. Once you have done this, plunge one end into the hot drink and then, as if the Tim Tam were a straw, proceed to suck the hot drink through the biscuit. And then, before the Tim Tam dissolves into a mush, quickly shove the whole biscuit in your mouth. Trust us; this very practice of “slamming” is pure bliss.

3. Kangaroo Meat
It’s the quintessential Australian icon, and many people envisage our streets teeming with these creatures hopping all over the place. Although this is not the case, unless you are in the country; kangaroo meat is one that you should give a go at least once. I have been told by many that the meat is quite dry and chewy, however if cooked properly, the meat can actually be rather tender. If you are hesitant in digging into a sizeable chunk of kangaroo steak, a good way to start off is to try kangaroo sausages. In fact, my first encounter with kangaroo was when I unknowingly ate some Kangaroo and Basil sausages at a barbeque. I couldn’t even tell the difference until someone had alerted me to it. But there is a distinctive difference in taste as the meat is obviously more gamey.

In reality many Australians are still hesitant to eat kangaroo meat. I think the thought of eating cute little Skippy the bush kangaroo is somewhat disconcerting, but hey does that mean we should stop eating Babe too? I guess the point is, try it once and see for yourself.

4. Perigord Truffles
It’s true, France and Italy aren’t the only places where you can harvest truffles; you can get them here too. This is a big fat hooray for those Australians who think that finding such a prized, yet elusive gastronomic treasure would be so far out of their reach. Well perhaps, the per kilo price is still out of many people’s reach, including me, but the probability of finding Australian truffles being served at a restaurant or getting some for yourself now looks like a much better prospect. Ever since the day the first black truffle was harvested on June 18th 1999, the Perigord founders have not looked back.

If you are in Sydney and want to sample Perigord black truffles, then make your way to The Wharf Restaurant, headed up by Tim Pak Poy.

5. Quandongs
Among many other native fruits in Australia, the Quandong fruit, with its peculiar name and appearnce has intrigued me the most. This is on the list because I myself am aiming to try one of these sometime in my life. A quandong is actually a native Australian peach. Although I have never tasted one, I have read that the taste is somewhat peach and somewhat apricot, just a bit tarter. And even though the actual fruit is not common in the city, the indigenous Australians have been eating this fruit and it has been part of their staple for thousands of years.

“The quandong fruit is only similar to peaches (and apricots) in that it has a stoney seed and a subtle peach-apricot flavour. The plant is more closely related to the sandalwood.” (excerpt from www.dining-downunder.com)

And now for the five bloggers I’m tagging:
Bonnie of Daydream Delicious
Ivonne of Cream Puffs in Venice
Matt of Abstract Gourmet
Ilva of Lucullian Delights
Jasmine of Confessions of a Cardarmom Addict

For the complete list go here.

The Bee's Knees: Tasmanian Leatherwood Honey

Honey that deserves a second look- this is what Tasmanian Leatherwood Honey is. After mentioning this honey in a previous post, I thought it was worth another glance as there is more to this exceptional honey than meets the eye. Originating from the flowering parts of Tasmanian Leatherwood trees, this resplendently unique tasting honey may be the last of its kind. I never anticipated that such superlatives could be used in describing, of all foods honey, but this one is certainly worth every adjective it is embellished with. You might say this is a saccharine romance, and indeed it is. With a honey so rare and so irreplaceable, I would even go as far as to say that this needs to be on your list of flavours to try before you die. Yes, put this on your list alongside truffles, Pierre Hermé desserts and possibly, purely out of interest the durian fruit, but nonetheless, this honey is a must.

Leatherwood Honey assumes a distinctive spicy flavour, that either makes you a supporter or a detractor. This honey has been known to divide people; some just cannot abide by the honey’s unusual taste and smell. Do not get me wrong, Leatherwood honey still tastes of honey; and because it is not so sickeningly sweet, the honey and the honeycomb lends to being eaten directly. Although when spread on a thick piece of toast it also cannot err. Just imagine, vibrant amber hues of this sticky delight flavouring your palate with nectary accents and bouquets of fresh flowers. The honey reads like a fine wine, yet the process in achieving such depth of flavour comes naturally without any human interference. Most blended honeys loose much evidence of the flowers from which the bees extracted the nectar from, however with this honey the Leatherwood plant’s scent manifests itself in the end product. Press your nose up to some of this honey and you will smell a strong aroma of fresh flowers.

Why could this honey be the last of its kind? Well, when you think of Tasmania, you envisage lush green woods, mist covered mountains and untouched landscapes. Tasmania almost seems like the last frontier; however this portrait is not quite as picturesque. The Leatherwood tree is under threat due to severe logging and is putting the Tasmanian honey industry at risk. You see the Leatherwood plant is endemic to Tasmania and accounts for up to 70% of all the honey being produced in this region. So no Leatherwood Trees ultimately mean, no Leatherwood Honey and unfortunately due to the narrow-sightedness of urbanisation, apiarists and the honey industry in Tasmania are not a main concern on the agenda. The problem is slowly being addressed, but at what cost should we compromise a resource so unique to this region?

Do not despair; Leatherwood honey is under threat, but thus far not extinct. This honeycomb was procured at the recent Grower’s Market. I asked the stallholder how to properly eat the honeycomb and he said that there are two ways. One is to eat the honeycomb wax and all; another is to spit the comb out once you have extracted all the honey in your mouth. As unpleasant and uncouth as this sounds, I do prefer the latter method as the notion of eating wax does disconcert me a little. I was reassured by the honey-man that eating the wax bears no ill effects on your digestion or your health but it still felt like I was swallowing a candle. And seeing as that I have already endorsed knife-licking, biscuit-dipping and more recently the Homer Simpson style of ingestion on this blog, I have no qualms about sanctioning wax-spitting as well. I am really not one for eating anything that resembles a candle, however if you are not opposed to swallowing the wax, then by all means.

FURTHER READING: Leatherwood honey industry 'under threat';
Leatherwood: Honey from the forest

Bill's Ricotta Hotcakes with Leatherwood Honeycomb

I am no longer mad. The chaotic mess that I did call work for the past few weeks has diminished back into the reclusive and relaxed contentment that it is today. I usually don’t mind coming to work, although the past few weeks were unbearable. Thankfully, the annoyance felt before has diminished along with the stress. And although the disdain I still possess towards this channel that we have just launched still exists, I have chosen to just let its noise disappear into the backdrop of my work. I shall only give it my attention when it is absolutely required, and that is the only way we can coexist peacefully.

After that taxing week at work, I set off of on a relaxing four day weekend. Even though I only set off en route for my kitchen, it provided me with the adequate respite. To start off my relaxation crusade, I decided to make Bill Granger’s famed Ricotta Hotcakes, and although the recipe was accompanied by instructions on how to make honeycomb butter, I decided to use the fresh honeycomb I purchased at the recent Pyrmont Grower’s Market instead.

These hotcakes almost never happened and it all began at the aforementioned markets. I was at the Formaggi Ocello stand waiting to buy a tub of their beautiful ricotta; but there was a lovely yet vexingly talkative woman that was occupying all of this poor shopkeeper’s attention. I waited patiently, and waited some more, but still this woman kept complaining about the state of olives in this country or something of the like. While I lingered, impatiently tapping my foot on the rain-soaked grass, I thought- this is a woman who desperately needs a blog of her own. Instead of airing her complaints to stallholders at markets and holding up unsuspecting clientele, she should redirect her whingeing elsewhere, like on a blog!

In any case, I ummed and ahhed about whether I should stay and tolerate these irritating complaints, or whether I should just leave and make a go of the hotcakes another time. Suffice to say, I did stay and it was worth all the standing around and enduring the whining.

The hotcakes proved ethereally fluffy and the ricotta added a slight tanginess similar to what you would get with buttermilk pancakes, without all the density. I cut a few chunks of Leatherwood Honeycomb and placed them atop a stack of hotcakes and drizzled some honey over. This was a great variation on the customary maple syrup that I usually drench all my pan/hot cakes in. I cannot imagine having these hotcakes with anything else, and although I have never tried these hotcakes with any other condiments I will be hesitant to in the future as the taste of Leatherwood Honey is matchless.

Unique to Tasmania, Leatherwood honey is made from the flowering blossoms of the Leatherwood tree. With slight floral notes and spicy tinges, the honey is an acquired taste, and it is not to everyone’s likings. Oddly enough most Australians do not abide by its taste. I however was willing to give this seemingly difficult-tasting honey a go, and the result was a favourable one. Unlike many others I enjoyed the taste; sure it smelt a bit unusual, and it did taste of nectar at first. But different shouldn’t instinctively mean “bad”. The man who sold me the honeycomb mentioned that Australians are apparently too used to the taste of gum honeys, so therefore Leatherwoods honeys have become the eccentric, second-best cousin to these familiar honey varieties. Nonetheless, I am partial when it comes to this honey, and I think it is partly because of the fact that it is unique to Australia. Don’t get me wrong I still love the typical gum honeys, but Leatherwood is definitely a special treat.

Below is Bill’s recipe for Ricotta Hotcakes, including the recipe for Honeycomb Butter. I did not know where to source sugar honeycomb so that is why I opted to use fresh honeycomb. Whether or not you have the honeycomb, be sure to give these hotcakes a bash. I am thinking of making them with some mashed bananas next time; possibly when the exorbitant price for bananas in Australia drop.

Ricotta Hotcakes
(serves 6-8)
The recipe can be found in here and a PDF version can be found here.

1 1/3 cups ricotta
¾ cup milk
4 eggs, separated
1 cup plain all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
a pinch of salt
50g butter

Place ricotta, milk and egg yolks in a bowl and mix to combine.
Sift the flour, baking powder and salt into the ricotta mixture and mix until incorporated.
Place egg whites in a dry clean bowl and whip until stiff peaks form.
Fold egg whites into the batter using a wide metal spoon. Do this in two batches.
Over a low to medium heat, lightly grease a large non-stick frypan with a small portion of butter.
Drop a ladleful of batter into the pan and cook for two minutes or until the edges have turned golden brown.
Flip the hotcakes over and fry until it is cooked through.
Transfer to a plate. Top with appropriate condiments and dust with icing sugar.

NOTE: Hotcake batter can be stored up to 24 hours covered, in the refrigerator.

Honeycomb Butter

250g unsalted butter, softened,
100g sugar honeycomb, crushed with a rolling pin
2 tbsp honey

Place all ingredients in a food processor and blend until smooth. Shape into a log on a plastic wrap, roll, seal and chill in a refrigerator for 2 hours. Store leftover honeycomb butter in the freezer- it’s great on toast.

Beetroots Are For Grownups

Children are probably the fussiest creatures on earth. I know this because I was one of those fussy children. Children are one of the greatest sources of irrational aversions and predilections. Their fancies are capricious and their whims illogical. For example when I was young, I refused to eat anything green and would only drink milk if it was flavoured with chocolate. I also demanded that the crusts be sliced off my sandwiches, as that they were too dry and my rice had to be shaped into a dome before serving. I hated onions because I disliked the crunch I heard once they were in my mouth. I hated celery because it ‘smelt funny’ and I hated beetroot because, well because it was beetroot, I just didn’t like them.

Beets are just one of those vegetables that are not forthcoming to children. The sight of beetroot on a youngster’s dinner plate is sure to be met with whines of disapproval. I have yet to meet an adult that liked their beets as a kid, most say they had a strong disdain for them. For one, they are a vegetable; which when you are five is a misdemeanour in itself. Secondly they have a rather bothersome habit of staining everything they come in contact with a deathly crimson. Evident, when one finds its way into your burger after you meticulously articulate that you don’t want beetroot in your burger. (Yes, Australians have beetroot in their burgers.) And thirdly, no parent back then ever knew how to cook beets. They were either that terrible canned variety that looked like they were extracted from a cadaver during a botched autopsy, or they were terribly bland and undercooked and required a hacksaw to slice in half.

These experiences are probably only common to me and other members of my family that were subjected to cruel misfortunes in badly cooked beetroot. My experiences with beetroot as a child were unpleasant to the point that I was actually repulsed by them for some time. Those days have now passed and awful tasting beetroot is but a memory, all has been forgiven and fortunately I have come to be quite fond of beetroot.

Aside from being a great source of Vitamin C and folate, beets actually rank as one of the sweetest vegetables; out-sugaring carrots, onions and corn in actual sugar content*. And as one who is a devotee of all things sugar, the least I could do was to embrace the humble beet and welcome it to the gamut of vegetables that I already consume.

A cunning way of converting those opposed to beets into ardent disciples of the stuff is to make a dip out of them. Dips, I believe are a great way to introduce people to certain flavours they are not previously accustomed to. They are non-confrontational and are usually accompanied by festive and celebratory connotations. I have never heard of anyone saying, “I’m having a party why don’t you bring some beets?” But I have heard of people saying, “I’m having a party, why don’t you bring some dips!”

Here is a simple recipe for Sumac Beetroot Dip, it is basic beetroot dip seasoned with a dash of sumac; a Middle Eastern spice harvested from the outer flesh of crimson coloured sumac berries. The deep red spice adds a touch of fruity tanginess to the dip.

Sumac Beetroot Dip
(makes approximately 2 cups)




5-6 medium sized beets
2-3 eschalots
1 tsp grated ginger
1 tbsp currants or sultanas
2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 tsp sumac
2 tbsp Greek yoghurt
sea salt, to taste
lemon juice (optional)

Roast beets and eschalots in an oven at 190°C for 40 minutes or until the beets are cooked.
Remove tray and allow to cool for 15 minutes.
Peel skin from beetroot and eschalots and dice into small pieces.
Place all ingredients in a food processor and pulse until incorporated.
Squeeze some lemon juice on top (optional).

In Praise of Yoghurt

When it comes to yoghurt I am quite promiscuous. I have never stuck to one particular brand of yoghurt for any period of time because I was always under the impression that there were better yoghurts out there. So for years I have only struck meaningless short-term relationships with any particular brand of yoghurt. You could say I was a bit of a yoghurt tart, trivially looking for the next kind to satisfy my appetite only to discard the empty tubs looking down at them with disdain. Aside from eating yoghurt for its health benefits I never really liked it, most tasted either too acidic or too sweet, I never found the one that was just the right combination. Other than fulfilling my recommended daily intake of calcium, it had to be delicious, velvety in texture and also not look like an eleven-month old infant had regurgitated it. You might say it is too much to ask but nevertheless I am asking.

However, I am pleased to announce that at long last I have finally found myself in a monogamous relationship with one, yes only one brand of yoghurt. It's an All Natural Yoghurt (full fat of course) from the Barambah Organics range. I have never tasted yoghurt this creamy; also it doesn’t have that extremely tart taste that most unsweetened yoghurts have. As you can see below all the ingredients are natural and it contains five different live cultures! This is as pure as yoghurt can get; as far as im concerned. Barambah also make organic bush honey and strawberry yoghurt, but I still prefer the plain All Natural one as that you can add whatever you fancy be it fruit, muesli or a drizzle of maple syrup.

Barambah Organics also sell other great dairy products such as Quark (similar to cottage cheese), brie, feta and unhomogenised milk. Check out this article by SMH Good Living extolling the goodness of Barambah dairy products.