Hi everyone, here are the details for MolkFest this Sunday:
10.00 Sunday morning at Black Star Patisserie, Newtown. Its opposite the Newtown Courthouse/Cop Shop/Fire Station, and across the road from Newtown Station.
http://www.yourrestaurants.com.au/guide/?action=venue&venue_url=black_star_patisserie
The weather forecast is OK at the moment, so thinking we can grab some treats and head to Camperdown Rest Park which is just up the street. See you there!
Friday, July 16, 2010
MasterChef - The Beanie is gone!
Well while I was off Learning to Breathe I taped MasterChef. The only one I was particularly going for was Alvin. I have had him as one of my picks from the start. I love the food he comes up with, and I love his attitude and personality!
Jimmy I don't really pay much attention to as he doesn't really do anything differently much of the time, and Aaron is a bit too much for me. Pretty sure I figured out where he lives from his homecoming on tonight's episode too. Would explain why I am positive I saw him a couple of weeks back on Norton Street.
So no great surprises or traumatic dramas like with Marion and Jonathan being eliminated. I do wonder at the "developing a range of sauces" that many of them seem to be going in to. How many sauce ranges can our shops and palates take???
Looking forward to the masterclass tomorrow night, not so much the Gs, but the Christine Manfield part looks enticing!
I am wondering now who our vilification turns to now though? I assume it will start hitting Jimmy and Callum?
Jimmy I don't really pay much attention to as he doesn't really do anything differently much of the time, and Aaron is a bit too much for me. Pretty sure I figured out where he lives from his homecoming on tonight's episode too. Would explain why I am positive I saw him a couple of weeks back on Norton Street.
So no great surprises or traumatic dramas like with Marion and Jonathan being eliminated. I do wonder at the "developing a range of sauces" that many of them seem to be going in to. How many sauce ranges can our shops and palates take???
Looking forward to the masterclass tomorrow night, not so much the Gs, but the Christine Manfield part looks enticing!
I am wondering now who our vilification turns to now though? I assume it will start hitting Jimmy and Callum?
Thursday, July 15, 2010
Learning to Breathe
So, tonight I went to my first of 8 classes of the Breathing For Vitalitycourse at Leichhardt Womens Health Centre. It is going to be 2 hours a week for 8 weeks.
The idea behind it is that people forget how to breathe as they grow up. Babies and little kids apparently breathe as we should but as we get older we become shallow breathers. When you are watching someone breath, their abdomen should rise and fall, rather than the chest.
So, there were about 9 women there, varying ages, and it seems like a very nice group. We started by feeling how we should be breathing - good belly appreciation! Relearning how to push your abdomen out when you breathe in and then having it retract when you breathe out. It was very relaxing!
We then learnt how to do a complete breath - this means that you fill up the whole of your lungs and then take a "sip" to top it up to full. It was a bit Yoga like, and it felt good.
We are also going to be doing some meditation and relaxation techniques each week, which will be very useful as well I think. We did a quick relaxation exercise tonight, which involved closing your eyes, gently pushing your tongue against the roof of your mouth, thereby letting your jaw drop a little bit and relax. Then you slightly raise your eyebrows, do a tiny smile and drop your chin towards your neck about 1cm. All these actions release all the stress holding muscles in your face, and we did all feel great after doing it!
More next week after the next class.
The idea behind it is that people forget how to breathe as they grow up. Babies and little kids apparently breathe as we should but as we get older we become shallow breathers. When you are watching someone breath, their abdomen should rise and fall, rather than the chest.
So, there were about 9 women there, varying ages, and it seems like a very nice group. We started by feeling how we should be breathing - good belly appreciation! Relearning how to push your abdomen out when you breathe in and then having it retract when you breathe out. It was very relaxing!
We then learnt how to do a complete breath - this means that you fill up the whole of your lungs and then take a "sip" to top it up to full. It was a bit Yoga like, and it felt good.
We are also going to be doing some meditation and relaxation techniques each week, which will be very useful as well I think. We did a quick relaxation exercise tonight, which involved closing your eyes, gently pushing your tongue against the roof of your mouth, thereby letting your jaw drop a little bit and relax. Then you slightly raise your eyebrows, do a tiny smile and drop your chin towards your neck about 1cm. All these actions release all the stress holding muscles in your face, and we did all feel great after doing it!
More next week after the next class.
Easy as finger food
After a twitter discussion with Zan from Triple J (follow her on twitter @triplejmornings), I thought I'd put up some of my super easy snack/finger foods.
The first one, based on said convo, is Cheesymite Scrolls. Super easy, kids will love making and eating them, and you can play around with the fillings.
All you need is:
Puff Pastry
Vegemite
Cheese - Grated is easiest
You also need a greased tray or if you have it, use glad bake - so much easier to remove when cooked!
Preheat your oven as per the packet instructions for the puff - usually about 180C.
Separate a sheet from the stack of pastry (this is easiest to do when it is still frozen - use a knife blade between the sheets) and leave the plastic on the bottom.
Now, spread vegemite all over the sheet, leaving a 2cm width along one edge.
Then, sprinkle the cheese over the vegemite, again making sure you leave the 2cm edge.
Next you need to roll up your pastry - start at the opposite edge to your free 2cm, pull the plastic off partly and use the plastic to roll the pastry together into a roll. When you get to the end, use the empty 2cm to stick it all together. You can use a little beaten egg or water to help it stick.
When you have it all stuck in a nice roll, take a knife (serrated edge works best) and cut the log into 1.5cm discs.
Place the discs flat on your tray, and into the oven for about 10 minutes, or until the pastry is puffy and golden. Let them cool on the tray for a couple of minutes, then remove.
These are great hot or cold, so you could pre-make them and serve cold or reheat them.
OTHER FILLINGS
The great thing with these is that you can make them as fancy as you like. Some other fillings I have done are:
Sweet Chilli Sauce and Cheese
Ham and Cheese
Olive tapenade and crumbled feta
Pesto and parmesan
Peanut Butter and Jam
Peanut Butter and Honey
Nutella
Sugar and Cinnamon
Lemon and Sugar
Hope you have a go and enjoy!
The first one, based on said convo, is Cheesymite Scrolls. Super easy, kids will love making and eating them, and you can play around with the fillings.
All you need is:
Puff Pastry
Vegemite
Cheese - Grated is easiest
You also need a greased tray or if you have it, use glad bake - so much easier to remove when cooked!
Preheat your oven as per the packet instructions for the puff - usually about 180C.
Separate a sheet from the stack of pastry (this is easiest to do when it is still frozen - use a knife blade between the sheets) and leave the plastic on the bottom.
Now, spread vegemite all over the sheet, leaving a 2cm width along one edge.
Then, sprinkle the cheese over the vegemite, again making sure you leave the 2cm edge.
Next you need to roll up your pastry - start at the opposite edge to your free 2cm, pull the plastic off partly and use the plastic to roll the pastry together into a roll. When you get to the end, use the empty 2cm to stick it all together. You can use a little beaten egg or water to help it stick.
When you have it all stuck in a nice roll, take a knife (serrated edge works best) and cut the log into 1.5cm discs.
Place the discs flat on your tray, and into the oven for about 10 minutes, or until the pastry is puffy and golden. Let them cool on the tray for a couple of minutes, then remove.
These are great hot or cold, so you could pre-make them and serve cold or reheat them.
OTHER FILLINGS
The great thing with these is that you can make them as fancy as you like. Some other fillings I have done are:
Sweet Chilli Sauce and Cheese
Ham and Cheese
Olive tapenade and crumbled feta
Pesto and parmesan
Peanut Butter and Jam
Peanut Butter and Honey
Nutella
Sugar and Cinnamon
Lemon and Sugar
Hope you have a go and enjoy!
MasterChef - The Signature Dish Challenge
Well, I was initially very excited about the Signature Dish challenge last night on MasterChef. I thought it would be a nice insight into what makes the top amateurs tick and drives them in their kitchens and cooking.
My understanding of a "Signature Dish" is something that you are known for, and that you know how to make successfully and well. A few of the contestants did that, Claire, Courtney, Adam, Alvin and Jimmy (who of course made a curry).
The others though seemed to understand "Signature Dish" to mean go nuts with a big budget on stuff you've always wondered about making. Callum chose pheasant. Now, if you're making your signature dish, wouldn't you assume that you'd have an idea of how much it would cost?
Aaron was just playing the nutty professor with his pasta and prawn creation. Sure try new mixtures and play around with ingredients and flavours, but when you're trying to show it as a signature dish, and trying to impress the likes of Matt Preston, Jacques Reymond, Kylie Kwong, Alla Wolf-Tasker and Mark Best.
The dishes put up by the others were excellent. I particularly like Courtney's Asian platter, and Adam's Seven Gods plate. I too would have likely put up an Asian dish, as that is my preferred style of cooking, and it is what people know me for being good at making too.
I do believe that Callum should have automatically been up for elimination for not serving his entire dish, that was very unfair. Not one of those chefs would allow an incomplete meal to leave the passe in their restaurants, and it should have been judged accordingly.
My understanding of a "Signature Dish" is something that you are known for, and that you know how to make successfully and well. A few of the contestants did that, Claire, Courtney, Adam, Alvin and Jimmy (who of course made a curry).
The others though seemed to understand "Signature Dish" to mean go nuts with a big budget on stuff you've always wondered about making. Callum chose pheasant. Now, if you're making your signature dish, wouldn't you assume that you'd have an idea of how much it would cost?
Aaron was just playing the nutty professor with his pasta and prawn creation. Sure try new mixtures and play around with ingredients and flavours, but when you're trying to show it as a signature dish, and trying to impress the likes of Matt Preston, Jacques Reymond, Kylie Kwong, Alla Wolf-Tasker and Mark Best.
The dishes put up by the others were excellent. I particularly like Courtney's Asian platter, and Adam's Seven Gods plate. I too would have likely put up an Asian dish, as that is my preferred style of cooking, and it is what people know me for being good at making too.
I do believe that Callum should have automatically been up for elimination for not serving his entire dish, that was very unfair. Not one of those chefs would allow an incomplete meal to leave the passe in their restaurants, and it should have been judged accordingly.
Wednesday, July 14, 2010
Recipe: Beef Rendang
I thought I would post some of my favourite recipes on here as well. They will generally be budget conscious, and seriously tasty.
So here is my first, and favourite ever to make:
BEEF RENDANG
This is a Malaysian/Indonesian dry curry. This recipe is my bastardised version of a few from different sources. Its is really easy to make and tastes awesome. It does help if you have a food processor - even one of the small bowl and blades that you attach to a bamix/stick mixer will do the job.
This will be enough to feed four adults. You can also bulk it out with things like potato cut into chunks and added about an hour before you want to serve it.
Like all curries, it will be even better the next day.
You need:
1.2 kg Chuck steak
2cm fresh ginger, chopped
half a bunch of coriander (roots and all, chopped)
4 cloves of garlic, peeled, roughly chopped
1 stalk lemongrass, bruised and chopped
2 teaspoons fish sauce
2 Tablespoons Soy Sauce
1 Tablespoon Kecap Manis (Sweet Soy Sauce)
2 tablespoons chilli - dried or fresh, or a combination of both
2 Tablespoons Tamarind Pulp
1 small Red Onion, roughly chopped
1 lime - rind and the juice (can use lemon if you don't have lime)
Desiccated Coconut
Powdered Coconut Milk
Vegetable Oil
For the
For the meat:
Cut the chuck steak into chunks about 2cm by 2cm. Don't trim the meat of any fat or sinew.
For the paste:
Process the ginger, coriander, garlic, lemongrass, fish sauce, Soy Sauce and Kecap Manis, chilli, Tamarind, red onion and lime rind until its finely processed and mixed - it will be very colourful and fragrant. Add in a cup of desiccated coconut, and some of the lime juice, and some of the oil. You want the coconut, juice and oil to bind all the ingredients together to a paste.
When the paste is ready, heat some more oil in a heavy based saucepan, and fry off the paste until it starts to become fragrant (if you're not used to it, it might make your eyes water!) then add your meat. Stir to cover in the paste and start the meat cooking. Then add 2 cups of made up coconut milk (follow the instructions on the milk packet). Top up with water to make sure the meat is covered. Then reduce to a low heat (barely simmering) and let it cook away. It will usually take about 3 hours. If you feel that its sticking or drying too fast, add some more coconut milk.
When the meat is falling apart, it is ready. If you want it saucier, finish cooking it now, but if you want to make it more coconutty, you can add some powder to thicken the sauce up and flavour it more. If not, you can cook it down until it looks like dog food (sorry!).
Serve with rice. You can stir vegetables through the curry as well as potatoes.
NOTE: The paste is very light and colourful when you start, but it will end up very dark brown.
ENJOY!
So here is my first, and favourite ever to make:
BEEF RENDANG
This is a Malaysian/Indonesian dry curry. This recipe is my bastardised version of a few from different sources. Its is really easy to make and tastes awesome. It does help if you have a food processor - even one of the small bowl and blades that you attach to a bamix/stick mixer will do the job.
This will be enough to feed four adults. You can also bulk it out with things like potato cut into chunks and added about an hour before you want to serve it.
Like all curries, it will be even better the next day.
You need:
1.2 kg Chuck steak
2cm fresh ginger, chopped
half a bunch of coriander (roots and all, chopped)
4 cloves of garlic, peeled, roughly chopped
1 stalk lemongrass, bruised and chopped
2 teaspoons fish sauce
2 Tablespoons Soy Sauce
1 Tablespoon Kecap Manis (Sweet Soy Sauce)
2 tablespoons chilli - dried or fresh, or a combination of both
2 Tablespoons Tamarind Pulp
1 small Red Onion, roughly chopped
1 lime - rind and the juice (can use lemon if you don't have lime)
Desiccated Coconut
Powdered Coconut Milk
Vegetable Oil
For the
For the meat:
Cut the chuck steak into chunks about 2cm by 2cm. Don't trim the meat of any fat or sinew.
For the paste:
Process the ginger, coriander, garlic, lemongrass, fish sauce, Soy Sauce and Kecap Manis, chilli, Tamarind, red onion and lime rind until its finely processed and mixed - it will be very colourful and fragrant. Add in a cup of desiccated coconut, and some of the lime juice, and some of the oil. You want the coconut, juice and oil to bind all the ingredients together to a paste.
When the paste is ready, heat some more oil in a heavy based saucepan, and fry off the paste until it starts to become fragrant (if you're not used to it, it might make your eyes water!) then add your meat. Stir to cover in the paste and start the meat cooking. Then add 2 cups of made up coconut milk (follow the instructions on the milk packet). Top up with water to make sure the meat is covered. Then reduce to a low heat (barely simmering) and let it cook away. It will usually take about 3 hours. If you feel that its sticking or drying too fast, add some more coconut milk.
When the meat is falling apart, it is ready. If you want it saucier, finish cooking it now, but if you want to make it more coconutty, you can add some powder to thicken the sauce up and flavour it more. If not, you can cook it down until it looks like dog food (sorry!).
Serve with rice. You can stir vegetables through the curry as well as potatoes.
NOTE: The paste is very light and colourful when you start, but it will end up very dark brown.
ENJOY!
MasterChef
Well, we are getting to the pointy end of the competition on MasterChef here. It has been compelling viewing, and if you're interested, I tweet it pretty much every night.
There was such a massive fallout when Marion was eliminated last week! It was almost like the country went into mourning for Marion. A similar thing happened last year, and I think I can understand the judging decisions when it gets to this stage in the contest. I am a staunch support of Marion, as I was of Poh and Justine last year. I still don't think that Julie is much chop as a cook, and that Poh and Justine were waaay more talented than she is. I think the kicker was that it was quite obvious that both Justine and Poh would be quite fine on their own - they are both very sellable and have very strong, great ideas of what they want to do with themselves in the business. Their ideas and appeal (during the show) were possibly a bit hard for what the producers were thinking of their target audience being. I think Julie's down home just a suburban Mum probably had the wider appeal, and when she gave her book pitch to Donna Hay, Donna's eyes just lit up with the $$$ rolling in them like a pokie!
The great thing for Poh as well, is that she doesn't have to march to the MasterChef beat of the drum. She has a fantastic show on ABC1 at 6.30 on Wednesday nights, and her enthusiasm for not only sharing what she knows and learning shines through. She has also been able to work with Curtis Stone out of her time on the show.
Marion this year has the same appeal as Poh did last year. She's fantastic in the media (which you would expect from an ex-journo) and has some great ideas, and is very personable.
Jonathan, on the other hand, may have to fight a bit harder with the public, but I'm sure he'll find his niche.
My bets from the start were Marion, Claire and Alvin for the final 3, but I added Adam to that. So I guess my tip is now Adam, Claire and Alvin.
There was such a massive fallout when Marion was eliminated last week! It was almost like the country went into mourning for Marion. A similar thing happened last year, and I think I can understand the judging decisions when it gets to this stage in the contest. I am a staunch support of Marion, as I was of Poh and Justine last year. I still don't think that Julie is much chop as a cook, and that Poh and Justine were waaay more talented than she is. I think the kicker was that it was quite obvious that both Justine and Poh would be quite fine on their own - they are both very sellable and have very strong, great ideas of what they want to do with themselves in the business. Their ideas and appeal (during the show) were possibly a bit hard for what the producers were thinking of their target audience being. I think Julie's down home just a suburban Mum probably had the wider appeal, and when she gave her book pitch to Donna Hay, Donna's eyes just lit up with the $$$ rolling in them like a pokie!
The great thing for Poh as well, is that she doesn't have to march to the MasterChef beat of the drum. She has a fantastic show on ABC1 at 6.30 on Wednesday nights, and her enthusiasm for not only sharing what she knows and learning shines through. She has also been able to work with Curtis Stone out of her time on the show.
Marion this year has the same appeal as Poh did last year. She's fantastic in the media (which you would expect from an ex-journo) and has some great ideas, and is very personable.
Jonathan, on the other hand, may have to fight a bit harder with the public, but I'm sure he'll find his niche.
My bets from the start were Marion, Claire and Alvin for the final 3, but I added Adam to that. So I guess my tip is now Adam, Claire and Alvin.
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