YaYa's Yum Yums

So Easy Salmon Pie

2012-01-05T22:59:00.000+11:00

What do you like to eat when you've just survived days and days of Christmas dining with all its richness? When you're sick at the very sight of food but need sustenance? I turn to my comfort foods, one of which is Salmon Pie.
Normally I take a full fillet of salmon and sear it in a frying pan then wrap it in pastry and call it Salmon Wellington but this time, I was using pre-cut, left over sashimi salmon so I decided to make individual pies (which I have to admit worked out so well that I'm going to make it this way from now on!).

Ingredients (makes 4 small pies or 1 large sized pie)

300g Fillet salmon, cubed into even sized pieces about the size of regular dice
Squeeze of lemon juice (optional)
Salt & Pepper to taste
2 Sheets of pre-rolled puff pastry, thawed from frozen
500g baby spinach leaves
2 cloves garlic, finely minced
1 tablespoon light olive oil
2 teaspoons Mild English Mustard (or Hot if you love it)
1 teaspoon Butter (to grease your tin-s)
1 tablespoon milk to brush over tops of pies
4 small pie tins or I used a 6-hole muffin top pan (or 1 medium flan tin)

Method:

Pre-heat your oven to 180 degrees C (mine is a fan-forced oven but set your oven as you would for baking other puff pastry goodies);
Put your cubed salmon into a bowl and season with salt & pepper & mustard and lemon juice (if using), set aside to marinate;
In a shallow frying pan or saucepan, heat the oil, add garlic, fry until lightly golden;
Add baby spinach and sweat until just soft, take it off the heat so it doesn't overcook, leave to cool;
Using a piece of greaseproof or baking paper, smear the bottom of your pie tin(s) with an even coating of butter;
Using the larger of two saucers, invert and place on one corner of a square of pastry and cut around it. This saucer should be about 1 cm larger in diameter than your pie tin;
Cut your second circle from the opposite corner to the first, leaving two corners of your square intact;
Do the same with the second sheet of pastry;
Using a saucer which is roughly the same size as your pie tin, invert it and place it on the remaining pastry and cut around it to make your pie tops;
Gently press each larger round into the bottom of each of your pie tins;
When cooled, layer some baby spinach on top of the pastry;

Spoon cubes of marinated salmon until it covers the spinach;

Position a smaller round in the middle of your pie and bring the lower edge up and over the upper edge then crimp together with your fingers; Repeat with the remaining pie tops;

Brush some milk over the top of each pie;

Poke a small hole in the middle for steam to escape;

Bake in the oven for 10-15 minutes or until the pastry has risen and is crisp.

Served with salad or some steamed vegetables, this makes a lovely light brunch, lunch or dinner or you can even have it cold the next day. I took these to a lunch the day after I made them and they reheated quite well too.

If you find salmon "fishy", you can also substitute fairly solid white fish such as cod or barramundi or you could grate a little fresh ginger into the marinade. Enjoy! :D

The Quay to a Great Meal

2011-12-11T22:38:00.010+11:00

Well I guess I gave the game away in the title so no need to ponder the question any longer!

I fully admit that I was reluctant to dine at Quay. In spite of the many positive reviews and members of my own family calling it their favourite restaurant, year after year, I would look at their menu and ask myself whether any meal, and particularly what was on their menu at the time, was worth $220 per person - without drinks. Even when Masterchef featured the gorgeous and now famous Snow Egg, I resisted, and not only because it was the one dish I was confident I couldn't have due to its egg content.Well I was finally persuaded to give it a go and I am very glad I did.

Quay has to have the best location for a harbourside restaurant. Even better, we were in what I would call the Captain's cabin, a small dining room upstairs from the main restaurant which I imagine could be hired for private functions with the right numbers. With sweeping views of the waterfront and Bridge, what more could you want?
We decided on the degustation menu, of course, with whatever substitutes required by my egg and my friend's nut allergies.

We didn't have long to wait. First off, an amuse bouche. While I can't remember the precise ingredients (curse my rotten memory and failure to take notes!), I remember that it didn't disappoint as our first taste of the evening.

Raw, native freshwater marron, young almonds, bergamot marmalade, pomelo, green mango, elder, chamomile
I was a little wary of this at first because, although I love sashimi of tuna or salmon, I'm not a big fan of any other raw seafood. Scallops, prawns, lobster - I couldn't say I would choose to eat any of them raw and marron would fall into that category. But I do love the pomelo, a large citrus fruit resembling a grapefruit but when chosen well, sweet and juicy. While mine excluded the young almonds, I didn't feel there was anything missing.

One of the most memorable things about this experience was that while each dish listed its ingredients, everything worked together as a whole to deliver a pretty consistent combination of flavour and texture. This first dish was no exception but I still don't think I would order it willingly!

Mud crab congee, fresh palm heart
This was one of the three top dishes of the meal.When I read congee on the menu I pictured something rather more gluggy and stodgy. What came out was not only a work of art but almost a rice soup - delicate consomme with indvidual, dare I say sparse, grains of rice, perfectly cooked and the silken strands of crab with the al dente finely sliced heart of palm. I could have eaten this as a main course just on its own. Yum!

Gently poached southern rock lobster, hand caught Tasmanian squid, golden tapioca, lobster velvet
Presented in a covered earthenware bowl, and only ever having had tapioca as a dessert, I also expected this to be gluggy. I discovered that I rather liked savoury tapioca, opening up a whole new world of possibilities (I really love the texture, it has great mouth feel). Quay's Head Chef, Peter Gilmore, has been quoted as saying that his philosophy of food is to source locally and cook sustainably. This dish certainly fulfils that mandate. And it didn't taste bad either!

I had thought earlier during the meal that it was (happily) unusual no bread was offered, so when the shapely dish pictured arrived with a quenelle of something yellow we concluded that it was the accompaniment to the next dish. As it turned out (perhaps there was a delay in the next course being presented, we will never know), it was butter and salt to accompany one of the largest selections of sour dough varieties we had ever been offered in a restaurant.
We were taken in particular with a sunflower kernel sourdough and were generously offered seconds and even thirds. How disappointing to find out that as it was made specially for Quay by Sonoma and we would (alas) never have the opportunity of buying it.

Smoked and confit pig jowl, shiitake, shaved scallop, Jerusalem artichoke, juniper, bay
Another top 3 dish - all the elements were so artfully put together, we couldn't work out which element was which. But it didn't matter in the end, the whole was greater than the sum of its parts. This was one of the dishes which had an array of textures; the crispness of the artichoke, the succulent shiitake, the sweet melt-in-your-mouth pork jowl (who would have thought?!) and the soft shaved scallop.

Slow cooked coturnix quail breast, stone ground semolina enriched with Alba truffle butter, buckwheat, faro, walnuts, pumpernickel, malt

This is the 3rd of my top 3 -again a cornucopia of flavours, we were warned that the quail was one of two dishes which Chef would be serving on the under side of doneness and would prefer not to serve more well done. Well it was nice to be warned and although I approached this dish with a little trepidation as a result, it didn't feel like the quail was raw. The stand-out element was the buckwheat which was a crisp contrast to the rest of the soft textures. My serving didn't contain the walnuts but once again, it didn't feel like it was missing anything vital.

David Blackmore's full blood Wagyu, bitter chocolate black pudding, oxtail consommé
Speaking of raw, this was easily my least favourite dish of the evening. The consomme was poured from a large heavy teapot, reconstituting the black pudding into a tasty sauce. I really wanted to like this but even though the consomme was delicious, and what's not to love about chocolate, I just couldn't.

White nectarine snow egg
The showpiece! - although those of you who have had it will not recognise this version which was put together without the egg elements, being the meringue and icecream. Instead mine had the granita and a sorbet which was so smooth I could have sworn it was icecream. Unlike most dishes where the egg is substituted, I didn't feel like I missed anything. Here's what my companions had...

Ewe's milk ice-cream, caramel, roasted walnuts, prune, Pedro Ximénez, chocolate bark, pulled toffee, vanilla milk skin
Perhaps the exposure on Masterchef made the kitchen think that the Snow Egg would be an anti-climax so they chose to serve this second dessert as the final course. Unfortunately, although the dish looked spectacular and was no doubt a complex thing to construct, the taste was not to everyone's liking and everyone felt that the Snow Egg itself should have been the finale. I had no such qualms about my second dessert.

Jewels - raspberries, rose, coconut
This is on the a la carte menu and I couldn't have been happier after the disappointing reaction to the Ewes Milk dessert. Refreshing, light and crispy, it was a wonderful finish to a memorable meal except it wasn't - the end of the meal that is!

Coffee, Tea Petits Fours

Well we actually didn't have coffee or tea but they served the petit fours anyway and although we were sure we'd had plenty to eat, we couldn't resist. On the left side, hazelnut ganache and on the right a dark chocolate ganache covered with what appeared to be crunchy rice crisps but which tasted entirely of chocolate. I'm pretty sure spherification was in use here but it only occurred as an after thought, during the actual eating, I wasn't distracted by it at all!

So, the verdict? If you can afford it, you can't afford not to experience a meal at Quay. I haven't mentioned the service yet but having not long afterwards experienced truly bad service, I can only sing the praises of the wait staff at Quay. Great food, great service, the key to a great meal - no pun intended! :D

The Library Cookbook

2011-12-04T20:28:00.007+11:00

Or to be more precise, the St Andrew’s Cathedral School Library Cookbook!

This blog doesn't usually show advertisements (notice the lack of annoying popups and stuff - so just think of this as a community announcement) but the wondrous Connie W. author of the recipe for Tamarillo, Vanilla and Rosewater Jam was associated for some time with the SACS Library Team who have spent almost three years collecting, writing, testing and revising over a hundred mouth-watering recipes for their cookbook, which boasts the following features:

An international selection of traditional dishes
Spectacular food for special occasions
Simple satisfying meals for the whole family
All recipes tested by home cooks
Step-by-step instructions written by educators

All profits from the sale of The Library Cookbook will be used to support the work of Room to Read - a global organisation seeking to transform the lives of millions of children in the developing world by focusing on literacy and gender equality in education.

Founded on the belief that "World Change Starts with Educated Children", Room to Read works in collaboration with local communities, partner organisations and governments to develop literacy skills and a habit of reading among primary school children and to ensure girls have the skills and support needed to complete their secondary education. Since 2000, Room to Read has impacted the lives of more than four million children in Asia and Africa and aims to reach 10 million children by 2015.

If you would like to support this cause and order a copy (or more) of The Library Cookbook, you can:

Visit the library in person and place an order at the front desk (address below),
Email the SACS Library Team at: virtuallibrary@sacs.nsw.edu.au with “Cookbook Order” as the subject or
Ring the library on 02 9286 9554.

Each copy of the cookbook costs only $25. If you require the library to post your order to you, please contact them to negotiate postage options.

*Unless you have requested postal delivery, we understand that you will pick up your order at the Library Workroom (St Andrew’s Cathedral School Library, Sydney Square, George Street Sydney 2000) but hurry as the library will only be open for the week beginning December 5th before closing for the holidays.

Email: virtuallibrary@sacs.nsw.edu.au Telephone: 02 9286 9554

Please note that YaYa's Yum Yums has no association or relationship with SACS. All enquiries should be directed to the contacts given above.

What's in a Name?

2011-12-01T23:09:00.002+11:00

Cabins & Gonz - Cupcakes!

I honestly thought there was nothing new to say about cupcakes but then Lobo came across an offer from the Deal Me! people (one of the many and growing organisations which markets discounted deals as long as a minimum number of people buy it).

I was intrigued because not only was the price amazing (24 cupcakes in four varieties delivered for $35.00) but two of the four flavours on offer were unusual and one must never say no to chocolate!

The two flavours which made me sit up were Ube (the purple cupcake) and Pandan (the green cupcake). Those who love Asian sweets will know Pandan well. It's the coconut-scented leaf which is used to flavour rice, curries, cakes and sweet bean treats while Ube is a purple yam, popular in many countries of the world but I hadn't seen it commercially used like this before.

In the last 5 years, cupcakes have really taken off, there are so many specialty cupcake shops that you could find one in practically every suburb. The problem with most is that they either use flavoured icings on a plain vanilla cupcake to create the different varieties, or the icing towers and therefore over-dominates the cake or the cake is too dry. I don't know about you but if I'm going to absorb the unavoidable calories in a cupcake indulgence, I want it to be worthwhile!

One bite of a Cabins & Gonz cupcake and you will be hooked forever. The cake is light and moist and not overly sweet, there is a good balance (for my palate anyway!) of icing to cake and dare I say again, the flavours just blew me away. As well as the aforementioned Pandan and Ube, the chocolate was amazingly dark and moreish, the vanilla was standout and I also tried (over and above the deal because it just sounded so delicious) the Honey Chai flavour. They have certainly made the most of their Phillipino roots.

Other flavours include Lemon or Lime Meringue, Orange Poppyseed, Chocolate Coconut, Tiramisu and Lemon Myrtle.

I have to say that they're not cheap - although I think they are on a par with some of the cupcakeries in the city AND they deliver - but I would prefer to pay a little more for a special treat (a 4-pack of the chocolate will set you back $12.00 or you can buy a 6-cupcake sampler pack for $16.00 with a minimum order of $20.00) than have a so-so cupcake every day.

They also do special occasion cakes but I like having the variety. Personally, I can't wait for another special occasion to try some more of their flavours and given the regularity with which they pop up in a market or a fete, you're bound to catch up with them somewhere.

Do you ever know when a child lies?

2011-11-20T20:36:00.010+11:00

He looks up and asks her, "Have you been following the diet I sent to you?"
"Erm, maybe 50%?"
"You know, you really should. It really does get results."

Yeah, alright, it probably does help to follow a diet if one actually opens and reads attached diet plans within sent emails. Sigh. Admittedly I do eat out more than the average person, but surely one can make exceptions.... Particularly when it's Seiobo!

Another tree in the garden of the recently refurbished The Star comes along Seiobo, from the makers who brought you Momofuku. The deets - 15 course degustation for $175. I forget the additional alcohol add-on since I don't usually drink (or eat chocolate...). Bookings are taken via the web whether in NY or Sydney, so when a friend offered a spare place, I can't be so rude as to turn them down just to follow a diet!

Let's start.

Much love to the mochi. Spicy crisp, chewy and sweet from the glutinous rice, this for me easily trumps any cupcake/macaroon/black sesame glutinous rice balls on offer. Peoples, we need more of this, STAT!

One of many of Momofuku's signature dishes, the pork bun. Totally delicious, but reminded me of roast duck pancakes and thankfully, less greasy. Another member of our party had actually eaten proper NY David Chang steamed pork buns and preferred the NY ones, but those were apparently double the size...

Pretty presentation but not a fan. The wagyu beef was tender and had a good balance between meat and marbling, but the "fermented black bean" - aka burnt watermelon seeds translated into extreme bitterness, overpowering the radish and the wagyu... Next!

Goat's cheese is a taste I have yet to acquire; there's the creaminess, and despite the lack of smell, the gaminess of it all.

Hence the hesitation at first, but then you've come to this fine dining experience and you think, Why not?

Then you try the dish, and the simplicity of it, sheets of pasta, tart tomatoes, crisp mint, goats cheese sauce - it's noticeable and acts as a team player, letting other elements shine individually. It's a course that works for the non-cheese lover and I can't believe how enjoyable it is - so much so, I'm staring at the pot, every 10 mins of so, as more sheets of pasta are dropped into boiling water for the other patrons.

Starting to feel full at this stage.

Never realised how picky an eater I am, but I generally don't eat lamb unless it's heavily spiced to point where it's indistinguishable as beef, chicken, pork or lamb. This is lamb neck, is it supposed to be tender?Nicely cooked and rested.

Disliked this one. Gave it a try, but after a few spoons all that pecorino and licorice was just wrong, wrong, wrong....

Lovely presentation. Individual elements were good, it's just that the cripy milk was a tad too burnt to be enjoyed with the rest of the dessert.

This was enjoyable at first, the toasted rice made for nice textures, and the fruit balanced well with the miso.

Hey Fay, remember the time, about 6 months ago, I asked you if you'd heard of any desserts involving meat, apart from silken tofu soup? Well,...Voila!

It's hard to imagine, yes we've had dessert, why are we eating meat again?? But that's part of the charm, that is Seiobo. Always one with the surprises.

At this stage, we are properly full. If we haven't had a few wines by now, we've certainly enjoyed some of the free unlimited sparkling water. Minor details, however why is there only one toilet in the restaurant? Odd...

Having read Terry Durack's review the day before, I have to wholeheartedly agree. The thing that struck me about Seiobo was fine line between shyly subtle and confidently engaging in every aspect of the experience. Also glad i didn't notice any AC/DC playing and there is a enough of a mix to let you recognise bands/songs such as M83.

Anyways, this meal alone clearly covers all proper food groups - meat, bread, vegetables, dessert, who says it's not balanced?

Shanghai Stories 1938

2011-11-04T22:38:00.004+11:00

Not a book of memoirs from a mainland northerner nor the next Jackie Chan action thriller (although it does sound like a Wong Kar Wai movie) but the name of a Shanghai themed yum cha restaurant just opened in Chatswood's new community precinct called The Concourse!

Serendipitously, I was on an errand in Chatswood and walked past the huge complex that is the Concourse when I spotted this intriguingly named restaurant and decided straight away that it was time to eat even though it was only 11am, aahh call it brunch!

Thematically the fitout and the menu is sort of East-West fusion celebrating that brief period in history when Shanghai was the most western looking city in China and was known as "The Paris of the East". You have the standard yum cha items such as har gow or named on this menu as Crystal King Prawns, xiao long bau, shallot (green onion) pancakes, jellyfish salad and cubes of deep fried tofu with fried shredded stuff on top called Sandy Tofu (have to investigate this one next time I'm there).

No rice noodle rolls, mango pancakes or phoenix claws (chicken feet) of the typical Cantonese yum cha though. Instead we have turnip dumplings, handmade noodles with a spicy sauce, mocktails, fruit frappes and espresso coffee. The menu reminds me strongly of Din Tai Fung down to the ordering system of ticking off the number of items you want on a pre-printed order form.

The watermelon frappe tasted like it was just sweet melon flesh and ice churned together and was pricey at $6.80 but I liked the purity of the flavour and no added sugars.

The Xiao Long Bau were just as good as the Din Tai Fung ones and the skin just as thin, but a little less gingery in flavour and not as savoury. A little saucer of black vinegar was put on the table but no plate of slivered ginger, chilli or soy sauce was offered. $6.80

The prawn dumplings look a little lumpy and unrefined but that's because they contained huge chunks of prawn so fresh and undisguised with fillers and flavourings that the true flavour of the prawn comes through beautifully. They're the freshest prawn dumplings I've tried in a long time and worth the $7.80!

Have to say this isn't my favourite green onion pancake, they're a little greasy and the dough is a bit gummy rather than flakey and not enough salt on the onion. $5.80

This is coconut jelly and pawpaw, an interesting combination of flavours and pretty to look at except for the parsley sprigs on either side of the plate which didn't make sense to me so I removed them! The jelly is a lot thicker and creamier than you normally get in a yum cha restaurant but makes a refreshing end to the meal. I didn't eat these at the restaurant but when I saw them on the menu, I couldn't resist ordering...

Steamed Panda Buns containing a sweet bean paste. Something to rival Chefs Gallery's famous Piggy Buns? Perhaps not but the kiddies will love them!

There were a couple of other things on the menu I would love to explore later on, the Toffee Apple Shanghai style (the photo was a whole apple covered in a red sauce!), their version of a sago pudding and pork crackling served with osthmanthus jelly on a pancake Peking duck style!

They even have a Shanghai style high tea for about $30 per person. The restaurant appears to have a second level which I didn't explore but the outdoor eating area looks onto the central courtyard of the Concourse and is a pleasant space for families with children. I think the rest of the menu is worth exploring and will certainly return to try it.

Everyone has nice dumplings!

2011-10-31T21:30:00.004+11:00

So say the people at

a quaint restaurant attached to the Commonwealth Pub in Surry Hills. It's the sort of place you envisage finding in a backstreet off the main road in Shanghai. Walking into this place was like getting on a plane and landing in an exotic location without the body-draining experience of air travel.

The ceiling was hung with bird cages of all shapes and sizes doubling as lanterns and yes, that is a bicycle!

An eclectic mix of bench seating and cowhide covered stools (which would have been at home in a Texan bar) along with row upon row of narrow picnic-style tables formed the furnishings; not unlike a pop-up restaurant which vanishes without a trace in the morning; except that the buzz and hum generated by the volume of patrons would seem to indicate that this place is not closing down any time soon!

Chosen as the venue for a business mixed with pleasure lunch, it was the perfect combination of informal food mixed with variety and plentiful flavours. We chose to have the Banquet 2 Menu at $29.95 per head but a la carte offers all the same dishes with 5 portions per dish

We ate:

Peking Duck Pancakes

BBQ Pork Buns

Asian Vegetable Spring Rolls

Chilli Prawn Spring Rolls

Pork & Chive Dumplings
Edamame Dumplings

Prawn Gow Gees

Shanghai Soup Dumplings

Chicken & Water Chestnut Wontons

BBQ Pork with Soy Fusion Dressing

Salt & Pepper Squid with Thai Chilli Sauce

Asian Greens with Oyster Sauce

and Jasmine Rice - well, you know what that looks like!

It was difficult to walk out of there with dignity when we felt like stuffed cushions.
My one gripe with the food was that after the first couple of dishes, which came out singly, allowing us to savour the flavour before moving onto the next delicacy, the remaining dishes appeared almost all at once which meant that some of the dishes had cooled by the time we got to sample them. While this may not matter say with the BBQ Pork or Peking Duck Pancakes which are served cold anyway, dumplings should always be served hot, straight out of the steamer, so you even have to blow on them before you dare put them to your lips. My enjoyment of the last few varieties was coloured by this, but also I think (because my eyes are always bigger than my stomach!) I was pretty full by then as well.

My other gripe had to do with the bench seating, which was so narrow that an average sized bottom (and I'm a size 10 in the rear end according to my wardrobe) did not sit comfortably on it. You were either perched on the front edge and finely balanced so as not to fall forward or had your backside hanging precariously off the back edge and forced to lean forward to ensure you didn't tumble backwards. I half suspect that this is not a place where you are encouraged to linger, rather to drop in, eat and go on your merry way - just as it would be in old Shanghai.

Tropical Sunrise Tart - King of Fruit Pineapple Challenge

2011-10-13T20:51:00.008+11:00

I grew up, like the majority of Australians, eating tinned pineapple. I savoured the sweet crispness of the generally chilled fruit but still have memories of the metallic taste of the tin in which it was canned.

Fast forward several decades and fresh pineapple at the supermarket has gone from strength to strength, starting with an initial (practically inedible) tart variety which sent you scrambling back to the tinned ones to the non-acidic unbelievably sweet varieties now available.

All praise to the person who first braved the prickly exterior of this by-product of the plant's pro-creation.
When King of Fruit contacted the Yummers to ask if we would be interested in entering the pineapple challenge and offered to supply the fruit, how could we resist?

The pack consisted of three gorgeously ripe smelling pineapples, some promotional magnets and a hessian bag along with a King of Fruit apron to wear while concocting. Luckily it arrived the week before the long weekend because I had dastardly plans for these pineapples - they were in for a long slow torture!

As soon as I accepted this challenge, I started fantasizing about the perfect pineapple dessert - I didn't want to just use it as a single ingredient, I wanted to prepare it a number of ways but how to seamlessly combine them into a single dish that wouldn't be just a mash-up?
The first thing I did was to cut one open and breathe in the heavenly aroma. It dripped juice and was a very pretty gold colour. Then I sampled it in the raw. It was definitely good fresh so I knew I wanted one component to be fresh.

Then, adapting a technique I learned from a chef at Ad Lib Bistro, I used a mandoline to very finely slice a quarter of the first pineapple. I then sifted icing sugar onto a baking-paper lined tray and laid the pineapple in a single layer all across the paper. After sifting some more icing sugar over the top of the pineapple slices, it went into a low oven (50 degrees Celcius) for about 4 hours (until it was crisp) to make pineapple bark.

Not wanting to waste the ends which I had sliced off, I sprinkled caster sugar on another baking-paper lined tray, put single slices on this and following another sprinkling of caster sugar, this also went into the oven. After 6 hours in the oven, I had crystallised pineapple plates.

With all that slow cooking, there was plenty of time to think about the actual dish I was going to create. I knew I wanted to make something textural but I also knew that something like puff pastry was not going to be a good match for the moistness of the pineapple.

Those who have been reading my blogs will know that I have been experimenting with cookie recipes and brainstorming with S at work led me to using an adaptation of my Earl Grey Tea Biscuit recipe, substituting ginger (both powdered and crystallised) for the Earl Grey Tea Leaves. This provided me with a dough that I knew I could roll out relatively thinly but would bake up nice and crisp and contain the juice of the fresh pineapple for at least as long as it took to photograph and eat the dessert! Being a "refrigerator cookie", you can make up the dough in advance and freeze then thaw it or keep it in the fridge for up to a month and bring it to room temperature before rolling it out to use so you can make as few or as many cases as you need or if you don't think you'll make the recipe again, cut the remaining dough out with a cookie cutter and you have ginger biscuits! Versatile!

To further slow the absorption of the juice into the biscuit case and to add a layer of flavour, I decided to make a burnt buttery caramel, firm enough to support the weight of the filling but soft enough to dissolve quickly on the tongue.

Next I wanted to concentrate the wonderful pineapple flavour so I cooked half a sliced up pineapple with caster sugar to make a pineapple coulis.

After passing the cooled mixture through a sieve, the pulp still tasted good so I spread it out thinly on another baking paper lined tray and after about 3 hours in the cool oven, ended up with pineapple leather! While I didn't end up using it in the dish, this part didn't go to waste!

To assemble the dish, I spooned finely sliced fresh pineapple on top of the caramel. It wasn't to combat any non-existent stringyness, I just liked the idea of a delicate dessert that could be easily cut through with a fork.

To counteract the sweetness, I piped on whipped cream flavoured with vanilla, icing sugar and dark rum (which I could have happily eaten with a bowl of the fresh pineapple!) then topped it all with slivers of the pineapple bark.

For the final plating, I smeared a spoonful of the pineapple coulis on a plate, placed the pineapple plate on top followed by the filled tartlet and scattered some more pineapple bark on the plate. I've entered this into the King of Fruit - King's Banquet Competition but judge for yourself and let me know what you think!

If you like what you see, please vote for me here: King of Fruit - King's Banquet Competition where you can also find the full recipe.

While I have made tartlets, you could just as easily bake a full size tart with the quantities in the recipe.

Final word, this is one elaborate dessert but everything can be made in advance and assembled just before serving! :D

Kushiyaki Bar and Grill - Sugar Hit Preview 2011

2011-10-04T22:51:00.009+11:00

There are two kinds of people in the world, people who favour sweets and people who prefer savoury dishes. I have an entire set of 'sweet teeth' and fall firmly into the first category. I was delighted to be invited for a sneak peek of Kushiyaki Bar and Grill’s 2011 Sugar Hit menu.

This year the desserts (which are produced at the tiny Azuma patisserie two doors away), have a stronger Japanese influence in terms of flavours and ingredients. As people are exposed to a wider array of cuisines from the plethora of cooking shows in the media, they are also becoming more adventurous with their tastes and are demanding more authenticity. I think this is a good thing.

Greeted with a glass of bubbly, we then sat down to some tasty ‘stomach liners’ to prepare us for the desserts that lay ahead.

First off was a spider roll and crab roll liberally drizzled with creamy Japanese mayonnaise. A welcome treat for

an increasingly noisy stomach that had been awaiting additional sustenance since lunch time.

Next, we were served juicy yakitori sticks which were seasoned with a combination of what I suspect was soy, mirin, sake and sugar for a nice caramelised finish.

Even though I’m a sweets person, I love my lamb chops. The next dish was barbequed lamb chops (which will soon be added to the menu of Azuma at Chifley). Seasoned in a Japanese style, it walked a sweet/savoury line with soy and honey flavours and was grilled with rosemary for some added aroma. It was succulent and I had to use all my will power to offer the last piece to the other food bloggers at the table (btw- nice to meet you Helen, Suze and Richard!).

At this point my pancreas was alerting me that it had not yet released a surge of insulin into my blood stream. We were here for desserts right?

Then came the beautifully presented stacked bento boxes with two accompanying sakes. On top was a green tea/matcha tiramisu, sake sponge bites, a hand crafted chocolate and glass of nigori sake.

The sponge fingers in this tiramisu were soaked in shochu (a distilled Japanese alcoholic beverage) instead of sake (which is brewed). This was done, as pastry chef Miya Matsumura explained because the flavour of sake was deemed too overpowering for this dish. Cream/mascarpone was layered with dustings of green tea or matcha powder. The result was delicious. The earthy flavour of the green tea added a nice contrast to the richness of the cream and shochu soaked sponge.

The sake sponge bites consisted of butter cake cubes soaked in fine sake and skewered on a fancy tooth pick. Maybe my taste buds had been won over by the tiramisu, but the sponge bites tasted a bit plain. Hindsight is a wonderful thing and what I should have done is used them to soak up the cream/mascarpone.

The chocolate with blue circles was a bit of an odd ball in this bunch. It was made up of dark/milk chocolate praline with caramel ganache, covered with dark chocolate and an‘explosive finish’. The ‘explosive’ finish was in fact the popping/crackling ingredient used in pop rocks or magic gum. Although tasty, it seemed a bit out of place with this combination of flavours.

We were also served an additional tiramisu with kinako powder. Kinako is comprised of roasted soybeans, ground to a fine powder. It has a fragrant nutty flavour.

I personally preferred the green tea version but there were still plenty that put their hands up for the kinako.

Our second bento box contained Anmitus which is a combination of assorted fruits, tapioca pearls, shiramata rice dumplings (made from glutinous rice flour) covered in kinako powder with Japanese brown sugar syrup. Served along side was a scoop of home made white sesame ice cream. The anmitsu was an interesting textural dish. The strawberry, blueberry and pineapple added a juicy freshness. I’m a glutton for gluten and the shiratama

dumplings/tapioca pearls were nice and chewy which may surprise (and hopefully delight) the uninitiated. The sweetness of the red bean and sugar syrup tied this combination together.

I’ve had black sesame ice cream many times before but never white sesame.

The result was very tasty treat. The flavour was subtle at first as my taste buds processed the sweetness and creaminess of the ice cream. The nuttiness of the sesame flavour of the ice cream flowed through later.

This was served with a yuzu sake which is a Japanese citrus fruit which falls somewhere between the flavour of a lemon and lime. Like an ultra mellow limoncello. A refreshing digestif after all that sugar!

So here is a preview of what to expect during October. The Sugar Hit is available after 9pm throughout October. Places are limited, so book early!

Kushiyaki Bar and Grill is located at 501 George Street, Sydney (tucked in behind the KFC on George and Bathurst Streets).

Ph: (02) 9267 7775

Chef Azuma even popped in to answer questions about the menu!

Tamarillo, Vanilla and Rosewater Jam - an original recipe by Connie W.

2011-09-23T00:27:00.009+10:00

I was introduced to this gorgeous concoction by my first foodie friend Connie who gifted me a tiny jar of it many, many years ago, like Proust's madeleines the memories come rushing back everytime I open a jar and smell the perfume of the jam. It didn't last very long and was much too good to put on anything as mundane as toast or a scone.

Nope, this jam had to be eaten on its own, a little spoonful at a time so you could savour its full range of flavours, tart yet rich and exotic from the vanilla beans and rosewater. The fruit becomes candied and deliciously chewy as you bite down on each morsel embedded in the jam. The colour of the jam will depend on how ripe the fruit is and whether it's a yellow or red variety. Connie's jam was a dark red but mine is more orange in colour. I've tried this recipe with orange flower water as well and it tastes just as good.

Tamarillos can be horribly expensive, I've seen them cost more than A$2.00 each so I only make this jam when the price becomes more reasonable. The fruit can be tart and I must admit I've never tried a fresh one that tasted pleasantly sweet. I was surprised to find out that this fruit originates from South America where it is known as a tree tomato, I always thought it was from New Zealand where it is marketed as a tamarillo but the fruit is now grown in many parts of the world. If you cut it open, the structure does look remarkably like the insides of a tomato.

You will need to peel the fruit and scoop out all the seeds before chopping the flesh up. The seeds will stain but unlike beetroot juice, the tamarillo colouring will wash off your hands quite easily. You could leave the seeds in which will make the jam redder in colour and scoop them out during the cooking or tie them up in muslin and leave in the mixture until just before the syrup starts to thicken but I haven't tried this yet, I'm quite happy with the colour of the jam just as it turned out.

Ingredients:

6 tamarillos ( I used 8 because they were cheap at the time!)

1 vanilla pod split in half

2 lemons juiced and then strained

2 teaspoons of rosewater or orange flower water (use less if you don't like the jam too perfumed)

2 cups of caster sugar (more or less, this will depend on the volume of cooked pulp)

2 small or 1 large sterilised jam jar (my two cups of fruit from 8 tamarillos yielded 1 and 1/3 cups of jam)

Method:

Peel and de-seed the tamarillos and chop into small pieces.

Put the chopped fruit into a heavy saucepan, scrape the seeds of the vanilla pod into the pan and add the pods themselves, fill with water until it just covers the fruit and cook for about 10-15 minutes until the fruit is tender and pulpy.

When the mixture is cooled a little, measure the contents of the saucepan and for every 1 cup of cooked fruit measure 3/4 of a cup of sugar. 8 tamarillos gave me roughly two cups of fruit so you can add between 1 and 1/2 to 2 cups of sugar according to taste.

Put the fruit (don't forget to put the vanilla pod back in if you removed it for measuring), the sugar and the strained juice of 2 lemons (roughly the juice of 1 lemon for each cup of cooked fruit) back into the saucepan and heat until it is boiling. Boil at a moderately high rate, stirring constantly until the mixture has thickened slightly and sets when you spoon a little of it onto a cool plate. This means when you put a blob onto a plate and wait till it cools a little, it will wrinkle when you give the blob a push. If it just smears the plate, it's not cooked enough!

When the jam is set, take it off the heat and cool it for a few minutes before stirring in the rosewater or orange flower water. The jam may look a little too liquid but will further thicken when it cools in the jar.

I like to warm my jars slightly in the oven before pouring in hot jam as I get anxious about the hot jam cracking cold glass. If you are an experienced jam maker with all the right equipment, please proceed as you would normally. This recipe stems from more rustic times before any of us had candy thermometers and sterilising kits available!

Connie's recipe uses only half a vanilla pod but I like to use a whole one, she also suggests removing the pod before you bottle it but I like leaving it in the jar as it is rather pretty to look at!

Happy Birthday Sue, enjoy!

Tetsuyas ... again?!!

2011-08-28T20:39:00.003+10:00

There is no way to disguise a dinner at this Sydney institution.

I would like to make a declaration - I am not a Tetsuya virgin. I had the great luck to have dined at the original restaurant in Rozelle (twice) and a few times after it moved to its current Kent Street location before this evening; so you will forgive me if I say that I was missing the surprise factor which is part of the whole Tetsuya's experience.
Anticipation is nine tenths of the enjoyment of a good meal and Tetsuya's is still one of the most coveted seats on the Sydney Dining scene. Marry that with a couple of significant birthdays and blogging it for the first time and you expect fireworks. Which is not to say that I was disappointed.We were lucky enough to be offered one of the private dining rooms (usually available at an additional cost). Away from the bustle of the main dining room, and owing to the attentive staff, it is easy to believe the restaurant is open just for you.
But, I still remember the first time fondly - I didn't have to pay the bill; it was the first degustation menu I had eaten (eating what your parents give you doesn't count!); it was one of the first up-market restaurants I had dined at and it was the most expensive meal you could buy.
Tetsuya's (whipped) Truffle Butter on a sour dough roll

Ever since we first devoured it, my family have had an ongoing love affair with Tetsuya's truffle butter. Smeared onto a chunk of the sour dough or white dinner rolls on offer, it is heaven in your mouth. We've gone as far as purchasing Tetsuya's Truffle Salsa and making it at home following Tetsuya's very own recipe. How disappointing then to be offered the whipped version that we were this night. It lacked the original punch. If this is a cost saving measure, personally I would rather be limited to one pot (the waitstaff refill the pot and provide additional rolls as many times as you request them) than a multitude of this watered down version. Please, we beg you, go back to the original recipe!

Rant over, we were off on the evening's rollercoaster.

Amuse Bouche: Chestnut Soup with a Dollop of Smoked Cream

A lovely way to start a meal, the warm chestnut broth was light and delicately sweet so it couldn't be mistaken for dessert and it paired beautifully with the smoky cream. The ratio of cream to soup was perfect too but probably not recommended on a daily basis!

Pre-Degustation Extra - Tasmanian Bruny Island Pacific Oysters with a Ginger & Rice Wine Dressing

Every time we've been here, we've questioned the wisdom of ordering an extra course knowing that we have 9 ahead of us and every time (so far!) we've thrown caution to the wind. This time, as usual, the risk was well worthwhile.
Although these oysters were served with what appeared to be the simplest of dressings, everyone agreed that it was going to be tough to beat as the overture to our symphony. Not a fan of huge, creamy oysters, I didn't think I would like these but I loved them. They were not briny at all nor too meaty, creamy nor too anything. They were as perfect as an oyster could be.

Degustation Menu

1: Steamed Sea Urchin Savoury Custard with Whole Sea Urchin Roe

Those who ate this tell me that it was smooth and silky as a steamed custard should be. I almost gleefully gloated in the fact that I have an egg allergy which meant that I was served an alternative dish as I personally have never (and suspect never will) appreciate sea urchin roe.

1A - Egg Free Alternative: Artichokes with Parsley Chlorophyll and Peanuts

The idea of degustation and the best scenario for bloggers in particular, is that everyone eats the same dish and has an opportunity to compare notes with their individual palates and preferences. As the only allergy sufferer of the group, my substitute meals can often make me the envy or condolence of the table. On this occasion, I was very happy with my artichokes, they were tender but al dente and not drowned in the dressing.The Parsley Chlorophyll had all but dried on the plate so the only way to have really tasted this was to pick up the plate and lick it but I was in Tetsuya's ...

2: Sashimi of Hiramusu Kingfish with Black Bean & Orange

The only dish to be served on a rustic plate, it was almost hard to tell where the Kingfish finished and the plate began. I remember thinking the dressing was devine and something I would have to try at home myself. The dish itself was the cause of some light-hearted poking as one of the used dishes went back to the kitchen earlier than the rest and the maitre'd tried to establish whether HB's hubby had pocketed it as a souvenir.

3: Confit of Tasmanian Petuna Ocean Trout with a Kombu Crust over a Salad of Shaved Fennel accompanied by Unpasteurised Ocean Trout Roe & a Parsley Oil garnish

Tetsuya's signature dish, this never fails to impress. We marvel at how the delicate sliver of ocean trout looks raw while (even knowing that it has been cooked at very low temperatures in a bath of hot oil), it does not present nor taste greasy. The parsley oil, while beautiful in its sparseness, would have been appreciated a little more had it had more substance.

4. John Dory with Ajo Blanco & Pil Pil

We learn that the Pil Pil is an emulsion of fish and oil (in what is quite a complex process) which creates a kind of mayonnaise without egg. I'd like to think this was just for me but the fact that it was paired with the Ajo Blanco, a puree of white garlic leads me to think that this dish was inspired by Spanish tapas cuisine. Perhaps we'd had enough seafood by then (having elected to be surprised dish by dish we weren't sure whether the entire menu was to be seafood) but there wasn't as much rapture over this dish as with the preceding. Then this arrived:

5: Steamed Queensland Spanner Crab served with Fois Gras & Tofu & Junsai

And the reaction was instantaneous. The balance of flavours and textures in this dish were outstanding - the filminess of the fois gras and tofu with the tender crab meat was a big hit. The junsai (a perennial water grass and a member of the water lily family) was best taken in the proportions which came with the dish! It was a little like nibbling on a reconstituted tea leaf surrounded by jelly and while I'm glad I had the opportunity to try this seasonal delicacy, I don't think I would have truly have missed it.

6: Confit of Pressed Duck Leg with Caramelised Shallots & Pancetta

After so much seafood, it was almost a relief when this arrived. The duck was perfectly cooked and moist, the pancetta smoky and the shallots added a satisfying crunch. Similarly to the Trout, while we knew the process required a lot of oil, there wasn't a hint of oiliness except where it enhanced the jus.

7: Young Venison with Salt-Roasted Beetroot & Parsley Chlorophyll

Another confession, I'm not a big fan of game meats in general but having half anticipated that we would be getting a Wagyu beef dish of some sort, we were pleasantly surprised to be presented with this. It wasn't a work of art by any means but the meat was definitely tender and juicy and the beets sweet. Still not sure about the Parsley Chlorophyll but if it's good enough for plants, it's good enough for me!

Pre-Dessert: Hay Infused Icecream with Sorrel Granita

Those who had this swore they could taste the start of summer in the ice cream (I don't recall anyone having chewed on any hay recently in my presence so perhaps they had good imaginations) while the sorbet was refreshing. I thought it was very patriotic!

8: Tetsuya's Apple Tarte Tartin with Calvados Icecream & Bruleed Bread & Butter Pudding

Definitely falling into the deconstructive genre, these were a novel approach considering Testuya's original goal was the marriage of French with Japanese. So we have the Frenchness of a Tarte Tartin and a regular Brulee, modernised beyond recognition along English lines! I'm hoping my fellow diners will tell me their impressions as these were a no-go zone for me.

8A: Egg Free - Caramelised Apple with Diced Apple in Amaretto with Sugared Walnuts & Coffee Infused Dates with a Bitter Chocolate Sorbet

I had to admire the craftsmanship in this dessert. While not as artistic as some of the desserts we've sampled, the fresh apple was diced to precision and minutely so. To my palate, it was overly sweet and could have done with a little cream on the side but the Dark Chocolate Sorbet was to die for.

9: Spiced Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Icecream

I really do think we were struggling at this stage to rapture over anything, there is full and there is I-can't-fit-another-thing-in-my-mouth full, yet here was another dessert, oh...would we have missed the oysters to better enjoy this? I didn't think so.

9A - Egg Free: Hazelnuts rolled in Cocoa, Bitter Chocolate Sorbet on a Bed of Sago

I'm so glad they brought me this! What is sorbet after all than just frozen water? No calories in that, right? And the chocolate's full of antioxidants! Yay!!! Despite having no room at all for this, I proudly managed to squeeze it all in!

What is a good meal without a sturdy pot of tea?

And some of these ...

No, these aren't small boulders, they're Chai flavoured Mochi, a twist on the traditional glutinous rice treat.

Happy birthday to Lobo & Wag!

In these heightened days of making food that looks better than it tastes, I would rather eat that which appeals to my palate than a work of art which is questionable on the tongue; Tetsuyas strikes an even balance between the two.

The portions seem to have increased in size, no doubt in response to some criticism which praised the taste but didn't appease the belly, even after 9 courses! We definitely left satisfied.

Dining at Tetsuya's is a commitment and if you're going on a week night, as we did, you should take the day after off to recover!

Will I return anytime soon? I would never say never, there were wonderful highlights (the oysters, the crab and the duck) but some of the magic has gone, possibly to Singapore where Tetsuya has opened up an outpost which harks back to his original dream of keeping it small.

Maybe that should be our next stop! :D

Knife Shops in Japan - Tokyo, Kyoto, Osaka and Sakai

2011-08-19T21:03:00.011+10:00

This one is for all the knife enthusiasts out there! If you're planning a visit to Japan, then this will give you a sneak peek at some of the major high-end knife shops.

Click on the links of each maker to access more photos of the knife shop.

My fascination with Japanese cooking knives had been sparked a few years ago and ever since, Knife Forums (KF) has been an invaluable source of information. I had lusted after many of the blades discussed and photographed in countless posts. Most importantly, it exposed me to many brands which you would never find in major (and specialist) kitchen shops. It is also a great source of information on the different types of blades and the qualities of various metals.

I would begin my trip in Tokyo, moving to Kyoto and finish

up in Osaka/Sakai (I would have also liked to travel to Seki and seek out other less accessible manufacturers across the land, but both time and money were a factor). I had printed maps, addresses and direction for all the knife shops and was ready to fit my holiday around my knife shopping trip.

Sakai was the most keenly anticipated of all my destinations. My shopping list exclusively contained Sakai blades. To be able to visit and experience the actual show rooms of the different manufacturers was almost of higher priority than visiting the major tourist sites! It would culminate with a visit to a Sakai blacksmith to see first hand, the blades being forged from a lump of steel to a fine kitchen tool. I have to say a big thank you to my long suffering girlfriend who was dragged around from shop to shop! I also had the pleasure of meeting Mr. Keiichi Omae (see Sakai Yusuke below) from bluewayjapa n. It was great to meet a local from Sakai who is knowledgeable and passionate about knives. Better still, that he comes from the source of these great tools and is making them available to cooking enthusiasts worldwide.

I'd like to say that all the knife shops I visited were extremely friendly and welcoming. I never experienced any objections when I asked politely for permission to take some photos. I'd like to thank them all for their generosity and helping to make this post possible.

TOKYO

This meant targeting the shops around Tsukiji fish market and Kappabashi....

Tsukiji Area

Masamoto-Tsukiji: Had two stores based at Tsukiji fish markets.

A smaller shop inside the markets (close to the restaurants) and a larger shop near the market stalls. As you can see from the pictures in the link, the walls are loaded with blades. The larger shop has two employees at the entrance sharpening knives and they range from budget blades up to your mirror polished works of art.

Sugimoto: A small store front, Sugi's are very well known for their high quality cleavers. The staff were very friendly although I was just browsing and didn't handle any knives.

Aritsugu - Tsukiji: A popular make in the

KF circles, there were lots of sexy A-Type knives as well as some mega-expensive yanagibas on stands with beautiful finewood sayas. This was a little taste of what was to come from their flagship Nishiki Market store in Kyoto.

Nenohi (Nenox): Favoured by Iron Chefs Sakai and Morimoto, they were unfortunately closed so all I have is this photo of their locked security door..

Kappabashi Area - This district of Tokyo serves the hospitality industry and you will find everything from pots/pans to plastic model food, not to mention, knives....

TDI: Situated along the main drag of Kappabashi The main knife

brand in stock here was Tojiro (favoured by Heston Blumenthal). They also carried quite a few European brands like Wustof. In addition, there was a good

range of accessories and whet stones.

Kama Asa: Further down the road is Kama Asa who carried all kinds of kitchenware. The knives they stocked were mainly generic and the shop assistant although very nice, couldn’t tell me a lot about the qualities of the various blades – only that I could get my name engraved on the blade.

Union Commerce: A mix of mainly Japanese but also Western knives (Wustof and Victorinox). This shop had a good range of Masamoto-Sohonten and Misono.

Tsubaya:
Directly across the road from Union Commerce, you will find

Tsubaya. A narrow showroom filled with mainly Japanese brands like Masahiro.

Kamata: Was a surprise packet because I was expecting them to carry mostly their own brand. What I found was an excellent range including the Masamoto-Sohonten, Kumagoro, Hattori and Konosuke Sakai. The prices as you will see, were staggering, but these are hand forged pieces of art.

Masamoto-Sohonten: One of the best known and popular sushi knife makers around, I searched in vain for a Masamoto-Sohonten store (as opposed to Masamoto-Tsukiji). I traced down their head office in Sumida ward but did not have time to visit. Having said that, the sohonten blades are well stocked in all the good knife stores I visited. I would have liked to visit the actual shop (if one exists). If anyone has any information on a dedicated Masamoto-Sohonten store, I’d appreciate any information for my next trip.

KYOTO

Kikuichimonji: Part hardware store, part knife shop. Kikuichimonji ha

d a good range and the shop assistant was kind enough to load me up with a brochure explaining the different steel types. I was pressed for time so could not spend a great deal of time here.

Aritsugu: A very elegant shop in the Nishiki Market arcade. I walked

right past this shop because of the copper pots in the front window. When I doubled back, I found a very slick shop with grinding, sharpening and engraving at the rear of the showroom. The knives (as well as gardening tools) were located on the left wall.

Shigeharu: A little further out and close to Nijo Castle, Shigeharu is a small shop I read about on a few blogs. The shop had a small range of Shigeharu Japanese and Western style knives as well as some Misono and plently of scissors.

OSAKA

Ichimonji Chuki: Is located in the kitchenware arcade Doguyasuji. It's a huge shop with a massive range of knives and cookware. As you enter, you will find the carbon blades on the left wall and the stainless blades on the right. Their 'special' and expensive engraved knives can be found further in. Please note that you are not allowed to take photos of some of the knives near the cash register. There is also a bunch of Misono knives towards the back of the shop.

SAKAI

Sakai is the equivalent of mecca and a must visit for the knife enthusiast. Only a 15 minute train ride from Namba station in Osaka, Sakai is very easy to get to and you have no excuses not to visit for a day trip if you are in the area (remember that even if you are in Kyoto, Osaka is only 15mins away by the bullet train/shinkansen). Several of the top makers are clustered here and there is also a knife museum to visit.

Sakai Knife Museum: About a 15 minute walk from the train station is the Sakai knife museum. It has an impressive room displaying all the various stages of the knife making process. All the various types of Sakai blades types are represented and you will have a great time ogling the

display cabinets. Educational DVD’s play in the background and you can even book to participate in knife sharpening demonstrations. The room on the right sells blades from various local makers and has a knife

to suit all budgets. Best of all, entry is free.

Ikkanshi Tadatsuna:
A small shop that looks more like an old house,

Ikkanshi Tadatsuna, like most knife shops in Sakai is very unassuming. When you walk through the auto-sensor slide doors, you are greeted with two large glass cases of knives. Known for their fit and finish (and used by Iron Chef Michiba), Tads are definitely deserving of their reputation. Plenty of exquisite blades are on show along with some whet stones, scissors and other gardening implements.

Sakai Takayuki: This was not their showroom but their head office and distribution centre (you can see the staff packing boxes in the back

ground in my photos). I knocked on the front door and they were kind enough to invite me in. They really went out their way and the President of the company, Mr Takayuki Aoki, took me up to their boardroom himself to show me more knives in a glass cabinet. That was followed

by demonstrating their new laser engraving machine. Takayuki is quite innovative and of particular note was a ceramic yanagiba (discontinued) and new composite handles. I was given some catalogues in Japanese and English. I was touched by their hospitality and warmth.

Konosuke Sakai: Again, this was their main office and distribution centre. They welcomed me in and Mr. Hiraoka went out the back returning with a large black case. Inside was an Aladdin's cave of blades. There was the prototype of their (now in production) HD gyuto, a gyuto with a mirror polish, lots of pretty laser etched blades and a blue steel beast which was many thousands of dollars more than I was willing to spend. Again, thanks to Mr. Hiraoka who was extremely warm and welcoming (given that this was not their proper store-front and I basically just wandered in off the street!)

Suisin: Favoured by many professionals in Japan, Suisin is located one street back from the main drag. Mr. Tatsuya Aoki as well as his father were on hand that

day. The front counter was full of beautiful mirror finish INOX (stainless) yanigibas. I was also shown a yani forged by the reknowned Mr. Kejiro Doi (the diamond shaped symbol on the blade is his stamp). There was also a yanagiba that had been returned by a customer. Not because it was a faulty blade. The yanagiba that had seen so much use, that profile of the blade was almost flat. When the customer came to pick up his new blade, he returned the old one back to its ‘place of birth’.

Sakai Yusuke: Yusuke has recently appeared in many forum discussions and found favour with many knife nuts. After visiting the showroom I can see why. For the price, the quality of their knives is second to none. The fit and finish of both their Japanese style and Western knives are flawless. On the Japanese style knives, the spine and choils were all beautifully rounded. The join between the handle and blade showed no pits or excess ‘glue’ – perfectly level and smooth. The

handle and buffalo ferrule were joined so nicely, it felt like one piece.
With a large cabinet showcasing knives in white, blue and stainless steel, Mr.Sakai was very accommodating in allowing me to inspec

t knife after knife. So impressed with the quality I bought a yanagiba and petty. I wish I had bought more… On that thought, a big thank you to Mr. Keiichi Omae from bluewayjapan who introduced me to Yusuke. I won’t hesitate to call on Keiichi when I choose to extend my knife collection. He is one of the most helpful and reliable gentlemen around.

Visit to the blacksmith: After a few enquiries into visiting a blacksmith, I found myself in the backstreets of Sakai and outside a workshop. Inside was Mr. Enami who happened to be forging some usubas at the time. He was an extremely nice chap and invited me down to the furnace to witness the forging of the steel, explaining how the colour of the fire translated to a particular temperature range. He then let me operate the pedal that feeds oxygen into the furnace and intensifies the heat. Next was the hammering of the blades.

Again operated by a pedal, this was harder than it seemed. The speed of the mechanical hammer was difficult to control, as it would start very slowly and then sped up rapidly. I ‘helped’ pound the blade (quite unevenly I might add) and was sure I screwed the blade with my first time effort. Finally, I was shown the grinding process. No surprises here – a big rotary grinder helped shape the edge of the blade and so concluded my special insight into the knife making process. I’d like to thank Mr. Enami for taking the time to show me first hand the forging and grinding techniques. Apologies for messing up one of your blades!

Diary of a Chocoholic

2011-08-12T21:35:00.008+10:00

Note to self - after eating chocolate, remember to check lips in mirror. A chocolate-smeared mouth might look good on a toddler but on a fully-grown adult, it's a little less adorable!

I have to confess, this blog was originally about only one chocolate but then I found some more chocolate that was worth talking about so this has been building since Christmas last year.

These first two chocolates, Premium M&Ms were originally bought as last minute Christmas presents.

I found these in our local shopping centre in a small cart (Lolly Castle) which sells a selection of international goodies that aren't found on the shelves of our local supermarkets; Pop Tarts, Babe Ruth bars, Junior Mints, all types of unusual Pringle-like, non-Pringle reconstituted potato snacks, and they're my lone supplier of Dr Pepper, the only carbonated softdrink to which I'm addicted. (So much so that before they started importing them, I tried to make my own version after my first trip to America where I drank it almost every day but that's another story!).

The plastic bag was inside a light cardboard sleeve but I was obviously so keen to get into the chocolate that I didn't bother about the packaging! : )
The candies themselves had a similar textured sheen that was reminiscent of tie dyeing.

There were two varieties, Triple Chocolate (Dark, Milk & White) and Mint.

We were curious as to what they would taste like.

I have to admit to a little disappointment with these. The reason most of us buy candy-coated chocolate is for the satisfying crunch as you bite through the shell. (Aside from the subtle added flavour and extra sugar that you're ingesting that is!) That satisfaction was sorely missing here. The exterior was as soft and yielding as the centre chocolate and the "shell" didn't taste much different to the inside.

That said, I'm glad I had the chance to taste them and they did look sooooo pretty on the table.

Meiji Melty Kiss - Green Tea Chocolate
Since discovering green tea icecream (served with a sweet slice of orange following my first Japanese meal ever), I have LOVED green tea in practically anything - straight (although I do prefer it with Jasmine and particularly the Dilmah brand); icecream of course, cake and now ... chocolate!

The pack opens to reveal cute individually wrapped portions, all very ironically "green".

This unwraps to a single, cocoa enrobed perfect cube
...

... which slices smoothly to reveal an equally smooth green fondant-looking interior.

Discovered by Wag, I expected these to be too sweet or gritty or have that dryness some powder-based icecreams develop when they've been in the freezer just a little too long. They were dainty, about the size of standard dice, the cocoa wasn't enough to choke you if you breathed in at the wrong time (in case you worry about such things!) but just enough to give it the bitterness that a fine chocolate should have.

The ingredients list was a little scary but even though green tea is only the 7th ingredient, the taste was very true. (Don't be put off by the cheese powder. Think of it like the cream cheese in cheesecake - as a the silent partner in a balance of tastes!) I rather suspect that the core ingredient is white chocolate mixed with a green tea powder.

I would definitely buy these again if I came across them.

Hot Chocolate - Lindsay & Edmunds

Ah, winter is upon us - an off season of cold, wet, windy days (my memory of winters in Sydney is of brisk but sunny days and showery nights, not so this year!) that can only be salvaged by a cup of steaming hot chocolate.

Chocolate stores have flourished in Sydney. If you can get along to the ones which serve the hot liquid kind - Boon, Lindt, Max Brenner to name a few - just to breathe in the cocoa dust hanging in the air, it's a nice way to relax and de-stress. (The shopping comes later!)
But if it's too wet to venture out, you need some of these:

When I picked these up, I assumed they were a dark chocolate lollipop! How elegant, I thought, a way to eat chocolate so it doesn't melt on your fingers! Everyone knows of course that these are for melting in hot milk and you can control the degree of chocolate by varying the amount of milk!
I have never been a huge hot milk fan before but watching the dark chocolate melt into the milk and sniffing the aroma which arises from the steam then wrapping your hands around the mug and feeling the contents glide down your throat is pure heaven.
Not to mention the great night's sleep I had afterwards! Thank goodness there are 4 in a pack!

Willy Wonka Exceptionals Collection.
In general, I dislike American chocolate. I was always intrigued by Hershey's because they were "the" American chocolate, much like Cadbury's or later on Nestle were considered the Australian household standard. But just because they're a household name doesn't mean it's the best chocolate.
I had long moved away from milk chocolate which is why I was surprised that I even picked up this block of Willy Wonka Exceptionals Triple Dazzle Caramel but I have to admit that I was "dazzled" by the holographic packaging which shimmers and chnges colour depending on the angle of the light.

There were three varieties to choose from but I was really keen to find a great caramel because there had been many disappointments - too chewy, too hard, too fudgey, not salty enough, etc., etc., etc.!
This was none of those. The chocolate was thin, the caramel delightfully runny without dripping and with just the right amount of saltiness.

Having discovered these at the Star City grocery store, I have been trying to find a retailer closer to where I live. The only information I could find online (apart from some overseas reviews) was an article on the US launch in 2010 (a real life Golden Ticket promotion!) and this Australian online confectionary seller The Professors which sells something which looks like the product but in packs of 12.
So it appears that these have been imported for the sole benefit of overseas guests staying in the Star City hotel. Ah well, I'll have to make a special trip out to Star City and hope that they haven't sold out by the time I get there! Yes folks, it's worth it!

Which brings me to a last minute discovery:
Midnight Crunch - Dark Chocolate with Quinoa!

I'm sure by now, you'll have heard of this South American pseudo-grain (it's actually a member of the beet, spinach or tumbleweed family of food groups) which is highly appreciated for its nutritional value. Judging by the truckloads of quinoa which have marched off the shelf and how it's been adapted to our western taste buds (quinoa chips, quinoa porridge, quinoa bread, etc.) obviously few people dislike this grain as much as I do, but having tried it a couple of times, I just can't bring myself to like the texture nor the taste.
So what appealed to me about this product was that someone had finally presented me with a pleasurable way to swallow this wholesome grain. Were this not one of three flavours produced by the cutely named Alter Eco Fair Trade company, one would think that they were riding the wave of the quinoa gravy train.

Removing the outer packaging reveals a stark white wrapper which peels to reveal the delicate block.

As you can see from the photo, all the crispy bits congregated at the bottom of the bar (or top of the mould so it was obviously light enough to float). As a lover of chocolate crackles, rice crispies and other crunchy treats, I would have liked a bit more of the quinoa rice puff mixed in but perhaps they were aiming these at a more general market which would prefer the chocolate over the quinoa.
For a chocolate which contains no dairy, I was surprised at how smooth this chocolate tasted. The quinoa/rice crisp didn't add any more or less flavour than a rice crisp alone and the knowledge that the addition of the quinoa was helping to make the whole thing a smattering more healthy was a little tick on the side for me.
Mostly importantly, I would definitely buy this chocolate again.
Phew! What a long blog! Think I need to have some chocolate now! :D

Something to Whet Your Appetite!

2011-08-08T23:48:00.003+10:00

How to Eat Your 5 Fruits & Vegetables Without Really Trying!

2011-07-15T23:24:00.001+10:00

Okay, okay, I know this isn't going to be popular but bear with me!

If you follow the food pyramid, you know that for a balanced diet, fruits and vegetables should play a big part in our diets. But it's hard to get the full range and the taste of some of them leaves something to be desired.

That's why, when Yaya brought home a couple of cartons of carrots, eggplant, squash, apples and capsicum and they fit into her handbag, we couldn't wait to eat them!

These miniature vegetables were sweet and moreish and with 5 serves per carton, you couldn't ask for more versatility. Okay, so they're a little fluoro ....

If you think they look a little shiny, it's not wax, it's a light glaze because these are no ordinary vegetables.

Cut one open and you get ...

... a good dose of fibre in a sweet little wrapping.

For these are mung bean sweets! Made from mung beans, coconut milk and sugar, they're a tiny morsel of goodness that is neither too sweet nor too sticky. They all taste the same so don't worry about them having hints of capsicum, carrot or eggplant. And here's where you can buy it:

Okay, so I lied about the 5 fruits and vegetables but these are pretty irresistible.... really .... :D

How To Avoid a Case of Puzzle Butt ..

2011-05-27T21:11:00.001+10:00

... when eating at Wagaya...

I coined the term "puzzle butt" when I was a teenager. It referred to the spasm that occurs after prolonged clenching of the buttocks while leaning over a large (mostly 1000 piece) jigsaw puzzle, trying to piece it together.

In the case of Wagaya, that much reviewed, touch-screen ordering, fast action Japanese diner on the fringe of Chinatown, it was a one buttock clench.

You might be asking what does puzzle butt have do with eating out? Well, when you're sitting in one of their booths, the screen is located perpendicular to you, the diner. So there is no other way to touch the screen than to lean across thus causing the clench. It wouldn't be so bad if the menu wasn't so extensive but it is.

Thirteen buttons across the top lead to the first of mostly 2, sometimes 3 sub-menus all containing unique offerings for each category. The best thing is, you don't have to decide the entire meal right at the beginning. If you arrive hungry and want an immediate starter, go for something recognisable, say Edamame.

While some restaurants serve these warm, these were served cold but they were crisp, sweet and not too salty.

If you're not starving, you can take the time to peruse the menu but be warned, you may need an hour or so:
There are 3 separate drinks categories: Beer & Wine, Cocktails (with a different one for each sign of the zodiac) and Sake & Schochu plus a single sweets menu which encompasses Non-Alchoholic Drinks and Desserts. (You even order glasses of water from this menu!)

The savoury choices are divided helpfully into Nibbles & Salad, Grilled Dishes, Hot Pot Courses, Sushi & Sashimi, Rice and Noodles, Vegetarian and and the tantalising New Menu Food but my favourite had to be "Deep Fried Dishes".

Hence my next choice:

Fried Salmon Skin. An acquired taste, it is of course the Asian version of "waste not, want not" - deep fry it and they will come! They were a little chewier than I had anticipated but lightly seasoned and I would have finished the last one but just didn't have the space. What followed however were exactly as I imagined:

Called Kundron Chips, it's a dish of deep fried Lotus Root dribbled with a sticky sweet sauce, a tad smaller than their picture but crispy and very moreish.
Most reviewers mention the speed with which the food arrives upon ordering. If you know this, it's great, because you don't order until you're ready to eat and then before you know it, your food is on the table. I suspect that there is a fair amount of pre-cooking which enables this haste but this can lead to one of the downsides - overdone-ness.

Unable to choose a single yakitori dish from the number on offer, we order a variety plate.

Chicken, Salmon, Prawn and Ox Tongue. All bar the Salmon were a little tough, specially the Ox Tongue but then I believe this is its primary trait and some people like it enough to serve it. It brings new meaning to "chewing the cud"!

Another acquired taste:

Eel Cheese Spring Roll. I'm not sure why I ordered this because I've never liked eel any other time I've accidentally eaten it. After eating this, I still don't like eel but I also didn't think there was any cheese in it. I saw and tasted what appeared to be enoki mushrooms (or someone substituted that tasteless children's cheese that breaks into strings...). The eel had a very earthy flavour, thankfully the enoki weren't particularly mushroomy otherwise the whole thing might have been intolerable. Let's just call this a one-off experiment.

With the current restaurant love affair with Wagyu, it was never going to be a hard decision to order one of these:

Wagyu Beef Skewers. Served with a wedge of lemon but otherwise unadulterated, it came straight off the grill. If there's one thing this proves, Wagyu is not the perfect meat, it still needs a good chef to cook it well to get the benefit of the additional fat. Cut into bite-sized pieces and turned over a hibachi grill (I'm imagining this of course, I haven't been out to the kitchen), is it any wonder that it tastes no better than an ordinary cut of beef? Thankfully, we are not paying the high prices of most of the restaurants serving Wagyu. The majority of the dishes on offer are $10-15 with only Lobster Karaage, at $55, the anomaly; so you can afford to make some mistakes.
We head for the classics:

Sashimi Salmon. While not the worst salmon I have ever eaten, it also wasn't the leave-you-in-awe, melt-in-the-mouth best. It was served only with a small knob of wasabi and no soy to dip into. Perhaps we had to order that separately but obviously missed that button ...

Another classic:

Takoyaki. You can have it without the melted cheese or with. We elected with. I've never understood the rave about this traditional street food. In my simple analysis, it's like a fish ball albeit less chewy and with octopus. The magic is really in the making but the texture and taste were, to me, passe.

And so we come to the utter highlights of our meal:

Salmon & Scallop Box Sushi. A rectangular sushi with the traditional rice and seaweed arranged in an S shape then topped with a whole sashimi scallop and salmon both lightly seared with a blowtorch, drizzled with mayonnaise and sprinkled with kingfish roe. Absolutely divine, I could not fault this, the flavours were fresh, the scallop didn't feel raw but it was sweetly melty and the salmon was perfectly done.

After so much protein, we had to sample the carbs:

Scallop and Garlic Fried Rice. 2 out of the 3 of us loved this. Granted the scallops were a little tough as they will be when you don't cook them separately from the rice but they were no worse than a piece of meat and the flavour of the rice was outstanding. Unlike the menu item, the rice was served in a heated bowl like the Korean BBQ restaurants do, creating a delicious crispy crust (sigh, back to fried...).

More carbs:

Tempura Udon. You might think that it would be easy to get this dish right but having eaten this standard on more occasions than I can remember, it's not a given. The stock has to be tasty, not too salty, nor too sweet, the kombu must be plentiful but not over-dominant, the udon al dente with just the right sprinkling of delicately sliced spring onions. Then the tempura of course must be crisp and not greasy and the contents should be well-cooked and hot and hold its shape after you've bitten into it. Tick, tick, tick, tick, tick, tick, tick!

And that truly was just the tip of the ice berg!

So what to make of this well-patronised establishment? Looking at the decor ....

... all wood panelling and rocky surfaces, with a soaring ceiling and a feature wall with panels of tree trunks, my initial feel is this place deserves to serve a higher quality of food; but that would take away from everything it is - a quirky, unique diner serving decent food quickly. You can snack and leave or linger and keep ordering. You can pace it for the time you have , order and savour one dish at a time or order a heap and sample together. With barely any interaction with the staff, who greet you en masse as you enter and farewell you on departure, and only deliver the orders to your table, you can hardly complain about the service. We need more places like this. But I think the greater Sydney public already know that so unless you go on a quiet night or early in the evening, expect to queue ...

Wagaya is (fortunately) located in Sydney's Chinatown.

Fondant Fun

2011-05-22T14:16:00.008+10:00

Mrs Shanks and I would like to congratulate our good friend Jo and family, of The Cupcake Gallery on the safe arrival of their 3rd beautiful bundle of joy, Little Miss M. She (even though I had all my coins on it being a boy!!) is absolutely gorgeous and we can't wait to see all the marvelous baby-inspired cake creations you have in store.

First Prize: The Last Supper depicting the true meaning of Easter

While heavily pregnant, and raising two very active 4 and 2 year old kids, Jo has managed to submit 4 cake decorating entries in this year's Sydney Royal Easter Show.

Super women you say?

First Prize: Japanese Udon Noodles

In fact this year's cake decorating entries were of an amazingly high standard, even with her and her family having moved house just months prior to this, and despite the new home's oven requiring an Ocky strap to hold the door shut... these are just some of the obstacles faced in preparation of her entries.

First Prize: Disney Princess cupcakes

The result...
Not to gloat on Jo's behalf but I think three 1st prize blue ribbons and one 3rd prize white ribbon out of 4 entries is enough said in regards to gloating - simply amazing!!

Third Prize: Easter Show pig & piglets

And as icing, or should I say fondant, on the cake she was awarded two extra ribbons. One for Most Successful Exhibitor in the cake decorating/sugar art category and another for Most Successful Exhibitor in the novice class.

But why stop there...
The Cupcake Gallery has now published their first book, Fondant Fun. The book covers the basics of fondant preparation, equipment, and has 2-dimensional and 3-dimensional designs. The book can be purchased here, and The Cupcake Gallery are still holding workshops later this year. For more information, go to The Cupcake Gallery's website or blog.

To say the least, family Shanks have embraced our own stodgey version of sugar art (maybe it's due to our love of playing with play-doh) and had a bit of our own fondant fun in the past year.

Above was my 1st attempt. Cupcakes made for the Sydney Food Bloggers Mad Hatters Party, what better than to design different styles of hats ranging from Indiana Jones, Crocodile Dundee, Wicked Witch of the West and of course the Mad Hatters top hat.

Shankette's princess cake topper for Mini B's birthday. This design was kept simple as we had an ultra busy month, plus this was to be one of 2 cakes we made to celebrate the same occasion.

Shankette's veggie garden patch design for a joint birthday. The theme was also in celebration of a good year of harvesting. For all of you that aren't fans of eating fondant you must try chocolate fondant that was used to cover the base of this cake. The bitterness of cocoa balances the sugary sweetness of the fondant and forms a less grainy texture.

Dibo the Gift Dragon. A cake topper designed and created by Shankette for a friends 3yr old birthday. For those who don't frequent ABC2, Dibo is a stuffed toy dragon that has a zipper on his tummy which unzips to reveal gifts he has for his friends. The recipient loved it so much he wouldn't let anyone eat it and I believe it's been intact for over 2 months now.

My Chinese New Year offering, celebrating the year of the Rabbit. With this design I also experimented with the flavor of the cake. Instead of the standard vanilla or chocolate I made a Matcha (green tea) and Lychee mud cake to give it more of an Asian theme.

So get out there an have a go at making you own cake topper.

Till next time ... we eat!!

Shanks.

You ate what in where now???

2011-04-26T21:57:00.003+10:00

Any country would be a lot better off with a parliament building made of chocolate.

Here in Australia, it's pretty much a rite of passage for most kids to make a big trip after years of studying are finally over. For me like many, Europe was the dream destination.

Now this was my first ever trip overseas, and no matter how much you read about it, nothing can prepare you for the culture shock of a new country. Be it more or less of a shock than what you expect, the only way to find out is to get there.

Image taken from tripadvisor's facebook app.

NOTE: This trip happened years ago, well before this food blog began. But looking back at my holiday happy snaps I was still taking shots of food even back then. However this post is only borderline food related. It's more a wins and fails list of things both edible and cultural that I maybe could have done differently. Hopefully other new travelers can learn from my mistakes.

OK I think I should start with a bit of background. My traveling buddy was an old school and uni friend also out on his first trip overseas. He's your old school, Aussie born and bred, mans man that was raised on meat and three veg and was adamant all other foods were disgusting. This is a bloke who when a bunch of us went to a local Chinese restaurant for lunch one time, sat outside by himself and ate a loaf of white bread instead of trying something new. Though I like to blame him for my dietary mistakes during the trip, I guess my cultural ignorances were also partly to blame.

So here it is. My wins and fails list for Europe.

SCOTLAND

WIN: Kegs of Stella Artois in a Scottish supermarket.
WIN: Facial expression watching of people eating Haggis for the first time
(FAIL: Not bringing home a can of haggis to gross everyone out with)
FAIL: Falling for marketing ploy and buying a 'Yorkie - It's not for girls!' chocolate bar
(It was just cheap milk chocolate)
WIN: Finding a bar that has Karaoke and 1.80 pound free-poured doubles. Look at that evil bar tender.

WIN: Riding the Lochness Monster
WIN: Finding a variety store called 'Thistle Do Nicely'
WIN: Drinking the best tasting water right out of any flowing stream
FAIL: Getting uncomfortably close to a 'hairy coo' and having to run for the fence.

AMSTERDAM

FAIL: Eating American style pizza in Amsterdam
WIN: Finding a Heineken the size of a large man.
FAIL: Following a tourist map for hours trying to find 'Eat at Jo's' which was closed
FAIL: Yes it was small. No it wasn't a gallery. Just a souvenir shop.

BERLIN

DOUBLE WIN: Best hot chocolate ever plus the Reichstag building, made out of chocolate!
WIN: An entire souvenir shop dedicated to the funky pedestrian lights
WIN: The Brandenberg Gate at night
DOUBLE WIN: Christmas night markets with lovely ladies and After Eight mint liquer hot chocolate
DECUPLE WIN: Ordering a METER of beer!

PARIS

WIN: Garlic pesto escargot
FAIL: Blending in with the locals. Carrying a baguette around in your backpack does not make you look any more French.
WIN: Steak Tartare with raw egg
FAIL: Watch out for Nigerians who ask you to hold out your hand.
WIN: Cheese, wine and baguette dinner for 4euros.

Ok so the ol' hold out your hand trick. If you're like me and are usually seen looking up at impressive touristy monuments with mouth agape this will most likely happen to you. Some asking you to help them out by holding out your hand. They will make small talk and starting twisting a couple of strings together and before you know it they have tied a friendship bracelet to your wrist. Now they usually ask for a lot of money for this little service which is now locked to your hand, but for 'Kangaroo' it's a mates rate of 9 euros. Bugger that and talk them down to 2. Also keep the thing on and use it as a free pass to all the other tourist attractions. My mate cut his off straight away and was approached again at the next tourist stop. hehe.

ROME

WIN: Wandering the narrow streets finding Roman water features everywhere you go.

WIN: One liter of beer in a can!

FAIL: Traveling half way across the world to take a photo of a poster of Michelangelo's Last Judgement
(Don't worry I did actually see it too).
FAIL: Attempting an artistic shot, but getting too much crotch.

WIN: Buying a copy of Dan Browns Angels and Demons and spending a day finding all the references.
FAIL: Looking like a complete tourist in doing so and nearly getting robbed by gypsies.

So there's a pickpocket thing going on in Rome you should be aware of. An old lady will come up to you and stick a piece of cardboard in your face. I'm guessing it says something like 'I'm poor please give'. Meanwhile a couple of kids with her will start pleading in Italian and grabbing your jacket. It's all a ploy to distract you as the kids reach in and steal whatever is in your pockets.

Luckily for me growing up in an Aussie climate and being a complete baby when it comes to any temperatures below 15C, I was triple layered and they didn't get deep enough to the pocket with my passport in it. Also the very night before (I kid you not!) I was in a bar with a fellow traveler and they were telling me of the exact same thing that nearly happened to me. So as soon as I felt them tugging away at my outer pocket I yelled "back off!" and took a step back. As soon as they were made, they blended off into the crowd. Guy walked past and said "attenzione" but no one else tried to warn me of what was going on. Moral of the story, use your fellow travelers. They are a limitless source of information and stories and some of it may just come in handy!

VENICE

WIN: A store named Andrea 2000
WIN/FAIL: Amazing window shopping for chocolates. Fail is it was just coloured white chocolate, not even flavoured.

FAIL: Steins in Venice. wtf.

WIN: pizza and more pizza, actually Italian style this time.

FAIL: The cheese plate was five slices of the one type of cheese.

WIN: watching the glass blowing on the island of Murano

SINGAPORE

FAIL: Cheese fries and chicken wraps

WIN: Freaky blue Pepsi

FAIL: Kenny Rogers Roasters. Traditional food of Singapore I'm sure.

WIN: Kenny Rogers cornbread

Yeah I know, I pretty much gave up by the time I got to Singapore, but it had been a month of traveling and it was good to see some western junk food again. This in no way represents the food culture of Singapore. Check out the chicken rice if you ever go there, and around Christmas time, check out the night food markets and line up at the store that has a line for two blocks and has only one thing on the menu. It'll be well worth the wait! But also go to Kenny Rogers for the cornbread, I have not had the like anywhere around Sydney.

So there you have it. A life changing experience which I can't recommend enough to anyone considering it. Oh and remember that Steak tartare and raw egg in Paris? Not my dish, but my mates! Yes the man who wasn't willing to give dim sums and spring rolls a go, was eating raw meat and loving it. He even liked the snails! Truly a man of the world now, I like to think I had something to do with extending his culinary appetite to a global scale.

If anyone has some funny travel stories I'd love to hear them. Also any recommendations for must try dishes in certain countries would be great. The best part about back packing is meeting all the people with similar interests and hearing their stories and experiences. Word of mouth is the best way to get off the beaten track and see/eat things you would never have found in a travel book.

Karen contacted us here at Yayas about a Wiki project, MyCityCuisine.org a great site for doing some culinary research before your next trip. Would have been fantastic to have had something like this for my trip so I could have made up a eating check list. Being a Wiki project, it's looking for contributors to expand their listing of local cuisines. So if you've got a local favourite dish or found a must try food during your travels, share the knowledge. I'm already looking forward to trying it!

5hr dinner. It's not a meal. It's a Ritual.

2011-04-03T23:09:00.010+10:00

What do you get when a passionate, creative chef has access to fresh local produce and wines coming from Port Stephens, The Hunter Valley and other neighboring regions? Add a dedicated team of chefs and floor staff that share that same passion to take you on a journey where you will rediscover ... Taste.

The answer is Ritual Restaurant.

Since first reading about Ritual, I have waited over 12 months to come and dine at this establishment. I would describe the restaurant as a Mary Poppins carpet bag. Nestled in the suburban side of Nelson Bay, there are no water/beach views and away from Port Stephens marina and other main eateries. It's located in a local shopping complex, next to a Blockbuster video store and a bottle shop - sound like a plain old carpet bag so far??
Unlock the latches and so many magical things flourish from it. It's all about the food using all your senses to appreciate and rediscover textures and taste. There are no menus provided, rather, tasting spoons are given at the start of each course where you taste two flavor combinations and decide on your taste preference. Like an interactive "Choose Your Own Adventure" menu where your taste buds decides the fate of your meal. So let the adventure begin.....

Amuse Bouche: Garlic Fairy Floss + Beer Nuts Sorbet

Before and after of Hydrating Wet Napkins

After the amuse bouche we knew we were in for a treat as all your conceptions of food and taste are left at the door and you're unaware of what is to come. We were shown to our table to find a white tablet in a small bowl. This looked like a pre-dinner mint and luckily we didn't eat it impulsively as our waiter soon came with a jug of hot water that hydrated the tablet into a napkin. He also mentioned that some patrons have tried eating it resulting in all moisture being sucked out of your mouth.

Tom Yum Spheres encasing Hawkesbury River Prawn
+
Antipasto Plate
(Olive Gel with Fetta Sauce, Sun-dried Tomato Bomb with Caper Surprise,
Crispy Artichoke Shell with Artichoke Sorbet, and Celery Chips)

There were surprises with every dish but a highlight would have been the Tom Yum Spheres. We didn't know what to expect when the table was cleared for this course as all we were given was a pair of tweezers. Perfectly spherical orbs of delicious Tom Yum soup encasing a Hawkesbury River prawn. The instant it touches your mouth the orb explodes into a bouquet of rich flavours. Oh and the tweezers were to delicately add the optional coriander flower and chili.

Tasting Flavour 1: Sesame seed, Lemon, Wakame and pickled GingerDish for Flavour 1: Slow cooked Tasmanian Ocean Trout Won-ton sandwich (R)
Tasting Flavour 2: Black Truffle Oil and Australian Organic Rainforest HoneyDish for Flavour 2: Truffle infused Scallops, Potato, Honey and Black Truffle Soil with Truffle Potato Cigar and Australian Native Violets. (L)

Parsley Sorbet Palate Cleanser + Kitchen utensil used @ Ritual = Apple Macbook

Tasting Spoons + Veggie Plate

(Cauliflower biscuits with Parsley White Sauce, Heirloom beetroot and Green peppercorn parcels,
Parmesan Crisps with Roast Pumpkin foam, Sweet corn liquid kernels with hot butter sauce)

Taste of Flavour 1: Hops, Pineapple, Cured Tomato and Brazil Nuts.Dish for Flavour 1: Hops smoked Redgate farmed quail, rolled with Brazil nuts and pineapple
Cured heirloom tomatoes, green capsicum rings and pearls of red & black organic quinoa.Taste of Flavour 2: Blackcurrant balsamic vinegar, Eucalypt and Leek.Dish for Flavour 2: Blackcurrant balsamic vinegar marinated Saltbush lamb, Sebago filegree, Eucalypt mash, blackcurrant balsamic vinegar jus and Eucalyptus caviar.

Palate Cleanser: Apple Hookahs with Mint vinaigrette sorbet

The table was cleared once more. This time we were left with a small dish containing a small piece of plastic that resembled a hollowed out pen lid. To our amazement they were actually individual mouth pieces for the apparatus placed in the centre of our table. A middle eastern Hookah filled with apple essence. It was such a blast looking like 4 stoney's smoking off a central bong. Surprisingly it worked wonders as a palate cleanser with clear notes of evaporated apple swirling around your mouth and nose.
The Mint vinaigrette sorbet was a taste I didn't agree with, though it did do it's duty in cleansing my palate, it was a tad potent on the vinegarette side and left me feeling like I just got my teeth sand blasted at the dentist.

Some call it Molecular Gastronomy, others avant garde, I call it a totally awesome experience and an absolute must for all bucket lists. It is definitely one of the best meals/experiences I have ever had.

It was interesting to see that the experiments Chef Kenzler mentioned during our meal were introduced to the menu 3 months later for Lobo's meal (keep reading below). Ritual only serve 12 guests each night so make sure you book well in advance and be prepared for a taste adventure.

Till next time ... we eat!!! Shanks.

Ritual's 'My Country' Banquet January 2011

Christmas and New Year. What an exhausting time. Most years I plan a small getaway with a few friends in January just to recover from the frantic festive season. And after Shanks came back with stories about Ritual, it was not difficult to convince my foodie friends that this year, Nelsons Bay had to be the destination of our trip.

Three weeks before the weekend away. "Sorry we are all booked out for the weekend, but I will put you on the waiting list in case anything changes". Ten years (what it felt like) sitting by the phone waiting for the call to come through. Two days before "Yes we can fit you in for four on the Saturday. See you then". Phew!

Many thanks to Ritual for squeezing us in. As Shanks said they usually only serve twelve guests per night, but that Saturday they went above and beyond, and pumped out enough food for sixteen (they even borrowed a chair to be able to seat us all!). Unreservedly the best and most unique dining experience I've had to date. Anyway, on with the show!

A Telugu Indian New Year tradition rings in the new year with a festive dish that celebrates the six different tastes. Ritual has used this concept and given it a Aussie twist, using the poem My Country by Dorothea McKellar as inspiration for its dishes.

Don't feel overwhelmed. Kelie emails you the menu at a later date, so there's no need to be madly writing down what everything is. Just sit back and enjoy the ride.

CW: Garlic fairy floss on rosemary skewers; chef explaining the inspiration for the nights menu;

Chickpea and polenta fries with an aioli custard; Entree tasting spoons - Yuzu pickled ginger and wasabi, Sherry and chocolate.

Napkin Tablet

CW: Tom yum spheres; Edible wall art; Wall art spoons:

- Bangalow pork crackling with sour plum

- Rye crisp, smoked cheese, caper and crispy chicken skin

Entrees:

(top) Honey cured SA Kingfish encasing salmon roe, wasabi and squid ink herring roe served on a yuzu and ginger sauce, slow cooked baby fennel, sesame and wakame rice sand, pickled and fresh heirloom radishwith beer coral. Mandarin, squid ink and wasabi tempura kingfish (representing a Jewelled Sea).

(bottom) Millefuille of Oss smoked eel, chocolate infuesed choko, potato and cherry. Cherry chocolate river and smoked eel tapioca. Roulade of cherry and Bangalow pork with chervil (representing Ragged Mountain Ranges).

CW: Palate clenser of parsley sorbet;

Mains tasting spoons - Whiskey, sage and kumquat. Beetroot, green peppercorn, mushroom and feta;

Golden beet cappuccino (golden beetroot and green peppercorn); Sage flower with burnt butter ice cream.

Edible wall art #2

L: Crispy artichoke shell with artichoke paste

R: Strawberry scent with Celery seed rice crackers.

Mains:

(top) Roulade of Macleay Vallet Rabbit and salted Nagamie Cumquat, blow torched with cumquat and whiskey marmalade, Tzatziki, scattered barley and Sebago rosti. (representing a land of Sweeping Plains)

(bottom) Lentil and mushroom soil, beetroot marinated saltbush lamb backstrap on a beetroot and feta dip with foliage of rocket, potato crisps and spinach leaves. Dehydrated beetroot crumbed, mushroom pate filled, saltbush lamb cutlet with leaves of spinach and golden beetroot chips. Pickled heirloom beetroot orchids (Representing Orchids Deck the Tree Tops and Ferns the Warm Dark Soil).

CW: Palate clenser of mint vinaigrette sorbet (served with watermelon shisha);

Edible wall art #3 - Hunter Valley Blumembert, pineapple pillows and Lemon Basil

- Pink peppercorn, dark and white French organic chocolate fudge;

Dessert tasting spoons - Rhubarb, citrus and eucalypt.

- Harrisa, chilli and cardamon (representing a Sunburnt Country).

Desserts:

- Harissa caramel soil and cardamon sherbet road. Harissa and cardamon mousse with apricot nectar gel. Harissa caramel biscuit, cardamon parfait, harissa filo topped with dried and poached organic apricots.

- Rhubarb liquer lollipop rolled in baked coconut. Rubarb and eucalpy meringue pie. Coconut bark encasing creme fraiche and dehydrated rhubarb and citrus zest. Rhubarb marshmallow rolled in citrus sherbet and a coconut cone filled with liquid nitrogen frozen droplets (Representing the Stark White Ring Barked Forest).

Ritual Restaurant is located at Armidale Avenue, Nelson Bay.
ritualcuisine.com.au

3 Weeds for Dinner

2011-03-18T20:24:00.003+11:00

But that's not what we ate!

I have to admit, the Inner West is not my usual watering-hole but with the majority of our party of four hailing from nearby, I did some research and came up with a handful of options.

Having been establshed in 1881, The 3 Weeds in Rozelle definitely has the atmosphere of a grand old pub. (It was allegedly once owned by Dawn Fraser and as such was the homebase of the Balmain Tigers. According to the taxi driver who drove me home that night, it even boasted a tiger's head which lit up when the team won a match!)

The tiger's head is long gone and like most old pubs today, it's been modernised with all the best amenities without losing the old world charm (ladies, the bathrooms are worth a visit, I can't speak for the gents but will assume the same interior designer oversaw the fit-out of both!).

The pub is almost Tardis like; larger on the inside than out, it boasts the very descriptive Back Bar, Wine Bar, Lounge, Living Room, Front Bar and the Restaurant, most of which we didn't see when we entered. It has two main areas in which to dine, the lower priced Back Bar Bistro (with an equally scrumptious looking menu) and the more sophisticated "Restaurant".

From what we saw, both are serviced by the same kitchen but through different entrances so when you are in the Restaurant you don't see food disappearing out a side door!

But it was Head Chef Leigh McDivett's menu which sealed the deal.

Multi Award Winning and lauded by the Critics, the description of flavour combinations and photographs of sample dishes on their website sounded promising; and we weren't disappointed.

The dining room is beautifully appointed, spacious without losing ambience and atmospherically lit without being visually challenging.

Granted we were there on a quiet Tuesday night rather than a post-work Friday, and our only competition was a lone couple, but the service was always friendly and professional, never overbearing or intrusive. They took my egg allergy seriously and there were choices which didn't compromise my dining experience.

So what did we eat? For once, (due to a couple of us nursing colds) we didn't sample each other's food, so I can't give you personal accounts of everyone else's dishes but my fellow diners assured me that they were very happy with their choices. Each dish was presented beautifully making each a visual as well as tasty feast.

The gustation started with an Amuse Bouche, a complimentary serving of Ceviche of kingfish with chilli & lime dressing and horseradish ice cream.

I have to admit that I am writing this a little while after the meal so when I couldn't recall who had eaten this or for what course (even with the menu in front of me), I had to ask the manager, Nicholas Luhman, which dish this was. As soon as he told me, it all came back! The elements of this dish were just enough to whet our appetites and leave us wanting more. The tomatoes provided a crunchy foil to the velvety kingfish. It was just that the rest of the meal had been so good that it completely slipped my memory!

ENTREES

My Galantine of quail and foie gras with sweetcorn puree and basil jelly ($24)

I fell in love with this dish from the first mouthful. The quail melted in my mouth, the sweetcorn puree was completely smooth and the seasonings were complementary. A sprinkling of pork crackling garnish had me wondering if I'd been delivered the right entree at first but I would have happily licked the plate if it had been the polite thing to do! Worth going for this dish alone!

W's Roquefort mousse and pickled beetroot with tomato and white balsamic sorbet ($19)

J's Freshly Shucked Rock Oysters with lime, sake and black pepper granita ($18)

E's Smoked eel and squid ink cannelloni with seared scallop, caramelised peach and sea urchin roe ($23)
MAINS

J and I both ordered the Pan roasted fillet of Palmers Island mulloway with blue swimmer crab, fennel Avruga smoked herring roe and lemon balm salsa verde ($36)

A delightful combination of textures and flavours, the fish was perfectly cooked while the skin was crackling crisp. My only gripe with this dish (bone to pick?!) was chewing on what felt like a piece of plastic but was likely an overlooked portion of scales or gill.

W chose an entree for her main of Confit fillet of king salmon with celeriac puree, salmon roe and basil sorbet ($24)and E chose the Assiette of Riverina lamb (Roasted rack, braised breast and caramelised sweetbreads with white onion puree, olive and asparagus) ($36)

We also shared two of the sides - the Truffled Mash and a Salad.

The former was spoon-lickingly smooth and served with large strips of parmesan which melted into the hot mash while the latter was dressed with an even balance of tanginess to sweetness.

DESSERTS

My choice was limited (by my egg allergy) to the Mille-feuille of strawberry with basil and strawberry sorbet ($16)

This was delectable! The pastry was so thin and crispy that it wasn't difficult to break through, the strawberries were finely sliced and the mini macaron were so gorgeous and remained crisp till the last bite. The highlight was the basil sorbet.All very light and sufficient after the preceding courses.

W and E chose the My Chocolate Delight - a chocolate mousse and caramel cream covered in dark chocolate ($16)

J declined dessert but partook of the sweet wines on offer.

With a deft hand combining fresh produce and gorgeous seasonings with artistic flair beyond what you'd expect in a restaurant located inside a pub, and complete lack of pretentiousness, I'd be happy if this was my local.

The 3 Weeds is located at 193 Evans Street, Rozelle and is open for dinner Tuesdays to Saturday and lunch on Sundays.

Get Twisted!

2011-03-11T00:02:00.008+11:00

You know when you've been really really good to yourself? You've eaten the right mix of carbs, protein, vegetables, fruit and fibre and you feel so energetic you could run a marathon? You know that moment when you feel like something cold, sweet and delicious but you don't want to ruin the great way you feel? Well, now you can get TWISTED!

Looking like it wouldn't look out of place in New York, Twisted is a newly opened frozen yoghurt cafe in Bondi but if you think this is just another frozen yoghurt, think again. The co-founder of the company, Cassandra Spies, spent quite a while researching the product and with her background in food technology, she has hit upon the most luscious, smooth, mouth-fulfilling, creamy, un-yoghurt like frozen yoghurt I have ever tried. It's made from freshly made yoghurt everyday, yes folks, it's NOT a premix!

There are 20 individual flavours on rotation so you can select one or many and because it's 98% fat free, you can give yourself a little indulgence with a vast selection of healthy or decadent toppings, including the latest addition, mini mochi!

You can mix and match whatever takes your fancy!

Then, each week, she makes up 3 fresh combinations of 6 flavours which are served individually or twisted together into witty duets and served out of soft-serve dispensers.

The day we arrived, we tried:

Knickers In A Twist or Chocolate & Coconut,

Berry Bliss, a combination of Acai Berry (more about that later) and Raspberry

and Loudmouth Lime which is Lime and Original twisted together.

Much more information is available on their website.

It's not just about dessert though! In addition to the frozen yoghurt, Twisted also offers pro-biotic smoothies using a combination of their yoghurt, organic non-fat milk and acknowledged "power" foods such as Green Tea, Goji and Acai and Blueberries.

You can also up the ante by adding protein powder to your smoothie or shake, making it a healthy and sustaining breakfast.

Did I say breakfast? Yes, they do that too!

A special mention should be made of the high quality Acai Berries which are sourced, sustainably and ethically, direct from the Brazillian Rainforest, freeze dried and distributed in Australia by the lovely people at RioLife. 1% of the profits are returned to the Amazon communities who help cultivate the berries. Rich in antioxidants and anecdotally considered a natural panacea for many diseases, it is a delicious addition to the Twisted menu.

Back to the yoghurt though. If you don't live close enough to get your hit there every day, there are 500ml or 1 litre take home packs available. Ours was still good and frozen having been stored in a cooler bag, sat with through a 2 hour dinner and a half hour drive home.

Lucky people of Bondi! The good news is that Cass has plans to open more stores in Sydney. I sure hope she opens one up near me! : )

P.S. Twisted can currently be found at 36 Hall Street, Bondi. They're open 10.00 am to 10.00 pm most days and 9.00 am to 10.30 pm Saturday and Sunday.

For Those Who Like Variety

2011-02-27T22:32:00.003+11:00

More Butter Biscuit Recipes

As promised, I am sharing my experiments with different flavours from this versatile biscuit recipe. Those who haven't as yet seen my version of the Earl Grey Tea Biscuit Recipe can find it here.

Basic Mix
1 cup plain flour
1/4 cup caster sugar
1/4 cup of icing sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
100 gm unsalted butter
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon water

Lamington

To the basic mix, add 4 tablespoons of cocoa and 4 tablespoons of dessicated coconut, swap the water out for coconut milk, double the quantity of vanilla extract, cut the cookies out and sprinkle a little additional coconut on top.

Banana Caramel Macadmia

To the basic mix, add a large handful of banana chips, a large handful of honey coated macadamia nuts, swap the caster & icing sugars out for 1/2 cup of brown sugar, swap the liquid for 2 tablespoons of golden syrup warmed in the microwave until pouring consistency.

Espresso Macadamia

Add 2 tablespoons of instant coffee powder (I used Nescafe Gold Blend here) to the flour mix, add a large handful of unsalted macadamia nuts, reconstitute 2 tablespoons of instant coffee (I used Nescafe Espresso here) in 1 tablespoon of boiling water.

Jaffa

Add 4 tablespoons of cocoa, 4 tablespoons of finely minced mixed peel, swap the water for 1 tablespoon of orange blossom water. (For an added taste sensation, spread top of cookie with marmelade before baking.)

Ginger Beer

Swap the 1/4 cup of icing sugar for a similar amount of Fizz Wizz, add 30 gm powdered ginger, swap the liquid for 2 tablespoons of golden syrup (warmed in the microwave to pouring consistency and added with the liquids).

Ginger Bread (Hot!)

Swap the sugars for 1/2 cup of dark brown sugar, add 65 gm powdered ginger, 4 tablespoons of finely minced mixed peel, swap the water for 2 tablespoons of golden syrup or honey (warmed in the microwave to pouring consistency and added with the liquids), 2 teaspoons of Herbie's Sweet Spices.

To be continued!

Japanese Knives and Sakai (The City of Knives!)

2011-02-04T23:46:00.002+11:00

Of all the kitchen tools we have at our disposal, perhaps the most essential would be the humble knife. It is one of the most primal and simple tool that humans have devised. Ever since we crawled out of caves to fashioned an edge from stone, the knife has never left our sides. For the chef or foodie, the knife is the sexiest, most elegant piece of equipment in the kitchen. The perfect embodiment of form and function. It is the tool that we foodies/chefs are most protective of and most attached to. In the age of useless and overcomplicated kitchen gadgets, the knife remains one of the cornerstones of food preparation.

Traditionally in the West, European (particularly German and French) knives have been lusted over by cooking enthusiasts and chefs alike. Names like Wusthof and Sabatier come to mind. Over the past few years, there has been a growing interest in Japanese knives. What's all the fuss about? Why are some of the world's top chefs (Heston Blumenthal and Thomas Keller just to name two) all of a sudden jumping ship?

Firstly, it all starts with the steel. With their sword making heritage, the Japanese are experts in forging steel. Japanese knives are exceptional for the hardness and sharpness of their blades. They are lighter, more accurate and responsive than heavier knives.

Many steels are available but the most common are carbon steel, semi-stainless and stainless. All have slightly different properties with their own perceived advantages and disadvantages (ease of sharpening, edge retention, maintenance).

Hardness: The hardness of steel is measured on the rockwell scale. Most European knives measure around 54-56 on the rockwell scale. Japanese knives on average around 58-61 with some reaching 63 and higher. The increased hardness means that the edge will be retained longer than a softer steel. This also allows the blades to be much thinner than European knives - helping them to take on a scalpel-like sharpness.

Blade construction: Japanese knives are unique for their construction. Many blades use a composite construction technique where a hard steel is forged with a softer iron. This exploits the best attributes of both materials. You will also find 'damascus' patterned blades where the metal is folded repeatedly to give a beautiful wood grain finish.

Only on Japanese blades will you find 'single bevel' edges. If you can visualise the cross section of a blade, most angle down in a 'v' shape to form the edge. This is described as a 'double bevel' edge. In single bevel edges, one side of the blade is ground flat (with a slight hollow) and the other angled to form the edge. This means a much steeper angle and less likelihood of 'wedging' when slicing through food.

Traditional Japanese knives also feature wooden handles with buffalo hole ferrules. The blade is fixed into the handle by heating the handle section until it is red hot (although epoxy/glue may also be used) and then tapping the handle on with a wooden mallet. They differ from western knives in that very few are of full tang construction (where the blade runs completely through the handle) This has traditionally perceived in the west as sign of a high quality and sturdy blade. However, if you think about most cutting situations in the kitchen, there are few situations where you need to use the entire handle for leverage. The extreme sharpness promotes precise slicing of food rather than hacking in which case you'd turn to your cleaver. In fact, many chefs have highlighted the lighter construction translating to more accurate and responsive performance, with reduced physical fatigue. It has also been claimed that a full tang construction is more hygienic. However, due to the excellent workmanship of the handle makers, it is most unlikely for any food to be trapped between the handle and blade. Poor hygiene is a result of poor discipline rather than knife construction. Have you noticed how diligently the sushi chefs wipe and clean their knives? If there were inherent problems with this type of construction then you would expect that the innovative Japanese would have changed the design centuries ago.

If you do prefer to stick with a western construction, then there are many manufacturers that now produce full tang blades just like your favourite Europeans.

Handle woods are most commonly magnolia and ho wood, however more exotic woods like ebony may also be used. Handles are also commonly shaped into a cross-sectional 'D'. So when you close your grip, the handle sits perfectly into the void created by your hand. Octagonal handles are also a traditional Japanese design.

The final component is sharpening. The Japanese use abrasive whetstones in a multi-step sharpening process designed to achieve the sharpest edge. Being the perfectionists that they are, several stones are employed, starting with a coarse (low grit) stone to profile an edge and fix chips. Next is a finer grit stone (around 1000 grit) used for honing and developing a keen edge. This is where the rest of the world normally stops. The Japanese continue by using a polishing stone (6000 to 12,000 grit) to give the edge a mirror finish and a razor edge. It is this attention to detail that contributes to such a terrifyingly sharp edge.

The extreme sharpness afforded by these knives mean that cuts are generally made in one motion (with a single push or pull). As a result, there is less tearing or 'damage' to the food being cut. That is why the surface of a slice sashimi is shiny and gleaming. The economy and precision of cutting technique has minimised any unnecessary 'tearing' of the tissue and as a result, cuts like a laser.

Having said this, the sharpest knife is only useful if it stays sharp. This means diligent maintenance and care. If you've made it this far into this blog, then you probably already know to only cut on wood/plastic boards (not on plates, glass, steel bench tops), to not use fine knives on bone/frozen food and to hand wash and dry your knives immediately after use. If not, then those cheap serrated Ikea specials will do just fine....

Sakai: The City of Knives

Sakai is a city that neighbours Osaka. In tourist brochures, it has dubbed itself the 'City of Knives'. An appropriate moniker when you consider that a high proportion of Japan's top quality knives are made in this city. In fact, many of the top knife companies although not based in Sakai, have their knives produced here. With a tradition in tobacco knife and gun manufacture, the quality of Sakai's steel craft have allowed its knife industry to flourish and rise to the top of its contemporaries.

A short 15 minute train ride from Osaka (catch the blue line from Namba station), and with many top manufacturers clustered closely together, Sakai is a real treat for the knife enthusiast.

The manufacturing system here is not unlike the specialisation of duties that used to be applied to Swiss watches. Each component or step in manufacturing is completed by an expert in that field. A blacksmith's sole task is to forge the steel, then you have grinder who sharpens the blade, then a specialist handle maker. This separation of duty ensures the highest quality in each respective phase of production.

The Sakai knife museum showcases a dazzling array of knives with information and videos on the manufacturing process. There is also a show room with a large range of knives on sale from the local manufacturers. If you book in advance, you can take part in a knife sharpening demonstration .

http://www.sakaihamono.or.jp/main.html (website in Japanese language only).

In Sakai, there are obviously many knives to choose from. From factory produced blades to hand forged. Obviously, hand forged is more expensive and price varies according to the types of steels used (some are harder and more difficult to forge), length of the blade (again, the longer the blade, the harder it is to forge and keep perfectly straight). Over-all workmanship (polishing, handle materials, engraving etc) also greatly influences the price of blades.

Like their western counterparts, there are many different types of blades for different tasks. Below is a summary of the main blades (this does not differentiate between the Kansai (Osaka region - pointy tip) and Kanto (Tokyo region - square tip) variations):

Yanagiba:

A long slender blade. The yanagiba is a knife used soley for the preparation of de-boned fish. Behind every sushi bar, this is the knife that will be employed to prepare you nigiri sushi and sashimi

Deba:

This is generally a medium to short length blade of thick construction. Essentially a pointed cleaver, the tip of blade is used for filleting fish/chicken and the butt for going through bone

Usuba:

A thin rectangular blade for precision slicing of vegetables

Gyuto:

Translating to mean 'cow sword' this is a larger

knife that resembles the shape of a western chefs knife.

'Petty':

The equivalent of the common and essential paring knife.

Santoku: A general purpose knife that is mainly for home use.

About a 15minute walk south-east of Sakai station, you will find yourself on Kishu Highway. On this main street and surrounds, you will find the Sakai knife museum as well as shops for top manufacturers: Sakai Yusuke, Ikkanshi Tadatsuna, Suisin as well as the main offices for other well respected makers: Sakai Takayuki and Konosuke Sakai.

These are all top end manufacturers and their prices range from around $70AUD for petty knives to several thousand dollars for ornate, blue steel yanagibas. All have a great range of knives in different steels. For my money, I found that Sakai Yusuke offered the best combination of quality and price. Actually, the best quality and finishing full stop. Since most traditional knives are handmade, there are variations in the finishing of each knife. The knives I inspected and bought from Sakai Yusuke were absolutely flawless. Having said that, everyone has their own tastes and preferences and you will no doubt find a maker that stocks your dream knife.

For those of you lucky enough to visit Sakai but are worried about buying knives and customs at the airport, don't be. As long as you safely pack and check-in your knives with your suitcase, you will not have a problem. These are tools used for cookery after all, but do check with your local customs authorities.

If you still have reservations on transporting knives then I recommend purchasing them from Bluewayjapan on ebay:

http://shop.ebay.com.au/bluewayjapan/m.html

Based in Sakai, and run by Mr. Keiichi Omae, bluewayjapan is right at the source of all these great blades. Super efficient, helpful and with great communication, he stocks a variety of Sakai blades from the sublime workmanship of the Sakai Yusuke blades as well as whet stones for maintaining a razor edge. There is even an engraving service where you can personalise your knife with your name in kanji.

Now that you know a bit more about Japanese knives. Stay tuned as in my next installment, I'll take you on a photo tour of knife shops in Tokyo, Kyoto, Osaka and of course, Sakai!

A Taste of ... Everything!

2011-02-04T21:20:00.047+11:00

It was the eve of Australia Day and a text message came through:

"Mission accomplished. The package is en route."
"How does it look?" I responded.
"Stinky." came the reply "In a good way."

It was the culmination of a week's worth of planning prompted by a glimpse of possibilities....

Part 1: LaPlanchette.com.au

I first learned about this inaugural online supplier of French Charcuterie and Cheeses from a work colleague, Vincent (hi!). When he told me about it, I assumed it had been in operation for some time. As it happens, the owners, Eric and Camille are friends of Vincent's and the service had been operating a mere 6 weeks when I decided to host a tasting. They started the business because, although they love and have embraced their new home in Sydney, they wanted to share some of their French culture and traditions.

I am admittedly not a huge fan of cured meats, the closest I usually get to something along these lines is pepperoni on a pizza or the even less authentic selection of salamis from the local deli. I'm the one who thinks that the rockmelon is spoiled when it's wrapped with prosciutto. So in order to make a tasting worthwhile, I decided to surround myself with people who actually appreciate these things, my fellow Yummers. All but M.S. Glutamate, who was otherwise occupied, said yes to joining us and although it was a little removed from the traditional barbie, we chose to hold it on Australia Day.

You see, the service delivers to the CBD and East Sydney and most of us work near there but live in the 'burbs so we reasoned that to ensure we sampled these goodies at their peak, we would have them delivered to Lobo's workplace and he could drive them home in his air-conditioned car then immediately ensconce them in his brand new, empty, fridge. By doing so we minimised the amount of exposure to heat from when the goods left the supplier and when they were presented to our guests. And hasn't it been HOT!

Back to La Planchette though! Imagine, if you will, having a platter of charcuterie (cured meats), authentic French cheeses, baguettes, pates and a sprinkling of accompaniments such as fresh walnuts, grapes and cornichons delivered on a planchette (French for "a little board" rather than the inventor of the French Ouija equivalent for which it is better known) with a cheese knife, delivered ready-to-eat, nothing more required (well perhaps a glass of wine, but we'll get to that!). This is the thinking behind the Themed Planchettes of which there are four - delightfully named:

"Discovery"

"Rustic"

"Date on a Plate"

and "Don't Kiss Me Tonight"!

There is more than enough information on these on their website so I won't go into them in any more detail except to say you'd better like the person/people you're sharing with if you buy the "Don't Kiss Me Tonight"! That yellow rinded cheese is lethal!

We of course wanted to try it all so we ordered all four. With partners along, we numbered 11 adults and 4 children so we elected to order the 2-3 serving size of each.

As I was eager to sample them, I also added an order each of the Rabbit and Wild Boar pates to our order.

Not knowing whether the serving sizes pictured on the site were the smaller or larger servings, we decided to supplement the planchettes with Nigella Lawson's Best Ever Roast Chicken in Sweet Potato Bird's Nest (courtesy of Lobo),

Indian Rice (courtesy of non-blogger Wag),

Couscous & Pumpkin Salad and Smoked Salmon Frittata (courtesy of Happy Blogger - welcome back!)

and Yaya contributed a Watermelon & Feta salad.

A Geoff Janz ready-to-eat Greek lamb (heated for 20 minutes in the oven - gotta have lamb on Austraya Day, hi Sam!) which was deliciously tender and smoked ocean trout along with pork chipolatas and miniature dinner rolls, party pies and fish fingers (for the children among us), representing the Aussie content. We had also, in hindsight, wisely bought a huge loaf of Sonoma Sourdough and a selection of crackers. (We're mostly Asian, we do love to over cater!) All laid out, the table looked like this:

If you think that the photo barely has room for all the food, you think right! The rest of the meal was on the side table.

It was a spectacular outlay, even by our standards and we couldn't wait to get into it.
Here's a closer look:

There were definite favourites amongst the tasters, the Aged Beef, Truffled Saussicon and the Saint Marcellin garnered the most comments but equally the unidentified batons of cheese were eagerly snapped up and it wasn't like anyone left any one selection alone. It was all that good. The only conversation for the next little while consisted of "have you tried this?", "that's really good" and "I love that". The sound of happy eaters eating!

Let me tell you that there were enough leftovers for most to take home a small plate each. Is it value for money? If you love and miss genuine French charcuterie and cheeses, for a once in a while picnic in the park in summer, to surprise someone on a special occasion or just for the wow factor, it is definitely worth it. Not only is the hard work of rounding up all these delicacies done for you but you get to keep the planchette and knife for another day.

Speaking of which, now that we have four empty planchettes, the online store also offers La Boutique a grocery store of sorts where you can select your favourites and have them posted to anywhere in Australia. I'm looking forward to trying that one day! Oh and if you're a little hesitant about ordering online the first time, I've been told that you can find them at the Kings Cross markets on a Saturday!

Well I did promise that we needed something to go with all the meat and cheese so again with a little planning, we held a wine tasting.

Part 2: Tamburlaine Wines

I first encountered Tamburlaine Wines at the Clinique Superfood Dinner. Tamburlaine were co-sponsors and supplied the red, white and sparkling wines for the event. That night, I only tried the Wine Lover's Grenache, a light fruity red which went perfectly with the fresh healthy food we were served for dinner and the Sparkling which was bubbly and dry to the palate, as I prefer, with dessert.

Having read a little more about the bio-dynamic and sustainable farming practices of this organic winery, (after all, we should love the land which provides us with its produce), I was interested in testing the no-pesticide, no herbicide, low-sulphur claims, high levels of which can result in allergic reactions to the wine.

Having attended the dinner, I was offered a chance to order some wine at a substantial discount,so it seemed like a great opportunity to really road test the claim - I'm a big red wine fan but quite often, with a few sips of a standard glass, my nose is stuffed up and I feel so uncomfortable that it is impossible to get to that slightly inebriated euphoric state of relaxation with wine. (Spirits are another matter altogether!) I'm not advocating constant over-indulgence by any means, I just like to see what the other half of the population feel like every now and then. Are these wines less likely to cause an allergic reaction?

I ordered what I thought was a comprehensive selection but because we were never going to swirl and spit like true wine tasters, I limited the selection to 1 Rose (Petite Fleur), 3 Whites (Verdelho, Sauvignon Blanc and Chardonnay)

and 2 reds (Cabernet Sauvignon and Shiraz).

All 6 were from the Wine Lovers Range. I didn't know at the time about their Reserve Wines which look simply amazing and I am looking forward to sampling again soon.

I could go on about bouquet, or floral or fruity notes or legs but that's not how we tend to drink wine. We drink it in accompaniment to food or to celebrate or just to ease the tension of a long day on the job.

In any case, it only needs to do one thing, taste good!

There was no doubt that everyone in our party (adults only of course!) enjoyed the tasting. As we had a smorgasbord of food not served in any order, we didn't necessarily match the wine to the food, which might have altered our perceptions, but how many of us really do this at an ordinary meal at home? We're far more likely to drink what we like, irrespective of the food we are eating at the time.

That said, there were definite leanings towards the Verdelho,and the Chardonnay in the Whites and the Shiraz by a narrow margin in the Reds (almost split 50/50). I was in a minority with the Rose, but all were very drinkable and having the tasting notes to hand (courtesy of my laptop on the sideboard) helped us to be a little more knowledgeable at the outset.

What I did find was that I was slowly and surely getting giddy from the alcohol without suffering at all from the stuffy nose, something which only the finest (read expensive) wines had allowed me to do.

I had a really good day, the two leftover Reds went home with their respective most admiring fans and we are slowly but surely making our way through what's left.
Our sampling was small so I wouldn't call it a conclusive finding, but if you do normally get a stuffy nose as a result of drinking wine (and you don't have a life-threatening allergy to it), give Tamburlaine Organic Wines a go. You might find a great drop that you can indulge in.

We could hardly complete a meal of such diversity with just a single offering for dessert so Yaya organised as wide a selection as she could fit in our freezers.

Part 3: Icecream Tasting

On offer were (from top left and clockwise) Lamington, Raspberry Sorbet, White Christmas, Golden Syrup, Coconut & Kaffir Lime and Lemon and Orange Curd.

They came from such diverse companies as Sydney's own Serendipity, Victorian producer Gundowring, South Australia's Maggie Beer and Woolworths (yes a leftover from Christmas but it was still good!) You can't order these online, but the websites are a good way to check out all the flavours they make and most have a list of retail outlets.

We also had some Gelatissimo sorbets for the non-dairy, non-egg eaters in Strawberry, Lemon, Passionfruit and Chocolate flavours.

La Chouquette Sucree surprised us with a mound of her namesake, Chouquettes, and Canele de Bordeaux to continue the French theme.

It was a very informal competition to create the most amazing dessert but the winner was ... Lobo, who managed to combine every flavour on offer and topped it off with a Canele.

So we traversed (half) the countryside as well as (some of) the world in a single gastronomic feast. We like to think that on Australia's National Day, we chose to celebrate its multicultural roots. What a day!

Take One Cup of Flour ...

2011-01-31T16:12:00.008+11:00

... and you have the basis of a very versatile biscuit!

I've been in a baking mood for a while. I had perfected my gingerbread biscuits (the hottest and most flavoursome according to those who tried them) and tackled espresso biscuits sandwiched with chocolate ganache. I was feeling adventurous and wanted to come up with an original recipe. Because the espresso biscuits had used real coffee grounds, I reasoned that real tea leaves might work in a buttery biscuit and loving the way mixed peel crystallises when baked, I decided Earl Grey might be a good match so I did a google search and lo and behold, I discovered that someone had got there before me. (Actually, several people had but this recipe was the first one I looked at and it sounded really simple so I chose to try it.)

As with all my baking, I couldn't just follow the recipe, I had to add my own touches, experimenting until I came up with a biscuit that is so fragrant that it is undeniably more-ish. One of the special ingredients is Herbie's Fragrant Sweet Spices. A blend of coriander, cassia, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, ginger, poppy seeds, cloves, cardomom and rose petals and available from specialty stores, it's the perfect addition to most baked goods. I've resorted to ordering it in bulk direct from the online store - http://www.herbies.com.au/ where you can learn all about culinary and spice expert Ian Hemphill and the story of this supplier of all spices.

Linda's Earl Grey Tea Biscuits

INGREDIENTS
1 cup of plain flour
1 heaped tablespoon of Earl Grey tea leaves
1/4 cup of caster sugar
1/4 cup of pure icing sugar
1 heaped teaspoon of Herbie's Sweet Spices
3 heaped teaspoons of very finely minced mixed peel
1/4 teaspoon of salt (optional)

100 gm unsalted butter (melted)
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1 tablespoon orange blossom water

METHOD
Pre-heat the oven to 160 degrees celcius
Process the tea leaves in a 4 cup food processor until finely minced.

Add the dry ingredients and process again until well mixed.
Melt the butter in a microwave safe jug, mix in the vanilla and orange blossom water.
Pour into the dry ingredients in the food processor and pulse until the mixture comes together into a dough. (Add a little more water if too dry.)

Remove the blade (or transfer the mixture to another bowl) and knead the dough until it becomes pliable.

At this point, lay baking paper on a similar sized piece of foil and roll the dough into a log, wrapping until it's secure.
Put the log into the refrigerator for about half an hour to chill.
At this point you can freeze the dough (for months as the original recipe suggests) or refrigerate it overnight.
If you do, I recommend that you remove it from the freezer or refrigerator a good hour before you want to bake it as the dough will be hard to work with until it comes back to room temperature.
If you're happy with circular cookies, you can slice them straight from the refrigerator, transfer them to a tray lined with baking paper and bake for 10-15 minutes or until the edges start to brown.

If like me, you like a little finesse, pull a small lump of dough from the main portion and knead it until it is again pliable, then roll till thin (the thinner the dough prior to baking, the crispier the result and the better they will taste) and cut out with cookie cutters, then transfer to a tray and bake as above.

Personally, I find that these cookies taste best once they've cooled and are better the day after they are baked. Here's a nice big close up you can almost smell!

If you have any left over, store in an airtight container, but I doubt that you will!

I have already started experimenting with a different variation, a Chai Latte version which substitutes the Earl Grey tea leaves with a Chai Latte leaf and the orange blossom water for a tablespoon of reconstituted instant coffee. I also left the mixed peel and Fragrant Sweet Spices out of this one as the spices in the Chai tea leaves are very subtle and are easily overwhelmed.

Can't wait to try other combinations!