Initiales JB

Sigh

2008-02-29T01:40:00.002+11:00

So if the devil wears Prada, I want to wear Alexander McQueen. Specifically, this dress as seen on ASOS (would that be ASOASOS?). It's completely American Apparel with splashes of sequins, and that hits many of my buttons.

Certains Details

2008-02-24T09:07:00.002+11:00

Thank you Lola, I went on a Lou Doillon spree after watching the gorgeous Lee Cooper video, then fell enchanted with a reading of Bonaparte from Lettres Intimes, a show I'd wish I'd been in Paris for. Take a look...

I've Got Your Back NYT

2008-02-24T08:55:00.002+11:00

I can almost smell the salt air; what a delight to see the NY Times feature some of Sydney's beach restaurants and to include Swell and Bonsai at Bronte, neighbouring favourites.

Nobu's Miso Cod

2008-02-19T04:06:00.002+11:00

Andrew and I went to Nobu while in New York in 2003. Actually, it was Nobu Next Door, since back then the cult restaurant was booked out for months, and this neighbour took no reservations. Just as we were across the road, my heel snapped right off. So we had to cab it back home, get changed, and cab it back. It was full so we had a drink around the corner which involved a very funny case of misunderstanding, then dinner. Back then, the Aussie dollar was a useless 53 cents, and we feared how much the dinner would cost us (especially after one of the worst dining experiences ever at Cafe Boulud). I had the famous miso cod, Andrew a plate of the freshest sashimi. My cod came out on the plate as is, just a fillet of cod, with no vegetables, or decoration - I was cynical. But it was incredible. Tender, sweet, salty cod with nothing to distract you from this delicious new food.

It had always been in the back of my mind to make it, but I felt stocking up on all these Japanese ingredients - sake, mirin, miso - was superfluous. Now I can't imagine a kitchen without them. The fish marinates for 2 days, plus or minus, and 'toughens' up slightly soaking up the flavours for so long. A quick roast under a hot grill, then baking, leaves it flakey and golden. I served it with a little round of brown rice noodles and a dot of reserved marinade. It's a dish to serve someone you love, and that includes a double portion for yourself it's that good. Find the recipe here.

Worst photo ever. The fish flaked as I was taking it out of the oven, but it was so incredibly delicious it was one of the rare cases of not caring how the shot turned out - I just wanted to eat more of it.

Recipes From Home

2008-02-16T10:59:00.002+11:00

(I've decided to put some of my favourite recipes on this blog as well to tie in with flickr etc).

Andrew sent me this recipe the other day, using pork chops, a similar recipe to one Kath makes with lamb chops. Since our Islamic shop is somewhat short of pork, I used lamb chops.Sick of eating tuna salads and vegie soups and sandwiches, I was craving a real meal, both the cooking and eating, and this was it, good ol' meat and veg.

Seal the chops and remove. In the same pan braise fennel that has been cut into 8, along with spring onions, a head of garlic and my Dutch addition of mini brussel sprouts. They are really good. Cook until the vegies have some nice caramalisation then pop into the oven for 15-20 minutes, then top with the chops and roast for 5 minutes. The chops will be perfectly pink and juicy.

The smell of the caramalising fennel is out of this world, transforming the aniseed bulb into sweet, milder leaves. Try it even if you don't usually like fennel.

Darling Clementine

2008-02-15T04:03:00.003+11:00

Like samphire in the previous post, clementines were something I'd been hanging to try since they are not available in Sydney but in abundance here. They look so beautiful, piled in crates stamped with sunny destinations like Morocco and Italy, many with their dark green leaves attached. I have been annoying Dani since we got here - what could I make with them? look how pretty they are! wow, 2 kilos for 2.49E! - so I decided to finally buy some and make something with them.

This Clementine and Olive Oil Cake recipe from Cafe Fernando is so easy. I've never made a cake with olive oil before but it makes the cake moist and light so I'll be seeking more recipes like this out. The scent of citrus, from rubbing the zest into the sugar to taking the cake out of the oven, brings such a happy, sunny smell to the house. Serve the cake with a dollop of creme fraiche.

So what are clementines like? Exactly like mandarins, seedless and maybe a touch sweeter. But don't you just love the name?

Cult Steak and Irish Mash

2008-02-14T04:00:00.002+11:00

I have wanted steak and mash for yonks. A simple, good piece of meat, cooked to juicy beefy perfection. Mash, maybe with a twist in the form of Heston Blumenthal's Irish mash. And it was the perfect excuse to try out an ingredient I'd heard about on The Cook and The Chef but couldn't find at home, yet here is in abundance: samphire.

I also thought it was time to try the now-infamous "choice into Gucci prime" salting method started by Steamy Kitchen, whereby you heavily salt steak and let it rest for between 15 minutes and one hour. The steak sucks in the salt, which then draws out the moisture. But then the steak drinks in the salt water - osmosis? - and leaves the meat tender and seasoned throughout.

And it absolutely works. The steak was lightly salted, juicy and a gorgeous aged deep red, with a lovely crust. I will definitely be doing my steaks like this from now.
Heston's Irish mash is made by cooking chopped spring onions in a little milk for 3 minutes so they still have bite, then adding the onions and onion milk to mash. His is of course butter-rich (250g for 4-6 people) but it doesn't need more than a tablespoon.

As for the samphire, these beautiful salty, crunchy beans only need to be poached in unsalted boiling water for a few minutes. They went very well with the dish.

Dutch Blog

2007-12-11T18:42:00.000+11:00

We have started a blog so we can both write about our year in Dutchland. It's invite-only which means you just need to put your email address in when you click to read it, so if I haven't dinged you please email me and I will add your addy (or if I don't know you please send me your blog). Thanks!

We're Here!

2007-12-07T22:59:00.000+11:00

The flight was sooo long and exhausting but we're here! It's 5am now, D is fast asleep but I'm wide awake so thought I'd put it all down before I forget.

Sydney-Bangkok-Zurich-Amsterdam. It was sad to say goodbye at the airport. I miss everyone terribly. It only starts to hit you on the plane what you're actually doing. All the daydreaming and planning in the world doesn't measure up.

After a delay of a couple hours in Zurich, we arrived before lunch on Friday, smelly, red eyes, tired, sick. I've lost my voice. We'd look over at each other throughout the loooong hours of flying and say, can you believe this? We'd be watching the worst movies ever made, like The Invasion and No Reservations, having just eaten some really rubbish food, teenagers running up and down the aisles, and then catch ourselves and ask, can you believe, we've done it! We wanted to, and we did.

We arrived, taxi to our new home in Haarlem. It's even nicer than the photos and description. It's a really beautiful ground-floor apartment, whites and chocolate browns, very big with gorgeous furniture. Actually, we walk in, look around, and start jumping for joy. We can't believe it ours for the next two months. I didn't know a thing about scamming wireless internet but I can get it fast and free here! And there is a wonderful huge kitchen (Kath, five burners, two ovens). I am going to be in cooking heaven!

First showers are the best, even if they are quick so we can get out and take a look. It's cold, but not worse than I expected. 8C. We wrap up and take a walk. Our place is so close to everything, a few minutes' walk to the main drag but on the quiet side. And about 20 metres from a canal :-) I'd read a bit about Haarlem, and many people had told me that it was nice, but we were gobsmacked. Sooo nice! Trying not to get run over by bikes, we walked up to the Grote Markt area which is the centre of things. Lovely interesting shops, and soon it was restaurant restaurant restaurant. I've never seen so many shoe shops, so Haarlem really must be the shopping heart of Holland! Already saw a gorgeous pair of brown boots, and on sale for 80E.

We spotted some markets stalls, and then my heart jumped. There was a mushroom stall! Remember how I'd been banging on about mushrooms? Well this was even better than I could have dreamed (dreamt? I'm tired). Baskets and baskets of different mushrooms, probably a dozen different varieties. And beautiful fruit and vegies. Gorgeous organic breads. And fish. Oysters for 9E, but I didn't have time to have a good look.

Having no idea what time it was and what time we felt it was, we shared a huge cornet of frites with mayonnaise, like everybody else in the city. Then we sat inside at a pretty cafe called Lunch and had a bowl of spicy tomato soup to warm up. I've never lost my voice before, I don't like it! There is so much to talk about! The fatigue hit, so we bought some tea and went home to sleep. We could have slept all night, but had to get up to meet the owner of the apartment. She's a lovely woman our age and we might meet up today as she offered to show us around. Soon enough we were hit with jetlag again so went to sleep, but now I can't, and it'll probably take a few days to adjust.

We have to register with the foreign police so we'll attempt to do that today. It doesn't feel like my birthday at all, all the attention has been on getting sorted and getting here. But apparently it is today, so we might have a nice meal and a drink somewhere. A great way to start a new year!

I am so happy we've done this.

Leaving On A Jet Plane (Thai, Then Swiss)

2007-12-05T20:18:00.000+11:00

I just want to say...I am feeling so blessed right now. To have so much love, support, friendship from everyone around, and some who haven't been around in a while, is overwhelming. Thank you thank you thank you. You know who you are, I love you.

Almost packed, check.
Will have to sit on luggage to make it zip up, check.
Have come down with a cold, check.
Lasered, waxed, tinted, pap smear, check.
Spent the last day running around like manic, check.
~~Deciding~~ decided what shoes to take, check.
Getting emotional when saying goodbye, check.
Heart beating with excitement, check.

Look after yourselves x

Special

2007-12-05T11:20:00.000+11:00

A took me to dinner at Quay last night. It doesn't get much better than this. It was one of those evenings I'll always remember - such impressive food (because to be honest, eating out so often and being fortunate to eat at many of the 'better' restaurants, it can sometimes feel a bit same-same), perfect friendly service and fabulous relaxed company. Oh, and we had the best table and views in the house, that was really special.

I want to gush about the food. The four course menu is perfection. I could eat bowls of the amuse-bouche, a portion of creme fraiche topped with tiny cubes of jamon jelly and a disc of kingfish, every day. My starter of mud crab congee, hand shelled mud crab, Chinese inspired split rice porridge (I'd been craving congee for months) was light and wholesome, as congee is; the crab so sweet. We both had to have the same next course: rare breed pig belly, gentle braise of green lipped abalone, handmade silken tofu, Japanese mushrooms, chive flowers. Peter Gilmore's signature way of combining pork belly with seafood is so well thought out. Cubes of meaty, then fatty, then crispy pork belly, sitting alongside the silkiest tofu imaginable. Mandolin-thin slivers of meaty abalone curl amongst it and dotted with the tiniest mushrooms and flowers. Truly great. I'd chosen the next course very quickly. Poached White River veal fillet, veal sweetbreads, bone marrow, walnuts, chanterelle mushroom cream. Sauteed sweetbreads are golden and creamy inside. Quivering white circles of bone marrow melt with crunchy sea salt. Crisp walnuts and a delicate cream. All these delights - my favourite things - sit on top of rare veal. The dish takes heed of richness and left me feeling just right - too often I've felt sick from an enjoyable but overly-rich meal. How could I not choose the cheese plate, especially with A choosing another wonderful dessert to share. For me, Edel de Cleron and Marcel Petit aged Comte, toasted hazelnut brioche. There are few French cheeses I haven't tried but both of these were new and so exciting, instant falling in love. The Edel de Cleron was grassy and earthy, spreading all over the toasted breads. Equally smitten with the Marcel Petit comte, I'll be seeking both out again. Between the two cheeses, the prettiest divide of hazelnuts and micro flowers. A's white nectarines set above vanilla pannacotta was so simple and a joy. It had to be left simple to highlight the blushing sweetness of new season nectarines with the fragrant vanilla and soft pannacotta the perfect compliments.

Alongside was a gorgeous bottle of Philip Shaw No. 19 2007 Sauvignon Blanc, it couldn't have been a better choice. We both fell gaga for the dessert wine, Lustau San Emilio Pedro Ximenez.

The service was wonderful, friendly, welcoming, and uncrowded. We could eat and chat and sit back and laugh and it was easy. Our lovely waitress brought out the petit fours, with a chocolate message of 'bon voyage' on the plate, and even sang a little song.

We sat down, with a beer and a sparkling wine, and we had presents. I gave A a frisbee. It's a cool frisbee! He blew me away with a beautiful card and a House Of Cashmere scarf in the prettiest pale blue. So soft and warm. Cashmere, wow. It was such a thoughtful, beautiful present. We get along so well, and we both have our own lives to live, especially now. I only want him to be happy.

Thank You

2007-12-03T22:32:00.000+11:00

Thank you dad and co. for a lovely lunch on Saturday x

And thank you Kath and Jay and mum and Will and Marianna and cousins for a truly wonderful farewell lunch on Sunday. Thank you for beautiful food, for sitting on the gorgeous deck for a few relaxed hours and for a beautiful present (a Pandora charm bracelet of three of my favourite things, a shell for the beach, a shoe! and a suitcase for travelling). I'm really touched. Shame we didn't get a group photo, although Kath you know how chuffed I am to have this one...

Cherry dress girls

2 Days In Paris

2007-12-03T22:06:00.000+11:00

In my dreams, it would be wonderful.

In reality, it was.

I loved it so much, so funny, and so spot on, and then, the cherry on the cake, those genius raw insights.

Thank you Julie Delpy. Thank you again and again and again.

1 Week To Go

2007-11-29T12:51:00.000+11:00

+ I took mum for dinner to Bonsai down at Bronte last night. We've eaten at it's neighbour Swell many times, and they both just get it right. Unlike Neil Perry and Rockpool. Such a comfortable place to sit, across the road from the beach with lovely food and always-friendly service. We had really fresh sushi and sashimi, served at the right temperature, and the special of tempura zucchini flowers filled with snapper mousse was so good we ordered another. Oh and a subtle green tea creme brulee with red bean icecream, mmm, red beans.
+ You count down the weeks with impatience but then as the date nears my feelings changed - trepidation, curiousity, again impatience, but with unquiet stillness. Today I'm excited again, and can't wait.
+ I am geekily excited by the produce I'll have access to in Amsterdam.
+ I have stop-started writing about those closest to me for a few days now, but it feels silly. I know how I feel about them and our relationships and that I will miss them and it doesn't need to be written down.
+ I'm almost-completely organised. My tax is about to be sent in, my papers all collated, unit rented out, stuff at mum's mostly unpacked, mail redirected, address changed, office desk sorted. Must buy a Dutch dictionary.
+ The weather is SHIT. Global warming my arse. I've moved back to Bronte and banked on a solid effort at the beach, but it has been grey and on-off rainy for weeks, aka Amsterdam-lite.
+ The news that John Burton Race fathered a child with a woman he's been having an affair with and is leaving his wife and six kids disturbs me. It also disturbs me that a top chef would do "I'm a celebrity...". You suck John. Your goat cheese salad with hazelnut vinegarette may be one of my favourite dishes to prepare and eat, but you are dead to me now.

Chocolate Souffle

2007-11-28T15:55:00.000+11:00

Every food post has a little story to go with it. Except this one. I wanted to make chocolate souffle, so came home and did.

I'd spotted Jules' posting of Guillaume Brahimi's chocolate souffle during the day, and it had me swooning. The recipe has an easy yolk/white ratio, and no cornstarch, which I don't like to use unless necessary. The souffle is just what I love in a souffle - a meeting point of unctuous chocolate goodness and fluffy lightness. It's chocolatey but not too sweet so a pour of sauce or scoop of icecream on the side would work really well. And it's after-work easy. I did them in my Bodum double wall glasses which look so good (but forgot to smooth the top, hence the bumps).

Chocolate Souffle, recipe from Guillaume Brahimi, thanks to The Stone Soup, serves 4
150g dark chocolate
1/2 C milk
1/2 C caster sugar
3 egg yolks, lightly whisked
4 egg whites
Pinch salt
Pinch cream of tartar
Butter for greasing, extra caster sugar for dusting

Preheat oven to 180C. Grease 4 ramekins with butter and sprinkle with caster sugar, tipping out excess sugar. Break chocolate into small chunks and place in a bowl over a saucepan of simmering water, ensuring that the water does not touch the base of the bowl. Allow chocolate to melt gently. When almost melted remove from heat and stir, allowing the residual heat to melt the remaining chocolate. Stir through cold milk. Combine yolks and sugar and stir through chocolate.
Beat egg whites until frothy and add salt and cream of tartar. Continue to whisk until firm peaks form. Stir a tablespoon of egg white through the chocolate mix to lighten it then gently fold through remaining whites.
Gently divide the mix between the 4 prepared dishes and wrap each with a collar of baking paper that stands at least 4cm above the rim of the dish. Tie with string. Place dishes on a baking tray and bake for 25 - 30mins or until soufflés are risen and the top looks cooked through.

Farewell Party!

2007-11-26T14:44:00.000+11:00

We had our farewell party yesterday and it was so much fun. We had a great spot on the balcony of The Clock, my favourite local, and luckily the weather was top notch after a week of grey and almost everybody came and had a great time.

It was wonderful to catch up with mates, especially some I thought wouldn't make it. Everyone got on, the vibe was great. Champers flowed so of course we got loose, and the night kicked on to Bondi for more drinks and laughs and hooligan behaviour.

Thank you G for the wonderful photos...

The Best

2007-11-23T08:38:00.000+11:00

D told me weeks ago she was taking me for a suprise on Wednesday after work. I thought it was going to be something silly-fun, like to the taping of Bingo, but when I came out there was J, W and D, all dressed up and taking me for an early birthday dinner!

I was blown. away. What sweet wonderful friends. We are leaving two days before my birthday so, not wanting me to miss out on a proper birthday celebration, they had been planning a surprise, complete with dinner and hilarious presents! November 21 is now my Australian birthday date!

They took me to Longrain, which we'd been planning to go to together for yonks, so imagine their shock when I reported back about A and I's fantastic dinner there just this Saturday! Live across the road for two+ years, never eat there, and then dine twice in one week. It was even more delicious this time, cocktails and fantastic WA wine, the Barossa chicken, pork belly which was too good, crunchy yet melting and all caramely, and an amazing soft-shell crab. And dessert was incredible, I really couldn't expect such delicious desserts, and we all tried each others with the next being more yum than the one before. I had palm sugar and vanilla tapioca with coconut icecream and little wafers. Little pearls of tapioca in a glossy thin custard, with shards of young coocnut and lychee. Perfectly smooth coconut icecream. This is heaven.

Then I was initiated with silly presents. A little lawn-growing animal thing, a subliminal Dutch-learning CD (Mind Storm!), a tshirt with one of D and I's favourite lines from the trip, and an apron with the Diablo printed on it. This took the cake.

An absolutely wonderful surprise which touched me more than words can say.

In the apron with the Diablo

aka Charlotte and Harry

The soon-to-be Dutch residents!

2 Weeks aka I Am Never Moving Again

2007-11-22T21:21:00.000+11:00

How many times have I moved, and how many times have I said the same thing? It started off ok - removalists, storage, paying a small fortune - then dear Jay helping me haul boxes and boxes over to mum's. Most of it done - what a godsend he is - except my tv weighs more than a whale. Instead of storing it, I thought Kath might like it, except it's unliftable. Drop dead Grundig. I thought I was paying for quality, not lead.

I am never moving again. Who needs all this stuff? Boxes and boxes of books. Who needs books? Pff, Eurotrash. Who needs half of Peter's of Kensington in their kitchen? Who needs all these CDs, who needs DVDs? What is wrong with just sitting in an empty room staring at the wall? I haven't started on the clothes. I don't want clothes, I don't want shoes. Actually, I can't say that. I want my shoes. All of them. But the policy has to be, closed toes come, open toe stay.

Goodbye Surry Hills! I hope the tenant will look after the place. I looked around today, hollow and empty of furniture, and I love it so much. I'll come back and put in new carpet, a new dishwasher, maybe even put something on the walls finally. So, the next two weeks at mum's. I hope we get along and not kill each other.

A jam-packed two weeks, and then, jumping into the new.

Hot

2007-11-20T15:26:00.000+11:00

I went and told grandma I was leaving on Saturday morning, it went quite well considering it was decided not to tell her the complete truth. Did some packing, then went to Bronte for a sunbake. S came over for a catch up and taught me a few Dutch words. Then A and I had cocktails and dinner at Longrain (it was meant to be a 'special' dinner at Quay but then Neil Perry from ROCKPOOL turned what was meant to be a reasonable night out into the most disappointing blowout so we kept it more low-key). What a fantastic night! Sitting in the bar area with a few wonderful cocktails is just great - it always has a relaxed, cool vibe. And dinner was lovely, even if we were bursting at the seams and had to leave half. Who would think that a hatted restaurant actually gives you too much? The flavours were so fresh and a rainbow of sour, sweet, tangy, fruity. And the service was great, they gave us the best seats at the communal table, were attentive and cute to boot. We sat and chatted for hours. What more could you want?
Sunday did some more packing, took Nut for a walk, made Bill Granger's coconut bread and took it with me to Manly. With the neighbours we headed over to Little Manly for a swim and a kick of the footy. Wow. I'd never been there before, never really liked Manly (or the northern beaches - loyalty is to the east) but this little locals-only beach was incredible, private, calm and crystal aqua sea. It really felt like being on holidays. Then back up for a BBQ for 6, champers, good company, and I crashed.
A super weekend in the heat of almost-summer, a snapshot of this amazing city.

Bacon And Egg Risotto

2007-11-20T10:35:00.000+11:00

Yonks ago I thought about doing a bacon and egg risotto but forgot all about it, then the other day saw just that over at the more-ish Last Night's Dinner. My idea had been to fry an egg until the edges were crispy and serve that over the risotto, but the original idea from An Obsession With Food was to poach the egg yolk, and I had to try it. I forgot to saute the pancetta first (I was probably too busy scoffing it on it's own) but added it towards the end, when there was hardly any stock left and could easily fry it, the oil coating the rice deliciously.

Going back to look at the recipe now, I see we've served it the same with lots of chopped chives and also pancetta instead of bacon. Perfect packing-with-SATC-on-in-the-background comfort food.

3 Weeks

2007-11-15T20:34:00.000+11:00

+ I need to keep packing but I'm watching Knocked Up. The bearded friend jokes are the best!
+ The excitement has really kicked in and everything now feels like a countdown. To-do lists are being ticked off, all the logistics taken care of, even the tax is done (if only I can find the rest of my papers to reconcile the numbers...)
+ Skype and webcams installed. Skype is cool, when it works.
+ My place looks fabulous. Shame I hadn't made it look so good just for me.
+ Ladies, if you're needing any beauty appointments before Christmas, book them in stat. I only just nabbed the last laser appointment in December.
+ It's an interesting cook's challenge using up what's in your pantry and fridge/freezer and not allowing yourself to buy any non-essential groceries. Completely essential though are mangoes and new season plums, peaches, nectarines. Yum.
+ I sent a friend my new address today, and it was a real kick.
+ I'm moving to Amsterdam!

Neil Perry Response

2007-11-14T09:52:00.000+11:00

Hi Andrew,

The overwhelming majority of people who came to the restaurant last week, all 999 of them loved it and said Sydney defiantly (sic) needs a restaurant like Rockpool (fish).
Sorry you don’t agree, but as you don’t seem to understand what we are doing I guess I won’t be getting you or needing you as a customer.

Cheers

Neil

Neil Perry
Director
Rockpool Group

NB: no reply to the email complaint I sent on Monday, and resent on Wednesday.

Karen Martini's Syrian Chicken

2007-11-13T21:39:00.001+11:00

Again, the delightful Elegant Sufficiency provided another recipe I had to make stat, Syrian chicken by Karen Martini. It's so wonderful to have all the herbs and spices on hand so even a dish with many ingredients can be whipped up in half an hour at the end of a weekend.

Karen Martini's Syrian Chicken, slightly adapted, serves 4
1kg chicken thigh fillets, cut into big cubes
2 ts sea salt
2 ts ground cumin
2 ts ground cinnamon
1 ts pepper
1 ts ground turmeric
2 Ts olive oil
1 large brown onion, sliced
1 inch fresh ginger, peeled and cut into matchsticks
5 cloves garlic, bruised with the back of a knife
2 tomatoes, coarsely chopped
2 pinches saffron threads
1/2 ts cumin seeds
5 sprigs thyme
1 lemon, juiced and zest grated
2 Ts honey
100g currants
1/2 bunch coriander
(The recipe includes currants, which I don't like but it doesn't lack anything without them. I also didn't have red chili, which the recipe has two of).

Add the salt, cumin, cinnamon, pepper and turmeric to the chicken and coat. Set aside while you get everything ready.
Heat olive oil in a large frypan. Add chicken and brown on all sides. Remove from pan and set aside. Add onions, ginger, garlic (and chilies if using) to pan and cook for 3 minutes. Add tomatoes, saffron, cumin seeds and thyme and cook for 2 minutes.
Return chicken to the pan and add lemon juice and zest, honey, (currants if using) and enough water to just cover chicken. Cover with a lid and simmer over medium heat for 10 minutes. Uncover and simmer for 10-15 minutes or until chicken is tender and cooked through and sauce is slightly reduced. Stir in coriander.
Serve with couscous or rice.

The Rest Of The Weekend

2007-11-13T21:20:00.000+11:00

We caught the ferry back to Manly and I got cross with him in the rain. But we had a nice breakfast in the morning and then I headed back for my apartment inspection. D and I went back into town to try on warm jackets, ordered them online for half the price, then hit Bite Me Burgers for a burger feast. We stuffed ourselves with $50 worth of deliciousness: six mini burgers, a footlong hot dog with the works, large chips and icecream sandwiches. It was all fantastic, so be sure to try them.

Late at night we were treated to SBS showing dig! which we'd always wanted to see. What a fantastic documentary! As imdb says, a must-see even if you're not a fan of the bands. Woo hoo!
Spent Sunday with mum as I hadn't seen her in a while, and had a top day. Including a wonderful lunch of prawn ravioli and scampi risotto at WBJ's Nino's Hideaway (laughable how good it was compared to Rockpool), a walk with Nut along Bronte Beach, and the swelling of my heart when mum told me, over a glass of wine in the sunshine, that she is so happy for me going.

Rockpool

2007-11-12T14:19:00.000+11:00

Dear Pony-Tailed One,

Thanks for absolutely taking the piss.

Sincerely,

JB and A

...except the actual letter of complaint that went out yesterday was much more thorough and detailed just how bad this dinner was, from the service to each bite of food. Even A, who never gets bothered by anything, wrote his own letter.

We'd been looking forward to dinner at the updated Rockpool, that was meant to be a table of 4, then 6, then 4 again, then at the last minute just the two of us. So, a summary of the experience:

+ Casually seated, no chairs pulled out or napkins placed on laps. Fine for the pub, not for a on-again, off-again 3-hatter.
+ Not yet seated, asked what we'd like to drink. No wine list or aperitif offered; choice of beers Crown, Stella or Heineken.
+ Prices significantly higher than website menu, which is identical in menu items; some dishes double in price. We picked the new Rockpool because the prices were appealing, this is nothing less than misleading. I might understand a few dollars, but not double, especially after one week open.
+ Our waiter who seemed to be one of the maitres, was cold and unprofessional.
+ The menu didn't work - entrees were hard to pair up with mains.
+ A's main of grilled john dory was simply a fillet of the fish with a wedge of lemon. Not a couple of green beans, spears of asparagus, something.
+ My main of whole deep sea bream steamed with black bean and chili had no hint of chili or others flavours. I've made better steamed fish at home (see above).
+ Water only arrived with the main course.
+ Our two side dishes were embarassing: 'hand cut' chips were soggy, oversalty Birds Eye; tomato salad with tamarind dressing were tasteless roma tomatoes with the stalk base and pith intact, disgusting.
+ The signature dessert was all gone by 10.40, despite the restaurant being full. No apologies or suggestions for another. The dessert that I chose instead was just like a Mr Pisa tartuffi.
+ I broke one of the dessert wine glasses; no one came to clean up the table, the waiter said he would bring another and didn't.
+ No one ever enquired about our meal, thanked us at the end, or opened the door when we left.
+ $250 when we could of had a much nicer dinner at the pub for a lot less.

4 Weeks

2007-11-08T15:27:00.000+11:00

+ Have the first apartment inspection on Saturday. Am hanging around so no one pinches my shoes.
+ Packing and purging, it's amazing how much stuff is around that you just don't need. A box of videos. Magazines from years ago. Notebooks filled with giberish. Horns and a pitchfork. Such a good feeling to get rid of it all. If only you could be motivated to do it without a reason. Pff.
+ Going through your stuff also brings up old travel journals, that with a glass of wine bring back a flood of memories. It also brings up old photos where you are wearing jeans that now fit one leg.
+ Thanks Sydney for the cool, rainy weather - as if I won't have enough over there! I was counting on a few solid weeks of hot, beach weather but at least it's not tempting me away from important stuff like sorting and packing.
+ Farewell drinks are organised, as is a month of eating in and out. Attempting to cook up as much from my pantry and fridge/freezer as possible.
+ The next month will be gangbusters but it's sooo exciting!

This Week's Food

2007-11-07T11:42:00.000+11:00

1. Spanish lamb roast

2. Odd one out

3. Spaghetti alla Carbonara

4. Blue egg

5. Pilmeni

1. It's spring, and I have been waiting for the right opportunity to have a Sunday lamb roast. And then I saw this recipe over at the wonderful Elegant Sufficiency for Spanish roast lamb, ordered a lamb mini roast from Butcherman and treated myself to a Gordon Ramsay-style Sunday lunch. This marinade is amazing, one I'll definitely make again. It even reminded me a little of Spain, as I'd hoped, and that can only be a wonderful thing.
In a mortar and pestle blend together 2 cloves of garlic, the leaves of a few sprigs of thyme, the juice of a large lemon, 2 teaspoons of smoked paprike, and a few Tablespoons of olive oil. Marinate the lamb for a few hours, or overnight. I baked at 220C for 10 minutes then at 170C for 1.5 hours to juicy perfection.

2. Beautiful cherry tomatoes on the vine from Fratelli Fresh.

3. I was tired/lazy and skipped Spanish. All I could think of was me, couch, any DVD, wine, and a big bowl of real carbonara. Pancetta, egg, pepper, pecorino (didn't have parmiggiano).

4. My last blue egg made my new favourite no-brainer lunch/dinner, a spinach and goat's curd omelette, which I was too hungry to devour to take a photo.

5. Little makes me happier than a big bowl of pilmeni, glossy with butter and a little vinegar.

It's November

2007-11-05T19:21:00.000+11:00

Daylight savings is in the air and these long days are wonderful.

Spent some time with bubs after work on Friday - she's so funny. Woke up early on Saturday and headed to Fratelli Fresh. God I love this place, I get a happy feeling walking through the doors. Stocked up with a big box of beautiful fruit and vegetables, the colours (deep spinach green, pastel broad beans), the scents (summery mango, dusty potatoes). Then D and I headed into the adventure shop district to try on and price warm clothes. I expected to find lumpy, Michelin men-style stuff I would seriously hate but so much of it is really nice, fitted, warm, and more tech-savvy than a moon landing. Gratefully spent a quiet night at home, packing my books and laughing myself silly over Seinfeld.
Sunday couldn't sleep in, so got up and went down to the fish markets for some supplies for the week and for dad's birthday dinner. Met S and S for a coffee and nice catch up, then came home and made myself a Sunday roast lunch - Spanish roast lamb with baked peas. Kept the oven on in the heat and failed with dessert to take to the dinner (luckily the diabetic wholemeal cherry clafoutis I made at Kath's was better).
Dad's birthday dinner was nice, BBQ, seafood, easy, and he was even happy with his present of St Peter's Shiraz and gourmet goodies. Happy Birthday dad.

Goodbye Books

2007-11-03T20:55:00.000+11:00

Starting to pack, first with the books. Putting them in boxes, reminiscing over the time spent with each. The idols, books of, and by, Gainsbourg, Birkin, Bardot. The French history section, absorbing the past in bed, yet a sidenote feeling like you only know a drop in the ocean, dreaming of a week in a beach house doing nothing but reading history. And eating and fucking. One day. The food books, Reichl, David, the pleasure of Bourdain. The allsorts of music, Jim Morrison, Motley Crue. Cinema, the brilliant biography of Bunuel by John Baxter. So much fashion, Chanel, Vogue, the essential Diane Vreeland. The joy of reading Zola. Travel in the form of Lonely Planet's blue spines, and other people's adventures. Osho, I'll take these with me. There are dictionaries and unread books, easing the strain off my Amazon wishlist. And cookbooks. I guess they must stay here, my new home will give me inspiration in the kitchen.

I'll take with me a few books, some I haven't read, and L'Etranger, it always comes with me.

Sigh

2007-11-03T19:00:00.000+11:00

I'm not into retro or space odyssey-inspired but these Orbit bowls from Miam Miam are just the loveliest: I like the idea of curling up with a bowl of risotto, or icecream, or comfort mashed potatoes.

Shopping For The Cold

2007-11-02T15:30:00.000+11:00

While D and I get ready for a moving-to-the-freezing-cold-and-have-nothing-to-wear shopping trip, and inspired by a chat/perve with R - not to mention the brilliant Aussie dollar - I'm now lusting after:

The Alex dress from J Crew:

Sammi boots from Corso Como:

As well as some sparkling tights from American Apparel:

An Evening With Michael C. Hall And Dexter

2007-11-01T08:48:00.000+11:00

Kath got us tickets to Popcorn Taxi's Michael C. Hall evening last night (thanks Kath!) and I thought it was just going to be a standard promo chat about his new show, Dexter. But it was fantastic!

First, the pilot of Dexter, then a great interview with Michael (sidenote: very cute) and the most ridiculous Q&A I've ever heard, then finishing with another episode.

What a truly great actor. Of course, David Fisher being such an amazing character in Six Feet Under. And Dexter, both the show and character, are so good you can't help but be grateful for such beautiful writing and acting and being a beacon in the filth that is everything else on TV these past few years. His voiceovers so accutely reveal the psychology of this complex character, while the sensual delights of food, Miami, heat, music, play beautifully alongside what he would see as the sensuality of the 'projects' that make his heart race. It's a great, great show and we leave before it starts airing here, so I really need to get on the ball and get a copy of the first two series.

The Definition Of Food Porn

2007-10-31T16:13:00.000+11:00

My ultimate dish, Fergus Henderson's roast marrowbone with parsley salad, prepared and enjoyed with Mark Bittman. It just doesn't get any better than this.

Watch immediately if not sooner here.

Easy Like Tuesday Evenings

2007-10-31T11:43:00.000+11:00

Scoot it to the beach after work, and the tide is low so it's off to the pool for a few laps, stopping to watch the surfers and the crabs scrambling back into the water. The waves turn to creamy white froth at the rocks; beyond, in the golden light, are the pastel apartments on the cliffs of Bondi. I have to hurry back but stop and sit for a while and sponge it all in. It's so beautiful.

Driving home, licking my salty lips, bopping to the DJ's music. Happiness.

Meet I for a yummy dinner and hours of great conversation. A school friend, and we're all evolving. Nights that end on hugs and smiles and content bellies are the best.

Watermelon Vodka Granita

2007-10-30T15:10:00.000+11:00

...Or what to do with a massive watermelon in the fridge when you're sick of eating watermelon.

It's yummy and light and the prettiest pink. First, make the sugar syrup, which only takes a couple of minutes. For half a watermelon, I used half a cup of sugar and half a cup of water. Melt the sugar in a saucepan with the water then let the sugar syrup cool. Cut the flesh of half a watermelon into big cubes. Puree with a stick blender and stir through the cooled sugar syrup and as much vodka as you like (half a cup for a mellow hit). Freeze for two hours then buzz it with the stick blender to break up the ice crystals. Do this once every hour until you have a smooth sorbet, or leave it to freeze completely and breark it up with a fork for a snowy granita.

Japan

2007-10-29T15:33:00.000+11:00

5.5 Weeks

2007-10-29T14:27:00.000+11:00

I thought yesterday how in 5.5 weeks the little everyday things will be put on hold, like chatting to Kath about nothing, popping over to mum's for a bagel and giving Nut a scratch, funny day-long emails with friends, driving around with Tiesto blaring.

+++

Friday evening I was in one of those non-moods, so had a walk around Chinatown, I always love it down there. Grabbed some noodles from Xic Lo, watched some tele and went to bed and slept for 12 hours. Saturday up and at it, cleaned the place, then popped over to Bondi for some supplies. There's a little strip of Bondi Road I love: from Ruskis Deli to Wellington Cakes. I don't think I've ever been to Ruskis Deli but I popped in for some cheese and ogled the smoked sausages, the dips, the piroshki. Past the pretty flower shop, Kemeny's always doing a roaring trade, the chicken shop, the greengrocers, and buying the last bagels and plum pockets from Wellington Cakes. Lunch with mum, then came home and sorted. through. the. entire. wardrobe. Went through the lot, clothes, shoes, photographed what I want to sell, collected for the charity bins, even found a gorgeous cherry red coat to take with me. All lovely and organised, such a good feeling. Now to pack it all up.
In the evening D and I had a laugh scouting for a farewell party location. We'll see what comes of it.

Over to Kath's on Sunday morning and we all walked over to the Boulevard Markets. The markets themselves are nothing but the cooking demonstrations, hosted by Joanna Saville, are fantastic. Yesterday was the gorgeous Adrian from El Bulli (not THE El Bulli, the Surry Hills El Bulli) who made delicious tapas. A pleasant way to spend a couple of hours. Then over to Manly for a fantastic jump in the waves, walk around and dinner on the beach.

Now, I've mapped out the 5.5 weeks till we leave, it's time to go gangbusters and finish the tax, pack up and ship out a whole apartment and get it rented out, and enjoy some time in Sydney, in the summer, with some fantastic people.

Vietnamese Lemongrass Chicken

2007-10-26T14:02:00.000+10:00

Rasa Malaysia had me craving her recipe for Vietnamese Lemongrass Chicken and even though mine didn't turn out a gorgeous caramel colour like hers, it became an instant fave. I have found a couple of butchers doing hormone-free chicken so that makes me happy.

It's easy to make (especially while cutting up the chicken during my favourite show, A Place In Slovakia) and very flavoursome.

Vietnamese Lemongrass Chicken, adapted from Rasa Malaysia, servces 4.
1 kilo chicken thigh fillets cut into inch cubes
3 good tablespoons fish sauce
3 garlic cloves, crushed
3 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons sugar
4 tablespoons water
2-3 tablespoons peanut oil
2 lemongrass stalks, white parts either finely sliced or shreded with a grater/Microplane
1-2 chilies, long or small, seeded and finely sliced
1 inch of ginger, grated or finely sliced
Salt

Combine the chicken, fish sauce, garlic, sprinkling of salt and 2 teaspoons of the sugar. In a small saucepan, melt the remaining 3 tablespoons of sugar with 2 tablespoons of the water and cook over high heat, stirring until the sugar is dissolved, then leave until a deep caramel colour. Remove from the heat and stir in the remaining water, then pour into a bowl. In a frypan or wok, heat the oil and add the lemongrass, chilies and ginger and cook until fragrant. Add the chicken and caramel and cook until the chicken is browned, then pop a lid on and cook for around 7 minutes, then remove the lid and cook for another 10-15 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through and the sauce has thickened. Serve with rice and sliced spring onions on top.

A Great Week, And Then

2007-10-26T11:24:00.000+10:00

Had my first car accident yesterday driving out from the office. Thankfully everyone is ok and that's what insurance is for, but urgh, what a horrible feeling.

+++

Last night saw A Mighty Heart. An amazing movie that is hard to move on from. It's so well-done, Angelina is brilliant, I've always thought she is.

Must Eats

2007-10-24T18:59:00.000+10:00

Foodie things to (hopefully) fit in before leaving...

+ A banquet at Ying's.
+ Late night congee at Super Bowl.
+ Dinner at the revamped Rockpool.
+ Oysters, and more oysters - Kath, on your deck?
+ $6 meal at the Robin Hood.
+ A cooking session with mum teaching me how to cook my favourite Russian food (I think I'll choose cucletki).

None Of This Is RIght

2007-10-24T09:34:00.000+10:00

Last night I had the biggest fight I've had with mum in recent times, over nothing of course, then we went out and got drunk and even smoked Marlboro Reds.

Super Weekend, Even As A Hobbling Harriet

2007-10-23T09:32:00.000+10:00

So I couldn't go out because of the back but A came over and we got Thai and hung out. And did shots. Why go out when you can have a party for two chez Julia?
Saturday I could barely move, but did some back stretches and hobbled down to yum cha with Jules and Kat. Great catching up with the girls, and then speaking of great catching up, what a fun fun fun afternoon/evening/next morning at Jo and Wal's - it's almost their one year anniversary. We watched Mind Storm, one of the best worst movies any of us had ever seen. Ian Ziering groping Brooke from The Bold and The Beautiful. Delicious food, gossip, cigarettes, and Blades Of Glory, with good friends, what more could you want.
Straight to the beach on Sunday morning for a few hours of bliss. Came home and made stuffed zucchini flowers based on Jules' amazing recipe, and mum came over for dinner before we went to the David Broza concert at the Opera House. We'd seen him a few years ago and he's just incredible. His way with Spanish and flamenco guitar makes the world stop. Unfortunately, we had four of the rudest people I've ever encountered sitting - talking at normal pitch - behind us, throughout the whole concert. A cloud in an otherwise blue sky weekend.

Bronte Beach

2007-10-22T20:39:00.000+10:00

The beach I love.
Sunday was hot, the water numbingly cold, but impossible to get out of.
Is there anything more beautiful than Bronte Pool and it's edgeless jade surface...
The hot smell of fish and chips, on it's own, would be disgusting - oil, grease - but at the beach, on this busy Sunday, it mingles with the salty air and the happy shrieks of kids and shifts your mind off peaceful nothingness to insatiable craving.
But you must be strong, so you take another swim, and it's happy days.

So Bad It's So So Good

2007-10-19T16:34:00.001+10:00

The Good, The Bad

2007-10-19T14:14:00.000+10:00

The good...hearing Kath's happy voice greet me with sawatdee kaa from what sounds like a wonderful holiday in Phuket.
The bad...doing my back in again, I can't remember it ever hurting this bad.
The good...having a really hard Chinese massage and kneading out the pain.
The bad...that only lasting a few hours.
The good...hearing from the DJ.
The bad...I wanted to try Emmilou tonight, but thanks to the back it's a case of a fridge full of food, nothing to eat.
The good...rewatching Seinfeld - so, so funny.
The bad...moths, seriously, fuck off. And don't hide in my towel so when I get out of the shower you start fluttering all around me.
The good...a fun weekend forecast with good friends, 80s movies and hopefully the beach.

Moving Update

2007-10-17T13:14:00.000+10:00

I forgot to update that we have nabbed a gorgeous apartment for our first two months. Since officially we cannot rent a place without a job, we scoured craigslist et al and were bombarded with scammers, who we had a lot of fun with. We decided we'd need to crash in a hostel/hotel or a short-term apartment and we resigned ourselves to the expense of it all. At the same time we'd been reading about Haarlem, not far from Amsterdam and it seemed a little cheaper and just as pretty. Then we found a lovely-sounding girl who was renting out her apartment in Haarlem for two months and it all just clicked.

The price is more than we'd like to pay for rent but much less than what we'd have to pay for short-term accommodation. It's in the most central location of Haarlem and will give us an idea if we want to live there later on. We're thrilled to have a place for when we arrive and can focus on settling in, work, Febo, having fun.

On top of that, it's gorgeous. The girl has great style, whites and chocolate browns, with a big kitchen (me happy) and a little patio (perfect for enjoying the freezing cold).

7 weeks and ~~so much to do it's not funny~~ counting!

No Muy Bien

2007-10-17T10:53:00.000+10:00

Had my second class of espanol at UNSW last night. After my good run with the last class, I've landed in a room full of duds. No social skills, weird-looking and literally sitting around like lumps of mash potato. On top of that this level deals with everything I've already covered although the online outline said it was right for me, so I'm hoping to move up to the next level next week (since they wouldn't give me a refund to go elsewhere).

One thing is clear, good language teachers are worth their weight in gold. As are fellow students.

Update: Moved to the next level and it's great. The teacher is adorable and moves at a fast pace and the other students are enthusiastic and speak very well.

Single Girl Haiku

2007-10-15T18:43:00.000+10:00

Do what I want, when I want
Then I realised
Both vibrators are broken

More Moss

2007-10-15T13:09:00.000+10:00

I'm in love. Latest photoshoot for TopShop.

Martha Moss

2007-10-15T09:57:00.000+10:00

Gorgeous E called me Martha Moss when we had dinner a few weeks ago and I love it, it's me to a T.

I was just going to have a quiet one on Friday night when A emailed me in the afternoon to see if I wanted to join his flatmate and neighbours for a pizza. OK, so first we tried a new place called The Lager Bar which is just an example of what not to do when you've opened a new place. However, Cooper's Lager is delicious. I mention this because I'm turning into quite the lager ladette. Most of last week I've been coming home and taking the edge off with a beer, and spending the night on the couch. Little could have made me happier. Mind you there is no edge to take off. But anyway. Instead of pizza we ended up at Indian having a banquet. It was all good fun. D's girlfriend was very keen to go dancing, so we headed to The Boatshed. I came to the conclusion that any place with a $5 cover charge is creep central. This had the right number of creeps, which all seemed to perk up even more when the girlfriend started rubbing herself up against me. When I accompanied her to the bathroom, as females are prone to do, she made it quite obvious she was very into JB so the rest of the night, in between tequila shots, was making out with my ex-boyfriend's neighbour's girlfriend. Funny, funny night.

Saturday I was feeling quite seedy and was planning on lying on the couch all day, but had a great lunch at a cafe and fell ga-ga for the waiter. Gorgeous, heard his whole life story. Meanwhile I'm sitting there washed out and in my hangover sunnies. PS when has it become acceptable for casual Sydney cafes to charge $28 for lunch (omelettes; mushrooms with cheese)? It was jam-packed so I guess anything goes in this fair town.

D came over later on bringing nana treats from a fete and we watched My Father The Hero. God I love Gerry Depardieu. Then off to our favourite Turkish restaurant in Enmore for more stuffing before sliding over to a party down the road at feral Newtown.

Went to pilates in the morning, made the most delicious mushroom pasta for lunch, then joined mum and her friends at Forbidden Fruit, an insane Chinese show at the casino. Acrobatics, a plot nicked off Shakespeare, and not one, but two retards in the storyline. All I could think of while watching this colourful spectacle was food, I need Chinese food. Noodles, dumplings, saucy meat. Three of us went down to Chinatown and found a new Uigher restaurant, it being the food of Central Asia, Uzbek, Mongols. Delicious! Handmade noodles, dumplings, lamb kebabs, tea. Massive amount of food for $30. And it was packed. And there is another Uigher restaurant next door. I love Sydney!

Turkish meat and oily grilled bread

Amazing gourmet mushroom pasta (hint: add a little lemon zest and juice to the cream)

Uigher lamb kebabs and cucumber salad

Uigher handmade square noodles with lamb

Crazy Yet Plain Vanilla

2007-10-12T14:21:00.000+10:00

I watch Fresh every lunchtime and it's exactly like porn: you've seen it all before but you keep watching. But the other week an Italian recipe jumped out at me: fish in crazy water. How could you not be intriguied by a name like that? The 'aqua pazza' comes from using sparkling mineral water, and with the southern flavours, I couldn't wait to see what it tasted like.

But forget the taste, the aroma is amazing. While the fish was cooking I went to check my mail, and when I opened the door the most amazing scent of all the ingredients had me swooning. It's glorious stuff.

This is such an easy dish to make, something like 10-15 minutes and no work. Pour yourself a glass of shiraz and it's too easy. The original recipe uses a whole snapper, but I used a salmon fillet cut in half. So it would go well with red or white fish, whole or fillets.

My modified version of the recipe is as simple as this: wrap a few garlic cloves (skin on) in foil and bung in a hot oven for 15 minutes. Halve and slice a red onion, halve a handful of cherry tomatoes and finely slice a red chili if you'd like the heat (I left it out). Heat a little oil in a frypan and when very hot add the fish, skin side down. Take the garlic out of the oven and squeeze out the softened flesh. After a few minutes, flip the fish over, and add the garlic, vegetables and a handful of Liguarian olives. Season. Pour enough sparkling mineral water to almost cover the fish, put a lid on and turn the heat down. Simmer for a few minutes, then add some shredded basil and a nob of butter. Cook for another minute then serve with extra basil on top.

The sauce needs to be mopped up with crusty bread, or you can realise you don't have any bread and instead serve them with store-bought salty chips. Honestly, they were so good together.

I also made my own ice cream for the first time. I have been craving ice cream lately and almost bought an ice cream maker. Because I'm sure I'll have plenty of room in my luggage along with coats and boots and more coats and boots for an ice cream maker. But I stopped and thought, people have been making ice cream for longer than there have been ice cream makers, and there's something romantic about making ice cream by hand.

And it wasn't a problem at all. Of course I had to start with vanilla. I made the creme anglaise - a combination of Michel Roux and David Lebovitz's recipes - and bunged it in the freezer. I stirred or stick blended it every hour, and in the evening, after crazy water fish, we oohed and aahed over the creamy vanillaness of it all. Before dinner I thinly sliced some adorable baby pears and dried them in the oven - pear and vanilla is one of my favourite combinations. They're like pear jerky, chewy and caramely and one time I'll chop them and add them to the ice cream.

Because there will be many next times for homemade ice cream.

(The heat in my kitchen started melting the ice cream before I quickly snapped it with my camera phone)

The Why

2007-10-11T21:23:00.000+10:00

Mum and I have had some great chats this week. Including asking me why I'm going.

Primarily, to get out of my comfort zone.
To experience the new in everything: environment, people, friends, work, customs, culture, climate.
To challenge myself.
To have fun.
To be close to old and new places.
To continue learning more about myself.
To be creative.

Sometimes, I Surprise Myself

2007-10-11T11:08:00.000+10:00

At The Bentley on Saturday night one of the dishes for the degustation, which wasn't anywhere to be found on the menu, was a square of steamed white fish dressed in an avocado and jamon sauce. It was just so good that it was pretty much all I could think about this week. The delicate, clean-flavoured fish balancing with this interesting sauce, slightly tacky on the palate. I had to have it again. So last night I went about recreating it, amidst clicking for Spice Girls tickets, curing another salmon and making my own icecream (more on that later).

And, it was 9 out of 10 close to the original version. I was mighty impressed.

Quality Spanish jamon is fairly new to our shores and while iberico is the Chanel of Spanish hams, serrano is perfect for this sauce. At $99 a kilo (as opposed to $360 for iberico), $10 worth will give you a few very happy moments, including this sauce. I think Spanish ham is better in this dish than Italian, it needs that meaty oomph, that macho-ness, as opposed to the delicate sweetness of prosciutto.

It was as simple as pureeing an avocado and thinning it with a little cream, although light stock would be just as good. Finely, finely dice a thick slice of jamon serrano, and warm it in a frypan. Don't add oil as it will start to release it's own oil which will flavour the sauce. Add the avocado and warm through, season, then set aside.

Cut a fillet of bream or white fish in half, and steam for 4-5 minutes till cooked. Remove, and serve with the sauce. On the side I sliced a King Brown mushroom and sauteed it seperately until just coloured. It's such a meaty mushroom that was the perfect, minimal accompaniment.

Listen Up Mofos

2007-10-11T09:03:00.000+10:00

We got tickets to The Spice Girls in Madrid! I was up for 4.5 hours last night trying to get pre-sale tickets to no avail, then got in this morning to find a new link which got us tickets in a flash.

Posh and Geri want us there! I never really liked them originally, except for having a huge crush on Geri (bought Playboy just for her). But now I just love them and the concert will be so much fun, especialmente en Madrid. Maybe Becks will be moving, grooving next to us on the dancefloor.

Just To Prove I'm Not All Martha

2007-10-10T11:35:00.000+10:00

Here's a photo of Pammy. I love Pammy.

Regina Reagan

2007-10-10T08:46:00.000+10:00

I Don't Know

2007-10-08T18:03:00.001+10:00

...but sometimes, all you want is a BLT and a beer.

Sure, there's a fridge full of delights such as gourmet mushrooms and gorgonzola dolce, but nothing tonight could tempt me more than a plain old BLT: lashings of crispy free range bacon from the markets, love bite tomatoes and butter lettuce on a grilled bagel, finished with the world's best mayonnaise and pepper. Heineken and a night on the couch. Marty Sheargold and I are meant to be.

I had the agents round for an appraisal of the apartment and was happily surprised by their estimate of $30-50 a week more than what I was hoping for, so even if they were talking it up I should get an amount that I'll be satisfied with. It'll cover the mortgage and a bit of the strata. The unfun bit is now having to decide if I should rent it out furnished or what to do with my beloved furniture...

No More Eating

2007-10-08T17:16:00.000+10:00

Happy Birthday mum! Sunday was her birthday with a picnic in the park, naturally too much food, all delicious of course, the crazy Russian friends and relos, her ex showing up, dogs running around, vodka. She had a good time so I'm happy, although I'm not so happy at the amount of food I ate. Have a wonderful year to come my beautiful girl!

Saturday was up early for the Growers' Markets and I knew it was going to be manic in junction with Good Food Month and the gorgeous weather, but I never imagined it would be insufferable. Why Sydneysiders queue up 50-deep for a coffee is beyond me. The crowds were beyond me and A who joined me was more than happy to leave. We went to Fratelli Fresh and had a delicious brunch upstairs, of goat's cheese frittata and my beloved five cheese zucchini flowers. Stocked up downstairs then headed home to make some goodies for the picnic. I made mini peach cupcakes with the first peaches of the season and panzanella. But first I started with the pistachio macarons (it took an hour to grind and sift the pistachios and almonds and still they weren't that fine) and they just didn't work. The tops cracked all over, drying them out, and hardly any frilly feet. They worked beautifully for the trial and failed for the real deal - very upsetting. I think because it was so hot and humid and I used a different recipe which had a lot of icing sugar in it that made them very, very sweet. I'll go back to the original recipe and try to alter it for different flavours.

In the evening A and I went to The Bentley for the degustation - he buys dinner, I buy drinks, as that's all I can afford at the moment. Having tapas there last year blew me away so I couldn't wait to see what the rest of the menu was like a year on. It was really good, though the service was endearingly kooky (forgot our cheese course; forgot to charge us for the dessert wine; poured my beer with too much head; called the squid ink "black stuff"). Two dishes in particular wowed me: a pocket of steamed white fish with an avocado and jamon serrano sauce. I need to replicate this immediately. The other was the dessert, which A didn't really like but I thought was so interesting and fun. A tube of white chocolate encasing a fizzy sherbet sorbet, with a quenelle of mandarin icecream on the side and the plate sprinkled with dark chocolate cake crumbs. It looked so pretty - dark brown, white and pale pinks - such a great colour combination - and a spectrum of textures.

Corn Salad (With Perfectly Crispy Skin Salmon)

2007-10-05T12:25:00.000+10:00

I have a reputation. Completely unfounded. When I was living with A I bought a cheap eggplant and didn't cook it. It was left soft and mushy at the bottom of the fridge. The same thing may have happened with a cauliflower. "But it was cheap!" I protested as he shook his head. "It's not so cheap when you have to throw it away!" I always end up with these kinds of fellas. The ones that just don't understand.

But I can't help it sometimes. Like on the weekend when I saw two perfectly symetical pears, and they were too pretty to leave behind, or four corns in their silky husks for $2. I'd never cooked fresh corn before, but to me, their crunchy taste and chartreuse coats are the epitome of spring. With inspiration from MattBites, I made this delicious salad, which ended up being one of the most delicious salads ever. Oh yea, ever.

For four serves, take two fresh corns and peel away the husks and silk. Slice the corn off - it slices off easily - and what's nice is you have clunks of kernels which look pretty. In a little butter saute the corn in a frypan over low-medium heat for about five minutes. Taste so that it's cooked but has lots o' crunch. Transfer to a salad bowl. Dice half a red capsicum and add to the corn, along with a good handful of coriander leaves and a crumbling of feta. Season and chill before eating. It would also be great with steak, grilled chicken or prawns.

I had a nice fillet of salmon which I was going to slow-roast but my oven was occupied, so I heated a little olive oil in a frypan until very hot, and added the fillet (after it had been washed and dried and well-seasoned) skin-side down. Don't touch until you can see the fish cooked about a quarter way up from the bottom, then flip over, and cook for another few minutes. As you can see, I like my salmon rare. The skin is so good, crispy and salty like chips.

How To Make A Grown Woman Squeal

2007-10-05T08:58:00.000+10:00

Apart from the obvious?

Last night I made macarons. Proper, French macarons. After weeks of consternating, after reading every known recipe and technique, after convincing myself I would fail abysmally...

They turned out just about perfect.

I cannot tell you how excited I was. I squealed when I saw the frilly 'feet' through the oven door. Yes, I squealed. Anyone with a half-interest in cooking and/or food blogs will know how delicate the issue of macarons are. They are the 'it' indulgence around the world. Laduree, Pierre Herme et al are on par with the Eiffel Tour as essential pit stops for visitors to Paris; at least, the queues waiting to go in are as lengthy. D and I ourselves this trip stopped at Laduree, La Maison du Chocolat and a random bistro in the 6eme for a macaron hit (as for Pierre Herme, well, we walked in only to find we had no money between us, oh, the horror!).

They are the loveliest, daintiest of sweet, made only more precious by the kaleidoscope of colours and exciting flavours and combinations available. In the queue at Laduree I had to just go with my instinct of caramel a la fleur de sel, and then a last-minute quip for coconut. I'd planned on taking photos of them, of us munching on them - that never happened. We gobbled them up before we even crossed the street. Such is the macaron.

So, to making them. As David Lebovitz, who's recipe I used, says, it's about the technique, and the precision of, which seems quite intimidating and I think this is what puts so many off, myself included. But it's mum's birthday on Sunday and to me she is a little macaron, cute and delicate, and I thought how nice it would be to bring some to her picnic. So a trial had to be done, and a basic chocolate recipe chosen.

I'm an impatient person, and a person of extremes. I knew that if my first effort didn't turn out I would get very stroppy and never attempt to make macarons again. Luckily D was over with wine. I made the ganache and started on the meringue batter. To be honest, as fixed as I was beforehand on following the recipe to the letter, I didn't. I didn't measure the ingredients all that precisely but I looked out for the technique. I sifted my almond meal (essential, as store-bought almond meal is too coarse) and got the mixture to fairly resemble motlen lava. I couldn't find my plain icing tip so had to use my star one, so some had a little wave on the top. I tapped the tray a few times on my table to get rid of bubbles and flatten them slightly. I didn't fuss with doubling up of baking trays, just piped them onto baking paper and onto the middle shelf. I lowered the temp to about 170C fanforced and after five minutes stuck a wooden spoon in the oven door to keep it ajar. I took them out at 14 minutes, and they came off the paper easily. I spread the ganache with a knife, and voila, chocolate macarons, which were scoffed down easily. The trademark crisp shell and chewy texture. Frilly 'feet'. That's all I could want for a first attempt. And the few leftovers this morning have the same crisp/chewy consistency.

I think making macarons is hit or miss for the amateur cook, dependant on so many factors, but even the miss are delicious. You could break them up and stir through icecream or marscapone cream. Maybe my next time will be a miss, but I'll keep trying.

Ooh la la.

Here We Come, Dutchland!

2007-10-05T08:42:00.001+10:00

We got our visas!

This Is What It's All About

2007-10-04T15:56:00.000+10:00

A swim at Bronte Beach after work.

Maybe This Is Me

2007-10-02T19:54:00.000+10:00

At 28 and 10 months.

Meet The Dutchies: Part Two

2007-10-02T17:01:00.000+10:00

We came back today for our appointment to lodge our visas, which was a flawless process of signing off our documents. We'll hear back within two weeks. Touch wood it goes through.

Three Warm Days

2007-10-01T21:38:00.000+10:00

I love that Sydney has three Colombian restaurants, and Friday night I joined Kath's friends to try the newest - any excuse to eat more empanadas. Which we did, along with lots of meat. God bless Central/South America.

Pilates the next morning is not to counteract but because I enjoy it again, and later D came over. It's spring and spring food is beautiful: green of peas and beans and sunlight of squeezes of lemon and pecorino and olive oil. So dinner is a real Liguarian pesto spaghetti, with steamed discs of kipflers but with spinach instead of basil for a softer finish, and tarts with frangipane and sauteed rhubarb, that prettiest of pink anything.

For the tarts, I was excited to try Careme pastry, a company making real pastry, unlike that stale, frozen-tasting stuff you get at the supermarket, which is so bad I refuse to buy it. Although I'm starting to make my own I wanted to support this local business and am so glad I did - the pastry was incredible. I chose the vanilla bean shortcrust which is perfect for individual dessert tarts, and tastes just like fine patisserie pastry. They include helpful hints on using the pastry which is a really nice touch. What I love even more about Careme is the adorable packaging, something out of Laduree, with pastel coloured boxes and elegant font. Bravo!

Sunday afternoon was dolling up for mum's pre-birthday high tea at The Victoria Room. A lovely couple of hours sipping cocktails and scoffing finger sandwiches and little sweet bites and the best scones (with lashings of berry jam and fresh cream) I've had. Although Kath and I learnt another Russian superstition - don't give mum her present one week early, she didn't want to know about it.

And to round off the long weekend the first swim of the season. I expected the water to be icey but it was the perfect temperature, and to dry off in the warm sun - just bliss. Will be spending as much time as I can at the beach until we go.

In the evening mum and I went to see I Have Never Forgotten You, the documentary on the amazing Simon Wiesenthal. I love how it starts, with a montage of journalists asking why he still pursues the war criminals, why not just let it go and let them grow old in peace. He describes trying to find his mother on the cattle car and tells the interviewer, "I can only hope she died on the train and not in the gas chamber", before pausing to say, "do you know what that means to say 'I hope my mother died on the train?'". His passion for justice and love for humanity, his humour...a truly rare individual and I hope everyone sees this documentary.

More Mum-ism

2007-09-28T10:35:00.000+10:00

Mum: I want to see A Mighty Heart.
Me: Me too.
Mum: What does 'mighty' mean?
Me: You know, big, powerful...
Mum: Like Mighty Mouse?

Espanol

2007-09-27T20:54:00.000+10:00

I finished espanol this week and have enrolled in level 3 at UNSW. I've really enjoyed this course thanks to the language-loving, if typically eccentric, teacher and a good bunch of classmates (rare). We even had a class dinner at The Spanish Club last night which was quite enjoyable. I love the language and I love learning it and speaking with a Catalan lisp and it's exciting that we'll be able to say more than just 'dos canas por favor' next time in Spain.

Movies In My Head

2007-09-27T20:36:00.000+10:00

Tonight in my head I made the movie I've always wanted to make, or, in my pre-Osho thinking, was destined to make. Everything...the scenes, the soundtrack, the script, the ending - that perfect ending.

And it's heartbreaking because I know it will almost never be made, let's face it. I've never sewn a pocket onto a towel and sold it as the Tocket, or the Powel, so it's likely I'm not going to get a movie written, starred in, produced, distributed. It's sad, because I think it could've been something great.

PS God I love Tiesto.

Meet The Dutchies: Part One

2007-09-27T15:24:00.000+10:00

With no-one knowing about working holiday visas or replying to our email queries, we decided to apply for our visas sooner rather than later. So off we went this morning to the consulate armed with the required documents, ready for our first official encounter with the Dutchies.

Except we didn't have an appointment, which apparently you need, which we didn't see anywhere on the application. But maybe we could still have the interview today? No, you have to make an appointment. We could come back tomorrow, or Tuesday, or any other day, but not today. We couldn't imagine they were that busy, I mean, what does the consulate actually do? Regulate the import of poffertjes pans?

Oh and our passport photos are wrong. They have different passport photos to everyone else. Of course they do. Much smaller ones, like those Japanese sticker booths, which only a few photo places do, and cost $25. Hair must be tucked behind the ears, and you can smile but no teeth.

And you have to show proof of where you're staying for the first four weeks. To rent a place, you need a letter from your employer and/or a payslip. But to get your sofinumber, like a tax file number, you need an address, so it's a wonderful case of dog-chase-tail. Hopefully we've found a gorgeous place to rent privately, so that could be a big help.

So we're coming back next week for part two of a process that I'm sure will have many, many installments.

On the way back to work we were treated to a council worker jerking off his water bottle for our viewing pleasure. Thank goodness not everyone is politically correct, including this creep.

Vic's Meat III

2007-09-21T15:14:00.000+10:00

I never cook chicken. I can't remember the last time I did because in those days-be-gone it always turned out dry and tasteless. But my recipe folder had a few chicken curry recipes that were singing out to me, so I ordered some La Ionica chicken from Vic's. And yesterday the weather couldn't be more perfect for a curry, grey and autumnal.

I chose Gordon Ramsay's Malaysian Coconut Chicken Curry from his cookbook Sunday Lunch (or you can find the recipe here) and I'll just get to the point - it was absolutely delicious. You make the aromatic curry paste (easily with the food processor) and then simmer with beautiful star anise and cinnamon. The chicken was so tender and flaked at the fork. Wonderful! I'm back to being healthy so I was careful to skim the fat and when it cools you can skim the solidified fat even more.

Verdict: The chicken tasted incredible and is chemical-free and free-range - I'll definitely be ordering La Ionica from Vic's again.

Vic's Meat I + II

2007-09-19T22:39:00.000+10:00

I'd always wanted to try meat from Vic's Meat - supplier of meat to the top Sydney restaurants - and not just because of a crush on owner Anthony. So when I saw you could order retail, we put in a trial order, trying not to get carried away. I went to pick it up yesterday - all nine kilos of our order, including an outstanding-looking 4.6kg rib eye rack - the offices smelling nicely of raw meat and everyone super lovely. In my haul were 120-day aged scotch fillets, free range lamb mince, quail eggs and a share of a wagyu rare roast beef.

What a jinx then, to find Anthony, Vic's and the best Aussie butchers exporting to China as the cover story in yesterday's Good Living.

So, is the meat all it's cracked up to be? As for the prices, they're about average - some things more, some things less than what you'd pay at other butchers. But it's the quality and variety that I'm interested in. Let's put it all to the test.

Scotch Fillet With Chimichurri, Pan Fried Potatoes And A Simple Salad

When I feel like tucking into a good steak I usually don't want much else - maybe a little salad or a little mash. No sauces, nothing masking the meat. But I felt like a herby accompaniment and I wanted to try making chimichurri. Like salsa verde, it's zingy and fresh and brightens the dish and the palate. Pan fried potatoes and a simple salad of rocket, tomato and bocconcini round out this steak dinner.

Squeeze a little lemon juice and sprinkle sea salt over rocket, sliced tomatoes and bocconcini.
Parboil or microwave potatoes for two minutes on each side. Slice in quarters lengthwise.
Season the steak. Heat a little oil over medium-high heat and add the steak. Cook for a couple of minutes on each side. Medium-rare for me please. Rest the steak, covered in foil. In the same frypan heat a little more oil and add the potatoes. Cook on each side until golden. Sprinkle with sea salt. Tuck in.

Verdict: The scotch fillet was good, hardly any fat. I ate the whole 300g steak before Spanish and usually a steak would sit in my tummy like a brick for the rest of the night but I didn't feel a thing with this. Maybe it was because there wasn't much fat that the meat was quite mild in flavour and I was hoping for a meatier punch, especially being 120-day aged. I'll try again.

Wagyu Rare Roast Beef

We bought a two kilo whole wagyu rare roast beef for something a bit special. It's seasoned and best taken out of the fridge 10 minutes before, and sliced thinly. We've been enjoying it in wraps with vegies and I'll be trying my share warm in pasta and salads.

Verdict: Delicious, perfect for something different.

+++

Speaking of meat, best mum-ism to date:

Mum: "I watched a documentary on obituaries last night. I ate the last of the lamb and then said I would never eat meat again!"
Me: (slightly confused, nothing more than usual, chatting away, then) "...do you mean abitoirs?"
Mum: "Yes".

I Was Walking To The City And Found A Lime In My Handbag, And Other Weekend Photos

2007-09-18T13:33:00.001+10:00

Great Friends

2007-09-17T16:01:00.000+10:00

...make great conversation:

J says: Can't wait till I come to NY.
R says: Me too...we'll eat cookie dough together.
J says: ...and then go to Whole Foods.

Dear Diary

2007-09-16T12:20:00.000+10:00

Last night I found my two diaries that took me from 12-17. I couldn't put them down and they've left me feeling quite strange. "The core", as Celine says in Before Sunset, hasn't changed much at all. I was suprised to find so many similarities to then and now. My dreams were to travel, to be an author and to work in fashion. At 15 I lusted after Chanel boots (similarly how I love the new Chanel 'boots'). I was obsessed with boys, and interestingly had a wandering eye. I really believed in god too - a major stark contrast to now.

And the forward to the diary says that I hope to look back as an adult to the person I was back then, the same reason I write this blog.

New Caledonia

2007-09-15T00:06:00.000+10:00

Tonight, New Caledonia is on my mind. My heart is thumping harder thinking about this place, that time. Certain instants flash to the forefront - the childish delights of ice slushies in that shop in the city; taking off to Mare and leaving a note on the door that I'd be back tomorrow; walking around the tinshed of Lifou airport; the lights and the colour of dusk that night that I'll never forget, coming home in a taxi, "en face de Boite a Pizza" I could say.

It was my second home, my love. At that time, I yearned for it. And right now, I have those same pangs.

I remember thinking after that disastrous last trip with A that this would be the last time I would ever be here, that why would I return, I'd been so many times, the rest of the world waited. I should never have taken him there. We brought our crap to a place that is not for sharing, not for others to get. It was so different to my earlier days there, and I was so different. It was a horrible week (except for the massive BB documentary on the tele).

I thought that was my last time. Now, I know I'll go back.

More than 10 years ago...

Piccolina

2007-09-14T13:22:00.000+10:00

Loves umbrellas

Loves the phone

Learns to twirl

And finally smiles for aunty!

Not All Martha

2007-09-13T15:03:00.000+10:00

It's true I've been doing not much else apart from cooking cooking cooking and I've been very happy indeed * Spanish is almost at an end and I'm looking for another school to continue to the next level. My new thing is swearing in Spanish, I love it * To my grand dismay I'm feeling the guilty effects of what happens when you slide off the exercise wagon and desperately am willing myself to climb back on * We've passed the three month mark till we leave. Dad is talking to me again. We're learning that the Dutch are completely crazy (and the world's tallest people) and we can't wait to be amongst it. The bureaucracy sounds like it rivals France's (the pastries better be just as good) and the customer service is so far non-existant - no-one replies to email queries and even the consulate (open 10-1) just fob you off. It's disheartening at times but you can only laugh it off * 12-year-old models at Gold Coast Fashion Week, none of that sounds right. And she's no stunner, or is that not the point? I forget * Speaking of fashion, way to go Lover, one of the hottest Australian labels! Hawt with a capital WTF.

You Know

2007-09-12T19:00:00.000+10:00

You know when you have something in the fridge that you really should use up today or it's heading for the bin, but you really feel like a curry from that not-so-great Thai place up the road? Or when you've opened a carton of stock and only used a little and can't think of anything else you could possibly use it for?

Like today when I took out some lamb fillets from the freezer before work and all day was saying to myself that I just didn't feel like lamb. I felt like anything but lamb. And I love lamb, adore lamb. Except today. I even searched for recipes, nothing inspired.

So I came home and seared them. That's all you should ever do with lamb fillets, because that way they're better than anything in the world, juicy, buttery. And I love when something you exactly feel like suddenly dawns on you, and you have it all in front of you. Lamb pizzas. Lavash bread smeared with marscapone. Sweet love bite tomatoes, mushrooms cut chunky so they still have bite. Quickly caramalise some onions, slices of bocconcini. Sliced lamb, two slices on the pizza, one slice for me, repeat. Happy days.

I Cured My Own Salmon Mofos

2007-09-12T10:39:00.000+10:00

I've already said how much I love the ABC's The Cook and The Chef, and a few weeks ago Simon prepared an ocean trout, vodka soused. It had me written all over it, so my recent fixation with the fish markets yielded some extra salmon for me to try. Here's my version.

2 fillets of salmon or ocean trout of even thickness, about 250g each
1/2 Tablespoon sugar
1/2 Tablespoon sea salt
1/2 garlic, crushed or sliced
4 Tablespoons vodka (I used Grey Goose but then I'm like that)
Zest of half a lemon

Clean the fillets and pat dry. Fit the fish into a container that will snuggly hold the fillets and add the fish skin side down. Mix the sugar, salt and garlic together and pat over the top. Carefully spoon over the vodka and flake over the lemon zest. Wrap in clingfilm and weigh down with something quite heavy - I used my butter dish, or a plate with a jar does fine. Leave in the fridge for a day or overnight, then turn over and leave for the same, 2-3 days all up.
Since this is a light curing there's no need to rinse the fillets, just pat away the flavourings with a papertowl.
Slice against the grain and enjoy. I like to take the salmon out of the fridge 10 minutes or so before eating to release the flavours of the fish.

Download And Donate

2007-09-12T10:13:00.000+10:00

Barilla has created a free celebrity pasta cookbook and for every download they will donate $1 to the Children's Food Education Foundation.

There's easy, after-work recipes from chefs and cute Aussie-Italian footballers alike so click here and download.

Masterfood Challenge

2007-09-10T22:14:00.001+10:00

Saturday was my long anticipated turn for the Masterfood Challenge. There was no stress, great organisation, everything hot on the plate and achieved the goal of going beyond my usual repertoire.

Crispy Skin Snapper Over Mixed Mushrooms And Jerusalem Arthichokes, With Crispy Gnocchi And Leek Foam
1 snapper fillet, skin on, cut in half on the diagonal
1 bag, approx. of mixed mushrooms (I used portobello, Swiss brown and shitake)
1 Jerusalem artichoke, peeled
Small handful of parlsey
14 gnocchi
Half a leek, thinly sliced
250mL cream

For the fish: Wash and thoroughly dry the snapper on paper towel. Make sure the fish is completely dry as the skin will not crisp if there is any moisture. Lightly brush with oil, season well. Heat a little oil on medium-high in a frypan until the oil is very hot - if it's not very hot the skin will not crisp. Place the fish skin side down and press down gently with an egg lifter. Do not move the fish. After 30 seconds turns the heat down to medium and let cook for 3-4 minutes, depending on the thickness of the fillet. You will see the fillet cook through the bottom up. Flip the fish gently over, then turn the heat down to low-medium. Let cook for 30 seconds and turn off the heat.
Have the rest of the dish ready to plate up at this point.

For the mushrooms and Jerusalem artichoke: Slice the large mushrooms into 1cm slices; for the smaller mushrooms slice into three or four. Slice the Jerusalem artichoke into 2mm slices. Heat a good lug of oil in a frypan and add the larger mushrooms; season. Cook over medium heat until they soften, and keep cooking after their moisture is released. When the moisture has cooked away, add the smaller slices and season again. Cook again until all the mushrooms are soft and the moisture cooked away. Add the Jerusalem artichoke and saute on low-medium for a few minutes. Add a handful of chopped parsley, warm through and take off the heat.

For the gnocchi: Cook gnocchi (never packet gnocchi, ever); drain. If preparing other parts of the dish cook the gnocchi first, drain, and set aside in a small bowl with a nob of butter so they don't dry out or stick together. When ready to cook, melt a nob of butter in a frypan and add the gnocchi in a single layer and do not move for 2-3 minutes or until golden on the bottom. Flip over and crisp on the other side for another minute or two. Don't overcook - you just want to crisp the outside and keep the gnocchi fluffy inside.

For the leek foam: Melt a good nob of butter and a little olive oil in a frypan and saute the leeks over low-medium heat for around 7 minutes, making sure the leeks do not start to caramalise. Season well (use white pepper). Add the cream and warm through. Puree until completely smooth; you can pass through a sieve for a finer, thinner cream. Plate up and when ready to pour, blend again with a milk frother until bubbly and frothy and pour in a thin stream around the centre.

Baked Donuts With Coffee Pannacotta (aka a twist on coffee and donuts)
I marvelled at the baked donut recipes doing the rounds and just had to try them for myself. And thought - why not do a twist on coffee and donuts? So, a coffee accompaniment - first I thought coffee jelly topped with a creme anglaise 'crema', but decided that creamy would be much more convivial with donuts than gelatinous and chose a coffee pannacotta.

I was apprehensive about the baked donuts - I've never used yeast in my life, and have baked only a handful of times - so did a trial run during the week, halving the quantities. It was a right royal mess and I only got to the dough stage. Sticky dough everywhere. However on the night I followed the recipe as described and it was flawless and completely easy.

Alright, but how did they taste? Oh. My. God. Almost exactly very much unbelievably like donuts. Yes. You take the little delights out of the oven and dip them in melted butter and a cinnamon sugar mix, and that smell is instant, that warming come-hither donut smell. And they are chewy and fluffy and as more-ish as the fried-in-the-same-oil-one-too-many-times kind. Except these are baked, so you can have you donuts and stuff yourself with them, too.

Recipe at the incredible Jen's blog.

And I was crossing my fingers for the pannacotta - just what is gelatine? I still think horses' hooves. Even if it's a ye olde thing, when these things get into my mind, they stay there. Plus it comes in sheets and powder. I'd made a pannacotta years ago using expensive-as-hell gelatine sheets and it didn't work, so it still had me spooked. Nevetheless it was beyond easy to make and tasted a dream. They looked cute-as-a-button in my Ikea espresso cups, bought a year ago and still in the wrapper. Ikea does that to you.

The photos aren't great - a quick snap for both dishes as I don't get
how my digicameras work at night, everything comes out darker.
For example the gnocchi and donuts were golden, not dark. Stupid digital.

Jo's Birthday Finger Food Party

2007-09-10T22:01:00.000+10:00

D and I put on a finger food picnic for Jo's birthday that we held chez moi because of the drizzly weather. Finger food is the best. Anything in miniature form tastes a thousand times better. Fact. I made the savoury, D made the sweet and we went completely overboard - but this is why I love the girls because most of it was polished off in a blink. Along with pitchers of cocktails and Melrose Place, season one, disc two, we couldn't ask for a better way to celebrate.

There was...

Vietnamese rice paper rolls

Scottish oatcakes (from Borough Markets) filled with goat's cheese, caramalised onions and chives

Mini mushroom quiches (completely rolly polly)

Roast vegetable frittata

Of course, ribbon sandwiches. Three types: egg salad; cucumber with chive marscapone; roast chicken with cream cheese, almonds and baby spinach

Rocky road and delicious caramel slice

Strawberry and almond tarts and incredibly delicious chocolate tarts based on a Jamie Oliver recipe

And of course...

Happy Birthday cupcakes with candles!

Slow-Roasted Salmon With Endamame Potato Salad

2007-09-10T15:23:00.000+10:00

I read about slow roasting salmon last week to coincide with my new obsession with the fish markets - last week alone I made three trips. The recipe had me intruiged, especially as by 'slow' it meant a whole 17 minutes. It described the texture of salmon cooked at a very low temperature for this short time as melt-in-the-mouth and luscious. I don't like the texture of baked salmon so I couldn't wait to try this method - and now I won't be cooking salmon any other way.

Salmon and potatoes are a wicked combination, as are salmon and sour cream or creme fraiche, so I decided to make a simple sour cream potato salad on the side. Endamame are a delicious and healthy addition.

Use a whole salmon fillet (usually 250g-400g each) even if just making one serving as cutting a fillet in two will dry it out, and enjoy the leftovers like I did - lox with a twist - piled high on a bagel, with cream cheese and watercress. Simply incredible.

Slow-Roasted Salmon
1 salmon fillet (see above)
A handful of chopped chives (optional)
Olive oil, salt, pepper

Preheat oven to 110C. Clean the salmon and pat dry on paper towel. Place on a baking tray lined with baking paper. Brush all sides of the salmon with a tiny amount of olive oil, and season generously. Pat chopped chives into the top of the fillet. Place in the oven and cook for 17 minutes exactly. Remove, enjoy.

Endamame Potato Salad, serves 1
Two small potatoes, peeled and washed
Handful of endamame in the pod (available in the freezer at Asian supermarkets)
Sour cream or creme fraiche
Dijon mustard
Salt, pepper

Place potatoes on a plate and microwave for 3 minutes. Flip potatoes over and microwave for 3 more minutes.* Remove, slice and season. Meanwhile cook the endamame - 2 1/2 minutes in the microwave - and pop them out of their pods into a bowl with the potatoes. Add a good dollop of sour cream and a teaspoon of Dijon mustard and mix. Serve with the salmon.
* This is a quick and no-fuss way of cooking potatoes; boil or bake them if you prefer.

Under The Sound Of Helicopters II

2007-09-10T09:47:00.000+10:00

A super lovely long weekend.

Jo's birthday lunch was a blast. Delicious finger food (sorry, finger food by it's defintion is delicious) and season one, disc two of Melrose Place (lame), unbeatable combination.

Then my turn for the Masterchef Challenge. I had half an hour to get it all ready after the girls left, and it was an amazing success. If I do say so myself, it was probably the best thing I've cooked so far, and I'm more impressed with being so relaxed yet organised and pulling it off. The verdict? We both gave each other top marks so no winner. Phew. Recipes coming up.

Couldn't sleep that night, like every other night this week, the helicopters were too much. Couldn't even sleep in the same bed - seems two people used to their own beds just can't get comfortable sharing one. It confirms that should I ever shack up with anyone again - own beds, preferably own houses, will be the way to go.

Joined D at the Silverchair concert, free tickets why not, and they were good, although it's the one band that I can never make out the words. Paul Mac was in the band, love Paul Mac.

Yoghurt-Simmered Fish Curry

2007-09-06T09:02:00.000+10:00

I'm not a huge curry fan, but this recipe, from Anjum Anand - I think she must be England's new Nigella Lawson - caught my eye, and instantly became a favourite. It's healthy and so quick to make.

Yoghurt-Simmered Fish Curry, from Anjum Anand's column in The Times, serves 4
2 Ts vegetable oil
1 large onion, finely chopped
2 green chillies, whole (I used one long red chili with most of the seeds and this was spicey enough)
2 ts garlic paste (I pounded 3 garlic cloves in a pestle and mortar)
1 rounded ts ginger paste (I pounded a 1cm piece of ginger in a pestle and mortar)
¾ ts turmeric powder
2 ts coriander powder
20g ground almonds
180ml yoghurt, beaten
1 medium tomato, cut into large pieces
4 x 175g portions of firm white fish fillets (I used bream)

Salt and pepper to taste
¾ ts garam masala
Handful of chopped fresh coriander, stalks and leaves

Heat the oil in a large non-stick frying pan. Add the onion and fry until golden and shrivelled, about 10 minutes. Add the chilli, garlic and ginger and cook for 30 seconds. Add salt, turmeric and coriander powder and stir for another 30 seconds. Add the yoghurt and almonds, over a low heat and stir to incorporate. Add a splash of hot water at the same time. Simmer over a low flame for 10 minutes. If the yoghurt looks grainy, do not worry, turn the heat up and stir, it will come back together. Add tomatoes and cook until softened, about 6 minutes, adding splashes of hot water whenever the pan starts to dry out. Stir in 150ml water and bring to a boil*. Add the fish, bring the heat down, cover and simmer until the fish is tender, about 5 minutes, turning halfway. The gravy should be thick but not clinging to the fish. If the gravy is too watery, remove the fish and boil down the gravy until you have the right consistency.
Sprinkle over the garam masala and coriander and serve.
* I added a little water and a little lite cream for a creamier sauce.

Possibilities

2007-09-05T13:42:00.001+10:00

I have sunken into the comforts of re-reading a beloved book, the script/story of The Best Intentions. The names of the streets, desolate towns, have always bewitched me. Tradgarsgatan. I love the sound the name makes as you say it silently. And then I realise that I will soon be able to visit Sweden, and other crazy places, and the instant feeling is of a vastness in front of me. It's exciting.

Under The Sound Of Helicopters

2007-09-04T14:24:00.001+10:00

Too much eating on the weekend (Bodega; Mark Bittman's prawn ragu; hypocritcal queueing up at Bourke St Bakery for the lamb sausage roll, polished off with a lemon curd tart - verdict, the lamb is textural and delicious, but I prefer the pork and fennel; the curd is smooth and creamy, but I still want more of a pucker punch from the citrus; there was freshly squeezed blood orange Pims drunk in the park across the road under the sun; cold dumplings; gorgeous home-made curry).

There was The Bourne Ultimatum (prefer the first) and my beloved 5x2.

An absolutely awesome penthouse party the likes of which I haven't seen in Sydney, fortunately was on Sunday as it could have got very messy.

This week is nothing but cooking, cooking.

Groupie

2007-08-31T16:11:00.000+10:00

To: Olivier Giacomotto
Subject: Je vous adore!

From: Olivier Giacomotto
Message: Merci beaucoup pour ces quelques mots, a tres bientot peut-etre, Oli

Oooh!

Sausage Rolls Are Ugly

2007-08-31T11:41:00.001+10:00

Bourke St Bakery
I don't like hype. I don't like queues. It's a bakery. Don't line up for baked goods. There's plenty more where that came from.

Except there isn't plenty more where that came from. Good bakeries here are a destination. And I'd just about had enough of hearing all the raves and had enough of two years driving past and seeing a congo line of trendies snaking around it's famous little corner and never a parking spot in sight.

But there comes a point where curiosity starts driving you mad and you happen to give it one last go and it's an hour before quittin' time and there are no queues and a park right outside.

They were out of their infamous harissa lamb sausage rolls so it was pork and fennel. Oh and a strawberry and vanilla bean brulee tart. "Anything else?" Well I'd like to have ordered one of everything, it all looked so rustic delicious. But no, I needed to test them first. Hype means nothin'.

But it's more than good. It's incredible. The scent of fennel hits me as I break through the flakey shell and stays with me with each bite. The pork is chunky, it's real. Its pork and a little carrot and whole fennel seeds. Pastry is the real test though, and it soars, buttery and flakey and golden. Oh. Oh yea.

Fratelli Fresh
Next it's on to my favourite food stop in this town, Fratelli Fresh. Boxes of love bite tomatoes all cute and red welcome me, and I scoop them up. Blood oranges. I'll think of something to do with them. Russet potatoes for gnocchi or more rosti. Perfect bananas, which give me such satisfaction to never buy from the supermarkets. Italian spaghetti and flour. A wedge of pecorino and bags of herbs.

It's open till 6 and is so close, so why don't I do all my grocery shopping there. OK, I will, and maybe stop for a sausage roll on the way...

Hudson Meats
One more local stop. Hudson Meats has just opened and when I first saw the logo I got a bit excited. A good logo with a good font goes a long way. I thought it would be bigger, and the deli section is limited, but there is goodness there. Mainly in the meat. Most of the meat is free range, what I have been looking for for a long time. And it looks good. I can't wait to buy myself a big fat ruby red steak and tuck into it like a caveman. There are also cookbooks for the serious foodie and a small providore section arranged extremely stylishly - bravo. I bought Australian-grown French puy lentiles and Spanish dulce de leche wafers. The staff are friendly and the hours are good. They have my support.

After my dinner I turned to my brulee tart. My expectations weren't high, just a sugar hit. But again I was beyond impressed. The pastry was thin and crispy like the brulee top. It would be too easy to lump it with a thick, hard brulee; the thin shell is delicate and perfect. Inside, a creamy vanilla bean custard spread with strawberry jam. It's as innocent a delight as a neenish tart, but it has all the markings of a serious patissier, and that's why Bourke St Bakery deserves it's hype, and sadly for me now, it's queues.

When I win Lotto I will move to the beach, but until that happens, I will always stay in Surry Hills.

I Had A Dream

2007-08-30T20:24:00.000+10:00

Just like Martin Luther King Jr. His was about equality. Mine was about a spaghetti with bacon, garlic and chili. Had to make it come true, with a twist.

Halve 250g love bite tomatoes/punnet of cherry tomatoes and mix in a bowl with a good lug of olive oil, one chopped clove of garlic, a handful of chunky, fresh breadcrumbs, a shaving of pecorino or parmesan. Sprinkle in some dried chili flakes, and if you like, fresh chopped herbs, like marjoram or basil. Season well. Bake in a moderate oven for around 30 minutes.

Meanwhile cook spaghetti, and grill strips of bacon until nice and crispy - always grill more than you need because who can resist munching on grilled bacon along the way.

Stir the bacon and the roast tomatoes with all the juices and oil into the spaghetti, and enjoy.

Have not-watched-in-ages Seinfeld on the background while cooking, and laugh yourself silly.

Today Haiku

2007-08-30T15:08:00.000+10:00

Want of a garden
To sunbake in the nude in
This summer weather

Lamb shank pie, chowder
Must all now take the back seat
For oysters, sauv blanc

Chips An' Egg

2007-08-29T19:11:00.003+10:00

One of my top ten movies is Shirley Valentine. When she starts to work in the cafe an English lobster couple come in and seemed over - and under - whelmed by the Greek menu. She suggests slow-cooked lamb in origano, they groan. So she leans in and conspiratorially offers to whip them up chips and egg, and it's "smashin'". They come in every afternoon for her "chips an' egg".

Chips an' egg. There are many comfort foods, but chips and egg might just top my list. Mum makes the best, frying the chips in the pan till golden, scrambling in the eggs and scraping up the crunchy bits on the bottom. If I'm over, and she makes a batch, not much makes me happier.

So last night when I didn't have much time to make dinner, but still wanted something delicious, I made a posh chips an' egg. Rosti with wilted spinach and poached egg.

Peel and parboil two potatoes. Allow to cool a little, then coarsely grate and season. In a frypan wilt a handful of baby spinach, then set aside. Melt some butter in the same pan, and fry the rosti for a few minutes on each side until crispy and golden. While the rosti is frying poach an egg. When all is ready assemble and enjoy.

Funnily enough after when I went to have a drink at the Paddo Inn this was their special of the day, and it looked good. I'll definitely have to try their version, $15 with a middy of pale ale, how can you beat that?

Sidenote: The Cook And The Chef is such a fantastic cooking show, the rapport between Simon and Maggie is so watchable, and the recipes inspiring and real. Bravo to the ABC for staying with this show amongst abominable TV programming across the board.

Today

2007-08-28T21:52:00.000+10:00

The temperature was 27.

The sky was blue.

I bought paper-thin bright-as-summer poppies.

I ate little sweet-as-jam figs from Lakemba.

I spoke words of a new language.

There is a ~~lunar eclipse~~ blood moon right now.

It's All Dutch To Me

2007-08-27T15:45:00.000+10:00

"This house has been recently renovated and provides with double glass. By means of a simple common kicking house you reach the house on fourth deepening."

"Top floor apartment and a nice balcony in the backside."

A Weekend And A Masterchef Challenge

2007-08-27T09:10:00.000+10:00

On Sunday at lunchtime I was sitting in shorts, tunic top and ropey sandals, looking out the window at the blue sky, and had already had a wonderful weekend...

Saturday I bought fresh bagels and flowers in Bondi, and had a very relaxing lunch for grandma's birthday on Kath's new deck overlooking the water. The seafood was especially amazing - meaty prawns, melting tuna sashimi, clean, luscious oysters - and everyone chatty and happy.

Then it was home to scrub up and head out to Manly, for part one of the Masterchef Challenge. A did an amazing job with his two courses, absolute restaurant quality. The main was perfectly seared duck, with a blueberry jus, potato bake and wilted baby spinach. Make you want to eat duck every day. Dessert was a picture-perfect rhubarb souffle, fluffy and warming, with baked custard (two serves for me please), vanilla icecream and sauteed rhubarb. Wow. The pressure is now on me for part two, in two weeks' time.

It was a lovely evening, great wine and company and I love his new digs. He's done well and I'm happy for him. In the morning we walked down to the aquarium with his neighbour for breakfast, the water sparkling and everyone gaga at this weather. Breakfast was generous and delicious.

So at Sunday lunchtime I was sitting in one of my fave outfits and wishing the weekend would never end. Instead, D came over and we spent the day being outrageous, enjoying divine Turkish, lots of wine, watching Melrose Place season one, late-night snacking on Indian, and calling Jonathon. That phone call was one of the most surreal, brilliant moments that fit in seamlessly with our adventures. Hearing Jonathon say so calmy "I love you too" was a classic instant.

So, now it is time for less eating.

Told Dad

2007-08-23T15:26:00.000+10:00

He's numb, although the words "you have to do what you want to do" took the sting out of it a little.

For some reason, having told him makes it feel like it's really happening.

Best Mail EVA

2007-08-23T10:00:00.000+10:00

The best kind of mail...comes with a stamp of Eivissa.

Me Gusta Estudiar Espanol

2007-08-21T12:07:00.000+10:00

It's all coming together now, the pieces of the puzzle. A little grammer, a litle vocab, some connecting words, and voila! mi piso tiene un cuarto de bano moderno.

I love it so much! And after thinking Spanish and me weren't meant to be. Stupid ex-teacher Louisa.

Sidenote finally watched Napoleon Dynamite ("I caught you a delicious bass"; Uncle Rico; Pedro, ha!) and Irreversible (a new kind of violence; love the way it looked at relationships; love Vincent and Monica).

And congratulations to Kath and co. on their beautiful new home!

Moving Misc

2007-08-20T16:52:00.000+10:00

I am racked with guilt over telling dad: it will shatter him. He is being so nice today. There is never a right moment.

Received our first scam email about a fabulous apartment available at ridiculously low rent. Haha! Then found another place that sounded great and when we went to secure it realised the amount was the discount and not the actual rent. Luckily we caught that one in time!

Mum had a cry about me leaving yesterday. It will be so hard for her but she knows I have to do it. I really hope she does come and visit next year with the possibility of going to Russia after that. At least talking about it will make it a bit easier.

I worry every now and then of finding work and housing. Even though I'm sure we will be fine.

I Did It!

2007-08-15T20:43:00.000+10:00

Tonight I made my own pasta!

Taking advantage of my second last night housesitting chez maman, with her lovely biggish kitchen, I got all excited. Literally, I was thinking about it before I went to sleep. Because you see, it has to be perfect. It is one of my three cooking challenges. I can't love pasta this much, study recipes, ~~drone on~~ wax lyrical about the food of Italy, and then when I finally make it, make slop. That would hurt.

And...for the First Pasta, which sauce? I thought about it, and thought about it, and remembered my beloved parpadelle with chicken liver and sage, a Stefano di Piero recipe that I picked up years ago and hold dear.

So off I went. 100g flour, 1 egg. What a fabulous equation. Hmm, too sticky, there's not much here. I added more flour, still not much. I should say that I didn't really measure the flour, I just used rough tablespoons. I'm arrogant like that. At this point I realised this was not a portion going to make, so I doubled the proper amount of flour and another egg. Voila. A nice elastic dough.

I stumbled upon this clip of Gennaro Contaldo with Jamie Oliver on Youtube the other day, showing how to make pasta without a pasta maker. A pasta maker to me looks like a two-person job, at least for a newbie, so I was besotted with Gennaro's "romantic" method, rolling and slicing with a knife.

Except mum didn't have a rolling pin, but she must because she makes rugaliki, so it means I couldn't find it (I am a man after all). So I improvised with a long pasta container. Who the hell knows, but I got it as thin and as light as I could. It even passed Genaro's 'blowing' test. Wide slices, floured. My parpadelle are ready!

The chicken livers are my own recipe now, so I prepared them and got the water ready. In went the pasta ribbons - ooh the excitement, what would they do, stick together, float? no they were just as described - and after a couple of minutes they were done. Mixed into the sauce, into a bowl, and the verdict?

Delicious! Real pasta! A little rustic, which was good, and I'm sure it's because the dough couldn't get a proper rolling. Better rolling would make a silkier pasta. And the whole thing, with sauce, took less than an hour.

So I'll keep perfecting it, and bask in the excitement of having made my own pasta!

Parpadelle With Chicken Livers And Sage, serves 2
Adapted from a recipe from Stefano di Piero

Handful of chicken livers, trimmed if needed
1 Spanish/red onion, thinly sliced
6 sage leaves
Lug of cream

Cook the parpadelle while you make the sauce. Heat some oil in a frypan and add the livers. When browned, add the onion and sage leaves and stir to coat. Lower the heat so as not to overcook the liver, and saute until the onions have softened. Add the cream, season* and cook for another minute. You can add a nob of butter to enrich the flavour and loosen the delicious browned bits.
Drain the pasta reserving a little pasta water and add to the pan with the sauce. Stir through and serve.
* Don't season before as the salt will toughen the livers while they are cooking.