Posts by tammi

Best Savoury Pastry Ever

Recipe March 13, 2012 2 Comments

The butter and flour gets rubbed into the flour

I have always been afraid of pastry. There was just something about it – can’t overwork it, must rest it, it has to be as chilled as possible, don’t add too much flour…

Over the years I’ve been given plenty of advice when it came to making pastry, and so my mind just freaks out whenever I even start researching making my own. Store-bought had always been enough.

Well, after working at Victor Churchill, I started tasting amazing pastries, and so now I can’t go back to store-bought.

I had to bite the bullet and start making my own pastry. I knew a really good recipe that I wanted to make at home, and it seemed simple enough. There was a slight problem, though.

Victor Churchill, Woollahra

Food For Thought March 8, 2012 9 Comments

Have I gotten your attention? Yes indeed, that is the Anthony Bourdain! Some of you might know that I’ve been all atwitter about meeting him, and it definitely has been the highlight of my week.

But before I tell you about that, let me first share with you why I’ve been so quiet; why I’ve been neglecting my poor blog.

Korean Style Tofu

Recipe February 27, 2012 2 Comments

I feel like I haven’t posted a recipe in AGES! Kinda shows you how much cooking that I’ve been proud of lately, lol.

Anyway, I had some tofu left over from a fried noodle attempt – I simply cannot fry noodles properly, I don’t know why – and I decided to have it over rice for lunch today!

Feeling thoroughly inspired by the Korean cooking class that I attended – thank you Korean Cultural Office! – I thought that I could probably do something similar with tofu that I can do with the chicken. So I present to you:

Korean Style Tofu on Rice
Preparation: 5-10 min
Cooking: 10 min

For the sauce:
2 cloves Garlic
2-3 tbsp Light Soy Sauce
2-3 tbsp Glucose
2 tbsp Rice Vinegar
1-2 tsp Kochukaru (Korean Chilli Flakes)
1-2 tsp sesame seed oil

Hard tofu
Rice
Thinly sliced spring onion

Cut up the tofu into bite sized pieces. I happen to have mine cut on the small side because it was originally for fried noodles, but feel free to have it in as large or as little a piece as you’d like. Then set it in a single layer on some paper towel to drain.

Next, lightly oil a pan and give the tofu a light fry, just till it’s golden brown.

To make the sauce:

Heat the sesame seed oil in a pan over medium heat. Lightly fry off the garlic. It’s to get rid of the rawness, but the garlic should not be browned! Add the rest of the ingredients, in no particular order, and reduce the sauce till slightly thickened. The sauce will thicken slightly upon standing, so the way I look at it is to cook the sauce down till you can “draw lines” on the pan with a wooden chopstick.

And you’re all ready! Just cook some rice and pile on the tofu, and drizzle with the sauce. Top with finely sliced spring onion and serve.

This is an extremely quick and easy recipe using pantry ingredients, assuming that you have a relatively Asian pantry. Great for a quick, light lunch and a fantastic vegetarian option. If you prefer slightly crispier tofu, skip the draining process and coat in sweet potato flour before frying.

Definitely one of my comfort foods. How about you? What are your favourite comfort foods?

I want…

Food For Thought February 25, 2012 1 Comment

OMGGGG!!!! How cute are these novelty shot glasses from oo.com.au?? I kind of want some to serve my clear bloody mary in!

Toast Food, Cockatoo Island

Review February 20, 2012 1 Comment

Late last year, Sean and I bought a $99 picnic hamper for two off Cudo. I’ve always said that I was a “simulated outdoors” kind of person – I like the idea of the outdoors, like dining al fresco, but I don’t actually like being outdoors.

So this was perfect for us! With the ability to pick where we choose to picnic – the simulated outdoors of course – and getting “gourmet” choices, it’s a win-win situation!

Sean very nicely organized all the transport for the day. I have an idea of where I’d like the day to go, and Sean gets me there! Great partnership model.

A drive and a ferry ride later, Sean’s very considerately checking out the map so that we hit all the interesting bits and don’t get lost.

Meanwhile, I collect our very cute looking picnic basket from Toast Food!

Although I was chomping at the bit to get at the food, Sean insisted that we take the audio tour (also included with the package) before we settle down for lunch. The outdoor bit of my simulated outdoors I guess!

I’m really glad that we did go, though. As a person who likes crafty things, I couldn’t resist taking a photo of this:

A sort-of mural made out of coloured cups!!! So cute. I feel like it’s a great take on the different kind of murals that you can create.

There was also a lot of history learning that day, but since you’re reading a food blog, I know you’d much prefer to hear about the food!

The picnic basket didn’t have anything particularly unusual, but was definitely an integral part of the whole experience. Somehow, cold sandwiches and bottles of water just doesn’t seem to fit in with the whole landscape and atmosphere. Was it yummy? Definitely. Sean really went at the cheese platter and the prosciutto was greatly (and sincerely) complimented by the soft, fragrant bread.

But the big question is: Was it worth the $99? Well, considering that the whole package included the audio tour and the food, it was a relatively good deal. It isn’t quite like some of the other vouchers in terms of its “SCORE factor” – the feeling of “Score! Win!” – but it was still a great day out.

We ate at:

The Canteen
Cockatoo Island
Port Jackson NSW 2090

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Pepe Saya, Tempe

Review February 16, 2012 3 Comments

Most people who know me know that I have a thing for butter, or any diary product. Which is why I was especially excited when – after the Master the Mousse Class with Homemade Fine Foods – Pepe from Pepe Saya offered to show me and the French Wench the making of truffle butter!!!

First, you start with really nice butter…

This is a cultured butter, and besides the usual richness that you get from this epitome of rich dairy goodness, there is a slight sourness that I feel adds a lot of character and attitude. It’s like the luxurious meets funk. I like.

Pepe was telling us that he first matures the cream, then adds the culture, before churning the butter. And here I thought that all you had to do was over-whip cream!

Side tangent – besides butter, Pepe Saya also has a range of other foodstuffs, my favourite of which is the Taramasalata!

I can’t say definitively that it’s amazing Taramasalata because I didn’t grow up with it, but I can say that it’s definitely something I really like! The acid/garlic/saltiness is just so addictive to me that I finished half the jar pretty much upon arriving home. LOVE IT!.

Anyway, back to the truffle butter.

Pepe got sent truffles from Perigord Truffles of Tasmania.

And man this is the biggest pile of truffles that I’ve ever seen in person.

The smell was just absolutely intoxicating.

Pepe simply shaves off the truffles into the butter and then mixes it. Apparently truffles have an ‘expiry date’ of 10 days, and so you really have to work quickly. Butter does help preserve the flavour though – the oil prevents air from coming into contact with it, and so prevents oxidation.

And truffles are not just amazingly delicious, they are also really pretty on the inside!

Isn’t that marbling simply gorgeous?! It gets me excited like a good piece of steak. Okay, that came out wrong, but you know what I mean.

Oh here’s another sight to behold!

TEN KILOS OF BUTTER SPECKLED WITH TRUFFLE!!!!!

*wipes drool*

Maybe it’s just me, but the combination of the two is just so simple yet so mind blowing!!!

And we actually got to take little pats home!!!!!!!!

!!!!!!!!!!!!

Just in case there are any doubters out there, it is DELICIOUS. Although the suggestion was to let it melt slowly onto a good steak, I had mine spread onto sourdough toast, and it was one of the most satisfying lunches I’ve ever had. Light and yet luxurious at the same time, I just kept breathing in the intoxicating scent of the truffles mingling seductively with the cultured butter.

Even if truffle butter isn’t quite your thing and isn’t enough to get you as excited as I am, Pepe also has butter master classes ($80) and cheese making classes ($220/class, 3 parts) as well! Just contact them for more information. With my history of loving cultured diary products, I know what I’m asking for as my birthday present!

Pepe Saya
Unit 4, 3 Wood Street
Tempe NSW 2044
+61 2 9519 2793
info@pepesaya.com.au

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Homemade Fine Foods, Tempe

Review February 13, 2012 5 Comments

Apparently it all started with Lemon Curd. Homemade Fine Foods was founded on a ‘real food’ philosophy – food that you can buy, that will taste like what you’ve made at home. The upside? Not having to spend hours making it yourself. And while I love cooking, that idea sounds fantastic to me – especially after a long day on my feet where I don’t even really feel like cooking dinner, much less dessert.

And they don’t only do desserts, they teach you how to make it too!

I was invited over the weekend by a very lovely Merna from Homemade Fine Foods to a Mousse Class!! This was an especially exciting piece of news for me since my only (failed) attempt at a chocolate mousse ended up with whipped cream in a glass and bits of chocolate that had hardened because of the coldness of the cream. Go figure. Lovely, aerated, velvety dessert just seems to elude me. After having to admit recently – with much embarrassment – that I had no idea how to create a proper mousse, I was thankful for the opportunity to be taught the proper techniques.

The class was at 11am, and because Sean was working the night shift, we had not had anything to eat and were starving. No worry though, they feed you!

I love events that feed you.

Great cheeses from Small Cow Farm and luscious, ripe fruit really started the day off well for me. Even Sean – who had worked all night – was happily relaxed and ready for some chocolate.

And boy was there chocolate.

We were taught the difference between using compound chocolate and coverture – compound can be heated to a higher temperature and so will pasteurize your eggs – and what temperatures to look for when melting your chocolate.

Interesting fact – while cocoa butter has a melting point of 35C, compound chocolate contains fats that allow you to heat it higher, hence allowing the pasteurization of the raw eggs!

The class also covered whipping and incorporating the meringue…

And the whipped cream, amongst other things.

Now, Sean isn’t the biggest cook around – in fact, he hardly ever gets to step into the kitchen because I’m always in there doing something or the other – but there’s at least one part of the class that he absolutely LOVES.

How can anyone say no to that finished product! Sweet, creamy, and comforting, we got to take home two massive tubs of mousse that had been decorated with swirls of dark chocolate. The mind-boggling thing was that such a simple technique looks so pretty and polished. Definitely something that I’ll try on my next dessert served in glass.

There were some moments that we had to wait – for example, the chocolate mixture had to cool down before mixing in the whipped cream – and guess what happened?

They feed you some more!

Did I mention that I love being fed?

And while I have a weakness for Bread and Butter pudding – it’s a comfort food that many members of my family have in common – and Sean devoured the Sticky Date Pudding, the Raspberry Panna Cotta was my favourite!

This story is too cute – you’ve gotta see it for yourself:

SO CUTE!

Apparently Cuttaway Creek Raspberry Farm also supplied raspberries to many well-known Sydney restaurants. I have to pay a visit to them some day.

But anyway, back to the class. I left with arms full of tubs of mousse and a belly full of delicious desserts. Both Sean and I thoroughly enjoyed ourselves, and that was a feat for Sean after pulling an all-nighter.

It was a great way for us to cook together as a couple, and a great pre- (or post) Valentine’s day present!

The class costs $80 per person and is held at their factory store in Tempe.

Homemade Fine Foods
Unit 4, 3 Wood Street, TEMPE NSW 2044
(02) 9559 4449
info@homemadefinefoods.com.au

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Note: Insatiable Munchies was invited as a guest of Homemade Fine Foods

Bedlam Bar+Food, Glebe

Review February 5, 2012 4 Comments

Just a quick post because I didn’t have my camera on me that day! iPhone to the rescue!

Working on Glebe Pt Road has it’s perks, and it seems that Bedlam Bar is one of them! The guys from work organized a gathering there, and their $10 menu caught my eye. Theoretically, it’s a great idea and one of the guys I work with said that the food’s been getting good. With a recommendation like that and the words Pork Belly on the menu, I couldn’t resist.

The result? They were moist and tasty, and the cracklin’ was rockin’! Considering that it’s pork belly, the portioning was not too bad. I love that it’s a great sample size – I can imagine a group ordering a variety and getting to try a little bit of everything. Not quite a full meal, but great as bar food.

If you really want to make it a meal, then you can always add this

The Rosemary Fries ($6) were simple, but did the job. Tasty, moreish, great for sharing.

Told you, great bar food.

More next time when I go back with my camera!

We ate at:

Bedlam Bar + Food
(02) 9660 6999
University Hall
2-12 Glebe Point Road
Glebe, NSW 2037

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Chinese New Year 2012, Belmore Park

Review January 30, 2012 1 Comment

Last year I had a look at the Chinese New Year Festival at Belmore Park, and thought I’d go again this year. Even the intermittent and very grouchy weather couldn’t dampen (haha!) my spirits!

Somehow, though, the festival this year didn’t have the same bustling atmosphere. Sure, there were a lot of people, but it felt like there weren’t the same number of stores, or that the stores were wayyy more spread out. And there weren’t the same randoms! Where are the bunny people???

Anyway, entertainers aside, the only interesting stall that I found this year was this one:

I have no idea what the background really is, but anywhere that I can get a serving of noodles for $4 is well worth a shot! (Mappen still has a special place in my heart)

For a grand total of $10 combined, Sean got his dumplings…

…and I got this

This bowl of 凉粉 (cold noodles) was surprisingly good! It suited the warm, humid weather well, and had a refreshing zing to it. A light addition of chilli oil made it interesting, and the jelly-like slippery noodles made the kid in me giggle. Quite fun to eat.

For that matter, it was really fascinating to watch them make! The noodles came off this translucent dome

Some guy with a hand grater carefully grates off a pile of noodles.

When you order, it gets put into a container with the relevant sauces, and you get a noodle dish!

I think part of the reason why I like it so much is the novelty of eating it – I must admit that it’s not something that I’d enjoy a massive bowl of.

Oh and the dumplings? They were ok. Not mind-blowing, but really we didn’t expect it to be. But they were at least better than the random “Dim Sim” *shudders* places that they had there.

I miss spending Chinese New Year at home!!!!!!

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Profit-eroles

Recipe January 28, 2012 4 Comments

Huat ah!

Since it’s Chinese New Year, I thought that I’d make the very auspicious-sounding Profit-eroles. Geddit?

Ok, bad joke.

But anyway, these delicious little morsels are always great as party food, and allows you to have dessert done and dusted in advanced.

First, the Choux pastry. This is basically the same pastry as eclairs, so you can take the recipe and just change the shape if you’re so inclined.

Choux Pastry

I got this off Taste.com.au and it works every time!

80g butter
1 cup water
1 cup flour
3 eggs

Bring the water and butter to a boil.

Take the mixture off the heat and stir in the flour. Vigorously I’ve heard somewhere (don’t quote me, though) that the secret to puffed, gorgeous profiteroles is making sure that the gluten is well-worked.

SO WORK IT! *insert relevant hip-hop song here*

Once the flour is incorporated, work in the eggs, one at a time, making sure that each one is mixed in before you add the next.

You’ll end up with a slightly spongy wet-ish batter.

Put aside to cool.

Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 180C (fan forced). I’ve found that you can probably afford to turn the heat down slightly from that – the pastry needs to ‘dry out’ slightly inside, and baking it for slightly longer at a slightly lower temperature helps that process along.

Using two teaspoons, spoon heaped amounts of the pastry mixture onto a lined baking tray.

Using wet fingers, pat down any peaks that can end up burning in the oven.

Bake till puffed and golden brown.

Armed with a sharp knife and a pair of tongs, carefully pierce the bottom of the profiteroles and place back on the tray, pierced side up, and put back into the oven with the door ajar. MAKE SURE THAT THE OVEN IS TURNED OFF! You don’t want burned pastry. This will help it finish drying out.

Then, move on to the custard.

Custard

3 egg yolks
1/3 cup sugar
1/3 cup flour
1 3/4 cup milk
Vanilla bean or vanilla extract

In a medium saucepan, whisk the egg yolks with sugar.

The mixture will turn a very pale yellow, and although the original recipe says to use caster sugar, I wouldn’t worry too much about it – it ends up being dissolved anyway. Also, I used a mixing bowl to start off with, but really, you could do this in a saucepan. Less washing up is always good.

Whisk in the flour, and when that’s incorporated, add the milk and vanilla and place the saucepan on VERY LOW HEAT. Trust me.

Keep whisking. This is not a good time to walk away, be distracted by the TV, or do the dishes. WATCH THAT SAUCEPAN LIKE A HAWK.

And keep stirring!!!

Very soon, you’ll see the mixture begin to thicken.

At this point, burning will follow quickly. I think what happens here is a little bit like the Tangzhong method in baking. For the science behind it, click here. Basically the starch (flour) will thicken in the process of water and heat and will so contribute to the texture of the custard.

Still, I’m not too crazy about this particular recipe as I find the custard a touch too runny, but feel free to use any piping custard recipe you’d like.

The profiteroles can last about a week when stored in an airtight container, in the fridge.