Posts by tammi

Masterchef Live!

Review December 13, 2010 5 Comments

Yep, I went to Masterchef Live. After going to Taste Sydney and having such a ball of a time, I thought that it would be fun doing Masterchef.

There was two ‘parts’ to the festival – the ‘show’ part where they do a pressure test ‘live’ and so on, and the festival bit (which is the bit I really love) where you get to see people hawk their wares and try lots of food!!

But first the show.

Matt Preston does his best Zoolander in his Christmas suit.

George Calombaris gets really really excited.

I LOVE Matt Preston’s shoes.

The show was alright – some audience participation in some Masterchef activities, talking with a couple of Junior Masterchef contestants, etc. Nothing too exciting unless you’re an avid Masterchef fan.

But now the fair!!! I tried some lovely cheddar from Ashgrove Tasmanian Farm Cheese.

There was a guy at the booth that I had a really lovely chat with about aging cheese and the different kinds of cheddar. I love cheese. hehe.

Then there was another lovely man from Yael’s Cakes of Distinction.

There was a selection of cakes to sample – Fruit Cake, Chocolate Brownie and Lemon Flan.

The Fruit Cake was moist but relatively light. Great fruit cake, but not particularly special.

The chocolate brownies were divine. Dark and succulent, with a nutty crunch. Yum.

The Lemon Flan was light and fruity, and not too tart. I like too.

Springbok had a selection of biltong for sale.

The mango and chilli wagyu was the most memorable of the lot – the gentle heat of the chilli and the lasting sweetness of the mango laced through chewy dried meat. This is a good one to look out for.

Ocello had a nice selection of cheeses from which to try, including buffalo cheese parmasan!! =) Much ‘drier’ cheese than I’m used to, but a deeper flavour.

The best part of the day really had to be the hands on knife skills and flambe class that was run by the Cheeky Food Group!

Here are the lovely Leona and Daniel who were our instructors of the day – they talked us through proper chopping skills and we even got to flambe our food!!!

And look what I made!

Chicken and capsicum flambe-ed with Malibu Rum, with some coconut milk and chilli. It was so good, I really hate capsicum, but I think that I’d actually eat it in this.

All in all it was a really good day – there was so much free food that I didn’t have to eat anything else all day! I love food, even better if it’s free. (Don’t knock free food okay, you get heaps of variety and often the best of what people have to offer.)

I’m so going again next year – anyone want to go with me?

Grill’d

Review December 10, 2010 2 Comments

With all the hype about gourmet burgers going around, Sean and I decided to visit Grill’d one afternoon. Rather than gourmet ingredients like some of the other restaurants, Grill’d’s thang was healthy burgers!

To be honest, the idea didn’t exactly appeal to me at first. If you’re going to eat a burger, then why bother with healthy right?

Well the food better be good…and to be honest, it was. I expected dry, flavourless, tiny-portioned burgers, but instead I got yummy juicy burgers that didn’t feel heavy on the tummy at all!!

I got the Hot Mama ($11.90). It had a beef patty, roasted peppers, dill pickle, tasty cheese, tzatziki, salad, and a spread of harissa.

There was a choice of sourdough and wholemeal, and I couldn’t not choose the sourdough could I? =)

I really really loved the juiciness of the patty, and the hit of chilli and the end. I could’ve done with more harissa, but I think that the staff probably thought that killing the customer with chilli wasn’t a good idea. I personally thought that the dill pickles really brought it all together, and Sean (who is not a pickle fan BY FAR) thought so too. The sourdough was a bit over-toasted for my liking, but it’s still a really good burger.

Sean had the Almighty ($12.50) with a beef patty, tasty cheese, bacon, free-range egg, beetroot, salad, relish and herb mayo and he chose the wholemeal bun.

And…well it’s AWESOME! It’s just so moreish that you want mouthful after hearty mouthful. Again, it doesn’t sound like a particularly “gourmet burger” – you could probably make a similar burger at home – but it’s really nice to go out and be able to have something so comforting and not feel awful about yourself after.

We realise then that the wholemeal took to the toasting a lot better.

Also, what’s burgers without chips yes?

We ordered a large side of chips with all three sauces: Sweet Chilli Mayo, Herbed Mayo, and Tomato Relish ($0.75 each). We didn’t feel the mayos so much, but the Tomato Relish was DA BOMB. Awesome shizzle. It had just the right amount of tartness and depth, and wasn’t just plain and boring like tomato accompaniments usually are. Good stuff.

I also really liked that you could see all the ingredients at the counter too! Makes me feel like I know where (kinda) my food is coming from. Haha.

All in all, it was a really good experience. The food was good, if a bit pricey – there aren’t any magical, exotic ingredients – but I think the price is well worth while because 1) it’s in the city, all food would cost you that much and 2) it’s comfort food that doesn’t leave you feeling awful about yourself afterward.

Oh and the staff! The staff truly made it all a lovely day. The guy who was serving us at the counter looked truly happy to be there, and was great about making sure we were having the best time possible.

There is a downside though – and it’s a small one or a big one depending on your dietary habits. They have gluten free buns available (yay!) and the menu tells you how to make it a gluten free burger. Great! BUT their gluten free buns are toasted in the same toaster that toasts the regular buns, so it might just have some gluten in it. Really? Then what’s the point of the gluten free buns right? It’s quite annoying cause I can’t really bring my celiac friends there, but otherwise, it’s a good place to go.

We ate at:

Grill’d
Darling Harbour
100 Murray Street
Sydney 2000

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Just a quick one…

Food For Thought December 7, 2010 3 Comments

…to say that I’ve got a new job!! =) At a kitchen store. How awesome is that? Sure, it’s retail, but thinking of recipes all day while being surrounded by anything you could want in your kitchen is AWESOME!

And 3 more sleep to the Annual Food Bloggers’ Christmas Picnic! Have you registered? I’m bringing cheesebread, anything else anyone wants me to bring? =) I’d be happy to oblige.

Tag, you’re it!

Food For Thought December 3, 2010

Photo by the00rig

I’ve been tagged!! Thanks to Gourmet Getaways for the tag! So first, the questions:

1. List five foods you could you never bring yourself to eat?

Fresh capsicum. Roasted is okay on occasion, but nothing Iron Chef Chairman Kaga style. Nope. Everything else I’m open to.

2. Share your happiest food memory.

Eating Haagen Dazs ice cream with my dad. My mom was overseas, so he set up the movie projector to project onto the ceiling above my parents’ bed, and we ate ice cream and watched Stargate together. =)

3. What would be your most embarrassing fashion moment?

Oh gawd. My entire teenagehood.

4. Finish this sentence, “It drives me mental when….”

I’m craving something and I can’t justify getting it.

5. Finish this sentence, “There is nothing better in life than…”

Falling asleep knowing that if something happens while you’re out, someone will be there to take care of you.

6. You find a magic lantern and are granted one wish from the Genie of the lamp, what would your wish be?

I wish that my mother can retire in any lifestyle of her choosing, and that I can earn enough to financially support her in whatever she chooses to do.

7. If you had one hour of invisibility what would you do?

I would go to a Michelin Star kitchen during dinner hour and just watch.

8. What made you decide to share your life with the world via a blog?

Well, I like experimenting with food, talking about food, reading about food… and I thought that someone out there might be interested in reading about my experiences too. =)

———————-

And now it’s my turn!!

First the bloggers:

Rosalind from Rasa Rosa
Simon from The Heart of Food
Anita from No Red Meat
Julie from I dream in chocolate
Celeste from Berrytravels

Now the questions:

1. If the world’s supply of food was due to die out, what 3 ingredients would you save?
2. If you were to host a themed party, what theme would you set?
3. Who – alive or dead – would you want to share your last meal with?
4. What is your absolute comfort food?
5. What is the most useful tool in your kitchen?
6. When did you first realise that food had a special place in your heart?
7. Aliens have landed and there is a world summit to introduce them to the wonders of Earth. You have been invited to the potluck party. What do you bring?
8. If your kitchen was on fire, what is the one thing you’d save?

=) Hope it wasn’t too random!

Get Egg-cited!

Recipe December 2, 2010 4 Comments

Yeah so the title’s a bad pun – but you try punning “aubergine”! haha.

I love marinaded eggplant, but sheesh are they expensive! So I decided to make my own. I saw the instructions in a magazine somewhere, but I’m really doing this from memory, and you can add whatever spices you’d like too.

Marinaded Eggplant:

Ingredients
Eggplant
Red Wine Vinegar/ Apple cider vinegar
Salt
Olive Oil
Garlic
Whole Black Peppers
Dried Chilli Flakes

So, grab your eggplant and slice it. Half a centimetre is good, but if you like it chunky you can go a bit thicker.

I also sliced them horizontally instead of longways because I like smaller chunks to put on platters, and I find that it’s way easier to cut them before rather than after.

Then line a colander with paper towels, and then line that with eggplant. Sprinkle liberally with salt, then repeat with paper towels and eggplants.

Leave for 6hrs or overnight. Then make a one to one mixture of vinegar plus water, and gently poach the eggplant in batches.

Drain on more paper towels, then place in a single layer in a pan (or griddle if you have one – a griddle will give you the lovely chargrill marks) on high heat and grill till brown.

Meanwhile, crush some garlic. You want them just lightly crushed to leech the garlic flavour into the oil, but not into a paste.

Layer eggplant, garlic, whole black peppers, and some (very little!) rock salt in a sterilized*, heat proof container.

Jars and glassware works really well. Then just heat up some olive oil and pour over the eggplant! The hot oil will get the flavours in the jar to meld and be really yummy.

You can use all sorts of spices – cardamom, fennel and tumeric is next on my list to try.It is a bit finicky, and uses a lot of kitchenware, but I assure you that the result it worth it!

*To sterilize glassware, wash in warm soapy water, then place in a 100C oven till dry.

Thermomix

Review November 30, 2010 2 Comments

When I heard from Cate’s blog that I could book in a demonstration for a Thermomix party, I was so there! Just a little background info:

The Thermomix is basically a blender with a heating element. It’s really popular in Europe, and with chefs around the world. You can control the heat settings, and you can also choose to put the blender bit in reverse. All that control provides you with the versatility to work many different recipes just with the one machine!

So the lovely Jan came over one Sunday afternoon, and we made a whole bunch of things. There was buckwheat bread done entirely with the thermomix – no messing around with warm water trying to get the yeast to start!

And we also pulverised some parmesean to go with the rissotto we were going to make later.

First up, hummus, which took minutes! I’m not a fan of chickpeas usually, but this was so full of flavour, and tasted really hearty. So addictive.

Then the beetroot/carrot/mint/apple salad. It was so refreshing, we finished the whole plate practically as it came out.

And look how well chopped it came out with under a minute in the thermomix!

And the piece de resistance for me – the mushroom rissotto. The Thermomix did all the cooking – no stirring or messing with ladles and stock, it’s all done for you!!!!! How crazy is that? And it just smelt so SO good. Everything was in the one bowl – onions were sauteed in the Thermomix, and so was the stirring of the rice and so on. It was absolutely crazy.

And for those of you wondering how the bread would turn out:

How sexy is that? Soft on the inside, and crusty on the outside, Jan even ground her own buckwheat flour. Right in front of us!!

She also made some lemon custard.

It was soft and goey and thick. Just like a good custard should be!

So yes, it is a fantastic piece of machinery, and it works wonders fast. It is on the expensive side, but it does replace a whole host of appliances you might need. A home demonstration is completely free, so if you’d like to see what it can do for yourself, you can call Jan and set up a home demo!

Thermomix Consultant:
Jan
jan.vandergraaf@optusnet.com.au

These are a few of my flavour-ite things

Food For Thought November 27, 2010 7 Comments

Just a light post for the weekend…

This is absolutely nuts!! I am a professed bacon lover and even I think this is crazy (and a part of me wants to try it). I found this on Craftgossip, and naturally I followed the link to the shop website. They’ve got an entire bacon themed section!!! They even have things like bacon flavoured jelly beans (in a stylish bacon looking tin of course), bacon flavoured lip balm…and a whole host of other things.

It’s like my fantasies coming true in a carnival-funhouse-mirror kind of way. I LIKE!

Did I mention that I actually have bacon-flavoured salt in my cupboard? hehe.

Lord of the Fries

Review November 25, 2010 9 Comments

I went to Melbourne for a quick trip, and I just had to try Lord of the Fries! As you know, I kinda have an obsession with fries. You can choose different sauces for your fries, and that’s where the variety comes in. We had French Canadian (Cheese and gravy – pictured below), Indian (Indian spices (?) and mango chutney pictured above) and Mexican (Salsa and Sour Cream).

To be honest, as great as the fries sound, it wasn’t all that crash hot. The fries were wayyyy overcooked and stale, and the Indian sauce was uninspiring. The French Canadian was ok, but I’m pretty sure that it’s no where close to poutine and just tastes a lot like chips and gravy.

We requested the salsa to be served on the side, and they completely forgot the sour cream! We actually had another order with aoli sauce, but they completely forgot that too. It’s so disappointing, and it’s not like they were really quick about it. We could finish just about a whole soft-serve before the food even came out. The salsa was also very watery and doesn’t have the chunk that you’d associate with really good salsa.

It was a lot better when I went previously, but I think that it was because we went to the LOTF in the city. Just yeah.

Disappointing.

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I miss.

Food For Thought November 22, 2010 3 Comments

Durians. This spiky fruit that holds pungently fragrant yellow custard within.

Some people say that it’s smelly. I like blue cheese.

I WANT DURIANS!

Nuffnang Christmas Party!!

Review November 19, 2010

Went to the “Blue Hawaii” themed Nuffnang Christmas Party at the Bavarian Bier Cafe! Just as a note for anyone who is going to BBC in the city, there are two – I actually went to the wrong one. =( (Sorry to Cate and Ann who waited for me!!)

There was a prize for most Hawaiian, of course, and I dressed up too, but Cate definitely took the prize with her inflatable palm tree!! Congrats!

She won a blue Shuffle for her efforts. =)

There was a bar tab too, but as mentioned before, I can’t drink beer. They had interesting selections of Lychee and Peach though! And served in a very cocktail-looking glass!

And the food. I missed out on the cheese platter, but I had the vegetarian platter, and a meat one.

The Mushroom and Garlic Flemmenbrot was absolutely divine, with its buttery mushrooms and crisp base. A little cold, but still AWESOME! Definitely one of the more memorable bites of the night.

The rosti was tasty, but really, no one can go wrong with a rosti!! Mmm potato.

I’m not quite sure what this was, but I remember tasting avocado, and that it was fruity and light. Very refreshing when you’ve had the meat platter (coming soon my lovelies!).

I’m not quite sure what this was too – but it was quite nice. Nothing memorable though.

And finally…

The MEAT PLATTER!

A selection of schnitzel, potato wedges and…

PORK BELLY. Juicy pork belly with its succulent meat and crispy cracking. And the sauerkraut. YUM.

This, and my previous experience with the BBC has told me that their pork belly is definitely worth paying for. Time and time again, it’s never failed.

Man this will haunt my dreams tonight.

We ate at:

Bavarian Bier Cafe
16 O’Connell Street Sydney, NSW 2000
02 9221 0100

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