Shinboners
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Posts posted by Shinboners
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I bought some Eden Valley Premium Baker's Flour (biodynamic, which the package says is particularly well suited to bread making. I got it at Leo's Supermarket, $4.55 for 1kg. There is no information on protein content. I won't get around to baking bread until next weekend, but I'll let you know how it works out.
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...And Shin, better go soon on your shopping trip, because once it gets warmer, everyone will be selling current stock and no cheapies! My philosophy, is never pay full price!
I started looking on the weekend. It seems that some of the BBQs on offer do everything EXCEPT the humble BBQ - wok burners? deep fryers? roasting dishes? wtf? I suppose I could do with a rotisserie though - a suckling pig would look rather good on that.
I think I'll just start off with the humble Weber. That huge monster BBQ with all the bells and whistles can wait until later.
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Shin, check the cooking forum and search. lots and lots to go on there.
and go buy a massive weber kettle bbq!
I took a look at those topics and there is a lot to take in. So, to save me the time and effort, you'll just have to come BBQ shopping with me.
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For those in Melbourne, I've seen copies of Simon Hopkinson's "Roast Chicken And Other Stories" at Readings. Sure, it's not one of the "You beaut Aussie Chef's Cookbooks", but it did win a poll on the British peoples' favourite cookbook. It's $32, and whilst the recipes aren't anything new, the writing is glorious - a mixture of Elizabeth David meeting Fergus Henderson over some wine and cheese.
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I think a lot of the newer cookbooks gravitate towards a philosophy of everything being fast, easy and simple. I have no problem with that, but the material isn't really presented properly, IMO. Most of these recipes are geared towards people who are trying to get into cooking more. Fast, easy, and fresh is a powerful lure for people used to stirring up a bit of Chicken Tonight. But these cookbooks and magazines forget to provide information that would really help people make things properly. It's one thing to tell someone to brown a chicken breast, but how will they do it properly if they don't really know what that means? How will they know when it's done (or overdone)?
I've only been serious about cooking for the last few years and I found the first few Bill Granger cookbooks to be wonderful for beginners. I then went to a stage of doing more complicated recipes (think Teague Ezard and Christine Manfield), but now I'm back to simpler food.
However, the thing about simple food (and the easier cookbooks) is that there are little steps that they either don't mention or don't put enough emphasis on. And those little steps can make all the difference - for instance, resting a roasted piece of meat, making sure a chicken's skin is dry before roasting it, or ensuring your salad leaves are dry. I remember preparing a chicken for roasting with a mate around and he was astounded my how much work I put into it. But the thing is, a few years ago, it would have seemed to be a lot of work to me, but now most of that work is second nature. I guess that if you are interested in cooking, you won't be put off by failures (and I've stuffed up a lot of cooking) and looking for new ways to improve the final dish. As you say, "how do you know when a chicken is browned?" - either you learn from making mistakes or you go out and find someone who can tell you.
One of my evil pleasures is watching Better Homes And Gardens on TV. They have two TV chefs, and the food they do is for the "fast and easy to prepare" cooks. But I do notice that they often skip some steps or instructions (like resting meat).
In the end, most people probably don't want to spend that much time cooking. But I suspect that many of us here derive immense pleasure from cooking and that's why we spend so much time trying to improve our techniques.
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All I need is a BBQ.
Any tips on what to look for in a good BBQ?
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Restaurant of the Year: est.
Chef of the Year: Mark Best, Marque
Best New Restaurant: Pilu at Freshwater
Best Regional Restaurant: Collits Inn, Hartley Vale
The Sydney Morning Herald Award for Professional Excellence: Michael Manners of Selkirks at Orange, for redefining cooking in regional NSW and for four decades of inspiration.
The Sydney Morning Herald Silver Service Award: Maurice Terzini of Icebergs, for bringing the sexy, Italian-Melbourne style to Sydney and for his attention to detail.
The Good Food Guide Sommelier Award: Christopher Morrison, formerly of Guillaume at Bennelong, for passion, personality and enthusiasm backed by impeccable knowledge of wine.
The Josephine Pignolet Best Young Chef Award: Daniel Puskas of Marque. The young chef receives a generous financial donation from Sydney chefs and suppliers, plus a set of Furitechnics knives and an international return flight with Qantas.
3 Hats: Claude's, est., Guillaume at Bennelong, Marque, Quay, Tetsuya's
2 Hats: Aria, Bilson's, Bistro Moncur, Buon Ricordo, Icebergs Dining Room & Bar, Longrain, Lucio's, Omega, Pello, Pier, Pilu at Freshwater, Restaurant Balzac, Rockpool, Sean's Panaroma, Yoshii
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Just a quick run down from today's Epicure......
Restaurant of the Year: Taxi
Country Restaurant of the Year: Healesville Hotel
Best New Restaurant: No award given
Chef of the Year: Michael Darmanin (Cafe Di Stasio)
Young Chef of the Year: Tim Saffery (Court House Hotel)
Wine List of the Year: Langton's
Outstanding Achivement Award: Jonathan Gianfreda
Service Excellence Award: Chris Crawford (Circa, The Prince)
Professional Excellence Award: Robert Castellani (Donovan's)
3 hats: Circa The Prince, Flower Drum, Pearl, Vue de Monde
2 hats: Becco, Botanical, Cafe di Stasio, Cecconi's, Donovans, Ezard at Adelphi, Grossi Florentino, Interlude, Jacques Reymond, radii, Red Emperor, Taxi Dining Room
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Would be glad to hear more about Gordon's Salads - i have and like both of his eariler books.
Now any news on Greg Malouf - when is his promised a while ago book coming out if at all?
I had another look at Gordon's "Salads" today and I'm very keen to add it to the collection. He divides the book into different sections - poultry, meat, seafood, etc. - and builds salads around them. But two things struck me. Firstly, many of the recipes had a dozen or more ingredients. Secondly, there were plenty of recipes that I wanted to try, and that for me, is the key appeal of any cookbook.
Onto Malouf and here's a report from Epicure (The Age, March 22)
http://www.theage.com.au/news/Epicure/Espr...1253920331.html
One for the book
Middle Eastern adventurer and chef Greg Malouf is off to world hot spots Lebanon and Syria at the end of the month to research and write another book.
He is again to team with long-time collaborator and former wife Lucy Malouf as the writer for the book, their third with local publisher Hardie Grant.
He's also taking his sister, Amal, and Melbourne photographer Mat Harvey. The research mission will last a month.
Meantime, Greg's brother Geoff - a partner in Carlton's Cafe Zumzum - is selling out of his interests there to open a new modern Middle Eastern place within a new apartment development off Glenhuntly Road, Elsternwick.
It will, Geoff informs us, be named Arabesque "to the dismay of my brother" (Arabesque was the title of Greg Malouf's first book).
Zumzum will remain in the hands of Dahouk White; their South Melbourne place, Cafe Aziz, closed late last year.
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I just thought I'd resurrect this thread after seeing the new Bill Granger ("Simply Bill") cookbook at Readings. I had a quick flick through it, and there's little in it that hasn't been seen before in countless other cookbooks. It's the usual stuff - easy recipes for the family, plenty of bright photographs of the food, and chit chat and photos about his family. The phrase "flogging a dead horse" came to mind. More interestingly, I saw a large billboard on Brunswick Street, North Fitzroy advertising this new cookbook - so maybe chefs are the new rock stars.
I also came across Peter Gordon's book on "Salads". It's not a bad angle for a cookbook, and I'm tempted to buy it somewhere down the track.
On a more depressing note, Moby (yes, the musician) has also released a cookbook. Apparantly he and his partner own a tea shop/cafe in New York called "Teaney". Judging from the photos, the cafe appears to be as sterile as his music. Anyway, I took a look at the cookbook, and the thing should be filed under "Crimes Against Food and Food Writing". The couple are vegans, so I was interested to see how bad the recipes would be, how much they would twist the truth about food, and how often they would find meat substitutes. The first two problems were easily seen in their recipe for pesto. It's a simple enough recipe, but they said that cheese wasn't needed! Not only that, they also wrote that leaving out the cheese made no difference to the flavour!
A tip to Moby - when you write, you're supposed to add to the sum of human knowledge, not reduce it.Vegan cookbooks and meat substitutes is a bit of a turkey shoot for me. After all, if the vegetables, fruits, nuts, and co are good enough, and their recipes are tasty enough, then they're hardly going to miss the flavour and texture of meat, are they? Well, like many other vegan cookbooks, there are plenty of tricks to make up mock beef and mock chicken. Hilarious.
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In today's Epicure, there was an article on "Expensive Tastes" in Melbourne. On the section about the Grossi Florentino and Wagyu steak, they mention that there are 12 grades of Wagyu beef. The best grade (#12) can cost $145/kg (David Blackmore's Victorian Wagyu).
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The series portrays critic Matthew Evans as someone with enourmous power and influence over the Sydney restaurant scene, something this article in the Sydney Morning Herald backs up. But is his opinion respected by the general dining public?
Perhaps the question is whether the dining public aren't capable of making up their own minds and simply follow the words of whoever the SMH reviewer is. After all, Terry Durack was said to be able to make or break restaurants with his reviews.
Take a look at Aria. Now, whilst they may have taken some poetic license with the way it was portayed, but going from a full house to not breaking even on the basis of losing one chefs hat makes me wonder - were the punters there for the food or just to be seen?
Living in Melbourne, I don't read Evans's reviews. But here in Melbourne, I do read John Lethlean's reviews in Epicure. I do take note of what he says, but he's only one opinion out of many (mainly through word of mouth) when it comes to me on deciding where I want to go to dinner. And in the end, I'm more persuaded by what's on the menu (if they have it out the front) and the feel of the place than the words of any reviewer. But I do know many people who will go to wherever Lethlean says is good.
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I'll have to see if they have a website
Try here:
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No "dozen or nothing" problems at the supermarkets and bottle shops here in Melbourne.
The only time I buy beer is when I need to get some guinness to cook with. Other than that, I prefer wine (and even then, I haven't been drinking much in the last few years).
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Did anyone else watch "Heat In the Kitchen" on SBS on Wednesday night?
It's a five week series following the fortunes of Matt Moran (Aria), Matthew Kemp (Balzac), Luke Nguyen (Red Lantern), and Matthew Evans (food critic).
The first episode showed the aftermath of the Sydney Good Food Guide awards. Aria went from 2 hats to 1, with Moran getting the shock of his life, but also showing part of the staff meeting where he discusses what they have to do to get back that chefs hat. Matthew Kemp's restaurant won 2 hats with the result of his restaurant going from being just very popular to one where there is a 3 month waiting list for a table and giving him the confidence to open a second restaurant. There was also footage of a gathering with family and friends where they serve a roasted pigs head! Meanwhile, Red Lantern got their first entry into the Good Food Guide and it appeared that the recognition hasn't quite sunk in for Nguyen.
If the first episode is any guide, it's a very interesting show. I'm looking forward to the rest of the series.
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So is pork a little cheaper in Oz than in Enz? I think it's cheaper there than it used to be, but still something of a luxury meat!
(Thinks...mind you, pork crackling...it could be worth breaking the budget for!)
With all the Vietnamese butchers, pork meat is very cheap. You can get chops for around $6/kg whilst pork belly and legs cost around $10kg. Even at Hagens Organic meats at the Queen Vic, organic pork belly costs only $16/kg - a bargain compared to the other organic meats on offer.
Anyway, I skipped buying pork in the end. To really make pork work (especially with something like the slow roasted pork belly as described by PCL), you need at least 1.5kgs of meat for the magic to work. And if I did that, I reckon half of it would go to waste as my fiancee isn't able to eat pork right now. Thinking of Fergus Henderson, it would hardly be honouring the animal.
I did content myself with a small chicken for Saturday night, a half leg of lamb for Sunday, and some bratwurst sausages for tonight (from that butcher who specialises in blood and guts rather than from the Bratwurst Shop). I also got a few pork sausages to help satisfy my cravings for pork.
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Cheers for that PCL. When I have the folks over, there will be roast chicken (complete with head and feet, which will undoubtedly bring happy tears to my dad's eyes and drain the colour from the cheeks of my sisters).
I've been reading through "The River Cottage Meat Cookbook" and this weekend, I think I'm going to play around with some pork belly. Something slow cooked will make me very happy (especially if I spend a few hours in the garden). My fiancee and her queasy stomach won't like it, but I reckon I'll settle her down with a chocolate souffle.
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Do tell what happened!
7. We had been offered, and accepted, a supp of Wagyu beef, and were looking forward to it. We were told (after having to ask if it was still coming) that the beef was finished for the night, but that they had arranged something else: a seared lamb/crisp eggplant/babaganoush/couscous dish that was fine, if not overly memorable.
btw, I'd be pretty p*ssed off if that happened to me. Supplementary dishes are usually something pretty special, and as much as I love eating lamb, it doesn't quite fit that special catagory. And if you're running a top resturant, they should know how many diners can be satisfied with a given dish (although maybe they could be given the benefit of the doubt as they're still settling in).
Did they ask you if you wanted the lamb as an alternative? Did they take the cost of it off the bill?
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Thanks for the report Kangarool. It was an excellent read.
I'm still keen on trying the new Vue de Monde, but I think I'll wait until early next year when all the posers have moved onto a new place (and my bet is that Longrain will be the next place to be seen). On a personal level, very few of my dining experiences have been tainted by the attitudes of other customers.
The attitude of the wine steward is unforgivable. They are there to help enhance our dining experience, not to show their (alleged) superior knowledge of wines.
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... gotta love the free-range chooks from Victoria St, Richmond...
Is it right to assume that the chooks that come complete with feet and head are the free range ones?
At the various Victoria Street shops, I've seen the chicken pieces that they sell and they look as if they've come from chooks that have been pumped full of steroids.
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Braised briskets - Chinese style. The key elements are nice and fatty briskets, dried bean curd, Chinese turnip, and the master stock. Oh, and some tendons if you've got them around. Serve it with rice and some stir fried greens, and that's just about my favourite meal.
Oddly enough, I haven't made it once this winter due to the currently delicate nature of my missus's stomach. So instead, I've been cooking up many batches of beef stewed in Guinness.
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At the local fox studios farmers market this week, there was a stall selling confit duck legs and cassoulet starter kits. $33 for 3 duck legs and another $33 for a tin of some beans and sausages...
I popped into that French smallgoods shop behind Readings in Carlton and their confit duck legs were $7 each.
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and Shin, you will have a kid soon... so start practising!
If she turns out anything like her mum, she'll have a insatiable sweet tooth.
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Shinboners - you rock! Having just endured some strenuous oven research myself, i was very pleased to stumble on this thread. It confirmed a lot i have learnt - incl. that salespeople often don't know much at all... I too have decided on a Blanco set-up in a kitchen reno. Its now been a few weeks since you got yours - any further comments? Good or bad? I'm thinking of the 75cm model rather than the 60cm - did you consider this at all? I went to the Scoresby showroom yesterday to compare the two and a customer with the 60cm told me to def get the 75cm as she has trouble fitting 2 spongecakes into hers. In an earlier comment in this thread someone said the Blanco broiler (grill, i assume) is wimpy -any comments on that?? And is the cooktop performing well? Other 70 cm ovens i have been considering are Baumatic, Andi, Technika - any opinions out there on those?
I went for the 60cm model simply because I didn't want to do a minor renovation job on the kitchen to fit in the 75cm model. Someone else pointed out earlier that with a 75mm oven, you do have more space to heat up - so it'll use a bit more energy and take up a bit more time. I would think that with something like baking 2 cakes at once is only an issue if that's what you intend to do with your oven on a regular basis. If not, maybe you won't need a larger oven.
I haven't tried using just the griller yet.
As I posted earlier, I did have a problem with my oven (the computer chip that controls the lights wasn't functioning properly), but they fixed that very quickly. Overall, I am very happy with my oven. I used the pyrolytic cleaning the other night and it worked a treat. Overall, I'm very happy with my Blanco.
Dinner at Aux Batifolles
in Australia & New Zealand: Dining
Posted
Say it quietly, but I reckon Aux Batifolles might just be the best value French restaurant in Melbourne. A warm dining room, very good service, and excellent food.
We started off with a couple of shared entrees, both of which were specials for the night. The first entree contained three huge prawns (from Queensland) that came grilled along with a dollop of sauce (creamy, herby, but not overpoweringly strong), a few salad leaves, and some relish. They were just ever so slightly overcooked, but never mind, the prawns were very tasty.
The second entree were escargots served with braised mushrooms. Again, the serve was generous and the flavours were glorious. I'm not sure what the mushrooms were, but they were rich and earthy in their flavour. The escargots did their job of carrying the sauce and giving a contrasting texture.
My fiancee had a stew with lobster and chicken (!!!!) presented on some pastry and served with a rich sauce. The presentation wasn't so great - it looked like a pink-brown gooey mess (it sounded so much better on the menu than what it looked on the plate), but again, it was the flavour and the generosity of the serve that dazzled us. I find that sometimes with something like lobster, some people allow the flavours of the sauce to smother the flavour of the lobster. But here, the sauce provided a quiet support to the lobster - and there was plenty of meat to be enjoyed. I did try twice to find a piece of chicken in the stew, but I kept on getting pieces of lobster - that's the sort of failure I can handle.
The waiter convinced me to forego the duck, and instead, try the grilled chicken served with foie gras and potatoes. I was presented with a chicken breast, slightly dry, but with a nice crispy skin and a slab of foie gras on top. Eaten together, it worked a treat. The potatoes were sliced a few millimetres thick, and ever so slightly charred on the edges, were a joy. Good flavour with a wonderful waxy feel in the mouth. It all came with a thick, dark sauce - I assume that it was cherry based. IT was all very, very good.
We finished up with profiteroles. Two of them each, served with good ice cream, and lashings of chocolate sauce. The profiteroles themselves could have been a little bit less chewy, but that's just a minor quibble.
With a glass of wine and a coffee for me, and a lemonade for her, the final bill came at around $120.
The service was very good (great banter with the waiter - he made us laugh a few times with his humour), and the restaurant was only a couple of tables short of being full on a Tuesday night (although that was downstairs - it's a two storey place and I'm not sure if they have an upstairs dining area).
We are keen to make another visit, sooner rather than later.