eG Foodblog: rarerollingobject (2011) - Mealtimes at the University of

[rarerollingobject]

Oh my - caught me again on the pottery - especially the duck egg blue local ones. As an aside - one uses the term ginger jar for a shape here but does it have an actual ginger related use?

I think they were originally used to store ginger, but now are just called that. Though I did buy a jar of Chinese candied stem ginger that came in a ceramic ginger jar - I think it's in one of the first kitchen photos I posted.

That's a very nice collection RRO.

I love blue and white pottery too. I keep promising myself I won't buy more pottery but I fall off the wagon fairly often!

Me too! Books, blue and white pottery, sushi, lipstick. These are the things I cannot say no to.

[Kim Shook]

Kate – all that lovely pottery reminded me of something I wanted to ask you about: In your picture of the beet cured salmon breakfast there was a hauntingly beautiful bowl (maybe filled with salt?) that seemed to be a repeat of a woman’s face. Am I crazy? I haven’t been able to get the image of that bowl out of my head. Where did it come from?

[rarerollingobject]

We headed to one of our favourite breakfast places today, in a suburb called Balmain. Balmain is a bit of a mecca for good food, and is one of the most beautiful suburbs in Sydney..right on the water, gorgeous old houses.

Kazbah on Darling St is mainly Moroccan, though it trends off Turkish and Persian as well. Breakfast menu:

Restaurant:

Watermelon/ginger and pineapple, lime and mint juices (and crayons for writing on the tables!):

We shared a breakfast tagine. Lamb mince, sucuk sausage, roasted tomatoes and capsicums, spinach, caramelised onions, feta, eggs, chilli and spices, and a big pile of Turkish and Lebanese breads:

Also had a Moroccan mint tea, and a Turkish coffee, but failed to take photos due to post-tagine food coma.

[rarerollingobject]

Kate – all that lovely pottery reminded me of something I wanted to ask you about: In your picture of the beet cured salmon breakfast there was a hauntingly beautiful bowl (maybe filled with salt?) that seemed to be a repeat of a woman’s face. Am I crazy? I haven’t been able to get the image of that bowl out of my head. Where did it come from?

Ah yes, that is indeed my salt bowl. Yet another thing I dragged back from NYC, from the same shop as made my whale butter dish, vomiting whale vase, and haughty giraffe (not yet featured). Jonathan Adler is the shop. I really wanted their bowls and vases that covered in repeating breasts (noone prudish in this household) but my suitcase would only hold so much.

[rarerollingobject]

Now am off again! I have some patisserie and spice shop photos to post later, but there is a coffee festival going on down by the harbour, so am going to head down there and see what's what. Over and out!

[Shelby]

Before I post today's spoils, I thought I'd share with you some photos of my ceramics collection. I collect blue and white pottery, for a start..I use quite a lot of it for serving food, but other pieces not. The pieces I have are mostly from Japan, China or Vietnam but I'm not particularly precious about locale or vintage..one of these plates is from an American homewares chain I happened to pass by in San Francisco (the upside down plate on the very left with a big blue octopus on it!).

I have lots of pieces scattered throughout the house, but here are some main pieces:

A couple of these are particularly precious to me. This is my mother's Chinese government-issued yoghurt pot. Among the first Western expats to enter post-Mao Zedong Beijing in the late 70s (my brother, who's a US citizen, had a clearance letter signed by Henry Kissinger!), my parents no doubt had circumstances a lot more fortunate than many around them, but still had to line up every day for basic food rations at the state-run commissaries for the first few years. This pot, not very big at all, represented the daily yoghurt allowance for a family of 3.

And this 1920s ginger jar, which belonged to my grandmother. A woman ahead of her time in many ways, she loved Chinese art and culture and had quite a few Chinese antiques, though she'd never been to Asia - not till visiting us in Hong Kong in the early 80s after I was born. Anyway, I love this because it reminds me of her and how unconventional she was for her place and time:

This is a little bowl I came across in a Kyoto shop. I had gotten talking to the owner in my OK but patchy Japanese and after an hour or so of nattering away, I bought a few things and he insisted on giving me this pretty little bowl as a gift. It's cracked and dirty but I get the feeling it's quite old, or at least has had a lot of use in its lifetime:

Obviously, I don't use any of these three things for food, as they all have decades of dust and grime that no amount of cleaning can seem to get off. One day I'll look into getting them professionally cleaned perhaps.

Other things in the top photo; a Japanese platter from the early 1800s, china chopstick rests from the Tokyo Edo Museum, a plate with painted vegetables on it from a department store in Kyoto, and the big thing at the back right is a hibachi. Porcelain ones like this are actually not really used for cooking, but for heating. I have, however, filled it with coals, laid a mesh on top and used it for grilling, being a total heathen.

I also collect ceramics from a lovely Australian potter called Bison. Based in Canberra, they make beautifully smooth and tactile pieces that are always cool and comforting to touch, but best of all, can be microwaved, frozen, used in the oven and dishwashed. They makes lots and lots of colours, but I'm partial to the blues, particularly the duck egg blues.

Anyway, wanted to show a little bit of my non-food kitchen items.

Love the pottery.

I don't know if you read my blog or not, but I collect pottery wine goblets--harder to find than you think. I am told they are very hard to make. So, any time I find any of those, I fork over my credit card (much to my bank account's dismay).

I LOVE the collection that you have.

[Dakki]

I loved all the pottery. The Mao-era yoghurt pot really caught my fancy, for historical reasons.

[Dejah]

Breakfast tagine and beautiful pottery in the same post...sigh...

[rarerollingobject]

Love the pottery.

I don't know if you read my blog or not, but I collect pottery wine goblets--harder to find than you think. I am told they are very hard to make. So, any time I find any of those, I fork over my credit card (much to my bank account's dismay).

I LOVE the collection that you have.

Shelby, I definitely read your memorable foodblog! It actually got me very interested in wild game, until I had to accept that it wasn't a feasible research area living in the most urban part of Sydney!

And I remember your goblets, and that another eG member also had some. So I know what being bit by a collector's bug is like, fer sure.

And thanks for your kind words about my collection, such as it is..one day when I have more storage and display space and time, THEN I'll really do some damage!

[rarerollingobject]

I loved all the pottery. The Mao-era yoghurt pot really caught my fancy, for historical reasons.

Thank you, sir. As the kid of a man who was the Reuters Asian (East and South East) Correspondent for 28 years, EVERYTHING in my family, every object, every memory, every photograph, has some kind of back story, mainly revolving around Chinese political history.

What I really should have used as the foodblog teaser are some of the Reuters press photos of me from the time - a toddler in diapers, having broken free from my nanny and crashing the diplomatic dinner my parents were hosting in Beijing, and climbing up onto the lap of the Prime Minister of New Zealand to help myself to the beetroot on his plate, my face stained vermilion and a laughing Deng Xiaoping in the background..

[rarerollingobject]

After the breakfast tagine, we waddled down the hill to Adriano Zumbo's patisserie. Zumbo is a celebrated Sydney patissier, becoming hugely famous after appearing on Top Chef or Masterchef or one of those shows.

I'd known of him before that from some of the Sydney foodblogs, but after that TV show, wow is it hard to even get IN to his damn shop. Partly because it's so small only 6 people can stand in there at a time, granted, but after once waiting 45 minutes to get some pastries to give a friend as a gift, I swore I would not go back unless getting there very early, which we were today.

He is touted as being highly original, and some of his flavour combos are indeed..unique, but as for the pastries themselves, I've spent enough quality time at the Pierre Herme shop in Tokyo to immediately see AZ gets alot of his inspiration from PH, with some direct copies even. I think he worked for PH in the past. He's also known for his macarons, in shock flavours (pig's blood? hamburger?) but I dismiss those as gimmicks.

All in all, I think he's talented, but it's not something I would travel to Balmain FOR..given that we were already there, however:

And our purchases, descriptions from his website:

'Enter the Dragon' - toasted white chocolate mousse, coriander cremeaux, peanut caramel, dried chilli sable and almond sponge:

'Butter up Mrs Palmer' - Burnt butter castriano and caramelised palm sugar creme legere, palm sugar almond crunch with caramelised puff pastry:

Pain a la cannelle - brioche feuilletage with cinnamon crème amandes (marzipan):

And macarons in salted butter popcorn, butterscotch caramel, mandarin, blackcurrant and chocolate with pop rocks (x2):

We ate the pain a la cannelle as breakfast dessert as soon as we got home, and most of the macarons as well. And by 'we' I may mean 'me', and by 'most of' I may mean 'all'...

[rarerollingobject]

Next stop in Balmain was Herbie's spice shop. Spice shops in Sydney fall along three main division lines: Indian/Sri Lankan, Middle Eastern and Herbie's. While the former can't be beat for buying in bulk, Herbie's has such an incredible range. Everything from quatre epices to mastic to Iranian black lime powder, to cubeb pepper, to Australian native herbs and spices, to lakhs & crores, the sugar-coated fennel seed sweets Indians use as breath fresheners after a meal. I suppose it's about equivalent to Penzey's.

Normally, the shop makes my bloke sneeze uncontrollably so he likes to stand outside and talk to any nearby dogs, but there were none today, so he just mooched around looking at the dog-less ground sadly.

Darienne, took this picture of za'atar for you:

BIG basket of cinnamon sticks:

And my purchases, basically restocking on turmeric, smoked paprika, ras el-hanout, black peppercorns and his lovely soft cinnamon sticks:

Edited July 31, 2011 by rarerollingobject (log)

[rarerollingobject]

And Dakki, I popped into one of Sydney's biggest 'gourmet' stores that is right beside Herbie's to take a picture of this to show you; the TWO shelves that are the grand total of Mexican ingredients available in Sydney. *cries* Actually there are some pretty good online shops, but this is it as far as browsing goes!

And last post of the day's proceedings, before dinner; I mentioned before we were going to a coffee festival down by the harbour. It's actually the Aroma Festival - encompassing coffee, tea, chocolate and spice. A few random shots of a spectacularly beautiful Sydney day:

The pavlovas Michael and his friend had. I declined to partake, having just eaten a cinnamon brioche and 6 macarons. Most restrained, wouldn't you say? Plus, they look kinda gross.

Baklava with 'traces of nuts'? Say it ain't so!

Gratuitous Opera House shot.

And on our way back, these! Cockatoos, swarming to peck something up off the ground. It's food-related because THEY'RE eating.

Edited July 31, 2011 by rarerollingobject (log)

[Dakki]

And Dakki, I popped into one of Sydney's biggest 'gourmet' stores that is right beside Herbie's to take a picture of this to show you; the TWO shelves that are the grand total of Mexican ingredients available in Sydney. *cries* Actually there are some pretty good online shops, but this is it as far as browsing goes!

Business opportunity?!

Herbie's looks nice. My brother and I have been talking about opening a spice shop here. You should see the dumps we shop at.

3 AM and I want pastries. I need to stop looking at your thread at this hour.

[rarerollingobject]

Business opportunity?!

Nah, I kinda hate people.

Herbie's looks nice. My brother and I have been talking about opening a spice shop here. You should see the dumps we shop at.

You should show us. I'd be interested!

3 AM and I want pastries. I need to stop looking at your thread at this hour.

Pleasure = literally all mine!

[ChrisZ]

Herbies is awesome. I have found that the quality of their products is a significant notch above the stuff you get in a supermarket and you need to adjust accordingly... the smoked paprika that you bought is something I've used in soups but I find it easy to add too much. I think most home spice racks contain a few bottles which have been long neglected and that have faded away, but even so it's still a shock to get herbs and spices which are so powerful!

[Shalmanese]

Ugh, I'm pretty sure when I left Australia, Herbies was still an online only business. That's one of the things I think the US does much better: The widespread availability of bulk spices. Glad there's finally an Australian store replicating the same model. Also, Mexican food is definitely something the US is categorically superior at (also, BBQ).

[annachan]

Ok, I'm sure I saw a Dragon Beard Candy stand from your photos of the Aroma Festival. Did you check it out? Was it handmade there? Any good??

I am so missing Mexican food! I need to look into getting those chilis and spices so I can make them at home....

BTW, we happened to spot a Korean grocer over in Civic today. The sign said it carries Japanese grocery as well. I actually found bonito flake! And kombu! I have ramen on my mind....

[rarerollingobject]

Herbies is awesome. I have found that the quality of their products is a significant notch above the stuff you get in a supermarket and you need to adjust accordingly... the smoked paprika that you bought is something I've used in soups but I find it easy to add too much. I think most home spice racks contain a few bottles which have been long neglected and that have faded away, but even so it's still a shock to get herbs and spices which are so powerful!

Good to know re the paprika..I actually haven't tried paprika from Herbie's before, as had a big tin it took awhile to get through. What kind of soups do you use it in?

Ugh, I'm pretty sure when I left Australia, Herbies was still an online only business. That's one of the things I think the US does much better: The widespread availability of bulk spices. Glad there's finally an Australian store replicating the same model. Also, Mexican food is definitely something the US is categorically superior at (also, BBQ).

You're on crack, Herbie's shop has been there for yonks! Years and years, pre internet even, if such a thing were possible!

But yes, I weep for Mexican food. I crave and long for it. And I don't even really know what the proper stuff tastes like!

Ok, I'm sure I saw a Dragon Beard Candy stand from your photos of the Aroma Festival. Did you check it out? Was it handmade there? Any good??

I am so missing Mexican food! I need to look into getting those chilis and spices so I can make them at home....

BTW, we happened to spot a Korean grocer over in Civic today. The sign said it carries Japanese grocery as well. I actually found bonito flake! And kombu! I have ramen on my mind....

They were making it there, but I didn't try it..was still on a sugar high from Zumbo - ate in one day more sugar than I'd normally eat in a couple of months. Buzzzz.

fireworksfoods.com.au is good for online Mexican ordering!

[rarerollingobject]

My last post of the blog. Squeezing in Sunday dinner, by the grace of the international date line.

Was deeply contemplating cooking these gorgeous hunks of wagyu tonight (each piece is at least two and half inches thick), but decided it might be inelegant sufficiency, what with a big breakfast, pastries for lunch and three coffees.

So something simpler, and homier; a gruyere, cavolo nero and caramelised onion panade, from the Zuni Cafe cookbook. The original recipe uses chard (what we call silverbeet here) but I had that baby cavolo nero from the farmers' market begging to be used.

Here's the prep. The key ingredient here is the quality of the cheese, the bread, but most importantly, the stock. This is a dish to showcase good homemade chicken stock - I didn't even defat it for this purpose, as I wanted every last skerrick of flavour.

Caramelising onions, wilting the cavolo nero, and heating the stock:

Moistening cubes of day-old bread with olive oil and a little stock, grating the cheese and layering the components in my cute little Le Creuset:

Dousing in the remainder of the stock and bringing to a simmer before covering with a cartouche, and sliding into the oven to bake:

Finished. Golden brown, crispy, deeply sweet and nutty from the gruyere and incredibly flavoured with the mellow savouriness of good chicken stock:

And dessert from earlier, cross-section:

And that, dear people, is my week. I've had a lovely time cooking and shopping and sharing my kitchen with you. Thank you to everyone who's read, commented, encouraged and for just generally making me feel very much at home and part of eG. I've loved every minute of it!

Kate

Edited July 31, 2011 by rarerollingobject (log)

[annachan]

Thanks for the lovely blog. Gave me lots to look forward to when I make it to Sydney.

Something from Zuni to end your blog - that was one of my last meals with friends in SF before moving here.

[ChrisZ]

Good to know re the paprika..I actually haven't tried paprika from Herbie's before, as had a big tin it took awhile to get through. What kind of soups do you use it in?

Minestrone, something that we make on a weekly basis. The smokiness of the smoked paprika really transforms the minestrone and it's surprisingly different to regular paprika.

I also make pumpkin soup often but I usually throw in some red capsicum rather than use paprika, not sure why! It's just one of those things I've always done. But I love having a bit of extra warmth to soups and paprika is a great way to achieve it.

Thanks so much for your blog, I have enjoyed it so much and can't wait to visit the places you've introduced us all to.

[Jenni]

Your breakfast tagine looked amazing! Have you had the foul medamas there? That's one of my favourite middle eastern (ok, so I think it's actually Egyptian) breakfasts. Some people don't like the beans though...

[weinoo]

Fabulous week, Kate. Thanks for sharing.

[nikkib]

Great week RRO, Sydney has just jumped up my list of places to visit, expect a PM when i do eventually make it there!! I love all these food blogs and can't wait to see who is next!