homemade love

When we first started living together, around five years ago, I taught Jonas a lot about cooking. To be fair, he already had all the basic skills, because when he decided to become a vegetarian at age 16, he needed to start cooking more of his own meals and finding interesting non-animal based recipes.

So while I didn't teach him how to cook, I certainly introduced him to a lot of ingredients and techniques he'd either never heard of or never considered.

A year later, he started working in a kitchen with an Egyptian chef and then afterwards a Lebanese chef, both of whom taught him a lot of cooking skills and recipes. He became more than accomplished in the kitchen.

From then on we used to fight over who was going to cook dinner, jostling for space in the kitchen to make our ideas come to life. Then we got over that phase and instead we debated over who wasn't going to cook, since we both wanted to relax.

At first Jonas worked mornings and afternoons as a barista, leaving the evenings free to develop tasty treats for me. It was great. I would come out of the elevator and smell the most divine food cooking. Squeezing my fists tight in anticipation, I'd walk slowly up the corridor whispering "please be my house, please be my house".

And it always was.
Now that Jonas works nights, I have suddenly become the cook again. At first it was a chore and I found it really hard to cook anything more than a quick pasta, but now I am revelling in cooking again and remembering the days when I enjoyed whipping up cakes and cookies and impromptu feasts.

But a few weekends ago, Jonas requested sole access to the kitchen and I obliged, allowing him to cook me an amazing soup.

He used the usual suspects to create a rich, homemade broth which was enhanced by the addition of a lemon, halved and boiled along with the other vegetables, leeching it's sour juices into the mix. The broth was then transformed with soy, mirin and ginger to give it a wonderful Asian flavour.
Next he chargrilled witlof, wok fried shitake mushrooms and softened wonderful buckwheat soba noodles. All these were piled into a bowl and covered with the steaming broth.

A wonderful, hearty and extremely healthy homemade meal – full of love.

punica granatum

In Turkey and the Middle East, pomegranates are used widely in both sweet and savoury cooking.

This April, I spent ten days in Turkey (Istanbul actually) and I delighted in the food and produce I discovered there.

One of the things I found very interesting were the different types of vendors that you find on the street selling different snacks foods and drinks (simit, cucumbers, corn etc). The spring weather was definitely heating up and orange juice was a popular way to quench your thirst.
In some of the orange juice stalls I noticed fat, red pomegranates which the vendor would juice using an old school orange crusher. He’d place half a pomegranate on the holder, pull down the handle and you just watched the blood-red juice pour into the glass.

Pomegranate juice, or nar ekşisi, is very tart but extremely delicious and you can feel it doing good things to your body as you drink it.

Makes me wish pomegranates weren’t so expensive. To make this glass of nar ekşisi the vendor used about 5-6 pomegranates.

So, although I didn’t make this glass of juice, I did enjoy drinking it down.
Well here is my first post for Antioxidant Rich Food, an event created by Sweetnicks where bloggers write about foods that are high in antioxidants and Cate does a round up of all on offer.

What are antioxidants? I ask myself this all the time. I hear this word bandied about a lot on the news and in ads. In my job, when I happen to work on functional food projects, I can’t avoid the word and Jonas is always ranting about the properties of antioxidants - in tea, coffee, red wine, shampoo - and how they combat “free radicals”.

[Frankly, I think he just likes to say "free radicals" but, if you haven’t noticed already, Jonas is heavily influenced by advertising and is a marketer's dream – he just regurgitates the stuff he sees on TV and has no shame about it.]

Well, since I decided to join the ARF Tuesday event I thought I better know what antioxidants are: antioxidants help to prevent oxidation. Oxidation causes chemical reactions and therefore damage to the cells. Preventing chemical damage means preventing oxidation. Got it?

Well, my ingredient of choice, pomegranates, are very high in antioxidants.

According to Wikipedia
“One pomegranate delivers 40% of an adult's daily vitamin C requirement. It is also a rich source of folic acid and of antioxidants.
Pomegranates are high in polyphenols. The most abundant polyphenols in pomegranate are hydrolysable tannins, particularly punicalagins, which have been shown in many peer-reviewed research publications to be the superior antioxidant responsible for the free-radical scavenging ability of pomegranate juice.
In several human clinical trials, the juice of the pomegranate has been found effective in reducing several heart risk factors, including LDL oxidation, macrophage oxidative status, and foam cell formation, all of which are steps in atherosclerosis and heart disease. Tannins have been identified as the primary components responsible for the reduction of oxidative states which lead to these risk factors.”

According to most sources, pomegranates originated in Iran and quickly spread throughout the ancient world, featuring in myths from Babylon to Greece.

Punica was the Latin name for Carthage, ancient Rome’s great nemesis and disputably the ancient world’s best source of pomegranates. That’s why the botanist, Linneas, chose punica as the Latin botanical name for this fruit.

Those nasty weapons, grenades, were also named after the Spanish word for pomegranate and I’m sure most foodies know that the delicious red cocktail syrup, grenadine, is made from the pomegranate.

recipe carousel #4 - chocolate

This week’s Recipe Carousel is all about chocolate.

Let’s face it, there aren’t many people who don’t like chocolate in some form or another. And if you do stumble across someone who doesn’t like chocolate, you can be sure they are aliens masquerading as humans.

Yes, this is the only way you can tell human and alien apart. Humans are genetically disposed to desiring chocolate, aliens can take it or leave it.

There are some interesting chocolate recipes out there, so here are seven of the unique and interesting (or just down right yummy) blogger recipes that I have found recently.

In no particular order:

Cocoa Nib Ice Cream was made by Keiko in the UK (Nordljus). She has one of the most beautiful blogs out there and her dessert creations are simply amazing. Please check out the photos when you visit. In this Michael Recchiuti recipe, she uses crunchy cocoa nibs, which are the edible part of the cocoa bean from which cocoa powder is obtained. Photo courtesy of Keiko.


Caramelized Matzoh Crunch w Chocolate is a recipe that David in France adapted from another recipe (David Lebovitz). Mr Lebovitz is well known in chocolate circles, having published a wide array of chocolate and cooking books as well as guiding walking tours to Paris’ finest chocolatiers. This recipe uses matzoh (the unleavened Passover bread), caramel and bittersweet chocolate and is finished with almonds and coarse sea salt. A sweet treat with an excellent crunch. Photo courtesy of David.


Chocolate Roasted Cauliflower is a savoury dish blogged by Shauna in the USA (Gluten Free Girl). It sounds weird but this recipe has been road tested by other bloggers who claim the results are delicious. To see the recipe, scroll down into the comments section of Shauna’s post and she’s left the instructions there. Photo courtesy of Shauna.


Rosemary Scented Truffles are the wonderful creation of Ilva in Italy (Lucullian Delights). Chocolate ganache is infused with pungent rosemary to make these wicked adult treats. Photo courtesy of Ilva.


Tarragon & Chocolate Biscotti were made from Christa’s home grown tarragon in the USA (Calendula & Concrete). As she said “tarragon and chocolate, who knew?” but it turned out to be a brilliant recipe. Photo courtesy of Christa.


Cacao Nibs & Zucchini Absorption Pasta was a unique invention from Clotilde in France (Chocolate & Zucchini). She manages to pair her namesake ingredients in perfect form using crunchy cocoa nibs and mandolin sliced zucchini in a pasta cooking technique from the 13th century. Photo courtesy of Clotilde.


Chocolate Cupcakes w Orange & Ginger Frosting comes from Deborah in Australia (The Food Palate). These gorgeous chocolate-black cupcakes look so rich and moist and the pale orange frosting makes my mouth water. Photo courtesy of Deborah.

Add your own recipe!
If you want to link in your own chocolate recipe and share the love around, just leave the link in the comments section. You didn’t have to invent the recipe yourself, just cook it and post it on your site. The whole idea of Recipe Carousel is that good recipes are shared with people who love to cook.
Note: any spam or non-chocolate recipe links will be deleted.

vegetarian lasagne

I came home on Saturday night to the most delightful little party. Jonas had invited our friends, Tim Y and Karen, over for dinner and he was in the kitchen cooking up a storm.

He made a wonderful vegetarian lasagne using zucchini, mushrooms and eggplant. All the vegetables were lovingly chargrilled before being layered into the final product and you could certainly taste the extra care involved. It was simply divine and certainly one of the few items I am prepared to eat as "left overs".

In honour of this delicious feast I am posting his recipe as my Weekend Herb Blogging. The usual recap is being hosted by Gabriella from My Life As A Reluctant Housewife.

Vegetarian Lasagne
Jonas' very own recipe. Serves 6-8, depending on how greedy you are.
Ingredients
Tomato Sauce
750ml passata (tomato purée)
4-5 cloves garlic
1 teaspoon chilli flakes
2 tablespoons tomato paste
3 leaves of basil, chopped
Pinch of dried oregano
Salt and pepper to taste
Béchamel Sauce
1 cup flour
1 litre milk
2 cups grated tasty cheese
Pinch of nutmeg
Pepper to taste
Filling
2 large eggplants
4-5 medium zucchini
200-300g mushrooms, sliced
lasagne sheets
2 cups grated mozzarella
Method
1. Slice eggplants and zucchini lengthways (4-5mm thick).
2. Chargrill eggplants and zucchini on griddle pan (alternatively you can roast, fry or grill them). Put aside.
3. Fry mushrooms with salt, pepper, garlic clove and ½ tablespoon olive oil. Put aside.
4. Preheat over to 220°C.
5. Begin tomato sauce by heating ½ tablespoon olive oil on moderate heat in frying pan. Add garlic, chilli flakes and pepper until garlic is soft.
6. Add tomato paste and stir. Add passata, oregano and salt. Cook for 5-10 minutes until thickened slightly. Add basil. Leave on very low heat.
7. Begin béchamel sauce by dissolving flour in milk over low to medium heat until thickened. Stir continuously. When smooth add nutmeg, pepper and cheese. Stir until cheese has melted.
8. Layer baking dish with a small amount of tomato sauce. Top with mixture of vegetables then lasagna sheet. Cover with tomato sauce. Repeat process adding in béchamel sauce on each lasagna sheet. Continue until you reach the top of the baking dish.
9. Cover last layer with remaining sauce and top with cheese.
10. Bake in oven for 45 minutes or until lasagne sheets have cooked.

heritage belgian beer café

Heritage Belgian Beer Café
135 Harrington Street
The Rocks, Sydney
www.belgian-beer-cafe.com.au

When winter hits I suddenly become ravenous. I crave meat and potatoes and all the other various things that will sabotage my figure for the big wedding day.

This winter is no exception and how else to stave the hunger pangs but with the hearty fare of a beer café. In this particular instance, a Belgian beer café.

In the late 90s, Belgian Olivier Massart renovated an old restaurant in Cammeray and created the now famous Epoque, a beer café that feeds and waters the upwardly mobile of this north shore suburb. A few years later Massart took over a heritage listed site in The Rocks and created a city version of his successful Belgian pub: Heritage.

The interior of Heritage was designed by a Belgian firm, Creneau, that worked with the listed building’s historical flavour to create a unique yet traditional space. Dark wood is featured throughout and a long bar imported from Belgium is a crowning glory in this room. Hundreds of tiny drawers and cupboards, akin to a turn of the century herbalist shop, decorate the bar’s back wall. At the entrance, a glass floor shows the ruins of stairs underneath the building, relicts of Sydney’s first settlement.


I booked for seven on a Sunday night and had plans to make this a bivalve feast with mussels and oysters.

I was determined to try the oysters Kilpatrick ($26 for 12), a style I had never tried before. I shared these with Tim Y and they were juicy, plump and absolutely delicious. The salty bacon contrasting nicely with the sweet edge of Worchestershire sauce. Others snacked on mashed potato and cheese balls ($15.50), complete with sweet tomato compote. There was also a Monk’s Tart for the vegetarians ($15.50), effectively a quiche or frittata by another name.


For main I simply had to go with the house speciality: mussel pots ($20.50). The black pots came crammed with mussels and you can choose your flavour from a wide variety including laksa-like coconut cream, lemongrass and chilli; Thai red curry and bacon, wine and cream. Nicki took the Provencale which was white wine, vegetables and fresh herbs while Tim Y and I opted for the blue cheese, leek, spinach and lemon juice. This was absolutely divine and fortunately I had the patience to remove every mussel from its shell before scooping up spoonfuls of cheesey, salty goodness. It was an experience I hope to repeat over and over and over again.


Sumi and Tim W opted for the Belgian sausages with sauerkraut and mashed potatoes ($21.50). Heaped high, the sausages looked very good and I’m a sucker for sauerkraut so there were no complaints from me when my fork accidentally detoured onto Sumi’s plate.

Jonas chose two sides (cheese balls and chips) since the vegetarian main wasn’t very imaginative.

For dessert Sumi ordered the Belgian waffles ($12): crispy, golden waffles came topped with delicious chocolate sauce and blueberry compote. This was good! I managed to eat more than half of her waffles and she took it with good grace.


Other interesting desserts on the menu included a trio of beer sorbets made from peach beer, cherry beer and an apple beer.

Now, speaking of beer we should outline what we sampled:

Tripel Karmeliet (330ml $10.80)
First made in 1679, this was a golden beer with a large head made from three grains (wheat, oats, barley) and fermented in the bottle. It had an almost sweet edge to it and was strong and fruity without much bitterness. I quite like this one.

Timmermans Peche Lambic (250ml $10.50)
This wonderful mild and sweet beer is the result of adding peach juice to Lambic while it’s in oak casks. It came served in a champagne style glass and was a truly wonderful dessert or aperitif beer. My favourite of the night.

Belle-Vue Framboise (375ml $9.80)
Again, fruit is added to a lambic, this time raspberries. It’s fruity and sweet and is best served as an aperitif or dessert beer.

Hoegaarden (250ml $6.30)
This is a very pale, light beer with a fruity and bitter flavour. It is an unfiltered light beer which I thought was pretty average. Tasting notes for this beer claim hints of honey, coriander and curacao.
Chimay Grande Reserve (750ml $29.00)
This beer is actually corked and is Chimay’s flagship beer. It’s a trappiste beer, which means it’s made by monks and is Appellation Controlled. It is very dark, almost caramel in flavour with a bitter end and is soft. A very good beer.
Also taste tested were the Leffe Blonde (250ml $6.50); Leffe Brune (250ml $6.50); Duvel (330ml $9.50); De Koninck The Bolleke (330ml $7.50), but these were drunk by Jonas who can’t remember enough to describe them for you.

The food and beer were good, but I was extremely disappointed with the service. Three words can describe it: rushed, unfriendly and stressed.

I had visited the venue before, during lunch, and thought the waitress serving us then was good, making helpful suggestions and providing generally good service.

This time our waitress was run off her feet and asked us to order before our entire party had arrived, pushed the next courses onto us without a gap in between and the instant the main was cleared she forced the dessert order onto us.

We lost food to the clearing monster also. Sumi had given me her sauerkraut on a bread plate and this was removed before I’d had a chance to dig in properly. My fork was cleared with it, indicating that potentially someone was still eating it. The same went for my chips which I had only half finished. Before I knew it the waitress had commandeered them, dumped them onto Jonas’ dirty plate and was marching off to the kitchen. Tim W also lost his ice cream before he’d gotten halfway through. This kind of service is clearly unacceptable.

As this was a Sunday and due to Sydney's draconian liquor licensing laws, the bar closed at 10pm and this could have accounted for the rush to get us through the meal, although it certainly didn't excused it at all since our booking started at 7:00pm.

Although rushed, our waitress was at least pleasant, but I can’t say the same for her colleagues who dumped beers on our table without speaking or smiling and who gave me the impression that they were depressed refugees from some bleak dictatorship. One waitress mistakenly brought another table’s beers to us and then scowled at us when we told her we hadn’t ordered them. At the end of the night a waitress cheerlessly announced final drinks and stormed off without any kind of smile or politeness.

Service certainly needs a major overhaul.

The mussel specials ($25 for mussel pot, beer and chips) are good value for money but otherwise prices seemed on the high end. The beer is expensive as well, but I guess that’s to be expected when you're ordering imported beer by the bottle. As long as you’re aware that it won’t be cheap, you should be happy.

Despite the unwelcoming service, I had a good time due to the lively company of my friends and the tasty mussels. I will most likely come back for the mussels and the peche beer, but I certainly hope someone does something about the waitstaff or even the mussels won’t be enough for long.

fried chevre & honey salad

This recipe came to mind from a dinner Jonas and I had enjoyed at Apothecary 1878 in Adelaide. Jonas ate shallow fried goats' cheese drizzled with honey and it was quite good.

Apothecary 1878 is a great restaurant and anyone visiting Adelaide really should eat there if they can.

Anyway, one evening Jonas was coming home earlier than usual, which meant we could have dinner together. I decided to surprise him with a bit of a feast. This was one of the courses I made and is a particularly delicious and calorie loaded winter salad. It could easily be a summer entree too.

Any excuse to eat goats' cheese I say!

Fried Chevre with Honey
Anna's very own recipe. Serves 2.
Ingredients
Cheese
100g soft chevre log
2 teaspoons honey
Olive oil, for frying
Flour, for dusting
Freshly ground pepper to taste
Salad
2½ cups baby rocket
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon honey
1½ tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
Method
1. Combine all dressing ingredients except rocket in a container, seal and shake vigorously until cloudy and well mixed.
2. Combine dressing and rocket in a bowl and toss to coat salad. Pile rocket decoratively in centre of two serving plates.
3. Slice chevre log into 1cm thick rounds. Dust with flour.
4. Heat some olive oil in a frying pan. When ready, gently ease cheese onto pan and fry for 10 seconds. Flip cheese gently and fry another 10 – 20 seconds, or until you see the cheese beginning to melt.
6. Remove from pan and arrange on top of rocket.
7. Drizzle with honey and freshly milled pepper and serve immediately.

Enjoy!

recipe road test - cavolfiore piccante

I have been doing a lot of cooking lately and I have been using the valuable resources of my fellow bloggers for ideas and recipes.

This recipe road test is Ilva's from Lucullian Delights in Italy. It is a very good way of cooking cauliflower and we ate it as a light main course after a lot of antipasto.

Cavolfiore Piccante (Spicy Cauliflower)
Ilva's recipe.
Ingredients:
1 head of cauliflower, divided into florets
4 ripe tomatoes
1 clove of garlic
1 dried chili pepper
1 pinch of oregano
1 generous tablespoon of chopped parsley
Salt
Olive oil
Method:
1. Crumble the dried chili pepper and put it in a frying pan together with the garlic clove that you have divided in two. Fry gently for a minute or two.
2. Add the cauliflower and the chopped tomatoes. If the tomatoes are insipid or acid you add some sugar. Add the oregano and salt.
3. Let it cook for 15-20 minutes, it is ready when the tomatoes has ‘disintegrated’ and have become a sauce and the cauliflower is cooked but not mushy. Sprinkle the parsley over it when it is almost ready.
4. It is ready to be served, as it is or as a pasta sauce.

Anna's variations
- Used ½ a head of cauliflower with the same measurement of other ingredients. Served 2 for main or 4 for side dish.
- Used 3 garlic cloves.
- Used a few more tomatoes since mine were a little small.
- After I followed Ilva's instructions, I divided the mixture into two individual baking dishes, topped them with generous amounts of grated parmigiano and baked for around 5 minutes or until cheese had melted.

This is one to cook again. Thanks Ilva!

meme - confessions in groups of five

Oh, oh, oh! Last week I was tagged for the meme "Confessions in Groups of Five" by JenJen of Milk & Cookies.

JenJen and I have a bit in common: we both live in Sydney, we started our blogs around the same time and we have a strange ability to blog about the same things at the same time (eg my cupcake story and JenJen's cupcake story).

Thanks for tagging me, JenJen!

So, here I go:

Five items in the freezer
1) edamame - fry them up with chilli and garlic and you've got a brilliant, healthy snack
2) passionfruit ice cubes - I had way too many passionfruits and so I pulped them and froze them into star and heart shapes
3) chipotle chillies - individually wrapped and ready to make tlalpeño soup
4) svenska nubbar - tiny bottles of swedish aquavit
5) too much ice build up - my freezer is too cold

Five items in my closet
1) a suitcase that a small car could fit into
2) new pair of brown boots that I bought today
3) the dorkiest sun hat you ever did see
4) way too many clothes - I have the whole double wardrobe to myself and have turfed Jonas clothes into the cupboard in the spare room
5) an electric massager that works quite well and gets Jonas out of massaging me

Five items in my car
Since I don't have a car, I'll give you five reasons why.
1) I live close to the city (although Fabio would debate this because he's a snob)
2) There is regular public transport outside my front door
3) Cars are bad for the environment
4) Sydney's roads are very congested with vehicles and I wouldn't want to add to the problem
5) I never got my drivers license

Five items in my purse
1) Biotherm lip balm
2) Mentos Sours
3) my camera!
4) notebook for food related scribbles
5) antibiotics - yes, I'm sick AGAIN

Tag five people
I hope these people haven't been tagged yet. This meme has certainly done the rounds!
1) Suzy from Floating World Views (Japan)
2) Priya from Sugar and Spice (India)
3) Orchidea from Viaggi & Sapori (Sweden)
4) Emma from The Laughing Gastronome (New Zealand)
5) Josh from Chaxiubao (Hong Kong)

Does anyone know where this meme started???

recipe road test - aubergine rolls

Stevi from Bread and Butter posted this wonderful eggplant appetiser that featured in my very first Recipe Carousel.

Since then I have made this recipe twice and have been very happy with the delicious results.

Aubergine Rolls
Stevi's recipe. Makes 8 rolls.
Ingredients
2 aubergines, cut into 4 slices lengthways
4 tbsp olive oil
100g feta
2 tbsps fresh chives, chopped
2 tbsps fresh flat leaf parsley, chopped
2 tbsps pine nuts
1 big garlic clove, peeled, crushed
Method
1. Preheat oven to 250'C.
2. Heat olive in a big frying pan.
3. Brush the slices of aubergine with the oil before placing the slices in the pan. Turn the slices of aubergine, to cook both sides.
4. Remove the pan from the heat, let aubergines cool a little.
5. Put feta, parsley, chives, pine nuts and garlic in a small bowl and stir.
6. Take a slice of aubergine and place a tablespoon of the feta mixture in the centre of the slice.
7. Carefully roll the aubergine upwards. Place the aubergine roll on a baking tray before repeating the process with the 3 other aubergine slices. If it doesn’t remain sealed, secure it with a toothpick.
8. Place aubergine rolls in the oven for 5 minutes. Serve hot or cold. If you want you can make some simple tomato sauce and serve a spoonful on the side.

Anna's variations
1. Sliced the eggplant a little thinner (although be careful it doesn't tear once stuffed)
2. Added ricotta to the fetta mix
3. Toasted the pinenuts before adding them to the cheese so they had a crisper texture

This is a simple recipe that tastes so very, very good.

Thanks Stevi!

boozy hot chocolate

While we're on the drinks theme, I thought I'd give a recipe for a hot chocolate with a kick.

Boozy Hot Chocolate
Anna's very own recipe. Serves 1 person or 2 small drinks.
Ingredients:
35ml crème de cacao
35ml Baileys
35ml Frangelico
150ml milk
2 tablespoons good quality cocoa
Chocolate sauce for decoration
Method:
Decorate the inside of a glass with chocolate sauce. Combine milk and cocoa over heat and stir until hot and combined. Remove from heat, add liqueurs and pour into glass. Serve.

recipe carousel #3 - drinks

Mishaps yesterday prevented me from posting my usual Monday 'Recipe Carousel' so here it is on a Tuesday instead.

I have collected so many wonderful recipes from the food blog world that now I have decided to give Recipe Carousel a different theme each week.

This week it’s all about drinks, and in no particular order we have:

Lavender Orange Lush. Mae from the Channel Islands (Rice and Noodles) made this wonderful summer sipper. When I first saw this recipe, and the pretty photos, I was so impressed that it inspired the entire Recipe Carousel idea.

Plum Slushie. After experiencing a refreshing drink at a restaurant, Market Man from the Philippines (Market Manila) created his own version.

Aam Ki Lassi. Priya in the USA (Sugar and Spice) posts a tempting photo and simple recipe for India’s most famous beverage export, the mango lassi.

Icelandic Mountain Grass Tea. Virginie in France (Absolutely Green) provides the recipe for a very interesting tea using mountain lichen. When you first view this recipe it will appear in French but make sure you click on the little translator button to the right of her post.

Moru. The Chocolate Lady in the USA (Mol Araan) develops her own delicious, spicy recipe for this buttermilk based drink.

Kumquat Tea. Stephen in Taiwan (Eating China) provides the recipe for this citrus drink served warm to relieve colds. It can be drunk chilled too and is also known as Jin Ji Cha.

Ayran. Binnur, a Turk in Canada (Binnur’s Turkish Cookbook), shares her recipe for this traditional drink made of yoghurt and salt and drank by Turks at almost every meal.

Enjoy the sipping, slurping and glugging that can be had from these yummy recipes.

1st photo = Lavender Orange Lush courtesy of Mae
2nd photo = Plum Slushie courtesy of Market Man
3rd photo = Ayran courtesy of Binnur

Add your own recipe!
If you want to link in your own beverage recipe and share the love around, just leave the link in the comments section. You didn’t have to invent the recipe yourself, just make it and post it on your site. The whole idea of Recipe Carousel is that good recipes are shared with people who love to cook.
Note: any spam or non-drink recipe links will be deleted.

bentley restaurant & bar

BENTLEY RESTAURANT & BAR
320 Crown Street
Surry Hills, Sydney
www.thebentley.com.au
Chef: Brent Savage

June has been a great month for me and Tuesdays have been wonderful days. Why, you ask? Well, each Tuesday in June I tried a restaurant that was on my “wish list”. One scorching hot venue each week: Gazebo, La Sala and Bécasse.

This is not helping my wedding saving plans at all and this really has to stop, but the main reason why I had to go one last time is because Fabio is headed to Afghanistan on a preliminary visit before he embarks in the long term to shoot a documentary. We had to have a farewell celebration since, if truth be told, Afghanistan isn’t the safest of places these days and it might just have been Fabio’s last decent meal!

Last Tuesday the venue was The Bentley Restaurant & Bar and the support team was Jonas, Nicki and Fabio.

Where a rundown bar used to be, Brent Savage and Nick Hildebrandt have set up their very cool restaurant (and bar). Both Savage and Hildebrandt have resumes that read like a who’s who of the Australian restaurant industry, one a highly inventive chef, the other thought to be one of the country’s top sommeliers. What better hands to be in?

Before I head off to a restaurant, I do a lot of my initial research on the internet. Unfortunately for me Bentley’s current website is just a homepage with their contact details so I had to rely on reviews from Gourmet Traveller, Eatability and SMH.

The room was smaller than I expected (it was a tight fit for waiters) and the crowd were much more relaxed and casually dressed. Cool jeans and smart t-shirts won over black shoes and collars. The bar section had a few stools and there were three or four tables for those wanting drinks and tapas.

The colour theme was certainly red, white, black and pale wood; the room divided by a shiny red metallic board with cut out leaves. The others didn’t like the décor very much, but I thought it suited the dressed-down clientele and Surry Hills locale. It had a kitsch plastic chic that I found playful.

Jonas and I were a little early so I indulged in a cocktail called Dust?Anyone?Dust?, a salute to the Fat Fighters convenor from the BBC comedy Little Britain (extra points to them for a reference which happens to be one of my favourites). It was a great cocktail that mixed strawberry, rose and basil. It was topped with shaved ice and a sherbet that snapped and crackled happily over my fuchsia drink.

Jonas had never had a degustation menu before, and since the Bentley does a vegetarian version, we all decided to go the whole hog and have degustation menus ($90pp) with matching wines ($60pp).

The current degustation didn’t feature Bentley’s signature popcorn chicken so we ordered this as an appetiser. It was probably one of the most wonderful things I’ve eaten recently. I’m not a big chicken fan and I can’t stand fried chicken alla KFC (just ask Tim who I accuse of being a KFC addict as though it’s a moral deficiency) but this chicken can easily be described as sublime with it’s light, crispy, spicy coating that was served with tangy aioli. Bloody good!

The first part of our degustation was a wonderful white gazpacho (ajo blanco) flavoured by almonds and garlic. It came in an elegant glass bowl and was dotted with a pretty splash of green olive oil. I love ajo blanco and this was a particularly good version, smooth, milky and garlicky. Next to the glass bowl was a bite size morsel of Claire de Lune oyster atop ruby grapefruit and crackling described as a “pork bubble”. Ever since trying a tuna, grapefruit and pork dish at Pyrmont’s Flying Fish I have been a big fan of these flavour combinations and I love Claire de Lune oysters as well. This morsel worked well for me and the creamy low-saltiness of the meaty oyster matched the salty sweet pork and bitter grapefruit.


Instead of the oyster, Jonas was given three gazpachos: green, white and red. The green gazpahco was made of green tomatoes and had a distinctly earthy, leafy flavour. The red was made of tomato and capsicum (peppers) and was sweet and spicy. They were all very good, although Jonas thought the red was the best by far, while I still leant towards the ajo blanco.

With this course we all drank the 2004 Salomon-Undhof Grüner Veltliner ‘Wieden’ (Krems/Stein Austria). The winemaker describes this wine as “pure, spicy, peppery with fruit-stressed acid”. I found this a very interesting wine and not something I had tasted before. It was slightly sour and the flavour seemed young and green (perhaps explaining why the grape varietal is called Grüner).

Next we all shared the same course, a Jerusalem artichoke custard that came with asparagus, roasted baby garlic and fennel and beans. The menu listed “borlotti, soy and lupin beans” although I only recognised the green soy beans. The beautiful purple beans I had never see before because I had always thought lupins and borlotti were white. The custard had a wonderful flavour and I was surprised by this because I generally don’t like Jerusalem artichokes. The roasted garlic and fennel were a sweet accompaniment to the earthiness of the custard.

The wine with this course was both mine and Nicki’s favourite white of the evening: 2005 Tscharke Albariño ‘Girl Talk’ (Barossa Valley, SA). The albariño grape comes from Spain and Tscharke’s wine seemed slightly acidic, quite aromatic and had a hint of savoury marzipan (or maybe that was my cold).

The kitchen’s next delivery was a soft free-range egg topped with “jamon crumbs”. The breadcrumbs had been fried with crispy pieces of Spanish cured ham (like prosciutto) and sprinkled over the egg. Nicki and Jonas (who had the same minus the jamon) didn’t enjoy this dish while both Fabio and I were pleased with it.

Fabio also liked the wine that accompanied it, a 2004 Bernard Moreau Bourgogne Chardonnay (Burgundy, France). This was a lightly oaked chardonnay and although I enjoyed it, I somehow liked the albariño better. I would definitely like to try this one again though.


The next course was a wonderful shellfish salad. A small piece of whiting accompanied a mussel, plump clams and a salsa of vegetables. This was a delicious course and I really enjoyed it. The crispy skin of the whiting had been doused in some type of sour, citrus (it seemed much, much stronger than normal lemon) and the clams were wonderful. I didn’t enjoy the mussel however as it had an acrid flavour.

This was served with the 2004 Domaine des Baumard Rosé de Loire (Loire Valley, France). This rosé was crisp and dry with a slightly tart red fruit flavour (like currants or cranberries). I liked it a lot, but I am known to be very partial to rosé wine.

While we had the seafood, Jonas dined on a unique combination of sautéed corn, black fungi and zucchini flower. The zucchini flower had been opened flat, the black fungi was sliced thin and the tiny zucchini stem had been placed on top. Although he felt the corn tasted tinned, Jonas said this dish was subtle but good.

Next came a trio of boudin noir (blood pudding), seared quail and a squid salsa. The plate was decorated with a bold slashing of squid ink and I really liked this course because the quail was full of flavour, the squid was soft and juicy and the blood pudding challenged my palate perfectly. I had never tried it before and I was pleasantly surprised with the texture and flavour. This dish was a great success for me.

At the same time, Jonas was served a plate of roast carrot, delicate splashes of avocado and a sprinkling of “olive dust”. The carrots were roasted until sweet and the olive dust added a pleasurable saltiness. A sweet sauce encircling the plate was unnecessary because Jonas felt the carrots were sweet enough without adding this extra element. He suggested a lemon based sauce would have broken up the sweetness a little more.

Our blood pudding/carrots were served with the fruity 2004 Capcanes Mas Donis Grenache Blend (Monstant, Spain). Somewhere on the internet I read a description of this wine that summed up my own experiences beautifully, the key words being: mineral, redcurrant, black tea and rose hips.


I’ve always been a fan of venison, so it wasn’t surprising that I enjoyed the flavoursome, rare slices from Mandagery Creek. This dish came with a burnt onion sabayon, frothing out of a crispy basket and accompanied by a pool of lentils, flavoured heavily with fresh oregano. This was also a successful dish with complimenting flavours.

Jonas’ last savoury course was a potato ‘risotto’ with mushrooms and warm parmesan cream. He enjoyed this dish and said it had a clean potato taste and was a good sized portion. Being of salty Viking blood, however, he did need to add extra salt to suit his palate. Before I had a chance to take a photo, Jonas had gobbled down the lot. It must have been pretty good.

The 2003 Star Lane Merlot, Beechworth Victoria was an excellent pairing with the venison. The wine had dusty tannins and a woody, cherry bouquet. I assume it worked well with the potato risotto too because I heard no complaints from Jonas.


One of the dishes on the menu was a cheese course. Artavaggio came thinly sliced and then melted onto a toasted finger of lavosh, drizzled with a sherry caramel sauce and chives. I loved this dish, and enjoyed the sweet sauce although Nicki and Fabio felt the sauce overpowered the cheese.

The wine served with the cheese was a 2004 Kracher Beerenauslese Cuvee (Burgundland Austria). This was a gorgeous dessert wine, heady with apricot but not too sweet. It was perfect for Nicki who doesn’t enjoy overpowering dessert wines. I love this style of wine in general, having tasted another Beerenauslese from Burgundland at Gordon Ramsay’s Claridges in March.

A pre-dessert arrived to cleanse our palates: cactus and fruit sorbet was surrounded with kiwi juices and topped with a pretty shard of clear, glassy toffee. A nice little morsel.

For the dessert course we received the signature “Chocolate and Honeycomb Ice Cream Cone with Warm Banana Milk”. This came with a glass of rich Pedro Ximenez sherry, sticky and dark but subtly raisin and honey. It wasn’t overly sweet and the perfume was fragrant. It was too sweet for Nicki and so Fabio and Jonas split her share.


The chocolate cone came propped in what looked like a plastic golf ball tee and was beautifully speckled with black and white toasted sesame seeds. The ice cream inside was rich and the cone had an interestingly confusing texture of crunchy toffee and melting chocolate. I have no idea what it was made out of, but it tasted good and got stuck in my teeth like toffee does. Since Nicki doesn’t like chocolate desserts, I scored her cone too.

Savage’s famous warm banana milk was something I had been looking forward to and I was not disappointed. The milk showed only a pale tint of yellow and the flavour was so real and natural, a perfect banana infusion. The chocolate straw started to melt on my lips and was childishly playful. A great positive ending.

I think my chest cold has affected my senses of taste and smell since the wine matching that Hildebrandt is so famous for did not come across for me on this occasion. I have been a big fan of his wine matching in the past. In fact, it was the wines he paired with the degustation menu at Marque that first made me realise the value of an excellent sommelier. On that occasion I suddenly became a wine lover and I haven’t looked back. I can thank Hildebrandt for that and the world of food and wine it subsequently opened up.

On this occasion I wasn’t amazed with the wine matching because I didn’t feel like the choices lifted the food to new heights. Although Nicki agreed that our Marque experience had been better, she, Fabio and Jonas all thought the matching worked more than I did. They were quite pleased with the choices and so I must bow down and say “majority wins”.

The service was friendly and professional. Hildebrandt was in control of the floor the entire time and the only negative comment I would make is that the time between each course was much too long. The initial courses were very small and bite sized, not providing anything substantial to soak up the generous servings of wine. I would have preferred the smaller courses to come a little faster and then slow down over the larger portions and dessert.

Another thing to note was that initially Nicki and I thought Hildebrandt became bored with explaining the wines, but Fabio pointed out that Hildebrandt read our table well, understanding when to give us more in-depth explanations of wine and when to inform us quickly and retreat before intruding on our conversation. After I considered this and watched further, I agree with Fabio.

The fact that both owners were visually present (Savage appeared later on) made the experience seem much more intimate. In other restaurants service can be anonymous and the owners and chefs far removed from the diners, but here the creators were close at hand. It occurred to me only afterwards that perhaps I should have asked permission to photograph each and every course. In such intimate quarters, with the owners looking on, my photography could have been considered invasive. This is certainly something for me to bear in mind for the future.

The total cost for four of us was $680 including a 13% tip. For a degustation $90 is very reasonable, whereas $60 for the wines is fairly standard, although wine portions were on the large side, just as they had been at Marque.

A potential consideration would be that the vegetarian degustation was the same price as those that included seafood and meat, when perhaps it should have been fractionally less. The price of the ingredients would be lower and Jonas made a point that meat is much more filling so either the vegetarian degustation should be cheaper or the portions should be increased so that vegetarians walk away as full as the meat eaters. It was a fair point to make.

I read somewhere that the presentation of Savage’s food could be compared to the art of Miro, and I have to agree with this. Some people might find that a drawback, whereas I found it creative and impressive. Although the visuals were still vibrant, the food flavours were subdued and reliable with a few key dishes showing vitality and flair. For a restaurant that could easily be a regular dinner venue for locals, I think these are good attributes.

But back to the popcorn chicken. It was truly wonderful and I can’t stop thinking about it. Other menu items also looked wonderful and I could easily sit in their bar sipping wines by the glass and sampling the tapas offerings. In fact, what I am doing next weekend . . . . . ?

honey-vodka poached mandarins

It's Weekend Herb Blogging time again.

There comes a moment when you create something wonderful and you just feel so proud about it. This is one of those moments for me.

Last night I was staring at the fruit bowl and wondering what to do with some mandarins that Jonas had bought and not eaten. Suddenly I remembered we had honey vodka and everything else just fell into place during the cooking process.

The final result was delicious and something I would certainly repeat and recommend. Unfortunately my presentation, an attempt to emanate some of those very artistic bloggers out there, ended up looking like a 1970s buffet horror story.

I'll use a white plate next time.

The best thing about this recipe is that there's excess poaching syrup that you could use for another dessert, over ice cream or in a cocktail.

Honey-Vodka Poached Mandarins
Anna's very own recipe. Serves 2.
Ingredients:
2 mandarins
1 cup sugar
1 cup honey vodka (I used 42 Below Manuka Honey)
1½ cups water
2 tablespoons honey
1 piece ginger (3cm), peeled and halved
Natural (unsweetened) yoghurt to serve
Method:
1. Put all the ingredients except the mandarins into a saucepan and heat until sugar is dissolved.
2. Continue cooking on high, simmering strongly but not boiling, until it has developed a syrupy consistency (approx. 5 minutes)
3. Add the mandarins and heat through until softened (approx. 5 minutes). Remove mandarins and set aside.
4. Remove ginger and chop into smaller pieces. Return to syrup and continue reducing syrup for another 10-20 minutes. Taste ginger pieces to see if they are candied enough for your taste (I like mine with a little kick left). If they are not candied enoguh, continue cooking, otherwise remove syrup from heat and cool. Cooking until this point can be done the day before.
5. When mandarins and syrup are cool, serve with natural yoghurt and a scattering of candied ginger.
Variations:
- You could use any kind of liqueur or wine.
- You could substitute the honey for a vanilla pod.

Check out the round up at Kalyn's Kitchen. [Available Monday morning Utah time.]