Food Wine Sleep

I fondly remember my delicious weekend away with one of the hottest chefs in Australia. *sigh* He wined and dined me, whispering sweet nothings in my ear as I hung on his every word.

From my vantage point on table two, I could just see him as the kitchen doors swung open to reveal the magician creating his next culinary illusion.

“Confit miso blue eye with cuttlefish and cauliflower puree”, the dish whispered to me as the waiter placed the plate before me. *sigh* I was in foodie heaven. (more…)

There is something about cooking shows which brings out the one-upmanship in many of us.

“Pfft, I can do better than that,” you mutter as you sit down to your (gourmet) cheese toastie.

That’s the attraction of Come Dine With Me Australia, the cooking series set to screen from Monday August 23 on The LifeStyle Channel on Foxtel and Austar. The ‘contestants’ – there is $2000 up for grabs – are all down-home, fun-loving normal people. Or are they? They seem handpicked to cause a stir. Or perhaps the heat generated in kitchens brings out the worst in all of us, whatever our culinary aptitude.

In series two we meet Helen, Ray, Joan, Paula, and Taylor. And just minutes into episode one, you are hooked. Their arrogance is strangely endearing, and when things go (pork) belly-up… well, it makes for fabulous viewing.

The objective of Come Dine With Me Australia is to have everyday Australians battle it out for the title of the ultimate dinner party host. The unscripted show follows amateur chefs – and some really do look like beginners, but that’s what makes it so fun – competing against each other in hosting a dinner party for the other contestants. Each night five total strangers take it in turns to cook up their idea of the perfect evening for the other four. The entertaining part is watching as each believes they can cook up the perfect evening and oust the others as the best possible dinner party host. (more…)

Celebrity Masterchef Class with Champagne Jayne

Which Champagne Are You?

For many champagne is simply a party wine to celebrate with and they never even consider enjoying their champagne even more intensely by adding food. This is a real shame because champagne is such a complex and versatile wine that it can in fact be played like a ‘joker’ at any stage of a meal, provided you follow the basic principles of young wines before older vintages and light wines before fuller bodied styles. For example if you wanted to create a progressive dinner party with champagne,  you could try a different champagne style matched to each different course, or for lunch you could carefully choose a single champagne that has the power and finesse to handle every dish you are about to enjoy.

Have fun and experiment − there are so many individual components within any one champagne and there are so many wonderful different champagne styles out there, that it’s usually easy to find synergies with most foods available here in Australia − just beware very spicy Asian sauces which deaden your palate.

Here are some basic rules of thumb for champagne and food matching at home or in a restaurant: (more…)

There are so many shows and blogs about food how much we love it, celebrate it, seek it, share it however how many of us try to save it?

Imagine the role Materchef could play in preserving our planet with all that viewing exposure. Sadly money talks and in the speed for sponsorship television is reluctant to invest the time to challenge sponsors to produce ethically and responsibly paying the farmer the true price for their food and buying locally. The future of our food is at risk and with it the traditional skills and culture integral to it.

We are encouraged to shop at Farmers’ Markets and buy local but this is just the top soil so to speak and the issues run deep.We need to ensure we have farmers and we are losing them because of the prices paid to them and the threat of cheap imports and the difficulties of drought and the other impacts of climate change.

You can help with every mouthful - changing out purchasing behaviour, learning how to substitute imported for local ingredients in receipes,when it makes sense to, demand GM free save food and challenge the amount of packaging used. Take time to learn about how your food was produced,  discover the true price for food, how much it costs the health of the planet to produce it. Grow when you can and share when you have too much. I switch off to the elections collectively people can create change with more power than any party and safeguard their future.

Today I want to create a buzz about bees. We all love honey it is hard not to sweet and sensory it is nectar for our souls. Our bees are at risk.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YXpnrV1IzTY Learn more…

We are losing species of food on the planet which are having huge consequences for the future of the food. Often referred to as ‘flying fertilizer’, bees are an essential part of our farmed and wild food and flora ecosystem, pollinating a third of what we eat, from apples and raspberries to barley and beans. A decline in diverse plants species on which to feed may be causing a similar decline in bee survival. (more…)

Do you love them or hate them?

I’ve been watching the debate unfold on Clover Moore’s new cycleways and it’s got me very excited.

On the one side we’ve got business and residents spitting chips over the new bike paths, accusing them of being poorly designed, dangerous and destroying their businesses. A law suit is in the wings to recover lost earnings. One the other, residents argue that Sydney is finally undertaking the change necessary to create a viable alternative transport option that will reduce pollution and make our City more liveable. Both sides are equally passionate. The anti-bike path people want the cycleways gone or at the very least, radically redesigned. Those in favour of the cycleways are adamant that Sydney needs to “get on its bike” and ride into the future.

To top it all off, on the 3rd of August, the anti-bike paths brigade are being encouraged to rock up to the Barangaroo rally at Town Hall, a community protest on an entirely different subject matter. All of which has prompted the pro-bike path movement to do the same! And others to ask, “What if I am pro-Barangaroo but anti-bike paths, can I come?” It’s all got a bit confusing, so why am I so excited? (more…)

If you are like me, nothing makes me happier than going to a quality cosy BYO with a bottle that is a bit special (not ridiculous $20ish at The Wine Society) which would most likely cost an arm and a leg at restaurant prices, does anyone have any recommendations- something along the lines of Mrs Tops in Neutral Bay- delicious French food, warm competent service or for more cosy Italian family style,  I like The Italian in Hall street Bondi, I’m looking for  a place with quality food and service , cloth on the tables and on your lap.

Cheers
Mo

Our magical night commenced with Parisian Pastry Chef Fabien Berteau taking us through the Valrhona Tasting Chocolate Journey. We discovered everything about chocolates origin, the intricate stages of preparing the cocoa plant and how to properly taste great chocolate. Then came the best part, getting behind the kitchen and making our own Black Forrest Dessert!

This was followed by Executive Chef Andrew McKee showing us a gigantic fresh Kingfish and the organic produce Park Hyatt provides their guests.

We then had an intimate dinner in the beautiful Harbour Kitchen Restaurant looking out to the sparkling Opera House and Harbour Bridge. Chef Andrew McKee created culinary masterpieces for us and the perfectly paired wine was just divine!

Pastry Chef Fabien taught us about the wonderful world of chocolate.  Having the opportunity to make my own dessert with him in the kitchen  was so much fun!

~Valrhona Tasting Dinner prepared by Executive Chef Andrew McKee ~ (more…)

People often ask how I hear about new places and the answer is I eat out about 5 nights a week. When you’re a single girl living in the eastern suburbs eating out can often be cheaper than buying groceries and cooking for one!

So in the spirit of dining out on a budget, here’s 5 of my favourite cheap eats in Sydney’s eastern suburbs:

(in no particular oder)

1. Bamboo Dumpling Bar, Surry Hills, Potts Point & Balmain

Everyone loves a good dumpling. Bamboo dumpling bar has 3 locations, Surry Hills, Potts Point and Balmain. My favourite venue is Surry Hills because it’s attached to a pub and you can drink beer and eat dumplings any time after 12pm, perfect for a Saturday arvo!

2. Jimmy’s Recipe, Sydney CBD

This little gem is located in the CBD right next to the Arthouse on Pitt St. You can get a prawn and vegetable laksa for $7…bibs are optional!

3. Miss Chu, Darlinghurst

Known as the ‘Queen of Rice Paper Rolls’ Miss Chu has quickly established a reputation around for fresh, tasty, cheap vietnamese.  Located just off William St on Burton St it may look like a hole in the wall but don’t let the miss matched milk crates fool you. This food is tasty and for around $15 you’ll walk away well satisfied.

4. Sticky Bar, Surry Hills

Half the fun of this place is finding it! Turn off Crown St, up a shady looking laneway, come to a door with a sign on it, text the password to the mobile number given. A guy will come down and let you in. Go up 4 flights of stairs and you’ve arrived! Trust me, on Wednesday nights they do a $15 roast + glass wine and it’s worth the effort.

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Secret Foodies hit Sydney’s eastern suburbs last Thursday, this time dining at Emmilou on Bourke St in Surry Hills. Guests began arriving at 7pm and were greeted with a cocktail on arrival created especially for the event and aptly named the ‘Ms Darlinghurst’.

Celebrity chef Chris Cranswick-Smith gave us a very warm welcome, delivering each dish and sharing his food philosophy. Chris has been cooking since the age of 14, worked in Michelin star restaurants in Spain, France and the UK and some of Sydney’s top restaurants. He is also a regular guest chef on Ready Steady Cook.

The cuisine at Emmilou can be described as “an authentic menu of modern Spanish tapas that combine international expertise with fresh, local produce”. With an impressive wine list, including a delicious Shiraz from his own fathers winery, Cranswick Estate, guests were not short of wines to compliment their dishes.

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Ooh my first blog for Food Wine Sleep…very exciting! I look forward to sharing some of my adventures over the coming weeks. Don’t be scared now feel free to comment, share your thoughts and get involved. I promise I won’t bite!

So where to start…Well tonight I’ll be the hosting Secret Foodies at a surprise location in Sydney, sharing the culinary delights of a celebrity chef with 20 random guests. This will be the 4th Secret Foodies dinner since we started in April.

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