Eat

a buttery danger zone just 15 minutes away

Posted on by Eatlovego

At the moment I am often asked “what’s your day like?” Well to be honest, I have never looked at my watch quite so often as around the clock I am responding to a 6-week baby’s needs as he feeds, poos, wees, sleeps and the cycle starts all over again pretty much every 3 hours. The thing I keep telling Mr ELG however is I make good use out of the window. The window of time may only be 5 minutes (if that!) but I am usually effectively doing something with that time and not just sitting idle with my feet up as I used to be able to when time was a-plenty! Now, it’s more like how many things can I do in 15 minutes?

One thing that has recently eaten up 15 minutes of my time is the short and highly addictive walk to La Banette on Glebe Point Road (university end), Glebe. Situated next door to another love of mine; Clipper, La Banette is a quaint yet hustling and bustling patisserie where one (I’m sure I’m not the only one) always has great difficulty deciding on what to buy, how much to buy and what little morsel can I just eat now? Laden on the shelves on the wall are golden sourdough loaves and crisp olive baguettes; lining the shelves at the front windows are mille feuille, chocolate eclairs, lemon pies and creme caramel tarts (just to name a few). Spread across the counter are freshly baked pastries, shiny with glaze and bursting with apricots, apples, plums and cherries. Stocked in the corner are savoury pies and quiches to go ~ for now or tonight in case you work back and don’t feel like ordering takeaway. Coffee can also be ordered which partners any of La Banette’s little delicacies so so well and I have resigned to the fact that it’s a damn fine way to spend 15 minutes!

Oh and the mini pecan pies are delicious with a capital D!

La Banette @ 18 Glebe Point Road, Glebe NSW 2037

BEST bircher muesli ever!!

Posted on by Eatlovego

After ordering a great bircher muesli a couple of weekends ago from Clipper Cafe in Glebe; I came home and googled “best bircher muesli recipe”. This returned quite a few responses from different recipe sites such as Taste, Allrecipes.com and bestrecipes.com. Jamie Oliver had a pukka one come up as did Gordon Ramsay. I took a look at most of the pages and started thinking what do I love about bircher? Well, I love its sogginess, non-dry texture and will tend to ask and add milk to get the consistency right. I love grated apple mixed through it although a rhubarb/strawberry compote has worked well too in the past. I love the crunch of nuts also mixed through bircher whether they’re roasted hazelnuts, almonds or pistachios. I love a drizzle of honey for natural sweetness. I don’t mind if there is a scattering of sunflower seeds or LSA stirred through either and I prefer the taste of thick greek yogurt as an added dollop to finish it off.

So with Saturday breakfast not too far off I thought I would enlighten you with what I think is the BEST bircher muesli ever and I have a confession to make; I have made and eaten this three times this week already. Mr ELG also scored it a perfect 10. It incorporates most of my loves noted above with some added extras and is super easy to make the night before and whip together within minutes the moment you wake up. The result is a deliciously scrumptious, textured, slightly tart and yet ever so sweet wholesome breakfast to eat that makes you crave for more as soon as you have eaten the last spoonful and feel good about yourself at the same time!

Ingredients:

2 cups of rolled oats

Juice from 2 lemons

1 cup of water

2 handfuls of almonds – lightly roasted and chopped

1/2 granny smith apple – grated

6 dried apricots – diced

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon per person

1/2 teaspoon nutmeg per person

2-3 Tablespoons thick greek/natural yoghurt per person

Start this recipe the night before. Mix together oats, lemon juice and water. Cover and refrigerate overnight. Per person, spoon 2-3 large tablespoons of the soaked oats into separate bowls. Divide all ingredients equally and place on top of the oats (reserving some of the grated apple) and mix ingredients together so they’re just combined. Garnish with remaining apple, eat, hopefully love and enjoy!

 

Autumn’s arrival calls for Caramelised Onion and Potato bread puddings

Posted on by Eatlovego

Autumn; leaves turning orange, yellow and red. Clocks turning time backward and air becoming crisper and cooler. Nights are already dark at 6pm and no more long summer nights. Boots, scarves and pea coats are in store and my new Donna Hay magazine makes a timely arrival into my mailbox. However it’s not the donuts that entice me into the kitchen (cover photo) but a recipe that encompasses the heavenly words of caramelisation and puddings together. To me, autumn and winter signal the heartier and heavier meal; bakes, casseroles, slow-cooked stews…food to eat and devour that keeps the heart beating and soul ever so warm while the air chills down outside.

Making a couple of changes to the DH recipe; I used a 6-hole muffin pan and Pecorino over Parmesan. I also made my own caramelised onion from two small brown onions sauteed in olive oil with a bit of brown sugar and a dash of water added at the end of 20 or so minutes to complete this jammy goodness. I also had some leftover kipfler potatoes and used these instead of the prescribed chats. But sticking true to most of the recipe (see below) resulted in the most divine savoury bread puddings that partnered perfectly with a slightly thick roast pumpkin soup for a Sunday night session that also calls for an early night to bed to get the most out of that extra hour!

Caramelised onion and potato bread puddings

300g chat potatoes, thinly sliced

10 sprigs of thyme

Olive Oil for drizzling and brushing

4 large slices of thickly cut sourdough bread

20g butter, softened

quarter cup of caramelised onion (store bought/fresh)

4 eggs

125ml milk

25g finely grated Parmesan

sea salt and freshly ground pepper

Preheat oven to 200 degrees Celsius. Place potatoes and thyme on baking tray. Drizzle with oil and roast for 20 minutes or until potatoes are crisp and golden. Spread the bread with butter and caramelised onion and tear into rough pieces. Reduce oven temperature to 160 degrees Celsius. Whisk eggs, milk, Parmesan, salt and pepper together. Cut 20cm squares of non-stick baking paper, brush each square with olive oil and press each square into lightly greased muffin tin. Arrange potato and bread mixture in the paper cases and pour over equal amounts of egg mixture. Top with thyme sprigs and bake for 40 minutes or until golden. Serve warm or cold.

See Donna Hay Issue 56 ~ Autumn; page 98

Enjoy because Mr ELG and I most certainly did!

Go…Eat…Love!

Posted on by Eatlovego

No, I have not gone mad and forgotten the name of my blog nor confused the flow of the verbs. Instead, let me explain…

It’s no secret that Mr ELG and I love to travel and go places. It could be a local getaway, a longer road-trip or aboard a jet-plane. Doesn’t really matter where we go because somehow it is always a given that by the time we come home, we are numerous kilograms heavier luggage-wise…all due to the innocent jam jar (most likely to be plural).

Fact: Mr ELG loves JAM. Quite unlike anyone I have ever met before. This condiment love-affair also extends to marmalades, chutneys and honeys ~ savoury or sweet and at any time that you happen to open up my pantry, there will always be a jar or maybe 10! Blackberry, Fig and Raspberry rate up there at the top of flavour chart but anything goes really. Personally, pre-Mr ELG; my favourite spread of choice on hot toast was always Nutella. A definite chocoholic morning or night; I love it thickly laden and and spread right to the edge of the crust. Jam for me as a spread was hit and miss, although from time to time, I have bought a jar of Bonne Maman’s apricot variety but I will tell you now, I do not display the same enthusiasm for jam as Mr ELG.

Last year in Tasmania, on a road-trip up the Freycinet coast leaving Port Arthur behind and en route to Swansea, we began to see signs for Kate’s Berry Farm. Unfortunately the sun had just started setting so we cruised past the signs promising to go back the next day to explore. The next day’s exploration did not disappoint and after a flurry of sugary taste-testing, we left the quaint berry farm with two jars of raspberry jam; sugarless and another variety with Cointreau.

Back at home, I remember twisting open the sugarless raspberry jar and within a week, its contents were gone. Spread, devoured by both of us ~ it was happiness in a jar.

A week ago, it was time to clean out the pantry. Looking at the shelf with its numerous jars we had collected various jams from our travels sourced from Maggie Beer, Beerenberg, St Dalfour and Christmas Hills. And there at the back behind the 20 other jars was a familiar looking black and white label. Long lost but certainly not forgotten, there had obviously been a bit of a backlog of jam to get through. It was the other jar; the Raspberry with Cointreau jam we had bought from Kate’s Berry Farm. I must admit at this moment of discovery, I let out a little squeal (it’s always the simplest things!) Throwing aside my pantry cleaning chore, bread was quickly toasted and to eat this jam was priority!

And so I deem this post Go…Eat…Love…pretty similar I think to “I came, I saw, I conquered” as this is what I did. Having gone to Kate’s Berry Farm, I ate some jam and fell in love, on par with Mr ELG’s enthusiasm. Simple as that but admittedly spreading this Cointreau one a bit thinner; in order to enjoy every last morsel!

Kate’s Berry Farm @ 12 Addison Street, Swansea TAS

Ms.G or was that MSG?

Posted on by Eatlovego

When MSG  (aka Monosodium glutamate commonly used in Chinese food as a flavour enhancer) is added to a dish, the initial reaction is “hmmm, tastes so good!” It’s only when you leave the restaurant and you have this unmistakeable thirst or even worse; a throbbing migraine that the latter reaction is “they must have put MSG in.” Disappointment, especially in this day and age when there are limitless real flavours and ingredients you can add to effectively enhance the taste of a dish.

Ironically I liken my experience of new Potts Point, Sydney showpony “Ms. G” to its namesake MSG. We Sydneysiders are a fickle bunch. Quick to try a new restaurant/bar/cafe, quicker to pack inside like sardines so there’s no option but to try and remain effortlessly chic and absolutely not squashed or sweaty as you cosy up next to a complete stranger and their skin whilst trying to hold your ground of 2cm squared and balance a cocktail and smile at the same time.

Saturday night in Sydney; 7.30pm. Let’s go to Ms. G. It’s the new Hemmes place with the chef from Lotus at Potts Point; it’s meant to be fab!! Upon arrival to its Victoria Street location, it all looks good. What must have once been a stately Victorian terrace in its day has now been gutted and warehoused into a thriving and buzzing money machine of 5 levels where plenty of people were already seated and in the throes of eating, drinking and revelling in their Saturday night sensations. People were spilling out on to the pavement, confident lasses held pens and clipboards trying to manage a growing list of names and contact numbers against a ticking clock and me and Mr EatLoveGo (ELG) barged our way through, heading up to the top level bar where friends were already patiently waiting, names on the list, passing the time sipping cocktails. “They said a table will be ready at 9pm”. Hmmm, a 90minute wait for what was supposed to be THE food to be had – that’s reasonable I guess for somewhere that has a no-booking policy, right?

Upstairs the atmosphere was going off; literally. 3 flustered bar staff were attempting to serve a growing number of patrons. Seat options were either a sunken wall lounge or low wooden stools. Others wanting to rest their feet were perched on the funky looking compacted boxes tied with string-serving as makeshift tables for drinks as maintaining more than your own personal space became a little luxury leaving your grasp. Mr ELG stepped up to the bar responsible for the next round of drinks for the group. Slowly swallowed by more and more patrons, Mr ELG disappeared into the crowd edging closer and closer to the bar and buying his round when I heard someone say “Where’s Mr ELG? Is he still at the bar getting drinks?” 45 minutes had gone by and it was obvious that Ms. G needed to get more than 3 staff manning this bar as the round had still not appeared. 15 more minutes passed and I finally saw his hand reach through the crowd with each of our drinks being passed through one by one. Mr ELG himself finally appeared; flustered being an understatement and I began to see those nasty effects of MSG starting to take its toll. To top it off, one of our group had gone downstairs to get an update from clipboard-girl and what was originally a confident “you’ll be seated by 9pm” had become “there’s still about 8 groups in front of you and it’s unlikely you will be seated before 10pm.”

Hmmm reasonable I think not and a clarity on what inevitably makes us so fickle. All it takes is just one hint of bad service or an unreasonable wait time of over 2 hours to eat or 1 hour to quench your thirst and a foul taste is left in my mouth despite a want and desire to try the newest destination in town. Running a successful restaurant that ticks all the boxes from the first day is a tough gig. I grew up with a Dad who opened many. Some worked and some didn’t. It’s not enough to have a great location, gorgeous interior, a tantalising menu, a damn good wine list and enough bodies to take the orders. Essential ingredients for success at any restaurant/cafe/bar are also the friendly and attentive staff who are honest and gracious, a point of difference to survive in our fickle, harbour-loving landscape and may I ask; who invented no bookings anyway? As someone who loves to eat and dine outside of my kitchen; I would rather hear “We’re fully booked” to “um…it’s about a 2 hour wait; give me your mobile number and I will call you when a table is ready.” Certainty is much better than hopes being dashed when no one bothers to call at all especially when you’re still at the pub down the road waiting for the phone to ring and the stomach is still rumbling.

As we left Ms. G, famished but en route to a place that took a last minute booking, conversation turned to its long-standing neighbours on Victoria Street Jimmy Liks and Mezzaluna. We all agreed Jimmy Liks has such yummy food and great cocktails and “it’s still packed after 10 years; geez they must be doing something right” and Mezzaluna has “such a great view and yummy Italian food too”. It was refreshing to realise that some destinations surpass the fickle hill and last the distance despite their neighbours changing names and paint colours every season.

I don’t know if I will go back and try to get an elusive table at Ms. G again as there are so many more places that keep popping up in Sydney town and unfortunately I am fickle just like the rest of them. For now though, I think I’ll call A Tavola, a favourite that has surpassed and is a stayer that takes bookings!

Ms. G @ 155 Victoria Street Potts Point NSW 2011

Puff Royalty

Posted on by Eatlovego

One thing Mum always taught me was to have a number of staples in the pantry or fridge just in case you don’t have anything to cook and no time to get to the shops. Therefore 9 times out of 10, I will always have eggs, pasta and puff pastry amongst other ingredients in my current possession. Strange I know, but several times I have been able to whip something up in no time at all with these bare basics. 5 years ago, I lived in Paddington, Sydney and of all things, I knew I was out of puff and had some friends popping over in 30 minutes for afternoon tea. With IGA closed and unable to buy my usual Pampas variety, I headed into Paddington Fine Foods and pondered the $19.95 price tag of some pastry called Careme. It was all fancy in a lemon-yellow rectangular box and certainly much more than the usual $4 budget and after only a couple of seconds pondering with only 20 minutes now to spare, I whipped out a twenty and I was walking home quick smart re-counting the recipe in my head.

5 years on and my man recently surprised me with a gorgeous weekend away to the Barossa for my birthday and following my love of markets, we headed to the Barossa Farmers Markets. Open each Saturday, the markets are the finest selection in the valley of all the local produce and immediately my senses were enticed the minute I entered the gates. On an A-stand up ahead, I suddenly recognised the word Careme written amongst lemon meringue, chocolate – and passion-fruit and not being able to help myself, I wandered over to the mini glass fridge showcasing its delicate pastries and tarts – all ready and shiny to eat. Looking like they had just come out of the oven, I purchased a lemon meringue tart and watched as the girl carefully lifted it out and into a tiny white cake box before taping it shut with a oval yellow sticker. Holding my prized possession upright and licking my lips with anticipation, my man only had to look at me for half a second to realise I had succumbed and found something to love and so tantalising to buy. Reaching the car, I tried to hold back but could not resist a nibble or more like the whole tart, instantly savouring the sweetness of the lemon curd and the lightness of the Careme pastry and the Paddington memory came flooding back. Based in Tanunda, S.A. and owned by locals, William and Claire Wood, Careme is named after the famous Patissier, Antonin Careme (1783-1833) and after devouring the lemon meringue tart, I now know in reflection that it was definitely worth every last cent of that $19.95.

Thrice cooked recipe

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Keeping to my love of mushrooms, I have now made this one-pot-wonder mushroom risotto three times and as a sign of success, my man has licked the plate clean each time. With the Junior Masterchef craze about to take off this weekend, Coles has certainly lifted its game in providing shoppers with an excellent variety of mushrooms from the stringy enochi to the crunchy oyster variety to the standard button. Risotto is known to be a bit difficult to cook in terms of getting the balance right with having the right amount of stock, the constant stirring motion and keeping the rice moist and not too al dente and with this quick recipe I can definitely confirm that it makes risotto-making a breeze. Using a heap of whatever combination of mushrooms you desire, brown them in some butter and place into a bowl. With some more butter add 1 chopped brown onion and 2 cloves of crushed garlic to the mushroom pot and stir until soft before adding 2 cups of alborio rice and a dash of dry white wine. Stir briefly before adding 3 cups of hot chicken stock and return the browned mushrooms. Cover the pot tightly with foil and place into a preheated oven at 180 degrees celsius. Bake for 25 mins and just before serving, stir through some chopped chives and a handful of freshly grated parmesan. Season with pepper and you will have guaranteed deliciousness!

first feed at Fergburger

Posted on by Eatlovego

I’m not really a fan of Jetstar or any low-frill airline for that matter. Yes, I get the whole bargain-basement-methodology when there are offers like $207 fares enticing you to be your own Hawaii 5-0 but when I travel I am partial to a bit of luxury and the very minimum I expect is a personal inflight entertainment screen, a seat where there is a gap between by knees and the next seat and a free cookie to keep my sugar levels spritely. Unfortunately on a recent leg from Sydney to Queenstown, I ate my words and boarded a Pacific Blue flight and after 3 hours of flight time, a patient wait for my red suitcase and an even longer wait to collect the keys to the hire car; I was, you could say more than chomping at the bit for some sustenance and given the absence of cookie, I was definitely in need of more than a couple of crumbs.

First stop – Fergburger.

One thing that Masterchef has done quite successfully after two record-breaking seasons is to build the celebrity-esque reputations of many a restaurant around. Our tastebuds are searching for signature dishes, savouring speciality flavours and giving their chefs Hollywood Boulevard status. Move over Quay and put your snow egg snowball to the side so you can make enough room on the plate and in the stomach for a Fergburger because the likes of a Little Lamby, Big Al or a Cockadoodle Oink are certainly not for the faint-hearted.

Go to Shotover Street, follow the beanie/ear-muff/puffa jacket crowd and cram inside to get in line for a super-heart stopper. The burgers are massive in taste and size, prices range between NZ $10-16.50 and the funny thing is – at the end, the only thought on your mind is when will you be back for more?

Fergburger @ 42 Shotover Street, Queenstown 9300 New Zealand

the importance of that first meal of the day

Posted on by Eatlovego

Ask most nutritionists “what is the most important meal of the day” and the answer that will likely roll off their tongues is that breakfast is the most important meal of the day. Most weekdays, breakfast for me on limited time consists of a smoothie made lovingly by my man which is quickly slurped down before I rush out the door and run for the bus. So when I wake up on a Saturday with far more time and the tummy is quietly rumbling, I immediately start to think what’s for breakfast? Do I poach some eggs with spinach and pancetta on some lightly buttered rye at home or do I throw some clothes on and hurry out the door to explore the big wide world of cafes at my fingertips?

This morning my man and I did the latter option and scurried around the corner to try the recently opened Caffe Dieci on Mallett Street, Camperdown Sydney. Having heard great things about this hole in the wall I was eager to see what would be on the menu to choose from. Sometimes I love a great french toast drizzled in copious amounts of maple syrup and other times, I can’t go past eggs with an assortment of sides. As I was sitting there waiting for my poached eggs, I started thinking about other breakfasts that I’ve eaten; those memorable ones that make you salivate just at the thought. Cafe Sweethearts in South Melbourne with their poached eggs and rosti obviously rates up there as my previous blog entry will attest to but locally I can never go past Flat White Cafe on Jersey Road in Woollahra and their brioche french toast or salmon omlette. Recently I also went to Bitton in Erskineville and ordered their ultimate breakfast which was poached eggs with hollandaise sauce on a bed of spinach and smoked Black Forest ham. My man ordered the exact same thing and as soon as it was placed on the table, both of us had basically inhaled it in a matter of 5 minutes, it was that good!

Back to Caffe Dieci and poached eggs with a side of prosciutto and halloumi arrived. I admit I wasn’t overwhelmed and the plate after I finished was certainly not spotless as it had been at Bitton. The eggs were a tad dry and I know I am a bit of a harsh critic, but there was no wow factor especially for the $15 charge. However the coffee was good and it was service with a smile so given its literally-around-the-corner factor I feel it will get a second chance in a couple of weekends or so…

Breakfast to me is important and no I haven’t just been to see a nutritionist. In fact it’s a critical and essential part of my weekend but then so is lunch and dinner and snacks in between because if you haven’t figured this out already, I just love to eat. Tomorrow, I think I will just play it safe and settle for some eggs at home.

Call me Homer

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I have quite an acute sense of smell and came to this sole conclusion as I was pounding the pavements along George Street, Sydney. Amongst all of the random whiffs of garbage, lingering deodorants, bad BO and greasy Maccas smells, a familiar smell floated past my nose. It was unmistakable, instantly recognisable and barely lasted a second and as I looked around trying to search for the source, I realised I was definitely having a bit of a Homer Simpson moment. Now, I am the first to admit that I have never been a big Simpsons fan but I do know that Homer loves donuts and this is what I have in common with the big yellow fella.

For a mere second the whiff of cinnamon donuts stopped me in my tracks. It’s that hot-just-piped-batter-and-rolled-in-cinnamon-smell that takes me back to being a child after school and eating one from Donut King for afternoon tea. I lick my lips now at the thought of eating a fresh and hot cinnamon donut!

Now, I realise that donuts are not the healthiest snack and don’t think that this is an everyday snack for me as I definitely consider them to be more of a treat. As the cinnamon smell whooshed on by, I had a good  think about when I had last savoured the taste….Australia Day; 26 January 2010 – I was in Byron Bay for the long weekend. Strolling around with my niece and her boyfriend, they both suddenly turned around to my man and I and adamantly insisted that we eat a Byron Bay Organic Donut. “An institution”, they cried. “A must!” Shaped more like a long churros than a circle with a hole, the Byron Bay Organic Donut ticked the rest of the boxes in being hot and crispy, doused in cinnamon and finger-licking good. It was with sadness that I learnt recently that the shop had closed down on Lawson Street however I have been assured that their stall does make regular appearances around the local markets.

Admitting to a love of donuts makes me feel a bit sheepish and slightly bogan. But on second thoughts, I am a proud donut lover and the holey cinnamon circles sit up there with my other bogan loves of iced vovos, toobs, meat pies and passiona. Homer, I’m right there standing beside you!