For the love of cheese

Cheese, cheese, cheese, YES I love it all. From the full flavoured sharp hard body to the soft oozy creamy cheese that coats the cracker with ease. Round shiny waxed giant jewels to the stamped, labelled, sealed logs and matte yellow boulder discs. The veins of blue running through a Roquefort or Stilton, fresh shavings of Parmigiano-Reggiano lacing my pasta bowl. The melted raclette, a bubbling melting heaven smothering my crispy fried potatoes.  Soft ricotta, warm with a sprinkle of sugar, grilled saganaki, a glistening slab of feta atop a Greek salad or the breaking of burrata on my summer Caprese.

“I just love them. cooking, eating, looking, making, buying, storing and sharing in these dairy culinary delights is an experience I always enjoy.
A must have.”

I admit I have been spoilt over the years with a taste of many cheeses from around the world. Living in England for many years working and holidays in Europe, cheese was always high on the hit list. A crusty baguette, bottle of wine and a selection of cheese anywhere in France is a divine meal in itself. So many to try.

Australia has come a long way in its artisan production with many a cheese maker putting in the time, effort and love to produce some fine cheeses. We are very lucky, along with the promise of even better selections to come.  Too damn good.

The creamier, softer, whiter cheeses are my weakness. Don’t get me wrong an aged cheddar, Dutch firm pale goats cheese and of course any type of Parmesan can make my day complete. But the smelly, over ripe, softened cheese will turn my day around. The soft fluffy cloud like mould that coats and encompasses this sensation you are about to indulge in, makes me go weak at the knees.  Over ripe, YES. Hint, buy your cheese, store it till it is well ripe, bring to room temperature and enjoy.

This country has unfortunately put to many restrictions on cheese consumption, hence not teaching us to experience it at its best. Along with not letting producers produce at its best, bloody health and safety restrictions. We have been making cheese without all these restrictions for 100’s of years and it has been OK. I mean, we have grown as a species, haven’t we. What’s their problem?? Anyway stop ranting. Do yourself a favour and buy quick sale and eat out of date.

“Rule of thumb. In any food situation, if it doesn’t taste right DON’T EAT IT!!!!”

My baked Camembert and Brie

Coming into the warmer months, entertaining, balmy outdoor evenings and late night snacks or excellent for the picnic hamper, my recipe for baked Camembert or brie is a winner. It turns what I feel an average, OK, cheap and cheerful cheese into a damn fine cheese dish. Here it is.

 Recipe

Baked Camembert

Ingredients

Besides a Camembert or Brie small wheel cheese there are no set ingredients/ rules in this one. What you like, what you’ve got, combos that tickle your fancy is what it’s gonna be.

My favourites are...

Chorizo, roasted red pepper and caramelized onions

Smoked salmon, horseradish and sautéed leeks

Smoked leg ham, chives and pineapple (fresh) an Aussie combo fav

Honey roasted pumpkin, toasted pinenuts and spring onions

Salami, wilted spinach and sundried tomato

Roasted garlic, sautéed mushrooms and sage

Delicious for afters.. Brandy soaked apricots, sliced almonds and cranberries

Sliced pears, thyme and walnuts

And the list goes on……

“If your not sure, ask me. That’s what this is all about.”

Method

Take a small Camembert or Brie and slice in ½. Keep chilled till ready to fill, easier to handle cold.

Whatever the filling you choose dice small so as when the cheese is scooped up, you get a bit of everything. Then layer the fillings on one half, then top.

Lightly spray a piece of grease proof paper, pop cheese in the centre and wrap. Then encase in foil.

Place in the oven, microwave or even the warm summer sun and let melt, ooze and create magic. Approx.10-15 mins in 180 depending on your oozy requirements. Rind will be tender and cheese soft inside.

Serve with crackers, toasted crusty bread, crudities or grissini.

Note these cheesy delights freeze really well. Great to have on hand for the last minute cheese hit. Place the greaseproof papered cheese in cling film and freeze.

Other ideas.

To vamp up this divine treat

This cheese is stunning when served in a wooden cheese box. Personally I eat these cheeses as is. I feel with this recipe, adding so much flavour you don’t need the fancy box cheese. I keep a couple of empty boxes on hand.

To serve, top with fresh herbs, maybe a drizzle of honey, sprinkle of roasted nuts. Let the imagination flow, amazing. Not sure, ASK ME, again, that’s what this is all about.

Another serving suggestion is to wrap the cheese in prosciutto . Looks amazing. Place un-wrapped cheese on grease proof lined tray and bake till prosciutto a little crisp.

For a true culinary show stopper, place the filled cheese in puff pastry, egg wash and bake. Talk about looking fancy and as for taste, well think about it.

Summary

Buy a couple of cheap cheese rounds, stuff em, bake em and eat em. Let me know how you go. Most of all enjoy.

Kitchen confidential

Behind the swinging doors in a commercial kitchen is another world. A world some love some, some loathe.  A world where the personal boundaries are different, work college’s standards are different and friendships are different.  Why? Pressure, heat, danger, timing, frantic speed, stress and most of all more pressure. When the love is there and it’s got to be bloody love, it’s is then a hectic high, an adrenaline rush and a food junkie’s maximum hit. What a buzz of sheer pleasure from the start of service to the just wicked moment when the remanding last dockets are spiked.

With this all in mind it’s easy to understand the language chefs often speak can be crude, offending and even just dam wrong to the outside world.  As I have said before a commercial kitchen is not for the light hearted.  It’s a hot ‘n’ greasy, fast paced, high stress, dangerous environment. We count on each other to bring it together, make it happen. But at the same time take the piss, humour each other and see past the small talk. What goes on behind those doors stays behind those doors.

Maybe its years of handling, cutting and pulling apart an array of dead animals or the holy hell stress of making it through a busy service, maybe it’s the late nights and weird sleep patterns, maybe it’s the knock off beer that turns into more than one. Whatever it is, it happens all over the world. Trust me!

Yes there is a strong love, an admiration for your fellow team mates. We need to flow together, cook together and push those dockets through. Sending out table after table of perfectly cooked cuisine. This united determination brings us together in a 3 hour service of absolute mayhem. Body parts, privates and all are bumped, rubbed, pushed, poked, cut, burnt and scored. The small place, the line-up, where all the meals come together, our ballet is performed. It’s inevitable you are going to come in contact with each other. Mentally, spiritually and verbally and defiantly not very politely.    I have many scars from many burns to prove this.

Another team mate, another chef, can take the Mickey out of you to almost tears, tell jokes that will make you squirm and scar you for life and it’s all just another day in the office. It’s just the way we roll.

To me we are a team. A very strong team, all as important as each other. From the Head chef to the dishwasher, we are all needed to perform our own ballet to unite us as one. Hard-core and rude but it’s a family rude, kitchen family rude, in a strange way lovable, acceptable rude. Acceptable scars, acceptable crudeness, acceptable family love. It’s just who we are.

A chef family, my chef family and I love them all.

The smiles of men in Dubai market

The gorgeous smiles from the men in Dubai as I took photos of the lamb’s heads and hoofs, their ocean catch and truly amazing beautiful produce. The culinary delights from the surrounding oceans, both fresh and dried. The known, the curious and the wouldn’t have a clue of their daily fare produce. The selection and taste of the dates still rings sweet in my mouth and the friendly smiling reception will be forever in my heart.

Think the smiles and laughter was the humour they found in my fascination for the market produce. From the seafood, fruits and slaughtered animals, hanging animals. Don’t expect they get many western women wandering around for hours, taking so many pictures.  So many heads and hoofs, it got me thinking what do they do with them? Surely not just for stocks and soups, way to many. I have herd of a few head dishes, the Italian Easter delicacy Capuzzelle- lamb’s head alla barese and of course Fergus Henderson highly recommends a head dish or two.

So me, being me, my hunt began. It was only a short stop over so I didn’t have a lot of time. Where, when and how would I find the Dubai version of this delicacy. Well, talk about pure luck, our last evening I found a little café around from the hotel in the old part of town, had to stay near the market, old town, for me the best of Dubai . There it was on the breakfast menu. Head and foot stew. Back to the hotel after dinner my mind was so excited for the breakfast that I was to wake to.

It’s a food junkie thing!

Morning arrived and off to indulge. The café was filled military, emergency services and local business men alike.  No other tourists. The essential vibe I found vigarating. I was about to try this dish that had been on my mind for many hours, very excited. Not to mention the array of chilli sauces on the breakfast table, my kind of setting. Dining where the locals go, you know it’s going to be the real deal, not reinvented dish for the tourist. I did receive a strange glance of are you sure from the waiter then I ordered. Ok I understand this kind of dish is not everyone’s cup of tea, but god it mine. It was delicious, soft tender slow cook meat on the bone giving it the mouth coating a gelatinous meat of these cuts will do. Seasoning was stunning and yes may be a weirdo, but got a case of the giggles when I came across the tooth/nail, not to sure. Funny what turns you on. I highly recommend giving it a go. You would eat the lamb rack or leg roast without any hesitation. Why not just try. You never know till you give it a go.

 Often with chefs, the strange and unusual dishes excites us as we have cooked so many of the others, so many time before. The unusual, the offal, the how the hell it that going to work come together dishes is what we require. When dinning out I want to be surprised, delighted, learn something and have a good old sticky beak as to their take on food trends. Markets and market cafes are a promised place for these desires. Local produce cooked the authentic way. Basic really, when you think about it.

These dishes have been cooked for so many years, why?
BECAUSE THEY TASTE GOOD.    Get it !!

Let's get spicy

I have always had a love, passion and admiration for the spice world, but to hold a spice masterclass was to say the least overwhelming. What an amazing world, from the colours, aromas and headiness of these beautiful ingredients and there is still so much to learn, create and share.  I was blown away, inspired and. So what do spices mean to me? A huge slice of history, a statement of culinary creation, a blend of the exotic. The difference between a plain dish and something extraordinary.  So let’s get spicy!

The unknown language and misinterpretation of this spice joy made me realise I had to present with knowledge, passion and culinary flair. The studying, the blending, the taste testing of notes and ideas was all coming together. As I unpacked the spices for my masterclass I realised, YES I am a food junkie. Bags and bags of these amazing powders, berries, stems and barks. I looked down on the array before me, around the world in 5 mins, fast track the 80 days.  Oh what a joy it was. The vibrancy of colours really do rock my world.

 Grinding, roasting, blending and creating these intoxicating spices to someone like me is porn. Pure pleasure porn. 

  As you place a spoon of this and that, it laces the bowl with colours, smells and textures. Then as one stirs these together, knowing the outcome is going to be mind-blowing.Taking the blends, coating produce in this powered potion you have created, again orgasmic.

From the Deep South, southern fried chicken to the headiness of the streets of India, yes this list could go on and on…. spices will intoxicate you into a world of culinary exploration

In class I had the pleasure of showcasing my Dukkah, Ras el hanout and curry blend to name a few. These were all served in different ways from dips, chicken winglets and spiced peanuts. Once you learn how to blend spices the options are endless. From the BBQ, to tagines and curries. One delightful and excellent added bonus which came from the spice class was the personal given permission (not that I really ever need an excuse) to expand my personal spice collection. Just brilliant!!  So get spicy and don’t stop!

One amazing spice mix tasted was my Persian blend. This was coated over chicken wings and roasted till tender, succulent and juicy. Just divine. If like me you just can’t get enough.

So as promised here’s the recipe.

Persian spice blend

• 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1 teaspoon ground white pepper
• 2 teaspoon turmeric
• 2 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 ½ teaspoon amchur powder (ground mango powder)
• 1 teaspoon ground coriander
• 1 teaspoon sea salt

Method

Blend all spices together. Excellent for a base in soups and casseroles. Add to onions when frying. I love it on chicken and seafood. Cayenne pepper can be added for those who love a touch of heat. Also mix with whole egg mayonnaise for delish crab dip. Use as dry rub or blend with oil for wet.

Treat yourself to a taste of Persia.

Mag Time

One of my most inspiring past times is to “sort the mags” As a food junkie, I buy, subscribe and obtain any cooking mag I can. Not all the dishes, at times are rocking the boat but they take me on an adventure. Like old classics turn into new adventures.

About 3 years ago the piles and piles of magazines were taking over the house. And just starting to piss my partner off. As I am already in trouble with the book collection, something had to be done. Well I couldn’t part with them, have a lot of trouble parting with anything food orientated.

My “sort the Mag” ritual is flicking through each page and pulling the recipes out that I have to keep. Then punch holed and put into folders. My personal re-cycle style cookbooks.

What this creates is a collections of recipes from countries afar, entrees, mains, bakes, BBQ’s. From truffle risotto to croquembouche, chilled gazpacho to macaroons. It’s a natural high as I rip, punch and file. Recipe after recipe flashing before my eyes. Removing the ads and no longer required articles give me a bang bang book. Just love it.

I must one day make my paste and scrapbook collections. Days never long enough. As I mentioned before I can’t bring myself to throw these recipes away. Shit just had to rewind the TV, yes there is a cooking show on in the back ground. Homemade chiko rolls. I have a seafood restaurant and a 70’s Heston style (not quite so out there though) hot box special has been on my mind. I’m feeling the chiko roll being, leek, scallop and prawn with sautéed savoy cabbage encased in homemade pastry with side of lemon myrtle remoulade.

So back to the paste books. My Mum and Brother send the Epicurean to me and as I travel I collect cuttings of recipes, need to keep them, they have to stay with me. One day I will get around to the paste books, but for now I can only just keep up with the mags. So much knowledge so little time.

Must get to the keepsake articles I have collected one day too. One day, one day, one day. Now what’s for lunch?

Tip. Cheap way to make one yourself is check out the charity shops

Create your own amazing, inspirational, totally mouth-watering bang bang get cooking book 

Picnic time

One of my favourite picnics occasions is to head off for breakfast, well it can even be brunch but an early start, and it’s a winner. So when a very good friend, Lucy Hockham asked me to write about a picnic, this one came straight to mind. Fresh crisp morning air, park area to yourself, sense of freedom, walk before or after, swim if it’s warm enough or lazy around on the picnic rug reading a good cookbook. We have an amazing lagoon where I live, but the beach, river, creek, dam, forest, park all just perfect.

Ok so you can take a premade breakfast. Frittata, granola, Danish, egg and bacon sarnies, fruit and yoghurt jar, muffins, smoothies, waffles, slice, pancakes, rolled omelette, cereal, kedgeree, just to name a few. All easy, yummy and delish but for me the joy of cooking breakfast in the great outdoors on a BBQ, gas cooker, open fire if allowed,  whatever it is it does become a magical special occasion.

A grab and go picnic hamper is a must for any household. I really suggest to vamp it up though. You need more than just plates, cutlery and glasses. Fit it with salt and pepper, tongs, egg flip, good knife, tea towel, paper towel, chux wipes, oil and mine has chilli flakes. Can’t leave home without them. When the basics are in the hamper it makes a last minute impromptu picnic craving easy peasy for you to please. Grab your desired breaky produce and off you go. Can be simple or can be extravagant depends on how you roll. Pretty much comes down to being planned or not.

The early start, although early in the industry means at least double figures, even that for some that is very early, more pm style. Personally the older I get the earlier I rise, so early it is and so dam worth it. The crispness of the morning, the quietness of the morning, is, well, a magical picnic time.

So get the hamper ready, buy some breaky delights and plan a day. Set the alarm and have a bloody amazing time

PS. Banana and blueberry daiquiris, one of course, can make it even more special, pre made and then re-shaken I recommend.

Pss.  Mark, my partner recommends one of the eskies with blender attached. Well maybe on the Christmas list?

The moment of creation

Every now and then a recipe idea will pop into my head… ok it’s often! Generally it starts with an ingredient. One that is just so amazingly fresh, sitting there saying buy me, create with me, it’s my season, my time to shine. Chefs finds themselves in this situation often… stock rotation, needing to make room in the cool room in preparation for the next delivery, over ordering, over excitement, or my vice: hunting and gathering. Never do I go to a farmers market, supermarket, butcher, vegie shop or wherever and walk away with just what I need. There is always something that catches my eye, speaks to me. Yes, as sensibly insane as it sounds. Food does talk. I often make this simple to my apprentices by making them listen to a tomato sauce that has turned. The acid in the tomatoes, when gone, will bubble. Making a noise. The best way to spot this is to listen!

So this one autumn morning, there I am confronted with these amazing big pale green fennel bulbs with its feathery fronds, touching out to a darker green. So tasty, crispy and ready for my salad that willl accompany the Atlantic salmon I am having for lunch. Flown up fresh from Tasmania, it’s on my personal menu weekly. But do I buy one bulb, NO… it looks too damn good. So home I go, lunch is enjoyed and the other two bulbs are stored away.

It’s not often I eat the same thing many days in a row, to many other ‘talk to me’ ingredients out there. So a couple of days pass, fennel still looking great. Glancing at the bulbs I think I can roast it, braise it, soup it, make a stuffing, sauce it, but none of these are hitting home. March in the tropics can still be quite warm, maybe salsa it? Then it hits, pesto. Can’t be the standard kind, I want the fennel to shine more. The ideas start popping. Smoked almonds, lemon, garlic, smoked paprika and citrus.

Fresh, fragrant and tasty, fennel is perfect with seafood and owning a seafood restaurant I love and eat it often. Or for our next BBQ weather its chicken, lamb, anything. An antipasti platter or cheese platter, stirred through some pasta with slices of Morton Bay bugs… endless options! As it turns out it goes very well with itself. (I find a lot of wines do this too, go very well with themselves!) It is in fact so good I brought a special notebook, record the recipe and plan to put in my future cookbook that one day I’ll write. For now I will pour a glass of Riesling, gather a plate of sliced prosciutto, selection of cheeses and a side dish of the pesto. Cut some slices of crusty baguette and enjoy. I’m also going to try a mustard cabbage pesto later today. One of my favourite ingredients at the moment. Will let you know how it goes…

Buon appetito

Ingredients

• 1 medium- large fennel bulb
• ½ bunch dill
• 1 cup smoked almonds
• 1 tablespoon smoked salt
• 3 cloves of garlic
• 1 teaspoon white ground pepper
• Juice of ½ lemon

Blend with roasted garlic oil (1 & 1/2 cups  olive oil that has been brought to simmer with 6 cloves of garlic, reserve garlic for best garlic butter ever!

For best results, if you can, let sit for a day or 2 for the flavours to marry, delish!

The Soul of the City

To stumble, search and hunt for a food market in any city is like day care for me. I can spend literally hours and hours in them. Whether it’s a hustling market in Dubai, a street corner in France, a sheer adventure in Thailand or a leisurely stroll around Borough Market in London with a glass of wine in hand. I mean how civilized (bloody Australian fun police) on my last visit to Borough market I visited the oyster mam 13 times, matched with a crisp glass of Muscadet, (no, not as many visits to the wine stand!) The oysters were so fresh, chucked to order and I couldn’t get enough. Still I’m thinking of my next visit to slurp and slide some of these salty, sweet, creamy, treasures from the ocean. I even had the opportunity to try a fresh clam, OMG so hunting them out again next time.

Markets are the soul of any city.

Finding an array of Charcuterie in France and compiling a picnic lunch is absolute heaven. A divine selection of roulades, saucisson, foie gras, rillettes and some terrines. As for the French baguette, sorry nobody make one better. It’s usually a rolling lunch from one day to the next, adding and consuming these culinary delights it’s a sheer dose of pleasure. Oh and some fresh salad items and fruits are added to the daily spread.

The giggles and just bloody fun times of the markets in Thailand. The language barrier adds to the chuckling entertainment I enjoy. They are just so helpful, happy, vibrant and love to sell you their wares. So proud of the smile you give them as you taste their delicacies. The bright and beautiful displays, full of tropical, the unknown and just dam yum.

Victoria Markets in Melbourne, rows and rows of heaven. I grew up in Melbourne so I do try and visit often these markets often. Friends always ask about the shopping, did I do any? Of course, no shoes, handbags or clothes though… are you kidding? No room for this kind of stuff! Its always food and I’m always in fear of being over my weight allowance flying back to the Whitsundays.  Quail eggs, rabbit, cheese, wild mushrooms, black pudding, wagu steak, are a selection of all-time favourites. When I’m in Melbourne I also always visit my favourite shop in Johnston Street, Casa Iberica Deli to purchase a collection of dried chillies, quince paste, jamón ibérico, custard tarts and spices. Homewood bound with a case of accelerating times ahead. The problem I can have with the other markets of the world, is no kitchen to create with the fresh produce – which isn’t easy for a girl like me.

The gorgeous smiles from the men in Dubai... as I took phots of the lamb’s heads and hoofs, their ocean catch and beautiful produce. I think their smiles and laughter was the humour they found in my fascination for the hanging animals. I don’t expect they get many western women wandering around for hours, taking pics. The selection and taste of the dates still rings sweet in my mouth.

Meandering through the market squares in Italy, just wicked. Loudly raised selling techniques of the Italian vendors. The almost heated sounds of banter, which produce is the best and then how it should be used. Of course everyone’s Nona make the best.

It’s like an opera to my ears.

As Rick Stein says, to find a fantastic restaurant is to try one around a market square. This never rang as true as one we found in Florence. Where the locals go. It was here I fell in love with tripe - one ingredient I thought I never liked. Well the Italians set this right. This restaurant was just so bloody amazing, well a local market cafe really but Italian style.

Passing back through Florence on the train to Rome it was so good it was worth the gamble of missing the connecting train and then possibly the plane to run through the cobbled streets, suitcases in toe - we made it 10 longing minutes before they opened - had another hit and made it back to the train on time, just. Was it worth it - hell yeah!

So the Market songs are sung, the produce distributed, the community and restauranteurs come together in the lane way, squares, old market plots. The laughter, smiles, bargaining and deals have and will continue to carry on I hope forever. This is one little piggy who loves to go to market!

The adrenaline rush of commercial kitchen service is a hit like no other.

It’s not for the soft or weak hearted. It’s a 3-4 hour nonstop mayhem and I just LOVE it!!  As it starts to heat up, orders are coming in, pans are ready to sear and seal. The heart starts racing, fryers starting to bubble away, stock pots simmering. The grill starts to flare, flames kissing the steak fat as it drips down on to the coals. Plates start clanking as they hit the bench and the others being restacked for the next round. The dishwasher door plunges down and down again. The cycle never stops.

Hype is building, nervous tension filling the air. The calm before the storm is coming to an end. When will the eye hit, how many covers, how many mouths fed. Will it go smoothly, this depends on how the orders roll. Same menu but what and when it is ordered can turn a thunderstorm into a cyclone.

The spills, the splutters, the burns and the sheer danger, it adds to the thrilling buzz that’s now running through my veins. You can’t stop, you have to keep going. If one chef stops you’re fucked! It’s a ballet of fusion, tempers, stress and passion. We are a team and must flow together.

The moment when you look up at the docket rack and it’s so full, order after order. There is also a pile on the back bench that you can’t even cast a thought to now. Heads down and cook. A flood of fear can come over, holly shit am I going to make this. Not even a flicker of light at the end of the tunnel. You know you must there is no alternative. Burn yourself, get over it. Need a toilet break, yeah right? Just let your passion flow, your training set in and keep going.

The feeling of accelerating fear and love for what you do keeps you on track. Slowly the dockets start to be fulfilled.  Waitresses return with customer compliments. Yes it’s worth it. You can see that you and your team are going to make it. Scars, burns, sweat and tears aside. It’s coming together.

Spike the docket and out the meals go.  You look around and see a beautiful sight of an amazing team that have gone beyond and delivered amazing meals, cooked to perfection. A team that unites together in moments of sheer madness. You have to love it as I said it’s not a job for the weak hearted. It’s for a person who loves madness and a hard core work environment. Happy to give up their weekend, social life, family gatherings. A person who thrives on high stress sessions. A person who not only loves food but loves making others happy.  No wonder most of us are adrenaline junkies.

I wouldn’t change it for the world.

Now let’s draw the curtains and let another show begin. Yes, in hospitality we are all performing, making your moment special.