Campion & Curtis Newsletter - February 2008
Welcome to the first edition of the C&C newsletter for 2008.
We hope everyone had a restful break and time to recharge over Christmas and New Year. As we're already heading into February, holidays are
probably a fast fading memory for many of you. Well there is plenty coming up over the next few weeks to gladden the heart of any food and wine lover.
This late summer - early autumn period is packed with excellent events to get along to - particularly in and around Melbourne with Grape Grazing in the Yarra Valley,
Bright and Sandy Festival and
of course the Melbourne Food and Wine Festival. There's also a harvest of fresh ingredients to be buying and enjoying with.
So let's get into 2008 with gusto - remember there's an entire year of great dining ahead!
Summer produce
Seasonal ingredients are those which appear naturally throughout the year. They offer the very best in flavour, which makes the cook's job really easy.
It's also produce which is of the very best quality, offers great value for money and is usually readily available. The ingredients which fit the bill at present
include
radishes (like the beautiful bunches photographed here). Also juicy cucumbers and capsicums, plus sweet corn, fennel, green beans, zucchini and
of course tomatoes. On the fruit side of things there's beautiful berries to enjoy (checkout the blackberry ripple cheesecake recipe down below) early grapes,
fragrant mangoes, refreshing melons, peaches and early plums. All good things which are not to be missed - otherwise you'll have to wait until they're in season again next year!
Melbourne Food & Wine Festival 2008
February 22nd will herald the beginning of two weeks of amazing foodie events as the annual Melbourne Food & Wine Festival hits town again. This year's program is again
filled with a huge array of over 200 diverse events across the suburbs and regional Victoria. Favourites like Celebrate the Bean, Cellar Door
at Southgate, World's Longest Lunch, Restaurant Express and Masterclass at The Langham Hotel are back with a vengeance.
There are lots of great new ideas too like the Great Aussie BBQ day at Federation Square on Sat 1st March, lots of interesting CBD based events such as
Rooftops & Laneways, A City Classroom plus Drink & the city.
A Taste of Slow has also made the move from winter to become a substantial part of the festival.
Join Slow Food at Federation Square the weekend of Friday 22nd - Sunday 24th for free public talks in the BMW Edge space, there are Slow Films showing at ACMI,
plus the Slow Food Marketplace on the Saturday and Sunday and kids activities at the nearby ArtPlay. One event in particular to enjoy is the Native Food Showcase
on Sunday 24th to be held in The Atrium. The aim of this free event is to showcase native ingredients and allow visitors to learn how to use, taste, and grow native
plants. Plants such as quandongs, native mints, lemon myrtle, wattleseed and many more species. There will also be an opportunity to taste and purchase native food
products from a range of growers and manufacturers. Chefs including Juleigh Robins and Andrew Fielke will be demonstrating many uses for these native foods at the
Live Kitchen. There's also a Taste of Slow dinner to attend, plus regional events throughout the state.
So many good things to do and explore!
Full festival details and booking information is available on the MF&WF website.
21st Yarra Valley Grape Grazing Festival
The Yarra Valley Grape Grazing is turning 21 - and to celebrate the festival has been extended to a two week celebration. Events will be held from
Saturday 9th to Monday 18th February - and will offer a wide variety of degustation dinners, gourmet cooking classes, and of course the traditional Grape Grazing
weekend on Saturday 16th – Sunday 17th February. Visit Balgownie Estate Vineyard Resort and Spa for slow roasted scotch fillet, grilled teriyaki chicken and smoked
Buxton trout matched with their exceptional Yarra Valley chardonnay and pinot noir. There's also Five Oaks Vineyard who will kick off their Grape Grazing experience with
egg and bacon rolls from mid-morning and red wine marinated beef sandwiches or BBQ Thai-style calamari paired with Five Oaks wines at lunch.
As part of the new festival format, Evelyn County Estate will be hosting an organic degustation dinner featuring 7 courses of local and seasonal produce matched to
7 varieties of Evelyn County Estate wines. Grape Grazing weekend passes (16 - 17 February) are available for $40 per person. Grape Grazing events are priced individually and can be purchased direct
through venues. Information and booking details for the Grape Grazing weekend and events is available on the Grape Grazing website.
For enquiries call (03) 5962 6600.
IWDA Feast 2008
For over 20 years, the International Women's Development Agency (IWDA) has worked with more than 100 grassroots organisations in the developing world, to support and
advance the life choices and well being of women and their families. These projects are devised and managed by women who live and work in the communities themselves,
which fosters practical and innovative responses to the issues women's view as most critical. A special fundraising dinner has been organised for Sunday 2nd March which will see
thirty of Melbourne's leading female chefs gathering at The Hyatt Hotel to celebrate International Women's Day 2008 with a veritable feast. Karen Batson - Cookie,
Cath Claringbold - Mecca Bah, Michelle Curtis - Campion and Curtis, Louise Lechte and Suzanne Blades - Peninsula Savvy, Cath Maguire - Soul Mama, Rosa Mitchell -
Journal Canteen and Patrizia Simone - Simone's of Bright to name just a few. The dinner is a part of the Melbourne Food and Wine Festival, and aims to raise funds
for future projects in Papua New Guinea. Bookings and more info is available on the IWDA website.
Bright 'n' Sandy Food and Wine Festival 2008
This annual Bayside celebration will be bigger and better than ever in 2008. Allan will again be hosting the food stage where many of the cities best chefs will be demonstrating
their skills. Top presentors include Andrew O'Hara (Phillippa's), Richard Seymour (Mt Zero Olives), Daniel Airoldi (The French Corner) and Frank Camorra (Movida), plus international
guest chef, Luigi Sartini, from Baysides' sister city of San Marino. Other food demonstration areas will offer children's cooking classes and chocolatier
Arno Backes (ex Koko Black) will be hosting chocolate tastings.
There will also be many food and wine stalls and terrific entertainement, including headline act Deborah Conway. Come on down and say hello.
Sunday 24th February - Green Point, The Esplanade Brighton. Further details are available online.
New York, New York
A request has come in from a recent food tour attendee (Barbara J) is planning a trip to New York - and is looking for advice on where to eat, bars to drink in,
which food stores to visit, perhaps any terrific food tours - and even recommendations on the best food guides and websites. It's a joint birthday celebration and they're keen to
ensure they don't miss a thing. Barbara has promised to report back on how the trip goes - - so any thoughts on what to see, eat, drink, taste and visit would be much appreciated.
To send a New York suggestion email here.
Food on film
Changes in technology are providing so many opportunities for people to get online with food related PR of events, books, tours and such like.
There is no doubt this is just the beginning of food on the web, although sometimes the downloads seem more like slow moving country tracks
rather than the information super highway. But hey, it's a start. Here is a smattering of recent releases for your viewing pleasure.
Cheese Slices - Information was included in our October 2007 newsletter about the welcome return of Will Studd's award winning cheese bible. Now titled Cheese Slices
(previously published as Chalk and Cheese) it provides cheese lovers with an amazing look at cheese from around the world. There's now a terrific website which
brings together information from the book plus clips from his TV series Cheese Slices. Well worth a look for cheese lovers and includes a featured Clip from DVD 3 of
The Basque - Ossau Iraty Cheese. Visit Cheese Slices here.
Chocolate Rush - Those who made the trip to Bendigo last August were treated to the inaugural Chocolate Rush Festival. Well in 2008 this year the event is heading to
Melbourne and we'll bring you all the news ahead of time in the C&C newsletter. To whet you appetite checkout the terrific movie from the 2007 event created by
Richard Cornish from Food TV. View Chocolate Rush 2007 on YouTube here.
Melbourne Food Tours - There have been a number of mini buses whizzing around Melbourne over summer filled with food and wine lovers.
If you would like to come along on an upcoming Foodies' Bus tour tour dates include March 15th, April 19th and May 24th. Bookings and more info is available on the
Melbourne Food tours website.
Junior members of the Campion Curtis clan (i.e.those who know how to do these things) have been following the food tours recently and have put together a
mini movie of what it's like to attend. Don't miss the bloopers at the end of the clip. View the Melbourne Food Tours movie here.
Melbourne City Pods - Nelson Oliver has been quietly interviewing various people around Melbourne and recording their suggestions on how to enjoy this city.
There are now online movies covering topics like laneway eating, Aussie Rules football and live music venues. There's also two pod casts featuring Allan Campion -
one on Melbourne's produce markets and a second on where to get the best cup of coffee in town. Have a look and see if you agree or not!
Click through to the latest City Pods here.
Food and wine in print
A selection of recently released books on food and wine which January provided time to read and (in some instances) cook from.
The Wine Map of Victoria- Max Allen will be familiar to may readers from regular columns and articles in Australian Gourmet Traveller and
The Weekend Australian Magazine as well as bestselling books like Red and White, Crush, Quaff etc. One of his latest projects is The Wine Map of Victoria, which as the name suggests, is a
fold-out map of the state which is divided into wine regions and dotted with over 900+ cellar doors, wineries and vineyards. There's also additional information
showing where popular grape varieties are grown, there's potted regional histories, plus rainfall and temperature charts. Definately one to have in the car glovebox
when heading out to any part of this wine covered state of ours.
Visit Max Allen's website where you can click through to order the Wine Map of Vic.
But wait, there's more. While others are putting food films online (see above) Max has gone one better with downloadable podcasts of him reading some of the regional chapters from his
book Crush (with additional sound effects and original music by Gerry Hale). The quality of the recordings make these a must to listen to. You can also click through to the
Wine Australia website where the podcasts of every chapter from Crush read by Max are
available.
Snake Fang Salad by Greg Elms- The name Greg Elms will be one that lovers of food and travel related books will probably know.
He's certainly no stranger to Campion and Curtis books having been responsible for the images in The Seasonal Produce Diary 2005 and 2006 as well as
Every Day Cooking and the cover of Foodies' Guide 2007 to name just a few. Well Greg has branched out into travel writing and his first book, Snake Fang Salad, is a
beauty. What's really refreshing here is the quality of the writing, although anyone who knows Greg's attention to detail shouldn't be surprised. It covers a trip
through China covering Gauilin, Lijiang, Beijing, Suzhou and other places between. His task was to shoot food and location images for Lonely Planet over a six
week period. A facinating read for lovers of food and travel as well as those keen to learn more about the life of a travel photographer.
There are a couple of excerpts on Greg's website plus the option to order a copy of the book. The one things photographers rarely do is include themselves in their work,
so just in case you were wondering this is the author himself at his recent launch. Visit Greg Elm's website here.
Movida - Spanish Culinary Adventures- Movida is one of the most sucessful and popular restaurants in Melbourne. It's sucess is based on
many different factors - a slightly quirky CBD location up a graffiti lined cobble stone laneway, a setting which allows for casual bar tastings as well as restaurant
dining plus a wine list which always has something new and interesting to try. Topping all of this off is Frank Camorra's Spanish
inspired cooking.
For those who want to recreate the Movida experience at home Frank has combined with writer Richard Cornish on a really exciting publication.
Over 350 plus pages readers gain a fantastic insight into Frank's culinary ideas and inspiration. There are stories and anecdotes of family meals, info on food and ingredients,
history and of course recipes. The book has been a sellout success since it's launch, but for anyone interested in seriously good Spanish food it's a must.
It gets the food-lovers thumbs up - so track down a copy today! There's also a video of Frank preparing 'Pulpo alla Gallega' on the Movida website.
Sketch private dining room
Sketch is a new venue run by Atlantic Group which coffers a unique spin on corporate and social events. They've teamed up with a number of local chefs to offer
personalised dining experiences. The venue looks out over Docklands from a beautiful dining room on the end of Shed 14 at Central Pier.
You might like to have the likes of Guy Grossi preparing a menu for you, or perhaps Shannon Bennett is more your style. There's a host of other top names too including Ian Curley, Paul Wilson,
Michael Lambie and Geoff Lindsay. Definatelly one to keep in mind when you can't get a booking at the chefs own restaurant. Atlantic Group (V) is online here.
Summer recipes
Chinese crispy-skin chicken
Crispy skin chicken is a bit of an addiction; particularly for junior C&C family members. As this recipe involves frying,
it's the perfect use for the wok burner on the side if your barbecue.
2 tbsp Sichuan pepper
1/2 tsp salt
1 size 16 (3lb) chicken
4 cm fresh ginger, peeled and thoroughly crushed
1 1/2 tbsp rice wine vinegar
1 1/2 tbsp soy sauce
1 1/2 tbsp dry sherry
Vegetable oil for cooking
1 lemon, cut into wedges
Heat a pan over a medium heat.
Add Sichuan pepper and salt and stir constantly for 1-2 minutes until the pepper emits a fragrant smoke.
Crush in a mortar and pestle and store in an airtight jar.
Cut chicken in half through the backbone and trim away rib bones.
Place together in a deep bowl 1 tsp of salt and pepper mix, ginger, vinegar, soy sauce and sherry.
Mix well, then add chicken and rub marinade all over.
Marinate chicken skin side down for 1-2 hours, if time permits.
Preheat oven to 200 C (390 F).
Heat a wok over a high heat and add 3-4 cm (1 in) of vegetable oil.
Remove chicken from marinade and pat dry on absorbent paper.
Add chicken carefully to hot oil and cook skin side down until golden, about 3-4 minutes.
Turn over and cook for a further 4-5 minutes.
Place chicken skin side up on a baking tray and cook in the preheated oven for 15 minutes.
To serve, chop chicken into thick slices and sprinkle with Chinese pepper and salt mix.
Serve with plain steamed rice and lemon wedges.
Serves 4.
Recipe from Every Day in the Kitchen - see online at the books webpage.
Blackberry ripple cheesecake
This brilliant cheesecake is an absolute ripper. It's baked in water to achieve a light texture, and the ripple effect is created by using fresh berries.
150 g digestive biscuits
60 g (4 tbsp) melted butter
80 ml (1/3 cup) water
2 tbsp caster sugar
2 punnets blackberries
500 g soft cream cheese
110 g (1/2 cup) caster sugar
Zest of 2 lemons, chopped
2 eggs
3 egg yolks
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
125 ml (1/2 cup) thick cream
2 tbsp lemon juice
Wrap the outside of a 22 cm springform cake tin with a double layer of foil; this will prevent water seeping into the cake during cooking.
Place the biscuits in a food processor and whiz to form small crumbs.
Add the melted butter and process briefly.
Press the biscuits into the bottom of the cake tin and place in the refrigerator to set for at least 20 minutes.
Preheat oven to 170 C.
Place the water and caster sugar in a small saucepan and bring to the boil.
Add the blackberries and return to the boil, then strain immediately.
Return the syrup to the saucepan and simmer until reduced to a thick, sticky sauce.
Add the syrup to the berries and refrigerate.
Beat the cream cheese until smooth, then add caster sugar and lemon zest.
Whisk in the eggs and yolks, one at a time.
Stir in the vanilla, cream and lemon juice.
Using a wooden spoon, gently stir the raspberries into the cheesecake mix.
Try not to mix them in completely as you're aiming for a swirling effect.
Place the cake tin in a deep baking tray and spread the cheesecake filling over the biscuit base.
Pour enough boiling water into the baking tray to come halfway up the cake tin.
Place the tray carefully in the oven and cook for 1 hour, or until the cake is just set but still has a hint of wobble.
Remove the cake tin from the water and allow to cool on a cooling rack before refrigerating, preferably overnight.
Serves 8-10.
Recipe from Every Day Cooking - see online at the books webpage.