Australian food and wine
newsletter
November 2002
edition
Welcome to the November edition of Campion and
Curtis, Australian food and wine newsletter. Please feel free to pass this on to
all your food and wine-loving friends wherever they may be, and visit us at our
website www.campionandcurtis.com
Click here to visit the Campion and Curtis website
In-season
We've been having more than our fair share of Asian
greens, broad beans and avocados over the past few weeks. We have also been
indulging in some brilliant mangoes - it's been quite a few years since the
season for this fruit has started off so well. We've been slicing mango for
breakfast, making mango smoothies and serving them on top
of Asian rice pudding.
If you're just thinking about what to cook for Christmas
this year we've included our favourite Christmas pudding recipe at the bottom of
this newsletter. It can be completely cooked before the big day and then
served warm or even cold.
Eating out – Sydney
We recently received a big rap for
Malaya on the King St Wharf from one of our newsletter recipients. Apparently
the Malaysian dishes are excellent and the views pretty good too. The 2002 SMH
Good Food Guide has Malaya listed as the place which lays claim to introducing
laksa to Australia in 1962. Dine there at 39 Lime Street, King Street Wharf,
Sydney. 02) 9211 0946.
Eating out -
Melbourne
Il Fornaio has become a much loved bakery/cafe/take
home food store over the past couple of years. We've been known to drop by for
the occasional loaf of multigrain and leave with
much more. The light-as-a-feather jam doughnut are excellent, as
is the rhubarb tart (in-season), or failing that the pear &
custard tart. They also make their own preserves
such as fig jam, blood plum jam, seville orange marmalade and mild fruit
chutney. There's also a good selection of take-home food such as soups,
pasta sauces, lasagne, frittata, curries, casseroles and dips to choose
from.
2 Acland Street St Kilda 03) 9534 2922 and Shop 11/459 Toorak Road Toorak 03) 9827 2727
North Road Pavillion
Sydney is well known for it's
harbour views, but Melbourne is starting to make good use of it's
views over Port Phillip Bay. North Road Pavilion in Brighton is one such
place with vistas along the coast to the city. All the standards are here from bacon, eggs, tomatoes,
hash browns, corn fritters and toast. Kids are well catered for with flapjacks a
popular choice. The fresh juice and coffee is good too.
2B North Road Brighton 03) 9596
9196
Events
Melbourne cup is fast approaching and you don't have to be in
Melbourne to enjoy the day. Salt Restaurant
is offering a set price lunch (Two courses $75,
Three courses $95) plus a screening of the Melbourne Cup & an in-house
sweepstake. Reservations on 02) 9332 2566.
The Sunday Times Margaret River Wine
Region Festival is about to kick off next Friday 8th November for a 10 day food
and wine extravaganza. They promise experiences for the knowledgeable
and the novice wine connoisseur, jazz, blues, classic and contemporary
concerts, food and wine matched dining, celebrity chef cooking classes at
wineries and appreciation tour of art studios, the chocolate factory or
regional
cheese farms and olive groves. Find out all the news on
www.mrwinefest.org.au/home.asp
Dinner with the de Pieri brothers
Sergio and Stefano de Pieri, the music maestro and the
Mildura cook, will add to the local colour and culture of Bendigo with a free
recital by Sergio’s on the organ at the Bendigo Cathedral, followed by
a dinner at Bazzani, featuring a menu designed by Stefano and head chef Brendan
Tuddenham. Stefano will host the dinner and entertain with a discourse on Food
& Wine. Tickets are selling fast, first in best dressed. Dinner costs $95
including wine, book through the Victorian Olive Grove on 5441 5388 or 0418 392
157. Friday 22nd November.
Cooking schools
The Queen Victoria Market Cooking School has plenty on
offer through November as they celebrate Italy. There's a 'hands on pasta
making' with Roger Lancia on the 12th, risotto with Tony Bizzarri on the
16th and regional pastas with Jason Jujnovic on the 23rd. Bookings on 03) 9320
5835.
Convivial Times have organised a special "Manna from
Heaven' workshop with Rachel Grisewood to be held
on Saturday 30th November, 9am -12
noon. Learn how to make your own organic Christmas
cake; your own organic fruit mince for miniature mince tarts with brandy butter;
how to make organic water crackers for the best hors -d'oeuvres this season. All
served up with a bottle of Christmas
fizz! It costs $180 pp,
bookings contact lfurber@ozemail.com.au or phone 9380
8327
Food tours
In early May 2003, John Newton is leading a tour to Spain
in search of their finest cheeses, meeting and talking to cheesemakers,
beginning at the famous Cheese Fair in Trujillo. The trip begins and ends in
Madrid and takes in some spectacular countryside in the remote west and
mountains north west of the country.
Some of the best kept secrets in Spain are its
well over one hundred Protected Designation of Origin
(PDO) cheeses, from the monster blue cave-matured Cabrales to the wickedly
sensuous Torta de Serena. For a brochure or more information contact John
Newton on (02) 9571 8513 or
jnewton@newtricious.com.au
Recent bottles
We've been taking it pretty easy on the wine side of
things recently (toning up for summer we tell ourselves). However there are
a couple of recent bottles we feel compelled to mention. The Evans
& Tate cabernet sauvignon 2001 really struck a cord with us, particularly as
we're not usually fans of young cabernet. The wine was particularly elegant
with lots of ripe blackberry flavours, a little spice (cinnamon and cardamom)
plus mild tannins carrying it all along. Definitely one to enjoy now or after a
few years in a cool dry place.
Phil Sexton's Giant Steps pinot noir 2001 went down a
treat with a recent Friday night Asian food fest.
The wine has ample sour cherry flavours and spice to
cope with full flavoured dishes, and a pleasing deep crimson hue in the
glass. For those who enjoy exploring Australian pinot this is one to have a
look out for, especially as it's in the $20.00 price bracket.
Farmers Markets
A fine morning was had by all who attended the
first ever Collingwood Farmers market. There was plenty on
offer for the food loving visitors including Cunliffe and Waters
preserves, Alloway buffalo sausages, free range eggs, Loafer bread, Murray river
Salt Crystals, Silver lake Eels. Mountain River Berries and the very
popular Farmers Breakfast. Truck breakdowns and
childbirth meant there's was a shortage of fresh produce and what was there had
sold out by 10am, but we raise our hat to Miranda Sharp and her band of
volunteers. The next market is on Sat 9th November at the Collingwood Children's
Farm.
We've also had reports of over
3000 shoppers attending the first Cardinia
Ranges Farmers’ Market at the Pakenham Racecourse. Over 30 stalls sold freshly harvested asparagus and free-range
eggs, rare breed chickens, tomato seedlings and marinated goats cheese. The
next market will be held on Saturday 9th November
at Pakenham Racecourse from 8am. Remember to be early!
From Vital to Essential
Vital Ingredient
shut its South Melbourne doors last week as they move across town
to their new home. They'll reopen as The Essential Ingredient in the old
Let’s Eat site on Thursday 7th November. This bigger location will see the
cooking school take over upstairs, while the ground floor will be dedicated
to all things culinary from ingredients, books and cookware. Very exciting
times.
The Essential Ingredient, Elizabeth Street, Prahran 9827 9047 Trading
7 days.
Simon Johnson
We hear that when Simon
returns from his overseas trip he'll decide whether on not to sign the lease for
a site in Toorak Village for a new Simon Johnson retail store. We'll
keep you posted as details come to hand.
Antonio Carluccio is coming to Australia for De
Bortoli's 75th birthday next March. There will be just two opportunities to see
and hear this entertaining and knowledgable food lover at the families Yarra
Valley winery. The first being a grand dinner on Saturday
15th March and the second a cooking demonstration and luncheon
on Tuesday 18th March 2003. Bookings (03) 5965
2271
Those of you who are fans of the Cloudwine website will be
thrilled to find out they now have a retail outlet in Melbourne. They've
established a wine store which reflects their approach to on-line wine sales. So
expect to find hard to get boutique wines from estates such
as Torbreck in the Barossa, Jasper Hill in Heathcote, Moss Wood,
Cullen and Pierro in Margaret River, etc. Cloudwine is at 317 Clarendon Street South Melbourne (near the corner of Park St).
03) 9699 6700.
Food and wine books
Delicious magazine has just released a Wicked Sinful
Desserts cookbook with contributions from chefs and the editorial team. If
desserts are your thing then this well produced book is just for you. Recipes
are provided by the likes of Stephanie Alexander, Liam Tomlin, Jeremy Strode,
Gary Rhodes, Andrew McConnell (we brought the book just for his Sussex Pond
pudding recipe) and many, many more.
Published by FPC Living $29.95
Luke Mangan has just released his latest book titled
Luke Mangan Food. The book is divided into chapters such as Restaurant Food
(drunken chicken with dumplings) Party Food (tuna with ginger and shallot
dressing), Dinner Party Food (poached young chicken with polenta and parmesan),
Outdoor Food (roasted vegetable frittata) and Family Food (bircher
muesli). It's filled with good food ideas, personal anecdotes and his thoughts
on cooking and eating well. Published by Hardie Grant
$49.95.
Eating in
The Food Lovers’ Guide to Australia concludes on TV
screens tonight at 8pm on SBS. Joanna presents all you ever
wanted to know about olive oil – how the fruit is picked, crushed and pressed to
make green-gold olive oil… with just the right amount of bite and fruity
pungency. At Longrain restaurant in the
Sydney suburb of Surry Hills, chef Martin Boetz creates a sweet and spicy combination of pork and prawn, wrapped in a delicate
egg net. Meanwhile, at Vue de Monde restaurant in Carlton, Melbourne, chef
Shannon Bennett shows off his restaurant and goes go-karting with the team.
The final feast of
this series features food from Sydney’s Portuguese community with chef and
caterer Fatima Barroso creating chourico, bacalhau (braised salt cod),
grilled sardines and fabulous Portuguese custard tarts.
Food Source - Asia presented by Sydney chef Neil Perry has
just begun it's ten week season on The LifeStyle Channel, Foxtel and
Austar. Each Tuesday night at 8.30pm follow Neil as he prepares a
dish at his Rockpool restaurant, then travels to Asia visiting chefs and produce
markets to explore the cuisines which provide him with so much of his
inspiration.
The ABC's Catalyst program recently had an
interesting segment looking at the latest research on the effects of fat on
peoples weight. What some scientists are now exploring is the Glycemic
Index of food and whether it is this which leads to weight problems for so many
Australians, rather than fat intake. It seems we're going to be hearing a lot
about this as research continues into the future. The
full transcript and links are available at http://www.abc.net.au/catalyst/stories/s708809.htm
As mentioned in our last issue we're in the process of
creating a resource of practical ideas on how the
average home kitchen can be run in a green manner as possible. We’d like to
hear from you and ask for your ideas and thoughts on saving energy,
using water wisely, composting, cleaning, cooking and recycling. We'll make
it a part of the Campion and Curtis website in the early 2003. Send us your
best ideas to michele@campionandcurtis.com
In our December issue we'll be providing lots of recipes for
great party food and a run-down on the top value sparkling wines to enjoy. If
money is no object we'll also include our recommendations for French
champagne!
Cheers, Allan Campion and Michele Curtis
Culinary
questions
We’re always happy to try and answer your culinary
questions, simply send us an e-mail on michele@campionandcurtis.com and we’ll
endeavour to get back to you ASAP.
Don't forget if you have any food or wine news you think
we’d like to hear about, contact us at michele@campionandcurtis.com
This is the pudding recipe we have been making and enjoying for
years. It uses stout to give it a delicious richness, which is the giveaway
that it originated in Ireland, from where my family and I emigrated in 1973.
This mix makes two 1 kg (2 lb) puddings – one for the day itself and one to put
away for mid-year Christmas.
Enjoy,
Allan
175g self-raising flour
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp mixed spice
450g fresh breadcrumbs
700g brown sugar
450g currants
225g raisins
225g sultanas
100g mixed peel or candied orange peel
50g slivered almonds
Zest of 1 orange
Zest of 1 lemon
225g margarine
3 medium eggs
65ml brandy
275ml Guinness
2 x 1 litre pudding bowls, buttered
Sift together flour and spices. Stir in breadcrumbs, brown sugar, currants,
raisins, sultanas, mixed peel, almonds and citrus zest. Melt margarine and mix
with eggs, brandy, stout and margarine. Stir wet mix into dry mix, combining
both fully. It may look quite runny at this stage but will thicken in the
refrigerator. Cover mixture and refrigerate overnight.
Preheat oven to 160° C (320° F).
Divide pudding mixture between two bowls. Cover with buttered greaseproof
paper and foil. Tie down tightly with string under the rim of each pudding bowl
or, easier still, use a large elastic band.
Place pudding bowls in a deep baking tray and pour hot water into the dish
until it comes three-quarters of the way up the bowl. Cover entire tray with a
double layer of foil.
Place baking tray in the oven and cook for 4 hours. Check water level from
time to time and add more if needed. Test the puddings with a skewer as you
would a cake, to make sure they are cooked.
Store at room temperature for up to 6 months.
Re-heat by wrapping in buttered foil and placing in a 180C oven for 30
minutes.
Serves 10.
From Campion and Curtis in the Kitchen
Hardie Grant Books RRP $45.00