Yet another food-celebrity-sighting experience for Kevin!
As I've explained on a previous blog posting, I brought 3 cookbooks with me to Australia. One of these was "Surfing the Menu", written by a couple of aussie celeb chefs ("Bender and Curtis") who have their own cooking show of the same name. "Surfing the Menu" ... "Kitesurfing the Menu" ... any linkage between the two?? Perhaps.
I went with an aussie mate of mine to the Sydney Food & Wine Show. Not unlike other food & wine shows, lots of food suppliers are there to sell / promote their products: food vendors, wine purveyors, the obligatory Ginsu Knife Guy who attends EVERY home show possible ... you get the picture.
One of the differences about this show was its Celebrity Stage, where various australian celebrity chefs put on half-hour shows for live audiences over the course of the three-day event. Bill Grainger was there, as was Kylie Kwong and (as you guessed it) so were Bender & Curtis.
Fourth row, aisle seats, Kevin's taller than all the coo-ing 60-year-old ladies in front of him .... perfect.
Because it was the last live show of the day (I'm sure they were pretty tired after 3-days of shows, promotions, attending events, etc ...), things got a little silly near the end of it. Think food fight, only they're professional chefs ... so you can imagine that they REALLY know how to have a good go at it!
Before the show started, we were wandering the showroom aisles, when we walked by a booth for an australian breast cancer foundation hosted by (you guessed it) Bender & Curtis. The deal was anyone could donate $10 and get an autograph + picture with them while they laid there in their pink-sheeted bed.
Naturally, I paid $20.
Naturally, I "happened to have" my copy of Surfing The Menu with me for signing. (There have been larger coincidences in the world ...)
Naturally, I got into bed with them for a picture. (Come on, I named my blog after them! What else was I supposed to do??!! lol)
Oh look, there I am in bed with them! (I'm sure this has several of you thoroughly confused ... well, maybe not all of you ... I dunno.)
After watching their live show, my mate (who is a pretty capable guy in the kitchen himself) and I were in a do-it-yourself dining mood. There are a number of steak houses throughout Sydney where you can pick out a raw cut of meat, then cook it yourself on the restaurants' huge, industrial-grade, communal on-site barbecues .
We ended up in The Rocks, an area just off Sydney Harbour, full of old pubs and trendy restaurants. We found a grill-it-yourself steak house, loaded our plates with side orders at the buffets and gorged down on barbecued goodness.
For tips on the "Perfect Grilled Steak", something tells me that Moreton's Steakhouse is probably an organization in-the-know. Here's some advice from the boys at Moreton's:
** Go directly to the butcher. Don't Skimp On the Beef: size matters. Steaks are 1-inch to 1 1/2-inch are best for grilling. A thin cut is likely to get dried out.
** Before grilling, all meat should be brought to room temperature.
** If you're working with good meat (prime quality), there should be no reason to over-season or marinate.
** A good cut of meat will always have some marbling (fat) for flavor, so don't go too lean when shopping.
** Marbling is also key, says Fritsch, because the fat throughout the steak gives it great flavor. It should be USDA Prime Aged Beef. If your butcher does not have this, the next best grade is Choice.
** Bring Steaks Out of the Cold: Have steaks at room temperature before grilling.
** Check the Oil: Lightly oil the grilling rack before putting steaks on (it keeps meat from sticking and cracking while keeping the natural juices in).
** Get the Grill Hot: Preheat grill to 600 to 800 degrees F and keep it at this temperature for 30 to 45 minutes before putting steaks on.
** Avoid the Flip-Flop: Only flip once after five minutes of grilling.
** Ditch the Fork: Use tongs or a spatula (A fork allows juices to spill out).
** Don't Perform Surgery with a Serrated Knife: To see if steak is finished, press on it with the palm of your hand. It will feel spongy when rare, have some resistance when cooked to medium and be firm when well done.
Rare: Squeeze the pad at the base of your thumb. It should feel spongy and feel very little resistance.
Medium: Press on the middle of the palm of your outstretched hand. It should feel firm.
Well Done: Squeeze the base of your small finger. It should feel firm with no give.
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