Day 169 - Bday Weekend Kickoff - The Red Ochre Grill, Cairns - Macademia and Sticky Date Pudding

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Being in Australia for at least 12 straight months, I knew there would be a few milestones which would be celebrated for the first time along, overseas, without the comfort of friends and family. October 2nd: my birthday. The first such important date soon to pass.

Question: So what does one do when he is away from home on his birthday??
Answer: One takes oneself out for an over-the-top romantic meal at one’s favorite restaurant!! (great idea, huh?)

So, off to The Red Ochre I went, Cairns’ premier modern Australian cuisine restaurant (in my humble opinion).

To loosen up my date (i.e. me) a little, we started off the meal with a lemon myrtle-infused vodka martini with cointreau and a splash of lemon juice.

Nnnice.

Then, as a main, we moved on to the “Slow cooked Mareeba pork shoulder with star anise butter sauce, crisp pastry, tempura bok choy and pineapple chili sauce”.

… hold on for a second … I’m re-living this dish in my mind …

OK .. I’m back. (note: this dish is completely UNBLOGGABLE, meaning I couldn’t possibly piece together the recipe on my own for posting on this site)

Then, what else is a guy to do on his birthday meal than order himself some birthday cake!

Now, you’re probably thinking to yourself: “Did the restaurant actually have a ‘Happy Birthday” candle set on-hand for its customers?” The honest answer, alas, is no … but a quick run down the street to the dollar store fixed that. And VOILA! You have a birthday cake + birthday boy picture for the blog! LOL

After dinner, I rolled myself (stuffed) down the street to stroll around the waterfront. (I even held my own hand. Again, I make a GREAT date!) One really cool thing about Cairns is the number of outdoor festivals, movie-nights-in-the park, and the like. Fortunately I was just in time to catch the last 20 minutes of AIR JORDAN with Cairns’ pre-school community. (Boy, I really do stand out in a crowd of 6-year olds, eh?)

Sticky date pudding is a VERY common, and popular, dessert in far north Queensland, and given that Macadamia nuts are a indigenous to the area (who knew Macadamias came from Australia?!) the two make a great pairing.

Recipe provided below … assembly required … birthday not included as shown.

Sticky date pudding recipe c/o Epicurious.com, with some minor changes.

Ingredients:

1 1/4 cups packed pitted dates (about 10 ounces)
1/2 cup chopped Macadamia nuts
2 cups water
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 stick (6 tablespoons) unsalted butter, softened
1 cup granulated sugar
3 large eggs

Method:

Preheat oven to 375°F. and butter and flour an 8-inch square baking pan (2 inches deep), knocking out excess flour.
2. Coarsely chop dates and nuts and in a 1 1/2- to 2-quart saucepan simmer dates in water, uncovered, 5 minutes. Remove pan from heat and stir in baking soda. (Mixture will foam.) Let mixture stand 20 minutes.
3. While mixture is standing, into a bowl sift together flour, baking powder, ginger, and salt. In a large bowl with an electric mixer beat together butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Add flour mixture in 3 batches, beating after each addition until just combined. Add date mixture and with a wooden spoon stir batter until just combined well.
4. Pour batter into baking pan and set pan in a larger baking pan. Add enough hot water to larger pan to reach halfway up sides of smaller pan and bake in middle of oven until a tester comes out clean, 35 to 40 minutes. Remove smaller pan from water bath and cool pudding to warm on a rack.

Day 169 - Scuba Diving Lesson Day #1 of 5 - Cairns, QLD - Chicken Wrap w/ Wasabi Mayonnaise

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One of the few “life-changing” things I had to do while in Australia, as per many people to whom I’d spoken how had done so themselves, was to scuba dive the Great Barrier Reef.

This definitely fell into the category of “when else in my life am I ever …” (going to be in Australia and able to learn to scuba dive ON the Great Barrier Reef) Had to be done … didn’t matter the cost.

ProDive, one of the many dive schools based in Cairns, got my business. The first two days were to be spent in the classroom and in their in-ground pool.

Lead by our French-born dive instructor Anne-Lyse, today was our first full day. There’s no mistaking Anne-Lyse is French. Some of the day’s highlights:



“Doont furget too blue hard indoo zee heuse …”
“Everybuddy poot yur regoolador into yur moths and take a deep brayth …”
“Iz yur scooba sut too tiett Kevun … yur red in de faze!”

(OK, maybe that last one was a bit of a fib … but you get the idea)

Simple picnic lunch, catered by one of favorite restaurants in town (The Inbox Café). Reason I blog this is because just by adding something as simple as wasabi to the mayonnaise prior to sandwich application, you all of a sudden have a MUCH more interesting meal! Not much mystery to the rest of the sandwich (use what you like: chicken, lettuce, tomato, onion, …).

HINT: Blend wasabi with only a small amount of mayonnaise, then add this mixture to the balance of your mayonnaise … Otherwise you will end up with big clumps of wasabi through your sandwich … and that’s just painfully hot!

Day 163 - Turtle Cove Beach / Trinity Beach, north of Cairns - Deep-Fried Breaded Barramundi & Chips

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This day freakin' rrrrrrocked!

First, my Aussie buddy Brad and I headed out early morning for a half-day ATVing trek around the Kuranda rainforest. H-o-l-y c-r-a-p was it fun! Dirty, fast, raw ... good hick fun first thing on a Sunday morning!

The adventure company with whom our trip was organized had a working farm on-site. Once we got back to camp after 2+ hours of circling through the woods on our 4x4's, there were a few demonstrations put on by the resident cowboys. Aside from a whip demonstration (which was pretty cool in itself - man, did he made it look easy) and a sampling of hot, freshly-prepared fireside damper bread, two of the farm's working dogs put on a sheep-herding demo.

Somewhat ironic, I saw both dogs earlier in the afternoon, not realizing they were highly-trained working dogs. After petting one of them for a few minutes, I tried to get it to "SIT!" for me ... no such luck, it looked at me with a blank stare. Naturally I assumed it was just a regular dog. Imagine my surprise when the cowboy called him over with a blow of his whistle, and it began to heard 50 sheep around the farm with minimal effort. (???)

"It's like rain on your wedding day ..."

A quick barbecue, and we were hearded (much like the sheep) back into our mini-bus coach and ushered back into Cairns.

Our afternoon formula was simple: get in Brad's car, drive along highway north of Cairns, and stop at a YTBD beach for the afternoon. The highway in question hugs the coast line, and there are countless, beautiful beaches lining most of the highway. (Some may not even have names, there are so many) Below, a road-side picture we took en route to Turtle Cove, one of the many great beaches which are largely empty of tourists and backpackers (<- did I just turn my nose up?). When I look at the below picture, it almost doesn't look real (it's almost too perfect - like a picture screen you would stand in front of at Sears while having your picture taken. KnowwhatImean?).

People actually live here??!!

After an afternoon of soaking up the sun, exploring the coast line some more, and swimming in the waves, we were s-e-r-i-o-u-s-l-y staved. It felt like a fish & chip day to me, so we headed to a local fish market which gets rammed full of customers on weekends wanting fish & chips! A quick taste of our bounty and we quickly discovered why it's such a popular spot: fantastic deep-fried, fresh, locally-caught, breaded fish (and moutainous piles of fries to boot).

We quickly popped by local Trinity Beach to enjoy our food oceanside. After polishing off our order, in addition to the dozen or so fried calamari and the jar of tartar sauce we tacked onto our dinner purchase, Brad and I had to roll ourselves back into his car we were so stuffed. [Mr. Burns] Excellent! [/Mr. Burns]

Battered fish are good, but I prefer breaded. You definitely get to appreciate your fish more, especially when it's fresh. Plus, breaded fish are easier to prepare and cook than battered ... bonus!

Ingredients

Oil for frying
1 1/2 pounds Barramundi fillets, skin removed
1 cup milk or buttermilk
1 cup yellow cornmeal
3/4 cup dry bread crumbs
Salt and pepper
Pinch of cayenne pepper

Method:

1 - Heat at least 2 inches of oil in a large, deep saucepan to 375°F.
2 - While the oil heats, soak the fish fillets in the milk.
3 - Mix the cornmeal and bread crumbs in a shallow bowl. Season with salt, lots of pepper, and a pinch of cayenne pepper. Dredge the fish in the cornmeal, patting to make the breading stick.
4 - Fry until golden on both sides, about 8 minutes total. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain well on paper towels.
5 - Serve with lemon wedges and tartar sauce.

Note: Make sure you season the cornmeal generously with black pepper.

Day 162 - Mount Whitfield Conservation Park, Cairns - Chicken & Roasted Pepper Sandwiches w/ Cilantro Macademia Relish

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Time to do some bushwalking and trail-hiking in the surrounding moutains around Cairns. My new friend Brad happily suggested we head to Mount Whitfield, located only minutes from downtown Cairns, to take in some higher altitude afternoon sightseeing.

Fantastic views of the city, ocean, Barron River, countryside and surrounding moutain range!

Mount Whitfield, 365 metres high, is situated in the middle of (oddly enough) Mount Whitfield Conservation Park, a protected park area where many native and endangered plants can be found. For example, the below Yucca plants, termed "Black Boys" ... as you can imagine, nobody calls them that anymore. The Yuccas are literally (<- Brad?!) burnt periodically, on purpose, to remove old / dead pines and make way for new growth. Although they can be purchased expensively at higher-end flower shops, they're very fickle and don't like to be uprooted only to be planted somewhere new ... "buyer beware".

After a 45-minute hike, we arrived at the top of Mount Whitfield, just 20 minutes shy of sundown. Just in time to see the following:

Now, for those of you who are more observant than myself and Brad, the following thought will likely occur to you when viewing the above picture: "Hey guys, if it's sundown, and the hike to the top of the moutain took you 45 minutes ... doesn't that mean you'll be hiking back in the dark?"

Myself and Brad: "Umm ... yyyyes. That's exactly what that meant."

And thus began our 2 hour trek back down the OTHER side of the moutain, in the pitch dark, with little to no clue what path we would be taking. While we were met with sheer drop-offs and steep pitches, we thankfully were able to make it back down ... albeit on the OTHER, non-city side of the moutain. (I maintain it was Brad's idea to be at the top of the mountain for sundown ... )

As thanks for making such a great suggestion for an afternoon hike, I prepped a little picnic to eat once we got to the top of the moutain (little did I know there would be picnic tables at the top for us to use- could NOT have planned it better if i tried). Who says you can't have a gourmet meal in the middle of the forest? Add a bottle of bubbly, and you've got yourself a grreat reason to climb just about any mountain! lol

Before arriving in Australia, I didn't know that the macadamia nut is native to this country. In fact, it's the only plant food native to Australia that is produced and exported in any significant quantity. (Who knew??) So, since we were treking into the bush, I thought I'd let the macadamia inspire our meal. (Food was further inspired by: http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/recipe_views/views/106891)

Leftovers the next day were equally good ... which is usually a pretty good indicator how good a dish is.

Tuck in!

Ingredients

10 cups boiling water
6 skinless boneless chicken breast halves (2 1/2 lb)
4 large yellow bell peppers
2/3 cup blanched slivered Macadamia nuts, toasted
1 garlic clove
1 1/2 tablespoons chopped fresh jalapeño including seeds
1 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1/4 cup mayonnaise
3 tablespoons fresh lime juice
3 tablespoons sour cream
1 teaspoon salt
12 slices Beer Bread

Method:

1 - Bring water to a simmer in a 4- to 5-quart pot, then add chicken and simmer, uncovered, 6 minutes. Remove pan from heat and let stand, covered, until chicken is cooked through, about 15 minutes. Transfer chicken to a plate and cool completely (it will cut more easily when cool), then cut diagonally into thin slices.
2 - Roast bell peppers: Roast bell peppers on racks of gas burners over high heat, turning with tongs, until skins are blackened, 10 to 12 minutes. (Or broil peppers on rack of a broiler pan about 5 inches from heat, turning occasionally, about 15 minutes.) Transfer to a large bowl and cover tightly with plastic wrap, then let stand 20 minutes. When cool enough to handle, peel peppers, discarding stems and seeds, and cut lengthwise into 1 1/2-inch-wide strips. Let peppers stand.
3 - Pulse Macadamia nuts, garlic, and jalapeño in a food processor until finely chopped. Add cilantro, mayonnaise, lime juice, sour cream, and salt and blend to a paste.
4 - Spread cilantro relish on each slice of bread, then make sandwiches with chicken and roasted peppers, seasoning with salt and pepper.

Cooks' notes:
• Chicken can be poached (but not sliced) 1 day ahead and chilled, covered.
• Bell peppers can be roasted, peeled, and sliced 1 day ahead and chilled, covered. Alternatively, most grocery stores usual sell roasted peppers by the jar.
• Relish can be made 1 day ahead and chilled, its surface covered with plastic wrap.

Makes 6 sandwiches.

Day 160 - Jamie's Kitchen Australia Epis #2 - Roasted Tomato and Red Pepper Soup w/ Chilled Mint

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One of the pleasant surprise benefits of sharing this on-line travel-recipe journal with those whose paths I've crossed is that people routinely come to me with ideas about things I need to see, places to visit, food to taste ... Occasionally, friends and co-workers bring me food or ingredients, perhaps dreaming some day I may blog their food?

...

OK, that's a little dramatic ... they're probably just trying to get rid of leftovers. Nonetheless, I am very grateful for their kind gestures. :)

One of my co-workers offered me some heirloom tomatoes from her garden. Her - "Think you could find something to do with these?" Me - "Sure."

Why not make a little something to eat while watching Jamie's Kitchen - Episode #2. The plot thickens, so to speak ... they've now selected the 15 youths for the kitchen staff. Now the real test: can they cook?

(I can ... so can you ... see below, c/o Epicurious.com) This was just enough to serve Mat and I ... two big, burly guys.

http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/recipe_views/views/103708

Ingredients

2 red bell peppers (1 lb), quartered and seeded
4 medium tomatoes (1 lb), halved and cored
1 small onion (1/4 lb), cut into 1/2-inch-thick slices
2 large garlic cloves, halved
1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
3/4 cup water
2 tablespoons heavy cream
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/4 teaspoon sugar
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh mint, or to taste

Method:

1 - Preheat broiler.
2 - Toss bell peppers, tomatoes, onion, and garlic with oil and coriander in a large roasting pan and broil about 4 inches from heat until edges of vegetables are charred, about 7 minutes. Stir vegetables, then broil until vegetables are tender, about 3 minutes more.
3 - Purée vegetables with any juices from pan in batches in a blender until smooth. Stir in remaining ingredients except mint.
4 - Cool soup, uncovered, 30 minutes, then chill, covered, until cold, at least 2 hours. Just before serving, stir in mint.

Cooks' notes:
• To chill soup quickly, set bowl with soup in a larger bowl of ice and cold water and stir until cold.
• Soup can be made 2 days ahead and kept chilled, covered.

Day 153 - Jamie's Kitchen Australia Epis #1 - Spaghetti & Meatballs a la Jamie Oliver

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For those of you who knew me back in Canada, you're aware of my "thing" for Jamie Oliver. It's more of an admiration / appreciation thing really: he's run several successful restaurants, has his own tv shows (several of them), has done some pretty philanthropic things in his short career, has sold more than 2.5 million cookbooks, has his own brand of cookware and several other product lines, has the attention of several world leaders in his area of expertise ... and he's only 30 years old!

I met him, briefly, in late 2005 on his way through Toronto on a book-signing tour. Seriously can't believe he's had all this success at such a young age. (gosh, he's only 1 year older than me!)

One of his newest initiatives involves opening restaurants using underpriviledged youths with no food experience to staff his kitchen. The entire interview / selection process, the staff's training, and retrofitting / opening of the restaurant is all taped through a reality tv series for the viewing public. The Fifteen Foundation (i.e. "15" youths to staff the kitchen - get it?) has thusfar opened two Fifteen restaurants (London and Amsterdam), with the third one opening this month in Melbourne (http://www.fifteenmelbourne.com.au/). Quite the coincidence that I'm IN Australia at the moment, no? So, naturally I'm tuning in for the season.

Might as well cook some Jamie Oliver recipes to eat while I'm watching. Maybe, for the first episode, something comfort foody: "Spaghetti and Meatballs a la Jamie Oliver" (http://www.foodtv.ca/recipes/recipedetails.aspx?dishid=3488 ), with some minor modifications to take advantage of cheap lamb here in Australia.

Ingredients – Meatballs:

1 lb. ground pork
1 lb. ground lamb
1/2 tsp cumin seeds, toasted and pounded with a pinch of salt
1 tsp coriander seeds, toasted and pounded
2 x small dried red chillies, pounded
2 tbsp dried oregano
1 tbsp finely chopped fresh rosemary
1 x egg
2 handful bread
salt and freshly ground black pepper
4 tbsp olive oil

Directions:

1 - For the meatballs: If your meat is not already minced, whizz it up in a food processor to the required consistency and place it in a bowl.
2 - Use the food processor to turn the bread into breadcrumbs. Add the breadcrumbs, dried oregano, cumin, coriander, chilli, rosemary and egg yolk to the minced meat and season with a good pinch of salt and a good twist of black pepper. Mix well, and, with wet hands, roll and pat into meatballs the size and shape you want. (These can be cooked straight away or put on greaseproof paper, covered with clingfilm and refrigerated for up to a day.)
3 - Preheat a thick-bottomed frying pan to a very hot temperature, add 3—4 tablespoons of olive oil, swirl around the bottom of the pan and add your meatballs. Fry them until they are brown all over, being careful not to break them up but just moving the pan around so that all sides of the meatballs get nicely coloured.
4 - Add spaghetti sauce, either store-bought or home-made (approx. 4 cups of sauce). Simmer on low heat until heated through.
5 - Serve over al dente pasta.

Day 148 - Cape Tribulation, Queensland - Hot and Sour Pumpkin Soup w/ Crocodile

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Another great meal to end to another fantastic day-trip in Australia! (one could really get used to this ... lol)

After our brief visits to Port Douglas and Mossman Gorge earlier in the day, Mat and I headed even further north to Cape Tribulation.

Cape Tribulation, which is more of an area than a town, lies on the coast where the Daintree National Park's rainforest meets the ocean. Amazingly lush vegetation comes right down to the sandy beaches, from which you can see the nearest coral on the outter edge of the Great Barrier Reef.

It's a slow, winding road on the way up (and back) to Cape Tribulation. One of the endangered species in the area is the elusive Cassowary. (So elusive is it, that the only picture I could get was this life-sized plaster Cassowary on the way up to Cape Trib) lol

Cassowaries are very large flightless bird, native to the tropical forests of New Guinea and northeastern Australia. Recently, they have also been spotted to attack humans, though this usually only occurs in self-defense when humans intrude upon the birds' territory or cause them to feel threatened. It has become an endangered species in Australia, its numbers being threatened by loss of habitat, attacks from animals (such as dogs) and (in Cape Tribulation’s case) backpackers and tourists speeding in their campervans, anxious to arrive in Cape Tribulation and innadvertantly running over road-side cassowaries.

After an afternoon of soaking in the bathwater-warm ocean waters, and a brilliant dinner at one of the local resorts in the area (more on that in a moment), Mat and I saw three things on our drive back to Cairns:

1) Trees, trees and more trees (<- but there's nothing interesting to write about here).

2) Burning fields of sugar cane - "Burning cane" was once much more popular amongst farmers in the area. Although it's largely viewed as something of the past, some farmers continue to burn selective patches of sugar cane, mostly to improve the following year's crop, but also to dispose of unwanted cane. It's a pretty site to drive by numerous cane fields at night, with small, red-glowing fires dotting the landscape.

3) A bright, clear sky of stars - You forget how good it is to get away from big-city light polution and see a sky full of stars and constellations. Aw-inspiring stuff. :)

There are a handfull of high-end resorts in the Cape Tribulation area. Though Mat and I were a little out-of-place amongst the resort guests (visual: us in board shorts, flip flops, sandy t-shirts ...), the restaurant staff at the Cape Resort & Restaurant were all too pleased to allow us to dine at their establishment. Fortunately for us, there were lots of locally-inspired fusion dishes on the menu ("bloggable food" <- yes!) for Mat and I to chose from.

By far the best hot & sour soup I've ever had (it beat the soup-by-the-gallon version most chinese restaurants serve by a mile). I'm going to go one step further, though, and suggest a recipe that uses pumpkin also, because (a) Mat and I always seem to eat something with pumpkin in it whenever we hang out, and (b) so do most Australians. lol

C / O Epicurious.com, with some minor adjustments:

Ingredients:

1 large onion, coarsely chopped
1 tablespoon chopped garlic
1 tablespoon chopped peeled fresh ginger
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 (3-lb) sugar or cheese pumpkin, peeled, seeded, and cut into 1-inch cubes (6 cups)
1 cup dry white wine
2 qt chicken stock, or 1 qt canned chicken broth and 1 qt water
6 lemongrass stalks (bottom 5 inches only), coarsely chopped
1 (1-inch) piece galangal (thawed if frozen), peeled and coarsely chopped
3 to 5 fresh (1 1/2-inch) Thai chiles or 2 fresh jalapeño chiles, trimmed and coarsely chopped (seed chiles if a milder flavor is desired)
4 kaffir lime leaves (fresh or frozen)
1/3 cup fresh lime juice
1/4 cup Asian fish sauce
1 tablespoon sugar
500 grams of pan-friend Crocodile meat (or chicken)

Method:

Cook onion, garlic, and ginger in 1 tablespoon oil in a 5-quart heavy pot over moderate heat, covered, stirring occasionally, until onion is softened, about 4 minutes. Add pumpkin and wine and boil, uncovered, until wine is reduced by about half, about 5 minutes. Stir in stock and simmer, covered, until pumpkin is tender, about 20 minutes.

Heat remaining tablespoon oil in a 10-inch heavy skillet over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking, then sauté lemongrass, galangal, and chiles to taste, stirring, until lightly browned, about 1 minute. Remove from heat.

Purée pumpkin mixture in batches (use caution when blending hot liquids) and return to pot. Stir in lemongrass mixture, lime leaves, lime juice, fish sauce, and sugar.

Simmer, uncovered, 20 minutes. Pour soup through a sieve, discarding solids, add still-friend Crocodile meat and season well with salt and pepper..

Day 148 - Port Douglas / Mossman Gorge, Queensland - Butter Croissants w/ Passionfruit Butter

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The start of another road trip outside of Cairns with my buddy Mat. Our first stop was Port Douglas (a small town about 45-minutes north of Cairns). Having arrived first thing on a Sunday morning, what else to do but to check out the local farmer's market by the ocean.

Driving out to Port Douglas, you pass my field after field of sugar cane. It's a big industry in Far North Queensland ("FNQ"). Not surprisingly, there were a few local delicacies / treats at the farmer's market involving sugar cane. Kinda kewl - the kid below sells "sugar cane juice", using an exercise bike to power a grinder (which looks like a pasta-maker), which squeezes the juice out of the sugar cane. D-e-l-i-c-i-o-u-s! Tasted a lot like lime lemonade.

After a quick tour of the market and a quick bite to eat for breakfast (more on that in a second), Mat and I headed north only a few minutes to Mossman Gorge. One of the most visited parts of the Daintree National Park (a protected rainforest area), the Gorge is a really neat area with a swimming hole, a rolling river and lots of large, smooth rocks for lazing around in the afternoon sun. A quick stop for some photos, and we were off to our next destination: Cape Tribulation!

Our "quick breakfast" consisted of some badly-needed coffee, croissants and a jar of "Passionfruit Butter" I bought at one of the stands at the Port Douglas market.

Croissants recipe - c/o CooksRecipes.com. Passionfruit Butter recipe - c/o the old lady at the Port Douglas market who sold it to me.

Ingredients – Butter Croissants:

2 (1/4-ounce) packages active dry yeast or 5 teaspoons active dry yeast
3/4 cup warm water
3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, divided use
1/2 cup water
1 1/2 tablespoons honey
2 cups butter, chilled
1 large egg
1 tablespoon water

Method – Butter Croissants:

1 - Combine yeast and warm water, stirring to dissolve the yeast. Let stand about 10 minutes.
2 - In a large mixing bowl, mix together yeast mixture, half of the flour, 1/2 cup water, and honey; beating until smooth. Cover bowl with a towel and let stand for 1 1/2 hours.
3 - With a pastry knife or two butter knives, cut butter into remaining half of flour. Add yeast mixture. Fold together to just moisten flour without breaking up the butter pieces.
4 - Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and pat down, rolling into a 18 x 12-inch rectangle. Using a spatula, fold one-third of the dough toward the center, then fold another one-third from the other side. Lift the folded dough off the work surface and scrape the surface clean. 5 - Sprinkle the work area with flour and repeat the rolling and folding 3 more times. If the dough becomes too soft, chill until firm again.
6 - Roll dough into a thin rectangle then cut diagonally to form 12 triangles; roll each triangle from the wide end to the point. Place on ungreased baking sheets, curving the ends into a crescent shape.
7 - Beat egg with 1 tablespoon water and brush on top of the croissants. Let rise for about 1 hour.
8 - Preheat oven to 375°F. Re-glaze croissants with egg/water mixture then bake until puffed and brown, about 10 minutes.

Makes 1 dozen.

Ingredients – Passionfruit Butter

1 pound fresh butter
1 egg
1 tbsp white sugar
2 Passionfruits

Method – Passionfruit Butter

1 - In a stand-up mixer, blend block of butter with one, fresh egg.
2 - Once butter is completely smooth, add sugar and continue blending until sugar is dissolved into the butter.
3 - Cut Passionfruits in half. Scoop out the inside on one Passionfruit, seeds and all, into the butter mixture. Blend until smooth.
4 - Check consistency. If desired consistency has been reached, stop. If not, feel free to add more Passionfruit.
5 - Adjust sugar, if desired. Refrigerate until ready to use.

Day 147 - Cairns Amateur Horse Races - Cairns, Queensland - Lamingtons

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For weeks leading up to this weekend in Cairns, I'd been asked by countless locals whether or not I was planning on attending The Amateurs. Word had it that it was a great weekend of sport, local celebrity, fashion and food ... "And it's a great excuse to get fancied up and drink outdoors."

Well ... ok ... if I must.

So, I joined my Cairns friends Mark and Mat about 20 or so of their Aussie co-workers for an afternoon of champagne wishes and caviar dreams ... or, at least, Cairns' best rendition of the same.

Aside from the racing / betting component to the afternoon's processions, one of the other spectacles were the dress-up women prancing around in architecturally-impressive head gear. Below is Rebecca, in her "Nuclear Power Plant Silo" hat .. but she does look elegant sipping her champagne and strawberries, no?

And, what highly-attended sporting event would be complete without a marriage proposal going out to a wife-to-be?? (Apparently, North America isn't the only place where this is considered to be a romantic gesture on the part of the groom-to-be ...)

Sun-stroked and champagne-bloated, most of us (present party included) headed home after the event. A few days later, I got together again with Mark to return his borrowed hat to him (I do think I looked sharp in his hat though ... Indiana Jones definitely had a stunt double that day) and enjoy the most racing-inspired food we could think of: high tea.

It came complete with all the expected treats: dainty salmon and cucumber sandwiches, frilly pastries, warm pots of tea ... and, for what seemed to be the australian component to our sweet offering, little mini Lamington cakes. Lamingtons, typically plain sponge cake dipped in chocolate and rolled in coconut, are a popular Aussie dessert, thought to have been named after Baron Lamington (a popular governor of Queensland at the end of the 19th century). Whilst the origin of the name for the lamington cake cannot be accurately established, there are several theories. One of these theories is that it was originally the slang term for the homburg hat, worn by Baron Lamington, and these cakes were named for him. Another theory is that they were named after Lady Lamington, the wife of the Governor.

Though the history seems a little complicated, these cakes are not. Easy to make, easy to enjoy ...

Ingredients

Sponge Cake

3 eggs
1/2 cup castor sugar
3/4 cup self-raising flour
1/4 cup cornflour
15g (1/2oz) butter
3 tablespoons hot water

Chocolate Icing

3 cups desiccated coconut
500g (1lb) icing sugar
1/3 cup cocoa
(extra cocoa can be added, according to taste)
15g (1/2oz) butter
1/2 cup milk

Method:

1 - Beat eggs until thick and creamy. Gradually add sugar. Continue beating until sugar completely dissolved.
2 - Fold in sifted SR flour and cornflour, then combined water and butter.
3 - Pour mixture into prepared lamington tins 18cm x 28cm (7in x 11in).
4 - Bake in 350 F oven approximately 30 mins.
5 - Let cake stand in pan for 5 min before turning out onto wire rack.
6 - Sift icing sugar and cocoa into heatproof bowl. Stir in butter and milk. Stir over a pan of hot water until icing is smooth and glossy.
7 - Trim brown top and sides from cake. Cut into 16 even pieces.
8 - Holding each piece on a fork, dip each cake into icing.
9 - Hold over bowl a few minutes to drain off excess chocolate.
10 - Toss in coconut or sprinkle to coat. Place on oven tray to set.

Note: Cake is easier to handle if made the day before. Sponge cake or butter cake may be used. May be filled with jam and cream.)

Day 144 - C'est Bon Restaurant, Cairns - Steak w/ Cognac and Green Peppercorn Sauce

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To mark the start of the Cairns Amateur horse racing weekend, my Cairns friends Mark, Bianca and Mat went to the weekend's opening brunch. Several rounds of champagne later, they joined me on my lunch hour (some of us DO work 9-5 jobs ... even on "working holidays") for an elegant lunch of french cuisine.

They were all noticeably more dressed-up than I, me still in my work clothes (i.e. Taxback.com golf shirt). "One of these things is not like the other ..."

Aside from the wanting to eat french food while being all dressed up, we got the idea after I notice the overabundance of frogs in Cairns. All: "Those aren't frogs Kevin ... they're Cane Toads." Cane toads, I've been told, were a failed introduced biological control of the sugar cane beetle. Because the beetles threaten FNQ's important sugar cane industry, someone decided it was a smart move to introduce Cane Toads to eat them. Cane Toads flourished, and ate lots of beetles. Only program was, Cane Toads can't be eaten (they have poisonous secretion making them nearly impossible to eat) and, thus, have no natural enemies in the food chain. Then, to make the problem even worse, Cane Toads moved on from sugar cane beetles and started even lots of other things, including lots of native, endangered amphibians.

End result: lots of Cane Toads. Too many Cane Toads.

So, can you see where our logic was: Cane toads -> Frog legs -> French food ... You see the connection, no?

The restaurant's name, translated into English, is "it's Good". The irony was that food wasn't all that good. (you'll notice my sauce is in the middle of my plate in the picture above, in the form of a frozen "brick" on top of the potatoes ... completely unappealing). The below sauce is better. Use it instead. :)

Ingredients:

1 1/2 to 2 pounds tender boneless beef steak, cut 1 to 1 1/2-inches thick
1 tablespoon butter or margarine
1 tablespoon olive or vegetable oil
6 tablespoons Cognac, warmed
1/4 to 1/2 cup minced shallots
1 to 2 tablespoons canned green peppercorns, rinsed and drained; or 1 to 2 tablespoons dried green peppercorns
3/4 cup whipping cream or creme fraiche
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon dry tarragon
Salt and ground black pepper

Method:

1 - Trim fat from steak or score fat to prevent meat from curling as it cooks.

2 - Melt butter in oil in a wide frying pan over medium-high heat. add meat and cook, turning once, until well browned on both sides and done to your liking; cut to test (6 to 8 minutes for rare).

3 - Move pan into an open area, away from exhaust fans and flammable items. Add brandy and ignite; shake or tilt pan until flame dies. Transfer meat to a serving dish and keep warm.
Add shallots to pan; cook over high heat, stirring, until shallots are soft, about 2 to 3 minutes.

4 - Add peppercorns, cream, mustard and tarragon. Bring to a boil; boil, stirring, until large, shiny bubbles form and sauce is slightly thickened, about 3 to 4 minutes. Stir in any accumulated meat juices from serving dish. Season with salt and pepper; pour over meat. Serve with steamed vegetables.

Day 141 - My Place, Cairns - "Okonomiyaki" (Chinese cabbage pancakes)

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Another weekend gone, another out-of-town guest to send off. My Sydney mate Tim and I had a great weekend, creating some awesome memories! One more meal before seeing him off to the airport.

During his schooling, Tim spent a good amount of time in Japan. I've been picking his brain for the last couple of months now, getting as much info and ideas on what I would see or do if I'm to visit that area of the world for a quick trip next year (late spring?). Hmm ...

Speaking of house guests, over the last few months I've caught a few in the house:

Our place, mostly on the outside, crawls with gheckos ...

I caught a Huntsman spider in our shower one day (thankfully these are not harmful - but they're heavy enough to make noise when they run across a bathtub, as I learned that night). *shudder*

And, for good measure, my canadian housemate Jeremy caught a huge snake (a python?) on camera just outside our front door. No sight of the critter since then ... but I remain confident he's keeping our house rat-free. :)

Since we were talking so much about Japan anyway, Tim figured he would cook me one of the few Japanese dishes he knows how to make: "Okonomiyaki" (Chinese cabbage pancakes)

** Confession: we cheated and bought pre-packaged sauce mixes. Below, here's how you make them from scratch!

Ingredients: (per serving)

50-60 g flour
1 egg
1 cup dashi
1-2 Tablespoons grated yamaimo (mountain potato)
70 g cabbage
Oil

Wagarashi
Okonomiyaki sauce
Tonkatsu sauce

Note: Powdered yamaimo can be used

(As desired: mirin, salt, 20-30 g thinly sliced pork, 1/2 squid, 10-20 small shrimp, cleaned and shelled, 2-3 whole oyster)

Method:

Batter:

1 - In a bowl mix egg add yamaimo.
2 - Add salt, a little mirin, then flour. Mirin removes the powdery taste.
3 - (Optional) Add any combination of ingredients to cabbage.
4 - Dice cabbage to 1-1.5 mm pieces .
5 - (Optional) Cut pork into 3 cm. pieces. Remove skin of squid. Cut into small pieces. Wash shrimp and drain.

How to assemble:

6 - Add cabbage and filling to batter.
7 - Pre-heat hot plate or fry pan. Cover surface completely with oil.
8 - Pour batter into a circle about 20 cm in diameter.
9 - Cook for about 5 minutes or until golden brown. Turn over with a spatula .
10 - Cook for about 5 min until completely cooked.
11 - Be careful not to overcook or burn. Do not press down on patties.

Before eating, add one or a combination of the following sauces: Mayonaisse, tonkatsu or okonomiyaki sauce, Japanese mustard (wagarashi). Ketchup or any strong flavored sauces will also do.

Day 140 - "Flames Of The Forest" Experience - Australian Rainforest, Queensland - Coconut & Macadamia Mousse w/ Berries & Passionfruit Coulis

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Thusfar, this was the most amazing dining experience I've had in Australia.

In search of a true, Farth North Queensland gourmet dining experience , word of mouth had it that I should not missing out on joining "Flames Of The Forest" evening. (http://www.flamesoftheforest.com.au/) Versus writing my own review of the evening, I will pirate a review written recently by one of FNQ's foodwriting reporters:

"Steeped in the World Heritage gorgeousness of the Daintree Rainforest in Queensland, you'll find Flames of the Forest. Hidden away in a secret valley, it's an experience like no other, a feast for all the senses.

Your evening begins with a bus outside your hotel. Nothing particularly amazing about that, it's true. You get in, you drive for a little while, you park outside a forest, and you get out of the bus. All very mundane. But a little way away, somewhere in the shadows at the edge of that forest, you see a flickering light, then another and another. It's a trail, candle-lit, stretching away before you. On closer inspection, some of the lights are just jam jars with kero and a cotton wool wick but the effect is magnetic.

You follow the trail, as it winds beneath a dense forest canopy, to a Small candle-lit clearing. You arrive to the gentle laughter of some 40 people, a cocktail and a choice of tempting hors d'oeuvres. But don't let your guard down. Not yet. The Flames of the Forest is a night of unexpected surprises.

Just as you're getting complacent, out of the darkness, an Aboriginal man emerges, speaking a musical language you don't understand but, nevertheless, he makes it clear that he is hungry and beckons you to follow, up another candle-lit trail, to another clearing, next to a river that sounds like bamboo chimes in a gentle breeze.

You take a seat in a beautiful marquis, wreathed in fairy lights, its clean white ceiling flushed with red and orange hues. This is the heart of Flames of the Forest, the most unique social experience you may ever attend.

The organisers have been asked many times, but they don't offer tables for just two. Instead, tables seat eight or 10 people and offer a great opportunity to connect with people you've never met before. Phil is your host for the evening, an Aussie larrikin who will charm and welcome you and explain about the trees and the plants — and where the fully functioning bathrooms are. Then it's time to feast on a tropical banquet: an entrée of prawns with native jackfruit (the world's largest fruit) dressing, followed by dinner platters of fragrant fish wrapped in banana leaves, or perfectly cooked chicken or beef, to be shared by everyone.

After coffee, the Creek brothers, Gary and Robert, two local indigenous men who camped and fished in the valley as children, mesmerise with a 30-minute tale from the Aboriginal Dreamtime — an intimate story-telling experience from people whose ancestors once told stories in this very place. The stories relate specifically to the setting, the river and a particular animal, but we can't tell you any more than that. It’s a secret shared only with the fortunate few. What we can tell you is that the finale will resonate with you forever.

Following the story-telling, sit back and listen to the mystical sound of the didgeridoo and a haunting voice against the backdrop of dense foliage and dark night. When the house lights come gently up and dessert is served, it's time for photos and questions and answers and, if you choose, a stroll by the candle-lit river.

Just before you leave, write your signature in the handmade book. For every signature, a tree is planted in its honour, to help sustain the local environment."

Food for the soul ...

The entire menu was rooted in local produce. Every course was delicious (http://www.flamesoftheforest.com.au/dining_Port_Douglas_menu.htm) and the champagne / wine flowed. Dessert was definitely the highlight of the meal. Served in a brandy snap basket, it's pretty impressive to think the chefs were able to create much of our meals on-the-spot in the rainforest (with some advanced preparation, obviously). Here's how you can do it yourself at-home:

Ingredients

Brandy Snap Baskets

1/4 cup/50g unsalted butter
1/4 cup/55g caster sugar
1/4 cup/60g golden syrup
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 tbsp brandy
1 tsp lemon zest
1/4 cup/55g plain flour

Coconut & Macadamia Mousse

1/4 cup Butter, softened
1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, softened
2/3 cup sugar
1 pint (2 cups) whipping cream
1/2 cup sweetened flaked coconut
1/2 teaspoon coconut extract or vanilla
½ cup finely chopped Macadamia nuts

Passionfruit Coulis

12 Passion fruits
1 Orange
2 ½ ounces sugar

Serve with:

120g Strawberries
100g Blueberries
100g Raspberries
Mint leaves

Method

1 - Brandy Snap Baskets: Place the butter, caster sugar and golden syrup in a saucepan and place it over a moderate heat. Stir it regularly with a wooden spoon until the butter and golden syrup have melted and the sugar has dissolved. Leave it to simmer gently for a couple of minutes then remove it from the heat.

2 - Stir in the vanilla essence, brandy and lemon zest, and then gradually mix in the flour until well incorporated. Set the mixture aside for 15 minutes to cool and become firmer.

3 - To Cook: Preheat an oven to 180°C. Place large spoonfuls of the mixture onto a non-stick or well butter biscuit tray so that you have at least 6, allow plenty of room between each one as they will spread out. With lightly buttered fingers spread the mixture into circles around 5 cm wide. Place the tray in a preheated oven and leave them to cook for 10-15 minutes. You will need to cook them regularly as they will easily burn. The brandy snaps our ready when they have spread out and are a rich golden brown. Remove them from he oven and allow them to cool for 1 minute.

4 - Baskets: Place 6 ramekins or small teacups upside down on a work surface. Carefully remove the brandy snaps from the tray (they should be pliable if they aren't return them to the oven for a few minutes), place them on the upturned ramekin or cup and mould them around it to shape as a basket. Set them aside to harden. When they are set remove them from the mould and store them in an air tight container until ready to use.

5 - Coconut & Macadamia Mousse: Place butter and cream cheese in large bowl. Beat at medium speed, scraping bowl often, until creamy. Add sugar; continue beating until well blended. Increase speed to high. Beat, gradually adding whipping cream, until stiff peaks form. Gently stir in coconut, Macadamia nuts and coconut extract by hand.

6 - Passionfruit Coulis: Cut 12 passion fruits and remove the seeds and pulp and place into a bowl. Extract the juice from 1 orange, removing seeds, and add juice to passion fruit in bowl. Add 2 1/2 ounces sugar and 2 ounces of water and puree in a food processor for 20 seconds. Boil this mixture in a small saucepan for about 2 minutes, skimming the top to remove the froth. Strain through a fine sieve using a ladle for pressure. Cool and cover with plastic wrap and store in refrigerator until needed

7 - To Serve: Place one brandy snap basket in the centre 6 plates or bowls. Place a generous scoop of mousse in each basket and scatter berries in the baskets. Place a mint leaf on top, and place some of the Passionfruit Coulis around each basket. Serve.