Kitesurfing The Menu

Days 197 through 219 - Backpacking Trip through New Zealand - "Stay Tuned" ...

2006-11-19T20:02:00.000-08:00

For three weeks, my Australian experience has taken a backseat to Kiwland!

My Canadian friend Travis joined me on an adventure of a lifetime as we criss-crossed New Zealand in our trusty rental campervan. From swimming in the ocean's waters to climbing moutainous glaciers, we visited the most intriguing and exciting adventure destinations this amazing country had to offer! Lots of stories, pictures and (most certainly) food recipes to come!!

"Stay tuned" ...

Days 185 - 187 - The Great Barrier Reef, Scuba Diving Trip - Scalloped Cheese Potatoes

2006-10-18T18:43:00.000-07:00

To date, the following three days I spent on-board a scuba diving vessel (and the subsequent experiences which took place underwater) were the ABSOLUTE HIGHLIGHT of the trip! It truly is amazing the beauty that exists in our oceans. As a completion of my PADI scuba diving certification, myself and roughly 20 other novice-level divers embarked on a multi-day tour around several reefs on the larger Great Barrier Reef. Aside from underwater encounters with creatures small and large (truly), our dives also included diving skills development … all of which allowed us to dive deeper and longer.

Me playing with a sea cucumber, and just some of the smaller creatures that live off the reef:

Trip highlights:

1) Reef Teach – before going on the dive trip, I attended a complementary 2-hour info session (held by a marine biologist) on the Great Barrier Reef and the life that can be found on it. Despite over two hours, we only received the bare minimum of knowledge needed to be able to identify fish / plan life, know what to expect, know what to avoid, etc …

2) Night Dive – THIS part of the trip had me a little uncomfortable prior to leaving for the trip. Although an optional part of the trip, the second night of our trip had us scheduled doing a night dive on one of the reefs we had visited earlier on. The thought of sharks / octopuses hanging just over my shoulder, attracted by my flashlight, didn’t appeal to me … I’m glad I went through with it – you truly do feel like you are flying out outer space: no light, except for your flashlight, everything is calm and slow at night, and you get to see a number of fish-life that only come out at night. Amazing stuff!

3) Swimming with sting rays and other fish (large and small) – I was caught off guard how, generally, calm fish are around divers. Sometimes they were simply used to divers … sometimes they were simply curious to check us out … maybe we’re just too alien to them to be threatening. However, fish large and small were usually quite happy to follow us around underwater (maybe they were waiting for food hand-outs?). Too many pictures show to you all, but here's a great one of me swimming along side two sting rays.

4) Meeting the cast of Finding Nemo – I saw just about every type of fish underwater, including the fish from “Nemo” – clownfish, Moorish Idols, cuddle fish, rays, etc … Cool stuff! Here are some clownfish we came across on one of the reefs ...

5) Swimming with “Crush” – This was probably the highlight of the trip, for me! On the second day, we visited a reef where we were informed sea turtles are generally seen. I told my dive German dive-buddy that, despite whatever we were doing at the time, if we were to see a sea turtle anywhere within striking distance we were to make an IMMEDIATE b-line to see if we could get our pictures taken with it. I couldn’t believe our luck, but after only being underwater for 5 minutes, I saw a huge sea turtle swimming directly towards us, and as soon as it reached our general area, it relaxed, closed it eyes, and was all to happy to let us take pictures and swim with him for a while. Such a gentle creature – amazing to think they can live to be 100+ years old!

The food ended up being a pleasant surprise of the trip. Our Canadian-born live-aboard chef (<- no joke!) made sure we were fed healthily throughout the trip. Few dishes caused more of a line-up that his cheesy-scalloped potatoes. Recipe provided below.

I offer this piece of advice (for what it's worth) to anyone who is thinking, but uncertain, about taking a dive course at some point in their lives: JUST DO IT! Spend the money, gain the experience … it’s something you will certainly take with you for quite some time!

Ingredients:

4 pounds potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced
2 (10.75 ounce) cans condensed cream of mushroom soup, undiluted
1/4 cup butter or margarine, divided
2 cups shredded sharp Cheddar cheese, divided

Method:

In a large bowl, combine potatoes and soup. Layer half of the mixture in a greased 13-in. x 9-in. x 2-in. baking dish. Dot with half of the butter and sprinkle with half of the cheese. Repeat layers. Bake, uncovered, at 350 degrees F for 60-70 minutes or until the potatoes are tender.

Day 183 - Skybury Coffee Plantation, Cairns – Mom's Scotch Cakes (short bread cookies)

2006-10-14T18:05:00.000-07:00

Hmm … what to do on a lazy, Sunday afternoon now that most of my major sightseeing around the area was done? After asking around for some suggestions, the answer became clear: go to one of the area’s largest coffee plantations!

Perhaps I’m alone; however the thought of where my coffee beans come from generally doesn’t occur to me. My brain naively assumes that some Mexican / South American / African / … farmer is growing and roasting my beans before exporting them to Coffee Maker XYZ for my consumption. It never occurred to me that coffee beans might actually have been produced locally in rural farmland Queensland.

Indeed, I was wrong.

Nor did I know what coffee beans would look like on their tree … or what the tree would look like for that matter. ("Now I know ...")

Upon arriving at Sunburry Coffee Plantation, my Cairns buddy Brad and I signed us up for the plantation tour. Fun fact of the day: each coffee tree requires 15-20 liters of water … PER DAY!!!! (Woooh! That’s a lot of water!) It’s not surprising, then, that nearly 100 years ago the farmers in this farmland area constructed a series of naturally-fed waterways to ensure their land was moist enough to produce their crops.

Following our brief tour of the plantation, and a step-by-step explanation of the bean harvesting process (** go to a plantation if you are a coffee-lover, it’s neat stuff) we were lead into the plantation’s welcome center building for a roast tasting.

At the end of the hour-long experience, we sat on the balcony, taking in the amazing vista before us, sipping on flat whites and downing a few shortbread cookies I’d made the night before.

My mom’s (grandmother’s?) recipe, below, for shortbread cookies. I’ve yet to find their equal, though many have tried. USE BUTTER! (Don’t skimp)

Ingredients:

1/2 cup cornstarch
1/2 cup icing sugar
1 1/2 cup flour
1 cup butter(must be soft - NOT hard or melted)

Method:

Using a pastry cutter, “cut together” all ingredients.
Roll out dough onto clean, dry, floured surface.
Cut out cookies (round, pattern, etc …).
Bake 300 degrees oven on ungreased cookie sheet.

Day 182 – Lance & Liz’s, Cairns - Liz’s Caramelized Banana Ice Cream Towers

2006-10-13T17:49:00.000-07:00

As thanks for me having bbq’d for them the previous week, my assistant rugby coach Lance and his fabulous wife Liz invited me and some family over to their place for a reciprocal thank-you meal. As I’ve mentioned a couple of times before, both Lance and Liz have previous history as chefs, so I was ALL too curious to know what they’d be making for us out of their home kitchen. The result of their efforts: a simple, but t-a-s-t-y meal of pan-fried chicken and fish pieces, served with a rainbow of chopped veggies, sauces (including peanut butter?!) and rice-paper wraps. After cleaning every morsel of food off the communal serving plates (seriously), Liz headed back into the kitchen to make us dessert.

Question: pastry chef + many years of experience + dinner party at her house = what’s she going to make for us?

Answer (too easy): caramelized bananas on toasted raisin bread served with ice cream and warmed pecans. If Mrs. Pastry Chef can get away with something this easy at her dinner parties, surely you and I can as well.

It was a great night of laughs and stories … and a great way to say “See you later” to a great couple of friends in Cairns!

Loose recipe: to make the caramel for the bananas, simply toss them into a pan over medium-high heat with a handfull of brown sugar and (in our case = fed four adults) maybe a half cup-sized glob of fresh butter.

The proportions of sugar-to-butter are more art than science (in my opinion) - if it's too dry, add more butter. If it's too oily / runny, add more sugar. When it bubbles in the pan, here's what you're looking for:

Serve atop triangular-cut pieces of toasted cinnamon bread with ice cream of your choosing, and a few microwave-warmed pecans ... and you have an incredibly impressive low-effort dessert.

Pastry Chef-approved, by Liz.

Day 181 - Nicki's Place, Cairns - Nicki's Thai Green Curry Chicken

2006-10-12T17:45:00.000-07:00

.

More reciprocal dinner party action following last week’s bbq on The Esplanade. This time, my co-worker Nicole was the one in charge, promising me + guests a healthy helping of her “signature Thai green chicken curry” chez soi.

We laughed … we watched Jamie Oliver on the tube … all good. Not much else to share from this evening – “you had to be there”.

** Recipe soon to follow, still waiting for Nicki to email it to me: "It's coming Kevin, I promise ...".

Day 177 - Rugby Coach Thank-you & See-You-Soon - Cairns, QLD - Brown Ale Maple-Glazed Barramundi

2006-10-07T16:42:00.000-07:00

As my time winds down here in Cairns, I’ve made a point to have at least a goodbye / thank-you coffee or meal with all of the people who have made my short time here so memorable.

I could not have ignored the contribution my rugby coaches had made to my Cairns experience. They were all too gracious in taking in a big lug of a Canadian, knowing nothing about the game, and including me immediately in team practices and weekend matches (even allowing me to substitute in for the A-team at the end of the season for a short shift).

So, as a sincere thank you for their time, efforts and generosity, I invited them to the waterfront for a full-on barbecue meal experience in the only way I know how: over-the-top!

After a great day at Turtle Cove beach / resort north of Cairns,

I headed down to the waterfront, armed with armloads of food and picnic hardware. (<- even I must admit, it was pretty full-on ... LOTS of great food) Since my head coach Billy and his wife are from Papua New Guinea, assistant coach Lance and his wife Liz are Aussie, as-is co-worker Nicole (her bf Dylan is Kiwi … ignore that for a moment, though) and I’m Canadian (<- no?!), I figured I would theme the menu based on our respective cultures’ cuisines. The resulting menu: Appetizer course – Australian-themed: locally-made artisan cheeses and crackers, served with Paw Paw and Jaba chutneys. Main course – Canadian-themed: line-caught Barramundi w/ Brown Ale Maple-Glaze, served w/ bbq’d vegetables. (fish provided by Lance, who had just returned from an extended fishing trip up north – sweet!) Dessert – PNG-themed: banana cake. The result was a fantastic few hours of stories, food and laughter. One last picture to commemorate the evening, with the quickly-rising full moon in the background. A great memory, for sure.

** Kinda cool: the below recipe comes from FoodTV.ca, Canada's Food Network. The recipe is from a show called "License to Grill" hosted by a guy named Rob Rainford. I actually took a 3-month food theory course from Rob Rainford at George Brown College ... so it's appropriate I'm using one of his show's recipes. :)

Ingredients:

Marinade

1 x orange, halved and sliced
1 x lime, halved and sliced
3 cloves of garlic, chopped
1/2 knob ginger, chopped
1/2 red onion, halved and sliced
1/2 bunch cilantro, chopped
1/2 bottle Brown Ale Beer
6 tbsp of vegetable oil (90ml)
1 tbsp hot sauce (15ml)

Brown Ale Maple Glaze

1/2 bottle Brown Ale Beer
2 cups of orange juice (500ml)
3/4 cups of maple syrup (175ml)
3 tbsp of hot sauce (45ml)
1 tbsp of ginger, chopped
1/8 cup of lemon juice
Celery salt to taste
2 tbsp of garlic salt

Directions:

For Marinade:

Make marinade by combining orange slices, lime slices, garlic, ginger, onion, cilantro, Brown Ale Beer, vegetable oil and hot sauce in large bowl. Place fish fillets / pieces in a large sealable plastic bag, pour marinade over top and marinate in refrigerator for 6 hours, or up to 24 hours.

For Brown Ale Maple Glaze

Preheat grill to 400°F/200ºC. Make glaze sauce by combining in medium bowl Brown Ale Beer, orange juice, maple syrup, hot sauce, ginger, lemon juice, celery and garlic salt. Place fish on grill and cook, turning, until done, about 3-5 minutes per side. Brush fillets with maple glaze sauce and cook additional 3-5 minutes on opposite side.

Day 176 - Thala Beach Lodge, North of Cairns - Wild Boar w/ Blueberry Coulis

2006-10-07T16:33:00.000-07:00

I feel a belated-birthday dinner coming my way tonight …

After another day spent at one of my more favorite off-the-beaten-path discoveries here in Cairns (Emerald Falls, north of Cairns by 45 min or so in the tablelands), my good friend Sir Bradley treated us to an unbelievable dinner at one of the area’s top-end seaside resorts.

Emerald Falls – way, way cool! Natural waterfall, rolling down granite hill, … amazing!

On the drive out there, you pass by hundreds upon hundreds of ant hills formed built on top of the ground (this is apparently done to fight the heat ... clever little buggers, eh?).

Afterways, we headed off to Thala Beach Lodge, an ultra-swanky oceanside resort with private beaches, honeymoon bungalows and great dining facilities. While we were waiting for dinner hour to arrive, I got my photography itch scratched with some great shots of the 2nd night of the full moon. It's EASY to take great shots with a moon like that!

Dinner was great - very inspiring menu, with lots of local goodies available for tasting. I've always wanted to taste wild boar (Why? Not sure ... just always have ...), and surprisingly it was on the menu. I won't provide a recipe for this posting, as the meal was very simply prepared / presented ... If you feel disappointed by that, just look at the picture of the rising moon above - hopefully that will be enough to bring smiles to your faces.

Day 175 - Apres Beach Bar "Crazy Pianos" - Pepper Steak w/ Horseradish Cream

2006-10-06T16:59:00.000-07:00

So little time left in Cairns … time to take one more thing of my “to do” list that I’ve been meaning to do in this town for a while now.

There’s a great restaurant / piano bar in the city’s restaurant district that (word has it) has great food, and has some fantastically talented piano men (and, yes, probably women too) tickling the ivories a couple of evenings every week. Seemed like a good spot for dinner with friends.

Inspiration from the ORIGINAL kings of blues …

Not to sound like a broken record, but I seriously have made some great friends here in Cairns. Meet my “Plan B”, the fabulous Miss Bianca.

We really “broke a leg” out there …

(OK, maybe that’s a lie … Mark broke his foot WAY before tonight … but it WOULD have been a funny story, no? “So there we were, dancing on the tables, and then Mark …”) lol

Great music, great friends, great food … good times. The dish pictured above is actually quite basic, but is presented with a bit of bling (triangular-cut puff pastry). No reason why you couldn’t do that with any other dish as well, anything needing a bit of flash.

Recipes - Horseradish Cream

Ingredients:

1 cup sour cream
1/4 cup grated fresh horseradish
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon white wine vinegar
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Method:

Place all of the ingredients into a medium mixing bowl and whisk until the mixture is smooth and creamy. Place in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours or overnight to allow flavors to meld. Sauce can be stored in the refrigerator in an airtight container for 2 to 3 weeks.

Day 174 - Jamie Oliver Australia Ep #4 - Thai Coconut Salmon In-A-Bag

2006-10-05T16:27:00.000-07:00

My interest in Jamie Oliver’s Australian expansion into Australia continues … One more episode on the tube, one more freshly-prepared meal to eat while watching.

This was a bit of an experiment. About a year ago, I attended a suit-and-tie business dinner at North 44, one of Toronto’s higher-end restaurants. One of the items on the menu was a salmon fillet with Thai ingredients steamed inside banana leaves.

I challenged myself tonight to the following: how could I pull off a similar dish, with NO banana leaves, and NO oven. (I could, however, allow myself to use the stove top.)

The result is pictured above: salmon fillets set atop vegetables and some other ingredients, all wrapped together in aluminum foil (so the fish would steam), which was cooked on top of the stove in an empty frying pan. ** Rather ingenious, I thought.

Ingredients:

½ pound of pumpkin
2 large carrots
1 onion
2 large (or 4 medium) salmon fillets
2 red chilies, seeded and diced
2-inch knob of ginger, peeled and julienned
2 limes
1 can coconut milk (full fat)
1 can chicken broth
Salt and pepper to taste
1 roll aluminum foil

Method:

1) Cut pumpkin and carrots into large, but bit-sized, pieces.
2) In a pot of boiling water, boil pumpkin and carrots until cooked approximately half-way. Strain.
3) Make two parcels out of aluminum foil. Place parboiled pumpkin and carrots on the bottom.
4) Place salmon fillets on top of vegetables. Salt and pepper to taste.
5) Placed ginger and red chillies on top of fillets.
6) Juice one lime per packet, also adding a small “splash” (1/8 cup) each of coconut milk and chicken broth.
7) Close aluminum packets to seal. Please inside a pre-heated, dry frying pan on stove over medium-high heat. This will steam the fish. Cook 8-10 minutes. Check fish periodically to ensure it doesn’t overcook.

Makes 2 servings.

Day 171 - My Birthday - Turkish Restaurant, Cairns - Birthday Baklava, Turkish Delight & "Schnapps Shots"

2006-10-02T20:05:00.000-07:00

Kevin’s 29th Birthday Extravaganza continues!!

Canadian housemate Krista, a few of her cool British friends and I headed out for Turkish food for Phase 2 of the evening!

(Pretty girl, eh? I tell yah … must be something in those Canadian waters)

After some great (and FILLING … oy) appetizers and mains, out came the drinks, and the dancing,

, and more drinks .. and more dancing … and … (ok, you get the point)

Actually, the night wasn’t that messy, and it really was a very memorably night. Our hostess at the restaurant (what was her name again?) was all-too-happy to keep us eating / drinking as long as she could, even providing us with a free round of her “signature shots”. Recipe provided shortly (I misplaced it, must have packed it away by accident ...).

“Birthday baklava”? Sure! The restaurant even served dessert with a side of Turkish Delight. (naively, I assumed this was only something you could buy in the candy bar aisle at the supermarket / convenience store) Again, we provided out birthday candles – like the good Boy Scout I am, one must be prepared for any and all situations.

Recipe for Baklava from AllRecipes.com, another recipe I've used many times before.

Ingredients:

1 cup unsalted butter
1/2 (16 ounce) package phyllo dough
2 cups chopped pecans
1 1/2 tablespoons whole cloves
1 1/2 cups water
1/3 cup white sugar
1 cinnamon stick
1 cup honey

Method:

1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2) Melt the butter over low heat. Pour 2 tablespoons of the butter into the bottom of a 9x13 inch baking pan. Layer 3 sheets of the phyllo dough in the pan. Trim dough to fit. Sprinkle 2 tablespoons of pecans over the phyllo dough. Layer 3 more sheets of dough, brush generously with the melted butter, and sprinkle with 2 tablespoons of pecans. Continue dough -butter- pecan layers until pan is 3/4 full.
3) With a sharp knife, score phyllo dough to form diamonds. Press a clove at each end of the diamonds. Pour remaining butter over the dough.
Bake 45 to 50 minutes in the preheated oven, until golden brown.
4) Meanwhile, combine the sugar, water and cinnamon stick in a medium saucepan, and bring to boil, stirring constantly. Simmer for 10 minutes.
5) Add the honey and simmer for 2 minutes longer. Remove from heat and discard cinnamon stick. Pour honey mixture over hot baklava. Let cool on wire racks. Cut into diamonds.

Day 171 - Tides Restaurant - Cairns' Waterfront, QLD - White and Dark Chocolate Mousse Terrine w/ Caramelized Orange and Strawberry Coulis

2006-10-02T17:04:00.000-07:00

My birthday is “officially” today! (although, I’m stretching it to a week-long celebration … I’ve decided I’m worth it this year) I’ve met some great friends here in Cairns, and two (yes – TWO!) have offered to take me out for birthday dinner tonight! Oh oh … I feel a long night coming on.

The first meal, early-evening, was graciously had with Cairns-friend Matty J. Because it was my birthday, I convinced Matty that we should START the meal with dessert … Come on! It’s my birthday!

This is as fancy as birthday cake gets! (is it, in fact, cake?) My mom always makes a white cake with orange icing on my birthday for me … I miss mom … and I miss her orange icing … This is the closest thing I could find in Cairns’ restaurants to orange cake! Since it's a complicated recipe, I'll simplify and offer a recipe for chocolate mousse ... much more attainable. :)

“Happy birthday to Keeee-vvvvvin!”

Ingredients:

1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1 large fresh egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup heavy cream, heated
Sweetened whipped cream for garnish

Method:

1) Place chocolate chips, egg and vanilla into the container of electric blender and blend for 30 seconds.

2) Remove center of blender lid and while machine is running, slowly pour heated cream into the chocolate mixture. Blend until well mixed and chocolate chips are melted.

3) Pour into parfait or wine glasses. Refrigerate until set. Serve garnished with a dollop of sweetened whipped cream.

Makes 4 servings.

Day 170 - NRL Grand Final - 2Fish Restaurant, The Esplanade - Cairns - Coconut Battered Nunagai w/ Basil Mayonnaise

2006-10-01T17:02:00.000-07:00

One of the many things I’ve gotten into while here in Australia, as previously posted, is rugby. More scoring than hockey, more action than American-style football, it’s NOT soccer … Rugby has a lot of things going for it. *grin*

Three separate styles of rugby are predominantly played in Australia: (1) Aussie rules, (2) rugby union (which was the style I played in Cairns), and (3) rugby league. Think of rugby league as a marriage of rugby union and American-style football, only no padding, very few stoppages in play, and a LOT more smashing! Now THERE’S a recipe for a great game!

After our second day in the pool at ProDive, I headed out for a quick bite to eat before heading to The Courthouse Hotel & Bar (coincidentally our rugby team’s local sponsor) to watch the National Rugby Leagues Grand Final game … B-I-G deal in Queensland … B-I-G!

Although I haven’t been here in Australia that long, I’ve latched on to a couple of teams more strongly than others, and I’m happy to say that the Brisbane Broncos (“my team”) made it to the Grand Final and WON!

A little bit of a Cinderella story: the Broncos went through a rough patch mid-season, lost of a LOT of games, but re-gained their composure by season’s end and developed some momentum going into the Grand Final, leading them to win the season.

“My guy”: Darren Lockyer. Many are arguing he’s one of the greatest players in the history of rugby league .. and he’s my age??!! (29) Geez, makes you wonder what you’ve done with your own life, eh? LOL

Cairns, given that it’s on the ocean, not surprisingly has some great seafood restaurants throughout the city. 2Fish is a tasty joint, serving up fresh fresh fresh locally-caught seafood in fusion-like ways. I’ve made coconut-battered shrimp many times at home. Don’t be intimidated – you can do it without a formal deep-fryer yourself, it just means you have to watch your oil temperature carefully using a thermometer. I ate nunagai (a local fish), but no reason you can't use any other type of firm fish (<- which won't fall apart in the deep fryer!) or shrimp (<- my recommendation).

I've used the below recipe from AllRecipes.com a number of times ... pretty reliable.

Ingredients:

2 quarts vegetable oil for frying
10 ounces orange marmalade
3 tablespoons prepared horseradish
3 tablespoons prepared mustard
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon paprika
1/4 teaspoon curry powder
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/3 cup beer
1 pound large shrimp, peeled and deveined with tails attached
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
8 ounces unsweetened flaked coconut

Method:

1) Heat oil in a deep fryer to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). In a small bowl, stir together marmalade, horseradish and mustard; set aside.

2) Combine 3/4 cup flour, baking powder, paprika, curry powder, salt and cayenne. Stir in beer.

3) Dredge shrimp in 1/4 cup flour, dip in beer batter and roll in coconut.

4) Fry shrimp in hot oil until golden on both sides. Drain briefly and serve with dipping sauce of choice.

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

2006-09-30T17:00:00.000-07:00

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

2006-09-30T16:58:00.000-07:00

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

2006-09-24T17:39:00.000-07:00

.

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

2006-09-23T16:46:00.000-07:00

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

2006-09-21T16:57:00.000-07:00

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

2006-09-14T16:54:00.000-07:00

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

2006-09-10T16:39:00.000-07:00

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

2006-09-10T16:36:00.000-07:00

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

2006-09-09T16:50:00.000-07:00

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

2006-09-06T16:33:00.000-07:00

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)

2006-09-03T16:24:00.000-07:00

.

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

2006-09-02T16:33:00.000-07:00

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.

Day 140 - Green Island, Great Barrier Reef - "Crock Salad" with Lemon Myrtle Dressing

2006-09-02T16:29:00.000-07:00

Another house guest arrived this weekend, in the form of my Sydney buddy Tim. Because I've yet to get out to do any diving or snorkelling on the Reef, we decided to head out to Green Island for the day to take in some of the closest coral reef snokelling accessible from Cairns.

Both Tim and I were surprised at the amount / diversity of the coral life off Green Island, which takes in hundreds of thousands of (novice) snorkellers each year. Lots of sea cucumbers, reef fish and star fish to look at. Thankfully, no sharks. :)

We rented an underwater camera for the day, coming away with some pretty good shots. I follwed the below fish around for 10 minutes, trying to get a good shot. Got 'em!

Green Island has a 5-star resort on the island. We headed there for lunch in search of something satisfying to eat.

Lemon Myrtle is a bushy Queensland rainforest tree which flowers heavily with large bunches of small white flowers on the ends of the branches. It is a common garden plant across northern Australia, and about a million have been planted commercially for their lemon oil content. The essential ingredient is Citral, which accounts for most of the plantss essential oil. The leaves are used fresh or dried & ground and have a lemon & lime oil flavour. They can be used with baked fish, to make a lemon tea, breads and cheesecakes etc., chicken and rice dishes ... and salad dressings!

Ingredients:

For dressing:

1 1/2 cups (400ml) white wine vinegar1/4 tsp salt
2 tsp (10g) castor sugar
2 tsp (5g) ground Lemon Myrtle
1/2 tsp ground Mountain Pepper
2 cups (600ml) olive oil
(Note: Dressing will separate if left to stand, so give it a good shake or stir before using on your favourite dish.)

150 g of crocodile meat (or chicken)
1 handful of babe spinach
½ pink grapefruit
½ avocado

Preparation:

1. Combine the vinegar, salt and sugar in a stainless-steel pot and heat gently until the sugar is dissolved.
2. Remove from the heat and add the Lemon Myrtle and Mountain Pepper. The heat will help release the natural oils in the Lemon Myrtle and Mountain Pepper.
3. Once the mixture is cool, slowly whisk in the oil.
4. Wash baby spinach, discarding any leaves which are not fresh.
5. Segment grapefruit.
6. Cut out strips of avocado.
7. Pan-fry crocodile until no longer pink.
8. Toss all ingredients together in a bowl, with a few tablespoons of the dressing.
9. Serve on a plate. If desired, serve with fresh cracked pepper.

Day 134 - Rugby Team BBQ - The Esplanade, Cairns - BBQ Thai Lime and Coconut Chicken w/ Warm Veggie Salad

2006-08-27T16:25:00.000-07:00

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One more semi-final rugby match . Going in: a 1-Loss, 0-Win record in the playoffs. What we needed to go to the final: to win THIS game. A "do or die"game, in every sense of the term.

Although I've only played for the team's reserve grade squad, I have made a point of pitching in and making it to all of the A-grade team's game. I've always managed to be a help, even in some little way, and I much prefer to make a contribution rather than bailing on them once our reserve grade's regular season (which was playoff-less) ended.

Brothers in arms: a pre-game pep talk from our coaching team ...

This was one of our few night games during the entire season. A fitting backdrop for the game - nothing to focus on except 80-minutes of rugby.

End result: we won! A thrilling, come-from-behind victory with under 10 seconds to go! When the referee's whistle blew, the crowd went c-r-a-z-y! It was an intense game: fast-paced play from the backs, and lots of long, slow mauling runs by the forwards. Many of the players (on both sides of the field) collapsed from shear exhaustion at the end of the game, and rightly so. Little was "left on the field". Several camera crews from local news agencies and media stormed the field for up-close footage and one-on-one interviews. And then came out "the pig" ...

I honestly have zero clue where the pig came from, or what it has to do with our team: "The Barron-Trinity Bulls". However, the club's President (pictured above) was as proud as a newborn's father to carry it around the field, in the stands, into the parking lot ...

As a celebration of the team's victory, the head coach (Billy) organized a team barbecue down on The Esplanade. A BYOM ("Bring Your Own Meat") affair, all were encouraged to bring their own carnage-of-choice. The foodie in me wouldn't let me bring hot dogs or hamburgers ... I "just had to" bring something a little more interesting than that. So, I threw together a simple, warm-salad.

Note: I'm aware the above picture is completely out of focus. As you imagine, I had little time to set-up my shot, the lighting, etc ... without the guys noticing what I was up to. *blush* lol

Ingredients

2 lemon grass stalks
3 fresh green chillies, seeded and chopped
2 garlic cloves, chopped
3 scallions, chopped
1 handful cilantro leaves
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp ground white pepper
1/2 tsp turmeric
1 tsp ground coriander
Grated zest 1 lime
3 tbsp fresh lime juice
2 tsp grated fresh ginger root
1 tbsp fish sauce
1/2 cup (120ml) coconut milk

Boneless, skinless chicken breast halves, butterflied
Salt, black pepper – to taste
1 recipe fresh papaya sambal (see Sauces), optional

Salad (per serving)

1 hand full mixed greens
½ red pepper, julienned – BBQ’d
6-8 asparagus stalks – BBQ’d

Method:

For marinade

Remove and discard the tough outer skin from the lemon grass stalks and roughly chop. Put lemon grass, chillies, garlic, scallion, cilantro, cumin, pepper, turmeric, ground coriander, lime zest, lime juice, ginger, fish sauce and coconut milk in food processor or blender; pulse until smooth. In a bowl, toss chicken with lemon grass mixture. Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.

Grill chicken until no longer pink in centre. Sprinkle with salt and pepper, cut chicken into strips.

Toss and serve hot with BBQ’d vegetables.

Day 133 - Cairns Wine & Food Festival - The Esplanade, Cairns - Scallops in Savoury Cream Sauce

2006-08-26T16:20:00.000-07:00

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Throughout the months of August and September, The Cairns Festival runs almost daily events across the city. A wide variety of dance, music, cutural and culinary activities are organized for locals and tourists alike. On this particular day, the more scenic part of The Esplanade was roped-off for the annual Cairns Wine & Food Festival, a great opportunity to enjoy good food and great wine in an oceanside setting.

My canadian housemate Krista joined me as we ate our way around the world, so to speak, enjoying among other things: seafood, Indian, and (below) Mexican eats.

Sooner than later, I had to get going for my rugby team's 2nd semi-final match a short distance from downtown ... but not before enjoying one more glass of wine and a tropical setting sun.

One of our OTHER canadian housemates (I know, I know ....) Jeremy, who is a chef by trade, was working one of the festival's booths. Krista and I agreed that it was Jeremy's scallops which topped our list of "Tastiest Eats". Recipe below ...

** Recipe on its way - Jeremy hasn't divulged yet ...

Day 127 - Crystal Cascades, Queensland - Moreton Bay Bug and Pineapple Salad with Basil and Mint

2006-08-20T00:31:00.000-07:00

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Today, I ate a plate full of bugs. More on that in a second ...

Before I left for Australia, I told myself I would meet as many people from other countries as possible. French, Germans, Brazilians ... these would all become my friends and travel acquaintances over the next next. I would surround myself with as many internationals as possible, and I would learn from them. To some extent, that has happened.

In other areas of my travel adventure, however, I am surrounded by as much "Canadia" as back home in Toronto. Case in point, while living here in Cairns, I have four housemates. One is German. The other THREE are (you guessed it) Canadian!

One of these housemates has turned into a great friend. Krista, similar to myself, is working / living / backpacking her way across the country in search of "???". As a self-proclaimed "champagne backpacker", however, Krista does things a little differently than the common backpacker. She's choosing to cart herself a round the country behind the wheel of her campervan. A housemate with a car = bonus = weekend road trips!

Crystal Cascades, hidden in the tropical rainforest north of Cairns, is a secluded freshwater swimming hole. A series of small waterfalls flow into large pools surrounded by boulders, making it a great getaway spot from the heat and humidity. Rainforest trees hang over the water, keeping it cool and refreshing.

Krista and I spent most of the afternoon jumping into the stream off rock cliffs, sunbathing and talking about mostly Canadian things.

There are also picnic tables in the area, making it a great spot for lazy afternoon picnics. As thanks to Krista for making our little rainforest trip possible, I pulled together a salad for us made of fresh cut pineapples, herbs, vegetables and bugs. Well, Moreton Bay Bugs to be more specific. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moreton_Bay_bug)

Also known as "Bay Lobsters", "Shovelnose Lobsters" and "Mud Bugs" to name a few, Moreton Bay Bugs are found along the entire coast of the northern half of Australia. As a Canadian, they look almost like the tail of a lobster, with a very similar taste.

I've made the above salad before in Ottawa (Canada) using lobster meat. This time I decided to flex some australian culinary muscle and use Bugs instead. Great salad if you love fresh pineapple. The mint / basil combo make this a really refreshing, summer-friendly salad. C/o Epicurious:

Ingredients:

One dozen Moreteon Bay Bugs
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
2 firm-ripe baby pineapples with leaves, halved lengthwise
1/4 cup peanut or vegetable oil
1 garlic clove, smashed
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1 tablespoon Asian fish sauce
1 tablespoon sugar
1 small shallot, thinly sliced
1 red bell pepper, cut into 1/4-inch dice
1 teaspoon minced fresh serrano chile, including seeds
3 tablespoons chopped fresh mint
2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil

Method:

Plunge bugs headfirst into an 8-quart pot of boiling salted water. Loosely cover pot and cook bugs over moderately high heat 9 minutes from the time they enter water, then transfer with tongs to sink to cool.

Remove meat from the shells. Discard Rough cut meat into 1/2-inch’ish pieces and sprinkle with salt and pepper.

While bugs are cooling, cut pulp in 1 or 2 large pieces out of each pineapple half with grapefruit knife, then discard core and cut pulp into 1/2-inch pieces. Scrape juice and any remaining pulp from pineapple shells with a spoon (to form 1/4-inch-thick shells) into a fine sieve set over a bowl and drain until you have 2 to 3 tablespoons juice, about 2 minutes. Discard solids.

Finely chop garlic and mix in with oil. Add garlic oil to pineapple juice along with lime juice, fish sauce, and sugar, whisking until sugar is dissolved. Add shallot, bell pepper, pineapple pieces, chile, and herbs. Toss bugs with pineapple mixture and serve mounded in pineapple shells.

Cooks' note: • If you can't find baby pineapples, you can substitute 1 cup pineapple pieces from a firm-ripe regular pineapple.Makes 4 servings.

Day 126 - Lili Pad Cafe, Cairns - Brekki Burritto w/ Green Salsa

2006-08-19T00:25:00.000-07:00

I'm not much of a morning person. Never have been, probably never will be. Maybe that's why weekend brunch is my favorite meal to eat at restaurants: all the convenience, with no clean-up or hassle.

Lili Pad Cafe, a popular brunch spot in Cairns, has quickly become my breakfast-restaurant-of-choice on Saturday / Sunday mornings. It's a quaint place, with a certain particular bohemian flavour (case in point: instead of the usual numerical labels most restaurants in Australia use to keep track of customers during table service, the Lili Pad uses Taro-like cards with mythological figures). My card on this particular day: "Lilith". (How very Sarah McLaughin of them ... <- only Canadians will understand this reference)

My rugby team's semi-final match was later in the day, this time being held at one of the larger, more modern rugby fields Cairns has to offer - a serious field, for a seriously-important game, for a serious rugby community.

Lili Pad makes a great brekki burritto ... but they make an even GREATER green salsa (much more mild than some of you may be expecting)!

Ole!

INGREDIENTS:

Brekki Burritos

For each burrito:

1 soft flour Tortilla
1 Russet potato, peeled and cubed
3-5 eggs, scrambled (depending on appetite)
4 tbsp milk
2 strips fried bacon
¼ cup Green Salsa (recipe below)
½ cup grated cheese (mozzarella suggested)
1 tbsp fresh chopped parsley

Green Salsa

8 tomatillos, husked
3 shallots
2 cloves garlic, peeled
1 (4 ounce) can chopped green chile peppers
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1 fresh jalapeno pepper, seeded
Salt to taste

METHOD:

For green salsa: In a food processor, place tomatillos, shallots, garlic, green chile peppers, cilantro, jalapeno pepper and salt. Using the pulse setting, coarsely chop. Cover and chill until required for serving.

Boil potato cubes until tender (careful not to overcook, or else they will boil apart).

While potatoes are boiling, pan-fry bacon to desired level of crispness. Once cooked, pat dry with paper towel to remove excess fat, and crumble.

Whisk eggs together with milk. Pan-fry, scrambling until cooked.

Heat oven to broil.

Assemble burrito: on an oven-proof plate, top Tortilla wrap with all the scrambled eggs and bacon, followed by half the cheese, 4-5 tablespoons of the Green salsa, then the potatoes. Fold over Tortilla’s edges then “roll over” so the burrito’s edges are underneath. Top with remaining cheese.

Place burrito under oven’s broiler until cheese is fully melted (don’t burn!). Carefully remove from oven, top with another few tablespoons of Green Salsa, and the chopped parsley.

Serve immediately.

Day 120 - Fitzroy Island, Great Barrier Reef - Aussie Burger w/ Canuck Potato Salad

2006-08-13T16:38:00.000-07:00

My first trip out into the Great Barrier Reef. The weather forecast was predicting rain and high winds / waves all day, meaning it wasn't going to be a good day to go snorkelling or diving for the first time. On a recommendation from a travel consultant colleague, I headed off to Fitzroy Island (located just outside Cairns, just at the edge of the Reef) for a day of rainforest hiking and relaxing in the sun (assuming there would be any).

After a rough 45-minute boat ride out to Fitzroy, I immediately headed up a long, winding walking path to Fitzroy's peak. Upon arrival, I found a boulder at the very top of the mountain, sat down and enjoyed the amazing views out into the Pacific. Shortly before our arrival on the island, several people had mentioned they saw grey whales just off Fitzroy's shores ... so naturally I was curious to know see if I could spot any whales off in the distance. (I didn't, btw)

After a quick lunch (more on that in a second), I headed off to one of Fitzroy's other main attractions: Nudey Beach (no, that's not a typo - that's its actual name). "Clothing optional" in every sense of the word, and having the best sand on the island, I spent the rest of the afternoon alternating between sunbath-mode, and retreating Survivor-like into the rainforest to take shelter from the afternoon downpours.

"When in Rome" ...

Note on the above: this was my only 10-seconds of nakedness the entire day. Swear. I was keen on the idea, until I realized there were several dozen Japanese tourists all around who, throughout the afternoon, were constantly taking pictures ... *snap* *snap* *snap*

Besides ... "the water was cold".

Our return boat trip had us pointed directly into the setting sun. The below is only one of many fantastic shots I was able to take.

Before booking my trip to Fitzroy, naturally I made sure there would be some "bloggable" food on the island. (Come on, I'm just looking out for you guys ... lol) The brochure promised me a "Sumptuous Aussie BBQ" lunch, which I thought meant Aussie burgers, or something similar. Wrong. Of the above food pic:

- The dish on the left is what I HAD for lunch (fish with potato salad). Mom's potato salad hits closer to home, so I'll provide hers below.

- The dish on the right is what I WANTED for lunch, which I ate for dinner later that night at one of my fave spots in Cairns' downtown (The Inbox Cafe, a combination cafe, restaurant, internet kiosk and live performance venue). A-m-a-z-i-n-g burgers, easily repeatable at home.

*** Recipes soon to follow.

Day 119 - My Last Rugby Match - Gnocchi w/ Chicken, Veggies and Cashews in Cream Sauce

2006-08-12T16:41:00.000-07:00

Today I played my last rugby game with Barron. The day's highlight: I played a shift with the A-grade team. (cool, huh?)

The coaches had been prepping me for the possibility of dressing for the A-grade team's bench, their game following ours. The game, against one of our team's main competitors, was tight throughout with each trading tries back-and-forth. With approximately 10 minutes left in the game, our team down by only a few points, the coach called me off the bench to replace another teammate in my position. (holly crap!)

It was a great experience; a fast-paced game that was played at a completely different level than what I'm used to. Although we did end up losing by a few points, I came off the field feeling like I'd made a contribution. Several teammates came up to me and congratulated me on my efforts, everyone aware that this was my first taste of A-grade rugby in Australia. Another great memory for sure.

I'm hoping to have an action picture in my A-grade jersey to share with you guys shortly. I looked pretty tough. *grin*

Before / after matches, I've always been in need of a plate full of carbs to prepare / replace much needed energy. With so many budget-conscious backpackers staying in Cairns, it's no surprise that there are loads of good value pasta restaurants scattered throughout the city. Fasta Pasta (though the name suggests a lower-than-desired quality) has been a favorite of mine. The below gnocchi became a staple after-game meal. And it has cashews in it ... what's not to like about that??!!

Note: recipe to follow shortly ... I'm trying to bribe one of the line cooks to share it with me.

Day 118 - Rugby Team BBQ - Cairns, Queensland - Coffee Maple BBQ Sauce

2006-08-11T16:35:00.000-07:00

Before our last Reserve-grade rugby game of the season the following day, one of the players hosted a Friday-night team barbecue. All were encouraged to bring their own meat to throw on the barbecue, with the usual salads and sides provided by the host.

Naturally I wasn't about to show up with food only for myself. To me, that seemed like an entirely UN-canadian thing to do, and I wasn't going to have any part of it. Besides - who doesn't like the guy who shows up with extra chicken wings for everyone??!! lol

Our game, the next day, went very well. Although I didn't score a try myself (darn), the team won by a fairly wide margin. All involved were to happy to have finished our season on a win, something to take into next year.

To my surprise, the A-grade coach asked me to dress in uniform as a back-up player for the A-grade's game immediately following our reserve game. Woooh! In the second half, with 10-minutes left to go in a tighly contested game, I got substituted into my usual second-row position. Faster pace, bigger guys, and a lot more skill ... but I held my own, I think. We did end up losing by 2 points, a bitter pill to swallow for the A-grades going into the playoffs the week following, but it was a great experience to be put into the game in the game's dying minutes. Several of the other players came up to me after the game to congratulate me on my game-play and skill improvement to date ("Not bad for someone who wasn't playing rugby until a month ago.") The opportunity to play in their game, a kind gift on the part of the coaching team (truly), was a great way to end my rugby experience here in Cairns.

*** Game pictures soon to follow, waiting to get copies from one of the game's spectators - I'm hoping there is AT LEAST one action shot of yours truly. (I gotta have SOMETHING to show you guys, don't I? *grin*)

Following our games, I was speaking with one of the assistant coaches about my short time with the Bulls. My comment to the coach was "In my quest to better understand this country, its culture, and its people, this rugby team has been the most Aussie thing, thusfar, that I have found." I would be lying if I said I didn't get choked up a little bit, for one small moment (I've always been a tad emotional when it came to playing sports). My rugby experience, although it wasn't something I planned on pursuing prior to leaving Canada, has become one of the great memories I will take away from Australia, even if I never play another match again in my life ... though, I doubt that will be the case. :)

I thought I would share our team's song also (as you can imagine, I've sung it a time or two while here in Cairns):

THEY CHEERED US FROM THE GRANDSTAND
THEY CHEERED US FROM THE HILL
THEY CHEERED FOR BARRON RUGBY
WE GAVE THE CROWD A THRILL
WE HAD A MIGHTY FORWARD PACK
AND VERY SKILFUL BACKS
AND WHEN WE THREW THE BALL AROUND
WE SLAYED EM IN THEIR TRACKS

CAUSE WE ARE, WE ARE, WE ARE, WE ARE, WE ARE THE BARRON BOYS
WE CAN, WE CAN, WE CAN, WE CAN DEMOLISH 40 BEERS
DRINK RUM, DRINK RUM, DRINK RUM, DRINK RUM AND SO SAY ALL OF US
AND WE DON'T GIVE A BUGGER FOR ANY OLD BUGGER THAT DOESN'T GIVE A BUGGER ABOUT US
GET STUFFED

I've made the above barbecue sauce before, pulling the recipe from Food Network Canada's website (http://www.foodtv.ca/). In their version, they use 2 tbsp of molasses instead of maple syrup. Alas, molasses is not a common item found in grocery stores, so I decided to increase the "Canadia" content with maple syrup. Easy to prepare, feel free to use instant espresso powder if (like most of us) you don't have an espresso machine in your home kitchen.

Ingredients: Coffee Maple Barbecue Sauce

· 1/2 cup ketchup
· 1/3 cup packed dark brown sugar
· 1/2 cup brewed espresso
· 1/4 cup cider vinegar
· 1 medium onion, coarsely, chopped
· 3 jalapeno, halved, seeded
· 3 garlic, cloves, crushed
· 4 tbsp Canadian Maple Syrup
· 2 tbsp dry mustard powder
· 1 tbsp water
· 2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
· 2 tbsp ground cumin
· 4 tsp cayenne pepper

Chicken Drumsticks

· 12 chicken, drumsticks, well rinsed, patted dry
· coarse salt, and freshly cracked black pepper
· vegetable oil, for brushing grill

Method - Sauce:

1. Mix mustard powder with 1 tbsp of water to make mustard mixture.
2. In a saucepan, prepare the barbecue sauce by combining ketchup, brown sugar, espresso, cider vinegar, onion, jalapenos, garlic, molasses, mustard mixture, Worcestershire, cumin and cayenne pepper.
3. Bring to a boil on medium heat and cook for 10 minutes.
4. Let cool completely.
5. Put the chicken and the sauce in a resealable plastic bag and seal.
6. Marinate in the refrigerator for at least 3 hours or overnight.
7. Remove chicken from barbecue sauce.
8. Cook the barbecue sauce in a pot over medium heat.
9. Bring to a boil.
10. Reserve sauce for brushing the chicken.

Chicken Drumsticks

1. Heat a grill on medium heat.
2. Season chicken with salt and pepper.
3. Brush grill with oil.
4. Grill chicken for about 8 to 10 minutes per side or until chicken is cooked through reaching an internal temperature of 175 to 180 degrees F, brushing with the sauce.

Day 113 - Second Kitesurfing Lesson - Yorkeys Knob, Cairns - Vietnamese Spring Rolls

2006-08-06T16:31:00.000-07:00

Success! I have officially learned how to kitesurf!! (albeit at a very beginner level)

Day 2 of my kitesurfing lessons saw me back at Yorkeys Knob with my Kiwi instructors for a more intense day on the water. After some equipment set-up and instruction, I was off into the surf to give (kite + board) a try.

Man, do I ever look unimpressed at my tangling kite lines, eh? lol

The below pic should hopefully give you guys a good perspective on kitesurfing equipment: my 14-metre kite is 40-feet directly above me (in "neutral position"), being held by my left hand, as I walk out into the surf with my board in my right. All this while the wind is trying to blow my kite all over the place, other kiters are (effortlessly) skating by me, waves are crashing up against my board and I, a tidal current is pulling me off-shore ... Yah. Lots going on.

And this, my friends, is photographic documentation of Kevin's first three(ish) seconds standing up on his board. The photo (unfortunately) is a little out-of-focus, but I'm hoping this will be only the first of many, many kitesurfing pics of yours truly that I will have to share with you all.

After sundown, I headed over to my aussie buddy Mat's place for dinner with him and a couple of his friends. Matty promised us all a homecooked meal of lamb roast, potatoes and all the trimmings .. and he delivered. Before we got started with dinner, one of the other guests brought some vietnamese spring rolls for us to munch on while we waited for dinner. Fresh, easy-to-make, and great dipping sauce. A fantastic way to end another day in Australia. *grin*

*** Note: recipe soon to come, I need to get it from Mat ...

Day 104 - First Kitesurfing Lesson - Yorkeys Knob, Cairns - Mueslix Bars

2006-07-30T16:29:00.000-07:00

Today, I embarked on completing another item one of my list of "Top 10 Things To Achieve in Australia": learning to kitesurf!

To start off by learning proper technique as much as possible, I signed myself up for a 2-day private kitesurfing lesson package with Extreme Sports (which organized a kitesurfing competition in Cairns a month ago). I arrived at Yorkeys Knob for Day 1 of my lessons, searching for my two Kiwi instructors, Jed and Rachel (husband and wife). I found them unloading equipment out of their camper van, which they have been travelling with for some time (the term "no fixed address" came to mind).

Weather was great for learning, with the tide just on its way out. We spent the day going through the basics (wind theory, equipment knowledge, kite safety, self-rescue techniques, body-dragging, etc ...). By day's end, I was pretty "rooted" (i.e. exhausted) although feeling good about the day's accomplisments.

I didn't get up on my board today (that's reserved for Day 2 ... stay tuned), but feel confident that signing myself up for lessons was a good idea.

They day was pretty much non-stop, with little rest time (I was warned about this ahead of time). I knew any food would have to be eaten quickly, so I stocked up on lots of energy drinks and snacks. I bought the above mueslix bars at a local bakery the morning of (Aussies seem to love their mueslix for breakfast), which reminded me a lot of "Rice Krispy squares".

There are several differences in cereals in Australia as compared to North America. The ones that have caught my attention since arriving: North America's "Rice Krispies" are "Rice Bubbles" in Oz, Coco Pops in Oz have a really creepy mascot (https://www.cocopops.com.au), and generally there are a number of North American cereals which simply don't exist in Oz (Corn Flakes, Raisin Bran, Vector ... to name a few).

I will adapt a Rice Krispy square-like recipe for mueslix bar for this blog ... everyone needs a little marshmallow in their lives, no?

*** Note: Recipe soon to come ... experimenting in the kitchen.

Day 103 - 2nd rugby game - Scales Of Justice Restaurant, Cairns – Oysters “Nova Scotia”

2006-07-29T16:33:00.000-07:00

Another Saturday, another rugby game.

This was my 2nd rugby game since joining the Barron-Trinity Bulls a couple of weeks ago. I’m slowly, but surely, getting comfortable with the rules. Several penalties continue to be a mystery (“Why can’t I do that?”) but I remain confident my experienced teammates and coaching staff are in the right when they yell at me, telling me what and what not to do.

End Score: Barron – 25, Opponent – 7. Kevin didn’t score any points himself, although he did play a big part in ensuring a couple of tries were successfully converted, and had a big run up the field after the initial kick-off. Improving, again, slowly but surely.

After the match later that night, the team got together for drinks at its usual haunt - The Courthouse Hotel & Bar. Big match going on this weekend south in Brisbane: Australia Wallabies vs New Zealand All-Blacks. (BIG DEAL) The Wallabies ended up losing by a few points, which was unfortunate, but another great night was spent drinking cold cider under the stars while watching the game on the big, outdoor projection tv. (Is this paradise? It's gotta be close to it ...)

Before the game started, I ate inside at the Scales of Justice Restaurant, the Courthouse's restaurant. Scanning the menu, oysters looked interesting ... then, I saw the above. It was almost as if the menu winked at me: Oysters "Nova Scotia". For those of you who don't know, my Dad is from Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, one of Canada's eastern provinces. So, I just "had to". Smoked fish (in this case, smoked trout) is a true Maritime delicacy, so these oysters were a true taste of home.

Simple to prepare, even more simple to eat. Ask your seafood vendor / fishmonger to "shuck" (i.e. open) your oysters for you in-store if you're not comfortable doing so yourself at home.

Ingredients

For each shucked oyster:

1 tsp Creamed Horseradish
1 layer of Smoked Trout or Salmon

To garnish plate:

Rock salt
Capers (liquid removed)
Red peppers, seeded and sliced
Fresh parsley leaves
Lemon wedges

Method:

1 – Top each oyster with one teaspoon of Creamed Horseradish, them lay one layer of smoked fish (trout or salmon recommended) on top of oyster. The fish layer should be the same size as the oyster shell.

2 – Lay the oysters in a star-shape on a serving plate, which should be first layers with rock salt. Sprinkle each oyster with a few capers.

3 – In the center of the oysters, place a few slices of red peppers and parsley leaves. Place a few lemon wedges on the side of the oysters, and serve.

Recommend 6-8 oysters per guest as an appetizer, 12 – 16 as a main.

Day 102 - The Esplanade, Cairns - Boston Cream Doughnuts

2006-07-28T16:26:00.000-07:00

I’ve always said that I’m not much of a runner. I’m a fit guy, enjoy most sports / working out / etc … but have never really gotten into running in the mornings. That’s changed since my arrival in Cairns.

Maybe it’s because of the morning ocean scenery (pelicans, mountain ranges, sun rising over the ocean, …). Maybe it’s because this is all a 10-minute bike ride away from my temporary home here in Cairns. Or, perhaps because my gym / showers are 200-feet away from my daytime office job. (Can you spell “convenient”?) Not sure, but I’ve definitely enjoyed the extra morning exercise before getting to work in the mornings.

Which got me thinking about “breakfast on the run”? (<- there’s the tie-in guys) I miss Tim Horton’s, Canada’s most successful chain of coffee and doughnut shops (for those of you who aren’t aware). I miss “double-doubles”, “Rrrrolling up the rrrrim to win!”, and Boston Cream doughnuts (those tasty four’ish-bite doughnuts filled with yellow custard pudding.)

I only recently found the Australian-equivalent to the Boston Cream doughnuts, just after my arrival here in Cairns at a local bakery shop where they sell “custard doughnuts”. They’re missing the chocolate-top coating, their doughnut have holes in middle, and they definitely don’t cost $0.85 each (* sigh *) … but still, they are pretty tasty.

Note: I recognize my breakfast-on-the-go food selection negates the purpose of my morning running … but hey, I’m on vacation!!

Recipe for Boston Cream pie / doughnut custard filling:

1/3 c. sugar2 tbsp. cornstarch1/8 tsp. salt1 1/2 c. milk2 egg yolks, slightly beaten2 tsp. vanilla

Mix sugar, cornstarch and salt in 2 quart saucepan. Stir in milk gradually.

Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly until mixture thickens and boils. Boil and stir 1 minute.

Stir 1/2 of hot mixture into egg yolks in saucepan, boil and stir 1 minute.

Remove from heat, stir in vanilla. Cool to room temperature

Day 101 - 101st Day in Oz - The Esplanade, Cairns - Barbecued Garlic-Butter Mangrove Jack with Grilled Zuchini and Tomatoes

2006-07-27T16:27:00.000-07:00

This particular blog post is about 3 things:

1) Fish. And not just any fish – BIG fish.
2) Fake fruit. And not just any fake fruit – BIG fake fruit. (Stick with me on this one guys, I’ll explain shortly)
3) Me celebrating my 101st day in Oz.

Cairns, being on the coast and so close to the Great Barrier Reaf, has a definite fishing culture to it. Queenslanders catch it, they eat it, they take under-water pictures of it … These people are all about fish. Over the last few weeks here in Queensland, I’ve noticed several stand-out fish:

First, there was the “Big Marlin” out front of the Stockland Shopping Centre where my rugby coach runs his coffee shop. (So says coach: “That’s a good lookin’ fish!”)

Then there was the “Big Barramundi” which I saw last week off to the side of the road while driving towards the waterfalls in the Atherton Tablelands.

Finally, and perhaps most famously, are the big metal fish which sit in The Esplanade’s man-made “lagoon”.

That got me thinking: what types of large, fake edible foods do we have back in Canada? After giving it some thought, I realized there are several:

- The “Big Potato” outside Fredericton, New Brunswick, Canada. (http://www.flickr.com/photos/aemacivor/54649859/in/set-48135/)
- The “Big Blueberry” also in the Maritimes (amazingly, i can't find a picture of this anywhere on the net)
- The “Big Strawberry”, again in the Maritimes (why is nobody taking pictures of these?)
- The “Big Apple” outside Colborne, Ontario, Canada (found it - http://www.roadsideattractions.ca/apple.htm)

So, when it occurred to me that I had finally been in Australia over 100 days (clearly a milestone that deserved to be recognized, perhaps by cooking myself a romantic meal-for-one), it was clear to me that I would be cooking fish.

The previous week, my rugby coach had me over to his place for a post-practice impromptu barbecue. Given that he’s a trained chef by trade and a fish angler by hobby, it wasn’t a surprise that (1) he had some fresh-caught fish in his fridge, or (2) he found a tasty way to cook it up for us. Mangrove Jack was the name of the fish, a sport fish generally caught of Australia's north-eastern shores.

So, for my 101st Day In Oz celebration, I recreated this meal down at the flat-top barbecue stations along The Esplanade. (note: we don't have "flat-top" barbecues in Canada. Pan-frying is the equivalent preparation method.)

Note: I make a great date for myself. Really, I do. I complemented myself continuously, I laughed at all of my jokes (even the bad ones), I didn't try to make a move on myself pre-maturely ...

*** UPDATE: Since publishing this post, the following website has been brought to my attention: http://www.bigthings.com.au/. Apparently Australia has no shortage of "Big Things". :)

Ingredients

Per person

1 large fillet of Mangrove Jack
2 small baby Zucchinis, ends removed and cut lengthwise
2 ripe Field Tomatoes, ends removed and cut into wedges
4-6 cloves of Garlic, depending on personal preference
Butter
Balsamic Vinegar

Method

1 - In a small bowl, place a few dollops of butter. Add a few cloves of garlic (depending on personal preference).

2 - Drop butter and garlic onto flat-top barbecue. Once melted, add zucchini, flipping to coat in butter. Cook until half-done.

3 - And more butter and garlic to another location of the flat-top. Melt, and add fish fillet. Do NOT overcook fish! Allow to cook 3-5 minutes per side, until the centre is just slightly pink.

4 – Just after the fish goes on the flat-top, add more butter and garlic to another location on the flat top, and grill the tomatoes, turning once each side begin to color. Do NOT overcrowd the tomatoes or they will stew (rather than grill), losing their shape. (I.e. you will end up with barbecued tomato slop).

5 - To serve, place barbecued zucchini in a center of your plate, coating lightly with balsamic, top with cooked fish fillets, and place tomatoes off to the side.

Day 97 - Roadtrip through Atherton Tablelands, South of Cairns - Greek Moussaka

2006-07-23T16:22:00.000-07:00

I'd been told for some time the Atherton Tablelands, an area south of Cairns, is another must-see region in north Queensland. With promises of amazing mountain views, lush green scenery and natural waterfalls, this sounded like a great excuse for an afternoon road trip.

A new local mate of mine ("Mat") was up for it as well.

One of my observations of Aussies, in general, is that many of them haven't seen that much of their own country. Several of my Sydney mates hadn't seen a number of the things I'd seen or visited in my first few months in Oz; similarly in Mat's case, he's been in Cairns for 4 years ... and still hadn't ventured through the Tablelands. In all fairness, it did take me while after moving in Toronto to go visit the Niagara Falls ... and they're one of the Wonders of the World! Toucher.

Quick history and summary of landscape: The Atherton Tablelands were formed after millions of years of volcanic activity (a dormant volcano still exists at Atherton's highest point). Consequently, the Tablelands' volcanic soils provide the nutrient-rich grounds necessary for the local farming, and allow the area's natural rainforests to flourish.

(Moooooo!)

Driving south towards the Tablelands from Cairns, we took a winding road up through the hills. The weather was fantastic, with great visibility to take some amazing pictures at look-out points along the way.

After several stops along the way (I couldn't help stop taking photos of cows ... apparently you can take the boy out of the Maritimes, but you can't take the Maritimes out of the boy), we began searching for several of the area's famous natural waterfalls. We had time to visit three of these, although there are many many more. Below, me before taking a (cold) dip in the waterfall (hey, I didn't fly halfway around the world not to "take the plunge", even if the water is a little cold ...).

On the drive back north to Cairns, we passed by several of the region's banana fields which were hit heavily by Tropical Cyclone Larry in early 2006 (which has resulted in bananas costing upwards of $12+ per small bunch).

Mat does a lot of international travelling, and we got to talking about other countries / cultures and how many of these have immigrated in large numbers to Australia. Melbourne, for instance, has the world's second largest concentraion of Greeks (outside of Athens). Talking about this made me miss my Greek buddy Bob back home. Back in Cairns, and famished, we headed out in search of Greek food.

There is a Greek restaurant in Cairns with a large sign out front: "Go Fettas!!" (which is funny on an inside-joke level for Bobby and I). I'm never had Moussaka before know it's one of the Greeks' signature dishes. Its recipe is a little involved, but worth the effort to serve to a tablefull of dinner guests / loved ones.

Opa!

Ingredients:

For the eggplant and potatoes:

2 large eggplants, sliced into 1/4-inch thick rounds

2 large potatoes, peeled and slice into 1/4-inch rounds

SaltPepperOlive oil

For the lamb-tomato sauce:

1 pound ground lamb

1 large onion, medium diced

2 tablespoons minced garlic

SaltFreshly ground black pepper

1 teaspoon dried oregano

1 bay leaf

1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

1 cup red wine

4 cups tomatoes, peeled, seeded and diced

For the Bechamel:

4 tablespoons butter

4 tablespoons flour

4 cups milk

1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

1/4 cup lemon juice

3 egg yolks

1/2 cup Parmesan cheese

SaltFreshly ground black pepper

To Finish:

3/4 cup breadcrumbs

1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, grated

2 tablespoons fresh mint, chopped

2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped

Directions:

For the Eggplant and Potatoes: Season the eggplant and potatoes with salt and pepper. Add 1/2 inch of oil to a large skillet and heat. When the oil is hot, fry the potato slices, flipping once, until golden brown, about 3 to 4 minutes per side. Remove the potatoes to a paper towel lined plate. Replenish the oil so there is still 1/2 inch in the bottom of the pan. Fry the eggplant slices in the oil, flipping once, until golden brown, about 3 minutes per side. Add more oil as necessary. Remove the eggplant from the pan and place on a paper towel lined plate.

For the Lamb Tomato Sauce mixture: Place a sauti pan on the stove over medium high heat. When the pan is hot, add the ground lamb. Sauti the ground lamb for 2 minutes, until it begins to turn brown. Add the onions and garlic and sauti for 5 more minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Drain off any excess fat from the pan. Season the mixture with oregano, bay leaf, cloves and cinnamon and cook for 3 more minutes. Deglaze the pan with red wine. Cook over medium high heat until the red wine has reduced by half, about 10 minutes. Add the tomatoes. Cook, stirring occasionally until the mixture is a thick tomato sauce consistency, about 30 minutes. Check for seasoning. Remove from the heat and cool completely.

For the Bechamel: In a saucepan, melt the butter. Add the flour to make a roux. Cook the roux over medium heat for 3 or 4 minutes, or until it becomes a very pale tan color. Slowly add the milk, whisking constantly. Add the nutmeg and the lemon juice. Simmer, stirring constantly, over low heat for 15 minutes. The mixture should be fairly thick. In a separate bowl, whisk the eggs together. Take 1/2 cup of the hot milk mixture and whisk it into the beaten eggs. This will temper the eggs. Whisk the egg/milk mixture back into the milk mixture. Add the Parmesan cheese and stir. Over very low heat, cook this mixture for 3 more minutes. Be careful not to let the mixture simmer. Season with salt and pepper. Remove from the heat and cool.

To finish: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Sprinkle the bottom of a 9x13 inch-baking dish with 1/4 cup of breadcrumbs. Place a layer of the eggplant over the breadcrumbs. Place a layer of the potatoes over the eggplant. Place 1/2 of the lamb tomato sauce mixture over the potatoes. Spread 1/3 of the bechamel sauce over the lamb mixture. Top the bechamel with another layer of eggplant and another layer of potatoes. Top with the remaining lamb mixture. Place one more layer of eggplant and potatoes over the lamb mixture. Top with the remaining bechamel. Sprinkle with the remaining breadcrumbs and the Parmesan cheese. Place in the oven and bake for 45 minutes, or until the top is golden brown. Remove from the oven and let sit for 10 minutes before serving. Sprinkle with mint and parsley.

Yield: 6 to 8 servings

Day 96 - Kevin's First Rugby Match - Rusty's Market, Cairns - Anzac Cookies

2006-07-22T16:14:00.000-07:00

This blog is about cookies and coffee ... and how these resulted in me joining my first rugby club.

Confused, yet?

Our story begins at an unassuming coffee stand in the middle of Rusty's Market in Cairns, one sunny Sunday morning.

Still in waking-up mode, Kevin randomly approaches the coffee stand for a flat white fix. The barrista, a hefty, dark-skinned Kiwi (?) with a bright smile named "Billy" takes Kevin's order. Casual conversation ensues, and Billy politely asks if Kevin has ever played rugby before (surely he was impressed by Kevin's large, muscular frame ... plug, plug, plug). Kevin admits to wanting to learn to play, although never having done so before, and asks Billy if he knows of a local team who might be looking for additional reserve players for the next couple of months.

Turns out, Billy is the head coach of a local rugby club.

Furthermore, "Lance" (the team's reserve-grade coach) is standing directly behind Kevin, sipping on a coffee as well. (Lance also manages a coffee shop elsewhere in Cairns, again the coffee reference)

And, it turns out, they are "always looking for new players". Giddy up!

Conversation continues, yadda yadda yadda, and two weeks of practice later, Kevin plays in his first rugby match for The Barron-Trinity Bulls: http://barrontrinitybulls.rugbynet.com.au/

Pic, after the end of our game:

(We lost our game on a last-minute penalty ... big disappointment ... don't ask) I did hold on the full 80 minute game though, and put on a relatively sound performance given that I've only been playing less than 10 hours of rugby in TOTAL!

Several more rugby pics to come over the next couple of months (as I've just joined the team). As one can imagine, I'm sore, battered and bruised from my rugby experience thusfar ... but it's all good. :)

Anzac cookies are sold at many of the sweet vendors at Rusty's. They're not chewy, in fact they're hard as rocks (warning: check your dental plan before attempting the below) but they are tasty.

There are a few theories on the origins of ANZAC biscuits but it is certain that they came about during the First World War, around 1914/15. Some say that they started as biscuits made by the Troops in the trenches with provisions they had at hand to relieve the boredom of their battle rations. And some say they came about due to resourceful of the women on the "home front" in an endeavour to make a treat for their loved ones that would survive the long journey by post to the war front. There is even the suggestion that they originated from Scottish Oatmeal Cakes which is entirely possible. Whatever the origin, they have won the hearts of all Aussies the globe over as the pseudo National Biscuit.

Here is how to make them - dead simple!

Ingredients

1 cup plain flour
1 cup rolled oats (regular oatmeal) uncooked
1 cup desiccated coconut
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup butter
2 tbsp golden syrup (or honey)
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
2 tbsp boiling water

Method

Combine the flour (sifted), oats, coconut and sugar in a bowl.
Melt the butter and Golden Syrup (or honey) in a saucepan over a low heat..
Mix the bicarbonate of soda with the water and add to the butter and Golden Syrup.
Pour the liquids into the dry ingredients and mix well.
Spoon dollops of mixture, about the size of a walnut shell, onto a greased tin leaving as much space again between dollops to allow for spreading.
Bake in a moderate oven, 180C / 350F, for 15-20 minutes.
Cool on a wire rack and seal in airtight containers.

Day 94 - The Cairns Show, Cairns - Homemade Lemonade, Caramel Popcorn and Mom's "5-Minute" Fudge

2006-07-20T16:10:00.000-07:00

I'm not sure about all of you, but when I grew up in Fredericton, New Brunswick, Canada, there was a fair that came through town every year. In my case, it was always the week before back-to-school (which is early September for us Canucks) which made it a bitter/sweet time of year. The upside: the FREX ("FRedericton EXhibition") was in town for the week! The downside: back to school. Yawn.

Two weeks after my arrival in this part of Australia, The Cairns Show (a.k.a. "The Show") was in town. Aside from taking in a few rides, and wolfing down an armload of junk food, admitedly I was quite curious to know how similar The Show would be to The Frex. Would there be wild new rides? Would rides be called by the same names? What sort of trashy junk food do Aussies eat?

Happy to say, most things were very much the same:

- "The Hurricane" (pictured above-left) was still one of the main draws. I l-o-v-e-d this ride when I was a kid (vivid memories of getting smushed to the outside of my seat as the ride went faster and faster and ... ). Most of the rides I remember from being a kid were there; apparently there have been relatively few innovations in the small-town-rides industry over the last 15 years.

- Stuntmen were there performing "death-defying" tricks for the crowd. I saw a stunt rider at The Show launching his motorbike into the air over-top of a helicopter's rotating propellars ... truly dazzling.

- Fair culture, and its people, are still the same. Mullets, "big hair" and heavy metal t-shirts are still the norm. "Roadies" are just as roughneck as they were back at home. Truly, it was like going back in time.

A few things were different:

- "Bumper cars" are known as "dodgem cars". (I like their name better)

- "Cotton candy" is known as "fairy floss". (I like our name better)

- The Gravitron was sadly nowhere to be found! (Does everybody remember what I'm talking about? I was totally prepared to hang upside-down and everything. Awww, maaan!)

Naturally, we were all treated to a small-town style fireworks show, meaning: very basic fireworks, no more than two going off at once, and one (read: ONE) big bang at the end! (THAT'S the one the fireworks committee blew the budget on) Who doesn't love that?!

I definitely pigged out on food at The Show. After having explored some unknown food creations (highlighted by a "Chiko Roll" - a thick, spring roll-like tube of battered and deep-fried vegetable), I searched out what one would expect to find: hot dogs, fudge, cold sugary drinks, cotton candy, candy apple, caramel popcorn ... most of which I found (and devoured).

Sad to say, I couldn't find any caramel popcorn ("Sorry mate, you're looking for what?"). I've made it at home before, and it's definitely worth the effort. I'll also share Mom's tasty (and easy) 5-minute fudge recipe. Canuck buddy Alex has also agreed to share his homemade lemonade recipe with y'all.

Kevin's 3-for-1 recipes for today:

** Homemade Lemonade - Ingredients and Method: (c/o Alex)

Dissolve 1 1/2 cups white sugar in boiling water

1 1/2 cups lemon juice (about 6 good sized lemons)

"Top up to 2 litres with water depending on how sweet or sour you like it, adjust the sugar. Maybe start with 1 cup and add more dissolved sugar until you find the perfect proportion. And for a great afternoon nap in the sun, swap regular water for carbonated water and pour the lemonade over a shot of vodka (or two). "

** Caramel Popcorn - Ingredients and Method:

... soon to come.

** Mom's Homemade 5-Minute Fudge - Ingredients and Method:

... soon to come. Waiting for Mom to email the recipe.

Day 93 - Oceanside Boardwalk, Cairns - Champagne with Wild Hibiscus Flowers

2006-07-19T16:03:00.000-07:00

Always so sad to see out-of-town guests go home ...

As a bit of a send-off for Nicole, a friend of mine from Sydney, we met up for a cocktail along the boardwalk off Cairns' boat marina. The weekend prior, on our day-trip to Kuranda, I had secretly made a couple of foodie purchases. One of those was Wild Hibiscus Flowers. What does one do with these? The store owner assured me the best way to enjoy these would be to drop one of these edible flowers, with some syrup, into the bottom of a champagne glass, and the top-up with bubbly. This sounded like a great girly drink to me, and since Nicole is a bit of a girly-girl, something told me she would be appreciative of the gesture. :)

Beautiful, clear night, we found ourselves a nice bench in a garden off the boardwalk where I produced the concealed bottle of sparkling wine along with the jar of hibiscus flowers.

Apparently it was Nicole's first-ever bottle, so naturally I let her (try to) open it ...

After watching Nicole agonize to open the bottle for five, long minutes, I did the honors myself (at her request).

Definitely a simple, and elegant, way of enjoying a glass of champagne (or any other drink, for that matter).

We sat on the park bench, enjoying our champagne, discussing life, religion and love (y'know ... the light topics).

Edible flowers are a neat little ingredient to use in cooking. Some flowers are definitely better to use than others. To learn more, you can consult any one of numerous websites dedicated to this topic.

Here's a good one - http://homecooking.about.com/library/weekly/blflowers.htm.

Day 90 - Gilligans Hostel, Cairns - Ultimate Nachos

2006-07-16T02:58:00.000-07:00

Back to Cairns from our day of rainforest exploration and skyrailing, Sunday night meant one thing: we needed to find somewhere to glue ourselves to the television for eviction night on Big Brother. (Sad, I know) Big Brother, like many reality shows elsewhere in the world, is insanely popular in Oz. As much as many of us would like to admit it otherwise, Big Brother provides its fair share of water cooler talk and office gossip, and everyone has their own “favorite housemate” for whom they root.

Thankfully, both Dean and Nicole were also hooked on the show too, and they were all too happy to get together for Eviction Sunday at a local watering hole. Hmm, but where to go?

Gilligan’s Hostel, perhaps less of a hostel and more of a backpacker resort, is easily one of the biggest hostel in Cairns and has a great patio bar to watch sports and big tv events on its projection screen. Also, because they have backpackers staying with them on-site, their food and drinks are cheap, cheap, cheap ...

Little did I know, but Gilligan’s is one of Big Brother Australia's big sponsors and gets promotional considerations for their financial support. Meaning, that when Dean and I were halfway through our meal, an announcer came on over the p.a. system , welcoming everyone to Gilligan's ... including "Big Brother's most recent evictee - Galen". (This, of course, is rather meaningless for those of you who haven't been watching the show ... however, until getting voted off the show, he was widely considered to be one of the front runners for winning).

How coincidental that, earlier in the day, Dean and I were locked in an argument over who each of us liked and disliked on the show. Even more coincidentally, Dean was going on about how “Galen” was his favorite recent evictee … and wasn’t Galen at Gilligan’s that night. Totally unplanned, … swear.

Fiiiiine, I guess we’ll take a photo with him.

Good for a laugh, if anything.

Awesome nachos! To immitate, try this:

• 1 package corn chips
• 1 cup cooked ground beef
• 2 cups each cheddar and jalapeno pepperjack cheese, mixed
• 1/3 cup sliced black olives
• 1/2 cup diced tomatoes
• 1/3 cup diced green onion
• 1/4 cup sliced fresh jalapenos
• 1 cup heated vegetarian refried beans
• Fresh guacamole
• Sour cream

Layer cheese and other ingredients (except for last two) throughout corn chips. Bake in a pre-heated 475 F oven until cheese bubbles, remove from oven, quickly top with guacamole and sour cream. Serve now, now, now! For added pizazz, top with fried onions.

Day 90 - Kuranda, Queensland - Australian Damper Bread with Paw Paw Jam

2006-07-16T02:56:00.000-07:00

Following a painfully early-morning bus pick-up time, the three of us headed out for a day of exploration in Kuranda.

The first leg of our trip was a train ride up the rainforest moutains on the famous Kuranda Railway system. An impressive engineering accomplishment (even by today’s standard), the railway system was built over 100 years ago when gold was discovered in the area, and a gold rush quickly followed. For trivia buffs amongst you, some quick facts: the rail line stretches upwards for 21 miles (34km) from Cairns to Kuranda through the tropical rainforest, winds through 15 tunnels, and traverses 40 bridges, including one that spans the awesome Barron River Falls.

It was unfortunate that it was raining most of the day in Kuranda (we had extremly limited visibility, meaning we missed out on a lot of the scenery), but what we were able to see what pretty stunning.

After the 45-minute train ride was over, we arrived in Kuranda. Very small, very "packaged" and ultra-touristy ... but very quaint. Most tourists have only a few hours to spend in Kuranda (usually between the train ride arrival time and the departure down the moutain via Skyrail) so anything needing to be experienced must be done very quickly. Aside from the usual tourist shops, our remaining options were: a butterfly sanctuary, an insectarium (they were apparently extracting venom from one of the tarantulas later that morning), and an animal feeding zoo.

Clear winner = feeding zoo. Why? Because we could get our pictures taken while holding koalas. One more item of Kevin's Top 10 Things To Do In Australia list:

There were other animals to feed as well (kangaroos, wallabies, etc ...), but really, it was all about the koalas.

With our time in Kuranda quickly winding down (didn't we just get here?), time to grab a bite to eat. Lots to choose from, all of which catered strongly to the tourist dollar (I doubt the original settlers brough sushi chefs and curry recipes up the moutains with them). Finding something local and authentic was tricky, but we did find a restaurant that served Australian damper bread (recipe, and history, below). We inhaled the warm bread with some paw paw jam I bought earlier in the morning at one of the Kuranda food market stands. "Paw paw", which actually originates from south-eastern North American, is a fruit which tastes similar to banana and mango.

Food-satisfied, we headed to the Skyrail rainforest cableway for a trip back down the mountain. Again, the rain ...

There were two brief stops on our path back down, allowing for quick walks around the rainforest. Back on the Skyrail, we went over several bodies of freshwater (we even saw a fresh-water crocodile sitting patiently on the water's edge – even from 100+ feet above, it still looked huge). After a half hour or so, we were back on solid ground, much to Nicole's comfort.

Austalian damper bread has historical significance. It was eaten by early settlers, and can be made on an open fire, in a dutch oven or a conventional oven. The following is a basic recipe. Many variations exist, including dusting the bread with powdered sugar (this is how ours was served in Kuranda) and using of beer or soda in the dough to replace some of the other liquids.

Recipe courtesy of AussieSlang.com:

Ingredients

4 cups self-raising flour
3/4 - 1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons sugar
2 tablespoons butter at room temperature
1 cup milk
1/2 cup water

Method:

Sift the flour and salt into a bowl and mix in the sugar.

Rub in the butter with your (clean) hands until a fine breadcrumb texture is achieved.

For a well in the top of the flour, pour in the milk and water, and mix well with a knife until the dough come clean from the sides of the bowl.

Turn out onto a floured board and knead until smooth and silky, like a baby's bottom.
Shape into a mounded loaf, (some people cut a deep cross in the top) and bake in a preheated oven, 200 c / 400 F, for 25 minutes. Then lower the temperature to 180 c / 375 f and cook a further 10 - 15 minutes until done. The loaf should be a light golden brown colour and sound hollow when tapped.

Local varitions: "If you are "game" try cooking it on a camp fire; nothing beats that extra smoky flavour, especially using Australian Eucalyptus wood to give it that special something. If you are cooking in an oven at home, try putting a few Gum Leaves in the over to smoke as your are cooking the bread."

Day 89 - The Esplanade, Cairns - Oceanside Picnic

2006-07-15T02:52:00.000-07:00

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After taking the bus back into town, Dean and I got back together with Nicole at one of the downtown grocery stores. The goal: to purchase rations for a picnic on The Esplanade. As part of its waterfront re-development effort several years ago, Cairns set up probably about a dozen city-operated, free-to-use barbecue stations all along The Esplanade and the adjoining boardwalk. On nice days, tourists and locals line up before the sunrise to get squatters’ rights on these cooking stations, as they are generally extremely well-cared for by the city and have fantastic adjoining picnic facilities. Grrreat place for a barbecue and / or picnic. Thankfully, after a week of wet weather, the clouds had just started to give way that afternoon and we were able to easily find a picnic table to set up a quick-and-easy barbecue by the ocean.

Note: you will notice all of the mud where a beach should be. At high tide, this is all covered with sea water (albeit a very shallow amount). At low tide, it's all mud flats. For this reason, Cairns is said not to have its own beach in-town (although there are several quite close-by both north and south of town).

Nicole and I had big plans for that night: Shannon Noll was in town giving his second concert of the week. (Insert here - laughter at the expense of Nicole and Kevin). I won’t journalize the entire concert – I’ll spare you the details. In short, however: small venue, standing room only, Kevin could see over top of all the 12-year old girls and their mothers, great sound system, I heard all the songs I wanted to hear, and my pictures turned out great. Done deal.

No real recipe to share here – everyone has their own take on the “perfect picnic”.

However - here's a great link from the Food Network on pinic packing tips:

http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/et_pa_picnic/article/0,,FOOD_9863_1746033,00.html

Day 89 - Smithfield Cable Skiing Park, Cairns - Gingerbread with Citrus Icing

2006-07-15T02:49:00.000-07:00

Thinking that my out-of-town guest Dean was an adventurous, sporty fellah, I figured he would appreciate being taken cable skiing for the afternoon (which also made sense since it was raining that day in Cairns). It was partially a good idea. Dean, probably still a little tired from his flight (?), was quite happy to head to Smithfield with me, but instead of joining in he decided to chill out on a beach chair and watch while I rounded the lake for a couple of hours.

While relaxing, Dean played around with my digital camera, zooming in on a few mansions built on the surrounding mountain sides. Apparently there are a a bunch of wealthy people in Cairns as well ...

Forunate for us, we had little more than a few clouds the entire afternoon in Smithfield. Cairns, on the other hand, had rain most of the day. Similar to Vancouver, Cairns' mountains can provide very different weather than surrounding areas even just a few miles away. We had a clear line of sight into town, and could see the clouds raining down.

Our plans the next day had us taking a skyrail over the surrounding rainforest. Smithfield, coincidentally, is located directly beside the skyrail’s pick-up point.

Once we (I) were done with cable skiing, we were both in need of nourishment before returning to Cairns. We popped over to the restaurant adjoining the skyrail welcome building for a quick snack. We were just in time for high tea.

It’s tough to beat my Mom’s homemade gingerbread, but I still gave the restaurant’s a try. Mom's won over the restaurant's in a b-i-g way. Her recipe is provided below, with her blessing:

*** Recipe: soon to come …waiting for Mom to email it to me. :)

Day 89 - Meldrums Cafe, Cairns - Pumpkin Scones

2006-07-15T02:46:00.000-07:00

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Not one, but TWO out-of-town friends now! Even better.

With an eventful day ahead for the three of us (myself, and friends Dean and Nicole) , Saturday morning was all about getting some food and coffee into us to face the day’s game plan. After a quick visit to Rusty’s Market for a coffee fix, we settled on a bakery / café nearby. Having missed breakfast menu hours, the server suggested we try some of their "award-winning" pies for lunch. (Oh geez, here we go again with the who-has-the-best-pie bit …)

Still craving a breakfast fix (i.e. eggs and bacon, not beef bourguinion, thai chicken, etc ...) my initial scan of the pie menu was less than enthusiastic UNTIL I saw they were serving breakfast pies. WOOH! Pies for breakfast? Bring it on. (Apparently Nicole and Dean also felt the same way, as each of us independently chose the same breakfast pie on the menu – “Egg, Steak and Bacon”). Pies were followed by fancy mocha drinks and we were all happy campers.

I sided up my pie with a pumpkin scone, remembering I’d seen a similar item in one of my cookbooks at home (but never having actually tried out the recipe). Great way to round on the meal, these get my approval.

Tempting tasties for my next visit ...

Recipe courtesy of JoyOfBaking.com (minus a few changes made on behalf of yours truly):

Ingredients:

2 cups (280 grams) all purpose flour
1/3 cup (72 grams) light or dark brown sugar
1/2 teaspoons ground ginger
1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup (113 grams) cold unsalted butter, cut into pieces
1/3 cup (80 ml) buttermilk
1/2 cup fresh or canned pure pumpkin (if using canned pumpkin make sure there are no spices or sugar added)
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
(Egg Wash):
1 large egg
1 tablespoon milk or cream

Method:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C) and place rack in middle of oven. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, spices, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Cut the butter into small pieces and blend into the flour mixture with a pastry blender or two knives. The mixture should look like coarse crumbs. In a separate bowl mix together the buttermilk, pumpkin puree and vanilla and then add the buttermilk mixture to the flour mixture. Mix just until the dough comes together. Do not overmix the dough.

Transfer to a lightly floured surface and knead dough gently four or five times and then pat the dough into a circle that is about 7 inches (18 cm) round and about 11/2 inches (3.75 cm) thick. Cut this circle in half, then cut each half into 3 pie-shaped wedges (triangles). Place the scones on the baking sheet. Brush the tops of the scones with the egg wash and sprinkle a little sugar on top, if desired.

Place the baking sheet inside another baking sheet to prevent the bottoms of the scones from over browning. Bake for about 20 minutes or until golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Transfer to a wire rack to cool.

Day 88 - Red Ochre Grill, Cairns - Emu with Smashed Kipflers, Wild Mushrooms in a Pepper Leaf Cream Sauce, served with Spicy Fries

2006-07-14T02:38:00.000-07:00

My first out-of-town guest in Cairns, AND he’s a Canadian! Nnnnice.

One of the benefits of moving to a smaller, touristy town is that (hopefully) some of your friends will go to the trouble of coming to visit you. It’s an easy sell: “Need an excuse to get out of your town and get a change of scenery? Come visit me!”

Although we’d only spoken by phone before, my phone friend Dean came recommended through another Canuck friend of mine. Looking to get out of the Brisbane scene for a weekend, Dean made his way up to Cairns, hoping for some warmer weather and a good time.

I thought this would be another a good opportunity to make a dining experience of the night and find a restaurant serving "mod oz" cuisine (i.e. modern Australian). Dean, thankfully, went along with my suggestion and we headed to the Red Ochre Grill for some creative, local dining.

Dean went for down Kangaroo Road, selecting the kangaroo sirloin treated with a quandong chilli glaze. “Quandong”, dessert peach, is truly also very Australian.

I, having already experience kanagaroo a couple of times before, went with with the emu dish (having eyed it down at someone else’s table). Again, as the saying goes, it “tasted like beef”, although perhaps a little bit more gamey than cow. A truly remarkable dish however, whose recipe I’m not going to even try to guesstimate.

For apps, we ordered a side of spicy fries. T-a-s-t-y! After working on our Quebec-born waiter all throughout the entire meal, I finally convinced him to make an inquiry with the chef for the spice blend contents. (recipe below – feel free to play with the portions, depending on your own tastes)

Stuffed to the gills, we strolled down to the Esplanade and boardwalk so Dean could take in some of the tourist sights after-hours.

Recipe - they used three spices : cumin, paprika and dried jalapeños powder. Go easy with the paprika and jalepenos, making cumin the main ingredient.

Day 83 - Smithfield Cable Skiing Park, Cairns - Pork Sandwich with Cumin Yogurt

2006-07-09T02:36:00.000-07:00

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A day after watching professional kiters at Yorkie’s Knob, I figured it was time for me to take serious steps towards getting into the sport. Given that one of my Top 10 goals in coming to Australia was to learn how to kitesurf, and I went to the effort (and expense!) of bringing down my own equipment, it really was time to put up or shut up. Kitesurfing requires two main skills: kiting skills, and board skills.

The latter, I pondered, was perhaps a taller order since I’ve never been on a board for more than one hour TOTAL in my entire life. Was I biting off more than I can chew?

One of my new housemates, an active, outdoorsy German, knew of a cable skiing park just outside Cairns. Cable skiing, as I learned, is a great way for beginners to quickly improve their skills (and it’s PILES of fun). The park is set up on a man-made lake (read: no sharks or crocodiles), and drags boarders around the water at a smooth, consistent pace without having to worry about ocean waves.

First attempt to stand up on board: the cable pulling me popped out of the cable system, leaving me standing on the dock. I didn’t even get into the water. (Oh oh, was someone trying to tell me something?)

Second attempt to stand up on board: pulled forward, fell flat on my face, it wasn’t graceful, everyone laughed at me (even the other first-time tourists chuckled – and THEY s-u-c-k-e-d).

Third attempt to stand up on board: up! And there, my friends, is where I stayed for 2 hours, not looking back once. Not bad for a guy who, until earlier in the day, hadn’t spent any real time on a board in his life. (… sound of Kevin patting himself on the back …)

Two hours of cable skiing later, and we were full-on hungry. We hitchhiked a ride back to Cairns, coincidentally, with a van full of Canadian backpackers. Once back, we headed to the Courthouse Hotel and Bar for grub. The Courthouse, among other things, is the official bar in Cairns for the North Queensland Cowboys, the local National Rugby League team (who play out of Townsville, 2 hours drive south of Cairns). On weekends they play rugby league and union games on a huge outdoor projection screen and pump their outdoor courtyard full of the games’ play-by-play. Its restaurant, from what I’ve seen, is absolutely mobbed for its weekend brunch menu. It seemed like a good place to start for lunch.

My food blog is missing sandwiches (and who doesn’t love a good sandwich), so I went with this one. Their sandwich was a little dry side, so I will play with the ingredients to juice-it-up a bit.

** Note: Recipe soon to follow ...

Day 83 - Rusty's Market, Cairns - Sticky Rice with Banana Filling

2006-07-09T02:33:00.000-07:00

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Every town, no matter how small, has a farmers market open on weekends … right?

Right! Now all I had to do was find it …

Cairns’ Rusty's Market is what one would expect in a small town market : local produce suppliers, artisans, a mixed bag of sellers of “stuff” (new and used), all thrown together with a wide variety of food vendors. Since I’m in a new part of the world, I figured this would be a good opportunity to get a taste of TRUE Cairns – surely this would be a way for me to get outside the tourist bubble and find out which cultural influences were really at play in this region of Australia.

Not surprisingly, there were a large number of thai and pan-asian food vendors selling authentic, ready-to-go snacks and meals. My attention fell quickly on a food stand run by a thai lady, offering sweet coconuts for drinking. Kind of silly, but I have ALWAYS wanted to do this! Although, I always figured my first taste of real coconut juice would be on some Hawaiian beach, sitting in a hammock, rocking back and forth in the wind … (something right out of a travel agent’s store window). For now, Rusty’s Market would do. My thai server quickly produced a gargantuan-sized electric drill from behind her counter, and effortlessly bored a hole into the side of my selected coconut.

*slurp* Hmm, not exactly what I expected … more like coconut water than coconut milk. Guess I should have read the package more closely.

Nonetheless, it was sweet and refreshing, and I finished it off as I ate sticky rice snacks filled with banana. (Note: this goes along with my theory that anything steamed in banana leaves tastes amazing … I’m sure I’ll be proved wrong soon enough, but for now the theory has stuck).

Once I was done with the juice, she cut my coconut in half (her knife dwarfed only by the size of her drill) and scooped out the coconut inside.

A little on the slimey side, and not particularly sweet (I guess Mother Nature never did promise sweetened coconut right out of the package – that was our doing), but I was glad I tried it.

Couldn’t help but share this: While walking by one of the clothing stands, I saw two brand new, baby-sized, Vancouver Grizzlies tank tops. The irony being, of course, that Vancouver lost its NBA team to New Orleans many years ago … apparently somebody forgot to tell the asian vendors at Rusty’s Market.

After snacking down at a few other food stands, I went for a quick walk down the wharf off The Esplanade, taking in some of the amazing rainforest scenery.

Here’s how to make sticky rice with banana filling, not something you would serve as a main dish, but a nifty appetizer at a dinner party or a great alternative to boring, white rice-on-the-side.

*** Recipe: soon to come …

Day 82 - Extreme Kitesurfing Competition - Yorkie's Knob, north of Cairns - Vanilla Bean Ice Cream

2006-07-08T02:29:00.000-07:00

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One of the most favorable coincidences surrounding the timing of my move to Cairns was that I was going to be in town the week of the Extreme Cairns Kitesurfing Competition. Fate? Perhaps. I’d been eyeing the event on Extreme’s website for several weeks, even prior to my company hinting they were about to ask me to relocated to Cairns, wondering if I could justify the expense of a weekend trip to Cairns for the weekend event. Since I was now living in Cairns, my only expense was only going to be a $6.00 bus fare. Nnnnnice.

Yorkie’s Knob is one of many beaches just north of Cairns and is THE place for kitesurfing in Queensland. With amazing rainforest-clad mountains setting the backdrop, the conditions were perfect: strong winds blowing across the beach, clear skies, and lots of shallow waves for the competitors to use for showing off for the judges and the crowds of onlookers (myself included). At any given point, up to a dozen kites filled the sky, with competition heats setting six kiters against each other at a time. Totally amazing action all day long.

It was a well-planned event. Organizers lined the beach with sound speakers, which fed with the crowd with pounding music and a play-by-play commentator all day long. Several of the spectators brought their dogs along (I may have spent some time with some of them … just maybe). Even one couple brought their white cockatoo along to the beach with them. Bizarre – who knew birds would be happy to come to the beach on a leash?

The week-long festival finished off with a “Big Air” competition where points were awarded based on (not surprisingly) the competitors’ air time.

On the way back from the beach, snack trucks and ice cream vendors were parked front and center in the parking lots, waiting to reel us in with their snack bait.

“Well … maybe I’ll just get a soft serve cone while I wait for the bus back to town.”

I’ve made homemade ice cream before - rather tricky, if not impossible, to do without an ice cream maker. It’s a handy gadget to have in the kitchen – not something you use everyday, but when you need to impress a special someone or someones, homemade ice crème, sorbets or gelatos definitely do the trick. (And, best thing, you get to keep all the leftovers for yourself!)

*** Recipe: soon to come …

Day 76 - The Esplanade, Cairns - Ginger & Mint Crocodile Stir-Fry

2006-07-02T16:43:00.000-07:00

The first hint that my move to Cairns was a good one was the feeling I got stepping off the plane: humidity! (something I hadn't felt in a while) Although it was 8pm upon arrival, it was comfortably warm, with a faint scent of sea water permeating the air. Nnnnnnice.

After a speedy pick up from my hostel's shuttle boy (was he really old enough to be driving that van??!!), and a quick drop off at the hostel itself, my Irish business colleauge Aoife ("Eeee-ffah") headed immediately down to The Esplanade in search of food and drink. The Esplanade is Cairns' main street lining the mud flats (NOT a beach) off the coast. It's heavy on three things: (1) tourists, (2) backpackers and (3) restaurants / bars. Most of these restaurants, not surprisingly, cater to these visitors' appetites for local dishes. For me, that meant one thing:

I was warned about 3 things before coming down to Cairns: 1) Bluebottle jellyfish after September, 2) humidity and (3) salt-water crocodiles. There are several rivers and lots of wetlands surrounding Cairns (in fact, Cairns itself used to be little more than swamp land before being colonized and developed, similar to Disney World), providing perfect breeding and feeding grounds for crocs. It's not unusual to have "croc sighting" warnings heard on the news, alerting residents to wandering reptiles.

Thankfully my first croc-sighting was served with a healthy portion of veggies and a side of rice, all washed down with a lime margarita to boot.

The only other time I've had crocodile meat was during a business trip to pre-hurricane New Orleans a few years ago. This thai-influenced take on croc was more enjoyable than New Orleans' battered and deep-friend version. Having said that, however, my stir-fry above wasn't all that great and was arguably over-price (welcome to Cairns). The recipe below is an improvement. You too can serve simple, $30+ dishes in your home kitchen ...

Note: Crocodile meat can indeed be substituted with chicken. As the saying goes, croc meat actually does "taste like chicken".

Ingredients

6 to 8 / 1/2 ounce shiitake mushrooms
2 onions
2 tablespoons packed brown sugar
2 tablespoons fish sauce
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
4 to 6 teaspoons vegetable oil, divided
1 1/2 pounds boneless skinless crocodile meat (or chicken breast), cut into 1/2-inch strips
2 - 3 red, green and / or yellow peppers
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh ginger
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 large carrot, julienned
4 green onions, cut into 1-inch pieces
1/4 cup slivered fresh mint leaves

1) Clean mushrooms - slice caps into thin strips.

2) Combine brown sugar, fish sauce and vinegar in small bowl; stir until sugar is dissolved. Heat wok or large skillet over high heat. Add 2 teaspoons oil and swirl to coat surface. Add 1/3 of crocodile; stir-fry 3 minutes, stirring occasionally, until meat is no longer pink in center. Transfer to bowl. Repeat with remaining crocodile, adding 1 teaspoon oil with each batch to prevent sticking if necessary.

3) Add remaining 2 teaspoons oil to wok. Add peppers, ginger and garlic; stir-fry 1 to 2 minutes or until fragrant but not browned.

4) Add fish sauce mixture to wok; boil until reduced by half. Return crocodile to wok. Add mushrooms, carrots, peppers and green onions; stir-fry 2 to 3 minutes or until heated through. Stir in mint. Transfer to serving platter. Serve with rice and garnish, if desired.

Day 75 - Canada Day - Victoria's Cross Bar, Sydney - Canadian Poutine

2006-07-01T16:41:00.000-07:00

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Word had it that THE place to be for Canadians in Sydney on Canada Day was Victoria Cross Bar in north-side Sydney. Ten years ago, the bar's Swiss owner (what?) apparently decided that he would advertise a special Canada Day celebration. So many Canadians flooded his bar that night he decided to make it an annual event.

You know you're arriving at a Canadian party when there's a moose ice sculpture greeting you at the entrance door. *grin*

Top 5 moments from Canada Day 2006:

1) I met a girl named Enid. This, of course, is only remotely exciting for other Barnaked Ladies fans ... I had NO idea there were any Enids in existence?!

2) Hearing Spirit of the West's "Home For A Rest" at least 5 times in one night. Square dancing, anybody?

3) Running into several groups of Queen's University graduates at the bar, all of whom ended up in Sydney via separate career paths / life circumstances. There were a bunch of 2007 grads there too (I was class of 2000 - can I be getting this old?)

4) The bar rented a snow machine! Nnnnnice. So, upon exiting the bar, patrons were treated to a cool blast of the white stuff. Far from blizzard conditions, but it did leave you a little homesick.

5) The Full Mounties show - You can see where this is going. See below ...

Here's the story: Lauren, before arriving at the bar, told me that Victoria's Cross puts on an annual show at their Canada Day celebration. They get ex-Victoria Cross bartenders, a few locals, throw in some Canucks for good measure, and put on their best version of the final scene from the movie the Full Monty. With Mounties dressed in red uniforms and disrobing aqwardly to Tom Jones blaring in the background, the estrogen-rich crowd was treated to a good laugh. I just happened to be near the front of the crowd ... y'know ... my girlfriends dragged me along. Really.

Once the show was over, I was surprisingly encouraged by some of my girlfriends to take part in next year's show if I'm still in Australia.

I have no idea where they would get such an idea on their heads that I would be open to that sort of theatrical exhibitionism ...

... oh wait, the jacket fits. Hmmmm ....

Naturally the bar had a Canadian-influenced food menu organized for the event. Said to say, but we got to the bar too late - they ran out of poutine. :(

I can assure you as soon as I get my hands on some cheese curds that I'll be making some homemade poutine for myself and my international housemates.

For those of you who don't know, here's how to make poutine:

Ingredients

Cheese curds

Gravy

French fries

Method:

Fry some french fries, top generously with cheese curds, then top even more generously with hot gravy.

Day 74 - Kevin's See-You-After-Cairns Dinner - Oregano Restaurant, Sydney - Duck & Cherry Pie

2006-06-30T16:39:00.000-07:00

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Done with one adventure, onto another. On short notice from my daytime Sydney employer, I've been asked to move from Sydney to Cairns. It's a smaller town located on the north-east corner of Australia, and is well-known for its close proximity to the Great Barrier Reaf. For a number of reasons, I've decided to accept the offer to move to Cairns for the next three'ish months. There are several pros to the move:

Cheaper living - Sydney is proving more expensive than originally antncipated ... I will definitely be able to stretch my dollar further in Cairns.

Weather: The weather in Sydney, relatively speaking, hasn't been the greatest. I was getting a little tired of cold, cloudy and wet days, which has become the norm as of late.

Seasonal advantages / timing: October through March is a tough time to enjoy much swimming in the ocean around north-east Australia. These are the months when the increased jellyfish population tends to make a nuissance of itself. If I go now, I will beat jellyfish season by a few months.

Outdoor activities / adventures: Cairns is one of Australia's best areas for kitesurfing this time of year! And there, my friends, was the deciding factor.

So, to see everyone I've come to know in Sydneya one last time before my departure, I invited 15 or so friends (new and old) together for a See-You-After-Cairns dinner at Oregano, a restaurant I walk by twice every day (on my way to, and from, my gym). It seemed to be a popular spot with the locals, whose lead I was happy to follow.

I was really, really happy to be able to get as many people together for dinner as I did . For such a short period of time that I've been in Sydney, I've met some really great people with whom I've become quite close. These people, and several others who joined us for after-dinner drinks, have really added to my Australian experience thusfar. To bring them all together over dinner was a lot of fun, and it was great to see everyone get along as well as they did. * Minus, of course, for the food fight that broke out after dinner ...

Oregano is a Meditarranean restaurant located in Little Italy (go figure) which I suspected would cater to most everyone's tastes. Feeling adventurous, as usual, the duck and cherry pie spoke to my inner foodie. (Can those really go together in a pie filling? Why yes, yes they can ...)

Great dishes were enjoyed by all, and dinner was followed with drinks, clubbing, and some early-morning World Cup support of Team Germany. And, at 12:01 a.m., myself and the other Canadians at the table were able to wish everyone a "Happy Canada Day!" More on that in tomorrow's post ...

Recipe for duck and cherry pie below c/o Food24.com, with some of my own additions. Do yourselves and favor and buy readymade puff pastry, unless you really want to bother with scratch.

Opa!

* You didn't really believe we started a food fight in a restaurant, did you?! Come on ...

Ingredients

2 roasted ducks, (roughly 1 pound duck meat, removed)

1 onion, sliced

185 g bacon, chopped

15 ml fresh thyme

440 ml chicken stock

125 ml port

1/2 cup pine nuts

1 x 410 g can black cherries with juice

Salt and pepper, to taste

a little cornflour mixed into a paste with water

200 g readymade puff pastry

1 egg, lightly beaten

Method

Preheat the oven to 180 °C. Remove the meat from the carcass.Heat 30 ml of the duck fat in a pan. Fry the onion and bacon until lightly golden. Add the thyme, stock, port, cherries, pine nuts, juice and duck meat. Season. Bring to the boil, reduce and thicken with cornflour. Spoon the mixture into a pie dish. Cover with the pastry and decorate with leaves and patterns. Make a steam hole in the top or use a pie funnel. Glaze with egg and bake for 30 minutes or until the pastry is all puffed up, golden and crispy.

Day 69 - Sydney Good Food & Wine Show, Sydney - The Perfect Grilled Steak

2006-06-25T16:36:00.000-07:00

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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.

Day 62 - Swissotel Hotel, Sydney - Sydney Foodbloggers' High Tea - Lemon Meringue Pie

2006-06-18T23:37:00.000-07:00

Here's where my food obsession begins to get a little creepy ... although, apparently "I am not alone".

Once I signed up for my blog account, and gave it a name, welcome messages from other Sydney-area food bloggers started pouring in. It didn't take too long before one of them proposed a meeting place for our little on-line community to get together and talk food. Before meeting in-person, naturally I had several pre-conceived notions of what "my people" would be like; perhaps a combination of (pocket-protector computer geeks + anal culinarians with zero social life)? I wasn't sure to be honest.

Glad to say I was WAY off. The group was very diverse - an even balance of women and men, both young and older, several of them had moved to Sydney from other countries, most authored their blogs based on their personal food passion (vegetarian, vegan, dessert-lovers, ...) and all, in one way or another, admitted it was perhaps a little odd to spend as much time as we do blogging about food ... "but who cares".

The meeting place was the Swissotel, a swank hotel in Sydney's CBD ("Central Business District"). Once initial intros were out of the way, we all turned our attention to the high tea buffet which was waiting for our arrival.

Aged cheeses, fresh fruit, dainty sandwiches, frilly puddings, little cakes, coffees and teas ... all the usual suspects were there. And who doesn't love a chocolate fondue? Nooobody.

Three plates later and I was done-like-dinner, ready to get on with the rest of my day (I had a cake baking contest / auction to get to ... more on that in the next blog post).

My fave treat was probably the mini lemon meringue tart (I had many). So good. No mystery behind making the lemon filling for these pies, as all you have to do is follow the directions on any brand-name cake filling. The magic, however, is in the the pastry. Here's my Grammy's (on my Dad's side) recipe:

*** Soon to come - awaiting recipe to be emailed from Mom ...

Day 62 - The Book Kitchen, Sydney - Pumpkin Pancakes w/ Duck Confit and Tomato Reduction

2006-06-18T16:34:00.000-07:00

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Big day ahead, with mostly food-related activities on my to-do list. So, what else to do for breakfast but have something truly over-the-top.

The night before, I didn't go to sleep (at all). Late shift working at the bar where I was bartending, off at 7 a.m., and I had a cake to finish off for an annual charity cake auction. (More on that in a blog post to follow) Once I dropped off my cake at 11 a.m.'ish, I headed to The Book Kitchen for brunch. Its location was slightly hidden in my neighbourhood, and took a bit of effort to find, but once I arrived there was no doubting its popularity with the locals.

As indicated by its name, The Book Kitchen also has for sale a pretty sizeable collection of high-end cookbooks (which the Kitchen's cooking team use for ideas / food inspiration). As I have a bit of a cookbook problem, in that I have too many and continue to purchase more and more, and enjoy a creative meal, I had a feeling this was going to be my kind of place.

Yup, I was right.

For those of you who aren't familiar with "duck confit", it's basically duck meat cooked slowly in (lots of) duck fat at a low temperature. The idea is that the long cooking time tenderizes the meat, with the extra fat providing lots of flavour.

I won't get into duck confit on this blog (I won't do it justice, and it's a bit laborious), but will instead gladly suggest a recipe for pumpkin pancakes. Definitely a more interesting option that the traditional, North American white pancake.

Recipe courtesy of SouthernFood.About.Com.

INGREDIENTS:

2 cups all purpose flour
4 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
1/4 tsp. ground allspice
3/4 cup sugar
1 1/2 cups solid pack pumpkin
3 eggs
1 cup milk
3/4 cup vegetable oil
1 tsp. vanilla extract
4 oz. chopped pecans (optional)

PREPARATION:

Sift dry ingredients and set aside. Using a large bowl, combine pumpkin, eggs, milk, oil, and vanilla. Add dry ingredients and stir until blended; stir in pecans just before ready to cook.

A hot greased griddle is best for cooking pancakes. Pour 1/4 cup batter onto griddle and cook until bubbles form and bottom is brown. Turn and brown the other side. Serve with warm pure Maple syrup. If preferred, omit the pecans from the batter and add to the syrup. Heat and pour over pumpkin pancakes.

Day 62 - Charity Cake Auction - The Midnight Shift, Sydney - Kate Moss's Burberry Blueberry Apology Cheesecake

2006-06-18T16:31:00.000-07:00

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I'm hoping you all get a good laugh out of the following blog entry. If not, I'm clearly not doing my job entertaining you all properly, and I should just quit while I'm ahead (if only by a bit) ...

For a month or so in Sydney, I worked weekends as a bartender in a busy after-hours dance club in my neighbourhood. Good cash, nice co-workers ... lots of stories to share. lol One Friday night I was starting a shift when one of the other bartenders asked me if I was entering a cake into the annual charity cake auction the bar hosts every year, which was being held two days later. (As IF nobody told me about this before??!!) I had zero time to make anything myself, and the truth is that I was short on an inspiring theme for my cake. Note: THIS is one of the many situation when it's key to have creative friends in your entourrage. Knowing that last some of last year's cake entries auctioned for more than $3000 (no joke) made me want to make sure I was entering something worthy.

My aussie friend Drew (all credit for my cake entry goes to Drew) had a great idea, sure to get everyone's auction-hands in the air. Background: Kate Moss (european supermodel, represents several big-name fashion labels, including Burberry) got caught doing drugs last year and pictures were published in some of the gossip magazines in the U. K. Big scandal. Lost contracts / money. Apologies went out through her publicist. The whole thing. Big story (apparently). Although I was only vaguely aware (interested?) of the story, Drew (whose makes his career as a very successful publicist) assured me a cake with this theme would be a big hit.

And so began "Kate Moss's Burberry Blueberry Apology Cheesecake", complete with cigarettes and Tic Tacs (what else to supermodels eat?), fake euros, fake drugs ... and a copy of her statement of apology to her fans. So tragic. *grin*

I entered my cake into the Best Decorated category. When I got the bar following judging, I'm sad to say my cake didn't even get an honourable mention. No ribbons for yours truly. :(

Here were my competitors, first place on the left, second in the middle ... the third place didn't deserve it. I was irrate.

The Professionally Decorated category really was amazing. Truly works of art which made you wonder whether or not they really were cakes at all.

(This is where I bring in the humour) The auction naturally had an "auctioneer" working the microphone, trying to get everyone to open their pocketbooks for charity. Cakes were brought out one-by-one. Before the auction began, a friend of mine remarked that they saw my cake second-in-line. (?? Which seemed quite odd given the huge number of entries, and that mine hadn't placed) Someone told the "auctioneer" I worked at the bar, I was asked to go up with my cake ... and then somehow (I'm still not sure how this happened) I was standing in front of a few hundred people, shirtless, trying to sell my cake. (Why does it seem I have a hard time keeping my shirt on??) Result: Kevin's cake sold for $250 for charity, lots of laughs (I think), and there may have been a picture in one of the local newspapers. *sigh* "It was all in the name in charity", though ... right?

Confession: I didn't make the cheesecake - I BOUGHT it. (I didn't have time, or the means, to bake it ... honest)

Truth is, I've make many a cheesecake in my day. I made so many cheesecake for girlfriends in university the nickname "Cheesecake Bitch" was beginning to stick (thankfully I lost it post-graduation). Cheesecakes are WAY easier to make than most people realize. The one thing you need? Time. You need to bake your cake slowly at a low temperature to avoid 'browning" your cake and to promote less "cracking".

** Note: Basic cheesecake recipe soon to come ...

Day 54 - Wallabies Rugby Union Match - Telstra Stadium, Olympic Park, Sydney - Spaghetti Bolognese

2006-06-10T23:34:00.000-07:00

Time to experience a true, Aussie sporting event: a Wallabies rugby union game!

The Wallabies are Australia's national rugby union team. The best players are chosen from rugby union teams across Australia, and take part in a number of well-attended matches throughout the year. B-i-g d-e-a-l. The equivalent of Canada's national hockey team ... if they were to play in tournaments throughout the year.

On an unusually cold Saturday night, canuck friends Lauren, Alex and I headed off to Telstra Stadium in Olympic Park (roughly 30 minutes west of Sydney) for the Wallabies' match against England. Impressive stadium, big crowd. Hard to imagine what the excitement level would have been like during the 200 Olympic Opening Ceremonies held in the same building.

The last time the two teams met in 2003, England was victorious, ensuring there were lots of english fans in attendance for our game, no doubt hoping for a repeat victory in their favor.

After joining the crowd in a rendition of "Advance, Australia, Advance" and "Waltzing Matilda", the game quickly got underway. Green and gold (Wallabies' colours) everywhere!

Two hours later, the result was Australia (34) / England (3).

As per ESPN, "Australia recorded an emphatic victory over under-strength England at Telstra Stadium, beating the world champions 34-3 without seriously breaking sweat. Although they led only 9-0 at half-time, Australia turned the screw in the second half and three tries in 20 minutes demonstrated the gulf in quality. England revisited the scene of their 2003 World Cup final triumph knowing they faced a potential damage-limitation exercise." And that's exactly what it was ...

Great game, great night. Hmm, maybe I should take up the sport while I'm here in Oz. (foreshadowing)

Given that we were all hungry and (surprisingly) chilled-to-the-bone from our rugby game (that's the last time I ever by "nose bleed" seats in an open-air stadium), we headed off to a local pub upon returning to Sydney in search of grub.

Has anyone else noticed that pub food is getting a lot less ... well ... "pubby"? Once upon a time, nobody would expect to see curries or Italian dishes on the menu ... yet, there they are.

It was no time to mess around with new culinary "explorations" - something tried, tested and true was in order: spaghetti bolgnese.

Classic Bolognese Sauce - Recipe:

2 tablespoons olive oil (you can use all olive oil or all butter, here)
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons onion, finely chopped
2 tablespoons celery, finely chopped
2 tablespoons carrot, finely chopped
3/4 pound minced or coarsely ground lean beef, veal or pork
Salt
1/2 cup milk
1 cup dry white wine
1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
14 oz tinned Italian tomatoes (you can go up to 28 oz or 36 oz for more 'tomato' in the sauce), roughly chopped, with their juice

In a deep pot, heat the oil/butter. Add the chopped onion and saute briefly over medium heat until just translucent. Add the celery and carrot and cook gently for 2 minutes.

Add the minced beef, breaking it up with a fork. Add salt to taste, stir, and cook only until the meat has lost its raw, red color. Add the wine, turn the heat up to medium high, and cook, stirring occasionally, until all the wine has evaporated.

Turn the heat down to medium, add the milk and the nutmeg, and cook until the milk has evaporated. Stir frequently.

When the milk has evaporated, add the tomatoes and stir thoroughly. When the tomatoes have started to bubble, turn the heat down until the sauce cooks at the gentlest simmer, just an occasional bubble. Cook, uncovered, for a minimum of 3 to 4 hours, stirring occasionally. Taste and check for salt.

Serve over hot pasta.

Day 54 - First Surf Lesson - Bondi Beach, Sydney - Pancakes w/ Hot Raspberry Compote

2006-06-10T23:26:00.000-07:00

There are several outdoor sporting experiences not to be missed while in Australia: diving the Great Barrier Reaf, watching a Wallabies rugby union match, and (definitely) taking a surf lesson!

My aussie life-saver mate Drew and I were fortunate enough to win a free, two-person surf lesson at a recent costume party for the northern beaches life saving clubs. (as detailed in one of my previous posts) Free Bondi Beach surf lesson? AMAZING!

Because June is the winter season for Australians, the weather was perhaps a little on the cooler side (note: this is, of course, relative). Fortunately, this meant that the beach was relatively empty for our 10 am surf lesson. There were still, of course, lots of fitness-minded Bondi Beach residents who beat us to the beach, even at such an early hour on a Saturday morning.

Admitedly it was kind of a gloomy, grey day, but it was great weather for beginner surfers such as myself and Drew to "get our feet wet" (pun intended) and get some surfing how-to. All those surfers make it look sooo easy ...

Unfortunately, no pictures of either Drew or I in action. In summary: we got slammed around by the waves pretty much all morning (having a b-l-a-s-t in the process), Drew stood up on a wave before I did ... and nobody got eaten by sharks. (<- you had to know there was a shark coming somewhere, right?) lol

Before getting the day started, Drew and I found a local cafe to down some "brekky" and coffee. Compote is another great (and easy) topping for pancakes if you're trying to get away from the usual maple syrup treatment (NOT that there's anything wrong with a little Aunt Jamima in everyone's life). If you're not a morning person or don't feel like making compote the morning of, make it ahead of time and heat it back up over a low heat while frying your pancakes / flapjacks / hotcakes / ...

Recipe

Ingredients:

3/4 lb. raspberries, thawed if frozen

1/2 cup sugar

2 tsp. lemon juice

Instructions:

Combine all ingredients in a heavy saucepan over medium heat. Cover and simmer 5-7 minutes or until sauce is formed. Serve warm, or cool if desired. Makes 3-4 servings.

** Add a vanilla pod (or 1 tsp of pure vanilla essence) during simmering time to zip this up a bit, if desired.

Day 47 - Growers Market - Star City Casino, Sydney - Egg and Bacon Rolls w/ Sweet Chili Jam

2006-06-03T23:22:00.000-07:00

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Once a month in Sydney, foodie-heaven descends upon Earth in the form of Sydney's Growers Market, a culinary market of serious proportions.

My american foodie buddy Jamie and I headed out to the Star City Casino, just off Darling Harbour in Sydney, meeting just minutes after my 7:00 a.m.-ending bartending shift. (Was there enough coffee in Sydney to wake me up? Tough to say ... )

The scene: over a hundred food vendors selling everything from specialty oils, organic nuts, meats, cheeses, fresh-brewed coffees, sweets, produce, , homemade beef jerkies, gourmet dog bones ... You name it, it was there. If there was going to be anywhere in all of Australia where I would get to the heart of aussie gastronomic paradise, this was it.

Since this particular market only takes place once a month, it's mobbed by locals, foodies and tourists alike.

Jamie came away with some quality stuff: a massive beef tenderloin, a rabbit, stinky cheeses ("stinky" in the good sense), olive oils, top-shelf fruits and veggies ... lots of goodies.

Kevin? Well, the only thing he came away with was a full stomach.

We quickly found the most popular breakfast booth at the market (litmus test: huge line-up, fast-and-friend service). With robotic efficiency, they were pumping out organic eggs fried on their grill almost as fast as they could sell them.

I'm a real sucker for McDonald's Sausage & Egg McMuffins (probably one of my true guilty pleasures). If there was a Rolls Royce version of the McMuffin, for sure it would look (and taste) something like this: fresh-baked buns (still warm), a healthy smearing of the vendor's homemade sweet chilli jam, fried organic eggs sizzling-hot off the grill, topped with big strips of bacon.

I might have had two ... or was it three?

The sweet chilli jam was very, very similar to "sweet chilli sauce", whose recipe I've allready given on Day 1 of this blog. Refer back for ingredients / method details - now you have 2 reasons to make it!

Day 41 - Manly Beach, Sydney - Bread Pudding Birthday "Cake"

2006-05-28T23:08:00.000-07:00

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My first dinner guest, in my first apartment in Sydney - good times!

A few days earlier, my american buddy Lance (pictured above, who I met at my gym in Sydney) and I took a ferry ride from Circular Quay in Sydney over to Manly Beach. The ferries to Manly are pretty huge. On this particular day, it was clear and really windy outside so the harbour was jammed full of sailing boats. The below picture represents only a small portion of the sailing chaos that was taking place in the harbour that day.

(Question: How do they not all crash into each other? I'm not understanding this at all ....).

Once at Manly (which I'd visited before), Lance told me there was something interesting to show me. "The Wormhole", just north of Manly Beach, is a man-made tunnel running 50 metres or so through the cliff's sandstone, extending between the Manly-side of the cliff and the opposite ocean-side. Kinda cool.

The view, looking back at Manly from inside the Wormhole. Not sure what "the Hole's" history is, but I'm sure it had something to do with human convenience. Let's be honest, our kind's laziness has a way of leading to innovation. *grin*

We spent the rest of the day driving around the area with one of Lance's friends, walking through one of the national parks in the area, then grabbing a bite to eat at a nearby deli.

As thanks for the day's experiences, and for his recently-celebrated birthday, I cooked dinner for Lance chez moi. After a meal of mussels cooked in a chilli-coconut broth (nnnice), naturally birthday cake made an appearance. Not knowing if he was a chocolate guy or not, I decided to get a little creative and made some bread pudding the day earlier. It's dead easy, and is a little bit of a departure from "cake". Recipe, again, c/o Mom.

** Recipe soon to come ... waiting for Mom to email it to me.

Day 39 - Luna Park & Shangri La Hotel, Sydney - Long Island Ice Tea

2006-05-26T22:57:00.000-07:00

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Luna Park, a 70-year old+ amusement park siting on Sydney Harbour's shoreline, is a real stand-out from the other landmarks on the harbour with its big ferris wheel and bright entrance gates. My buddy Richard and I set out to take in a few rides one night before heading into town for a couple of drinks.

It's not a "modern" amusement park by most standards, but Luna Park has enough rides to keep you entertained for a couple of hours.

After our fill of ferris wheels and (little) roller coasters, we walked over the Harbour Bridge towards downtown Sydney (but not without taking a few night pictures along the way).

To take in the city's night views, we headed over to the Shangri La Hotel's Blue Horizon Bar, which is situated on the 36th floor of the hotel. Fantastic north-facing views of the bridge, the harbour and all of its surrounding sights.

A couple of cocktails were ordered to enjoy over the rest of the evening's casual conversation. I kept it simple a la Bailey's-on-the-Rocks. Richard prefered to go with Long Island Ice Teas. For those of you who have never tasted them before, they're a pretty stiff drink. Definitely more of a "sipping drink".

For a traditional Long Island Ice Tea, mix:

1/2 oz vodka

1/2 oz gin

1/2 oz triple sec

1/2 oz light rum

1/2 oz tequila

2 oz sour mixMix with ice, and then top with Cola.

Day 34 - Jamie's Kitchen, Sydney - "Seattle Salad"

2006-05-21T22:41:00.000-07:00

First time getting invited over to someone's place for dinner in Sydney. Nnnnice.

After an afternoon spent exploring the ocean walk between Bondi and Coogee beaches, I made a deal with my kiteboarding Seattle-born buddy Jamie: I agreed to (painfully) untangle the lines to his 5-line kite as long HE made us dinner. (note: the lines got that way from the last time he and I went kitesurfing together, so technically I played a part in them getting that way in the first place ... but I digress).

I definitely got the better part of this deal: dinner was a-w-e-s-o-m-e!

Jamie’s no slouch in the kitchen. Though he served up a main course of rare beef tenderloin with a red wine sauce and caramelized veggies (yesssss guy!), he started off our feast with a really simple salad.

Being the cleaver guy he is, Jamie mixed the salad dressing in a martini shaker. A good use of apartment basics, I thought. (He too made the trip to Sydney only recently, leaving most of his kitchen gear at home as well ... I feel his pain).

Do: use rocket instead of mixed greens if you can find them at the grocer - their peppery taste will make the salad more interesting.

Jamie was good enough to provide me with his salad recipe, in addition to another one for good measure. Perhaps another food blogger in the making? (Hmm ... competition?)

Red and Green Pear Salad with Belgian Endive, Lamb's Quarters, Blue Goat Cheese, and Sherry Wine Vinaigrette

1 shallot, peeled and finely diced
1 1/2 tbs. sherry wine vinegar
6 tbs. olive oil
Salt and Pepper
1 red pear, sliced vertically into thin slices the shape of a pear
1 green pear, sliced vertically into thin slices the shape of a pear
1 1/2 heads Belgian endive, julienne
2 cups lamb's quarters greens
1/4 lb. (225g ish) blue goat cheese broken into chunks
1/2 cup cashews, toasted and split in half

METHOD:
Place the shallow and vinegar in a shall bowl. Slowly whisk-in the olive oil and season to taste with salt and pepper.
Place the pear slices, endive, lamb's quarter greens, blue goat cheese, and cashews in a large mixing bowl. Toss with 5 tbs. of the vinaigrette and season to taste with salt and pepper.

ASSEMBLY:
Place some of the pear mixture in the center of each plate and spoon the remaining vinaigrette around the salad. Top with freshly ground black pepper.

WINE NOTES:
Can stand up to a fairly big wine
___________________________________________________
(Here's a more tropical one that's kinda unique, definitely different)

Brown Turkey Figs, French Mellon, and Persimmon with Arugula, Wild Watercress and Black Pepper - Vanilla Bean Vinaigrette

Serves 4
2 tsp rice vinegar
2 tsp lime juice
1/2 cup olive oil
1 tbs. cracked black pepper
1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise with pulp scraped out and reserved
Salt and pepper
2 brown turkey figs
2 persimmons
1 french mellon
2 cups arugula
2 cups wild watercress
1 tbs. purple geranium petals

METHOD
Place the rice vinegar and lime juice in a small bowl. Slowly whisk in the olive oil and add the black pepper and vanilla pulp. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Cut each fig into 6 wedges and set aside. Peel the persimmons and cut each into 6 wedges; remove the seeds. Cut the mellon in half and remove the seeds and peel. Slice the mellon into 16 thin slices. Place the arugula and watercress in a medium bowl, gently toss with 3 tbs. of the vinaigrette, and season to taste with salt and pepper.

ASSEMBLY
Place some of the greens in the center of each plate. Place 3 wedges each of the figs and persimmons, and 4 slices of the mellon at separate points (to form a rough triangle). Sprinkle each plate with the geraniums, and spoon some of the remaining vinaigrette around the plate.

WINE NOTES:
Pair with a light refreshing wine. A Moscato d'Asti is ideal with it's low alcohol and peachy sweet fruit, or a light extremely fresh Viognier
side note: Viognier is apparently one of the wines that Australia makes well. If pairing with this though don't over do the pepper in the salad as the wine will amplify the spice.

Day 34 - Bondi Beach / Coogee Beach, Sydney - Chocolate Hazelnut "Brulee" Cake

2006-05-21T22:37:00.000-07:00

There are some amazing walking trails lining the coast between Sydney’s beaches. The path between Bondi Beach and Coogee Beach is probably one of the more impressive examples, and is also probably the most well-known. Crazy scenery!

I made the walk with my american bud Jamie, who has family roots in the area going back several generations. Throughout the afternoon, we passed by great views of the ocean, watched fisherman dropping their lines 100+ feet down from the cliffs into the crashing waves, saw birds of prey nesting along the rocky terrain, and took in the incredible tidal action against the coastal cliffs.

Knowing the walk would take us several hours, we packed snacks ahead of time (surprise, surprise). We bought some cakes at a Bondi Beach cafe and swung by a bottle shop for a bottle of white as well. Jamie's sticky bun was tasty, but I prefered my cake - a simple white cake with a rich hazelnut filling, coated with caramelized sugar. The caramelized sugar top isn't too dissimilar from crème brulee – you can either use a blowtorch or burners in the oven to do this. Mom's white cake recipe below, as well as a great chocolate frosting recipe I've used a number of times.

** Note: Recipes soon to follow ...

Day 33 - Balmoral Beach, Sydney - "Fionna's Soup" (Butternut Squash & Ginger Soup)

2006-05-20T22:32:00.000-07:00

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Our official "see you soon" to our U. K.-bound friend Fionna.

Before leaving Oz, Fionna organized a potluck picnic lunch at Balmoral Beach, with everyone on her guest list contributing something food-wise to our little get-together. We barely made a dent in the huge amount of food we brought. Fionna's food alone would have fed us, then there were Alex's chicken wings, Naomi's quiche, there were at least three salads on the go, somebody made a couple pies, ... LOADS of food.

We were a little unlucky in the weather department, as it rained down on-and-off all afternoon long. Fortunately there was a quaint gazeebo under which we sought refuge, and the picnic continued until we could eat no longer.

There were some patches of clear sky throughout the day, but these were generally short-lived. (Would you ever guess from the pictures below that we would have dealt with rain later on?)

Funny story: While we were sitting undeneath the gazeebo and having our picnic, two busloads of asian tourists pulled up to Balmoral. As they waddled past us, seeing what we were up to, there was a simultaneous chorus of "Oooooh" 's and "Aaaaaahs" 's, followed by an army of digital cameras snapping pictures furiously in our direction. "Iz deezz wad dee ozzz-zzees doo un wee-kinds?"

Of course, we offered to step in and assist in taking their group picture in front of the gazeebo (and our picnic). "Tank yoo varrey mudge! Ha vah nyzz day!" Bow. Bow. Bow ...

My picnic contribution was a pot of Butternut Square and Ginger Soup. It's AMAZING soup when served with a few a spoonfull or two of fresh cream and fresh-cracked black pepper. I've used the recipe on a few seperate occasions now, but from now on this will be known (perhaps only to me) as "Fionna's Soup".

*** Note: Recipe soon to come ...

Day 33 - Northern Beaches End-Of-Season "Dirty Disco" Costume Party - Bondi Beach, Sydney - Chicken Kebabs

2006-05-20T20:03:00.000-07:00

Good times. :)

Story: my buddy Drew is a lifesaver with the North Bondi Lifesavers. (Pretty cool, eh?) Not only is he a lifesaver, he also trains new volunteers on how to be lifesavers themselves ... so he's a pretty popular guy amongst his peers. (<- Do I have that right, Drew?) Every year, the northern beaches (Bondi, North Bondi, Tamarama and Coogee) throw an end-of-season bash where they bring their 500+ lifesavers together for a BIG party. Thankfully, Drew pulled me in and invited me along for the fun. (Thank you Drew!) The theme of this year's party: Dirty Disco. This is where the story starts to get a little messy ... (get your minds out of the gutter, guys!)

Although it wasn't a big story back home in Canada, there was a big mining accident in early May 2006 at the Beaconsfield Mine in Tasmania, Australia. Long story short: big explosion, 1 miner killed, 2 miners trapped underground for 14-days, both survive, lots of media exposure, miners sell exclusive rights to their story to a tv station for an undisclosed, multi-million dollar contract amount ... (Hollywood, apparently, isn't so far away from Tasmania).

Back to the party: all lifesavers and guests were encouraged to dress in "dirty disco" outfits, which was open to interpretation. Being a creative guy, Drew decided we would veto bell-bottoms and fake afros (which is what everyone else would be wearing) and came up with a better idea: "Todd and Brant", a.k.a. Beaconsfield's two surviving "dirty, dirty miners". (Perhaps we were dancing a fine line between cleaverness and bad taste, however we did win "Best Costume".) The prize: free surf lessons for two at Bondi Beach!

Picture of Drew (on the right) apparently after having stolen the indian's (on the left) head dress ...

Oh Drew ... lol

It was a dirty, messy party in several regards. Time for some dirty, messy, late-night, after-clubbing snacks. How about ... KEBABS!?

Me (in the middle, with the disco-inspired mining helmet) along with ?, ? and ?. (I DID know their names at the start of the night ... hadn't met them before that night, haven't seen them since.)

Suggested recipe for Chicken Kebabs:

Ingredients:

1 lb good quality chicken breasts, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
1 clove of garlic, peeled and crushed
3/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/4 tsp allspice
2 TBS best quality olive oil
3 TBS lemon juice

Method:

In a glass or stainless steel bowl, combine all the above ingredients and marinade chicken for 3-6 hours, covered, in the refrigerator.

Take out of fridge thirty minutes prior to grilling, allowing chicken to reach room temperature.

Thread meat onto skewers (if using wood or bamboo skewers, first soak these, weighted, under-water so water covers skewers, for about 1/2 hour).

Grill over medium charcoal fire or barbecue until delicately browned and no longer “pink” inside.

Serve in pita bread, with any / all of the following toppings: humus, tahini, baba ganouj, tabouli, garlic sauce, onions, cabbage, pickles, lettuce, and / or olives. (note: many of these can be purchased pre-made. Recommended, and easier).

Day 27 - Doyle's Seafood Restaurant, Sydney Fish Market, Sydney - "The Fisherman's Platter"

2006-05-14T19:55:00.000-07:00

Several weeks following my initial arrival in Sydney, my canuck friends Lauren & Alex, and U. K. friend Fionna, were preparing me for a trip to Sydney’s Fish Market for a seafood feast. (Why oh why would they think that I like seafood? *grin*)

In addition to several of Sydney’s top seafood suppliers, the Fish Market also has several on-site seafood restaurants. Among these, Doyle’s Seafood is perhaps one of the most well-known.

Among the items found on their restaurant menu is "The Fisherman’s Platter". One word to describe the experience: glutinous. Serious seafood for serious seafood people. As can be seen from the content list below, it’s an absolute smorgasbord of all the best the sea has to offer: lobster, crab, prawns, smoked salmon and calamari. Throw in some french fries for good measure, and you've got yourself a nice, light snack. :) It took a little while ... but we eventually did get through our food.

Contents of “The Fisherman’s Platter”:

1 large handful of French Fries
2 Crabs, steamed or boiled
12 Prawns, steamed or boiled
1 Lobster tail, boiled
12-16 rings of deep-fried Calimari
6 slices of Smoked Salmon, rolled
1 Lemon, cut into wedges

Method

Arrange ingredients on top of French Fries as shown, serve with some clarified butter on the side for dipping.

Should serve 2 people (I could have eaten it all myself … *grin*)

Day 26 - First Rugby Union Game - Aussie Stadium, Sydney - Harry's "Cafe de Wheels" Meat Pies w/ Mushy Peas

2006-05-13T19:52:00.000-07:00

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My first rugby union game (watching, not playing) in Australia! The best part: (1) it was a home game and (2) the home team needed to win in order to gain semi-final hosting team field rights in the following week's playoffs.

Sell-out crowd, open-air stadium, 3 of my best mates in Oz along with me = awesome night!

The home team in blue (the NSW Waratahs) was up against the New Zealand Hurricanes, who were just ahead of them in the playoff standings at the time.

End result: Warratahs lost 19 - 14. Later next week, they lost to the Hurricanes again (this time in Wellington), knocking them out of the playoffs.

After a long walk back into town, what do a bunch of guys do to drown their sorrows? Well, we didn't drink beer ... but we did eat pies!

Harry's "Cafe de Wheels" is another meat pie institution in Sydney. Although pies in Australia are traditionally topped with tomato sauce (i.e. ketchup), Harry's lets you take it one step further with other ingredients like mashed potatoes, mushy peas, gravy, chilli and lots of other good stuff.

The picture above is one of Harry's signature pies: mashed potatoes, mushy peas AND gravy. Yesss guy! Great street food, for sure. How does one make mushy peas? ... Glad you asked.

Recipe

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 bunch green onions, chopped
1 teaspoon chopped fresh mint
1 pound frozen green peas, thawed
2 tablespoons butter
1/2 teaspoon sea salt and ground black pepper to taste
Method:

Heat oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add green onion, mint, and peas. Cover, and cook for 3 to 4 minutes. Mash peas with a potato masher to desired consistency. Stir in butter, and season with salt and pepper.

Day 26 - Bather's Pavillion, Balmoral Beach, Sydney - Ocean Trout, Potato and Dill Creme Fraiche Pizza w/ Beans & Fennel

2006-05-13T19:42:00.000-07:00

We all fall into the habit of thinking pizza has to be about a tomato-based sauce, red meat toppings and melted cheese (not that there's anything wrong with any of these). Personally, I find it exciting to eat food that gets you thinking outside of the proverbial culinary box.

At Balmoral Beach, one of Sydney’s less touristy beach areas, you will find the celebrated Bather’s Pavillion restaurant. Although the restaurant has a rich Aussie history, it is now owned by Quebec-born chef and restauranteur Serge Dansereau. (What’s not to like about that?).

Clam diggers, working in the ocean surf in front of The Pavillion while we ate brunch.

Balmoral's "shark net", only partially capable of fending off sharks from its beaches.

Naturally we went for a walk around the beach and Balmoral's boat marina after brunch.

Most of the toppings on this pizza are served cold. You will, however, need to cook through the pizza dough and potatoes before adding the final toppings.

Ingredients

1 recipe basic Pizza dough
1 Potato (Idaho), sliced thinly
2 tbsp English double-cream
6-8 slices Smoked Trout or Salmon
6-10 Green beans, cooked, halved and chilled
½ cup Fennel, sliced thinly
1 tbsp Capers
2 tbsp fresh Dill, chopped
Lemon wedges, for garnish

Method

1 – Spread dough into desired size portion. Brush thinly with Olive Oil, and top with one layer of Potato slices. (Note: if your potatoes are not sliced thinly enough, you may want to “parboil” them – i.e. cook them in boiling water until half-done)

2 – Cook pizza dough at 500 F (260 C) for about 20–25 minutes, or until it reaches the desired level of crispiness.

3 – Remove from oven. While still hot, spread with English double-cream, add one layer of smoked fish, and add remaining ingredients. Pepper to taste, serve while crust is still warm.

Day 26 - Bather's Pavillion - Balmoral Beach, Sydney - Mimosas

2006-05-13T19:38:00.000-07:00

Fresh-squeezed orange juice mixed with champagne, first thing in the morning ... What’s not to like about that?

Leading up to my english friend Fionna's departure from Sydney back to the U. K., we met at Fionna's favourite beach (Balmoral Beach) for a bite to eat.

Fionna, below, waiting for me "over the bridge" which hangs over a section of the beach. (I wonder how many marriage proposals have been given on that bridge? It's that kinda place ...)

Beautiful day to get together for brunch at The Bather's Pavillion, a restaurant with quite a history in the area (more on that in a moment). Very popular with the locals, more so with the tourists (who were lucky enough to find out about it through word of mouth). The Pavillion has published an amazing cookbook with lots of great Aussie-inspired recipes, as well as lots of information on Balmoral Beach and the surrounding area.

And there we sat, drinking mimosas, eating late lunch, and talking about many a thing. (including the shark net, which lies just off the beach ... an eery reminder of what lies "out there")

Recipe

Depending on your tastes, 1 part Champagne to 1 part Orange juice is a good place to start. Adjust ratios on the second, third, fourth ... cocktail as desired.

Day 25 - Aperatif Restaurant, Sydney - After-dinner Beignets (Doughnuts)

2006-05-12T19:33:00.000-07:00

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Perhaps the ultimate display of faith a customer can show in a restaurant’s chef is to allow the chef to order the meal on their behalf. This is how one of my favourite meals in Sydney began at Aperatif, a new restaurant recently opened in Kings Cross.

David Bitton, owner and chef, also operates a cafe across town to rave reviews from locals and foodies across Sydney. My mate Richard, being a regular at David's cafe, suggested we head to Aperatif for some serious foodie heaven.

Our trust in David lead to five courses of unbelievable food paired with matching wines, each course seemingly more impressive than the last: soft and tangy onion tarts, fire-grilled beef skewers, tender-cooked greens (you know the food is amazing when you come away bragging about the vegetables - they WERE fantastic), and succulent duck to name a few.

To end the meal, the chef sent out a plate of mini beignets (doughnuts). We used to make homemade doughnuts all the time when I was younger - MUCH better than anything you'll buy at Tim Horton's, Dunkin Donuts or Krispy Kreme for sure!

With Mom's blessing:

Ingredients

1 good cup white sugar
3 tsp soft butter
2 eggs,beaten
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ginger
1 cup milk
5 tsp baking powder
3 1/2 - 4 cups flour
1/4 tsp nutmeg
2 tsp vanilla

Method:

In 1 bowl, beat sugar,butter and beaten until fluffy.

In a 2nd bowl, whisk together 3 1/2 c.flour, salt, ginger, nutmeg and baking powder. Measure milk and add vanilla to milk.

Add dry and wet ingredients alternately to sugar and eggs mixture.Use extra 1/2 c flour to dust
the counter. Roll dough to about 3/4 in.

Fry in deep fat maybe about 1-2 mins each side. Drain on paper towel then roll in white sugar.

Day 25 - The Red Oak Pub, Sydney - Meat and Seafood Tasting Plates (Prawns w/ Tomato Confit)

2006-05-12T19:25:00.000-07:00

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Another grastronomic, evening journey through Sydney's culinary underbelly.

My aussie buddy Richard is good for a number of things: directions, input on aussie culture, 20$ when I need it ... y'know, the important stuff you look for in a mate. lol He's also great for picking a good restaurant, and even BETTER for finding a good pub that also happens to have great food!

How else would us guys launch our night out on the town, other than at a local, award-winning pub that brews its own ale?! We weren't sure what the rest of the night would lead to, but we were happy to start out on full stomachs.

Keen to try as many beers as possible (but recognizing there ARE limits to those games), we bought "flights" of beer, something I've done before back in The Bier Market on Toronto's Esplanade. (Again: grreat way to taste a lot, without committing to full pints of unfamiliar beer brands)

Naturally we paired our beer flights with accompanying meat and seafood flight as well...

Two flights of beer and food later, we were both (amazingly) still hungry and keen to continue on to the night's next destination. (Is this the camera being blurry, or was the beer getting to us by that point in the night?)

Of the ten appetizer-sized dishes we tried, probably our favorite (albeit very small) was the Prawn served w/ Tomato Confit. Hardly man-food, but if you were to throw a party with a large invite list, and were committed to putting out snack food buffet-style, this is a good call. Plus, it sounds fancy ... "Tomato Confit" sounds much more difficult-to-prepare than "Roasted Tomatoes", no? For the prawns, simply pan-fry them, top with some cooled tomato confit, and garnish with a sprig of fresh thyme or coriander.

Ingredients:

2 1/2 pounds large plum tomatoes, quartered lengthwise, seeds and membranes removed
4 large fresh thyme sprigs
3 garlic cloves, unpeeled
1/2 cup olive oil
1 teaspoon coarse sea salt

For tomato confit:

Preheat oven to 300°F. Oil large rimmed baking sheet. Arrange tomatoes on baking sheet. Scatter thyme sprigs and garlic cloves over. Drizzle with 1/2 cup olive oil, then sprinkle with coarse sea salt. Bake tomatoes 45 minutes. Turn tomatoes over; continue to bake until tomatoes shrink slightly but are still plump and moist, 1-2 hours longer. Cool completely. Peel off skins.

(Can be prepared 1 day ahead. Cover and refrigerate. Bring to room temperature before using.)

Day 20 - Bondi Beach, Sydney - Cinnamon Buns

2006-05-07T22:12:00.000-07:00

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Following an unsuccessful afternoon of kiteboarding with a couple of friends in Bottany Bay (it truly was a disaster), our hunger got the best of us, taking us north to world famous Bondi Beach in search of coffee and snacks. Once there, we found ourselves a cafe and enjoyed flat whites and cinnamon buns while watching the sun set quietly over the hillside.

Coffee culture in Sydney is quite different than in Canada. First and foremost, percolated coffee (i.e. "drip coffee") does not exist. Flat whites, which have become my coffee vice since arriving in Australia, are probably the most popular way of consuming caffeine for Australians. Flat whites, when done properly, have a creamy consisteny and have more esspresso content than lattes.

Our timing for being in Bondi was good - we were there to catch the following sunset:

And, 20 minutes later, this is what Bondi Beach looks like: (lots of bars and nighlife, a great spot to visit)

The snacks helped mend both our muscles, and egos, if only a little. Props to AllRecipes.com for the below (stolen) recipe:

INGREDIENTS:
1 teaspoon white sugar
1 (.25 ounce) package active dry yeast
1/2 cup warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)
1/2 cup milk
1/4 cup white sugar
1/4 cup butter
1 teaspoon salt
2 eggs, beaten
4 cups all-purpose flour

3/4 cup butter
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 cup chopped pecans, divided
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
1/4 cup melted butter

DIRECTIONS:
In a small bowl, dissolve 1 teaspoon sugar and yeast in warm water. Let stand until creamy, about 10 minutes. Warm the milk in a small saucepan until it bubbles, then remove from heat. Mix in 1/4 cup sugar, 1/4 cup butter and salt; stir until melted. Let cool until lukewarm.

In a large bowl, combine the yeast mixture, milk mixture, eggs and 1 1/2 cup flour; stir well to combine. Stir in the remaining flour, 1/2 cup at a time, beating well after each addition. When the dough has pulled together, turn it out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic, about 8 minutes.

Lightly oil a large bowl, place the dough in the bowl and turn to coat with oil. Cover with a damp cloth and let rise in a warm place until doubled in volume, about 1 hour.

While dough is rising, melt 3/4 cup butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Stir in 3/4 cup brown sugar, whisking until smooth. Pour into greased 9x13 inch baking pan. Sprinkle bottom of pan with 1/2 cup pecans; set aside. Melt remaining butter; set aside. Combine remaining 3/4 cup brown sugar, 1/2 cup pecans, and cinnamon; set aside.

Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface, roll into an 18x14 inch rectangle. Brush with 2 tablespoons melted butter, leaving 1/2 inch border uncovered; sprinkle with brown sugar cinnamon mixture. Starting at long side, tightly roll up, pinching seam to seal. Brush with remaining 2 tablespoons butter. With serrated knife, cut into 15 pieces; place cut side down, in prepared pan. Cover and let rise for 1 hour or until doubled in volume. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).

Bake in preheated oven for 25 to 30 minutes, until golden brown. Let cool in pan for 3 minutes, then invert onto serving platter. Scrape remaining filling from the pan onto the rolls.

Day 18 - Kings Cross, Sydney - Shrimp Tempura Rolls

2006-05-05T17:54:00.000-07:00

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A Sydney recipe journal would not be complete without including Sushi. Catering to everyone from budget-conscious backpackers to fanatic foodies, sushi vendors and restaurants both cheap and expensive can be everywhere.

Note: Kings Cross is an area of Sydney known more for its strip clubs and seedy bars (read: red light district) than for its food scene. However, there are some winning restaurants scattered throughout the Cross. (more on that shortly ...)

In search of a low-carb meal, my friend and workout partner Joseph (who was competing in a bodybuilding competition next-day ... will he let me put some pictures on this blog?) and I ended up at a small, hole-in-the-wall restaurant where our Sushi Man “Haus” prepped our meals right in front of us (which is another benefit of eating sushi - more often than not you'll get something made a-la-minute).

Haus' place is definitely tight on room. T-i-g-h-t: he can seat 3 comfortably ... 4 uncomfortably.

(You are, in fact, looking at the entire seating capacity of Haus' Sushi House .... suffice to say, it books up quickly)

I'm completely addicted to these shrimp tempura rolls. Tempura (for those of you who don't know) is a basic batter used to quickly coat and fried up fish / vegetables in asian dishes.

(I suspect a few amongst you will appreciate a cooked sushi recipe, as opposed to one with raw fish. I know some of you are less adventurous that others ....)

This is what your tempura roll will look like before it's rolled up. Much less impressive than then the finished product, but once rolled, sliced, and served up with wasabi-infused soy sauce and lots o' pickled ginger, it's all good!

Ingredients:

Prepare 1 batch of sushi-grade rice (there are tons of websites showing you how to do this)

Batter:
1.5 cups Cake flour
1 eggs, beaten
1 cups ice water

Other ingredients:

Nori (flat sheets of sushi-grade seaweed)
Large shrimp
6 strips celery, 3" long
3 carrots, cut in 3" long strips, or julienned into fine strips
Avocado
Mayonnaise
Barbecue Sauce
Oil for deep frying
All-purpose flour (for dredging shrimp)

Recipe method
Mix cake flour with eggs and ice water until batter is slightly lumpy. Chill.

To prepare tempura, shell and devein shrimp, leaving tail, intact. Flatten slightly with sturdy whack of cleaver or flat side of heavy knife so shrimp will not curl while cooking.
Flatten one hand full of prepared rice (approximately the size of a softball) onto cling film Lay one sheet of nori, equal in size to the size, on top of the rice. Arrange remaining ingredients (except shrimp) on top of nori. "Only use a few drops of barbecue sauce", as per Haus (above).

Heat oil in deep kettle to 350F. Beat batter. Dip shrimp into all-purpose flour, then into chilled batter, shaking to remove excess batter.

Slip into deep fat and fry until shrimp rise to surface. (note: don't overcook shrimp, or they will be tough and tasteless).

Turn once and remove with slotted spoon or fork and drain on a plate lined with paper towel.

To serve, place shrimp in between other ingredients in rolls, roll sushi tighly, slicing each roll into 8 same-sized portions.

Day 17 - Chinatown, Sydney - Pigs' Ears in Chilli Oil

2006-05-04T16:54:00.000-07:00

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In need of a quick (cheap) fix before heading out for some kiting in Botany Bay, another quick stop-off in Chinatown. "50 / 50" was definitely a way of describing how I felt when it was all over: 50% satisfied, and 50% horrified!

Ignoring the bowl of soup for a moment, let's talk about the other ... err ... dish.

It was exactly what it sounds like: pigs ears fried in oil, infused with chilli. (Excited yet?) For whatever reason I was feeling particularly adventurous that afternoon, and figured since centuries of chinese culinaries had kept pigs on their menus, there must be some redeeming attributes to Oreilles aux Cochons (<- geez, even writing it in French doesn't make it sound any more delish). The Chinese truly are an efficient people. Like many cultures, they have found ways to use virtually every part an animal and turn it into something relatively appetizing. They have made several significant contributions to the culinary world.

I'm sure this will qualify as comfort food to someone. In my humble opinion, however, this will not go down as one of their greater culintary accomplishments. Regardless, I have decided to include my pigs’-ears-incident in this journal, if only to diarize the experience. (Hey, you can't blame a guy for trying new things!). Proceed with caution. If anyone has a different experience than mine, do let me know ...

Ingredients:

Pigs Ears (ask your butcher - he'll be all too excited to sell them to you)
Chilli-infused Olive Oli (you can buy these pre-made in most grocery stores)
Salt & Pepper to taste (I'm not sure they actually seasoned mine ... )

Method:

1) Heat a few tablespoons of oil in a pan or wok.
2) Throw in pigs ears ... cook until tender (? Mine were nowhere close to "tender", but see how you do ...)
3) Salt & pepper to taste.
4) Don't blame Kevin for tellin'-yah-so. *grin*

Day 16 - Long Reef & Dee Why beaches, + Darling Harbour, Sydney - Kangaroo with Aussie Plum Sauce

2006-05-03T21:07:00.000-07:00

Another day of sun, beachin' and grrreat Aussie food! (this was indeed another awesome, memorable day)

I started out with another trip to the northern beaches area. After stopping in (again) at Fran & Sylvia's Pie Shop for some meat pies at lunch, I set off on foot over to Long Reef. Long Reef Point comes to a head, high above the shore line, offering a lookout point to some amazing views of the coastline.

The view out into the ocean truly was amazing, a blue abyss with no end in sight. Long Reef Point, at the edge of Long Reef Golf Golf Course, in addition to having the best view along the walking trail, also had the most steady wind conditions . That meant one thing ...

... time to pull out my training kite for a little practice! (After all, one must master the 3-metre kite before the 14-metre monster can be tamed).

Walking south-bound to Dee Why Beach, I had a couple of hours left to enjoy the last bit of daylight. A few dozen surfers were out to take advantage of some great wave conditions. Great opportunity to play Sports Illustrated photographer for a while.

After squeezing the last drop of sun possible out of the day, I headed back to the city by bus and hooked up with an aussie friend for an aussie-influenced meal in Darling Harbour (an ultra-touristy area located just off Sydney's CBD). At night, the Harbour is a great place to catch all the lights from the business towers and any boats passing through the waterway.

What else would we eat, but kanagaroo. Motivated to find out how different a restaurant's take on kanagaroo would be compared to my kanagaroo-barbecue the week before, I decided to give the rare kanagaroo tenderloin a shot. Served up with veggies and mash, the dish was brought together with an Australian plum sauce. Similar to sweet chili sauce, Aussie plum sauce can be readily found in almost any grocery store, and also shows up consistently on restaurant menus. Here's how to make your own:

Ingredients

6 1b. plums, 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper, 3 1b. sugar, Little allspice and cloves, 3 pints vinegar, 2 oz. Bruised whole ginger, 1 level teaspoon salt

Method:

Boil all ingredients until the plum stones separate. Strain through a colander, and bottle.

Day 15 - Colloroy Beach, Sydney - Sylvia & Fran’s Meat Pies

2006-05-02T06:00:00.000-07:00

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Meat pies have a definitive place in Australian culture and are tightly linked to Australian Rules Football (as the historical snack of choice for spectators). Given that Australians eat an estimated 300 million pies every year, it's no wonder why competition between serious pie purveyors to be recognized as the best-in-the-biz is hotly contested. May I introduce you to two of the industry's top heavyweights: Sylvia & Fran. (Yah, I know ...)

Their humble pie shop is hidden away in Sydney's northern beaches area and proudly displays many of the awards they have earned in some of Australia's top pie competitions over the years. Their combination of fantastically flaky pastry and creative pie fillings really do elevate this everyday snack into a true dining experience! (no, I'm not on their payroll) Their store is busy through the week, then absolutely mobbed on weekends. As much as I enjoyed their traditional beef pie, the Chicken Thai Pie was truly braggable. I've made several day trips back to their shop and the pies continue to be worth the time and effort.

Belly full, I crossed the street and spent the afternoon soaking in the sun on Colloroy Beach, a smaller beach which is just north of several other north-Sydney beaches ... more to explore later on.

Almost all of Sydney's beaches have salt-water pools right beside the ocean. Presumably these are for people who wants to swim laps without having to bother with waves crashing into them ... or sharks biting into them either.

Below is a decent pie filling recipe. However, in no way does it match the amazingness of Sylvia & Fran's work. It's good ... but not THAT good. (for the real deal, you'll have to go visit The Girls) I probably couldn't suggest anything more Aussie than giving a recipe for Guinness Pie filling. I honestly can't stand to drink the stuff straight (I will stop short of calling it a "drink"), but used in pie filling - NOW you're talkin'!

Beer and Guiness Pie (c/o Epicurious)

2 lb boneless beef chuck, cut into 1-inch pieces
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 large onion, coarsely chopped
2 garlic cloves, chopped
3 tablespoons water
1 1/2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 cup beef broth
1 cup Guinness or other Irish stout
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
2 teaspoons drained brined green peppercorns, coarsely chopped
2 fresh thyme sprigs

Pasty Dough
1 large egg, lightly beaten1 tablespoon water
Special equipment: 4 (14-oz) deep bowls or ramekins (4 to 5 inches wide) or similar-capacity ovenproof dishes

Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 350°F.
Pat beef dry. Stir together flour, salt, and pepper in a shallow dish. Add beef, turning to coat, then shake off excess and transfer to a plate. Heat oil in a wide 5- to 6-quart ovenproof heavy pot over moderately high heat until just smoking, then brown meat in 3 batches, turning occasionally, about 5 minutes per batch, transferring to a bowl.

Add onion, garlic, and water to pot and cook, scraping up any brown bits from bottom of pot and stirring frequently, until onion is softened, about 5 minutes. Add tomato paste and cook, stirring, 1 minute. Stir in beef with any juices accumulated in bowl, broth, beer, Worcestershire sauce, peppercorns, and thyme and bring to a simmer, then cover and transfer to oven. Braise until beef is very tender and sauce is thickened, about 1 1/4 to 1 1/2 hours. Discard thyme and cool stew completely, uncovered, about 30 minutes. (If stew is warm while assembling pies, it will melt uncooked pastry top.)

Put a shallow baking pan on middle rack of oven and increase oven temperature to 425°F.
Divide cooled stew among bowls (they won't be completely full). Roll out pastry dough on a lightly floured surface with a lightly floured rolling pin into a 13-inch square, about 1/8 inch thick. Trim edges and cut dough into quarters. Stir together egg and water and brush a 1-inch border of egg wash around each square. Invert 1 square over each bowl and drape, pressing sides lightly to help adhere. Brush pastry tops with some of remaining egg wash and freeze 15 minutes to thoroughly chill dough.

Bake pies in preheated shallow baking pan until pastry is puffed and golden brown, about 20 minutes.

Reduce oven temperature to 400°F and bake 5 minutes more to fully cook dough.

Day 13 - Lauren and Alex's, Sydney - Chez Piggy Mussels “Piri Piri”

2006-04-30T05:53:00.000-07:00

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Back when we lived together in Toronto a few years ago, my Canuck friend Lauren and I shared a small thing for reality tv shows. As much as I hate to admit it, watching the train wreck that was the Bachelor was indeed brainless entertainment. Big Brother, another reality show filmed in several countries, is supremely popular in Australia. Every sunday the show and its viewers purge one of the housemates following a long, drawn-out special show episode ... sounded like a good excuse to us for some barbecue, seafood and wine.

In an attempt to bring a bit of home cuisine along with me to Sydney, three of my cookbooks made the flight with me from Toronto: the first for patriotic reasons ("Best of Canada"), the second for future discovery ("Surfing the Menu") and the third because it’s the one book I consistently use over and over to impress dinner guests ("Chez Piggy"). Those of you who graduated from Queen's University may remember Chez Piggy as being one of Kingston, Ontario’s more recognized culinary hotspots. This mussel dish is one of the few recipes that I can pull off with my eyes closed. Although the mussels are great, the broth is probably the best part about this dish. Have lots of bread handy to soak up all the white wine sauce once the mussels have been finished off and the shells have been discarded.

That Sunday afternoon, before Big Brother aired, we made a quick trip to Sydney's Fish Market, justifiably famous for (you guessed it) its seafood and shellfish vendors.

No problem finding top quality mussels for later on (although mussels are sold in Australia without their "beards" removed, for whatever reason ... this requires an additional clean-up step not usually necessary in Canada).

Having lived in central Canada for some time, it was very odd to be walking through the Fish Market parking lot and run not into pigeons, or squirrels, but rather pellicans (they're WAY bigger in person than expected) which were wandering around looking for handouts. Bizarre.

I present to you "Mussels Piri Piri", a Portugese treatment for mussels.

(Be warned, depending on how many chilies you use in the sauce, the heat tends to stay around for a while on your lips / tongue ... and consequently transfers quite easily to other people's ... ummm ... well, their lips / tongues also if you kiss them, for instance ... Be warned, I'm speaking from experience). *grin*

Ingredients

1/2 cup olive oil

Juice from 3 lemons

3 dried bay leaves

6 cloves garlic, sliced thinly

1-3 red chillies (depending on heat tolerance), seeded and chopped

1/2 bottle dry white wine

1 KG mussels per person, discard any open (i.e. dead) mussels

Fresh coriander for garnish

Method

Bring all ingredients except mussels and coriander to a gentle boil. Once bubbling, add mussels, cover, and increase heat. Toss gently a couple of times. Once shells begin to open from the steam, transfer mussel to large bowls for serving, garnish each serving with a dash of fresh chopped coriander, and pour remaining broth over the mussels. Serve immediately.

Day 12 - The Rocks, Sydney - Toast Two Ways: w/ Vegemite, & w/ Ricotta, Cinnamon and Honey

2006-04-28T05:44:00.000-07:00

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Vegemite really is a true Australian phenomenon and is very much part of the country's national identity. Considering 22 million jars are sold each year, it's ironic that vegemite is a result of brewers' leftover yeast extract (i.e. waste). Though this dark brown paste can be overpoweringly salty when used in excess, when applied in moderation it can be very tasty (honest). My first taste of vegemite on Aussie soil took place in a quaint courtyard cafe in the Rocks with my Aussie friend Richard (who explained, at length, Vegemite's many health benefits). I forget what those are now ... I think I was still half asleep at the time.

Bloated, but satisfied, we took a quick stroll to work some of breakfast off through the Botanical Gardens, directly across from the Sydney Opera House off Sydney Harbour and the CBD (Core Business District). The contrast between the 100+ year old indigenious trees and the ultra-modern business towers (some of which were used in the filming of Mission Impossible and the newly filmed version of Superman) was not lost on me.

Another interesting attraction in the Botanical Gardens: fruit bats. In the daytime, particular areas in the Gardens are densely populated with resting fruit bats (they're h-u-g-e). At sunset, they take flight virtually simultaneously, filling the sky (not unlike the scene from the Wizard of Oz when the flying monkeys take off all together - creepy).

A quick tour of the Gardens, then I was quickly off to join Canuck friend Lauren to head out to Olympic Park where Canadian rock superband Nickelback (yessssss) were in town for a sold-out show. Best concert ever, as we had stadium floor tickets and got to the front row (yes, front row) along the railing. Whazzzzup??!!

The popular bread-of-choice for vegemite-and-toast appears to be turkish bread, for whatever reason. Think of flatbread which tastes somewhere between sourdough and focaccia (if that's a fair description). The following recipe uses a starter which ferments for 4 days. (via Allrecipes.com)

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups bread flour
3/4 cup water

5 teaspoons active dry yeast
1 teaspoon white sugar
2 cups warm water, tepid
6 cups bread flour
2 teaspoons salt

To make the starter: Place 1/2 cup flour and 1/4 cup water in a coverable bowl; stir well. Cover and let sit at room temperature overnight. The next day, add 1/2 cup flour and 1/4 cup water to the bowl. Cover and let sit at room temperature overnight. On the third day, add 1/2 cup flour and 1/4 cup water to the bowl. Cover and let sit at room temperature overnight.

To make the dough: In a large bowl, dissolve the yeast and sugar in the warm water. Let stand until creamy, about 10 minutes.

Break the starter into small pieces and add it to the yeast mixture. Stir in 4 cups of flour and the salt. Stir in the remaining flour, 1/2 cup at a time, beating well after each addition. When the dough has pulled together, turn it out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic, about 8 minutes. Sprinkle a little flour over the dough and then cover it with a dry cloth. Let it raise until double in size.

Put the dough back onto a lightly floured work surface and punch out the air. Divide the dough in half and knead each piece for 2 to 3 minutes. Shape each piece into a tight oval loaf. Sprinkle two sheet pans with corn meal. Roll and stretch two loaf until they are 15x12 inch ovals. Dust the tops of the loaves with flour. Cover with a dry cloth and let raise in a warm place until doubled in size. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C).

Bake in preheated oven for 30 to 40 minutes. Mist with water 3 times in the first 15 minutes. Loaves are done when their bottoms sound hollow when tapped. Let cool on wire racks before serving.

Day 11 - Lowenbrau, Sydney - Crackling Roast Pork Belly w/ Beer Sauce, Roasted Potatoes and Cabbage

2006-04-28T05:36:00.000-07:00

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Finding this restaurant was a complete fluke. En route to meeting up with a new Aussie friend for beers in The Rocks, an older area just off Sydney's Harbour (and packed with bars / pubs), my hunger got the best of me. Quite randomly, I walked by the Lowenbrau and was immediately drawn to it's brighly-lite outdoor patio, which I suspected would be excellent for people-watching. Indeed it was, but little did I know that the food would end up being the main event.

Never having tried pork belly before, but having seen it used many times on Iron Chef, finding it on the menu made it an easy call. And it had beer sauce. Fur sure! Great for meat-and-potato dipping.

Although I didn't stick around for the "Oom Pah Pah Band" entertainment after dinner, I can say my dining experience a la German was complete.

Versus trying to explain how to prepare pork belly, I will simply provide a recipe for beer sauce.

Beer Sauce (via the good folks at Epicurious):

Ingredients
1 tablespoon butter
2 large onions - thinly sliced
3 large cloves garlic - finely minced
2 tablespoons molasses
2 tablespoons Asian-style sweet 'n' hot chili sauce
salt to taste
1/2 teaspoon fresh ground pepper
1 cup dark hearty beer - such as Guinness or Rickard's Honey Brown
2 tablespoons cold butter - cut into small pieces
1/4 cup minced fresh flat-leaf Italian parsley

Melt butter in pan over medium heat and when bubbling, add onions and cook over medium heat, stirring often, until richly caramelized, about 20 minutes. Add garlic, molasses, chili sauce, salt and pepper, and stir until blended. Add beer, stir well, bring to a simmer and cook for 2-3 minutes. Remove skillet from heat, whisk in butter, a few pieces at a time, until melted. Stir in parsley.

Day 10 – Bill's Restaurant, Surry Hills, Sydney - Bill's Coconut Bread

2006-04-27T05:33:00.000-07:00

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Bill Grainger, considered by many in Oz to be "Australia’s answer to Nigella Lawson", is probably one of Australia's most well-recognized celebrity chefs and restauranteurs. In addition to a handful of Sydney restaurants, Bill's ever-expanding culinary empire also includes several fantastic cookbooks loaded with creative dishes attainable by the common home-chef.

A few weeks before leaving Toronto for Sydney, I had dinner with my Aussie friends Davey and Nathan at their place in Yorkville. Davey pulled out his copy of Bill Grainger's "Sydney Food" and we followed Bill's recipe to make his coconut bread for dessert. Shortly after arriving in Sydney, naturally I visited one of Bill's restaurants for breakfast to see if Bill's version was any better than mine and Davey's. (Davey - ours was almost as good!)

After breakfast, I walked back into downtown through Hyde Park, probably Sydney's largest inner city park. The Sydney Morning Herald, one of Sydney's most widely distributed newspapers happened to be putting on a picture expo along Hyde Park's main walking path. (As an aside, they publish "Sydney's Good Food Guide" which provides food critic write-ups on Sydney's restaurant scene. In many ways, this guided my eating patters during first two months of my australian trip.)

One display were a few dozen interesting, significant pictures that had been published throughout the SMH's many years in print. This is the one that caught my eye:

Cronulla, a neighbourhood in Sydney's north end, a few months prior to my arrival in Australia had experience some racially-motivated, and widely publicized, riotting. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2005_Cronulla_riots I had seen the above picture both on-line and in the Toronto Star around the time I was making my Sydney plans. So sad, I thought, that racism exists in so many forms, in so many countries of the world ... yet, it's (generally) a result of similar factors and human behavioral patterns. The picture above is of an Australian of presumed middle-eastern decent being attacked by several white residents from the surrounding area. Sad, sad, sad ...

Anyhow, onto happier topics. :) After going through the other pictures on display, I took in some of Hyde Park's other sights, including some of its impressive gardens and water fountains.

Light and slightly crumbly, Bill's coconut bread is a great way to kick off brunch in his restaurant or at home.

** Note: recipe (potentially) soon to come ... I need to look into this whole "piracy of intellectual property" thing before re-printing Bill's recipe on my blog. He may have a number of highly-paid junior lawyers scouring the internet on his behalf, looking for potential criminals like me ...

Day 9 - Breakfast with Shannon Noll, Sydney - Stir-Fried Pumpkin w/ Egg, Chicken & Coriander

2006-04-26T05:23:00.000-07:00

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(In my best 12-year old girl voice) Like, up to this point in my trip, this was, like, omg, the greatest day eeeh-vuuuur! (How's that for a story set-up)

Now, let's be honest, we all have our little exentricities. Those little things that make us unique. Special. Perhaps a little different than those around us. Things that are out of character from what people may expect from us. This is mine: I'm a grown man, quite normal in most ways ... however, I am an unapologetic music fan of a former Australian Idol runner-up winner.

...

(Still with me?)

Late one night, I was alerted by a friend to the fact that Shannon Noll (Australian pop rock superstar, and Australian Idol runner-up winner a few years back) was performing live at Sydney's Channel 7 news on their morning show the next day. (Hold on, this is where I really start to lose respect from several of you ...) And since I had all the time in the world on my hands that morning, I got up at 5:30 a.m., got myself down to the Channel 7 studios, and lined up in the cold to watch the show from outside with a growing crowd of 12-year old girls ... and their mothers .... then there was me. 6'1', 220 pound, 28 year old, Mr. Me.

Though the performance was muffled, visually I had a great vantage point (as you can imagine, I could see over top of all the other fans, being 12-years old and all) and I was able to take some great photos. While in-line before the performance, I met a woman who moderates Shannon's on-line fan website.

Naturally, I emailed her several of the better pictures I took that morning.
Naturally, she credited me on the website.
Naturally, my Shannon Problem has only intensified since this experience. (However, my Shannon Anonymous ("S. A.") meetings are going very well ... I hope to kick the habit by the time I return to Canada.)

Of course, all the fans were treated to a post-performance session. Might as well get in there for a picture together, no?

After my Shannon-experience, I sat on a park bench in Hyde Park (large, beautiful park in Sydney's centre), played some guitar, and wondered what it would be like to be famous. Then it occured to me the number of 12-year old girls that would probably hunt me ongoingly for autographs ... hmmm ... better to enjoy my privacy and wallow in obscurity.

Hunger-struck, I headed south to Surry Hills, a quaint neighbourhood a few minutes from Hyde Park, where I successfully found Prastits, a thai restaurant recommended by an Aussie friend. I was assured "They have the freshest thai food in the city". He was right (recipe guesstimate below).

With a full stomach, and still on a high from my Shannon-experience, I took a bus ride home over the Sydney Harbour Bridge. Appropriately, it began to rain lightly, and a rainbow symbolically emerged over the habour.

So right ... So right ....

Ingredients

2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 tablespoon finely chopped garlic
1 cup finely-chopped chicken
1.5 cup bite-size pieces of peeled pumpkin
2 eggs
1 tablespoon oyster sauce
1 tablespoon light soy sauce
1 teaspoon sugar
1/4 cup chicken stock
1/2 cup 2 inch length green onion
Fresh coriander
Handful of fresh bean sprouts

Heat the oil in a wok until very hot. Add garlic, stir-fry until golden brown. Add chicken and saute until cooked. Add pumpkin, stock, oyster sauce, soy sauce, seasoning sauce and sugar. Stir together and cover for 3 minutes or until pumpkin is almost done. Break the eggs into the wok and stir, add green onion, remove from heat. Add fresh coriander and bean sprouts, toss, and serve. Serve with white rice.

Day 7 - Botany Bay, Sydney - Herbed Barramundi with Salad and Tzatziki

2006-04-24T05:09:00.000-07:00

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Botany Bay, located in Sydney's south end, provides one of the best stretches of beach in the city for kiteboarding.

With relatively steady wind conditions and low tidal activity, kiters can usually be found any day of the week playing hooky from work and showing off for the passers-by.

Botany Bay is also an area of town heavily populated by the Greek community - who love their fresh fish. Following an afternoon of playing guitar in the surf and watching some experienced kiters work the waves (note to self: I will compete at their level some day, and very soon), I came across a seafood take-out restaurant. There are several of these throughout Sydney, many of which are chain restaurants. Hungry onlookers can either choose from the usual suspects (salmon, trout, etc ...) or go for more interesting, local varieties. I went for my first taste of pan-fried barramundi ("bare-rah-mun-dee"), a native Australian fish with first white flesh and a reputation for being one of the country's finer eating fishes. Mine was served lightly herbed with salad, tzatziki sauce and an overly-generous side of fries ... which of course came as no surprise when I found out the owners were, in fact, Greek.

I will provide you with a couple of food resources: (1) a list of some herbal blend suggestions for flavoring any fish, meat or poultry, and (2) a recipe for tzatziki (opa!), a thick and garlicky yogurt-based spread. Grrrreat on sandwiches too! (note: if you want your tzatziki really thick, be sure not to skip over draining the yogurt overnight through cheesecloth - it's worth the extra effort)

1) Herbal Blend Suggestions

** Play around with proportions, depending on your personal tastes.

Fish Herbs - Dill weed, basil, parsley, chives, fennel, lemon peel and lemon pepper.
Italian Herbs - Oregano, rosemary, basil, thyme, marjoram, chilies.
Lemon Pepper - Lemon peel, lemon juice & pulp, black pepper, garlic, onion, citric acid.
Herbal Blend - Oregano, savory, basil, marjoram, garlic, thyme, sage, parsley, black pepper, onion.
Herbs de ProvenceThyme, basil, savory, fennel, lavender, marjoram.

2) Tzaziki Recipe

Ingredients
1 container (16 ounces) plain lowfat yogurt
1/2 English (seedless) cucumber, peeled, seeded and finely chopped
1/1-2 teaspoons salt
1 to 2 garlic cloves, chopped
1 tablespoon chopped fresh mint or dill plus additional sprigs
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions
Spoon yogurt into sieve lined with cheesecloth or coffee filter set over bowl; cover and refrigerate overnight. Transfer drained yogurt to medium bowl and discard liquid.

In batches, wrap chopped cucumber in kitchen towel and squeeze to remove as much liquid as possible. Pat dry with paper towels, then add to bowl with yogurt.

With flat side of chef's knife, mash garlic to a paste with remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt. Add garlic, chopped mint, oil, vinegar, and pepper to yogurt and stir to combine. Cover and refrigerate at least 2 or up to 4 hours. Serve chilled or at room temperature, topped with mint sprigs.
Makes about 1.5 cups.

Day 3 - Lauren & Alex's, Sydney - Kangaroo Barbecue

2006-04-20T04:51:00.000-07:00

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Question: Could anything be more Australian that kangaroo steaks cooked on the barbecue?

Answer: Nope.

With only residual jet-lag remaining and feeling like I was well on my way to getting a sense of Sydney, it was time to sit down with friends Lauren and Alex for our first barbecue on their fantastic penthouse terrace. (very posh, no?) Our trip to the grocery store for rations proved interesting: you know you're in Australia when you go visit the local IGA supermarket ... and there are kangaroo steaks for sale. Bizarre!

After feeding the wild laurakeets which visited their balcony before sundown (Lauren's a bit of a sucker for animals, and she got the birds in the habit of coming back everyday for a hand-fed honey fix), we sat down for kangaroo on the barbie.

The day after, I joined some new friends (canucks and aussies) for a trip to Symbio Gardens, a petting zoo in Sydney's south end where we were able to get up close and personal with many local animals such as koalas, wallabies and (you guessed it) kanagaroos.

Hand-feeding a kangaroo the day after eating one. So ironic. ("It's like 10,000 spoons, when all you need is a knife." ... oh Alanis ...)

Not much of a recipe to be shared, but perhaps some pointers for the perfect barbecued steak:

http://www.greatsteak.com/6-steps-to-grill-the-perfect-steak.htm