Where have I been hanging out

Friday "Lunch" at Koko Black. (with the deligitfull Miss V)
Ate: Belgian Spoil
Drank: Moacha Esspresso
TakeAway: Five assorted chocolate truffles
Verdict: The Champagne Truffles are awesome

Sunday Lunch at VegOut Chapel Street
Ate: Pumpkin Red Curry with Brown Rice
Drank: Green Tea

Tuesday Night at Ginger, Fitzroy
Ate: Crumbed Fish Filets with kampfer leaves
Drank: Some weird ass Tasmain Beer
Verdict: I'll have what she's having ... well that what i should have said when i saw the bar satff making a "Blazer" (cognac, peach liquur, rosmery and oraange zest)

Where have I been hanging out

Friday "Lunch" at Koko Black. (with the deligitfull Miss V)
Ate: Belgian Spoil
Drank: Moacha Esspresso
TakeAway: Five assorted chocolate truffles
Verdict: The Champagne Truffles are awesome

Sunday Lunch at VegOut Chapel Street
Ate: Pumpkin Red Curry with Brown Rice
Drank: Green Tea

Tuesday Night at Ginger, Fitzroy
Ate: Crumbed Fish Filets with kampfer leaves
Drank: Some weird ass Tasmain Beer
Verdict: I'll have what she's having ... well that what i should have said when i saw the bar satff making a "Blazer" (cognac, peach liquur, rosmery and oraange zest)

Journal Café, Melbourne

I found myself with an hour today between meetings at around lunch time. Rather convenient I dare say. I choose to revisit a café that I found a few months back when trying to kill some time on night. Attached to a side of the city library in Flinders Lane, Journal only has two tables, offering a communal eating experience. Suspended from the cafes 14” ceilings above each table hangs a inverted pedestal hosting a manner of reading material from newspapers, magazines, novels and encyclopaedias. The adjacent bar / kitchen stands with a floor to ceiling bookshelves behind, in which the content morphs from books to a neatly arranged panty.

Today I ordered a Caprese Salad and was taken aback by the meal presented. In front of me lay hearty chunks of bright red tomatoes sitting atop of jagged mozzarella balls and basil. Upon presenting my meal the waitress leant over and whispered in my ear “This is my favourite dish … the buffalo mozzarella came in fresh from the farm this morning.” I was certainly impressed for my $11 I wasn’t expecting super fresh ingredients that would cost me more to buy at the market than the meal before me.

On finishing my meal a familiar voice returned … “Farmers market. ST Kilda. 7am. First Saturday of the month. Get in early.” And with that will come a whole new set of adventures ….

Egg Pasta with Scallop and Saffron Sauce

Ingredients:

• Scallops
• Cream
• Saffron Stamens
• Pasta
• Garlic
• Dijon Mustard

Sundries:

• Butter
• Nutmeg
• Salt
• Pepper
• Tabasco
• Lemon Juice

Le Procédé de Cuisine:

Sauté scallops in pan with butter. Prepare Dijon Mustard, Garlic, lemon juice, nutmeg, and Tabasco separately. Add to pan with cream. Add salt, pepper and saffron. Done

Score: 2 Chefs

The saffron gave the sauce a rich yellow colour, added to the subtle flavour provided by the mustard and the garlic.

Kitchen Fun - Multi Flavoured Poached Eggs

I had “lightblub” moment the other morning, while debating what I was going to make for breakfast.

This spark of inspiration followed the lines of poaching eggs in plastic bags so they can each have a different flavour. To my amazement this turned out to be really easy.

I tried three flavours:

• Sumac and Parmesan
• Five Spice
• Chilli Flakes
  

All of which tasted great, although I’ll try some more adventurous combinations next time e.g. chopped herbs and fetta. Having everything sealed in a plastic bag means I don’t have to worry about making a mess.

The process was rather simple:

Take a zip lock sandwich bag turn it inside out and place over cup or small bowl. Crack in an egg and our chosen ingredients.

For poaching I recommend a double pot (one inside the other) as the walls of a single pot could be hot enough to melt the plastic bag. With a double you know its not going to exceed 100degC.

PS: remembered where the inspiration came from. I was reading an interview by the guys from Circa the Prince who love to cook fish in cryo vac bags.

Latest Experiments

Gnochi with red wine and tomato sauce topped with fetta
The tomato sauce for this one has olives, bacon, crushed tomatoes and red wine.
Very easy to cook. Great outcome.

Moroccan spiced Lamb Shank with Cous Cous and tomato and chilli reduction
Need to try this one again. The cooking process didn't infuse the spicy flavour into the meat. Might try pouches of spices cut into the meat next time.


Spinach and ricotta ravioli with a fillet of smoked ocean trout
Took longer to buy the ingredients than cook it! Super tasty too.

Super Parma #33 Rising Sun Hotel

Hit the pub today for lunch, which was great place to be. There is nothing like being warm, sitting next to the plate glass window, beer in hand watching the rain outside.

So given my post last week about the Melbourne search for the perfect parma I decided to sample a “Super Parma”. Well kind of it is number 33 in the rankings, ironic that this pub was also called The Rising Sun.

And the verdict “it was nice”. The huge green dollop of pesto was a great touch.

To complete the parma challenge i'll have to visit the Leveson or Palmerston Hotels to find out what the best in Melbourne has to offer.