I had a few pesky overripe bananas in my fruit bowl last weekend, and when that happens there is only one thing to do.

Make banana bread.

I’d also just received a jar of Beerenberg Blood Orange Marmalade. I’m not a marmalade fan at all, but this one is much sweeter than other ones I’ve tasted, so I decided to tweak my usual dense and moist banana bread recipe and top it with a sweet glaze.

I simply warmed three tablespoons of the marmalade in a saucepan and then poured it over the cooked cake and brushed it in with a silicone brush.

The marmalade added a lovely tang and a welcome sweet/sticky element when served in thin slices with a dollop of whipped cream. Just heavenly.

Grab the banana bread recipe here.

Do you like tweaking your own favourite recipes for a change?

Christie x

Update 3/2/2012: this competition is now closed. Congrats to the winners: David, Vici and Nicole.

Forget cocktails guys, winetails are the new black.

Not that I’m an expert or anything, but I did have a fiddle around making my own cocktails using Yellow Tail sparkling wine, and had some great results.

Win 6 bottles of Yellow Tail Wine!

Those recipes coming up in a minute, but first, make sure you are signed up to my email newsletter as I’ll be sending out competition details on Friday for how three lucky readers can win 6 bottles of Yellow Tail wine. Giveaway is exclusively for subscribers! Sign up right there in the sidebar -> -> ->

Right. Now that the admin is out of the way, let’s take a look at these winetails…

Once I got down to business, I was actually quite amazed at how versatile sparkling wine is when used in cocktails, ahem, winetails. The gentle fizz really adds a bit of fun and lightness, even for the ones that have strong alcohol in them (I’m looking at you bourbon whisky).

The best thing, though, was a new bottle feature – a resealable cap. How handy! Not only is this super convenient for regular folks who don’t want to drink a whole bottle in one sitting, but it was really great for me while I was experimenting and photographing over a whole day. The wine stayed fresh and chilled and ready for its close up.

Enough procrastinating though, let’s talk about these winetails.

Sparkling Leela. Named after the lovely girl who was taste-testing this for me. It’s a beautiful combination of peach nectar, fresh passionfruit and sparkling rose. A fun, girly, Aussie-Summer twist on a bellini.

Dark Golden Sunset. This is a masculine drink designed for the men at our taste-testing gathering. Bourbon whisky, cointreau, sparkling wine and dry ginger ale. Surprisingly, it remains quite a macho drink, even with the inclusion of supposedly ‘girly’ sparkling wine.

Minty Party Starter.  My taste-testers declared this was the best of the lot. Fresh, light and fruity with the mint being the stand-out ingredient. Definitely a winetail to kick your event off with a bang: lime, mint, vanilla sugar, moscato and tonic water. Yum!

Good luck in the competition guys, and do let me know if you try any of my winetail recipes tomorrow on Australia Day!

Christie x

This feature story and giveaway is proudly sponsored by Yellow Tail Wines.

Sparkling Leela

serves 1

• 30ml peach nectar
• 1 tablespoon passionfruit pulp (roughly half a passionfruit)
• 30ml vodka
• Yellow Tail Sparkling Rose

1. Pour the peach nectar into a champagne flute. Add the passionfruit pulp and vodka and stir.

2. Top with sparkling rose to fill the glass. Enjoy immediately.

Dark Golden Sunset

serves 1

• 30ml Bourbon Whisky
• 5ml Cointreau
• Yellow Tail Sparkling White Wine
• Dry Ginger Ale
• 2 ice cubes

1. Place the ice cubes into a short wide glass. Add the whisky and cointreau and stir.

2. Top with equal amounts of sparkling wine and dry ginger ale. Enjoy immediately.

Minty Party Starter

serves 1

• 1 lime
• 1 tablespoon vanilla sugar
• 3-4 mint sprigs
• 30ml vodka
• 60ml moscato
• Tonic water

1. Slice the lime into six wedges and place into a tall, slender hi-ball glass.

2. Add the sugar, mint and vodka. Smash, muddle and stir until the sugar dissolves.

3. Pour in the moscato and top with tonic water to fill the glass. Enjoy immediately.

I absolutely despise seeing bleached bulbs of garlic at the green grocer labelled ‘China’ or ‘Mexico’ when we can grow beautiful fresh garlic here in Australia (not me, mind you. But wonderful green-thumbed people can).

That’s why when I saw a story about Anarel Farm Garlic on Celia’s blog, I got very excited.

Diana and Ian Ditchfield are small scale farmers who grow their garlic in the NSW Central Tablelands using no chemicals. They sell direct to the public and send the garlic to customers via Australia Post, however, after chatting with Diana on the phone I realised it was only a short drive to her Sydney home, so I collected the garlic myself.

I just love meeting the people behind the product and Diana is so obviously passionate about growing great tasting and sustainable produce. It was lovely to meet her and be inspired to take better care of my sad plants.

I asked her to give me a selection and she packaged up five different varieties. See picture above. This is how they tasted raw:

• Australian White: pungent and slightly hot.
• Australian Red: richer flavour than the white.
• Australian Purple Stripe: rich flavour and slightly hot.
• Xian: rich flavour but not too hot.
• Shantung: hot with a strong flavour and notable aftertaste.

The garlic also freezes really well, so you can stock up in bulk. Celia has some good tips on how to do this here.

After tasting them raw, I was very curious to see how the flavour changed when they were roasted. I wrapped a head each of the white, red and purple stripe and baked them in the oven for about 40 minutes on 180C. The house smelled amazing.

I excitedly opened up the little shiny packages of foil and was pleased to find the cloves had gone all soft and jammy. Interestingly, the flavours of all three taste very similar when roasted, even though they taste slightly different when raw, with the Australian red winning for overall sweetness and a beautiful mellow, smooth flavour when roasted.

Some of the gorgeous roasted garlic went into a yummy egg recipe. Come back tomorrow to check it out! (Update – recipe was Egg boats with roasted garlic and goats cheese).

Are you a fan of garlic? Do you like it raw or roasted/cooked?

Christie x

From the minute we exited the lifts and saw the white picket fence, I was smitten.

The Victoria Room Tea Salon is a haven of girlishness, class and fun – all enclosed within a white picket fence and carefully decorated with splashes of my favourite colour pink (chair covers, menus, crockery).

Poppy and I met our dear friend Lorraine at midday for an indulgent high tea and a bit of obligatory girl talk! We ordered the Couture High Tea ($56), which comes with a flute of Moet & Chandon Brut Imperial (more details on the food in a minute) and the Cheddar and Thyme scone filled with smoked Atlantic salmon, crème fraiche & dill ($14).

It all arrived quite quickly and got beautifully arranged on the table. Lorraine and I started snapping away with our cameras as poor little Poppy sat staring at the spread longingly from her high chair. See picture above.

They don’t actually have high chairs available at the restaurant but the lovely waitstaff kindly went and found one from another shop just for us.

Once we were done photographing we got stuck into the high tea which included sandwiches, a selection of sweets, a choice of scone with cream and conserve and a pot of tea.

We started with the sandwich selection first; chicken, smoked salmon, beef and cucumber. The chicken was very nice; creamy with a hint of dill – Poppy gobbled some down in a flash. The smoked salmon was lemony with just the right amount of peppery rocket and the beef had a great kick due to the horseradish. I always get a little excited when eating sandwiches without crusts, it just feels so posh. How about you?

The cheddar and thyme scone with smoked salmon, however, was the star of the show for me. All the flavours just worked so well together – cheesy, herby, crunchy rocket, smooth rich salmon and a dollop of cooling creme fraiche. What a winning combination.

Next up was the sweet scone. We chose the rose flavoured one which had a tasty bit of turkish delight on top (I would have liked a bit more actually!). It was served with proper cream (of which Lorraine and I are both fans) and was really quite good – warm, soft and crumbly without being dry. I let Poppy have a taste and she kept pointing at it to signal she wanted more.

Unfortunately I only got to briefly taste the sweet pastry selection as Poppy was getting tired and needed a bit of a cuddle. Check out Lorraine’s post for full details on those (and lots of cute pics of Poppy too!). I did, however, manage to scoff down a bit of lukewarm tea (as is the case of a Mum!), but the Darjeeling tea I ordered was really full flavoured and served in the most beautiful tea pot.

Yes, we’re greedy. As you can imagine we were pretty full by then but we just couldn’t leave without tasting one of their delicious sounding sundaes. The gorgeous beast above is the Knickerbocker Glory (awesome name! $12.95). It had layers of strawberries, hand-made ice cream, meringue pieces, almond praline and warm chocolate sauce. Oh my! So good!

Of course Poppy wanted a taste of this too, so I did give her a few teaspoons as a treat.

If you’re looking for a peaceful oasis to rest your shopping-weary legs that is away from noisy street noise and busy food courts, then I suggest you take the lift up to level 5 and sit down to a nice cup of tea and some carefully made sweets at the Tea Salon. If you’re feeling flush, then maybe a look around in the designer shops afterwards could be in order too.

Do you like seeking out good places to have high tea?

Christie x

I was out yesterday with my mum, sister and baby Poppy at the Westfield shopping centre in Hurstville. We were heading towards the fresh food hall to buy some veggies and on the way my mum said:

“Turn left here, just past that strange new Pizza in a Cone place”.

“OK”, I said. “Hang on, did you say pizza in a cone?”

I immediately swung the pram towards the shop. This, I had to see.

After a quick conversation with the friendly girl at the counter I find out it’s a Taiwanese chain and not particularly new globally, but this Hurstville branch is the first one in Sydney (update: I have since found out that this was not the first branch to open, there is also one in Parramatta).

They offer loads of different pizza flavours that are coupled in a meal deal with a chilled tea drink, which also come in many flavours. She gave us a little taste of their honeydew green tea, but it was far too sweet, so I just opted for the pizza on it’s own: a nice safe Hawaiian one.

Novelty factor aside, the pizza is not that great. The ingredients are highly processed (plastic-y cheese, low quality ham) and the pizza base cone is doughy and thick.

However, I didn’t expect much more from a fast food chain and it did what it said and tasted just like a slice of chain pizza would if it was rolled up into a cone.

Not a gourmet snack, but fun nonetheless. Find it on Level 1 next to Smokemart.

Would you brave a pizza in a cone?

Christie x

The first time Poppy and I met Margaret Fulton, Poppy slept blissfully in her pram.

No photo for Poppy. Annoying.

Incredibly, last month I had the opportunity to meet Margaret again, and this time Poppy was ready for her Kodak moment. Say cheese!

OK, I know she’s not smiling, but she’s not crying either – and she’s awake! Miracles do happen.

Margaret is the nicest woman and so obliging with photos and kind words to Poppy. Plus, she baked an incredible cheesecake, but more on that in a minute…

We were invited to a morning tea event hosted by Philadelphia cream cheese ambassador Louise Fulton Keats (author, mum and Margaret’s grand daughter) at her beautiful home.

It was a small gathering of a few mummy bloggers and their adorable children to hear the lovely Louise chat about how she incorporates Philadelphia cream cheese into some delicious baby (and adult) friendly recipes.

I particularly liked her idea of stuffing dates with cream cheese as Poppy really likes dates on their own and her favourite sandwich filling is cream cheese, so together it is a winning snack combination.

We all chatted about some of the difficulties of getting children to try new foods and some super sneaky ways of hiding veggies in meals, but ultimately about how it’s so important to be a good role model by eating a healthy diet. Not to mention the golden rule of offering new foods to little ones at least 10 times, because in most instances they’ll start to like it eventually! Or at least tolerate it out of familiarity. Either way works for me.

Now, onto that cheesecake. It’s one thing to drool over cookbooks with recipes and beautifully styled pictures by Margaret Fulton but it’s something else altogether to actually eat a cake baked especially for you by Margaret Fulton (well, almost just for me).

It was light and rich and creamy with a crunchy moreish crust. On the side was a nice big dollop of Philly Cream for Desserts – by far my favourite Philly product – which tastes a lot like mascarpone, but with a lot less fat.

I’m curious, have you met anyone famous?

Christie x

Fig & Cherry attended the hosted morning tea with compliments of Philadelphia/Kraft and Liquid Ideas (thanks Peta!).

“I know you” says the woman as soon as I walk in the door. “You went to Bethany College, didn’t you?”.

Startled, I studied her face, ‘Cindy?’. No – Cindy is her sister, who I went to high school with. They look very alike. This is Merna, owner of the dessert company Homemade Finefoods. What a small world!

Today I am with my very good friend Lorraine visiting a factory shared by Pepe Saya, Pat & Sticks, Booza Ice Cream and Homemade Finefoods. Baby Poppy has also come along as she just loves a good taste testing adventure!

Pierre, the owner of Pepe Saya, takes us through the factory. He explains the origin of the company name (Pepe is his childhood nickname and ‘Saya’ came to him in a dream) and shows us his team who are busy hand rolling every butter order, some of which are destined for Sydney’s top restaurants like Rockpool Bar & Grill and Cotton Duck.

His butter is in high demand due to the single-origin cream from grass-fed herds and murray river pink salt – it’s slightly creamy, slightly acidic and completely moreish.

I particularly like the salted version sliced into thick wedges when ice cold because you can see the salt flakes marbling through the butter (not unlike fat in a wagyu steak) and the delicious salt crystals melt on your tongue. That’s if you eat the butter straight. Hang on, did I just admit to that?

Above, the friendly peeps at Unit 4, 3 Wood St, Tempe.

From L to R: “Stick” (Pat & Stick, co-owner), Merna Taouk (Homemade Finefoods, Owner), Ben Dutton (PR for The Stock Merchant + Pat & Stick), Pierre Issa (Pepe Saya, Owner), Tedy Altree-Williams (Booza Ice Cream, co-owner).

The factory is open to the public and is located in a little cul de sac street behind the new massive IKEA. A little shopping, a little indulgence – it’s the perfect half-day outing. I recommend you get down there to check it out.

We were going to go to IKEA for lunch, but then we got given this super generous goodie bag to take home so had to get it into the freezer ASAP. There was no way I was going to let all these delicious treats melt before being enjoyed.

Not pictured are the Homemade Finefoods Tiramisu and Rice Pudding or the Booza Ice Cream petit fours as hubby and I gobbled those down before they got a chance to be photographed! The Tiramisu in particular was AMAZING!

Also, special mention to Pat & Stick’s Vanilla Lace which is vanilla bean ice cream sandwiched between two crunchy oat and almond lace cookies. So good!

Plus, non-sweet related, I got given a brand new product by The Stock Merchant – crab stock. Keep your eyes peeled for a recipe using it, although I’m still deciding! Any suggestions?

Christie x

Fig & Cherry received these products to taste test with compliments of Pepe Saya, Homemade Finefoods, Booza and Pat & Sticks.

They arrived in a beautiful brown cardboard box tied with a red ribbon. Baby Poppy helped me untie the ribbon and then I squealed with delight at its contents. Poppy stared at me blankly, a little freaked out by my sudden outburst.

“Lychee season is here!” I told her excitedly. “You’ve never tasted lychees, do you want to try one?”

I immediately peeled a lychee and popped a small segment into her mouth. She smiled and juice dribbled down her chin. Then she opened her mouth for more. It was love at first lychee.

As far as I’m concerned there are only two ways to enjoy lychees:

1. Straight up. Peeled and eaten immediately. (Slightly frozen are a close 1B).

and;

2. With booze. Preferably gin, or pureed into a martini, or with this granita.

When Poppy went to bed, hubby fixed us both a nice drink of gin and tonic with fresh lychee. Now that’s a great night in!

Christie x

Fig & Cherry received the lychees with compliments of Impact Communications. Thanks Cessie!

My favourite cafe in Marrickville is now open in the evenings for drinks with live music – how exciting! Yes, Marrickville is getting trendier by the second, but shhhhh don’t tell anyone, we want to keep it our little secret for now.

Marrickville Rd Cafe by day, and now Girl on a Swing Wine Bar by night (due to the painted mural on the wall, see pic above), is a popular local spot for good coffee, delicious food featuring locally sourced ingredients and friendly staff. The owners, Sacha and Jane, know most of their customers by name and vice versa. It’s a great place to hang out – which Poppy and I do, several times a week!

Last week Poppy, hubby and I headed down to the launch party to take a few pictures and boogie to the live band playing jazz and funk.

The party was to celebrate that the cafe will now be open all day and into the evenings on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays (in addition to their regular Mon-Sun daytime hours). They’ll be serving alcoholic drinks (beer, wine, cocktails) and food (more on that in a minute) with live music until 10pm or so, depending on how many people rock up.

It’s a fantastic idea because there aren’t many (according to me, any) good options for a drink before or after dinner in Marrickville and this cafe has a comfy outdoor seating area which is excellent for people watching. With quite a few new restaurants opening up, now is the perfect time for a cafe-slash-bar, at least that’s what Sacha and Jane are hoping!

Sorry, I have been teasing you. You are really just reading this to find out about the food, aren’t you?

There will be an ever-changing array of small plates such as grilled halloumi with kalamata olives and their famous chunky chips with chorizo (see paper cone pic above), plus more substantial meals like a range of housemade fresh pasta (ravioli, pappardelle) and free range Tasmanian steak, served just how you like it.

I’ll probably be down there quite often, so if you see me, please do say hello. You’ll be sure to recognise Poppy, but if not, there’s no way you’ll miss our bright pink pram!

Have you been? I’d love to hear what you think!

Christie x

Last week I attended an event on ‘The Island‘, Sydney Harbour to celebrate Maille mustard retailing in Australia for 30 years (which seems like a long time, however, the company was established in France in 1747, so the brand is actually older than Australia has been a colonised country!).

There was plenty of food to complement the mustard such as smoked salmon, potato salad, crumbed veal and a sausage sizzle cooked by Hayden (of Masterchef fame) but the most surprising and outstanding dish of the day was definitely the chocolate lava cake with a mustard and honey centre.

Who would have thought mustard and chocolate would work? Not me! When I got back to the office I tweeted and facebook-ed about the cake and had an overwhelming response. Some were curious about the taste, others the cooking technique and some were just straight up bold enough to demand the recipe!

Well, I’m happy to report that I have received permission to print it. Full instructions at the end of this post.

One last thing about the day that I am very chuffed about is a special pot of mustard I received in my goodie bag – you can see it there in the picture above – the little ceramic pot in the bottom left hand corner. It’s an exclusive Dijon mustard made with chablis wine and absolutely no preservatives.

This special mustard is only available in Maille boutiques in Paris and Dijon and was flown into Sydney especially for the 30th anniversary event. So now you know why I am so pleased to have it in my hot little hands… and it will only be good for three months, so expect a few mustard recipes appearing on here shortly. Until then, give this unusual dessert a try, I’m sure you will love it.

Christie x

Photographs taken by Esteban La Tessa, courtesy of 360 Focus. Thanks also to Gail and Kathee for organising a great event!

Dark chocolate lava cake with a molten Maille Dijon mustard and honey centre

serves 8

250g 70% cocoa dark chocolate
180g butter
20g rice flour
20g cocoa powder
8 egg yolks
8 egg whites
120g sugar

Molten centre
50g Maille Dijon mustard
50g honey
100ml cream

1. First, make the molten centres. Mix together the cream, mustard and honey in a small bowl. Fill an ice cube tray with the mixture and place into the freezer until completely frozen.

2. Next, make the cakes. Pre-heat the oven to 180C. Melt the chocolate and butter in a double boiler (heat proof bowl set over a saucepan of simmering water – make sure the bowl never touches the water or the mixture will seize). Whisk the egg yolks with the rice flour and cocoa until well combined. Pour in the melted butter and chocolate and stir gently.

3. Whisk the egg whites until soft peaks, then gradually add the sugar and continue whisking until stiff peaks. This is best done with a stand or hand held mixer. Carefully fold the egg whites into the chocolate mix trying to retain as much air as possible.

4. Line eight small ramekins (8cm x 2cm) with baking paper and thoroughly butter the insides. Divide chocolate mixture evenly between them and then push a mustard and honey ice cube into the centre of each one. Make sure the chocolate mix completely covers the ice cubes.

5. Bake on the centre shelf for 7 minutes. Remove and allow to cool for a few minutes before carefully removing the cakes. Enjoy!

Babysitter booked? Check!

Outfit picked out? Check!

Ready for date night? Yes!

Hubby and I are baby-free and ready to relax with a nice meal and good bottle of wine on a Friday night. The room at Cafe Opera may have been newly renovated but the buffet is still bursting at the seams with fresh seafood, salads, meat and a whole wall of sweet treats. Plus, there is an an a la carte menu too.

However, the buffet just looks so enticing with it’s piles of glistening seafood that it is too hard for us to resist. We do a ‘recon’ lap to scope out our plan of attack and then gingerly pick up large, clean white plates and begin piling them high with the cold seafood selections… 

This is my entree: Crystal Bay prawns (YUM!!), smoked salmon, prawn skewer, Moreton Bay bug, mussels, marinated sashimi-style salmon and sauces.

I am a sucker for Crystal Bay prawns and these were so good! Typing this now I wish I had eaten more. The bug was also great and the salmon soft and just lovely with the salty, tangy capers.

This is hubby’s entree: sushi, peking duck pancakes, caesar salad, Crystal Bay prawns, Moreton Bay bug and sauces.

Can I just quietly mention something that thrills me about eating out at a posh buffet? They come and clear the plates between courses. Sounds obvious and quite uneventful, but I always think as they are clearing them ‘there goes another plate I don’t have to wash up!’. Ha!

Seafood main course: lobster with garlic butter, sweet and sour john dory, more Crystal Bay prawns, hot mussels and some green veggies.

The lobster was served at a live cooking station but I’m really sorry to report that it was a bit too dry, even with the garlic butter. Perhaps it had something to do with the fact that a pile of lobsters had been cooked waiting to be reheated on a hot plate with the chosen sauce. I’m not sure if it would be possible, but I would have preferred to wait the extra time and have it truly cooked to order.

At this point I considered going back for even more prawns and maybe even a few bugs, but hubby is my voice of reason, reminding me that there are still meat dishes and dessert on the agenda.

Just as I was piling some lamb stew and spatchcock onto my plate I was tapped on the shoulder by Julien Pouteau, Executive Sous Chef. He’s a friendly, curly-haired French-man who is extremely passionate about Australian produce. He tells me that although some of the dishes (especially the dessert case) are European-inspired, they are created with as many local ingredients as possible.

A case in point is the DIY salad bar with gorgeous (Australian) olive oils, vinegars and other condiments. I used the blood plum finishing vinegar on my salad leaves and it was absolutely delicious. Julien says that customers love the flexibility and creativity of building their own salads with fresh, seasonal and interesting ingredients.

That’s when he glances at my plate and asks why I have not ordered from the a la carte menu? Embarrassed, I don’t have an answer, so he interjects and insists that he cook me dessert. Who am I to argue?

I’m so glad Julien came and found me because his desserts are absolutely to-die-for. Above is the Manjari Valrhona Chocolate Molten – passionfruit, poppy seed and cotton candy ($14). A rich, decadent chocolate cake with oozing centre that was almost too full-on for me but just right for sweet-tooth hubby.

The passionfruit flavoured accompaniments were the perfect partners and great to see an international chef using iconic Aussie tropical produce with such flair. I can’t help but mention the stunning glass bowl it was served in, just beautiful.

Julien also insisted we order the Strawberries Sable – cardamom fromage blanc, lemon macaroon and basil syrup ($14) and boy am I glad we did! This type of dessert is right up my alley – freshly whipped cream and perfectly ripe, in-season strawberries. Pure heaven. Plus I loved the strange spice note of cardamom and grassy basil in the syrup. A great end to the meal.

Cafe Opera is open during the festive season for a pre-Christmas buffet lunch (from $55) or dinner (from $65) available from 28th November to 23rd December. Christmas Day celebrations are lunch ($220 per adult including drinks) and dinner ($155 per adult with a glass of sparkling wine on arrival). Bookings are essential, contact restaurant reservations on 02 9240 1396.

Christie x

Fig & Cherry dined as guests of Cafe Opera and the InterContinental Hotel Sydney. The seafood dinner buffet is priced at $95 per adult.

A few weeks ago I arrived home from an overseas trip to Paris, Budapest and Mallorca to find this book on my desk. How coincidental!

We were visiting relatives in Paris – my brother in law and his wife are pregnant (congrats guys! So excited to have a cousin for Poppy) – so we got treated to awesome home cooking and got the low-down on where to eat, play and shop. Magnifiques!

If you aren’t lucky enough to have relatives in Paris (sorry!), and want to visit, then this is the book for you.

Janelle reveals many hidden gems in each of the arrondissements (neighbourhood districts) as well as her favourite markets, cafes, museums and more. Food lovers will especially love the chapter named ‘Flavour’.

Whether you have been to Paris and want to reminisce, or are doing research for a future trip, this lovely book is a beautifully photographed guide for things to do, see and eat that are off the beaten track.

Before I go, I thought I’d share with you a fantastic photo from our trip to Paris. This was taken inside the lift of the Eiffel Tower where baby Poppy performed for a large group of Asian tourists.

She was making a ‘kiss’ face with her lips and much to their delight we gave permission for them to take a photo. However, we didn’t realise that she would totally get papped when so many people whipped out their camera or video camera! I’m assuming the video will turn up on YouTube one day. If you see it, let me know :)

Christie x

Fig & Cherry received the book for review with compliments of Macmillan Publishers Australia. It is due for release on 8th November 2011. RRP $49.95.

Hands up who loves Tupperware? My hand is up. All the way up.

I am one of those freaks that needs to have everything in a container. My pantry is neatly stacked with everything decanted. My husbands ‘lunch box’ is a series of different containers filled with treats.

My fridge has all leftovers placed into individual containers: nuts are stacked on one shelf and half-cans of beans, beetroot and olives decanted and stacked on another shelf. Even cheese is taken out of its nasty plastic wrap and placed inside a container, sometimes wrapped in greaseproof paper, if necessary. Yes, I’m pedantic.

What can I say? I like keeping food fresh and I hate throwing things away because they go bad in the back of the fridge. Hate it. Therefore Tupperware (and other storage ranges) are my friends. Best friends.

I used to love going to Tupperware parties with my Mum when I was little. They were terribly exciting – the way the hostess would demonstrate everything and serve party food like dips, cocktail onions on a stick and other 80s culinary delights (Jatz and cheese, anyone?).

I remember excitedly helping my Mum fill out the order form and then going home after the party a little sad with nothing to show for it. Back in those days you had to wait, what seemed like ages, for your parcel to arrive with all the goodies.

These days, thanks to this blog, I am lucky to be sent products to review (so I get parcels with goodies all the time!) and I could not be happier when this new Ultra Pro Tupperware range arrived at my office. These little beauties can be used as a casserole dish in the oven and then popped into the freezer for reheating another day. Very clever and very convenient! Especially for busy Mums.

The design is also very modern (not 70s brown!) and the rounded handles make it easy to lift in and out of the oven and freezer. Let’s not forget the best part – less washing up! Plus (and this is a BIG plus), it’s easy for hubby to grab out of the freezer and place in the oven for dinner. Perfect for lazy Sunday evenings or mid-week exhaustion nights when baby Poppy has been very active.

If you have just celebrated Halloween and have a fair amount of pumpkin leftover, this could be just the dish for dinner tonight. Happy cooking!

Christie x

Fig & Cherry received the Tupperware Ultra Pro range with compliments from Tupperware Australia and Undertow Media.

Ginger chicken and pumpkin casserole recipe

serves 4

This recipe uses the Tupperware Ultra Pro range, but you can just as easily use a regular casserole dish with a lid.

2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 brown onion, sliced into half moons
2 garlic cloves, sliced
2 x thumb-sized pieces of ginger root, peeled and coarsely grated
500g chicken thigh fillets, diced
500g pumpkin (whole weight with skin still on)
250ml chicken stock, hot
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon mirin
1 tablespoon sesame seeds, toasted
pinch of ground white pepper

1. Preheat the oven to 200C/390F. Heat one tablespoon of vegetable oil in a large frying pan and add the onion, garlic and ginger. Cook, stirring often until starting to brown around the edges. Add the mixture to the casserole dish.

2. Heat another tablespoon of oil in the frying pan and add the diced chicken. Brown on all sides for 5 minutes and add to the casserole dish.

3. Peel, de-seed and dice the pumpkin into bite-sized chunks. Add to the casserole dish along with the stock, soy sauce, mirin, sesame seeds and white pepper. Stir well, then cover with the lid and place on the middle shelf in the oven.

4. Bake for 30-40 mins until the chicken is cooked through, the pumpkin is tender and the sauce is slightly reduced. It will be a thin, soup-y sauce. Serve with steamed rice or noodles.

As we sat looking at the menu a very handsome waiter approached us and said “Don’t worry, we already know what we are going to feed you. A little bit of everything. It will be a feast of good food and wine”. Well, who can argue with that? Not us!

Admittedly, the handsome waiter knew we were reviewing the restaurant during our visit, but you really cannot not expect a better reception at a restaurant in any circumstance. It was absolutely lovely to just sit back and wait for the food to roll out.

First up was marinated olives and fresh warm bread. Baby Poppy went straight for the olives and I quickly snapped a shot of her chubby hand diving into the pretty glass jar. I’m so proud that she’s already adventurous with food at only 10 months old.

Next up there was Arancini with meat ($6) and Arancini with mozzarella and prosciutto cotto ($6), plus glasses of bubbly prosecco. I just love the Italian tradition of ‘aperitivo’ – a drink and something to nibble pre-dinner – especially when it’s a crunchy rice ball filled with oozy melted cheese and top quality ham.

There were two dishes on the menu that I was really looking forward to (yes, I did thoroughly check their website before turning up!) and one of those was the Caprese di bufala ($17). It would be a massive understatement to say that I am a mega fan of buffalo mozzarella. What can I say? The creamy centre has me hopelessly addicted. The menu says this version has ox heart tomatoes but ours turned up with cherry tomatoes. Never mind, they were perfectly ripe and delicious. The buffalo mozzarella didn’t disappoint either and when I asked the waiter if they imported it he answered ‘Of course’ in that nonchalant, yet authoritative voice only Italian men can pull off.

Hubby was a bit nervous about the Pane cunzalo ($14) as he is not a fan of tuna, however, his taste buds loved this moreish grilled focaccia with tomato, buffalo mozarella, tuna, eggplant and baked ricotta. That’s the beauty of allowing someone else to order for you, they’ll probably choose dishes you wouldn’t dream of, and you might just end up with a new favourite. The gorgeous bread is house-made and had the most amazing soft, yet firm, yet cakey, yet crunchy texture – which sounds horrible but was, in fact, wonderful.

We had a little breather after the starters while I fed Poppy and hubby took her for a quick walk around the block in her pram until she fell asleep. She napped happily next to us while we tucked into the pasta and meat courses.

Spaghetti with Sicilian pesto ($19) with cherry tomatoes, basil, garlic, almonds and eggplant was a very interesting combination. The handsome waiter returned to tell us that this special Sicilian pesto is influenced by mediterranean ingredients due to the proximity of Sicily to Egypt. The crunchy toasted almonds were a nice contrast to the al dente spaghetti, but I must say that pine nuts are still my preferred pesto nut!

Involtini di vitello ($20): rolled veal stuffed with breadcrumbs, parmesan, garlic and pepperonata was absolutely lovely, although the portion was a little small. We chatted about this and came to the conclusion that if you were eating Italian style with several courses (antipasti, pasta, meat/fish and dessert) then it would be perfect, but if you came in off the street and ordered one main course then you may feel a little hungry afterwards. Keep that in mind for your visit.

The other dish that I was busting to taste was the Homemade gnocchi e gamberi ($19) with zucchini and fresh prawns. Gnocchi is one of those fiddly dishes that requires a light hand and lots of practice so I, personally, don’t really get inspired to make it at home all that often (ie. never). When it’s made well, gnocchi is heavenly light pillows of potato that roll over your tongue and when it’s made badly, it’s stodgy chunks of dough that sit in your stomach and make you feel queasy. This version was the former; light, bouncy and oh-so-moreish with the prawns and zucchini adding so much freshness. I really wished I didn’t have to share it, it was that good.

We really couldn’t fit dessert in but the handsome waiter insisted that we at least have one Cannoli di ricotta ($8), an espresso coffee and a small shot of Limoncello. Well OK then, when in Rome, *ahem* Sicily. Somehow, despite by full belly, I found myself licking my fingers clean of the last remnants of icing sugar.

Situated at the Cleveland St end of Crown St, Caffe Sicilia stands out from the crowd with it’s chequerboard floors and interior decked out like a traditional restaurant in Sicily circa 1940. It’s a welcome change from the hyper trendy options nearby and if you’re a sucker for handsome waiters with equally cute Italian accents and rustic, but well presented Sicilian-style Italian food, then you’re in for a treat. Bon apetito!

Christie x

Fig & Cherry dined as guests of Caffe Sicilia and Wasamedia.

If you’re a regular reader of this blog then you will be well aware that I’ve been working with Ocean Spray for the past few months.

I’ve made cranberry crumbed chicken (yum!) and cranberry dried fruit compote (delish!) and am currently playing around with their blueberry flavoured cranberries with great results – recipe coming soon!

Today I want to tell you about my current guilty little pleasure while cooking dinner – a tall glass of Cranberry Classic mixed with sparkling mineral water, ice cubes and a squeeze of lime. With a large handful of salted cashews and macadamias on the side (the nuts are the ‘guilty’ bit!).

I just love the tart and sweet taste plus the addition of lightly bubbled mineral water (San Pellegrino, please) makes it seem like a naughty fizzy drink.

In reality, though, it’s providing me with 94% of my recommended daily intake of Vitamin C and keeping my urinary tract healthy (hmm, we won’t dwell on that fact).

Ocean Spray Cranberry Classic is available in 1L glass bottles or 1.5L PET bottles at all major supermarkets. I like the way the PET bottles fit neatly in the fridge door and won’t shatter if my clumsy husband accidentally drops one :)

Have you tried Cranberry Classic juice? What did you think?

Christie x

Disclosure: Fig & Cherry and Ocean Spray are working together as part of a paid sponsorship.

Today I’m very happy to share an interview I did recently with Jo Richardson. Jo works with KitchenAid Australia and New Zealand as their official home economist. Doesn’t that sound like a dream job?

Jo is an absolute wiz at using all KitchenAid products but I quizzed her specifically about the Artisan Stand Mixer. The beautiful one pictured above in ‘pistachio’ was kindly gifted to me by KitchenAid so that I could have a play. I just love the muted retro colour and it works like a dream!

I chatted to Jo for more than an hour on the phone – she is so friendly and approachable – not to mention completely and utterly, passionately obbsessed with KitchenAid products, we just couldn’t stop blabbing on and on!

Therefore, the interview will appear in two parts. Today we will talk about how to get the best use out of your Artisan Mixer and tomorrow we’ll talk about using it for gluten free baking. Plus, I’ll share Jo’s wicked gluten free chocolate brownie recipe, so don’t forget to pop back again tomorrow.

Let’s get started…

First things first, I think I have to ask what a lot of people might be thinking. The Artisan Stand Mixer is a bit intimidating for some home cooks, it’s big, heavy and shiny and some might say cumbersome to get out and use. What is the best way to get the most use out of it? 

It’s funny that you use the word intimidating. I would use the word inspirational! I look at it and think ‘You beautiful Goddess, you’ and I’ve always thought that from the very first time I saw a mixer and that was 30 years ago when they weren’t even sold in Australia. She definitely needs to sit on your bench as she’s a very healthy 12.3 kilos so isn’t something you want to lug around. Besides, she’s too beautiful to live in a box in the cupboard. She needs to sit on the bench as the pride of your kitchen and if it’s right there you will use it everyday, maybe even a couple of times a day.

To get the very best use out of it the secret is to use it regularly. It’s a bit like a car because it has a motor, a very beautiful direct drive motor, and it likes to be worked. I have a few mixers because I’m always recipe testing and if one isn’t being used I will put her on medium speed and let her run for five or ten minutes. Believe me, even after that short amount of time she feels so much better, just like a car that needs to be driven.

I notice you keep referring to the Stand Mixer as a ‘she’. What’s that about?

Look at her! She’s gorgeous. There’s no way this beautiful mixer isn’t female.

Now, I know some of my readers will be thinking ‘The Artisan Mixer looks great, but ughh, it looks so hard to clean!’. Is that true and what tips do you have?

No! All you need is hot soapy water and a quick wipe that’s all you’ll ever need to do. Because she’s got that beautiful rounded design there aren’t a lot of nooks and crannies so it is just a joy to clean. The beautiful gloss from the enamel paintwork just lasts and lasts and will look just like that after 30 years.

What about taking the attachments on and off? It looks tricky.

It’s not tricky at all, in fact it’s just like putting an old fashioned light bulb in. You push the attachments in, have a bit of a wiggle and then they lock in. You don’t have to worry about being precious because she’s very robust as she’s a commercial machine for domestic use so you’re not going to hurt her!

While we are talking about attachments let me say that you will use your flat beater 99.9% of the time. You’ll use the whisk for whipping cream and eggs but the flat beater for pretty much everything else. The design is that good and versatile.

I hate sifting! Do you have sift ingredients before adding them to the mixer?

Look Christie, I’m a fabulous cook but I’m also a fabulously lazy cook and I’m too busy. I hate sifting. Hate it! Life is too busy for sifting! Simply pop the flour, baking powder and whatever else you want sifted and let the mixer gently caress the ingredients on speed 1. Easy.

There’s no sifting and no folding with a metal spoon either. I was classically trained as a home economist to fold ingredients together with a large metal spoon but now I say ‘absolutely not!’. Simply use the flat beater attachment on speed 1 to gently mix and you’ll get fantastic results.

OK, let’s get down to some serious business. The perfect whipped egg white. I’m sure many people buy a Stand Mixer specifically for this purpose (and avoid that dead arm you get using a hand whisk!) Talk us through it Jo…

Right. You want to start with an egg white that is room temperature. If I’ve got an hour up my sleeve then I’ll take the eggs out of the fridge and pop them on the bench, but if I don’t (or if it’s a freezing cold day in Melbourne), then I’ll put them into a bowl and cover with warm tap water. Then I’ll have a cup of tea and come back a bit later, drain them off and then you’ve got perfect room temperature egg whites.

Next, you want very clean and dry utensils – no oil, water or grease of any kind – on the whisk or the bowl. If I’m making something for a really special occasion and I’m a bit sceptical about the cleanliness of the mixer I will sometimes actually just wipe the bowl over with half a lemon. That will really clean it. Then you just need to dry it well.

Pop your eggs in and start the mixer on speed 1, then up to 2, 3, 4. When you are comfortable at about speed 6 or 8 you will notice that it starts to foam up quite quickly and you need to watch it very closely. It will go from soft peaks to firm peaks in a matter of minutes because the beater goes to 67 different points in the bowl, so it is possible to very quickly overbeat your eggs. If I can put it into perspective for you – no other mixer goes to more than 20 different points in the bowl – so you get results quickly with KitchenAid.

I don’t add sugar until the soft peak stage if making a meringue. It also helps to pop the food shield on because it directs the sugar to the very centre of the bowl as well as stopping anything splattering over your bench.

So many great tips there from Jo! The interview continues tomorrow with a focus on gluten free baking and a wicked brownie recipe, join us then! In the meantime if you have any further questions about KitchenAid products then head to AskJo for more information.

Christie x

Fig & Cherry received the KitchenAid Artisan Mixer with compliments of KitchenAid.

Concrete Blonde is nice and dark – perfect for a date. It was ideal for hubby and I, because we were on a date when we reviewed it. The ambient lighting and dimly lit corners with cosy tables make it a great place for a romantic dinner but not-so-great for taking photos without a flash. Therefore, I’ll need to apologise in advance for the photos – they’re not very good – but don’t let that stop you from checking it out, because the food is fantastic.

As it was date night, we started with a cocktail. Hubby had the Jam Jar G&T ($18); Mediterranean gin, agave syrup, lime, tonic water and black pepper. And yes, served in a little jam jar wrapped in brown paper with a sprig of rosemary. He dubbed it ‘Hobo chic’ because the brown paper reminded him of vagabonds that drink their booze from paper bags in the street. I had a sip and it was truly delicious.

However, I liked my Lychee and Rose Martini ($18)better. Belvedere vodka, fresh lychee puree, lime juice, Catron lychee liqueur and rose syrup were mixed together to create a deliciously fragrant drink that had my taste buds singing and ready to eat!

First up we had one of their bar snacks KFQ!? ($14); Kentucky fried quail. My photo turned out so badly that I can’t bear to publish it here, but the taste was so good you should get yourself down there to see and taste it for yourself. A crunchy, spiced coating gave way to juicy meat that had us drooling for more – damn you quails for being so small!

Next to arrive was the Hawkesbury river pencil squid ($21), pictured above. I love the way the menu specifies the source of the produce – this seems to be a trend at the moment – and I hope it continues. The squid was charred on the outside and tender on the inside and the accompanying cubes of chorizo, olives, piquillo peppers and salsa verde made every mouthful pop with flavour.

Bad photo, great main dish. I chose the special of the day Macleay Valley suckling pig roasted over wood with ”tempero du essencia” spice rub, celeriac, date and traditional dumplings. Wow. The crackling was tooth-shatteringly crisp and the pork meat soft and unctuous. I asked chef Patrick Dang how he came up with such a cracker of a dish:

“I was inspired by a dish I experienced when I was in Macao (a former Portuguese colonial near Hong Kong). A 5kg suckling pig was stuffed with paella rice, which is very much a Lisbon traditional dish. However, I found the suckling pig was not as crispy as the Cantonese style, where you will find them in Chinatown hanging at the window on display. To celebrate the cross culture like they do in Macao, I therefore applied the Chinese technique to give the suckling pig a glossy crispy skin, while I rub the “Time of Essence” (Portuguese spice blend including the African Piri Piri chili)”.

Another bad photo, another excellent dish. Hubby was extremely pleased with my choice for him of Ranger Valley 7+ wagyu beef ($40). He requested it medium rare and it turned up perfectly pink and it cut like butter. Served with aztec spices, papaya mojo, two types of corn and oxtail tamale there was no mistaking that Concrete Blonde dishes are influenced by ingredients and cooking techniques from America’s south west. Everything on the plate worked well except for the oxtail tamale. To me, it was a weird sticky and dry texture that didn’t taste of much.

We were feeling gluttonous so we ordered sides as well. Grilled broccolini ($9) with quinoa, hazelnut and lemon was fantastic. Why don’t people grill broccoli more often? I’m going to from now on. Home style rustic fries ($9) were good, not great, but lifted by the ‘red’ aioli and ‘green’ ketchup which added a nice sharp tang and counteracted the deep fried-ness.

We had a little break and then got stuck into a cheese course – please don’t judge us! (Dessert is coming after this…).

The Tarago River triple cream ($13) was a silky soft Australian cows milk, white mould cheese. Little slivers of compressed rhubard, pretty edible nasturtium flowers and smoked balsamic cut through the richness and enhanced the creaminess by contrast. I really love soft cheeses.

Lastly, we ordered dessert. Although we didn’t finish it. Promise. We’re not that piggy!

We just couldn’t pass up the opportunity to eat Pear tart tatin ($15) with sour cream caramel sauce, marzipan and brown butter ice cream. Yum, yum and more yum! And seasonal too, win-win.

If you think your Dad deserves to pig out this weekend too, then you’re in luck. Concrete Blonde are opening their doors especially for Father’s Day (having never opened for lunch before) with a special menu featuring rabbit pie, whole murray cod and more. Go on, show Dad you appreciate him with a slap-up three course meal.

Christie x

Fig & Cherry dined as guests of Concrete Blonde and Agency G.

Concrete Blonde
33 Bayswater Rd
Potts Point NSW 2000
Ph: 02 9380 8307
www.concreteblonderestaurant.com.au

On our recent road trip to Lennox Head along the NSW coastline we stopped at Fredo Pies for lunch. You can see the iconic sign with the crocodile on it from quite a distance, and it makes your tummy grumble.

Hubby went straight for the beer beef and chilli pie.

I could not go past the crocodile pie. It’s what they are famous for, after all. Crocodile meat is salty and tastes like a cross between chicken and fish. The texture is more like chicken and it’s quite a strange thing to eat.

I have to admit that I didn’t love it or hate it, but the pastry was good. Nice and flakey and buttery.

Hubby and I are a fan of sausage rolls so we grabbed one of those too. It was very good – chock full of meat and flavoured with fennel seeds.

The lovely lady behind the counter gave Poppy a souvenir bib. So cute! With over 160 varieties of pies available (they rotate seasonally) Fredo Pies is well worth a pit stop.

What’s your favourite type of pie? I quite like stewed rabbit in a pie or the old classic, beef and mushroom.

Christie x

Fredo Pies
5 Macleay St
Frederickton NSW
Ph: 02 6566 8226

You must, at least once, eat a Vietnamese pork roll. I insist. Please put it on your foodie bucket list.

Even better if you devour it in Marrickville, Sydney, where the large Vietnamese population demands the very best version possible.

Better still, if you eat it at this particular hole-in-the-wall establishment on Illlawarra Rd. Beware though, it’s ‘Pork roll o’clock’ between midday and 2pm, so expect to join a lengthy queue.

I took the photo above at 12pm.

This one was at 1pm. The queue is even longer!

What is in a Vietnamese Pork Roll / Bahn Mi?

A fresh, crusty baguette is stuffed with various types of processed pork, pate, mayonnaise, cucumber, onion, coriander, chilli, spring onion, pickled carrots and daikon radish and then splashed liberally with fish sauce. Are you drooling yet?

Hubby is addicted to them, and at a measly $3.50, it’s a very cheap habit. I absolutely love them too, but I have to be in the mood because they are quite salty.

They are so popular here in Marrickville, that you see people eating them at breakfast, lunch, dinner and all the hours in between. I suspect it would be the same in other suburbs where they are available. Perhaps Cabramatta? Can anyone confirm this?

Have you eaten a Vietnamese pork roll? What did you think?

Christie x

UPDATE 15/8/11: This competition is now closed. Congratulations to Karina, Amanda and Seana.

The lemon sauce that accompanies this duck breast is not for the faint hearted; it is jam-packed with sour lemony goodness. If you’re not that keen on lemons, I’d give the sauce a miss, although you could add more sugar – but where’s the fun in that?

The rich, fatty lusciousness of duck needs a nice tart sauce to cut through it and these Game Farm duck breasts I was sent recently are no exception.

But duck and sauce are not a complete meal! So when I spotted a super fresh bunch of mizuna at Marrickville Farmers Market on the weekend, I just knew it was destined to be stir fried with garlic and served alongside some crispy duck. Voila! Dinner is served.

Game Farm Competition

Do you cook much with duck and other game poultry? I think it’s safe to say that not many people do. Well the lovely folks at Game Farm are keen to change that. They have kindly supplied a delicious prize pack full of fresh produce for THREE lucky Fig & Cherry readers.

Each one will have all this yummy game poultry inside…

• 1 x 4 pack quail
• 1 x whole spatchcock
• 1 x pack of 2 duck breast fillets
• 1 x pack of cornfed chicken breast fillets
• 1x Game Farm recipe book

How to enter

As always, this competition is exclusively for newsletter subscribers, so if you’re not signed up yet then do so now! Simply pop your name and email address into the fields up there in the top right hand corner. Easy.

Then, simply leave a comment below answering the question stated in the email newsletter that will be sent out on Friday 5th August 2011.

Good luck everyone!

Christie x

Duck breast with sumac lemon sauce and garlic mizuna recipe

serves 2

2 duck breasts (440g)
2 lemons, juiced (100ml)
1 teaspoon sumac
1 teaspoon sugar
1/2 cup (125ml) chicken stock
1 teaspoon plain flour
2 bunches mizuna (200g), roots chopped off, washed and dried
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped

1. For the duck: Preheat the oven to 200C/390F. Place the duck breasts, skin-side down in an oven-proof, non-stick frypan (skillet) over medium heat. Cook for 10 minutes until the skin is very crisp, then turn over. Drain off the fat and keep aside. Place the frypan in the oven for 8-10 minutes then remove and cover with foil and allow to rest for 5 minutes.

2. For the sauce: Heat a small saucepan over medium heat. Add the lemon juice, sumac, sugar and stock and bring to the boil. Put the flour in a mug and add two tablespoons of the sauce and whisk quickly to make a thin paste. Pour back into the saucepan and stir quickly to combine. Boil for five minutes further until thickened slightly.

3. For the greens: Heat another frypan over medium heat and add two tablespoons of reserved duck fat. Add the garlic and fry for 1 minute until starting to brown. Throw in the mizuna and cook for 2 minutes until just wilted.

4. Divide the mizuna between two serving plates then top with thick slices of duck breast. Pour over the sauce and serve.

Fig & Cherry received fresh produce for this recipe with compliments of Game Farm Gourmet Club and DEC Communications. This competition, as with all competitions on Fig & Cherry, is client sponsored.