GOING GOURMET CRAZY

                

 There are everyday things we all buy and it feels like a treadmill: milk, butter, eggs, milk, butter, bread, milk, butter….And then there is sexy shopping that feels like you are in the lingerie department of food.

This week I indulged at the newly opened Gourmet Life on Edgecliff Road and stocked up on the sort of condiments that make every day pantry staples go zing. In some ways I like to tell myself it’s a very luxe form of house keeping (and vicarious travel), as I can take a bag of basmati or plain pasta and make something kinky, posh or simply a bit more sophisticated for 'drop of the hat entertaining'.

On my maiden voyage to Josh Rea’s exotic food emporium I chose the blue Persian salt, chilli angel hair, some truffle oil, a bottle of black currant vinegar, some very curious kamut pasta, some black hawaiian salt, and a smattering of caviar. The shop also stocks lovely oddities like Rome’s oldest coffee, the best European Porcini mushrooms and summer truffles from Tuscanny. I am already planning my next visit to buy the lavender infused olive oil, kiwi fruit jam and a special honey…. amazing. 

      

http://gourmetlife.com.au

Time for Tea

What better way to spend the upcoming long weekend than to invite some girlfriends over for high tea and a good old gossip. Here are some recipes to inspire you from my book, Food Fashion Friends and my sister Fran's Book, Keepsakes.

A little bit of R&R

I've just gone on maternity leave and am trying to take things a bit easier. There's nothing I love more than to do a bit of baking when I have some spare time and indulge in a good box set.  Last weekend I made a delicious lemon meringue pie from my sister Fran's Book, Keepsakes. I also caught up on a few episodes of my favourite show at the moment, Game of Thrones. Utter bliss. 

CHISWICK

I was lucky enough to work with Matt Moran on my book, Food Fashion Friends, and luckily for all of us, he has opened a new restaurant. I was excited to go to the opening of Chiswick on Tuesday night. It’s at the former Prunier’s site in Woollahra, I love the new fit-out, and most importantly the food. Matt and his business partner Peter Sullivan have included a kitchen garden on the site, where they will grow a lot of the produce they use in their dishes.

Chiswick is all about fresh produce, grown and sourced locally, and shared with friends the ideal combination for cooking, entertaining and eating out.  I’m really looking forward to going back with a group of friends for a long Sunday lunch to try more of his delicious food.

The veal sliders were scrumptious, but even more delectable were the caramel éclairs – the best I've ever had (and i've had a few, especially when in Paris).

Even better, Matt and the team will soon start posting some of their delicious recipes on their website http://www.chiswickrestaurant.com.au/  so that you can make them at home. That’s the sort of sharing I like.

CHISWICK

65 Ocean Street

Woolhara

NSW 2025

Tel: 02 8388 8688

Jeff Leatham

Last week I was lucky enough to attend a dinner with Myer in Melbourne to celebrate the work of American florist Jeff Leatham. If you haven’t heard of him, he’s the creative director of flowers for the Hotel Georges V in Paris (nice work if you can get it!), and is also the go-to guy for celebrities including Madonna, Gwyneth Paltrow and Oprah, and he did the flowers for both Chelsea Clinton’s and Eva Longoria’s weddings (alas, the latter didn’t go the distance). He’s known as the rock ’n roll florist and even has his own TV show.  

I can say that his work is unbelievably beautiful, bringing a real modernity to the game, along with the use of truly lush, deep colours. It was such a sublime evening, with the table glittering with over $90,000 worth of Waterford crystal and a delicious menu that included lobster and and duck. Jeff proved to be a charming host, as he regaled us with tales from the life of a celebrity florist, with all of us believing we were at a glittering soirée in Paris by the end of the night.

Happy 1st Birthday Billy

It was Billy's 1st Birthday on Saturday and the girls in the office threw him a wonderful surprise party.  They decorated the office with balloons and bought him a delicious carrot cake from Bourke Street Bakery, not to mention the most gorgeous bike for him to cruise around the studio. 

Daylesford

So how come nobody has ever told me about Daylesford? The beautiful spa town. The foodie haven. The best kept secret in rural Victoria. Just a ninety minute drive from Melbourne, Daylesford was a complete revelation. There are few places in the whole of Australia that offer more pampering or better food.  A big thank you to Tourism Victoria for introducing me to such a great find and for organising our fantastic trip.

After a very hectic couple of weeks of travelling to New York and Melbourne for the races, I was very happy to have a relaxing few days with my husband, Nick and our son, Billy, in what can only be described as absolute heaven.

First dinner was at our cottage, Lakeleigh, which as the name suggests, overlooks the lovely lake.  http://www.dayget.com.au/lakeleigh It’s a real picture postcard residence, with a lovely warm glow.  Our chef, who came courtesy of Tourism Victoria, was Christian Reuther of Ego Cakes and Catering.  He’s one of Victoria’s top chefs, and has just opened up a terrific café in Daylesford with the snappy name of Culinaria. His slow-roasted pork was to die for. http://www.egosculinaria.com.au/

Lakeleigh

Daylesford became a foodie haven after the chef Alla Wolf- Tasker opened up The Lake House in the mid-eighties.  It put the town on the global culinary map. Dinner in the two-hatted restaurant overlooking the lake is an absolute must.
http://www.lakehouse.com.au/

The Lake House

The Wolf-Tasker’s latest venture, the Wombat Hill café in the beautiful Wombat Hill botanic gardens, is another treat. They call it their ‘house in the gardens.’ The décor is beautiful and so is the food. Alla’s daughter, Larissa, has done an exquisite job.

Make sure to try the local spring water, as well.
http://wombathillhouse.com/gallery-cafe.html

Lunch at Lavandula, a beautiful Swiss Italian farm surrounded by stunning lavender fields, as the name suggests, is another must-do.  It is also a great place for kids. http://www.lavandula.com.au/

Lavandula

No trip to Daylesford is complete without a spa treatment.  I was lucky enough to squeeze in two, in between my busy schedule of meals and more meals.  Both of the main spa retreats in town have been recently renovated, and are both very stylish. At Peppers I got an amazing relaxing and revitalising mud wrap.
http://spacountry.com.au/mineral-spa/about-us?utm_source=mineralspa.com.au
 At Hepburn Bathhouse and Spa, I got a fantastic massage and minerals spa. http://www.hepburnbathhouse.com/

On our last night we had dinner at Kazuki’s, a fabulous new restaurant in the old Raglan hotel. It was set up by chef Kazuki Tsuya, who used to work at the Lake House, and is a Japanese inspired modern bistro. The night we were there it was full of chefs, which is always a good sign.  Nick and I both agreed it was the best meal we’ve had this year, worth travelling to Daylesford, alone.

Peppers Mineral Spa

So for a weekend break or a longer holiday, Daylesford is one of the most restful and relaxing locations I have come across in Australia, only risk is that you might come back a couple of kilos heavier.

Pie in the sky

Banoffee Pie is one of the great dessert indulgences. Not one for the dairy intolerant, but if you like all things banana, caramel and cream, you'll love it. This recipe comes from Café Sopra (another one of my favourite places to eat out), it's truly delicious and is as easy as it looks. I made it for the first time recently to take to a friends house for lunch and it got the big thumbs-up from everyone. It's worth a go—just beware, you may become addicted...

 

Café Sopra's Banoffee Pie

Ingredients 2 x 400g cans of sweetened condensed milk 180g unsalted butter, chopped 375g digestive biscuits, halved 60ml thickened cream Scraped seeds of 2 vanilla beans 75g icing sugar, sifted 4 bananas 30g dark chocolate, finely grated

Method Serves 12 Start this recipe a day ahead. Place the cans of condensed milk in a large saucepan of water and bring to the boil over a medium heat. Reduce heat to a simmer and cook for 2 hours adding water if necessary to ensure cans remain covered, remove cans and cool in the fridge for a couple of hours. Meanwhile melt butter in a small saucepan, and then cool slightly. Using a food processor crush biscuits to fine crumbs, add the butter and process briefly to combine. Press crumb mixture over the base of a greased 28cm loose based tin then refrigerate for 30 minutes to firm the base. Open cooled cans of condensed milk and spoon caramel evenly over the biscuit base and refrigerate overnight to firm. To assemble pie - using an electric mixer whisk cream, vanilla bean seeds and sugar to stiff peaks. Cut bananas into thin slices. Remove pie from tin and loosen base and place on a plate. Spoon or pipe half the whipped cream over the caramel filling, then place the bananas in an overlapping circle working from the outside in. Top with the remaining cream and sprinkle with grated chocolate. Cut into slices with a hot dry knife and serve immediately.

By: Café Sopra

We Love Coffee Cartman

I have to share with you my favourite place to grab my morning coffee - Central coffee cart, or ‘Cartman’ as we like to call him, is located just outside Central Station and right by my studio. Cartman does the  best coffee and homemade cakes in Surry Hills, so it’s not at all surprising that he has a loyal following from all of the Fleur Wood girls in my office.  Next time you’re in the area be sure to stop by and grab a coffee and a piece of delicious apple and date cake…yum!

A Slice of Heaven

I have to confess a weakness for a good chocolate cake. There is nothing as satisfying or sinfully delicious as a slice of rich, dark baked chocolate goodness. This particular recipe is from the River Café in London, and it’s one of my favourite desserts to bake—and is also my friends’ favourite. It’s rather aptly named the Chocolate Nemesis Cake, which pretty much says it all—it’s certainly the nemesis of any waistline. I made it last weekend for a dinner party and everyone loved it, so I thought I’d share it with you, too. It doesn’t really need any embellishment, but a dollop of cream and some fresh berries never hurt. Oh, and when you’re making it, always leave that little bit extra for licking the bowl…

Chocolate Nemesis Cake Recipe

Cooking time: 30 minutes

Serves 8

Ingredients:

• 340g Dark Chocolate - broken into small pieces.

• 5 whole Eggs.

• 290g Caster Sugar.

• 225g Unsalted Butter - softened

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 160 C

2. Line a 20cm cake tin with baking paper. (Don't use a springform tin)

3. Beat the eggs with a third of the sugar until the volume quadruples - this will take at least 10 mins with a hand held mixer or about 4 mns with a freestanding.

4. Heat the remaining sugar in a small pan with 125ml water until the sugar has completely dissolved to a syrup.

5. Place the chocolate and butter in the hot syrup and stir to combine.

6. Remove from the heat and allow to cool slightly.

7. Add the warm syrup to the eggs and continue to beat more gently until completely combined - about 20 seconds and no more!

8. Pour into the cake tin and put that into a bigger cake tin or roasting pan.

9. Fill the second tin with water so it acts like a bain-marie.

10. Bake in the oven for 30 mins or til set.

11. Leave to cool in the tin before turning out.

Recipe by Rose Gray & Ruth Rogers

A Taste of Fashion

Last night’s Vogue Fashion’s Night Out was a huge success, the city positively heaving with happy shoppers. I had a pretty hectic night, too, popping into my two Sydney stores in the new Westfield and the Strand Arcade. Robyn from the team at HQ made coconut ice from my book Food, Fashion, Friends, which was a clear winner with visitors to the stores.

I was also put to the test in the culinary department, taking part in MasterChef Live in the Pitt Street Mall. I was lucky enough to be partnered with former MasterChef contestant Hayden Quinn, working alongside Alessandro Pavoni from Spiedo Restaurant & Bar. We whipped up one of Spiedo’s signature dishes, Casoncelli alla Bresciana—or pasta sheets cut up and filled with pork and served with burnt sage butter. Delicious!

Berta

Surry Hills eating spot Berta is rapidly becoming my new favourite for dinner‹helped by the fact that it has the same owners as another old favourite, Vini. It¹s just the kind of Melbourne-style restaurant that you want to find in Sydney. The buzzing, modern space has an Italian-inspired menu that changes daily, but regulars include a chicken liver pâté that is silky smooth and a panacotta that¹s second to none. They also do ³Sagra² seasonal ingredient dinners each week, with a four-course menu designed around one particular ingredient, whether that¹s cavolo nero or chocolate.

Delicioso.

Craigs Cheese Shop

Living in Sydney’s Bondi Junction, I’ve long bemoaned the lack of great food places nearby. And now that one has arrived on my doorstep, I’m almost loath to share it as the queues are already so long. But this is one hidden gem worth checking out as soon as you have a chance. Craig’s Cheese Shop is much more than what its name suggests. Aside from cheese, it’s filled with tasty treats to take away, and other delights to enjoy in situ if you have a minute to spare. The herb omelette with saffron potatoes and crème fraîche is my pick for lunch or brunch, and if I just need a caffeine fix and a sweet treat, they make a mean coffee and a moreish macadamia and coconut tart. And don’t even start me on the pork and olive pies…

Craig’s Cheese Shop, 59 Birrell St, Bondi Junction NSW; (02) 9387 3323
http://www.craigscheeseshop.com.au/

I love staying at the Bowery Hotel NYC

 I love being in New York, the inspiration is endless and the energy is very addictive. The Bowery is my favorite hotel when I’m in town. It’s in the heart of the Lower East Side, and it has a delightfully lived-in feel to it, almost like a gentleman’s club with its armchairs and rugs. The Gemma Trattoria does great dinners, you could almost imagine you are in Italy and the crumbed veal chops are amazing (you can even order in for room service if you don’t fancy getting amongst it). If you want to explore the area, you can grab a bike and take a leisurely ride around the neighborhood, and when you come back and need a little refreshment you can enjoy a drink on the outside terrace. It’s like my home away from home. More NYC tips are on their way. x

Keepsakes Book launch

You'll have to excuse me for a little nepotism, but I must share with you my sister Fran's new book, Keepsakes. Fran is an artist and lives in New Zealand, and while I'm always proud of her and amazed at what she can do, this book is something really special. She has collected recipes from our family‹our mother, great aunts and grandmothers and assembled them in a whimsical and nostalgic manner. Each page is a collage that she has painstakingly put together and then photographed, so it literally is a work of art that you can have on your book shelf or, preferably, on your coffee table. It's reminiscent of the cobbled-together cookbooks and magazine cuttings that our mothers and grandmothers might have hidden in their kitchen cupboard. 

We had a little soirée at my Paddington store last week with family and friends to celebrate, which was a great evening and there was a lot of love in the room for Fran. Keepsakes would make a wonderful Mother's Day gift, and hopefully it will become a keepsake for many years to come.

Fran and I at the Launch of 'keepsakes' 

My favorite cookbook

Ottolenghi Cook book is my favorite cookbook this season

This book has inspired my husband Nick to cook. last night we cooked the Meatballs in tahini sauce. Our favorite recipe is the sweet potato and sage gritan. 

"Ottolenghi draws on a wealth of culinary traditions – with a focus on the Mediterranean basin – providing inventive yet honest food, anything from a lemon and mascarpone tart to a grilled mackerel with olive and raisin salsa, made only from the best basic raw ingredients."