A Few of My Favourite Things !

We checked out the renovated Westfield Shopping Centre in Doncaster on the weekend & purchased some fruit & veg from the new shop next to Coles. While browsing the aisles, we came across a fruit that resembled a large green mangosteen. Unable to identify the fruit from their price signs, A. asked one of the stockers what kind of fruit this was & the reply was “It’s a custard apple”.

A: “I don’t think this is a custard apple”
Reply: “Yes, it is”
A: “No, it’s not”
Reply: “Yes, it is”
A (slightly exasperated): “No mate, I know what a custard apple looks like”
Reply: “Where did you get it from? Over there? Okay, it’s not a custard apple”

An older lady then approached the same guy and pointed to another fruit asking what that was & the reply she received was that it was a custard apple. A. was still standing there so he said “That’s not a custard apple either”

Reply: “Yes it is”
A: “No it’s not”
Reply: “Yes it is”
A: “No it’s not, that’s a dragonfruit. THAT (pointing to the real thing) is a custard apple”
Reply: “Are you sure?”

Update: The fruit turned from green to black over several days. Very much resembled a persimmon on the inside but a very dark purple in colour. The flesh remained crunchy and didn’t turn soft.

I am currently reading “Choice Cuts: a miscellany of food writing” edited by Mark Kurlansky and I had to share this poem by Emile Roumer with you.

I’m not sure whether I would feel entirely flattered to be the recipient of this type of poetry but to each his/her own, I suppose

High-yellow of my heart, with breasts like tangerines,
you taste better to me than eggplant stuffed with crab,
you are the tripe of my pepper-pot,
the dumpling in my peas, my tea of aromatic herbs.
You are the corned beef whose customhouse is my heart,
my mush with syrup that trickles down my throat.
You are a steaming dish, mushrooms cooked with rice,
crisp potato fries, and little fish fried brown…
My hankering for love follows you wherever you go.
Your bottom is a basket full of fruits and meat.

- translated from the French by John Peale Bishop, c. 1930

It’s true that Saltimbocca is sometimes also written as Saltinbocca. But the way this is written, it looks like they are just going to sprinkle some salt in your mouth, ‘Roman-stye’ of course!

Salt in your mouth or jumps in the mouth, your choice!

The City of Yarra has forced the closure of Wildflour, reports this week’s Espresso section in Epicure, as the premise had permission to operate as a cafe but not a bakery. Pardon my ignorance, but WHAT is the difference?!

One of a handful of artisanal bakers in Melbourne, Wildflour had set tongues wagging about how good their bread was. I found out about them during a visit to Simon Johnson’s Fitzroy store where they were serving it to taste olive oils with. The bread impressed us so much that we had to ask the source. Unfortunately, we may never actually get to try their other baked goods if they don’t find a place soon. Call Tony Rees on 0404 729 458 if you can help.

I’d better hotfoot it down to Noisette in case the local council decide to close that down too…

Is there anyone out there who doesn’t have good memories of Nutella, seriously. I’m sure that I don’t know any of them. My memories of Nutella stem not only from my childhood, but from our subsequent travels in Europe.

But, we will start from the beginning when I used to bring Nutella sandwiches made with thinly sliced Sunblest white bread to primary school. In around Grade 5, a new loaf came along in the form of the extra soft, light and airy Country Split loaf. Suddenly, it seemed, every sandwiche was made with these thicker slices so, of course, my Nutella sandwiches HAD to be made with this bread too. Even at that time, I was always quite particular about how my sandwiches were made and eaten. My sandwiches had to have a thick, oozy layer of the chocolate goodness - forget that thin smear just in the middle of the bread versions that my dad preferred. Nope, it had to be spread right to the edges of the bread. When I brought out the sandwich at lunch time, I would then hold the sandwich in both hands and squish it down between my fingers and thumb until the cross section revealed equal proportions of the white, brown, white layers. Occassionally, I would then roll it into a cigar shape before nibbling away at the sandwich.

Later on, I discovered that Nutella paired beautifully with both vanilla or chocolate ice cream. I would soften the Sara Lee Ultrachocolate ice cream in the microwave until it had the consistency of soft serve, then swirl in teaspoonfuls of Nutella - how’s that for a chocolate hit! What a joy it was then to spoon the creamy concoction into my mouth and pressing the hardened Nutella chunks with my tongue against the roof of my mouth causing it to melt gradually.

There was then a lull in my Nutella enjoyment until my first trip to Europe, when my memories of it again come into sharp focus. Paris and the ubiquitous crepe stalls - need I say more? The wafting, glorious scent of hot crepes spread with nutella…the thought of which can still cause me to swoon. Needless to say, A. & I had a few of these during our time in France. It seems that Nutella is not only enjoyed in France but also in Italy, where large families (or so I assume) can purchase 3 kg jars of this stuff from the supermarket. You should’ve seen the amazement in my eyes when I first came across one of these bottles. I cradled it in my arms with hopes of carrying it away with me, but alas, the (im)practicality of lugging a 3 kg jar of Nutella across Europe wouldn’t allow for this.

There is one memory of Nutella that makes me laugh instead of drool however. We were having a chat with some American friends during our time in Italy about Nutella. As with many othe words (like Adidas), they had a way of pronoucing it that quite clashed with everyone else’s and one friend insisted on pronoucing it as new-tella rather than nut-ella. There was no way she was backing down from this being the correct pronouciation until A. asked “So do you eat hazel-newts?”

Nowadays, we often have a tiny bottle sitting in the fridge as A. likes to have a spoonful every now and then (I prefer it at room temp myself). In honour of the many happy memories that Nutella has provided, I’m celebrating World Nutella Day with these chewy macaroons in which Nutella plays a starring role. I was actually after a slightly lighter cookie with a crispier shell but these Gordon Ramsey macaroons did well enough…all gone now.

Technorati Tags:nutella day, nutella, macaroons

New flavours excite me and this is doubly true when we’re talking Tim Tam’s!

The most recent was a limited-edition, strawberry cream-filled ‘Pink Wish’ Tim Tam, launched to coincide with Breast Cancer month. Most stores have run out of this version although I still spot it from time-to-time. I had two packs stashed away and now only one remains after I gave the other to a work colleague when she lamented the fact that they were no longer available.

Well, the folks at Arnott’s have done it again with these two new ‘Love Potion’ flavours: Sticky Vanilla Toffee and Double Chocolate & Raspberry. Actually there is a third one in range, Chocolate Mud, which my local supermarket didn’t stock. The Double Chocolate & Raspberry one sounds suspiciously like the cherry-filled Black Forest version. I guess these must be for the Valentine’s Day rush, but I say ‘Why wait?’

That’s the question I am going to ask if I am ever refused entry into a food institution from now on…

Actually, this had me in stitches wondering how many people flicking through the magazine would have been scratching their heads saying “Who?” - referring, of course, only to my own name (cheeky grin).

Well, from scientific journals to the AGT - where to next?

I love food. I enjoy reading recipes, visiting restaurants, checking out gourmet food products, cooking for my friends and I’m not the only one. That’s why you are here, right? I do feel very fortunate and blessed to be able to do all of those things above but it’s time now to have a care for those who are not in as privileged a position as we are. Those around the world who are unable to afford food on a daily basis, let alone three meals a day.

Is this a problem that is too large to solve? Absolutely not! A couple of weeks ago in Melbourne, a group of top Australian performers and international acts including Bono, helped raise awareness about reducing world poverty through the Make Poverty History concert . This time, the food blogging world is out to do our bit to help those less fortunate. Initiated 3 years ago, this annual event known as Menu of Hope aims to raise funds for different charities each year. This year, the funds that we raise are going towards the United Nations World Food Program.

The good news is that YOU and I can do something to help. Food bloggers the world over have been busy sourcing prizes for you and there are some incredibly delicious-looking ones indeed! You can bid for prizes in the Asia Pacific region by visiting Grab Your Fork for the round-up of great donations.

Thanks to some generous donations, I’m putting up three prizes that you can bid for:

Two $50 vouchers for Chilli Padi (prize code AP23 and AP24):
Drop by the restaurant in Melbourne Central for some lovely mod asian cuisine before or after the movies. Even better, visit their Chilli Malam hawker stall the next time you are looking for a post-midnight snack after partying with friends. You can order roti, nasi lemak and other yummy hawker-style dishes. They even sell their own Chilli Padi stocks for making laksa and mee siam - perfect for a quick dinner after work

A $100 voucher to spend at Koko Black (prize code AP43):
Chocolate salons have been popping up all around Melbourne but Koko Black is a stand-out amongst these. The chocolate is made in-house and their hot chocolate is rated as one of the best in Melbourne. I think their house truffles are absolutely divine and the mint chocolate is another favourite of mine. I’ve also recently used the 74% Koko Black dark chocolate for some Alice Medrich desserts and will post about them this week. Try out their chocolates for yourself by purchasing a raffle ticket for this voucher. Can you IMAGINE how much chocolate you could get for $100?! (PS- if you’re interstate and are not able to visit Melbourne for any reason, I could possibly be talked buying a selection and posting it to you).

But why stop there? Why not put some bids in for prizes from other regions as well? Who knows, you may win a gastronomic tour of London or Tuscany that will make your next overseas trip more exciting!

After visiting the round-ups for the Asia Pacific region, you should then…

1. Go to the donation page at (http://www.firstgiving.com/menuforhopeIII)

2. Make a donation, each US$10 will give you one raffle ticket toward a prize of your choice. Please specify which prize or prizes you’d like in the ‘Personal Message’ section in the donation form when confirming your donation. Do tell us how many tickets per prize, and please use the prize code -for example, a donation of $50 can be 2 tickets for AP01 and 3 for AP02.

3. For US donors, if your company has agreed to match your charity donation, please remember to check the box and fill in the information so we may claim the corporate match.

4. Please also check the box to allow us to see your email address so that we could contact you in case you win. Your email address will not be shared with anyone.

5. Raffle tickets are available until 22 December 2006. Check back on Chez Pim on January 15 when we announce the results of the raffle. (The drawing will be done electronically. Our friend the code wizard Derrick at Obsession with Food is responsible for the wicked application that will do the job.)

If you would like to bid on prizes from other regions, please visit the following for the round up of prizes:
US West Coast: Becks and Posh
US East Coast: Amateur Gourmet
US (the rest): Kalyn’s Kitchen
Canada: Cardamom Addict
Europe and UK: Davidlebovitz.com
Latin America: Cooking Diva

DONATE NOW and HELP US FEED THE WORLD’S HUNGRY!

If you’ve ever seen Bill Granger on TV or in a photo, the first thing you would notice is his boyish smile - the whitest, most perfect teeth set off by tanned, tanned skin. I hear that he is promoting a new Macleans toothpaste and you can definitely see why they would love him.

I’ve never owned any of Bill’s cookbooks but I have enjoyed ricotta hot cakes and scrambled eggs at bills in Surrey Hills and his Banana Bread is one of my favourite things to bake. However, I hear that Every Day is pretty good.

This morning, on my way into work, I saw posters outside Angus & Robertson announcing that he was doing signings. There was a desk set up and books all ready to be signed on the table…and not a single soul around. Then Bill came up the stairs and walked behind the desk. And still, no one around, no one rushing up to get thier book signed. Well, I didn’t want him to feel like nobody loved him so what else could I do but head on up?

Well, actually, the truth is that A. was with me and said ‘Why don’t you get the book?’ So I did, autograph and all. And Bill comes across in person exactly the way he looks in photos - completely lovely and sweet.

A. tried to take a photo of us together with his phone but as you can see it was WAY too bright…or maybe that’s just Bill’s radiant smile.

WELCOME to my new home and thanks for joining me here!

I have finally made the move, much to the relief of Matt who has been waiting rather (im)patiently for this moment - but with good reason. See how pretty the background is and how everything looks nice and neat with the sidebar exactly where it should be? Well, that’s all thanks to Matt who has been incredibly helpful and tireless in his efforts in enabling my move.

Don’t forget to update your links and bookmarks and join me as I embark on our latest food adventure in Malaysia! I’ll leave you with this photo of our ‘not-so-recent’ Mud Crab Feast at Pearl for now until I get a chance to post about all the food we have in M’sia - drool…