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Archive for May, 2010

Wedding Food

27 May

I recently got married (in December) and have been meaning to blog about the amazing food but it’s been a busy year. So here it is finally. Our reception was at the Royal Motor Yacht Club, Point Piper and the catering was done absolutely perfect by Zest. I can highly recommend the team at Zest. Their attention to detail and thoughtfulness ensured a truly memorable night that complemented the day so perfectly. Each course was amazing, especially the desserts which was a highlight for me. We decided to go with roving desserts, which were mini high tea size desserts. This meant everyone got to try 4 different types of desserts. Awesome!

The photos of the canapés and entrée were taken by a professional photographer but since they left after the entrée the photos of the mains and desserts were taken by my lovely sister. Thanks Tinx. You can probably tell the difference but I’m just so glad we got photos of all the food. They bring back so many nice memories.

To start we had roving canapés.

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The cornet of beetroot salad with goats curd and baby herbs was a great start. I was warned to be careful so I wouldn’t stain my dress with beetroot.

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The Scallop shot with citrus and sake was a taste sensation. This was my favourite canapé. So fresh and fun.

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The crispy soft shell crab with lime aioli was extremely morish. I could have eaten the whole platter.

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To satisfy my husband’s love for meat he chose the spring rolls with beef fillet and shiitake mushrooms and he claims “they were exquisite. So tender and tasty.”

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For entrée everyone had Peeled Crystal Bay prawns with crab and cucumber salad, tomato vinaigrette. There was also a vegetarian option but I didn’t see what it was or get a photo of it.

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We had alternating mains. My choice was the roasted Atlantic salmon, Kipfler potato, asparagus spears, citrus salad, orange glaze. It was nice and light and refreshing.

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Even though I don’t eat red meat my husband does and he chose the slow roasted grain fed lamb rump, snow peas, kumera puree, tzatziki, pomegranate and molasses jus. There was also a vegetarian option but alas I didn’t get a photo or even see this. I was too caught up in our food and catching up with everyone.

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After our first dance, the Bolero, a fun version of “Jai-Ho” and more dancing it was time for the dessert canapés. Our waiter lined up one of each at our table. They were so cute. My favourite was the chocolate delice. Apparently the pastry chef taught Eamon Sullivan to make it for Celebrity Masterchef last year. Although he didn’t make it in a shot glass. I’m pretty sure I had a few of these. They were just so good and after being so healthy in the lead up to the wedding I thought I deserved it.

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The lemon meringue tartlets were perfect. Just the right balance of pastry, tangy lemon and meringue. Mmmmmm

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I don’t remember the French lavender and blood orange creme caramel. Probably coz I was gorging myself on chocolate delice’s.

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And lastly the mini pavlovas with mascarpone, strawberries and passionfruit coulis were incredible. Just the right size but I wish I was more hungry.

So there you have it my long awaited return to blogging. I have still been cooking and have a back log of recipes and daring bakers challenges to post. Hopefully with school holidays coming up in just over 4 weeks I’ll get back into it. Looking forward to meeting a whole bunch of Sydney food bloggers this weekend.

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Quinoa and aubergine salad to kick off National Vegetarian Week

24 May

I have such a back-log of recipes to make! It was my birthday recently and I received a bunch of new cookbooks including Yotam Ottolenghi’s new one ‘Plenty’ which is just gold! But as I had a few random veggies in the fridge and we are waiting for our first delivery of a fruit and veg box, I wanted to try and use up as much as I could.

I made this salad up myself after reading a recipe for a giant couscous and aubergine side salad in an issue of BBC Good Food mag. I made a few amendments and bulked it up a bit to make a main dish for 2 that was the perfect way to kick off National Vegetarian Week (in the UK).

National Vegetarian Week (NVW) is the annual awareness-raising campaign promoting inspirational vegetarian food and the benefits of a meat-free lifestyle. Celebrated by the Vegetarian Society since 1992, the Week is now an established event that gets bigger and better every year.

I love how simple vegetarian dishes can be so tasty. This one is definitely one to make again!

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Ingredients:

  • 1 aubergine, sliced
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 150g cherry tomatoes (but you can use more)
  • half a red onion, sliced
  • 150g quinoa
  • juice from 1 lemon
  • 150g feta
  • 100g baby spinach leaves
  • handful basil leaves, roughly chopped

Method:

  1. Heat oven to 200C/Gas 6
  2. Place the slices of aubergine in a roasting tray, drizzle with 1 tbsp olive oil, and roast for 15 minutes
  3. Season the cherry tomatoes and red onion, and add to the roasting dish for a further 10 minutes
  4. Meanwhile, cook the quinoa according to the packet instructions
  5. Combine the lemon juice with 1 tbsp of olive oil for the dressing
  6. Place the spinach leaves in a bowl and toss with half the dressing
  7. Add the quinoa to the spinach bowl and toss with the remaining dressing.
  8. Carefully stir through the roasted veggies, crumbled feta and chopped basil leaves
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Petersham Nurseries Cafe

21 May

I have been living in London for over two years now and my older sister has been talking about Petersham Nurseries as a foodies delight for most of that time. Now while my sis doesn’t share the same cooking passion as Anita and myself, she does appreciate a tasty meal. And believe me, this cute little cafe at the back of a garden centre was gold!

The nursery is in Richmond and encourages visitors to travel by bike, public transport, or foot in an effort to reduce the impact to the grounds caused by cars. So this requires a bit more effort than just jumping in a car. Not that we have one anyway, but I think it complements the whole ‘one with the earth’ vibe out there!

The cafe itself is out the back of the nursery so requires a leisurely stroll through the plants, garden furniture and pretty candles. My mind was purely on the food though. No surprises there.

Aussie Skye Gyngell heads up the kitchen. She is so talented and has such good taste as evidenced by her menus and cookbooks.

We settled into antique furniture and didn’t think twice about ordering the Rose Prosecco. The menu changes every week at the cafe based on what’s in season so even though you can check the website that week, you could still be in store for a menu surprise…something that usually makes me nervous, but in this case I was happy all round!

My tomato, cucumber and bread soup was amazing. So fresh and light it had me dreaming of the Med. Even though it was a ‘soup’, it was mostly veggies and a small amount of broth, which made this even better. I may even attempt to re-create this some time.

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My grilled seam bream with artichokes, white beans and romesco was a delight. It seems like such simple cooking, yet so flavoursome and special. I just love it when you make a good menu choice!

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The other ‘no red meat’ option was a chicken breast with saffron and tomato. I think I am missing some key ingredients but I did have a taste of this and it was delish.

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Of course we made sure we had room for dessert and again, my choice was right on the money. A gooey chocolate tart that was pure decadence. It was served with jersey cream but didn’t need it.

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My dining companions has the Italian apricots (which have a special name which I have forgotten) with a thick lemon clotted cream.

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There is also a tea house behind the cafe that sells an assortment of cakes which of course I had to check out, and while I claimed I would be able to do cake as well, I had clearly over-estimated! We caught a cab home and enjoyed a nap. Ahhhh the life!

The cafe at Petersham nurseries serves lunch Wednesday – Sunday from 12.00 pm to 2.30 pm. Reservations are essential and taken one month before (020 8605 3627 or  020 8605 3627).

Find them at on Church Lane, off Petersham Road, Richmond, Surrey, TW10 7AG.

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