My birthday lunch – Berowra Waters Inn, Saturday August 22

My reward for spoiling my hubby on his (significant) birthday was to be spoiled on my birthday (non-significant).  Well done me and him!

It was totally over the top, outlandish and uncalled for, but oh my, our trip to Berowra Waters Inn, by seaplane from Rose Bay, will have to rank as one of the highlights of my lifetime dining experiences.  Up there with the private room at Tetsuya’s for our mum’s combined 60th’s.

The dishes, in order of appearance after the “up in the air” shots of Sydney are as follows:

• Plate of chilled vichyssoise, oscietra & salmon caviars, beignets of Hawkesbury river oysters;
• Yellowfin tuna carpaccio, fois gras toast, chives, lemon infused extra virgin olive oil;
• Grilled sea scallops, caramalised endive, cauliflower, green apple reduction;
• Sauteed Mulloway fillet, langoustine crousillant, jerusalem artichoke, dill;
• Slow cooked ocean trout, pigs trotter, freshwater eel, jamon broth
• Spaghettini pasta, slow poached egg yolk, fresh black winter truffle from Western Australia;
• Roast saltwater soaked quail breast; white asparagus chanterelle mushrooms;
• Whoops: a gorgeous little pre-dessert gooey yummy thingie with a biscotti (cough, clearly not written on the menu);
• Dessert plate: dark amedei chocolate tart, kirsch macerated cherries; quince ‘tart tartin’, vanilla bean icecream; coffee parfait, prunes in armagnac mascarpone sabayon; ginger cake, rhubarb ‘ripple’ icecream.

The highlight for both of us was the mulloway fillet.  The fish was tender, moist, with a superb flavour and the crunchy little langoustine ‘croustillant’!!  Kerpow!  A crunchy, shellfishy little barrel-shaped accompaniment chock full of flavour and texture. I could have eaten a collection of them.

We sort of shared dishes but I piked out a little early and only had tiny bits of some dishes as I have long been known as the one with eyes bigger than my tummy. So much food, so little space.

The wine in the pictures was unlike anything either of us had EVER tried before.  It was called a Torbeck ‘Natural Wine Project” Grenache, 2009, Barossa Valley, SA.  It had no preservatives and was organic and also was one of the only wines to ever come with a use-by-date.  Apparently it was only a tiny vintage and not available anywhere but here, so we savoured every drop.  The colour of the wine was so pure and vibrant, unlike anything I’d ever seen.

I want to go back soon.  Like, tomorrow please, Mr Yourlocalmarkets.  However I’m going to have to pop some pennies in the piggie bank before we do the fly-dine experience again.  Hmmm.  Maybe next birthday….

Nanna’s shortbread

My beautiful nanna, Joan, died just before Christmas 2009.  She was 93 and an amazing woman.  Educated, opinionated, feminist and smart.  Definitely before her time. Or maybe not.  She set a fabulous example for her children, grand children and great-grand children.

Every Christmas (until a year or two ago) she would make her famous, and utterly delicious shortbread for family members.  The gift became highly prized and you had to watch your jar of shortbread, otherwise pesky cousins, siblings and children were often seen sneaking your stash.

In honour of Joan, I tried to make some of her shortbread.  I discovered that this is highly scientific, especially in summer.  Too much beating of the mixture will make the biscuits crunchy on the bottom and they won’t hold their shape once they’re in the oven and kind of become a blob, instead of pert little bikkies.

Once you make them though, the result is well worth it.  You’ll find that even if you muck it up like I did, there will be no shortage of guinea pigs willing to risk their health to gobble down the rejects.

Nanna’s shortbread recipe

250g butter, softened
125g icing sugar (sifted)
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
pinch salt
250g plain flour & 30g corn flour (mix these together and sift).

Cream butter & icing sugar until well-mixed.  Add vanilla & salt. Add plain flour/cornflour mix until mixed together. Do this with a wooden spoon rather than a beater.  Stir until just mixed.

Scoop teaspoons of the mixture with 2 teaspoons (otherwise the mixture gets too gooey and this effects the end result, believe me). Roll quickly in a ball and flatten slightly with a fork and make a cross shape with the prongs.

Cook in 180 degree oven for 15-20 minutes until very light brown.

For an authentic nanna look, place baked biscuits in a Moccona  jar & add a circle of Christmas fabric with a rubber band & red or green ribbon.  I put mine in some fancy-schmancy trays with red cellophane.  A word of warning about red cellophane.  The colour will come off on the shortbread. I learned this the hard way, so I recommend clear cellophane if you are inclined to use it

Delicious low-fat mango icecream

In December 09 I went to my hubby’s work Christmas dinner. It was held at his colleagues’ place – Sam & John’s, to be precise – in Bondi, overlooking the beach.  Ahh.  They served beautiful organic food and then at the end of the meal, when I thought I couldn’t eat any more, they presented us with this irresistable mango icecream.

Being a mango freak, I died & went to heaven.  Then when I came back to earth, I hassled them mercilessly for the recipe.  Sam’s mum Sian was the keeper of the recipe and Sam & John kindly passed it on to me!

This is one of the world’s easiest recipes and I really don’t need to upload photos, but I’m experimenting with my first blog post, so excuse the photographic indulgence.

Sian’s Mango Icecream Recipe

4-6 Mangos
1/2 – 1 tablespoon lemon juice
1/2 cup boiling water
1 cup sugar
1 unbeaten egg white
1 large cup low fat (carnation) evaporated milk

Melt sugar in water (on stove) and cool.  Or if you’re impatient like me, pop the saucepan in your freezer.  It will cool very quickly!
Put mango pulp in blender with lemon juice & pureè.  Add dissolved sugar, carnation milk, unbeaten egg white & mix well. Pour into plastic container & place in freezer.  Take out when partly frozen and beat well. I used an electic beater and whipped it quite well.  Place back in freezer and freeze for several hours.  Its common sense, but it freezes more quickly if you put it in a big, flat container and the mixture is only about 5cms high.

To serve

Take out of freezer & place in ordinary fridge for approximately 1-1/2 hours before serving.  Or if you’re somewhere hot, just take it out of the freezer for half an hour.

The only photo I’m missing is the final shot.  Will have to make some more and add later – if I don’t eat it all, that is.

Enjoy!