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Tasting Tamborine
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23.01.2022 Craving Asparagus for Christmas This year for Christmas lunch we will be hosting our mothers. It will be an intimate formal lunch using the best silver and crystal and food that they will consider "fancy". As an entree asparagus will fit the bill nicely served with hollandaise sauce and smoked salmon. Asparagus grows well on the mountain and years ago I sourced a couple of asparagus crowns at a sustainable garden group meeting. I'm sure that I got detailed instructions at ...Continue reading
21.01.2022 Savory Bread Pudding for Christmas. A few months ago, in my Tasting Tamborine article, I wrote a story about bread and butter pudding. Now with Christmas approaching I thought that a savory version would be appropriate. This pudding can be made in advance and used as a side dish instead of the stuffing or seasoning that usually accompanies the Christmas turkey. This is also one of those clean out the fridge style dishes using leftover vegetables, cheese and bread. It is an i...Continue reading
21.01.2022 PLUMS. Plums are often the forgotten member of the stone fruit family. I love plums, because with up to 40 different types of plums that range in flavour from sweet and perfumed to tart and sour, they are versatile in the home kitchen. They also come in a beautiful range of colours. A plum pudding, however, does not incorporate plums in the Middle Ages the word plum referred to various kinds of dried fruit. The Queen Garnet variety is a Queensland-born plum accidentally cre...Continue reading
21.01.2022 Pork and its Crunchy Crackeling. I like pork as a special occasion celebration dish, and I wasnt disappointed when I enjoyed the roast pork on the spit at a friends recent significant zero birthday party on the mountain. It was delicious and what makes roast pork exceptional is the lovely crackling. While Christmas nowadays in Australia seams to revolve around prawns, turkey and ham, I grew up with roast chicken and Pork as the Christmas centre peace. I can remember my mot...Continue reading
20.01.2022 Potato Bake simple but posh This perennial pleaser is a bit retro and is real comfort food especially now as the weather cools with winter approaching. The Potato Bake is popular both in restaurants and at home. The humble potato has been voted the most popular vegetable in Australia and if you add some cream, seasoning, and cheese, it becomes gourmet food. Potato Bakes are also known as Potato Gratin, Potato Dauphinoise and Scalloped Potatoes. But whatever its called it ...is always delicious. One of my favourite recipes is a restaurant method and could not be more simple - the base is potatoes, cream and vegetable stock powder, cheese and herbs are optional extras. I can recall that when I worked in a restaurant at Broadbeach on the Gold Coast my job was to slice a sack of potatoes each day. Luckily, we had a commercial slicer and it didnt take too long to make up five trays. Once cooked the trays were left in the cool room overnight with another weighted tray on top to compress the potatoes. Then they were turned out onto a board, and cut into squares or rounds. For service the potato discs were charred in a hot oven to get them all golden and caramelised. They were served under a fillet mignon, wrapped with bacon, a grilled mushroom on top of that and then piled high with snow pea sprouts. It was back in the days of tower plating in restaurants and the higher your food the trendier it became. This must have been a nightmare for the wait staff and the diners had to deconstruct it before attempting to eat it. Any large multipurpose potato is suitable for a potato bake, brushed, sebago or desirae to name a few. Mine came from Joseph the green grocer on main st or try the showground or school markets, and of course there is the Green shed. I sometimes like to add some sweet potato as they also grow so well locally and are always well priced at the markets. 2 kg potatoes (or use half sweet potato) 600ml cream 2 tablespoons of vegetable stock powder 2 onions cup of finely grated parmesan Peel and slice the potatoes and onions, then place them in a large bowl. Pour over the cream and stock powder, mix well with your hands. There should be enough cream to coat the potatoes well. If not add a splash of milk or more cream. Line a large baking dish with baking paper and pour in the potato mixture. Cover with foil and bake in a 180 oven for 30 minutes, remove the foil and sprinkle with the parmesan. Bake for a further 20 to 30 minutes, or until tender and golden. For the restaurant method, leave the parmesan off. And lay a sheet of baking paper on top, place another same size baking tray on top with a can of baked beans for weight and allow to set in the fridge overnight. Next day turn out on to a board, cut into squares, sprinkle with parmesan and reheat in a hot oven. Bon Appetite Terri See Tasting Tamborine facebook page for archived articles.
20.01.2022 Here is the link to the Tamborine Mountain turmeric story filmed at Bill and Di's farm shown on SBS food channel. https://drive.google.com/open
17.01.2022 Home Smoked Seafood With Christmas approaching I am planning a seafood lunch using home smoked seafood. The beauty of smoking the seafood is that I can purchase the seafood a couple of days beforehand and avoid some of the usual rush. The smoking process will help preserve it for a day or two ready for Christmas lunch. Smoking is a cooking technique that uses the smoke from an indirect fire to lightly cook and flavour your food. Jonathan at the local fisho will be able to gi...Continue reading
17.01.2022 My Little Darling Cauliflower Soup. MON PETIT CHOU-FLEUR is a French term of endearment meaning My little darling. I have been using it endearingly when referring to family members - my daughter, her dog, my husband and It literally translates to my little cauliflower. The French have long understood how to impress guests with the classic French dish known by its original name - purée de chou-fleur. Traditionally used as a bed for serving roasted meats in lieu of potatoes. ...Continue reading
17.01.2022 Good old Silver beet. Isnt it great to see all of this welcome rain. The vegetables on Tamborine Mountain have all but exploded and the roadside stalls and the green shed are overflowing with lush produce. I am very pleased to see silver beet in abundance. Sometimes silver beet can taste a bit metallic, but not the tender sweet bunch that I recently purchased from a stall in Prospect St. It was so tender that I was able to use the stems as well. Dont discard the stems, they... can be sliced on the diagonal and stir-fried with a bit of garlic and chilli and used as a vegetable in their own right. Silver beet, is also known by many other names, such as Swiss chard, perpetual spinach, beet spinach, seakale beet, or leaf beet but my favourite is the rainbow chard that my friend Jim grows - with the pink, yellow and purple stems. Jim tells me that silver beet is a great staple vegetable to grow its easy, fast growing, and more tolerant of both the cold and heat than spinach. In Provence, they prize the white stems of silver beet like asparagus, while in Italy, the stem of the silver beet has its own name, costa, which is a mark of preciousness. The stalks can be cooked down into a puree with cream and nutmeg, or fry them in olive oil to toss through a robust chunky Italian soup like minestrone. The leaves can be added closer to serving time. It isnt just the Italians who prize the whole veg for soup. Portugals national dish caldo verde (green soup) is made with silver beet. And, of course, the leaves are lovely, chopped with Greek cheese to fill spanakopita (spinach pie), or wilted and tossed with blue cheese and walnuts to spoon over gnocchi. I am enjoying the tender Tamborine Mountain silver beet by it self with just a few embellishments like in the following recipe. 1 bunch silver beet 2 teaspoons olive oil 1 garlic clove, finely chopped 1/3 cup chopped walnuts 1 teaspoon finely grated lemon rind 1 tablespoon lemon juice Submerge the silver beet in a sink of warm-hot water, the heat dislodges any grubs or cocoons, shake off the water and roughly chop -stems and all. Heat the oil in a large, deep frying pan over medium heat. Add the garlic and walnuts. Cook for 3 to 4 minutes or until the walnuts are toasted. Add the silver beet. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes or until just wilted. Add lemon rind and lemon juice. Season with salt and pepper. Toss to combine. Serve. See more
16.01.2022 Nasturtium Pesto I have always been a traditionalist when it comes to pesto. I believe that the Genoans got it right back in the 16th centuary, and that the combination of fresh basil, pine nuts, olive oil and Parmigiano-Reggiano cant be beaten. That was until I tried nasturtium pesto with macadamias which I particularly like because nasturtiums are plentiful and grow well on Tamborine Mtn and macadamias are native to S.E. Queensland. Most people dont give nasturtiums a se...Continue reading
15.01.2022 Making Meals from Waste. For three days last weekend I was at the Gold Coast Food and Wine Expo volunteering on the ozharvest stand. It was nice to reconnect with the many Tamborine Mountain folk who came and who remembered me from the cooking school and my column in the Scenic News. Millsy and Shay were present and were offering tastings of their Pure Artisan cheeses. I especially liked the chilli and garlic Halloumi and would recommend that you visit Witches Chase cheese fa...Continue reading
15.01.2022 In search of the perfect cake. This is a great Hummingbird style Aussie Christmas cake recipe that captures the magical essence of summer: tropical pineapple, luscious mango and tangy passionfruit combined into a gorgeous cake that's bursting with goodness. I have always tried to make my cakes as healthy as possible, that is no sugar, no processed flours and low fat. They always tend to be a bit dry - more like eating breakfast than enjoying a good slice of cake for a celebra...tion. I have cooked this cake twice recently for two special events. Firstly, as per the recipe below for an early Christmas celebration, and then in between Christmas and new year I doubled the recipe and cooked it in square tins for my nieces wedding. The wedding cake had to be vegan and the end result of the substituted ingredients was surprisingly good. To replace the eggs, I used 1 tablespoon of chai seeds and 3 tablespoons of water per egg, stir the mixture well and let sit for 20 minutes. Replace the honey with maple syrup and make buttercream with vegan butter substitute. For extra decoration I usually like to use chocolate truffles and lindt balls piled high on cakes as a quick and impressive look. Because these are not vegan, I thought bliss balls would fit the bill nicely. Being short on time and energy after Christmas I did something completely out of character - I purchased 2 packet cake mixes. White Wings make these bliss ball premixes. There was a date and dark cocoa mix and a white apricot coconut mix. Simply add is 2 tbsp coconut oil and 2 tbsp honey (or maple syrup for the vegan balls). INGREDIENTS 2 ripe bananas, mashed 3 organic eggs 180 g ( cup) raw honey 125 ml ( cup) extra virgin olive oil zest from 1 orange 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 1 teaspoon baking soda 240 g (2 cups) wholemeal spelt flour 100 g (1 cup) desiccated coconut 250 g fresh pineapple, finely diced 100 g pecan nuts, roughly chopped Yoghurt Icing passionfruit or mango to garnish Yoghurt Icing: 250 g labna 3 tablespoons maple syrup 1 teaspoon vanilla METHOD Preheat the oven to 160C fan-forced (320F). Combine banana, eggs, honey, olive oil, orange zest, vanilla and baking soda. Stir in spelt flour and coconut and mix until combined. Fold in pineapple and pecans. Divide the batter between 2 x 20 cm (8 inches) lined baking tins. Bake for about 50-60 minutes or until the cake is cooked through. Put the cake with yoghurt frosting and top with passionfruit or mango. Yoghurt Icing: Combine labna, maple syrup and vanilla into a mixing bowl. Mix until smooth and creamy. Ice your cake, decorate and enjoy. Labna for the icing is made by placing Greek yoghurt in a strainer lined with cheese cloth or a chux, leave it in the fridge to strain overnight. Based on a recipe and photo from The Healthy Chef
14.01.2022 Alien looking Kohlrabi When I enter the Green Shed at the Tamborine Mountain Showground, I often have an oh wow moment - and last time it was the beautiful Kohlrabi. Kohlrabi reminds me of an alien spaceship with its weird cylindrical shape, skinny arms and nobbily skin what is this stuff? Its actually a delicious vegetable eaten raw or it can be cooked so it suits being used in coleslaw, soups or simply roasted. Kohlrabi comes from the German word "kohl" meaning cabbage a...Continue reading
14.01.2022 Pea and Ham Soup Don't we love a good soup when the weather starts to cool? My pot of my pea and ham soup will nourish eleven friends, and family members this week. A large container is on its way to my nephews. It was enjoyed over lunch with my mum, aunt and cousin, and a portion was sent to my mother in law. Some was put aside for my son in law and a decent serve was left for my husband too. Great soup is simple soup, and as with any simple dish, it's far harder to hide sub...Continue reading
13.01.2022 Ginger Beer It is always pleasing to read about Tamborine Mountain businesses and their fabulous products in the general media. Fortitude Brewery and Lemon Lovers Gelato are two great places to visit on the mountain. Ginger is one of my favourite spices and when I heard that the brewery were making ginger beer and that it was then made into gelato my mouth started watering. With the current fermentation craze of kombucha, sauerkraut and kimchi, I have often thought about ma...Continue reading
13.01.2022 Tamborine Mountain Connections I have just come back from a cruise through South East Asia and I have to admit I am not a good traveller as I am way too content with my life at home in Queensland. It was a relief to get home before the Coronavirus escalated and began to cause problems for travellers. I visited ports in Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia, Malaysia and Singapore - which was my favourite place. The orchid section of the Singapore botanical gardens was magnificent and i...Continue reading
12.01.2022 No Such Thing as a Bad Banana. I love bananas and its no surprise that bananas are the most popular fruit in the world. Apparently Australians munch through five million bananas every day. I always manage to find nice ones on Tamborine Mountain. The orchid stall on Main Western Rd south has bunches of sugar bananas, Joseph in Main St has local Monkey variety, and at the showground markets the delicious red dacca are often available. I usually have some on hand and in the fre...Continue reading
12.01.2022 The Golden Glow of Beetroot. At the showground at the moment the green Shed is bursting with winter produce. Last showground market day it was filled to the brim. On the back shelf there was a vegetable giving out a glowing golden light that caught my eye. It was bunches of tennis ball size golden beetroot with leaves attached and it was the first thing in my basket. Golden beetroot is sweeter and less earthy-tasting than the red variety. Beetroot is one of my favorite vegeta...Continue reading
12.01.2022 Bread and Butter Pudding. What could be more welcoming and aromatic than the smell of a bread and butter pudding baking in the oven. It is very economical to make as the main ingredient is stale bread that would otherwise be thrown out. I like making this pudding after Easter with the left over hot cross buns and a few chocolate eggs. At Christmas the Italian Panettone makes a delicious pudding. The two bakeries on Tamborine Mountain provide great bread. I love the aroma of... the Eagle Heights bakery where Phillip bakes a fabulous range of sourdough loaves. Its not often that I have any leftover but if I do it makes a great pudding. Lately I have been working for the OzHarvest food rescue organization. You may have seen their yellow vans driving around picking up food from supermarkets and manufacturers and then delivering it to the agencies that support the vulnerable people in our communities. Bread is the most commonly wasted food, and in the kitchens at Paradise county we make it into bread and butter pudding - its a nutritious dish because of the added milk and eggs. Bread and butter pudding is a traditional type of bread pudding popular in British cuisine. It is made by layering slices of buttered bread scattered with raisins in an oven dish, over which an egg custard mixture, made with milk or cream and normally seasoned with nutmeg, vanilla or other spices, is poured. Bread and pudding does not have to include soaked fruits and spice. Croissants, doughnuts and rolls can be used. I have seen versions for savory puddings using cheese, mushrooms, bacon and leeks. I think a breakfast version would be rather tasty, and easily made ahead of time. For dietary requirements substitutions can be made for the milk, sugar and gluten free bread can be used. A tasty Tamborine Mountain version can be made by substituting stewed rhubarb instead of the sultanas. Apple, strawberries, bananas and blueberries can be used as well. 12 thick slices sourdough bread, crusts removed 90g butter, at room temperature 90g (1/2 cup) sultanas 80g (1/2 cup) sugar 6 eggs 500ml (2 cups) milk 1 x 300ml ctn cream 1 teaspoon vanilla essence teaspoon ground cinnamon Icing sugar, to dust Spread both sides of the bread lightly with butter. Cut each slice into 4 triangles. Arrange half of the bread over the base of a 3L (12-cup) capacity ovenproof dish. Sprinkle with half of the sultanas and half of the sugar. Arrange the remaining bread on top. Sprinkle with the remaining sultanas and remaining sugar, reserving 1 tablespoon of sugar. Preheat the oven to 180C. Whisk together the eggs, milk, cream, vanilla and cinnamon in a large jug. Pour the egg mixture over the bread. Press down gently to cover the bread completely. Set aside for 20 minutes to stand. Sprinkle the pudding with the reserved sugar. Bake in oven for 45 minutes or until golden and set. Set aside for 20 minutes to cool. Dust with icing sugar. images from bbc.com
11.01.2022 Changing Diets with Vegan Options. I spend a lot of time cooking meals for my sister and nephews. All of the boys are keen on their sport and recently the oldest boy, who is an ironman, distance runner and budding triathlete said he wanted to become vegan. He had seen The Game Changers video which is about athletes becoming vegan - it features Arnold Schwarzenegger, Jackie Chan, Novak Djokovic and Lewis Hamilton. Apparently going vegan is all the talk in sports circles. Na...Continue reading
09.01.2022 Couscous is a great standby. The corporate group cooking classes at OzHarvest include an abundance of vegetables as a lot of vegetables are rescued from the various contributing food outlets. We are always inventing ways to make them tasty and in a recent class we made this delicious couscous dish with roast vegetables and honey ginger tomato sauce. Couscous is a treasured staple food in the Middle East. When it is bejewelled, say, with pomegranate seeds and almonds, and pres...Continue reading
09.01.2022 Queensland apples make my favourite pie. One of my favourite producers at the monthly showground markets is the Stanthorpe apple stall. I always purchase something. Sometimes I get so excited by the quality and variety available that I buy their box deal. I end up making big batches of stewed apples and apple pies and giving them away to my appreciative family. I have experimented and found that mixing three different varieties of apples gives the best result for stewing and ...Continue reading
09.01.2022 Roast Lamb for Easter There have been two Easter celebratory events in my experience - the children's wonderland of bunnies and chocolates; and the symbolism of long-held traditions. Either way, it's a time for family and food. My Easter usually starts with hot cross buns on Friday for breakfast and that is the only time that I eat them no matter how tempting they are. Years ago, when I was working as the breakfast chef at the Beachcomber Hotel in Surfers Paradise, I was alwa...Continue reading
08.01.2022 Brisbane Ekka baking pavilion. This very easy pumpkin fruit cake is deliciously moist and has a wonderful flavour with the optional addition of rum and ginger. It could even win you a blue ribbon. I am a country girl at heart and I just love an Agricultura show. I recently made my annual train trip to Ekka from Robina on the Gold Coast, changing at Roma Street station for the Exhibition line. The show is run by The Royal National Agricultural and Industrial Association of Que...Continue reading
08.01.2022 Growing Microgreens. I am always fascinated by the little punnets of delicate microgreens in green grocers, and I love seeing them used for a sophisticated presentation on restaurant meals. I think that they should be easy to grow on my protected back balcony as they can be grown in a warm spot by a window or under a light indoors. I had five recycled berry and tomato punnets and I headed down to the local garden supply nursery to purchase some packets of seeds and some fine... seed raising mix. I chose broccoli, basil, rocket, sunflowers and peas. I also needed labels and I had a lightbulb moment when I saw some children enjoying paddle pops by the swimming pool in my apartment complex - I asked them to leave the sticks in a secret spot for me to collect later. It is advised to soak the seeds for four hours before planting, well thats ok for the larger peas and sunflowers, however the rocket, basil, and broccoli are so tiny that I was worried they would end up down the drain or stuck in the sieve, so they went straight in. You should keep them covered and well sprayed with water until they germinate and to my surprise the sunflowers and rocket showed their tiny shoots in 18 hours - I felt like an excited parent. I love the Queensland warmth!!! Cool winters will take a bit longer to germinate. There are a few ways to grow microgreens - in a tray over water, in vermiculite or other growing mediums sold in kit form, or in propagating (fine potting) mix. I chose the propagating mix as I like the idea of growing in soil as it contains minerals and therefore it improves the flavour and nutrition in my greens. Use them abundantly on just about every dish you prepare. Wheat and Barley grass can also be grown for the purpose of juicing. Here is a video I found that explains the process https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9gdGvT8oEdQ&vl=en I am already planning my next crop. This time I will try and find some red leaves and some coriander and cabbage. Have a look at Mitre 10, Birchgrove nursery in Alpine terrace and Tamborine Mountain nursery in Long Rd for advice and supplies. Friends reading this will also know what to expect as a gift next Christmas too. See more
08.01.2022 Carrots and Eat Local Week Eat local week is less than a month away and I am excited because the festival celebrates everything about the abundance of good produce grown in the Scenic Rim. Carrots are the pin up vegetable for the festival and feature in some of the fabulous farm tours, field days and dinners. There is even a carrot couture- fashion on the farm parade with lunch that I have my eye on attending. There will be plenty of carrot-based activities at the winter ...Continue reading
07.01.2022 GINGER one of my favourite spices. What do we associate with ginger? - Biscuits, bread (men and houses), beer, nuts, glace, gums, tea, wine, cake, coated in chocolate - they all taste yum with the addition of ginger!! Ginger features in a favourite cocktail that one of my Mountain friends makes, is a Dark and Stormy Made with 20 ml lime juice, 50 ml dark rum in a glass with ice then top with ginger beer. Its the national cocktail of Bermuda and popular with yachties Gin...Continue reading
06.01.2022 Retro Salad Cream I was at a party on the Mountain recently, enjoying good conversation about food, and having some delicious canapes from the Vintage Pickle. One of the delightful canapes was a piquant roast capsicum soup and I remarked that the heat came from hot paprika. Eddie remarked that he enjoys his paprika sprinkled on avocado with salad cream. I then thought about what makes a good salad cream - besides whats in a jar made by Heinz. After a bit of research on this E...Continue reading
05.01.2022 https://www.tastingqueensland.com.au//queensland-gift-hamp Queensland produce Gift hampers available now. Includes reusable box, gift card and postage. Eight quality products gift wrapped and delivered for $75
04.01.2022 Loving Cherry Tomatoes. Tomatoes have been plentiful this year and I have especially liked the ones available at the Tamborine Mountain roadside stalls, like the one pictured in Beacon Rd. Roma tomatoes, truss tomatoes, cherry tomatoes, heirloom tomatoes, grape tomatoes, canned tomatoes, the list goes on! This wonderful fruit comes in so many different forms and can be transformed into hundreds of dishes. The following tips will help you enjoy them best - - Cooler morning pi...Continue reading
04.01.2022 Growing Baby Vegetables I like nothing better than the sweetness and visual appeal of young baby vegetables, and for me buying them with the tops attached and the dirt clinging to them is even more satisfying. This is so much better than buying vegetables in plastic bags that have been in cold storage. To see bunches of Dutch carrots and tiny beetroot and baby turnips makes my senses go into overdrive. They grow well on the mountain and just west of here in the beautifully ...named Fassifern Valley market gardens, so the food miles are minimal. They are in season now and available at the green shed, or ask at Josephs. Carrots dont normally have an exciting image, but they are cheap, there is probably some in every ones fridge, and they can be eaten as part of every meal. Bunches of carrots are called Dutch Carrots because they are orange - carrots used to be purple until the Dutch bred the orange variety that is most popular nowadays. I am lucky enough to be growing turnips, radishes and carrots on my balcony - I planted them at the beginning of winter and have been enjoying the harvest. The sweetness of baby carrots goes well with spices, salty feta cheese and fresh herbs to make a Moroccan Roast Carrot salad 2 bunches of Baby Carrots (about 20) 2 tbsp olive oil 1 tsp cinnamon 2 tsp ground cumin 1 tbsp honey 150gm feta (Witches Chase goat) 1 hand full of mint leaves 1 orange juiced. Trim the carrots leaving 2 cm of the stalk attached and gently scrub them - no need to peel. Place in a roasting pan with the olive oil, spices , honey and some salt and pepper. Roast at 180 for 20 minutes. Pour over orange juice and then place straight on to a serving platter with the crumbled feta and mint leaves. Goes well with roast chicken. The Slow Food movement encourages the growing of your own food. We can then fully enjoy the aromas and fresher fuller flavours of just picked produce. It makes good sense to minimise food miles and have your own salad bowl at your back door. For a small amount of effort even on a balcony salad greens and vegies can be grown in pots or recycled Styrofoam boxes. Now that it is spring start planting salad vegetables. Try rocket, any mixture of lettuce you like, Chinese vegetables (they grow quickly and are best used young as salad leaves), radishes, cucumbers, cherry tomatoes, Lebanese cucumbers, mint, parsley and coriander. Water your young plants daily and feed them weekly with an organic liquid fertiliser. Give your home grown salads the respect and taste they deserve and only use the best olive oil in the dressing. Every meal is enhanced with the addition of chopped herbs and every BBQ lifted to a new level with a bowl of proudly home-grown salad. To have crisp salads to go with your crisp chardonnay in the warmer months start planting NOW!!!
03.01.2022 Brining Poultry for Christmas Im always faced with a dilemma at Christmas. What will I do with the turkey, will it cook evenly, will it fit in my oven and what about the leftovers? Leftover turkey goes dry so I buy a small one or I just buy a good chook which is easier to cook, generally juicier, and it fits in the oven. If you havent already done so, go and see the local butcher and order their best large fresh chicken, or small turkey....Continue reading
03.01.2022 OYSTERS and FINGER LIMES. I was fortunate enough to purchase some Canungra finger limes at Tamborine Mountain monthly markets. I love the zing that they give to dishes and I have previously used them with oysters, guacamole, mango mousse, in cocktails such as Margaritas and Bloody Mary - I had better stop here as I am making myself thirsty. In a few weeks I will be holidaying with friends on Stradbroke Island, and that means oysters!!! The Sydney Rock variety thrives in the ...Continue reading
03.01.2022 Clean out the fridge Cannelloni. I like to cook obviously, and I love to shop for food. My favourite hangouts are farmers markets, speciality producers and supermarkets and I actually love grocery shopping where I can get lost for hours. The only problem is that I always end up with too much food!! My goal this week is to use everything in my bulging fridge and freezer. I found some frozen lasagne sheets, a container of Tamborine Mountains best rainbow chard that I had al...Continue reading
01.01.2022 Luscious Winter Strawberries. Whenever I visit the Tamborine Mountain School Markets, I dont leave without seeing Terry from the Strawberry stand. You can hear his catch cry - Stanthorpe strawberrrries small ones are nice and sweeeeeet, and large ones are very juuuicccy. I have also seen him at the Marina Mirage markets on a Saturday where he had some sublime berries and figs from Chambers Flatt that were fresh and had not yet been refrigerated. This time of the year the...Continue reading
01.01.2022 Scarecrow Biscuits. Its that time of year again when the scarecrows come out to play. I just love them and I have a permanent smile on my face when I am driving. It takes me longer to get around as I am always slowing down as I zig zag across the mountain looking for them. It seems that scarecrows have been around for as long as agriculture with Egyptians, Japanese and Greeks all having their own versions. It was the Americans that morfed them into their current form when imm...Continue reading
