TV Chefs and my Family

"But look at the people who use [their potential] — who do actually give it everything ... the Beckhams or Roy Keanes of this world. People charging! Running up and down the field, swearing and shouting at each other. Are they happy? No! They're destroying themselves! Who's happy? You! The fat f**ks watching them, with a beer can balanced on your ninth belly, roaring advice at the best athletes in the world." - Dylan Moran.

While it is the social norm for Australian families to gather around a television, roaring their support or pouring their disdain on their team of choice, our family doesn't. However, it's not uncommon to find us perched on the ends of the couch, passionately shouting abuse at TV Chefs. Wandering past our living room, to hear, "Christ! Look at all that oil!" Or, "A** biscuits!" A temporary eerie silence is often a positive sign, as it means we're mentally salivating, analysing a technique or flavour combination intently. I thought I would share some of the family's recent viewing.

• Huey's Cooking Adventures
  This TV show has been on the receiving end of many a grumpy tirade. We hate how a dash of oil is really a ladle full of lard, we hate his suspenders and we especially hate it when it cooks Chinese food. A notable example of this was when he decided to cook a dish with Hokkien Egg Noodles but stated he was going to call the dish "Hor Fun" (flat rice noodles) as it, "sounded much nicer." Completely unwatchable. You can learn the "truth" about Iain Hewitson here.
  
  
• Jamie's 30 Minute Meals
  Don't get us wrong, we approve immensely of Jamie's approach of being a chef with a mission and encouraging the world get back into their kitchens. However, we are a tad disappointed with his latest show as even the most experienced home cook would struggle to complete the menu within the estimated time frames.
  
  
• Poh's Kitchen
  I don't have the attention span or patience to follow MasterChef the entire way through, but like most of Australia tuned in towards the end and was bitterly disappointed to see Julie Goodwin claim victory. Being a crying snivelling emotional wreck pays? Eurgh! However, this hasn't stopped the rise of Poh and we love the Poh's Kitchen format. I think it's great that she shares the space with Emmanuel Mollois as provides even more value to the viewers. However I wish she would show a little more of her adorable Scotty, Zed.
  
  
• Home Cooked! With Julie Goodwin
  Though we feel the scope of Julie's cooking is more limited, this show is surprisingly pleasant viewing. Achievable food, a modern music selection and no crying!
  
  
• Boy's Weekend
  Gary Mehigan, Adrian Richardson, Miguel Maestre and Manu Feildel get away for a weekend and cook great food. Cheeky banter, good food and picturesque landscapes = yes!
  
  
• Heston's Fests
  Heston Blumenthal is one of my brother's inspirations. He is completely mad, his recipes are unachievable in a home kitchen ... but still there is something so intriguing about his creations. I really enjoyed this series as it rolls history, human reactions and cooking into a neat half hour serving.
  
  
• Kylie Kwong's My China
  We strongly advise avoiding Kylie Kwong's My China series like the plauge. Every recipe involves a bucket of sauce and her pronunciation is just horrid. My advice to Kylie, if you can't say Longan, just say Dragon Eyes.
  
  
• Floyd's Fjord Fiesta
  Keith Floyd left the world of the living in 2009 but he did it in the style - with a glass of wine in one hand and a cigarette in the other. I abhor his cooking but again my brother really likes him, possibly due to his shambolic presentation style. Not essential viewing.
  
  
• The Free Range Cook
  I haven't had the pleasure to watch much of Annabel Langbein's new series but I do know I love her enthusiasm for home grown food and simple, tasty recipes. I must investigate her latest cookbook.

But the TV show I am most excited about this year is Adriano Zumbo's new show Zumbo. The show will air at 7:30pm on SBS, February 10, 2011 and I just can't wait as Adriano is one of my culinary heros. His passion and genius make him so swoon worthy! Point is, I'll be watching it and so should you.

I Like Pie!

There is something comforting about pie. It's full of gooey chunks of meat suspended in warm gravy and wrapped in flaky pastry. But pie hasn't always been this wholesome, in fact in the ye olden days the pie crust was close to inedible as designed to be seven inches thick to withstand hours of cooking.

But back to this delicious Beef and Vegetable Pie, which comes from the cookbook, 1000 Best Ever Recipes from AWW. It's one of my favourites as it used cheap gravy beef and a number of vegetables - potato, carrot, zucchini, onion, celery, peas and mushrooms. It makes an excellent freezer friendly meal but the only thing about the recipe is it tends to be a little liquidy. I would recommend thickening the gravy before you pour it into the baking dish.

For the food pornographers, here is a slice of the pie. It's simple, delicious and makes a great rainy day meal.

Question Inflection

Grant me this whinge for I am old and grumpy and the fact this sign makes me cross. Why do you need a question mark at the end of your salad bar? Are you uncertain if this will be a viable business or what your product offering is? It's such a branding cop out as it could be easily turned into something provocative and memorable. Rather than a passive, soft name, why not make a statement! I want to see, Tosser - Salad + Yoghurt Bar.

Sushi Train Chermside

When Miss Sarah suggested Sushi for lunch, I jumped at the chance. I love Sushi, in particularly the purist approach of Nigiri as I feel this is the best way to enjoy the freshness of seafood. We decided to try Sushi Train Chermside.

The place was bursting with energy from the chatter of patrons and the cheery Japanese style, "thank you" every time a group left.

But what impressed us the most was the train was full of choice. From traditional to more creative fusion cuisine and desserts, there was an option for everyone. Also with the constant flow of patrons, an army of sushi makers, worked quickly to provide fresh sushi to feed hungry guests.

If the photos and my verbage has made your mouth water, let me seal the deal for you by letting you know that Chermside Sushi Train will be celebrating it's fourth birthday on Saturday, January 22 2011 with all plates - $3! With this celebration spanning from 10:00am - 9:00pm, get down there!

Rating: 3/5
Address: Shop 340, Westfield Chermside, 395 Hamilton Road.
Open: Trading Hours 7 Days. Monday-Friday 11:00am - 9:00pm (Thursday -10:00pm). Saturday 10:00am - 9:00pm. Sunday 10:00am - 8:00pm
Phone: (07) 3359 9065
Price: Sushi from $3.

Biscotti: An Addict's Story

It's back to work this week and while two our of three local coffee shops are still on holidays, Bryce of Cafe Amaretto is hard at work delivering coffee to the addicts. Cafe Amaretto has a number of advantages, they offer a range of fantastic lunch options, are friendly and reside right next door. This of course has been extremely advantageous with the heavy rain. However they do not stock another one of my addictions, Biscotti. So subscribing to Plato's philosophy of, "necessity is the mother of invention," I decided to make my own. After a quick Google search I settled on this recipe on Taste.com.

The recipe worked as intended and I've now got a lovely jar of Biscotti. I suspect it will be gone soon with my Mother nibbling away. If there is three things I can say, it's (a) stay calm when make your dough. It doesn't feel pleasant, it's sticky and hard to mould but it will yield results. (b) Keep the Biscotti in the oven just a little bit longer, during the final bake. You really want to Biscotti to be nice and crisp. (c) With no butter, no milk and just a handful of ingredients, they are just a breeze to make. So huzzah for Biscotti! I'm a satisfied addict ... for now ...

Kerbside

Stepped out this afternoon with the lovely Renee of Pantry Review fame to check out a new Brisbane laneway bar called 'Kerbside'. Tucked behind Fringe Bar, this eclectic space just oozes creativity and charm and offers simple lunches and quality beverages. My Hot Chocolate was warm, light and went down a treat on this rainy afternoon. Kerbside is a lovely space to indulge and worth checking out.


Address: Constance Street, Fortitude Valley
Open: Wednesday - Thursday: 9:30am - 3pm. Friday: 9:30am - 5pm. Saturday: 4pm - 5am. Sunday: 1pm - 1am
Phone: (07) 3252 9833
Price: Light meals from $3.50.

You'll Love Coles Pavlova?

If the rumours are to be believed, if you make a Pavlova on a humid day, you'll die. Well something like that as the rumours are persistent and loud. But in Queensland, Summer humidity is a constant. So feeling nervous about my first attempt at making a Pavlova, I decided to buy a back up You'll Love Coles Pavlova for $7.00.

Lucky for me, I didn't need the back up and one evening, my taste buds piped up, "hey, Jo! How about something nice for dessert?" So I whipped up some Chantilly Cream and decorated with strawberries, kiwi fruit and banana. The You'll Love Coles Pavlova looks great, it's beautifully uniform, sits up high and has enough body to hold the cream and fruit. The bad news is, after you've made your own Pavlova ... it's just second best. So make your own, I dare you.