Author: Ken

You may remember Newsletter # 31 when I wrote about Australia’s Coffee Culture, and I briefly mentioned The Windsor Hotel in Melbourne. That hotel was to be the subject of today’s newsletter, but during my research I noticed a restaurant behind the Windsor Hotel and remembered that Chris and I had enjoyed a memorable meal here, some years ago. It’s called the Waiters Restaurant and while it does not have the same pedigree as its five-star neighbour, it does have an interesting history and great food.

When it opened in 1947 the restaurant was called The Italian Waiters Club. It was an after-work venue for hospitality workers of either Italian or Spanish origin. There they could get a meal or a glass of wine, play cards and relax. In its early days you required a password to get in which probably gave them time to tidy up the various licensing laws they were in breach of.

It eventually became popular with reporters, police and politicians because of the notoriety of an incident in 1978 when it made the newspaper headlines. The patrons of the restaurant were taken hostage by a shotgun wielding sympathiser of a high profile criminal, serving time in Pentridge Prison. The stand-off was diffused, but the days of The Waiters Restaurant flying under the radar were over.

Fortunately for everyone, the restaurant not only survived, but it has thrived.

I’m not sure how we ended up in Meyer’s Place that evening, but we may have been on the way to another venue recommended to us. We had probably realised that we were in the wrong lane (one of many Melbourne lanes) and had stopped to regroup.  A man brushed past us and disappeared into a darkened doorway and Chris and I watched him disappear up some gloomy, steep stairs. After a few seconds I thought I heard conversations from the top of the stairs, but then the voices stopped. I looked up and noticed a sign that suggested a restaurant was at the top of the stairs. We took a chance and followed the man, carefully negotiating the stairs.

The illumination at the top of the stairs was only marginally improved by a smoky glass window beside the single door. I opened the door and before me was a restaurant full of diners seemingly having a good time. Someone who appeared to work there pointed us to what could have been the last two seats available. It was definitely a no frills restaurant.

Our seats were on a long share table, and our dining companions didn’t seem to mind. The menu is Italian cuisine with a few Melbourne staples also available – yes, the dreaded schnitzel. We chose pasta, garlic bread and a glass of wine. The portions were generous, the flavours authentic and it was surprisingly inexpensive. The atmosphere is rustic, not too rowdy and thoroughly deserving of consistently good ratings.

While my choice of pasta that evening was a good one, I had eyed the gnocchi which was on the ‘specials’ side of their blackboard menu, so for this newsletter I thought I would prepare gnocchi.

Gnocchi

The history of this variation of pasta can be traced back to Roman times when it was prepared with semolina porridge and eggs. As the Roman Empire expanded, it became popular in other regions and alternative ingredients such as wheat flour and breadcrumbs were used, dependent on the region.

In the 16^th century, potatoes arrived from the Americas and by the 19^th century Potatoes were a common ingredient in Gnocchi, particularly in the northern regions of Italy. Other common ingredients used in gnocchi are cheese, corn meal, pumpkin and Durum wheat.

While Gnocchi could be served simply tossed in butter and sprinkled with parmesan, gnocchi loves nothing better than to be served in a classic Italian sauce. I’m teaming my gnocchi with a pesto sauce.

Most recipes call for the potatoes to be boiled, but for this recipe I am going to bake the potatoes on coarse salt. This should ensure a ‘dryer’ cooked potato and a firmer mix.

Gnocchi recipe

Ingredient for 500g uncooked gnocchi (about 4 entree portions):

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Servings: 4 entree serves

Course: Main Course

Ingredients Method

Ingredients

  

• 500 g even sized potatoes Sebago or Desiree preferred
• 1 cup plain flour 125g
• ½ tsp salt
• 1 egg at room temperature
• 1 cup coarse salt
• A little extra plain flour

Method

 

1. Assemble your ingredients
   
2. Wash and dry the unpeeled potatoes
3. Set your oven (or air-fryer) to 200c
4. Place pinenuts on baking tray and bake in the oven for 5 minutes until slightly brown and place in container to cool
   
5. Using the baking tray place the potatoes on a bed of coarse salt and prick the potatoes with a fork a few times
   
6. Place the tray potatoes in the oven
7. Cook the potatoes until soft – about 50 minutes
   
8. When cooked take the potatoes out of the oven and cool them a little
9. Using a gloved hand split the potatoes and rub the potato flesh through a fine sieve, without the skin, cool slightly
   
10. In a bowl mix, the flour and salt, followed by the potato and egg
    
11. Mix to form soft dough. It should not stick to your fingers
    
12. Turn the mix out onto a lightly floured board
13. On this lightly floured surface divide the mix into three and gently roll them into even thickness ‘sausage’ shapes
    
14. Cut small amounts of the dough in 2cm chunks
    
15. Roll them gently with the back of a fort and sprinkle them with a little flour.
16. Rest the Gnocchi for 30 minutes before cooking
17. It would be a good time to prepare the sauce (see separate pesto sauce recipe)
    
18. In a large saucepan bring to a rolling boil a generous amount of salted water and about 20ml of olive oil
19. Add the gnocchi. It should take around 2-3 minutes, but they will float to the surface when ready
    
20. Drain them well in a colander and add them directly to the sauce
    

Pesto cream sauce

This is a versatile recipe that will convert you from ever purchasing the bottled variety again. Unused pesto has reasonably good keeping qualities and can also be turned into a dip.

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Servings: 4 entree serves

Course: Sauces

Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients

  

• 2 cups fresh basil leaves rinsed and dried
• 3 cloves garlic peeled
• ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
• ½ cup grated parmesan cheese
• 65 g toasted pine nuts cooled
• salt and cracked black pepper to taste
• a few drops of lemon juice
• 300 ml cream
• splash of dry white wine
• extra shaved parmesan for sprinkling
• a few nice basil leaves for garnish

Equipment

• I used my Braun blender attachment for pesto part of the recipe.

Method

 

1. Assemble your ingredients
   
2. Using your already pre-heated oven ‘toast’ the pine nuts – it should take about 5 minutes
   
3. In your blender place the basil, garlic, parmesan, pine nuts, lemon juice and a little seasoning
   
4. On medium speed blend these ingredients to form a paste
   
5. Add the olive oil and continue blending to make a thick paste
   
6. Check seasoning
7. Store in the refrigerator in a sealed container, or continue with the pasta sauce
   
8. Heat the cream until almost boiling before stirring in the pesto
9. Add the cooked Gnocchi and gently coat with sauce
10. Serve topped with shaved parmesan and garnished with fresh basil leaf

Notes

If you feel your sauce is too thick add a little of the gnocchi boiling water or white wine.
Avoid over-cooking the sauce once the basil has been added for it will dull the vibrant green colour.
Experiment with other nuts. I have used both cashews and macadamias in similar recipes
Likewise try rocket leaves instead of basil
If you feel the pesto cream sauce is a little too rich try the tomato sauce recipe from Newsletter # 20

I have often wondered how the mammoth amount of food we collectively purchase close to Christmas can possibly be consumed – I mean supermarkets are only closed for one day. Over purchasing at Christmas time is common and this will naturally lead to the question of what to do with leftovers.

A key date for me when planning for Christmas, is Melbourne Cup Tuesday. By this day hopefully we can get some clarification of where family celebrations will happen and who will be there. For the lucky few, you may actually snare your preferred location and have all your family in attendance. For most of us, as we get older there is probably some degree of compromise and Boxing Day or Christmas Eve becomes the focus.

With where and who sorted, it’s time to look at what you may be serving. Are you going traditional or perhaps you have been inspired to tackle a list of recipes you have hoarded for this very occasion.  Regardless, for many people, the festive season can mean a few days or more of what seems an endless round of eating or preparing food to be eaten.

Since it is now after Christmas, you hopefully have successfully dealt with the problem, or your purchasing was spot-on, and it never was. In case you’re like the rest of us, here are few ideas on how to use up leftovers, with minimum work.

Priority

Firstly, identify fresh ingredients that will suffer if you attempt to freeze them for later use. Cooked meats, fresh seafood, prepared salads, roast vegetables, fresh vegetables, fresh fruit and previously frozen (and thawed) foods fall into this category. These will need to be consumed quickly or reworked where possible and even cooked meats and seafood can be successfully adapted into simple recipes that can be frozen.

Most roast meats can be turned into ‘pulled’ meats in your slow cooker and if you check your pantry, you may even have a good range of suitable ingredients on hand. Brown sugar, vinegar, barbeque sauce, garlic, chilli, mustard and Worcestershire sauce are handy, while you could include leftover gravy and even suitable leftover condiments such as apple sauce or cranberry sauce. You will however need a little liquid stock to replace natural juices. The finished dish is then suitable for freezing.

In the unlikely event that you have leftover seafood, consider pasta sauce – either creamy or tomato based, but try and avoid cooking the seafood a second time. Simply make and chill the sauce before folding the chilled cooked seafood into the sauce. For best outcomes discard shells from seafood and avoid skin and bones from cooked fish. Freeze or heat and serve.

Cold roast vegetables such as potato, sweet potato, pumpkin, onion and squash are very suitable for a ‘Spanish style’ omelette. Other vegetables you should consider include capsicum and tomatoes but greens you should avoid include Brussels sprouts, cabbage and lettuce. Allow three eggs for one omelette and perhaps a little cheese such as tasty cheddar or Jarlsberg. I have found that leftover mascarpone worked well in the egg mix.

Leftover prepared salads really should be eaten quickly and if you have too much, give some for your guests to take home, unless you have a barbeque on within a couple of days.  If possible, avoid dressing any of your salads which contain salad leaves. Next day Caesar Salad is considered a disaster; best thrown away.

Ham

The main cured meat at Christmas is ham and when purchased ‘on the bone’ it will often give you a surplus amount of meat, for even a half leg may be 6kg in weight, which is a lot of ham. If the thought of yet another ham sandwich is a little daunting, consider dicing the ham and using it in a quiche which then could be chilled and frozen for use down the track. Don’t forget to retain the bone, ham skin and bits and pieces for use in soup in the cooler months.

Chef’s Salad – a variation on a compound salad

Salads which contain multiple ingredients, bound together with a dressing of some sorts are called compound salads. Examples include potato salad and pasta salad. While lettuce is not considered an ingredient, a compound salad can be served on salad greens.

Having worked for both the Hilton and Hyatt hotel chains, I have naturally come into contact with American influenced menus. One of the earliest salad recipes I can remember preparing, apart from a tossed salad, was the Chef’s Salad, a salad which was popularised by Louis Diat, of Vichyssoise Soup fame, during his 41-year stint at New York’s Ritz-Carlton Hotel. However, this simple compound salad recipe is not attributed to Chef Diat but rather to one of two chefs who worked at two different hotels also in New York in the 1920’s.

It was unusual at the time because of the inclusion of chilled cooked meat, including ox tongue. Even in the 1970’s when I was apprenticed, most compound salads served did not include meat; and offal in a salad was not very enticing. In Australia cold meats were served with basically a side salad.

So, the Chef’s Salad was adapted for Australian tastes, and the ox tongue was eventually consigned to history, leaving us with a recipe that makes perfect use of Christmas leftovers. A modern trend emphasises appearance by making the individual ingredients stand out, with the dressing – in this case ‘thousand Island dressing’ served separately or at the last minute.

Chef’s salad

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Servings: 2 serves

Course: Salad

Ingredients Method

Ingredients

  

• cos lettuce leaves or mixed leaves washed and chilled
• 120 g lean leg ham cut in strips
• 120 g cooked turkey breast cut in strips
• 120 g cheese a mix of Swiss and cheddar, cut in strips
• 5 cherry tomatoes washed and halved
• 1 small Lebanese cucumber cut in strips
• 3 hardboiled egg cut in half
• 100 ml thousand island dressing
• 1 spring onion cut in fine strips
• chopped parsley
• cracked pepper

Method

 

1. Chilled plates, lay the lettuce
   
2. Arrange the meat, cheese and cucumber strips in a pattern of your choice
3. Garnish with the cherry tomatoes, half eggs, spring onions and parsley
   
4. Serve thousand island dressing separately

Thousand Island dressing

If you have had cooked prawns at Christmas time, there is a possibility that you may have leftover Cocktail Sauce which can form the basis of Thousand Island dressing. Additions to the dressing are finely chopped and folded in, and your choice of these additions can be varied, dependent on what you have available but aim for compatibility and colour variation to give a speckled appearance.

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Course: Sauces

Ingredients Method

Ingredients

  

• 100 ml Kewpie mayonnaise
• 50 ml tomato sauce or ketchup
• 1 tbsp Dijon mustard
• 1 tbsp horseradish cream
• 50 ml cream
• 5 ml lemon juice
• A few drops Worcestershire sauce
• A few drops of Tabasco

Additions for Thousand Island dressing:

• 1 tbsp pickle or gherkin finely chopped
• 1 tbsp yellow capsicum finely chopped
• 1 tbsp parsley finely chopped
• 1 tbsp hardboiled egg (white and yolk) finely chopped or sieved
• 1 tbsp chives finely chopped
• 1 tbsp black olives pitted and finely chopped
• ½ tbsp white onion finely chopped

Method

 

Method for sauce:

1. Mix all ingredients together
   
2. Cover and refrigerate

Method for additions:

1. Stir into cocktail sauce
2. Cover and refrigerate
   

Comments:

• If you look at the image of the ingredients, I have not followed my own recipe, but I substituted ingredients with what I had in the fridge with only gherkin and parsley used from my recipe. For colour and compatibility I have used chopped tomato and just cooked pumpkin. Spring onion replaced chives while I used a little French dressing to thin the cocktail sauce and a little crushed chilli for a little punch. I also held back the eggs and didn’t have any cream, for the cocktail sauce could have been a little paler.
• In short, I used what I had.

Well once again Christmas is almost upon us and our Christmas cookery orders are ready for our residents to pick up. Christmas pudding and Christmas cake as well as Sticky Date Pudding, Butterscotch sauce, Vanilla Anglaise and Almond Shortbread all featured in this year’s menu.

Like many extended families, the Christmas period can be difficult to navigate – often it is a case of multiple Christmas ‘dinners’ spread over three days to keep everyone happy. So, it can come down to pacing oneself to avoid overdoing it.

At home I prepared a batch of vanilla bean ice cream, mango sorbet and Pavlova for our own celebration. We’ll team that with freshly baked Baguettes piled with cold meats, salad and condiments for our Christmas luncheon which we will have on Boxing Day. We’ll have a smaller breakfast on Christmas Day.

What is on your menu for Christmas? Leave a comment on the website.

We look forward to the New Year when we can continue to explore different recipes, stories and thoughts.

Merry Christmas and a happy and safe 2026.

Ken and Chris

This recipe is a versatile gluten free dish that can not only be featured as “finger food” but also as a breakfast or lunch offering as well as a snack food or a lunch-box addition. I have previously served the fritter in the form of a vegetarian burger – once the quality of gluten free breads had improved.  It is easy to make, and the ratio of ingredients is not that important. Additionally substitute ingredients such as sweet potato and spinach come to mind.

On the downside their keeping qualities are not that good – they don’t like being frozen. But they are yummy, so they won’t last long.

Zucchini and Feta fritters

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Servings: 12 Fritters

Course: Breakfast, Main Course

Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients

  

• 120 g onion peeled, finely chopped
• 50 ml olive oil
• 650 g zucchini washed, gently trimmed and grated
• salt
• 600 g potatoes just cooked, chilled peeled and grated
• cracked black pepper
• 350 g Greek Feta roughly chopped or crumbled
• 15 g cornflour
• 1 large egg beaten

Equipment

• A couple of mixing bowls and a non stick frypan is required for this recipe.

Method

 

1. Assemble ingredients
   
2. Sweat the onion in the olive oil over low heat for 5 -10 minutes until the onions are transparent. A little colour is OK. Chill when cooked
   
3. Add about ½ teaspoon of salt and a little water to the grated zucchini and mix well
   
4. Let stand for 15 minutes
   
5. Squeeze the excess liquid from the zucchini
   
6. In a clean bowl combine the ‘dried’ zucchini, onion and potato. Mix well
   
7. Season with a little cracked black pepper
8. Add crumbled Feta. A light mix to distribute evenly
   
9. Mix in cornflour
   
10. Fold in egg
    
11. Gently mix
    

Cooking:

1. At a medium temperature heat a little oil in the frypan
2. Form the mix into suitable sized patties and add to the frypan, evenly spaced
   
3. Fry for 2 minutes and turn to cook the other side. One turn should do it. Even light brown colour is good
4. Serve immediately with salad and chilli jam or chill
5. Reheat in a frypan or carefully in a microwave

Notes

Use firm Greek Feta not the softer Danish variety
• Make sure the salted zucchini is squeezed well
• Use salt sparingly after this because the feta is salty

Within our community at our recent pre-Christmas lunch and dinner (where our volunteers served more than 190 persons), naturally we had bits and pieces leftover.  For my philosophy, when catering, is you don’t run out of food for your guests. If you have ever had an event catered for, you may agree that not all caterers follow that rule, with slim pickings for the last couple of tables, leaving guests unhappy. Having said that, you need to show a degree of restraint when both planning a menu and purchasing ingredients.

Christmas time brings the inevitable leftovers where food is concerned, even with careful planning. When we had extra fresh passionfruit donated by a resident – too many for Pavlova – I decided to turn them into a cheesecake. I already had cream, caster sugar, butter, gelatine and vanilla but I still needed to purchase some sweet biscuits and cream cheese.

Christmas pudding was featured in Newsletter # 30 – a traditional dessert for the festive season. Today we’ll have a look at a dessert that is not traditional but may fit the bill if you are looking for something a little different. It’s called Crepe san Rival.

This dessert has four components – the crepe, crème patissiere, summer berries and meringue.

The crepe recipe was featured in newsletter # 23, but I have included the recipe again. You may have already attempted the recipe and found that the cooked crepes freeze well, so you could use them for this recipe.

The Crème patissiere is a variation on the base custard used in the vanilla ice cream recipe from Newsletter # 32.

The strawberries can be marinated in the liqueur and 10g of the sugar a few hours before final preparation.

The meringue is a basic meringue mix, which you will have to do at the last minute, while the rest of the dessert can be pre-prepared.

Crepe san Rival

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Servings: 4 serves

Course: Dessert

Ingredients Equipment Method

Ingredients

  

Crepes:

• 2 eggs
• 1 cup milk
• ½ cup water
• ¼ tsp salt
• 1 cup plain flour
• 20 g melted butter cooled
• vegetable oil for cooking

Crème patissiere:

• 500 ml full cream milk
• 2 Tbs cornflour
• 4 egg yolks from large eggs. (retain egg whites)
• 1 tsp vanilla essence
• 75 g caster sugar

Meringue – 4-6 portions:

• 4 egg whites at room temperature
• ¼ tsp salt
• 1 cup caster sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla paste

Assembly for Crepe san Rival (4 portions):

• 350 - 400 g strawberries firm and ripe, hulled, even size pieces
• 50 ml Grand Marnier or Cointreau
• 30 g caster sugar
• 10 g unsalted butter
• 4 crepes
• 300 ml Crème patissiere
• meringue
• fresh raspberries
• icing sugar

Equipment

• I used oval shaped, oven able ramekins for this dessert.

Method

 

Method: crepes

1. Assemble your ingredients
2. Combine the flour and salt
3. In a separate bowl combine by whisking the eggs, milk and water
4. Whisk the flour mix in to the egg mix thoroughly to make a smooth batter
5. Finally mix in the melted butter
6. Ready

Cooking the Crepes:

1. A suitable sized crepe is around 15 cm diameter and should plate up nicely if you were rolling or folding the crepe. A flat non-stick pan with a minimum base diameter of 18cm should allow you to attain reasonable shape. A measured amount of batter is also important – around 50ml to 60ml. A one quarter cup measure would be suitable. Initially, after heating a little oil in your pan, tip off the excess oil. I use kitchen paper soaked in oil and rubbed over the hot pan for subsequent crepes. The pan should be hot enough to set the batter but also allow the batter to run as you tilt the pan.
2. Heat the oil in the pan
3. Tip off excess
4. Holding the pan by the handle pour in the batter a little off- centre
5. Tilt the pan around the full 360 degrees to attain a circular shape
6. Return to heat
7. Cook for 1 -2 minutes. Light golden colour is good
8. Turn with spatula and cook for a little less than a minute
9. The side now facing you is the presentation side
10. Turn the crepe out onto a plate
11. Ready

Method: cream patissiere

1. Assemble ingredients
   
2. In a small saucepan heat the milk until it is a ‘drinkable heat’. Do not boil.
   
3. Meanwhile, in a bowl, combine the egg yolks and cornflour
   
4. Whisk together
   
5. Add the hot milk to egg yolk mix and combine well. The mix should be hot enough to just cook any egg white
   
6. Into the milk saucepan or a clean one strain the milk mixture through a fine sieve and return to the heat. Discard any solids from the sieve
7. Add the sugar and vanilla to the milk mixture while stirring continuously. At this point I prefer using a silicon spatula
   
8. The mix will gradually thicken. Continue stirring
   
9. When the mix appears to just start boiling take the mix off the heat
10. Continue stirring the mix off the heat for one minute
11. Strain again if you wish or pour the mix into a clean bowl
12. Cover with plastic film and store in the refrigerator
    

Method: meringue

1. Assemble your ingredients
2. Firstly make sure your stand mixer and whisk attachment are both very clean and dry
3. On a low speed whisk the egg white for 1 minute before adding salt and increasing the speed of the mixer to medium speed for 1 more minute until ‘soft peaks’ start to form
4. Continue mixing and start adding the sugar, slowly, one tablespoon of sugar at a time, to ensure that the sugar dissolves
5. Increase the speed of the mixer to medium high and continue adding sugar
6. The meringue should adopt a glossy appearance with a smooth texture. The ‘soft peaks’ are now firmer
7. Check the texture by rubbing a little of the mix between your fingers – it should not be gritty

Method: assembly

1. Pre-heat your oven to 180c
2. Prepare your ramekins by lining them with a thin coating of butter and a dusting of caster sugar
   
3. Drain the strawberries (retaining the liquid)
   
4. Combine the marinated strawberries with the chilled Crème patissiere
   
5. Divide this mix between the four crepes
   
6. Roll the crepes and place in the ramekins
   
7. Place the ramekins in the oven for 5 minutes to heat
   
8. Meanwhile prepare the meringue, which takes around 5 minutes
9. When the crepes are warm remove the ramekins from the oven
10. Pour the reserved liquid over the crepes
    
11. Apply the meringue to the crepes with a pallet knife to cover the crepe
    
12. Finish with more meringue in a random way or by ‘piping’ it on
    
13. Return the crepes to the oven for 5 minutes until the meringue has browned
14. Serve on an under plate decorated with raspberries and dusted with icing sugar
    

Disregarding tomatoes, the banana is the most popular fruit in the world. In Australia, it slightly edges out apples in popularity, which surprised me, but when you think about the amount of apples that are juiced or further processed into sauces, pies and even cider perhaps it would be pretty close. Another surprise was finding out what fruit secured third place – its strawberries!

As a standalone fruit, the banana is nutritious, available year-round and easy to eat. It’s a perfect snack and a simple lunch box addition for children. Our children have left home some time ago, but we still purchase bananas two or three times per week.

The Australian banana industry is found across four states of Australia, with Queensland having the greatest area under cultivation. In New South Wales you will find bananas as far south as South West Rocks (almost) but, travelling north you will notice plantations from around the Valla Beach area. Once you reach Coffs Harbour you are well and truly in banana country.

I mentioned the frequency in which we purchase bananas – two- three times per week. Unlike some other fruits, bananas can ripen quickly – often within a couple of days and be ready to eat, but uneaten they will continue to ripen, and they might then be an acquired taste. Refrigeration will slow the process but is not recommended for even the medium term. When they start getting multiple spots and the bright yellow skin is a little dull, it’s time to think about reinventing that banana.

While there are a number of schools of thought regarding freezing, I peel the overripe banana and tightly wrap it in plastic wrap and freeze it. Once you have three or more in the freezer you have enough to use in a number of baked recipes and let’s not forget ‘smoothies’.

There are two recipes today – Banana Bread and secondly, Banana Muffins.

Banana Bread

People ask me what is the difference between banana bread and banana cake. In terms of ingredients both recipes can be almost the same, but banana bread should be a little denser and capable of being ‘toasted’ without breaking up as well as being shaped like a loaf of bread. I have never seen yeast used in any banana bread recipe.

Banana cake on the other hand is often ‘iced’ and cooked in round shape or as a slab.

Banana Muffins:

In England the two types of muffins are just called ‘muffins’. In the U.S.A they differentiate between the two by calling one type ‘English Muffins’ – the flat type that you toast and today’s recipe which can be likened to a cupcake.

The banana flavour is one of probably hundreds of possible flavours and combinations, in both sweet and savoury that can be attempted. The size of the muffin can also vary – from bite-size, suitable as ‘finger food’ through to jumbo sized appetite killers.

Muffins can be baked straight into a muffin pan or in a paper ‘patty pan’ supported by the muffin pan, which is my preferred method. There is less washing up and the patty pans are available in many different sizes, designs and colours.

Banana Muffins

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Servings: 12

Course: Cakes

Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients

  

• 180 g self raising flour
• 1 tsp baking powder extra
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• ½ tsp salt
• 1 pinch ground nutmeg
• 3 ripe bananas mashed
• 90 g caster sugar
• 40 g butter melted
• 50 g lightly packed brown sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Equipment

• For this recipe you need two mixing bowls and a mixing spoon or spatula
• Twelve medium size patty pans

Method

 

1. Preheat the oven to 175c
2. Assemble ingredients
   
3. Apply some non-stick spray to the inside of the patty pans.
   
4. In a bowl add your dry ingredients and combine well (flour, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt)
   
5. In your second bowl add the mashed bananas followed by the sugars, melted butter, egg and vanilla. Mix well
   
6. Gently fold in the dry ingredients. Avoid flour lumps but do not over mix.
   
7. Divide the batter evenly between the patty pans
   
8. Bake in your preheated oven for 20 – 30 minutes
9. Use a toothpick to check if the muffins are done – the time can vary depending on the oven.
10. Serve the muffins warm
    

Notes

For gluten free just replace the self raising flour with gluten free flour and three teaspoons of baking powder (all up)
Walnuts, pecans and blueberries are some of the many additions you can add to the finished batter

Anyone who has viewed the series of images of what a commercial ice cream looked like when it melted (and still retained some shape) must have wondered what the ingredients were. The truth is that while store-bought ice cream can be delicious many commercial ice creams have compromised the quality of the ingredients and added others to improve the salability of their product.

True, commercial ice cream manufacturing has for many years had to abide by strict standards applying to minimum percentages of certain ingredients in order to be labelled “Ice Cream”.

Today, true vanilla ice cream made at home has only five ingredients – cream, milk, egg yolks, white sugar and vanilla. It is effectively a ‘custard’ that has been frozen. But it wasn’t always the case.

Lost in antiquity are stories of desserts made with ice or the assistance of ice dating back to BCE. Fruit syrups and sweetened milk were added to shaved ice or snow.  People would store ice harvested in the colder months so they could use it in the summer.

While there is evidence of similar process’s used in Syria and India as early as the 1300’s, the effect of adding salt to ice (Endothermic process) was not documented until the 1800’s. This simple process along with the development of hand-cranked ice cream churns in the 1840 led to the widespread popularity of ice cream in both the USA and the United Kingdom. Later in the 1800’s the invention of machinery capable of commercial refrigeration and freezing revolutionised the handling of perishables throughout the world.

Naturally Australia followed suit and with increased migration from Europe after WW2, specialised shops and vendors of ice cream were popular businesses, even with wartime rationing still in place.

During this period my father and his brother were mobile ice cream vendors for Lynam’s Ice Cream in Sydney. Their “territory” encompassed all of Sydney north of the Harbour, from Penrith in the West to Palm Beach in the East. As I mentioned war time rationing meant that there were restrictions on some products and ice cream was one of them. They only had one flavour – vanilla. It was only available in “bricks” and from a brick they would have offered cut ice cream for wafers or scooped for cones. They would cut and scoop the ice cream until they ran out, which didn’t take long when you considered the number of migrant hostels on their run.

Lynam’s was eventually bought by Street’s Ice Cream and the brothers moved on to the potato chip industry.

I think that ice cream is still one of the best desserts available and the vanilla flavour is easily the most popular. Today’s recipe is simple, but at the very least you will need space in your freezer to complete the process. Alternatively, you may have an attachment for stand mixer which will assist. I have an “ice cream bowl” attachment on my Breville mixer, which operates on a similar principal to the endothermic process.

Vanilla Ice Cream

5 from 1 vote

Ingredients for approximately 1500ml of ice cream:

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Course: Dessert

Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients

  

• 600 ml thickened cream
• 300 ml full cream milk
• 6 egg yolks from 60g eggs
• 150 g white sugar
• 1 ½ tsp vanilla paste
• 1 tsp vanilla essence

Method

 

Day before:

1. Find room in your freezer for your ice cream attachment or alternatively 2500/3000ml stainless steel bowl

Method for the ‘custard’:

1. Assemble your ingredients
   
2. In your stand mixer combine the egg yolks, sugar and vanilla essence.
   
3. Whisk on medium speed for 10 minutes.
   
4. Meanwhile heat the cream and milk in a saucepan to below simmering point – Do not boil
   
5. When the egg mix is pale and fluffy, remove the beater and add the hot cream mix and stir in well by hand
   
6. Into the same saucepan or a clean one pass the egg and cream mix through a fine strainer – discard any solids from the sieve.
   
7. Return the egg and cream mix to the stove over medium heat. Add vanilla paste. Stir continuously until the mixture starts to thicken – about 10 minutes. Again do not boil.
   
8. Take the mix off the heat and continue stirring for another minute on a cold surface or in a bowl of ice
   
9. Cool to room temperature
10. Cover the mix and refrigerate
    
11. The freezing process regardless of the method you choose is a combination of freezing and aeration, at the same time

Method for freezing using a stainless steel bowl and whisk

1. Give the custard mix an extra chill in your freezer for 30 minutes until the edge of the custard starts to freeze.
2. Remove the custard from the freezer and whisk by hand to incorporate and breakdown any frozen custard. Return to freezer
3. Repeat this process every 30 minutes for 5 or 6 times until the mix is frozen

Method for freezing in your mixer attachment:

1. Give the custard mix an extra chill in your freezer for 30 minutes
   
2. Make sure the ice cream bowl is completely frozen
   
3. Following the instructions supplied (on the mixer attachment) it should take about 10 minutes to freeze.
4. Transfer the finished ice cream into a freeze stable sealed container
   

Notes

Straining the hot cream and egg mix will remove any little bits of cooked egg white

The mixing process breaks down the ‘larger’ ice crystals which removes the ‘crunch” texture

Experiment with your favourite additions folded through such as berries and sweet sauces.

Australia has had a long association with coffee dating back to the arrival of The First Fleet in 1778.  Australians had embraced this addictive beverage long before the arrival of international and domestic coffee chains. Indeed, individual cafes offering a quality cup have thrived in the face of strong competition from multiple franchises.

In short, Australians have raised the bar to new heights with a focus on brewing the perfect cup. Sourcing fresh beans, small batch roasting and specialised blends, not to mention our talented barista’s have made Australia world leaders when it comes to making coffee. Australia even has what many consider as Australia’s greatest culinary export – the flat white (which is what I always order).

But how did Australia’s love affair with coffee start and perhaps, more importantly why did it continue to grow? To answer to the first part of that question comes from an unusual source nearly 200 years ago.

The Temperance Movement that had begun in the United States in the early 1800’s had spread to the United Kingdom by the 1830’s.  The Temperance Movement’s mission was to provide food, beverage and lodgings in an alcohol-free environment. Their drink of choice was coffee, and they named their establishments Coffee Palaces.

These buildings were originally about the size of “the corner pub” but over time became larger and grander. In 1837 the Movement established itself in Australia.

On the back of the 1850’s gold rushes, Coffee Palaces expanded rapidly throughout Australia and became even larger and more elaborate. Three of Melbourne’s largest were the Melbourne Coffee Palace (1881), the Federal Coffee Palace (1888) and the Grand Coffee Palace (1884) which still exists today and is called the Windsor Hotel.

Not to be outdone, Sydney had the Grand Central Coffee Palace (1889) and the Sydney Coffee Palace (1880) next to the aptly named Temperance Lane. By the turn of the century Coffee Palaces were in decline and while some hung on with dwindling patronage others were re-purposed or just applied for a liquor license; most sites were eventually redeveloped.

But while Australians were the biggest tea drinkers in the world (per capita) well into the 20^th century, local and world events including domestic policy, the Russian Revolution and World War 2 saw an influx of migrants who brought with them a love of coffee.

Italians had featured prominently as economic migrants from the late 1800’s and migration spiked after World War 2 when the dispossessed of Europe were welcomed to Australia. Europeans were coffee drinkers, unlike the people of British background who were tea drinkers.

In 1954 the Pellegrini brothers, who had migrated from Italy, opened a cafe in Bourke Street, Melbourne and lay claim to Australia’s first real espresso coffee machine. In Sydney, in the fifties, the Italian population centred around Leichhardt, and this was the place to go for good coffee. Also in that decade the Vittoria Coffee company was established in Sydney.

Some years ago, coffee surpassed tea and became Australia’s most popular beverage and the domestic coffee industry is now valued at $6 billion per year.

The coffee industry continues to evolve by embracing new trends and offering unique blends and even encouraging consumers to prepare the perfect cup at home.

Repin’s Coffee Inns  

Source: Powerhouse Collection

Source: Pittwater online News

Ivan Repin was an educated man from the Novgorod region of Russia and was a qualified engineer. Following the 1917 revolution and a few years of working with the new regime, Ivan and his family fled the country. In 1925 they arrived in Sydney and Russia’s loss was Australia’s gain. For a few years Ivan tried a number of different types of employment.

Ivan had trained in Saint Petersburg, a city known for its sophistication and good coffee and he was disappointed that the local brew was not only of poor quality, but it was often included free of charge with a meal.

Ivan found his niche when he opened the families’ first Coffee Inn in King Street, Sydney in 1930. Not only did Repin’s survive The Great Depression, but he apparently thrived with multiple Coffee Inns in the city within a few years.

His formula sounds familiar with distinctive and unique coffee blends, on the premises roasting and take-home coffee beans so you could make your own. Yes, this was 1930.

The good coffee was served by smartly uniformed staff, who were often European and naturally good fresh food was on offer as well. The CBD Inns were famous for their sandwiches and daily specials. Note the triple-decker toasted sandwich featured on the menu.

The family continued operating the Coffee Inns after Ivan’s death in 1949 and moved from strength to strength, embracing espresso machines in the 1950’s and opening the pioneering Moka Coffee Lounge at 68 Darlinghurst road in King’s Cross, which was only 100 metres away from where I would work 20 years later.

By the time Harris Coffee acquired Repin’s in the mid 1970’s the Repin family had moved on, but Repin’s Coffee Inns still maintains a special place in the hearts of many older Australians.

I have a vague memory of visiting Repin’s George Street cafe in the early 1960’s; I think I was with my Mum and I probably had a milkshake, but definitely not coffee.

Today I have two recipes. Firstly the Italian classic, Tiramisu, a creamy dessert flavoured with espresso. This is followed by a Club Sandwich, in honour of Ivan’s toasted triple-decker.

Tiramisu

This popular dessert is relatively new on the culinary scene and is credited by the European Union as originating in a restaurant a little north of Venice in Italy – “Alle Beccherie”.  Many variations have since appeared, using various flavourings and use the name “Tiramisu” but since protective status was achieved, true Tiramisu can only be prepared with certain ingredients – sponge finger biscuits, espresso coffee, egg yolks, vanilla, sugar, mascarpone, and cocoa powder. Marsala or a coffee liqueur is optional while whipped egg whites can be added for a lighter mixture. Whipped cream is a definite no-no.

Tiramisu

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Servings: 10

Course: Dessert

Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients

  

• 4 eggs separated
• 110 g sugar
• ½ tsp vanilla essence
• 250 g mascarpone
• 320 ml black coffee cold (espresso or instant)
• 30 ml cognac
• 200 g lady finger biscuits
• 80 g grated chocolate milk or dark, optional
• 1 tbsp cocoa powder

Equipment

• You’ll need your electric mixer plus a serving dish to hold approximately 24 sponge finger biscuits in two or three layers.

Method

 

1. Assemble your ingredients
   
2. Whisk the egg yolks, vanilla and sugar on medium speed for 8 or more minutes until the mix is a creamy pale yellow
   
3. Add Mascarpone and mix until combined
   
4. In a new clean bowl whisk the egg whites to a little more than “soft peaks”
5. Gently fold the mascarpone mix into the whipped egg whites
   
6. Add the cognac to the black coffee

Assembly:

1. Quickly dunk the individual biscuits in the coffee mix (less than 2 seconds)
2. Arrange the biscuits as a first layer in the serving dish
   
3. Cover with the Mascarpone mix – ½ for two layers or ⅓ for three layers
   
4. Add another layer of dipped biscuits and Mascarpone mix
   
5. Sprinkle some grated chocolate on this layer of Mascarpone if you wish
6. Repeat if you are doing three layers
7. Finish with remaining Mascarpone mix
8. Smooth the top
9. Cover and refrigerate overnight
10. To serve dust the surface with cocoa powder
    

Notes

I chose a dish that held 3 layers.

If you are unsure of how many biscuits will fit your dish, do a trial run with just the un-soaked biscuits

Ensure the bowl you whisk the egg whites in is absolutely clean and dry

The dessert will set to a degree, but still be creamy

The Club Sandwich

Too often, it is hard to trace the definitive origin of a particular dish or recipe. At best we generally have a rough timeline and multiple claimants to some famous culinary invention.

The Club Sandwich, is basically a toasted sandwich but nevertheless has a well earned place in history with two “Clubs” laying claim to the sandwiches invention – The Union Club of New York City and the Saratoga Club in upstate New York. From its appearance in the late 1900’s it gained in popularity to become a favourite in the U.S.A, The United Kingdom and Australia

In Australia, Repin embraced this American offering after WW2 – a time when Sydney’s culinary scene was changing. While American influence to the food industry continues to this day, particularly in the fast-food industry, the local coffee scene remains uniquely Australian.

The Club Sandwich

The important thing with building a successful Club Sandwich is choosing the best ingredients The tomato should be firm and full flavoured – heirloom tomatoes are perfect An even thickness slice of chicken breast, around 7mm is best Lettuce should be crisp Rind less smoky bacon Quality mayonnaise – homemade or store purchased (I like Kewpie brand) Sliced bread about 15mm thick (traditionally white bread) Salt and pepper Assembly is also important. The tomato is best placed with the bacon and don’t forget a little sprinkle of salt and cracked pepper on the tomato. Chicken and lettuce go on the second layer. Mayonnaise is spread on both layers.

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Course: Main Course

Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients

  

Recipe for one sandwich:

• vegetable oil
• 60 g streaky bacon
• 150 g chicken breast skinless, 7mm thick slice
• 1 heirloom tomato washed and sliced
• cos lettuce leaf washed. Thickest part of core removed
• mayonnaise
• 3 slices white bread
• butter for toast optional
• long toothpicks or skewers
• salt and pepper

Equipment

• You’ll need a frypan and naturally a toaster for this recipe.

Method

 

1. Assemble ingredients
   
2. Heat your frypan with a little oil
3. Add bacon and cook on medium heat for 1 minute before turning
4. Season your chicken and add to the same pan. Cook for 2 minutes before turning
   
5. Meanwhile start the toast. Underdone is OK
6. Finish cooking the chicken and bacon – 4-5 minutes.
   
7. Finish toast
8. Line toast up on a clean cutting board – butter and add mayonnaise
   
9. Assemble as illustrated
   
10. 
11. Secure the sandwich with toothpicks
    
12. Cut the sandwich across the diagonals
    
13. Arrange each quarter on your serving plate while carefully pushing the skewers all the way through
    
14. Serve

Notes

Heirloom tomatoes while more expensive, have superior flavour, do not fall apart when sliced and offer better “coverage” on your sandwich.
An even thickness of chicken will ensure even cooking

With so many alternatives for Christmas desserts in Australia, the traditional Christmas pudding has less appeal than it used to, with probably sticky date pudding edging its rival out in terms of popularity.

There are possibly a number of reasons for this including the fact that sticky date is cheaper and easier to prepare. I think that consuming any hot dessert on a steamy Australian Christmas day can be a little daunting and Christmas pudding is somewhat heavier than sticky date.

Nevertheless, Christmas pudding will normally appear at Christmas time in most households with the leftovers being consumed well into January, because of the puddings keeping qualities.

The origin of the Christmas pudding probably predates by a few hundred years the earliest written references of this festive dessert and before the mid eighteen hundreds it was referred to as “plum pudding” even though it didn’t have plums as an ingredient. Earlier still, similar dishes had French names. What started out as a savoury dish on feast days, for the people who could afford it, gradually changed to the sweet dessert served at Christmas time.

By the 19^th Century Christmas pudding was featured in British recipe books and was promoted throughout the British Empire including Canada, New Zealand, South Africa and Australia.

While the religious significance of the pudding’s origins has dimmed, certain traditions have remained including the addition of coins into the uncooked pudding mix and flaming the pudding with brandy when it is served. Some families still make sure that each family member has a stir of the pudding mix before cooking.

My recipe is highly regarded by friends and family; before I retired our business produced over 2000 one kilogram puddings every Christmas for select clientele. By industry standards, that was a relatively small amount compared to the massive volume produced by specialist bakers.

A good variety of dried fruit, fresh apple, ginger and fruit juices are balanced with dark beer and traditional spices are the hallmarks of my pudding.

You could divide the recipe up into three separate stages of preparation:

• Marinating the fruit for at least two days
• Preparing the dry ingredients
• Mixing the pudding

Apart from a number of mixing bowls, you will require a pudding ‘basin’ which could be metal, glass or ceramic. I used ceramic pasta bowls with a volume of around 1000ml. You will also need a lidded saucepan which your basin can fit in.

Christmas pudding

Recipe for 3kg of Christmas pudding:

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Course: Dessert

Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients

  

• 50 g pitted prunes chopped
• 150 g pitted dates chopped
• 1000 g dried mixed fruit with cherries
• 2 g orange rind
• 2 g lemon rind
• 150 g granny smith apple peeled, cored, small dice. 100g net.
• 30 g fresh root ginger peeled, finely chopped. 20g net.
• 100 ml old beer Tooheys Old
• 30 ml dry sherry
• 15 ml dark rum
• 15 ml brandy
• 100 ml orange Juice
• 100 ml lemon juice

Dry ingredients

• 200 g cake flour plain flour
• 4 g mixed spice
• 2 g ground nutmeg
• 300 g fresh breadcrumbs white and wholemeal
• 20 g ground almonds

Other

• 300 g unsalted butter softened
• 250 g brown sugar
• 200 g eggs 4 eggs at room temperature

Equipment

• Apart from a number of mixing bowls, you will require a pudding ‘basin’ which could be metal, glass or ceramic. I used ceramic pasta bowls with a volume of around 1000ml. You will also need a lidded saucepan which your basin can fit in.

Method

 

1. Assemble ingredients
   
2. In a suitable sized mixing bowl place all the fruits, ginger, alcohol and juice (the first thirteen ingredients) and mix well. Ensure the ingredients are well distributed
   
3. Seal the bowl with cling wrap and refrigerate for two days, or longer
4. Prepare your breadcrumbs in a food processor (one or two days before and store in your fridge in an airtight container)
5. On the day of cooking mix the other four dry ingredients with the breadcrumbs
   
6. Remove the marinated fruit from the refrigerator
7. In your electric mixer, cream the butter and brown sugar on a medium speed for two minutes
   
8. Continuing to mix adding the eggs, one at a time
9. Add the marinated fruit and any syrupy marinade to the butter mix and combine well, but do not over mix
   
10. On low speed incorporate the dry ingredients. Again, mix well but do not over mix
    
11. Ready
    

Steaming

1. Grease your pudding basin with butter or alternatively some non-stick spray
   
2. Form enough pudding mix into a ball and then into the basin (say 1000g for a 1000ml bowl)
   
3. Gently press down the mix until it is level with the rim of the basin, or a little higher
   
4. Seal the bowl with cling film
   
5. overwrap the bowl completely
   
6. In your saucepan place a saucer in the bottom and then the covered pudding on top
   
7. Place enough water in the saucepan to just reach the pudding basin
8. Lid the saucepan and bring water to the boil
   
9. Adjust heat to maintain a slow boil
10. Steam the pudding for two hours, replenishing the water as needed with boiling water out of your kettle. Do not let the saucepan boil dry
11. After two hours carefully remove the pudding basin from the heat; discard the water
12. The cooked pudding would have will visibly risen a little, before settling back
    
13. Let the pudding sit for twenty minutes before turning it out
14. Serve immediately or wrap in cling film while still warm
    

Notes

I have a preference for preparing the pudding in November and storing it nicely wrapped in the fridge.

To re-heat I suggest to firstly unwrap the pudding, place it on a plate and loosely cover with fresh cling film before re-heating in the microwave.

Best served with vanilla or brandy anglaise.