Writer, Eater
So here I am with a new (but old) kitchen which includes a mid-2000s dishwasher. Except for a short period ten years ago, I've never lived with a dishwasher and harbour some suspicion of them. How does one best enjoy a dishwasher?
Duncan
Do you queue for food?
Holidaying in San Francisco recently, it struck me how often the discourse about obtaining or finding good food is about how long you might have to wait to be served (or seated). We watched people queue for ages for ice cream, bread, tacos, fried rice and more. For me, it was the opposite of what enjoying food should be about.
Keeping your knives sharp
One of my greatest fears when someone asks me to cook with them is the prospect of blunt knives in their kitchen. I hate being asked to finely slice an onion or trim a piece of meat with a large dull-edged kitchen knife. Ugh. I believe I've once successfully nagged a friend into getting some decently sharp knives.
OMG I can still make macarons!
Ten months after I last donned my patissier gear and squeezed out a few hundred macarons, I returned to the piping bags for a brief baking blitz. My back hurt for two weeks. So then I made a cake instead.
Pierre Hermé's book on macarons is now in English
The most impressive book on macarons is now in English! Pierre Hermé's 2008 French book "Macaron" is out this month in English.
TASTY PRESERVES
Of lamb shanks, polenta, pears and luscious vanilla…
Not too long ago, someone asked me 'so do you cook?'. At the time, I was standing over an oven full of macarons and a small bowl of chocolate ganache. I was a little confused by the question. I submit, herewith, some slight evidence of other cookery...
Read more Sat 25 Oct, 2008Favourite dishes you don't serve to guests
Although most of the food I cook is quite definitely suitable for guests, there are one or two dishes which fall into a sort of 'private comfort' zone. People I've lived with have eaten them by force of commune, but I don't feel comfortable sharing these dishes with guests. I reveal one here and ask you to do the same...
Read more Mon 17 Nov, 2008Travel 2008 — Sevilla (Spain)
A real city at last. Seville throbs with life. As the days have passed, I've felt the city-dweller in me yearning for a little more buzz than even Granada had managed to provide. The city is lush with enormous, blooming jacarandas. Beautiful violet blossom seems to light up the streetscape....
Read more Sun 01 Jun, 2008Searingly sour citrus tart
Ouch! The lemon tart that took my breath away. Delicious, in that I-want-more-but-it-scares-me kind of way.
Read more Tue 08 May, 2007Easter goes creme-free, heathen and beany-filled
A gorgeous Easter in Melbourne came and went, leaving us full of bready and chocolatey goodness. For me, this Easter brought memories of childhood eggy joy and contemporary disappointment, alongside my special Hot Heathen Buns.
Read more Fri 06 May, 2011
