Writer, Eater
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.
Short and sweet: it seems Adriano Zumbo will be a Melbourne fixture
The Age newspaper this morning mentioned in it's local gossip column that Sydney pâtissier and Masterchef regular Adriano Zumbo is on his way to having a presence in Melbourne. I wonder if that explains his increasingly frequent visits!
Could this mean tastier times to come in Melbourne?
Macarons at Liaison café
For those of you who like my macarons, click here to read more about what's happening at Liaison café in Melbourne.
Hoarding food novelties from my travels
The lure of supermarkets and convenience stores is irresistible when I travel. The novelty of different packaging, mysterious powders, new chocolate brands (mostly disappointing), and the cornucopia of snackfoods can keep me entranced for ages. Collected novelties travel home with me and then, embarrassingly, lie neglected on a shelf for much too long. See my collection and perhaps tell me about yours…
Breakfast time and pancake temptation
For the most part, I'm not the kind to dally over, under or prior to breakfast. Once upon a time, I could barely manage the few minutes of showering before my stomach felt like it was devouring me. Breakfast easily becomes a torture of digestive impatience and longing for tasty treats, and after quite a few years of travelling, I can now manage almost 45 minutes without food before my stomach starts gnawing… luckily, 45 minutes is just right for making puffy pancakes (pikelets, etc).
TASTY PRESERVES
Vanilla slices – glorious, perhaps mundane, quite mysterious
The vanilla slice is one of those standard, humble Australian bakery items that qualifies as "good old" for its longevity and as "humble" because of its modest level of finesse. But there are mysteries in all this (and questions for readers...
Read more Tue 30 Aug, 2011Canberra: not a foodie's paradise, but a surprise or two nonetheless
I once lived in Canberra. In the late 80s it was shockingly quiet. For a city overrun with public servants, diplomats and the entourages of politicians, it offered relatively little in the way of...
Read more Thu 06 Dec, 2007Where there's smoke there's crème brûlée
In this tale of Family Circle, crème brûlées and billowing smoke, learn how my Parisian correspondent worked through his custardy obsession to deliver a how-to guide to burnt sugar custard for Syrup & Tang's readers.
Read more Thu 01 Jul, 2010London 2007
It's three years since I was last in Britain and I was curious to see what might have changed in the food scene. It wasn't hard to miss the popularity of gastropubs, the growth of decent...
Read more Fri 24 Aug, 2007Of ovens and baking (and macarons)
On the occasion of Jour du Macaron 2010 (I'm a few hours late) and the approximate occasion of Syrup & Tang's third birthday, I have decided to write about ovens, rather than presenting more pretty domes of deliciousness. Why ovens? Because a lack of understanding of how ovens work is one of...
Read more Sun 21 Mar, 2010
