What do you think dogs eat in heaven?

I am so not alone in feeling the way I do today, I know that. See last night we had the difficult job of putting our darling, precious dog of 15 years to sleep, forever. We loved her so. Oh how sad I feel today. I didn’t want to get out of bed because she wasn’t outside my door this morning. The house is so quiet without the pitter patter of her feet.

Dear Macie was such a wonderful part of our family and believe me she had been through worse than being put to sleep! She had her leg amputated many years ago when being naughty whilst my mum was at work. She tried to jump a fence and got her leg caught. My mum came home to find her barely alive. The operation was going to cost a fortune, so much more than my parents could ever afford. The Farmer next door offered a bullet for free but how could we? She was part of our family…. Not just a dog, my sister and my parents daughter. Although it be a very hairy, rather smelly kind of small one. Never the less she had her leg off and recovered so quickly it was as if she had four.

So my question to you out there whom have a four legged (or three maybe) friend, what do you suppose they eat in heaven? What do they spend their days doing up there in the great big free to sniff unlimited animals butts heaven?

 

I have woken from my whisky coma. Where am I?

What? I am not in my giant crisp white sheet bed at the Intercontinental Hotel in Adelaide, submerged in Tasting Australia magnificent madness? Oh, bummer. Can I go back to sleep then please? Alright fine, life must go on but for those of you whom missed Tasting Australia this year. Your livers will thank you. Your stomach and palette may not be so forgiving as this is what you missed….

Opening night, OZ Harvest fundraiser @ The Intercontinental Hotel, Adelaide. Dirty Girl Kitchen produced the event (we are so proud to be working with such an inspirational and amazing charity) and designed the menu with Head Chef, Tony Hart. Love that Tony took all of my crazy ideas for the Hearts of Harvest feast and turned them into delectable sharing plates, using the best South Australian produce. The evening was a fabulous showcase of our phenomenal produce and served on big communal tables that made it feel like a big dinner party. Dishes like pumpkin carpaccio with chestnut puree, mutton tagine and oxtail stew made for a tasty Autumn treat. A huge thanks to Honey Lady, Hughsli, Bush Tucker and The Semaphore Pantry whom came and gave our guests private tastings and to all of the Producers from the Adelaide Showground Farmers Markets whom donated produce for our raffle prizes.

From opening night in which we raised over $16,000 for OZ Harvest to a week of amazing Tasting Australia events. Friday was my birthday and what better way to celebrate than to, well Eat some more. Lunch with my dear girlfriends at the delectable Tin Cat Cafe and dinner for Tasting Australia @ Penny’s Hill in Mclaren Vale for Two’s Company with Justin North and the first birthday with my family in ten years as I was always overseas during that time. It was wonderful to celebrate with them and so great to be in OZ in Autumn. This is what we ate. Then drank Whisky. Lots of Whisky.

Another day, another lunch. Or two if your lunch date is food writer extraordinaire Simon Thomsen, who insisted on lunch at Press* then DOM then Georges. I objected. Once. Under my breath.

Then there was more whiskey….

Thanks Simon. For the lunch(es). For the Whisky. NOT for the hangover(s).

Followed by Dinner at Bridgewater Mill (then more Whisky)

Then it was off to Tasmania for Agfest with AGA. I spent the following couple of days in the crisp Autumn air with my body firmly placed next to the Rayburn and AGA cooking for hungry Aggies. It was wonderful. I was able to cook all the kind of seasonal, nostalgic goodness that we swear by at Dirty Girl Kitchen such as….

Then I found more Whisky.

Coma continues…..

In honour of our elders, our soldiers & their familes…Make some Anzac Biscuits and remember them….

Today is one of those days in which I hope all have time to reflect on the past and pay tribute to our fallen ones and those they left behind. So why not bake some Anzac biscuits and go share them with your family, your neighbours or if you live near a nursing home or aged care centre, I bet there are many living there whom would love nothing more than to share their stories of past with you over a cuppa and a biscuit! If not today, make time for them soon. They hold our future, in their past through their stories, knowledge, skills and traditions.

Dirty Girl Kitchen Anzac Bikkies

Ingredients

1 1/4 cups plain flour, sifted

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 cup apricots, chopped

1 cup rolled oats/spelt oats have lower GI

3/4 cup desiccated coconut

1/4 cup castor sugar

1 tablespoon golden syrup or treacle

1 tablespoon honey

150g chopped unsalted butter

1/2 teaspoon bicarb soda

How to do

Preheat oven to 170°C. Place the flour, cinnamon, oats, sugar, apricots and coconut in a large bowl and stir to combine. In a small saucepan place the golden syrup and butter and stir over low heat until the butter has fully melted. Remove from heat and mix the bicarb soda with 1 1/2 tablespoons water and add to the golden syrup/honey mixture. Pour into the dry ingredients and mix together until fully combined.

Roll tablespoonfuls of mixture into balls and place on baking trays lined with non stick baking paper, pressing down on the tops to flatten slightly. Bake for 12 minutes or until golden brown. These biscuits can also be crumbled up onto yoghurt or added to apple crumble.

 

Game Renaissance. All were game…

Well I think I can officially announce our first pop-up restaurant ‘Game Renaissance,’ a delectable delight! The setting was fabulous at The Little Veggie Patch Co. In St Kilda, Melbourne, amongst the nursery that Fabian & Mat have done such a spectacular job of making an inviting, beautiful space to shop in and so it has now been proven, eat in too. We had two consecutive nights of eating and drinking (the guests drank our two night booze allocation mid-way through night one), but I don’t blame them as the Ladies Who Shoot Their Lunch Shiraz, Are You Game Pinot Noir and Stone Dwellers Sparkling was a perfect match to our Game feast.

Matt Fowles, of Fowles wines, not only matched our food to some pretty darn great wine, he did a LIVE rabbit skinning for our guests mid-meal as to showcase our mission to connect people with their food. When they got back to their tables apres rabbit skinning and meat tray competition, they had some potted rabbit on their tables. Who out there agrees of the importance in seeing their ‘food’ in that form. Quite literally from flesh to fork??

 

 

We loved that some of our guests came in costume. They donned their tweed, fur and fascinations and looked bloody brilliant! A huge thank you to our wonderful Melbourne Dirty Girls, Steph A, Steph C and Maddie whom ran plates like rabbits in head lights from our Community Hall kitchen out to our guests nestled amongst the pot plants eating by candle light under the clear Melbourne sky to our very own Oxford import Lyndsey & Lex whom looked the hunt part and kept everyone’s glasses half full.

Alex and Amos, the coolest dishies in the world. Amos did peel nearly 150 quails eggs with his very own hands. Thank you to mother nature whom did not rain on our parade. Thanks to the incredibly talented Michael Weldon and Marsha Busse our chefs who truly put on a feast fit for hunting Kings & Queens. Charley & Matt @ Fowles wines for partnering up with our first of many Game Renaissance events & last but certainly not least, Fabian @ The Little Veggie Patch Co. for being the most gracious, patient and hugely adaptable, creative host I have ever met.

 

 

 

To all of our guests, wear you Game Renaissance badges proudly and spread word that Game Renaissance is sprawling and that its message is one of being a co-producer with our food. One of respect, heritage, tradition, skill and protection. Not to be scared of, to be embraced and accessible to all. That without our land, our stories, our farmers, connection to the entire food chain and local food systems, our giant circle of food’s life we are but a mere factory.

What we ate….

Amuse Bouche, served with Stone Dwellers Sparkling

Salt & Pepper Quail, Pigeon Cigars, Scotch Quails Eggs & Roasted Chestnuts (not by the open fire but by the open Webber).

Entrée, served with Are You Game? Pinot Noir

Pan-fried Pigeon breast on pearl barley risotto with deep-fried Brussel sprouts and Rosella petals.

Main, served with Ladies Who Shoot Their Lunch Shiraz

Slow roasted goat with roasted beetroot, smoked goats curd and burnt sage butter, wilted greens and roast spiced carrots.

Desert

Marsha’s saucy Chocolate pudding with a spiced caramel centre, poached quinces and vanilla bean ice-cream.

Petit Fours

Rosemary & Olive Oil Truffles, Port or Brandy, Rosella Tea or Nespresso Grand Cru coffee.

Oh and thank you to the random pigeon….

NEVER again Chestnut Jam….

There is a reason few recipes exist for chestnut jam. Those are because it is, (in my opinion), the single most boring, tedious, time-consuming, brain numbing and at times painful process to make only THREE, yes three jars of jam.

I know, I know in some parts of the world, namely my favourite – France and Italy, Chestnut jam is placed on a pedestal and is somewhat of a Royal Show prize equivalent to our Marmalade or Victoria Sponge. Incredibly sought after and highly competitive amongst the jam winning show circles and me a prize-winning jam tri-hard.

It was my first time making chestnut jam and I did it to try to suppress some nostalgia I am having for the ‘other’ side of the world having left the UK six months ago now after a decade Overseas. I figured if I could bring some of those things to my own kitchen here from France, then maybe, just maybe I wont need it. Hmmmm, that’s a whole other story for another time, but let me tell you all it did today, was promote a child free kitchen (because of the swearing) and a need for me to soak my poor wounded fingers, because peeling chestnuts quite frankly sux. So ‘here here’ all you Frenchies that make Chestnut jam or chestnut anything so willingly. Hats off to you! or Berets off. For me however, I will stock up the suitcase of Bonne Maman Chestnut delights in July instead and in the meantime sit in dark corners away from anyone else when consuming my measly three jars as if they were rations and enjoy every last bit as they turned out to be bloody well delicious. Still not sure they are worth the time I put in or the cash to buy them, but I will tell you tomorrow morning when I eat it on toast, whether or not it turns out to be one of those painful nights mothers say you just forget when you cuddle your baby for the first time….

If you at home have some French in you, go ahead and give my experimental recipe a go. If you are patient, you will LOVE the finished result. If you are not, I suggest you go to France.

Chestnut & Brandy Jam

(it is kind of like an apple butter in consistency and makes between three to six jars depending on when you give up peeling the chestnuts)

2kg of chestnuts (to be left with 1.5kg)

900 gm sugar

2 teaspoons of good quality vanilla essence

zest from 2 lemons

200ml water

100-200 ml brandy (go the latter for a boozy flavour)

How to do

Shell the chestnuts (with a smile) whilst you whistle carefully as to not split the other skin inside that you so luckily get to peel off later.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Put them in a saucepan with the lemon zest and cover with water.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Bring to the boil and simmer for about 50 minutes until they go soft enough to peel, again. Remove them from the water in small batches and peel the inner skins, they need to be warm to do this so do it in stages. Chuck away any hard or darker ones.

Push the soft fruit through a sieve and set aside. It will look very soft and light like this:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In a new saucepan dissolve the sugar and water slowly over a low heat. When dissolved add the vanilla and chestnut. Bring to a simmer and simmer for about 20 minutes, remembering to stir every so often to not burn. Add the Brandy and simmer for a further ten minutes, this time stirring constantly.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ladle into your sterilised jars and then next year go to France instead.

Its a Macaron NOT a Macaroon you Moron (not to be mistaken with Maroon).

This is not an I am better than you because I know the difference rant. I too nearly once made the fatal mistake of calling it a macaroon as opposed to a macaron. I say nearly, as for that very day I was at Pierre Herme’s opening of his macaron shop in London. It was a day of pure stuff your face with free sweet things delight and one I have never been able to re-enact as Pierre is the macaron God, sent from heaven to bring pleasure and somewhat questionable sounds from ones mouths.

I felt the French shudder from across the globe tonight when hearing it called a macaroon on My Kitchen Rules, not once, not twice but three times. It was not their thick Australian accents, it was slander. Pierre would be waving his hands in disgust and swearing (ever so sweetly) in his French accent and undoubtedly as would the Scottish too in protection of their deserved macaroon. This is why we protect food heritage and why Feta is Feta and Champagne is Champagne. I can see the Scots Vs the French in a biscuit like war, Braveheart style over their macaroons Vs macarons (really wish I could draw the images in my head right now). I am not a macaron nor a macaroon expert. I would love in actual fact to learn more about the origins of both (please let me know if you know more).  I am simply pointing out my irritation of the misuse of a word that differs by one letter, but that one letter changes history. For those of you even remotely interested in the origins of the two read on for what I have found thus far. For those that really couldn’t give a rat’s macaron and think I should eat my words, fine too, but Granny skills are granny skills because they have a story, an origin, a heritage and if we don’t protect them they are simply nought. Just words with no meaning, just like a macaroon.

MACAROON (ma.ka.rooooon)

The Scottish macaroon is a sweet confection with a thick velvety centre covered in chocolate and topped with roasted coconut. Traditionally they were made with cold leftovers of mashed potatoes and sugar-loaf. When the macaroon bar became commercial the recipe no longer used mashed potato because of shelf life limitations. The modern macaroon is made from a combination (depending on producer) of: Sugar, Glucose, Water and Egg White. Mostly yummy, unless made by me, like these ones.

 

 

 

MACARON (ma.ka.ro) don’t for get the French accent

There are a few stories around its origin to which I am not going to delve into now, I am sure someone more researched than I can point it out but the simplest explanation is:
1 part cookie/biscuit (ground almonds + egg white + sugar) +
1 part filling (buttercream, ganache, jam whatever you like) +
1 part cookie/biscuit (ground almonds + egg white + sugar)

= god like perfection if made by Pierre Herme. My favourite (for the record if any macaron makers wish to prove to me that Pierre is in actual fact inferior to them), is rose cream

The time is now for a Game Renaissance, join us at our pop-up meaty revolution

Discover your inner hunter gatherer and learn a few ‘Granny’ skills while you’re at it – Are you game?

Food heritage advocate and caterer Dirty Girl Kitchen and award winning winery Fowles Wine have teamed up to deliver a ‘Game Renaissance’ with a series of pop events in Melbourne, Sydney and Adelaide.

The aim of ‘Game Renaissance’ is to introduce more people to the gastronomic delights of wild meat, nose to tail eating and the importance of safe guarding culinary ‘Granny’ skills that ensure we eat well and sustainably now and in the future as well as the true art of butchery.

With events scheduled so far for April in Adelaide, Sydney in May and 19 and 20 April in Melbourne, ‘Game Renaissance’ will be brought to life by a fine pedigree of creative stylists and chefs!

White and Wander event stylist Emma Clements will set the scene, with the highly acclaimed Marsha Buse (formerly of UK based three Michelin Starred restaurant The Fat Duck) of Melbourne hot spot Cutler & Co, The Kitchen Gardener Michael Weldon (Masterchef runner up 2011) and Dirty Girl Kitchen’s own Yasmin Whitehead serving up first class fare.

On arrival guests will enjoy a selection of gamey canapés served with STONE DWELLERS Sparkling Chardonnay Pinot Noir. Guests will then enjoy a three course game feast with matching Ladies who Shoot their Lunch wines followed by Dirty Girl Kitchen’s infamous truffles and local cheese.

Rebecca Sullivan, Founder of Dirty Girl Kitchen (aka Granny Skills Extraordinaire) said: “These events are not for the faint hearted! We’ll be serving up generous portions of hearty game meat with made to match wines, running butchery demonstrations and well as showing how good old fashioned ‘Granny’ skills, such as meat curing, pickling and chutney making, can help us save money and reduce our environmental footprints”

While our food provenance message is serious we want our guests to relax and embrace, in costume(!), the old-world feel and fun that these events offer. Think ‘To the Manor Born’ or ‘Downton Abbey’ for costume inspiration; old school tweeds and hunting pink coats are most welcome!”

The venues for ‘Game Renaissance’ will be announced closer to event dates! Stay tuned for the release of further information about these exclusive events on both the Dirty Girl Kitchen and the Ladies who Shoot their Lunch Facebook pages. We look forward to seeing you there!!

Tickets cost $120 and include all food & wine + a darned good meaty, theatrical time (not for the faint hearted, there may be blood & stuff made into tasty, edible tit-bits)

For information and bookings please email:

Rebecca@dirtygirlkitchen.com

• Fowles Wine are the award winning winery behind Ladies who Shoot their Lunch wines – the world’s first to be blended specifically to match wild game meat. Ladies who Shoot their Lunch has been developed by Matt Fowles, a passionate hunter and an avid food and wine man. In 2010 Fowles Wine won the VISY Great Australian Shiraz Challenge Trophy with their Ladies who Shoot their Lunch 2008 Shiraz – the first Victorian winery to do so in the history of the competition.

www.fowleswine.com