Taste of Auckland ... the results

By TP Big Bro

After experiencing the wonders of the Taste of Melbourne, I was excited to once again dig into the culinary goldmine and be dazzled by the gastronomic magic at the Taste of Auckland festival. As someone who is trying to conquer Auckland's Top 50 restaurants, to have the heavy hitters of the local culinary scene concentrated together was a victory in itself. It evoked the feeling of productivity, similar to when Sunday night whizzes by but I've caught up with my mates, hit the town, gone to the gym, done the washing, the errands, the shopping, everything on the to-do list.

Having learnt to dismiss the "go late to miss the crowds and get free stuff" theory after it backfired at Taste of Melbourne, I hit the Sunday 11-4pm session at around 1:30pm. That way, it wouldn't be peak feeding, but there should be enough food to last the day. The theory worked, but to be honest, it was probably more of a "it fitted best in my day" convenience rather than a stress-tested Sun Tzu military strategy.

Unfortunately, after avoiding the first pitfall, I fell for the other trap. Hook, line and sinker. The bank account was shaking it's skinny head, but the full, fat and over-fed belly was having a good ole time. Unlike the Melbourne ticketing currency, the Auckland crowns were like thin poker chips that came in small see-through money bags, and with the Sky City casino standing tall in the backdrop, I quickly got the torn feeling of excitement mixed with knowing I was about to burn some serious cash. After some internal rationalisation and the silent chanting of "it's been a hard year" (that old chestnut!), I have effectively given myself a license to splurge. So with the sun unexpectantly shining, the live music lifting the energetic ambience, I slowly lost myself in the smokiness and smells of the foodie wonderland ...

Similar to Melbourne, I managed to taste 8 dishes in total (6 mains, 1 dessert, and I was so full but still had crowns left that I spent it on a cocktail). So counting down from lowest to highest, here were my findings.

8. Saffron gin cocktail (Cocktail exhibitor)
This was an outstanding cocktail (it would be a top 3 or 4 contender), but as it is a drink I am excluding it. Also, it was at the end of the day, and I couldn't remember what was in it, and didn't take a photo. I actually wanted to spend my last crowns on the Clooney's Lemon & Elderflower Tart, but I was so bursting-at-the-seams full, that I couldn't walk straight let alone eat any more. The tartiness and zing of the lemon would have pressed an eject button in my stomach. I have been foolish in the past, but today I was in control and disciplined. Instead of more dessert, I was intrigued by a cocktail stand, and decided to try their Saffron gin. It was the cool refreshing hit I needed. There was some cherry liquer, but I can't find it listed in the guide.

7. South Island Salmon, smoked scallop, iced fennel, orange & nasturtium (Clooney) - 12 Crowns

The dish sung with freshness. It was clean but slightly bland as if it was missing something. I would however, say it won plate of the day. And by that I mean, literally, plate of the day - it was paper but looked like a food tray with entree cutlery. Extra brownie points for presentation

6. Simon Gault Alaskan King crab & prawn in jalapeno crème fraiche sauce topped with tuna wafer (Euro) - 10 Crowns

I was sold by the name. As in, name of the dish, and name of the restaurant. It was probably the dish I wanted to try the most, just by looking at the program. When I got to the Euro stand, besides the two beautiful young cashiers, it was empty. I was surprised. I was also surprised when the dish came out, as it looked much different to what I imagined. The flavours were good, and it was creamy and rich. By the time I ate it though, I was pretty much overloaded and creamy was the last thing I wanted to taste.


5. Crispy wild boar with heirloom beets, apple & hazlenuts (The Grove) - 12 crowns

This dish made me feel I was eating strange but tasty pork and mushroom balls at a Sunday Yum Cha session. There was a chewy elasticky texture which was actually pleasant, combined with a crispy crumbed texture on the outside. It was different, the flavours married together well at the end, and it made me think "a successful progressive dish".

4. Yellowfin tuna , Salmon and Snapper 'New Style' Sashimi (Soto) - 12 Crowns

In hindsight, I should have asked about the "new style", because I kind of didn't get it (Soto are known for their traditional cooking but with modern presentation). As confused as I was, the combination of flavours was harmonious and beautiful. I felt clean and refreshed after eating it, and just wanted more.

3. Gameford Lodge King Cole Duck Breast, pickled apple, maple & mustard (Clooney) - 12 Crowns

This dish was a mythical creature. It didn't actually register on my hit list after reading the menu, but after speaking to several other foodies, the Clooney Duck was repeated that many times that I marched over to see what all the fuss was about. It didn't disappoint. The duck was flavoursome and beautifully cooked, and combined with the other components of the dish, it finished off spectacularly. Loved how the toasted nuts lifted the dish, and the melting sherbety malto was a good touch that didn't distract the dish.
2. Valrhona chocolate pavé, cookie crumbs and strawberry cream (The Grove) - 8 Crowns

Almost equal first, but a very close second place. One bite and I could tell it would be have been the standout dessert of the festival. Dark, rich, smooth and textured. Ticked all the boxes. The strawberries were a refreshing palate cleanser, allowing continous hits of deep chocolatey goodness. Mmmmmmmm..... give me the recipe.


1. Teriyaki Chicken infused with Manuka honey (Soto) - 12 Crowns

Absolute stand out of the day. One bite, and it was a serious reminder of how chicken should be cooked. "Ten-da, jooci and swet" said the Japanese cashier. He was absolutely, without a doubt, 100% right. It was amazingly tender, packed full of juices and masterfully flavoured. I wanted more, more, more. That's even when I found a long curly hair in it. If it wasn't of the hair, I would have licked the plate. Easily the longest queuing line I saw all day. Also loved how efficient it was, in true Japanese style. When I ordered, they gave me some origami and told me to wait in the barbeque line. The smell made me stand up like a grizzly bear and drool with my claws out. I then exchanged my cute origami for my food. Great system, great dish, great service and dish of the day.
Winning restaurant: Soto Japanese Restaurant
http://www.soto.co.nz
13 St Marys Road
Ponsonby 1011
+64 (9) 360 0021

p.s Yes, the very first picture is heir to the Dilmah fortune.

p.p.s If you have a "taste-of" city event that you love or think is worth the travel, I am more than happy to hear about it

Saké Restaurant & Bar

by TP Little bro

Some places attract customers by a great menu, other places by great service. This place attracted me by an article published in the Sydney Morning Herald. Top 50 things every foodie must do

Having recently acquired 1 chef’s hat and sporting an Izakaya setting, I became intrigued and signed up for the signature dishes menu at $88 a head.

Edamame. Points for being the first I’ve seen using sea salt flakes. Nice presentation but because there are flakes, there's an inconsistency in spread over beans, but it's preferred as there’s always a salt hit when you least expect it.

Shumai (chinese inspired steamed prawn dumplings with ponzu dipping sauce). As soon as you lift the lid of the dumpling steamer, it smells authentically chinese. Unlike the traditional chinese dumpling, this one is beautifully wrapped. The firm smooth consistent texture paired with the ponzu dipping sauce, gets this dish a tick of approval.

Panko rice balls (soy bean, bamboo & shiitake mushroom rice balls with wasabi aioli). Deliciously coated in crunchy panko crumbs, first bites are well balanced with the wasabi aioli.

Kingfish Jalapeno (hiramasa kingfish, yuzu soy, thin slices of jalapeno chili and coriander). In each mouth full, I'm given the pleasure of individually tasting each ingredient while simultaneously experiencing syngeries of the flavours working together. It's light, fresh and has two key items which complement the kingfish - a refreshing lemony tang and a thin slice of jalapeno to add just the right amount of spice to elevate the flavour but not overwhelm.

Miso butterfish (sweet miso marinated butterfish grilled and wrapped in bamboo with sweet pickled radish and den miso sauce). It's a well cooked dish, soft enough to break apart easily but hard enough to maintain texture. The deep rich miso sauce complemented the fish well and was interestingly creamier, sweeter and richer than any miso sauce I’ve ever tasted.

Popcorn shrimp (bite sized prawn tempura pieces tossed with a creamy spicy sauce). Delightful, playful pieces of crispy tempura, seasoned well, bringing out the flavour of the prawn with the added the light crunch of the tempura. Very addictive!

Beef teriyaki (grass fed beef sirlion cooked medium rare on sautéed shitake and buckwheat with matsuzaka sauce). It was just like a standard steak but the point of difference was the edamame beans sprinkled throughout dish and the rich, authentically japanese flavour of the matsuzaka sauce.

Buttermilk panna cotta, raspberry jelly, raspberry sauce & toasted coconut.

The smallest dessert I've ever seen on a menu, served in shot glasses, simple but delicious panna cotta went down very quickly with the refreshing lightness and sweetness of the raspberry shining through a pinch of tang and the crisp nutty flavour of the toasted coconut.

Overall, this place was worth the investment. There were quality ingredients, cooked well and elegantly explored the many facets of Japanese fusion cooking. The servings were also good servings with each person at the table feeling happily full at the end.

There’s an certain expectation of going to a hatted restaurant and paying hatted prices, but Sake definitely earns their stripes and easily finds a place in my top 5 japanese restaurants in Sydney.


Saké Restaurant & Bar
12 Argyle Street, The Rocks, Sydney. Phone: 9259 5656.
sakerestaurant.com.au

The Cookbook challenge - artisan bread making

I had every intention of participating in the MFT cookbook challenge.

I guess life and circumstance took hold and now, in another country, I reawake and see that it is week 48 of the challenge, and my grand total stands at one recipe.

To be fair, I have been unofficially competing, that is, I have been digging through my cookbooks and experimenting with new and used recipes. I have even been taking photos. But it always seems to fall over when I have to post. Not sure if it is because I don't have the time, or that I can't even be bothered loading the dishwasher let alone spend time writing up what I've just cooked. Let this post be a sign of the tides changing.

This week's theme is Bread. My favourite baker is Kiwi Dean Brettschneider. I first saw him when I attended his artisan bread making workshop this year, and found him to be a wealth of knowledge, intelligent, creative and a good laugh. His passion and excellence really came through the workshop, and I was really inspired from all his stories. I bought his 2010 Le Cordon Bleu World Food Media Awards nominated book, Global Baker and flick through it constantly. It is a well put together book with culture sprinkled throughout, with recipes from classical French recipes to modernised Chinese, along with his worldly spin on food. If I could afford it, I would quit my job and work for him for a year.

The below is my favourite bread recipe, obtained from the workshop, which is a variation from one of the recipes in his book.

Savoury Garden Vegetable and Cheese Plaited Scone Loaf
- makes 2 small plaited loaves or one large plaited loaf (about 8 or so servings)

Filling
150g tasty cheddar cheese, grated
20g parmesan cheese, grated
1 small egg
30g red onion
2 cloves garlic, crushed
25g red, 25g green peppers
2 tbs parsley
40g sundried tomatoes, finely chopped
40g olives, chopped
1/2 tsp smoked paprika
Salt and pepper to taste

Scone Dough
380g plain flour
20g caster sugar
25g baking powder
good pinch salt
70g butter, softened
1 egg
200ml milk

1 egg wished together with 2 tbs water for egg wash
Additional flour for dusting

Method
I usually cut the vegetables the night before (I usually omit the olives), ready for the next day. I'm fairly flexible with my measurements as I enjoy packing my bread with a lots of ingredients.
- Mix filling together to form a rough spreadable paste.

- Sift flour, sugar, salt and baking powder
- Add the butter, rubbing into the flour using your finger tips until it's evenly mixed in
- Whisk the milk and egg together, then mix into dry ingredients
- Mix to a soft dough using a wooden spoon
- Tip onto floured bench and knead for 10-20 seconds. Don't over knead or it will become too elastic

- Halve the dough and roll into 2 squares
- Spread the filling evenly, leaving about 1cm free at the bottom edge (I also add tomato or BBQ sauce as I prefer a moist filling)
- Brush the edge with egg wash and roll up tightly into a log
- Make a single lengthways cut down the middle and then plait
- Place on top of baking sheet lined with paper, keeping them well apart to prevent joining
- Brush with egg wash and allow to rest for 10minutes on the bench
- Bake at 190-200 degrees C for approx 30-35min, turning half way through to ensure even colour. Throw in some icecubes for a nice shiny finish
This has become a semi-regular weekend recipe, which I use to accompany an entree or main, and I can also take to work to eat or munch on for breakfast. The worse thing about this is the clean-up :(

Taste of Melbourne... the results

By TP Little Bro

After buying tickets to Taste of Sydney and having to pull out last minute, I was excited to go to my very first Taste festival and be escorted by the finetuned palate of my big bro.

Not known to be kind on the hip pocket, Taste is a great opportunity to sample culinary creations from some of Melbourne’s top chefs. It takes away the task of having to visit each of their restaurant's individually or spend big each time. All you need to do is rock up to the Royal Exhibition Building and enjoy as many signature dishes as your stomach (or wallet) can handle. If you look at it that way, it’s a relatively cheap investment into working out which fine dining establishments you’d like to visit later on (or take a hot date to impress!).

Arriving midway during the final afternoon session (12pm – 5pm), we naively thought we could enjoy all our favourite dishes without having to fight the lunchtime rush. How wrong we were. A trap for young players – if you arrive after the lunch rush, expect to miss out on the dishes you want to try. Embrasse’s crispy pork belly, Mezzo’s Slow braised pork cheek, The Europeans' Duck tortellini to name a few. Although disappointed to miss out on my pork, I’m sure TP Big Bro was somewhat relieved after his recent forgettable experience with a pig.

The twin palates were put to good use on 8 dishes in total (6 mains, 2 desserts) so counting down from lowest to highest, here were my findings.

8. Wallaby Tataki, ginger, soy, horseradish (Charcoal Lane)

Interesting gamey meat, cooked medium rare, a little chewy but nice flavour.



7. Cured Malborough king salmon, sweet corn, chorizo, kipfler potato (Maze)

The salmon on it’s own was nothing special. Add the rest. Special.


6. John Dory cooked in squid ink served with a burnt carrot puree, beetroot puree and heirloom vegetables (Embrasse)

Don’t be fooled. The dory wasn’t burnt but covered in squid ink. It melted in my mouth and the burnt carrot puree made the dish shine.


5. Eye fillet, potato mash, sauce Bordelaise (The Palace)

Beautifully creamy mash, juicy steak and amazing Bordelaise


4. The Bombe – strawberry sorbet, white chocolate parfait and toasted meringue (Stokehouse)

Wonderful marriage of textures and flavours to produce a top class dessert. Light and creamy. Dense and smooth. Lovely.


3. Hazelnuts & chocolate parfait, forest floor (Embrasse)

Flavour goes a long way. As does creativity. Parfait was a chocoholic’s dream. The refreshing granita with the heavy chocolate forest floor, transformed this dish from a great dessert into an experience.


2. Tuna carpaccio, goats feta, rocket, ginger eschalot dressing (The Palace by Luke Mangan)

Simple ingredients. Complex flavours. Must be tasted to be believed. Seriously.


1. Yellow curry of wagyu beef with cucumber relish (Longrain)

Close to perfect curry. Tender beef marginally balanced with fresh vegies. There was so much flavour in this dish that we nearly started fighting over the last grains of rice.

The wondeful array of food above cost $90 between the two of us. I was still a little hungry at the end but we took care of that by doing a lap of the stalls and indulging in some classics (Green & Blacks chocolate fountain) and some new offerings we'd never heard of before (Nudie’s coconut water).

Overall, it was a day well spent on scouting out what's happening in the world of fine dining. It would have been great to see a couple of 2 or 3 hatters make an appearance (Press Club, Attica, Cutler & Co) but nonetheless, it’s elevated my resolve to visit Embrasse, The Palace and of course, relive the way my taste buds sung at Longrain’s Yellow Curry. Luckily for me, Longrain has a Sydney arm, meaning that memorable event is only a quick phone call away.

Bad food vs nasty food II - the food poisoning review

Last week I got the dreaded foodie donkey punch to the stomach - food poisoning. I did learn quite a bit, and have decided to wrap up this saga with a review of the foods that helped.

I am currently pretty much back to normal strength, although I haven't fully transitioned back to my regular diet. I have actually stuck to the overly-healthy bland food diet by choice, and have not yet returned to the mountains of butter, meat, cheese and chocolate I normally consume.

I hesitate as last week was absolutely horrendous, a complete write off, both at work and at home, as literally I could do nothing but curl up into a ball in between my frequent visits to the porcelin throne. I went back to work after day 3, and lasted 2 hours. I ended up losing about 4kgs last week over the first four days, hardly eating anything, with even the BRAT food wanting to come back up. While the BRAT diet was gentle and helped me ween back onto solids, it still occasionally didn't sit right in my stomach.

After feeling worse than the bottom remnants in my toilet bowl, feeling dizzy, lifeless and with no energy, I decided I needed to get serious and eat my way back to strength and health. Struggling, I went on my quest to get back to the road to recovery.

Three hours later, I returned home with my treasures:
I planned on making a beef stock and a white chicken stock, purchasing beef bones from the butcher, chicken carcasses, and various stock vegetables and aromatics. I also bought some premium brown chicken stock to use to cook while my stocks were bubbling away - it was $13 a litre, but worth every cent, as it became a magical wonder-elixir that helped me gain my strength back. Other items included, Mizone, miso powder, organic chicken, and pasta.

Things that I felt worked really well:
- The incredible Essential Cuisine chicken stock. I used it as a base to cook rice and I found it made bland rice taste relatively nice, and at one stage it actually tasted quite creamy as though I mixed in an egg yolk. It contained no added salt, sugar, msg, preservatives, artifical flavouring or colouring, which was important to a poisoned individual such as myself, and was made using a "traditional chef's recipe". The ingredients are listed as "Chicken stock derived from roasted chicken and chicken bones 50%, water". Essential Cuisine chicken stock has become a good friend, although potentially it was the warm bland food byproduct that made me feel better.
- my homemade stocks turned out great - and I also used it as a food base once I finished the Essential Cuisine chicken stock. I gradually infused half with a bulb of garlic and used it to make rice with chicken and peas.
- Mizone and ginger tea always made me feel good - better than powerade in my books.
- Toast with plain Vegemite
- Miso soup - went to the most authentic Japanese shop I could find and tried to find the best miso on offer ($9 for a pack of 6). The owner was Japanese without fantastic English, and the miso I got didn't even have English instructions (can someone please help translate - see below). I just added hot water, and it made me feel better, even if I wasn't sure I was drinking it right

Things that I felt didn't work particular well:
- 7up/sprite didn't sit that great
- Salt and vinegar potato chips. Started off well, but was a bad idea. I think it was a bit too oily and upset my stomach. Resist the temptation
- Starchy bananas - let them ripen

The week that was:
Monday - clear fluids
Tuesday - clear fluids, potato chips
Wednesday - clear fluids, BRAT diet
Thursday - Plain toast, chicken stock and rice. Added small slices of chicken and peas to it for dinner
Friday - Baked beans and toast. Chicken and pea rice. Ate out at a Korean restaurant - their beef casserole was amazingly tasty and made me feel fantastic
Saturday - Baked beans and toast. Terikayi chicken udon. Ate out for dinner at reknowned Auckland seafood restaurant Hammerheads. Once in the restaurant, I felt magically transformed back into my food-loving self, so I went all out and decided to test the stomach. At the same time, I was being conservative after having flashbacks of the food poisoning effects.
My selections:
- Seared scallops, crab and snowpea salad, pea puree, fried shallots - $23.00
- Seared game fish, tempura prawn cutlets, orange slices, julienne cucumber, mint, sprouts, shoots, and a honey mustard dressing - $36.00 (tuna)

Side note: Hammerheads is fantastic for seafood, just as everyone says! The tuna looked undercooked but was in fact cooked skilfully as the fish tore tenderly and beautifully. I also thought my mate's Kingfish looked underdone, and as a result expected a chewy texture, but again, it was indeed skilfully cooked, and tasted as a game fish should - delicious and meaty.
Sunday - The stomach was not very happy on Sunday morning, and grumbled in revenge. I proceeded to have a very light breakfast of Vegemite toast. For lunch I had a beautifully fresh vegetarian muffin, which has since then inspired me to recreate it. For afternoon tea, I stopped over for a pie at Angelo's (of the on-sold "The Fridge" and "The Chiller" fame) latest venture, The Food Room in Ponsonby. In my opinion, Angelo maintains his crown of arguably some of Auckland's best pies, and has even started the trend of reversing rising coffee prices, by dropping all of his coffee (which in my humble Melbourne-coffee-snob opinion is fantastic) to $3. Dinner was a variation to Top Chef's Broccoli Coucous, using chicken instead of duck.

I have since eaten chicken and vegetable pasta, vegetarian couscous, along with the standard baked beans/vegemite toast combination. Today marked a milestone with my first coffee since the incident, and after feeling confident of no consequences, I had a full milk protein shake after hitting the gym for the first time in two weeks.

I'm back baby! Happy eating.

Bad food vs nasty food

I feel like I've been beaten up. My back aches, I'm sore all over, exhausted and I can't eat or drink. Most importantly, my former best mate, Mr Stomach has been recently misbehaving.

A new milestone. Not a good milestone, but a memorable one nonetheless. Last night (and all of today as a matter of fact), I suffered from my first severe bout of food poisoning.

I have been hung over many times this year, and the worst hang over I've ever had doesn't come close to the experience I had last night. I won't go into the gruesome specifics too much, but I will say the culprit was a well known franchise in the Newmarket area.

Sunday night - A dozen pork ribs, a Jack Daniels chocolate pudding and two or so hours later, my stomach complains, and I am disappointed that once again my eyes have been bigger than my stomach.

11pm - About three hours later, I think "I'm never going to be able to go to sleep with this full of a stomach... do some exercise." So I focused my attention on productive domestics, cleaning my kitchen, taking the garbage out and doing some washing. Anything to get myself moving and digesting this heavy load of food cement in my stomach.

12am - Four hours later, I am being entertained by a blog detailing some humourous adventures of cooking every recipe from the The French Laundry Cookbook, the book by three michelin starred Thomas Keller, who’s restaurant now sits at #32 in the best 50 restaurants in the world. The post was about lobster jelly, and half way through it, I felt the urge to throw up. Lucky I made it to the bathroom, as when it came up, it did so with some impressive force.

Over the next 7 hours, I saw my entire dinner come up, to the point where the vomiting was so strong, my stomach muscles were contracting the hardest they've ever worked. I felt like an almost empty toothpaste tube, and my body was trying to squeeze out every last ounce of toothpaste out until there was absolutely nothing left.

I tried every trick I knew of to get myself right. Cold water, warm water, salted coke, manuka 20+ honey, green and ginger tea, aloe vera drink, Mizone sports drink, preserved plums. The problem was I couldn't keep any fluids down - everything that went down, came back up. I was even trying to watch Russell Brand’s Scandalous to make myself laugh and trick my body into forgetting. But I was fighting a losing battle. I just had to simply strap myself in for the bumpy ride.

I will leave out any other details, and paint the picture another way. Through the torturous experience, I did some research and self diagnosis through the reliable Dr Google, and have found others have aptly described their food poisoning experience, so I will quote them verbatim:

• - I got food poisoning a few months ago from my favorite local sub shop. I puked, I shat, I cried
• - I got some eggs, bacon and a chicken sandwich at a Waffle House last night, and about an hour after I got home I started getting cramps like I had omfg horrible gas. I spent the next hour and a half or so on the toilet feeling like I was going to shit and puke at the same time.
• - I had steak and crab legs at some mom and pop shop last night and have been having the worst day ever today.... I WANNA SUE
• - Last night I bought some chicken and rice from a local food stall. Around 3:00AM I woke up and was violently sick, vomiting like crazy. Today I feel slightly nauseous, I've got the chills and my whole body is sore.

Now the point of my post - what I learnt from this experience. As foodies, I think it is inevitable to get food poisoning at least once as part of our quest to taste the amazing food this planet has to offer, so hopefully this post can help you survive the horrible experience, although I do not wish it on my worst enemies. It was interesting to know, similar to the "RICE" (Rest Ice Compression Elevation) method to treat an injury, there is a "BRAT" diet to recover from food poisoning.

Note: This is not a medically proven assessment – it is purely based on internet research and going through FP – please consult a doctor if you need medical fact. Also, this only refers to natural foods, rather than medications

Food poisoning - The road to recovery

by TP Big Bro

Basically with food poisoning, there is not much you can do but let it pass. But there is an accepted method of recovery.

The recovery procedure appears to be 24 hours of clear liquids to prevent dehydration and replace electrolytes (eg sodium, potassium, and calcium), that are being depleted through the diarrhea and vomiting. Clear liquids include apple juice, 7up/sprite, Gatorade and ginger drinks to soothe the stomach (flat ginger ale, ginger tea). Avoid caffeinated beverages which are too dehydrating, dairy, carbonated drinks and citrus juices.

You can then progress to the BRAT diet for a couple of days, followed by bland, low fat, non-dairy, easy-to-digest foods like plain chicken, as tolerable. If you advance too quickly, you may aggravate your symptoms, so take it easy. You can then slowly transition back to your normal diet if things are going well, reintroducing spicy or fatty/oily foods with caution.

Recovery food notes:

• - Small portions, more often
• - BRAT diet (Bananas, Rice, Apples/Applesauce, Tea/Toast) - these foods are tolerated by the tender gastrointestinal system. No butter
• - Some medical researchers recommend a diet that includes complex carbohydrates (e.g rice, wheat, potatoes, bread, and cereal), lean meats, fruit, and vegetables
• - Another argument says that fiber is also a complex carbohydrate, and it should be avoided if you have gastroenteritis. So, putting some noodles in your broth will be okay, but avoid cooked vegetables at an early stage, and raw crunchy fruits and vegetables should be avoided at the start
• - Chicken broth with noodles/rice/couscous/pasta
• - Chinese rice porridge (jook) - Season with soy sauce or salt
• - Plain crackers
• - Plain baked potato (no sour cream)
• - Ginger, garlic
• - Miso soup
• - Low sodium tomato juice apparently has as many electrolytes as Gatorade
• - Avoid fish, milk products, fatty foods and foods with a lot of sugar
• - One poster said doctors in India advised them to eat plenty of fresh curd and pineapples

Everyone is different, so we will react differently to different foods. I think the main thing is to listen to your body, be patient and let your body recover. All the best and safe eating!

My step into the world of Macarons - part III

by TP Big Brother

Attempt number 3 to gain membership into the macaron making club.

Round 1 and Round 2 have been a great learning experience about these mysterious little french cookies, but I have yet to produce a recognisable macaron I am proud of. Yet.

After watching my favourite episodes of Heston Blumenthal's In Search of Perfection, I decided to forego this round, and take a step back in order to go a few forward. So, in the name of research, part III was dedicated to macaron experiments.

After another failed attempt, I did some research to strategize on how grow some feet on my macarons. The two most common reoccuring themes involved the egg whites and the consistency of the mix before piping. I used these as the foundation for my experiment.

A minor tip I picked up in London, was that there are two main types of baking paper, which can produce differing results. It seems like most baking paper I see in the supermarkets in Melbourne are the "silicon" based ones, which is waxy on the touch (in fact, silicon paper can handle temperatures up to 200 degrees celcius - perfect for making caramel tuiles). There is also the greaseproof paper, of tracing paper texture, which can prevent bottoms of cakes from getting soggy. Curious to see if this could spawn some feet, I used this as a third and final variable for my experiment.

---

TEST CASES
So the aim of this baking round was to see what impact different factors along different stages of the process had on the final macaron product. As a simple experiment, I had 3 test factors:

1. Egg whites
a. Beating to soft to medium peaks
b. Beating to stiff peaks

2. Folding
a. Underfolding (soft fold for a short duration)
b. Overfolding (harsher fold for a longer duration)

3. Baking paper
a. Silicon paper
b. Greaseproof (tracing paper)

---

RESULTS
Checkpoint 1 - Post piping
- Test case 1 (Egg whites) vs Test case 2 (Folding)
Using two equal batches of egg whites, I whisked away until I achieved soft to medium peaks in one batch and stiff peaks in the other. Then I simply added equal proportions of dry ingredients to each batch and mixed with a spatula with varying intensity and duration, with the aim of eventually ending up with four different batches of macaron mixture.
Using macaron mixture from each of the four different batches, I piped each into groups on the same baking tray. Can you spot which macaron is from which batch?
Now, time for the judges to do their job. Which do you think wins this round?

Judging based on shape, body and most likely to succeed, the stiff peak egg white with under-folded macaron mix proved to be the front runner.

Checkpoint 2 - Post-oven
- Test case 1 (Egg whites) vs Test case 2 (Folding)
Twelve minutes later, the macarons came out of the oven. Fingers crossed, I searched for feet. Unfortunately, yet again, I was left bitter at my lack of ability to grow any feet. But with the task in focus, I consoled the perfectionist in me that this was indeed an experiment, and I was aiming to extract lessons from this batch.

Time for the second round of judging. Which was the best macaron, and which method created it?
I was tempted to say "none" because they were sad little macarons, surely offensive to many, and a crime punishable by the French culinary police. With similar criteria to the previous judging round, being - body, shape and "success of passing as a macaron", the round had to be given to one batch, and in this case, it was again, the stiff peaked under-folded mix.- Test case 3 (Baking paper)
This is a no brainer, so will get straigh to the point. Greaseproof (tracing paper) alone does not work for macarons (perhaps you can try greasing it with butter or oil first). The below pictures should tell you why. Silicon paper is the way to go.
How embarrassing! I again console myself with the thought that this is an experiment. Like the saying goes "an idiot never learns from their mistakes, a smart person learns from their mistakes but a genius learns from the mistakes of others". So I hope you are paying attention!

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CONCLUSION
And the winner is ...
1. Egg whites - b. Stiff peaks
2. Folding - a. Underfolding (soft fold for a short duration)
3. Baking paper - a. Silicon paper

I'm still not an expert, but slowly, I'm getting closer to getting my macarons being platable. Watch this space...

Charmy Food Icey Ice Snow Ice

by TP Little bro

On the prowl for dessert one night, I catch wind of an interesting and unique creation. It's sold at Ajisen Ramen, a national japanese franchise better known for it's ramen, I arrive late but just in time for last orders.

They sell "Charmy Food Icey Ice Snow Ice" touted as "the world best Snow Ice dessert never seen before in Sydney". I think they meant ever seen before in Sydney.

The basic concept is simple. Creating a mixture, freezing it, then putting it through a cute blue penguin machine (pictured below). The penguin shaves the ice in a particular way which works, resulting in light texture and a very creamy taste.

Among the handful of flavours on offer, we choose a large green tea with additional topping of aloe vera pieces. It tastes much better than it looks and sounds. Trust me.

They claim, an average scoop of ice cream has 22.9g of fat and 418.5 kJ compared to an average scoop of snow ice which has 2.8g of fat and 128.5 kJ. A much healthy alternative by the sounds of it.

Gotta love their marketing and cross selling skills on the menu....

"Snow Ice can be enjoyed at any time but the pleasure of tasting Snow Ice is most enhanced after enjoying your favourite Ajisen Ramen meal or other dishes"

Thumbs up for this dessert. Worthwhile to try just for the novelty.

Ajisen Ramen, 85 Liverpool St, Sydney NSW 2000. Ph (02) 9267 8816 (among other locations)