Tuesday, March 9, 2021

May 22, 2009: Circa, The Prince

Long-time readers volition hold upwards familiar with the birthday tradition that Cindy together with I direct maintain developed - the lucky birthday boyorgirl gets their pick of veg-friendly hyper-expensive fancy eating theater for a dark of degustation madness. Then you, lucky readers, get posts full of slightly dim photos of gorgeously presented tasting plates together with paragraphs of text. Everyone's happy.

For my birthday this twelvemonth nosotros yet got our ridiculously classy dinner (venue: Circa the Prince), but yous guys are going to direct maintain to become photo-less. And there's no getting unopen to who's to blame. This guy:

time readers volition hold upwards familiar with the birthday tradition that Cindy together with I direct maintain developed  May 22, 2009: Circa, the PrinceThat's right, Australia's largest owl species. There's a powerful owl roosting inward Flagstaff Gardens at the 2nd together with I ducked over to come across my 228th Australian aeroplane species. And to direct maintain some photos. Unfortunately, inward the course of report of transferring the photos to the laptop, I left the camera's retentiveness card inward the laptop slot, leaving us carmera-less for our fanciest repast of the twelvemonth together with thus far. Sigh.

Once Cindy had recovered from her initial outrage, nosotros establish ourselves able to precisely sit down dorsum together with savor our repast - there's something liberating nigh eating without photograph requirements.

It's worth mentioning precisely how veg-friendly the folk at Circa the Prince are. We made certain to stress our requirements when booking but it turns out their veg-degustation is a measure option, available every dark together with offered to every tabular array (at to the lowest degree to the 2 nearest us on Friday). The a la carte carte du jour is a flake less impressive, but there's i veg entree together with i primary available, along with a few sides. Still, if you're going to become upmarket for a night, yous powerfulness too dive into the nine-course vegetarian degustation (we didn't intend to enquire how they'd become with vegan nutrient but I visit they'd hold upwards up to it if yous gave them a telephone telephone ahead of time).

We kicked things off with a pre-dinner cocktail each and, every bit per green I indulged inward the matching wines with the degustation - the cocktails were both pretty good, together with the matched wines actually hitting the spot. But yous don't become to Circa for the booze, yous become in that place for the outstanding two-hatted dining experience. And goodness me is it a wonderful experience. They say a pic is worth a M words but the lack of photos isn't going to Pb me to write a 10,000 essay hither - I'll continue things brief. Suffice to say - everything nosotros had was wondeful.

First up: carrot velouté, curried cauliflower. Out came some modest bowls, dotted with tiny pieces of lightly spiced cauliflower, with some sugariness (almost candied) slivers of carrot. Over the move past times was poured a wonderfully polish carrot veloute. Everything worked together perfectly - it volition hold upwards a recurring topic inward this post, but the cooking at Circa is all nigh subtle flavours blending together to brand something special. While this was called 'curried cauliflower', the curry flavours were mild together with complex, non only hot together with spicy.

Next up:
Garden vegetables, goats' cheese emulsion. Circa direct maintain their ain niggling kitchen garden at Albert Park together with this dish highlighted their seasonal goodies: niggling pieces of parsnip, carrot, turnip, rocket together with some herbs, served on a scraping of goats' cheese emulsion. The cheese provided a modest outburst of tartness, but the dish was actually nigh letting the fresh, well-cooked vegies shine.

Parsnip, horseradish together with dark rice risotto. This was the star of the dark - a rich, dark risotto that had some sort of smokiness with its deep flavours. Really outstanding stuff.

Next upwards was a cleansing course: Spiced beans, herb cream together with fresh ricotta. For some argue I assumed that we'd hold upwards getting some sort of beany stew, but this was much lighter together with fresher: crispy dark-green together with white beans, served with 2 kinds of pulses that were cooked to hold upwards edible but yet firm. Influenza A virus subtype H5N1 real lite herb cream together with some modest splotches of ricotta capped off the lite flavours.

In illustration nosotros weren't cleansed enough: Red Hill golden ale cleanser. This came out looking similar a modest drinking glass of ale with a generous foamy head, but in that place was something else going on too - in that place were gingery together with lemon flavours, which I'd gauge aren't establish inward Red Hill's regular golden ale.

Next upwards was our ostensible primary course: Cous cous together with pumpkin brik, ras el hanout spiced carrots together with beets. The cute niggling bricks of cous-cous together with pumpkin were wrapped inward real lite filo pastry, together with served with to a greater extent than delicious vegetables, in i lawsuit again lightly together with subtly spiced. This is on the a la carte carte du jour ($36), together with I'd highly recommend it along with the wonderful risotto ($20, every bit an entree) if you're non upwards for the marathon.

We'd made it through the savoury selectoin, together with it was fourth dimension for the intermediate cheese course: Comte gruyere, poached quince, brioche. The brioche together with quince were first-class inward combination with the gruyere. The cheese was a niggling lighter inward flavour than I'd direct maintain liked, but yet real satisfying.

Onto dessert #1: Confit pineapple, gingerbread crumb, kokosnoot chilli sorbet. This was i rectangular prism of pineapple preserved inward sugar, with a scattering of gingerbread crumbs together with the most divine kokosnoot chilli sorbet. The pineapple was quite good, but everything on this plate paled inward comparing to the sorbet - a smooth, sugariness kokosnoot sorbet with precisely a hint of chilli to sharpen the flavours.

Our concluding dish: Soft chocolate croquante, orangish together with mint. Google tells me that croquante translates every bit 'crunchy', but this was a stunningly polish niggling blob of chocolate-y goodness, served upwards with a span of niggling eggs of orangish together with mint ice-creams. They were okay, but the croquante was where it was at - rich, polish together with wonderful. I intend Cindy had amend fetch me some chocolate now, I can't continue writing this right away I've recalled this dessert.

Shit, there's no chocolate. I'll force on...

Everything winds upwards at Circa with Brydie's garden tea. This is a tea made out of whatever herbs are prepare inward Circa's kitchen garden. This calendar week it included lemon verbeena together with 3 or 4 others (I'm viii wines to the air current at this stage, together with thus the tea ingredients direct maintain escaped my memory). It was an appropriately build clean complete to the meal, which had been nine courses of clever, understated flavours, with lots of beautiful seasonal vegies together with loads of classy touches. The services was efficient, friendly together with relaxed - a niggling less formal than some of our other fine-dining experiences, which suits our agency well. It's a beautiful infinite too - suitably dim lighting, plenty of infinite together with a full general low-key agency - yous tin forget that it's attached to the much less healthy Prince band room.

Things don't come upwards inexpensive at Circa, but yous larn what yous pay for - an outstanding sense for a especial occasion. Apologies for the lack of pictures - you'll precisely direct maintain to savor the owl.

Addressed: 2 Acland St, St Kilda (cnr Fitzroy Street)
Ph: 9536 1122
Licensed
Prices: Vegie degustation $105, with wines, $200
Website: http://www.circa.com.au/

Monday, March 8, 2021

May 23, 2009: Fandango Ii

Fandango is nevertheless rocking breakfast. Here are iii to a greater extent than reasons why:

Sunday, March 7, 2021

May 23, 2009: Spicy Sugariness White Patato Pie

eggplant lasagne rolls in addition to roasted beetroot salad for dinner, piece I happily prepared dessert. Keen for some other installment inward my serial of autumn-appropriate recipes, I idea wistfully of the sweetness white patato pie that I saw on vanesscipes almost a twelvemonth ago, earlier the blog's demise. Thankfully, every bit alongside her cocoa cookies, I was able to rail downwards Vanessa's recipe on some other site alongside a google search.

Pumpkin in addition to sweetness white patato pies nail me every bit beingness distinctively American - I've non encountered anything similar their starchy, shine in addition to mild filling elsewhere. This 1 is livened upwards alongside ginger, both mixed into the filling in addition to via the role of gingernut biscuit crumbs inward the buttery crust. After a tentative gustation of the filling, I added extra spices in addition to saccharide in addition to include these novel quantities below. This recipe is most definitely non vegan inward its electrical flow form, in addition to I'm a trivial surprised since thus many vanesscipes were. As I chewed meditatively on my 2d piece (for breakfast on Sunday!), I wondered whether soil cashews or silken tofu mightiness supercede the cream in addition to eggs inward the filling... perchance alongside an extra binding agent (egg replacer? arrowroot? agar agar?).

This sweetness white patato pie actually is different anything else I've baked earlier - closest perchance to a baked cheesecake, though without the acidic twang. I'm non sure that it volition endure loved past times everyone, but I reckon it volition delight most. It for sure pleased us.

  We reckon him real rarely in addition to nosotros insisted that nosotros May 23, 2009: Spicy sweetness white patato pie
Spicy sweetness white patato pie
(based on a recipe from defunct weblog vanesscipes, all the same viewable at the cooking channel)

filling:
700g sweetness potatoes
2 eggs
3/4 loving cup cream
1/3 loving cup dark-brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons soil cinnamon
1 teaspoon soil nutmeg
3 teaspoons soil ginger
1 teaspoon vanilla

crust:
oil spray
flour, for dusting
3/4 loving cup almonds
150g ginger nut biscuits
2 tablespoons dark-brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
90g butter, melted


Preheat the oven to 180°C.

Line a baking tray alongside foil in addition to house the whole, unpeeled sweetness potatoes on it. Prick them alongside a fork in addition to bake them until tender, almost an hour. Allow them to cool.

Spray a pie dish lightly alongside oil, in addition to and then whorl a modest sum of flour (a tablespoon or two) around the within of the dish until it is completely but lightly coated.

Grind the almonds inward a nutrient processor, in addition to then add together the ginger nut biscuits in addition to blend until they're coarse crumbs. Add the saccharide in addition to salt, pulsing briefly, in addition to then the melted butter, blending until but combined. Press the mixture into the pie dish to flat the crust, in addition to chill it inward the refrigerator until the filling is ready.

Once the sweetness potatoes are cool plenty to handle, peel away the peel in addition to roughly chop the flesh. Put them inward a blender alongside the remaining filling ingredients in addition to blend the lot until real smooth.

Pour the filling into the crust in addition to bake for 45 minutes, or until the filling has laid in addition to is but starting to crack. Cool the pie for an sixty minutes earlier serving, alongside an extra dollop of cream.

Saturday, March 6, 2021

May 28, 2009: Vegan Sausages

fancy dinner out for his birthday, I offered to laid upward him his pick of dinner as well as dessert at home. Michael ummed as well as ahhhed for days as well as eventually I began tossing out ideas to him. The starting fourth dimension 1 to actually stick was hot dogs, smothered inwards sauce as well as fried onions. I must acknowledge to having a modest ulterior motive - I'd noticed Alex discover a recipe for home-made vegan sausages on Martha Stewart's apple tree pie.


Vegan sausages
(a near-exact re-create of a recipe past times Alex of v-plates)

400g tin Woolworths Select refried beans
2 teaspoons gravy powder
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 1/4 cups gluten flour
1 loving cup chickpea flour
1 1/2 teaspoons garlic powder
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon Tabasco sauce
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon dark pepper
1/2 teaspoon celery seeds
2 teaspoons dry reason coriander
2 teaspoons dry reason cumin
1 loving cup water
more vegetable oil, for frying

Combine all the ingredients inwards a bowl, adding the H2O concluding to form an almost sloppy dough.

Take hunks of the mixture (about a 1/4 loving cup each?) as well as gently gyre them into sausages. Place each sausage on a modest foursquare of the foil, rolling it to embrace as well as folding over or twisting the ends.

Steam the sausages for 40-45 minutes, rotating them periodically for fifty-fifty cooking.

Fry the sausages upward inwards a petty crude until they accept a golden crispy exterior.

May 29, 2009: Poached

finished, Michael was due to pack, larn on a airplane as well as larn someplace else on Friday. He convinced me to larn far a belatedly morning time to run as well as portion a cafe breakfast amongst him. We chose Poached - 1 of the many cafes lining the Brunswick terminate of Lygon St, as well as 1 of the few nosotros had however to visit.

While the breakfast card is extensive, at that topographic point was zip on it that actually begged to travel tasted - the run of toast variations, muesli as well as fruit all looked pretty measure as well as the residue of the card was Egg Central as well as involved a lot of meat. While ordering, though, nosotros constitute our waiter to travel most accommodating - rather than hearing a terse "no changes to the menu", nosotros discovered that it was no employment for me to cause got the French toast without the bacon, nor for Michael to telephone commutation tomatoes for baked beans. I may fifty-fifty cause got spied a nearby diner tucking into mushrooms, tomatoes as well as toast without the requisite eggs.

Michael's vegetarian big breakfast ($13.50, pictured above) featured poached eggs, mushrooms, grilled potatoes, sauteed spinach, grilled tomatoes baked beans as well as grilled haloumi. He remarked on their fine poaching skills (I estimate they tin dismiss continue their name), though the residue of the plate didn't cause got him brimming amongst enthusiasm - the beans, inward particular, weren't upward to the high standards set by other nearby cafes.

 larn on a airplane as well as larn someplace else on Fri May 29, 2009: PoachedMeanwhile, I tucked into French toast amongst pear, mascarpone as well as maple syrup ($12.50 - no bacon, thanks). I was a lilliputian confused when I cutting into the toast as well as observed an oozing white centre - was the toast non cooked through? Actually, the mascarpone had been spread betwixt the layers! It was a overnice contrast against the crispy-fried outer. Shame nigh the snowstorm of icing carbohydrate all over the plate (and ultimately all over me as well as my dark shirt!).

Our lingering morning time at Poached was an enjoyable one, but it seems unlikely we'll travel back. While the waitstaff were genuinely lovely, the hold off for nutrient was unacceptably long - peculiarly considering nosotros visited on a weekday, when the cafe was never to a greater extent than than one-half full. The dishes on offering are pleasant as well as evidently adaptable to your preference, but the ones nosotros sampled didn't stand upward for the inventiveness or character of Poached's Brunswick breakfast peers.

Address: 169 Lygon St, Brunswick East
Ph: 9387 2396
Price: veg breakfasts $3.50-$13.50

Friday, March 5, 2021

May 30, 2009: Conglomerate Cupcakes

(vegan birthday grrl x Scrabble party)an otherwise empty weekend =

salad dressing cupcake, itself a happy clash of citrus zest, slivered almonds, balsamic vinegar in addition to olive oil. On altitude I slathered a dairy-free rendition of the cream cheese icing that excited me in addition to thence much a calendar month ago.

It's non my commons way, but I concocted these cupcakes using wacky (but direct) vegan substitutes for ordinary in addition to rattling non-vegan ingredients:

Original ingredientVegan substitute
4 eggs
1 tablespoon Orgran No Egg whisked into 2/3 loving cup water
2 tablespoons milk
2 tablespoons oat milk
60g butter
60g Nuttelex
120g cream cheese120g Tofutti Better Than Cream Cheese

Nothing turned out quite every bit I expected it to. My master copy non-vegan batch of salad dressing cupcakes were rattling eggy in addition to I was nervous for my powdered egg replacement. It did its project only fine - actually, the cupcakes suffered to a greater extent than from inexpensive vinegar in addition to oil. They tasted also strongly of those fruity olives but this was less of a work i time they were fitted out amongst icing. The icing was ultra-sweet in addition to without tang (next fourth dimension I'll add together lemon juice) but had a surprising marshmallowy character.

Though these conglomerate cupcakes weren't what I expected, a pleasant surprise or 2 along the agency was one-half the fun. They're only the affair to encourage a petty to a greater extent than tinkering inwards the kitchen!

Thursday, March 4, 2021

May 31, 2009: Semolina Gnocchi, Strong Orange-Fennel Salad

potato-based kind simply all the same - these large golden rounds are semolina gnocchi, equally demonstrated past times Maggie on The Cook & the Chef's vegetarian-themed episode. They come upwardly amongst a walnut pesto sauce, too I picked a I took the rind off on Sat morning. Not existence a fan of olives or raw onions, I gave them a fille too added a few capers to the mix. The combination of oranges, fennel too spicy-sour dressing proved to last a groovy one, though I forgot the parsley too overdosed on the chilli pulverization too it was all a footling caustic. Another lesson inwards care, restraint too tasting equally I go.


Semolina gnocchi
(based on Maggie Beer's version, presented on The Cook & the Chef)

500mL milk, summation 1 tablespoon extra
1 bay leaf
1 sprig rosemary
125g fine semolina
1 teaspoon no-egg powder
50g parmesan, grated
30g butter, melted
salt
spray oil, for greasing

Put the milk, bay leafage too rosemary into a saucepan too convey them to the boil. Take them off the rut too larn out them to infuse for twenty minutes.

Strain the milk too convey it dorsum to the boil. Whisk inwards the semolina too flavor amongst salt. Continue stirring until the mixture thickens too almost forms a ball, thence induce got it off the heat.

Whisk the no-egg pulverization into the concluding tablespoon of milk too stir it through the semolina. Stir through the parmesan too butter until everything is good combined.

Pour the semolina onto a baking tray too spread it out until it's virtually 1cm thick. Leave the semolina to cool too set.

Preheat the oven to 180°C. Lightly spray a baking tray amongst oil. Cut the semolina slab into shapes using a knife or a circular glass. Place the gnocchi inwards the baking tray too bake them for virtually twenty minutes, until golden brown. Serve the gnocchi amongst parsley-walnut pesto, below.


Parsley-walnut pesto
(based on Maggie Beer's walnut sauce, presented on The Cook & the Chef)

30g walnuts
1 pocket-size clove garlic, minced
1 handful flat-leaf parsley, some chopped
1 pocket-size sprig of rosemary leaves, finely chopped
80g parmesan, grated
90mL olive oil
zest too juice of i lemon

Crush the walnuts inwards a mortar too pestle. Add the garlic too pound further, thence the herbs. Add the parmesan inwards batches too mush it upwardly too. Gradually stir inwards the olive oil, thence the lemon zest too juice. Spoon the pesto over semolina gnocchi.


Potent orange-fennel salad
(based on Jules' orange, fennel too olive salad at stonesoup)

3 oranges
1 bulb fennel
1 tablespoon capers
juice of 1 lemon
4 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon soil cumin
1 teaspoon sweetness paprika
1/2 teaspoon chilli powder, or to taste
1 bunch parsley, some chopped
salt too pepper

Peel the oranges too chop them into chunks. Finely acre the fennel bulb. Stir together the oranges, fennel too capers inwards a bowl.

Whisk together the lemon juice, olive oil, cumin, paprika too chilli to degree a dressing. Toss the dressing through the salad, flavor to taste, too stir through the parsley.

Wednesday, March 3, 2021

June 1-2, 2009: Heidi's Nikki's Salubrious Cookies

my ain jounce of kokosnoot oil - Heidi's been featuring nourishing baked goods alongside increasing frequency as well as the few I've tried bring all been gobbled upward alongside gusto. These were no exception, alongside the batch vanishing inside the hour. I must acknowledge that they weren't my favourite of the lot; the no-added-sweetener formula actually showed when I used 70%-cocoa chocolate. They were real heavy on the oats, too... mayhap the existent underlying employment was a shortage of mashed banana. Don't permit my fussing position you lot off, though - these received their portion of compliments afterward the to a greater extent than academic themes of the solar daytime had been discussed.

To brand these cookies for yourself, caput to 101 Cookbooks for the recipe.

Tuesday, March 2, 2021

June 6, 2009: Adept Nutrient & Vino Show

potty-mouthed, misogynist import. For accounts of the residual of the fest, the blogosphere's got it covered - Nutmeg, Shellie too AOF convey all posted their perspectives. I was lucky plenty to marking a ticket from Neil of At My Table, which included entry to a unwittingly encounter Neil's daughter, enjoin how-do-you-do to Mellie & EG of tummyrumbles, too hang out amongst PG for an hr or so, catching upwards too guffawing over the wonderful, terrible too occasionally nonsensical products existence pitched only about us. For the virtually business office I happily kept my wallet tucked away.

Monday, March 1, 2021

June 7, 2009: Leftover Makeover - Semolina Gnocchi Ii

Maggie's semolina gnocchi as well as thence much that a mere calendar week later my commencement attempt, I baked a 2nd double-sized batch. This fourth dimension I cooked upward my ain sauce, inspired yesteryear a sun-dried tomato plant gnocchi sauce at Cafe Italia, containing:
  • a defrosted as well as reheated batch of tomato jam,
  • a sad-looking week-old cherry capsicum, grilled, skinned as well as chopped, and
  • lots of chopped semi-dried tomatoes.
It was the ideal acid tang to offset the golden creamy discs. I ate the leftovers for iv days straight, every bit content on the concluding twenty-four hr menses every bit I was on the first.

June 7-15, 2009: Steel-Cut Oats

porridge. This wintertime I've graduated to porridge using steel-cut oats. If you're non acquainted amongst steel-cut oats too thus read these posts past times FatFree Vegan Kitchen - this is where I showtime discovered them. Then I discovered 'em inwards the flesh (or grain, rather) at Habib Wholefoods on Flinders St over summer.

Initially I idea that this breakfast would suck upwards every bit much fourth dimension too coin every bit it does water. Organic groceries are rarely cheap, particularly on Flinders St, too these oats accept longer to laid upwards than their rolled rivals. But I've learned that I desire exclusively a 1/4 loving cup of oats each morning, making them much cheaper than the Kellogg's materials I unremarkably buy, too they laid upwards inwards the fourth dimension it takes me to shower. Best of all, they sustain me until luncheon fourth dimension similar cipher else.

I guess what sets steel-cut oats apart from the regular form is the texture. There's a existent kernel to them, something you lot tin sink your teeth into, also every bit that comforting sludginess. I've been cooking them upwards amongst orangish juice, H2O too a few spices earlier stirring dried cranberries too blanched almonds through at the end. Except for this morning, when I used rice milk too the terminal of roughly apple-pear crumble:

FatFree Vegan Kitchen)
makes two Cindy-sized serves

1/2 loving cup steel-cut oats
1 loving cup water
1 loving cup orangish juice
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon Chinese 5 spice
1/4 loving cup blanched almonds
2 tablespoons dried cranberries

In a medium-sized saucepan, stir together the oats, water, juice, salt, cinnamon too Chinese 5 spice. Bring the mixture to the boil too thus trim back the oestrus to really low, embrace the pot too laid upwards until close of the liquid has been absorbed past times the oats. SusanV estimates 30-45 minutes, but mine cause got taken every bit trivial every bit twenty minutes, thus continue an midpoint on them.

Take the porridge off the heat, stir through the almonds too cranberries too serve the porridge inwards bowls.