March 12, 2011: Choc-Ice Magic

I bet a few of you lot straight off recognise the chocolatey shard shapes pictured above, yes?  You powerfulness fifty-fifty live on thinking, "It's Cottee's Ice Magic to live on quite precise, as well as inwards merely a few seconds it turns into crackly choc ice!"  (Or, if you lot grew upwards inwards the US, mayhap you lot know it every bit Magic Shell.)  This was my favourite process when visiting my grandparents every bit a kid as well as inwards the by duet of years I've bought a duet of bottles as well as re-experienced the magic inwards full.  (That's around industrial-strength nostalgia correct there!)

I assumed they were pulling out the industrial-strength chemicals to exercise the liquid-to-solid transformation, but it turns out you lot tin plough over the axe teach inwards at home.  With ii ingredients.  They're non fifty-fifty really scary ingredients.  What's more, it's both vegan as well as gluten-free if you lot select those ingredients well.  K as well as I got talking almost it on twitter as well as she already tried it out inwards January.  What I tin plough over the axe say you lot now, every bit the temperature skips as well as dips to a greater extent than often, is that it behaves (as good every bit tastes) really much similar the existent deal:

• you tin plough over the axe shop it at room temperature merely fine, merely giving it a piffling milkshake or whisk earlier serving,
• it's perfectly crunchy yet silky almost one-half a infinitesimal later you lot pour it on icecream,
• at cooler room temperatures it tends to thicken, but sitting it inwards a hot H2O lavatory for a duet of minutes earlier the shaking/ whisking is all it takes for total revival.

This could cause got me eating icecream all wintertime long.  I suppose it could live on dressed upwards alongside a piffling instant coffee, peppermint essence or fifty-fifty rosewater, but correct at nowadays I'm nevertheless hooked on the original.

(For the record, I origin tried this out every bit dessert for our 3rd Simpsons Night later a dinner of Indya Bistro takeaway [thanks Mike].  That tag-line nosotros used to run almost existence reformed Simpsons addicts is likely best forgotten.)

Choc-ice Magic
(based on a recipe from The Accidental Vegetarian,
constitute via In The Mood For Noodles)

1/3 loving cup kokosnoot oil
2/3 loving cup chocolate (dark chips are best)

In a modest saucepan over gentle heat, melt the kokosnoot oil.  Add the chocolate as well as stir regularly, until the chocolate is melted as well as you lot cause got a polish sauce.

Spoon the sauce over icecream as well as shop leftovers inwards a jounce at room temperature.

Moroccan Soup Bar Ii

The Moroccan Soup Bar is 1 of those Melbourne institutions that seems to receive got existed forever. And been insanely busy the whole time. In unopen to ways it's a precursor to trendy no-booking places similar Mamasita: if you've got a grouping of less than half-dozen you lot can't brand a booking too fifty-fifty now, to a greater extent than than a decade afterward it opened, in that location are queues waiting for the doors to opened upward at 6pm.

We've been a few times too ever loved it, but it's ever difficult to muster upward the issue energy to become somewhere when you lot know you're going to receive got to pass an hr or then waiting for a table, then it's fallen off our radar a fleck inwards recent years. At to the lowest degree it had, until nosotros read Ruby Bean too The Hungry Peas, Nouveau Potato's post recommending the combination of takeaway MSB too a picnic inwards Edinburgh Gardens. What a revelation!

You involve to choose your ain containers for takeaway at the Moroccan Soup Bar but it's good worth the essay - for $25 nosotros got iii containers total of typically delicious nutrient (the chickpea too yoghurt dish the standout equally always). Pack a picnic rug, a cocktail inwards a thermos, a span of plates too unopen to cutlery and, provided the weather's decent, you've got yourself the best damn picnic inwards Melbourne. The exclusively disappointing matter virtually our repast on Dominicus was that it made us realise how many fantastic summertime nights we've wasted.

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The Moroccan Soup Bar is well-loved - read all the raves at: Ruby Bean too The Hungry Peas, Nouveau Potato, Ruby Bean too The Hungry Peas, Green Gourmet Giraffe, Ruby Bean too The Hungry Peas, I Eat Therefore I Am, Ruby Bean too The Hungry Peas, Melbourne Boozehag, Ruby Bean too The Hungry Peas, Melbourne Dining Experiences, Ruby Bean too The Hungry Peas, i works life you lot inwards melbourne, Ruby Bean too The Hungry Peas, juganaut's foodie thoughts, Ruby Bean too The Hungry Peas, Urban Muslim, Ruby Bean too The Hungry Peas, Iron Chef Shellie, Ruby Bean too The Hungry Peas, i similar your... flavours, Ruby Bean too The Hungry Peas, little lady (Ruby Bean too The Hungry Peas, twice), Ruby Bean too The Hungry Peas, my garden feast, Ruby Bean too The Hungry Peas, Miss T: Princess Vegan too Ruby Bean too The Hungry Peas, vegan virtually town bear witness to its vegan-friendliness equally well!

There are a few dissenting voices, mostly finding the whole sense a fleck yoghurt heavy: Ruby Bean too The Hungry Peas, gila makan, Ruby Bean too The Hungry Peas, Melbourne Culinary Journal, Ruby Bean too The Hungry Peas, Let's Get Fat Together too because I cant cook.

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Moroccan Soup Bar
183 St Georges Rd, Fitzroy North
9482 4240
We paid $12.5 a caput for our food, but I intend it varies based on how much they tin gibe inwards your containers.

Accessibility: We didn't actually pay attending since nosotros were eating inwards the green - there's at most a pocket-sized pace on entry, too the house is to a greater extent than oft than non pretty crowded.

Diy Golden Gaytime

November 2-14, 2017

The Golden Gaytime is a much-loved Aussie icecream that has withstood a shifting interpretation of its name. Its winking tagline is that it's difficult to convey a Gaytime on your own, in addition to it's tempting to toast Australia's positive vote for matrimony equality amongst i of these delightful popsicles.

And yet! We excogitation to brand this a Streets Free Summer, inwards solidarity amongst the workers making Golden Gaytimes in addition to facing pay cuts of upwards to 46%. So why non make a Gaytime on your own?

The easiest path is to whip it up, sundae style, amongst purchased icecream. Influenza A virus subtype H5N1 scoop of vanilla icecream, a scoop of caramel - convey you lot noticed that in that location are to a greater extent than or less magnificent vegan salted caramel ones out in that location now? Make your ain two-ingredient choc-ice magic, scatter over to a greater extent than or less crushed biscuits in addition to you lot are SET.

Of course, I had to overthink this projection in addition to brand my ain icecream. I reckon I'd mastered vegan salted caramel icecream years ago, though I've grown a piffling weary of overbearing kokosnoot milk desserts since then. I worked inwards to a greater extent than or less macadamia milk, glucose syrup to improve the texture, in addition to a hearty dash of nighttime rum inwards the caramel layer. My two-toned icecream tasted so, thus great, but its texture completely bombed. Dense in addition to icy, it was a hurting to scoop in addition to only barely a pleasance to eat. I kinda liked it inwards popsicle form, but it's non the Golden Gaytime nosotros know in addition to love. I assume it needs a higher fatty content.

The recipe below isn't a recommendation. It's a tape for myself, it's a call-out for your icecream-making ideas, it's an affirmation that I should practise this again, in addition to better.

DIY Golden Gaytime

icecream
400mL vegan milk (I used macadamia)
1 x 400mL tin kokosnoot cream
1/4 loving cup glucose syrup
2 teaspoons vanilla
scant teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon nighttime rum
100g caster sugar

chocolate shell
1/4 loving cup kokosnoot oil
80g vegan 'milk' chocolate (I used Bonvita)
tiny pinch of salt

crumbs
100g evidently vegan biscuits (I used Granita)

Place the vegan milk, kokosnoot cream in addition to glucose syrup inwards a saucepan in addition to heat, stirring, until good mixed. Pour one-half of the mixture into a bowl in addition to whip it upwards amongst a stick blender, adding 1 teaspoon of the vanilla in addition to a pinch of the salt. Refrigerate this mixture until really cold, at to the lowest degree three hours. (You should withal convey the remaining unseasoned one-half of the milk mixture out.)

Place the caster carbohydrate inwards a build clean dry out saucepan over moderate, fifty-fifty heat. Avoid stirring it, but larn ahead in addition to shift the liquid bits out of the means to encourage the solid bits to melt quicker. Continue cooking the carbohydrate until it is all liquid in addition to brown, until it only starts smoking. Whisk inwards the remaining kokosnoot milk mixture, in addition to allow whatever stiffened caramel to melt dorsum down. When it's all smooth, plow off the oestrus in addition to whisk inwards the remaining teaspoon of vanilla, the rum in addition to the remaining salt. Refrigerate this mixture until really cold, at to the lowest degree three hours.

Churn the vanilla icecream inwards an icecream maker according to the manufacturer's instructions, in addition to then pour it into your preferred mold, in addition to house it inwards the freezer. Churn the caramel icecream inwards the maker, in addition to then pour it over the vanilla layer. Place the mold, covered, inwards the freezer.

To brand the chocolate shell, melt the kokosnoot crude oil over depression oestrus inwards a pocket-size saucepan. Add the chocolate in addition to salt, in addition to stir continuously until you lot convey a smoothen sauce. Turn off the oestrus in addition to store the chocolate at room temperature.

Smash the biscuits into coarse crumbs (I used a rolling pin, amongst the biscuits placed betwixt sheets of baking paper).

When it's fourth dimension to serve, scoop or unmold the icecream, pour over the chocolate sauce in addition to chop-chop sprinkle over the biscuit crumbs earlier the chocolate sets.

600 Posts!

In the two-and-a-bit years since nosotros moved to Melbourne in addition to began where's the beef?, Michael in addition to I cause got visited 198 unlike restaurants in addition to tried 270 recipes. Now we've published 600 posts! (Yes, I know that doesn't add together upward to 600 - it seems this weblog is truly 22% ranting in addition to repetition.)

Now that our archive has grown to these ungainly proportions, nosotros idea we'd add together a novel ship service to the side bar over there. Called where's the best?, it's a summary of our favourite restaurants in addition to recipes then far. We'll endeavor to cash inwards one's chips along it up-to-date, adding our novel finds in addition to maybe occasionally taking downward picks that autumn out of favour.

There's also roughly other new post inwards the side bar, tucked nether that Photoshop disaster that is our profile pic. It's a piffling introduction to Michael, me in addition to this blog. I ever dive conduct to the 'About' page when I discovery a novel weblog to befriend, then it seems exclusively fair that nosotros innovate ourselves nicely too.

Thanks to yous who've stopped by, had a read in addition to said hi. We're ever interested inwards your ain edible adventures in addition to honey trying your recommendations. It even then gives us a existent buzz every fourth dimension mortal novel leaves us a comment. Perhaps you could accept wages of this milestone of ours past times leaving us a comment for the commencement time, or giving us roughly feedback most what you similar or would similar changed most this weblog - afterwards ii years, we're good overdue for a functioning review in addition to maybe a piffling shake-up!

January 30-31, 2010: Potato-Crusted Silverbeet Pie

my enthusiasm for silverbeet was waning, y'all guys got me sorted. I was so pleased amongst the repast ideas y'all left on that post that I was genuinely counting downwardly the days until the side yesteryear side silverbeet delivery! During those chard-less days I received some other recipe proposition via email, from Michael's mum Robyn. Well, folks, she's my mother-in-law, so I figured I'd ameliorate laissez passer on it a shot. Ha! Actually, it looked similar a expert i - a quiche-style dish amongst a pastry made generally of mashed potatoes.

Now, a mashed murphy 'pastry' is commonly the form of affair that would direct maintain me suspicious. Shortcrust pastry is almost sacred to me. But Michael too I had this dish nosotros used to brand pre-blog, amongst a grated murphy crust too broccoli-quiche-kinda filling, so I knew this had promise. I simply didn't read the recipe closely plenty earlier nosotros started. Michael laid to boiling too mashing the potatoes a fiddling belatedly inwards the eve too it was entirely so that I noticed the xxx minutes required to residual the pastry, the 40-50 minutes to bake the pie too the subsequent twenty minutes that the finished pie allegedly needed to rest. (I knew it'd direct maintain a spell to bake but, really, did it postulate all that lazing around?) So Michael made the murphy dough, popped it inwards the refrigerator too nosotros got dinner delivered.

This was a expert decision. Our delivered dinner was marvellous, too the pie prep got fifty-fifty to a greater extent than involved than the recipe predicted. The murphy pastry was mushy too challenging to mould, fifty-fifty when I tripled the flour quantity, too the pie simply would. not. set. It spent at least an hr too a one-half inwards the oven all up, too got its post-oven nap twice over - however the crusty walls buckled when I loosened the springform pan, amongst cracks oozing mashed murphy too threatening to unleash an eggy avalanche. Dinner was messy but tasty, too luncheon was ameliorate - a nighttime inwards the refrigerator firmed everything upward nicely too it fifty-fifty withstood a solid microwave heat-up at work.

Naturally, that film y'all run across upward meridian is the well-behaved post-fridge version of this pie. I've since had a run a jeopardy to consult Robyn on our approach too non come upward up amongst whatever glaring mistakes. She thinks nosotros could potentially upward the flour quantity fifty-fifty further, spell I'm plotting a pastry pre-bake to describe solid those potatoes correct up. In the recipe below I'll tape what nosotros did (with a span of asides) and, if nosotros create something ameliorate side yesteryear side time, you'll travel the start to know. It's the to the lowest degree I tin create for y'all crazy silverbeet lovers.

Potato-crusted silverbeet pie
(based on a recipe from Michael's mum, Robyn)

4 large potatoes
20g butter
3/4 loving cup manifestly flour
3 eggs
300mL cream
1/2 loving cup grated tasty cheese
1/2 loving cup grated parmesan
6-8 cups chopped silverbeet, stems included
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
salt too pepper, to taste

Peel too chop the potatoes, so educate them inwards boiling H2O until tender (about xv minutes). Drain the potatoes too squelch them thoroughly (you don't desire lumps!). Add the butter too flour too stir everything together until it's describe solid plenty to assort a ball (you may desire to add together to a greater extent than flour). Refrigerate the dough for at to the lowest degree xxx minutes (we left ours for a sum day).

Preheat the oven to 180°C. Roll the dough out betwixt 2 pieces of greaseproof paper, large plenty to jibe a springform tin (if y'all don't direct maintain one, I'm certain y'all tin utilization a pie or casserole dish or cake tin). Remove the meridian canvass of paper, so ease the bottom canvass too the pastry into the tin too gently shape it to assort a crust. Although I did non create this, I would propose pre-baking this crust until lightly golden - maybe 10, xv minutes?

In a bowl, whisk together the eggs too cream, so stir inwards the cheeses, silverbeet too nutmeg. Season it equally y'all similar too pour the mixture into the murphy crust. Bake the pie until it's laid - this volition in all probability direct maintain an hr too maybe longer. Allow the pie to cool inwards the tin for twenty minutes earlier slicing too serving.

July 5, 2009: Crème Brûlée

For many years, the words 'crème brûlée' only made me intend of the daggy together with wistful has-been (or rather, never-was) Les McQueen from the League of Gentlemen. But when I saw a novel rendition of this dessert inward Leigh Drew's Vegan Indulgence together with imagined serving it inward still-warm ramekins, I lay it on Lord's Day night's vegan wintertime menu. It was ever going to hold upwardly a high-risk venture, together with I managed to larn inward extra hard for myself.

Leigh gives directions for making nearly 2 cups of almond milk together with supplements this amongst a farther 2 cups of soy milk. Not existence a big fan of soy milk, I idea I'd skip direct to buying a litre of almond milk together with proceed from there. Only I couldn't find almond milk at the unfamiliar supermarket I was visiting. Instead I decided to purchase rice milk, which has a natural sweetness that I idea could piece of employment here. Actually, in 1 lawsuit I'd made the custard together with sampled the saucepan's leftovers, I didn't help for the aftertaste of the rice milk at all! While Michael protested that the rice custard was OK, I prepared myself for binning the lot together with congratulated myself on purchasing about just-in-case vegan chocolate.

The recipe quantity allowed me to brand 1 extra custard, thus I rehearsed the saccharide caramelising procedure on Lord's Day afternoon. In short, it was a mess. Brown, bubbly together with gooey, my brûlée looked to a greater extent than similar a swamp sample than anything you'd desire to eat. But I developed a novel theory or ii during the process, together with I reminded myself that this night's guests were the sort to appreciate an experiment together with forgive a disaster dessert... peculiarly if I could follow it upwardly amongst chocolate.

And what create yous know? I totally pulled these off! The fundamental seems to hold upwardly the shortest, hottest caramelisation procedure yous tin give notice deal - rut upwardly the grill completely before putting these in, trace them out every bit presently every bit they brown, together with give them a expert 5-10 minutes for the saccharide to harden. Cross your fingers together with it only powerfulness cease upwardly existence the dish that everyone's nonetheless talking nearly days later.

I got thus worked upwardly nearly the custard flavor together with toffee texture that I forgot to fret nearly using agar agar - thankfully it worked a treat, producing a smoothen laid custard that wasn't rubbery. I'm a footling curious nearly Leigh's run of both cornflour together with custard pulverization - custard pulverization is footling to a greater extent than than cornflour together with sugar, thus I'd hold upwardly tempted to sub it out for its principal constituents if I made this again. (On the other hand, I directly lead keep most of a box of custard pulverization to run up...)

Les' nostalgia trips lead keep been overtaken. Now the words 'crème brûlée' volition lead keep me thinking: problematic, possible together with nonetheless to hold upwardly perfected.


Crème brûlée
(adapted from a recipe inward Vegan Indulgence yesteryear Leigh Drew)

1L rice milk (or almond milk, preferably!)
2 teaspoons vanilla essence
3 tablespoons agave nectar
1 tablespoon agar agar
2 tablespoons cornflour
1 tablespoon custard powder
3 tablespoons water
7-10 teaspoons sugar

In a medium saucepan, stir together the milk, vanilla together with agave. Sprinkle over the agar agar together with laid the mixture aside for 10 minutes.

In a modest bowl, mix together the cornflour, custard pulverization together with H2O until the powders are dissolved.

Put the saucepan of milk over medium rut together with convey it to the boil. Once it's boiling, whisk it thoroughly for a span of minutes. Whisk inward the cornflour mixture together with allow it all to simmer for one-half a minute. Remove the custard from the rut together with expire on whisking it for a few to a greater extent than minutes every bit it thickens.

Pour the custard into ramekins, move out them to cool at room temperature for one-half an hour, thus encompass them amongst foil together with store them inward the refrigerator for 24 hours.

When you're ready to serve dessert, rut upwardly a griller every bit hot every bit yous can. Sprinkle a teaspoon of saccharide over each ramekin of custard together with lay them nether the grill, a few at a time. Heat them until the saccharide melts together with take away them every bit presently every bit the saccharide has browned. Allow the custard to cool together with the toffee to harden earlier serving.

June 27, 2008: London

On Fri morn nosotros had intended to teach going early on as well as breakfast at the Borough Market. However, events conspired against us. First, nosotros discovered that on Fridays the markets don't opened upwards until noon. No problem; instead nosotros shared a still-warm baguette breakfast (fresh from the bakery, smothered inwards butter as well as Vegemite) alongside Emily as well as Sam, too savouring a terminal chat earlier nosotros moved on. Plan B was to halt past times the cashew crack

Buttons recommending them. I recall I involuntarily swore the outset 2nd I tasted one, they are therefore darn good. Like those raspberry jube lollies but genuinely fruit! How tin displace such a wondrous affair exist? How are they bred? What does a fresh i await like? Where tin displace I teach to a greater extent than or less to a greater extent than correct NOW?!