Paper Chef #9 Coffee

What would be better to celebrate a successful Australian style menu for Paper Chef #9 which utilises local produce and bush seasoning, than wattleseed latte, and "billy tea" scented with local peppermint leaves. The drinks contain all Australian ingredients, including a lemon from the backyard. The beautiful layers of milk, wattleseed infusion and frothy top makes the latte extra special. To complete the Paper Chef #9 ingredients, serve the drinks with chilli cheese, chilli chocolate, dried peaches and glazed wattleseed figs.

For making "billy tea", refer to the Australia Tea article. For the more refine tea drinker, brew your favourite tea with about 2 peppermint tree leaves per person according to taste. Add a squeeze of lemon and sweeten with red gum honey if required. Serve hot or cold with an ice cube in a glass. Garnish with lemon slices and a sprig of peppermint tree leaves.

Try Chef Ben's recipe for the wattleseed latte if you have an expresso maker, otherwise make the latte using the following method:

Step 1
Make a strong infusion by gently simmering 1 tablespoon of ground, roasted wattleseeds in 1 cup of water for 10-20 minutes. Strain through a coffee filter. Adjust with boiling water to make 1 cup of infusion, enough for 4 servings.

Step 2
Heat up 400 mL of milk and froth using a whisk or otherwise.

Step 3
Assemble by pouring 2 tablespoon of cold milk into a glass. Sweeten if required. Gently pour over 100 ml of the hot milk, followed by 2 tablespoon of very hot wattleseed infusion. Spoon some froth over the latte. Good luck with the layers which require some patience...

Related articles for Paper Chef #9:

Paper Chef #9 Menu
Paper Chef #9 Ingredients
Paper Chef #9 Entree
Paper Chef #9 Mains
Paper Chef #9 Dessert
Paper Chef #9 Coffee
Australian Tea
West Australian Suppliers
Food in the Backyard

Read more...

Paper Chef #9 Entree

Lemon myrtle sardines with quandong inspired chilli sauce and nasturtium salad dressed with lemon, parmesan infused olive oil and nasturtium capers.

The famous Fremantle Sardines appear a great choice to start off Paper Chef #9. However the local sardines fail to make it to the shelves in local supermarkets. Regrettably, the no-name brand substitute contains inferior mushy fish and does not do any justice to the dish. A lacey macadamia tuile adds an extra touch, while a sprinkle of lemon myrtle disguises the sardines.

Overall, the dish tastes OK ,with the peach and lemon flavours working really well with the nasturtium. The nasturtium and lemon come from the home garden. There is no need for the parmesan infused olive oil as the sardines come with oil. Also, commercial capers replaces the nasturtium ones since the seed pods are yet to form.

To make four servings, use 2 cans of 125 g sardines in oil, 40 young nasturtium leaves, 8 nasturtium flowers, 24 nasturtium flower buds and 24 commercial capers to replace the nasturtium ones. Sprinkle with ground myrtle lemon and camomile from 2 infusion teabags.

For the quandong inspired chilli sauce, mix equal parts of a favourite chilli sauce and the coulis created from the main course. Adjust seasoning, and hotness to taste.

To make parmesan infused olive oil, simply add a 20 g piece of parmesan to 2 tablespoon of good olive oil and heat gently for 10 minutes. Works well for cheddar too.

Transforming the seed pods to nasturtium capers is not hard. Basically, the method involves brining for 2 days, draining, packing into sterile jars, covering with boiling vinegar and sealing. The pickle is ready to use in 3-4 days.

The following are related articles for Paper Chef #9:

Paper Chef #9 Menu
Paper Chef #9 Ingredients
Paper Chef #9 Entree
Paper Chef #9 Mains
Paper Chef #9 Dessert
Paper Chef #9 Coffee
Australian Tea
West Australian Suppliers
Food in the Backyard

Read more...

Paoer Chef #9 Mains

Glazed lemon gum scented mesquite smoked chicken, broccolini, and caramelised taro served with a spicy quandong inspired coulis.

The bulk of the ingredients are West Australian. The canned peaches come from Victoria as the local peaches are not in season. The local park provides the lemon scented gum leaves. The taro, mandarine peel and dried chilli come from the home garden. The aroma of the chicken comes from a combination of spent tea leaves and coffee grounds, Australian mesquite chips, mandarine peel, ginger peel, lemon myrtle, camomile and lemon scented gum leaves. The flowers for the dish include camomile, broccolini (broccoli flowers), and red gum flowers used by bees to produce "Wescobee" red gum honey for glazing.

The biggest effort in this dish goes into making a spicy, reddish, quandong (Australian native peach) inspired coulis through the use of rhubarb, canned peaches and ginger to reproduce the quandong taste.



Smoking the Chicken

Cook your favourite stuffed chicken to rare before smoking. Add 1/2 cup of mesquite smoking chips, followed by 1 cup of spent tea leaves and 2 tablespoon of spent coffee grounds to a wok. Heat until smoking before placing the chicken on a rack over the smoking mixture. Cover tightly and smoke for about 45 minutes at 130-140 degrees celsius. The chicken should look golden brown.



Towards the end of smoking when the chicken reaches about 70 deg Celsius, add the contents of two lemon myrtle and camomile teabags, 2 tablespoon of fresh ginger peel, 1 dried shredded mandarine peel, and 20 lemon scented gum leaves to the smoking mixture. Smoke for another 10-15 minutes until cooked. Turn off the heat and rest for 10-15 minutes. Glaze with warmed red gum honey. The resulting aroma should be that of BBQ meat with strong fresh lemon related aroma. The mandarine peel gives a more mellow aroma, and perhaps should be omitted or reduced.



Quandong Inspired Coulis

Boil 1 cup of chopped drained canned peaches, 1/2 cup of peach juice from the canned peaches, 2 dried chillies and 2 slices of ginger for 10 mins until the peaches becomes thick and pulpy. Add more juice as required. Use medium heat to prevent burning. Next add 1 cup of chopped rhubarb and cook for a further 5-10 mins. Adjust sweetness with honey and season to taste. Remove from the heat and rub through a sieve. Makes about 1 cup of very thick coulis which can be diluted with more peach juice as required.



The following are related articles for Paper Chef #9:

Paper Chef #9 Menu
Paper Chef #9 Ingredients
Paper Chef #9 Entree
Paper Chef #9 Mains
Paper Chef #9 Dessert
Paper Chef #9 Coffee
Australian Tea
West Australian Suppliers
Food in the Backyard

Read more...

Paper Chef #9 Dessert

An elaborate cheese board comprising sparkling Australian wild hibiscus shooter, honey poached pear in a quandong inspired reduction, chilli chocolate, and glazed wattleseed figs.



In summary, the beautiful pink of the pears comes from a sweet poaching liquid containing rhubarb skins, peach juice (from canned peaches), lemon zest, ginger and and red gum honey. The pink is enhanced by Australian native hibiscus syrup. The brown on some of the pears results from accidental use of leftover wattleseed infusion from poaching the dried figs.

The wattleseed poached figs taste terrific, with hints of chocolate which complemented the chilli chocolate sprinkled on the pears.

The pear dessert looks spectacular, and surprisingly tastes sensational despite the "accident". The same goes for the Australian wild hibiscus in the shooter with its bright pink, and its rhubarb and raspberry flavour. Local cheese acts as decoration on the pears, giving a "his" or "hers" look: rounded slices for the pink pears and triangular ones for the brown pears.

All ingredients are derived from Australian sources, except for the cocoa that makes up the chocolate, and the dried baby figs. The fig tree in the garden is not fruiting this time of the year, hence the use of the dried figs. The lemon comes from the garden.

Australian Wild Hibiscus Shooter

The spectacular Australian wild hibiscus comes in a syrup. Obtain "Wild Hibiscus Flowers in Syrup" from "Margaret River On the Boardwalk" at Hillary's Boat Harbour or online.

For each shooter, use 1 wild hibiscus and 1 teaspoon of syrup. Pour over 100 mL of your favourite sparkling wine or for a non-alcoholic version use lemonade or soda water. The gas bubbles open up flowers which remain at the bottom of the drinks.

Extra Note: Although considered native because of the long existence in Australia, these "wild hibiscus" (hibiscus sabdariffa) are not the same as the native rosella hibiscus, hibiscus heterophyllus. The commercial "wild rosella" products come from the former.

Honey Poached Pears

To make the poaching liquid, use 1 tablespoon of red gum honey, 2 slices of ginger, one strip of lemon zest, peels from 4 stalks of rhubarb, 2 cups of water, and 1 cup of juice from the canned peaches used in the main course. Boil for 10 minutes to release colour from the rhubarb. Do not overcook. Strain the liquid and discard the pulp. Return to boil and gently simmer 4 peeled pears for 30 minutes until cooked. Remove the pears and reduce the liquid until syrupy.



Divide the sauce in half. For the pink pears, add 2 teaspoon of syrup from the "Wild Hibiscus". For the brown pears, add the leftover wattleseed infusion from the figs. Place the pears into individual glasses with the respective sauces and refrigerate overnight.

To assemble, place the pear in serving dishes and pour the sauce over. Sprinkle with grated chilli chocolate. Cut 4 slices of cheddar or parmesan cheese into rounds or triangles. Cut central holes in the cheese slices. Place the cheese slices over the pears as shown. Serve with 3 wattleseed figs per pear.

Extra Note: It seems the pretty red of the hibiscus syrup goes dull and/or darker on the pear after a few hours. The suggestion is to apply the hibiscus syrup just before serving the pink pears.

Glazed Wattleseed Figs

Boil 1 teaspoon of ground, roasted wattleseed in 1 cup of water for 15 minutes. Strain the liquid. Add 1 teaspoon of red gum honey and 12 dried baby figs. Simmer for 15 minutes or until tender. Remove the figs and reduce the sauce. Pour the sauce over the figs and chill. Glaze with more red gum honey if required. Allow 3 figs per serve. Excess sauce can be added to the poach pears.

Extra Note: Wattleseeds can be found in good supermarkets or online like Chef Vic Cherikoff's shop, Kurrajong Native Foods, and Barbushco Australian Native Flavours.

This dessert is part of a series of articles for Paper Chef #9:

Paper Chef #9 Menu
Paper Chef #9 Ingredients
Paper Chef #9 Entree
Paper Chef #9 Mains
Paper Chef #9 Dessert
Paper Chef #9 Coffee
Australian Tea
West Australian Suppliers
Food in the Backyard

Read more...

Paper Chef #9 Menu

The Paper Chef #9 ingredients of chilli, edible flowers, peaches and a local ingredient, lead to the following menu proposal:


Entree:
Lemon myrtle sardines with quandong inspired chilli sauce and nasturtium salad dressed with lemon, parmesan infused olive oil and nasturtium capers.
Read article >>


Mains:
Glazed lemon gum scented mesquite smoked chicken, broccolini, and caramelised taro served with a spicy quandong inspired coulis.
Read article >>


Dessert:
An elaborate cheese board comprising sparkling Australian wild hibiscus shooter, honey poached pear in a quandong inspired reduction, chilli chocolate, and glazed wattleseed figs.
Read article >>


After Dinner:
"Billy tea" scented with peppermint leaves, or wattleseed latte
Read article >>

At first thought, the red native Australian peach, known as the quandong, often found in gourmet jams, seems a great substitute for out of season peaches. Alas the price of over AUD$90.00 per kilogram and the lack of supplies in metropolitan specialty shops preclude the use of quandong. Instead, a combination of canned Victorian peaches, local rhubarb, and ginger recreates the flavour and colour of the quandong. The menu also features Australian bush seasonings.

It almost means the end of the challenge when the pear dessert goes horribly wrong on addition of leftover wattleseed infusion for a bit of "extra taste". The lovely pink pears turn brown with an unusual taste. However, leaving the pears to marinate overnight in the fridge brings out the fruity pear and peachy flavours which blend really well with the wattleseed. The end result is a sensational dessert, with pink pears for "her" and brown pears for "him"!



Part of this Paper Chef challenge is to source local produce starting in the backyard. A series of articles accompany the challenge write up:

Paper Chef #9 Ingredients
Paper Chef #9 Entree
Paper Chef #9 Mains
Paper Chef #9 Dessert
Paper Chef #9 Coffee
Australian Tea
West Australian Suppliers
Food in the Backyard

Read more...

On the Trail of Fresh Local Produce

The banner to this blog mentions "fresh local produce", a term intended as "tough in cheek" over reality TV restaurants insistence for menu items featuring local produce, often with brand names. Unlike the reality TV restaurants, the "local produce" at My Little Restaurant comes from the fridge and pantry!

So when food bloggers, originating from the USA, decide to get together to eat only local produce from within 100 miles (about 160 km) for the month of August, it seems a great opportunity to check out the source of local produce with the view of incorporating the produce into a menu item for Paper Chef Challenge #9. The aim is to encourage a "green", environmentally sustainable approach to meals. In the home kitchen, economics often dictate the source of local produce. Otherwise with such a close proximity to the Swan Valley and Peel Region vineyards, it would be wine, cheese and chocolates for August!

The challenge of finding locally grown produce becomes harder when it becomes apparent there is no easy means of figuring out whether fresh produce, from the nearby shops, food factories, and commercial markets, is grown within 100 miles, imported overseas or from interstate! Also many locally made products such as chocolates contain imported ingredients.

After many hours of research, the following is a list of local Perth produce which in many instances can be found in supermarkets like IGA, department stores and the commercial markets at Canning Vale (open to the public on Saturday for clearance).

West Australian Grocers
The Herdsman
The Grocer of Nedlands
Margaret Riviera - shop front for Margaret River produce
The Mezz at Mt Hawthorne - Shopping centre with gourmet shops
Licorice Gourmet Foods - Carine Glades Shopping Centre

Beef
Harvey Beef - 140 km South West Perth CBD
Dandaragan Organic Beef - 180 km North Perth CBD

Chicken and Poultry
Mt Barker Chicken (Organic) - 350 km South West Perth CBD
Inghams (Halal) - local poultry farms
Mahogany Creek Poultry, Game and Bushtucker (WA distributor)

Pork
Linley Valley Fresh - Albany free range producer

Seafood
Kailis Bros Fish Market and Cafe, 101 Oxford Street Leederville WA 6007
Western Rock Lobsters, from off Dongara, North of Perth
Cambinata Yabbies
Catalano Seafoods

Snails
Scargol - Perth grown snails. (08) 9228 2000 or (08) 9279 4187

Dairy
Swan Valley Cheese Factory Company, using Busselton milk, 640 Great Northern Highway, Herne Hill, WA 6056
Mundella Foods Pty Ltd, soft cheese & yoghurt (including Kosher range) , 46 km South of Perth, 46 Randell Road, Mundijong WA 6123
Blue Cow Cheese Company, importer& distributor of Aust. cheeses, including ricotta & bocconcini from the Darling Range in Perth, and Cloverdene Dairy Ewes milk products, PO Box 952 Cloverdale WA 6985
Casa Dairy Products Pty Ltd, distributor, 27 Carrington Street, Nedlands, Western Australia, 6009
Margaret River Cheese Company, 250 km CBD, PO Box 8, Cowaramup, Western Australia 6284 Borrello, Italian style cheeses, 20 km South of Perth, 59 Rice Rd, Oakford Western Australia 6121
Harvey Cheese , mediterranean cheese, 140 km South of Perth, Lot 36 South Western Hwy, Wokalup, Western Australia 6221
Kervella Goat Cheeses, Gidgegannup, Western Australia 6555, 50 km east in the Perth Hills, "Darling Scarp"
Kytren Goats Cheese, Gidgegannup
Cambray Sheep Cheese, Vasse Highway, Nannup
Ringwould Goat Cheese, Albany

Bread
New Norcia Bakery, 132 km North of Perth

Wine
Lamonts, Swan District, WA, 85 Bisdee Road, Millendon 6056

Olive Oil
York Olive Oil
Kailis Organic Olive Oil
New Norcia Olives (Benedictine monks care for the groves of over 100 years old)
NJoi Australian Olive Oil (Several olive producing regions around Australia)
Eagle Bay Olives - Dunsborough
Olio Bello - Margaret River
Vasse Virgin - Margaret River
Fini Olives - Gingin
3 Drops - Mt Barker

Chocolate
The Margaret River Chocolate Company, 25 mins from CBD in Swan Valley, 5123 West Swan Road,West Swan. Also at Margaret River, at Cnr Harman's Mill Road and Harman's South Road
Willyabrup

Truffle
Wine and Truffle Company, at Munjimup, 293 km South of Perth

Honey
The House of Honey, Swan Valley

Nuts
MacNuts, Baldivis

Fruit & Vegetable
Perth Markets, distribution centre for overseas, interstate and local produce from market gardens or orchards on the northern, hills, and southeastern outskirts of Perth.
Apple and Pears, Perth Hills & Donnybrook/Manjimup
Swan Valley Strawberry Farms
Wanneroo Strawberry Farms

Read more...

Australian Tea

Making and drinking "billy tea" is an Australian ritual going back to 1788 with the arrival of tea with the First Fleet. "Billy tea" is tea made in a can (that is, the "billy") over an open fire by campers (also known as "swagmen") in the bush. The addition of green gum leaves to the brew gives extra flavour. In today's supermarket, the famous iconic "Billy Tea" (without the gum leaves) is made by Tetley Australia Pty Ltd, a tea distributor to the Australian market formed in 1988 from its Yorkshire parent company which traded tea since 1837.

The "Billy Tea" brand name is credited to James Inglis & Co Tea and Coffee merchant who set up shop in Sydney in 1888. According to the story on the "Billy Tea" packaging:

"...Marie Cowan was the wife of the Sydney tea merchant James Inglis, and arranged the tune "Waltzing Maltida" for her husband to distribute in the late 1890's as an advertisement of his tea. The words used in the song copy differ significantly from those published by A B Paterson..."

Australia's oldest tea factory is in fact, Bushells, an Australian icon originating back to 1883. These Bushells herbal infusion teabags contain Australian wattleseed (nutty chocolate taste) and lemon myrtle. There are no longer on sale.



According to a discussion group,

".... Alfred Thomas Bushell set up a small family run tea company in Australia. More than a century of tradition later, that same company now houses the nation's number one choice in fine quality leaf tea. Today, Bushells continues the family tradition of flavor and quality that Australians have come to expect."

British company, Unilever acquired Bushells in 1990. According to the Tea Forum,

"Unilever is the worlds largest tea company and its famous brands are some of the oldest and most loved tea brands. In Australia these brands include Lipton, Bushells and Lanchoo tea. Unilever Australia also sells ready to drink ice tea under the Lipton brand. Through this range of brands Unilever meets the everyday needs of the Australian people in leaf tea, tea-bags, green tea, herbal infusions and speciality black teas. Unilever has world wide expertise in growing, marketing and packing tea. Lipton is the Global market leader in black tea and ready to drink ice tea. Lipton continues to be Australia's number one Tea Brand, enjoyed everywhere for its fun and implicit goodness."

Most brands of tea in Australia comprise blended tea leaves from overseas sources. Australian grown teas come from the Madura Tea Estate in New South Wales and the Nerada Valley in Queensland.

The following comes from the Tea Forum:

Madura Tea Estates

Madura Tea Estates comprises a 25 hectare tea plantation near Murwillumbah, NSW, where tea is grown in near-perfect subtropical conditions. Madura has been part of the Australian landscape since 1978. In 1992, the owners asked their accountants, Stephen Bright and Ron Ford, to find a buyer. After studying the figures, they decided to take on the task themselves. They were joined by tea maker and partner Larry Brown who has worked on plantations in India, Papua New Guinea and Sri Lanka. The estate now employs 57 staff and is 100% Australian owned.

Madura Tea Estates
PO Box 702
Murwillumbah NSW 2484
Ph 02 6677 7215
Fax 02 6677 7451
Email: info@maduratea.com.au

Nerada Tea Company

Nerada Tea came to be as a result of Dr Allan Maruff when he planted the first commercial tea plantation in 1959 in the Nerada Valley situated on the foothills of the Atherton Tablelands in Far North Queensland. Today, Nerada Tea is the largest supplier of Australian grown teas to the domestic market.

Nerada Tea Pty Ltd
PO Box 1420
Sunnybank Hills QLD 4109
Contact : Andrew Weavers / Peter Jeffery
Ph 07 3272 0444
Fax 07 3272 0243
Email: info@neradatea.com.au

It looks like few Australian grown teas exist, other than herbal infusions of Australian bush ingredients like wattleseeds and lemon myrtle.

Wattleseed is a traditional food for indigeneous Australians who grind the seeds into flour for damper. Although Australia's floral emblem is the "Golden Wattle" or acacia pycnantha with edible seeds, commercial wattleseeds are derived from acacia victoriae. The seeds are roasted and ground before use as flavouring to sweet and savoury dishes, as a coffee substitute, and as herbal tea infusions.



To experience the unique taste of Australian wattleseeds, try Chef Benjamin Christie's Wattleseed Caffee Latte or Wattlecino. In the absence of an expresso maker, boiling the wattleseed for 20 minutes enhances the flavour. Wattleseeds are found in Australian supermarkets, speciality tea, health or gift shops, or online like Chef Vic Cherikoff's shop.

To enjoy "billy tea", unlike Japanese green matcha tea ceremonies, all you need is a campfire, and some tea leaves to throw into water boiling in a suitable container, the "billy". Check this link for instructions. Serve "billy tea" with damper, in the midst rowdy singing of "Waltzing Maltida" .

Read more...

Spectacular Fruit Desserts

Desserts on offer so far are:

banana and berries fruit salad
macadamia tart with seasonal fruit
cheese and olive platter with signature wasabi spinach dip

The following desserts are now added to the menu:

Nashi fruit platter:



Carambola fruit platter:



Milk panna cotta with seasonal fruit and a lacey macadamia tuile, served with fruit sauce:



Fruit jelly with seasonal fruit in a fruit couli, served with yoghurt:

Read more...

Secret Ingredient No. 3

...coming soon...

As secret ingredient No. 3, oriental dates gets a test drive.

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Macadamia Fruit Tart

...coming soon - A macadamia fruit tart for the dessert menu...







...to be continued...

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