Getting Gooey with High Rising Daughters

Making real wholegrain bread full of yummy seeds and nuts with my daughters is something I’d LOVE to rediscover.

They say kids spell LOVE as T-I-M-E… bread making takes a little time, and it’s a MAGIC lesson as well. The doubling of the dough as the yeast goes to work is kinda magic to my girls.

As a kid, walking home from the village bakery with warm fresh bread was always a cool happy chore, only pulling away and chewing the crust edge was not an art form my Mum thought needed rewarding. Experiencing the girls doing the exact same thing with fresh bed straight out of the oven was ‘Brilliant’!

(Recipe; Big Book of Baking, Paragon Books ©2008)

5 Chefs Serve Generously for Canterbury

A collaborative effort between five of Auckland’s top chefs and Villa Maria Estate has raised $100,000 for the Christchurch City Mission. What began as a desire to do something to help the people of Canterbury after the devastating February earthquake became a demonstration of solidarity and generosity from Villa Maria, those organising the event and those that attended.

Two hundred and ten guests paid $250 each for the five-course degustation matched with Villa Maria wines. Everyone involved from the front of house staff to the food suppliers donated their time or products for the event.

Participating chefs included: Des Harris – Clooney Michael Meredith – Merediths Mike van de Elzen – Molten Restaurant Sid Sahrawat – Sidart Restaurant Stephen Ward – O’Connell Street Bistro

The luncheon was hosted by Villa Maria. Kerre Woodham and John Hawkesby emceed the event where guests were wined and dined with live entertainment and with a series of live and silent auctions. The enthusiastic crowd bid generously, including $5000 for a progressive dinner at a selection of Auckland restaurants.

The grand total from ticket and auction sales came to $93,000 with an un-named person pledging the extra $7000 to make an even total of $100,000.

One hundred per cent of all proceeds are being donated to the Christchurch City Mission, an organisation that has a heavy load to bear in the coming months.

Christchurch City Missioner Michael Gorman was ecstatic to hear of the donation: “Our work at the City Mission is only just beginning, as we are now faced with an influx of new people who never thought they would need us. Redundancies and homelessness are forcing people to set aside their pride and seek help. We are eager to assist and will have better resources to do so with this wonderful donation,” he said.

Wild Meat Sauce, by a Top Bloke

My 'Jelly and Jam Queen', Mum, sent me a bottle of the Sauce of meat sauces, Glasseye Creek, Wild Meat Sauce, from the Mediterranean Market in Queenstown N.Z. This stuff (sauce) is wow, with a ‘home-grown’ flavour, yet with a ‘Paul Newman’s own’ kinda gotta get some more… ‘pull’!

The ‘good joker’ from the ‘Main land’ (South Island N.Z.) Don Keebles, who is the bloke who beavered away at the recipe, seems resolute to tell the story through his friends, especially his good mate, Dave White who owned the Little Wanganui Pub.

“So, fueled with the West Coast atmosphere, the attitude of the people, the quality of the tucker and the heritage of our newly enlightened patron of the pub, Don set out to create a sauce that captured these elements, to be a best mate of meat and to complement the unique flavours that these premium meats offer! For the next 6 months, in his small kitchen at home, Don produced over 40 different recipes and brews, supported with many a tasting session and a wee tipple with his mates, to eventually hone, refine and settle on the recipe that is now known as Glasseye Creek Wild Meat Sauce”.

“……He was brewing a few bottles here and there for mates who tried it and wanted more. The Little Wanganui Pub then began serving it with most of their meals (not whitebait), and big Dave was using it in his marinades, roast meat gravies, casseroles, stews and pretty much everything he served from his legendary kitchen, which was the home of the famous ‘Fat Bastards Special’”. ~’Our Yarn’, glasseyecreek.co.nz.

The development of the recipe seems to be assisted greatly by good old scotch, so perhaps Don shipped the sauce to his friends in the empty whiskey bottles… and then never stopped using them! If I was a bona-fide foodie, I’d give this saucy stuff all the stars! And then there’s the good bloke; ‘Yoda the Prawn Star’, who’s got a story too!

John Houghtaling and Franco Valobra Hold New Orleans Fundraising Dinner

In support of Louisiana cuisine at a time when its seafood industry has been jeopardized by the Horizon oil spill, world-renowned chefs Thomas Keller, Daniel Boulud and Jerome Bocuse will team with New Orleans Chef Scott Boswell for a September 14 fundraiser at his French Quarter restaurant Stella! The event will benefit the Barrier Islands Restoration & Development Society (B.I.R.D.S.) and the Bocuse d'Or USA Foundation. It is the first meal the distinguished chefs will cook together.

"These leaders of America's culinary revolution are committed to preserving our food culture and traditions," said Chef Boswell. "Like me, they're frustrated about the repercussions of the oil gushing in the Gulf, so we will unite in the kitchen to raise funds for our wetlands and the next generation of culinary professionals."

The benefit will be held on Tuesday, Sept. 14, beginning at 7 p.m. with cocktails in the Ursuline Convent gardens, followed by dinner at Restaurant Stella! Tickets for the evening are $2,000 per person, and may be obtained by calling 504-587-0091 (Extension 100) or e-mailing cbrannon@chefscottboswell.com.

New Orleans businessmen John Houghtaling and Franco Valobra organized the event to raise awareness of the region's cuisine and Louisiana's wetlands.

B.I.R.D.S. was formed by a group of concerned civic leaders and Plaquemines Parish President Billy Nungesser to establish, maintain and restore the precious barrier islands of Southeast Louisiana. These natural barriers, which have been disappearing over the last century, provide a first line of defense for the fragile marshes, estuaries, and animal habitats that permeate the landscape surrounding the lower portion of the Mississippi River as it empties into the Gulf of Mexico.

"We've gathered some of the best culinary artists in the world to highlight our cuisine and draw attention to our struggle," Houghtaling said. "The barrier islands are home to brown pelicans, the symbol of our state and the wildlife upon which many of our cultural traditions are based. B.I.R.D.S. is a critically important cause."