A Visit to Kiama

Shoalhaven Foodies visit Kiama

Chere, Christine, Colleen, Kim and Kimella from the Shoalhaven Foodies recently visited Kiama, which is a delightful little town that glitters like a jewel on the south coast of NSW.

We were there to try some of the food on offer.  First, we had lunch at a café called Hunt & Gather in Terralong Street, which is the main street of Kiama. After lunch, we enjoyed coffee and chocolate at My Coffee Shoppe, not far from the Hunt & Gather Café.



Chere, Colleen and Kim at Hunt & Gather Café

 





Outside My Chocolate Shoppe

Hunt & Gather Café is
attached to Always Flowers




 















 

 

  



Kim and her Tagine

 KIM

At Hunt & Gather I chose the Moroccan Lamb Tagine. The presentation was very rustic and the lamb melted in my mouth. However, I found that there weren't enough spices in the dish and it was very sweet. The peach chutney was also sweet, so there wasn't a balance to the dish. For me, the portion was too large for lunch. I would have preferred a smaller portion with more flavours.

 

At My Chocolate Shoppe, I chose the Chocolate Mousse, which was not overly sweet, but had loads of chocolate on top.   It was a generous serving which was very nice, but rather rich after a big lunch.





 

 

CHRISTINE


Moroccan Lamb Tagine

 

When we arrived at Hunt & Gather we were greeted warmly by the owner.
 

Christine about to try her
Moroccan Lamb Tagine

Kim and I both chose the Moroccan Lamb Tagine. Although I had no preconceived idea of how it should be served, when it arrived it was presented the way I would do it at home. I was both pleased and disappointed at the same time! It was very homey and I made the comment that it looked like something you would like to eat in front of an open fire! It would have been nice to have it presented with a little bit more flair to make it that more enjoyable. As the saying goes “we eat with our eyes as well as our mouths”. In saying that I was amused to see that the accompanying pear chutney and yogurt was served in a jam jar lid! Perhaps the tagine could have come in its own quirky container too?

 The first mouthful was tasty but after a few more forkfuls it was a bit too sweet with only the yogurt giving it a bit of tang. The lamb was cooked well and although the Moroccan flavour was there, it was rather too subtle for my palate and I would have liked a bit more of the spice. The accompanying green salad with quinoa was moreish but the bread (gluten free) was also somewhat sweet - my preference would have been for some couscous.
 

Overall it was a very pleasant meal, served in good time by a delightful waitress.

 
After Hunt & Gather, we headed off to My Chocolate Shoppe for some naughty indulgence. Chocolate mousse was on the menu so once again both Kim and I opted for the same dish! 

 

Being a ‘retro’ kind of dessert the mousse duly arrived in a retro glass stemmed dish with lots of lovely Belgian chocolate shards on top. I found the mousse to be light and very easy to eat! Not too chocolately. I enjoyed it very much and the accompanying full flavoured coffee finished off a lovely afternoon.

  

CHERE 

 



Salmon with brown rice 

 

Chere taking one of many photographs

At Hunt & Gather, both Colleen and I chose the Dukka encrusted Salmon served with a savoury brown rice and roasted cherry tomatoes.

I was surprised to see that the salmon was broken into pieces and served mixed with the rice, and not as a whole piece of fish.I suppose the Dukka was in the rice, because it wasn't on the salmon. Unfortunately, my salmon was overcooked for me, and the entire dish was rather salty. However, Colleen's dish wasn't overcooked and except for the saltiness, she enjoyed it.

The presentation the eye. However, the baby tomatoes were delicious and I really enjoyed the ambience of the café, which was warm and friendly.

At My Chocolate Shoppe, both Colleen and I chose to have a Coffee Affogato with a little square of salted caramel chocolate. Yum! I absolutely loved the Affogato - it could be said that I was in heaven as I poured my lovely rich espresso coffee over my vanilla ice cream - two scoops, but who was counting? - definitely not me, and I'm sure Colleen wasn't either. No hesitation in recommending My Chocolate Shoppe - lovely!

Despite my reservations about my salmon at Hunt & Gather Café, I thoroughly enjoyed the afternoon at Kiama.

 



Kimella at Hunt & Gather Café

 KIMELLA

Deconstructed burrito

Walking into the Hunt & Gather Café, I was impressed by the quirky ambience and the rustic, laid back feel of the room. For my lunch, I chose the deconstructed burrito which consisted of a pot of homemade beans, chorizo and caramelised onions in a tomato sauce, quinoa and rocket salad, avocado and yoghurt ‘salsa’ and a wholemeal flat bread. I was pleased with the presentation which was on a piece of old wooden barrel with the pot in the centre and the other elements surrounding it.

I found the beans and chorizo to be smokey and flavoursome, the quinoa salad was fresh and light and not overpowered by the dressing and the avocado and yoghurt worked well when all the elements were put together on the bread. Overall, I was happy that I had made that selection – bueno!

We then browsed around Kiama for a while with a cold wind blowing; it was good to get out of the chill and to enter My Chocolate Shoppe with aromas of sweet chocolate wafting in the air. I ordered a hot chocolate which was Belgian chocolate topped with cream, chocolate sauce and chocolate flakes – very decadent and it was a wonderful end to our foodies day out in Kiama. (I also just had to buy some homemade chocolates to take home to try. They look gorgeous and taste divine!)







Affogato and salted caramel chocolate





There's always a lot of photography happening at a Foodies event!

cupcakes

 

 

 Cupcakes

 

 

fabulous cupcakes made by Foodies, Kim, Frances and Chere

                      
The Shoalhaven Foodies enjoyed a delightful afternoon recently. It was cupcake day and we were lucky enough to be able to enjoy not only cupcakes, but the beautiful ambience of Willow Wood in Broughton Vale, just outside of Berry, which has been built as a writers retreat.

Willow Wood is the brain child of poet and artist Jennifer Mors and her husband David Badger. Willow Wood is actually a place for writers to concentrate on what they love most – writing. However, it was also a perfect location for the Foodies, with it's spacious kitchen, large dining area and wonderful views.




one of the delightful views from Willow Wood

Willow Wood, a place for writers and Foodies! photo by Chris Jallard, Red Berry Photography





Kim's gorgeous rose and pistachio cupcakes  photo by Chris Jallard, Red Berry Photography

Kim's Rose and Pistachio cupcakes.  makes 10

Ingredients:

100gms soft unsalted butter

3/4 cup caster sugar

2 tps rosewater

2 eggs

1  1/4 cups gluten free SR flour

1/2  cup milk

1/8 cup crushed pistachios

Butter Icing:

50 gms unsalted butter

1 1/2 cups icing sugar

2 drops rose pink colouring

1tsp rose water

A little milk if needed.

 

Method:

Preheat oven 180 c Line patty tin with cases.

Cream butter, sugar and rose water with electric beater.

Add eggs one at a time.

Stir in Flour, pistachios and milk alternately.

Bake for around 18-20 minutes.

When cool, Ice and decorate.  I put the icing in an icing bag and piped it onto the cake, and made a darker pink piped on as roses, sprinkled with ground pistachios.

 



Chere's  little "Continental Babes" cupcakes

 



Chere's "Continental Babes" 

 



I made a vanilla cupcake recipe using gluten free flour.   Because I used gluten free flour, I found the cakes were a bit flat and uninteresting, so I improvised!  I decided I wasn't going to use traditional cup cake holders, but little cups.  I found two sets of little cups at a Vinnies shop - some lovely, others a bit twee, so I hand painted some decorations on the twee ones using a permanent glass paint.

 

I cut the cupcakes into discs and arranged them on a large plate.... then I mixed up strong espresso coffee, a little dessert chocolate topping and a dash of lemon, lime & bitters cordial - that sounds weird, but it worked!   I drizzled it over the cupcake discs and left them on the plate to absorb the flavor.

 

I made a filling:

3 egg yolks, (fresh from my gorgeous chickens, Bamboo and Bangles)

1/4 cup brown sugar,

1 vanilla pod,

250g mascarpone.

 

Method: 

Remove the seeds from the vanilla pod, then beat the egg yolks, sugar and vanilla seeds together in a bowl over simmering water until pale and thick.   Take off the heat and beat until cool.   Then beat in the mascarpone.

 

I layered the drizzled discs (as above) alternately with the mascarpone mix in the little cups and chilled them overnight.

 

Before serving I topped them with a mix of freshly whipped cream and little chopped squares of cherry Turkish Delight.  

 

I made some spun sugar the day before and put that on top, creating different shapes for each "continental babe".

 



Frances' delicious cupcakes

 


Jen Mors enjoying the afternoon




David Badger obviously enjoying one of Kim's a cupcakes!

 Willow Wood is set on 5 acres in rural Broughton Vale. Due to officially open later in 2014, it will host four writers for one week of every month of the year. The writers will have their own guest room with queen=size bed, a desk for writing, ensuite and an external doorway to the verandah, so the guest will have easy access to the surrounding gardens and woodland. The house has open plan communal spaces – library, television area and comfy lounges to relax, read or enjoy some delicious morning or afternoon tea. Breakfast and lunch are self-serve to give each writer the opportunity to structure their day as best suits individual needs. The evening meal is a time for the guest-writers to join hosts Jennifer and David for a delicious evening meal and hearty chatter.

 

Over the past year or so, Willow Wood has hosted a number of events, including Peter Bakowski's Book Launches in 2013 and 2014 and a Peter Bakowski Poetry Workshop, a Brook Emery Poetry Workshop and most recently, our Shoalhaven foodies Cupcake afternoon.

For more information about Willow Wood, contact jenmors@bigpond.com

 

Frances' Croquet Fun Day

Frances hosted a great croquet and games party in her country garden. The Foodies all turned up to enjoy the great food and company, and contributed some locally sourced goodies ourselves.

Chere's contribution was a delicious and beautiful savoury platter featuring local produce with local watermelon marinated in a little balsamic with black pepper and basin chiffonade. It seemed a shame to spoil the artwork of the food by eating it, but eat it we did!

Kim's platter looked too good to eat as well:

Figs stuffed with Blue cheese, wrapped in prosciutto with Rocket and Walnuts.


Cut figs almost open, then stuff with blue cheese, wrap in prosciutto and secure with a rosemary stalk. Bake for approx. 10 minutes or until prosciutto is crispy and cheese is oozy. Roast walnuts for 1-2 mins. Arrange rocket, top with figs and drizzle Balsamic vinegar and olive oil mixture, sprinkle walnuts and cracked pepper.

Chere's Mad Hatter's vegetarian lunch

Well, my lunch has been and gone and it turned out to be a very pleasant experience. I eventually decided to make a vegetarian menu – not that I'm a vegetarian, but I truly enjoy that food. I'd come across some lovely fresh zucchini flowers at my local food market (Saturday mornings at Shoalhaven Heads Hotel) and decided that they would be a fabulous to include in the menu.



The Shoalhaven grows wonderful produce, but there are certain things that don't grow here, either because it's not hot enough, or because they aren't in season. So it's strange when you are cooking from all local ingredients. You think you've come up with an idea to include in the menu and then realise that this particular ingredient isn't available right now. For example, I was going to make iced pear and raspberry soup, but soon remembered that pears weren't growing in the Shoalhaven at this particular moment!

The menu I decided on was:

Fruit punch with frozen seedless green grapes and watermelon stars.

Chilled cucumber and yoghurt soup.

Exotic summer salad with zucchini flowers in tempura batter (with avocado sauce)

Home made raspberry and strawbery ice cream pudding, chocolate souffle and caramelised oranges.

Strangely, Christine and I had bought the same dessert wine, Sticky Fig, from Two Figs winery nearby (I kept one for her lunch) and Kim bought a light orange liquor from Mountain View Winery (also nearby!) It was all looking a bit sweet, but fortunately Colleen brought a lovely Verdelho from Cupitt's Winery in Milton, so it all worked out.


Recipe for
Exotic summer salad with zucchini flowers in tempura batter (served with an avocado sauce).

Salad: Fresh rocket and watercress, fresh nasturtium leaves and flowers, (rinsed gently) local creamy fetta, baby beetroot, Kiffler potatoes, pomegranate seeds, fresh herbs.

Steam kiffler potatoes and baby beetroot in their skin until they are just tender. Allow to cool and then peel carefully – you can just rub the beetroot skin off. Make up a vinaigrette of extra virgin olive oil, crushed garlic and your favourite vinegar. Add some finely chopped fresh herbs (such as Italian parsley, basil, very small amount of tarragon) salt and black pepper. Cut the potatoes into bite sized pieces and toss them in half the vinaigrette. Marinate the beetroot in the other half and set aside ( I also added a little freshly squeezed orange juice to the beetroot. Don't refrigerate the potatoes or the beetroot - they should be at room temperature.

Avocado Sauce: (to be honest, I'm not sure if the avocados were local, but I decided to use them anyway!).
2 small, ripe avocados, seeds removed, peeled and chopped, a cup of crème fraiche (I made overnight with a cup of light South Coast milk and a tablespoon of buttermilk, fresh lime juice, cayenne pepper, ½ teaspoon salt.
Puree the ingredients in a blender until velvety smooth. Adjust seasoning to your taste and cover well (keep in the refrigerator until you almost ready to use it).

Tempura battered zucchini flowers.
I served two flowers for each person. To make the batter, mix 50 gm of corn flour, 150 gm plain flour,
2 free range eggs, a little salt and approx. 400 ml. iced water. Sift the corn flour and plain flour together. Beat the eggs with the salt and iced water, add the flour and stir quickly – don't overmix. Heat olive oil in a large pan. Roll the flowers lightly in cornflour, then into the mix. Shake off excess batter and put into the pan. Cook for about 4 minutes, spooning the oil over the flowers to make sure they are evenly browned.

To assemble:
Mix rocket, watercress (you could use mixed salad leaves) and nasturtium leaves together and place around the edges of large plates. Add potato, beetroot and pieces of fetta around the plate on top of the salad leaves. Drizzle with a little vinaigrette and sprinkle with some pomegranate seeds. Garnish with a few nasturtium flowers decoratively around the plate.

Spoon some of the avocado sauce in the centre of the plate and place the two cooked zucchini flowers on top.

I love hats, so when the girls came for lunch, I opened up the hatbox and we had some fun.

Me wearing my favourite twenties hat - better than a chef's hat, I say! And (right) my daughter, Kimella who was my guest at the lunch, chose this little red number.

Colleen with a bit of attitude and Frances the coquette.

Christine (left) can really wear a hat and Kim (right) went for the wig in the hat box - a totally different look.

Chere

No doubt about it, one of my favourite things is cooking and eating great food. I love the smell of food cooking, the challenge to present it artistically - and the tastes - extraordinary! Not ordinary, boring food mind you, but food with flair and imagination, preferably eaten in a gorgeous setting.

Cooking is way up on my creativity list. I rate it along with all the other things I do...writing stories and poetry, painting, drawing, sculpting, producing little books (a recent addiction) photographing everything, travelling to great places – they all fit together perfectly. No wonder I can't decide which one I love best!

I can't tell you how much fun it is to be part of the Shoalhaven Foodies. We've had three get-togethers so far and each has been outstanding. We're so lucky to have such wonderful produce to use and such great cooks to produce the culinary delights they've dished up.