Strawberry and Vanilla Jam

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Multicultural Inspiration from... family :)

As promised, here's some follow up action from my Lime and Coconut Curd post - my "anything-you-can-do" strawberry jam! Fortunately for Sous-Jeff, unlike the red hot chilli jam that he produced (which I can't touch for fear of death by spice), my jam is deliciously sweet and shareable!

It is sugary sweet, syrupy, with a little taste of vanilla. Really, really yummy. And it was surprisingly easy to make too! Here's how it was done, with the inspiration of this recipe from taste.com.au (though I must confess, I did change a fair bit...)

You'll need:

• 4 x 250g punnets of strawberries, washed and hulled
• 600g white sugar
• 100g vanilla sugar
• 80ml freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 1 vanilla bean

First up, I put all the strawberries and sugar in a large bowl, added about 75ml of water, and mixed it all up. I covered the bowl and let it sit for about 30 minutes. Yes, the recipe says overnight, but my patience doesn't extend quite that far.

This is what they looked like after 30 minutes - I then decided that instead of a conserve, with full berries, I wanted smaller chunks, more jam like. So I took a knife to the bowl and just chopped through the berries until they were in smaller chunks.

Next up, I squeezed me some lemon juice.

Then, I put the strawberries in all of their sugary goodness, and the lemon juice, and the vanilla bean seeds into a giant pot, and I cooked it on a medium heat for about 10 minutes - until the sugar dissolved, stirring it often, till it looked like...

... this! Then, I upped the heat and brought the mixture to the boil.

The mixture bubbled and boiled away, forming a pink froth on top...

... which I scooped off the top with a metal spoon.

I ended up cooking it for around 50 minutes, until the mixture started to really gel. Then, into the jar it went - against the recipe I went again, leaving it to sit in the jar for about 30 minutes before sealing it up and putting it in the fridge.

I absolutely LOVED the vanilla taste in the jam, and, if anything, I'd perhaps use a little more vanilla sugar next time instead of regular sugar. The jam itself is super sweet, with the most gorgeous strawberry flavour, and I'm really glad I chopped the strawberries up a little. It tastes like summer, in the middle of this bitterly cold Melbourne winter!

And, it goes great on my gluten free buckwheat pancakes!

Really, really delicious! I got the tick of approval from Sous-Jeff too, and with all of our efforts so far successful, we're ready to try some more!

Over to you guys and girls - what jams have you tried, what's on your to-try list, and what should I try next?!

Lime and Coconut Curd

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 Multicultural Inspiration from... Fiji

Fresh off the success of Sous-Jeff's Chilli Jam (which I can't try because it's too spicy!), I decide that it's time for me to try a condiment of my own. Not to be outdone, I decide to try not one, but two preserves - a lime and coconut curd (again, coming from the love of lime and coconut I developed over my many visits to Fiji), and strawberry jam. First up is my curd.

I have very fond childhood memories of lemon curd used as butter, coated on my toast, cake, biscuits, and whatever else I could get my little hands on. I absolutely loooooved the citrusy punch of the lemon combined with the secondary, super sweet sugar hit.

After a bit of googling and a bit of imagination, I've looked at around 5 or 6 different recipes, and decide to take elements of all of them, and a lot of my own imagination. And I'm glad I did, because it came out absolutely AMAZING!!!!

Here's what I did to get it right...

First, I passed 3 lightly whisked eggs through a strainer, to make sure the curd is super smooth.

Then, I grated the zest of one lime, and squeezed the juice of 2 limes.

I added the lime juice and zest, along with 100g of butter and 200g of sugar to a pot...

... and stirred and melted it all together, until the sugar had dissolved and the butter had melted, and it looked...

... like this!

I removed it from the heat and added to the melted mixture the strained eggs, and stirred with a wooden spoon to combine it.

Then, I put it back onto a low heat for about 10 minutes, constantly stirring, until it was thick and coated the wooden spoon...

...like this!

I added in 50g of dessicated coconut next...

... gently stirring it to combine.

And that's it! Finished! That simple! Into the jar it went, and I left it to cool slightly for about 15 minutes before putting the lid on.

It is absolutely delicious, and I can't tell you how in love with this curd I am!! I loooove tropical flavours, none more so than coconut and lime; I just find the flavours so refreshing, yet it really packs a punch.

It's just the right balance of sweet and tangy, and goes absolutely perfectly with buckwheat pancakes :)

I was surprised at how easy it was to make, and Would like to try a passion fruit and coconut combination too.

Over to you, lovely readers - what combinations have you, or would you like to try?! 

Sous-Jeff's Chilli Jam

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Multicultural Cuisine of... Italy

Since starting my food blog, I've also re-developed an affinity for the plethora of cooking shows on Foxtel. And, luckily for me, my wonderful husband is slowly starting to come to terms with this, and is actually watching bits and pieces of these shows with me!

With Sous-Jeff as a school teacher, he's been on holidays for the past 2 weeks, which means that he's been around for more than a few cooking shows, and getting quite bored with nothing to do but relax for 2 weeks. He's not much of a relaxer - like me, he likes to be on the go and have something to do all the time.

So, as fate would have it, a few days into his holidays, he plonked himself on the couch next to me over lunch one day, while I was watching an episode of David Rocco's Dolce Vita, featuring some homemade chilli jam. For those of you who don't know, Sous-Jeff is a complete chilli fiend. His eyes light up like a little kid on Christmas morning when ever he sees anything with the words "chilli," "hot," "spicy," or "warning" on it. Why you'd want to burn off all your tastebuds before eating is beyond me, but for some reason completely unbeknownst to me, he insists on making almost all of his food spicy. So, naturally, his ears pricked up when he saw this chilli jam segment. As I picked up the remote control to fast forward past this (I guess opposites do attract because I cannot handle anything spicier than pepper!), he grabbed the remote out of my hand, turned the volume up, and reached for a pen and some paper.

What ensued was a lot of pausing, rewinding, and "Why is he going so fast?! Add vinegar... well, how much? Jess, why won't he say how much? Is he going to give me the recipe?? How am I supposed to know how much vinegar to add?! And how long am I supposed to be cooking it for? This guy sucks! He only has a TV show because he's young and Italian and probably good looking... I could cook this!" And with that, he resolves to make his own chilli jam this school holidays!

With the ingredients purchased and the day off, I take up my post as jam supervisor and let Sous-Jeff do his thing. He retrieves his instructions, scrawled on a few post it notes, puts on his game face, and gets ready to cook. He's adapted the recipe to suit himself, and starts off by chopping up roughly 600g of red and yellow capsicums, and chopping and de-seeding around 40g of super hot red chillies.

After re-watching the segment of the show where the vinegar is added, it's decided that he adds approximately 5 large shot glasses of apple cider vinegar. There may in fact be more required, but Sous-Jeff saw him pour 5 shot glasses on the show, so that's what went in!

It all went into a big pot, and in the end, cooked for about half an hour.

Then, it all went into the blender...

...and blended into a frothy, orange goo!

Back into the pot, and in with around about 750g of sugar. The recipe called for a kilo, but Sous-Jeff decided that was wayyyy too much. It cooked on a low heat for around an hour all up, until it started to caramelise a little and turn a much richer red.

After the 40 minutes of prescribed cooking time, we decided it hadn't thickened up anywhere near enough, so we added 400g of diced tomatoes to help it along.

 After almost 2 hours in the kitchen, slaving over a hot stove, Sous-Jeff was a little upset that it hadn't turned out like he'd planned it to. He put it in a jar and left it for a few hours.

Upon returning, it had finally thickened up and was a really jammy consistency, glossy and shiny, and looking awfully red and dangerous. With a spoonful aimed as his mouth, I ask if he's sure he should try that much - "it's not THAT hot, look how much sugar I put in there!" With the spoonful down the hatch, a wide grin begins to form... followed by his eyes opening wide and his face turning bright pink. Ok, so it was a little spicier than he though it'd be, but he couldn't have been any happier with himself! By all accounts, when applied not so liberally, it was absolutely delicious, with a perfect balance between the sweetness of the sugar and tomato, and the spice of the chilli.

I couldn't have been any prouder of him; my husband, the big, tough, footy playing, VB drinking man that he is, in the kitchen, giving it a crack, and it worked out for him! With that, he may have found a new hobby, and I expect to have him shadowing me in the kitchen a lot more now :)

A Melbourne Food Adventure Part 2 - The Quarter

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 Multicultural Cuisine of... Modern Australian

With our bellies full and hearts content, we shuffle out of the Good Food and Wine show. It's still day light, so I decide we still have exploring to do. Poor Sous-Jeff is lugging around a bag full of goodies from the Show, but like the trooper he is, he doesn't complain.


We start wondering back towards the Flinders St station area - the heart of Melbourne is always a good place to start when looking for truly good food! We meander in and out of alleyways. Centre Place is busy, but nothing really catches our eye there...

Continuing on our way, we end up wondering down Hosier's Lane and decide to stick our heads into MoVida, which (yes, I know it's disgraceful for a Melbourne foodie), we still haven't dined at! We've been meaning to go since our wedding last October, as we had a few photos taken down Hosier's Lane, and one actually taken out the front of MoVida! 

Sous-Jeff had never been particularly keen on trying the tapas they serve ("I'm not eating duck liver parfait!"), but upon actually looking at the menu, he decided there were in fact a few things we could enjoy. What we wouldn't enjoy, however, was the two and a half hour wait for dinner when we arrived at 5:45pm. Ah well, wasn't meant to me.


Onwards we explore, eventually finding ourselves on Swanston St. I remember that Beatbox Kitchen is around here somewhere, and suggest a big fat hamburger to Sous-Jeff. His eyes light up, and we continue on to Curtin House, dragging our tired feet up the six flights of stairs to burger heaven. Only to see this sign at the top:

Not thrilled. But you know what? The Rooftop Bar was open, and they'd have cold vodka and beer, so we decide it's time for a pit stop! 

Rooftop Cinema and Bar
Level 6, 252 Swanston St
Melbourne
(03) 9654 5394
Visit Website 


Although I'd been to Cookie and Toff In Town on the lower levels, I don't think I'd ever made it quite to the top, and I'm pleasantly surprised! It's very relaxed, laid back, and reminds me a little of Madame Brussels (which I loooooove!) with less of an artsy crowd and vibe. DJ playing, great view, quick bar service and reasonably priced beverages. Great place for pre-drinks, I'd say.

But, alas, our tummy's were grumbling and we couldn't deny them any longer! So we continue on our way. We try our luck at Mamasita, but are given a 50 minute waiting period. No deal. We somehow find ourselves back to the start, at Degraves St. 

It's starting to get busy and it smells amazing down there. Post-wedding and pre-honeymoon, Sous-Jeff and I stayed in the city for a few nights, and we had an amazing breakfast somewhere along Degraves one morning. We remember wanting to go back for dinner, but when we went back on the Monday night, it was of course closed. Sous-Jeff thinks he remembers the restaurant, so we head on down to check it out, and we arrive at The Quarter.

The Quarter

27 - 31 Degraves St,

Melbourne

(03) 9650 6156

Visit Website 

We're warmly welcomed by the lady at the door and shown immediately to a table. Upon first glance, it's incredibly busy, and the tables put you almost shoulder to shoulder with your neighbour. However, the longer we're in there, the less I notice it; I feel instantly relaxed and comfortable in the European style eatery. 

Norah Jones is playing softly in the background, and the walls are lined with black and white Euro-style art and photographs. The lighting is dimmed, giving the restaurant a very Parisian street-cafe feeling, but not as pretentious. The crowd is quite mixed - young and old, couples with children and groups of young friends.

A friendly waiter appears at our table, seemingly unfazed by the Saturday-night-Degraves-St craziness, and politely inquires as to our menu selection. We make our choices, but are a little apprehensive about the wine - Sous-Jeff isn't much of a wine man, so we have to make sure he's happy with the bottle I'm about to select. Sensing our uncertainty, the gentleman offers us a taste of the wine first. I know this might not sound all that impressive, and in fact at most places it's expected, but the restaurant was absolutely packed, and we really appreciated him taking the extra few minutes to do that. Good customer service, to me, is every bit as important and good food, and I think this was highlighted by the customers sitting on the tables on either side of us who also made comment on the waiter we all shared. In fact, upon hearing one lady mention that she was too full to finish her meal, but wished she could take it home for breakfast, he promptly packed it up for her in a neat parcel and wished her a very happy breakfast. Orders placed and wine poured, we relax a little and prepare ourselves for a bit of a wait, while chatting about the day at the Show. About 5 minutes and not much of a wait later, our garlic bread arrives.

Garlic Bread, $5.00

Made with Turkish bread, it's crisp on the outside and soft on the inside, buttery but not oily, garlicky but not sickeningly so. I love garlic bread, and while this wasn't the best I've ever had, it was pretty darn good!


Not too long later, out come our mains. Sous-Jeff has ordered the Open Cajun Spiced Chicken Burger - Cajun-marinated chicken breast in a Turkish bread roll, with tomato, pancetta, caramelised onions, cos lettuce, melted gruyere, served with chips and aioli. 

Open Cajun Spiced Chicken Burger, $18.50

The plate is laid down and we both dive straight for the chips and aioli. There isn't much more I love in life than crispy potato and garlicky aioli. The chips aren't as crisp as we'd generally prefer, but they were nice and soft inside. The aioli was super creamy and the flavour very well balanced. Sous-Jeff enjoyed his burger, although he thought that the chicken breast was a little thin and he'd have preferred one thick fillet instead of two thin ones. He also mentioned that the Cajun seasoning wasn't particularly strong - a nice flavour, but just not much of it. 

Chicken Breast, $24.00

I've gone with the chicken breast, oven baked and stuffed with fetta and sun dried tomato pesto, served on a spinach and lemon risotto and drizzled with extra virgin olive oil. My chicken was perfectly cooked and white on the inside, but unfortunately no where near enough stuffing. The risotto was a real highlight for me; I was expecting something sharp and acidic, but it was very soft, gentle and refreshing. The spinach and herbs married beautifully with the lemon risotto, and I enjoyed it so much that I'm now looking for a way of recreating it at home!


We were wayyyy too full for dessert, so we paid the bill and began our waddle back to the station for our trip home. All in all, the service at The Quarter was outstanding, and the food was quite good, but it was also still very crowded, there were no bathrooms available to customers and the menu options weren't overly impressive.


Would rate it a 6.5 out of 10.




Onto the train we go, and enjoy quite the amusing trip home; Bill, the portly, inebriated gentleman, decided he wanted someone to chat to on his last few stops. As my nonna would say, he was "più largo che lungo" (wider than he was tall), and wanted to tell us alllllll about his daughters and the fact that he should be allowed to get drunk on the train, because at least he's not drink driving. Finally, he disembarks, a little unsteadily, and we arrive home 15 minutes later.

Our final act of gluttony for the evening is to empty our goodie bag and plonk our tired bodies on the couch and nibble on some of our treats! Here's what we came home with...

Randomly flavoured M&M's from USA Foods.

Pretzel (yuk), Peanut Butter (amazing) and Coconut (perfection) M&Ms

Sauces and chutneys from Outback Spirit.

Chilli Jam, Bush Tomato Chutney and Tomato & Black Olive Chutney

A box of milk chocolate freckles from Freckleberry.

Milk chocolate freckles.

The most magnificently coated nuts that I have EVER had - I always pick up a few bags at the Good Food and Wine Show every year. Thank you ever so much, The Gourmet Nut Company (I've been nibbling on these as I've been writing this post!).

French Vanilla Almonds

Honey Roasted Cashews

Aside from the fact that I'm about 2kg heavier than I was on Saturday morning, it lived up to my expectations as one of the best days of the year. I ate, I drank, I was merry, and 24 hours later, I still feel kinda full. And yet here I am, bum on couch, nibbling on my french vanilla almonds and already excited about trying out some new tricks and ingredients that I learned about over the weekend. For those of you who haven't been to the Good Food and Wine Show before, please go next year! You won't regret it!