Wondering about the title of this article? It’s named “Still the one I dream of …” because I’ve always enjoyed rosé. Those in the know – the French – always have. Rosé in France outsells both white and red wine (or so I’m told). Here in Sydney I’ve requested, insisted even, that my favourite eateries and watering holes offer a rosé by the glass. Friend, Stuart Knox of Fix St. James obliged. Australian rosé by the glass was waiting for me on the wine list at my local pub – the Hunters Hill Hotel. And I’ve always got a bottle in the ‘fridge (ready for a glass) at home.

Perhaps my love of a beautiful crisp clean rosé springs from within my food core. While food and wine pairing is I believe an inherently personal experience, my fondness for rosé stems from the wine’s versatility – it matches well with just about any food.

Late last year at a Veuve Clicquot function, I had an epiphany. Don’t you just love that word. Even better don’t you love it when you have one. My epiphany was pronounced. It was one of the most delightful food matches I have uncovered in recent times. The wine was a Rosé Champagne. The new delight sensation was in the match of Veuve Clicquot Vintage Rosé 2004 with pork crackling. Salt. Fat. Airy. Crunch. Crisp. Dry. Fruit. Bubbles. One thing leads to another and I’ve taken that discovery to another level – now with duck crackling.

The gentle low tannin and fruit of any fine rosé though is simply the best way to lazily sit back and enjoy the Australian summer – bubbles or not. Think summer and an Aussie BBQ is usually front of mind. From the plump moist sweetness of bar-b-qued Spencer Gulf king prawns to spicy marinated chicken satay skewers, rosé works well with all.

Food matching options with rosé are almost endless. Rosé is not just for sipping on a summer’s day. I encourage you to drink (and match) rosé at any time of year. Rosé creates food romances – a happy ever after ending – with salt, sweet, spice and in fact the whole flavour spectrum – matched with European, American and Asian cuisines. My seasonal eating choices to match with rosé come from all over the globe.

What are my personal favourites? I’m always up for:

Tapas – Jamón Ibérico is the ultimate luxury rosé match

Seafood – award winning Kinkawooka mussels reach even greater heights accompanied by rosé

Fish – try raw salmon slices lightly marinated in rosé for the ultimate ceviche, then drinking rosé also becomes a must on the side

Poultry – rosé works with all the usual suspects but extend yourself with the delicious matches of turkey and goose

Rice – from the Spanish BBQ of seafood paella to the saffron soul of Risotto Milanese rosé creates a heart connection

Pork – it’s not just the crackling that works … drink with any and all cuts

… and the list goes on …

What’s the last word on matching food with rosé? It’s gotta be – Cheese.

This article was originally written for Rosé Revolution and is republished with kind permission.
You can follow Rosé Revolution on facebook and twitter.

For those able to tear their gaze away from their lover’s eyes, enjoy a divine setting of bobbing boats, the natural beauty of the Middle Harbour and hopefully an incredible sunset. And to feed to your love Chef Alessandro Pavoni (MasterChef judge and Inside Cuisine guest author) has created a stunning special menu.

ling baccala, dutch cream potato spuma, crispy polenta

ravioli filled with smoked ricotta and crescenza, porcini mushroom dust

smoked biodynamic veal rump, vegetable ash, toasted hazelnut purée, spring onion,

Amedei chocolate gelato, chocolate crumble, cherries, yoghurt

Booking for one of the double sittings are essential on this popular evening.
www.ormeggio.com.au or +61 2 9969 4088

a decadent dinner @ glass brasserie Sydney

Enjoy a glass of French Champagne on arrival, before indulging in your selection from Chef Luke Mangan’s exceptional three course menu.

You may choose a signature dish to start. Hiramasa Kingfish sashimi, ginger, eschallot and Persian feta, followed by delicate Truffle poached jewfish with warm cucumber, garlic flower, onion, peas, white asparagus and shimeji for main course. Indulge in Vanilla crème brulee with macadamia biscotti for the sweetest of endings to your romantic evening.

www.glassbrasserie.com.au or +61 2 9265 6068

CHIANTA RIA Mood for Love

Simon Goh is probably the most enthusiastic romantic I have ever met. So strong was his enthusiasm he established his latest restaurant with just that theme. The Sydney Westfield enclave is bathed in red light and is the place to take your special Valentine any day of the year. I’m not sure what Simon is doing at the restaurant for St. Valentines Day but I’d say if you love authentic Malaysian book quickly.

www.chintamoodforlove.com or + 61 2 8072 8888

Sapore @ St Kilda

Before I tell you about the St. Valentines Day menu at Sapore, I just have to share a little ‘all loved up’ story with you. It’s sweet. Luisa Lucchesi, the owner of Sapore, and Head Chef Simon Moss met at the restaurant and now have adorable 18 month old twin girls! For St. Valentines Day, Sapore offers a choice of 3 dishes for each of 4 (entree, pasta, main, dessert) courses – such as Black mission figs, with prosciutto, gorgonzola, pinenuts & aged balsamic to Mezzalune of braised fennel with a blue swimmer crab, prawn, and calamari sauce or the The ‘Lucchesi’ family Tiramisu recipe with house made walnut bread. A glass of Sorelle Bronca Prosecco on arrival.

www.sapore.com.au or +61 3 9534 9666

Les Amis Singapore

jelly with your sweetheart @ Sugardaddys Confectionery

I’ve waxed lyrical before about mate Brent Templeton’s exquisite individually hand-made jellies. Seems like his beautiful beautiful rose petal jelly is just made for St. Valentines Day. I’ve hung around when he’s making it and his kitchen is permeated with the fragrance of rose and the power of love. He’s also just released a 4 x 125g jars of sugardaddys jellies giftpack – Rose Petal, Granny Smith, Sour Cherry and Earl Grey – just in time for you to share with your sweetheart on St. Valentines Day.

Order direct from Sugardaddys Confectionery online

delicious rose scones @ Westfield Sydney

This Valentine’s Day forget flowers, instead say ‘I love you’ with a box of delicious rose scones from The Victoria Room Tea Salon located on Westfield Sydney’s Designer Gallery (Level 4).

Available as six takeaway scones sweetly packaged in a gift box lined with pink tissue paper or dine in and enjoy a rose scone served with redcurrant jelly, clotted cream and a cup of Rose Garden tea.

“Flowers and chocolates are lovely but a tad predictable. A rose scone is a little more creative and tastes delicious – it’s sure to win your Valentine’s heart.” Jill Jones-Evans, owner of The Victoria Room Tea Salon said.

French heart shaped cheese

Coeur de Bray, Normandy, France 200gr: While not the most famous of the Normandy cheeses, Neufchâtel is certainly the oldest. This cheese bears the name of a large market town of the “Pays de Bray” in upper Normandy. The heart shaped Neufchâtel is called Coeur de Bray (heart of Bray): the legend goes that farm girls created it to show their love.

Le Coeur du Berry, La Vernelle, Berry, France, 170gr : The “Coeur du Berry” is a speciality of the dairy P. Jacquin et Fils in La Vernelle, a family company who have been producing traditional goat’s milk cheese for over 60 years. Located in the heart of France, The Loire Valley, Berry is one of the finest regions in the world for goat milk production. Le Coeur du Berry is distinguished by its smoothness in texture and of course the shape, ideal for Valentine’s Day. Afterall, La Vernelle is very close to the town of Valentine.

Available at Simon Johnson

Oysters @ Design Bar Surry Hills

And for those of you who are single, my friend Natascha Moy is hosting an oyster discovery and shucking adventure paired with sparkling wines plus award winning mussels and freshly baked bread for 40 people. Yes it is on St. Valentines Day but this event is for singles.

It is not a come and meet your life partner event rather a celebration of being single where you get to share beautiful food in a gorgeous environment with experts. While others may be sharing a table for 2 you will be making friends with a whole group of amazing people.

Tom Ahern will be taking you through your paces teaching you about the different oysters from different regions. Each special guest will have a go at shucking their oysters and tasting some special bubbles, and gets to leave with an oyster shucking knife and a bottle of something special – $140 pp includes all food, wine and gifts

Please use this eventbrite link to book

Enquiries Natascha Moy 0438 097 330 www.limitedtable.com.au

It was a great opportunity to return – with a theme – to The Cortile (where our family have held birthday celebrations and enjoyed high tea) and to try for the first time the buffet of Cafe Opera. In truth, I’m not usually much of a buffet person, but with the name of the hotel behind the quality, I was ready to give it a try. The food was of a higher quality than expected, and we enjoyed both some of the traditional buffet as well as the additional Russian flavours that were on offer. I particularly enjoyed revisiting Russian Salad and Beef Stroganoff.

In my usual rush rush rush however, I forgot to charge my camera battery, so for a bit of a change, I thought it might be nice to share the evening with you through the ‘live’ twitter (iPhone photos and twitpic comments) updates that I streamed on the night. Here they are …

mmmm that’s nice >> Sydney Hotel Continental cocktail “From Russia With Love” slipping down very nicely at The Cortile lobby lounge

We’re really loving cocktail #2 : Moscow Mule – Flavours of Russia Sydney Hotel Inter Continental

Bar Manager Tanmay Joshi explains my next cocktail at The Cortile

COCKTAIL #3 Russian Mule Sydney Flavours of Moscow Hotel Inter Continental – Smirnoff Black ginger beer mint lime

Russian salads – Flavour of Moscow – Cafe Opera Hotel InterContinental

Bimbadgen Hunter Valley rose Cafe Opera @rosewinerev Sydney Hotel InterContinental

YUM Russian starters – Flavour of Moscow Sydney celebrates the opening of Moscow Hotel Inter Continental – Cafe Opera buffet dinner

Beef Stroganoff – Flavours of Russia – buffet Cafe Opera Sydney Intercontinental

dessert anyone? Cafe Opera Sydney

Even if you’re not yet busy on social media, I hope this helps you get the idea. Maybe next time I’ll include some of the immediate feedback that my taste and travel community exchanged on twitter.

Rebecca Varidel was a guest of the Hotel InterContinental Sydney.

GO AN AUSSIE MANGO! With only a month of good supply to go, Australians are being encouraged to snatch up the last delicious fruits of this season before it’s too late!

Celebrity chef and a true lover of the golden fruit, Tobie Puttock, said now is the time to ‘Go an Aussie Mango’ and appreciate the versatility of the country’s most popular summer fruit as the final harvest rounds off what has been an exceptional season.

“Aussies, young and old, eat their way through around seven million trays every season and the options are endless with mangoes! There’s a wide range of varieties for the whole family to appreciate and there is still an abundance of top notch fruit available to savour,” Tobie said.

In addition to the popular choices, such as Kensington Pride, late season varieties such as Keitt, Pearl, Brooks and Palmer will be available in your local greengrocer or supermarket.

“By eating mangoes not only do you get to savour the goodness of these golden fruits, but you are also helping Australian farmers and supporting the domestic economy by purchasing seasonal local produce. So what are you waiting for,” Tobie said.

Mangoes will be in good supply through to the end of January with some late season varieties available in February and March.

Armagnac and Mango Crepes

Ingredients: (serves four)

For the crepes
3 eggs
about 120g plain flour
pinch of salt
375ml milk
butter

For the mango and amaretto mixture
80g butter
2 ripe mangoes, peeled, flesh removed, cut into large chunks
30g brown sugar
1 vanilla pod
1 teaspoon orange zest
2-3 tablespoons Armagnac
icing sugar for dusting
small handful of crushed amaretto biscuits (optional)
vanilla bean ice cream

Method:
To make the crepes
1. Sift the flour and the salt into a bowl.
2. Whisk the eggs with the milk and then gradually pour in the flour, whisking continuously until smooth. Cover with cling film and leave to rest in the fridge for at least half an hour.
3. Beat the batter with a whisk before using.
4. Melt about 1 tablespoon of butter in a pan over a medium heat (preferably non-stick pan)
5. Give the pan a jiggle so the entire base is covered with the hot melted butter.
6. Once the butter starts to become almost golden brown in colour add a ladle of the crepe mix and really shake the pan around to spread the mix over the entire base of the pan.
7. When the crepe is browned on the underside use a spatula to flip it over and brown on the other side.
8. Once both sides are browned place the crepes on an upside down plate with a clean tea towel over the top and set-aside until ready to use.

To make the filling
1. Pop half of the butter into a heavy bottomed non-stick pan over a medium heat; once the butter starts to sizzle add the mango, sugar, vanilla pod, orange zest and the Armagnac along with 2 tablespoons of water and cook for 2 minutes. Remove the pan from heat.
2. To assemble the dessert lay four cooked crepes out on a clean surface, spoon some of the cooked mango between the four crepes. Fold each crepe in half and then half again, use your hand to flatten the crepe a little.
3. Heat the remaining butter in a large pan over a medium heat and carefully add the crepes browning them in the butter, once golden in colour flip the crepes over and brown the other side, pour any remaining cooking liquor from the mango into the pan with the crepes and spoon the liquor over the crepes.
4. Serve the crepes immediately, drizzling any leftover liquor from the pan over the crepes, dust with icing sugar and serve with a scoop of vanilla bean ice cream.

Recipe (with thanks) courtesy of the Australian Mango Industry Association.

(media release)

Lauded local chefs Matt Dempsey from Gladioli restaurant in Inverleigh and Leonie Mills from Jack & Jill Restaurant in Geelong have been confirmed as highlights of the inaugural Geelong Food & Wine Show as part of the Melbourne Food & Wine Festival in March 2012.

Bringing a wealth of talent, innovation and regional expertise, Matt and Leonie will be working closely with Stephane McGlynn from Queenscliff’s Q Provedore, a seafood specialist whose use of French techniques with local seafood has brought a new depth of culinary experience to the Bellarine Peninsula.

Matt, Leonie and Stephane will be shining alongside celebrity chefs George Calombaris, Ben O’Donoghue and patissier Adriano Zumbo to create a MasterClass program that will put the spotlight firmly on Geelong and surrounding regions, focussing their rising reputations as major food & wine hubs.

Matt Dempsey is the owner/chef of Gladioli and a local star on the rise. Raised in Penshurst, Western Victoria, Matt’s rural upbringing brings an understanding of the true meaning of local produce. Highly awarded, Matt was the 2009 Winner of the Electrolux Appetite for Excellence Young Chef award, arguably Australia’s leading hospitality award program that recognises and develops young talent.

Matt served his apprenticeship in Port Douglas before returning to the Geelong area to take up a position at Pettavel Winery. In 2010 Matt was a key player in the relaunch of the Pier and Gold Diggers Arms in Geelong, creating a broad range of themed restaurant and café dining experiences.

Work experience in the UK with the internationally renowned Heston Blumenthal (The Fat Duck) and Australian wunderkind Brett Graham (The Ledbury) has cemented Matt’s reputation as a highly skilled and innovative chef with a fine appreciation of modern food crafted from the best local, seasonal ingredients. He continues to do the region proud and will bring a wealth of experience and insight to the show.

Leonie Mills is the chef and co-owner, with husband Damien, of Geelong’s Jack & Jill Restaurant. Housed in an historic building and perched high on the hill in the centre of town, Jack & Jill’s offers a unique dining approach, driven by Leonie’s vision. Leonie creates ‘miniature meals’ and encourages diners to savour the flavours of her tapas-style tastes.

Using cutting edge trends and the best possible ingredients, Leonie’s approach has attracted kudos with a great review in The Age 2012 Good Food Guide, a win in the National Golden Plate Awards and numerous other accolades. Jack and Jill’s also has a comprehensive wine list and one of the best boutique beer lists around, giving Leonie a well rounded appreciation of food, wine and beer and how flavours work together. Her expertise will bring another dimension to the Geelong Food & Wine Show.

The inaugural Geelong Food & Wine Show will take place on the Labour Day Weekend, 10-11 March 2012, at the historic Deakin Waterfront Campus. Transformed into a buzzing marketplace of chefs, local providores and winemakers with over 80 exhibitors, the show by the bay features a comprehensive program of MasterClass sessions featuring guest chefs George Calombaris, Ben O’Donoghue, Adriano Zumbo, Matt Dempsey, Leonie Mills and Stephane McGlynn. Artisan cheese making, local wines and regional produce will all feature in the program and a dedicated wine program will be announced shortly.

A website with all details of the sessions, exhibitors and events will be live on 27 January. Head to www.geelongfws.com.au. The event is supported by the City of Greater Geelong; Geelong Otway Tourism and the Geelong Football Club.

They’re handing over the reigns of the FoodandTravelCo Cooking School to the kids for an interactive class led by Greg Feck (FoodandTravelCo) and Michael Leidler (Zimt Patisserie).

Children aged 6-12 will be guided in rolling their own gnocchi, creating their own pizza masterpieces, and baking delicious apple strudel and gingerbread men. The boys will also walk them through how to cook the family an impressive ragu at home (with a little help from mum or dad).

This is a hands-on, educational class for kids, which will teach them about ingredients and basic techniques but above all else demonstrate how much fun cooking can be and perhaps even inspire some future chefs in the making.

Included in this fun, collaborative class is:

Afternoon tea for junior cooks
Take-home entree and dessert for a family of four
Recipes for all dishes created on the day
A glass of sparkling for mum or dad

Gather your little ones and join in the celebration of food and frivolity at the FoodandTravelCo Cooking School on Saturday 10th March, 3:00pm – 5:30pm.

Click here to find out more information
bookings@foodandtravelco.com.au
+61 3 9817 4527

A Melbourne Food & Wine Festival event

Huon Aquaculture Reserve Selection

Aquaculture and smoked salmon plays a big part in my food history and in my heart. I’m really proud of the beautiful fresh salmon that we produce in the pristine Tasmanian waters. Somehow over the years though, with smoked salmon, much of what has been produced has been of poor quality and has left a lot to be desired. (When you’re looking for smoked salmon make sure its dry cured not brined. Although that’s not all there is to it, a dry cure reduces the water content and weight of the final product and intensifies flavour.) Thankfully one of our country’s finest salmon farmers has also come to the party with a new top shelf product. The new Huon Aquaculture Reserve Selection was launched late last year at a splendid dinner at MONA (Museum of Old and New Art) Hobart. The range includes not only superior smoked salmon (hand rolled banquet sliced, whisky cured, honey cured, hung sides) but also gorgeous smoked ocean trout, gravadlax and hand-milked caviar.  These stunning products takes all the care in production that our beautiful fresh Tasmanian product deserves. You can order direct from this family (and wholly Australian owned) business >> online. Enjoy!

Truffle Honey

You might remember reading about my adventures – going truffle hunting with my mates Duncan Garvey and Chef Justin North. Duncan’s the man when it comes to truffles. It’s his research, persistence and bravado that has us now enjoying truffles from Tasmania and NSW. Just before Christmas a present arrived on my doorstep. A beautiful beautiful hamper with a range of his new truffle products. Truffle honey is now a staple in my pantry. Tonight I ate more – Tasmanian truffle honey on buttered toast was a luxurious Sunday night supper. The truffle honey is also fittingly available with either hazelnuts or macadamias. And there’s truffle salt too. Order online here direct from Duncan.

Pepe Saya Cultured Butter

You know that I support local food – it’s who I am. But I have a confession to make. For special occasions I still buy some imported luxuries. One of these was French cultured butter – just ever so infrequently for special occasions. Now, however, there is no need for me to do that. We now have our first cultured butter made right here in Sydney.

“Pepe Saya unsalted and salted butter is just as accessible to hatted chefs as it is to home cooks because what we stock in stores around Australia is exactly what we supply to Neil Perry or Stefano Manfredi,” Pepe Saya owner, Pierre Issa said.

And now we can all eat as much cultured – local – butter as we like, as often as we like. Guilt free. You can purchase Pepe Saya cultured butter at most good retailers – in Sydney I’ve seen Pepe Saya – salted and unsalted - cultured butter available at the Quarter 21 pantry.

Sugar Daddys Confectionery

These jellies are just the most glorious individually hand made product. Have you ever seen rose petals suspended in jelly?  Sugar Daddys’ Rose Petal Jelly is a something to make everyday in your life special – don’t just leave it for special occasions. It’s also the perfect present for someone you REALLY REALLY LOVE. While it’s an obvious choice with scones, Brent suggests the Rose Petal Jelly also works well to offset a tangy goats cheese and labneh. The fantastic artisan range has just been extended. Sour Cherry now joins Granny Smith and Earl Grey jellies. Brent Templeton (Pastry Chef and Sugar Daddy’s owner) puts his heart and soul into creating each and every jar. If you’re in Sydney CBD pop along to (one of his first supports – Chef Justin North at) Quarter 21 pantry, though Brent’s got a website going now so you buy direct from him online. You’ll also want to add his indulgent blend of salted caramel and dulce de leche, Dark Caramel Spread to your shopping cart.

Oigen Cookware

Back in October I was introduced to Oigen – sustainable cast iron hand made – cookware from Japan, which is now being imported into Australia by Chefs Armoury. Although it’s super for domestic use, Chef Chase Kojima (ex Nobu) of Sokyo The Star is using the cookware commercially in his restaurant kitchen. At the product launch, Chef made a number of tasty dishes for us to try. While the cookware is perfect for cooking at high temperatures, I was also impressed with Chef’s use of the cast iron on a lower temperature to create the divine fillets of flounder with a sake and gruyere buerre blanc (pictured below). Another celebrity fan of the cookware, Chef Tetsuya Wakuda was also at the launch supporting the product. I coveted all of the range, with the gorgeous fish-shaped Taiyaki Waffle Iron catching the biggest gleam of my eye.

THE QUAY SNOW EGG.  At the mid-way mark of the Canon Island photo contest, I’ve got a very special photo for Challenge 3 to share with you …

Richard Hargreave (Momofuku) feeding his girlfriend Quay Executive Sous Chef Analiese Gregory a Snow Egg on the balcony of Quay. I called the photo “LOVE melts a SNOW EGG”

Please support Inside Cuisine with your VOTE >> here >> and you could be in the running to win a Canon IXUS 115 (… there’ll also be another one to giveaway in each of challenges 4 and 5). For your chance to win just follow these 3 easy steps …

1. Vote for Rebecca Varidel and Inside Cuisine on Canon Island

2. ‘Like’ Inside Cuisine on facebook

3. Leave a comment on the Inside Cuisine facebook page

Voting for Challenge 3 closes 3rd February 5:00pm (Sydney time). Remember as 1 of 5 Australians invited to participate, Rebecca Varidel (and Inside Cuisine) is the ONLY FOOD representative in the Canon Island challenge – so YOUR SUPPORT is greatly appreciated.

You could also win an island holiday …

Milk and Honey is known to be the yardstick to compare bars against for cocktail quality and service. Milk and Honey, founded by Sasha Petraske, came about due to his annoyance at the number of packed, over-diluted, meat-market bars that were in abundance in New York – bringing bars back to what they should be, away from lots of ingredients and back to the basics. So it was obviously an honour to hear Sam Ross, American Bartender of the Year, take us back to basics for cocktails.

Being treated as “new inductees” at Milk and Honey, Sam Ross walked us through the basics of cocktail making, learning a few tricks of the trade, and guiding us through the simple formulas of balance to cover the majority of cocktails that can all be traced back to five or six families.

Over the course of the evening we, his blissfully captive audience, were treated to a few of his cocktails, including his invention …

The Penicillin

2 oz. any favorite single malt or blended scotch (lightly peated)
1/4 oz. Laphroaig
3/4 oz. fresh lemon juice
3/4 oz honey-ginger syrup
Garnish with candied ginger

… as well as his listening to his advice on ensuring you end up with a great drink.

So what are the big tips to make sure you turn out amazing cocktails? To put it in Sam’s words, think of the lemon juice and sugar syrup as the bread of the sandwich. You can put anything in between, but 5mL over or under will mess up the drink. Always remember to pour the spirit into the mix last (it costs less if you muck up the mix) and be mindful of over-diluting the drinks.

So next time you are making a cocktail, remember to keep it simple and adhere to Sam Ross’ advice to ensure that you make it perfect, and remember recipes only need to be improved if they save time and don’t affect the cocktail.

Happy pouring!

Article by Natalie Manning. Photographs by Rebecca Varidel.

Natalie Manning and Rebecca Varidel were guests at this special trade event at theloft courtesy of Keystone.

I sipped a few of these at Sydney Festival’s coolest venue – Keystone Festival Bar at Hyde Park Barracks – last night. And I sipped them with the creator of this cocktail recipe Jason Williams. He’s pretty laid back and didn’t let on that the Sydney Festival Cocktail was his invention. Actually I had to drag that info out of someone else. Luckily for me (and you), once I did find out, Keystone bartender extraordinaire Jason Williams shared his recipe. It mixes up a few of my favourite things. You’ll like it!

“The Festival – Absolut Vodka shaken with vanilla and POM Wonderful, balanced with lemon and freshened with mint. Fizzed with ginger beer. Tall, bold and refreshing – with a kick.”

Sydney Festival Cocktail

GLASS: Highball
GARNISH: Mint, a cherry and a Keystone umbrella

45ml Absolut vodka
15ml vanilla syrup
30ml pomegranate juice
15ml lemon juice
Top with ginger beer

Outdoor bar, music venue and canopied dance floor, Keystone Festival Bar is opened from January 8 to January 29, 2012.

Like me, you can enjoy a VIP package with access to the VIP section and two hours of beverages, for just $50 on top of the Keystone Festival Bar ticket price.

Sydney Festival Cocktail is also available at the other Keystone venues – Gazebo Wine Garden, The Winery, Manly Wine, Cargo Lounge, Bungalow 8, theloft, The Sugarmill, and Kit & Kaboodle - throughout the 2012 Sydney Festival.

Voting for the first two challenges has closed but you can still vote on the next challenge >> here …

Here’s my entry from Challenge 1:

Becasse Island Treasure – Who doesn’t love food? As a food blogger living in Sydney my ‘urban’ experience very much revolves around eating out. How lucky am I that the team at one of Sydney’s best restaurants – Becasse – designed and created this delicious island treasure dessert especially for Challenge 1. My BIG thanks to Chefs Jackie, Alex, Monty and Justin. The photo was taken in the restaurant during lunch service. Unfortunately, no I didn’t get to eat the dessert …

Thanks for your support – your vote for each of the five challenges is greatly appreciated. The winner (and I hope it’s me) will secure their spot an the Canon Island Adventure. YOU also get the chance to win yourself a Canon Powershot SX 40 HS when you vote … not bad eh?

If there’s butter in your fridge and flour and sugar in your pantry, don’t panic!

From such humble ingredients, you can make a whole range of delicious Christmas biscuits. All you need is a few hours, a little patience, and some pleasant music playing in the background to cook to. If the kids are old enough to be helpful, get them into the kitchen with you – a good way of occupying them and making them feel part of the preparations.

Wrapped in cellophane, home-made biscuits make attractive and delicious gifts. Even better, they show you care in the most personal way because you made them yourself.

If you really want to impress (and spend a little more), shop around for attractive boxes and/or tine to package them – many newsagencies now carry a range of these. Tuck some coloured tissue paper inside and pile in the biscuits. You might put in an assortment – or fill them with just one variety.

In northern European countries, the baking of biscuits throughout the Advent period (the four weeks leading up to Christmas) dates back many centuries. In Scandinavia, at least seven different types are stashed away, one for each of the fourteen days of Christmas (they begin counting on Christmas Eve and end on Epiphany).

Even if you don’t want to give away your home-baked goodies away as gifts, they’ll come in handy for entertaining purposes over this festive period. Some (the ‘S’ biscuits, for example) can be tied to your tree – gingerbread men and women are also good for this.

Or you could make a most unusual tree just out of biscuits: start with a cake stand or other footed stand. Cut stiff craft paper circles of decreasing diameter, putting the largest circle on the stand and circling it with biscuits. Place a ramekin or a small bowl in the centre; continue adding cardboards circles, bowls and biscuits to make a five-tiered tree. A plate or cakeboard beneath each circle will give added support. Set your biscuit tree on a table near the front door so friends and guests can pluck one of the melt-in-the mouth biscuits when they come to visit.

Or how about a box of home-made sweets or candies? Once again, the ingredients required are not expensive: sugar, butter, glucose, cream of tartar, milk, nuts and colourings. You will, however, need a heavy based saucepan and a candy thermometer comes in handy for testing temperatures.

Here are a couple of recipes to get you started and to fire up your imagination:

Christmas Angels and Stars

Makes about 40 – 50

250g softened butter
150g (2/3 cup) caster sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
375g (2 ½ cups ) plain flour
Pinch salt

Cream together the butter and sugar. Beat in the egg and vanilla. Sift the flour and salt and add gradually to the butter mixture. Wrap in plastic wrap or greaseproof paper and chill for 2 – 3 hours in the fridge.

Preheat oven to moderate (180degC/160deg fan-forced)). Grease two biscuits trays or line with baking paper.

Remove from fridge. If it seems brittle, soften by kneading gently with your hands. Roll out onto a lightly floured surface and cut with angel and star-shaped cutters.

Bake for 12 – 15 minutes or until lightly coloured. Remove from oven. Cool biscuits on cake racks before dusting with icing sugar or decorating with white frosting and silver cachous and M&Ms.

Tip: if using for Christmas decorations and you intend to hang them from the tree, make a small hole near the edge so that a ribbon or string can be pushed through. To prevent the holes closing up, insert a short length of bamboo skewer into each one and leave there while baking. Remove skewer while biscuits are cooling.

You can also make Christmas wreaths and canes with this biscuit dough: divide dough in two, colour one half with a few drops of cochineal (red food colouring). Roll heaped teaspoons of dough into 15cm log shapes. Twist a piece of uncoloured dough together with a piece of the red dough and shape into wreaths or canes.

White Frosting

500 icing sugar, sifted
2 egg whites
Juice of 1 lemon
1 -2 drops glycerine (optional)

Sift the icing sugar. Whisk egg whites until stiff and gradually add the sifted icing sugar, lemon juice and glycerine. Keep beating until thick. Cover tightly with plastic wrap until ready to use – or put into a plastic container with tight-fitting lid (the frosting dries out quickly when exposed to air).

Attach a small fine nozzle to a piping bag and fill with the frosting. Decorate angels and stars with your chosen designs.

Marshmallows

To make a truly luscious Christmas gift, add ¼ cup finely chopped glace ginger, ½ cup diced dried apricots and ½ cup chopped toasted macadamias (or blanched almonds) to the marshmallow mixture before pouring into trays.

Makes 30 – 40

4 tablespoons gelatine
1 cup cold water
4 cups sugar
2 cups boiling water
2 teaspoons each vanilla and lemon juice
2 – 3 cups toasted coconut
Icing sugar/cornflour or toasted shredded coconut for coating

Sprinkle gelatine over cold water, making sure it is all wetted by the water.

Put the sugar and boiling water into a large heavy saucepan and stir over moderate heat until sugar is dissolved. Add the gelatine mixture and boil for 20 minutes, uncovered.

Remove from the heat and cool to lukewarm.

Pour the mixture into a large mixture bowl, add the vanilla and lemon juice and beat rapidly until thick and white – this will take about 20 minutes. It’s a good idea to cover your mixmaster with a wet tea-towel when doing this so that the mixture doesn’t splatter all over the benchtop.

If you are adding the ginger, apricots and nuts, do so five minutes before you stop beating the mixture, then continue beating until well combined.

Pour into 2 x 20cm square tins or 2 lamington tins which have been lined with baking paper. Refrigerate until set.

Cut into squares with a wet knife, then toss each piece in a mixture of half icing sugar/half cornflour or toasted coconut.

To toast coconut: place coconut on a baking tray and place in a moderate oven until just turning golden. Stir well and remove from oven. Leave to cool before using.

photos by Andrew Payne, Photographix

Editors note : there are more recipes from Sheridan Rogers here on Inside Cuisine ~ try baking these gingerbread men from her cookbook Mini Chef Cooking with Kids ~ for Christmas make stars, reindeers or even a gingerbread house.

www.sheridanrogers.com.au