Little Table in the Corner

 

Under the veil of darkness, we found ourselves winding our way up into the Mornington Peninsula hinterlands…..my husband enduring my incessant radio channel ‘switching’ in search of good “date night” music and I, enduring his dodgem driving and need for constant reiteration that yes, we would be turning left, not right, at the end of the road.

“Go left at the end here.  No, no!  I said go left!”

“But you were looking towards the right….”

“We got married here, how did you get here on the day?”

“Your brother drove me”

“Well….it will be on our left around the corner and up the rise.  There will be a sign I’m sure”

 

And….sure enough there was a sign, ‘Polperro Bistro 100m’.  As we rounded the corner, we needn’t have worried about being able to find one of the newest and most talked-about restaurants to take shape on the Mornington Peninsula.  Strings of glowing fairy lights paved the way down the driveway, leading to the warm glow of the bistro inviting hungry visitors inside.  Nestled amongst the rolling landscape of Red Hill is the place where my husband and I made some pretty special memories together with 100 of our nearest and dearest loved ones in 2010.  A 25-acre treasure, where vines and kitchen gardens entwine an intimate drinking/dining space and cosy quarters for one with a full belly to retreat to for the evening.  Much has changed in the years since our marriage and the property has been nurtured and respected.  Edible plants have been sown, outdoor furniture has reclaimed open spaces, new buildings have been constructed and old ones given quite an astounding makeover.

 

Upon entering a ‘destination’ dining room, one does not always know what to expect when walking through the doors.  An initial survey of the space gave us the impression that we were in for a night of theatre and we were not disappointed.  Oversized wingback chairs in the casual lounge area were juxtaposed with shelves displaying smaller curios, some with plants spilling from them towards the floor.  High, vaulted ceilings and expanses of windows along one side of the space contrast with smaller artworks hung low and little eating ‘nooks’ carved into each corner of the room, making for an embracing and intimate environment.  Larger groups can easily fill the space with more than just laughter and stories, whilst duos can dine in their own little space of indulgent degustation.  The cellar door is a perhaps where the theatre begins…..a dark room, warmly lit, with bottles from the floor to the ceiling on two sides.  A central table allows the winemaker and guest to collaborate in giving the wine a space to ‘tell its story’ and and take centre stage.  To get to the cellar door from the dining room, one has to pass the kitchen doors and it is behind these that all kinds of edible fun and ‘trickery’ are conjured up.

 

We started with celery seed bread served with a good old ‘slab’ of butter adorned with a tiny rosemary flower, so pretty that we couldn’t bring ourselves to eat that last little piece!  Our ‘small plates’ were smoked fish croquettes and cauliflower dumplings with roasted dates & walnut relish.  In both dishes, golden crispy outers gave way to soft, oozy, moreish fillings.  The cauliflower dumplings were playfully plated alongside pickled purple pieces (try saying that quickly!) of its colourful relative and nestled between little mounds of walnut relish atop dates splayed open.

Cauliflower dumplings, roasted dates & walnut relish

 

Our ‘big plates’ were both strong contenders to take out the prize…..we put duck cassoulet up against slow cooked ox cheek, one heavyweight against another.  My cassoulet arrived beneath a glorious golden shower of brioche crumbs…..a game of ‘hide and seek’ to retrieve succulent pieces of duck leg falling from the bone.  The ox cheek sat proudly atop a creamy parsnip puree and surrounded by a rich, perfectly sticky sherry glaze.  One only needed to just touch the meat and it fell apart shamelessly.  A side of black bean snow peas with cashews added just the right amount of green.

 

Polperro duck cassoulet, mushrom brioche & fine herb salad

 

Desserts evoked childhood memories of stuffing cream-filled delicacies into mouths and wiping sugary remants from sticky lips.  We ordered milk chocolate Pedro Ximinez eclairs and cinnamon donuts with orange marmalade & vanilla cream.  Both were generous serves, however we did manage to lick our plates clean!  The eclairs surprised and delighted as they arrived ‘inside/out’…..the milk chocolate filling the choux pastry with lashings of white chocolate ganache on top.  The subtle hint of sherry reminding us that this dessert was for the ‘big kids’ with a sweet tooth.  On the other plate, surrounding a pot of vanilla cream sat a circle of cinnamon dusted donuts playing ‘sentinel’ to the velvety dipping sauce waiting to be dripped across fingers, chins and the tabletop – sticky drizzles of marmalade trying to hold it all together.

 

Cinnamon donuts , seville orange marmalade & vanilla cream

Milk chocolate & Pedro Ximinez eclairs

 

Even our parting coffee arrived with its own element of drama – generous ‘hunks’ of white chocolate Aero, to be eaten quickly before they melt over fingers and (gasp!) slip into hot coffee.  And wouldn’t that just be a terrible thing?!

 

Needless to say, we had such a fun and surprising evening.  We have had the good fortune to enjoy the inspired creations of Andrew Doughton before, but I must say….there is a playful and intriguing side to the plates leaving his kitchen at Polperro Bistro.  Having an ever-changing edible garden landscape is a treat for the kitchen and I look forward to the seasonal inspiration that will find its way onto their plates come Spring!

#1 Mum

 

My mum-in-law (Great Mumma Duck) presented me with my first-ever Mother’s Day gift two years ago whilst I was baking Bubba Duck in the oven.  It was a cutesy mug that stated ‘Bestest Mum in the Whole Wide World’.  I certainly did not feel that I had exactly proven that point at that stage and I was a little unsure as to whether I liked the ‘naff-ness’ of it.  I did learn to love that mug though.  It fits perfectly in my hand and for someone that was yet to find ‘their mug’ – I think I found mine.  

 

Last night I received my second ‘naff’ gift of a pair of black, fluffy bed socks (yes….I now have a collection of bed socks actually) with the following embroidered on them:

‘#1 Mum’

 

These were from my sister-in-law this time (there’s a bit of a trend happening methinks) and you may think, ‘Mother’s Day has been and gone’.  It has indeed, and the sorry-looking store-bought paraphernalia that goes with it is still around to tell the tale (minus one pair of bed socks)!  Truth be told…..I love my bed socks nearly as much as my mug.  There have been many, many days in the last two years that I have needed those little reminders that I am doing an ‘ok’ job and that Bubba Duck is going to be just fine.  

 

There is nothing like parenthood (or being anyone’s carer for that matter) that shakes the solid foundations of a person and makes them question their abilities, beliefs and decisions.  Yesterday, Bubba Duck had a truly shitful day.  Can I say that in this forum?  Oh, I just did.  Sorry.  There’s just no other way to describe it.  We are going through some serious boundary-testing and independence battles at the moment and my cute little bright-eyed boy is pushing my patience to its limits.  So much so that I shouted at him yesterday.  Really loudly and more than once.  I also ignored him for awhile so that I could take a few deep breaths and remind myself that he is only little and frustrated.  I slammed a cupboard door in frustration and ate half a block of chocolate whilst hiding from the little monster.  I then fuelled his fire by taking him out to play when he was probably ‘due’ for a sleep and let him eat a couple of sugary biscuits so that I could enjoy those 5 minutes of quiet.  Until he squealed and demanded, ‘more, more, more’.  

 

Yesterday I feel like I failed as a Mum and was so upset at myself for getting so upset at him.  The control I felt I had over my world is gradually slipping from my grasp little-by-little as this little human that I created forges ahead in his world of needs, desires and fascination.  Sometimes you just need those little reminders, no matter how cheesy they are, that you are doing ok and that you are allowed to do things ‘wrong’ every now and then.  

 

Today….we had a much better day, but I still had my moments.  I forgot to take the water bottle out with us so he had something to drink, didn’t change his nappy for a few hours and almost went home without the fur baby that we had taken with us on this particular excursion.  Bubba Duck also had ham and grated cheese for dinner so I’m not going to win any nutrition awards this evening.  And now as I type, I look at toy cars strewn across the room, a half-eaten apple balancing precariously on the edge of the sticky table and a washing basket that has not been touched in days.  It’s going to be alright though.  I’m going to make myself a peppermint tea in my mug, pop on my socks and remind myself that, ‘this too shall pass’.

Rachel’s Black Plum and Roasted Fig Yoghurt Scones

What do you do when you have a grumpy child crying at you, a to-do list a mile long and a hankering for some sort of ‘granny-baked’ goodness?

 

You make scones.

 

You also spend half an hour you don’t  have trawling your Facebook newsfeed, not really paying attention to anything in particular.  Whilst scrolling down aimlessly, I did notice a new notification from a fabulous friend that had made a most wonderful discovery!  A competition to end all competitions and one with a prize that could not be more perfect for someone like little ol’ Mumma Duck.  A three-month gig writing about food for a HUGE website that shares my love of all things edible.  A challenge was set to incorporate any flavour of Rachel’s Gourmet Yoghurts in a recipe dreamed up by my tired Mumma brain.  This recipe did end up getting scribbled in the back of my diary, baked in the oven (quite quickly actually!) and photographed from every angle possible – and here ’tis:

 

RACHEL’S BLACK PLUM & ROASTED FIG YOGHURT SCONES

INGREDIENTS

2 cups (330g) SR Flour

40g butter (chopped)

300g Rachel’s Black Plum & Roasted Fig yoghurt (plus extra to serve)

pinch sea salt

Honey to serve

HOW TO…..

1.  Preheat oven to 200 deg. celcius (fan-forced) and line an oven tray with baking paper

2.  Add flour and butter to bowl of a food processor and blend until mixture resembles fine crumbs.  Alternatively, rub butter into flour with fingertips.

3.  Add yoghurt and salt and mix until just combined.  Try not to over mix as it will affect how light/dense your scones are.

4.  Tip dough onto a lightly floured board or bench and gently roll in a ball, coating lightly with flour at the same time.  Using the heel of your hand, gently flatten into a rectangle shape about 2-3cm thick.

5.  Using a scone or tall cookie cutter, cut out scones using a vertical motion (i.e. push straight down).  If you twist the cutter as you cut, you will affect the rising of your scones and they will rise less evenly.  Place each scone onto baking tray just touching one another and place into oven for 8-10 mins or until lightly browned on top.

NOTE:  I used a 3 cm mini, round cutter to make mine a bite-sized scone for a light snack.  This made approx. 35 individual scones.  Using a larger cutter will also work…you will just make fewer in number.

Getting those scones nestled up next to each other will ensure happy balls of dough that will rise evenly together!

35 bite-sized ‘nuggets’ of golden, fluffy deliciousness just begging to be drenched in lashings of yoghurt and honey!

There you have it folks!  A lovely light scone that goes perfectly with Rachel’s Black Plum & Roasted Fig Yoghurt and a generous drizzle of sticky honey.

This recipe has no added sugar as the sweetness of the yoghurt is more than enough to get the right flavour and adds a lovely ‘fluffy’ texture to the scone.  I also made some for myself with a dollop of yoghurt topped with a couple of slices of banana and they were equally delicious!

So…..don your apron, dust those hands in flour  and get these scones in your oven faster than you can say, “pass me the tea towel”.  You’ll have your Nanna shaking in her bed socks ‘cos you’ve got this scone-thing covered now!

A Feast for the Eyes

I want to talk about food porn.

 

I actually wanted to title this post, ‘the not-so-secret life of a food pornographer’ – however…didn’t want to attract the attention of internet filters and take up space in ‘junk’ folders. There is a lot of disdain directed towards those that like to document and share their daily kitchen adventures or dining experiences. And to those people – I say, booooooooo. Food is fun. Firstly, most of us ‘do it’ at least three times a day. Food engages all of the senses. Food brings families and communities together. Food has cultural and historical significance. The Romans knew a thing or two about hosting a banquet. The Mad Hatter was well onto a ‘high tea’ before we started pigging out on scones and cucumber sandwiches. Take the food out of celebrations like Christmas, Thanksgiving and the New Year and you’ve got a pretty boring party. My Instagram feed is a barrage of edible pleasures and my Facebook page linked to this blog is, in all honesty a hoarded collection of cooking triumphs, ideas and ‘one day I will cook’ posts with the occasional sprinkling of my infrequent writing efforts. Seeing as I am spending almost as much time looking at my food as making and eating it….I thought I would share my food photography /styling tips with you. Just in case you too, worship food – some might say – a little too much.

 

1. You don’t necessarily need a whiz bang DSLR and expensive piece of glass to shoot beautiful food images anymore. It really depends on what you intend to do with your images. If you are sticking with the internet for now, your smartphone does an amazingly good job and armed with a few clever ‘apps’ – you can make a toasted sandwich look gourmet in no time. I personally, use a combination of the following apps: Instagram, Hipstagram, Over and Oggl.

2.  USE NATURAL LIGHTING. There is no better tool in a photographer’s kit than the beautiful, soft nature of window lighting. Set yourself up next to your largest window and use the available sun to light your shot rather than an on-camera flash that will create hard, ugly shadows. If you are hard-pressed and need to use flash, try “bouncing” it off the ceiling above if you have a flash head that can be moved into different positions.

3.  Get in close. If you have cooked a dish to show off a ‘hero ingredient’, get in close and frame your shot to just include a portion of the plated dish. Also, employ the use of vignettes (both focal and shadow) with subtlety to draw attention to the part of the image you want people to really notice.

4.  Go wide. In contradiction to this, if you are shooting a group of dishes that are designed to be eaten together (eg: an Indian or Moroccan banquet), climb on a chair or stepladder (carefully!) and shoot looking down over the dishes, including them all in your shot. In this type of shot, put thought into your styling and the way you arrange your dishes, taking into account colour, shape, texture, size, etc.

5.  Give careful consideration to your food ‘styling’. Yes…I know how that sounds, but it can make all of the difference to your audience. That saying, ‘we eat with our eyes’ is true and if you look at some recipes and take note of the ones you would like to cook or eat yourself, you will find that they will be the ones that look good. Try arranging your dish in different ways to emphasise things like colour, texture, height, mood and surroundings. If you decide to ‘go wide’…fill your surrounding space thoughtfully.

6.  Arm yourself with some visual tools. Places like opportunity shops, cheaper department stores and garage sales can be a treasure trove of interesting serving ware and other implements. Look especially at colours, shape and era – vintage items can ‘make’ an image if used in context.

7.  Plan ahead. The longer you leave a cooked dish whilst you consider the way you shoot it, the less ‘fresh’ and real it looks. If you are using a sauce, drizzle it on right before you are ready to take the picture. If you are shooting something cold, plate it up once you have all other factors ready and considered.

8.  Immerse yourself in the photography of others. There is a vast resource for ideas and inspiration both on the internet and in books and magazines and sometimes one tiny part of an image can be a trigger for an idea of your own that is much bigger or takes a different direction.

 

I should probably now make an admission, about the fact that in a previous life I spent a couple of years as a part-time wedding photographer. I have also done a little bit of study in this area and learned quite quickly that the best equipment does not necessarily make the best photographer. Keeping things simple often makes for the most striking and memorable images. I no longer chase brides down the aisle hoping for that one candid shot that will tell the whole story. I was always a bit distracted by the cake, table settings and canapés as they arrived anyway!

 

So…grab your phone, compact or SLR camera and just get shooting!  Have fun with it and share it with your own ‘audience’ for feedback and encouragement.  And remember, when you have a ‘wrap’……a wrap at a food shoot is the best kind – it means you get to devour the subject afterwards!

 

AUTHOR’S FOOTNOTE:  All images on this page are copyright Karli Duckett