WA Signature Dish 2015 - Buy West Eat Best

In case you haven't heard the WA Signature Dish is back In full swing this year. The Signature Dish Competition is presented by Buy West Eat Best and is a great way to showcase the fantastic local food industry and celebrate the diversity and quality of produce in WA.


Image via Peter Maloney (DAFWA)

Each year there are 4 different regions chosen and local produce from each of those regions become the 'hero' component in your culinary creation. This year, there are also 'supporting ingredients' which are Buy West Eat Best's member ingredients which can be optional to include in your recipes too.

The 4 regions to be showcased this year are;
Gascoyne
Kimberley
Peel
Swan Valley and Surrounds.

I was lucky enough last year to be chosen as a Semi Finalist for the Great Southern Region. I had a great time at the cook off in Denmark at Pepper & Salt Restaurant at the picturesque Forest Hill Estate.

Here are a few photos from the launch which was held on the 10th of August at Bistro Guillame at Perth's Crown Resort.


Image via Peter Maloney (DAFWA)

Rob Broadfield addressing the crowd.
Image via Peter Maloney (DAFWA)

Be sure to tune into Our State On A Plate on Channel 9 on Saturday at 5:30pm to catch last years winner Rhiannon Birch show Eamon Sullivan and us how to cook her winning dish from last year, Dorper Lamb in Lupin and Za’atar Crust with Sweet Potato and Lupin Salad, Moroccan Flavours.



Image via Peter Maloney (DAFWA)
 

Rhiannon Birch's 2014 Signature Dish
Image via Peter Maloney (DAFWA)

Mentor judges
Image via Peter Maloney (DAFWA)

 



This year, the winner not only receives the title of winning WA's Signature Dish but also gets 2 hours mentoring with Guillame Brahimi (head chef and owner of Bistro Guillame) plus a luxury wine and dine experience in Northern WA!

Check out Buy West Eat Best Facebook and Website for Entry Forms and more details.

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How to Pack the Perfect Picnic

How To Pack the Perfect Picnic

Summer does not last all year, so it’s important to take advantage of the nice weather as much as possible while it’s here. Have you thought about taking your meals outdoors?

Perth has some gorgeous picnic spots, from the beautiful gardens at Burswood Park and the sheltered picnic tables at the Bibra Lake Reserve to the Queen’s Gardens and of course the beautiful Swan Valley. Lilac Hill Park in the Swan Valley is great for both family picnics and romantic afternoon lunches in the park - it has a stunning picnic area on the river. See a full list of parks and picnic areas in the Swan Valley here.

The Main Dish

When it comes to picnic food, simple and clean is the best way to go. Choose something healthy that you can prepare at home and bring to your picnic spot that won't require an extreme temperature, lots of dishes or utensils, or a big clean up.

Sandwiches are a delicious staple for any Perth picnic. You can pack the toppings separately, and have everyone build their own sandwich outdoors.

Stop at your local deli for some fresh meats, cheeses, and veggies. In your picnic basket, include onions, lettuce, slices of your favourite cheese, a tomato, some pickles and perhaps some avocado to spread on top.

The bonus here is that a make-your-own-sandwich picnic allows everyone, even the picky eaters, to eat what they like, there are few dishes and utensils required, and almost no clean up.

The Side Dish

Even if you add veggies to your main dish, it’s always nice to have a side dish that is healthier than potato chips. Potato salad or fruit salad can both be prepared at home, stored in a dish and served on a plate without making a mess.

If you're in a rush or looking for finger foods, cutting up some fresh fruit and vegetables requires little preparation and little clean-up. If you want to spice it up a little bit, you could make some homemade vegetable dip to be shared. Try baby carrots and hummus, grapes, berries, or even chunks of cheese with crackers.

Picnic Beverages 

While water is always a great option, it can be nice to dress up a picnic with something sweet to quench your thirst. Pink lemonade made from fresh lemons, water, and sugar to taste is perfect for the summer sun whether your picnic is for a date or a day out with friends/family. 

Remember that mixing a drink like homemade lemonade is a great way to get your kids involved in preparing for the picnic! Partially freezing your drinks before you pack your picnic helps minimise the risk of spilling while keeping your drinks colder for longer, even if they're left sitting in the sun.

For store-bought drinks and other items just remember that a bottle or can opener may be needed, so it’s always good to have them in the picnic bag, just in case!

Dessert

No picnic is complete without a tasty snack for dessert, and these homemade dark chocolate cookies definitely make the cut.

The recipe is simple - it only has six ingredients! You'll need dark chocolate, butter, sugar, two eggs, baking powder, and flour.

The best way to keep your cookies fresh on a picnic is to pack them in an airtight container with a piece of stale bread - it keeps your cookies fresh and soft until you are ready to eat them. 

When it comes to dessert, try to avoid solid chocolate or frosting, both of which could melt in the sun. Store bought or homemade cookies, brownies, or even more fresh fruit can also be a great picnic dessert. 

Kid-Friendly Munchies

Picnics are a great way to get the kids outdoors and to explore a new place around Perth. However, kids can be messy even at home, so it's usually better to keep it simple. Fresh cut local fruit or veggies are a good option, or, if you want to let the kids help with the preparation, consider a simple recipe like devilled eggs or homemade fruit, nut and seed bars.

Author Bio: This post was written by Jodee Wearne, the owner and manager of Just In Time Gourmet in Perth. Jodee and her family, love heading out on picnics which is why they have created a speciality range of gourmet picnic hampers to tempt the taste buds, which can be delivered directly to your door (with free Perth metro delivery!) – see these here.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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ILVE presents Australias Best Home Cook Competition - Noosa International Food and Wine Festival 2015 and Lunch at Print Hall

Earlier this year I received an email congratulating me that I'd been chosen as a finalist for a Competition held by The Noosa International Food and Wine Festival. The competition is ILVE Presents "Australia's Best Home Cook" and its to showcase the rise of the modern, everyday home cook.

After receiving more info about the cook-off it was all coming excitingly clear that I had a 1 in 3 chance to represent WA and attend the Festival In May at Noosa! What a fantastic prize!

The dish I'd chosen is a very easy dish, in fact the recipe is here. It's called Shakshuka and is basically a thick tomato sauce with Moroccan spices, beans and chorizo. Its simmered for a good 30-40 minutes before cracking some eggs around in the sauce and letting the hot simmering cook the eggs to your liking. It is then served with crusty bread to mop up the tasty goodness.

Cook off day had arrived and I headed to the ILVE Showroom in Osborne Park. My Hubby then met up with me at the showroom for moral support and to bring my bread knife that I forgot!

Cooking at home in your own kitchen is fun, comfortable and every appliance you know how to use. Cooking in a foreign kitchen is a quite daunting; not to mention cooking under pressure and the judges watching your every move. The showroom was full of beautiful brand new ovens, gas cook tops and induction cook tops which took a little help from the friendly staff on how to use, but once we knew, it took a bit of stress off.

I was so happy to see that my big heavy based Scanpan pan I brought from home worked on the new induction cook top, so I used that to cook my dish and the heat control was fantastic. Usually at home when I simmer on low I find it catches on the bottom of the pan but this was simmering the whole pan gently and constant.

We had 2 hours to cook off and the ambience wasn't stressful but more calm. We had all obviously cooked our dishes heaps of times before, so we eased straight into cooking mode fast.

My dish was presented, eaten and judged 2nd in line. I gave the judges a brief description of the dish and explained how versatile and easy it was to cook.

The judges deliberated and their decision was final. I was stoked to be chosen as the winner of the WA round!! I now get the chance to cook off in May at the Noosa Festival. I've never been to Noosa but I've been hearing its a lovely place and the Festival is so much fun, I'm really looking forward to it!!

To celebrate my Hubby and I were invited to Print Hall for the media launch the next day along with Jim Berardo and Greg O'Brien, the co-founders of the Festival and a few of the sponsors. Print Hall has been on my list for so long I was excited to try Executive Chef Shane Watsons amazing food. We headed to the function room on the 2nd floor and it didn't take me long to spot the menu folded in the napkins.

Duck Liver Parfait was my Hubby's first course. Generous mounds of lovely smooth and rich parfait topped with salted plum, cherry and a smear of Geraldton wax on the side.

My first course was the vegetarian option; New Season Vegetables which was lovely steamed asparagus and yellow squash, savoury soya milk and a big roasted malt wafer! I love asparagus and the fresh dill paired with the other elements perfectly!

For mains I had the Pan Roasted Barramundi that was topped with Coorong Pippis, courgette and dill. The skin was lovely and crispy and the Barra cooked to perfection.

David Blackmore's Wagyu Beef Bavette was a cracker of a dish! My husband loved the cut of beef which they cooked perfectly medium-rare and it was accompanied with leek, roasted pepper, cornichons, beef tendon and a rich jus. The beef tendon was soft; almost jelly like with a light meaty flavour, quite hard to describe.

The desserts we chose were Sweet Chaos with sweet parfait, honeycomb, mandarin and lavender and The Bittersweet Chocolate Tart which was lovely dark chocolate ganache snaked across the plate adorned with caramel almonds, crumbled caramel popcorn and ice cream. Both desserts were delicious.

Extremely satisfied from our sumptuous lunch we then had a speech from one of the Founders of the Noosa Festival Jim Berardo who gave us a brief history of the event and how its changed and grown over the years. Jim Berardo and Greg O'Brien first started the Festival over a decade ago as a way to thank all the suppliers of the Berardo Restaurant. It's gotten bigger and better each year and now has over 25,000 people attending the 4 day event each year.

Jim then introduced Print Hall's Executive Chef Shane Watson to everyone and he gave a speech about the menu that we just ate and his plans for The Noosa Festival.  If your planning on heading to The Noosa International Food &Wine Festival this year Shane will be in charge of the Audi Asian Food Trail on the Thursday and Friday so get your tickets!

I cannot wait for May to roll around and get a chance to attend this awesome festival and cook off against the other fantastic Home Cooks!

Keep an eye out for my next post: Australia's Best Home Cook Competition Finale!

Visit The Noosa International Food and Wine Festival Website.

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This Little Pig Went To Market - Meal Kits delivered to your door!

This Little Pig Went to Market is a Perth born and owned business by 2 sisters Jessica & Katherine. They create a 2 meal menu each week and deliver the ingredients and recipe cards straight to your door!

I chose the 2 meals for 2 people for 2 nights and this was $65 delivered.

I wasn’t home when my box was arrived and was so happy to find it sitting nicely on my front door mat!

 

The box is very sturdy with all the ingredients stacked nicely with padding and 2 big ice bricks that can keep the food cool in the box for up to 4 hours.

The first recipe was Spinach & Ricotta Ravioli which was handmade by The Re Store in Leederville. Served with a cream-free bacon, sage, asparagus and mushroom sauce. The smell of this cooking was divine and I love how the bacon was already diced and locally sourced from Torre Butchers in Perth. The rest of the ingredients were all portioned and all I had to do was follow the recipe card and chop them up.

 

As mentioned before, the meals I chose are meant to be for 2 serves. Although this meal was plenty enough for my hubby, my daughter and myself to have a decent serving plus my daughters seconds and thirds!

The second meal was a Sesame Beef salad with crunchy noodle, mandarin and mint slaw. Doesn’t that sound good! Again the beef strips were pre-cut and also from Torres Butchers and the beef marinade and salad dressing were portioned in disposable containers.

 

This salad tasted amazing and was definitely filling for a dinner meal, again with a small serving leftover.

 

With all the ingredients portioned for the 2 meals, everything you need is there to make the menu. This means after cooking, you have no leftover food to go to waste.

I loved getting my delivery and thought it was great value. On a busy day I knew I had the ingredients on hand to make a good meal for that night. Or if I had a friend coming over for lunch I could whip this up without having to think of what to cook.

This Little Pig Went to Market are on facebook and you can check out their website to view their menu which changes weekly. Why not order one for a friend or family member as a gift!

I know I’ll definitely be ordering again very soon and regularly!

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Pemberton Finger Limes

After seeing the hype surrounding the quick season of Australian Finger Limes a few weeks ago, I contacted WA local Supplier, Pemberton FingerLimes and asked where North of the River can I find their lovely finger limes for me to purchase and have a play around with in the Kitchen.

I was so surprised and thought it was lovely to have Jacquie ask for my address and show up on my door step a few days later with a very small cardboard box in her hand for me!

I don’t know what I was expecting, as I’ve never seen a finger lime in the flesh, and was amazed at these sausage shaped, dark reddish-brown citrus fruit.

I spoke with Jacquie for a bit about the weird shape and what recipes I could incorporate them in. She quickly handed me over a little booklet with a few amazing looking recipes for me to follow or use as a guide. Jacquie also said some people use them in drinks like gin and tonics too!

 

 The best way to get the caviar-like pearls out, is to cut them in half cross-ways (not lengthways) and use a rolling pin to roll from the bottom all the way slowly to the open end onto a chopping board. The little pearls will slide out very easily then with a sharp knife scrape the small seeds (yes they have seeds but not many) to the side to discard.

As mentioned before, the Finger Lime season is a quick one, only lasting from roughly early April till the end of May each year; and as Pemberton Finger limes have a shelf life of about 4 weeks, they are one of those special Products like fresh Truffles, that you can only get at certain times of the year.

I only had time to try out 2 of the recipes featured in the booklet given to me, because as soon as I got these I was chosen as 1 of 4 finalists for WA’s Signature Dish cook-off for the Great Southern Region in Denmark, WA. So as I was busy planning my trip down to Denmark for a few days, I had just enough time to re-create the Scallops with Chorizo and Pemberton Finger Limes recipe before I left.

 

 

 

This recipe calls for the chorizo to be cooked first in the pan then the scallops seared in the leftover tasty oil. I bought only a few scallops in their shells from Kailis, but wish I had bought more. They certainly looked very fancy, tasted great and it’s only when you start to chew that you get the little bursts of the citrus-y lime flavour.

 

 

The next recipe was a No Bake Lemon Cheesecake with Pemberton Finger Limes. For this one, I used vanilla instead of lemon for the cheesecake. I love cheesecakes so this was a winner also! Plus I made up 4 glasses, so we had this 2 nights in a row for dessert!

 

 

I wish I’d had longer to experiment more with this awesome product, in particular the Salmon Recipe. I can see why chefs across WA love to use these on their menu’s at the right time of the year.

Pemberton Finger Limes is a family owned and run company operating in Pemberton, Western Australia by Rob, Jill & Jacquie Baker and family. Sadly, this years season has finished, but Jacquie and her family will be back in full swing early 2015! Visit their website or follow their Facebook page for more info.

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Perth Food Truck Rumble & Andersen Cacao Raw Chocolate Making Class - Sunday 13th April 2014

I was so excited to attend the Perth Food Truck Rumble on Sunday 13th April 2014.

Held at the Perth Cultural Centre we got there just on 11am, pretty much on the dot and found parking easy at the CPP Carpark there.

We walked straight up to the trucks and because it was pretty warm we decided to head to Delish Ice and grabbed a Watermelon Lemonade Icy Pole ($4) for my daughter. Located just near the WA Museum, we found a seat along the limestone wall about 20 meters away.

It was lovely and sweet with a nice ripe watermelon flavour, sometimes I find watermelon flavoured 'anythings' too strong; but this was Delish! I had a few more bites before handing back to my eager daughter.

By this time the crowds were piling in quickly so we made a bee-line for The Merrywell Food Truck, being fairly new and always a good feed at the Crown Perth, I knew they wouldn't disappoint.

I pretty much made this the 'mains' of my lunch outing, I knew it'd get busy plus I only had about 2 hours max to spend here. After lining up for about 2 mins I ordered the twin burgers ($10) and Deep Fried Mac n Cheese Bites ($10) and went halves with my hubby for the burgers. I got my number and realised i was about 20 away from what they were calling out, then waited in the HOT sun, but then I noticed they were pumping their orders out SO quickly, like 2-4 per minute!!

5 Mins later and I had my order..I was very sweaty but The Mac n Cheese Bites were so good! Crispy and stretchy mozzarella cheese served with a tangy chutney sauce, we all enjoyed these. The burgers were the perfect size for me, the buns were soft and the meat tender and juicy.

 

 

I left my family happily sitting in the shade and decided to check out the lines for more yummy food before too many people set in. I noticed the Jumplings line was sooooo long and well as Theo's Lil Ceasers Pizza's.

So I lined up and was quickly served by Vinces Woodfired Pizza Truck. I ordered a Pepperoni Pizza ($14) and waited about 5 mintues in the shade! They had a few umbrellas set up so it was good to wait in the shade and in less than 5 mins we had out hot pizza which was quite nice considering the limited toppings.

Lastly, we noticed the line for Ben & Jerrys had died down so we quickly lined up and stretched out necks out to scour the different flavours the had. The decision?? 1 Scoop each ($5.40) Triple Choc Fudge for our daughter (no pic, not quick enough) and Coffee for us.

OMG LOVED the Coffee ice cream! Taste just like an affogato!! AMAZING! with big choc chunks mixed in too! mmmmmmmm I didn't want to share this one!

Over all it was good, the weather was warm, I knew i'd wanna get in quick and taste as much as I could and I'm so glad I got to try the Merrywell Truck.

Let's hope they smooth over some rough edges and make this a permanent fixture for the City Of Perth Events.


My Sunday didn't end there though. A few days beforehand I'd won double tickets to an Andersen Cacao Creations  Raw Organic Chocolate Making Class in Fremantle through Michelle who own's the popular Perth Food Blog Foodie Cravings  .

I took a good friend along and met Michelle and her friend as well as Alan from Andersen Creations and we were shown how to make Raw Organic Handmade chocolates.

We flavoured our chocolates with raw nuts, goji berries, cacao beans, cacao nibs, sandalwood nuts, dried mango, dried chilli and sour cherries. It was a great class and it was a different experience being showed how to create chocolate that was good for you and was so easy to make! Only 3 ingredients made up the chocolate.

Check out Andersen Creation's Website here for more info.

We got to take home 3 boxes each of handmade goodies and had coffee/tea and choc fondue with strawberries and bananas whilst waiting for our chocolates to set.

I got home about 7pm that night and had a great sleep with my belly full of good food and lovely handmade chocolates.

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The Herdsman - Blogger of the month December 2013!

The Herdsman

9 Flynn Street Churchlands WA
DECEMBER BLOGGER 2013

Hi there, I’m April and I’m so excited to have been asked by The Herdsman to be their December Blogger! I’m a passionate foodie who loves cooking with fresh, local produce and believes in keeping food simple.

I was first introduced to The Herdsman a few years ago when I tagged along with my sister, who regularly shopped here. Then once I walked in, I knew I’d found foodie heaven!

Inside the Herdsman you’ll find everything. Fresh flowers from the florist as you walk in, local fresh fruit & vegetables. A big section with Pre-made salads, fruit salads, flavoured yoghurts, potato, bean & pasta salads, , fresh meat & salad lunch trays, sandwiches, rolls & sushi. If you don’t feel like cooking they stock house-made stews, soups, casseroles & pizzas made with real ingredients ready to heat and eat. They also make and sell a few desserts, choc mousse& sticky date pudding to name a couple.

The deli is stocked with antipasto items, dips, olives, marinated Fremantle prawns etc. You can also have sushi, sandwich and meat & cheese platters made to order. These looked amazing, I snuck a peak when a customer picked some up that day! Hot beef/pork n gravy rolls, hot roast dinners & chicken schnitzel burgers are also available from the deli too for a hot, quick lunch.

The Herdsman cheese station is a cheese lover’s paradise. Local and imported cheeses line the big refrigerator with lots of accompaniments, which would complete the perfect cheese platter.

I love the bakery, heaps of gourmet loaves and sweet & savoury pastries to choose from.

The Herdsman has an independently run Butcher and Fishmonger on the premises too.

So I went along on a Friday to scour the massive range and figure out what I would take home. As I walked in I noticed their Calypso Mangoes for $2.99 each, which is great and cheaper than my local supermarket at the moment, so I put them in my basket along with some peaches, yellow flesh nectarines, cherries and a punnet of beautiful smelling strawberries. That’s my fruit platter all sorted, and I love new-season stone fruit! Then I picked up some house made Passionfruit Yoghurt to go with, Yum!

Back to the fresh premade section I grabbed one of their supreme pizzas, great reasonable price and an easy dinner. The house-made Pesto would go great with the pizza so in the basket went the Rocket Pesto.

With my dinner and dessert all sorted I headed to the Deli and grabbed a small container of The Herdsman’s famous chicken chilli mango meatballs. These are so yummy, they never last the day I bring them back!! Then I ordered a hot roast beef and gravy roll for my lunch and the beef was so tender and melt-in-the-mouth, filled the gap for sure.

If you’ve never been The Herdsman then I suggest you check it out. Why not purchase some pre-made salads, platters and some beautiful fresh fruit for your next BBQ or Picnic. Or just to have a browse, but I doubt you’ll leave empty handed!

Thanks, The Herdsman, I’ll be back!

April

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