Barista

The Barista is the person who makes your beautiful tasting coffee, hot & cold.
A true Barista should have acquired some level of experience in the preparation of, espresso based coffee drinks. Further than that the barista’s knowledge of coffee blends, varieties, equipment, latte art and more is down to the individual to gain. The art of coffee is far more than just a cup of black liquid.
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Pedro Ximenez Sherry Vinegar

Today I received my bottle of Pedro Ximenez sherry vinegar. A very special sherry vinegar.

Sherry vinegar or Vinagre de Jerez is a gourmet wine vinegar made from Sherry and is produced in the province of Cadiz in Spain. Cadiz is situated within the so called “sherry triangle”. The “sherry triangle” is the area between the city of Jerez de la Frontera and the towns of Sanlucar de Barrameda and El Puerto de Santa Maria. Most sherry vinegar .

By law a sherry vinegar that wishes to have the title of “vinagre de Jerez” must be aged for a minimum of six months in American Oak, have a minimum of 7 degrees acidity and be within the “sherry triangle”.

Sherry vinegars are like wines they mature with age and are graded by the maturity of the vinegar. Vinegre de Jerez the standard bottle has matured for a minimum of six months in wood. Vinegre de Jerez Reserva has a minimum of 2 years aging in wood. The Vinegre de Jerez Gran Reserva has matured for a minimum of 10 years in wood. The Consejo Regulador (the Sherry vinegar regulator) is monitored and controlled by its own Denominacion de Origen which is protected by Spanish and EU law.

Well let me explain why the special Pedro Ximenez sherry vinegar is so special. This sherry vinegar is made only in Jerez in Spain and only in the barrels that harboured the sherry many years ago. Pedro Ximenez is made from Pedro Ximenez grapes, where as most sherry vinegar are produced from the Palomino grape. The pedro ximenez grape are sweeter than the other grapes and therefor produce a sweeter vinegar.

On opening the bottle the initial aromas come forth in abundance. Fruity, sweet smell, with a hint of acidity. The taste, smooth and slightly sweet without the harsh tartness that often hits with most vinegars. The comparison between two sherry vinegars that we have at work was vast. The cheap and (nasty) one at $4- has that harsh acidic taste that sends your face into the most strange appearance. The $28- Pedro with the smooth sutle bite leaves a sweet twang in the mouth. Now we have experienced the power of Pedro Ximenez there can be no going back.

Technorati Tags: Culinary terms, Bordelaise

Mayonnaise, quick & easy

Here in ’sunny Queensland’, today, it is raining heavily. Well it has been raining for the last week and the weather bureau claim that it’s here for some time.

Anyway I had to go out and grab a few things from the shops. Read more

No Man-Goes Like A MANGO goes

Here in sunny Queensland the Mango’s are once again in abundance. In this picture are Pearl,Calypso and Honeygold varieties. This year like many before the juicy Mango’s are perfect. Read more

Snails, Escargot, Snails

Call them snails or escargot, it’s up to you, but it is a new one for Yeppoon.

I was treated to some delicious snails for dinner last night. Read more

Truffle Chips with Tetsuya’s Truffle Salt

I have used truffle chips on one of my menu’s before, last time I used the Truffle oil to add flavor, but since I have come across this Truffle Salt from Tetsuya my truffle oil has retired, well for this use anyway. Read more

Technorati Tags: Truffle, Truffle Salt, Tetsuya, truffle oil, Culinary terms, Bordelaise

Oysters; Sydney Rock, Pacific/Tassie, S.A. Pacific Coffin Bay, Angasi/Flat?

What is the difference between Sydney Rock, Pacific Tasmanian, Coffin Bay, and Angasi/Flat oysters? Read more

How Hard is it to get Fresh Fish?

Fresh fish these days just seems harder and harder to get. I think that maybe I have been a little spoilt in my career to have had the opportunity to work with some great produce which believe me I am truly grateful. Strange that now I am working so close to the sea I seem to be experiencing the other end ‘the lack of’.

Maybe due to the mass production of imported frozen fish we suffer in the search for fresh produce. Could it be that the demand by us chefs is too high or are we just happy to get frozen processed? However, the big gourmet restaurants in the cities don’t seem to have such a problem. I guess that is because the fish markets there source the produce from all over which then gives them greater availability of fish to the chefs.

I also understand that closures need to be inplace to allow the growth of the species and not to be fished out. It also varies from state to state with closures. Maybe also the weather has an effect on supply. Maybe it is the cost involved. I would gladly pay the asking price for fresh produce and receive it on a daily basis in the perfect world. I just find it hard to get my head around the fact that I can see the sea from the kitchen at Beaches (how lucky I am) and yet with such perfect weather some days there is little fresh fish.

Are the fisherman lazy? Imagine if we could have our own fisherman that would go out once a week and catch some fish, bring it back direct to the restaurant e voila. We need fishermen to go out and catch fish. The fisherman need to earn a living, we need to pay the asking price, and we need the fish to be graded and processed to comply with health and safety. Then we need regular delivery. So where lies the problem?

Technorati Tags: Fresh, horseradish.

Culinary Explanations for the New Menu (Glossary)

GLOSSARY of Culinary terms;

Bordelaise sauce; red wine sauce with garlic, shallots & bone marrow.

Bresaola; is air-dried salted beefeye that has been aged about 2-3 months until it becomes hard and a dark red, almost purple colour. It is lean, has a sweet, musty smell and is tender. It originated in Valtellina, a valley in the Alps of northern Italy.

Capers; are the salted and pickled immature flower bud. The grown mature fruit of the caper shrub is also used, and prepared similarly to the buds to be used as caper berries

Celeriac; is a member of the celery family, a tuberous brown-skinned root with white flesh that has a very earthy, more pungent celery.

Ciabatta; Italian bread that is formed into an oval or rounded rectangular shape loaf. Baked with a hard crust, and contains a soft-textured, open to dense crumb. It makes excellent sandwiches and it also is great for dipping in a high quality extra virgin olive oil and Balsamic vinegar.

Creme Fraiche;  is cream made from pasteurised cows’ milk to which lactic acid has been added, giving it a flavour that’s slightly sharp and tangy but not sour.

Gorgonzola; is a blue veined Italian cheese, made from unskimmed cow’s milk. It can be buttery or firm, crumbly and quite salty, with a ‘bite’ from its blue veining.

Granita; is a semi-frozen dessert of sugar, water, and flavorings often scraped like shavings of ice.

Haloumi; is a soft or semi-hard cheese originally from Cyprus. It has a salty flavour, made from either sheep or goats’ milk.

Harissa; is a Tunisian hot red paste made from chilli peppers. It can be used as a condiment or, most commonly, as an ingredient. It’s also found in other North African cuisines like Morocco and Algeria.

Hummus; is a dip or spread made of ground chickpeas, sesame tahini, lemon juice, and garlic.

Manzanilla; is a small to medium size oval shaped green/brown olive, produced in Spain, California and Australia. When mature the colour is deep bluish-black. It is brine-cured and has firm textured meat with a slight almond flavour and may be a little bitter or smoky tasting. Also known as a Manzanillo or the Spanish olive.

Pancetta; is the Italian word for bacon. It is pork belly that has been salt cured, salted and spiced and dried for about three months.

Panko; are Japanese white bread crumbs that are airier and coarser than Western bread crumbs.

Pecorino; a hard Italian sheep’s milk cheese, salty in flavour.

Prosciutto; is the Italian word for ham. In English the word refers only to dry-cured ham. It is salted with sea salt for two months then washed and hung to dry for upto 3 years.

Rainbow chard; is like silver beet or Swiss chard it has the most amazing coloured stems with green leaves.

Remoulade; is a mayonnaise based sauce, flavoured with ingredients.

Salmon Pearls; are the roe from salmon, roe being eggs.

Sashimi; is thinly sliced, raw seafood, served with soy.

Silken tofu; is coagulated fresh soy milk pressed in a mold. Silken being one of the softest types of tofu, there being many.

Sweetbreads; are the thymus gland of young lambs or veal. Highly prized by chefs and connoisseurs for their mild flavor and velvety texture. They are the most versatile of offal meats and can be prepared using virtually any cooking method.

Tortino; Italian name for a flan or tart, mine is made with filo pastry to produce a delicate dish baked like an ultra thin pizza.

Vitello Tonnato; A classic summer dish from Italy, sliced cold cooked veal with a tuna fish sauce similar to mayonnaise.

Technorati Tags: Culinary terms, Bordelaise, Bresaola, Capers, Celeriac, Ciabatta, Creme Fraiche, Gorgonzola, Granita, Haloumi, Harissa, Hummus, Manzanilla, Pancetta, Panko, Pecorino, Prosciutto, Rainbow chard, Remoulade, Salmon Pearls, Sashimi, Silken tofu, Sweetbreads, Tortino, Vitello Tonnato

Wagyu Beef on the Menu in Yeppoon

What is all this about wagyu beef? Well lets clear up a few things straight away. Wagyu beef is not just a fancy name used to beef up the sales of beef in the market place. Wagyu beef is not massaged either. And no it’s not cheap. Wagyu directly translates as Japanese or Japanese style Wagyu and Kobe, the term “Kobe beef” is an appellation given to Wagyu beef that is raised or finished in Kobe in Japan and can only be used for beef finished in this way.

Everything else is simply termed Wagyu. Originaly only available from Japan untill they sold 4 bulls to the USA in 1976 then 200 cows and 15 bulls in 1992, at great cost to the farmer (expelled from the wagyu association). there are now about 300 breeders of wagyu cattle in Australia. So wagyu beef firstly originates from the breed of beef being Wagyu, like Angus or Shorthorn. The right genetics alone do not ensure the final eating quality of the beef; feeding and living conditions play important roles. Correct feeding is critical to ensure that the animal achieves its maximum marbling. Marbling being the amount of fat throughout the meat (white flecks) this is what is also graded and gives the wagyu grade 0-9+ 0 being the least fat and 9+ being the most (best). The more health conscious amongst us will be happy to know that around 50% of the total fat profile consists of unsaturated fats (ie the good fat). Some researchers have indicated that fatty acids found in Wagyu beef play a role in cancer prevention. Red and Black Wagyu are available, black wagyu being the better quality and unique in their genetic ability to deposit extraordinarily high mono-unsaturated fatty acids (the ratio of mono-unsaturated fat to saturated fat is about 2:1). A totally trimmed rib eye muscle from Wagyu may contain twice as much extractable fat than that in a USDA Prime and it is this marbling propensity that sets the Wagyu apart from any other breed of cattle. The secret to great marbling is a slow and steadily weight gain of a maximum 1kg per day, this is controlled by a high grain, regular diet without stress caused by irregular feeding and weather extremes. Imagine a peacefull home with perfect weather your favorite meal at anytime you want with everything done for your benefit, thats the life of the Wagyu cattle. The best wagyu beef in Australia can be found at Blackmores farm in Alexandra Victoria. David Blackmore is currently producing the most highly sought after beef in the world. Branded as Blackmore Wagyu Beef, this premium product is being sold to high-end restaurants both domestically and internationally. Australian restaurants include Aria, Becasse, Quay, Rockpool, Tetsuya’s, Asiana, Hanabishi, Jamon,Shoya Japanese, Taxi Dining Room, Vue De Monde to name just a few. I have now wagyu beef on the menu at Beaches, (close your mouth now) yes wagyu in Yeppoon. I have Elders wagyu beef from my local butcher Paul Jaques @ Coastal meats. So next time your in you will have then opportunity to sample some of the best beef in Yeppoon. The grade is 5-7 which believe me is very good.

For more info on Wagyu Beef visit http://wagyu.une.edu.au or http://www.securityfoods.com/ or http://www.blackgoldfarms.com.au

Technorati Tags: Wagyu, beef, Kobe, , marbling., fat, mono-unsaturated, wagyu beef, Blackmore, Beaches, , Yeppoon., Culinary terms, Bordelaise

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