The cooking, eating and travel blog of a hungry blogger from Sydney, Australia featuring original recipes, interviews and articles on all things food @ Not Quite Nigella

Monthly Archives: October, 2009

Scary Mummy Hot Dogs!

Posted in Cocktail Party Food,Cooking and Recipes,Halloween,Themes

mummy hot dogs 4

Happy Halloween Dear Reader! When I first saw Jenny from Picky Palate’s Mummy Dogs I think I actually giggled and clapped. Yes I do those sorts of embarrassing things. And yes this is why Mr NQN gets embarrassed by my behaviour and asks me not to sing while walking through the shops. Suddenly I’ll be singing and then notice that my hand is no longer clasped in his and he is walking several metres behind hiding his face in his shoulder. I shudder to think that if I become a parent, I’ll be that eccentric lady that embarrasses their children-who am I kidding? I know I will be. However looking at how much I love Halloween, if I don’t raise a little ghoul, then I will be surprised.

mummy hot dogs 1

What I loved about these Mummy Hot Dogs was how relatively easy they were and how preparing them on the day took less than half an hour. I’m not including the time it makes to make the bread or pizza dough as of course that needs to be done ahead and all the better for a party I say. The less I have to do on the day the better for me.

Jenny’s recipe called for Pillsbury Dough which we don’t get here in Australia so I figured I would make a bread dough. But I was running out of time as I had events galore and things to do on Halloween and I recalled stashing some pizza dough in the freezer for emergency times such as these. I found that one dough round wrapped 4 of these frankfurters in an adequate way with a little left over dough. You could also try this with puff pastry too if you cannot get the pre-made bread dough which comes already rolled out which helps a lot but I found that with puff pastry, there were more joins as the pastry itself comes in a square and it is therefore shorter than the length that you can roll dough.

mummy hot dogs 2

I know mummies’ wrappings are supposed to be more white than yellowed but I blame the distractedness on the fact that I didn’t hear the timer when it went off. If you watch it like a hawk then you can ensure that yours turn out only mildly yellowed like Jenny’s. Kids, both young and old love the novelty of these and just make sure that you have some tomato sauce…ermm I mean blood ready for them to dip these Mummy Hot Dogs in.

And look out for Monday’s story with a wrap up of my Halloween party! I promise that “normal” transmission will resume after then

So tell me Dear Reader, what embarrassing habits do you have?

44 comments | October 31st, 2009 - 5:00 am | Not Quite Nigella

Bécasse Producer’s Lunch with Carlos Petrini

Posted in Celebrity Chefs,Eating,French,Restaurants by cuisine,Sydney - CBD and inner city

becasse producers lunch justin north

Justin North

The recent World Chef Showcase was exciting for me for a few reasons. One if them was getting to meet Justin North, the chef and owner of Bécasse restaurant (along with Plan B, Etch and Le Grand Cafe) and the SMH 2009 Chef of the Year. When we got to talking after the show he mentioned the Producer’s lunches assuming that I had been invited but had been too busy to come along. Not so I said and Justin promised to ensure that I’d be on the list for a future Producer’s lunch, an initiative where Justin hosts media and other guests and introduces them to the actual producers that supply the restaurant with their special produce. And sure enough, a couple of days later, I received a phone call from Justin inviting me to a very special one – one with Carlos Petrini as the guest.

becasse producers lunch kitchen

Carlos Petrini started the Slow Food Movement which started in 1989 as a way of consciously combating fast food and life and preserve a quality of life in response to people’s waning interest in the food they eat and its origins and it also looks at how our food choices impact the rest of the world. He visited Sydney to be part of the Sydney International Food Festival and held a talk just a few days before at the Opera House.

becasse producers lunch fulton

Margaret Fulton

The crowd is full of media including Helen Greenwood, Lyndey Milan, Indira Naidoo as well as the guest of honour Carlos and his table of guests. Next to him is an interpreter as he does not speak English. Smooth voiced Simon Marnie from ABC 702 is hosting and just as we’re about to start, the 85 year old Margaret Fulton (and shameless flirt who told the crowd when he’d won Chef of the Year that she’d rather see North undressed) arrives, sharp as a tack. Later, when Simon can’t immediately remember the name of the Australian of the Year she names “Tim Flannery” without missing a beat. Justin in his chef’s whites introduces us to everyone and gives us a quick overview of the Producer’s Lunch concept as well as the canapes, breads and amuse bouches.

becasse producers lunch biscotti

Canape: Goat’s curd, olive and lemon thyme biscotti sandwich

We start with a canape – what looks like a delicate biscotti sandwich is one speckled with black olive and lemon thyme with a goat’s curd sandwiching it together. The crunchy biscotti combined with the salty goat’s curd makes my tastebuds rather excited.

becasse producers lunch bread

Freshly baked Becasse bread: pumpkuin brioche, stout epi and garlic Rosemary Auverge

Justin tells us about the bread which is baked every day when the baker arrives at 2am. They are still warm which is always good in my books and the pumpkin brioche is sweet, buttery and with a centre of smooth pumpkin. The stout epi is a bit hard for my taste but the garlic and rosemary auverge is gorgeous and heady in rosemary. Served alongside it is butter or an olive oil solid square – I recall seeing him make something similar at the World Chef Showcase using a product called Glice.

becasse producers lunch scallops

Amuse Bouche: Spring bay Scallop with organic radish stems, green chilli and black pepper served with 2008 Freeman Rondo rose

Read More

27 comments | October 30th, 2009 - 5:00 am | Not Quite Nigella

Shortbread Witch’s Fingers

Posted in Biscuits and Cookies,Cooking and Recipes,Halloween,Themes

I’ve been called Morticia Addams more times than I can remember. As you know, I’ve always felt an affinity with the dark and unusual and so that is why I embrace Halloween. I’m convinced that I were alive in the dark ages, I would have probably been called a witch and perhaps burnt at the stake so it’s rather fortunate that I live in the 21st century and I can carry a Witches Hat shaped umbrella without incident (although let’s be honest, people do stare).

So when I make these witches fingers, they are more of an homage to witches. Of course they had to be green after my favourite witch, Elphaba, the misunderstood heroine of the musical Wicked – a character I identify with. I first saw these on Yeah, That Vegan Shit where they called them Bloody Finger cookies and I tried their recipe but my fingers spread out too much and resembled fat Shrek fingers (which my husband thought they were meant to be) so I decided to use a shortbread recipe as that would maintain its shape. As with all of my Halloween recipes, they aren’t just a novelty and they actually do taste fabulous at the same time so anyone reluctant to try a finger or two may find themselves contentedly gnawing on a knuckle.

My Witch’s hat umbrella

As for my “friend” in the picture, well she’s a special treat amongst others for my Halloween party guests. I won’t give away what her role is but if you do happen to be coming to my party, don’t google it and let her be a surprise to you. For those who aren’t coming, google “Donna the Dead” and you’ll see that she’s the real star of the show come Saturday night!

So tell me Dear Reader, what scares the pants off you?

74 comments | October 29th, 2009 - 5:00 am | Not Quite Nigella

Cottage Point Inn, Cottage Point

Posted in Eating,Modern Australian,Restaurants by cuisine,Sydney - North,With a View

cottage point inn sign

I have wonderful readers – they’re like me and get excited over new food discoveries and want to share them with others and my inbox is full of fantastic reader recommendations, many of which I follow up and/or intend to follow up. Cottage Point Inn was one of those places that reader Wayfarer emailed me about. I saw that it was a gorgeous, secluded spot in Cottage Point, accessible only by car, boat or seaplane it was that remote. I also saw the prices for dinner and accomodation and promptly filed that away for a special occasion.

cottage point inn walk

Fast forward almost 1.5 years later and I’m glad to see that it’s included in the SIFF Let’s do Lunch prgrame which means for $35 we can enjoy a main there, a glass of wine and a coffee! There was a false start, one booking had to be postponed because of apartment renovations so I find myself with my friend MamaMia driving up towards Cottage Point,about 45 minutes drive from the North of the city. We go through the Kuringai Chase National Park and follow the signs towards Cottage Point. Much of the scenery obscured by a screen of trees but the anticipation whets our appetites further. “There are a lot of proposals here” MamaMia tells me and I can imagine the secludedness and the accomodation lends itself to wedding proposals.

cottage point inn wharf

We pull up and she looks down at my feet. “Good no heels, you can’t walk down there in heels as it’s quite steep” she says. Indeed there is a woman that removes her stilettoes before going down the sraitrs. There’s a wharf to the right and a sign saying “Only restaurant visitors past this point” and we head towards the restaurant. A woman walks towards us with a clipboard and greets us warmly and we take a seat. As it’s slightly breezy, the plastic has been erected and blankets are on the backs of chairs.

cottage point inn entrance

I’m one for entrees, I always seem to prefer them to mains and the king prawn dish with champagne cream, butter brioche and avruga black herring roe is just screaming my name so I opt out of the Let’s do Lunch option and go for this entree instead. MamaMia goes for the Let’s do Lunch which is fantastic value as mains range from $39.50-$46. The local tap water isn’t drinkable so mineral water needs to be ordered (there is an option with the Let’s do Lunch to have a 500ml bottle of San Pellegrino with your meal instead of wine).

cottage point inn kookaburra

Kookaburra pose 1: profile shot

36 comments | October 28th, 2009 - 5:00 am | Not Quite Nigella

Bloody Brain Pannacotta

Posted in Cooking and Recipes,Halloween,Kid friendly,Other Sweet Things,Themes

bloody brain pannacotta 4-1

“You’re Not Quite Normal are you?” my friend says staring at my practice brain for Halloween. I’m not offended and agree. I’m a Halloween girl, there’s no doubt about it and I’ve been planning this year’s Halloween party since let’s think… November 1st last year? The one item I really wanted to make was a bloody brain jelly but alas I didn’t have the time to buy a mold last year. This year I was determined to do it though and nothing was going to stop me. I was more determined than Tracy Flick from Election or Rachel Berry from Glee. If I rode a fitness bike, I would have had a picture of the brain jelly in front of me while working out furiously to music. Thankfully no such props were necessary and a purchase of the brain jelly mold was easy.

bloody brain pannacotta 5-1

At first I wanted to make a glowing green jelly brain a la Dr Frankenstein’s lab but when I saw the effect of a creamy vanilla pannacotta jelly with faux blood clots on top of it I was sold on the latter. And like all of my Halloween food, it’s entirely edible and it tastes just like a regular vanilla pannacotta in a thicker jellied red sauce. The idea of slicing this up did frighten my friend and remind her of that surreal scene in Hannibal involving Ray Liotta but once she tried a slice of it, any protests were quelled with a murmur “Mmm brains” she said. I think I turned my friend into a zombie…

bloody brain pannacotta 1-1

donna hay halloween 5

Donna Hay cupcakes $3.50 each

And I was excited to see two of my favourite stores also share an interest in the Halloween theme. Donna Hay’s General store in Woollahra has a window devoted to Halloween where you can order cupcakes and buy boxes of pumpkin, witch and ghost cookies, lollies and trick or treat bags.

donna hay halloween 3

The Halloween window!

donna hay halloween 2

Ghost, witch and pumpkin cookies

I bought some lollies for my Halloween party and was offered a Gift With Purchase of a box of Donna’s Cookie mix (I chose oatmeal and cranberry) which comes with a purchase of $80 or over (while stocks last for this coming week).

buppas skull

Then Buppa from Buppa’s Bakehouse in Newtown emailed to let me know that she had some Halloween food including Pumpkin Pie (of course!), a rat treat, a mummy cupcake, a ghost cake and a skull cookie. I knew what I had to do with this box of Buppa’s goodness. Share it with my mum who is addicted to them.

mummy cupcake