*Warning: this post contains images of whole pig*

“I don’t suppose it’s a good idea to name her” I say surveying the 7 kilo piglet on the tray. I’m talking to  George Diamond who is the Group Executive Chef for the Keystone Group’s restaurants including Bungalow 8 where tomorrow we are to have a porcine feast with eight of my friends.

“We can call her Miss Piggy” he says smiling.

“Done!” I say.

Miss Piggy is why I’m standing in the kitchen, chef’s jacket on and surveying a pig the day before my most pork loving friends and I are going to gather at Bungalow 8. We will have a pork fest with a Peking style suckling pig with trimmings like Asian coleslaw, steamed buns, roti, baked mantou buns, hoi sin and plum sauce and an addictive chilli caramel. It is Bungalow 8′s new strike for the food lover.

Group Executive Chef George Diamond

Previously known for more bar food and the ubiquitous all you can mussels, pies and fish and chips, they’ve now revamped the menu to try and lure more food lovers that want something beyond deep fried bar food. George’s background is fine dining so he uses his skills to have arrived at a menu that will not alienate the regulars yet gives more balance and the list of salads I note sound particularly good. The new style of food here is now more share style. David Gray ex Manly Pavilion and Atlantic has been tasked with working with George on the food as well as the service.

Started only three weeks ago the suckling pig is their new signature dish and even though it is new in concept they sell about seven pigs a week. In keeping with the new Tiki and Asian theme it is served Peking Style. Do you know how Peking Duck has a lovely crisp skin on it and tender meat underneath and is served with pancakes and sauces? Well with careful preparation this suckling pig also has a crispy skin flavoured with Asian flavours like soy and five spice and is served with buns that you assemble yourself filling it with whatever you fancy from the platter.  The suckling pigs need to be ordered 48 hours in advance, cost $490 and are designed to feed 8 people.

They use Macleay Valley pigs which are free range and organic pigs and each weighs about seven kilos. As George points out, they’re all female as female pigs are better to eat (males have a distinct hormonal smell to them). And I’m about to learn how to make a suckling pig! And pork enthusiasts, George has been kind enough to share the recipe with us should you care to knock the socks off your family at Christmas! You will need a larger 900mm oven for this but do check that your pig will fit.

Our lunch was scheduled for a Sunday so the day before in the afternoon I arrived at Bungalow 8 to do the first part of the pig preparation. This is the key to the success of the pig and the glassy, crunchy crackling. George has already trussed and broken the backbone of the pig for presentation so that the legs can sit below the body. He then uses a blowtorch to singe off any hairs on the pig and then uses a dry rub consisting of salt and five spice mixture and  to draw out the moisture from the pig as you want the pig to be as dry as possible. Next he rubs the dry rub all over the outside and inside of the pig. Take care around the ears as they are delicate and can fall off.  Leave this salt rub to infuse for two hours by which time some liquid will have pooled under the pig as the salt draws it out.

After two hours, taking a few ladlefuls of boiling water, wash off the dry rub from the outside of the pig (you don’t need to wash the inside) and then take some paper towels and dry the pig. The hot water shocks the skin and readies it for you to apply the homemade  marinade of soy sauce, malt sugar and water to the pig and air dry it uncovered next to a fan in the fridge to dry the skin. You will end up applying the marinade three times to pig, air drying it for two hours between each application so that the pig is marinated for a total of six hours (and this is why you need to pre order it).

Miss Piggy cooling by the fan

The next day I arrive just over two hours before when we are to eat lunch. The pig has been sitting by the fan drying overnight and the skin feels firm, like leather. George is pleased with the way it has come up and the colour on the pig is a light golden colour. Now we are ready to prepare the pig for the oven and that is simple, just covering the tail and ears gently with foil to prevent them from overcooking. George does one ear while I do the other.

Oh no! The foil on the right ear has blown off!

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I was interviewed the other day on the phone and the journalist asked me if I had any tips for any potential bloggers. One of the best pieces of advice I can give is to make use of the medium as much as possible. The advantage for blogs unlike print mediums is that we can lavish photo after photo on our pages. And because of that food photography is really important and honing your skills with photography is really important. I won’t ever claim to be a great photographer, I think I merely do a passable job and most of my experience is learnt through trial and error. And because of that I can always learn more.

Dario Milano

When Mr NQN and I were offered places at Dario Milano’s food photography class we both jumped at it. Neither of us have taken a class in photography but we are both very keen to hone our skills in the area and we wanted to learn from a working photographer with a great portfolio. And food photography is such a specific genre of photography. After all you have to convey the subject and make it look attractive but you have to make it look edible above all else.

At his studio in Waterloo, Dario showed us all sorts of things-he has a slew of interesting props including these wooden boards that simulate tables which he had made up for him and he also told us some great places to rent props from. Most importantly he showed us how to make the most of the manual settings of the camera and photograph things with a softbox and external flash (something Mr NQN has been trying to show me what to do).

It was a four hour class with the second half of the class concentrating on food styling and he showed us interesting tips like how to make a glass of white wine using a tiny drop of yellow liquid food colouring (and here I was opening up an actual bottle of wine!). If you are interested, have a look at his site FoodPixels for the next workshop class.

The photographed, uncropped and untouched photo that I took at the class

The class inspired me to keep taking photos and experiment with things. After all I have four stunning lenses from my fantastic sponsors at Sigma that I am completely in love with and I need to utilise them to their full capability. Dario in particular loved the Sigma macro lens and says that it is one of the best and best value lenses on the market.

This omelette was the first thing I photographed after the class. I knew it was the perfect item to do-well not because it was an omelette and Dario showed us how to photograph one, but rather because it was served on a black plate which is what I often have trouble with-chocolate cakes are another item I find hard to photograph. I know that I need to keep playing with it and that is just half the fun!

Photo taken on automatic setting-the black plate throws the camera off and makes the omelette too light a shade

Photo taken on too dark a manual setting

Could use improvement but a better manual setting

Oh and the omelette? Well it’s so easy and I think the longest you’ll wait is for your pan to heat up. The enoki mushrooms give the omelette a meaty but not tough texture and the green onions and oyster sauce and sesame round out the flavour. It is for those nights where you want a nutritious, healthy meal but don’t have the time nor inclination to order takeaway or slave over the stove.

So tell me Dear Reader, what sort of photography interests you? Food? Fashion? Nature?

5 Minute Enoki Mushroom & Onion Omelette

Serves 2

• 1 tablepoon oil for frying
• 5 free range eggs
• 200g packet of enoki mushrooms
• 1/3 cup chopped scallions/green spring onion/shallots
• A little chilli (optional)
• Oyster sauce and sesame oil to drizzle over at end

1. Heat your pan on a medium heat. Whisk eggs in a bowl and cut the bottoms off the enoki mushrooms and then cut the rest of the enoki mushrooms into inch long pieces.  Heat some oil in the pan and add the eggs and then sprinkle over the enoki mushrooms distributing them evenly. Then scatter over some of the sliced green onions on top, add lid on top and cook until cooked-you can flip this over carefully to cook the other side too.

2. Scatter some finely sliced chilli (large red ones are less hot), drizzle with some oyster sauce and sesame oil as well as extra green onions. I added some coriander just because I had some.