(Update: For VDP No. 14, click here) Coronavirus Lockdown – 2021 Here we are in July in Melbourne, 2021, and we are in lockdown again. Other states and territories too have been locked down when Covid outbreaks occur in the community, having escaped from our hotel quarantine system. Each lockdown only means several dozens of infections, or even less than …
The Simplest, Most Perfect Dessert!
Some years ago I had what, for me, was the most perfect of desserts. It was at The Willows, in its period as a fine dining restaurant in a lovely old mansion in St Kilda Road, Melbourne. It was lunch time, a warm December day and there were five of us around the table. Looking out the bay windows we …
Jerusalem Artichokes and Australian Pears
My parents were poor but ate like kings, at least in terms of being well ahead of the times and eating things that would eventually become very trendy and costly in high-end restaurants. Jerusalem artichokes are one example: they once weren’t fashionable. However, for as long as I can remember, my father grew them. Certainly at Swan Bay he had …
Poached Whole Quinces
Are quinces not one of the most remarkable of fruits! On our recent visit to Olive’s Cottage at the end of April we had offered to take dessert for lunch with several friends. The quince tree in the cottage garden was full of fruit – not ripe enough to use. However, it gave us the idea for the perfect dessert: …
Rhubarb Fool
A check of the Internet shows that April 1, April Fool’s Day, is a very popular time for food writers to talk about the fruit and cream based dessert known as a ‘fool’. We have decided to do likewise. Elizabeth David, in An Omelette and a Glass of Wine, devotes several pages to the English fruit fool. Most fruit fools …
From Todd’s Garden
If there is one regret we have about living in Melbourne and not on the Tamar, it is ready access to just-picked, home-grown fruit and vegetables. While we have a good herb selection, our garden in Melbourne isn’t big enough for fruit and vegies and I am not sure we would be good at vegetable growing anyway. Ever since I …
Life’s A Peach!
Are peaches the most delicious of all fruits? I won’t answer that question as I can’t. Finding the perfect peach What I do know is that my father, George, grew the best peaches I have ever tasted. He didn’t really have to grow his own as he had free access to the stone fruits grown in the various Tamar Valley …
Special Experiences
(Continued from: Jobs and a Family Catchup) Tasmania is known for the quality of its produce and there are more and more outlets willing to showcase what the State can do. While it is renowned for its berries, it isn’t really known for Thai cuisine. A showcase of Tassie produce Wednesday was our last day. We had arranged with my …