Brisbane Bitter

The perfect thirst quencher for semi-tropical Brisbane. Local bartender suggested this alcohol-free concoction which I will adopt as my new welcome drink.

3/4 glass lemonade
1/4 glass lime cordiale, or to taste
splash of agostura bitter
squeeze of fresh lime

1. crack some ice, put in a tall glass
2. top up with above ingredients

Sydney Observations

So far, so good in Sydney. In order of preference...

• Four in Hand Dining Room: lime-cured kingfish, avocado, radish & ginger jelly; corned beef, peas, feta & celeriac; roast ocean trout, ham hock, lettuce; braised pigtail, corn and crab salad, lobster chowder.
• Icebergs: kind of a River Cafe on Bondi beach; lovely with a half dozen oysters, a simple John Dory and sauteed spinach.
• Sean's Panorama: cute little no nonsense restaurant with the tastiest sauteed clams ever, using local firm-fleshed pipis and a combination of finger lime, fennel, white wine and toasted fennel seed; an absolute gem of a dish..I think my favorite of the trip; need to write them to get the recipe for their malt bread.
• Longraine: great idea making miang with smoked trout & fish eggs.
• Marque: best chef of 2010, but reminds me of a mini-me version of Habiscus: trying way too hard to be original and falling flat; enough of those gelatins, foams and bursty pearls!

Whipped Cheddar Spaghetti

My cheese sauce has clumped up in the past for this dish. Somehow I managed to emulsify it perfectly tonight, due to the right combo of pasta water, EVOO, butter and cheese. It worked with cheddar but should be replicable for similar cheese. The 1 tblsp of ground black pepper is a minimum quantity for 300 gr spaghetti.

300 gr spaghetti

1 cup white cheddar

2-3 tblsp butter

1 tblsp ground black pepper

EVOO

maldon sea salt

1. make spaghetti (6 minutes cooking)
2. drain, put back in pot retaining about 1/4 cup of pasta water, toss with EVOO
3. put back on low heat, add cheese and butter and stir pasta vigorously for about a minute; pasta should be well coated with cheese, smooth and glossy
4. add more pepper than you think probably necessary, season with salt
5. eat right away...

Bloody Mary Variations

My tolerance for spirits is next to zero but sometimes nothing else will do but a good Bloody Mary. I will collect variations on the theme in this entry, to be updated regularly.

• Amelia Pinsent: in a large jug pour 1 liter of good quality tomato juice over ice; grate 2 tbsp fresh horseradish over the top; pour in a decent glug or two of quality vodka and a healthy splash of Fino or Manzanilla sherry; shake about a tsp of tabasco sauce over the jug, followed by a dessertspoon of Lea & Perrins; grind lots of black pepper on top and a pinch of salt; thinly slice half a lemon and throw in; pour into glasses and garnish each with a stick of cold celery; finally spinkle some finely chopped coriander on top of each glass.

Tonight's Dinner

A successful series of spot-on dishes tonight for Jule's birthday tapas party.

• David's Shroom Salad & Octo Vinaigrette
• Layered Potato Tortilla
• Squid & Chorizo, Spinach Leaves
• Seared Tuna Carpaccio & Coriander Avocado Cream
• Burrata, Sweet Onion Confit, Toasted Hazelnut & Coriander
• Baby Potatoes & Morito Sauce
• Salmon Ceviche & Wood Roasted Beet Tartare
• Rigatoni Nduja Ragu
• Ari's Sensational Meatballs Espanol
• Scallop Sashimi, Truffle Vinaigrette, Pea & Parmesan Puree
• Petits Haricots Verts & Ham Hock Salad