Photo: Christina SimonsAs the legend has it, at least the one I read, lobster a l’amoricaine was originally from the Cotes- d’Armor in Brittany. With time the name was bastardised to from armoricaine to amoricaine and finally americaine. That’s cultural imperialism for you.Now most of us don’t have the pocket for nearly a kilo of [...]
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Nothing is a simple as it seems. Even choosing to eat the humble fish is fraught with pitfalls.The Australian Marine Conservation Society ACMS recently introduced the Sustainable Fish Finder which if not complicating the matter certainly makes me feel bad about my eating habits.Around the world fish come by different names, some designed to hide [...]
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Thanks to Anthony from man that cooks for pointing out that the well known celebrity chef and writer Anthony Bourdain (left) bears a striking resemblance to the late intellectual and writer Susan Sontag (right).PS: Promise not to post too much on Bourdain in near future although we reserve the right for one final round up [...]
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You can actually make a coffee that’s as good as you’d get in a cafe. All you need is the right tools and a bit of know-how.Commercial machines cost about A$6000 and are plumbed in. Don’t stress, you can pick-up home machines a for a lot less. Lavazza also runs an intense three-hour class that’ll [...]
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The Tomato team trawled Melbourne for great coffee, or at least great places to drink coffee. Add your comments and the places you like below.
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In the early 1990s things got really bad for coffee growers. Market prices rock-bottomed for the bean. It cost more to grow than the market would pay.Growers pulled their children out of school to work, forests were cleared to put in more coffee trees and labourers lost their jobs. That’s where The Fairtrade Foundation, a [...]
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It’s a near perfect 20 degrees in the house on this grey, day. The label says I should drink this Italian red at 18C. I should get away with it and for good measure I decant.First impressions: A lighter righter red than I expected. Will it withstand the rare 400g rib-eye steak I have planned [...]
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We don’t all have fresh herbs in the back garden the whole year round. At least the ones we really want like Basil. We are forced with distaste into supermarkets and rack up the shopping miles buying something that is, if not from another state or county, from another country.The fact is that within a [...]
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Photography: Christina SimonsIf anything is due for an image revamp it has to be this horny little beast, the chickpea or garbanzo. The Romans referred to it as small ram or cicer arietinum after its ram’s head shape.Long the staple of the hairy jumper brigade and those in need of a fibre boost, the Romans [...]
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Three years ago I went on a boozy winery tour with a busload of artist mates. Somehow along the way I managed not only to buy two small olive trees, but also two magnificent French oak wine barrels to plant…
There’s a rumour that Melbourne hospitals lay on extra staff in the Emergency Department at this time of year. Yes, it's tomato season and given our vast migrant population, there will invariably be a few home-bottling and canning disasters. Every Italian…
Making yoghurt at home is really simple and doesn't take much science. Here we make two different styles of yoghurt using both cows' and goats' milk.
It took four hours of a Saturday afternoon to construct this gigantic pie.
The recipes available are all pretty similar, three different types of pork with herbs and spices surrounded by jelly and encased in a hot water pastry. This one…
There's a lot of meat and fat in a pork pie including the hot crust pastry which is made with lard and butter.
I bought a whole tub of dripping, which is basically like lard (pig fat) but from beef, as…
Five days later and the bacon is cured. Salty and sweet, with a hint of juniper and sage, it was worth it.
Nothing is ever easy for me. Frustrated by the poor quality of filling and pastry in local pork…
Recent journalismWe don't see much innovation in cookbooks nowadays but The Family Meal: Home Cooking with Ferran Adria is as you'd expect from one of the world's most innovative chefs.
What most…
Consult a financial adviser before drinking from a Riedel.
Dishwasher tablets erode your glasses and crockery. Use liquid instead.
Decant heavier reds at least 8 hours before drinking.
If you want to drink…
Three years ago I went on a boozy winery tour with a busload of artist mates. Somehow along the way I managed not only to buy two small olive trees,…
There’s a rumour that Melbourne hospitals lay on extra staff in the Emergency Department at this time of year. Yes, it's tomato season and given our vast migrant population, there…
Making yoghurt at home is really simple and doesn't take much science. Here we make two different styles of yoghurt using both cows' and goats' milk.
One of the most exciting chefs to be in town for the Sydney International Food Festival was the witty and erudite David Thompson. If you aren't familiar with Thompson, the…
I recently had a non-brush with death while eating what turned out not to be my last meal.
It made me think of all the meals I'd wasted. A bad…
Neil Perry (left), Thomas Keller and Heston Blumenthal (bald). Courtesy of the Melbourne Wine and Food Festival.
On the SBS Food site you can see my story on meeting Thomas Keller…
Typical. Just as the world peaked Paul Levi, the man who had no small part in bringing us the slightly dubious word “Foodie”, launches the Gastrosexual, a man with more…
With thanks to the Melbourne Food and Wine Festival.
It's 3.50 on a Friday afternoon. I've just finished a great meal cooked by Scott Pickett at The Point in Albert Park…
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