…si ploaie , soapte si nervi de otel. Fulgi de omat. Decembrie.

Beautiful Ocean Shores, Washington, known for its ‘friendly affordable community surrounded by the Pacific Ocean and Grays Harbor. You can enjoy two fresh water lakes, twenty-three miles of canals, great beaches and many natural areas.” (From the Ocean Shores website)

This description does not do this incredibly beautiful place justice. Ocean Shores is a small town, surrounded almost completely by water, almost as if it were an island. The beaches are fresh, clean sand and gorgeous. The ocean water is so powerful when it rages, yet serene and peaceful, forever changing. The wind expresses great power making sure to let you know she is always there, warning of things to come, hints of tantalizing memories in the salt spray. Nature is all around. If you ever find the need to listen to the silence, this is the perfect location.

My partner Ron and I visited Ocean Shores for a week to unwind from our very hectic lives. The scenery was breathtaking, the town very quaint and cute with many tourist shops, high-end decor and kitchen gift shops. We spent our time looking through the shops, walking along the beaches, having conversations with everyone that walked by. It was so peaceful, lazy, reflective…. oh so wonderful!

I just have to express my one and only disappointment. I could not find a great…. not even a good, cup of coffee! Then it happened! We desired a different restaurant to have a late breakfast. (We had been to all of the main restaurants in town as there are not many.) We were camping at the Quinault Marina at the far end of town which is a 15 minute or so distance away from downtown, and decided to ask if there was a restaurant closer. We were directed a couple blocks up the road to a tiny little spot that at first glance one would pass by, as we did so many times that week.

The Shrimp Boat Deli seats about 12 people inside and about six outside on the deck that overlooks the never-ending beach. Standing on the deck with the wind blowing through the very tall sea grass, I had the feeling that I was on a tropical island waiting for pina coladas and reggae music to begin, so that we could dance on the beach. It was freeing, serene and so very peaceful.

We sat in the sun at a table on the deck. I asked for a coffee not expecting anything worth speaking about. To my surprise the coffee was the best I had had throughout my entire stay in Ocean Shores. Excitedly I shared with the waitress my great happiness. Asking for a refill, I asked what do they do that makes their coffee so flavourful and different than the other restaurants. She replied that they were the only establishment that she knew of in town that made their coffee with filtered purified water. Well I have to admit, that simple process did indeed make a huge difference. I was a very satisfied customer!

We ordered our brunch. I had a shrimp quesadilla that was loaded with huge jumbo juicy prawns, not the normal size shrimp you find in other restaurants. It was also full of very fresh red, green, and yellow peppers, cheddar cheese, fresh cilantro, and red onion. As a side they gave me a fresh mango salsa made with the freshest summer ingredients with a hint of heat from a small jalapeno pepper. I also ordered what I thought would be a small shrimp cocktail, to be pleasantly surprised when it came to the table. It was made once again with the freshest and cleanest tasting ingredients. The chef did not hold back on size and knew exactly how to blend flavours. Every flavour was distinct and identifiable. The portions were so large, as they usually are in restaurants in the United States, that I had to share with my partner. This experience was wonderful! I must say this quaint little deli was much larger than life, offering superb customer service, quantity and of course, exceptional flavours. We ate as often as we could at this little out-of-the-way deli, before we had to return home. On other occasions we had the rich creamy clam chowder, shrimp salad in a jumbo sweet tomato, crab cocktail that was larger than the shrimp cocktail that I had days before and a chef’s salad. All of these menu items did not disappoint in flavour or quantity.

I asked Chef Russ Hutchinson where he received his culinary training. He had not been formally trained, but rather has an exquisite intuition for flavourful combinations. He can eat in any restaurant and return to his kitchen and reproduce what he had previously enjoyed. That is indeed a wonderful gift. The Shrimp Boat Deli is a family run business, with a small Inn, Snugglers Cove, on the same side of the road. Chef Russ shared his story with me of how the deli began. He and his wife Maria, both former realtors, felt the need for a change when the recession was beginning, but had not decided what type of change. One night when Russ was in a KFC, they informed him they were closing and asked if he knew anyone who might want to buy the equipment. “That was the blessing, I bought everything, and the rest is history”.

Many new businesses start out this way. I know for a fact that if Russ and Maria continue the way they are now, in no time, they will have built an empire. And all because they provide what everyone needs, a friendly clean fresh atmosphere to rest and reflect, while feeding the body and the soul with exceptional customer service.

The November 2009 Daring Bakers Challenge was chosen and hosted by Lisa Michele of Parsley, Sage, Desserts and Line Drives. She chose the Italian Pastry, Cannolo (Cannoli is plural), using the cookbooks Lidia’s Italian-American Kitchen by Lidia Matticchio Bastianich and The Sopranos Family Cookbook by Allen Rucker; recipes by Michelle Scicolone, as ingredient/direction guides. She added her own modifications/changes, so the recipe is not 100% verbatim from either book.

Cannoli are known as Italian-American pastries, although the origin of cannoli dates back to Sicily, specifically Palermo, where it was prepared during Carnevale season, and according to lore, as a symbol of fertility. The cannoli is a fried, tube-shaped pastry shell (usually containing wine) filled with a creamy amalgamation of sweetened ricotta cheese, chocolate, candied fruit or zest, and sometimes nuts. Although not traditional, mascarpone cheese is also widely used, and in fact, makes for an even creamier filling when substituted for part of the ricotta, or by itself. However, cannoli can also be filled with pastry creams, mousses, whipped cream, ice cream etc. You could also add your choice of herbs, zests or spices to the dough, if desired. Marsala is the traditional wine used in cannoli dough, but any red or white wine will work fine, as it’s not only added for flavor or color, but to relax the gluten in the dough since it can be a stiff dough to work with.

Despite not technically a “baking” challenge, I was SO excited to see this month’s challenge recipe at the Daring Kitchen.  I have only had cannoli a few times, but have always loved their delicate crispy shell and creamy fillings.  We had a choice of fillings, so I made half with vanilla and half with chocolate, and dipped the ends of both in melted dark chocolate.  For the cannoli with chocolate filling, I then dipped the ends into candied orange peel also for a bit of a jaffa flavour.  YUM YUM!!

Anyway, if you would like a printable copy of the recipe, you can find it here.

My first batch, I tried the forming them around the premade cannelloni tubes.  Unfortunately, they blistered and cooked along with the cannoli and I was unable to separate the two without smashing the entire thing into smithereens.  Luckily, I had some stainless cream horn shapes in my cooking stash, and they worked a treat.  Had they not worked, I would have opted for the flat, layered version aka millefeuille/napoleon style.  All in all, a great hit with the family and definately will be made again.  Am hoping Santa will bring me an ice cream maker for Christmas, as I can really imagine these with a yummy home made ice cream filling!!  Delish!

Okay, so if you’ve read Part 1 of the Tutorial here, you have the cake all carved up and ready to cover with fondant.  First of all, you need to cover it in either a layer of buttercream (it doesn’t matter if it is a crusting one or not) or a layer of melted jam to make the fondant stick.  I prefer buttercream because I think you get a smoother finish at the end.  It’s up to your own personal preference though, it’s just to stop the fondant slipping around on the cake or lifting off in places.

Next you want to roll out some red fondant and place it next to the cake so you don’t have to carry it very far (it is most likely to tear while you are lifting it from the bench top to the cake).

Now carefully slide both arms under the fondant and gently lift it up and place it on top of the cake

I usually take off all rings and bracelets before I start rolling out the fondant, but if you haven’t, it’s a good idea to do that now so your jewellery doesn’t dig in to the fondant.  Now with cupped hands, gently press the fondant down following the contours of the cake and then cut off any excess.

If you get any cracks, just rub them gently with warmed fingers, and put a bit of copha/crisco on your hands and rub it in.

Now it’s time for the windscreen.  Roll out some white fondant and cut it like this:

Then gently place it on the cake.  You can make it stick a bit better by lightly brushing a TINY bit of water on the back of the white fondant.

Next up are the facial features – 2 eyes and a mouth from black.  I cut them all out with circle cutters, including the mouth to get a nice rounded smile.

I use a piping tube to cut out the eyes.

Now for the side windows:

and stick ‘em on

Now to finish the eyes, out of some blue fondant, cut circles slightly larger than the 2 small black ones.  I just use a larger piping nozzle turned upside down.  Then stick the black circles on top of the blue ones.

and stick them on too

The side markings can pretty much be broken down into a rectancle, a triangle and a curved bit.  I used circle cutters to get smooth edges on the curves, and just do the triangle and rectangle by eye.

The numbers are cut with number cutters and the wheels are cut as a larger black circle with a smaller circle inside cut out and replaced with a red inner circle.  For the logo on the front, I just print out on paper, cut out and put in place with a tiny smidge of water.

All done!  Now it’s your turn.  It’s really not that hard, so have a go.  At the end, if your kitchen is any less of a mess than this:

then I am REALLY impressed!!

Thanks for reading.

The trees are still growing but they look a bit unruly and I suspect that pruning will be in order. A little more reading is needed on that one.

In the meantime, I’ve found about 40 recipes that I intend to experiment with. And this website, GLASS PETAL SMOKE, which includes a delicious and rather giddy description of the aromatic intensity of the feijoa’s fragrance and flavo(u)r. 

http://glasspetalsmoke.blogspot.com/2009/01/strange-fruit-flavor-and-fragrance-of.html

“the immediate impression of a feijoa is a tropical mélange that evokes guava, strawberry, pineapple and violet  notes.”

Oh yes. That makes me want to reach for a bottle of 42 Below Feijoa Vodka. Except my request got lost in translation and I ended up with Kiwifruit. Nice, but not as divine. Somewhat disappointed.

Here is how I made the Lightning McQueen cake for a friend’s son.  I have heaps and heaps of photos for this, so instead of writing notes with each, I’ll just post the photos, but if you have any questions, please let me know and I will answer them and include the information you need in the post.  You need to start with 2 rectangular cakes sandwiched together to give enough height, or if you don’t need to feed as many people, you could start with a loaf cake.

Enjoy!!

So there you have it.  Now you are ready to cover it in fondant.  Here is how I did it.

Okay, here we go, the long promised part 2 of the Thomas the Tank Engine Cake Tutorial.  Sorry it took so long, but I hadn’t made another since until 2 weeks ago.  So, without further ado, here it is:

You can check out the previous post for how I carved the cake here.

First up, cover the entire cake with buttercream so that the fondant will stick.  It doesn’t matter if it is a crusting buttercream or not, infact just butter and icing sugar beat together will work just fine.  If you don’t want to go to the trouble, just brush the entire cake thoroughly with melted jam.  It’s basically up to you.  Personally, I find it easier to get a smooth finish on the fondant with buttercream underneath, but at the end of the day, it is just personal preference.

It doesn't have to be neat.

First up are the wheels.  Colour some fondant blue (remember it will darken somewhat overnight), roll it out to about half a centimetre thick and roll out at least 6 circles.  I say at least 6 because you are going to need 6, but I like to do a couple extra just in case I break one, or the kids eat one (also, this way you can pick the best ones).

Next, using small cutters or a knife, cut some bits out to make it look like wheels.  The shape doesn’t matter so much, nor how many you put, it’s just to give the impression.  You could even leave them solid if you like.

You really want to do this part a few days (at least overnight) before hand so they can dry and harden.  Once they are cut out, put them aside on a flat surface to dry.

Next up, cut the scrappy bits off the blue and roll it a bit thinner – I like about 3mm.  Put the cake right next to it so you don’t have to carry the fondant too far.

Now carefully slide both hands and arms under the fondant, lift it up gently and drape it over the cake.  It doesn’t have to come right to the front because that is going to be a different colour anyway.

Now carefully using your hands (take off all rings and bracelets first), press the fondant down over the cake, easing it into the crevices and over the bumpy bits.

You’ll have to manipulate it a bit around the corners.

Now y0u need to trim the front edge.  Using a sharp, smooth blade knife (NOT SERRATED!!!), cut across the front pretty much in line with the edge of the round bit, but just a bit back from it (about half a cm).

Now you need to peel off the extra bit at the front that you don’t want.  I don’t usually keep this bit as it has buttercream on it and can’t be rerolled.

And from the side:

Next you need to colour and roll your red fondant, and cut one edge straight with a ruler.

Place this across the front, slightly overlapping the blue and smooth down.

Now with your sharp, smooth bladed knife, trim across the front to the edge of the blue and peel away the excess.

Now trim across the bottom to give an even bottom edge, and cut a wide strip long enough to wrap around the other 3 sides of the cake.

Now wrap it around the base of the cake and trim the ends and bottom edge.

Now cut 3 thin strips and place them across the rounded bit at the front (sorry about the lack of technical train terminology!!)

Next cut out 2 number 1s.  I used a proper cutter for this, but you could easily do it with a knife.  Then wrap another thin red strip around each.

Now stick them one on each side.

All you need to do now is put a face on.  I made a mould from a toy and cut out eyes and a mouth.

Hope this helps.

Indeed it has been!  Here are a few photos of what I’ve been up to.  Keep an eye out as I will be posting a part 2 of the Thomas the Tank Engine tutorial on how I did the icing (remembered to take photos this time!!) and also a tutorial on the Lightning McQueen cake.

The November 2009 Daring Cooks challenge was brought to you by Audax of Audax
Artifex and Rose of The Bite Me Kitchen. They chose sushi as the challenge.
Sushi (寿司 or 鮨 or 鮓) is much appreciated for its delicate taste and exquisite appearance. Sushi
actually means vinegared rice, which is the essential ingredient in every sushi recipe. Sushi is
simple and cheap to make at home, needs no special equipment and is an excellent way to use left
overs.
Although sushi in various forms has been around for fourteen centuries, the modern version was
invented in Japan in the 1800’s where a ‘hand-formed’ sliced fresh fish and vinegared rice ball was
eaten as a snack food. Nowadays, sushi is made with various seafood, meats and vegetables, raw
and cooked.

Although I have made sushi numerous times before, this was my first attempt at a decorative style.  It was great fun and much easier than I expected.  The first one was the Dragon Roll:

Dragon Roll

It is supposed to be covered in avocado, but I was unable to buy any, so I just sprinkled Nigella seeds on top instead.  the filling was cucumber and smoked salmon.

The second style we made was spiral sushi.  It has 6 different fillings.  I used inari, blanched carrot, cucumber, smoked salmon, red capsicum and fresh asparagus.  Finally, we had to have a go at the hand shaped nigiri.  These I had made before, not that you would guess by the dodgy shaping!!  You can get a printable copy of the recipe here.  Don’t be intimidated by how long it is, they are just detailed instructions, the actual process is surprisingly quick and easy.

Nigiri on the top, and spiral sushi below.

All in all, a delicious challenge as always.  Both daughters loved it and it made a lovely dinner for a mild spring evening, eaten out on the front verandah watching the sun set over the hills surrounding our little valley.  Aaaaaahhhh!

Unfortunately most children recoil when faced with a pile of vegetables and this can put tremendous pressure on parents during meal times. It is vital for children to eat a variety of vegetables in order for them to receive essential vitamins – so how can you get your kids to eat veg?

Hide them…
Hiding vegetables should really be the last resort as it more important for kids to get used to eating vegetables as part of their daily meal. However, if your child will not touch a vegetable then try blending boiled cauliflower and broccoli and adding it to a tomato-based pasta sauce. You can also try adding raw grated carrot, which will give the sauce a nice sweet flavour. Blended soups are also a fantastic way of packing in handfuls of tasty vegetables and your child should be none the wiser. You could try adding pureed cauliflower or broccoli to creamy mashed potato too.

Making faces…
Make meal times fun. Food should be attractive – after all, who wants to eat a pile of overcooked boiled sprouts? Make salad faces with grated carrot or cress for the hair, halved grapes for the eyes and a red pepper smile – be inventive and see what you can create!

Getting involved…
Even better, get kids involved with food preparation – let them create their own smiley-face plates. Let them experiment with vegetables – there’s lots of things children can do without it being dangerous – mashing (potatoes and cauliflower), squashing with a fork (cooked sweet potatoes and new potatoes) and handling food to make something attractive that they would like to eat. Also remember kids like things that taste sweet – try roasting carrots and parsnips instead of boiling, you could even add a teaspoon of honey to the roasting process.

Setting an example…
Make sure that you eat the same vegetables that you’re serving to your kids – they’re unlikely to eat anything that you won’t touch! If children see you eat a healthy-sized salad, then they’re likely to follow suit. Bitter salad leaves can be made sweeter with dressings such as balsamic glaze – which actually looks like chocolate sauce too and is available from most good supermarkets.

Aperitif…
When you’re preparing a meal and your kids are hungry, leave a bowl full of raw carrot sticks, mangetout and baby tomatoes and baby corn on the table – provide a nice cream cheese dip or houmous and just watch as they start to pick!

We want to hear from you! How do you get your kids to eat vegetables?

Honestly, can you name any typically Filipino dish? Why does the mention of Asian food only brings to mind Kong Bao Chicken, Chinese Fried Rice and Pad Thai?

Filipino dishes have been under the shadows of its Asian cousins for way too long. Thanks to Anthony Bourdain, they are gaining some well-deserved attention of their own these days.

The Philippines undoubtedly has the best barbecued street food and satiable meat. At every corner of the Philippines, you will find locals gathered around a barbecue grill, enjoying skewered meat with a San Miguel beer in hand. These are 5 of the best Filipino foods to dip your hands in to taste culture at its best.

One of the most popular local favs is the unique Isaw Manok (grilled chicken intestines on a skewer)- grilled to crispy perfection and glazed with sweet and spicy sauce. Besides the Isaw, there are many other barbecued organs you can choose from – chicken gizzards, liver and goose tongue. They might sound exotic, but give it go and you’ll find them better than any other grilled foods around.

2. Tapsilog

A typical Filipino breakfast, this platter is made up of rice with dried cured meat and a fried egg cooked sunnyside up. Simple as it is,  the Filipinos can’t live without it. Despite its huge portion, especially for a breakfast, you’ll be asking for more.

3. Chicken Adobo

Tender chicken slices cooked with soya sauce, onion and vinegar, it actually looks like a typical Chinese dish. Don’t let its appearance fool you, the flavourful and well-marinated sauce tastes of  Spanish and Mexican influence.

4. Lechon Kawali

This carnivorous nation prides itself on its immaculately roasted meat and its accompanying gravy. Crunchy roasted pork with layers of fats, accented with chilli and a grey anchovy sauce, this is one of the best Asian dishes I’ve had. Simple but perfect. Extremely crispy though unhealthy, the platter itself makes the Philippines worth a visit.

5. Oxtail Kare-kare

An oxtail stew that’s cooked for a long time over strong fire to give it a thick texture and flavoured tinge. It might taste like peanut butter at the beginning, but savour abit more and you’ll find the real taste of it.

Flavour is the key theme at this year’s FNB Whisky Live Festival, which will run from 18h00 to 22h00 daily in Cape Town at the Cape Town International Convention Centre from the 4^th to 6^th November and in Johannesburg at the Sandton Convention Centre from the 11^th – 14^th November.

For any whisky novice, and even many seasoned whisky veterans, there are still a number of whiskies out there that totally perplex the palate – leaving them completely at a loss for words to describe what just happened in their mouths.

But as Dave Broom, international ambassador for the FNB Whisky Live Festival points out, even the most complex whiskies can be simplified through the common denominator of “flavour”.

“Making the complex simple is the issue which lies at the heart of great bartending and, similarly, should lie at the heart of writing and communicating about spirits,” Broom says.

“It’s easy to complicate matters: adding too many ingredients to make a drink look more impressive, doing the odd flair technique to amaze the punters, or your ability to use long descriptors as if the more words there are in a tasting note is somehow a help. In my experience it simply baffles people,” he explains.

Flavour, Broom says, is something that anyone can identify, and it is also the very essence of what makes us love or hate food, drinks, and, yes, whisky as well.

All whisky may “taste” like whisky, but all whiskies do not taste the same, and it’s the element of flavour that helps us differentiate one malt form the next.

Loosely defined, flavour is the sensory impression of a substance, and is determined mainly by the chemical combination of taste and smell.

Believe it or not, of the main senses, smell is the main determinant of flavour. While the taste of food or drink is limited to sweet, sour, bitter, salty, and savoury, the smells of a food or drink are potentially limitless.

“There are close on 90 distilleries in Scotland each making an individual and clearly differentiated product. You can either tell people these differences lie in levels of reflux, amounts of peat, fermentation times, the dark arts of wood management, or you can simply say they taste different. What’s easier?” Broom asks.

Rynard van der Westhuizen, the chairman of the local chapter of the Keepers of the Quaich (the world’s most exclusive whisky society) agrees, saying that the “quest for flavour” in the whisky world is becoming a huge talking point in the industry and around whisky dinner tables, as new and veteran whisky lovers attempt to bring simplicity to the world’s most complex malts.

“There are so many ways to unlock the flavours of a whisky. And depending on what method you use, you’re bound to unlock a different flavour,” he says.

“Take Johnnie Walker Black Label, for example. This whisky is a virtual treasure trove of flavours. Water releases the smokiness while the addition of a single block of ice, releases the fruity, vanilla and Christmas cake flavours – it’s uncanny.

A map of flavour

Broom explains that malt, in pure flavour terms, is what blenders have long done, so it was no surprise when he discovered that Jim Beveridge of Diageo and his colleagues had created a simple matrix onto which they could plot different whiskies by flavour.

“Over the past year we have tweaked this in order to produce a Malt Flavour Map, onto, which, every single malt can be plotted. It gives everyone the chance to steer their course through malt,” Broom says.

The horizontal axis runs from ‘Light’ on the left hand side to ‘Rich’ on the right. Here, the flavours move (from extreme right to the centre point) through green apples, grass, malt, soft fruit, honey.

On the right hand side of the line they shift to vanilla, coconut, toast, then into dried fruits and finally woodiness.

“The vertical axis runs from Delicate at the bottom to Smoky at the top. Clean, fresh relatively simple flavours are at the bottom end and as you work up the line so the whiskies build in complexity. Any smokiness puts the dram over the horizontal line moving from just a wisp to the full-blown peatiness at the very top,” Broom adds.

He says that each whisky is different. There are similarities between some, and differences between others.

“A case in point would be Ardbeg and Lagavulin. They are equally smoky, but the map shows you Ardbeg is lighter and fresher while Lagavulin is richer in character,” Broom continues.

The thing about flavour, however, is that the experience that one person may have could be totally different to the experience of another. Where one person may pick up a butterscotch flavour, another may pick up vanilla. This doesn’t mean any one of them is wrong, or that they flavour does not exist.

But what it does mean is that each person can make up their mind whether they like it or not based on the flavours that they discover. It’s a lot easier to say, yes I like the flavour than to try and describe the exact sensations on their palates.

Broom says that anyone can plot their own preferences and find alternatives, or even – more practically – work out where your malt collection has holes and where it might be overloaded.

“Use the map as your starting point for further exploration and go plot!” he concludes.

Sean “Diddy” Combs has expanded his deal with the world’s largest liquor maker to extend his Circoc brand of vodka. Combs is a 50 percent owner of Ciroc with Diageo.

Diageo is also the owner of popular brands like Smirnoff and Ketel One.

Bloomberg News reports that Combs and Ciroc are planning to release coconut and red-berry varieties in the United States according to Circoc’s marketing director, Marc Strachan.

The partnership with Combs is extremely lucrative, helping Diageo earn over $2 billion in liquor sales in 2008.

Combs began promoting the brand in a deal announced in October of 2007.

Since then, sales have climbed from 60,000 cases in the first half of 2007 to a whopping 400,000 cases for 2008-2009.

According to Strachan, Combs is a true partner in the venture and receives half of Ciroc’s profits.

Combs and his Sean Combs Enterprises are responsible for brand management decisions in the venture, including marketing, advertising, public relations, events and product placement.

Here’s an excerpt from a story in today’s Sydney Morning Herald:

Lynne Tietzel says cheesemakers must control production to ensure safety. Photo by Domino Postiglione

“…Slow Food warrior Carlo Petrini has thrown his weight behind the campaign to allow raw milk cheese to be made in Australia.

Here for the Sydney International Food Festival, he urged a relaxation of the tough rules, saying the local industry is being left behind.

The man who defended Rome’s Spanish Steps against the presence of McDonald’s in the 1980s, and founded Slow Food, believes a consumer campaign would result in change. His followers in Australia are drawing up battle plans and promise a campaign to tear up the restrictions.

”We are being left behind by the rest of the planet,” local Slow Food campaign co-ordinator Michael Croft says.

Petrini added the US is ahead of Australia, noting ‘’some nice cheeses” are being made there since bans on raw milk usage in half the US states were lifted during the past decade.

Many artisan cheeses sold in Europe are made from raw milk but calls to allow it here for soft cheeses have always fallen on deaf ears.

Australian regulations are under review and the recommendations are highly anticipated.

Petrini’s supporters and some cheesemakers are likely to be disappointed.

Australian food regulators are proposing to maintain their tough stance. More than that, they will propose the states are stripped of their current power to make their own rules over selling unpasteurised milk for consumption by humans.

Raw milk cheese is made from milk that has not been subjected to pasteurisation or an equivalent process to remove bacteria that can cause listeriosis, typhoid fever, tuberculosis, diphtheria and brucellosis. Just how high the risk is and how much flavour is lost through pasteurisation is a long debate well argued during the past few years.

Lydia Buchtmann is the spokeswoman for Food Standards Australia, which draws up the regulations. Buchtmann says assessing the dangers of unpasteurised milk to Australian consumers is difficult because there is not much of it around.

During the past 10 years, fewer than 10 people have fallen ill from drinking raw milk on farms, Buchtmann says.

She likens the argument to that for polio prevention. Although the disease had been eradicated in Australia, that did not justify ending vaccination.

Imported raw milk cheese was banned from Australia in 1996 with the introduction of a national food authority. Exemptions have since crept in.

About 600 tonnes of unpasteurised cheese is imported each year: emmentaler, gruyere and sbrinz from Switzerland; parmigiano-reggiano, grana padano, pecorino romano, asiago and montasio from Italy; and, in 2004, roquefort from France…”

Read it all here on the Sydney Morning Herald

On a food craze right now… and going to make(/buy) and devourer the following as soon as possible. (Photos via Pioneer Woman, Dutch Girl Cooking, and A Table for Two)

Chocolate truffles with sea salt via Pioneer Woman

Dulce de leche via Dutch girl cooking

And I just ordered a package of these little Miracle Frooties that will turn the sour and bitter things I eat into sweet and desert like treats. There will be a party, oh yes indeed.

Two things I don’t like bland chicken breast and fake barbeque flavour. Oh the sacrifices I will make for the Sandwich Club.

You know that feeling of dread when you look out your window at the BBQ covered in 6″ of snow and it’s only the second week of October?  Ya, well then you can relate to how I feel about cooking in the winter in a climate where fall only lasted as long as it took for the leaves to literally fall off the tree in our front yard; less than 2 weeks!

I know there are a lot of root vegetables that do well in cold storage.  My wife Kelly and I used to buy potatoes, beets, carrots and squash at the farmer’s market when we lived in Halifax, NS.  But now that we’ve moved back home to Bashaw, AB we don’t have the same kind of access to locally grown produce in the late fall and winter months.  I would love to learn how to can and preserve, and next summer once I have my own garden and can grow more vegetables myself I do plan to preserve a lot of them for the following winter.  But for right now, even if I did know how to can veggies, I’ve got no veggies to can!

Hence my dilemma.  What does an aspiring locavore, gourmet-at-home chef do to feed himself and his wife when the snow starts building up and there isn’t a fresh carrot or cabbage to be seen for miles around?  I’m a full on foodie and passionate ag activist and it tortures me to walk into a gigantic supermarket to look through the thousands and thousands of food products that have traveled an average of 1,500 miles to get there.  As my wife and I search for the coming week’s groceries I look to see where the apples and lettuce were imported from, what artificial additives, flavours and preservatives are on the various packages, and with every single purchase we attempt the nearly impossible task of finding a balance between how local the food is, how healthy it is, how affordable it is, and what the environmental impact was of producing it.  These are all important priorities to us, but in a Canadian winter it’s almost impossible to find healthy, affordable, fresh produce from a local source.  It just doesn’t happen, not at a grocery store anyway.

So as I continue to pursue my dreams of having a garden and maybe even one day a small farm to grow enough food to feed my wife and I and our future children (something closer to a “100 meter diet”) I am still also looking for ways to minimize the environmental impact of my eating habits right here and now.  And we want to do it in a way that doesn’t mean we have to become extremists, eating only rice and beans or beef and potatoes every single day of the week.  It’s much more than a question of eco-friendliness and requires more thought than you’d put into the choice between an incandescent light bulb or the more energy efficient compact florescent.  Food is meant to be fun and delicious, with variety, flavour, quality and excitement.  Every single day we all make choices of what to feed our bodies.  In fact, I’d say it’s arguably one of the most fundamental acts of human existence.  But the decisions of how we feed our bodies, our families and our world, have long lasting and global consequences on the health of not only our own bodies but that of the soil, our shared water resources, our rural communities, and our cultural heritage.

Today the snow is melting, and for supper I’m roasting stuffed pork chops from the Bashaw Meat Shop that buys it’s meat from local farmers in our area.  I feel good about that.   I just wish we could also grow green beans and broccoli in December.