So, what does a food blogger really do?

Name: White Chocolate Mud Cake Recipe
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 120 min
Total time: 140 min
Yield: 10 serves
Ingredients: 150 g of white chocolate (chopped); 250 g of butter (chopped); 2 cups of caster sugar; 1 cup of milk; 1/2 cup of self-raising flour; 1/4 cup of desiccated coconut; 11/4 cups of plain flour; 1/2 tsp of vanilla extract; 2 eggs

August 4, 2016July 3, 2017 ~ danib@eatmystreet.net ~ 8 Comments

So, what does a food blogger really do?

As people I know have slowly learned that I do have my own food blog, most have them have been instantly compelled to ask me the same question.

So, what exactly does a food blogger really do?

what does a food blogger really do

I guess maybe they are confused as they start to wonder, did they miss something about me? Like the fact that I am a chef of some sort who maybe did a secret double degree in Psychology and cooking while they were not noticing.

Well no I am not a chef, I am just an enthusiastic home cook who loves to make bake and create and who thinks that food is a little bit of the answer to most questions.

giphy-2

So what is it exactly that a food blogger does? Well there are a few “types.”

The rock star food blogger who gets invited to all the awesome events and turns up looking kooky or cool or glamorous or French.
The dedicated recipe developer who spends 85% of their life taking beautiful photos of food they just made so their legion of Pinterest followers find some inspiration and motivation for cooking at home.
The young, urban, cashed up uni student blogger who travels to ALL. THE. HOT. RESTAURANTS. They eat, shoot and upload non-stop, making them zoom up the Instagram or Zomato charts at record speed.
Then there is the food writer, who likes to read and write about food in its many guises and contexts, all the while staying a little bit engaged in food trends and a little bit engaged with tradition.

This last group is where I tend to put myself, although I do aspire at times to all the others. giphy-7

I started my own food blog because I loved writing and I love good food and joining the two together helped me to explore, discover and find connection and community. Food has had this wonderful role for many people throughout history.

So what is it exactly that I do?

I post recipes, I visit cafes and restaurants, I read about food and I write about food. I love creating new recipes as a way of expressing my creativity and this tends to happen when I am relaxed and happy.

Sometimes I get invited to eat chicken or sample cheese (living the dream right?) or attend a party with excellent wine and the more people who read about my adventures, the more invites I get.

I also write about community and friendship and I do interviews with interesting people because, well, people are interesting right? Your favourite food blogger probably has their own unique blend of what they post on their blog too. 🙂

Sometimes people send me food to try, or invite me to their restaurant to check out their menu. This makes me very happy.

what does a food blogger really do

And sometimes people even pay me to write for them or about them or I make a little bit of money when you click on one of my ads or buy something from my Amazon links.

But most of the time I just discover new places that I love all by myself and share them with my online friends in case they might like them too. 200

So that is about it I think. Now you know.

What do you think? Did you know what a food blogger really did and have I made you any wiser?

Chat soon.

Dani xx

Dani B is a food blogger and writer from Melbourne. She writes about good food for a good life. You can find her on Facebook or Instagram. Please stop by and say hello. 🙂

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Weekend Wanderings. Cannibal Creek Winery

June 10, 2016July 13, 2016 ~ danib@eatmystreet.net

Cannibal Creek Winery

I go to nature to be soothed and healed and to have my senses put in order.

John Burroughs

We are on a mission to get out of the city, to see green horizons and windswept places, to embed some white space into our lives through connection with the green, and to find somewhere delicious to eat while we are there.

So far this has not been difficult.

This week we stopped at Cannibal Creek Winery and Vineyard in Tynong.

The vines at Cannibal Creek Winery were first planted in 1997 and the Cannibal Creek wine has been receiving accolades since 2009. But the restaurant housed in the newly built cellar door is a more recent venture.

Philipe Desrettes is the well renown chef behind the French inspired cuisine on offer 7 days a week from 11am to 5pm. He is ably assisted by his partner Karine Saille on front of house duty. The talented pair has moved to the area from Ballarat where Phillipe was Executive Chef at the legendary Craig’s Royal Hotel.

We had the pleasure of chatting with Karine over a wine tasting and I am told that she is enjoying the beautiful Gippsland countryside and also the slightly more temperate(!!) climate of Tynong North.

Local Gippsland cheese features on the menu (Gippsland cheese plate $27) as does Cannibal Creek bread (Charcuterie plate $32). There are a number of “share” options and also more substantial dishes designed to be eaten alone. The dessert menu has a tempting array of choices from Citrus panna cotta with rhubarb and pineapple syrup, to the eponymously named Far Breton sultan and prunes, flan style ($14).

We arrived early in the day and so ordered the house-made pork and chicken terrine with brioche.

And the Charcuterie plate.

The food was perfectly delicious but it was the overall combination of ambiance, geniality, decor (an open wood fire ticks a lot of boxes at this time of year), view, food and wine that was really the winning combination.

There is also a beautifully curated selection of gift ware and imported and local honey, condiments, chocolate and produce available.

Visit for wine tastings and beautiful prepared French food in a stunning setting. Stay for the roaring fire, the ambiance and the excellent service.

I cannot wait to visit again and I cannot wait to take some friends along with me.

Happy Eating.

Dani

The details

Address: 260 Tynong North Road, Tynong VIC 3813
Phone:(03) 5942 8380
Hours:
11am–5pm 7 days a week

Full menu available Thursday to Monday and a limited menu Tuesday and Wednesday. Wine tasting is available 7 days a week.

Bookings are strongly recommended.

www.cannibalcreek.com.au

Eat My Street is a website dedicated to good food for the good life. We publish recipes, reviews, interviews, stories and more. We also love talking about soup and tea and gardening and community. Go on, click on a little green link and read a little more. Or visit us on Facebook to keep up to date with events.

The Butter Kitchen Gembrook

April 1, 2016June 29, 2017 ~ danib@eatmystreet.net ~ 2 Comments

The Butter Kitchen Gembrook

Last year I had the pleasure of meeting Liza from The Butter Kitchen Gembrook. Liza is a local foodie and cook and she has started a small business making home baked goods for delivery in the local area. These are not just any old home baked goods though, Liza really knows how to cook and her products, including cakes, cookies, brownies and dessert pies are made with the most luxurious ingredients and also I think a little bit of tender loving care.

Continue reading →

BBQ Code Glen Waverley

February 5, 2016March 1, 2016 ~ danib@eatmystreet.net

BBQ Code Glen Waverley

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Korean food is so hot right now in Melbourne, and not just because it is nearly always served with that lovely fermented side dish called Kimchi. Melbourne fell in love with Korean food quite some time ago with its classic dishes of Bibimbap, bulgogi and fried chicken.

A couple of weeks ago I spied a brand new Korean BBQ restaurant opening up in the Glen Waverley dining precinct, right next door to the ever popular Shira Nui. With its black and white paint work, clean lines and neat timber furnishings, BBQ Code looked like somewhere I would like to dine. Yesterday I got to try the food and I was not disappointed. In fact I am now a little smitten.

BBQ Code is bringing the street version of Korean food to Glen Waverley. Each (share) table is set with a couple of inbuilt electrical BBQ plates. Order from BBQ section of the neat and tempting menu and your food will be cooked in front of you on your hot plate.

As with most Korean restaurants, an enticing selection of accompaniments will be brought to your table including the ever popular Kimchi (great for the gut apparently). I was also served a small dish of fish cake, or Eomuck Bokkeum.

BBQ Code Glen Waverley

The menu is divided into Korean Street Food, Rice and Noodles and BBQ and dishes include Grilled Chicken Stick $8, Dukkbokki $15.50, Bibimbap, $15 and Ranchi Guksu $15.

I ordered Jab Chae with Beef which was a sweet potato noodle dish and it was delicious.

BBQ Code is already looking busy just two weeks since it opened. I cannot wait to go back and try ordering from the BBQ menu, hopefully with friends so I can try variety of dishes.

I recommend you give this little restaurant a try too. Fun, delicious and with friendly and helpful service. A great addition to the Glen Waverley scene.

Happy Eating.

Dani xx

BBQ Code Glen Waverley

The details

BBQ Code Glen Waverley

249 Springvale road
Glen Waverley, Victoria, Australia
(03) 8838 1251

www.facebook.com/BBQ-CODE

Dani B is a food blogger from the South Eastern Suburbs of Melbourne. Every Friday she posts one of her favourite, simple, tasty recipes. She also writes about the local Melbourne food scene. Take a look at her favourite places to eat, or follow along on Facebook. Thanks for stopping by! xx

Looking for other great Korean restaurants in Melbourne? Try

Suda in the City.

Kimchi Hut in Glen Waverley

White Chocolate Mud Cake Recipe

January 22, 2016May 18, 2018 ~ danib@eatmystreet.net ~ 3 Comments

White Chocolate Mud Cake Recipe

This white chocolate mud cake recipe is one of my favourite ever, second only to the very popular Best Ever Chocolate Mud Cake. The addition of coconut to the mixture makes for an excellent texture.

This recipe makes a really good sized cake and so it is perfect for entertaining. The very naughty white chocolate ganache is a treat in itself.

This recipe makes two smaller cakes, or one very large, very rich cake (the photo below shows the smaller version of the cake). I tend to go with two cakes these days as it seems to produce the perfect sized cake for eating.

white chocolate mud cake recipe

If you really wanted to go all out, you could join the two smaller, flatter cakes together and sandwich them together with the chocolate ganache. You will end up with something like this.

This white chocolate mud cake recipe makes a very moist, decadent and sweet cake. So yummy.

White Chocolate Mud Cake Recipe

Ingredients

150g of white chocolate, chopped

250g of butter, chopped

2 cups of caster sugar

1 cup of milk

1/2 cup of self-raising flour

1/4 cup of desiccated coconut

11/4 cups of plain flour

1/2 tsp of vanilla extract

2 eggs

Method

Preheat your oven to 160 degrees celsius.

Grease and line two 20cm round cake tins. (I used a heart-shaped tin this time which worked perfectly well).

Combine the chopped butter and chocolate in a good-sized saucepan. Add the milk and caster sugar and cook, stirring over low heat until melted together and smooth.

Transfer the mixture to a large bowl and allow to cool.

Whisk in the flours, coconut, vanilla and eggs.

Pour the mixture into your tins.

Cook in the oven for around 1 1/2 hours (or 2 hours if you use one large tin) covering the top with foil after around one hour to ensure that the top does not burn.

Allow the cake to cool before turning out then cover with White Chocolate Ganache.

White Chocolate Ganache Recipe

1/2 cup of cream

300g of white chocolate, evenly chopped

1/2 a teaspoon of coconut essence (if desired)

Pour the cream into a medium-sized saucepan. Bring to the boil then remove from heat and add in the chocolate and coconut essence. Stir until melted through.
Cover and refrigerate for about an hour until thickened.
Spread the ganache over the cake.

White Chocolate Mud Cake Recipe

Silky white chocolate mud cake recipe with a secret ingredient you wouldn't expect.

Course Dessert

Cuisine Modern Australian

Keyword cake, mud cake, White Chocolate

Prep Time 20 minutes

Cook Time 2 hours

Total Time 2 hours 20 minutes

Servings 10 serves

Ingredients

150 g of white chocolate chopped
250 g of butter chopped
2 cups of caster sugar
1 cup of milk
1/2 cup of self-raising flour
1/4 cup of desiccated coconut
11/4 cups of plain flour
1/2 tsp of vanilla extract
2 eggs

Instructions

Method

Preheat your oven to 160 degrees celsius.
Grease and line two 20cm round cake tins. (I used a heart-shaped tin this time which worked perfectly well).
Combine the chopped butter and chocolate in a good-sized saucepan. Add the milk and caster sugar and cook, stirring over low heat until melted together and smooth.
Transfer the mixture to a large bowl and allow to cool.
Whisk in the flours, coconut, vanilla and eggs.
Pour the mixture into your tins.
Cook in the oven for around 1 1/2 hours (or 2 hours if you use one large tin) covering the top with foil after around one hour to ensure that the top does not burn.
Allow the cake to cool before turning out then cover with White Chocolate Ganache.

Enjoy!

Dani xx

Dani B is a food and lifestyle blogger from the South Eastern Suburbs of Melbourne. She loves finding beautiful local places to eat and play. She also loves to cook and posts a new favourite recipe ever week on her blog. If you are a keen amateur foodie she would love you to follow along on Facebook or sign up on the blog.

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Peppers Mineral Springs Hotel

January 6, 2016August 17, 2016 ~ danib@eatmystreet.net

Peppers Mineral Springs Hotel can be found in the beautiful spa town of Hepburn Springs in Victoria. Surrounded by country lanes, tree lined walks and undulating hills in all directions, Hepburn Springs is just a 5 minute drive from lovely town of Daylesford. At the foothills of the Great Dividing Range, Hepburn Springs is one of the prettiest spots in country Victoria. The region is also home to over 80% of Australia’s natural mineral springs making it a perfect destination for relaxation and rejuvenation.

gardens at Peppers Mineral Springs Hotel

Peppers Mineral Springs Hotel is a gorgeous art deco style hotel found in the main street of Hepburn Springs. I recently managed to visit on a rare child free weekend and it was a pleasure to stay in this beautiful hotel, explore the beautiful township of Daylesford, try out some of the great local eateries and enjoy a soak in the natural mineral waters of the Spa at the Hotel.

Peppers Mineral Springs Hotel

The Hotel is surrounded by stunning sculptured gardens and it also houses the award winning The Argus Dining Room restaurant. We arrived late in the day and ended up grabbing a quick bite at the hotel bar.

The Argus Bar and Lounge The food was tasty and the service was helpful. We enjoyed dining in the luxury and quiet of the front lounge.

The Argus Bar and Lounge Hepburn Springs

I may have imagined myself in an Agatha Christie novel which is an excellent thing (in case you were wondering).

Peppers Mineral Springs Hotel food

We also enjoyed breakfast in The Conservatory the next morning as this was included in our accommodation package. The room was elegant and light filled and the food was quite good. An excellent local muesli mix was probably one of the highlights although the Eggs Benedict were also very good. Plunger coffee, tea, juice, pastries, toast and fruit were all included. You could also order what you liked off the menu which was then cooked fresh in the kitchen.

The Conservatory at Peppers Mineral Springs Hotel

The highlight of Peppers Mineral Springs Hotel was definitely the gorgeous location, stunning natural surrounds and the simply elegant hotel room.

Peppers Mineral Springs Hotel The rooms in the main hotel have been renovated but retain the original features such as gorgeous timber sash windows that look out in the surrounding countryside. There are a number of other accommodation options beside the main hotel rooms including self-contained rooms for small or large groups.

Peppers Mineral Springs Hotel

The lounge, lobby, library and conservatory at the Hotel were also very beautiful, being filled with art, lamplight and soft furnishings.

Peppers Mineral Springs Hotel

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You can probably tell that I loved it.

We also enjoyed dessert at the nearby Belvedere Social. There are many, many other great things to do in the local area including a visit to the Wombat Hill Botanical Gardens and a walk and a coffee at Daylesford Lake.

Peppers Mineral Springs Hotel was a unique and elegant hotel and I look forward to visiting again some time.

Dani xx

Peppers Mineral Springs Hotel

The details

Address: 124 Main Rd, Hepburn Springs VIC 3461
Phone:(03) 5348 2202

Dani B is a food and lifestyle blogger from Melbourne. She loves finding beautiful local places to eat and play. She also loves to cook and posts a new favourite recipe ever week on her blog. If you are a keen amateur foodie she would love you to follow along on Facebook or sign up on the blog.

The best restaurants in Berwick and beyond.

December 15, 2015June 29, 2017 ~ danib@eatmystreet.net ~ 2 Comments

A list of the best restaurants in Berwick Victoria

Looking for somewhere great to have dinner in Berwick? Eat My Street has already shared a list of the best cafes in Berwick. Here are my favourite 9 restaurants in Berwick (2015). All tried and tested and recommended by others too.

For an updated list, please go here.

Must visit cafe and restaurants in Berwick and surrounds.

Follow eatmystreet’s board Vibrant Berwick and surrounds, Victoria. on Pinterest.

O.MY Beaconsfield

This restaurant is a stand out. It has one a swag of awards and was recently awarded one hat by The Age Good Food Guide, 2015. Located just over the “border” in Beaconsfield, it is provides an intimated and sophisticated dining venue. Click here for my reviews.

Ambrosia cafe

Ambrosia is a big, sprawling restaurant set back between Berwick village and South Berwick. Serving pizza, pasta, steak, salad and other typical “Australian” food. This restaurant is very popular with the locals and really comes alive at night.

Nomadic Berwick.

Nomadic has an interesting and often changing menu including pizza, paella and market fish of the day. They also host regular open mic nights and live music which makes for a great night out. Click here for the review.

Eighty One Berwick.

This restaurant and bar sits proudly at the top of High St in Berwick Village. It has recently had a lovely make over. It holds a special place in my heart as the first restaurant I visited when we moved here. They also run great specials and often have live music. If Berwick was a restaurant, this is what she would look like. Check out their website for more recent information.

Shanika’s

Also in High St, Berwick Village. This restaurant has been around for a long while and I am sure it has seen much change in our little village. Lots of different people have recommended it to me; the hairdresser, a Chef, my sister, our neighbour, new friends. Successful and busy, this Italian restaurant also has venues in Pakenham and Carrum Downs.

Berwick Thai

If you live locally I am sure you have already eaten at this popular Thai restaurant in Berwick Village. One of the first places I ate at in the local area, Berwick Thai is always busy and it gets consistently great reviews.

Moroccan Joes

Update 2017- Now closed.

Really great Moroccan food at Moroccan Joes and if you are lucky, a little bit of entertainment too! The food is really the star at this little restaurant tucked out of the way in Berwick.

The Main

Pizza, pasta, sandwiches, cake. This is a huge sprawling restaurant sitting proudly at the top of Berwick Village. Always busy, it is a great place to eat as a group and service always comes with a smile.

La Baguette. cooltext131707613783349

What great news that this much loved French themed cafe now serves dinner on Friday and Saturday nights.. Visit their Facebook page for more information.

So we are pretty spoilt for choice in Berwick. For more on my favourite places to eat in Melbourne, look here. Or for my list of the best cafes in Berwick, click here.

If you would like to nominate your favourite restaurant in Berwick for our The best restaurants in Berwick list, then add it in the comments and let’s see if we can make it to ten!

Happy Eating!

Dani xx

The best restaurants in Berwick

Dani B is a food blogger and writer from Melbourne. She writes at Eat My Street and posts about her favourite places to visit and her favourite recipes to cook. You can read more by clicking here.

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Fifteen great recipes for the Perfect Tea Party

December 4, 2015March 3, 2016 ~ danib@eatmystreet.net ~ 3 Comments

There is no nicer way to spend a morning than enjoying a tea party with friends. Little tasty morsels of food accompanied by an endless supply of freshly brewed tea.

I have been making great efforts to drink more tea, in a bid to overcome my caffeine addiction. Tea does contain caffeine but it also has such great, well documented health benefits.

So, to celebrate the beginning of the Christmas Season I decided to host a little tea party of my own, with thanks to the amazing Tielka Tea who kindly donated the leaves for brewing.

My lovely sister offered her home for us to use. She has such great taste and has created a serene, light filled home with a bountiful garden. She also loves to share her home with others and it is often filled with children, neighbours, family and friends, in some combination or other.

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Here are fifteen of my favourite tea party recipes for you to enjoy.

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The Beautiful Cream Lilies Recipe

These are lovely little rolled sponge cakes filled with fresh cream and jelly or jam. You can find my recipe here.

Scones

For Eat My Street’s simple, tasty scone recipe click here.

Chocolate Truffles Recipe

Chocolate always seems like a good place to start.

Try this recipe for Chocolate, Orange and Cardamom Truffles.

Decadent Salted Caramel Slice Recipe

This recipe is also perfect for the Christmas season and often makes an appearance at my house.

For my Salted Caramel Slice Recipe click here.

Fresh Focaccia with Caramelised Onion and Goats Cheese

The recipe is here.

home made flat bread recipe

Chicken and Almond Ribbon Sandwiches

Recipe

Ingredients

1 barbecue chicken, skin and bones removed, coarsely shredded or 3 chicken fillets poached and shredded.
1 cup whole egg mayonnaise
1 tablespoon mustard
1 tablespoon lemon juice
4 celery sticks, finely chopped
1/2 cup slivered almonds, toasted
1 tbsp fresh thyme finely chopped
1 loaf sliced sandwich bread

Method
Combine the mayonnaise, mustard and lemon juice in a large bowl and then add in the shredded chicken.

Add the celery, almonds and thyme and gently stir until just combined. Season to taste.
Arrange half the bread slices on a flat tray and then spread evenly with the chicken/ mayo mix. Add another slice of bread to the top and cut off the crusts.

Divide the sandwiches into thirds and enjoy.

finger sandwiches

Most Luscious Lemon Tart Recipe

This lemon tart recipe is full of pillowy lemon curd and is rich, piquant and full of lemon flavour. A great way to use up any spare lemons if you are lucky enough to have them.

Tielka Jade Mist Green Tea

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Tielka is Australia’s first 100% Fairtrade and Organic loose leaf tea company. I love that Tielka tea comes with its own harvest and tasting notes and brewing instructions to help you get the best out of their fair-trade and organic tea leaves.

Originating from Hubei’s high elevation tea gardens, Tielka’s Jade Mist Green Tea is hand harvested from the earliest bunches of Spring tea.

I love green tea and I try and replace my second morning coffee with a green tea whenever time and coffee addiction allows. Green tea is a great source of antioxidants and has been linked to a great range of diverse health benefits. The Tielka Jade Mist green tea was a mellow and refreshing blend without any of the astringency that can sometimes accompany green tea. A great little tip I picked up from the brewing notes is to remove the leaves after the recommended brewing time so that you do not end up with that overly bitter taste at the end of your pot.

1 teaspoon per 200ml of hot water (70°C) for 2-3 minutes.

You can get 3 brews / serve.

For further tasting notes and to find out more about this beautiful Australian tea company you can visit their website.

Tuna Chilli Mousse Bites

I love a short-cut, as long as it still delivers on taste (and has no preservatives). This recipe delivers on both fronts.

Recipe

Ingredients

1 cucumber sliced into pieces ( 1-2 cm thickness)

Yumi’s Anytime Creamy Tuna Mousse

1/4 red chilli sliced finely

Method

Wash and slice the cucumber and place onto a platter.

Cover the base with the tuna mousse and add a garnish of fresh, red chilli.

Voila!

tea party chilli and tuna mousse bites

Homemade Lime Cordial

Refreshing Lime Cordial Recipe.

Chocolate Mud Cake Recipe

This is one of my most popular recipes ever. It makes a very moist, chocolatey cake. Click here for the recipe and if you like it, please consider sharing it.

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Chocolate Bounty Balls

For a fun, impressive take on a delicious chocolate bar try this Chocolate Bounty Balls Recipe. You will want to lick the bowl for this one.

IMG_4957 (2)

I normally have at least one child holding my hand, so I couldn’t host a tea party without making something for the little ones. Here are a few simple, tasty ideas.

Peanut Butter Cookies Recipe

Summer Berry Smoothies

Ingredients

1 cup milk
2 scoops Berry Frozen yoghurt (try Bulla or Weis)
2 large fresh strawberries
1 large banana, chopped

Method

Add all the ingredients to a blender.
Blend together for one minute.
Serve in milkshake cup with straw.

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Fruit Kebabs

Fruit kebabs recipe

Chose your favourite, in season fruit. Strawberry, grapes, cantaloupe or blueberries are perfect as they hold their shape.

Chop into even sized pieces, if necessary.

Slide onto kebab sticks and add a marshmallow if you like as a special treat!

Happy Eating!

Dani xx

If you enjoyed this post please consider sharing it. Or sign up to my email list for more. Thanks for your support.

Food Is Free Berwick

November 28, 2015August 2, 2017 ~ danib@eatmystreet.net

Today I met with the lovely people at Food Is Free Berwick.

Food Is Free Berwick

They meet every three to four weeks at Pioneer Park in Berwick. Local and not so local gardeners bring together their lovingly homegrown produce to share and swap, ensuring that none of the precious goodness from their gardens goes to waste.

Food Is Free Berwick

I tentatively arrived not long after the start time of 9.30am with my box of herbs from my garden. I received a lovely and informative welcome and was enthusiastically encouraged to take home the produce that was provided.

I came home with some lovely rhubarb for tonight’s dessert, 4 tomato plants, thyme, mint, chives, kale and some Bok Choy seedlings.

It was the most lovely experience as everyone I chatted with was so enthusiastic, welcoming and keen to share their expertise.

Keep an eye on the Food is Free South East Suburbs Facebook page if you would like to join in.

https://www.facebook.com/groups

Or to find a local food swap group in your area you read this “introduction to food swaps” and enter your own location.

Until then, get tending.

Happy gardening.

Dani xx

Food Is Free Berwick

Taste of Melbourne Festival 2015

November 16, 2015March 3, 2016 ~ danib@eatmystreet.net

This weekend the Taste of Melbourne Festival 2015 came to town.

Thanks to Elextrolux, Eat My Street went along for the ride. I also got to give away tickets to some of my readers which was ten types of awesome.

Some of Melbourne’s hottest restaurants were there, along with more than 100 artisan producers. There was also live music, tastings on offer, Chef’s to meet and greet and produce to buy.

Some of my favourites included;

Zest Coffee Roasters. I may be a little biased as they are a local company. But also, check out that gorgeous smile! These guys were busy all day long on Sunday.

I tried myself a lovely iced-tea and it was delicious.

Pic’s peanut butter. Mainly because there is a slight peanut butter addiction going on at our house and Pic’s Peanut Butter ingredient list reads like a parents dream; Peanuts. The end.

Maggie Beer was there handing out free ice-cream.

Well actually, it was just a cardboard cut-out of Maggie but Maggie Beer is such perfection that even the cardboard version seemed nice.

The ice cream was real. Burnt fig, Chocolate and Salted Caramel and Affogato. Yum!

Miss Molly’s Cakes also made me a fantastic coffee, in style. Check out her cute cupcake filled caravan.

There was also live music, workshops, Chef’s Table classes, and heaps of great food to try.

I loved the BBQ pork, pickled cabbage and tomato roll from Gladioli Restaurant in Inverleigh.

I also had the pleasure of attending some of the live cooking sessions at the Electrolux Taste theatre, where I was lucky enough to meet Chef Matt Dempsey from Gladioli.

Homemade Chips Recipe

November 14, 2015March 3, 2016 ~ danib@eatmystreet.net

We had a chip off at my house this weekend.

Home cooked chips versus my favourite frozen chips from the Supermarket.

I do like to make things from scratch if I can, so I figured it was time I gave chips a go. I do love chips….

Here is my recipe. It is simple but more time consuming than you would think.

Ingredients

800 g potatoes, peeled. Good varieties for making chips include Russet Burbank, Spunta, King Edward, Bintje or Sebago.

Salt

2 litres olive oil, for deep frying

Method

Place potatoes into a saucepan of salted, cold water over high heat and bring to the simmer for 8 minutes. (Time can vary depending on the size of the potatoe. You want the potatoe to be tender, but still hold its shape).

Drain the potatoes and then place on a plate with paper towels and leave in the fridge for an hour or so.

Heat the oil until it reaches approximately 190 degrees celsius.

While oil is heating, remove potatoes from the fridge and cut into chips.

Fry chips in two batches, for approximately 6-8 minutes or until golden and crisp.

Transfer to a bowl and season with salt.

So I am not really sure who won the chip off. The house made chips were very, very tasty. But so were the store bought ones.

Smothered in Yumi’s Garlic Aioli, they all tasted moreish and addictive.

The real winner here was my chip addiction.

The home made version had the edge for health reasons, even though they do not look as tasty.

What do you think? Are house made chips worth the effort? If you had to choose, would you eat my home made version, or the crispy looking store bought ones?

Dani xx