Of course there was never any doubt that the lead up to Christmas would grab me wholeheartedly in its whirlwind of activity but these last few weeks have proven just how ‘silly’ the season can get! To throw a national book launch in amongst a new vintage of olive oil being released, puddings being cooked and a rather serious list of parties, you can imagine it has been a whirlwind indeed, but a wonderful one. Read on…
How can I possibly say I’ve had a favourite occasion or city in this incredibly frenetic tour of mine?
It all started at the end of October, the very same day as our ice cream was released; I couldn’t believe the serendipity; and that’s not a play on someone else’s brand; but just the incredible fortune of both things I’m so proud of coming out together- that happened through good luck rather than planning - so obviously meant to be.
Penguin are the most amazing publishers I have to say, with planning to a tee; always with a delightful publicist easing my way as I fly from city to city, or appearance to appearance, depending on the day, but boy have we worked at it!
I have to say the first two nights really started with a bang! Perth was the very first city and with a great catering company, Beaumont, preparing the food, they chose two totally different venues. The first was the Fremantle Maritime Museum; a marvellous modern building of incredible scale and style, right on the water of course, with those late afternoon breezes of the Fremantle Doctor as they call it, almost blowing us away until we were inside. Well, that night seemed to set the tone, the guests to the dinner were so friendly and excited and the food so good, and the questions after I spoke, so full of vigour.
The second engagement was in Fremantle, this time the oldest building there - the Town Hall, so beautifully restored and a great juxtaposition from the modern of the night before. But with the age of the building came the lack of facilities and Beaumont Catering again did the most amazing job for the 340 guests with virtually no kitchen facilities, and if it’s possible, the dinner was even better than the night before.
Home for the weekend but not much rest!
After the weekend at home, my first gig in Queensland was at Black Pearl, our distributors in Brisbane. They’ve persuaded me to do a few classes here over the years because we have had such a long relationship and they have every single thing already done for me to make it as effortless as possible. The secret to my feeling at ease here is the Chef in the background Glen Barrett who takes a night off from his normal duties and is happily there to help. Lots of talk, lots of laughter about the ice creams not arriving and just a great crowd of people eager to know more about the book and what we do…
Then there was Brisbane and equally wonderful occasions - a talk in the State Library at the amazing new buildings on the river. A full auditorium of people, quite daunting to say the least, but this time I had the delight of a conversation on stage with Kylie Lang, Editor of the Brisbane News. I thought we’d been talking for 5 minutes when Kylie wrapped it up ready for questions - we’d been in full flight for over half an hour!
The following morning we had the most delightful breakfast from Riverbend Books; a bookshop with its own café and great food.
Back home to the Barossa for a desperately needed rest. I did very little on the weekend as I was off again at 6 a.m. Monday morning. This is harder than the days behind the stoves! Off to Sydney and more of the journey to come in the next issue…
As a cook and a grower, I reserve a particular passion for olives and their ambrosial oil. Of course this passion is equalled by the desire to seek out the very best oil I can get my tastebuds on and I have to say I’m quietly chuffed at our latest vintage. We have just bottled our 2007 Extra Virgin Olive Oil as a Farm Shop exclusive and after last year’s rush on the 250ml I’ve made sure to include a 500ml option too. A good olive oil, served quite alone, is the dressing par excellence but I do enjoy this particular oil as a wonderful balance to the saltiness of a tapenade or salsa verde. It also makes achieving a silky emulsion for mayonnaise or aioli a far easier process in my books.
It’s one thing to say I’ve had my head buried in a book for the last month, but I could probably go as far as to use the analogy it has been more like my entire body! I have loved every minute though, as you might have gathered from above, but I did want to share a little more than just the wonderful stories from my travels so I’ve included a recipe for my Croutons with Caramelised Onions, Anchovies and Rabbit Livers, Splashed with Vino Cotto from Maggie’s Harvest for those of you who haven’t yet got a copy or who would like just a taste test!
Sometimes accidents in the kitchen are providence in cooking. During the early days of my quince paste production I learned many valuable lessons, like even quince paste not quite right can be a beautiful product! Doing everything by feel and not approaching it as a science some low sugar quince meant the “set up” didn’t quite happen and I had a beautiful quince glaze instead! We have just finished our latest run of this rubescent glaze ready to ‘dress up’ Christmas fare. If you haven’t decided on the star of your Christmas spread yet, have a look at my Quince Glazed Ham recipe. It has to be one of the easiest ways to make a ham shine!
Enjoy all of your wonderful preparations as we head towards Christmas,
Until next time,
Show off Summer produce in gourmet fashion with a slick of Maggie’s exclusive Extra Virgin Olive Oil. You can’t imagine how delicious a vine-ripened tomato can be when dressed in the right oil!
The perfect size for two - or maybe just one if you're a serious pudding lover! Maggie has the created a mini version of her famous Barossa Christmas Pudding because a full belly should never stand in the way of a good pudding. Here at Maggie Beer we believe there’s a separate stomach for dessert anyway, so don’t be surprised if you make it all the way through without sharing! Serve with brandy butter, homemade custard or Maggie's Vanilla Bean and Elderflower Ice Cream.
Summer equals barbeques, but if you’re looking to spice things up these holidays, wrap your laughing gear around Maggie’s 3 Sauce Collection. In traditional Barossa style, these sauces are thick with seasonal, ripe fruit without being too sweet. Barossa Tomato Sauce, Cabernet Table Sauce and Ginger Chilli Sauce. They make barbequed anything taste better!
Christmas just doesn’t have that relaxed feel without a glass of super chilled white so we’ve made Beer Brothers Riesling our wine of the month to get you prepared for an especially easy going festive season. Buy a dozen and get 2 bottles for free.