Sydney’s Walsh Bay Sets up An Arts Table For 1000

Tickets are still available to Palette on the Pier ~ An Arts table For 1000 which kicks off at 7:00pm on Wednesday 27th October on Pier One of Walsh Bay. Tickets are $150.00 per person all inclusive and can be purchased by clicking here >> Palette on the Pier 2010

Nestled under the watchful eye of the Sydney Harbor Bridge is a hideaway community of arts, culture, food and business. Pier after pier of restaurants, cafes and creative spaces make for the eclectic group known as The Walsh Bay Precinct home to the Sydney Writers Festival and the prestigious  Biennale of Sydney.

At the heart of this community lives and breathes multiple arts and cultural  organisations  including The Australian Theatre for Young People and The Sydney Dance Company. It is with the keen involvement of local businesses around The Walsh Bay precinct and there passion and commitment to the  arts that has seen the development of an annual fundraising dinner on the pier at Walsh Bay to coincide with Sydney’s Crave International Food festival  ~ with all proceeds this year going to Regional Arts NSW.

Lara Scolari, “Abstract painting” 2010. Oil on board which will be up for auction on the night

Brigid Kennedy, a champion campaigner for Walsh Bay and its incredibly diverse community of artists and businesses, has the exciting  role of coordinating a magnificent open air 7 course degustation dinner for up to 1,000 guests on the pier at Walsh Bay on the evening of Wednesday 27th October.  Her catering business and cafe  Simmer on the Bay along with 5 other Walsh Bay restaurants will be donating their time, produce and staff to the ambitious evening in an incredible act of generosity towards Regional Arts NSW.

Canowindra regional wines will be represented by Swinging Bridge Estate and Rosenay wines who along with other vineyards from the same area   have donated cases of their finest grapes to match a menu created by the group of chefs who will be responsible for feeding the evening’s guests. An Italian style tasting plate by Chef Roberto Taffu of Ventuno Pizzeria will be matched with  Toms Waterhole Semillion 2010, followed by Savory duck meat balls on mushy peas created by Chef Adam Humphrey of Restaurant Arras and matched with a 2009 Falls Wine Chardonnay.

Charly Wrencher ,“The Pass”.

As well as an evening of tempting food and wines, there will be a silent art auction with some beautiful Regional pieces up for offer.  Live music and  entertainment will fill the enclave that looks on to the Sydney Harbor Bridge and guests will be wined and dined in the name of Art. The recipients of this year’s inaugural Palette on the Pier fundraising dinner Regional Arts NSW,  is a non-profit organisation that is dedicated to  developing the  arts in small rural communities which in turn helps to interrupt the anti-social cycle of behavior by giving back a sense of pride and self worth.

Chef Brigid Kennedy from Simmer on the Bay  along with chefs Serif Kaya from Ottoman Cuisine, Chloe Kinajil from Firefly, Adam Humphrey from Restaurant Arras and Roberto Taffu from Ventuno Pizzeria with the help of many staff and volunteers  are proud to bring you an evening of entertainment and fine food to create a global experience which is the Walsh Bay Precinct.

Tickets are still available to Palette on the Pier ~ An Arts table For 1000 kicks off at 7:00pm on Wednesday 27th October on Pier One of Walsh Bay. Tickets are $150.00 per person all inclusive and can be purchased by clicking here >> Palette on the Pier 2010

His wish ..” is to help everyone to create a strong sustainable movement, to educate every child about food, inspire families to cook  again and empower people everywhere to fight obesity”

A must watch..

Nana, My Mum~Tere and Uncle Rex

I adore my Grandmother, Lyn Jameson, a remarkable women from a resilient era.

Nana (As we call her) is a funny old stick ( as her son-in-law, My father USED to call her) who can spin a good yarn, make a delightful carrot cake with lemon cream cheese icing and loves nothing finer than a glass of claret and a belly full of laughs.

Photo by jules:stonesoup

My Nana is  quite the accomplished cook. Her Steamed fruit pudding that she invented some 60 years ago has won her fame the globe over and appeared published as a winning recipe  in the Geelong News on December the 17th 1991. I will publish it in its entirety shortly, for the online community to enjoy!

She is also a published writer “Akatere~ a place far away“  which is a novel based on her youth  and an artist that uses the medium of oil on canvas.

Every time I make the south bound journey to visit with my Nana she  has a few choice narratives and humorous fables that we share over a glass or so of her favorite ‘plonk’.

Upon visiting with her a few weeks ago, she ambushed me with a hand written recipe that she then made me stand up and read a loud to her and my then giggling mother.

Hmmmm, I sense a conspiracy.

Although she does not take credit for this clever recipe, credit lies in the passing on of wisdom between a Grandmother and one ever so grateful granddaughter.

I love you Nana! Thank you for making me smile

My Nana Lyn and Grandpapi Cliff

Fruitcake Recipe ~ and

Guaranteed to make you one!

Please ensure you read this recipe a loud to someone you love from start to finish…

Ingredients:

4 Liters of Whiskey

1 cup water

1 cup sugar

4 large eggs

2 cups dried fruit

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

1 cup brown sugar

Lemon juice

Nuts

Method:

• Firstly sample the whiskey to check for quality.
• Take a large bowl. Check the whiskey again to be sure it is of the highest quality. Pour one level cup and drink.
• Repeat.
• Turn on the electric mixer and beat 1 cup butter in large fluffy bowl.
• Add 1 teaspoon sugar and beat again. Make sure the whiskey is still O.K.
• Cry another tup. Turn off mixer.
• Break 2 legs and add to the bowl and chuck in the cup of dried fruit.
• Mix on the turner. If the fried druit gets stuck in the beaters, pry it loose with a drewscriver.
• Sample the Whiskey to check for tonsisticity.
• Next, sift 2 cups of salt or something. Who cares. Check the whiskey.
• Now sift the lemon juice and strain your nuts.
• Add one tablespoon of sugar or something. Whatever you can find.
• Grease the oven. Turn the cake tin to 350 degrees.

Dont forget to beat of the turner. throw the bowl out the window. Check the Whiskey again. Go to bed.

Who the heck likes fruitcake anyway.

Bottoms UP Nana!

By Caroline Webster

Photo’s by Elise Lockwood

Some time ago, while at our local (and fabulous) green grocer, my 6yr old daughter pointed to an eggplant and asked me what it was.  I was momentarily shocked.  How could she not know?

She’s always been a great eater, a real foodie-in-the-making and indeed had eaten it in the past and enjoyed it.  I then realized that I had never actually involved her in the process of cooking one.  We’d never tried growing one either.

So began what became known in our home as the Excellent Eggplant Experiment.

Together, we bought a few eggplant seedlings and popped them into a large pot on the back verandah. After much love and careful tending, we watched as they grew. And grew. And grew.

When they were ready to harvest my daughter was literally wriggling with pride.

In selecting a recipe, I wanted to make sure it was easy, quick and tasty, but more importantly that my budding little chef could ‘lead’ the activity.

Here’s what we decided upon.

Eggplant, Flower and Haloumi stack

(Should make around 4 stacks as an entrée).

Ingredients:

2 large eggplants

2 packets of good quality haloumi

Small bunch of fresh lemon thyme

Good quality Extra virgin olive oil

Good quality orange or lemon-infused olive oil

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

A few Viola flowers and leaves

Small handful of washed Dandelion leaves (substitute with small wild rocket leaves if Dandelion unavailable)

Matilda and Grace

Method:

Cut the eggplant and haloumi into 1cm thick slices.  Sprinkle eggplant with a little salt (to cause sweating) and set aside.

Heat olive oil in a heavy based fry pan.  Add just a little of the lemon thyme, roughly chopped.

Gently pan-fry the eggplant (until softened) and haloumi (until crisp).  Cook in batches, putting each batch on paper towels to absorb excess oil.

Grace does the stacking

When only just cool enough to handle, arrange the haloumi and eggplant slices in alternating layers.  See how far you can go before the whole stack tumbles over.

Sprinkle with the remaining lemon thyme, a little freshly cracked black pepper and pink sea salt.

Then arrange a few pretty viola flowers and tangy dandelion leaves (preferably sourced from your back garden) around the plate.

Drizzle with a little of the citrus infused olive oil.

Serve immediately.

Beautifully presented Salad!

The flowers and dandelion leaves were my daughter’s idea. I thought it showed wonderful imagination and creativity and of course the bonus is they are both entirely edible.

Caro Webster is a freelance writer, author, fanatical gardener, foodie and a passionate believer in the magic of being outdoors & encouraging lots of unstructured play for children.  She has worked in a variety of industries including advertising, politics, benevolent organizations and publishing, but says writing and being ‘Mum’ to two outdoor warriors suits her best.  She is currently working on a second book about the power of imagination.

She lives in Sydney with her husband and two young children.

You can find her on twitter @salisburydowns or check out the Small Fry website at www.smallfryfun.com