My Food Week : Payday Looming

So, frankly I Have been shit with this whole new blog. I got to Australia with all these great intension and for the first few weeks we were eating out everywhere, catching up with friends as if our stay were only fleeting. But then normal life set in, savings dried up and the drudgery of finding a job took over.

That's not to say I didn't eat during this intermission, I ate a damn few good things, but my enthusiasm wained. I did keep the dream alive via trusty old Instagrama but now I need a reboot.

So here is the first instalment of 'My Food Week'. Nothing glamorous or fancy. As the title hints, I have not yet had my first pay, so modest meals only, but it's a start...

Pavlova

Technically this was made last week (Sunday) but we enjoyed it on Monday, so I am going to include it in this week.

Now, I am very lucky to have a boyfriend (well technically 'fiancé', but I am still not used to how wanky that sounds) who is a brilliant cook and has a passion for getting in the kitchen. However, despite being the son if a baker, he experiences baking deficiency.

It's completely self inflicted, his talent in the kitchen leading him to believe that recipes are merely guides. I wholeheartedly agree... except when it comes to baking. For I believe it is a science. Unless it is a dish you have baked for many years, something that you are entirely in tube with, a cavalier attitude to ingredients and their quantities is to be avoided when baking.

We intended to make the pavlova for a dinner on Sunday night. However, as with previous meringues he has made, it did not turn out as hoped.

Substituting granulated for caster sugar, not adding ingredients at the right time and in the right quantities, whilst using a totally useless electric whisk, resulted in 30 minutes of whisking to no avail and a very pissed off man. I had to go and burn a whole in my work shirt just to make him feel better!

Well, we cooked it anyway and, though it was rather flat, the end result was tasty and still far better than a shop bought meringue. We lavished it with vanilla cream, golden kiwis, strawberries and, the inspiration for the pavlova, fresh, home grown passion fruits.

The family verdict was positive but there was definitely room for improvement.

A Generous FAIL!

Having got our foodie juices flowing at The Good Food and Wine show this weekend, we were all up for having a nice lunch. I was desperately hankering after some French bistro esque food, he wanted fish, so we decided Australian would probably cover us both.

The sun was shining and so, with a 50% off voucher in hand, we headed to The Generous Squire on Hay Street.

We had the terrace to ourselves and ordered baramundi asian salad for him and roast lamb with polenta for me. They looked beautiful when the arrived, the fish was abundant and fresh, although the dish lacked any strong flavour. My lamb, however, looked suspiciously blackened and one bite of the burnt meat and my mouth filled with bitterness. I resolved I had to send it back.

From this...

They were gracious about it and cooked up a new one which was somewhat better. The polenta and salsa verde accompaniment were very nice but I was still underwhelmed. Maybe I am just a roast lamb kind of girl because I am still not sure that, with a better chef, the meal would have satisfied. Perhaps the European in me isn't quite ready to relinquish a beautifully roasted piece of lamb for a chard, tough hunk of lamb.

...to this. Can you spot the difference?

To top it all off we forgot to hand over our voucher so accidentally paid full price...and I'm not sure we will be in a rush back to use it!