AussieBeth's Profile
"Least Favorite Vegetable" Poll
No veggies that I will not eat, but I don't really care for celery, watercress or beetroot (unless the beetroot is pickled in vinegar, which is delicious!)
Romantic and Best Restaurants in Melbourne, Australia, May 21-29
There are some great recs on this board for Melbourne you should go though.
My pick for a romantic (and pricey for worth it!!) dinner would be Jacques Reymond or Ezard - both glorious, degustation-y places. There menus are online for you to peruse to see if they are to your taste.
Mr Wolf is very family friendly, especially for an early dinner - there's kids everywhere!! Kid friendly menu and staff. www.mrwolf.com.au/
Have a lovely time in Melbourne.
40th birthday party at home -- menu suggestions needed!
My 30th birthday is coming up, and we are expecting 60 (not quite 100!) - we are grilling boneless butterflied legs of lamb (marinated in garlic, chilli, rosemary etc etc) and supplementing that with bought rottiserie chickens (which I will carve beforehand). Scalloped potatoes (made before the day ), salads and bread rolls will complete the meal - the aim being that everything except for the lamb will be pretty much done before guests arrive - just grillling the lamb, heating up potatoes and dressing the salads will be done during the party. Have fun!!
Nine Cuisines, One Dish Each
Not sure - like Caroline, I suspect it might be Austrian when I think about it. All schnitzel is good schnitzel in my book though, no matter where it comes from! :)
Nine Cuisines, One Dish Each
1. Italian: Beef carpaccio
2. Indian: Butter chicken
3. Mexican: Ceviche
4. Chinese: Chicken with cashew nuts
5. Thai: Kao Pad (Thai fried rice)
6. French: Steak tartare
7. American: Hamburger
8. Middle Eastern: Kebab
9. Eastern European/Russian: Schnitzel
What Foods Do You Forego in the Name o' Domestic Tranquility?
I am very blessed in that my man and I share most of our dislikes (goat's cheese, very fishy fish). He works shifts, so on the nights we are apart, I get to eat the things I love that he doesn't really care for (pork, mountains of broccolli), but when it comes down to eat, he will pretty much eat anything I cook, except for nuts, which he loathes, and I adore. I eat loads of nuts for snacks, and have meals which feature them when he is not around, but it does mean that when I cook dessert (which I only do when we have guests) no nuts can feature - which is a bit sad, but I can deal with it. On the other hand, I believe bananas (his favourite fruit) are the devil's fruit, so there are no banana desserts either - so I guess we are even :)
It's a Chowhound potluck or dinner party.. two dishes (with a caveat) and a wine, beer or cocktail if you wish
I would have to bring my sausage rolls - family recipe, super easy but very delicious, there have been borderline riots over them at a number of parties I have made them for.
My dirty dish and my cocktail are one and the same - cosmopolitan champagne punch, known at my house as lethal punch (it tastes very sweet and mild, but really packs a punch - I always warn the uninitiated when serving it!). Half a bottle of cheap vodka, half a bottle of cheap triple sec, a bottle of cranberry juice and a bottle of the sickliest, sweetest sparkling wine you can find (here in Aus we have an abomination known as Passion Pop which is perfect), and a few thinly sliced limes. I would be ashamed of it, but bring it anyway, because while it is dirty, you would all love it!
The dream kitchen
Yes. All of these things for me too please! Plus a butler's kitchen where I can put all of my applicances on the counter, and mess it all up with cooking, and then close the door when the guests come!
Dinner for 6, when the table seats 4 and it's a small home
My inlaws do this for Christmas dinner/Christmas in July - they make their 6 seater table seat 12 or even more - works like a charm.
Broccoli Recipes?
Pop separated florets into rapidly boiling water for 2-3 minutes max. Drain, and return to hot (dry) saucepan with a little butter, some salt and some roasted flaked almonds (I just dry fry them in a pan while the brocc is cooking). Simple, but super tasty!
What's the most overpriced menu item you've seen?
About ten years ago, I paid $15.00 for a small bowl of steamed broccolli as a side dish at Aria in Sydney. We were shocked at the price, but it was the BEST broccolli that I have tasted before or since, we fought over the last peice, and still refer to it as "that amazing cocaine broccolli". I will go to my deathbed wondering how the chef made it taste so good. Worth every cent.
Gluten Free in Melbourne?
A girfriend of mine is wheat intolerant (not the same as gluten intolerant, but raises many of the same issues!). Her blog has great commentary on adapting receipes for wheat/gluten free and stacks of restaurant reviews which often comment on their GF-friendliness. Hope you find it helpful. Good luck.
http://itpleasesus.com/about-us/
If all foods were nutritionally equal would you change your diet?
a lot more butter, many more cheeseburgers, and more coca cola than you could possibly imagine! I pretty much eat what I want now, within reason, but if there was no reason for reason (becuase everything was nutritionally the same) this is what I would want more of!
Easy Friday night and easy Saturday morning
Spaghetti Carbonara is my go to Friday night dish - super yummy and comfort foody, and takes only as long as the spaghetti takes to cook!
Packing Kitchenwares for Summer Beach House Rental
I go away to a different rented holiday house every summeer, and find that I can make do with most holiday house kitchen knifes, chopping boards etc by making do - if they din't have tongs, I use a fork etc etc. The only thing I find that most places don't have (and that there is no replacement for) are pans big enough to cook for a crowd (usually there are 10 - 12 of us) so I've taken to carting along my big frying pan, my big roasting pan and my big dutch oven - I find I can cook most stuff in these if all the holiday house supplies is a few crummy saucepans. Also is a good idea to take some staples like oil vinegar, spices, s&p etc so you don't have to buy them all again! Have fun!!
Question: When you say, "I Hate . . . .
Agree - hate is only for things I absolutely will not eat under any circumstances. There are two things that do it for me - milk (heavily flavoured is fine, but straight milk gives me nightmares) and goat's cheese. HATE. In fact, hate is not a strong enough word for goat's cheese.
OK, this is awkward: a birthday dinner when all of the guests don't know its your birthday.....
yep, also agree with this - they will feel AWFUL if they find out later. You can totally mention it by the by like Isolda said, and you should do.
Cooking for women in their 20 somethings
I am a 20 something gal. All my girlfriends have wildy varying tastes, but there are somethings we do all love - desserts (esp chocolate related ones) and cocktails. On the booze front, I am more of a tequila or gin based cocktail person myself, but most of my girlfriends are not into really boozy tasting drinks - if you are going to do the cocktail thing, I think the much maligned, but very popular "girly drinks" are your best bet - I would think there are few twenty something women who would turn a free fruity drink down. I also like the idea of small, easy to eat items - very appealing to a female audience. Good luck!!
Hamburger controversy!
Another Aussie here (Victoria). Thinnish beef patty, cheese, caramelised onion, bacon, runny egg, beetroot, tomato and lettuce with tomato sauce for me please!! My local hamburger joint (Andrews in South Melbourne for Melbourne locals) mixes raw cabbage with the lettuce for extra crispiness - delicious!
going solo at movida
You have been doing your research!!
I would add New Gold Mountain http://www.newgoldmountain.org/NGM/New_Gold_Mountain.html
and Sweatshop
http://www.sweatshopbar.com.au/Sweatshop_Bar/Home.html
to your list.
For a more inexpensive experience, you won't stray too far wrong on/near brunswick street - lots of cool places with a nice relaxed sort of vibe.
going solo at movida
Afraid not - it is very rare for me to eat in a pub - not that I have anything against it, just that I tend to save up eating out occasions for fine dining and ethnic cuisines I can't cook myself.
I can give you some great recs for cool bars with interesting cocktails etc though?
going solo at movida
From memory, the tomato sorbet doesn't scream tomato - it is more complex with sort of worchestershire sauce and basil flavours (i last had this about 2 years ago, so please correct me if i am wrong anyone). It is such a great dish - I would take the punt if I were you.
Menu for a brunch fingerfood party?
My feeling is there is lack of protein - what about adding some smoked salmon for non-vego's and pescatarians? Perhaps with the bagels?
going solo at movida
good work! make sure you order the beef cheek and cauliflower puree - you will not regret it :)
Do you tend to eat with your hands?
I believe that eating asparagus with one's fingers is actually the "proper" and accepted way of eating it. It is certainly the best way IMHO.
I want to enjoy beer, but I don't. Can you help me?
+ 1 on avoided the fruit beers - if you love tequila, you can handle a non-fruity beer.
I want to enjoy beer, but I don't. Can you help me?
My tip (which I had in mind even before I read this) is to start by drinking beer when you are hot and sweaty - I have developed quite a taste for beer (which, like you, I specifically set out to do), and it all started through grabbing my husband or a close male friend's beer on the dance floor to have a swig of just for pure refreshment purposes. After a few months of making a habit of this, and I was on to my own beer for dance floor refreshment, and now I quite enjoy it at any time of day. I found I really did need to educate my palate, and this was a great way to start, so post work-out might work well for you. For the record, I like lighter beers like Asahi, Stella and Becks. Good luck!
"Better to have given birth to a piece of BBQ pork than you!", "I'd sell my wife to eat fatty winter yellow tail", any other wacky worldy expressions about food?
Some little explanations first: In Australia, "bikkie" is slang for biscuit, which is what our American friends would call a cookie. Busted, or "busted in" in this case, is broken. A wallaby is like a little kanagroo.
Now for the sayings:
An unattractive person might be referred to here as having a face like "a busted in bikkie tin" or a "half chewed wallaby" or a "half sucked aspirin".
If you are super busy you might say you are "flat out like a lizard drinking"
My guilty secret: I deliberatly burn certain foods for the browned, crispy edges!
roast pumpkin - mmm charry goodness :)
Do you flip your cutting board?
I have a lovely wooden board that I do all my chopping on. I try to plan ahead to do meat/chicken last, but if that's not possible, I am a big fan of the flip the board maneuver. I usually flip it onto the metal area next to my sink (where I would normally stack my dishes) so it is super easy to clean off any yucky contaminat-y juices.
