They call me caramello . . .

HOBART.

I just can't even start to explain how much I loved the place, it is a foodie's haven!

And what perfect timing my holiday to the Apple Isle was! Who watches MasterChef? I was thrilled to see the teams cooking up a storm at the Salamanca Markets the other night. What a shame I missed them in real life!

Bree and I had a fabulous morning at the markets - I bought lots of little local goodies - dessert dukkah and lime and coconut marmalade were two of my fave finds.

In amongst all the little alley ways and arcades, we found a gorgeous little providore that specialised in local produce. 

A Common Ground. 

Cheeses, olives, pickles, jams . . . it went on and on.

I just loved their merchandising and the friendly staff who were hosting tastings. The smells coming out of that tiny shop were so inviting, how I'd love to run a similar shop in the Rads, celebrating the fabulous foods we have down here.

I picked up a jar of Bruny Island Cheese Company dulce de leche from a common ground, as a sneaky little indulgence.

And boy, it is GOOD (but oh so BAD!)

I felt like a sweet fix after dinner the other night (yes, I admit - it was while I was watching MasterChef on telly and was feeling nostalgic about Hobart!) so decided to crack open the little jar of naughtiness.

I had some leftover dried figs from my apple and pear pies the other night and thought they would go so wickedly well with the Tassie caramel and ice cream.

A kind of ice cream sundae for grown ups!

 

Um, the ice-cream was low-fat . . . does that make it okay!?

Chinese New Year

There's nothing better than getting a big group of friends together and celebrating with great food and wine.

I organised another 'blind friendship date' last week in honour of Chinese New Year. A 'blind friendship date' refers to a night out with a random bunch of friends who don't know anyone else at the table except for me (self-indulgent a bit, no!?)

As my single friends drop like flies and those who are hitched start popping out the bubs, I find myself having to create new social opportunities and break into new friendship groups . . . or buy a cat (and I hate cats)

We went to T Chow in the Adelaide Central Markets to indulge my love of pomp and ceremony and authentic flavours and dug into their special CNY menu.

It was delish! And the Rockford Alicante Bouchet wasn't too bad either. Yum!

The drumming wasn't everyone's cup of tea but the fortune cookies that I'd left as a party favour at each place setting went down a treat. (Thanks for the inspiration, Billy Law of MasterChef Magazine!)

Keeping with the international celebrations this year, I think my next event might have to be Greek Easter! Who's in!?

Beneath the winds

Love love love my cultural fix and very excited about tonight's DEPARTURE event at the Art Gallery of South Australia.

Doesn't this sound like the perfect way to spend a balmy {almost} Summer's evening?

Get amongst the hustle and heat of Adelaide’s own Jogjakarta night markets and feel the energy of cutting edge contemporary art on the streets of one of Indonesia’s oldest cities.

Shake up your chakras with an eclectic mix of sounds playing live in the Gallery courtyard, and feast on Asian street market favourites.

The final DEPARTURE for 2011 will also feature torchlight tours through ancient South East Asian masterpieces and street art by one of Indonesia’s most vibrant contemporary artists, Eko Nugroho.

And don't get me started on the food - the Art Gallery is renowned for its fabulous spreads. 'Night Market' food has me excited - satays anyone?

Direct from the Sourced

(whoops, bit blurry here!)

Flowers are the perfect addition to a weekend shopping basket!

Cool cafe - the menu was written on the tiles and huge rolls of brown paper

There's nothing like a trendy market to get a try hard foodie excited!

The fabulous Anna Spiro played host to Emma and me on our weekend adventures in Brisbane and on recommendation from her brother's girlfriend, Pip, we headed to Sourced Grocer in Teneriffe for a late afternoon coffee and sticky beak.

Fabulous vibe and a very cool little spot - ah-mazing ingredients for a very special home cooked meal. They also have a little cafe where we sat on milk crates and revived with hot drinks, watching the beautiful people drop by!

It's such a gorge little hole in the wall place, hidden away in a suburban street. Gorgeous decor with plants on the wall and subway tiles - complete with dark grey grout.

Plenty more Brisbane highlights to come . . . stay tuned (or turn over to Emma's little recap on our visit to Black & Spiro or Anna's wrap up of our day out)

Perfect Sunday

One of my new year's resolutions was the have fresh flowers in the house at least once a fortnight. My Granny has a beautiful garden and I am often spoilt with beautiful bouquets from her - in fact, I still have the bunch of hydrangeas she gave me more than a month ago sitting on my coffee table!

But last Sunday I wanted some more colour and needed to stretch my legs so walked down to the Adelaide Showground Farmers Markets to bag a bargain.

And I did well!

I got four bunches of lilies for Mum for only $10 (she had to split them over two vases, there were so many!) . . .

. . . and one bunch of these gorgeous hot pink flowers for me for only $4.50. What was I thinking? I should've got more at that price!

I've never seen so many people at the markets - it was a gorgeous sunny day and everyone was stocking up on goodies, especially flowers!

After the great start to my Sunday, I dropped off the flowers at Mum and Dad's and tucked in to some lunch and a good coffee with them - loving their Nespresso and how easy it is to make good coffee!

Then I came home and made the most of having the house to myself. I popped on the kettle, tidied the kitchen and watched the second movie in the Stieg Larsson trilogy . . . and did not move from my couch until bed time!

It's so nice to have some downtime on the weekend - I'm so busy trying to fill my diary with coffee dates, dinner parties and drinks after work that I sometimes forget how nice it is to have a blank day!

I could get used to lazy afternoons of mugs of green tea, movies and keeping warm under the mohair rug on the couch. Especially as Winter sets in!

If I'm late to a scheduled catch up witih you in the dreary months ahead, you'll know where to find me!

Downtown dumplings

As much as I love fine dining and the airs and graces associated with it, nothing beats a $6.50 bowl of steamed pork dumplings with complimentary chinese tea at the markets.

Especially in the company of good friends xo

You say tomato . . .

My friend Anna is crazy for macarons and has already decided she's having a tower for her wedding cake.

Not too sure on Adriano's kalamata olive take on the classic!

There seems to be some confusion in the food fraternity (or perhaps it's outside the fraternity where the confusion lies!)

Is it macaron . . . or macaroon?

Wikipedia says:

A macaron is a sweet confectionery. Its name is derived from an Italian word "maccarone" or "maccherone". This word is itself derived from ammaccare, meaning crush or beat, used here in reference to the almond paste which is the principal ingredient. It is meringue-based: made from a mixture of egg whites, almond flour, and both granulated and confectionery sugar.

The confectionery is characterized by its smooth, domed top, ruffled circumference, and flat base. Connoisseurs prize a delicate, egg shell-like crust that yields to a moist and airy interior. The French macaron differs from macaroons in that it is filled with cream or butter like a sandwich cookie, and can be found in a wider variety of flavors that range from the traditional (raspberry, chocolate) to the exotic (truffle, matcha tea).

The Melbourne Gastronome agrees:

Yes, I'm one of those food wankers that goes cuckoo for macarons. And yes, I'm a tiresome pedant when it comes to calling them 'macarons', NOT 'macaroons'. If you found this page by googling "best macaroooooons in Melbourne", I submit the following for your consideration:

A macaron is a variety of French petit four made from two halves of almond meringue with a filling (often a ganache) in the middle.

A macaroon is most commonly a sort of chunky biscuit, often containing large quantities of desiccated coconut (or sometimes almond), popular in Scotland and the US.

Her blog on the best sort in Melbourne is fabulous and definitely worth checking out here.

Wouldn't these make a gorgeous present, when you're not really giving a gift?

So I'll stick with the foodies and call them macarons from now on. I just know that someone will correct me and act all smart and 'French', but I'll stick Claire on to them and see how they fare!





Wouldn't these be fab take home gifts at a baby shower, 60th birthday or Bastille Day celebration?



Macarons are all the buzz since the Masterchef special, but I've been on the bandwagon for ages. I just love them, they're so colourful and decadent yet delicate and sinful.



I'm yet to attempt to make them myself, but am planning a working bee with the girls to perfect the art. I think they'll make lovely Christmas presents and figure I've got five months to get my technique sorted!

The shop window of the Champs Elysees Laduree boutique. Ah-mazing.

Scouring the internet for flavour inspiration and colour combinations, I saw the name 'Laduree' pop up again and again.

It is the godfather of all things macaron and with stores all over the world, it prides itself on its perfect macarons and other pastries.

Can you imagine dining in such an elegant setting? You'd feel like Marie Antoinette!

The salon at the Champs Elysees store

Their flavours include:

Chocolate - Bitter Chocolate - Vanilla - Coffee - Rose - Pistachio - Raspberry - Blackcurrant Violet - Caramel with salted butter - Red Fruits - Orange Blossom - Liquorice - Lemon

And they celebrate each season with a new flavour such as Jasmin Mango

The store in Harrods, London. Squeal!

From Scratch has a stall at the Adelaide Showground Farmers Markets every Sunday

Here in Adelaide, we've been swept up in the macaron craze and have the farmers markets and street stalls to thank for our obsession with the crisp little treats.

From Scratch Patisserie has a lot to answer for with Radelaideans going crazy over their colourful range. For me, it's their presentation that impresses - they package them up in egg cartons and string for you to take home, and display them in old round wooden cheese cases, highlighting the rainbow of colours and flavours on offer.

The strawberry macarons with white chocolate and strawberry puree cream were a hit at Bree's farewell brunch and doubled as a gorgeous centrepiece for the table.

So while you say tomato, I'll say macaron.

Pics from weheartit.com, From Scratch and Laduree

Bowerbird Bazaar

We've finally hit the big time! The little old Rad has embraced design and good taste and showcased a plethora of gorgeous goodies at the recent Bowerbird Bazaar at the Queens Theatre.

I bought some stunning greeting cards and prints for my slowly developing cluster wall - one which I intend to focus on next week during my break between jobs.

Bree's cousin Austin lapped up the Bowerbird bizzo, manning his Two Halves stall. Love love love his Jack and Jill hooks - would make for great kids presents. What cool bag or coat hooks in a little one's bedroom or in the laundry?

As for the Queens Theatre . . . wow, what a venue - imagine how stunning it could look for a wedding or black tie ball, stunning! Needs a lot of work, but so much potential.

To market, to market . . .

Pictures from here

I love the markets! This is something I declare to my friends at least once a week, and make every effort to stop by the Adelaide Central Markets as often as possible. Whether it's a steaming pho at Charlie's Shack, a chai latte from Tbar or some mixed lollies from the old lolly shop - my senses are alive, and right in the heart of the city! But this post is about markets of a different kind - dare I say better kind.

Farmers markets are making a comeback with it suddenly being cool to wheel around your market trolley and buy odd-shaped vegetables ('organic' apparently means disfugured!). I used to go to Farmers Markets nearly every weekend in London and was thrilled when the Adelaide Showground Farmers Markets opened up just down the road not long ago. It's such a treat and an indulgent start to the morning. I walk home laden with fruit and veg and ridiculously priced heavy bread - seriously, I think you could use it as a door stop but they swear it's full of goodness and all kinds of grains.

Then there's the freshly brewed coffee, the forests of herbs, the glistening pastries and the scrummy smallgoods. Heaven!

Well, another of these fabulous examples of community markets is the Barossa Farmers Markets - best bacon and egg rolls to cure a hangover, trust me! The images above all come from the Barossa weekly event, with locals and tourists alike uniting to celebrate the region's much-famed produce.

With all this farmers markets shopping, I think it's time I invested in a funky trolley. If only I had the pounds for a Cath Kidston special! What markets can you recommend?