ganache chocolate, south yarra & melbourne cbd

Ganache Chocolate is one of those places that I've known for years, and just never wrote about on this blog because I kind of take it for granted.

It is the place I go to when I need an awesome cake to bring to a party. My favourite is the Hazelnut Fan - layered with milk chocolate mousse, hazelnut sponge and hazelnut praline. If you like chocolate-hazelnut combos like Nutella or Ferrero Rocher, you'll love this cake. It is just utterly delicious with the smooth and crunchy layers, the nutty cocoa flavours. You can get single slices too, but a whole cake is better value, so when there are special occasions I leap at the opportunity to purchase one. I've gotten it from the original South Yarra store (250 Toorak Rd, South Yarra) and also the Melbourne CBD branch (245 Collins St, Melbourne) - both were of the same fabulous quality.

Hazelnut fan cake from Ganache Chocolate (starts from $33 for a small cake to feed several people).

It is also the place I go to when my friends are in the neighbourhood and we're just looking for a place to chill out. My most recent order was a Chocolate Frappe from their specialty summer drinks menu, a blended icy drink with gelato and ganache. It had the ideal balance for me - authentically chocolatey, without being too rich and heavy, and not too sweet. Just right.

Chocolate frappe ($6.90).

Ganache Chocolate also has a simple selection of savoury dishes on their menu, with items like croque monsieur, quiches, and sandwich bread rolls, which look attractive and reasonably priced. Due to the main attraction that is their chocolatey goods, I've never gotten around to trying those. But they're definitely on the radar, and I may have a light lunch there someday. Meanwhile, if you haven't been, and you happen to drop by, do try their chocolatey goods!





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how to eat sweet tamarind from pods

A box of sweet tamarind from Thailand.

A few months ago, a friend offered me a box of sweet tamarind from Thailand. This was actually given to him as a gift, but he found them a little strange and daunting. I've used tamarind as an ingredient before, but these were whole tamarind pods which are sufficiently ripe and sweet that you can enjoy as a snack just by themselves, which was actually quite novel to me, too. So how does one eat sweet tamarind? Let me show you the way.

The tamarind pods look like this. Not the prettiest things...

The whole sweet tamarind pods.

I cracked the outer shell open. I did this by applying pressure to the pod with hands until the shell broke. Visually, it doesn't really get much better.

A half-peeled sweet tamarind pod.

Then I scrapped off the shell until I was left with just the sticky fruit. Now, here it is, with the shell completely removed.

Sweet tamarind pod with the shell completely removed.

I peeled off the tough, stringy fibers that still clung on to the outside of the flesh. To proceed from here, take a bite of the fruit, one section at a time, chew and spit out the seed.

What does sweet tamarind taste like? To me, it tasted like a tangy dried date. Simon concurred, describing it as having the texture of a date, and a mild cranberry flavour.

A chunk of the sweet tamarind flesh, and one of the sweet tamarind seeds.

In conclusion, these sweet tamarind pods may look quite challenging, but they're really not difficult to eat. All you require is a sense of adventure, and you'll be rewarded with a nice snack!

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oven-baked spiced kale frittata-omelette

Oven-baked spiced kale frittata.

Food bloggers have been waxing lyrical over kale for ages, yet for some reason I've never felt driven to purchase it at the markets. That is, until I saw a packet of baby kale on the bargain table for 50 cents. If you're a regular reader of my blog, you know I love the bargain tables - the cheap prices give me extra incentive to take the plunge on an unfamiliar ingredient.

A bowl of washed baby kale.

I am also currently going through a phase where I enjoy experimenting with Indian flavours in the kitchen. Thus, an oven-baked spice kale frittata was born - a really thin one, almost an omelette. I used various spices I had on hand. I just sort of threw them together because I find that kind of thing enjoyable, but if you can't be bothered, I think some of those pre-mixed Indian curry spices in tins would suit here, too. If you're mixing your own, feel free to adjust the amount of chilli powder to suit your preferences. Mine had a surprisingly generous dose of heat - good thing we both deal well with spicy food!

Oven-baked frittata with baby kale and lots of spice.

oven-baked spiced kale frittata

For the kale:

1 tablespoon oil
1/8 teaspoon chilli powder
1/8 teaspoon coriander seed powder
1/8 teaspoon cumin seeds
1/8 teaspoon cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon turmeric
1/8 teaspoon salt
100g baby kale (about 3 - 4 packed cups)

For the eggs:

4 large eggs
2 tablespoons coconut cream
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon cracked black pepper

In a 20cm/8" oven-safe pan, fry spices in oil for about 15 seconds over low to medium heat, keeping an eye on them and stirring so that they don't burn. Add salt and baby kale. Stir-fry for another 2 - 3 minutes until the leaves are wilted.

In a bowl, whisk eggs together with coconut cream, salt and pepper. Add in the cooked kale and mix well. Pour the entire mixture back into the oven-safe pan you had previously used for stir-frying the kale.

Bake in an oven that had been pre-heated to 180ºC / 350ºF fan-forced (200ºC/390ºF conventional) for about 15 minutes. It should be golden brown on top by then.

Cut and serve the frittata! You can eat it by itself with a dollop of cool coconut cream or tangy plain yoghurt, have it with rice, slot it into a sandwich, or whatever.

I'll admit, this is a pretty basic recipe, so feel free to add more veggies in there - next time I'd cook a bit of garlic and onion before adding the baby kale at the stir-frying stage, for extra nutrition and flavour.

Oh, and happy Valentine's day, whether you celebrate it or not! Simon and I are doing a temporary long-distance thing at the moment, so I'll likely be having a quiet one at home - not that we usually do much for it anyway. :)

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pho hien vuong pasteur, footscray

I rarely make my way to any suburbs that aren't a reasonable walk or a short tram ride away, but late last year I've had to run a couple of errands in Footscray.

When I knew I had to make the trip to Footscray, the first thing that came to mind was that I wanted Vietnamese food for lunch. Of course.

The choices abound. We ended up at Pho Hien Vuong Pasteur (144 Hopkins St, Footscray).

In the beverage section, the custard apple juice immediately caught my eye. It was icy, sweet, and the distinct deliciousness of custard apple shone through. I liked it.

Custard apple juice ($3.50).

I had already decided that I would have pho. They come in three sizes here: $8 for small, $9 for medium, and $10 for large. The small one was just right for me.

Funnily enough, Simon and I saw that the menu had both "Special Beef & Chicken", and "Chicken & Beef Combination". Naturally, we thought we would order one of each, to assess the difference. The woman taking our order looked at us like we were crazy. "They're the same thing." Oh. Alright then.

Special combination chicken and beef pho (the small serving, $8).

Anyhow, it was pretty great. The broth had a lovely spiced warmth and complexity, with a depth of flavour that goes beyond mere MSG (though I'm sure that was included, too). The noodles were super smooth and slippery. The meat and offal were tasty, and the trimmings (beansprouts, basil, chilli) were fresh.

The combination pho with all the trimmings.

I'll have to pop by Footscray again for another errand soon. It's tempting to return to Hien Vuong for more pho, but if you've got any other suggestions, do leave a comment!



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happy chinese new year, and dessert flashbacks...

Another new year has arrived, according to the lunar calendar.

My parents visited recently, and while they didn't hang around in Australia long enough to spend Chinese New Year together, we still had a grand time.

Just quickly, I want to share with you a couple of sweet treats they made during their time in Melbourne.

First, these blue glutinous rice cakes, made with steamed glutinous rice, flavoured with coconut milk and coloured with homemade dye from blue butterfly pea flower. Some people call these cakes "pulut tai tai", which, I don't know, translates into "lady rice" or something like that. They are also referred to as "kuih kaya", because they are eaten with generous dabs of kaya, a coconut jam (or perhaps more accurately, caramelized coconut curd). In my family, we know it as "kah tak kueh", which means "foot-stomped cake", as the cooked rice grains are traditionally compressed into cake form by literally stepping on them - I think something like banana leaves are layered over so the feet doesn't come in direct contact with the goods, ha. When my dad makes this, he just presses it with his hands, and weighs it down with heavy books. One day, though, I reckon it would be fun if we tried making it with the old-school technique!

Blue pea flower glutinous rice cakes, served with a dab of kaya garnished with a dried blue pea flower.

There is also this fabulous creation that seems to be a twist on tang yuan (a glutinous rice ball dessert which is traditionally served in a sweet ginger soup) - apparently my parents ate it somewhere and then decided to attempt making it at home themselves. So here we have pumpkin tang yuan in a taro-infused coconut milk. Deliciousness.

Pumpkin tang yuan in taro coconut milk.

My parents are super amazing and they make such a great team, don't you agree? I'll wrap this post up with my best wishes for the days to come. Happy Chinese New Year to my fantastic family, and to all of you!

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papaya carob smoothie

Papaya carob smoothie.

Surprisingly, this January hasn't been stupidly busy at work as previous years have indicated, but there are still distractions galore. My parents have been visiting and I've been enjoying their company, the Australian Open is on and I've been enjoying tennis, and, you know... other life stuff.

Which is why I'm giving you this super-simple smoothie recipe. It's really just a two-ingredient affair if you don't count the water and ice cube components. All you gotta do is get yourself some deliciously toasty carob powder, some sweetly smooth papaya, and you're set.

Roasted carob powder.

A quick background on the idea behind this papaya carob smoothie. I visited my sister a few months ago, and was quite intrigued by the latest dietary changes she has made for her son's sake, in accordance to a book called The Eczema Diet by Karen Fischer - with good results, it seems, if his skin's improvement is anything to go by. And for the first time, I had a taste of roasted carob powder, and fell in love. Carob is often used as a substitute to chocolate and therefore compared in unfavourable terms, but that is doing it a disservice. No, it doesn't taste exactly like chocolate, but it's magnificent in its own right - so delightfully malty with a hint of nuttiness and caramel.

This papaya carob smoothie, then, is a recipe I devised, based on the list of eczema-safe ingredients in the book. I have to confess that I don't tend to get excited about papaya, but with carob? Bring it on!

Fresh papaya.

1 cup papaya flesh (approx. 140g)
1.5 tablespoons roasted carob powder
1/2 cup water or soy milk or rice milk
4 ice cubes

Whiz all ingredients together until smooth... and it's ready to pour, drink and enjoy.

Papaya smoothie with the special touch of roasted carob powder.

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Rockwell and Sons, Collingwood

When it's not ridiculously hot, it's hard to beat a long summer's day for life's simple indulgences. I love that it can still be bright at 8 o' clock in the evening. I love enjoying my dinner in the open air, as the residual warmth from the last rays of the sunlight and the emerging coolness of the evening breeze caress me.

If you're in Melbourne, you know we're currently experiencing a ridiculously hot week. Fortunately, it was under much more comfortable conditions when I ticked Rockwell and Sons (288 Smith St, Collingwood) off my wishlist last month. It was one of those gorgeous days, if I do recall correctly.

And for a pretty evening like that, you've got to start with a pretty drink. I made the right choice with a strawberry and star anise soda - a lovely housemade affair with fresh, true flavours, sweet with strawberries and flickering with the faintest hint of star anise.

Strawberry and Star Anise Housemade Soda ($5).

French fries with malt vinegar aioli, an excellent combination. The pairing of the crunchy fries with the quite strongly acidic aioli reminded me of salt-and-vinegar chips!

French Fries, Malt Vinegar Aioli ($6).

I had heard so much about the burgers at Rockwell and Sons, especially the famous Double Patty Smash Burger. Perhaps too much, as all the rave reviews had me thinking that this could be a life-changing burger, which is probably quite unrealistic. So look, it may be over-hyped but it was still enjoyable, to be fair - juicy patties, soft and buttery brioche bun, a tasty sauce reminiscent of thousand island dressing... and, I really, really like how there were pickles in every bite, because pickles are awesome.

Double Patty Smash Burger ($10).

The fried chicken sandwich with buttermilk dressing, iceberg lettuce and hot sauce was delicious, too. We gobbled it up in no time.

You know what? These burgers are kind of like what would happen if McDonald's was given a quality, classy, gourmet makeover. I say that as a compliment.

Fried Chicken Sandwich ($12).

The surprise of the night was the pan-roasted broccoli with bonito aioli and pickled sultanas. What a great way to cook broccoli! It was caramelised, it was smoky, it was quite a revelation. The waiter, sensing my delight, said this dish, too, was a favourite of his - that he thought it was a stroke of genius and wanted to try it at home. Yeah, I'm definitely going to pan-roast my broccoli and pickle my sultanas in the future. Thanks for the idea, Rockwell and Sons!

Pan-Roasted Broccoli, Bonito, Pickled Sultanas ($12).

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hot smoked trout salad

Hot smoked trout salad.

Happy new year, everyone!

This year is going to be exciting. Plans are a-brewing; this is the year of big decisions and big adventures. I'll leave it at that, but I promise you, even if I don't post terribly often, I'll be here to tell you about it all when it happens.

But for now, we'll talk about smoked trout. Simon spied a heavily discounted whole hot smoked trout at the supermarket a couple of months ago. He asked me for my opinion on whether to purchase it; neither of us had tried it before. I shrugged, "we'll figure out something to do with it."

By the way, so inexperienced was I, that at first I thought the "hot" in "hot smoked trout" stood for spiciness. I've since educated myself and now know that it is merely refers to the temperature of the kiln in which it is smoked. So you get "cold smoked trout" and "hot smoked trout".  The cold smoked version is soft and juicy, like sashimi, and the hot smoked version is flaky but still tender, like a gently barbecued fish.

We didn't use it immediately, so off it went, into the freezer. Recently, when we were going through the food we had accumulated, we finally did something about it. I sent Simon off to the shops with a list of vegetables to buy, and when he came back with the goods, I made a smoked trout salad.

Hello, hot smoked trout!

The salad was absolutely delicious, and it had a feel-good quality to it, too. The simple vegetables were lightly dressed, the trout danced all about in the bowl, adding a salty smokiness.

Hot smoked trout salad with potatoes, green beans, tomatoes, mint, basil, olive oil, and butter.

hot smoked trout salad
(serves 2 - 3 as a main, depending on how hungry you're feeling)

1 punnet cherry tomatoes / grape tomatoes / baby roma (approx. 200g / 7oz)
4 medium all-purpose potatoes e.g. sebago (approx. 150g / 5oz each, x 4)
green beans (200g / 7oz) - add to pot once potatoes are close to ideal tenderness, then boil about 3 minutes.
1 smoked trout (375g / 13oz), flaked
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon butter
salt and cracked black pepper, to taste
1 heaped tablespoon each of shredded basil and mint (or dill and parsley)

Roast tomatoes in an oven at 180°C / 360°F fan-forced (200°C / 400°F conventional) for 20 minutes.
In the meantime, boil potatoes in a pot of water for about 10 - 15 minutes, and just before they reach your preferred tenderness, add the green beans and boil for another 3 minutes. Drain off the water.

Toss potatoes, green beans and cherry tomatoes together with olive oil and butter. The tomatoes may burst, but that's okay, even encouraged - it becomes part of the dressing. Add salt and pepper to taste, but be conservative with the salt, as the smoked trout will be quite salty. If you don't want your herb leaves to turn dark, put them in after everything has cooled down, or perch them daintily at the end after you've doled out individual serves - otherwise you can toss them through immediately if you don't care, which was what I did. Add pieces of the hot smoked trout. (Obviously I did a dastardly job of flaking mine, and missed some of the bones as well, I'm sure you'll do better.)

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