Seafood Cooking Class Saturday May 31 and Saturday July 19

SEAFOOD

I will have ordered a wide selection of the best available seafood for the day from Footscray Market and our local suppliers. We will examine all the produce, pointing out how to really test for freshness and how to get each variety ready for eating. – this class will also involve simple recipes to highlight the individual flavours of each variety.

$110 per person or $100 per person with a group of 4 or more.

All Inclusive Wines and GST

CLASSES ARE CONFIRMED BY RECEIPT OF CHEQUE OR BANK TRANSFER

Places are Transferable but Not Refundable

But a refund will be made if your place can be filled by another booking.

Bookings on 03 52362276 0r email gbiron@bigpond.net.au

.

The cooking of seafood can intimidate some cooks but if a little care is taken you will find that it is one of the simplest types of produce to use. Fish and other seafood cooks very quickly so great care in timing is needed. We will also discuss the sustainable varieties available and concentrate on some of the lesser known and used species.

.

Opening oysters is a simple skill that brings great rewards.

We will discuss and illustrate the difference between calamari and squid and also how to check if scallops and other seafood has been soaked to increase weight and enhance appearance to those who might not be familiar with these practices. A snow white scallop looks

good to some, to others they are a rip-off.

.

Basic Essentials Cooking Class Monday 26 May

Basic Essentials.

A chance to begin or re-visit some basic but essential techniques.
Stock, sauces, pastry, knife skills, simple boning and filleting as well as the fundamentals of planning a dish and a menu.

$110 per person or $100 per person with a group of 4 or more.
All Inclusive Wines and GST

03 52362276 to book or gbiron@bigpond.net.au
.


This class will cover knife skills and how to keep them sharp. Basic boning of a chicken and fish. Preparation of chicken stock, simple pastries, dressings, foundation sauces. Also poaching, steaming,frying and how to chose the best techniques for each recipe.

How to plan a menu will also be covered as well as basic bread making.

Classic Bisro Cooking Class Saturday May 24

These dishes never go out of fashion. Alain Ducasse, Charlie Trotter, Raymond Blanc and many other leading chefs all have moderne retro-bistros that keep alive the rich traditions of Bistro Cooking. They have also realised that this is the way most of us like to dine. We may go once to the big 3 star but return again and again to the bistro.

We all have our favourite Bistro; if only they were a little closer to home. The best style of restaurant cooking for home.
5 Classic dishes with well researched recipes. Desserts also covered.

$110 per person or $100 per person with a group of 4 or more.
All Inclusive Wines and GST

03 52362276 to book or gbiron@bigpond.net.au

.


It’s no mystery how these classic keep coming back into fashion. Some of the most satisfying meals are in this genre. I collect many recipes from the classic bistros of Europe and often seek them out when travelling. A true Tarte Tatin is more than just apples under puff pastry. The autumn weather is perfect for things like ox-tail, squab? a simple but carefully made boudin blanc?
A true cannelloni when you find one can satisfy much more than just an empty stomach.

The question of is it a Brasserie? or a Bistro is best debated after a couple of glasses of Pinot at the table in your favourite example of this timeless genre. Or perhaps in this class?

For an example of a Classic Bistro class from earlier click here .. http://www.scribd.com/doc/2310151/Classic-Bistro-Class-Notes?ga_uploads=1

Classic Desserts Cooking Class Monday May 19

Classic Desserts Monday May 19

Seasonal examples from 5 classic dessert categories. Mousses, tarts, ice-creams, hot puddings, Soufflé. Some custards and pastry also covered. We can always branch out and be adventurous once we have mastered the classics. We will also look at various forms of sugar and how to balance sweetness with natural flavours.

$110 per person or $100 per person with a group of 4 or more.

All Inclusive Wines and GST

CLASSES ARE CONFIRMED BY RECEIPT OF CHEQUE OR BANK TRANSFER

Places are Transferable but Not Refundable

But a refund will be made if your place can be filled by another booking.

Bookings on 03 52362276 0r email gbiron@bigpond.net.au

.

Once the basics of the classic dessert repertoire are mastered then originality can begin to be explored.

The French kitchen is renowned for technique in this discipline.
The Italians like to keep it simple but there is also a wealth of knowledge to be learned from them. Fruit plays a great part in this section of the menu as does pastry.

.

Once you have mastered basic pastry a new confidence can develop in all your cooking.
With desserts the high degree of accuracy of measurement in ingredients and temperatures is required; they are not as forgiving as some other forms of cooking. Practice is paramount. Natural sweetness can be harnessed from many foods so sugar levels do not have to be too high.

Autumn Menus Cooking Class Saturday 17 May

Autumn at Sunnybrae brings quinces, late tomatoes, heritage apples, roasted pears amongst many other regional specialties. Perhaps some wild fungi? or some game? A time to stock the larder and appreciate fine ripe flavours. Two entrees, two main courses, two desserts. A straight-forward approach to traditional techniques.

$110 per person or $100 per person with a group of 4 or more.

All Inclusive Wines and GST

CLASSES ARE CONFIRMED BY RECEIPT OF CHEQUE OR BANK TRANSFER

Places are Transferable but Not Refundable

But a refund will be made if your place can be filled by another booking.

Bookings on 03 52362276 0r email gbiron@bigpond.net.au

.

Autumn is one of the most exciting times for produce. If only the rains would return.
The last and sometimes best tomatoes are with us, fungi will have burst in the forest and game is in season. There is still a little warmth in the soil and eggplants, grapes, and olives abound. Chestnuts and walnuts are here. New salad greens are growing and the appetite is strong for perhaps light ragout.

Quinces come into their own to be paired with pork or other sweeter meats; beetroot is abundant perhaps with some hare? The local shooters are bagging quail and the scene is set for some serious grazing in the dining room. As I write these notes we pray for rain or as they say
We’ll all be rooned….

Nourishment

nour·ish·ment /ˈnɜrɪʃmənt, ˈnʌr-/ [nur-ish-muhnt, nuhr-] –noun
1. something that nourishes; food, nutriment, or sustenance.
2. the act of nourishing.
3. the state of being nourished.
4.a process, system, method, etc., of providing or administering nourishment: a treatise on the nourishment of international trade.
[Origin: 1375–1425; late ME norysshement]
Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1)Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2006.

Nourishment is more than just caring for the body. There is also nourishment for the soul. That's why I love cooking. When I cook it becomes nourishment for both the body and the soul. And not only for me, also for those I cook for. It's the total package.

This is a picture of tonight's supper. Portobello stuffed, pep-a-dew pepper ravioli on a bed of blanched yellow, green, and red peppers with a pesto of cilantro, pecans, and garlic. The slaw is cabbage, carrots, ginger and Robusto Italian dressing.

The creative side of me was nourished as I cooked and plated the food. My need to care for my wife Sue was nourished as I watched her enjoy the meal. My body was nourished as I enjoyed the meal. And my soul was nourished as I listened to jazz, sliced, diced, and let go of the angst of life.

Cooking is, for me, the total package and my sabbath. My nourishment.

Antipasto Cooking Class Monday May 12 Monday July 14 Saturday July 26

ANTIPASTO

There is nothing better to begin a meal than a freshly prepared side table of regional specialities. This class gives us a chance to showcase the best of our region with simple recipes that can be used on their own as starters, accompaniments to grills or roasts, but best of all, as a balanced Antipasto. Stylish seasonal dishes suited to informal dining. All new recipes.

$110 per person or $100 per person with a group of 4 or more.
All Inclusive Wines and GST
CLASSES ARE CONFIRMED BY RECEIPT OF CHEQUE OR BANK TRANSFER
Places are Transferable but Not Refundable
But a refund will be made if your place can be filled by another booking.
Bookings on 03 52362276 0r email gbiron@bigpond.net.au


Of all the courses we do and serve at Sunnybrae Antipasto is definitely the most popular. This course affords the opportunity to utilise all the best seasonal produce to present a balanced set of simple dishes.

Balance is the key to all things culinary but no more important than in this course. Autumn will see artichokes, olives, home made and specialty cheeses, fungi as well as many other local specialities. For a sample class from 1995 click here.http://www.scribd.com/doc/2309461/Antipasto-1995.

We used to serve antipasto as a platter but now we tend to serve each item in its individual dish to prevent the bleeding of flavours and to keep the table neat.

I can still remember our first visit to Rome, a city that prides itself on its seasonal antipasti, the trolley with its carousel came around and we noticed that most people took 2 at most 3 items and then when it came around again did the same. Vegetables form the basis of this course but salame, fish and other preserved items also feature strongly.

We will also make some simple breads to go with our feast.

Bread and Pizza Cooking Class Saturday May 10 and Monday August 11

Bread and Pizza

Saturday May 10 and Monday August 11

Taking the mystery out of real bread baked in a conventional and also in the new Wood Oven. If you feel the need to knead this is your class. The class covers bread leavened with yeast and natural sour dough leaven. Learn how to make a starter and achieve a crisp crust. Rye and other grains also covered. . A seasonal lunch is also prepared while we wait for the bread to rise. Take home your loaf.


$110 per person or $100 per person with a group of 4 or more.

All Inclusive Wines and GST

CLASSES ARE CONFIRMED BY RECEIPT OF CHEQUE OR BANK TRANSFER

Places are Transferable but Not Refundable

But a refund will be made if your place can be filled by another booking.

Bookings on 03 52362276 0r email gbiron@bigpond.net.au

Home made bread is a treat. There is something seminal, elemental even spiritual about baking your own bread. I have been obsessed with bread for a long time but knew very little about baking bread before we opened Sunnybrae in 1991 and in fact we had Babaka’s bread sent down to us when we first opened.
Very quickly I realised that baking our own was the only way to go. For 10 years I made bread every time we were open and for all our classes. Sometimes twice a day for lunch and dinner service.
In the last 8 years or so my interest has turned to naturally leavened bread to the extent that after attending an oven raising workshop taken by Alan Scott in 2002

at Fruition Bakery in the Yarra Valley we organised our own workshop and the new oven was built by a dozen very enthusiastic budding bakers.

Many of these participants have now built their own ovens and some have opened their own bakeries. We spent 3 days building, eating, drinking and discussing the finer points of bread making oven building and lots of lies were laid as well as bricks.
I also like good yeast bread, slowly developed for flavour and a light texture.

On the last day of the oven building workshop we were visited by 10 of Australia best bakers for a demonstration that must have been the highest concentration of baking talent in the country.

Pizza has also been a passion for a very long time …

To read more click here..

http://www.scribd.com/doc/2309055/Pizza-Passion-PDF?ga_uploads=1

CHICKEN CHETTINAD

Ingredients:

Chicken ......... 1/2 Kg

Onions ........... 2 (sliced)

Tomatoes .......2 (chopped)

Tamarind juice ... 1-2 tbsps.

Ginger-garlic paste ...1tbsp.

Turmeric powder...... 1tsp.

Roast and dry grind:

Cumin seeds .... 1tsp.
Sesame seeds ...1tsp.
Poppy seeds....... 1tsp.
Pepper corns .... 1 tsp.
Dry red chillies ... 1-2
Cloves .................. 3-4
Cardamoms.......... 4
Cinnamon ............ small piece
Peanuts ................ handful

Tempering:

Mustard seeds .....1 tsp.

Dry red chillies ...... 1 -2

Asafoetida (hing).... a pinch

Curry leaves ........... 1 sprig

Method:

1. Heat oil in a pan, fry onion till golden brown.

2. Add tomatoes, ginger-garlic paste and the chicken.

3. Fry for 5-6 minutes, add a little water, salt, turmeric powder and simmer it.

4. when the chicken is half done, add the dry ground masala and tamarind juice.

5. Cook till done, add the tempering and garnish with coriander leaves.

Il Giorno di San Patrizio

March 18

What can I say? I’m not Irish, even on St. Patrick’s Day, so I spent yesterday evening, the 17th, with Jamie Tiampo, budding food writer and food photographer and a partner in Dell’anima, where we ate.
Jamie used to work in technology, but decided his real love was food, so he made a career change, something his wife — who works in finance or banking or something and clearly makes a good living — clearly supports. Jamie acknowledges that he’s a fortunate man.
We spent about four hours chatting — and eating grilled sweetbreads with celery root purée, lemon and capers; salad of chicories with Campari-honey dressing; tagliatella alla bolognese risotto alla pilota (chef Gabriel Thompson’s specialty) with housemade sausage, salumi and pecorino romano; a special ricotta-stuffed ravioli that wasn’t on the menu but that Jamie loves, and he’s an owner; chicken al diavolo with roasted sweet potato and chicken sugo; and barramundi with spring onions, Parmigiano brodo and saba (grape must reduction) — about politics and food and so on. So I sent him home late to pack for his trip the next day to New Orleans (some sort of gumbo expedition associated with the IACP).

TANDOORI CHICKEN

Ingredients:
Chicken .... 1/2 Kg
Ginger garlic paste ....1 tbsp.
Curd ....1/4 curd
Orange red food colour
Salt to taste
Tandoori masala powder ....1tbsp *
(see recipe in spice powders)

Method:

1. Mix all the ingredients in a bowl.

2. Clean the chicken pieces, rub the masala and marinate for 4-5 hours.

3. Pre-heat the oven at(200 degrees C)and roast the chicken for 30-40 minutes turning it once.

4. For chicken tikka use the same marination and boneless chicken cubes.

Eetsh (Armenian bulgur salad) - ايتش

Serves 4 or more

Ingredients:
1 cup of fine bulgur
1 diced tomato
1 small onion or shallot, diced
Lemon juice (1 big or 2 small)
1/3 cup of olive oil
1/2 cup of tomato sauce mixed with 1/3 cup of water
1 teaspoon of allspice or 7 spices
Salt and pepper to taste
Chopped parsley to top it
Cabbage leaves (optional)

In a pan, add the tomato sauce and the lemon juice and bring to a boil. Once they start boiling, turn the heat off, and add the spices, bulgur, chopped onion and tomato, cover and let it sit for half and hour. Mix in the olive oil then transfer into the serving dish. Add the chopped parsley. If you like to add some fresh chopped onions and tomatoes, you also can, it will give it extra flavors. I like to serve in cabbage leaves boats or cabbage on the side. It goes well with it but it's optional.

This salad can be served warm or cold.

Foul Mdammas (Fava & Chickpeas salad) - فول مدمس

Serves 4 or more

Ingredients:
1 cup of Fava beans
1 cup of Chickpeas
1 big clove of garlic minced (or 2 small)
1 lemon (juiced)
1/3 cup of olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste
Some chopped parsley

Radishes and green onion (optional)
Pita bread (optional)

Soak the beans for 12 hours or overnight, then cook by boiling them until done. (If you're in a hurry, get them in the can.) Drain, but keep a little bit of the water, then transfer them in a bowl. Add garlic, lemon juice, olive oil, salt & pepper. Garnish with chopped parsley on top. Serve this warm. Radishes, green onions and Pita bread go well with this dish.

GARAM MASALA

Green Cardamoms.... 20 gms.

pepper corns ............. 20 gms.

Cloves ......................... 10 gms.

Brown Cardamoms....10 gms.

Caraway seeds ........... 5 gms.

Cumin seeds ............... 5 gms.

Cinnamon .................... 20 gms.

Aniseeds ...................... 5 gms.

Bay leaves ................... 4-5

Roast without oil and dry grind.

TEA MASALA

Cardamoms ..... 1/4 cup

Dry ginger ........ 2 tbsps.

Pepper corns .... 1 tsp.

Cinnamon .......... 1 small piece
Aniseeds ............. 1 tsp.

Grind all the ingredients and store.

AMBOTIC SPICE PASTE ( from Goa )

Dry red chillies ....... 10

Cumin seeds ........... 1/2 tsp.

Cloves ...................... 5

Cinnamon ............... 1 inch piece

Black pepper .......... 1 tsp.

Ginger ...................... 2 inch piece

Garlic ....................... 10 cloves

Salt ........................... 1 tsp.

Malt vinegar ........... 1/2 cup

Dry roast and grind to a paste using vinegar.

Store this paste in the refrigerator.

Vinegar helps it to last for months.

KOLHAPURI MASALA

Cloves ............... 12

Cinnamon ........ 2 inch piece

Black pepper .... 1/2 tsp.

Mace .................. 1 full piece

Coriander seeds ..1 tsp.

Bay leaf ............... 1

Poppy seeds.......... 2 tsp. (Khus khus)

Cumin seeds .......... 1/4 tsp.

Fennel seeds .......... 1/2 tsp. (saunf)

Star anise ................ 1 piece

Cardamoms ............ 2-3

Dry red chillies ........ 7-8

Dry coconut ............. 1 tbsp. (Dessicated)

Oil to roast ............ 1tsp.

Roast and dry grind to a coarse powder.

This is a closer version of the Kolhapuri masala. The original one has few more spices, which are difficult to get outside Maharashtra. However this spice blend is equally good for Kolhapuri dishes.

BISI BELLA BATH MASALA (Sambar Rice)

Dessicated coconut .......... 1/4 cup
Coriander seeds................. 1 tbsp.
Black pepper ..................... 1 tsp.
Cummin seeds ................... 1/2 tbsp.
Methi seeds ...................... 1 tsp.
Dry red chillies ................. 4-5
Asafoetida (hing)............... 1/4 tsp.
Curry leaves...................... 2 sprigs
Cloves .............................. 5
Cinnamon ....................... 1 inch stick
Cardamom .................. 4-5
Oil for roasting .............. 1 tsp.

Roast and dry grind the above ingredients.

RASAM POWDER

Coriander seeds...1 tbsp.

Black pepper ........ 1 tsp.

Cummin seeds ..... 1/2 tbsp.

Dry red chillies .....3

Curry leaves.......... 1 sprig

Oil ........................... 1 tsp.

Roast and dry grind all the above ingredients.

SAMBAR POWDER

Coriander seeds ..... 1/4 cup.

Cumin seeds ........... 1 tbsp.

Chana dal ................ 1 tbsp.

Toor dal .................. 1 tbsp.

Methi seeds ............ 1 tsp.

Red chillies (dry)..... 6

Curry leaves ........... 8

Cloves ...................... 5

Turmeric powder...1 tsp.

Dry coconut ........... 1 tbsp (dessicated)

Oil ............................2 tsp.

Roast all the above ingredients.

Dry grind into a coarse powder.

TANDOORI MASALA POWDER

Coriander powder ..... 4 tsps.

Cumin powder ............ 3 tsps.

Garlic powder ............. 4 tsps.

Red chilli powder ........ 2 tsps.

Ginger powder ............ 2 tsps.

Mango powder ............ 2 tsps.

Dried mint .................... 1 tsp.

Red colour ..................... 1 tsp.

Rock salt ....................... 1 tsp.