Emma's turn now...29th April 2009 at The Mantle, TAFE

My course is quickly coming to an end...6 weeks to go...2 of which I have to spend in the Dining Room taking orders...serving food (normally cooked by us students)...I will be on waitering the last night of the Restaurant opening for the year...and Hospitality related businesses will be there...it will be good to be on the other end and see the Patrons...

Here we have the menu for Chef de Cuisine for the evening...Emma!!!

Polenta Chips with Garlic Aioli...

I know you have asked for the recipe for Aioli... Micki, I will try to make one here perhaps after the course and post it up for you...this was soooo delicious!!!
I just loved these roasted tomatoes coming out of the oven...

Ricotta Tortellini...

Fragrant That Chicken Broth...

Tea Smoked Salmon...

Duck Breasts, for...

Duck Breast with Fresh Braised Lentils, Thyme and Fondant Potato...

Apple rings for...

Roasted Loin of Pork with Salted Apple Salad and Potato Puree...

Blood Orange Curd Tartlet with Orange Mascarpone and Balsamic Glazed Strawberries...

Petit Pots au Chocolate

Vanilla Bean Panna Cotta with Fresh Pear Coulis...

Petit Fours...

Another successful night at our Training Restaurant...

The young apprentices are coming up with delicious menus...I'm sure they are all going to do well as they all are in the final stages of becoming 'Chef'...

As for me...I thought I would continue to try out new recipes at home at least weekly...

I have purchased some lovely lovely inspiring cookbooks...

And I am cooking along with Vicki over in California through my other blog...Queen of the Armchair aka Dzintra Stitcheries. We are using the Donna Hay magazines and I think we are going to have a lot of fun doing this...choosing the recipes...and then blogging about it...

I look forward to the next cook-up with you Vicki...

Thanks for stopping by...and Happy Cooking, Dzintra ♥

The Mantle Restaurant at TAFE...8th April, 2009

Hello and welcome back...I'm running a little behind here with posting the menus up from my classes...these are from 8th April 2009... Champagne Granita Oysters...

Ocean Trout cured with Pickled Cucumber and Apple Salad...delicious!!!

Tiger Prawns Fresh Linguini with Chilli, Lemon and Garlic...

Leek and Parmesan Tart served with Rocket and Pear Salad...

Kingfish Fillet with Parsley infused Potato Puree and Courgette Fritter...

Breast of Duck Five Spiced with Rice Noodles, Asian Greens and Soy Dressing...

Eye Fillet with White Onion Puree, Parisienne Potatoes and King Brown Mushroom...

Chocolate Fondant with Vanilla Bean Ice-Cream and Strawberry Mint Salad...

Apple Tarte Tatin with Double Cream...

Banana Pudding served with Butterscotch Sauce and Honeycomb Semi-Freddo...

Petit-Fours...

And presenting Chef de Cuisine for tonight...Dean

I think Dean has a great future in the Hospitality Industry...having been offered a position on completion of his Apprenticeship up at Byron Bay on the North Coast of New South Wales...Onya Dean!!!

Thank You Dean...a great Menu for us Students!!!

Birthday Dinner!!!

Here I am...back after 4 days of wonderful birthday celebrations and being utterly spoiled...what more could a gal ask for...I hope you had a wonderful one as well MichCherieI made my own cake...a gluten free Harry Potter buttercake...complete with jelly beans...little chocolate chips...and yep...they're gluten free as well together with chocolates to indulge the sweet tooth in us all...

Can't help it...I am a fan of Harry Potter...I bought rubbers, colouring books, pens, scrapbook, folder...even handed one of my assignments in my cookery course in a Harry Potter folder!!!


Following on from last week...here we are at Waterview at lunchtime...our table overlooking the well known Clyde River...well known for some of the cleanest oysters on the East Coast of Australia...

I didn't get our lunch pics as Fiona and I were too busy indulging...our Host very generously gave me...with compliments...a small bottle of bubbly...

Here is my Dessert...Mascarpne Cream with Poached Pears and Sesame Tuille...scrumptious...and complete with a gold candle!!!


And Vodka and Lime Tart...

Thank You Mitch for looking after us so well!!!


I bought myself this fabulous book...


Dinner the following evening at On The Pier

Tempura Prawns, Spiced Plum Sauce and Lemon


One of the meals...Char Grilled Beef


Greek Salad...

Fat Chips with Lime Aioli...

Vegetables...green beans, broccoli...at first look I thought they were accompanied by potatoes but they were the sweetest stickiest onions...

Sticky Rice with Mint Anglaise Sauce...

And at the end of it all this wonderful Happy Birthday on a plate...

this tasted like an apple sauce...and very yummy!!!

Thank You for looking after us so well!!!

There are a few more food pics on my other blog if you want to check it out...just click here

This is one of the best birthdays I have had...and now I sound like a big kid!!!

It's back to my course next week to do more at the Training Restaurant...till next time have a lovely week...Dzintra ♥

Easter~Asian Duck...And It's Birthday Eve!!!

What absolutely glorious weather we have just had this Easter...sunshiney days...catching up with Family and Friends...Thought I would post up my coloured eggs for this year and a couple of fish dishes... Eggs dyed with red onion skin...and of course couldn't resist the chocolate variety as well!!!
Blue-eyed Trevalla on a Lemon Potato Salad...very, very tasty

Pan Fried Bream...

Asian Duck from my TAFE course...Micki has requested this recipe, so here 'tis...

ASIAN DUCK WITH PISTACHIOS AND RED WINE ~Serves 7~

7 pieces of duck

375ml orange juice

2 cloves of garlic~ crushed

1/2 small chilli~crashed

1/2 tsp sea salt

1/2 bunch coriander~chopped - leave some for garnish

50ml sesame oil

30g ginger~grated

3 shallots~finely chopped

1 clove garlic

50ml beef stock

125ml red wine

2tsp red wine vinegar (you could even start off with 1)

soy sauce *

125gm pistachios

250g butter

3 cucumbers

50gr rocket leaves

METHOD

• Score duck breast
• Marinate in the orange juice, garlic, chilli and coriander, cover and regrigerate
• Heat sesame oil, when hot, seal duck skin side down. Once cooked set aside
• Add garlic, ginger and onions to pan juices and caramelize
• Add red wine vinegar, soy sauce and pistachios, reduce by half
• Add butter and stir through

Serve on a bowl of shaved cucumber and rocket leaves~ drizzle reduction over and garnish with the coriander

*soy sauce ~ perhaps start off with 2 tsp as this amount was not specified

* This recipe was used at our TAFE Restaurant night and handed in by a student who said it came from Gourmet Traveller

This really is a delicious recipe...and if you get to try it I would be interested in how you went!!

And last...but not least...today is Birthday Eve for me~and my 2 Friends Fiona and Josephine are taking me out to Waterview ~ the newest Restaurant in town!!! I am really looking foward to this...so Cheers to you all!!!

TAFE ~The Mantle Restaurant~ 25th March 2009...And A Very Special Easter Basket!!!

And welcome back Friends to my class at the College...here I have the meals prepared by our class for the The Mantle Restaurant...the training restaurant...These classes are quickly coming to a close, and I so wish I had of photographed my first year in these classes in 2008... Amuse Bouche...Smoked Salmon on Potato Discs...


Crushing Pistachio Nuts...these looked so wonderful...all crushed in the Mortar and Pestle...couldn't resist the shot!!!


This one was mine for the evening...Asian Duck with Pistachios and Red Wine...
the most popular Entree this evening~

Cauliflower and Gruyere Souffle ~Double Baked with Frisee and Lardon Salad...


Pan Seared Scallops with Sage, Rocket and Mediterranean Salad...
the next most popular Entree~

Pan Fried Kingfish with Wilted Spinach, Warm Tomato and Leek Sauce...
garnished with Rings of Crispy Fried Onion~

Beef Fillet wrapped in Beer Bacon with Mushroom Sauce and Garlic Potatoes...

served with Broccoli Flowerets and top with Taleggio~

Quail, Char Grilled ...sweet and sour on a warm Bean Sprout and Noodles Salad~

Chocolate-malt Meringues with Seasonal Fruit and Whipped Cream

The Apprentice who made this dish is keen to become a Pastry Chef...

and she just loves doing Desserts. This training will...if she goes ahead with it...will take her possibly to Melbourne in Victoria...

Espresso Sorbet with Cafe Grand Ice Cream and Vanilla Poached Pears...scrumptious!!!

Apple and Calvados Trifle...this one again by the aspiring Pastry Chef...

Sticky Date Pudding with Caramel Sauce...

And I couldn't resist this shot...Lyle...I just thinks he looks so much like our very own Chef Curtis Stone who is in the United States at the moment...

And here is the real Curtis...image from Australian Delicious Magazine, March 2009

And last but not least...a lovely Easter basket made by our Daughter JoJo...

Our Darling Girl...as some of you may already know from my Queen of the Armchair blog, has a disability...this Basket was made by her at her Day Programme and she is so proud of it!!! She has the most loving Heart...enjoys all special and important occassions and makes us Proud!!!

Happy Easter to you all...and may the Easter Bunny bring you much Chocolate to enjoy!!!