Despite looming rain clouds, I decided to bite my thumb at the weather and head for the Hanging Rock Harvest Picnic. And I’m so glad I did as the weather was spectacularly sunny by the time I got there.

The Harvest Picnic is basically a salute to the production of great Victorian food and wine. Samples were plentiful and diverse, ranging from cheeses, meats, biscuits, breads, cupcakes, beer, wine, spices, ice cream, daiquiris, pastries, BBQ’s, okonomiyaki, paella, falafel, jams, chutneys, sauces, salts, fruits and vegetables. There was so MUCH that I wanted to buy. Unfortunately apprentice wages really aren’t substantial enough to be whimsically wanton with the purchase of such delights. *sigh*

Anyway, I really couldn’t go past new season Harcourt Royal Gala apples. They were crisp, crunchy and smack bang full of flavour. Yummy!

Lunch included an amazing tender Strathbogie Beef rare Rump roll. Strathbogie prides itself on being 100% grass fed, and is dry aged. Sometimes the simple things in life are often the best - a squidgy soft white roll stuffed full of tender beef, and a tangy zesty tomato relish.

To wash it down was a Natural Blonde Wheat Beer from Grand Ridge Brewery. Free of preservatives, it was fresh and crisp to the palate. Apparently it is infused with coriander and orange peel (not that I could taste it). I found it quite refreshing, very Belgian-like and extremely drinkable.

Dessert was a moreish Lemon and Coconut Biscuit from Michel’s Fine Biscuits in Castlemaine. Unfortunately I didn’t nab a photo of that one - it was consumed way too quickly. But the taste reminded me of those old fashioned lemon coconut slices, yet was made in a funky little square biscuit sandwich. Yum Yum!

A reported 10,000 people turned up to the event with picnic rugs and hampers full of goodies. There were cooking demonstrations with celebrity chefs (including Stefano di Pieri and Tobie Puttock), music and live bands, an animal farm for the kiddies, 100 exhibitors and a trackless train to take either heavily laden punters or deleriously drunk punters back to the car park. Good vibes and good food. It rocked!

34 Johnston Street, Fitzroy
Ph. (03) 9417 0441

Inspired by the abundance of fantastic fruit available, and the declaration made in my Five Food Challenges for 2006, I decided to make some jam this morning. Why haven’t I done this sooner? Not only was it relatively easy - but geesh, the taste is absolutely amazing!

Not wanting to stray too far from the traditional (…which therefore might increase my chances of mucking up), I decided to consult one of the bibles of all things culinary, Stephanie Alexander’s Cook’s Companion. I may have tweaked the recipes just a teensy-weensy little bit though.

Apricot Jam
1.5kg apricots (firm yet ripe)
1 cup of water
2 tablespoons lemon juice
A few strips of lemon rind (my addition)
1.25kg sugar (Steph uses 1.5kg in her recipe)

Fig & Cinnamon Jam (my version)
1kg figs (ripe)
750g sugar
1 large lemon (washed and diced to the size of mixed peel)
1/3 cup red-wine vinegar
2 cinnamon quills (my addition)

I couldn’t source any local apricots, so ended up purchasing a nice firm ripe orange/red variety from New Zealand. After a good wash I diced them into bite sized chunks and threw them in a non-reactive pan, along with the water and lemon juice. The pot was put on medium heat and brought to a simmer for around 20 minutes. At this stage the apricots should have started to break down, yet still be a little chunky. Then with half of the kernels, I used a macadamia nut cruncher gizmo/vice to crack them open and extract the almond looking seed within. These were thrown into the pot at the 20 minute mark along with the sugar, which had been heated to “hand-hot” in a 150 degree celcius oven (about 5 minutes). STIR WELL until the sugar is dissolved, and then boil rapidly for around 15 minutes.

I purchased the figs for $7.99 a kg in Prahran (how cheap is that?!?). After another good wash, they were cut into bite sized chunks and thrown into a non-reactive pan with the sugar, lemon, red-wine vinegar and cinnamon quills. The whole mixture was stirred very well, and then brought to a boil over a medium heat for about 45 minutes. I actually didn’t think this one was going to turn into jam, as it appeared very watery. But the gentle reduction brought it down to an amazing consistency and colour.

There are a couple of ways to test when the jam is ready. I used both the temperature method and the cold plate in the fridge trick. Steph advises that you should start testing for setting at about 104 degrees celcius onwards. But both my mixtures only went to around 102 - so unless my thermometer is stuffed, I probably wouldn’t rely too much on that method. So, I tried the cold plate trick. Place a splodge of jam on a cold plate and throw it in the fridge. Leave for a minute, pull out and run your finger down the middle of the blob. If the line stays clear and it remains in two distinct halves, the setting has been reached.

Whilst all this was bubbling away, I was sterilising jars I had purchased from Supply and Demand earlier in the day. After washing thoroughly in hot soapy water, the jars were boiled for 10 minutes and then placed in a 150 degree oven to dry.

After both mixtures had got to setting stage, they were removed from the heat and allowed to cool for a few minutes. I then spooned them into the sterilised jars using a sterilised spoon. Lids on tight, they were labeled and the job is done.

Tasting Notes
I am thrilled to bits by the taste and consistency of both jams. The apricot version is a beautiful clear deep umber orange, with deliciously soft morsels of apricot chunks throughout. The fig and cinnamon concoction really blew me away though. The colour is deep maroony red, flecked generously with little white fig seeds. And the taste. Oh my god. The vinegar is just a stroke of pure genius. It lifts the taste from purely sweet to something that has levels of perpetually salivating goodness. The cinnamon feathers the taste buds ever so gently, but next time I would certainly consider adding another quill or two.

Ahh…don’t you just love Sunday mornings?

I am so very much a morning person. I always have been and I always will be. Mind you, come 4am starts at work next week and that might very well change!

My usual routine on a Sunday is to get up early and find a place for breakfast. I must admit to being a bit of a breakfast hussy - I love to schlep around and experience the myriad of different places Melbourne has to offer. We just do breakfasts too well I think.

Anyway, this Sunday I jumped on a tram and headed over to the Queen Victoria Market for a wander.

Breakfast d’jour was a loaf of a deliciously fruity bread, filled with chunks of fig and apricot. I also purchased a wedge of fresh ricotta cheese, a cafe latte, and sat down outside with my newspaper. I don’t think you can start a day better than that!

After a slow stroll through the market (can you believe figs are now $10 a kilo!), I met up with [M] and we headed down to Federation Square to partake in the Russian Pancake Festa.

Unfortunately one had to wait in line for over an hour for the pancakes, and I really couldn’t summon the patience of Jove on such a sunny day. It wasn’t long until we were lured in the general vicinity of the Russian beer tent. After sampling some of that brew (which I found tasted rather flat), we moved over to Transport and spent the rest of the afternoon lazily drinking chilled Asahi and munching on salty hot chips.

Well I’m not going to say it has been easy. Just about every part of me (physically, mentally and emotionally) has felt the change. My legs/feet/biceps/triceps ache. The tips of my fingers ache. My mind has uttered on a few occassions “why give up a nice cushy well paid desk job for a low paid apprenticeship in a kitchen?”. BUT…god dang it…I’m loving every second of it!

After years of sitting in front of a computer most of the day, it certainly is interesting to find yourself on your feet for eight/nine/ten straight hours. But I so love the tactility, the creativity, the smells, the sights AND the physical exhaustion. On Monday my legs ached so much I could hardly bear to stand on them. But come Friday I think my body has somewhat got used to the routine. I even finished my shift with a bit of energy left to spend.

7 o’clock starts - the day begins by unpacking / unmoulding the previous days efforts; lemon/passionfruit tarts, almond bases, truffades, raspberry mousse cakes, stone fruit tarts, pecan pies and a huge assortment of various cakes.

At the moment I fulfill the role of “assist”, which basically means I’m the odd bod who helps everyone else whilst learning the ropes. One day I might assist to mould sweet paste or quiche/pie cases, fill and top/decorate savoury pies/quiches, or roll croissants, danish, pain au chocolate etc.

I then start my regular tasks - one of which is to prepare trays of almond croissants. I split already cooked croissants and liberally douse them in rum syrup. I then pipe them generously with almond cream, dotting a little knob on top and decorating with flaked almonds. They are baked later in the day and sprinkled heavily with snow sugar. My piping skills are slowly improving. Not only am I getting a little quicker each day, but I am managing to complete the task without having almond cream all over the OUTSIDE of the bag and half way up my arms!

After this I’ll usually have a few other tasks on my list - making chocolate mud cakes, carrot cakes, biscotti, muffins, biscuits, lemon/passionfruit curd for tarts, raspberry mousse, raspberry glaze, pecan pie filling, ganache, cassata mousse cake, bread and butter puddings etc. My favourite task at the moment is to make the Biscuit of the Day (hereforth known as the B.O.D.). The rules are simple - as long as the ingredients are in the store, I can make whatever I want. So thanks to my fellow bloggers for providing a couple of ideas.

My first B.O.D. was a complete disaster. It was a Chocolate Espresso “Mayan” Cookie that tasted bloody marvelous, but spread out too far and ended up the size of a bread plate. Will tweak the recipe next time to try and reduce the spread. The real coffee grounds and chilli gave them a really pleasing kick though.

My second B.O.D. was a Chocolate Dipped Cardamom/Pistachio Cookie that tasted and looked bloody fantastic. I ground up fresh cardamom pods, which added a delightfully fragrant taste and aroma. I also found it was better to cook these to a nice golden brown, as the taste was much improved when they were crunchy. The Executive Chef said it was one of the best tasting B.O.D ever!

My third B.O.D. was another winner - an old Betty Crocker recipe called Spumoni Cookies (will need to change that name though). Three layers of shortbready paste - green pistachio, deep dark dutch chocolate and red cherry. I moulded them into small loaf tins, chilled and then cut them into slices before baking. They really did look outstanding.

Unfortunately I haven’t taken any photos of my endeavors (…being a new kid on the block I feel kind of self conscious!).

Overall the environment is fantastic - lots of camaraderie and bantering. At any one time there is about three pastry chefs, three “regular” chefs, and a couple of kitchen assistants on the floor. As the business operates as bakery and restaurant, there is a real mix between disciplines. Not only does the kitchen make stock for the restaurant/bakery, they also supply another retail outlet elsewhere, as well as fulfilling various wholesale orders. In other words, it is BUSY.

Next week I have my appointment to sign the papers for my apprenticeship. It is slowly becoming official!