Things to like About Christchurch

We just had a wonderful weekend in Christchurch.
To celebrate the Wedding of Brad and Michelle
Not only were we party to a lovely wedding, with a beautiful Bride and Groom, but we got to discover some of the wonders of Christchurch.

We left Auckland, where it was hot and fine and arrived to immediate “Jacketsville” and a grey freezing cold day, but the next day, there were great improvements.
Things We Like No. 1
It was great to dress up in our jackets and scarves and out for breakfast
Hands in pockets, wandering around the town. Crisp, clean air.
A beautiful Autumn day.

No. 2 -The Cathedral and Environs
We were situated very close to the Cathedral

We loved the sculptures and statues around the Square.
Stunning.
The Big Chess set... (in of course, Canterbury Colours)

The Beautiful Lacy Ice Cream Cone Sculpture
This gentleman, a lookout for seagulls
A Tribute to the fallen, surrounded by wreathes from the Anzac Day ceremony
My No. 3
Bailies Bar and Restaurant...A beautifully restored old building
Just by the Square
Love their sense of humour...read the billboards

Of course as a female guest, I had to have my hair done.
I was booked into Ballantynes “The Department Store”
and came out looking fairly glam.
A lovely Salon well patronized by the Blue Rinse Set.
The staff were friendly and very helpful, particularly to the elderly ladies.
A nice experience...

My next thing to Like
No. 4 - City Hair Salon

This is where I went to have my nails done.
Hey what a place.
The Chief Manicurist had a gold medal from The Korean Nail Olympics 2005.
Yes The Nail Olympics! He was an artiste.
He was attending to a German girl (in Christchurch for a year) and he was painting the prettiest flowers on her nails.


There was a selection of patterns one could choose.
Obviously, he was exceptionally skillful in floral art.

Samples of his work...Those gorgeous clocks.
So it was out to lunch at “Sticky Fingers” a Bistro down by the river.
Excellent Fish and Chips and also a very good Fish Thai Curry.

No. 5 - The Trams
Christchurch is the only sensible City in New Zealand. They reinstated the Trams.
Now a huge tourist attraction.
They circumnavigate the City...leaving every 8 minutes.
They come complete with Driver and Conductor, a real blast from the past.
Love it.

Katie and I caught The Tram to the wedding.
No. 6 - Annies Cafe
The Wedding Venue
This is situated in the Arts Centre a series of beautiful old buildings.
Originally part of the old University.

The Ceremony was held outside in The Quadrant. Music courtesy - Mr Dan.
It was cold. Hence the girls in coats and wraps.
The people at Annies put on a great show.
Even though, we all were wrapped up like sore toes for the ceremony,
(which was held outside in the Quadrant of The Arts Centre),
as soon as we popped indoors to Annies, it was so welcoming. Nice fire.
We soon all warmed up.
The food was excellent. Plenty of hand around food
Main course
Filet of Beef
Canterbury Lamb (My Choice...When in the region you must eat the Food)
Chicken Breast

Dessert
Creme Brulee with Berries
Assorted Ice Creams and of course the Cup Cakes

My No. 7
Katie set up a Wedding Cup Cake Factory at Prue’s house and the ladies Baked and Baked and Baked,
Caramel, Chocolate and Carrot Cup Cakes

She also baked a small cake for “The Cutting Of The Cake”.
Bit hard to get that big knife into a cup cake!
While piling into a cab to go home, after a long fabulous night, I noticed my
No. 8 Thing to like.
The Peacock Fountain
Unfortunately my night shots didn’t turn out, but in the morning, I managed to capture it. Splendid.
So onto No. 9
The Arts Centre has a great Market, and alongside that, is a great outdoor indoor Cafe/Bar, Dux de Lux.We had some beers and cocktails in the sun
And No. 10
Of course lots of wine, means a dry mouth and Christchurch has superb water out of the tap.
No bottled or filtered water needed here.
Cool Clear Water
Turn on the tap, No Chlorine smell. Fabulous.

Now No. 11
We discovered The Underground Colombo Cafe.
Excellent coffee and a big plus.
Their cinnamon scrolls. It was a scone mixture light and fluffy
Packed full of cinnamon sugar. Yum.

AND they roast their own coffee.

It’s an interesting shop...with buckets of uncooked beans on show.
The aroma was divine.
But one downfall, they didn’t “Do Breakfast” as we know it, but as luck would have it...

My No. 12 - “The Orange Tree” did
If you wanted something “free” or “Organic”...they had it
Gluten free
Egg Free
Sugar Free etc.

I was a bit worried they might be meat free as well but NO
I had the Farmhouse breakfast
2 organic poached eggs, roasted tomatoes, pork sausage, bacon and ciabatta toast with real butter.

They catered for everyone. Delicious

Waiting for Breakfast, how cheerful is this?
Next door was this fabulous Grocery store.
My No. 13 Thing To Like
I felt like I had stepped back in time.
Even the old Grocery Boy’s delivery bike out the front.
Lots of imported English treats...Wonder if they are counting the food miles!!!
So after a very pleasant wind dow,n at Val and Trevor’s place with a yummy barbeque...
we had an early night.
Drove to the airport, in the morning, after another trip to The Orange Tree, for another beautiful breakfast.
And finally
My No. 14 Thing To Like - is this view, out of the Koru Club Lounge Window.
The Southern Alps...
Glorious.
Last week Christchurch - Tomorrow off to Wellington. Driving this time.

Soup, Salad and Sandwich Birthday Lunch

My friend Catherine had a birthday. An Annual Event Don’t you Know?

We missed the Actual Day, so this was a belated event.
It’s autumnal weather, so, a nice soup first and little salad to cleanse the palate, and then Bruschetta.
What is lunch without a sandwich?

Catherine made her own birthday cake
Walnut and Apple. Served warm with custard and whipped cream. Yum


The Soup
This is the second time I have made this soup.
It's wonderful.

It is from the Ina Garten Collection,
I followed her recipe the first time,
but made a couple of changes in the preparation for this lunch.

Leeks can get over caramelized and bitter, in the roasting process, so I cooked them in a separate pan from the potatoes.


Roasted Potato and Leek Soup.

1 kilo Yukon gold potatoes, peeled and cut into 3/4-inch chunks
4 cups chopped leeks, (same size) white and light green parts, cleaned of all sand (4 leeks)
1/4 cup good olive oil
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
3 cups baby arugula, lightly packed
1/2 cup dry white wine, plus extra for serving
6 to 7 cups chicken stock, preferably homemade (recipe following)
3/4 cup heavy cream
250 gms crème fraiche
1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan, plus extra for garnish

180C Oven
Into a roasting pan add chunked potatoes,
Sprinkle over olive oil
Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper and roast about 30- 40 minutes till tender
Meanwhile in another plan add chunked leeks
Sprinkle over more olive oil and season
Roast about 20-30 minutes

About 5 minutes before the potatoes are ready add arugula and roast till wilted.

Put the potato pan on top of stove add the cooked leeks and deglaze with 1/2 cup white wine and 1 cup of chicken stock
Make sure you scrape up all of the crispy bits.

Transfer everything to a blender along with the rest of the chicken stock and puree till smooth
You will need to do this in batches.

Pour into your soup pot and slowly bring to a simmer.

Add cream and crème fraiche
Check seasoning and adjust if necessary
You can leave it now, till time to serve

When ready to eat reheat slowly.
Be careful it can catch on the bottom of the pan.

Whisk in grated Parmesan and 2 tablespoons white wine.

A Simple Salad was next
Just some crispy Baby Cos lettuce
Lovely Papaya
Tomato (deseeded)

Your favourite vinaigrette
And some chopped chives.

The Sandwich

Two different Bruschetta
Click here for the Garden Puree Topping
And here for the Eggplant and Mozzarella
An excellent lunch.

Homemade Chicken Stock
I am very impressed with Ina’s chicken stock recipe.

It reads like any old stock you would normally make but the addition of parsnips have added a wonderful sweetness. Plus I used rosemary in place of dill. I think that would have added extra sweetness as well.

It was worth making, not only for the cost (about 1/3 of the cost of buying ready made)
But also, for the wonderful flavour.
I will be making this, every week during the winter.
This year it is going to be a Lunchtime Soup Event most days’.

I have so many different flavours that I would like to try.

I used 2 stock pots - 3 quarts each - for this amount of ingredients

Just split the ingredients in half for each pot.
Mrs Garten used 3 chickens. That is a bit over the top.
I got carcasses from the supermarket, and complimented them with some chicken nibbles for extra flavour.

4 chicken carcasses plus packet chicken nibbles
3 large onions, unpeeled and quartered
6 carrots, unpeeled and halved
4 celery stalks with leaves, cut in thirds
4 parsnips, unpeeled and cut in 1/2
20 sprigs fresh flat-leaf parsley
15 sprigs fresh thyme
20 sprigs fresh dill /rosemary
1 head garlic, unpeeled and cut in 1/2 crosswise
2 tablespoons kosher salt
2 teaspoons whole black peppercorns

Place the chickens, onions, carrots, celery, parsnips,
parsley, thyme, dill, garlic, salt, and peppercorns
in a 16 to 20-quart (litre) stockpot with 7 quarts (litres) of water and bring to a boil.
I haven’t got a stock pot that big so I used 2 x 4 quart pots
Skim the surface as needed.
Simmer uncovered for 4 hours.
Strain the entire contents of the pot through a colander, discarding the chicken and vegetables, and chill.
Discard the hardened fat, and then pack the broth in quart containers.

Yield: 6 quarts (litres)

Just a quick aside…another use for the Garden Pea Puree

Make a Pithvivier

A Pithivier (Pithiviers in French) is a round, enclosed pie usually made with puff pastry.
The pie is traditionally finished with a distinct shine to the top of the crust, either by
egg-washing or if making a sweet one… by the caramelizing of a thin layer of sugar at the end of the cooking process. It is baked directly onto a baking sheet and has a wheel pattern lightly scored onto the top of the pastry.

Cut a circle out of a sheet of puff pastry
Place on a greased baking sheet.
Egg wash 1 cm around the edge with a brush

Cover with 1 cup of the garden puree mixed with a little egg.
Just enough to bind it.
Check the seasoning and adjust if necessary.

Place puree on the pastry
Cover with grated cheese
Cut out a slightly larger circle for the top.
Score light with a sharp knife like wheel spokes.
Place on top
Seal the edge and crimp with a fork

Make a little vent for the steam

Bake in 190C oven for about 20 - 30 minutes until golden brown.
Delicious.
We quickly demolished that half.

Rachel Allen's White Soda Cheesy Bread

I watched Rachel Allen make Soda Bread, an Irish favourite, this morning and thought it could be a quick alternative to a yeast bread for lunch.
It’s really like a scone, (USA Biscuit) but uses Buttermilk instead of Butter and milk.
About 5-10 minutes to prepare and approx 20 minutes to cook…not bad.

It made a lovely light bread.
Delicious when warm.
I was going to make a salad for lunch, but it was raining and a bit miserable so I accompanied the bread with a quick Mushroom Soup.
Now a couple of hints, I found it needed more buttermilk than the recipe allowed.
Maybe it’s the weather, as I found I needed to add extra iced water to a sweet short pastry I made today as well.
So you need to judge the amount on the day.

Ingredients
3 tbsp Olive oil
450g plain flour
1 very level teaspoon Bicarbonate of soda (Baking Soda)
1 teaspoon Salt
125g Cheddar cheese
400ml Buttermilk

Preheat the oven to 220C/gas 7.
Brush a baking tray generously with olive oil.

Sieve the plain flour and the bicarbonate of soda into a big bowl,
Add the salt, 50g of the cheese and mix together with your hands.

Make a well in the centre of the dry ingredients and pour in most of the buttermilk.
Spread the fingers of one hand out like a claw and together in a full circle.
Add enough of the remaining buttermilk to make a soft dough.
Do not knead the mix, but work it very gently to bring together.

Place the dough onto a floured surface and roll out to about 35 x 20cm.
Transfer the rolled dough to an oiled baking tray,
Brush the top with some more oil and sprinkle with the remaining cheese.
Bake for 18-25 minutes, turning the oven down to 200C after 10 minutes.
When cooked the bread should be a golden brown colour and feel firm in the centre.
Transfer it to a wire rack and cool for a couple of minutes, then cut it into squares and serve.

It’s a good crumb light and kept well.

Made wonderful toast the next day.
Just spread butter onto the hot toast.
Wonderful aroma...so cheesy.
Devour

Easy Food and Saturday Night at the Movies.

Sometimes at the end of the week, cooking dinner is a bit of a drag.
Especially if you have been out to lunch, as we were on Friday.
A little tasty Indian was partaken along with a few wines.
Even if I have eaten a large lunch, I still get hungry later, and here is a simple dish,
which fills the gap. It ticks all my boxes for ease, taste and satisfaction.

Baked Potato with a Poached Egg on Top.




















First 1 potato per person
Olive oil
Sea salt

Grated cheese and
1 tablespoon of finely chopped spring onion

1 poached egg per person

Heat oven to 180C

Wash potato, prick and rub with some olive oil and sea salt

It should take about 1 hour

Remove from oven and cut top off.
Meanwhile poach the egg.

Score potato flesh with a knife
Season with sea salt and freshly ground pepper
Add grated cheese and spring onion
Back into oven for as long as it takes the egg to cook.

Remove potato
Drain egg and place on top.
A good grind of pepper and a little more sea salt and
Voila! Dinner
P.S. Of course My husband has to put ketchup on his.
But there ya go.

So on Saturday evening, I had the same lethargy (re cooking a major meal.)

Let’s watch DVDs and something simple to eat
I went to the supermarket with the intention of buying ingredients for a salad dinner.
At the store, a demonstrator was cooking up some little seafood dumplings.















Of course I had a sample.
They were very tasty, I had another sample.
I bought a packet.

Very easy to cook
2 tablespoon oil and 1/2 cup water into a hot pan
Add dumplings cover and cook over high heat
When the liquid has dissolved just cook them till they turn golden brown.


















When we were in Sydney we came across this fabulous dressing at
the Oyster Bar in David Jones.
Created by Tetsuya, possibly Australia’s most famous Chef.
We loved it.
My daughter-in-law Helen found the recipe and made some for me.
It is excellent on oysters but I couldn’t see why it wouldn’t be good on this dish.

Tetsuya's Rice Wine Vinaigrette – for Oysters
1 teaspoon finely grated ginger
4 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
1 teaspoon superfine sugar
1 teaspoon soya sauce
6 tablespoons grape seed oil
2 tablespoons olive oil
3 tablespoon lemon juice

So I made a salad of Baby Cos lettuce, cherry tomatoes and papaya


















Topped with the hot dumplings and dressed with Tetsuya’s Dressing

















Delicious. Highly recommended for convenience food.

We sat in front of the TV, with this little delight, and some chilled Sauvignon Blanc,
watching Daniel Craig in “Quantum Of Solace’
That was so full of action, we were exhausted.

Then Richard Gere and Diane Lane in “Road to Rodanthe”
My husband lasted about 10 minutes.
Of course I love Richard Gere so just watching him is a real treat.
But I don’t really get Nicholas Sparks, his stories are really soppy but…It should have had me sobbing...it didn’t and I can cry at the drop of a hat. So it was OK but not brilliant.

Back to movies TCM had “Fame” on last night. I recorded it on My Sky.
Have had a sneaky look this afternoon.
One of my favourite movies. I love the energy. The scene with them all dancing in the street singing the title song “Fame” still wears well.
Could be a good one for granddaughter Sophia to come over and watch.
After all she loved The Sound Of Music and Grease.
Why not Fame?

Dale's Coming Of Age - Oyster Delights

It's been a busy two weeks. Planning, then getting over, the event of this year so far.
Dale's entry into the New Elite. "The Old Aged Pensioners Club."

To celebrate, Katie put together this wonderful little video presentation, accompanied by an excellent soundtrack by Craig.

One thing we were not short of... was material.
There are so many very silly photos of Dale.
Hope you enjoy it.

But one can't have a food blog without any food.
Here are two excellent ways to cook with oysters.

It is the Bluff Oyster Season. Truly a delight.
Normally we would eat them, just with maybe, a drizzle of balsamic and some freshly ground black pepper.
Or squeeze of lemon and some freshly ground black pepper....maybe a drop of Tabasco.
All sitting on some thinly sliced Vogels Bread.
I had two dozen in the fridge...
BUT we got so busy, we forgot to eat them, while very fresh.
They were within the use by date, but I had to cook them.
Raw slightly older oysters are not really right.
I did two wonderful applications
So for the first dozen
We were lucky enough to have some very fresh, just caught snapper, from our Fisher Friend George.

I sauteed a finely chopped shallot, in butter till soft

Added a small glass of wine and about 50 mls of oyster juice

Reduced it all down

Added 100 mls cream

Bring to the boil and reduce again

Taste and season with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Add the oysters and set aside.

Meanwhile I cooked some mashed potatoes

Pureed them up beautifully with butter and milk

Put to one side and keep warm

Heat the broiler to 250C
Put your baking sheet in the oven to heat through
Bring it out
Lightly oil it
Place fish filets on top quickly season them
Cover with Oysters and their sauce.

Pop under the broiler about 8 minutes
Serve on top of the mashed potatoes

Top with a sprinkling of chopped parsley.

It's Easter.
We were supposed to go away on the boat today, but now we are waiting till the morning.
This delightful little hail storm came through this afternoon.
Apparently all will be well and we are expecting fab weather over the long weekend.

So, Application Two for the Oysters
An Oyster Soup
Finely chop
1 med carrot
1 small onion
1 stick celery
1/2 chili
Gently saute the above in a big knob of butter about 5 minutes
Cover with some water and the juice from the oysters
Simmer till the vege are soft and tender about 10 minutes
Add 100 mls white wine
Cook another 2-3 minutes

Add 600 mls (1 pint) milk
(If you have any cream in the fridge add about 50 mls
This is optional but is very tasty)
Bring just to the boil
Season with 2 teaspoons chicken stock powder
This gives it quite an edge

Add
2 tablespoons grated tasty cheese
2 tablespoons finely chopped parsley
And the oysters
Let sit about 5 minutes for the flavours to meld

Just before serving add a little squeeze lemon juice and a grind of freshly ground black pepper.
Superb!