obsession

bsessionOrchestrer la perfection.

In the manner of Grand Chefs, Mövenpick is in a constant search for new possibilities for taste and texture. Always keeping an eye open for the latest trends in ice cream, Mövenpick uses the inspiration they find in nature, in travel, in the arts to create distinctive ice cream compositions.

Please contact customer service on 1300 243 246 or find out more information on www.moevenpick-icecream.com

MOV_openhouse_advert_final.indd 1 21/09/10 9:44 AM

The national monthly news magazine serving the people in the foodservice and accommodation industries

www.openhousemagazine.net CAB Audited. Circulation 20,255 — March 2010

Print Post Approved PP231335/00017

1110

PASS IT ONNAME TICK

Finishing school

Sweet-savoury dessert options

SIMPLY DYNAMITE

New Zealand Greenshell Mussels

Festive fare Christmas goes global

www.openhousemagazine.net Open House, November 2010 3

CON

TEN

TSIndustry news .................................04

Cover story – New Zealand Greenshell Mussels ......................08

Profile – Peter Gilmore, Quay ........10

Q&A – Lucio Galletto .....................12

Consultant chef ...............................14

Origins of pepper ............................14

Sustainable drinking water ............15

Christmas menus ............................16

Seafood ...........................................20

Uniforms .........................................23

Desserts ...........................................24

Cooking the books ..........................26

Products ..........................................28

Culinary clippings ..........................30

Home-lessness

is a major issue for communities across Australia, affecting thousands

of Aussies who are down on their luck, so it’s fantastic to see so many restaurants around Australia supporting StreetSmart Australia’s annual “Dine out to help out” campaign.

On until Christmas Eve, the campaign asks diners to add a small donation to their bill at participating restaurants, with 100 per cent of the money going to support grassroots homeless shelters and charities, selected based on their need and proximity to the restaurants. Last year’s initiative raised $351,400, which is a fantastic effort from everyone involved.

In the restaurant business we rely on community support to keep tables turning over and money in the cash register. By supporting initiatives such as StreetSmart’s campaign, we’re able to give a little bit back to the towns and communities that give us so much. Seems like a win-win situation to me.

Ylla Wright Editor

Editor’s word

Fresh ideas for dessert.

24

OPEN HOUSE NEWS

Sepia Restaurant wins top Sydney prize

It was a controversy-free night at last month’s 2010 Savour Australia Restaurant & Catering NSW

Metropolitan Awards for Excellence when Sepia Restaurant was named 2010 Restaurant of the Year and Contemporary Australian Restaurant of the Year.

This was in contrast to the Queensland awards night in August when chefs and owners expressed surprise at the announcement of several shock winners, including Drift Cafe as Best New Restaurant (beating Matt Moran’s Aria).

Picking up the top award in the catering categories was Events Management Catering at Acer Arena, which won both the Caterer of the Year and Venue Caterer of the Year categories.

Also recognised on the night was John Szangolies from the Bavarian Hospitality Group, who was named Restaurateur of the Year, and industry stalwarts Peter Doyle from Peter Doyle at the Quay and Brien Trippas from Trippas White Catering, who were inducted into the John K Walker Hall of Fame. Restaurateur Alfredo Bovier was also recognised, receiving the Lifetime Achiever Award for his outstanding achievements and dedication to the restaurant and catering industry.

Other key winners on the night included Tetsuya’s, Sydney (Fine Dining Restaurant); Jimmy Liks, Potts Point (Modern Asian Restaurant); Hugos, Manly (Pizza Restaurant); Intermezzo Ristorante, Sydney (Italian Restaurant – Formal); Restaurant Balzac, Randwick (French Restaurant); Zinc Café, Potts Point (Café); The Australian Jockey Club, Randwick (Caterer at a Major Event and Function/Convention Centre Caterer), and Icon Event Catering, Narrabeen (Corporate Caterer).

For foodservice, it makes sense to purchase prepared and specialty sauces in 4 litre containers. But up until now, it’s been almost impossible to decant sauce from a large container into condiment bottles without spills, waste or mess. That’s why the design of Fountain’s new smartPOUR™ 4 litre bottle is so revolutionary.

• The new smartPOUR™ bottle features a vented tube that allows air into the bottle while decanting , greatly reducing the glugging and sudden sauce surges that lead to spills and mess.

• Its offset neck minimises sauce after-drip.

• The ergonomically designed centre-grip handle makes it easier to hold and reduces wrist strain.

• A second handle designed specifi cally for carrying.

• The scalloped base can reduce residual sauce wastage by up to 25% saving you valuable dollars.

• It’s also smart enough to fi t inside the fridge door for storage after use.

Fountain’s innovation hasn’t stopped with the smartPOUR™ bottle. 12 of the 13 sauces in the range are gluten free, packed with all the fl avour you’ve come to expect from Fountain®, making it easier to meet your customers’ dietary requirements.

So now you can quickly and easily share your favourite sauces with your customers without spills, waste or mess. And that’s got to be good for business.

For more information contact Cerebos Food Service on 1300 365 865 or visit www.fountainsauces.com.au

AR

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Alfredo Bouvier (left) is congratulated by Brien Trippas from Restaurant & Catering.

Victorian apprentice chefs will have access to the Victorian Training Guarantee as part of a $37.6 million Skills Reform funding boost designed to enhance hands-on training.

Skills and Workforce Participation Minister Bronwyn Pike said the investment would improve the flexibility of the Victorian Training Guarantee for apprentices and ensure more young people without a post high school qualification have access to skills training.

“The Brumby Labor Government is standing up for local jobs by providing a training place for all eligible

Victorians who want one,” Ms Pike said.

“The Skills Reform funding boost includes $15 million

to give every apprentice access to the Victorian Training

Guarantee, regardless of their prior qualifications.

In addition, we’re investing $10 million to freeze

apprenticeship tuition fees next year.”

Overall, the Skills Reform agenda is expected to

deliver “a training system that provides greater

flexibility and new opportunities” for young people

entering the workforce.

Victorian apprentices to get boost

bsessionOrchestrer la perfection.

In the manner of Grand Chefs, Mövenpick is in a constant search for new possibilities for taste and texture. Always keeping an eye open for the latest trends in ice cream, Mövenpick uses the inspiration they find in nature, in travel, in the arts to create distinctive ice cream compositions.

Please contact customer service on 1300 243 246 or find out more information on www.moevenpick-icecream.com

MOV_openhouse_advert_final.indd 1 21/09/10 9:44 AM

The national monthly news magazine serving the people in the foodservice and accommodation industries

www.openhousemagazine.net CAB Audited. Circulation 20,255 — March 2010

Print Post Approved PP231335/00017

1110

PASS IT ONNAME TICK

Finishing school

Sweet-savoury dessert options

SIMPLY DYNAMITE


Festive fare Christmas goes global

4 Open House, November 2010 www.openhousemagazine.net

NEWS

Food safety laws move ahead

New South Wales’ Food Safety Supervisor law moved into its final phase last month,

with food businesses required to appoint an in-house Food Safety Supervisor to oversee safe food handling practices within a 12-month implementation period.

“Poor food handling accounts for over a third of foodborne illness outbreaks in NSW, and costs the community around $416 million each year,” said Steve Whan, NSW Primary Industries Minister. “This is on top of the suffering and inconvenience to those people who become ill.”

The minister said that the new Food Safety Supervisors will oversee food safety from the front line, adding an “extra layer of protection to the suite of initiatives already in place to ensure NSW people have a safe experience when they choose to dine out.”

John Hart, CEO of Restaurant and Catering, said the initiative would be welcomed by the hospitality industry.

“The industry was consulted with extensively over this, and Restaurant & Catering is very supportive of mandatory training for food safety supervisors,” he said. “Having the right skills in food handling is undoubtedly the best way to ensure high standards of food safety.”

The law applies to hospitality businesses including cafes, restaurants, takeaways, pubs and clubs. Food Safety Supervisors will need to be trained by a Registered Training Organisation approved by the NSW Food Authority.

Native food controversy Restaurateur Jennice Kersh has hit back at the world’s number one chef Rene Redzepi’s failure to acknowledge indigenous Australian food.

The chef, who is famous for foraging and using

Frytol Ad.indd 1 10/8/10 5:11:52 PM

Australian Avocados on the road againThe Australian Avocados’ Fresh Avocados Masterclass program which debuted earlier this year recently teamed up with commercial caterers Alliance Catering for its group vegetarian tutorial program, showcasing the starring role that the “alligator pear” can have in a meat-free diet.

Alliance, a division of the integrated services group Spotless, currently feeds 180,000 customers a day across a wide variety of outlets, from schools and aged care facilities to stadiums.

Attended by more than 400 chefs and site managers nationwide, the sessions were hosted by chef, author and educator Peter Howard, and demonstrated the versatility of avocadoes and how to offer diverse vegetarian menu options.

The session comprised of several avocado tastings including a sensory exercise to demonstrate the range of flavours that are possible with the fruit. Guests also sampled tempura avocado with daikon and mustard cress, an avocado and pea mash canapé with tempeh as well as an avocado, pickled mushrooms and vermicelli stir fry.

To date the Fresh Avocado Masterclasses have been rolled out to a number of foodservice sectors including gastro pubs, restaurants, clubs, cafés, luxury hotels and commercial caterers.

For more information on the masterclasses, visit www.avocado.org.au/foodservice.

Price of chicken to increaseThe price of chicken has been tipped to increase by the Australian Chicken Meat Federation (ACMF) in the same month as a survey conducted by McCrindle Research found that nearly 60 per cent of consumers rated chicken as the best value

Chef and restaurateur Kylie Kwong has announced she will design her own range of fair trade kitchenware, to be sold through Oxfam’s shops around Australia.

The new range will be developed by Kwong in collaboration with Oxfam and crafted by one of Oxfam’s key producer partners in Vietnam, Mai Vietnamese Handicrafts, who are renowned for their intricate, hand-painted designs.

This is the first time Kwong, a former graphic designer, has ventured into kitchenware products. The range will be influenced by Kwong’s Chinese heritage with a modern twist, the philosophy also behind her Sydney restaurant Billy Kwong.

Kwong is a long term ambassador for the Fair Trade Association of Australia and New Zealand.

“The fair trade system puts people back front and centre of the supply chain, and can make a tangible difference to the lives of families in developing countries,” she said.

Kylie Kwong launches kitchenware range

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native foods at his Copenhagen restaurant Noma, made the comments at last month’s Crave Sydney International Food Festival.

“I thought Rene was great, but I found it offensive and insulting to the indigenous people of Australia that at no stage, even in passing, was it mentioned that exactly what Rene was talking about had been the philosophy of indigenous people for 40,000 years,” Kersh told the Sydney Morning Herald after the event.

Kersh, along with her brother, chef Raymond Kersh, was one of the first restaurateurs to introduce native Australian ingredients to diners at their restaurant Edna’s Table, which closed in 2005.

As part of the Festival the pair hosted visiting chefs and other guests at a six-course Native Australian Foods Lunch in the Royal Botanic Gardens which featured native ingredients including emu, wallaby, samphire, warrigal greens, davidson plum, wattle seed and lemon myrtle.


for money meat option.

“A point has been reached where prices will have to increase for producers to remain profitable and be able to meet increased demand for its products,” said Andreas Dubs, the executive director of the ACMF.

Prices have previously been kept low by passing on the benefits of efficiency gains in production however rising grain costs as well as increases in energy, transport, water and labour costs over the past year will lead to an inevitable increase in the cost of chicken meat.

Grain represents the major cost into growing meat chickens. The World Bank reports that “since mid-June, global grain prices have been rising with a 56 per cent in global wheat prices and knock-on impacts on other commodities such as rice, maize and sorghum”.

Dubs stressed that chicken will remain affordable, compared to other meats.

Brisbane cafes charging most for coffeeCoffee lovers in Brisbane are being charged more for their coffee fix than those in Sydney and Melbourne, according to Brisbane-based coffee supplier Gilkatho’s annual Cappuccino Price Index survey.

The survey, which took in 600 cafes in Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane, found that Brisbane coffee drinker paid on average $3.31 for a takeaway cappuccino, while the same coffee cost $3.22 in Melbourne and $3.06 in Sydney. Overall, coffee prices had increased by an average of 3 per cent across all three cities since

2009. This was less than the 5.4 per cent jump noted in the 2009 survey.

Gilkatho managing director Wayne Fowler said that the rising cost of green coffee beans and other cost pressures, including higher rents and wages, affected takeaway coffee prices.

Government urged to scrap component pricing rules The Productivity Commission’s annual review of regulatory burdens has urged the Federal Government to scrap rules requiring restaurants to print different menus if they charge a weekend or public holiday surcharge.

As it currently stands the Trade Practices Act, which was amended in 2009, requires food businesses to give consumers a total price for food and beverage items. This means that they have to print separate menus for weekends and public holidays, rather than simply including a disclaimer.

Failure to comply with the Act can lead to prosecution by the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission.

The Productivity Commission’s review found that “Sunday and public holiday menu surcharges should be outside the scope of the amendments as their inclusion has imposed coasts on these businesses without providing significant additional benefit to consumers”.

Westfield Sydney opens new food offeringsWestfield Sydney has positioned itself as a new dining destination, with eight new food offerings opening their doors late last month. The new food mecca, situated on level five of the complex, will be known as The Sydney Room.

Amongst the restaurants to have opened are Eat, Deli Kitchen, a new offering from Michael Moore, owner of The Summit restaurant; Charlie & Co.,

Becasse chef Justin North’s new burger bar, and Mexican chain Guzman y Gomez. Popular yum cha venue Sky Phoenix has also reopened in the centre, after nearly a year’s refurbishment and with an increased capacity of 400. Further offerings, including a rooftop restaurant and bar, are expected to open in 2011.

Aussie chef under attackEx-pat chef David Thompson has come under fire from Thai food writers after the opening of a branch of his London’s restaurant Nahm in Bangkok.

The chef has been quoted in the international media as saying that Thai cooking is “decaying” and that he is “striving for authenticity” at Nahm.

Suthon Sukphisit, a writer and authority on Thai cuisine, said that Thompson is “slapping the faces of Thai people” while another Bangkok-based food writer likened the situation to Osama Bin Laden declaring himself an authority on Catholicism.

Thomson has responded by saying that the comments were taken out of context and that he is not attempting to teach the Thais how to cook.

New online “hub” for organic informationThe Biologiocal Farmers of Australia has launched a new website, www.bfa.com.au, designed as an information “hub” where users can access a wide range of resources concerning the organic industry in Australia.

The launch follows shortly after National Organic Week Ambassador Toby Puttock, head chef of Fifteen Melbourne, urged all Australians to switch to an organic lifestyle.

“Although organic produce is a little expensive right now, the more people that start buying it, its cost is going to go down,” he said. OH

Work has started on new premises for Vue de Monde, Shannon Bennett’s three-hatted Melbourne restaurant. The price tag for the restaurant is reported to be $7 million.

Sydney’s iconic New York restaurant in Kings Cross has closed its doors after six decades.

Stephen Seckold joins the team at Flying Fish in Sydney as head chef. He has previously worked at Flying Fish Fiji.

MasterChef winner Adam Liaw is to open a Japanese Izakaya (bar/restaurant) in Sydney early next year with former Tetsuya’s chef Matthew Crabbe.

David Gray, the former manager of Manly Pavillion in Sydney, is moving south of the border to take up a role at The Atlantic in Melbourne, opening at Crown in 2011.

ComingS & goingS

If you would like to share news of appointments, departures, restaurant openings or closings with Comings & Goings, email the details to [email protected], with “Comings & Goings” in the subject line.


Simply dynamite Plump, sweet and full of flavour, New Zealand Greenshell Mussels are the ideal mussel to use in Dynamite Mussels and any number of other seafood dishes.

Amongst the dishes to make the transition

from specialised Asian menus to everyday fare in recent years has been Dynamite Mussels. This lip-smacking Japanese dish combines mussels and a Kewpie mayonnaise topping flavoured with hon dashi pellets, Sriracha (a hot chilli sauce), and masago (smelt roe). The name “dynamite” is said to come from the popping of the roe when baked.

New Zealand Greenshell Mussels are ideal for Dynamite Mussels, as they are prized for their large, plump form; sweet, tender taste, and attractive jade green shells, which provide a naturally sculptured serving dish.


New Zealand Greenshell Mussels with Dynamite SauceMakes 24

24 frozen half shell Greenshell Mussels 1 pinch Hon Dashi pellets½ teaspoon milk½ teaspoon cream¾ cup Kewpie mayonnaise (Japanese mayonnaise)1 tsp Sriracha (chilli sauce)1 tsp Masago (smelt roe)

Pre-heat grill to 180 °C.

To prepare the sauce, drop dashi pellets in a medium bowl and dissolve completely with the milk and cream.

Add the mayonnaise. Combine the mixture until smooth. Add the Sriracha and fully incorporate into the sauce. For a hotter sauce, add a little more Sriracha. For a milder sauce, add a few squirts of mayonnaise. If the sauce is too thick, thin the mixture slightly with a few drops of half and half. The consistency and viscosity of the sauce should be like pancake batter or a softened milk shake.

Add the masago and stir slowly to distribute evenly into the sauce.

Spoon the sauce over each mussel, allowing just enough to cover the meat completely. Place the mussels under the grill to cook. Check frequently and rotate the pan occasionally to even out the browning and compensate for hot spots.

Cook until the sauce bubbles and turns golden brown with a few dark spots forming. Cooking time should not exceed 15 minutes. Serve immediately. ● For more information, visit www.purenzmussels.com. OH

cOvEr StOry

are a unique variety of mussels found only in New Zealand’s isolated waters. They are most readily available in a convenient ready-to-use half shell. With all the hard work of cleaning, opening and discarding of unwanted shells taken care of, the mussels are easy to prepare and available for use at a

moment’s notice.


are a versatile and popular choice for

catering, bar and restaurant menus.

The shell adds visual appeal and

the understated flavour profile lends

itself to a broad array of flavours and

styles of cuisine.

Grown in New Zealand’s pristine waters under careful stewardship, this premium product complies with the highest standards of quality assurance, food safety and traceability. They are individually quick frozen on the half shell within hours of harvest for maximum flavour and nutritional value.

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With the warmer months approaching, it’s the perfect time to plan a fabulous summer menu.

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PrOfilE

gardener’s delight For Peter Gilmore, head chef of Quay restaurant in Sydney, inspiration is as close to hand as his veggie patch. His first book, Quay: food inspired by nature, was released last month.

really delicious if you pick them quite young.

“It’s by observing nature at its different stages that you learn things. I discovered that if you pick almonds when they’re still green, they’re really soft. By blanching them for 10 seconds, they become sweet and jelly-like inside; it’s almost like eating a grape.”

Not surprisingly Gilmore bypasses the regular markets in favour of a network of specialist producers growing the hard-to-find and heirloom produce such as Japanese turnips, red carrots and Mexican sour cucumbers that he favours.

“Without the passion of the producers and farmers we deal with we wouldn’t be able to achieve half of what we do at the restaurant,” he says. “The guy who supplies our lamb, for example, Richard Gunner, is so passionate about Suffolk sheep [a breed specifically bred for the table], that he contacted all the hobby farmers keeping them, collected breeding stock and grew the population of the breed to the point where he’s producing lamb on a commercial scale. If he hadn’t, it’s possible that the breed might have

been allowed to die out and that would have been a shame. Once a species is gone, it’s gone forever.

“Losing rare and beautiful breeds of animals and vegetables is a bigger issue for me than ‘sustainability’. In a way, unless you actually use and consume produce there’s no reason for them to be sustained.”

Key to Gilmore’s overall food philosophy is the idea of natural ingredients and “real” cooking techniques, rather than molecular gastronomy. Most recently he’s been experimenting with ethical foie gras from Spain (the geese are not force fed to fatten their livers), teamed with chopped up morels and pumpernickel bread.

“I was thinking about making a stuffing for a partridge breast but the stuffing became the main thing I was interested in,” he explains. “It has the most amazing flavour, almost like a savoury Christmas pudding.

“For me, the exploration of flavours is the most important thing. I’m not really focussed on food trends.”

No, but as arguably Australia’s best chef, he definitely starts them. OH

Watching Peter Gilmore walk through the dining room of

Quay restaurant is like watching a rock star being spotted by groupies. A table of four whisper excitedly and try to make eye contact; another group, who have travelled from Melbourne to eat at the restaurant, send their waiter over to ask if Chef will pose for a photo with then.

That at least half the groupies are pint-sized and clutching sticky spoons this late spring day during the school holidays doesn’t seem to worry Gilmore; it’s all part of the deal since he appeared on this year’s MasterChef finale, demonstrating his famous Guava and Custard Apple Snow Egg. One young fan, aged about 10, makes a point of searching him out to say goodbye, even checking the men’s room, just in case he is in there.

“The reaction to MasterChef blew me away,” he says. “I probably should have expected it, given how popular the show was, but I didn’t. We had 100,000 hits on our website the day after the episode went to air and 70,000 the day after that. We had to shut down our online reservations system for several weeks because it was jammed. We’re still booked out for lunch three months in advance.”

Most diners order the snow eggs (a light-as-air poached meringue egg confection, made with jackfruit when Open House visited).

Peter Gilmore’s reputation as one of the world’s best chefs is based on much more than his MasterChef appearances however. Quay has three hats in the Sydney Morning Herald’s Good Food Guide, has won just about every restaurant award in Australia, and is currently 27th on the prestigious S.Pelligrino World’s Best Restaurants list (the highest listing for any Australian venue).

“I’m the sort of person who feels really humbled by the accolades,” Gilmore says. “I certainly don’t expect to win. It’s just a matter of doing what I do and hoping that it’s appreciated by people.”

For much of the last year, what Gilmore has been “doing” has been putting together his first cookbook, Quay: food inspired by nature (Murdoch Books, $95), featuring the innovative, seasonal dishes that have put him at the top of his game.

“We did the photography over 12 months to capture the whole year of what we do here at Quay,” he says. “So much great produce is only available for a couple of months and I wanted to make sure there were winter truffles and spring vegetables represented.”

As the title of the book suggests Gilmore finds the inspiration for his food in nature, and often, in his own backyard veggie patch. Gardening not only helps him destress but also allows him to follow the produce he grows through its natural life cycle and experiment along the way.

“One of the first things I started growing were peas and one of the things I discovered was that the flowers were not only beautiful, but tasted like peas too.” he says. “Since then we’ve been using them as a garnish. Radishes are another example. If you let them go to seed they produce seed pods which are

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being one cuisine. How important is the idea of regionality?

A: Italian food is very much a part of the country’s culture and new dishes are born out of a specific historic event or situation, geographic position, seasonality, and of course, the local produce, so regionality is very important. Regionality is tradition and we’d like people to respect that. The cuisine of my region was the only cuisine I knew when I was growing up. There were no cook books and no contact with other regions. My mother cooked the dishes that had been passed on to her from her mother.

Q: Is there a trend towards more regional Italian restaurants opening in Australia?

A: Yes, there are more and more regional restaurants appearing now and that is great. Gone are the old days of Italian restaurants all having similar menus. Hopefully soon, people will say “let’s have Ligurian tonight” – not just Italian.

At [annual Italian food festival] Gusto, four of us present our regional take on a particular dish. This year it was Armando Percuoco (Naples), Giovanni Pilu (Sardinia), Alessandro Pavoni (Lombardy) and myself (Liguria) and we all prepared a stuffed pasta. All the dishes were so different, and yet all were so traditional. We all learnt something new about each of the other’s regions.

Q: You originally came from Liguria. What characterises the food from that region?

A: My favourite way to describe Ligurian food is with three words. Simplicity. Poverty. Originality. Simplicity because we retain the seasonal flavour of the ingredients; poverty was an historic fact of the region so people learned not to waste anything, and originality because it has been influenced by many other cultures

(thanks to both invaders and sailors travelling the world bringing back new ideas).

Olive oil, also called the gold of Liguria, is king – It appears in every preparation. Beautiful herbs such as thyme, rosemary, oregano, marjoram and basil all grow wild and give Ligurian food its unique flavours. We have a great variety of savoury pies, some using seafood but mostly using vegetables;

Q&A

A taste of regional italyThe Council of Italian Restaurants in Australia is encouraging Italian chefs to go back to their regional roots. The council’s president Lucio Galletto explains why it’s important.

Q: How did the idea for the Council of Italian Restaurants in Australia (CIRA) come about?

A: CIRA was started in 2004 by a group of friends, chefs and restaurateurs who have a great passion for Italian food and Italian hospitality in common. We were tired of seeing traditional Italian dishes mistreated and misrepresented – both in the media and on many menus around town. We used to meet up at Buon Ricordo after work and Armando Percuoco would cook us wonderful food while we discussed our part of the industry and its problems. On one of those nights Armando said “Guys, we have to form an association”. Six years later we are proud of our ever growing, not-for-profit organisation. It is run by volunteers and not attached to any government or commercial identities.

Q: What is the group trying to achieve?

A: We want to safeguard traditional and regional recipes. We want to protect our gastronomic culture and make sure it is passed on to the next generation of cooks and food lovers. We want to increase public knowledge of both traditional and evolving values of Italian cooking. We also encourage our members to strive for excellence in their individual market area – whether it be a trattoria, pizzeria, cafe, caterer, restaurant or providore. We are also available to answer any questions about Italian food – including correct spelling. We know it can work; we learn a lot from each other.

Q: What are the key cooking traditions you’re worried are vanishing here in Australia?

A: Our main worry is that traditional dishes are being changed bit by bit and soon no one will remember what the original was really like.

Q: Australians tend to think of Italian food as

the most famous being the Torta Pasqualina. Ravioli (invented in Liguria) is our main special occasion dish. Very little meat is eaten in Liguria and when used it is the cheaper cuts, tenderised by long slow cooking methods. A great example is the classic Tocco di

Carne where the meat is used to make the pasta sauce, but the actual meat is eaten later as a main course. Another classic is the Cima alla Genovese [stuffed veal]. Anchovies are very much part of Ligurian cuisine – either eaten fresh or preserved to flavour many dishes. Every household has their own little barrel of anchovies in salt.

Q: Surely cooking is something that evolves over time. Is CIRA against innovation and moving forward?

A: We do protect tradition but we understand that a great cuisine needs to evolve. Which is why our motto at CIRA is “Innovation within tradition”. We are all for innovation and it is something that we debate a lot in our meetings. But where do you draw the line? Is bok choy and fetta ravioli with a chilli con carne sauce acceptable? Discussions continue.

Q: What’s the biggest mistake many Australian Italian restaurants make?

A: Catering to what they think Australians want to eat. They should just do what they know and do it well. Australian people travel a lot, they know what good food is and they are adventurous.

Q: Your restaurant Lucio’s is famous for the artworks on its walls, from artists such as John Olsen, Tim Storrier and Sidney Nolan. What do cooking and painting have in common?

A: I love to work surrounded by art works. It makes my life much easier! Art is my other passion (food is my first). I love it, but most of all I love the artists. I love the way they see the world. I love the way they portray life. I think art and food have everything in common. They complement each other; they are both born out of a great passion for life and they both make our lives special. I have yet to meet an artist that doesn’t like to sit at the table with family and friends.

Q: After 25-plus years serving Italian food to Sydneysiders do you ever get bored of it?

A: I have had the pleasure of serving Sydneysiders for the last 27 years and I still enjoy it very much. For me every day is a new day of learning and meeting people.

This is not a job for me; it is my life. There is no greater joy for me than to see happy people going out the front door and coming back again and again.

For more information, visit www.cira.com.au. OH

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Clockwise from left: Council members Armando Percuoco, Nick Salerno, Alessandro Pavoni, Jonathan Barthelmess, Giovanni Pilu and Danny Russo.

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14 Open House, November 2010 www.openhousemagazine.net www.openhousemagazine.net Open House, November 2010 15

OrigiNS Of... SUStAiNAbility

PepperA must for every mise en place and table, pepper has a long history.

glenn Austinwww.xtremechef.com.au

cONSUltANt cHEf

Understanding canteen policyIn an effort to improve the eating options for school children a great deal of confusion has unintentionally been created, not just for canteen managers but for manufacturers and distributors as well. In reality, what seems at first glance a myriad of complex and confusing information actually does provide clarity and even some consistency.

A few years ago NSW Health, working with NSW School Canteens Association and a range of other state organisations, developed the Fresh

Throughout history pepper has been prized not only for its

pungent spiciness as a condiment and flavouring for food but also as a medicine and form of currency. Native to the Malabar Coast of India, in the area now known as Kerala, pepper has been used in India since at least 2000 BC, and was one of the first spices to be traded.

Ancient Egyptians were amongst the first civilisations to embrace the spice, using it in their mummification rituals. Black peppercorns were found inserted into the nostrils of the Pharoah Rameses II, placed there following his death in 1213 BC.

By 400 BC pepper was also well known in Greece, where it was prized as a medicine credited with digestive and aphrodisiac qualities.

Dilphius of Siphonos, was the first person to note its use as a culinary condiment when he recommended pepper with scallops in the early third century BC.

Black pepper was also a well known and widely used spice in the Roman Empire, although the distance and difficulty of securing it ensured it remained expensive. Pepper was so valuable that it was often used as collateral or even as a form of currency. The barbarian warrior Attila the Hun is said to have demanded a ransom of more than a tonne of pepper from Rome when they laid siege to the city in the 5th Century.

After the fall of Rome control of the pepper trade shifted into the hands of Arab and Italian traders, especially in the city states of Venice

and Genoa.

It is commonly believed that pepper was used to mask the flavour of rotten meat during this period, however as pepper was a luxury item only available to the rich, many historians believe this is unlikely.

The exorbitant price of pepper during the Middle Ages led to Portuguese attempts to find an alternative sea route to India. Successful in their attempt to sail around Africa, Portugal was granted exclusive rights to the parts of the world where pepper came from

in the 1494 Treaty of Tordesillas. They quickly lost control of their monopoly however as the Arab and Venetian traders continued to smuggle pepper past their blockades. By the 17th Century the Dutch and British had also entered the trade.

As supplies of pepper into Europe improved the price of the spice started to decline, making it more readily available to the general populace.

These days, pepper accounts for one fifth of the world’s spice trade, with Vietnam the largest producer and exporter internationally. OH

Tastes @ School strategy. This became the minimum mandatory standard for schools in New South Wales. Queensland Health later followed suit with their Healthy Choices Department of Education and Victoria introduced the Go for your life Healthy Canteens strategy, once again based on the Fresh Tastes @ School strategy. The Western Australian government launched the Policy and Standards for Healthy Food and Drink in Public Schools which is underpinned by the Federation of Canteens in Schools (FOCiS) criteria.

The consistent issue with these government strategies is the slight variances from state to state which on the face of it may not be great but for manufacturers can have a profound impact on their bottom line. Manufacturers do not create products for just one state. The economies of scale dictate that they must supply to national and even international markets to survive.

The confusion for canteens comes about when state-based magazines or Buyers Guides are circulated into other states where the ratings do not match their own state guidelines.

Product Registration Programs

were introduced to reduce the confusion, simplify the selection of an appropriate variety of menu items for schools and to encourage manufacturers to develop better products. There are a few state based registration programs but only the one national program.

The FOCiS National Registered Product Program has for the past 15 years assessed products against the FOCiS criteria which are consistent with the Australian Dietary Guidelines for Children and Adolescents. This means that a company can register a product as being a healthier option either

nationally or in just one state (if that state had a registration program).

With the introduction of the various state government strategies FOCiS reviewed its criteria to ensure that only products that are categorised Green (every day foods) or Amber (eat in moderation) in these strategies can be registered. This has proven to be quite difficult with some products as the state strategies assess them under different criteria and make no allowance for new and innovative products. However, FOCiS is committed to reducing the confusion and providing some national consistency.

FAQ

Q: Does a product have to be registered to be sold in a canteen?

A: No. The products must simply meet the minimum government standards for that state. Note that the nutrient criteria for a Red (occasional) food are identical for all states (NSW, QLD, VIC and WA). To determine what this is refer to your relevant government criteria.

Q: My distributor says his products are registered but how

do I know for sure?

A: Ask to see a copy of his certificate. Every product registered is certified.

Q: My distributor says his products meet the criteria for the state strategy. How do I check this?

A: Check the nutritional information against the guide provided for your state strategy (that is the nutrient criteria for a Red food). If in doubt contact your state school canteen’s association.

Be (drinking) water wiseWater – still, sparking or tap – is a part of every restaurant’s menu but it can come at an environmental cost. New technology however is allowing businesses to minimise their impact.

Despite the fact that the vast majority of Australians have access to clean, drinkable

water straight from the tap, we spend more than half a billion dollars on buying bottled water every year. Along with the huge financial cost is the environmental cost of producing, packaging and delivering all that H2O, not to mention disposing of the bottles afterwards.

A major part of the problem is the PET bottles most bottled water comes in, which are made from oil, a non-renewable resource. Environmental group Do Something! has calculated (based on figures from the Pacific Institute) that approximately 52.5 million litres of oil was used in 2009-10 to produce the PET bottles used to package bottled water in Australia. With more energy required to fill the bottles, transport, refrigerate, and recycle or discard the empty bottles, the NSW Department of Environment and Climate Change has estimated that about 200ml of oil is used to produce each litre bottle of water. Australia’s bottled water use also generates more than 60,000 tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions – the same amount 13,000 cars emit over the course of a year.

To make matters worse, Australia recycles only around 35 per cent of PET plastic water bottles, with most ending up as waste in landfill.

Peak industry association the Australian Bottled Water Institute (which has partnered with other drinks producers and environmental bodies to create better recycling infrastructure, and educate consumers about the importance of recycling) believes it’s unfair and wrong to single out the bottle water industry from “among the thousands of food, beverage and commercial water users”, stating on their website that “to single out bottled water packaging is to ignore the fact that today’s society demands and relies upon packaged food and drinks”. They have a point but it doesn’t make the statistics any less concerning.

With many consumers choosing bottled water because they’re not happy with the taste, odour or colour of tap water, removing bottle water from menus altogether isn’t going to be practical for most restaurants.

Or cost effective: with still and sparkling water often ordered instead of soft drinks or as an adjunct to other beverages, it’s no secret that water sales can make a significant contribution to a business’s bottom line.

Taking steps to minimise the environmental harm of serving bottled water to patrons can be as simple as always recycling bottles, choosing brands of water that come in glass bottles over PET plastic, or investigating some of the “greener” water options now available.

Filtered water on tapCulligan Water has recently launched the Purezza Premium Water System (below left) which turns ordinary tap water into premium still or sparkling water, which is then served in customised and refillable bottles.

The Purezza is based on a unique turnkey system that analyses the operators’ water and then provides tailored filtration solution to remove inpurities that can affect taste and odour. It’s designed to help restaurateurs reduce their carbon footprint by eliminating the transportation, storage and refrigeration costs associated with traditional bottled water.

Available in a choice of a counter top or under bench unit, the three-way tap system can produce ambient still, chilled still and chilled sparkling on demand. Reusable bottles are supplied with operator branded stickers to seal the lids, keeping bubbles in and reassuring diners of quality. ● www.culliganwater.com.au

Good vibrationsBrisbane-based company Good

Vibes for You announced the release of the first 100 per cent biodegradable and recyclable

bottle into the Australian market earlier this year.

The bottle uses an organic compound to alter the properties of traditional PET plastic allowing

it to biodegrade naturally. Should the bottles end up in landfill or a waterway, both the cap and the bottle will naturally decompose

leaving behind only useable soil. While it’s still early days

for the company, they’re hopeful that the new compound presents a long-

term solution to the problem

of plastic bottles ending up in landfill. ● www.goodvibesforeyou.com

Out of thin airThe Water Micron Atmospheric Water Generator is an alternative to conventional purified water system, creating pure, fresh, environmentally-friendly drinking water from the atmosphere.

The energy-efficient generator can produce up to 30 litres of water per day, depending on humidity and temperature, from the air. Any chemicals in the air are eliminated during the filtration and UV sterilisation process, guaranteeing quality and flavour.

The unit will dispense both chilled fresh drinking water and hot water at the touch of a button and is fitted with an automatic recirculation procedure to ensure stored water remains fresh.

To operate at its full potential, humidity ideally needs to be above 50 per cent. Below that level the unit will still make water however it will take a little longer to fill the storage tanks. In extremely cold conditions, the unit can be connected to tap water and it will produce high quality purified water.● www.watermicron-australia.com OH

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Christmas around the worldCreate a festive menu without resorting to the same tired old dishes by seeking inspiration in traditional dishes from around the globe.

What does the phrase “festive food” mean in Australia

these days? Roast turkey with all the trimmings, glazed ham and cherries jubilee, or oysters au natural, whole baked salmon and pavlova?

Despite our climate the food traditionally served during the Christmas period has been the roast meats, heavy puddings and brandy- and fruit-laced cakes of our Anglo-Irish forefathers.

More recently, chefs and home cooks alike have turned to lighter dishes more suitable for our hot and humid conditions. Fresh seafood, salads and fruit-based desserts and platters now jostle for space on the Christmas table with more traditional fare.

Throw our increasingly multicultural

dining culture into the mix and it really is “anything goes” when it comes to designing Christmas menus. Inspiration can be found in the broad array of fresh, seasonal produce available throughout the summer months, as well as in the many festive customs and foods of our cultural melting pot.

Vive le France!

The French share a taste for chestnut-stuffed turkey and roasted goose with their British neighbours but luxury items such as oysters, foie gras, escargots (snails) and smoked salmon also grace the Christmas table. A favourite dessert is the bûche de Noël (known as a Yule log in English), a traditional cake which is thought to date back to the Middle Ages. Made from sponge cake rolled

and filled with chocolate or chestnut cream, bûches are often served with part of the cake cut off and set on top of the cake to resemble a chopped off branch. Bark-like texture is created by dragging a fork through the butter cream icing and they are often decorated with leaves, fresh berries and powdered sugar to resemble snow.

Twelve apostle supper

A 12-dish Christmas Eve supper is traditionally prepared in many Eastern European countries, including Poland, Lithunia and the Ukraine, with each of the meatless dishes representing one of the 12 Apostles. Dishes vary from country to country however poppy seeds are widely used, as they symbolize abundance and prosperity, along with fish, mushrooms, and boiled or fried dumplings.

Bella Italia

Like most Italian cuisine, Christmas foods have evolved along regional lines. Typical dishes include antipasto, baccalà (dried salted codfish), baked pasta dishes such as lasagne, capon and turkey. A common tradition in the Southern parts of Italy is The Feast of the Seven Fishes, eaten on Christmas Eve, and consisting of seven fish dishes symbolising the seven sacraments of the Catholic Church. While there is no set menu for this meal dishes might include calamari, clams, mussels, baccalà, prawns and a baked whole fish such as snapper or salmon.

Spiced is nice

Germans enjoy a range of highly spiced treats during the festive season. One favourite is Christstollen, or Stollen, a dense, dry fruit cake that is said to be shaped like the baby Jesus in his swaddling clothes. Stollen contains candied fruit, raisins, spices such as cardamom and cinnamom, and often marzipan or nuts. Gingerbread houses decorated with sweets are also popular. Gluhwein, made from red wine which is heated and spiced with cinnamon sticks, vanilla pods, cloves, citrus and sugar, is a popular

drink around Christmas in German-speaking countries.

Baked to perfection

In Scandinavian countries, families will get together in the lead up to Christmas to make pepparkakor, thin, brittle gingerbread biscuits in the shape of stars, hearts and moons, or gingerbread houses. Norwegians are so keen on baking around Christmas that they call the sudden thaw following the year’s first heavy snows the “biscuit thaw”, because it’s said to be caused by the raised temperatures coming from all the ovens baking biscuits.

Balancing sweet and salty

A Christmas Eve tradition in Portugal is for families to eat a supper of bacalhau (dried salted codfish) served with boiled potatoes. On Christmas day a lunch of roast meats such as turkey, goat and lamb and sweets such as rabanadas, made from slices of white bread soaked in eggs and wine, dredged in sugar, and fried until crisp, is served.

Turkey with a twist

Turkey is native to the Americas and a popular Christmas dish throughout Latin America, however methods for preparing it differ greatly. In Brazil, for example, the turkey is marinated in rum, onions, garlic, tomatoes, lime juice and other spices, and it is served with coloured rice and vegetables. In Guatemala, tamals made of corn and rice, and filled with turkey, prunes, raisins and a sauce made with local spices, are an integral part of the Christmas meal.

With plans for Christmas menus well underway, chef, restaurateur and television presenter Pete Evans turns up the heat with a selection of Asian-inspired canapés from his new book My Party.

Snapper tartare with yuzu dressingMakes 20

Yuzu is a citrus fruit from Asia with a unique flavour that is perfectly matched to seafood. This is a classic

Japanese dressing that works with just about any type of seafood you choose to chop, slice and serve raw. Some of my favourites are scampi, prawns (shrimp), scallops, any type of white-fleshed fish and also the fattier fish such as salmon, trout, mackerel and tuna. You could even just drizzle it over a freshly shucked oyster for a match made in heaven.

250g snapper fillet, skin off50ml yuzu juice1¼ tablespoons soy sauce½ teaspoon freshly cracked pepper½ teaspoon finely grated garlic6 tablespoons grapeseed oil1 jalapeño chilli, finely diced, to serveSmall shiso leaves or chopped coriander leaves, to serve

Dice the snapper into small 1 cm (½ inch) cubes and place in a chilled bowl.

To make the dressing combine the yuzu juice, soy sauce, pepper, garlic and grapeseed oil in a jar and shake well.

Pour over the snapper and toss to coat.

Divide between small glasses or spoons and serve immediately with the jalapeño and shiso to garnish.

Note: Yuzu juice has a distinctive sharp taste and is available bottled from Japanese supermarkets. You could substitute with fresh lemon juice if you like.

Smoked fish salad on crispy won tonsMakes 20

I was recently in LA cooking with Curtis Stone and the legendary Wolfgang Puck’s catering team for “G’Day USA”. We had to cater for 800 people. The following recipe is one of the canapés I created for the night. When I serve this at a function, I normally present the fish salad on betel leaves (edible leaves from South-East Asia that have medicinal qualities). However, on arrival in LA, I found that betel leaves weren’t available, so I decided to serve the fish on crispy fried won tons as an alternative. To be honest, I think the won tons worked better as they are easier to handle and add great texture to the end result. For a larger serving, just add some finely sliced green mango, papaya or glass noodles for a refreshing salad.

Canola oil, for deep-frying20 won ton wrappers1 smoked rainbow trout (approximately 200g flesh)2 long red chillies, seeded and finely shredded1 large handful of mint leaves, torn3 kaffir lime leaves, finely sliced1 large handful of coriander leaves125g good-quality chilli jam 4 tbsp crispy shallots50g salmon or trout roe

Nam jim4 red Asian shallots, chopped2 red bird’s eye chillies2 garlic cloves1 teaspoon chopped coriander root100ml lime juice75g grated palm sugar (jaggery)50ml fish sauce

To make the nam jim dressing, pound the shallots, chillies, garlic and coriander root using a mortar and pestle and then add the lime juice. Season with the palm sugar and fish sauce for a balance of hot, sour, salty and sweet.

Heat the canola oil to 180°C (350°F) in a wok or deep saucepan. Separate the won tons and gently fry in batches for 1–2 minutes turning once until light golden. Drain on kitchen paper and allow to cool.

Flake the smoked trout and combine with the chilli, mint, kaffir lime leaves and coriander leaves. Dress with some of the nam jim. Place a teaspoon of chilli jam on top of the fried won ton wrappers,

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place a small mound of the fish salad on top and then sprinkle with the crispy shallots and top with the salmon roe.

Wagyu tataki with crispy garlic and shallotsServes 20

My catering business does a lot of top-end catering around the country and this item always stands out as a clear winner. It has the most wonderful dressing and the crispy garlic is a nice surprise that will wow your guests. Tataki is a finely sliced, piece of seared meat that is rare inside – you can use kingfish, tuna, salmon or beef but to take it to the next level, use a lovely piece of wagyu.

Need more inspiration? Open House asked 12 chefs what

festive dishes they’ll be putting on their Christmas menus this year.

A couple of the dishes we are going to add

as specials to our menu include figs wrapped up in fatty pancetta and grilled on

the flat plate until the pancetta starts to crisp and then placed on a platter with some fresh radicchio and marinated truffled honey, and yabbies grilled and served with grilled peach and watercress salad, Trebbiano dressing and a splash of oil.

David Magill, The Italian Kitchen & Bar

My salad of heirloom tomatoes with foire

di latte will be on the menu for sure and despite the warm weather

I’ll serve my great grandmother’s

chocolate Christmas pudding with rum and brandy custard. It’s been handed down through the generations in our family.

Anthony Sullivan, Forte Catering & Events

Last year we put some specials on

that we will no doubt do again this year: a Christmas tart with cinnamon

mascarpone made with dried fruit and nuts soaked in a boozy mixture then set with eggs in a pastry case, and I’m sure we’ll be doing something similar to the stuffed poached turkey galantine served cold with a truffle potato salad and turkey ravioli with english spinach and chestnut sauce.

Matt Merrick, The Terminus Hotel

With Christmas being in summer

in Australia, people always want something a bit lighter as opposed to rich,

heavy foods. At the same time, because it is the festive season, people like to eat foods that are a bit special. Based on this, I devised an “Indian High Tea” which is available at Aki’s over the festive season. People can snack and sample on tasty little morsels, such as chocolate naan, rather than sitting down to one big dish. It’s a great way for people to treat themselves.

Kumar Mahadevan, Aki’s and Abhi’s contemporary

Indian restaurants

Classic ideas always work for Christmas

so I’ll be serving gorgeous hand rolled and stuffed roasted turkey

accentuated with bunches of mini currants. I also don’t think you can underestimate the excitement a colourful trifle can bring to party, reminding people of when they were young (well, it does for me anyway!).

Clinton Brown, Laissez Faire catering

We will be doing a range of Viennese

petit fours over the Christmas period, reflecting my Austrian

heritage – vanilla kippfle (vanilla

crescents), Basler Lackerli (spiced honey cookies) and Basler Brunsli (chocolate and almond spiced cookies). We will also have Sri Lankan love cake and Sri Lankan Christmas pudding, brought to Sri Lanka in the 1600s by the Portuguese.

Peter Kuruvita, Flying Fish

2 spring onionsFinely shreddedVegetable oil, for frying3 garlic cloves, thinly sliced250g wagyu sirloinOlive oil1 tablespoon finely snipped chives

Ponzu½ white onion, finely diced1 garlic clove, finely chopped1 tablespoon grapeseed oil1 tablespoon lemon juice1 tablespoon rice vinegar1 tablespoon soy sauce¼ teaspoon finely chopped ginger

Tataki dressing2½ tablespoons soy sauce80ml rice vinegar1 teaspoon bonito flakes (optional)

To make the ponzu, place all the ingredients in a bowl and mix well.

To make the tataki dressing, combine all the ingredients a bowl.

Rinse the spring onions under water for a few minutes then drain and refrigerate.

Heat 2 cm of vegetable oil in a small deep saucepan over medium heat. Sauté the garlic slices until golden then strain and drain on kitchen paper. Sprinkle with salt.

Preheat a chargrill pan to high, lightly brush the beef fillet with some olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Sear the beef on all sides until medium rare.

To assemble, slice the beef into thin slivers and arrange in small dishes or shot glasses. Pour half a teaspoon of the tataki dressing and half a

teaspoon of the ponzu over each piece. Add a couple of garlic crisps to the wagyu and finish with the chives and spring onion. OH

Recipes and images from My Party by Pete Evans (Murdoch Books, $49.95).

The 12 chefs of ChristmasThis festive season

my restaurants will be showcasing a beautiful free range heritage breed ham with

the Depot’s spiced pickled cherries.

Jared Ingersoll, Dank St Depot

We’re going to include two options for

special Christmas dishes at Aperitivo – one that would

feature on an Italian Christmas

menu and another that is more of an Australian dish. For the Italian Christmas dish, we are going to do a dish using wood fired porchetta

– a moist boneless pork roast – served with wild fennel and apple vermouth sauce, and a healthy serving of roasted vegetables. For our Australian Christmas dish we are going to offer salmon fillets that have been stuffed with herb bread crumbs and wrapped in pancetta, barbecued whole and served with a side of watermelon, grapefruit and fennel.

Joe Cavallo, Aperitivo

This Christmas we’ll be including such

Italian favourites as lobster salad, prawn pancetta and berry panna cotta on our menu.

Guy Grossi, Grossi Florentino

We have a beautiful seafood platter

that we put on the menu over the festive

season. Being a bar and bistro people

often like to enjoy a meal they can share and enjoy with wine and other drinks, and this is more so over Christmas. As we have recently opened an outdoor bar area, we are also looking to do a seafood style barbecue, something that is a part of many classic Australian Christmases.

Frederic Booms, Helm Bar & Bistro, Darling Harbour

We don’t do the traditional French

Christmas dishes as it’s too hot. Instead, we’ll feature dishes

which are more suited to our warm

climate such as roast suckling pig with truffled potato; open ravioli

of Western Australian scampi, warm crayfish salad, and venison with either griottes (cherries) or Grand Veneur (a cognac-style wine).

Geraud Fabre, France-Soir

This Christmas we will have just

opened the Eat Space Deli at Westfield in Sydney, so I’ll be

spice brining and dry spice rubbing the

Christmas turkey and slow cooking it on my new French rotisserie for all the Christmas shoppers. We’ll also be serving a version of this at The Summit.

Michael Moore, The Summit

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Maurice Esposito is the latest chef to join the select band

serving only sustainable seafood, opening Saint Peter’s (named after the patron saint of fisherman), Melbourne’s first sustainable seafood restaurant, last month.

Over in Sydney, Tom Kime, executive chef of Fish & Co in Annandale (co-author of Fish Tales with Bart Van Olphen of Fishes, Europe’s first sustainable fishmonger), is working with the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC), an international not-for-profit organisation that certifies sustainable fisheries, to ensure all the fish he uses in the restaurant is sustainable.

Fish and other seafood currently on the menu at Fish & Co include Coorong yellow eye, school mulloway, New Zealand Hoki, and Coorong surf clams, all of which come from MSC Fisheries certified as sustainable. Others species such as deep water hake from New Zealand come from fisheries that are in the primary assessment phase for certification and are expected to have full certification within the

next 12 months.

At a recent seminar held at the Restaurant 10 show in Sydney, seafood specialist John Susman from consultancy Fishheads told the assembled crowd that Australians are lucky because “the reality is that we live in a first world country and act under law that demands we produce seafood, whether wild-caught or farmed, to a sustainable, certifiable level”.

However, with demand for seafood exceeding the amount we can produce locally, 77 per cent of seafood is imported and that’s where chefs can potentially run into problems with sustainability.

Chef Peter Kuravita, co-owner of Flying Fish in Sydney suggests that chefs who are interested in using sustainable seafood find out as much as possible about the seafood they’re buying. Question not only where it comes from but how it was caught.

“Educate yourself; talk to your supplier; start asking them real questions,” he says. “The more chefs

The tide is turning for seafood, with the number of restaurants choosing to serve only sustainable seafood on the rise.

are educated, the more suppliers will have to come up to scratch.”

Being flexible about the species you put on the menu and familiarising yourself with the stocks that are on the “no go” list is vital. To help out chefs and consumer alike, the Australian Marine Conservation Society has published a guide to more than 60 common Australian seafood species, sorting them into three main categories – Say no (red), Think Twice (orange), and

Better Choice (green) – and listing information about its biology and specific conservation concerns.

Species on the overfished list include blue warehou, deepwater shark, eastern gemfish, orange roughy, oreos, Redfish, School sharks, silver trevally and southern bluefin tuna, while broadbill swordfish, bigeye tuna, other sharks and rays and yellow fin tuna are considered vulnerable.

Another useful resource is the

MSC’s searchable database of Chain of Custody Certified businesses that will supply certified sustainable seafood.

By embracing sustainable seafood, chefs also have an opportunity to engage and educate customers. By making a feature of an ingredient’s provenance, adding a short description of the fishery’s sustainability record to the menu, or additional materials and resources to your business’s website for example, you add value to their experience. Let your customers know what you’re doing and why, and chances they’ll become as excited by it as you are.

Pan fried snapper, summer clam & tomato stew, horseradish foam

4 x 180g pieces local snapper1kg summer clams1kg mussels300ml white wine10 shaved shallots5 garlic cloves1kg ripe tomatoes1 litre chicken stock3 sticks of celery, thinly sliced100ml cream1 teaspoon tomato paste1 tablespoon red wine vinegar

Horseradish foam300ml cream25g freshly grated horseradish2 gelatine leaves

Heat a heavy based pot. Add mussels and wine and place on lid. Steam for 3 minutes until mussels open. Strain and reserve the liquid. Discard any unopened mussels and pick the meat out of the remaining ones. In a clean pot sweat the shallots, celery and garlic cook until soft. Add the tomatoes and cook out all the liquid. Once mixture becomes dry add tomato paste and cook out for 2 minutes. Deglaze with vinegar. Add chicken stock and reserved mussel stock cook for 20 minutes.

To make the horseradish foam, cook cream and horseradish down until infused, correct the seasoning,

add the gelatine and strain once chilled place into a soda siphon Pan Fry snapper skin side down for 8 minutes in a 260°c oven or until just cooked. Place clams into small pot and add a ladle of stew mixture, bring to boil and correct the seasoning, then add enough cream to enrich the stew and cook until clams open. Place into stew bowl and top with snapper. Dot with horseradish foam. Serve with calasparra rice or crusty bread.

Recipe: Matt Merrick, The Terminus Hotel, Clifton Hill.


UNifOrmS

Dressed for successChoosing the right uniform for staff can help set a restaurant’s tone, differentiate it from competitors and reassure customers about the experience they’re about to have.

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Whether you’re running a casual suburban cafe or a fine-dining

restaurant, the uniforms staff wear help to set the tone for the venue. The appearance of front-of-house and increasingly, as the popularity of open kitchens grows, kitchen staff makes an implicit statement to customers about the standard of restaurant they’re entering and the level of service they can expect.

“A smart uniform indicates to the customer a high level of professionalism and reflects on the image of the restaurant,” says Mygyn Peters from hospitality uniform supplier Retro Chef. “It shows that the restaurateur knows how to run a good business, and makes the customer confident they’ll have a good experience.”

Raja Farah from Robbie Barsman agrees. “The way staff appears is an engaging link between the venue and customer, and if done correctly, can differentiate a business from competitors in a cost effective way,” he says.

For front-of house staff, jeans and a funky t-shirt point to a cool, laid-back venue; a uniform of smart pants, long-sleeved shirt and tie or even a tailored suit, suggests a more formal dining experience. The right uniform can even have a demonstratable effect on your bottom line.

“Clever uniform choices can help up-sell a customer depending on the environment a staff member works in,” says Farah. “For example, for staff predominantly

serving alcohol, a sexy, fashionable uniform says something different than the formal attire you’d find in a fine-dining restaurant.”

It’s a theory many restaurants and hotels internationally are investing in, commissioning top fashion designers to create a unique look for their staff, and by extension their venue. In New York, Narcisco Rodrguez has in the past designed uniforms for chef Mario Batali’s eatery Del Posto, Calvin Klein has outfitted staff at Jean-Georges Vongerichten’s Perry St, and staff members at Nobu 57 wear Yohji Yamamoto. Singer Gwen Stefani, the creator of clothing line L.A.M.B, has designed sexy little black dresses for staff of the W Hotels chain. Staff at the Metropolitan Bangkok hotel

wear Comme des Garcon.

Uniforms don’t have to be designer or expensive however to effectively position and differentiate a business. A basic uniform of dark pants and a long-sleeved shirt can easily be individualised with a restaurant’s logo or identifying emblem, or by injecting a touch of colour. Peters suggests red and black for Japanese restaurants; red, white and green for Italian restaurants, and yellow and blue for Mediterranean restaurants.

For kitchen staff, clean, crisp white shirts and aprons remain the best way to reassure customers that your business is the sort of clean, hygienic place they want to eat in. In the restaurant business, first impressions really do count. OH

The future of fishingWild, farmed, fresh and tinned, we’re now eating more fish than ever before. Paul Greenberg outlines the “big picture” steps society needs to take to protect seafood stocks, now and in the future.

We are now at a point where we know something about fish.

We know that overfishing can and does happen. That, as with terrestrial animal husbandry, fish farming has problems of waste management, disease, and industrial pollutants.

Nevertheless, we are still not grappling with the quandaries of fishing and fish farming in a manner commensurate with the contemporary battles of the food-reform and land-based environmental movements.

It is not that we don’t have choices to make. But the choices ahead are large societal ones that require our careful attention and our active political engagement. After forty years, beginning with the near global collapse of wild salmon we have seen numerous examples of oceanic disasters interspersed here and there with real improvements. Wild fish globally are declining, but the examples of science-based successes are marked, accurately documented, and clearly replicable. Pollution and dead zones have grown, but, unlike the terrestrial environment, the essential habitat of much of the world’s marine life remains reclaimable. If left alone, marine ecosystems have a tendency to rebuild themselves.

What is needed now is a societal choice to give priority to a set of clearly achievable goals for wild fish. Those priorities should include:

1. A profound reduction in fishing effort.

The world fishing fleet is estimated by the United Nations to be twice as large as the oceans can support. This overcapacity is being maintained primarily through government subsidies. Many billions of dollars are paid by governments to support fishing fleets that without subsidies would not turn a profit. Subsidies thus make wild fish unreasonably cheap. A move away from large, heavily extractive vessels that

employ very few individuals is critical. An emerging “artisanal” sector of respectful fishermen-herders that will steward the species, as well as catch them, needs to be encouraged and higher market prices will be able to support that kind of activity.

2. The conversion of significant portions of ocean ecosystems to no-catch areas.

Up until the last decade, the default assumption with the ocean has been that any ocean habitat could and should become fishing grounds if fish are present in abundant numbers. There is, however, growing evidence suggesting that key fish breeding grounds and nursery habitat must be reserved as safe havens if overexploited fish populations are to rebuild to harvestable numbers. It is still a matter of controversy how much territory should be put aside for fish reserves, and today an average of only one per cent of the world’s ocean habitats is protected from exploitation. Surely developed nations that already protect around 10 per cent of their land areas could see fit to come up with a similar amount for their ocean holdings.

3. The global protection of unmanageable species.

Species or stocks that straddle too many nations or that occur in unowned, international waters have been shown with very few exceptions to be unmanageable over the long term. In the face of hard science, politicians of multiparty treaties “negotiate” catch allocations that go against scientific reality. Developing nations balk at not being given their “fair share” of these depleted stocks, but if a species shows continued decline over time, as has the Atlantic bluefin tuna, the only “fair” thing to do is to completely close the fishery. If bluefin tuna were elevated and accorded the same kind of protection tigers, lions, whales, and other sensitive transboundary species are

given, it could shift public perception of fish and give regulators a line in the sand past which a species is simply not allowed to decline.

4. The protection of the bottom of the food chain.

With the boom of aquaculture and the rise in the use of fish as feed for pigs and chickens, small forage fish like anchovies, sardines, capelin, and herring now represent the largest portion of fish caught. And yet we really do not understand the population dynamics of these smaller forage fish. With the scaling-up of so much aquaculture, we run the very real risk of what Dr. Ellen Pikitch of the Pew Oceans Commission called “pulling the rug out from underneath marine ecosystems” – that is, removing the basic food source of the ocean and causing fisheries collapses from below.

We must therefore take a precautionary approach to the very bottom of the oceanic food chain. We must also seek to rebuild the bottom of the food chain we have already lost by restoring the habitats where forage fish are born and reared. Estuaries and river systems are vital zones of food production and not simply “natural” spaces.

Four very good, noble, and ultimately effective principles that will rebuild the seas. Goals that are more and more becoming part of a new phenomenon taking root in conservation policy: “ocean zoning.” As more users compete for space in the ocean, some places in the world (the island of Asinara off Sardinia, for example) have implemented overall zoning goals, much in the same way municipalities plan a town with commercial space, green space, and residential areas. The advantage of zoning the ocean now is that it gives wild-fish advocates a chance to stake out territory before wildness has been relegated too far to the margins. Hand in hand with ocean zoning is the rising trend of “ecosystem management.” Rather than managing individual species, ecosystem management seeks to manage entire systems, modelling patterns for fishing and restoration that work toward re-establishing the balance of the many demands of prey and predator.

But all the very good and noble goals of ocean zoning and ecosystem management become meaningless in the presence of one ominous factor: human demand.

In spite of campaigns, boycotts,

publications, documentaries, and every other means of persuasion known, the global human population keeps growing and humans keep eating more fish every year, not just in aggregate but on a per capita basis. And because seafood is such a global, boundary-free business, whenever a restaurant, a city, or a country takes to the moral high ground and tries to reduce or improve the footprint of its seafood consumption, another, less scrupulous restaurant, city, or nation is ready to step in and continue the bad practices that the more evolved parties have abandoned.

So if we take as a given that humankind will keep eating fish, more and more of it every year, then we need to come up with a way to direct that appetite away from sensitive, unmanageable wildlife and usher it toward sustainable, productive domesticated fish.

What is needed above all is a standard for boosting fish supplies in as sustainable a manner as possible. Humans should purposefully select a handful of fish species that can stand up to industrial-size husbandry with the goal of compensating for the huge gap between wild supply and growing human demand. Of course, if the global human population continues to grow unabated, no solution will work; in such a population-growth scenario, only the stars can save us. Indeed, with terrestrial food production now reaching its limits, the ocean is, in a sense, the final option, the only remaining way for humans to convert more of the world’s biomass and sun energy into more humans.

We therefore have a very clear choice. We can carefully select the fish that work well both in conjunction with human farmers and alongside the wild ocean food systems that still function. Or we can run roughshod over the wild ocean, install feedlots up and down the world’s coasts, and continue to reap short-term kilojoule credits irrespective of the long-term ecological debits. If humans are at root rational creatures, then we must without question choose the former path over the latter.

Credit: This is an edited extract from Four Fish: the story of fishing and what’s left to eat by Paul Greenberg (Viking, $32.95). OH


dESSErtS

Source: The Food Channel, in conjunction with Culture Waves and the International Food Futurists, May 2010.

1 Unexpected complementary ingredients

2 Macarons

3 Beer and dessert matching

4 Deconstruction of common desserts into component elements

5 Mobile dessert trucks

6 “Darwinist desserts”; the evolution of one dessert into another

7 Specialised bakeries

8 Bite-sized desserts with big flavours

9 Ice cream floats, combining fizzy drinks (or even beer) with sorbet or ice-cream

10 Artisanal ice cream sandwiches made with brownies, cakes or brioche.

Top 10 international dessert trends

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not so sweet thingsDesserts that blur the line between sweet and savoury challenge chefs’ ingenuity and customers’ palates. Think outside the square to take advantage of this exciting trend.

Amongst the Top 10 dessert trends identified by The Food

Channel earlier this year was “the unexpected complement”, the idea of combining non-traditional ingredients such as bacon and chocolate or caramel with wasabi peas to shake things up and challenge perceptions of what constitutes “dessert”.

It’s not a new idea – savoury ice creams were served as far back as Victorian times – but what’s changed in recent years is the public’s willingness to try unusual combinations, fuelled by exposure to food from around the globe and television programs such as Heston’s Feasts in which chef Heston Blumenthal from The Fat Duck in Britain (number

three on the S.Pellegrino World’s 50 Best Restaurant list) whips up whimsical dishes such as lobsterchinos and beetroot and sherry vinegar slush puppies.

Blumenthal is perhaps one of the best known proponents of savoury ice-cream, along with Ferran Adria from El Bulli in Spain (number two on the S.Pellegrino list), serving up varieties such as smoked bacon and egg ice cream to willing diners.

However, Blumenthal acknowledges that perception is a big factor in terms of what people will eat, telling Good Housekeeping magazine: “call it crab ice cream and no one will touch it but change the name to frozen crab bisque and it’s a different story.”

New York-based pastry chef Pichet Ong told Open House when he visited Australia for the 2009 Sydney International Food Festival that he thinks “savoury ingredients such as miso, various cheeses, vegetables, salts and even bacon often make surprisingly good – and addictive – additions to desserts.”

Ong always adds the “flavour of animal”, in the form of cheese, eggs or milk rather than meat, to his desserts.

Here in Australia chefs such as Mark Best from Sydney fine-dining restaurant Marque are also experimenting with combining sweet and savoury flavours in a way that blurs the line between traditional main and dessert courses. Best’s dishes include chocolate cannoli with olive nougat, and a goat’s cheese marshmallow with strawberries, rhubarb and beetroot granita.

Patissier Adriano Zumbo, arguably best-known for his candy-hued macarons, includes cheeseburger, vegemite sourdough and sweet corn, vanilla and saffron varieties

amongst the flavours he sells in his Sydney shop. Other creations include a choux pastry confection made with dukkah sable, pistachios, crème mousseline, Dijon mustard crème anglaise and fresh raspberries, and a chocolate, blue cheese and walnut gateaux.

“For me, the secret to a good dessert is balance and that’s where combining sweet and savoury flavours works,” says Zumbo. “If a dessert is too sweet you don’t taste all the flavours and it ruins it.”

While sweet-savoury combinations such as salted caramel, chilli chocolate and avocado ice-cream (a signature dish of Sydney caterer The Avocado Group) challenge palates without appalling them, there is, of course, the risk of going too far with flavour combinations. In Japan, where even Kit Kat chocolate bars come in Wasabi, Soy Sauce and Green Tea varieties, such outlandish concoctions as ox tongue, prawn and octopus ice cream are common. Try them at your own risk.

Caramelised apple with cream cheese sorbet

Sable

100g softened butter

200g castor sugar

1 pinch sea salt

1 egg yolk

300g plain flour

100g roasted and crushed hazelnuts

For the dark caramel, place the sugar and 50ml of the mineral water into a heavy based pot. Bring to

the boil and reduce until it begins to colour. Continue until wisps of smoke appear. Swirl in the pan to mix evenly. Remove the pan from the heat and place the base into a pot of cold water. Add the remaining mineral water. Place back onto the heat to dissolve and lumps and reserve at room temperature.

Remove the cheeks from the apples leaving leaves and stalk attached. Place each apple into a vacuum bag

and add 40g caramel. Seal under vacuum and cook at 95°c for 5 hours. A water bath is the best.

For the sorbet, bring the water, castor sugar and invert sugar to the boil for two minutes. Leave to cool then add the stabiliser, and whisk in the cream cheese and softened gelatine. Leave to mature overnight. Churn in an ice-cream maker.

For the sable, beat the butter and sugar together with a wooden spoon. Add the salt and beat in the egg yolk. Fold in the sieved flour and hazelnuts. Make a flattened mound of it and wrap in cling film. Refrigerate for two hours. Then roll between two sheets of baking paper to 5 mm thick. Rest for two hours then bake at 170°c until golden. Cool then crush.

To serve, cut a small “bite” from each apple with a 20mm fluted cutter. Square off the base of each with a sharp knife and stand in the middle of a plate. Add a little sable to each plate and then a quenelle of ice cream.

Recipe by Mark Best, Marque Restaurant, as featured on the Aussie Apples website, www.oneadaysuperfood.com.au. OH

6 Gala apples

200g castor sugar

100ml mineral water

Cream cheese sorbet

800ml water

200g castor sugar

50g invert sugar

5g stabiliser

200g Philadelphia cream cheese

2 sheets gelatine

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cOOkiNg tHE bOOkSWhat’s on shelf this month?

Cherry picking

800g (1½ lb) lamb shoulder3 cloves garlic, crushed1 lemon, sliced2–3 sprigs fresh rosemarySea salt and pepper3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil3 French shallots, finely chopped100ml (3½fl oz) red wine500ml (17fl oz) beef stock4 x 4-bone lamb racks

Cherry toffee300ml (10fl oz) red wine2 tablespoons caster sugar1 teaspoon ground cinnamonPinch ground gingerPinch ground nutmeg1kg (2lb) fresh cherries, with stone removed90g (1½ oz) brown sugar60ml (2fl oz) balsamic vinegar1 quantity of pasta dough

Preheat oven to 160°C (325°F) and place lamb shoulder into a baking dish. Sprinkle with 2 cloves garlic, lemon, rosemary, salt and pepper and half the oil. Cover with foil and roast for 45 minutes. Remove foil and continue cooking for a further 15 minutes. Remove from oven and cool completely before slicing or pulling meat apart.

Heat remaining oil in a large pan over medium heat and cook shallots and garlic for 3–4 minutes. Add cooked lamb, wine and stock and simmer for 30 minutes or until thick and liquid has evaporated. Adjust seasoning and cool completely. This is the tortelli filling.

Roll pasta dough out thinly. Place spoonfuls of lamb mix along the pasta, brush around the edges with a little water then lay another sheet of pasta over the top. Cut into circles then shape into tortelli by using your little finger to indent one side. Cook in a pot of boiling salted water until tender.

Nothing says summer like cherries, eaten fresh or added to any number of dishes. Here, Michael Moore, owner of the Summit restaurant in Sydney shares one of his favourite recipes.

Bentley: Contemporary cuisine by Brent Savage (Murdoch Books, $69.95)

Writing with domestic cooks in mind Brent Savage has broken each of his recipes down into its component elements, however that’s the only concession the chef makes in this cutting-edge – and incredibly stylish – book. Even the most seasoned chef will find dishes such as caramelised pork cheek with beetroot and salmon “ravioli” inspiring. Prepare to be surprised.

Quay: food inspired by nature by Peter Gilmore (Murdoch Books, $95)

There is a reason that Peter Gilmore has been named one of the top 50 chefs in the world and that reason is abundantly clear from page one of this book of inspiring, produce-driven recipes. This book took over a year to complete, ensuring every season’s best bounty is represented, and it’s sure to inspire for many more years to come.

500 Cheeses by Roberta Muir (New Holland, $19.95)

Semi-soft, washed rind, triple-cream, mixed mould, stretched-curd, fresh, semi-hard... There are dozens of styles of cheese and thousands of specific varieties globally – this handy little volume covers 500 of the most commonly-known and includes provenance, tasting notes and wine-matching tips. Keep it on hand for planning cheeseboards or experimenting with different flavours and textures in recipes. OH

Slow-cooked lamb tortelli with poached and roasted cherries, cherry toffeeServes 4–6

In a saucepan, warm the wine, caster sugar and spices, simmer for 3 minutes then add the cherries. Bring back to the simmer and remove from the heat and allow to cool in the syrup.

To make the cherry toffee, place 6 cherries into a small saucepan. Add brown sugar and balsamic vinegar and simmer gently for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Strain liquid into a small serving jug, return to the saucepan and reduce to a toffee-like syrup consistency.

Season the lamb rack and roast in a medium (180°C/350°F) oven for 14 minutes until pink.

Allow to rest and slice into cutlets.

Remove the cherries from the syrup and roast in a hot oven for 10 minutes.

To serve, place tortelli with cherries down the centre of each plate. Arrange cutlets neatly and drizzle the glaze down either side of plate.

Recipes and images from Moore to food by Michael Moore (New Holland, $49.95).


named the winner of the “From the Earth” category in the recent 2010 Produce Awards. ● www.australiancapers.com.au

Planter pots with a differenceBysteel planter boxes are ideal for seperating dining and public areas, or providing a screen for unslightly service areas. Weatherproof LED lighting allows the boxes to be illuminated at night, creating ambiance and atmosphere. The boxes can also be customised to include your venue’s logo or design motifs.

Made from aluminium and stainless steel, this stylish Italian range is manufactured to withstand the harshest of outdoor environments and won’t chip or rust. It uses sustainable manufacturing processes by recycling any cut outs and waste materials, and uses recycled metal sheets in the fabrication wherever possible.● www.bysteel.it OH

PrOdUctS

Drink up, eat the cup

The new Ingham Foodservice website is packed with exciting

ways to create delicious customer-pleasing chicken and turkey

meals. To fi nd out more, visit the professionals’ choice today.

More recipes than you canpoke a drumstick at.

www.inghamfoodservice.com.au

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ARM0240 Ingham_Web_Ad_Open_House.indd 1 10/8/10 3:27:53 PM

Forget washing up, Amanti’s Chocolate Lined WaffleCups are the coffee cups customers can

eat after they’ve enjoyed their favourite brew.

Coated with premium quality chocolate, WaffleCups can withstand the temperature of milk-based coffees, hot chocolates and even espresso shots. Or try serving babychinos in them for your littlest customers.

The chocolate-lined WaffleCups are also ideal for serving desserts, ice-cream and gelato, and fruit, becoming an intrinsic part of the dish. Customers of all ages will enjoy the unique presentation and delicious taste. ● www.CoffeeGateway.org

Spring rolls win approval at Fine Foods Lotus & Ming’s BBQ Pork & Plum Spring Rolls recently took out the Best New Catering Product award at Fine Foods Australia. The spring rolls are part of Lotus & Ming’s gourmet dim sum range, which also includes sugar cane skewers in a range of flavours, salt and pepper prawns and salt and pepper squid.

Products in the range are handcrafted using premium ingredients, and they contain no MSG or preservatives. Gluten-free, vegetarian and vegan options are available. ● www.lotusandming.com

Online rostering optionJustRosters is a new online rostering solution that allows its users to build their own roster online, share it with staff, manage shift swaps, forecast labour costs and notify staff of their rosters via SMS and email.

Easy-to-navigate for both management and staff, the system is designed to simplify the rostering process and cut down on scheduling problems.

The program is currently used by more than 100 Australian business including hospitality, retail and tourism operators.

Clients such as World Vision have been quick to praise the platform. “JustRosters helps us manage more than 330 staff over 55 locations in a much more efficient way saving us both time and money. Letting staff login to the website and fill out unavailability has removed the need for us to chase and re-enter that data into a separate spreadsheet.”

JustRosters is currently offering a free 14-day trial of their software. ● www.justrosters.com.au

Magenta melons in-store nowA new variety of melons, grown in Australia for the first time, will be available from this month. The Magenta melons, exclusive to Perfection Fresh Australia, have an intense orange hue, juicy yet firm flesh, and a sweet refreshing flavour.

Perfect for eating fresh, tossing into salads or enhancing fruit platters, their striking colour is bound to stand out during the festive season.

Magenta melons are picked ripe and ready to eat and do not ripen further. Store in a cool, dry place and use within a few days. They will last 10-14 days if stored properly.● www.perfection.com.au

Simply smokin’ Angelo Po has a new accessory addition to its extensive range of combi steam ovens, SmokerStar.

This clever add-on product allows chefs to hot and cold smoke any number of products including hot and cold meats, fish, cheeses, vegetables and seasonings, significantly extending their menu options.

By no longer needing to buy smoked goods from outside suppliers, users are able to control quality and save money.

SmokerStar can be easily installed by the user on 32 different models of Angelo Po combi steam ovens, including older models. It is easy to use and clean – simply steam or rinse out the combisteamer when finished. ● www.angelopoaustralia.com

Crown Commercial launches unbreakable rangeCrown Commercial has launched of polycarbonate drinkware, which the company claims won’t break, chip or crack, even if it a truck was to run over it.

Made from high-grade polycarbonate the

range looks like glass but meets legislative requirements for some hospitality venues to use plastic drinkware. The range includes weights & measures compliant options, nucleated bases in Empire and Conical designs, an embossed lip jug and unique stackable beverage and old fashioned styles. Crown Commercial’s polycarbonate products are made from food grade material, are reusable and 100 per cent recyclable, OH&S compliant, BPA free, stain and odour resistant, and dishwasher safe. Smart designs across the range mean there’s minimal post-dishwasher water pooling in the upturned bases.● www.crowncommercial.com.au

Aussie capers now availableGourmet producer The Australian Caper Company produces a range of caper products for the foodservice market, including Caper-buds in Sea Salt, Caper-buds with Extra Virgin Olive Oil, Caper-berries in Wine Vinegar and Caper Salt.

The South Australian range is the first to use caper buds and berries that are grown, processed and packaged in Australia and was recently

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