Thursday 25 October 2012

Beer Can Chicken

As per the below post on Mr Hive & Kitchen Bar, beer can chicken cooking is an effective method to keep the internal meat moist. The beer liquid creates steam inside the cavity whilst maintaining a crispy skin exterior.


Here are some recipes and tips for your next dinner arrangement:

Things You'll Need


  • Whole chicken
  • 12-oz. can of beer (brand of your choice)
  • 2 tsp. salt
  • 2 tsp. onion powder
  • 2 tsp. garlic powder
  • 2 tsp. black pepper
  • 1 tbsp. vegetable oil
  • Paper towels
  • Shallow baking pan
  • Aluminum foil
  • Meat thermometer
  1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Remove the giblets from inside the chicken. Rinse the chicken in cold water and pat dry with paper towels. 
  2. Mix salt, onion powder, garlic powder and black pepper to make a homemade rub. You can buy a meat rub instead of making your own. Line the baking pan with aluminum foil.
  3. Coat the chicken with vegetable oil and rub in the seasonings. Make sure to cover the entire bird.
  4. Pour out half the can of beer. Either cut the top off of the can or poke some holes in the top.
  5. Place the beer can in the middle of the baking pan and carefully sit the chicken on top. Position the chicken's legs so they are helping to support its weight on the can.
  6. Bake the chicken in the oven for 2 hours. Stick the the meat thermometer in the thickest part of the thigh. The chicken is done when it reads 180 degrees.
  7. Let the chicken rest for about 10 minutes before carefully pulling it off the can.
Source: http://www.ehow.com/how_5179038_cook-beer-can-chicken-oven.html

How to cook Beer Can Chicken the perfect way: http://www.ehow.com/how_4480236_beer-can-chicken-perfect-way.html 

 

Tips & Warnings 

  • Leave the lid on the pit for the duration, taking the lid off will extend the cooking time.
  • I leave the lid on and forget about it, cooking 3 to 5 hours and they turn out wonderful.
  • Water smokers don't really work that well because of too much air flow
  • An aluminum pizza pan works well
  • Hot items will burn you and leave a mark
  • Use a 50/50 bleach water solution to clean up prep area from chicken juice

TGIF Funnies: Perfectly Timed Photos

Some are more photoshop-ed than others but still brilliant. I can't choose a favourite :)



http://www.boredpanda.com/perfectly-timed-photos/

http://www.boredpanda.com/perfectly-timed-photos-2/

Tuesday 23 October 2012

Sunset Photography

I absolutely adore watching the sun go down (or rise). The latter is that I value my sleep more in this daily grind world! I guess this is the only exception to the rule of not being allowed to stare into the sun - or at least through your lens is ok. The vibrant colours changing within a short time frame is hypnotising and mysterious. I would sometimes head to the local beach to watch a sunset for reflection purposes. It helps clear the mind of any worries or otherwise provide a new sense of inspiration: "After all, tomorrow is another day." Hear hear!

The following pic was taken at the Sandringham Yacht Club post daylight savings using my handy Sony Cybershot (love the panaromic function!). Any pictures taken along the bayside at sunset such as Elwood or St Kilda are also perfect locations. Some photographers will be shutter crazy and take a new shot every second. I prefer to just capture a few and just being in the moment. Ignore the black spot dust mark...I only realised later when I went inside. Lesson learnt Photography 101 =.=".



Please see my short article on sunset photography if you're stuck on ideas on where to shoot: http://www.weekendnotes.com/best-locations-around-melbourne-for-sunset-photography/

Some inspiration for landscape photography: http://www.boredpanda.com/amazing-landscape-photos/

Saturday 20 October 2012

Mr. Hive Kitchen & Bar

Mr Hive is proving itself to be promising, young contender in the restaurant world. I think give it some more time and eventually it would mature into a chef hat status. It is currently half a point short of achieving that goal. Our recent dining experience with Mr Hive was fantastic and it is worth checking out. Another plus is that Entertainment card holders get an additional 25% off the bill...score! :)

We waited at the Bar area until our table was ready. Live acoustic music and finger food kept us distracted. 




The starters and mains we ordered were cooked well and the flavours were great. Being a platter dish, I think the mains took about 40 minutes to come out. The venue wasn't very full at this point so that's why it caught our attention. Food was worth the wait though. I didn't expect the chicken breast to be that juicy. I must research what beer can cooking involves :)




Our waitress was friendly, attentive and engaging. By engaging, I mean she would pick up some of our conversations upon coming to the table to clear our plates and chat about it. It didn't seem too intrusive but it was better than no conversation at all. 

The dessert bar was named after Mrs. Hive. Isn't behind every man a great woman? ;) They offer dessert degustations on Friday and Saturday nights for a good reason. 

I sampled Mr. Hive's signature chocolate bar ($20) that a friend ordered and it was mouth watering good. The slightly bitter after taste didn't linger too long. During the preparations, the layers were already constructed. The top of the cake was quickly flamed and melted into a glossy finish. They were using this cocoa bean imported from Madagascar which was apparently $100 per kilo. Chocolate is indeed expensive!

I ordered the white chocolate/mango/basil and coconut deconstructed dish ($16). The combination worked really well, with the basil tying in all the flavours together.  Similar to Shaun Quade's dessert night where he used lemongrass as the dominant flavour for one of his dishes. Coconut was in the form of a mild foam. I didn't realise the white chocolate was at the bottom of the plate so it became very sweet when I ran out of the other ingredients nearly two thirds in!

The other two friends ordered the praline souffle with coco nib icecream ($18) and the pistachio/olive oil cake/yuzu parfait ($18). She noted that it was the lightest soufflé she tried so far, almost foam like. The souffle arrived at the table full bodied and didn't go flat while we were taking pictures.  It wasn't dense like a cake and when enquiring the pastry chefs about the cooking method, they only cook it for a 3-5mins on one side. Most soufflés would take at least 15-20 minutes but having a lighter content means less cooking time. There was also a cheat way of cooking a souffle in the microwave for a short period of time. I will try to dig it up if it can be found. The other not-so-sweet-tooth friend gave the pistachio cake a thumbs up and said he could happily devour it as it wasn't too sweet.



Even though we weren't having the degustation option, they offered us a complimentary palate cleanser of watermelon, berry juice and elderflower jelly infused with liquor. Everyone loved the cleanser but thought it should have been offered after the chocolate milk hehe. We finished off with another complimentary salted caramel truffle and chocolate milk plus take home lolly bags. It was a very thoughtful gesture.





The dessert degustations at Mr. Hive can now be booked in advance. I will be back and can't wait to sample their other desserts!

Menu can be found here: http://www.crownmelbourne.com.au/Assets/Files/Mr%20Hive%20Spring%20Evening%20Menu.pdf


Mr. Hive Kitchen & Bar on Urbanspoon

Ora Cafe

When I knew that I would be venturing down the Eastern suburbs for an errand nearby, I thought it would be a shame if I did not try out their local cafes. Armed with The Age's Good Cafe guide, I flicked to the pink section (denoting the Eastern suburbs) and stumbled across Ora cafe as having good food options. The duck dish described in the book was not available on the day that I visited so it must have been on the special menu or during breakfast.

The cafe was located at the end of a suburban street and surrounded by other small shops across the road. A few doors down was a child care and/or nursing centre so expect some foot traffic as you can see parents trying to load their kids promptly into the car or dining at the cafe too.

This tiny cafe had around 26 seats inside and 5 or 6 seats outside. It did not feel cramped at all and they had made good use of the limited space. A communal table was also present. Tasteful modern artworks filled the white space.



A quick glance at the menu and the lunch selection appears limited but interesting. The breakfast options had more variety as you can see below. I can't seem to describe what style of food Ora cafe serves - there are some Middle Eastern and French influences as well. I guess they can be grouped under "fusion"? :)


Ora Cafe menu

I opted for the lunch special - crispy pork belly with apple, walnut, quinoa, cauliflower and harissa ($21). I did not know what harissa was and had to Google it afterwards.  Harissa turned out to be the spicy pepper sauce that accompanied the pork belly and brought all the flavours together. I am not a chilli person so at times it was a bit overpowering for me. The pork belly was delicious and well-cooked. It had the compulsory crunch, a chewy texture in the middle and it wasn't too fatty underneath. The quinoa salad was really light and I wanted more. I think they used apple juice as part of the dressing. A welcomed change from gravy or boring potato mash which sometimes gets served along with a pork belly dish.

Lunch Special of the Day - Crispy Pork Belly


Despite visiting on a Friday afternoon, it was at full capacity by 12:30pm. Thus due to limited seating, it is best to get there before the peak rush. I'd imagine the breakfast queues would be longer. There were also queues for takeaway coffee and homemade cupcakes/cake which I will try next time if I am around the Kew area. Service was attentive and friendly. The prices are a bit on the high end, but you pay for the quality of the produce and its execution of flavours. You won't be disappointed with this local gem.

Will I return? Yes!


Ora Cafe on Urbanspoon

Tuesday 9 October 2012

Proud Mary

Despite raving reviews on Urbanspoon, my first visit to Proud Mary wasn't that memorable. Reasons are outlined as follows:

Coffee: I frequently visit a local cafe (Badger and Hawk) on my way to work that uses Proud Mary beans. I expected the coffee from the original roasting house to be just as good, if not better. The coffee that was served to me that rainy Saturday morning was more acidic and had a slight bitter aftertaste. Compared to Badger and Hawk, my latte wasn't as milky. The best latte I have had so far is from Auction Rooms in North Melbourne. It was so smooth and milky that I ordered two cups! (and I am the one coffee a day drinker)

Anyway, I digress. Now for the breakfast dish...

Food: the Potato Hash dish ($16.50) was ordered. It came out with one poached egg and bacon in traditional Italian anchovy sauce (garlic & cream). Most places normally serve two poached eggs so I was disappointed when only one was present T_T For its price, I was also expecting a piece of sourdough or another side dish to counter the slabs of bacon and anchovy sauce (or another egg perhaps?). The potato hash had subtle flavours and was not too oily. I found the overall dish to be a bit too salty for my liking. My dining partner had ordered the same thing and thought it was ok for his taste. Just different preferences and sensitivity levels I guess. 

Service and ambiance was good. Staff were friendly and efficient in taking orders. We sat at the communal table but you would still be able to converse between yourselves without shouting.

Best Cafe in The Age Good Food Guide? I wouldn't go back in a hurry, but if I do I will order a different dish. I believe there are other better contenders out there. More cafe reviews to come...

Proud Mary on Urbanspoon

Shaun Quade Dessert Evening

Normally when Monday morning comes around, I would wake up feeling the same sentiments as Garfield: I HATE MONDAYS. However, thanks to the Dessert Evenings that Shaun Quade has been hosting for a few weeks now, those feelings were no longer the case and I could not wait for the massive sugar rush.

The last time I was down in Spotswood was due to either a visit to Scienceworks or a leisurely ride along the nearby bike trail. I have read reviews of the Duchess of Spotswood doing good brunches/coffee but have never had the opportunity to check out the place until now. It has a large courtyard at the back which should be lovely for brunches on a warm weekend.





The dessert evening was good value for its quality of ingredients, flavours and dining experience. A more detailed description of what we sampled that night along with photos can be found here: http://www.weekendnotes.com/shaun-quade-dessert-evenings/.

The evening includes: a small starter course, 3 courses and petite fours for $45 per person. Tea/coffee are not included. They accept cash-only.

 Duchess of Spotswood on Urbanspoon

Monday 8 October 2012

Dessert Degustations in Melbourne

See my post on dessert evenings around Melbourne: http://www.weekendnotes.com/dessert-degustation-evenings-in-melbourne/



Next review: Shaun Quade dessert degustation on Monday 8th October.

Saturday 6 October 2012

Vegie Bar in Fitzroy

Popular amongst the locals and visitors alike, it is not difficult to understand why.

My dining partner Mr I and myself arrived one lazy Sunday afternoon after 1pm and we were seated almost immediately despite the full capacity of the place. The crowd is quite varied and family friendly orientated.

After a week of heavy dining and training for a fun run, we opted for Vegie Bar to ensure that our hard efforts in exercise were not wasted. Being a carnivore, some of the hesitations I have with vegetarian food relate to taste and possibly getting hungry again 2 hours later. However this proved to not be the case and we walked away with an overall good experience.

We ordered two mushroom dishes from their menu. One dish with quinoa and a lovely tomato sauce base that was better than some of the Italian places I have tried! Flavours were well combined and additively awesome. I would order this again with no hesitation and ask for more sauce :D



Mr I ordered a baked mushroom with beetroot, snow peas, avocado and salad. It was tasty but didn't have intense flavours as the quinoa dish.


Both dishes arrived fairly quickly once we placed the order. Must be a popular dish. The table next to us ordered the exact same thing. Light and refreshing, the dishes don't leave you in a bloated state which is what we were aiming for. Oh how that would change...

Being major sweet tooths, the dessert cabinet also caught both our attention upon being led to our seat initially. We ordered a raspberry yoghurt cheesecake and flourless chocolate cake to share. The cheesecake was a healthy alternative however the texture was more of a frozen yoghurt in the end. It was a tad too sour for my liking.

The best dish of the day was the gluten free chocolate cake. It had a balanced texture and the cocoa wasn't too rich. Overall, it was not too dense, rather fluffy in nature even though the flour was missing. Maybe we should all start baking without flour :) we polished off every crumb and chocolate sauce from the cake with no hesitations. Inside we were probably screaming *MORE* and wanted to lick the plate if no-one was watching however started to feel guilty when we saw our bulging stomachs towards the end of the meal.



Value
The mains we had were reasonably priced ($16.50). The menu is overall good value for money with reasonable portions and decent quality. The entertainment book contains a once-off 25% discount voucher.

Service
Service was a hit and miss. The female waitresses were attentive and prompt when we requested items or asked questions to follow up on missing food. There was one male floor staff floating around the dining area and near the counter who took a while to come back with answers or any requests. Our desserts were really delayed compared to our mains. We requested the bill from the male waiter and that took at least 15min which I thought was unacceptable. When the bill finally arrived, the male waiter stood there while we sorted out the bill split. We did not want to hand over our bill to him incase he took a long time with the change. I placed cash on the tray and was expecting $10 change. Another 10-15min had surpassed and we wondered what had happened to the change. Tired and restless, we approach the counter and enquired about our bill. Our $10 change was placed in the tip jar! I cannot believe the waiter made an assumption that he had the right to deal with our change in that way. We would have left a tip but after that mix up and being stood up on essentially, we just wanted to get out of there ASAP as we were late for another appointment.

I hope readers don't experience the same service as we did. Approach the friendly female waitresses instead.

Food: 9/10
Value: 8/10
Atmosphere: 8/10 (busy but you can still hear your conversations. Evenings are more difficult)
Service: on this occasion 5/10. Would have been higher if it weren't for the hiccup towards the end.
Would I return? Yes for the chocolate cake!

Vegie Bar on Urbanspoon


Friday 5 October 2012

What's on this weekend in Melbourne (06/10/2012 - 07/10/2012)

 - Small LEGO fan exhibition: click here for more info. 

- Last weekend for the Napoleon: Revolution to Empire exhibition. $10 tickets from Saturday 06/10/2012 midnight until 8am Sunday 7 October. Click here for more info. 

- Last weekend for The Wonders of Ancient Mesopotamia @ Melbourne Museum. Click here



- Home Buyer and Property Investor Expo (www.homebuyershow.com.au)

Monday 1 October 2012

Baking: Scones Attempt #1

This first post was inspired by a recent trip to the Mount Dandenongs last weekend for the annual Tesselaar Tulip Festival and Hanami Japanese Festival.


Hanami Day @ Rhododendron Gardens

In full bloom :) *ahchoo*


Mount Dandenong is home to a few tea houses which offer Devonshire tea. We revisited the popular Miss Marples Tea Rooms and ordered their "scones" (2 pieces for $9). We were lucky to be seated straight away upon arrival just after 11am. We think the rain gods kept the queues away that morning. We would have happily ventured down the road to another cafe if there was a wait time imposed. We weren't that crazy about dining at Miss Marples specifically but anyway I digress. The word scones is highlighted because it arrives at the table in a sliced cake-like manner rather than the usual circular form you can pull apart.  Nonetheless, that is their interpretation of scones and it does pass the taste test with ease. Their signature house tea was a disappointment - you could not differentiate it between sipping a normal English Breakfast (it had a great marketing name though!)

The day before we had a stopover at Olinda and ordered scones from Olinda Cafe. Their scones were crumbly when you cut through the centre to reveal the middle. It seemed like the dough wasn't mixed together properly in the first place. The only way to minimise the crumbling process was to quickly dollop the double cream/jam on (no special technique required!). Once it resembled a bonding agent for a few seconds then you would have to quickly aim the falling pieces into your mouth. Hopefully you are not wearing white clothing while this quick vanishing act of scones to the floor occurs. Not worth the hassle to order it again. Avoid.



Miss Marple's Tearoom on Urbanspoon Olinda Cafe on Urbanspoon 


The following weekend I thought to give baking scones a go. The recipes seem simple enough, right? Are the scones you order outside worth the price you pay? I thought to try two recipes - one using buttermilk/butter and the other plain version with flour and milk mainly.

(1) The plain recipe is a country version (Gloria Hyatt) from an SMH article

Beat the egg, oil and milk until combined. Sift the flour, sugar and salt into a bowl. Add the egg mixture to the flour. Knead until just combined and then turn the dough out onto a floured surface. Pat into a flat shape of the thickness you'd like your scones. Hyatt prefers ¾ inch. Cut with a floured scone cutter and then place on a greased tray. Cook at 220 degrees for 12 to 15 minutes.

Makes 12-18 (depending in the size of your scone cutter)

1 egg
4 tablespoons of oil (she uses vegetable oil)
2 cups of milk (or 1½ cups milk and half a cup of sour cream or thickened cream)
4 cups of self raising flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon sugar

The writer claimed that the dough did not stick to everything. Although I halved the recipe, I did not find that to be the case. I even had excess milk mixture leftover and the dough appeared too runny to receive more! 


Tips provided by Gloria Hyatt:
  • Use a light touch when mixing the ingredients together – don’t over knead. Just mix until the ingredients are combined. Gloria uses a knife to cut in the ingredients but a spoon (or your hands) will work just as well. 
  • Make sure the dough is sticky and not too dry. 
  • Rest the dough for 10 minutes before cutting it into scone shapes. Cover this with a tea towel or a sprinkling of flour to stop it from drying out as it rests. 
  • Place the scones close together on the baking tray so they rise upwards, not outwards. Cook them in the hottest part of the oven. 
  • If you want to make fruit scones, add some chopped up dates or sultanas with a tablespoon of sugar.
The great thing about scones is that you should already have most of the ingredients in your pantry/fridge. I misread the recipe and rested the dough after cutting it into shapes. Bad idea. Hence the result is lopsided and...ugly looking lol. I prefer a crispy exterior so did not cover it with a teatowel. 


Ugly but edible!
But will the taste save the day? I baked the scones one minute too long in the oven. Upon transferring the scones to a cooling rack, the exterior appeared rock hard and it made a solid noise when you tapped it with a spoon or with your fingers. I was starting to get worried on whether it was edible at this point or the fact that the person devouring their first bite might chip their tooth! Slightly disheartened, I proceeded to pull it in half. *Sigh of relief* the internals were soft, cooked through and not too dense. The addition of a slightly crispy skin was a great texture combination in the end.  

What I would do differently next time:
Finish with fresh double cream and strawberry jam *drools*
  • Use actual self-raising flour instead of mixing plain flour with baking powder (I realised too late that my sister had used up all the SF flour T_T). Unless you can ensure that both are evenly mixed together than that is ok. 
  • Rest the dough for 10 minutes before cutting it into shapes
  • I was careful not to over-knead the dough - felt this recipe was somewhat fail proof?
  • Do not overbake and keep an eye out for the golden change in colour
  • Try the teatowel cover next time to achieve a soft top

Warning: does more damage to your waistline :P

What's the best scone recipe that you have attempted?

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