Schnitz, Knox Shopping Centre

I know diamonds.. but diamond-cut chips? Gaz and I dined at our nearest Schnitz yesterday night, the first time since they opened some 6 months ago. According to their website, Schnitz is famous of their handmade, pan fried schnitzel and diamond-cut chips with special seasoning.

We ordered a schnitzel with chips and coleslaw, and an OMG burger which had bacon, egg, beetroot, schnitzel and lettuce.

I was really looking forward to a crispy, tender schnitzel, and Schnitz did not disappoint. The schnitzel was thin, crisp, and tender. The unique hexagon cut of the chips produced 6 tips which was fried to crispy perfection, the mouth feel was great. How can I revert to normal cube cut chips after this! However, Tom's seasoning turned out to be chicken salt, mixed with lots of sugar. I soon got sick of the MSG laden taste of the chips after a couple of bites.

I am glad we had tried Schnitz out, and sampled their diamond-cut chips, but next time I think I might ask for a serve of chips without seasoning!

Christmas 2012

Christmas has come and gone again! Christmas is undoubtedly one of the most exciting times in the year, not because of the presents but because it is a time where the whole family (usually) comes over to our place for a home cooked dinner by moi. I get to try new recipes on voluntary guinea pigs!

These are the recipes I tried this year:

Whole snapper baked in salt dough. The salt dough becomes easier to handle after being refrigerated. Encased in the dough is a whole snapper, stuffed with lemon slices, dill and thyme. I made the mistake of scaling the fish therefore the salt in the dough (1:1 ratio) seeped into the flesh making it incredibly salty.

However, the best thing about this way of cooking (besides the presentation) is that it keeps the fish warm for more than an hour post cooking. This enabled me to cook other dishes in the oven and still have warm food on the table all at the same time.

Seared scallops on bed of seaweed salad topped with mayo & wasabi peanut crumble.

Prawns with capsicum in XO sauce.

Roast chicken. The cavity is seasoned with five spice, preserved kumquat, chinese wine. The resulting gravy was delicious! The skin was bathed twice with a honey and vinegar solution to achieve a crispy skin which Gaz mistakenly ruined by pouring its juices over the skin after it finished roasting!!

And now... the piece de resistance...! Heston Blumenthal's popping chocolate gateau! I used a 21cm cake pan so the mousse was a little thin. I improvised with the leftover ingredients and created a second layer of mousse on top. The three layers of biscuit base, dark choc and milk choc mousse can be seen in the pic below.

I was a little worried that the pop rocks would be out of fizz when the cake is finally served because it popped during the mixing, and pouring of the mousse onto the base. I could hear it popping away and quickly stuffed it into the freezer and crossed my fingers. However, it still popped, and wonderfully too! I loved it for the little twist it served to my guests!

Rustic Food

Recently, while flipping through one of the many food magazines that grace the newstand every week, I noticed that most of the pictures of food have been arranged by the food stylists to reflect a rustic feel. This look is characterised by discoloured enamel serving dishes, dull looking metal utensils upon worn napkins or old, dirty chopping blocks. All these are laid on railway sleepers lookalike, which are covered with one or two ingredients from the food photographed.

I wonder if this is a cost cutting intiative... Getting props from neighbourhood hard rubbish collection days should be cheaper than buying new props for the photo shoot.

When I look at these pictures, I am not thinking, 'Hmmm.. What a pretty looking Balmain Bug Risotto with Pumpkin Seeds, I must make that for dinner tonight!'. Instead, I am thinking, 'What a nasty looking rusty spoon! And for goodness sakes, someone wipe those pumpkin seeds from the table, how untidy!'

Chipped dishes and oxidised utensils are not the most hygienic, I am sure one would agree. I much prefer delicious food served in clean and unbroken vessels!

Think A Circle

My head hurts... Speaking in the language of the materials I have been learning the whole day today, my PPE turnover has hit the max, and requires a reinvestment to achieve a higher output rate... In other words, I've absorbed too much information today, I need more space in my brain to absorb the rest of the info tomorrow!

What an intensive day it was today, but I have also learnt heaps... Look beyond the numbers. Some people say numbers do not lie... But they do... If you do not know what measure you are looking at. Always ask the what if questions. Think a circle, be different and add value.