bournville chocolate: March 2011

April Fool's Day FOOD

For some reason, we never really celebrated April Fool's Day until a few years ago. Now we're having the best time with our "funny food."

This year, I'm serving "sundaes" for dinner....

Kiddo is going to be so disappointed when he realizes we are not having ice cream for dinner, but that it is, in fact, mashed potatoes and gravy.

{To make things super easy, we're using instant mashed potatoes and jarred gravy. I know, I know...not the healthiest, but I won't tell if you won't.}

And how cute is that "cherry?" I was SO excited to find that jar of Peppadew peppers at the grocery store! I might have squealed.

Here are a few blasts from April Fool's past:

Mashed Potato Cupcakes...

{I think these are my favorite.}

Meatloaf Cupcakes (yes, those are meat cakes, my friends)...

Spaghetti & Meatball Cupcakes...

I also love these ideas and am filing them away for next year:

Macaron "sliders" from One Vanilla Bean
"Grilled Cheese" from Family Fun (will be in kiddo's lunchbox tomorrow)
Candy-filled Fruit Cup from Come Together Kids
"Lasagna" from Food Network
Candy Sushi from La Casserole Carree (in French, oo-la-la)
Ducky Punch (not an April Fool's post, but I still think it would be great) from TidyMom
"Fakin' and Eggs" from Making Memories (sold by the name alone!)

Do you have any April Fool's FOOD ideas? I wanna hear 'em.

Four Hundred Followers - GIVEAWAY!!

As I mentioned earlier - I decided to do a giveaway when I reached 400 followers. Well, wouldn't ya know - I hit 400 followers today!! And two more lovely ladies beyond that too. :-)

So, it's GIVEAWAY time!! Usually, I tell you what I'm giving away.

But that's getting too predictable... so it's a mystery giveaway. (Heeheehee...I'm so mean!)

So...
Feel free to guess what I might be giving away. But I'm not giving any hints!

And here are the rules:
ONE entry for following me.
ONE entry for following me on Twitter.
ONE entry for Tweeting my giveaway (leave a comment with the link!)
ONE entry for having either my blog button or Tuesdays At The Table button on your sidebar.

Please make sure to comment what entries you get, so I can give you credit!! All entries must be received by Monday, April 4th at midnight. :-)

Bread : it's what's for dinner . . . Works for Me Wednesday

It occurs to me that I should be a marathon runner, not because I love to exercise, but because I am in a constant state of carbo-loading.

You guys....I LOVE bread.

Exhibit A: my "usual" at Panera.

French Onion Soup in a bread bowl with a side of baguette

Or as Mr. E called it this afternoon....

"Bread with a side of soup."

I admit it, I am smitten with bread...and Panera. And I LOVE than they give you the bread that was scooped out for the soup. That chunk of bread is like a little piece of heaven. (Please tell me there is bread in heaven.)

Speaking of bread (and I can't believe I've never shared this recipe before)...this is the ULTIMATE white bread for sandwiches, toast, snacking (?). :) If you love bread like I do, I BEG you to make it.

{My pictures aren't great, but the bread....oh, it's incredible! It's carbo-load time!}

White Bread 101
{barely modified from The King Arthur Flour Baker's Companion }

3 c. all-purpose flour (you can subs. WHITE whole wheat flour here)
2 tsp instant yeast
1 & 1/2 tsp kosher salt
3 TBSP sugar
4 TBSP softened butter
1/4 c. dry milk
1/3 c. potato flakes
1 & 1/8 c. lukewarm water

Combine all ingredients together. Dump onto a lightly floured surface and knead until you have a smooth dough...about 10 minutes. Add more flour as needed, but add sparingly as more flour equals a heavier, drier loaf.

Transfer to a lightly oiled bowl; cover with oiled plastic wrap and let rise for 1 hour.

Transfer to a lightly greased work surface and shape into an 8" log. Place in a lightly greased 8.5" x 4.5" loaf pan. Cover loosely with the oiled plastic wrap and let rise about 1 hour....or until the dough has risen 1 inch over the rim.

Preheat oven to 350. Uncover and bake the bread for 35-40 minutes, or until an instant thermometer reads 190 degrees. (Tent with foil during the last 10-15 minutes of baking if it is browning too quickly.)

Remove bread from the pan and place on a wire cooling rack. After 15 minutes, brush with butter. Cool completely before slicing.

Makes a mean grilled cheese or PB & J sandwich!

{This post about my love for "bread with a side of soup" is sponsored by Panera. My obsession with carbs, my love of French Onion soup and my extra 15 pounds are mine and mine alone.}

Sarah Cooks is on Facebook

Hi y'all! Just a quick post today, to let you know I've (finally) made a Facebook page for my blog! The link is here.

It's still quite new, but the general idea is:

to create a bigger discussion space than blog comments will allow;
to post up photos and fun foodie things that will only appear on my Facebook page;
to connect with my readers who primarily use Facebook; and
to inform y'all of any blog news or when I've published a new post!

I'm sure I'll think of more things as we go along, but for now, if you do like my blog, then may I suggest you head on over to the Facebook page and click "Like"!

The first couple of little things I've put up on the Facebook page are a couple of little breakfasty things I baked over the weekend. I'll put the pics here too for this introductory post, but from now on my Facebook content will be updated independently of my blog, with additional and different content.

White loaf (Nigella Lawson recipe, from Feast)

Chocolate Peanut Granola (Nigella Lawson recipe, Feast)

Full descriptions (in my fabulous prose - haha!) are over on the page itself. Enjoy! Thanks guys!

xox Sarah

Tuesdays At The Table - Crab Rangoon

Happy Tuesday! If you follow me on Twitter, you've already seen me ask this...but can we skip to the weekend? It's been a long week already!

Before I talk about my recipe for the day - I have a little "housekeeping". Stick with me!!

A HUGE welcome to all the new faces that have been contributing recipes lately! I love seeing new people join in on the fun. :-) Everyone is dropping by to encourage each other and thank each other for sharing, right?!?!

And while we're loosely on the subject of new people.... I'm one follower away from kicking off my "Oops, I forgot my blogoversary, but I want to have a giveaway" giveaway. I'll also be kicking off my flip flop swap later this week!!

And lastly - here is my new Tuesdays At The Table button! It was time for the button to get a face lift and Kirstren was fabulous enough to read my mind and create this for me. Drop by and see her! (Sidenote: The box displaying the html code for the button keeps disappearing. If you want the code for your blog - email me!)

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I love, love, love crab rangoon!! Sure, I could go to one of the local restaurants when the craving hits...but sometimes, it's more fun to make them at home.

Crab Rangoon
1 tub (8 oz.) PHILADELPHIA Chive & Onion Cream Cheese Spread
1 can (6 oz.) crabmeat, drained, flaked
30 wonton wrappers
1 1/2 cups oil

Mix cream cheese spread and crabmeat; spoon onto won ton wrappers, adding about 1 tsp. crabmeat mixture to each.

Moisten the edges of wrappers with water; fold diagonally in half. Press edges together to seal.

Heat oil in medium skillet or wok. Add won tons, in batches; cook 1 to 2 min. or until golden brown on both sides, turning once. Remove from skillet with slotted spoon; drain on paper towels.

What's cooking in your kitchen?

Want to be in business for yourself, but not by yourself? It is still FREE to sign up with Bamboopink and have your own personalized website to sell Bamboopink jewelry by JudeFrances. Over 25,000 people nationwide signed up in just over a month...and you can too! Click HERE. Don't want to sell, but want the inside track on discounts? Sign up!!

A Vacation from Vacation . . . and a little something for you. :)

The boys and I went on a little getaway to San Antonio and a few surrounding small towns for Spring Break.

{Side note: Gruene, TX...officially my new favorite city.}

Isn't coming home from vacation always the best part? Or am I weird?

Here's how you know you need a vacation from your vacation.....

a bird poops on your head in the first 15 minutes of strolling the RiverWalk,
your child & pollen do not mix and you spent 3 days subjecting fellow tourists to a hacking cough and lots of snuffling,
the hotel parking garage is full; driving around looking for another, your car overheats and smoke pours from under the hood (classy),
AND, your husband forgets to pack PANTS.

All in all, though, aren't those the vacations you remember? "Hey, remember that time we went on vacation and Dad forgot to pack any pants?" Yes, yes I do.

One place with NO mishaps was the Williams-Sonoma OUTLET, yes outlet, in San Marcos. I am serious when I say my heart was going pitter-patter and I thought I might faint. Oh, y'all...it's FUN!

And, I brought home a little something for you, too!

my beloved WS meringue powder,
a jar of yellow sanding sugar,
and a darling little bunny spatula.

{Now here comes the infomercial part...} But WAIT, there's more! I'm also including a $75 Williams-Sonoma gift card with your goodies.

To enter: tell me one of YOUR vacation stories (good or bad).

~~I'll draw a winner on April 1st (no foolin') at 8pm CST.~~ Giveaway CLOSED! Congrats, Samantha!

{PS...this is not a sponsored post. Just a little somethin' from me to you. :) Happy spring!}

Bamboopink!

Hi Ladies! Hope you all haven't gotten sick of my Bamboopink mini-ads at the bottom of some of my posts. By and large, that's all you'll see - I want it to be an unobtrusive as possible. I'm very excited for how I think Bamboopink will change my life! I want to share that with you. :-)

bamboopink is more than jewelry, it's a lifestyle. bamboopink is affordable luxury. It is your very own direct sales business managed by you, which gives you the freedom to create your own destiny. Just like the bamboo plant representing strength and prosperity, along with feminine softness of the color pink, our company is designed to help you grow personally, financially and give you the freedom to blossom. bamboopink provides you the tools to fashion your own future by empowering you with the latest technologies, beautifully designed jewelry and the experience of successful entrepreneurs supporting you every step of the way.

With Bamboopink you are in business for yourself...not by yourself! Our company motto is, "the best way to predict the future, is to create it!"

Now that you've read my official pitch...I'm going to share with you the top few reasons why I signed up.

I'm tired of being on the sidelines watching everyone else make money!!
The jewelry is beautiful. AND hypoallergenic!
I look at Dell, at Mary Kay, at Twitter, at countless other companies that started in a garage, house or dorm room and see their success. If they can do it - so can Bamboopink. :-)
There are already over 24 THOUSAND Bamboopink Independent Consultants. How's that for a big support system?!?!

Wanna "kick the tires"? Signing up doesn't commit you to anything... Join in! I'll be hosting a call next week and will (unobtrusively, of course) be posting the time and dial-in number if you'd like to listen in. :-)

www.bamboopink.net/allthelilstuff

Barossa's Table: Vintners Bar and Grill

Vintners Bar and Grill

Nuriootpa Road

PO Box 10

Angaston SA 5353

(08) 8564-2488

For my second night in the Barossa, Jaci from Tourism Barossa took me to Vintners Bar and Grill, a lovely little restaurant on the outskirts of Angaston. (Located in the same spot as the Barossa Farmers Market!) It was rather quiet, being a Monday night, with only 3 tables occupied, including ours. However, the wooden floors and exposed beams gave the space a warm and welcoming atmosphere.

VBG Dukkah, Dom's Olives and Olive Oil - $8

Interestingly, even though Vintners is a "bar and grill", the menu had a strong Asian influence, with items like Thai style crab salad, green mango, chilli, mint & betel leaves ($20); house smoked salmon, soba noodles, wakame & salmon caviar ($20); and Masterstock fried quail, bean shoot & celery salad ($16/$32). Jaci suggested this may have been in response to the new restaurant fermentAsian in Tanunda, which serves modern Southeast Asian cuisine and has been incredibly popular! (Unfortunately there was no time on my trip to try fermentAsian, so I will have to save that for another trip).

I have to say, I am generally a little wary of non-Asian restaurants attempting pan-Asian cuisine, but I was pleasantly surprised and rather impressed by the dishes at Vintners!

Steamed pork & ginger dumplings, chilli soy dipping sauce - $16

The steamed pork and ginger dumplings were well-made and tasty. A little pricey at $16 for five (!), but understandable considering that there aren't heaps of Asian restaurants in the Barossa.

Sautéed scallops, dried shrimp & pork relish, steamed broccolini - $20

I ordered the scallops because I was very interested to try the shrimp and pork relish. (I think it must be a pretty popular ingredient, as it was on the menu at 1918 too.) The relish itself was like a mild, slightly-sweet sambal. Underneath the plump scallops was some lightly steamed broccolini - a great way to get some greens into a canapé-style dish!

Jaci ordered the scallops for her main (and got 10 on her plate), whereas I decided to go for something a little more traditional, and ordered the chicken.

Local chicken, slow roasted heirloom tomato, vincotto & avocado puree - $32

Despite being breast meat, the chicken was tender and juicy. The avocado and tomatoes provided a nice contrast of creamy richness and sharp acidity.

Feeling quite full from the meal, (not to mention the day's activities), Jaci and I decided to share a stone fruit tart for dessert. After our arvo at Gully Gardens, we were definitely in the mood for peaches!

Stone fruit tart, vanilla custard, whipped cream & raspberry juice - $14

The tart was beautifully presented, and contained a lovely smooth vanilla custard, but when we tasted the peaches, we couldn't help but think they were tinned. If that were the case, it seems a bit of a shame, when the local fruit was so wonderful and abundant.

However, apart from that, I very much enjoyed the food, and had a great evening at Vintners. I'd definitely recommend it for a pleasant meal in a relaxed atmosphere.

Sarah dined at Vintners Bar and Grill as a guest of Tourism Barossa, as part of the prize for winning the Barossa's Table competition.

My Blogoversary Was WHEN?

Umm...Happy Blogoversary to me!

Just a smidge...er...way late. It seems that while I was ~~in a drug induced stupor~~ recovering from surgery, I missed my 2nd blogoversary on February 23rd.

I want to thank each and every one of you for reading my blog. It's a blessing that you drop by and read the craziness the seeps out of my brain and into Blogger. :-)

To celebrate, I will be hosting a giveaway when I hit 400 followers! (Just one more; so close!!)

Stay tuned...

Aussie Odyssey

Rick Stein Food Odyssey Live On Stage

Rick Stein is in town on his Australian Tour and invited me (as well as other Aussie Bloggers) to introduce what is the "Ultimate Australian dish" in a Blogger Competition. Describing Australian cuisine is difficult as it can't be summed up in just a few words. For me it's not only the freshness of the dishes, and the fantastic produce available in this country, but also the relaxed atmosphere that goes along with any great Modern Australian feast.

The quintessential Aussie BBQ is one of the most enjoyable occasions with food aplenty, beer and wine flowing, fabulous weather and great company.

It was at my last BBQ that I prepared a canapé that for me epitomises Aussie tucker. It was a take on Valli Little's breakfast recipe from the December 2009 Edition of Delicious Magazine on p. 88 that I adapted for our late summer barbie. Scallops are such a delicious Aussie seafood and the other components on the dish put a unique, fresh spin on some favourite flavours from other countries. The creaminess of the adapted Mexican guacamole, the crunch of the French baguette and the flavour of the more sophisticated version of famous American "bacon bit" worked perfectly with the BBQ seared scallops, having our guests come back for more.... and more!

Devoured on a summer evening with a bunch of mates on the balcony, what more could you ask for? The ultimate Aussie experience!

BBQ Scallop Canapé with Bacon Dust and Avocado Salsa

3 rashers of bacon

1 tsp coriander seeds, toasted
2 birds eye chilli
2 avocados
1/4 red onion, finely chopped
1 tomato, seeds removed, chopped
1/2 bunch coriander, leaves chopped
zest of one lime
1 tbs lime juice
lime wedges to serve
olive oil
20 scallops without roe
1 baguette

Method
Preheat oven to 190°C and line a tray with baking paper. Lay bacon on the tray and bake for 15 mins until crisp and quite dry. Transfer to a paper towel lined plate and allow to cool. Place bacon and coriander seeds in a small processor or pestle and mortar and ground to a fine dust.

Thinly slice 1 chilli and set aside to garnish, then finely chop remaining chilli and place in a bowl with avocado, red onion, tomato, coriander leaves, zest of the lime and lime juice. Mash with a fork until you have a chunky paste. Season to taste.

Thinly slice the baguette and lightly toast on the grill portion of the BBQ.

Heat the plate of the barbeque and brush with oil. Pat scallops dry with paper towel, and season. Cook scallops for 30 seconds on each side, or until just opaque.

Spread avocado mixture on the baguette slices. Top with a scallop, a sprinkle of bacon dust, sliver of chilli and serve on a platter with lime wedges.

Pretty Little Buttons!!

Guess what?! My fabulous cousin Kirstren (aka Kristin) made me a new Tuesdays at the Table button today!

Isn't it pretty?!?! I absolutely love it! It was time for a TATT button face-lift and I'm so happy that Kirstren was able to ~~hook a girl up~~...um...~~help her favorite cousin~~....uh...make something so pretty. :-)

This weekend I'll do a little bloggy updating so you can all grab the button too.

Do you need a new button? Perhaps a super cute signature? Drop on by Kirstren's blog! I know she'll put her creative mind to good use and make you something fabulous!

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Maybe if I'm super lucky, she'll do a button for my upcoming flip-flop swap.... :-)

Nutella-filled "Frenched" Tortillas

This post starts with a happy accident.

I love to make french toast in the mornings for kiddo. It's easy, no measuring....eggs, a little milk, sprinkle of sugar, dash of vanilla....whisk it all up...bread, pan, BAM!...french toast.

Well, a few weeks ago, I whisked up the eggs, milk, etc. and realized....I was OUT.OF. BREAD.

What's a girl to do? In Texas, you might run out of bread, but you always have tortillas. So, "frenched" tortillas were born and they are now a staple in our house.

Let me tell you how to make them. Prepare....you are about to achieve domestic goddess status in 5 minutes.

OK....I like the start with these "ready-to-cook" tortillas. But, these may be just a Texas thing. (They're in the refrigerated section at HEB, y'all.) So, start with flour tortillas. (If they are the ready-to-cook kind, cook them.)

Whisk up 2 eggs, about 1/2 cup milk, a TBSP or so of sugar (or cinnamon-sugar), and a dash of vanilla. (Eyeball it.)

Heat up a pan and add a pat of butter.....I like salted, but whatever you have.

Dip both sides of the tortilla in the egg mixture; let the excess drip off. Cook briefly in the pan; flip and cook the other side (but you knew that).

Once cooked, add a spoonful (1-2 TBSP) of Nutella down the middle of each tortilla. Roll.

{Don't you want to dive right in?}

Dust with powdered sugar. If you're feeling fancy (and you probably are), heat up a bit of Nutella in the microwave. Drizzle over the tortillas.

SOMEDAY, when kiddo goes off to college, he will come home for *THESE*.

Tidy Mom

Well, DAMN!

Ever have one of those times where someone (or life) surprises you?! And not in a GOOD way?

Yeah. Today was one of those days....

JC (my brother, for those of you new to ye olde blog) called my office as I was booting up for the day. No "Hi, how are ya?", "Whatcha doin'?", "Where'd ya put the fabric softener?". Nothing. Instead I got yelled at - to open a new web page - NOWWWW!

It turns out that one of JC's friends up in the north country (and you Army ladies know exactly where I'm talking about) did something colossally stupid. Twice. And got caught.

This man, whom I have previously held in high esteem - decided to rob a store pharmacy of their Oxycontin. The same place both times! One time while wearing the platoon sweatshirt! He parked is truck in plain sight of the security cameras!

I know this man! I've spent hours talking to him, goofing around with him, his wife and their two kids. My heart breaks for his wife and their two sweet pre-teen kids. The only consolation is that they live a few states away and can be shielded from this a little.

It's way too soon to know how this will all pan out - but I'm not encouraged by the fact that he's being held on $25,000 bail. I can't help but wonder if his cries for help were missed by all of us. How did we not know?!?! Not a single one of us...

...and all I can say is - well, damn! Now what?!?!

Our Kitchen Rules?

As any foodie TV watching Australian will know, My Kitchen Rules is showing from Monday - Wednesday evenings each week.

People encouraged me or my hubbie to enter MasterChef, and I have always said that I would never want to be on there, the pressure, the thinking on my feet faced with a mystery box of ingredients without my trusty copies of Delicious Magazine, it's just not for me and how I love to cook, but My Kitchen Rules, however, has spiked my interest a couple of times!

Pete Evans & Manu Feildel are the celebrity judges and I think they are great! In the past few weeks I've had a great experience with both of them! I was lucky enough to get up close and personal with Manu at the Sydney Taste Festival where he was showcasing his restaurant, L'Etoile, and his dish Slow Cooked Lamb (although we were wondering "where's the sauce?")! Pete from Hugos showed his generosity as I was campaigning for raffle prizes for an event this weekend I'm helping to organise, Live Love Laugh, (Sun 27th, 6pm at the Red Rattler in Marrickville, NSW - in case you can make it!) to raise money for St. Laurence House, a charity that helps homeless Sydney young people find their way. He donated copies of 4 of his fabulous looking books, signed and dedicated especially for the event! They both have showed me personally that they are great sports and I feel they're very encouraging and fair to the teams which is a great contrast to some other reality TV shows! So, I would love to have them to our home and cook for them.....

Twice now have I set myself a 3 hour timer to see if I could put up a 3 course meal that has enough creativity to delight Pete, and plenty sauce to please Manu, so the pressure wouldn't be an issue! I could even probably have beaten the Tasmanian couple's poor attempt at picnic food! In the end though my husband and I have a great system of not interfering in each other's cooking processes and I just don't think it would work! We might be a great team but not in the kitchen! We might give the competing a miss! That our friends would think to nominate us for either show is enough for us to already feel that our kitchen rules!

Tuesdays At The Table - Buttermilk Biscuits

Happy Tuesday, ladies!! And better yet - HAPPY SPRING! It snowed here today...but it will warm up eventually. :-)

This week I'm sharing buttermilk biscuits. So easy; so yummy; so versatile!

Lovely Yellow Ribbons

Buttermilk Biscuits

3 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 cup cold vegetable shortening
2 tablespoons cold butter
1 1/3 cup buttermilk

Egg Wash
In a small bowl beat together one large egg with 1 tablespoon water.

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Lightly grease a large baking sheet and set aside.

In a large bowl whisk together flour, baking powder, salt, and baking soda until combined well. Cut in the butter and shortening until mixture resembles small peas. Stirring with a fork, gently add in buttermilk to make a soft dough. With floured hands knead dough gently, in bowl.

Turn dough onto a lightly floured surface. Roll or pat biscuit dough to 1/2 inch thickness and cut with a floured 2-inch biscuit cutter.

Place cut-out dough about 2 inches apart on prepared baking sheet. Brush buttermilk biscuit tops with Egg Wash. Bake biscuits in the center of the oven for 14-17 minutes, until golden brown.

What's cooking in your kitchen?

Want to be in business for yourself, but not by yourself? It is still FREE to sign up with Bamboopink and have your own personalized website to sell Bamboopink jewelry by JudeFrances. Over 22,000 people nationwide signed up in just over a month...and you can too! Click HERE. Don't want to sell, but want the inside track on discounts? Sign up!!

Barossa's Table: Pizza-Making with Damon Deruiter

That, my friends, is "The Smokey". Created by chef Damon Deruiter of the Roaring 40's Cafe, and winner of the best pizza in Australia, The Smokey is a decadent pizza topped with tomato sauce, cheese, mettwurst, lachsschinken, shallots, Schulz Butcher’s mallee gum smoked pork belly and smoked chicken. Wowza!

After my buttery morning with Carême Pastry, I was whisked away to Angaston for a pizza-making workshop with Damon. (And now I guess you're all starting to appreciate why I gained 2.8kg in one week!) We met Damon at the Roaring 40's Cafe, and buzzed around town to get the ingredients, before returning for some pizza making and eating!

There are loads of photos in this post, so I'll try and keep it light on text. First stop was the Barossa Valley Cheese Company.

The Barossa Valley Cheese Company
67b Murray Street
Angaston South, SA 5353
(08) 8564-3636
Website
Twitter

Established by Victoria McClurg in 2003, Barossa Valley Cheese Co. is a small, artisan producer who sources milk from local dairies. We stopped by her shop to pick up some fresh tomatoes from the idyllic veggie garden...

...to check out the production area (it's really small, literally out the back of the shop!)...

... and, of course, to pick up some cheese for our pizzas!

I love the pretty packaging for the Petite Prince (washed rind) and Petite Princess (goat camembert) cheeses!

Couldn't leave without a taste test!

Next stop was the famous Shulz butchers, renowned for their smoked meat products. (Swoon!)

Schulz Butchers Angaston
42 Murray Street
Angaston SA 5353
(08) 8564-2145

Schulz does sell all your standard meat products (chops, sausages, steak etc.), but I was immediately drawn to the smallgoods section.

Picture Source: Tourism Barossa's Barossa's Table Competition - Winner's Journey! Facebook Album

Oh yum!

Jaegerbraten, Lachsschinken, Bacon

We then went out the back to look at their smokehouse, although you definitely smell it before you see it!

The thick black layer covering the inside of the door is the result of years and years of smoking.

On the day we visited, there was only one rack in the smoker, but at peak periods the entire smoker is filled with rows and rows of hanging meat.

Gully Gardens

We then headed off to Gully Gardens to pick up some fresh peaches for a sweet pizza. Gully Gardens grows and dries a wide range of fruit, including peaches, plums, pears and apples. They sell their dried fruit wholesale, and at their "cellar door".

The fruits are still all prepared by hand.

I went on a ride on a two-wheeler around the farm as well, to look around and grab some fresh peaches straight from the tree.

No farm in the Barossa is complete without a vineyard!

The pear trees were incredibly abundant this year; on some trees the branches could barely support the weight of the fruit!

Some "Million dollar" peaches, a variety named for its beauty and size. How beautiful!

We picked a good dozen of these to take for pizza (and general snacking).

And, loaded down with goodies, it was to head back to the cafe for pizza making!

Roaring 40's Cafe

30 Murray Street

Angaston SA 5353

Ph: (08) 8564 2901

Damon made two pizzas. The first was an improvised combo of goat's curd, lemon zest and thyme, topped with tomato slices.

And the second one was the famous Smokey! One of the secrets is this imported Italian tomato sauce.

Damon made the Smokey in the fridge itself. Due to the size of the kitchen, and the volume of customers, the pizzas are usually made in the fridge, and all the ingredients were already prepped and ready in there.

The recipe is here if you'd like to give it a go at home! (Although the recipe doesn't state it, I'm pretty sure I saw some smoked feta sprinkled on as well!)

And in total contrast to the meat-filled intensity of the Smokey, the goat's cheese/tomato pizza was topped with a refreshing rocket and red onion salad.

Picture Source: Tourism Barossa's Barossa's Table Competition - Winner's Journey! Facebook Album

We enjoyed both pizzas with a nice little riesling, from Damon's own wine label.

Both pizzas were very different, but both delicious. I'd love to try and recreate the goat's cheese one at home! The Smokey looks incredibly rich, but is surprisingly easy to eat - full of crunchy, smoky, salty, porky goodness.

And while we were finishing off our pizzas, Damon whipped up a little sweet pizza: plain dough with roasted peach slices, a swirl of chocolate sauce and tiny boules of raspberry ripple ice-cream.

On first sight, I thought there might be too much going on, but it was fantastic, with all the flavours complementing each other perfectly. And unlike some of the OTT heavy dessert pizze/calzone we get here in Melbourne - think, sticky date pizza, nutella calzone etc. - this one was lovely and light. A great way to finish the meal. Big thanks to Damon DeRuiter for a fabulous afternoon and some delicious pizza!

Sarah visited The Barossa Cheese Co., Schulz Butchers, Gully Gardens and The Roaring 40's Cafe as a guest of Tourism Barossa, as part of the prize for winning the Barossa's Table competition.