Ford On Food

There aren’t many cheeses that are as heavenly, soft, rich and creamy as Camembert cheese – besides Brie of course.

People often can’t tell the difference between Brie and Camembert.

The irony is that there isn’t actually much of a difference.

They were both originally made by monks – just in different regions of France.

Camembert is classified as a soft-rind cow’s milk cheese.

It has a velvety, white mould rind with a pale yellow interior.

As the cheese ripens the creamy smooth pâté bulges.

Camembert originates from France were it has been mass-produced for decades.

However, in recent years many countries have developed a variety of very good farmhouse varieties of Camembert, which are extremely popular and are readily available.

Camembert should be stored in the refrigerator, about 4 degrees Celsius (39 degrees Farenheit ) and wrapped in wax paper, not cling film.

If it is a little unripe then it should be purchased a few days before eating.

Always serve Camembert at room temperature, so take it out of the fridge a couple of hours before serving.

On a cheese board, accompany with strawberries, muscatels or fresh slices of pear and plain crusty bread.

Turkey Camembert and Cranberry Quiche

1 x 17cm flan tin lined with short pastry
100g Camembert cheese, sliced
100g roast turkey, diced
60g craberry sauce
2 egggs
150ml milk
50ml cream
pinch of nutmeg ground
salt and pepper
Inside the lined flan tin, place the Camembert slices, roast turkey and randomly dollop on cranberry sauce.
Make savoury custard by whisking together eggs, milk, cream and the season with salt, pepper and nutmeg.
Carefully pour the custard into the prepared quiche shell.
Bake at 180 degrees Celsius for about 30 minutes or until set.
Serve with a simple garden fresh salad.
Serves 4.

The festive decorations adorning our retail stores are a stark reminder that Christmas day is just around the corner.

For many it’s a time to gather with family and friends.

My family has rotating roster that dictates who will be hosting Christmas lunch.

My wife and I are both chefs, so we at least have to put in half an effort when it’s our turn to host.

So we follow some basic rules for planning:

My wife makes the rules, which she can change without notice.
Don’t leave planning to the last minute – which I most likely would if I made the rules.
The food should be relatively healthy; as the average person puts on 1kg at this time of year (I’m consistently above average). And, try to take it easy on the booze.
Keep it simple; don’t be trapped in the kitchen all day while everyone else is enjoying themselves. Consider using disposable plates, because nobody appreciates floor-to-ceiling dirty dishes on Christmas day.
To avoid food poisoning, keep hot food above 60oC and cold food below 5oC. Do you really want a family reunion in hospital on Boxing Day?
Try not to prepare too much food. There’s often a ridiculous amount of leftover ham and salads etc. in the week following Christmas.
Christmas leftovers

The days following Christmas are very predictable.

Exchanging or returning gifts (broken or unwanted), coping with a hangover, post-Christmas bargain hunting and lots of leftovers in the fridge.

Of all the leftovers, baked ham would be the most common. Most people don’t want to waste big chunks of meat – but how do you use leftover ham without getting bored?

A little imagination! But don’t make sandwiches, because that’s boring.

A cheesy ham omelet for breakfast would be better. Or, a filo pastry parcel filled with garlic rice and chopped ham.

My favourite recipe for leftover ham is ‘Easy Peasy Pasta Carbonara’.

500g pasta
100g chopped ham
2 egg yolks
2 tbsp cream
2 garlic cloves, minced
½ cup Parmesan cheese. Grated
Cook the ham in a fry pan until crisp. Remove from pan and drain on paper towels. Set the ham aside.
Cook the pasta as directed on package.
Meanwhile, combine the egg yolks, cream, and garlic in a medium bowl and beat until well blended.
When the pasta is cooked, drain and immediately return to the pot.
Stir in the egg mixture and toss thoroughly until combined.
Add the bacon and cheese and toss again to coat. Season if required.
Serves 4.

I personally don’t think blueberries are actually true blue.

They are kind of a dusty indigo colour on the outside and mainly white or pale green on the inside.

That said, they are as blue as a food is ever going to get. Most people are unaware there are many varieties, and around the globe blueberries are known by differing names.

In northern England they are often called Whineberry, and in other parts of the UK Whortleberries.

In America they can also be referred to as Bilberries or Huckleberries (think of Huckleberry Finn).

In Australia we just call them blueberries.

Regardless of the species or name, blueberries are a member of the Vaccinium species.

The firm skin surrounds a soft and juicy flesh with tiny, tender seeds.

They are on average the size of a pea.

Blueberries taste sweet and tart and are usually eaten raw, but are also spectacular baked into muffins or cooked into fruit compote or a jam.

They are a fantastic source of vitamin C.

Here are some great ideas for using blueberries:

Cooked into an apple pie or crumble
Added to a fresh fruit salad
Blended with other berries and frozen into a sorbet
Served with low fat Greek yoghurt
Sprinkled over pancakes, or added to the pancake batter.
Blueberry Pancakes

1 egg
2 tbsp caster sugar
¼ tsp bicarbonate of soda
1 cup buttermilk
1 cup self-raising flour
2 tbsp butter, melted
½ cup blueberries
In a bowl, whisk together the egg and castor sugar.
Sift together the self raising flour and bicarbonate of soda.
Melt butter and leave cool.
Slowly add the flour and buttermilk alternately to the egg and sugar mix.
Then whisk in the cooled melted butter and stir in the blueberries.
Place tablespoons of batter into a greased frypan on medium heat.
Serve warm pancakes with butter and maple syrup.
Serves 4.

Note: Alternatively, other ingredients such as diced apple and cinnamon or chocolate chips can used instead of blueberries.

Bacon is the main reason why I’ve never become a vegetarian.

I think bacon is one of the most extraordinarily delicious foods known to humankind.

Although I’d agree that bacon does go with just about everything, I wouldn’t recommend eating it to excess as it contains a large amount of sodium and fat.

Bacon is made from various cuts of pork (generally the belly) which is cured in a liquid brine or dry salt packed. Then it is commonly infused and showered with liquid smoke and baked.

The more traditional bacon is cooked in a smoking oven or boiled.

Bacon is often firmed up by refrigeration for various periods of time, so it can be thinly sliced into rashers before packaging.

Mass produced bacon is often heavily processed and contains considerable amounts of artificial flavourings and preservatives. such as sodium nitrite.

For a more traditional and less processed version of bacon it pays to know your local butcher, many of which will produce their own home-made bacon. There are also many boutique smokehouses that specialise in niche charcuterie products, such as richly double or triple smoked bacon.

Some of the best smoked bacon rashers I’ve had was butcher shop produced bacon by the local butcher.

Typically, the consumer will cook the bacon rashes before eating it. It can be fried, grilled, baked or boiled and can adds a delicious savoury flavour profile when used as an ingredient in recipes, such as soups.

So if you’re not a vegetarian, see what your local butcher has on offer and bring home the bacon.

A plum is a type of ‘Drupe Fruit’, which means they have a leathery skin, surrounding soft flesh which is attached to a hard stone (pit).

Therefore, it falls into the same category as peach, apricot, cherries and nectarines.

Depending on who you talk to, some may claim there are thousands of plum species.

I personally find that hard to believe – I’ve seen many different types in my cooking career, and I reckon there are probably only several dozen varieties.

They all have smooth skin, unlike the furry skin found on a peach and are available in a myriad of colours, such as yellow, red, green, purple and multicoloured skin.

I’ve cut into some that have a loose detached stone and others with a firmly attached stone.

Some plums have yellow, orange or red flesh, while some taste tart and others taste sweetly perfumed.

Most are round and a few are egg shaped.

They can be eaten fresh, cooked into savoury dishes or preserved in jams.

Expect to see plums to land on grocery store shelves in late February and availability to go plum crazy as we near autumn.

If you ever see a white dusty bloom on the skin of a plum, don’t be concerned, this is a natural wax they produce in maturity to protect themselves from the elements.

And… do you want to know something really crazy? Prunes are dried plums.

I have a love/hate relationship with milk.

I love to use it in cooking. But personally, I hate the bloated feeling I get after drinking it.

So I’ve now turned to soy milk and almond milk, which seems better (for me anyway). And I also drink my coffee black as a straight shot of espresso.

As a chef I would be lost without milk, as it’s an essential ingredient in many of my favourite recipes.

However, for some time I’ve been questioning whether humans should be consuming something that is really meant for calves, baby goats and lambs.

In fact, humans are the only species on Earth that consume milk past infancy. Maybe we are not really supposed to be drinking it into adulthood?

But on the flip side, I don’t think I could live without some of my favourite cheeses, which don’t seem to have any effect on me.

So, while I battle with my own hypocrisies, here are some facts about milk:

Obviously, milk is a white liquid produced by female mammals, which provides nutrition to newborns.

In western countries the most common milk consumed by humans is sourced from cows.

Milk is considered a very rich source of nutrients and the highest source of calcium.

Not all milk is supplied from cows – people drink milk from goats, sheep, camels, buffalo, yaks and donkeys.

I once saw a documentary were Mongolians were milking horses, and churning it into a kind of fermented booze.

I even heard that zebra milk is consumed in parts of Africa. Reindeer are also a source of milk – maybe Santa actually has a reindeer milk moustache?

Fluffy Ambrosia Milk

Blend together 140g peaches in natural juice, 1 tablespoon fresh passionfruit pulp, 2 tablespoons coconut milk, 1 cup of skim milk, 1 cup of apricot nectar, 1 scoop of fat reduced vanilla ice-cream and a couple of ice cubes.
When it’s thick and frothy, pour it into chilled glasses and lightly sprinkle with some toasted desiccated coconut.

I always find it funny to see a child try a lemon for the first time.

Their face puckers-up like they’re about to implode.

Lemons are an oval, bright yellow fruit and a member of the citrus family.

They are packed with vitamin C and are great for fighting off scurvy on those long voyages to distant lands. In fact, in the early 1800’s the British Navy spiked their sailor’s rum rations with lemon or lime juice.

The most common varieties available today (yes there is more than one), are Lisbon, Eureka and Meyer. These varieties differ in skin thickness and texture, size, amount of seeds and juice.

Lemons are not often eaten alone; they are generally used as an ingredient in other dishes.

The juice can be used like a dressing or as a replacement for vinegar.

Because of its high citric acid content, lemon juice is also used to stop fruits like apples, bananas and avocados from oxidizing and turning brown.

The waxy zest can also be used to flavour cakes and pastries, or candied and used as garnish.

Lemon and Chive Dressing

Whisk together half a cup of extra virgin olive oil, the juice of one large lemon, a tablespoon of French mustard and a tablespoon of freshly chopped onion chives.

This dressing is superb poured over warm barbecued vegetables like corn on the cob, zucchini, boiled sliced potatoes and large field mushrooms.

It could also be basted over grilled barramundi, whiting or red emperor. A dressing like this would also be great in a mixed green salad.

It will also keep for weeks in the refrigerator.

Leeks are a vegetable that belongs to the same family as onions.

It is widely assumed they are descendant of the wild onions that grow all over the European countryside.

Leeks are a long cylinder shaped stalk of tightly packed leaf layers.

They vary in both length and thickness depending on the age of the plant.

The immature leek is sold as ‘Baby leek’ and is often pencil thin, while the mature plant can be as thick as a broom handle.

They’re white at the base where they have been covered in soil during growth, and the top of the plant is dark green where exposed to light.

The sunlight stimulates photosynthesis which produces chlorophyll in the top leaves, which results in a dark green, earthy flavored chemical which I personally think smells like old lawn clippings.

For this reason, it’s usually the unexposed white base that has culinary use, whereas the top dark green section is often discarded.

Leek has a sweet, mild flavour compared to regular onions. They are a great choice when seeking a more restrained flavour profile, such as soups.

Leek is in abundance from autumn through to winter.

They can be sautéed, stir-fried, steamed, braised and basically utilised in the same way as onions.

Leek and pumpkin risotto

3 tbsp olive oil

400g Arborio rice

1 small leeks, finely sliced

200g pumpkin, finely diced

½ cup white wine

1 ½ Lt vegetable or chicken stock

5 tbsp parmesan, grate

salt and pepper

basil, torn

Heat olive oil in a large saucepan.
Fry leeks for approx 5 minutes until tender,
Add the pumpkin and cook gently for approx 5 minutes.
Add the rice and stir to coat, then deglaze with wine.
Add the stock gradually stirring for about 20 minutes until grains are swollen and al dente.
Take off the heat and stir in the parmesans cheese and season to taste.
Garnish with grated parmesan, olive oil, milled black pepper and basil.

I first experienced fresh coconuts as a child when visiting Cairns in far North Queensland., Australia.

They were in abundance, lying on the ground at the base of coconut palms everywhere – very reminiscent to their native origins on the coastal regions of the Caribbean, South-east Asia and India.

The name coconut is derived from the Spanish word for ‘grotesque face’ , because of the three dimples on its surface, which the Spanish thought resembles a monkey head. I personally think that’s not very fair to monkeys.

In my opinion culture utilises the coconut like the Thai people.

The immature palm shoots are peeled and used in Thai cooking, sugar is extracted from the palm sap, the palm leaves are used to weave baskets, coconut oil, flesh and milk is used in many Thai dishes and the coconut shells are used for the carving of bowls and jewellery.

A whole fresh coconut contains a watery liquid, which is sometimes referred to as coconut milk and is a refreshing drink.

However, this is different than the canned coconut milk and coconut cream – the hard white flesh lining the inside of the coconut is blended with water and pressed through cloth to get the coconut cream, any subsequent pressings aren’t as rich and is referred to as milk.

The flesh is often sold dried in both desiccated and shaved form.

Coconut Rough

Toast shredded coconut at a moderate to low heat in the oven, until golden brown.
Place in a mixing bowl, and add enough melted milk chocolate for it to bind together.
Spoon dollops onto grease proof paper and allow to set.
You could also use chopped dry roasted peanuts as an alternative.

I once read that it was discovered in pottery jars from Egyptian tombs. And although crystallised, it was still edible.

Honey was used around the world as a sweetener well before the introduction of sugar.

The Ancient Greeks used it in many bakery products and considered it ‘The Food of the Gods’ and many of these ancient recipes are still used today, particularly throughout Europe.

Honey could be described as a thick, sweet liquid made by bees from the nectar of flowers. The nectar passes through the bee’s digestive system and excreted as the honey we all know.

Honey takes on the distinctive flavours and colours, depending on the type of flowers from which the bees extract the nectar.

Some of the most common honey producing flowers are from eucalyptus, thyme, rosemary, heather, orange blossom and acacia, to mention a few.

Some honey tips

If your jar of honey begins to crystallise, stand it in a bowl of hot water until it dissolves and turns back to liquid.
When accurately measuring honey with a spoon, dip the spoon in hot water first and it won’t stick as much.
Honey and Peanut Biscuits

Preheat an oven to 135oC and line a baking tray.
In a mixing machine combine half a cup of margarine, half a cup of raw caster sugar and 3 tablespoons of honey.
Mix in 1 cup of flour, half a cup of bran flakes, half a cup of chopped unsalted peanuts and 1 teaspoon of cinnamon.
Shape mixture into balls and then press flat onto the baking tray. Bake 20 minutes.
Makes 12.