Thank you to my loyal readers -  because of you I am encouraged and inspired to keep writing about food and entertaining.  I hope my recipes, articles and helpful hints have been useful and have motivated you to entertain.  And please keep leaving comments – positive or constructive, they are all welcome.

Gail
xxx

happy first blogiversary entertaining made easy! is a post from: entertaining made easy

The view from our room

The Maldives are located South-West of Sri Lanka in the Indian Ocean on the equator and are made up of over 1000 islands of which only 200 are inhabited. Blessed with unbelievably blue waters, a near perfect climate and an abundance of coral and marine life, water activities are a key attraction for many travelling there.

Pristine waters of the Maldives

We chose to stay at Kanifinholu, a small island about 30 minutes by speedboat from Malé the capital. The one resort on the island is run by Club Med, known as Club Med Kani.  As food is an important consideration for us when deciding where to stay, we chose Club Med as they offer a diverse range of eating options including European, Asian and local cuisines. The other great feature Club Med offers is that everything is included in the package price, including food and alcohol.  Like many exotic destinations, the Maldives is incredibly expensive for eating and drinking so to have food and alcohol included was definitely the way to go.

Maldivian Sunset

The resort boasted a buffet restaurant, and a smaller a la carte restaurant. Most evenings we dined at the buffet restaurant, as the a la carte restaurant was very difficult to get into as it only seated about 40 and the resort was at its maximum capacity of 400.

As far as buffets go, I would rate this one close to 10 out of 10. Each evening the buffet was a different theme – Ocean, Asian, International, etc. There were choices for every taste regardless of the theme, from pizza and pasta to curries and barbequed selections.

Beautiful buffet, featuring fresh local fruit

Quality produce was used, and this was reflected in the quality of the food. At lunch and dinner a generous selection of French cheeses was offered, and included my favourites Munster, Pont l’Eveque and Livarot. Served with real French baguette, they went down a treat! The seafood was plentiful, diverse and incredibly fresh. On most evenings raw fish (in particular tuna) was offered, in many forms including sashimi, sushi and marinated Tahitian style.

The view from the buffet restaurant

One evening each week the buffet restaurant is relocated to beachfront and we dined under the stars. The buffet theme that evening was “Ocean” and an amazing selection of seafood was available including local lobster. It was just divine dining en plein air listening to the gentle sound of the ocean.

Beachfront dining

Each evening we enjoyed pre-dinner cocktails either at the Beach Bar or the Terrace Bar. Most cocktails were included, so Caprioskas, Mojitos or Martinis were the order of most days.

Local fresh fruit featured highly on my breakfast plate – I particularly enjoyed the local papaya with local limes. For lunch every third day or so they had a beach barbeque, where the chefs grilled local fish as well as meats and vegetables. Very civilised, eating lunch on the sand in your bikini!

Hubby enjoying a pre-lunch drink

The only disappointing dining aspect was the complementary wines. Both restaurants offered a white, rosé and red – all French wines and very non-descript.

The dining highlight was the evening of our 10-year wedding anniversary, where we opted for the Romantic Dinner (at a considerable extra cost).

Pre-dinner drinks on our 10th wedding anniversary

A beautiful table was set up on the beach and we assigned a personal waiter. The meal comprised of entree of a mixed cold plate of fois gras, smoked salmon, cured meats, fine cheese and other goodies. Main course was a whole large lobster, which was cooked to perfection. For dessert the Executive Chef (who I had befriended earlier in the week) arranged a beautiful anniversary cake – enough to feed about 20 people rather than 2! It was a perfect balmy evening with a gentle breeze, the moon almost full and the water less than 10 metres away – it truly was a memorable dining experience.

10th anniversary cake

The local Maldivian waiters were absolutely charming and nothing was too much trouble for them. On our last evening they laid a special table for us, as can be seen in the photo below.

As part of their activity program, the resort offered cooking demonstrations 3 times per week. The dishes being demonstrated were Maldivian Fish Curry, Sushi and Creme Brulee. I opted for the first two (as I consider myself fairly competent in the Creme Brulee department). The Maldivian Fish curry was made with super-fresh fish, various spices and coconut milk and was rich and delicious. The Sushi Class was fun, as I put my hand up to roll which I had never done before and am now inspired to try it at home!

Sushi cooking class

Maldivian Fish Curry (serves 4):

Ingredients:
30ml vegetable oil
1 small onion, finely sliced
10g ginger, finely chopped
4 cloves garlic, chopped
2 curry leaves
1 cinnamon stick
4 cardamom pods
10g chilli powder
30g curry powder
15g ground cumin
10g ground turmeric
500g firm white fish (eg snapper) chopped into bitesized pieces
150ml coconut milk
Salt to taste

Method:
1.    Heat oil in a frypan or wok over a high heat. Add the onion, ginger, garlic and curry leaves and cook until the onions are golden brown.
2.    Add the cinnamon stick, cardamom pods, chilli powder, curry powder, cumin and turmeric and cook until fragrant.
3.    Add the fish and the coconut milk, reduce the heat to medium and cook for 15 minutes or until the fish is tender, stirring occasionally.
4.    Serve with rice or chapatti.

We managed to dine one evening at the à la carte restaurant and I must say it was lovely to be served a meal at the table for a change instead of queuing up at the buffet. The restaurant juts out over the water, and we were lucky enough to score the best table in the restaurant and watched the fish and the reef sharks circling for food while we dined.

Dining at the a la carte restaurant

Food highlights during our stay for me include fois gras, super-fresh tuna sashimi, lobster, excellent variety of French cheeses, beautiful French bread (made the way it should be), local fruits including mangosteens.

In summary, I can highly recommend Club Med in the Maldives. Apart from being an idyllic location with luxury accommodation, the food was first class for a resort of its size. The diversity of food offerings means that there is something for everyone, even the most discerning foodie.

Luxury accommocdation in an idylic location

magical Maldivian dining is a post from: entertaining made easy

Originating from the Bolivian part of the Amazon basin in South America, the Achacha is grown in North Queensland and the first harvest is available now. The Bolivian name of the fruit is Achachairú and translated means “honey kiss”. An Achacha is egg-shaped in appearance about 4cm x 6cm, has a seed similar to a lychee and when ripe is bright orange in colour. Nutritionally, achachas contain a high Vitamin C content, as well as Folic Acid, Potassium and Riboflavin.

To eat fresh, score the skin with a sharp knife and remove (don’t throw them away though, as the skins can be used to make a refreshing drink – see below!). Enjoy the delicious flesh avoiding the seed. Achachas can be successfully frozen for many months and can be served frozen as a palate cleanser between courses (as you would serve sorbet).

Add them to a fruit salad for an exotic twist, or drop a peeled fruit into a glass of bubbly for some festive fizz!

The skins of the Achacha are also very nutritious and can be used to make a thirst-quenching drink. Try this recipe:

Ingredients:
Washed skins from 12 Achachas (skins can be collected and stored in an airtight container in the fridge for  up to a week)
2 litres water
1/2 cup honey or 1/2 cup raw sugar dissolved in 1 cup boiling water
Fresh mint leaves (optional)

Method:
1. Place the Achacha skins in a blender or food processor and blend with 1 litre of water.
2. Add the honey or sugar syrup and the other 1 litre of water.
3. Place in a jug and leave in the refrigerator overnight.
4. Strain the drink, and keep chilled until ready to drink.
5. Serve with fresh mint leaves if desired. You can also serve with lime wedges or add some rum for a refreshing alcoholic drink!

Achachas are available from selected greengrocers, including Harris Farm.

Achacha – the Amazonian fruit now grown in Australia is a post from: entertaining made easy

1. Microplane grater
How I ever survived with just a cheap box grater I’ll never know.  A razor-sharp Microplane grater will make easy and fast work of grating anything from nutmeg to chocolate and cheese.  They retail in Australia for around $40 AUS, and come in a number of different models, including coarse, ribbon and zester.

Microplane grater

2. Salad Spinner
I love my Zyliss salad spinner at this time of the year. It dries salad leaves and herbs with an absolute minimum of fuss. The dried leaves can be refrigerated in the spinner until you’re ready to use them, and the bowl can double up as a salad bowl. So much easier and tidier than using a tea towel.

Salad spinner

3. Silicon Spatula (known as a scraper in the US)
This versatile and indispensable utensil has a myriad of uses, from mixing to scraping: ideal for transferring cake batter from a bowl to a baking tin, removing the contents of a food processor and getting the last bit of pasta sauce from the saucepan. I also use mine over the stove as a stirrer – it’s perfect to use with non-stick cookware as it doesn’t scratch.

Silicon spatula

What are your favourite kitchen utensils / gadgets? Please leave your comments as I would love to know!

what are your favourite kitchen tools? is a post from: entertaining made easy

Part of my cookbook collection

One of the features I love about The Cook’s Companion is that for each ingredient it states other ingredients it is compatible with. For example, lamb goes with almonds, anchovies, artichokes, etc. I find this really useful when developing recipes. Unlike most popular cookbooks, The Cook’s Companion does not provide photographs of the recipes, but this does not detract from this cookbook that provides so much more detail and information than others.  Also covered in The Cook’s Companion are sections on cooking methods, cooking equipment and measurements.

Therefore, The Cook’s Companion would be my choice, if I was condemned to owning just one cookbook. I pray this never happens, as I would miss Gordon and Nigella terribly.

I would love to hear what your favourite cookbooks are, so please leave your comments!

if you could own just one cookbook, what would it be? is a post from: entertaining made easy

Our Entertaining Made Easy cooking classes are designed to teach its participants to effortlessly and confidently entertain. The classes are more than just a cooking lesson: in addition to preparing a sumptuous meal, you will learn the elements of hosting a successful dinner party or home event in a relaxed and fun environment.

life’s a feast is passionate about food and entertaining, and we believe having guests should be a joy not a chore. Our classes will teach you all you need to know to confidently entertain, including such topics as time management, menu planning, ingredient sourcing and food and wine pairing.

These are hands-on classes and all participants are actively involved in the food preparation. Class sizes are limited to 6, which allows for as much participation and support as you require.

After the food preparation, you will sit down and enjoy the fruits of your labour with your fellow participants, with a tasting of matched wines.

You will take home with you an Entertaining Kit which provides you with everything you need to replicate the meal seamlessly in your own home.

life’s a feast offers a number of different classes, including :

• Celebrate the seasons – making the most of seasonal produce
• Cocktail Food – beautiful finger food
• Entertaining for the challenged cook – for those with limited cooking skills
• Entertaining on a budget – impress your guests without breaking the bank
• Al fresco entertaining with ease – relaxed outdoor dining
• Winter warmers – heart-warming food for the colder months
• Retro Dinner Party – A taste of the 70’s
• A modern Australian Christmas feast – stunning, stress-free food for the festive season.

Gift Certificates are available, which make a wonderful gift for any occasion.

Please refer to our website for detailed information on classes, schedules, prices and sample menus: www.lifesafeast.com.au

cooking class participants enjoying the fruits of their labour

Announcing Entertaining Made Easy Cooking Classes! is a post from: entertaining made easy

One such article that comes to mind is from Good Living (SMH) August 19.  It states:

“Back in the ’70s there were a lot of dinner parties … then in the ’80s and ’90s people moved away from that into restaurants. They had money and wanted to spend it, so they would prefer to eat out. But in the past five years I’ve noticed that trend totally reversing. People are wanting to have those private things at home and have their friends around.”

As much as I enjoy eating out, I get far more satisfaction from preparing a meal and sharing it with friends in my own home. My personal philosophy is that the ultimate compliment you can pay your loved ones is to prepare them a meal from the heart. Hence I see this re-emerging trend as a very positive one!

I’d be interested in hearing your thoughts on this matter.

Strawberry Ricotta Cheesecake
(click on photo to view larger image)

the dinner party is not dead! is a post from: entertaining made easy