Serves 6-8 Sweet Pastry – Makes 500g 140g cold unsalted butter, diced 100g icing sugar Pinch salt 1 egg, lightly whisked 230g plain flour 20g cornflour Method 1.…
Having experienced a dysfunctional work ethic at Jamie Oliver’s Fifteen Melbourne, and an abusive kitchen culture within Gordon Ramsay’s London restaurant Maze, local chef David Kapay returns home…
1. In a bowl add one or two free-range egg yokes. 2. Add one teaspoon of Dijon mustard. 3. Whisk vigorously by hand the egg yokes and mustard,…
Grilled Gruyère with spiced apple and pear on toasted organic sourdough with fried egg, pickled cucumber and salt roasted tomatoes Serves 4 400g grated cheese (Emmentaler/Gruyère) 1 pear…
Chrismont Wines’s sleek new King Valley cellar door could be considered a sharpened-up new-world version of ‘Streamline Moderne’ – an architectural style of the late Art Deco era that emphasised long…
In the mountain village town of Myrtleford on Victoria’s Great Alpine Road, the fresh tang of basil fills the air, carried by the steam rising from the hot pasta.…
‘Goddess of Pie’ Kirsty Heather of Cooper’s Handmade Pies has crafted this beautifully-decadent and flavoursome Pork Terrine Pie. Hot Water Pastry 500g plain flour Pinch of Murray River salt…
Serves 8 Shortcrust pastry 170g plain flour 90g unsalted butter 45g caster sugar ¼ tsp vanilla paste 1 egg, for pastry 1 egg, for egg wash 20ml milk,…
In my early twenties, it was par for the course to make love in the middle of the day on the back lawn, down the beach at night,…
A chestnut bonet with pickled orange, candied orange, orange jelly and chestnut crumble is the ultimate adult dessert indulgence. Richard’s bonet – a classic dish hailing from Piedmont,…
Exploring Capri’s walking trails, even out of season when the island is resting and catching its breath after the summer onslaught of holidaymakers from around the world, you…
Poached Quince Tarte Tatin with chestnut puff pastry and buttermilk icecream Chestnut Puff Pastry – Makes 1.2kg puff pastry (enough for 8-10 Tartes Tatin) 300g plain flour 200g chestnut flour…
For love of Australian shearing sheds, and the golden light that is showcased in many of Australia’s iconic paintings, artist Ivan Durrant shears shares the shed dream. My opinion…
The geothermally heated natural mineral waters that flow into the pools and private baths at Peninsula Hot Springs allow visitors a rare opportunity to relax and truly connect…
‘The concept is about people having a different experience each time they visit: continuous change and movement is how we define Flux’, says Noosaville-based hospitality veteran Malcolm Butcher.…
Celebrity Skin: Living it up at the Greenwich Hotel, Varia Karipoff takes a bite of the Big Apple. There are some truths you won’t know about New York City…
The drinks menu of Limes Hotel’s rooftop bar reads ‘Scandal on the 5th floor’ and features a collage of tongue-in-cheek images married with quirky cocktail names and vintage…
QT Resort Falls Creek celebrates the ‘warmth of cool’, featuring a mixture of vintage and modern accents and a thoughtful new colour palette including smoky greys, silvers and…
Over the past couple of years Essentials has sampled a range of Victoria’s best boutique gins but non as impressively unique as Simon Brooke-Taylor and Wendy Williams’ new…
Rutherglen’s Simon Killeen has gone it alone, sourcing fruit across North East Victoria for his new wine label Simão & Co. Essentials spoke with Simon about his pop-up…
Barcelona’s Hotel Omm’s one-michelin-star restaurant Roca Moo is a wondrous cocoon of art, design and style and is well-positioned, being city central . We are here to sample one…
Serves 6 Dacquoise meringue 50g Lindt dark chocolate, chopped finely 100g sultanas, chopped 200g caster sugar 4 free-range egg whites (about 140g) 2 tsp Dutch cocoa powder, sifted…
Pear in Mulled Wine 6 pears, peeled 10 cloves 2 cinnamon quills 1 tsp ground nutmeg 1 cup brown sugar 2 cups cold water Zest of one large…
Bryony Nainby gives the great heavy door a heave with her shoulder and it slowly slides open. The Benalla Art Gallery director walks into the vault that guards…
We have to say it, if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it – the cooking method that is… So, to tell the truth, we use the tried and tested Heston…
Shchi Soup with saffron milk cap mushrooms, sauerkraut and smoked chicken Serves 8 8 cups chicken stock ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil 1 onion, diced ¼ cup saffron…
The air is still and warm. The leaves on the vine are beginning to turn, some yellow, others russet and golden. Rutherglen Estates’ winemaker Marc Scalzo wanders the…
There are snatches of blue water you can see through the old gum trees as you drive along Paringa Road. Tumble-down apple sheds line the thin strip of…
The weather has turned cold and Chef Kurt Adam is getting excited. The New Zealand-born chef came up to the High Country to work a season in a…
I’ve been lucky enough to know Alfredo ‘Fred’ Pizzini for quite a while and I’ve never seen him quite like this. He’s clearly rattled and seems a bit…