I haven’t had time to blog lately, I’ve been too busy taking photos and working.
One event I photographed was the launch of AIME’s National Hoodie Day. One benefit to being the photographer is you get to meet everyone, such as the ambassadors Wendell Sailor and Ian Thorpe.
Sometimes I remember how amazing it is to work where I do. This Friday was one of those days, when at TGIF we had not only wine tasting from Oyster Bay, but also a live performance from a Sony artist, Michael Paynter. I hadn’t heard his music before, but thought he had a fantastic voice. Thanks so much for coming in and performing for us Michael!
I attended another of Signorelli’s cooking classes for Greg’s birthday. The chocolate-lover’s birthday fell on the day of the course, so we considered it a sign from above that we were meant to be there.
This time, it was Appreciate Chocolate with Kakawa Chocolate‘s Jin Sun Kim and David Ralph. The class consisted of a master tasting session, history of chocolate and demonstrations of how to temper chocolate, make ganache and create truffles.
The evening started with a platter of delicious fruits and dipping chocolate, and some potent Toblerone cocktails.
SIGNORELLI GASTRONOMIA
Ground floor of Accenture/Google Building
Trouton Place Pyrmont NSW 2009
(opposite Metcalfe Park)
P: 02 8571 0616
The past six months have flown. I can’t believe we’ve been married for half a year already. Amazing.
We wanted to do something a bit fun for the occasion, so I booked lunch at Lachlan’s Restaurant in Parramatta Park since we had promised to drop by the Winterfest afterwards to see Daniel’s group, the Orion Consort, perform.
Lachlan’s is smack bang in the middle of Parramatta Park. The building was once Lachlan Macquarie’s old government house. It has been resorted and turned into a restaurant. Thankfully, the old world charm remains.
We were a bit early, so took a stroll around the property. The restaurant sits on Parramatta River. Very picturesque.
After lunch we walked over the bridge to Winterfest.
After drinking almost an entire bottle of wine, I was in a very cheery mood – perfect to enjoy the festivities.
It’s that time of year again – time to serve the community in the cold. This year I bowed out of the organising committee as it was way too time consuming last year, and instead participated in a few events. One such event was bush regeneration in Woollahra at Trumper Park.
I’m not really the gardening type, so it was hard to get into the spirit of weeding. It was great, however, to see a huge area of weedy land transformed into a field of baby trees.
The class fell on an evening with torrential rain. Many people were running late – including the star of the night. Adriano arrived, full of apologies and bearing several trays of intriguing looking ingredients.
Adriano demonstrated two desserts that he had created just for the occasion. A new version of tiramisu and a lemon curd tart with olive oil sorbet.
Watching Adriano in action was fascinating. The softly-spoken man had the room’s attention with his every move and word. Several members of the class were scribbling down notes furiously, asking questions that would help them re-create the recipe at home. I happily know what my baking limits are, so was content instead to photograph and listen to the words of wisdom the great chef had to depart on us.
As he cooks, Zumbo shares his tips and stories of his childhood. He tells us about his time in France and his dislike for their huge food wastage. After he mentions this I notice as the night goes on that nothing goes to waste. Any extra material is boxed up in plastic containers for re-use. Burnt pine nuts are salvaged.
Most interesting is watching Zumbo crack open eggs on handed, with the reflex of one who has cracked more eggs than I shall ever consume in my lifetime. He shows us how to separate the yolk using our hands for a cleaner separation (some recipes require the yolk and egg white to be cooked at different temperatures, so having bits of white left on the yolk can spoil the dessert).
After the two-hour class, we get the chance to speak with Zumbo. He is humble about his success and thanks us sincerely for coming to his class. We bow in worship a few times before heading out into the cold night.
SIGNORELLI GASTRONOMIA
Ground floor of Accenture/Google Building
Trouton Place Pyrmont NSW 2009
(opposite Metcalfe Park)
P: 02 8571 0616
I have long been a fan of Adriano Zumbo, the fantastic pastry chef based in Rozelle.
I found a cooking class he was taking at the restaurant under my building – Signonrelli. An evening with Zumbo? Who could resist?
After a month of solid rain, the skies cleared and the brilliant blue I love came back. To make the most of the weekend we took a friend to Balmoral Beach.
It’s rained almost non-stop for three weeks. I understand that we need rain, but surely we’ve reached our quota and it’s time to send some rain on down to Melbourne?
After Pizza at Pizza Olla, Alec and I drove to Balmoral for a walk on the beach. It was a beautiful night. Finally no rain, and almost no-one out on the streets.
