Just Desserts at The Boulevard Markets, Sydney Olympic Park

A little bit of Africa at Sydney Olympic Park

Please note: The Boulevard Market has been discontinued

The Boulevard Markets have been happening at Sydney Olympic Park for over a year now, but it was only yesterday that I finally headed over check them out. The lure of a cooking demonstration, titled Just Desserts--Pudding and Pie, may have had something to do with it, but I'm not telling. =)

There's a huge sign that catches your eye as you exit and enter Olympic Park station:



I was interested in neither. The Boulevard Market was straight ahead.



After completing a lap in about ten minutes, it was clear the markets were more of an art and craft fair (jewellery, baby books, lamps and personalised kids socks) with an aisle of stalls devoted to food and condiments. There was a strong family presence: kids were entertained with free hat-making activities, and a stage down the far end kept the adults occupied with the cooking demonstration.

There was still food to be had though, and where there's food, there will be photos!


Pork buns in bamboo steamers


Sausages, beef and vegetables on the grill


Pendants on ribbon necklaces


Ear-rings


Rodrom's Country Goodness stall

I was quite taken with the products at the Rodrom's Country Goodness stall where there was man's mustard, pineapple mint honey and ginger marmalades. All were handmade by the farmer himself; the pineapple mint honey, I was told, was infused by using a special breed of pineapple mint leaves, allowed to steep in the honey until the flavour was imparted.


Homemade fresh ginger marmalade $4.00

I couldn't resist the fresh ginger marmalade, a simple concoction of fresh ginger, lime zest, lime juice and sugar. It's a refreshingly zingy spread which has been united with toast. It's deliriously good as a topping on ice cream as well.


Organic custard apples


Beleafrica African Food

Lunch was sought from the Beleafrica African Food stall, where the happy servers were dishing up Kenyan chicken, stewed beef, eggplant tajine and more.


Black eyed beans, African bread, nembe triangle and
tajine pumpkin on couscous $8.50

I went for vegetarian, with black eyed beans and tajine pumpkin. Both were plain and mild tasting; the sweet smooth pumpkin, which almost tasted as if it were steamed, was a welcome alternate mouthful to the black eyed beans which were a little thick and coagulated.

The nembe triangle was a crisp deep-fried pastry of peas, carrot and potato. The African bread was a deep fried dumpling, a little like a Chinese cruller (you tiao or you zha gui) but slightly denser and spongier.

A seat was cleverly chosen at the cooking demonstration area, so we could watch and eat. Just like TV but live and aromatic!


Sydney Olympic Park Food and Groove program


Cooking demonstration with Lorraine Godsmark
hosted by Joanna Savill

We watched Lorraine Godsmark from Yellow Bistro & Food Store prepare an apple and raisin brown butter tart. The best tips we learnt from Lorraine were:

1. Be gentle with pastry dough or it will be tough and non-flaky. A sign of overworked dough is when it springs back when you try to roll it out.

2. Use fresh bread crumbs (or sourdough, cake or sponge crumbs--any will do as long as it's soft and fresh) to line your pastry before topping it with fruit. This will help soak up any excess juices that leak from your cooking fruit, ensuring your pastry base stays crisp and buttery.

3. Heat your baking tray in the oven before placing your flan tin on top of it. Then ensures the base of the tart hits a hot surface, starting the crisping process as soon as possible.

4. Cook your tart in the bottom third of your oven. I always thought that hot air rises, but Lorraine thinks that this is the best place in a home oven to cook a tart that will crisp on the bottom (maybe the temperature disparity is smaller?).

We all received tart samples to share (free dessert! Woohoo!). The apple was deliciously thick and comforting, contrasting with the crispy buttery pastry base below. The apple wasn't overly sweet but the brown butter topping was crumbly and almost biscuity with sugar. It was quite delicious so I've re-produced the recipe handout below.


Apple and raisin brown butter tart


Apple and Raisin Brown Butter Tart
By Lorraine Godsmark, from Yellow Bistro & Food Store

PATE SUCRE
250g flour
pinch of salt
175g unsalted butter
25g castor sugar
25g egg yolk
25g whole egg
40g milk

Cut butter into 2cm cubes. In a bowl, whisk together yolks, egg and milk. Place flour, salt and butter in food processor and pulse three or four times. Add sugar and pulse again. Pour milk mix through the shoot of food processor as you continue to pulse. The dough should still look lumpy. Turn out onto a bench and chop through with a pastry to evenly distribute the butter. Now smear the dough across your bench with the heel of your hand; scrape back into one mass and smear across bench one more time. Streaks of butter should still be visible. Dust dough with flour and gently work into a ball. Do not overwork dough. Flatten into a disc 3cm high, then cover and allow to rest overnight. This is a very gentle process that should eliminate shrinkage. The next day roll the disc out into a flat circle 3mm thick and trim to fit into a 28cm flan tin.

APPLE FILLING
5 Granny Smith apples
2 Golden Delicious apples
50g unsalted butter
100g castor sugar
3 whole cloves
50g raisins

Peel and core apples, cut in half and then each half into 5 wedges. Melt butter over a medium heat in a saucepan large enough to fit the apples in one layer. Add apples and saute to coat with butter. Sprinkle over sugar and cloves, continue cooking until apples have caramelised and are soft. Stir in raisins and cook a further minute to soften. Remove from pan and cool before using. This can be prepared a few days ahead if necessary.

BROWN BUTTER TOPPING
3 eggs
200g castor sugar
80g flour (sifted)
185g unsalted butter
1 vanilla bean

Whisk eggs and sugar in mixer until thick and pale. Lower speed and blend in flour. Meanwhile place butter in a pot with the split vanilla bean and cook over a high heat until butter is brown and foamy. Continue until bubbles subside and the colour turns a dark golden. The butter will continue to smoke and have a nutty aroma. Strain butter through a sieve onto the egg mixture, whisking continuously until well combined. Cool in fridge overnight.

ASSEMBLY
Remove flan tin from fridge. To maximise pastry crispness, sprinkle fresh breadcrumbs or sponge cake crumbs liberally over the base. This will help absorb any juice which may leak from the cooking apples. Cover the base with the apple filling, and then pipe a layer of brown butter topping about 2cm thick over the apples. Bake at 200C for 45 minutes and then lower the oven to 160C for 15 minutes.

Serve with whipped cream sweetened with icing sugar and cinnamon, or creme fraiche ice cream.

~~~
The Boulevard Market is on the 4th Sunday of every month
9am-2pm, Olympic Boulevard
Sydney Olympic Park
Please note: The Boulevard Market has been discontinued

The next cooking demonstration will be themed around Thai cuisine.

Rodrom's Country Goodness
Jams, Marmalades, Mustards and Chutney
GJ and NS Rodrom
"Pride of Oak", Hargraves NSW
Tel: +61 (02) 9373 8502

In addition to the Boulevarde Markets (4th Sunday of every month) the Rodroms also have a regular stall at:

Frenchs Forest Organic Market
Every Sunday 9am to 2pm
Parkway Hotel. Frenchs Forest Rd East, Frenchs Forest

Riverside Craft Fair
2nd Saturday of the month 9am to 3pm
Riverside Girls High School, Cnr Huntley's Point Rd and Victoria St
Hunters Hill (next to Gladesville Bridge)