Grab Your Fork on 702AM Sydney

The 702 waiting room

Phew! Live radio is nerve wracking!

EDITED 29 OCT 09: If you missed my interview on ABC 702 Weekends this morning, you can listen to the entire segment by clicking play on the embedded video below.



As I entered the studio with fellow guests John Newton and Michelle Cranston, host Simon Marnie leant over to me and said "There's been a lot of interest in your interview by your readers on the blog, hasn't there? I'd better be on my best behaviour!"

We donned headsets and waited for the red light to go on, indicating we were on air. I was quietly petrified, mesmerised by the softly quivering filter in front of my microphone. Simon did the weather and traffic reports by referring to two different computer screens and then we were off talking about cook books, recipes, writing and blogs.

Now that it's over, I realise there is so much more I could've said. Should've said. And I wish I could've named every single food blog in Australia.

Nevertheless it's great to see the ABC embracing food blogs and bringing this new frontier of food writing into the foreground. Thank goodness for Simon's warm and friendly chattiness throughout the interview, keeping the topics churning merrily along. Plus he reads this blog, so he must have good taste :)

He certainly enjoyed the coconut macaroons I brought along to the interview (how can you talk about food without eating it at the same time?). John and Michelle also gave these the thumbs up. This is one of the easiest recipes in the world with just two ingredients: shredded coconut and condensed milk. It's the kind of thing you could get the kids to do one lazy afternoon.

I first heard about this recipe from Nanny J who made a similar version for our recent afternoon tea party. Searches on the internet show it's quite a common recipe, and, funnily enough, the recipes are often prefaced with the introduction "my grandma used to make these".



Coconut macaroons
(as eaten by Simon Marnie!)

These are a quick and simple way of making macaroons without the fuss of egg whites. The condensed milk will caramelise in the oven, giving it a delicious creamy sweetness. If you like your macaroons extra caramelly, use less coconut so the mixture is less stiff.


250g shredded coconut
395g tin of condensed milk

Preheat the oven to 180C.

Pour the condensed milk into a medium sized bowl. Add the shredded coconut and stir until well combined. If you prefer a stickier, more caramelly macaroon, use less coconut, say about 200grams.

Use your hands to make teaspoon-sized dollops and place on a baking tray lined with baking paper. Make sure they are reasonably flat so the macaroons will brown quickly without the insides drying out. Give them a little room to spread.

Bake for about 10 minutes or until golden, taking care not to overcook.


Optional garnish: You could also dot these with bits of glace cherry prior to baking if preferred.

If you missed my interview on ABC 702 Weekends this morning, you can listen to the Food At Eleven podcast here (Note: this link is updated weekly with the latest segment).

Addendum: Readers--and fellow food bloggers especially--may gain some insight from the podcast of the panel discussion on The Secrets of Successful Food Blogging from this year's SXSW Interactive Festival. There's no doubt that the USA is leading the way in terms of realising the true potential of food blogs with offers of book deals and tv shows. Some food bloggers are earning enough money to quit their jobs and blog full-time! With the advanced development of the American food blog scene, it's interesting to hear the panel's tips on what they think makes a successful food blog. Worth a listen, with thanks to Nose to Tail at Home for uploading the recording. Listen to the full discussion here (mp3, 42Mb).