Maple walnut bread

I haven't always been confident with yeast. The thought of working with something that's alive, that grows, that expands, that could die if not treated carefully, it a petrifying thought for someone who has a reputation for being an accidental assassin when it comes to tending herbs and pot plants.

But yeast is sturdier than you'd think. All it requires is time and a little TLC.

It was Not Quite Nigella's scrumptious post that drew my attention to this delicious recipe. By the time I'd realised I had all the ingredients in my pantry (and yes, admittedly I do have a very well-stocked pantry!), I was already making plans to undertake some baking.

I used mozzarella cheese, not the tasty cheese that Not Quite Nigella used in her adaptation, mainly because that's what I had in the fridge. I also use bread improver, rather than purchase the more expensive bread flours. You can find bread improver near the flour in larger supermarkets - the packet I buy is bright yellow and is made by Lowan. I also reverted the oven temperatures to what Nigella Lawson recommends in her original recipe in "How to be a Domestic Goddess".

The bread. Wow. I was incredulous that it tasted so good. And I had made it. The crust is slightly chewy, the interior a dense but soft fluffiness, like a snuggleworthy quilt. I brought along this loaf to a picnic and I could have quite happily eaten just this, and nothing else.

Keep the bread wrapped in a tea towel and it will stay fresh for 2-3 days. I spread some of the end slices with gorgonzola, and the creamy sharpness of the cheese against the slight bitterness of walnut was such a great combination my next batch will be plain and served with a thick slather of blue.



Maple Walnut Bread

3 1/2 cups wholewheat plain flour
1 cup plain flour
1 Tablespoon bread improver*
1 Tablespoon of salt
1 Tablespoon instant yeast
1 1/3 - 1 2/3 cups warm water
4 Tablespoons maple syrup
3/4 cup walnut halves
1/2 cup mozzarella grated (optional)

Combine the flours, bread improver, salt and yeast in a large bowl. Add the warm water and the maple syrup. Knead together for a few minutes or until the dough comes together. Use an electric mixer with a dough hook if you have it. A KitchenAid is even easier.

Allow the dough to rest for about 20 minutes. Gradually knead in the walnuts and continue kneading until the dough feels reasonably smooth and elastic.

Shape the dough into a ball and place into a large lightly oiled bowl. Rotate the dough a few times so it's oiled all over. Cover with cling film and allow to rise for 1-2 hours in a warm area (I put mine in the laundry). If it's a very cold day, you can often help it along by placing the bowl in a warm water bath in the sink, making sure the water is not too hot (test with your elbow).

When the dough has doubled, punch it down to release the air, and then knead for a minute or two. If adding cheese, flatten the dough into a rectangular shape and sprinkle it along a line across the middle. Roll the dough up into a rounded loaf or Vienna-style shape.

Place the loaf onto a baking tray lined with a baking sheet and cover with a tea towel, allowing it to rise again for about 30 minutes. Preheat your oven to 220C / 425F.

When the dough looks puffy, make three diagonal slashes and place in the oven. Bake at 220C / 425F for 15 minutes, then reduce the heat to 190C / 375F and bake for about another 20 minutes. Check to see if the bread is cooked by tapping it on the underside and listening for a hollow sound.

Cool on a wire rack and enjoy warm or cool. Store in a tea towel away from heat or sunlight to maintain freshness.

* Bread improver can be found in larger supermarkets. Look for the yellow packet made by Lowan's near the cornflour in the baking aisle. If you can't find bread improver, substitute the plain flour for strong bread or baking flour (00 strength).


After the final prove


Fresh from the oven


Melty mozzarella

Related GrabYourFork posts:
Baking: Irish soda bread

Prize giveaway #8: A $200 dinner voucher for two from Ocean Room, Sydney

Grab Your Fork is celebrating 1,000 posts this week and you're invited to the party! This is the final day of a week-long competition frenzy, and it's concluding with a bang!

It's lucky prize number eight, and the winner will be very lucky indeed. The final prize has been kindly donated by Raita Noda, owner and head chef at Ocean Room.



PRIZE #8: A $200 dinner voucher for two at Ocean Room, Sydney

If anything epitomises Sydney it's fresh seafood and its amazing Harbour. Ocean Room effortlessly combines both. I've had the pleasure of dining at Ocean Room several times, including the chance to watch Raita Noda demonstrate some of his techniques during a cooking demonstration. Renowned for his amazing soft shell crab tacos, there are plenty of options for meat-lovers too. Look out for a post next week with pics of my latest meal.

To win a $200 dinner voucher for two, simply visit the Ocean Room website, then

1. Send an email to
2. Mark it with the subject heading "Ocean Room"
3. Provide your full name and contact phone number, and
4. Provide the correct answers to the following questions:

Q1. Name any other restaurant at which Raita Noda has worked.
Q2. Noda's menu at Ocean Room is a unique combination of two different cuisines. What are they?


Entries close 5pm Sydney-time, Friday 20 February 2009.
Only one entry per person.


Don't forget to enter all the competitions on offer!
Prizes #1 - #3: KitchenwareDirect
Prize #4: Kei's Kitchen
Prize #5: Sweetness the Patisserie
Prizes #6 and #7: Menulog
Prize #8: Ocean Room


Related GrabYourFork posts:
Ocean Room NYE Cocktail Party (Jan08)
Ocean Room (Oct06)
Ocean Room Cooking Demonstration with Raita Noda (Oct06)

Prize giveaways #6 and #7: $50 home delivery vouchers from Menulog

Grab Your Fork is celebrating 1,000 posts this week and you're invited to the party! This is the fourth day of a week-long competition frenzy. Don't forget to check back here Friday lunchtime for the final prize worth $200!

Today's competition is brought to you by Menulog, and it's ideal for anyone who has ever sighed at the thought of having to cook dinner.



PRIZES #6 and #7: A $50 home delivery voucher (valid at voucher-accepting Australian restaurants only)

Why use the stove when you can order home delivered? Why use the phone when you can order online? Menulog provides a detailed listing of restaurants that will deliver direct to your suburb, along with a detailed menu for easy online ordering.

To win one of two $50 home delivery vouchers, simply check out the Menulog website, then

1. Send an email to
2. Mark it with the subject heading "Menulog"
3. Provide your full name and contact phone number, and
4. Provide the correct answers to the following questions:

Q1. Delivery can be in as little as how many minutes?
Q2. If you had your dinner home delivered, what would you order?


Entries close 5pm Sydney-time, Friday 20 February 2009.
Only one entry per person.
This prize is for Autralian residents only, and may only be redeemed at Australian Menulog restaurants that accept vouchers (indicated in the minimum order column).


Don't forget to enter all the competitions on offer!
Prizes #1 - #3: KitchenwareDirect
Prize #4: Kei's Kitchen
Prize #5: Sweetness the Patisserie
Prizes #6 and #7: Menulog
Prize #8: Ocean Room

Prize giveaway #5: A gift pack from SWEETNESS The Patisserie

Grab Your Fork is celebrating 1,000 posts this week and you're invited to the party! This is the third day of a week-long competition frenzy and it's perfect for all the sweet tooths.

Today's competition is brought to you by SWEETNESS The Patisserie, the stall that is usually over-run with fanatic customers at the Pyrmont Good Living Growers Markets, desperate to stock up on Gena's award-winning English Toffee and amazing range of hand-cut mallows that includes flavours of passionfruit, lime and chocolate. She's even been on Kerri-Anne!



PRIZE #5: A gift pack of SWEETNESS The Patisserie products - pick-up only (RRP $50)
Have you ever eaten a really good marshmallow? I'm talking about a freshly set, soft and squidgy marshmallow made with pure essences and fruit purees. One that gives you a hug, and you want to hug it right back. There'll be marshmallows and more in the special gift pack that Gena has in store for the winning Grab Your Fork reader. In addition to mallows, Gena stocks a range of toffees, biscuits, nuts, cookies, muffins and nougat.

To win a gift pack of SWEETNESS The Patisserie products worth $50, simply check out the SWEETNESS website, then

1. Send an email to
2. Mark it with the subject heading "SWEETNESS"
3. Provide your full name and contact phone number, and
4. Provide the correct answers to the following questions:

Q1. What colour scarf is Gena wearing?
Q2. There is a plate of spiced nuts featured. What kind of nuts are they?


Entries close 5pm Sydney-time, Friday 20 February 2009.
Only one entry per person.
This prize is pick-up only, either at the March 7 Pyrmont Good Living Growers Markets or from SWEETNESS' soon-to-be-opened retail store in Epping (near the station).


Don't forget to enter all the competitions on offer!
Prizes #1 - #3: KitchenwareDirect
Prize #4: Kei's Kitchen
Prize #5: Sweetness the Patisserie
Prizes #6 and #7: Menulog
Prize #8: Ocean Room


PS. Grab Your Fork didn't win in its category of Best Food Blog - City (and alas, neither did any of the other Australia blog finalists) but congratulations to the all the winners of the 2008 Food Blog Awards. Thank you to everyone for your votes and support. Without readers and comments, this blog wouldn't be as half as much as fun!

Chinese New Year dinner

Do you like pig?

We love pigs, especially ones that come with crackling. Thin bubbling shards of crisp crunchy shattering crackling that cannot be eaten quietly. That's the kind of pig I love.


One of three queues at Emperor's Garden on Chinese New Years Eve

It was Chinese New Years Eve on Sunday, and you could feel the excitement in the air in Chinatown, particularly at Emperor's Garden BBQ House where everyone was getting their last-minute purchases of celebratory roast pork. I'd been dispatched to help bring home a special guest to Veruca Salt's annual Chinese New Year dinner. He didn't say much but boy oh boy did we gush over him!


The most important passenger in the car

Whilst we saw many families picking up suckling pigs for their Chinese New Year feast, I think we had one of the few orders for a whole roast pig. Veruca Salt was going all out for this one, citing "better crackling" as her justification.

Porky travelled in style in the boot. And you haven't suffered gastronomic torture until you've travelled twenty minutes in a car with the smell of a freshly roast pig. The air was thick with the tantalising aroma of crackling. I almost wept with pain.


21.5kg of happiness

There was plenty of excitement when the guest of honour met everyone. I believe there was even a mini photoshoot with individuals, beaming with happiness.

Veruca Salt cooked up a storm as always. There were two kinds of spring rolls, stuffed chicken wings, yee sang salad, a cooked rooster (see below!), xoi sticky rice, steamed perch (from the tank that morning), jellyfish and roast pork. Lots of roast pork.


Adding sesame seeds to the yee sang (yushang) salad for good luck


Tossing the yee sang salad


The rooster on a bed of xoi sticky rice


Steamed perch


Jellyfish and roast pork

The crackling was sensational and the pork was, to quote Veruca Salt, "flubberlicious".

Gong hei fat choi!

Hope the Year of the Ox is healthy, prosperous and full of good eating!

Don't forget the Chinese New Year Twilight Parade is on this Sunday from 7.30pm.



Related GrabYourFork posts:
Feb08--Chinese New Year Banquet at Makan@Alice's
Feb07--Chinese New Year Party at Billy's
Feb07--Chinese New Year Feast at Veruca's

Prize giveaway #4: Kei's Kitchen cooking class

Grab Your Fork is celebrating 1,000 posts this week and you're invited to the party! Yesterday's competition has spread like wildfire - seems like a lot of you want to win a Global knife, with 68 entries received already! The demand for the digital scales and the cupcake carrier isn't too far behind either.

Today's competition is brought to you by Kei's Kitchen, a mother and daughter team whom you may have already spotted at the Pyrmont Good Living Growers' Markets. In addition to their range of dressings, sauces and almond miso, Kei's Kitchen also run a very popular schedule of kaiseki cooking classes.



PRIZE #4: A spot in the March 14 or 15 Yoshoku Cooking Class (RRP $120)
Yoshoku refers to the style of Japanese cuisine which has its roots in Western dishes. These are not modern fusion dishes, but culinary adaptations created in the late 1800s or early 1900s. Think of the crispy golden-crumb coating of pork in tonkatsu, or the Indian and French influences on the dark sweet Japanese curry Kareiraisu. The cooking classes are hands-on and intimate, with numbers capped at eight people. You can see the photos and read about my kaiseki cooking class experience at Kei's Kitchen here.

To win a spot in the March 14 or 15 Yoshoku Cooking Class, simply check out the Kei's Kitchen website, then

1. Send an email to
2. Mark it with the subject heading "Kei's Kitchen"
3. Provide your full name and contact phone number, and
4. Provide the correct answers to the following questions:

Q1. What does yakimono mean?
Q2. How many different products does Kei's Kitchen make?


Entries close 5pm Sydney-time, Friday 20 February 2009.
Only one entry per person.
Please make sure you are able to attend the class, held 10am-2pm on March 14 or 15 in Chatswood, Sydney.


Don't forget to enter all the competitions on offer!
Prizes #1 - #3: KitchenwareDirect
Prize #4: Kei's Kitchen
Prize #5: Sweetness the Patisserie
Prizes #6 and #7: Menulog
Prize #8: Ocean Room

Grab Your Fork reaches 1,000 posts - with a week of competitions to celebrate!

Congratulations dear reader. You are officially reading the 1,000th post by Grab Your Fork.

It's been almost five years of feasting and what a delicious ride it's been. Having a blog has prompted me to explore all of Sydney, to embrace its multicultural flavours, to support local producers and to share it all with you.

Not only have I relished the perfect justification to eat 'just a little bit more' for research purposes, it's given me amazing opportunities to find like-minded souls: through comments and letters from readers; attending industry events and meeting chefs; and being part of a growing network of amazing Australian food bloggers, many of whom are now wonderful friends.

And of course many of these posts wouldn't have been possible without the enduring patience of family and friends--the poor souls who have to wait for the mandatory photoshoot to be over before they can start eating. The G-man calls it 'being blessed'. Thank you to each and everyone of you, with a special shout out to my eating partner-in-crime Veruca Salt.

It's a triple day of celebrations. Today is also Australia Day and the first day of the Chinese Year of the Ox. Good things do come in threes.

The best way to celebrate this monumental post? Prizes. Ahh...... now I have your attention. Over the past couple of days, I've been in contact with several of Grab Your Fork's supporters, and they've all come to the party with generous prizes to give.

First up is KitchenwareDirect who are offering not one, not two, but three amazing prizes. Read below for all the details and don't forget to check back tomorrow for more. There are four days of prizes lined up this week. It's happy days for all!

Happy Australia Day,
Happy Chinese New Year,
and Happy 1,000 Posts for all Grab Your Fork readers!


Image courtesy of KitchenwareDirect

PRIZE #1: Global 20cm Cook's Knife (RRP $135)
I heart Global. My brother very kindly bought me a set of Global knives for Christmas a few years ago and I use them every day. The cook's knife is the most versatile, perfect for chopping, slicing and precision dicing. This knife has a recommended retail price of $135 and remember if you do miss out, you can always get one from Kitchenwarehouse Direct for only $84.95.

To win a Global 20cm Cook's Knife, simply check out the KitchenwareDirect website, then

1. Send an email to
2. Mark it with the subject heading "Global"
3. Provide your full name and contact phone number, and
4. Provide the correct answers to the following questions:

Q1. In what year were Global knives first introduced by Yoshikin Manufacturing?
Q2. What is the weight of a Global 20cm Cook's Knife?


Entries close 5pm Sydney-time, Friday 20 February 2009.
Only one entry per person. This competition is restricted to Australian postal addresses only.

Image courtesy of KitchenwareDirect

PRIZE #2: Culinare Electronic Scales 3.25kg (RRP $59.95)
Who hasn't cursed the inaccuracies of traditional scales, or tried in vain to use the lines marked on butter wrapping to estimate 30g? Cooking became so much easier when I received this exact product for a birthday present recently (are you noticing a cooking domesticity pattern with all my presents?). This scale weighs amounts from 1g to 3.25kg and can also provide measurements in pounds.

To win a set of Culinare Electronic Scales, simply check out the KitchenwareDirect website, then

1. Send an email to
2. Mark it with the subject heading "Scales"
3. Provide your full name and contact phone number, and
4. Provide the correct answers to the following questions:

Q1. The Culinare Electronic Scales are included the product category "Measuring & Timing". Under which drop-down menu at the top of the page would you find this category?
Q2. What is the flat rate for shipping charged by KitchenwareDirect, regardless of the number of items ordered?

Entries close 5pm Sydney-time, Friday 20 February 2009.
Only one entry per person. This competition is restricted to Australian postal addresses only.

Image courtesy of KitchenwareDirect

PRIZE #3: Snapware Cookie & Cupcake Carrier (RRP $49.95)
A cupcake carrier is more de rigeur than any designer handbag. This double-decker version (12 cupcakes per layer) will have countless heads swivelling in your direction as you instantly and effortlessly stop traffic. Priced at only $39, this product has been so popular it's been flying off the shelves at KitchenwareDirect, however the next delivery should arrive by late February.

To win a Snapware Cookie & Cupcake Carrier, simply check out the KitchenwareDirect website, then

1. Send an email to
2. Mark it with the subject heading "Cupcake"
3. Provide your full name and contact phone number, and
4. Provide the correct answers to the following questions:

Q1. The Snapware Cookie & Cupcake Carrier is listed under the product category "Baker's Tools". What other product does Snapware make?
Q2. How many cupcakes does the Snapware Cookie & Cupcake Carrier hold?

Entries close 5pm Sydney-time, Friday 20 February 2009.
Only one entry per person. This competition is restricted to Australian postal addresses only.


Good luck everyone.
Winners will be announced on Monday 23 February 2009.
Remember to check back here tomorrow for another prize competition.



Don't forget to enter all the competitions on offer!
Prizes #1 - #3: KitchenwareDirect
Prize #4: Kei's Kitchen
Prize #5: Sweetness the Patisserie
Prizes #6 and #7: Menulog
Prize #8: Ocean Room

A Vietnamese engagement party

I feel like I'm back in Vietnam, even though I'm in a household in Sydney's inner west. It's not just the round folding tables covered with plastic tablecloths, the bottles of soft drink waiting on each table, or the collection of plastic stools. It's the fact that there are five tables of ten set up in the living room and the tantalising smells of seafood and hot oil coming from the backyard.


Plastic flower curtain


Table set-up

In many of the village households I visited in Vietnam, cooking is predominantly done in the backyard - an easy way to stop heat, smells and grease being trapped inside the home. In Sydney, this tradition continues with family-run Vietnamese caterers, small businesses that will cook entire banquets as well as provide tables, chairs, cutlery, waitstaff and dishwashing services too.

Today I'm at a Vietnamese engagement party and it's the second time I've seen the efficiency of a Vietnamese mobile kitchen at work. Portable gas stoves, large gas bottles, giant woks and massive cookers are unpacked with speed. By the time the families are introduced and formalities are out of the way, we're being inundated with amazing platters. If only I'd packed my extra stomach!


Goi Tom Thit - Prawn and pork salad

Goi tom thit is one of my favourite things to eat in summer. A tumble of shredded carrot, cucumber, onion, mint and celery is topped with thin slices of tender boiled pork belly and peeled sweet prawns. It's a lively and refreshing salad, splashed generously with the tangy fish sauce dressing nuoc cham, and wonderfully crunchy with a scattering of fried shallots and roasted peanuts. Prawn crackers are served separately, to be used as edible plates. Delicious.




Cua Rang Voi Sot Me - Crab with tamarind sauce

Crab is always a highlight even if it does require a little bit of effort. The tamarind sauce is not as sour as we'd expected, a little more sweet and spicy in flavour.


Deep-fried pigeon

The deep-fried pigeon is a tantalising hue of burnished golden-brown. Whilst we can't crunch on as many bones as we do with deep-fried quail, the pigon has a bit more flesh on the bone, with a similar mild gamey flavour. And whilst pigeons are normally regarded as a pest, perhaps eating them with a squeeze of a lemon and a dab of salt and pepper is the best revenge of all.


Ca Hap Gung - Steamed whole fish

A whole steamed fish is essential for any celebration, a good luck dish for prosperity, abundance and good fortune. The perch is fatty and succulent, steamed and simply adorned with soy sauce and shreds of ginger and shallots.


Com Chien Duong Chau - fried rice

Fried rice is studded with a rainbow of tasty morsels - diced lup cheong preserved pork sausage, bits of fried egg, curls of baby prawns and plump shiny green peas promise colour and flavour in every mouthful.


Lau Thap Cam - Steamboat

And even though we're ready to burst, the final dish--lau thap cam or steamboat--arrives to fill in any possible crevices left in our already groaning stomachs. There are slices of fish cake, seafood balls, mushrooms stuffed with fish paste, quail eggs, vegetables, calamari, prawns and fish. The pot is set on a portable gas burner and within minutes the stock is boiling and the scored calamari has started to furl.



The Vietnamese like to end their meals with soup, particularly steamboat, and it's a fun and convivial way to engage the entire table, particularly when everyone is fighting over the quail eggs!


Xoi - sticky rice

The xoi had been sitting on our table throughout lunch, a steamed sticky rice which is favoured with coconut milk and tinted with food colouring (green today but it can also come in red or orange). The rice is thick and chewy, almost a meal in itself. I'd nibbled on mouthfuls throughout our meal, finding its dense and stodgy starchiness too good to resist.


Che - Sweet dessert soup

And so it continues.

In a flurry of activity, bowls are removed and tables cleared as styrofoam cups of che are served. Che is the generic name for any sweet dessert soup, its base made from coconut milk. All kinds of treasures can be found within - red beans, strips of coconut, soft pearls of taipoca, cubed cooked purple taro and slivers of seaweed. It's not for everyone, but I find it nourishing and not overly sweet.


The bride-to-be's bouquet by Veruca Salt

We're in need of a reprieve. By the time the speeches are over and the cake cutting is done, we manage to find a little more room for cake. And cupcakes. Maybe I had packed that extra stomach after all.


Cupcakes by Veruca Salt