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The Temperance Society Wine Bar

May 7, 2015 by Celia @ Fig Jam and Lime Cordial

Our friends Marty and Joyce live in the neighbouring suburb.

We’ve known each other since we were eighteen years old (we lived together for three years), and our children are now older than we were when we first met. We have that easy, comfortable relationship that only comes from a lifetime of shared experiences. Marty and I MC’d each other’s weddings – he’s passionate, highly intelligent, and completely bonkers. I love him to bits. So when he said he was opening a wine bar in nearby Summer Hill, we had to go and check it out.

Obviously this isn’t an unbiased review – our old friend has a new establishment and I’m keen to tell everyone about it. But I have to say, for a man who nearly demolished his bathroom trying to install a shower rail, he’s done a magnificent job.

The gloriously named Temperance Society Wine Bar offers a wide range of top shelf spirits, craft beers, wines by the glass and a limited selection of cocktails (for now – hopefully the list will grow with time). Everything on offer is unusual, interesting and carefully chosen.

Our friend Will raved about the two boutique beers he tried – an Indian Pale Ale (IPA) and a Rye-O-Rye Red. Sullivans Cove Whisky from Tasmania – recently voted the finest single malt in the world – is available by the glass. Here are a few photos from their second night of trading (they only opened on Monday).

The bar is run by the charming Alex and his smiling team…

My cocktail of the night – a Lackey Street Lush (Zubrowska vodka, cloudy apple and lemon juice). It was deliciously refreshing and not overly sweet…

The whole place oozes ambiance – the ground level has an easy, laid back feel with high tables and chairs. There’s a courtyard out the back which closes at 9pm (council regulations). We walked upstairs and I let out a deep, contented sigh…the room was filled with comfortable burgundy Chesterfields, books and quirky artwork…

I could imagine myself losing a few quiet evenings in this little corner…

The food was simple, tasty and generous, a testament to Joyce’s deft touch with all things edible. The large wedge of Black Forest Smokehouse rabbit and quail terrine ($9) was accompanied by green tomatoes, a small pot of relish and sourdough…

The mixed meat plate ($18) came with a wedge of cheese (brie or cheddar), olives, two meats, preserves and bread…

Their primary focus is on beverages, so only a limited selection of cold platters are available (at the moment). This is the perfect place to pop in for a drink, but don’t count on having dinner there.

Are we a bit excited at having a new wine bar within walking distance of home? Oh yeah. Are we über excited that it’s Marty’s newest project? Absolutely. I’m torn between hoping it’s a roaring success and wanting it to stay just a wee bit quiet so that I can always grab a Chesterfield on the top floor. I strongly suspect it’s going to be the former.

. . . . .

The Temperance Society Wine Bar
122 Smith Street
Summer Hill   NSW 2130

Open 4pm – 11pm Mon – Thurs
12pm – 12am Fri, Sat
12pm – 10pm Sun

Posted in Food & Friends | 56 Comments »

Spanish Chorizo and Potato Stew

May 6, 2015 by Celia @ Fig Jam and Lime Cordial

This recipe makes me think of my blogger friends – it’s reminiscent of the homestyle Spanish dishes prepared by the lovely Chica Tanya, I used a clay cazuela identical to one that I gave Maureen, and I’m pretty sure Lorraine and Charlie are going to tease me about being a cougar when they see the clip below.

Young Spanish chef Omar Allibhoy is, as the hipsters might say, totes adorbz. He recently joined the Jamie Oliver Food Tube with this inaugural recipe. It sounded simple and I had all the ingredients on hand, so I thought I’d give it a go…

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I only had raw chorizo, but it worked perfectly well…

I cracked the potatoes as instructed, but next time I’ll use a dinner knife rather than my large chefs’ blade – I was a bit concerned about losing a finger…

As I didn’t have fresh tomatoes, I used tinned chopped tomatoes. Cooking in my beloved clay cazuela felt authentic and made washing up a doddle, but if you don’t have one, a wide sauté pan or pot should work just as well…

Accompanied by a freshly baked loaf of sourdough, it was an easy and delicious dinner…

I liked this recipe so much that I bought Omar’s book – on Kindle of course!

Posted in Recipes | 22 Comments »

Interesting Times

May 3, 2015 by Celia @ Fig Jam and Lime Cordial

There is an old Chinese curse…”May you live in interesting times”. (Actually, it’s apocryphal, but an apt way to start this post.)

The second half of April was indeed an interesting time. My poor mum fell and broke her wrist, requiring surgery on the same day that Small Man started his HSC mid-year exams. Which coincidentally happened to be the same day the huge Sydney storm hit (it lasted three days). The weather dropped fifteen degrees overnight and our gas heater died, joining the long list of breakages we’ve had in the last six months – the dishwasher, oven, airconditioner, microwave, alarm and our entire computer system have all needed repair or replacement.

Later that same week, we had a massive hailstorm (be warned, the video below is very loud). The hail obstructed all the gutters and drains on the roof, causing the skylight in the kitchen to leak like a sieve. The garden was completely shredded, but the chickens were fine. While we were trying to sort out the kitchen, water came in through the bedroom ceiling and soaked our bed.

It was a very interesting week.

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Maintaining routine seems to be the only sensible option at times like these.

I continued to bake – I find it very therapeutic – and our overnight sourdough loaves are perfect when things are chaotic. Because they involve so little hands-on effort and prove on the bench while everyone is asleep, they’re easy to fit into our routine, regardless of whatever else is happening. I baked these two loaves to trade with Andy the dishwasher repairman in exchange for a new seal on the powder dispenser. I gave him one loaf for the rubber seal, and one for being kind enough to deliver it to us…

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Fulfilling a promise I’d made the week before, I bought Grace a $10 pink wig. She refers to it as her mermaid hair. If you ever need to buy a hairpiece, I ordered this one online from The Wig Outlet and found them most efficient to deal with…

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On ANZAC Day, after clambering onto the kitchen roof to scrape off hail and positioning buckets under the skylight and hairdryering the bed, we needed a simple dinner. God bless Tanya and her easy Spanish recipes – chorizo tapas and vegetarian arroz caldoso, accompanied by garlic and cheese bread – were quick to make and perfect comfort food for a cold, wet evening…

 

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Over dinner, I raised the question of whether or not to cancel a $5 a month data plan on my phone. We’d put it in place when we were last away, but it hadn’t been used much in recent months. I pointed out that $5 was basically a takeaway coffee and it was good to have it there if we needed it.

Then Small Man said, “Mum, that’s $60 a year.”

Big Boy added…”That’s two dinners from the charcoal chicken place…”

Small Man.. “or a dozen games at the next Steam sale…”

Big Boy…”or eighty coffee pods…”

I can’t tell you how happy that conversation made me. It was reassuring to know that they’ve listened and absorbed the conversations we’ve had over the years about living within our means. Our sons never take anything for granted. I honestly couldn’t be any prouder of them. Needless to say, I’ve cancelled the data plan.

And you know, that three minute conversation was all it took to make everything right again. To readjust my brain and see the day as exciting rather than arduous, to give thanks for warm food shared with a loving family, to sit back and hold Pete’s hand and watch our sons animatedly converse over dinner as they always do.

. . . . .

Even during the most interesting of times, life is always grand!

Posted in Food & Friends, Frugal Living, Garden, My Photos | 129 Comments »

In My Kitchen, May 2015

May 1, 2015 by Celia @ Fig Jam and Lime Cordial

This month’s IN MY KITCHEN is now closed!

Please join us again in June! ♥

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In my kitchen…

…is an amazing bottle of limited edition vintage Dom Perignon 2004, a gift from our dear friend PeteA…

In my kitchen…

…is the only trombie to survive the massive hailstorm we had last week. The rest of the garden was shredded (more on that in the next post)…

In my kitchen…

…is Sarawak pepper, a gift from my cousin Lynette. I use both the black and white varieties…

In my kitchen…

…is Australian made Massel stock powders. Despite the chicken and beef labels, these are all vegetable based. Fran put me on to them last month. The vegetable stock is deliciously sweet and not overly salty…

In my kitchen…

…is a Laguiole cheese knife set from our neighbour El…

I love how each piece has the signature bee emblem built into it…

In my kitchen…

…are new season chestnuts. I’ve been roasting them and then stashing them in the freezer for future meals…

In my kitchen…

…is another green chicken curry, this time using our trombie in place of eggplant. I cooked it in our small cazuela…

In my kitchen…

…is a silicone rolling pin, a gift from lovely Lorraine, and a new bread book. It’s rare for me to pick up a paper cookbook these days, but this one wasn’t available in e-book format…

I bought it specifically to try the French baguette recipe. Here’s my first attempt – it’s not perfect, but it wasn’t bad…


In my kitchen…

…is another batch of Pete’s magic praline, this time studded with roasted blanched hazelnuts. It’s very dark but not bitter. Pete now makes his caramel in the copper pot using just sugar (without adding any water)…

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Tell me, what’s happening in your kitchen this month?

If you’d like to do an In My Kitchen post on your own blog, please feel free  to do so. We’d love to see what’s happening in your kitchen this month!  Please link back to this blog, and let us know when your post is up, and we’ll add it to our monthly listing. Please upload your post by the 10th of each month.

Here are this month’s posts:

JJ @ 84th and 3rd (Sydney, NSW)

Maree @ Around The Mulberry Tree (Gippsland, VIC)

Melissa @ The Glen House (Ireland)

Beck @ In Search of Golden Pudding (Canberra, ACT)

Maggie @ Spoon in a Saucepan (first IMK post! Korea)

Lori @ Cooks with Evie (Canada)

Helen @ Casa Costello (North West, UK)

Gretchen @ Feeding My 3 Sons (South Carolina, USA)

Sandy @ The Butlers Good Life (Southland, New Zealand)

Clara @ Heritage Recipe Box (Boston, MA, USA)

Kavey @ Kavey Eats (London, UK

Lorraine @ Not Quite Nigella (Sydney, NSW)

Ale @ Ligera de Equipaje (Argentina)

Elaine @ Food Bod (Milton Keynes, UK)

Nicole @ Miss Food Fairy (Melbourne, VIC)

Claire @ Claire K Creations (Brisbane, QLD)

Amanda @ Lambs’ Ears and Honey (Adelaide, South Australia)

Ella Dee @ Ella Dee (Sydney, NSW)

Tania @ The Cook’s Pyjamas (Perth, Western Australia)

Lisa @ I’ll Be There With A Fork (Brisbane, QLD)

Debi @ My Kitchen Witch (Sheffield, UK)

Liz @ Spades, Spatulas & Spoons (Oakland, CA, USA)

Sherry @ Sherry’s Pickings (Brisbane, QLD)

Tandy @ Lavender and Lime (Gordons Bay, South Africa)

Charlie Louie @ Hotly Spiced (Sydney, NSW)

Lara @ A Life on a Plate (Dubai)

Sandra @ Please Pass the Recipe (Melbourne, VIC)

Shaheen @ Allotment2Kitchen (Wales, UK)

Emily @ Cooking for Kishore (New Jersey, USA)

Tania @ My Kitchen Stories (Sydney, NSW)

Jhuls @ The Not So Creative Cook (Philippines)

Kim @ A Little Lunch (Oklahoma, USA)

Moya @ Food and Tools (Bahrain)

Mandy @ The Complete Cookbook (Sundays River, South Africa)

Johanna @ Green Gourmet Giraffe (Melbourne, VIC)

Kari @ Bite-Sized Thoughts (London, UK)

Sally @ My Custard Pie (Dubai)

Kirsty @ Make it Bake it Snap it (Canberra, ACT)

Ania @ Milk, Toast and Honey (UK)

Jan @ A Gluttonous Wife (South West VIC)

Liz @ Mother Hubbard’s Cupboard (Gold Coast, QLD)

Diane @ Photographs and Recipes (Massachusetts, USA)

Vicki @ Boiled Eggs & Soldiers (Sydney, NSW)

Liz @ Bizzy Lizzy’s Good Things (Canberra, ACT)

Fiona @ TIFFIN – Bite Sized Food Adventures (Brisbane, QLD)

Jennifer @ Milk and Honey (Gippsland, VIC)

Joanne @ What’s on the List? (Adelaide, South Australia)

Nancy @ Plus Ate Six (Shanghai, China)

Sally @ Bewitching Kitchen (Kansas, USA)

Francesca @ Almost Italian (Melbourne, Victoria)

Greg and Katherine @ Rufus’ Food and Spirits Guide (Little Rock, Arkansas, USA)

Shari @ Good Food Week (Canberra, ACT)

Maureen @ Orgasmic Chef (Sunshine Coast, QLD)

Jane @ The Shady Baker (Broken Hill, NSW)

Josephine @ Napoli Restaurant Alert (Sydney, NSW)

Glenda @ Passion Fruit Garden (Perth, Western Australia)

Posted in In My Kitchen | 145 Comments »

Recent Bread Baking

April 28, 2015 by Celia @ Fig Jam and Lime Cordial

I’ve been doing quite a bit of baking this month!

For Easter, I baked eight dozen hot cross buns – two dozen yeasted and the rest sourdough (not including the batch I made for Dan). They were hoovered up, mostly by Small Man, who over the course of the Easter break ate 23 in total. In the photo below, half were coated in a milk glaze (for Small Man), the rest in crabapple jelly (for Pete). They do get fussy here…

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Small Man is studying for exams, so he’s ravenously hungry all the time. I was feeling lazy and he was starving, so I baked a batch of our man’oushe fougasse (they’re very easy to make). Small Man loves za’atar and he ate two of the fougasse for morning tea…

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On Saturday, I mixed up two batches of sourdough – a high hydration (90%) dough, and a white sandwich one. I’m always amazed that two formulas with such similar ingredients can produce such different results. I wrote a bit about dough hydration here (point 6)…

The high hydration dough was seriously soupy and fiddly to work. It needed numerous folds over the course of the day to build structure. But it was worth the effort, because the finished loaves offered a thin crispy crust and a very tender, elastic crumb…

This isn’t the bread I make most of the time, because it doesn’t suit our routine very well – it needs to prove during the day (so I can look after it), which means baking quite late in the afternoon. Usually I make the overnight sourdough recipe because it’s so easy, and I can shape and bake it in the morning, giving us fresh loaves for the day.

Having said that though, these high hydration loaves, with their open, delicious crumb, are definitely the family favourite…

By contrast, the sandwich loaf was classically shaped with a tight, but still tender, crumb. It sliced and toasted brilliantly. I baked the Romertöpf version this time – it made a nice change not having to preheat the oven…

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Inspired by an email from my friend Sally, I tried the black pepper and Parmesan loaf from the Josey Baker Bread book. I followed the instructions fairly closely, but I cut the salt down by a third, and only proved the shaped dough at the end for an hour rather than two to three. I find Priscilla never needs such a long second rise…

Even with the reduced salt, the loaf was still very strongly flavoured. It was also the most artisan-looking loaf I’ve baked to date, with a dark burnished crust and an elastic, open crumb…

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My cousins Kathryn and Lynette were in town last weekend, and we ended up having an impromptu dinner at our house. With nothing planned, we rummaged through the fridge and freezer to pull something together. The freshly baked loaves were a huge hit, and we accompanied them with tapas-style chorizos, smoked trout with homemade lime mayo and assorted antipasto, edamame beans (not in the photo) and a slice of the fondue cheese log. It was a wonderful night of catching up and nibbling!

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Any exciting bread being baked at your house at the moment?

Posted in Recipes | 40 Comments »

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