Volkswagen Eos & Hunter Valley Test Drive

Lucky us - we drove a Volkswagen Eos around the Hunter Valley last week for the Volkswagen Magazine. The weather was perfect so we had the roof down most of the time. We drove the Peat's Ridge Road off the F3, north of Sydney, stayed in Wollombi and drove to Pokolbin where we stayed at the brand new Chateau Elan, dined at Legends on Tony Maher's delicious food and had a massage at the divine spa.

We photographed The Vintry, a contemporary 'green' house on DeBeyers Road, photographed at Talit's, a Provencale house in Broke and loved the gnocchi at Margan's Restaurant (above), close to Whispering Brook. The full feature will be posted soon ..

Images © Ken Martin/True Blue Cockatoo

Kham's Arun Thai Stir-fried Clams with Chilli and Basil

Delicious stir-fried clams from Kham's Sai Mae Nam, the Arun Thai  cook book.
(To buy, click on the cover, right, or see stockists below.)

Ingredients
500g fresh clams in the shell
2tbsp vegetable oil
1 small red chilli, finely chopped
1 clove garlic, peeled and finely chopped
1 tbsp Roasted Chilli Paste
1 tbsp fish sauce
1/2 tbsp oyster sauce
1 tsp caster sugar
1 tbsp fish stock
handful sweet basil leaves

Method

Rinse the clams thoroughly and drain.

Heat the oil in a wok or frying pan and add the chilli and garlic. Stir-fry until the garlic is golden brown - less than 1 minute. Add the clams and stir them until they open. Discard any that do not open.

Add the roasted chilli paste, fish sauce, oyster sauce and sugar, stir, then pour in the fish stock. Cover and cook for three minutes. Add the sweet basil, stir and serve immediately.

Serves 4

Preparation and cooking time: 20 minutes

© Khamtane Signavong, True Blue Cockatoo www.bluecockatoo.com.au

Arun Thai Restaurant, Macleay Street, Potts Point, Sydney.
Arun Thai Restaurant, Hong Kong.

Kham's Sai Mae Nam & Where To Buy

Kham's Arun Thai Cookbook, Kham's Sai Mae Nam, is available to buy direct online at www.bluecockatoo.com.au  just click on the book cover, see right.




Also at:

Arun Thai Restaurant, 28 Macleay Street, Potts Point, Sydney, NSW

Arun Thai Restaurant, 18 Hanoi Road, Tsim Sha Tsui, Hong Kong

Books For Cooks, 233-235 Gertrude Street, Fitzroy, Melbourne, VIC

Essential Ingredient, Rozelle, Sydney, NSW 

Potts Point Bookshop, Potts Point, Sydney, NSW

The Cookery Book, 4 Sailors Bay Road, Northbridge, Sydney,  NSW
Kitchen to Table, Yamba, NSW
Millfield General Store, Millfield, Hunter Valley, NSW
Wollombi General Store, Wollombi, Hunter Valley, NSW


Howard Park Wines, Margaret River WA

National distribution: www.dennisjones.com.au


Stockist enquiries info@bluecockatoo.com.au

Mushroom-fest

I just had to have mushrooms - Woolworth's had Portobellos on special so BCF bought two punnets, then found locally grown at the wonderful farm shop where we buy most of our vegetables on the way to (and from) Camp Cockatoo.
So, armed with more mushrooms than any cook can handle, we arrived at CC last night to find we had had 30ml of rain and the road a bit the worse for wear. Luckily arborio in the store cupboard and the rest of last weekend's reggiano + a couple of brown shallots.
Mrs BCF planted some herbs a while back so raided some slender stems of sage (which I adore with mushrooms) to sizzle up with onion, shallot, mushrooms, a little salt and pepper and a sliced large red chilli. Arborio in next and then stock. Sprinkle of the parmesan added while cooking.
NB: Bit of a deadline as Mr BCF had a film to watch but risotto gives in when it wants to and I wait until the moment arrives.
Verdict: Divine.

Cuisine NOW

BCF was extremely lucky to experience the cooking of Philippe Mouchel (currently Brasserie at Crown, Melbourne) at CuisineNOW, the initiative of the one and only Tony Bilson. Philippe Mouchel's Master Class/lunch meant divine food and surroundings at Sydney's Doltone House, Jones Bay Wharf. Personal favourite: Oyster jelly with pea puree & mushroom foam. Also thought that Doltone House makes a great venue. 

Solar panels & lime juice

Blue Cockatoo Flyer is celebrating Australia Day at Camp Cockatoo in the great Australian bush - 38.2˙. Sensational day with a breeze and plenty of king parrots and cockatoos to remind us of our location.

Frequent Flyer visitors will perhaps be a little sad to hear that the solar panels no long rest on those elegant garden chairs on the roof, but now have a superbly crafted stand, constructed by Mr Blue Cockatoo.

Thank goodness for Woolworth's Select lime cordial ( so limey!) with plenty of ice on a day like this.

Also celebrating a fabulous write-up by Not Quite Nigella about the Arun Thai Restaurant with mention of new book. Thank you NQN and love your lamingtons.
http://www.notquitenigella.com/2010/01/24/arun-thai-potts-point-

1000 Chilli Chicken

Just one of the delicious recipes featured in Kham's Sai Mae Nam cookery book  published by True Blue Cockatoo, RRP A$49.95 + $10.00 postage and packing from:
www.bluecockatoo.com.au

1000 Chilli Chicken is a chilli feast much loved by Southern Thais, this twice-marinated chicken is crispy and tasty on the outside and tender and moist inside.

Endorsed by Thai Select, Kham's Sai Mae Nam features recipes and inspirations from Thailand, following the great rivers such as the mighty Mekong and influences brought by ocean traders.

Featuring 248 pages of recipes by Kham Signavong of the Arun Thai Restaurants in Sydney and Hong Kong and stunning images by Ken Martin, this book is a working cook book as well as a beautiful collector's item for your cook book shelves.

For more information, current stockists and email order details, email us at info@bluecockatoo.com.au