The bold and the beautiful - Adelaide

Photography by Mark Brake

Dreamy: A plate of loukoumathes washed down with coffee at the Greek on Halifax.

Treats: Gareth Grierson, above, puts the finishing touches on creme brulee tarts at Red Door Bakery

Photography by Naomi Jellicoe

d'Arrys verandah passionfruit souffle

When it comes to sugary treats, Adelaide's best chefs and bakers are sweet talkers, writes Simon Wilkinson.

It's just after 9pm on a Friday and a queue is already stretching down the road from the door of Eggless Dessert Cafe in Goodwood.

Back in the city, the French patisserie Au Matin Calme is doing a roaring trade in creme brulee and lemon tarts; the chocaholics are scraping the remnants from the Indulgence Plate at The Chocolate Bean in the East End; and the bright young things are digging into the crazy, colourful desserts at Gouger St's Sugarbowl.

Adelaide is a city that runs on a sugar high. Even those strange folk who claim they don't really like desserts will have a weakness... their melting moment.

For the true sweet tooth, the day starts early. While others may breakfast on cereal, toast or eggs, they know that the best thing with that first cup of coffee is an Italian-style doughnut, still warm from the fryer, slightly chewy and coated in sugar. For the uninitiated, try the ones at Master of Bread on Goodwood Rd or the zeppole at Nano Ready 2 Go in the city.

That should see you through to morning tea and something more serious from our patisseries. Two of the best start, appropriately enough, with an "mmmm". South of the city is Mulot's, on King William Rd, where the traditional French flans, tarts and gallettes are legendary, and you can order a croquembouche. On the other side of town, on Prospect Rd, Muratti specialises in cakes and biscuits, as well as making macarons in four different and delicious flavours.

Something light for lunch? Meringue should fit the bill, and while we don't have a dessert as famous as Peter Gilmore's Snow Egg seen on MasterChef, there are plenty of pavlovas and even a couple of versions of the classic bombe alaska at Urban Bistro (with red berry salad) and Windy Point (with an orange parfait).

There's plenty of time before dinner to head to the western suburbs and discover some more traditional ethnic delicacies. The Adelaide Lebanese Bakery, just off South Rd at Thebarton, has trays of filo morsels, from baklava and other syrup-drenched treats to crumbly biscuits filled with pistachios or walnuts.

To finish, it must be chocolate - and don't spare the decadence. The River Cafe in North Adelaide has hot chocolate and hazelnut fondant with chocolate sauce and chocolate gelato. Or go the whole hog with Chianti Classico's "Piatto di Cioccolato", a selection of treats comprising torta di caprese (chocolate and mascarpone tart), cocoa nib gelato and dark chocolate mousse.

IT'S ALL GREEK

For a long time, the Greek on Halifax's Mary Galantomos had wondered why the sweets she sold were, well, so damn sweet. Then, on her first visit to Greece last year, she watched as the locals rose from their afternoon siesta and jump-started the afternoon with a plate of syrup-drenched loukoumathes and a cup of their muddy black coffee. That coffee might be an acquired taste, but the GOH's desserts are just as dreamy.

Made inhouse by the experienced hands of a 73-year-old the staff know as "Auntie Nikki", the cream kataiffi - with its layers of shredded pastry, custard and crushed nuts - rivals the best vanilla slices, while the loukoumathes are irresistibly light little honey puffs. Try stopping at one.

* Greek on Halifax, 75-79 Halifax St, city; ph 8223 3336.

PASTRY PERFECTION

Gareth Grierson must have a supply of magic dust to sprinkle in with the flour and European butter for the tart shells at his Red Door Bakery.

How else to explain the way the pastry vanishes when you bite into the creme brulee tart, just leaving the delicious ooze of rich custard and the crackle of burnt sugar in your mouth.

The lemon and choc-hazelnut tarts are also wonderful, or look for buttery danishes with seasonal fruit fillings. This suburban bakery in one of our grooviest eating strips has quickly developed a cult following.

* Red Door Bakery, 22 Elizabeth St, Croydon; ph 8340 0306.

UP, UP AND AWAY

When the first souffle of the afternoon emerges from the kitchen at d'Arry's Verandah, the reaction is as if George Clooney has walked into the room. Heads turn, there are oohs and aaahs.

The passionfruit souffle, with its golden dome rising majestically from the dish, has been on the d'Arry's menus since Peter Reschke and Nigel Rich took over the kitchen six years ago. They've toyed with other flavours but Peter says the intense tang of the passionfruit works best, especially with a splash of the pouring cream that is served in a small jug.

* d'Arry's Verandah, d'Arenberg Winery, Osborn Rd, McLaren Vale; ph 8329 4848.

PRETTY AS A PICTURE

Emma Shearer brings an artist's eye to the striking desserts at The Manse.

The talented chef paints as a hobby and each dessert she designs starts life as a drawing on her sketchpad.

Emma says she is thinking as much about the composition of colours as the flavours she is bringing together when she creates dishes such as her raspberry, white chocolate and rhubarb sorbet creation.

The concoction is delicious, the richness of the balls of white choccy parfait balanced by the refreshing sorbet and tartness of the sheet of raspberry "croquant" and strip of dehydrated rhubarb.

Violas picked from the garden at The Manse complete the picture.

*The Manse, 142 Tynte St, North Adelaide; ph 8267 4636.

OOH LA LA

Walk into Au Matin Calme and you will feel as if you've landed in a patisserie in one of Paris's smarter boulevards.

The aroma of fresh, flaky croissants, the display of beautifully finished cakes and tarts, the little "financiers" - it's all there, down to the French accent of owner Guillaume Blanc who makes everything on premises with partner Chakey Kim.

Try one of the layered cakes, perhaps the choccy mousse, or our favourite, the orangina, with stripes of almond dacquoise, marmalade and orange mousse. Also open late on Friday nights with special desserts such as creme brulee and mille feuille.

*Au Matin Calme, 210 Hutt St, Adelaide; ph 7225 2707.

D'ARRYS VERANDAH PASSIONFRUIT SOUFFLE

Makes 12-ish

375ml passionfruit puree, deseeded100ml Noble Prankster or other dessert wine6 egg yolks1/3 cup sugar1/2 cup plain flour3 passionfruit, extra6 egg whites1/4 cup sugar, extraIcing sugar, to serveCream, to serve

Method:

Warm puree and wine. Slightly cream yolks and sugar. Add flour, stir until smooth, and mix in the warm puree. Whisk/stir over double boiler until very thick. Cool. Add pulp and seeds from extra passionfruit. Whisk whites until stiff and beat in extra sugar. Fold whites into custard gradually. Pour into well-buttered and sugared moulds. Bake at 170C for 20 minutes or until golden on top.Sprinkle with icing sugar and serve with cream.

Taste.com.au - October 2010

Simon Wilkinson

View the original article here

The bold and the beautiful - Brisbane

Mellow yellow: Brad Jolly and his pineapple dessert at Alchemy

Nesting delight: Urbane's spiced quince and green aniseed doughnut, mandarin peel and lavender ice cream (aka the bird's nest) is a work of art.

Photography by Bruce Long

Granada's bizcocho borracho

When it comes to sweet things, Brisbane's best chefs and bakers are going for maximum impact, writes Fiona Donnelly.

What does it say about Brisbane's restaurant scene that so many of our top-ranking fine diners include the humble doughnut as part of their dessert menus?

Perhaps not what you'd first think. The doughnuts in question are anything but dumbed-down. These dough babies are styled to appeal to the most sophisticated of diners and their inclusion signals that while we've grown in culinary terms, no-one is about to start taking themselves too seriously. Strawberry jam-filled doughnuts partnered with cinnamon ice cream are a regular at Aria, while at degustation-only pit-stop The Buffalo Club they might appear stuffed with pureed pumpkin and scented with vanilla, or arrive with a banana jam, vanilla milk pannacotta and chocolate "powder".

At Urbane, doughnuts turn up transformed into a life-like bird's nest and even the biggest fan might have difficulty recognising them as doughnuts.

Pastry chef for The Euro and Urbane, Shaun Quade, admits he likes his sweet offerings to be unique, and this can provoke strong reactions from patrons.

"Some people totally freak out when they get the nest put in front of them but by the end they are always converted," he says.

Alchemy co-owner and chef Brad Jolly, a confessed sweet-tooth, also likes to make a visual impact - particularly when it comes to the finale.

He's preoccupied with balance and says one of the big trends in desserts now is the inclusion of more savoury elements. He aims to create a well structured, mini degustation on a plate.

"I like salt and use it a lot in desserts because it brings out the flavour. Sherry vinegar also adds sharpness, counteracting any sweetness or heaviness with the cream," he says.

Javier Codina, chef-owner at Moda is another advocate for a light touch. "My approach, now more than ever, is I want diners to enjoy desserts - so they are not so heavy in the sweetness," he says. Javier views the final course as an opportunity to show off his classical technique. "My desserts are not as rustic as the rest of the menu. I try to put an effort in to make a really vibrant presentation."

He says diners are starting to ask more for shared sweet plates and chefs and owners are becoming much happier to accommodate this.

For David Steeden, owner-chef at Spanish hot-spot Granada, sending a diner home with a sweet taste in their mouths is a balancing act. His sweets all sell for $9 a serve and everything is created from scratch in-house. He tries to avoid some of the more obvious dessert choices - like pannacotta, lemon tart and creme brulee.

WORK OF ART

Urbane's spiced quince & green aniseed doughnut, mandarin peel & lavender ice cream (aka the bird's nest) Just assembling this mini work of art involves a series of steps so intricate it's almost impossible to describe. How pastry-chef Shaun Quade manages to reproduce it nightly is a mystery. Everything is edible. The nest is made from mandarin and dark chocolate doughnut dough that's been made into noodles and deep fried. Mandarin peel is threaded through the nest, woven with quince jelly strands and micro herbs like lemon thyme and purple shiso. Egg number one holds an oval of lavender and black rice ice cream. Egg two conceals green aniseed and chocolate dough beneath a crisp Isomalt shell.

* 181 Mary Street, Brisbane; ph 3229 2271

FESTIVAL OF FRUIT

Alchemy's baked pineapple cake with gold dusted pineapple jelly and mandarin ice cream.

Brad Jolly's pineapple cake is a primer on how to create wow factor, while respecting the integrity of the dessert classics.

This butter-rich, soft and yielding "cake" is made to order, studded with caramelised pineapple chunks and topped with frangipane. An eye-catching wafer-thin dehydrated disk of pineapple provides more eye appeal.

Segments of mandarin help to cut any excess sweetness, as does a fresh-tasting mandarin ice cream made in a gelato style. Gold-dusted jelly cubes ensure your last impression is memorable.

*175 Eagle St, Brisbane; ph 3229 3175

CREAM OF THE CROP

Granada's bizcocho borracho Love good, old-fashioned trifle and relish Spanish flavours?

You'll fall for this creamy, booze-laden indulgence in a flash. Pedro Ximenez, a richly flavoured raisin-toffee redolent sherry works brilliantly in desserts. Here it's used to saturate small sponge cubes which sit alongside wobbly squares of blood orange jelly.

Dished in a pretty ceramic bowl, it's crowned with a creamy mixture of mascarpone, more Pedro Ximenez and a fine dusting of grated chocolate.

*154 Melbourne Street, South Brisbane; ph 3844 4757

DARK DELIGHTS

Moda's chocolate tapas This plate is an exploration of chocolate, offering a range of flavour, texture and temperature, all variations on a cocoa theme. The cute mini fondant is made when the order is placed and arrives still warm and oozy inside; alongside is a cool quenelle of white chocolate sorbet and another oval of rich, lightly textured white chocolate and coffee ganache. Tiny tiles of sweet pomegranate jelly are dusted with bitter cocoa and a chocolate creme brulee is freeform but arrives with a crisp top, just as it should. At the base is a "soil" or crumble mix of almonds, sugar, butter and dark Valrhona couverture.

* 12 Edward St, Brisbane; ph 3221 7655

FRENCH FLAVOUR

Chouquette's chocolate macaron

The macaron flavours change daily at this popular New Farm French patisserie but Paristrained pastry chef Clement Bazin always includes a chocolate treat in the line-up.

The exterior shells are lightly crunchy, the inside chewy, well- flavoured and sandwiched together with a chocolate praline filling. Other flavours could include lemon to rich caramel with a salted butter caramel filling.

*19 Barker St, New Farm; ph 3358 6336

Serves 6

BLOOD ORANGE JELLY

200ml blood orange juice (substitute regular orange juice if unavailable)20g caster sugar1 gelatine leaf

SPONGE

5 eggs160g caster sugar150g plain flour60g melted butter

TRIFLE TOPPING

4 eggs, separated130g caster sugar250g mascarpone250ml cream30ml Pedro Ximenez sherry

Method:

To make the jelly, heat all ingredients in small pot until dissolved, then set overnight in a jelly tray in the fridge.To make the sponge, beat eggs and sugar for 6 to 8 minutes until firm and pale. Sift in flour then gently fold through mixture then stir in butter. Place in 24cm round cake tin and bake for 45 to 50 minutes at 170 C.To prepare the topping, beat egg yolks and 65g of the sugar until pale white in colour. Add mascarpone, cream and sherry and beat until it is the texture of soft whipped cream.Separately beat egg whites and remaining sugar until soft white peaks form. Gently stir both mixtures together.To assemble the trifle, cut cooled sponge into 2cm square cubes then place about 8 cubes in each of the small serving bowls. Freeze any extra sponge for use later.Splash over good quality Pedro Ximenez sherry, at least 2 tablespoons per serve. Then top with the trifle topping so sponge pieces are covered.Lastly, garnish with 4 small cubes of the jelly and some finely grated chocolate.

Taste.com.au - The Courier-Mail - October 2010, Page 8

Fiona Donnelly

View the original article here

The bold and the beautiful - Melbourne

Rapturous indulgence: Dolcetti's array of sweet treats.

The baklava at El Fayha Sweets.

Photography by Manuela Cifra

Sugardough's red velvet cake

When it comes to sugary treats, Melbourne's best chefs and bakers are sweet talkers, as Simon Plant discovers.

At St Kilda's Il Fornaio, Philippa Sibley has finished making yet another one of her famous Snickers bars... and as it sails into the dining room, Melbourne's queen of desserts loves to observe her diners' reactions.

"People do the funniest things," she says. "Some of them roll their eyes. Others stop talking and do the spoon point. Love that. Best of all is the air guitar face... that's the ultimate. Heaven."

Snickers - a shorthand descriptor for caramel parfait glace with salted peanut caramel and milk chocolate mousse - was a mouthwatering fave with viewers when Philippa made it on MasterChef Australia this year in a Celebrity Chef challenge. Its charms are obvious: dark cocoa, a velvety parfait and subtle hints of salt. But Snickers is not the only thing sweetening our lives.

Far from it. Melbourne has sugar hits aplenty - from gaudily coloured cakes and sticky baklava to magic mousses and light-as-air pastries. Philippa can resist them all ("Strangely, I don't have a sweet tooth") but this passionate pastry chef, whose skills have enriched restaurants such as Circa and Bistro Guillaume, is powerfully aware of her power.

"I can be Machiavellian making dessert," she says. "Even if I was horrid, I know I could make people like me with a great sweet."

What is it about desserts that send us into a spin?

Philippa thinks they satisfy our appetite for something deliciously shallow.

"They're like pop songs," the gifted chef says. "They're frivolous, they're fun."

They can also be impossibly pretty. Just look at Il Fornaio's Snow White and Rose Red. This fanciful finisher combines meringue "angel wings", "ball bearings" of strawberry and sugared rose petals. And Philippa, its gifted creator, reckons Snow White is so gorgeous, "you could wear it as a hat to the Spring Racing Carnival. On second thoughts, maybe not."

Comfort is another factor. Sugardough Panifico and Patisserie, in Brunswick, keeps customers satisfied with scrumptious goodies that remind them of home... or a fuzzyfelt image of it. Co-owner Orlando Artavilla explains: "A lot of our cakes are based on recipes we've collected and they're not over-elaborate."

Sugardough's Red Velvet cake is simple enough to make (see recipe) but vibrating with Day-Glo colour and mortared with frosting, it makes quite a statement. One day, Melbourne is bound to get a fully-fledged dessert restaurant. In the meantime, you might want to map out a patisserie path of your own. As Philippa Sibley likes to say: "Life's too short... eat dessert first!" Sweet.

MILLION DOLLAR BULLET ($22)

Where: Il Fornaio (2c Acland St, St Kilda; ph 9534 2922)

Philippa Sibley's Snickers bar had sold out by the time I arrived. No problem. The Million Dollar Bullet I sampled instead was a sweet sensation, combining chocolate ganache and licorice ice cream with grapefruit jelly and raspberry coulis. Seasonal fruit inspired it.

CHOCOLATE MOUSSE ($5.50)

Where: Monsieur Truffe (90 Smith St, Collingwood; ph 9416 3101)

Chocaholics are in heaven here because proprietor Thibault Fregoni is a connoisseur of couverture and cocoa. He sources single-origin chocolate bars from exotic locations and his truffles are tremendous. But M. Truffe's dairy-free chocolate mousse - served cool in a glass with shards of chocolate - is the ultimate indulgence.

BAKLAVA (about $10 for 10 pieces)

Where: El Fahya Sweets (648 Sydney Rd, Brunswick; ph 9386 6974)

Still going strong after 40 years, Lebanese proprietor Fadi Wazze crafts miniature marvels from kaitaifi pastry, sugar syrup and chopped nuts. His flaky baklava is arranged with architectural precision and perfectly-balanced with crunch and stickyness.

CASSATEDDI ($3.50)

Where: Dolcetti (223 Victoria St, West Melbourne; ph 9328 1688)

Marianna Di Bartolo runs this charming bakery just up from the Queen Victoria Market and regulars cannot get enough of her blissful teacake with "a touch of Strega". But for a true Sicilian sensation, nothing surpasses Dolcetti's cassateddi - a sugar-dusted pastry filled with lightly-sweetened ricotta.

RED VELVET CAKE ($6.20)

Where: Sugardough Panifico and Patisserie (163 Lygon St, Brunswick East; ph 9380 4060)

TARTS, biscuits, slices and loaves... Sugardough's daily bake yields a host of delicious goodies. But regulars can't go past a slice of red velvet cake, which throbs with colour and carries enough frosting to make an igloo.

SUGARDOUGH'S RED VELVET CAKE

Orlando Artavilla recommends this eye-catching cake be served for afternoon tea: "It's very visual and the hint of cocoa sneaks up on you."

This recipe makes a cake big enough for 12 good serves

90g unsalted butter280g sugar2 x 50g eggs3 tbsp red food colouring1 1/2 tbsp cocoa1/2 tsp salt160g buttermilk405g plain flour1/2 tsp vinegar1/2 tsp baking soda

FROSTING

225g butter21/2 tbsp flour225g milk150g icing sugar

Method:

Beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs to the mixture, one at time and beat well after each addition. In a separate bowl, mix red food colouring with cocoa and add to batter. Beat well.Stir salt into buttermilk and add to batter, alternating with the flour, and beat well until ingredients are well incorporated. Do not overmix. Stir in vinegar and baking soda. Pour into a 20cm cake tin and bake at 180C for about 40 minutes. Check with a cake skewer. Leave cake in tin for 20 minutes to settle before applying the frosting.To make the frosting, melt butter gently in a saucepan and add flour to make a roux.In a bowl, add the mixture to milk and icing sugar and whip till smooth.

Taste.com.au - Herald Sun - October 2010, Page 6

Simon Plant

View the original article here