The cooks' guide to Christmas shopping - QLD

Photography by Katrina Tepper, Manuela Cifra

Photography by Bruce Long

Sweetest things: Store manager Rosie Brown with Christmas treats at Jocelyn's Provisions.

Don't go crackers getting ready for the big day. Fiona Donnelly & Elizabeth Meryment discover what to buy for the perfect festive meal.

Entering into the Christmas spirit is all very well, but to keep everyone happy over the holiday period you'll need to indulge in some serious shopping first!

This year, there's an increasing emphasis on gourmet produce, and greater concern about animal welfare.

Coles meat expert Hilary Heslop says more people are interested in items such as outdoor-bred hams and free-range turkeys.

So what should we be looking out for when it comes to buying festive staples?

THE HAM

Butcher Dave Richardson, owner of Village Meats Rosalie, sells medal-winning hams made from Bangalow Sweet Pork. These are cured and smoked on premises, and as full or half hams and as bone-in, or a boneless carvery cut.

A half ham is best if you're planning to feed six or under. Be wary of hams which are perfectly round, says Dave.

"If they look too smooth they may have been in the tumbler and pumped with something - a product to make them retain water," he says.

Anything that looks too yellow may have been sitting in liquid smoke.

Expect to pay $27kg for boneless, or $24.50 for bone-in. Coles's Finest ham is available this year only as half legs. It is a drier, more European-style, triple smoked over beechwood, costing about $5kg more than regular ham.

It's fine to buy a supermarket ham now and keep it stored in its Cryovac package until Christmas. After it is opened, it has a five-day lifespan and should be kept in the fridge covered by either a tea towel or in a ham bag.

Village Meats, Shop 2, 155 Baroona Rd, Rosalie; ph 3367 3396.Coles (various locations www.coles.com.au) Christmas hams and turkeys can be preordered until December 19.Heinz Butchers, 611 Stanley St, Woolloongabba; ph 3391 3530. House-smoked (red cedar) and cured Australian hams, plus champagne ham, soccer ball hams and more.Kilcoy Butchery, 54 Mary St, Kilcoy; ph 5497 1138. Customers love these old fashioned, housesmoked hams.

THE TURKEY

Ingham's Natalie Cameron says most people buy fresh rather than frozen turkeys, which can be bought about five days before December 25.

While many frozen turkeys are still sold, these can take a long time to defrost, with an average 4kg turkey taking three days to thaw. Always thaw birds in the fridge, not on the bench top.

If you're looking for a local, free-range turkey, Village Meats has birds from Sunshine Coast producer, Dakota Vale. These are sold either as a whole bird, a buffet or as a boned and rolled bird.

Customers can order a whole turkey pre-stuffed with house-made mixes, such as apricot and walnut or apple and sage.

Turkey should be stored on a large platter in the fridge, with paper towel beneath and a clean tea towel on top. Once cooked, turkey will keep in the fridge for about two days.

A 3kg turkey will feed about six. Expect to pay $18.50kg for a whole bird, $34.50kg for boned and rolled, or $38.50kg for just breast in a buffet.

Woolworths (various locations http://www.woolworths.com.au/wps/wcm/connect/webSite/Woolworths/) Fresh turkeys from December 20, with organic and free-range options available.Heinz Butchers: Local turkeys from Bendele for $18kg can be boned and rolled, or buy a turkey buffet for $24kg.Schultes Meat Tavern, 4424 Warrego Hwy; ph 5465 6592. Inghams turkeys at $10.99kg. Order fresh now and pick up Christmas week.

SWEET TREATS

Woolworths' Benedict Brook says there's a move away from heavy puddings and cakes towards lighter desserts.

Coles bakery expert Sarina McNamara agrees traditional fruit cakes are becoming less popular, while mince pies and chocolate mince pies are increasing market share.

For a different take on Christmas pudding, Coles has both Christmas pudding ice cream and a white Christmas ice cream, featuring cream, dried fruit, nuts and Grand Marnier. Traditionalists can buy Christmas cake and puddings made to Margaret Fulton's recipe, plus her biscotti and mince pies.

But for many Brisbanites, it's not Christmas without a pilgrimage to Jocelyn's Provisions in Fortitude Valley. This year there are new treats. The sell-out mango trifles (small $38, large to serve 12, $74) studded with butter sponge, fresh mango and topped with mascarpone and creme patissiere has been joined by a cherry and chocolate offering. Both sold in a glass bowl, ready to serve.

Owner Caitlin Gallagher says fruit for mince pies and Christmas cakes has been macerating since July. Cakes are available in small ($55 and large $85). A small cake is suitable for around 12-14 serves.

Christmas roulades, including a black forest kirsch cherry roulade ($47 serves 10) are also good options, for those who want to keep it light and comparatively easy.

Jocelyn's Provisions, Centro on James, James St, Fortitude Valley; ph 3852 3799.Cakes by Judy C: 1/227 Waterworks Rd Ashgrove; ph 3366 9111. Everything from pudding from her great nana's recipe through to gingerbread macarons.Vanilla Pod 119B Lancaster Rd, Ascot; ph 3268 7285. Jam-packed with festive treats.

GARY MEHIGAN'S SEAFOOD TIPS

The secret to a great seafood platter is finding a great fishmonger. Always pick one that's busy, which tells you the product is good, and they are turning over their stock.

Shellfish or fish should always look bright, smell fresh and feel heavy for their size. As prawns get older their heads turn black, which means they are deteriorating. Any slight smell of ammonia is a bad sign.

Order your seafood early. Go to your fishmonger a few weeks before Christmas and place your order and pick up on December 24. Keep it super cold, preferably chilled over ice, and change the ice each day.

Buy your seafood ready to eat. If you are squeamish, buy your lobster, prawns and crab already cooked.

Treat your seafood delicately. Crustaceans generally are expensive so I always recommend to treat them simply, so as not to destroy any of their delicate, natural flavours.

Buy oysters in their shell. Never buy oysters open because once they have been opened, they die and lose flavour.

Taste.com.au - December 2010

Fiona Donnelly & Elizabeth Meryment

View the original article here

The cooks' guide to Christmas shopping - VIC

Seasonal: Daniel Chirico takes more than 24 hours to make each batch of his prized panettone.

Photography by Manuela Cifra

Don't go crackers getting ready for the big day. Zoe Skewes discovers what to buy for the perfect festive meal.

HAM

Butcher Andrew Vourvahakis, from Andrew's Choice in Yarraville, estimates he will prepare 50-60 tonnes of Christmas ham this year, all sourced from Victoria.

"We use only female pigs, which tend to have a thicker, sweeter fat" Andrew says. "So when you cook it over a low temperature for a long period, the fat absorbs into the meat and gives it all the flavour."

While ham on the bone is the most popular for the Christmas table, Andrew's range also includes smaller hams such as the German-style Metzger ham.

Premium butcher Peter G. Bouchier also offers smaller hams to complement its on-the-bone offering.

Bouchier's manager Troy Wheeler estimates the store will prepare more than 2000 hams this festive season and recommends hosts allow about 200g of meat per guest.

"We use free-range Otway Pork and smoke it over German beechwood, which gives it a mellow, smoky flavour," he says.

Donati's Fine Meats, 402 Lygon St, Carlton; ph 9347 4948. $17.90/kg. Orders taken until December 20.Andrew's Choice, 24 Anderson St, Yarraville; ph 9687 2419. $19.95/kg. Orders taken until December 13.Jonathan's of Collingwood, 122 Smith St, Collingwood; ph 9419 4339. $21/kg. Orders taken until December 13.Peter G. Bouchier, 551 Malvern Rd, Hawksburn (also at David Jones Food Hall, city and Chadstone); ph 9827 3629. $19.90/kg. Orders taken until December 15.Lamont's Gourmet Meats, 335 Hampton St, Hampton; ph 9598 6269. $17.95/kg. Orders taken until December 18.Wisla Continental, 30 Langhorne St, Dandenong; ph 9793 1876. $15.50/kg. Orders taken until December 13.

TURKEY

Fresh birds are best for Christmas and they can be found at specialist retailers such as the Chicken Pantry at the Queen Victoria Market, which sources its birds from Deutscher's free-range farm near Stawell, or at John Cester's Poultry and Game at the Prahran Market, which sources its free-range birds from Numurkah.

While nothing surpasses a whole turkey (a 4-5kg bird will feed the masses while still fitting in your oven), other cuts such as a breast fillet roll are increasing in popularity thanks to their ease of both cooking and carving and their different flavoured stuffings.

Ingham's spokeswoman Natalie Cameron says fresh turkeys can be bought about five days before Christmas, while frozen turkeys should be defrosted in the fridge three or four days before cooking.

- with Elizabeth Meryment.

The Chicken Pantry, Dairy Produce Hall, Queen Victoria Market; ph 9329 6417. $12.95/kg. Orders taken until "a few days before Christmas".John Cester's Poultry&Game, shop 506, Prahran Market; ph 9827 6111. $12/kg. Orders taken until December 17.Geo Tennent&Sons, 6 Gold St, Collingwood; ph 9417 4893. $11.50/kg. Orders taken until Christmas Eve.

MINCE PIES

They may not be the best for your waistline but Christmas wouldn't be the same without a mince pie or two to nibble on as lunch digests. Some of Melbourne's best mince pies are handmade by Fitzroy North's Dench bakery, which expects to sell more than 6000 this festive season. With handmixed, Australian fruit, a secret blend of Peter Watson spices and a generous pour of both brandy and rum, there's a taste of Christmas in every bite.

Phillippa Grogan from Phillippa's is another of our favourite mince pie specialists. Phillippa's also makes medieval tarts with ground minced beef and suet.

Dench, 109 Scotchmer St, Fitzroy North; ph 9486 3554. $3.50 each.Browns Bakers of Distinction, various locations; http://www.brownsbakery.com.au/ $3.70 each.La Tropezienne, 780 Glenferrie Rd, Hawthorn; ph 9818 1895. $3 each.Phillippa's, 1030 High St, Armadale (also at Brighton); ph 9576 2020. $14.50 for 6.

SOMETHING SPECIAL

For panettone:

Few Christmas treats rival a panettone ($48) from Melbourne's best baker, Daniel D. Chirico.

He bakes his panettone only about a week before Christmas to ensure optimum freshness and will only make 300 -250 traditional fruit and organic forest honey and 50 with dark couverture chocolate.

"We like people to buy as close as possible to Christmas and then serve it with an Italian liqueur," he says.

Baker D. Chirico, shop 3-4, 149 Fitzroy St, St Kilda; ph 9534 3777.

For Christmas pudding ice cream:

If you're one to buck convention and embrace our warm Christmas weather, ditch the traditional pudding and serve a plum pudding ice cream from Jock's Ice Cream.

Jock soaks fruit in brandy for "a few weeks" before mixing it with spices and stirring through a chocolate and coffee ice cream base.

The 900ml pud is $28 and best served with a drizzle of raspberry coulis.

Jock's Ice Cream, 83 Victoria Ave, Albert Park; ph 9686 3838.

For cherries:

At Cherryhill at Wandin you can pick your own cherries for the Christmas feast ($7 for adults, $4 for children), or have them delivered direct overnight.

GARY MEHIGAN'S SEAFOOD TIPS

The secret to a great seafood platter is finding a great fishmonger. Always pick one that's busy, which tells you the product is good, and they are turning over their stock.

Shellfish or fish should always look bright, smell fresh and feel heavy for their size. As prawns get older their heads turn black, which means they are deteriorating. Any slight smell of ammonia is a bad sign.

Order your seafood early. Go to your fishmonger a few weeks before Christmas and place your order and pick up on December 24. Keep it super cold, preferably chilled over ice, and change the ice each day.

Buy your seafood ready to eat. If you are squeamish, buy your lobster, prawns and crab already cooked.

Treat your seafood delicately. Crustaceans generally are expensive so I always recommend to treat them simply, so as not to destroy any of their delicate, natural flavours.

Buy oysters in their shell. Never buy oysters open because once they have been opened, they die and lose flavour.

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

Zoe Skewes

View the original article here