Canberra is renowned for having four distinct seasons and I'm always amazed at the cool nip in the air that greets us on the morning of the first of March every year. It's Autumn now – one of the best times in the nation's capital. The days are crisp and pleasantly balmy, while the nights are much cooler, meaning it's much easier to sleep. A welcome addition after our hot, dry summers. As I mentioned in my last post about eating for silent reflux or laryngopharyngeal reflux, there have been some changes in my kitchen of late. For health reasons, many of my favourite foods and beverages are off the agenda, at least for the time being, until I regain my wellbeing. So this month's In My Kitchen post has a combination of the foods I can tolerate, as well as some things that Peter can enjoy. I'll also share some exciting culinary news with you. So, let's take a peek at what's happening in my kitchen during March: In my kitchen there are baby Royal Gala apples (pictured above), crisp and delicious, perfect eaten fresh from the hand or combined with pears in my morning juice shot. There are green beans in my kitchen. One of my favourite greens, I love them simply steamed, or cooked with bacon and eschalot. Exploring our local Asian grocery stores, Peter and I found this basil seed drink with honey from Thailand. It has an interesting, if not curious, flavour and texture. It also seems to be a beverage I can tolerate, and it soothes my throat. Cauliflower is another of my favourite vegetables. Again, I really enjoy it lightly steamed, or in this gluten free cauliflower cheese dish. Peter loves it when I make sweet spiced potatoes with cauliflower and pumpkin. The Lifeline ACT Book Fair was on recently and I couldn't resist adding a few new titles to my collection. The book by Emma Dean, A Homegrown Table, was a Christmas gift from Peter's brother and his partner. Usually I would stuff my face with these white fleshed peaches... so juicy and fragrant. These are on the fruit bowl for my Peter. He loves combining them with apples in a morning smoothie. Cheese is also off the menu for me for a little while, but I am very fond of this cheeseboard set, also a gift from Peter's brother and his partner. What a great idea this is. These pomegranates were locally grown and when I saw them in our local Korean grocery store, I couldn't say no. In Sydney last week, Peter discovered this fabulous spice emporium Green Valley Spices in Randwick. I took the opportunity to stock up on cinnamon sticks, mixed peppercorns, baharat, sumac and ras el hanout. All very reasonably priced! Valencia oranges are in my kitchen. Peter juices them fresh for breakfast. I love the green tinge of sunburn. Fresh Australian-grown berries have come down in price, so I've bought a few punnets to freeze for later in the year. To freeze them successfully, simply place the individual berries onto a tray lined with parchment, then snap freeze them before securing them in individual bags or freezer-safe containers. And some exciting culinary news! New to my kitchen is the Tefal Cuisine Companion, which has just been launched in Australia. It's a complete, multi-functional food processor and kitchen machine that can replace up to ten appliances. To my delight and honour, I was one of the handful of cookery writers and bloggers selected from across Australia to become a founding member of the Cuisine Companion Club. As a founding member, I received a Tefal Cuisine Companion (RRP$1699) of my very own to play with, and was invited to attend an exclusive event at the Sydney Seafood School. At the event, attendees were introduced to the Cuisine Companion and were given the opportunity to put it to the test. I look forward to showcasing the Cuisine Companion in coming months and sharing with you my cooking experiences with it from time to time. So far, I am truly impressed, particularly with its speed and precision. Indeed, I was able to give my old (reasonably new) food processor to my daughter, Lauren, at the weekend. Now, please allow me to introduce you briefly to the Tefal #CuisineCompanion... Tefal Cuisine Companion... The Tefal Cuisine Companion is made in France and has been designed to be simple and intuitive to use, making cooking easily and pleasurable. With it's five attachments, it is capable of chopping, whipping, mixing, kneading, cooking, steaming, blending, stirring, emulsifying, whisking, searing, crushing, milling and precise heating. Better still, it has a dishwasher safe bowl, lid, steamer insert and attachments, so it's also easy to clean. Wivina Chaneliere, Managing Director for Groupe SEB Australia, says: ‘We are excited to bring the Tefal Cuisine Companion to Australia. To encourage at home cooks of all levels of experience, Tefal has developed this new all-in-one wonder machine that will assist consumers to develop their culinary talents at home, day after day.' The Cuisine Companion comes fully equipped with an intuitive and easy to use interface with six automatic functions. You simply put the ingredients into the bowl and select the program on the touch pad display. I'll be able to prepare and cook sauces; steam ingredients, such as vegetables and fish; make hot or cold soups and broths; slow-cook dishes; prepare pastries and dough, as well as cake batters; and prepare all kinds of desserts, including milkshakes. Its bowl has a total capacity of 4.5 litres allowing portions for up to six people. And at the end of the cooking time, it automatically keeps food warm (depending on the program used). There's also a stainless steel steamer basket, that will come in handy for steaming everything from entrees to main courses and desserts. I think steamed puddings will be on the menu this winter! A (slightly fuzzy and red-tinged iphone photograph) of self with my friend and fellow cook, Winston Chua from The Hungry Excavator, taken at the Sydney Seafood School for the Cuisine Companion VIP launch event, hosted by Tefal. Every month I give you a peek of what's in my kitchen as part of a round up hosted by my friend, Celia, from Fig Jam and Lime Cordial. I'm joined by a growing community of cooks, food writers and bloggers from around the world. Pop in and say hello to Celia and our fellow cooks. Now tell me, what's happening in your kitchen this month? Are you celebrating the change of seasons in your part of the world?
33 Comments
3/3/2015 01:58:05 pm
Eating for your health sounds like the right thing for you to do at the moment Liz. So glad that you are finding that it helps. But with so much wonderful, healthy, natural and delicious fresh produce around, that shouldn't be too much of a hardship.
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Lizzy
3/3/2015 04:06:55 pm
Thanks so much, Jennifer.
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3/3/2015 08:23:17 pm
it makes me a little sad to see all that lovely fruit that you can't eat - just as well we are headed towards winter rather than summer. That cheeseboard set is very cute. Would be great to take on a picnic (as long as they weren't checking for sharp knives :-)
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4/3/2015 02:38:06 am
Loads of nice, fresh ingredients in your kitchen! We're at the lowest point of the year -- we can get the same things, but they come from afar. So they're not as good. We have good citrus, though, which is always nice.
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It also makes me sad too to see the removal of these lovely gorgeous fruit from your diet. I get reflux - not sure if it has any further technical name- if I eat chocolate or any sweet dessert in the evening or commercial curry at an some Indian restaurants. I avoid these things and opt for a dessert only at lunch, if at all. Chocolate at night is a killer for me. Must read your former post.
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4/3/2015 09:17:54 am
Lots of lovely fresh produce in your kitchen this month, Liz. And a new toy - lucky you!
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4/3/2015 09:32:26 am
what a beautiful colourful post. royal galas are my absolute fave apple variety! oh, until some of dad's heirlooms, with their fancy french and olde-english names, come in... thanks as always for a library-list of books to look for on the shelves.
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Eha
4/3/2015 11:14:54 am
Oh my: what a lovely post of seasonal fruits and vegetables! Have enjoyed each and every Tefal appliance I have bought and am naturally peagreen with envy!!! Not sure about that basil seed drink [feel a little seedy about anything arriving from SE Asia at the moment :) !] but shall be hurrying to look up 'Green Valley Spices' [sounds like an absolute wow!!] - bigger packets than you know who and more choice than another favourite Sydney spicemaster!!! . . . [oh, the fruits: a pile at once might hurt - I really do not think one or two would!!!!]
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4/3/2015 11:47:09 am
G'day! Congrats on your Tefal machine Lizzy! Can't wait to see what you do! Love pomegranates! Many wishes for your health to get back to 100% recovery!
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Eha
4/3/2015 12:35:43 pm
Liz: have just been for five minutes at 'Green Valley Spices' - WOW! Of course matters depend on quality but I can assure you some of my weekend shall be spent sussing these people out!!!! Thanks a million!!!! What wonderful fun and quite marvellous prices!! love Eha
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4/3/2015 01:09:22 pm
Some beautiful fresh produce in your Kitchen Liz. I look forward to hearing more about the Cuisine Companion. I assume it is Tefal's answer to the Thermomix?
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4/3/2015 06:27:25 pm
Still lots of goodies you can eat there Lizzy :) Oh you lucky thing, the Tefal Companion looks great and I bet you get heaps of use out of it for sure! X
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4/3/2015 07:22:19 pm
That basil seed drink looks interesting, if not a bit strange at the same time. Hope you are feeling much better and love all the fresh goodies in your kitchen this month :)
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4/3/2015 07:52:20 pm
It looks like your kitchen is heaving with goodness and nutrition - white peaches are one of my favourites and your image made me want to bite my Mac (that sounds a bit rude, sorry!). Oooh, and that Cuisine Companion looks the business! Lucky you!
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4/3/2015 09:20:07 pm
Lovely things in your kitchen Lizzy. Sorry to hear you aren't well and hope it resolves for you soon. That basil drink looks interesting!! Look forward to reading your adventures with your new toy :)
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5/3/2015 10:26:14 am
It's great to hear your new diet is working out so well for you but what a shame you can't eat those peaches! Or put some cheese on that platter! It's true Canberra does have four very distinct seasons but here in Sydney I was amazed that on March 1 I woke to find a nip in the air - it doesn't take long for those warm nights to disappear xx
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5/3/2015 02:24:34 pm
Berries... Mmmm! Lots of goodies in your kitchen, AND you have a new toy too. Remember.... always happy to be your taster tester bunny. :)
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6/3/2015 12:40:35 am
Talk about a 'one dish wonder' -- congrats on Tefal's invitation to be one of Cuisine Companion's new companions! I'm thinking this will be a boon to your dietary experimentation, too. Sometimes "simpler is better" (eating & cooking-wise, too) is what gets us past those hurdles in life. xo
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What wonderful fresh produce. Royal galas are one of my favorite apples, I could eat them all the time. We are only nearing spring so I look forward to our variety of fresh local produce soon enough. The new T-fal appliance looks quite interesting, so many possibilities I guess. Have fun with it.
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Sorry you're suffering with the reflux. It's not a pleasant experience, I know family members who have suffered this. Hope you can find some relief from it soon. Love that cheese board with recessed space for the implements!
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6/3/2015 10:33:43 pm
I'm sorry to hear that you have not been well, my husband also suffers from reflux. Cauliflower is a favourite at out house too, I'm looking forward to soup season coming up! I'm assuming the Tefal appliance is taking on Thermomix?
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Hi Liz, so glad to hear that you are seeing results since changing your diet. Ones health is paramount. Thanks for the tips for freezing berries, that will come in handy. Great finds at the Lifeline book fair. I seem to acquire more each time I go! Take care, Kirsty xx
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9/3/2015 12:16:09 am
Still lots of great fruit around but must say there are no cheap berries in Sydney. As soon as the frozen berry scare happened all the fruit went up in price ,of course. your new Teffal machine looks impressive. i am sure you will have much fun with that one
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9/3/2015 02:56:44 pm
I must have been moaning when you posted this. I apologise for being so late when you were so early in posting. That Tefal machine is magic, isn't it? They have such a good reputation and I'm so glad you're giving it a trial.
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10/3/2015 04:15:20 am
What a treat to have the Tefal machine to play with. So well deserved. Looking forward to reading about all your adventures with it.
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Jo Smith
13/3/2015 08:39:11 am
I made the sweet spiced potatoes with cauliflower and pumpkin for dinner last night. Oh it was good! I added some chickpeas and am looking forward to having the rest for breakfast.
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Look at all that wonderful produce...especially those pomegranates... I would love to grow them, but it is just too hot here in Queensland :( What a thoughtful gift... that platter looks wonderful! I will be interested to find out about the new Tefel product... How exciting that you got to try it first! I have a Thermomix and am very interested in what is coming out onto the market now :) Thanks for sharing!
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31/3/2015 01:27:04 am
That cauliflower is a thing of beauty:). Oh my basil seed drink? Sounds weird. Lucky you getting that cuisine companion. Have fun with it.
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Cooking and writing have been a lifelong passion. Join me as I share with you my favourite recipes; postcards and morsels from my travels; conversations with cookery writers and chefs; and news on food, cookbooks and cooking. - Liz Posmyk
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