Desirables
The Age
Tuesday August 25, 2009
OUR PICK - For the love of coffeeMelbourne-based Alison Alexander uses gold, silver and pearls, as well as non precious materials, in her jewellery€”and words feature heavily in her work. It may be a tenuous link but we love her sterling-silver ring.The food connection is that itfeatures the chemical symbol for caffeine. Alexander also makes one with the symbol for alcohol.DIY - soft drinkFancy making your own soft drink? SodaStream soft drink makers are a cheaper and more environmentally friendly option than store-bought drinks. Twenty million litres of SodaStream drinks made at home will be consumed in the next year in Australia, which equates to 20 million one-litre bottles saved from landfill. Making it takes three seconds €” fill a bottle with water, connect to the machine, give two or three spurts of CO2 and add flavouring. The Genesis, $89 (pictured). Availablefrom national retailers or visit sodastream.com.au.Classes - Do try this at homeLearn the components and methods of making chocolate couverture and the methods of hand tempering. Discover how to make a range of filled chocolates, from the preparation of the mould to various ganache fillings such as gianduja cream, liquor, nuts and marzipan. Once your chocolate masterpieces are complete, take them home to enjoy. Classes are run by Franck Poirier and Kevin Curpen. August 29 and 30, 9.30am-4.30pm. $295. William Angliss Institute, 555 La Trobe Street. Phone 9606 2111."When I am in trouble, eating is the only thing that consoles me. Indeed, when I am really in great trouble, as anyone who knows me intimately will tell you, I refuseeverything except food and drink.OSCAR WILDE(1854-1900)Scrub awayGoodbye Detergent is an environmentally friendly range of scrubbers for home use. Using a peach kernel as the abrasive, this gentle but effective spaghetti scrub uses water to clean wood chopping boards, plastics and non-stick surfaces €” it can even be used to scrub clean a potato. Pictured is the scrubbing cloth for plastics. $11.95, includes two scrubbers. Available at Neco, Blackburn, phone 1300 882 640, or TheAgent Group on 9421 0900.Kitchen Companion - Steve Grimwadeassociate director, Melbourne Writers FestivalThese are two of the cast-iron pots that I liberated from my grandmother€™s kitchen after she€™d passed away. They are heavy and reliable and have lasted through decades of cooking. I use them for everything €” from making channamasala to creaming butter €” and cringe when I compare them to some of myown cheap and nasty cookware €” pots with loose handles and non-stick fryingpans that are hardly that. While my Gran€™s pots don€™t have any flourishes(despite some beautiful wooden handles that I must oil more often), they are, byfar, my favourite kitchen items. When I use them, I remember childhood meals withGran: her making bubble €™n€™ squeak in these pots, asking about the family and our lives, before we took our trays to her study to eat on our laps. The Melbourne Writers Festival runs until August 30. www.mwf.com.au.Annabel RossCast in ironKmart€™s cast-iron collection, called Homemaker, provides an inexpensive alternative to the European versions. Can be used on all cookers. Cast iron absorbs heat gradually and distributes it evenly all over the surface, thus avoiding under or overcooking. 28cm oval cast-iron casserole dish, $85 with lid; 20cm casseroledish, $55 with lid; 24cm casserole dish, $75 with lid; and 34cm rectangle roaster, $60. Phone 1800 634 251 or visit kmart.com.auEvent - Landmark DinnerSavour the best of the best wines of the Macedon Ranges and Sunbury at Kyneton€™s Royal George on Thursday night. The wines €” Hanging Rock, Bindi, Cobaw Ridge and Craiglee €” will be matched with a degustation menu designed by the hotel€™s executive chef ChrisWade.
© 2009 The Age