Just Bent

Once again I have put aside my blogging for far too long. I really enjoy sitting down and putting pen to paper, or fingers to keyboard, but something else always needs doing and the blog goes down to the the bottom of the the very long list. Today is different; my wonderful staff gave me the day off and I decided to enjoy a spot of baking and a spot of cleaning, and before you say anything, I actually enjoy cleaning, sad but true. I love to play music really loud and sing while I clean, but mostly I love the finished product, a clean house.  And finally before a glass of wine and some left over restaurant food, I am going to write my blog.


I thought I would start with a yummy recipe which has been adapted from AWW, this is the moistest gluten free cake that I have ever made and it is incredibly tasty. I made this yesterday at home and added orange blossom water to make it a little more Mediterranean,  changed the sugar to brown,  also adding baking powder to make it a little lighter. You can add ginger or dates, I sometimes add organic ginger syrup. I enjoy cooking at home, even if my kitchen is a little small. Home is where I find peace and serenity, a happy little haven in the bush complete with my pets and the native animals.

Gluten free pistachio and almond cake

Ingredients
125g pistachio kernels
3 cups almond meal
1 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
5 eggs
1 teaspoon orange blossom water
250g butter melted, cooled
3/4 raw sugar
1/3 cup honey
1/3 cup water
1 teaspoon baking powder (gluten free)
Oil for brushing pan

Method
Preheat oven to 180 degrees C or 160 degrees fan forced.
Brush cake tin around 250mm x 150mm in size.
Grind pistachios (keep around 30 to place on top of cake)
Using a whisk combine ground pistachios, almond meal, baking powder, sugar, cinnamon, and salt in large bowl.
Beat eggs lightly, melt butter and combine.
Pour into almond mixture and stir to combine.
Pour batter into greased pan.
Place pistachios on top of batter.
Cook for around 35 minutes. 
Meanwhile place raw sugar, honey and water in saucepan and heat until sugar is dissolved. Bring to boil, uncovered for about 2 minutes.
Pierce cake with toothpick and pour hot syrup on to cake.


Just Bent

I have decided to change the name of my blog from Bent on Food to "Just Bent" as I want it to reflect the many things that make up the "bent" brand and concept.  There are some exciting new products and initiatives coming up as we celebrate 10 years in business in 2014 and I want to be able to blog  about both my businesses along with anything else that may make its way to the "bent" stable. I also believe that values and beliefs are very important when creating and delivering a brand and I would like to share some of the values that make up "bent". I will be blogging about life and the lives of those who cross my path. We will talk food, wine, music, sustainability, travel, home decorating, business, coffee, lifestyle and anything that pops up. I will also share some of my favourite blogs, I hope you can follow my journey.
Cheers,
Donna

Cooking with kids is cool

I have found a new love, it is one that I am quite suprised about considering I am the most impatient person I know, but I really do enjoy teaching kids to cook. I love how excited they get when they watch their pizza dough rising in the oven, I love how the kitchen allows them to lick their fingers and get flour all over their clothes. I can even cope with the mess they make because they are enjoying themselves so it just doesn't matter.

Kids are cool, especially as they haven't got that attitude yet that comes with teenage years, innocence is bliss and simplicity is king. I always remember when my little brother was around 5 years old, he had toys galore but he preferred to hang out in a washing machine box that my sisters and I painted in bright colours with $1.50 worth of paint. Its the same with cooking, a few eggs, some flour, and an oven makes them happy.

Kids love to cook and it is not just a fun pastime, it is a life skill. I am always thrilled when I bring some produce from my property and the children are excited that I actually grew it. Some of the children have their own chooks and a vegetable garden, others are from the city and love to hear about the farms that their new friends live on. The most amazing thing is that they all love to cook.

We will be teaching a range of classes in the school holidays, and most recently we have begun to run kids parties, where kids can get their friends together for a birthday party and even get to make their very own cake. We also love to run paddock to plate classes where they get to collect their own eggs to make pasta with. The options are endless.

For information about Bent on Kids cooking classes and paddock to plate tours, call Donna on 

0419 490 312 or email donna@bentonfood.com.au

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A Taste of Vietnam

A few months ago I was fortunate to fulfill at least one of my many dreams and travel to Vietnam.  Last year when Karenne from Travelworld Taree suggested I take a cooking tour, I was just a bit more than interested. I wanted a trip where I could get amongst it, where it would be all about the food and the culture with some relaxation time thrown in. Mostly I wanted to learn to cook like the Vietnamese do. My goal was to take a bunch of foodies on a trip that would teach them to cook a great Vietnamese meal and showcase the food of the region.What I wasn't aware of was that some of the group didn't think they would be cooking at all, instead they had planned to relax while their partners cooked. I was thrilled that after the first class in Ha Noi everybody cooked their way through Vietnam with great gusto, 

Eugenie, Adrian, Kath, Robert, Chris, Janet, Donna, Penny, Bill and Zung

We were extremely fortunate that our guide for the 2 weeks was as passionate about this country as we were excited to be there, Zung stayed with us for the entire trip, taking us to some of his more local restaurants and showing us behind the scenes. Zung will be our guide next year and I look forward to meeting with him again.

Our first experience with Vietnam was flying into Ho Chi Min City with fabulous views of the Mekong Delta, amazing snakelike waterways weaving their way around the tapestry of rice paddies and crops. We flew straight to Ha Noi to get some rest before our cooking lesson and tour of the Hom Cho (markets) the next day.  






Our teacher for the day was Miss Mo and she took us to the local markets where we were introduced to a vast array of seafood, meats and exotic fruit, along with many motorbikes tearing through the bustling market place threatening to knock us over. We survived the first of many of these experiences and I grew to enjoy the craziness. Ha Noi is a bustling city but it has a less hassled feel than other Asian cities I have visited. 

Being in the food industry, I was a little unsure of the meat that sat all day on tables without any refrigeration, collecting dust from the road. I secretly hoped that we were not going to be cooking this meat. I had a giggle to myself as I thought of what Josh, the local health inspector would make if it. 

Our first day of cooking was held at Hoa Sua Vocational Training School where economically disadvantaged youth learn to be chefs and hospitality workers. The kitchen where we spent the day was alongside the commercial kitchen and the students were quite interested in what we were doing there. Our menu was to deep fried Vietnamese spring rolls, sweetcorn soup, rice noodles with grilled pork and for dessert we made mung beans in syrup. It was a most enjoyable day and we were all extremely thrilled with our first day of cooking

A while between blogs

News
Here we are in November, the weather has warmed up, the race that stops a nation is done and dusted for another year so its time to think about Christmas. At Bent, we have been thinking about it for a while with beautiful gifts in Bent on Life just waiting for you to come and find them. We are working on our gourmet hampers for 2011 and busily printing up gift vouchers for the cookery school, the café and Bent on Life. Christmas party bookings are coming in and we even have a few corporate cooking classes booked. Cooking is a great team building exercise and afterwards you get to sit down together and eat the fruits of your labours with a nice glass of wine.

This month we say farewell to our chef Greg Puglisi who is moving to Far North Queensland for a change of career and we welcome Michael James. Michael is well known in the area as he operated the Bunker restaurant at Tallwoods. We are looking forward to working with Michael and we are excited to have his skills in our team at Bent on Food. A new, exciting menu will be launched soon. Michael begins work with us on Wednesday 9^th November.


Mid North Coast Hinterland Experience

Andrew and Therese with guests at Near River

Our first Mid North Coast Gourmet Hinterland Experience in conjunction with the Crave Sydney International Food Festival was held on the 29^th and 30^th October. The guests travelled to Near River, a sustainable farm growing biodynamic rhubarb, garlic and a vast number of seasonal crops, learnt about composting and biodynamic practices,  and enjoyed banana bread with Hastings Valley yoghurt and Near River rhubarb, lime and ginger compote (available at Bent on Food) in the garden.

Linga Longa

Rhonda and Stephen

We then travelled down to Bago Vineyards where we tasted some wine and spoke to Alistair and Kate from Black Duck Brewery, a few beers were sampled before we headed back to  Linga Longa at Wingham to find out why happy cattle produce better beef.  Here we met the chooks and had more delicious  food with Lauren and Greg. 

Garlic at Near River

Then it was back to check on the suckling pig for dinner. In the evening, 30 people gathered at the cookery school at a long white table to savour 4 courses of local food and Cassegrain wine all from within a 100 mile radius. Greg cooked up a storm, with local oysters, cheeses, produce, beef and pork all on the menu. To see the menu, click here. The following day we enjoyed a 100 mile cooking class conducted by chef Eric Robinson with free range eggs, asparagus and baby spinach all from Near River and locally smoked bacon from Mentges Meats in Taree. Eric showed us how to make the perfect hollandaise and we enjoyed local strawberries and Marrook Farm Quark with The Other Chef Toffee Apple Syrup for a brunchy dessert.

Greg and Lauren with guests at Linga Longa

Mmm this little piggy is looking divine

Check - table is set

Stone Oysters 3 ways with Cassegrain Edition Chardonnay Pinot

Linga Longa Beef Carpaccio with Marrook Farm Brinawa and Wilmaria  EVOO

Lis and Vern Harvey

Grahame and Greg with the suckling pig

Hastings Pannacotta with Near River Rhubarb, Lime and Ginger compote

Conversation

Eric showing us how to make the perfect hollandaise

Brunch cookery class with  Eric Robinson

Brunch is local strawberries, white mulberries, Marrook Farm
Quark with The Other Chef Toffee Apple Syrup

Brunch 

Eric and class

totally inspired just when I need it

Bent on Life

Bent on Life

I am a firm believer that things happen for a reason and fate will jump in and assist at the most appropriate time if you allow it to. People inspire me, they drive me and ignite my passion. Food is one of those passions, wine is another but surprisingly for some, money is not. I am quite a material being as long as those material things are beautiful, they do not need to be expensive but they must be beautiful. My homewares and gift store, Bent on Life feeds that indulgence by allowing me to shop for the most beautiful gifts for people and also glorious pieces for their homes. I also get to go to Melbourne for Gift Fair with my beautiful and very patient sister, Andre, who also loves to shop and to eat, although she is a gym junkie so you can't see her indulgence like you see mine.  Bent on Food lets me work with food and with people, and sometimes I get to work with wine too.

Kochie and Marcia

Me and my beautiful sisters

Occasionally our direction gets a bit confused and we forget the very reason why we started what we did. I have made a few decisions about my future and I  feel that I have made the right choices.  I believe that you must seek answers deep inside yourself because generally thats where you find truth.




 Recently I have been blessed by opportunity, its no accident and it hasn't just happened, because I am a driver not a passenger and I believe that I make things happen. Now that is not a brag, it is a message to those that blame everyone but themselves when life doesn't go as planned.  I cant say I met anyone negative at Kochie's Business Bootcamp last month when Marcia Bourke and I took up an opportunity to spend 2 days in Sydney to learn more about business from the most inspiring people in what seems like the whole world. It was a great opportunity to bond with Marcia and we came away like we had known each other forever. We were both so inspired and this is probably what lead me to make the decision to buy the cookery school, Duck under the Table so that is what I am doing, and I can't wait. This is where my passion lies, I just love the way people feel when they learn something new. A few weeks ago I learnt to make bread and it was such a gratifying experience that everyone should  do it. So in a few weeks I hope to post all the news on the new Bent on Food Cheese making and Cookery school. You will be thrilled with what I have planned, well  hope so anyway!


And my fabulous partner Grahame remains forever hopeful that I will not turn every moment into a business opportunity. x

Women of Wisdom

Maggie Beer and I

Sandra, Maggie Beer and I

Yesterday on the 19th floor of the Commonwealth Bank building, overlooking Darling Harbour, I celebrated 100 years of International Womens Day amongst 130 of the most amazing women,  all successful in their own right. It was a wonderful event focusing on the contribution of women to the food industry. Even the fabulous sparkles matched to each course and supplied by the effervescent  Champagne Jayne was made by a woman. I was like a little girl in a toyshop,  incredibly excited to be there and to meet my idol Maggie Beer. I witnessed some incredible comradery amongst the women who attended and all of them were so interested in what we were doing there. While lunch was a huge bonus, I was actually there with Sandra from Red Plateau Organics to promote Manning Valley Produce and our Manning Valley Naturally Tourism brand. We built a beautiful display full of local  produce which was adored by all in the room. Many great contacts were made and I was reacquainted with old friends.  I was so happy to run into industry mates and to see them doing well with their careers and their personal lives.  It was nice to meet new people and I must congratulate the  lovely ladies who organised the day, happy to help us with anything we requested.

Our display

I love the way we women share, we share our views on almost anything, we share our secrets, we share our heartaches and we are always happy to tell the truth about life and its ups and downs. Yesterday, we  listened in awe to two women, well actually three if you include the dynamo Sue Bennett, editor of what I call "the bible" otherwise known as "The Good Living",  who was compere of the day. Sue asked Maggie Beer and fellow panelist Ronni Kahn about what inspired them and how they managed to stay inspired. Maggie said exactly what I always say; do something you love doing and then it isn't like going to work every day. It's all about following your heart and I can honestly say after 18 years in the wine industry working with winemakers and chefs, followed by 6 years working in my own business, I have always remained passionate about the industry. I get tired, I get broke, I even cry, but deep down I know that I do what I love.

Dessert

Ronni Kahn and I

It was great to hear the difference that Ronni Kahn makes to peoples lives, collecting food from supermarkets and restaurants and feeding the homeless and the poor. This year her program will go National. Her word of advice to me when I said I wished I could give more, "just give a little each day, give a coffee to a customer who has no money or give a donation, just give a little'. I felt better then. After listening to these women, I know there is so much more to give, we are all busy, but these are the women that inspire us, they certainly inspire me and I never once heard them say those words that I hear time after time, those words that I am banning from my vocabulary "I am just too busy".

Ronni Kahn, Maggie Beer and Sue Bennett

Kerry from World Par tea with Maggie Beer

Cheers