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travelonlinetips-blog · 5 years

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A foodie's ultimate long weekend in the Scenic Rim

It might seem unlikely to find a foodie’s paradise on the edge of an ancient volcanic rim, but head south-west of Brisbane for just an hour and you’ll land at the Scenic Rim region – a spectacular landscape packed with culinary surprises.

From speciality seafood to award-winning cheese and world-class fruit, the Scenic Rim is an endless buffet of fresh produce and the ultimate spot for experiential diners. Devour the best it has to offer by digging into this long weekend itinerary.

Day 1

12PM: Spicers Hidden Vale

If Brisbane’s backyard has a best-kept secret, Spicers Hidden Vale is it. The true hero of the property – set on 12,000 acres of working farmland in the Lockyer Valley region – is the Spicers’ signature restaurant, Homage.

Head chef, Ash Martin, makes paddock to plate look positively perfect, with a menu incorporating products from the local area and herbs from the onsite market garden. By day, sweeping views of the Scenic Rim are complemented by a gourmet picnic of tomato and goats curd quiche or antipasto vegetables with olives, or seasonal two and three-course lunches.

To cap it off, Homage has been awarded one chefs hat in the 2019 Good Food Guide Awards – so you know it’s going to be worth the pitstop.

2:30PM: Freshwater Australian Crayfish Traders

Driving between Hidden Vale and Tarome, you’ll see why this area is so keen to celebrate its farmers – but stop in at Freshwater Australian Crayfish Traders’ 80-hectare property and you’ll be treated to an even more unique perspective.

Packed with over 70 freshwater dams, it’s home to some of Australia’s best crayfish with this local trader selling up to a million redclaw crayfish each year, as well as a range of other freshwater aquatic fish and shrimps, to the restaurant trade all over south-east Queensland.

Pack an Esky and grab yourself some takeaway crays at a great price.

6PM: Spicers Peak Lodge

The twists and turns your wheels will take to make it to the top of Spicers Peak Lodge are well worth it when you arrive at 10,000 acres overlooking the World Heritage-listed Main Range National Park and Great Dividing Range.

Peak Lodge might be Australia’s highest non-alpine luxury property, but that’s not it’s only claim to fame – the property’s restaurant, The Peak, was also awarded one chefs hat in the 2019 Good Food Guide Awards.

With a focus on ‘The best of Australia’, you’ll be feasting on uniquely Australian goodness with luxury trimmings. The Peak’s menu sates appetites with ingredients such as Fraser Isle spanner crab, Moreton Bay bug and Bowen mangoes.

Rest your head here and all meals and beverages – including the celebrated degustation dinner menu – are included in the price tag.

Day 2

8AM: Stay right where you are

Whatever you do, don’t skip the first meal of the day at Spicers Peak Lodge. The breakfast game is strong here – especially the dressed-up avocado on toast with goats curd, sumac and dukkah on house-baked sourdough.

Or, you can dig into other delicacies like the “Funghi Feast” served with poached eggs, mushrooms, parmesan custard, marinated grains and soft leaves.

11AM: Kalfresh Vegetables

Veggie lovers should make a beeline for Kalfresh Vegetables, Queensland’s largest supplier of carrots. You can stop in at their Kalbar base to see where most of Australia’s carrots, onions, green beans and pumpkin start life as seedlings.

Aside from observing produce and packing, you’ll also stumble across one of Queensland’s most unusual creations – carrot beer. Made with 16 per cent carrot juice, it’s surely the healthiest beer around.

12PM: Fassifern Valley Produce

Heirloom tomatoes have never looked as good as the ones that come out of Fassifern Valley Produce. With colours befitting of such exotic names, brace your taste buds for flavour bursts from their Green Zebra, Tigerella, Ida Gold and Black Cherry varieties, plus the Mortgage Lifter – a tomato named by its grower in recognition of this ruby red fruit being his ticket to a debt-free life.

Bring your reusable shopping bag and stock up at their roadside stall on Boonah-Fassifern Rd, which turns over more than a tonne of fresh tomatoes each week.

1PM: Kooroomba Vineyard & Lavender Farm

Dig into a scrumptious lunch prepared by the chefs at Kooroomba Vineyard & Lavender Farm. While seasonal vegetables are prominent on the menu it is, of course, lavender that plays a starring role in dishes like lavender confit duck leg and lavender crème brulee.

You’ll also find a cellar door and lavender shop here, all overlooking six acres of vineyards, fields of lavender and the Scenic Rim Mountains.

2PM: Naughty Little Kids

Move over Italy; Boonah is serving up some of the best gelato this side of Rome. Dig your sweet tooth into a scoop of Naughty Little Kids gelato on the farm where it’s actually produced.

They’ve put their own spin on the traditional gelato recipe by using goat’s milk instead of cow’s, which makes this ice-cream lactose friendly (not lactose-free), and 100% gluten-, egg- and nut-free to boot. Sensitive tums, rejoice!

3PM: Bunjurgen Estate vineyard

Ah, rosé; the lovable grape combination that merges the crispness of a white with the body of a red and goes down as smooth as a bubbly. If you feel the same way about rosé, make tracks to Bunjurgen Estate Vineyard for their award-winning pink drop.

Wine tastings are conducted in either an undercover outdoor cellar door or beneath a jacaranda tree, allowing you to take in the breathtaking Scenic Rim vistas with every sip. The kind folk at Bunjurgen allow BYO picnics (or fresh Fassifern Valley tomato hauls) too.

5PM: Scenic Rim Brewery & Cafe

Operating out of a heritage-listed old general store, the small family-owned Scenic Rim Brewery & Cafe is dedicated to brewing craft beer with the best ingredients.

There’s a café smack bang in the middle of the brewery’s factory floor, so you can wash down your glass of Digga, Shazza or Fat Man with a tasty treat from their Dutch-inspired menu.

7PM: Ketchups Bank Glamping

You’ve got to love a destination where even the accommodation sounds like something you can eat! Enter Ketchups Bank Glamping and their luxury eco-tents near Boonah, where you’re promised unparalleled mountain views and a relaxing evening in a rugged Australian bush setting.

They offer up BBQ dinner hampers for two, packed with locally-sourced cuts of meat and fresh vegetables ready to toss on your private BBQ or campfire; plus a country breakfast hamper for the AM.

DAY 3

11AM: Towri Sheep Cheeses

Ditch the traditional morning tea and lunch meals and dedicate this day to grazing – on sheep cheese!

Towri Sheep Cheeses, just outside of Beaudesert, won’t just let you devour the cheese, they’ll also teach you how to make it with their ‘art of cheese-making’ class (takes place every second Wednesday).

With 350 sheep on site, there’s no shortage of supplies to make hard and soft varieties. And you certainly won’t leave hungry with morning tea, light refreshments and lunch all part of the package.

3PM: Witches Falls Winery

Follow the ridgeline of this ancient landscape towards the coast until you reach Tamborine Mountain, timing your route to catch the cellar door at Witches Falls Winery before it closes.

Get to know their signature drops with a tasting paddle – a flight of wines will leave you with change from a tenner. If you order in advance, you can pair your tipples with a delicious platter from local deli, The Vintage Pickle.

6PM: Witches Falls Cottages

Stay within arm’s reach of the winery at Witches Falls Cottages – all about location, and offering up a secluded setting for a romantic getaway.

As for food, if there’s still belly room, you can have take-away delivered to your cottage from many of the local restaurants on the mountain or the Witches Falls team can pull together a BBQ dinner hamper complete with dessert.

Day 4

A day of hunting and gathering

Make today about stocking up on local supplies before leaving the Scenic Rim. While most of the suppliers don’t have their own farm gate, they use cafes, restaurants and boutique shops to sell their produce.

Look out for these grocery essentials:

Scenic Rim Olives: The region even produces its own olives. You’ll find them in brine, olive oil, tapenade and dukkah for a salty fix.

Dewar Honey:Making the Scenic Rim all the more sweet, these jars of liquid amber are the work of a third-generation beekeeper.

Farmer Joe’s Garlic and Produce: Warding off vampires this side of the Gondwana Rainforest, Farmer Joe’s garlic business is one of only 30 garlic growers in Australia.

Tamborine Mountain Free Range Eggs: These chickens are so special they have their own guard dog who keeps them free from predators on the 80-acre farm.

4Real Milk: If you’re enjoying a cup of coffee in this neck of the woods, chances are it’s made with 4Real Milk, a pasteurised, non-homogenised full cream milk.

The Lime Caviar Company: The Scenic Rim happens to be home to Australia’s premier grower of native finger limes. They pick-to-order and supply local and international fine dining markets.

Want more? Scenic Rim Eat Local Week is your backstage pass to the farms, wineries and food stories of the Scenic Rim. Eat your way around the region through a range of experiences from long table lunches to carrot-picking!

Have you done a foodie weekend in the Scenic Rim before? Let us know your finds in the comments below.

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myweightlosstodaycom · 5 years

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Plate with a keto diet food. Fried egg, bacon, avocado, arugula and strawberries. Keto breakfast.

Review

“Deborah Madison refers to her cooking style as getting simpler and her tastes getting lighter. But it takes the particular ‘simple and light’ wisdom of Deborah Madison and her deep understanding of the beauty of the vegetable to know that this is a world that can sing for itself. With just a little bit of Madison magic to set it on its way.” —YOTAM OTTOLENGHI, author of Plenty More and Jerusalem

“Madison, a doyen of vegetarian cooking, shares her favorite recipes, some of which are revised and revamped to reflect how she cooks today. . . . Her savoy cabbage, leek, and mushroom braise on toast with horseradish cream is hearty and comforting; the roasted cauliflower with romesco sauce and a shower of parsley is almost too beautiful to eat. Madison’s salad of citrus and avocado with lime-cumin vinaigrette and shredded greens is a vibrant blend of acidity, bitterness, and tang. She provides flavors for every palate and every course, including appealing desserts such as olive oil, almond, and blood orange cake; rhubarb-raspberry compote; and walnut nugget cookies. Eye-catching full-color photos further enhance this stellar collection. One glance will quickly show why the dishes here are Madison’s go-to meals, and they will soon become readers’ favorites as well.” —PUBLISHERS WEEKLY STARRED REVIEW “Madison is terrific at that rare thing: making food that is simultaneously both plain and creative; wholesome yet also inventive and on-trend.” —LOS ANGELES TIMES COOKBOOK OF THE MONTH

“Calling all vegetarians: If you don’t already know Deborah Madison, the time is now. For over 30 years, she’s been churning out cookbooks full of elegant, dependable and totally meat-free dishes. Her latest has plenty of classics, with updated twists to reflect the modern palate—kale, quinoa, chia seeds and nut butters abound.” —PUREWOW.COM

“Beloved vegetarian icon Deborah Madison gathered her greatest hits along with new dishes to create this recipe compendium.” —MODERN FARMER

“In My Kitchen represents wonderful simplicity and refinement. Madison achieves a state of culinary bliss with an offhand expertise. . . This level of restraint and confidence is what one hopes for but rarely finds in our foodie superheroes.” —Christopher Kimball, MILK STREET KITCHEN

About the Author

DEBORAH MADISON is revered for bringing vegetarian cooking to a wide audience, including non-vegetarians, and is a bestselling author, with book sales of more than 1.2 million copies. She is the award-winning author of 13 cookbooks, including New Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone and Vegetable Literacy. Deborah is well known for her simple, seasonal, vegetable-based cooking. She got her start in the San Francisco Bay Area at Chez Panisse before opening Greens. In 1994, Madison received the M.F.K. Fisher Mid-Career Award from Les Dames d’Escoffier and in 2016 she was inducted into the James Beard Foundation Cookbook Hall of Fame.

INTRODUCTION

I started cooking for others decades ago. I cooked at the San Francisco Zen Center, Tassajara Zen Mountain Center (and resort, come summer), Green Gulch Farm, Chez Panisse in Berkeley, Greens in San Francisco, Café Escalera in Santa Fe, and the American Academy in Rome. I began cooking when vegetarian food was weird—sincere, but stodgy—and when there were few resources available to help one learn about how to put vegetables in the center of the plate. Now I am cooking at a time when vegetarian food is part of a great mash-up of taste, values, and experiences. It is finally much more accepted and really not such a big deal. One doesn’t have to defend one’s position nearly as often or as fiercely as one used to; and in any case, one’s position can be quite fluid—vegetarian one day, omnivore the next.

So much has changed in these decades, from values to ingredients, that it’s sometimes hard for me to tell what people value when it comes to their own cooking. I look at a magazine that one week rates snacks at Trader Joe’s and a few weeks later tells about the wonderful pastries you can make with brioche dough—a challenging dough to make—or how to butcher a lamb—something that’s not easily within the reach or desire of most people. My guess is that one’s cooking life can be very fluid, too, that many people go to the effort to make something by hand—to cook—and probably the same people do plenty of assembling from premade foods. There may be lots of people who make their own pizzas—I know one man who has made that his expertise—but pizza places have also gotten much better (not the chains, but small independent businesses) that perhaps it’s not as compelling to make your own as it was when there were no alternatives and we were curious. Fresh pasta used to be so important to make at home; now many of us can buy good fresh pasta, and there are some really excellent dried pastas now available, too. Other prepared foods, from salsas to fermented foods, tortillas to breads, have also gotten better, so why not use them? Good food matters and so does being able to make it ourselves. But when my cooking is helped by some of the products that are now available—foods that are often made by people who care passionately about their craft—I’m happy to support their efforts just as their products support mine.

I cook every day, but when I recently looked at my notes, I realized that I hadn’t made pasta by hand for some time, or pizza. I decided to revisit both, and it’s been a pleasure, but it’s also helped me realize that I prefer much simpler foods and preparations than I used to. We change as our culture changes, and I found I have been cooking in a more straightforward, less complicated fashion—one that is, for the most part, no less delicious. Fresh pastas, yeasted dough, pies and tarts both savory and sweet, or an involved dish that proudly takes the center of the plate—these still have their place. But some can be radically simplified without loss of flavor; or lightened, perhaps through the choice of one grain over another; or recast in light of the ingredients we have today that we didn’t necessarily have in the past—coconut oil, berbere, freekeh, chia seeds, smoked paprika, truffle salt, real balsamic vinegar, and heirloom beans, to name but a few.

If you garden, even a little, there’s a host of interesting plants to grow and cook with, and some of those that come up by the zillions in springtime can be a source of exotic greens and garnishes. I’ve also started to make use of some of the wild plants that are good to eat and are growing in my yard, and that has added to my kitchen vocabulary. Musk mustard in an herb, and wild green salad is a treat.

ARTICHOKE AND SCALLION SAUTÉ OVER GARLIC-RUBBED TOAST Serves 4; V When I was spokesperson for the California Artichoke Board, boxes upon boxes of artichokes would arrive on my porch. I’d hear them land with a thud, heaved there by the UPS driver. Of course it was a thrill to be the recipient of so many of these glorious, large flower-vegetables, but where to put them? They went into big coolers with plenty of ice. Then I got busy developing recipes, many of which have ended up in my various books. This little sauté, which I cooked frequently on TV, is one, and it has stood up as a favorite. Happily, it can also incorporate asparagus if you wish to add some (briefly parboiled), making for a more complex seasonal spring stew. Use large artichokes if you like, or the babies I’ve used here. Because they grow low down on the large branches where they get little light, the so-called babies never develop a choke, or much size. They’re very easy to work with, which I appreciate a lot.

Spoon these artichokes over garlic-rubbed toast and you have a good vegan supper sandwich. Sometimes I add a smear of chèvre flavored with pepper and a bit of orange zest. You can also serve this sauté over pasta, polenta, or another grain, either alongside another dish or by itself. 20 to 24 baby artichokes Juice of 2 lemons Sea salt 1 tablespoon mild vinegar 2 cloves garlic 2 heaping tablespoons of parsley Zest from 1 large lemon 1 heaping tablespoon tarragon leaves 2 tablespoons olive oil, for cooking 1 bunch scallions, including an inch of the greens, thickly sliced 1⁄2 cup dry white wine 4 slices of strong country bread for toasting Best olive oil, for the toast Freshly ground pepper Chives and chive blossoms, if available

Trim the top third off the artichoke leaves and discard them. As you work, put the trimmed artichokes in a bowl with the lemon juice and enough water to cover. When all are trimmed, drain them, and then simmer them in salted water to which you’ve added the vinegar (or use more lemon juice) until tender-firm, about 10 minutes. Drain the artichokes and slice them lengthwise into halves or quarters.

Finely chop one of the garlic cloves with the parsley, lemon zest, and tarragon, and set aside.

Heat the oil in a large skillet over high heat. Add the artichokes and sauté until they begin to color in places, after several minutes. Add the scallions and wine. When the wine boils off, add 1 cup of water and half the herb mixture. Lower the heat and simmer until the artichokes are fully tender, between 5 to 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, toast the bread. Cut the other garlic clove in half and rub it over the toast. When the artichokes are done, add the remainder of the herb mixture and season with salt and pepper. Tip them, with their juices, over the toast or onto a serving plate and garnish with snipped chives and chive blossoms if you have them.

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In My Kitchen: A Collection of New and Favorite Vegetarian Recipes [A Cookbook] Hardcover – March 28, 2017 Review “Deborah Madison refers to her cooking style as getting simpler and her tastes getting lighter. But it takes the particular ‘simple and light’ wisdom of Deborah Madison and her deep understanding of the beauty of the vegetable to know that this is a world that can sing for itself.

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