Catering In Melbourne

All these teas (unless specified) are brewed with one teaspoon of dried
leaves or two teaspoons of fresh leaves to one cup of water.
You should always steep the teas. This means pouring hot water over the tea substitutes and
leaving for five to fifteen minutes. You should always dry the tea leaves and roots out
of the sun, in dark airy places. Then you should store the dried teas in airtight
containers.

Persimmon Tea:

 
a fine strong tea can be made from the persimmon leaves when dried and crushed. The leaves can be used all year
round and are rich in vitamin C. Use Persimmon tea as a healthy tonic.

Sassafras Tea:

 
Boil the fresh Sassafras roots after washing, until the water
turns reddish brown. They can then be sliced and dried for use later on.
Some claim this tea to be a blood thinner, a blood purifier, to help
bronchitis, and is a stimulating spring tonic. Mostly this tea is used for
pure enjoyment.

Birch Tea (Wintergreen):

 
Tea can be made from th The Black, yellow and white birch leaves. Dried
leaves can be used year round for making tea. A large handful of fresh leaves
steeped in hot water can be drunk( 1 to 2 cups a day) - for rheumatism
and headaches. Birch tea is said to reduce the pain of passing kidney stones,
and is a fever reducer. If used cold, this tea can be used as a mouthwash.

Blackberry or Raspberry Tea:

 
The dried mature leaves of these
brambles make a good tea. This tea can be used to help control diarrhea, as a
blood purifier and a tonic. Use this tea all year round.

Blueberry Tea:

The dried mature leaves are steeped until cool.
Drink 1 to 2 cups per day as a blood purifier and a tonic.
Blueberry tea can be used to help inflamed kidneys and to increase the flow of
urine. This tea can be a little bitter. Use it all year round.

Alfalfa Tea:

 
The dried and powdered leaves and flower heads
brew into a very nutritious tea, but can be a little bland.
You can mix them with normal teas to stretch them out and add
further nutrition. This tea’s vitamin content is very high.
Use it all year round.

Wild Strawberry Tea:

 
For this tea, use the dried leaves as per normal. Pour several
cups of boiling water over a handful of fresh leaves in the
evening. Cover the tea and let it steep overnight. IN the morning, strain the water and reheat.
This tea is reputed to help with a multitude of health problems,
such as stomach troubles, eczema and diarrhea. According to
experts, it is much more healthy than purchased coffee or
teas. Use this tea all year round.

Wild Rose-Hip Tea:

 
Gather a handful of these leaves, steep them for 10 minutes,
then strain, and make a healthy tea. The leaves can be used dried or fresh
when in season. Instead of boiling, you can place a handful in cool water
overnight, then strain and reheat in the morning. Use the tea all year
round. This tea has a very high Vitamin C content and helps with Colds and the flu.
It is also helpful for a sore throat.

Sweet Goldenrod Tea (Anise):

 
For this tea, you can use the dried or fresh leaves or
flowers. It makes a very flavorsome tea. This tea is very enjoyable!
Use it all year round.

Soldier’s Herb Tea:

 
This common backyard weed has green leaves and
two seedy spikes. It was used by the colonials and Indians as well.
One teaspoon of seeds per cup of boiling water steeped for a half
hour is useful for dropsy and jaundice. To make this tea, use fresh leaves
chopped fine. Place one heaping teaspoon per cup of boiling water
anc steep for a half hour. If you have dried powdered leaves, use one level
teaspoon and reduce the brewing time to fifteen minutes.
Drink this tea four to five times a day until relief is obtained. This tea can be Used for gout, to help clean
out nasal passages and to slow menstruation. It is also used to expel
worms. A cooled tea made from rainwater can be used as an eyewash.

French cuisine is the amazingly high standard to which all other native cuisines must live up to. The country of France is home of some of the finest cuisine in the world, and it is created by some of the finest master chefs in the world. The French people take excessive pride in cooking and knowing how to prepare a good meal. Cooking is an essential part of their culture, and it adds to one’s usefulness if they are capable of preparing a good meal.

Each of the four regions of France has a characteristic of its food all its own. French food in general requires the use of lots of different types of sauces and gravies, but recipes for cuisine that originated in the northwestern region of France tend to require the use a lot of apple ingredients, milk and cream, and they tend to be heavily buttered making for an extremely rich (and sometimes rather heavy) meal. Southeastern French cuisine is reminiscent of German food, heavy in lard and meat products such as pork sausage and sauerkraut.

On the other hand, southern French cuisine tends to be a lot more widely accepted; this is generally the type of French food that is served in traditional French restaurants. In the southeastern area of France, the cooking is a lot lighter in fat and substance. Cooks from the southeast of France tend to lean more toward the side of a light olive oil more than any other type of oil, and they rely heavily on herbs and tomatoes, as well as tomato-based products, in their culinary creations.

Cuisine Nouvelle is a more contemporary form of French cuisine that developed in the late 1970s, the offspring of traditional French cuisine. This is the most common type of French food, served in French restaurants. Cuisine Nouvelle can generally be characterized by shorter cooking times, smaller food portions, and more festive, decorative plate presentations. Many French restaurant cuisines can be classified as Cuisine Nouvelle, but the more traditional French restaurant cuisine would be classified as Cuisine du Terroir, a more general form of French cooking than Cuisine Nouvelle. Cuisine du Terroir is an attempt to return to the more indigenous forms of French cooking, especially with reference to regional differences between the north and south, or different areas such as the Loire Valley, Catalonia, and Rousillon. These are all areas famous for their specific specialty of French cuisine. As time has progressed, the difference between a white wine from the Loire Valley and a wine from another area has slowly diminished, and the Cuisine du Terroir approach to French cooking focuses on establishing special characteristics between regions such as this.

As part of their culture, the French incorporate wine into nearly every meal, whether it is simply as a refreshment or part of the recipe for the meal itself. Even today, it is a part of traditional French culture to have at least one glass of wine on a daily basis.

The more I make bread, the more I am convinced of the importance of the kitchen being in the best position in the house. When we designed and built our house, I was determined that the kitchen should have a view and be on the front of the house. Now that itג€™s six-fifteen of a summer morning and Iג€™m up early, kneading bread, because weג€™ve run out again, Iג€™m especially happy to be looking out over a sun-soaked landscape to the distant mountains. Every time you make bread youג€™re guaranteed a good ten minutes of contemplation as you knead it, the mechanical rhythmic activity frees the mind to wander or switch offג€¦very therapeutic. Having a view thrown in as well is just an added bonus.

I havenג€™t always made bread. It is a comparatively recent development. Making jam was the first breakthrough into self-sufficiency, then came the day when our local supplier of rye bread, who made a loaf that (miracle of miracles), all the children would eat, decided to switch recipes and use caraway in itג€¦instant rejection by the whole family.

Weג€™d stopped the wheat bread to try and help my sonג€™s allergies and found it helped most of us, so apart from the occasional indulgence of fluffy white bread, I wanted to stay off it. There was no alternative; I would have to take the leap into bread making. The main reason that Iג€™d resisted was that it seemed to take so long. First the mixing and kneading, then the rising, then knocking down and forming loaves, a second rising and finally the baking. Who could keep track of all that in the chaotic life of a three-child family?

So eventually I take the plunge, turn to my friend Nigel (Slater, not namedropping but he and Nigella (Lawson) are ever-present in my kitchen, in book format of course) and find a foolproof recipe for a white loaf, simpler to start off with white I think. Well the first try produced a reasonable, if huge, loaf, and though my son still remembers that it was a bit doughy in the middle. Second try, I got two pretty perfect loaves and I was on a roll.

Now to find a recipe for rye bread. It seems that 100% rye is usually made by the sour dough method and I couldnג€™t see my family going for that, so settle for a half and half rye/whole-wheat recipeג€¦ triumph. Ok, my son the food connoisseur complained it was a bit too sweet, so next time round I reduced the amount of honey, but this recipe has been our staple diet ever since, and I am now truly ensconced in my kitchen, looking at the view, every other day, while I Endeavour to keep the supply level with the ever increasing demand.

Any way, finally to the recipe:

500g rye flour
450g whole-wheat flour plus more for kneading
50g plain flour
1 tablespoon salt
1 10g sachet of instant yeast
1 tablespoon honey
3 tablespoons oil
670 ml milk
125 ml water

Warm the milk to lukewarm. Mix the flours and salt in a large bowl. Make a well in the middle and put in the yeast, then honey, then oil, pour on the warmed milk and water and mix. When it gets doughy turn out on to a well floured surface (it will be extremely sticky) and knead for 10 minutes. You will need to keep adding flour as you knead. It is better for it to be too sticky than too dry ג€“ you can always add more flour, but too dry will make a dry, hard loaf. After 10 minutes, put it back into the bowl with a plastic bag over it and leave in a warmish place for two hours or so. Then knock down, firmly pressing out the air, but not over kneading, then form into two or three loaves on a baking sheet, cover again and leave to rise for another hour. Then bake for 30 minutes at 190C until they sound hollow when you tap on the bottom of the loaf. Cool on a wire rack

After School Sugar Cookies 7 tbsp butter 1/3 cup shortening 1 cup sugar 2 eggs 1 tsp vanilla 2 1/2 cups flour 1 tsp baking powder 1 tsp salt Cream together butter, shortening, and sugar. Mix in egg and vanilla. Blend well. Mix in flour, baking powder, and salt. Divide dough into two balls. Wrap in plastic wrap. Chill a minimum of one hour. Roll dough out to 1/8 inch thickness on lightly floured surface. Cut into desired shapes. Bake at 375 F. for 6 to 8 minutes on ungreased cookie sheets. Decorate with icing after cookies halved cooled.. Yield: about 4 dozen cookies Fruity Sugar Cookies 3/4 c. shortening 1 c. sugar 1 (3 oz.) pkg. Jello (any flavor) 2 eggs 3 c. flour 1 tsp. baking powder 1 tsp. salt Roll dough into teaspoon size ball. Place on a cookie sheet and smash with a glass. Bake at 375 degrees for 6 minutes. Easy Roll Sugar Cookies 1 c. butter 1 c. sugar 2 egg yolks 1 tsp. vanilla 1/2 tsp. salt 3 c. sifted flour 1 tsp. baking powder 1/3 c. milk Cream butter. Add sugar gradually, mix in egg yolks and vanilla. Blend in dry ingredients with milk. Chill 1 hour. Roll 1/8 inch thick on well floured surface. Cut with cookie cutters and place on greased cookie sheets. Bake at 350 degrees for 8 to 10 minutes. Frost and decorate when cool. Makes about 5 dozen. Cut Out Sugar Cookies 1 c. margarine 1 c. sugar 3/4 c. brown sugar 2 eggs 1 tsp. vanilla 3 1/2 c. flour 1 tsp. baking powder 1/2 tsp. salt Cream margarine, sugar and eggs. Mix dry ingredients; add to cream mixture. Add flour until dough is firm. Chill dough. Roll on floured board 1/8 to 1/4 inch thick. Cut out cookies. Bake on ungreased cookie sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for 10 to 12 minutes. Chocolate Sugar Cookies 1/2 c. marg., softened 3/4 c. sugar 2 egg yolks 1/2 tsp. vanilla 1 tbsp. cream 1/4 c. flour 1/4 tsp. salt 1/4 tsp. baking powder 1/3 c. cocoa Cream margarine and sugar together until light and fluffy. Stir in egg yolks, vanilla and cream. Sift dry ingredients together and add to cream mixture. Drop by teaspoons full on greased cookie sheets, about 1 inch apart. Bake at 375 degrees for about 8 minutes. Bake Store Sugar Cookies 1 1/2 c Flour 1/2 c Sugar 1/3 c Shortening 1 tb Milk 1 ts Baking powder 1/2 ts Vanilla 1/4 ts Salt 1 Egg Measure ingrediants into a bowl & mix well. Shape into a ball & wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate 3 hours. Pre-heat oven to 400 F. Roll out 1/2 of the dough (leave the rest tin the fridge for now) to 1/8″ thick & cut out shapes. Place 1″ apart. Bake 6-8 minutes or until golen brown. Remove & cool completely. Store in tightly covered containers Deluxe Sugar Cookies 1 cup butter, softened, Do Not Substitute 1 1/2 cups confectioners sugar 1 egg 1 tsp vanilla 1/2 tsp almond extract 2 1/2 cups flour 1 tsp baking soda 1 tsp cream of tartar Granulated sugar Mix thoroughly butter, confectioners sugar, egg, vanilla, and almond extract. Blend in the flour, baking soda, and cream of tartar. Cover with plastic wrap and chill for about 2 hours. Heat oven to 375 F. Divide the dough in half. Roll out each half to about 3/16 inch thick on a lightly floured board. Cut into desired shapes. Sprinkle with the granulated sugar. Place on a lightly greased cookie sheet. Bake for 7 to 8 minutes or until lightly golden brown on the edges. Rolled Sugar Cookies 3/4 cup butter or margarine, softened 1 cup sugar 2 eggs 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract 2 and 1/2 cups flour 1 tsp. baking powder 1 tsp. salt Cream together the butter or margarine, sugar, eggs and vanilla til light and fluffy. Add flour, baking powder and salt. Mix well. If dough seems dry, add a little milk. Chill dough overnight. Roll out dough on lightly floured board and cut into desired shapes. Decorate as desired. Bake at 400*F for 6-8 minutes. I roll out the dough between 1/8 and 1/4 inch thick. My Favorite Sugar Cookies Original recipe yield: 6 dozen INGREDIENTS 3 1/4 cups all-purpose flour 1 1/2 cups white sugar 2/3 cup shortening 2 eggs 2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder 2 tablespoons milk 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 1/2 teaspoon salt 1 cup egg white (optional) DIRECTIONS Mix first 8 ingredients in a large bowl at medium speed until well mixed. Shape dough into a ball and wrap with waxed paper. Refrigerate 2 to 3 hours until easy to handle. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Lightly grease cookie sheets. Roll out half of the dough at a time on a lightly floured surface. Keep the remaining dough refrigerated. For crisp cookies, roll paper thin. For softer cookies, roll 1/8 to 1/4 inch thick. With floured cookie cutters, cut dough into various shapes. Re-roll dough trimmings and continue to cut shapes. Place cookies 1/2 inch apart on greased cookie sheets. To glaze, brush tops of cookies with heavy or whipping cream or with an egg white slightly beaten with 1 tablespoon of water. Sprinkle cookies with your choice of toppings; bake 8 minutes or until very light brown. Remove cookies and cool completely. Dutch Sugar Cookies 1-1/2 cups powdered sugar 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter room temperature 1 large egg 2 teaspoons vanilla extract 2-1/2 cups all purpose flour 1 teaspoon baking powder 1/2 teaspoon salt 4 ounces good-quality white chocolate melted Using electric mixer beat sugar and butter in large bowl until light. Beat in egg and vanilla. Add flour baking powder and salt. Mix just to combine. Divide dough in half. Gather each piece into ball; flatten into disks. Wrap in plastic and chill 1 hour. Preheat oven to 325F. Roll out 1 dough disk on floured work surface to 1/8-inch thickness. Using assorted cookie cutters cut out cookies. Transfer cookies to ungreased baking sheets spacing 1 inch apart. Gather dough scraps; re-roll to 1/8-inch thickness. Cut out more cookies. Bake cookies until pale golden about 13 minutes. Transfer cookies to racks; cool. Repeat with remaining dough disk. Spoon melted chocolate into pastry bag fitted with 1/16-inch plain tip. Pipe chocolate onto cookies. Let cookies stand until chocolate sets. (Can be made ahead. Store in airtight container at room temperature up to 1 week or freeze up to 1 month.) Makes about 5 dozen.

Having the proper tools and equipment for a particular task
may mean the difference between a job well done and one
done incorrectly. Depending on your level of cooking,
professional chef or home cook, could determine the quality
you purchase.

Many states require that food service operations use only
NSF-certified equipment. NSF stands for National
Sanitation Foundation. NSF standards reflect the following
requirements:

1. Equipment must be easily cleaned.
2. All food contact surfaces must be nontoxic,
nonabsorbent, corrosion resistant, and nonreactive.
3. All food contact surfaces bust be smooth.
4. Internal corners and edges must be rounded and smooth;
external corners and angles must be smooth and sealed.
5. Coating materials must be nontoxic and easily cleaned;
coatings must resist chipping and cracking.
6. Waste and waste liquids must be easily removed.

I would think that the majority of people reading this
article, including myself, wouldn’t have a clue about
NSF-certified equipment in their kitchen, unless you are
in the food service business.

One category of equipment is hand tools. These would
include a vegetable peeler, zester, spatulas, whisks, and
knives. Knives are the most important hand tool.
Good-quality knives are expensive, but will last a long
time if cared for properly. The metals generally used for
knives are carbon steel, stainless steel, high-carbon
stainless steel, and ceramic. A few of the styles of
knives are chef’s knife, utility knife, boning knife,
paring knife, cleaver, slicer, and butcher knife.

Another category is measuring devices. These include
scales, measuring cups, ladles, thermometers, and timers.

Cookware should be selected for its size, shape, ability to
conduct heat evenly, and overall quality of construction.
The metals used in construction are copper, aluminum,
stainless steel, and cast-iron. Other materials are glass,
ceramics, and plastic for food storage. Nonstick coatings
may be applied to many types of cookware.

Types of processing equipment are slicer, mandoline, food
chopper, food processor, blender, immersion blender, mixer,
and juicer.

The heavy equipment would include your oven, stove,
refrigerator, dish washer, and grill for outdoor cooking.
Their quality depends on your budget. Having the most
expensive equipment won’t do you any good if you can’t
afford to buy good food.

Usually, when you think of vegetarians, you think of people who avoid eating any type of animal flesh including beef, pork, lamb, poultry, fish, etc. There are several types and variations to vegetarianism. While many of the vegetarians are lacto ovo vegetarians who will everything but any kind of meat, some others will avoid eating eggs and dairy products and others will say no to beef, pork and poultry but will include fish and other seafood in their diet.

1) Lacto Ovo Vegetarians:
The most common type of vegetarians is the lacto ovo vegetarians. Lacto is the Latin word for milk and ovo means eggs in Latin. The lacto ovo vegetarian do not eat any kind of meat including beef, pork, poultry, fish, shellfish, etc. However, they will eat dairy products and eggs.

The lacto ovo vegetarian category is divided into two categories:
a) A Lacto Vegetarian does not eat meat and eggs but does eat dairy foods.
b) An Ovo Vegetarian does not eat meat and dairy products but does eat eggs.

2) Pescatarias:
The pescatarian or pescetarian are vegetarians who avoid eating meat but will continue eating fish and shellfish. The rationales behind the pescatarian diet are varied. Many choose this lifestyle for health concerns rather than ethical reasons. While others would claim that the fish industry is less cruel than the meat industry. Others will simply justify their decision by arguing that fish are less intelligent than farm animals.

Dedicated vegetarians would put the pescatarian under the category of semi vegetarians. In the same category you can find the pollo vegetarians who will include poultry in their diet, the flexitarianism who will avoid eating meat that derived from an animal that was brought up and died in cruel conditions. The flexitarianism are similar to the freeganism that would not mind eating any type of meat unless any part of its process involved environmental damage or human or animals exploitation.

3) Vegans:
They do not consume any product that was derived from animals including, of course, any kind of meat, fish, dairy products, eggs as well as honey and foods that contain gelatin. Some vegans would not touch cane sugar, beer and wine since animal products involve in the finishing process: cane sugar is filtered with bone char and some beer and wines are clarified with egg white. As part of the vegan ideology, vegans would not consume products made of leather, furs, pearls, etc.

4) Raw Vegans:
Also called raw foodists limit themselves to unprocessed food that has not been heated above 115 degrees Fahrenheit or 46 degrees Celsius. Therefore, their diet mainly consists of raw vegetables, fruits, nuts and seeds. However, some of the raw foodists do consist raw food that was derived from animals in their diet including raw eggs, unheated dairy products and sushi.

5) Macrobiotics:
The macrobiotic diet is part of the macrobiotic methodology that was originated in Japan. The macrobiotics practitioners follow strict diet rules based on the principle of balance between yin and yang. The macrobiotic diet is based on whole grains, vegetables, fruits, nuts, seeds and soy products. They are allowed to include seaweed and certain types of fish in their diet.

With an acute awareness of catering for cultural needs, varying dietary needs and a broad range of palettes, Catering in melbourne options flexible menu alternatives. With an unbridled passion for food with flavour, zest and a sprinkling of tang, Catering in melbourne couples its culinary skills with a dedication to:

ü  Rapid response times

ü  Accessing broad supplier networks

ü  Efficient delivery systems

ü  Strict adherence to budgets

ü  7 day week delivery

ü  Ordering flexibility

Call Catering in melbourne now for the key ingredients for your catering success on 1800-005-778 or visit our website at www.cateringinmelbourne.com.au. We look forward to planning your menu with you.

Is there something wrong with the apprenticeship system? A new National Centre for Vocational Education Research survey tracking the career decisions and progress of recent apprentices and trainees estimates one-third failed to complete their training. According to the NCVER’s managing director Tom Karmel, the actual drop-out rate “is probably about one-half”. Apprentices and trainees thinking of dropping out should think again. Those who complete are far more likely to find a job: the survey discovered 92.9 per cent of trade apprentices who completed their training found work, compared to 76.0 per cent of those who opted out. And completers earn more money: “Trade apprentices who finish their training earn $49,100 per year on average, while those who do not complete earn $38,100,” Karmel reports. The Apprentice and Trainee Destination Survey found many reasons why apprentices quit, from realising they didn’t like the work to incompatibility with bosses and work mates. And lousy pay was an issue, perhaps a short-sighted attitude for those learning on the job because, as Karmel points out, if they were normal students “they wouldn’t be getting paid at all”. Weekend Australian, May 9.