Mt Good Living 30 Dec 08

The Sydney Morning Herald

December 30, 2008

summer herald 19

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SHOW SOME MUSSEL

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INSPIRATION FOR ENTERTAINING Available at all good bookstores or buy direct from The Sydney Morning Herald. To order direct call 1300 656 059 or visit smhshop.com.au/books

Bouillabaisse Olive oil 2 brown onions, finely diced 1 celery stick, cut into 1.5cm pieces 1 leek, sliced 1⁄2 tsp ground fennel seeds 3 garlic cloves, minced 2 x 800g tins chopped tomatoes 1 tbsp tomato puree 1 bay leaf 1 tbsp brown sugar 600ml fish stock 1 generous pinch saffron soaked in 1⁄2 cup hot water 350g white fish, cut into large chunks 350g snapper, cut into large chunks 400g raw, shelled, deveined tiger prawns 400g mussels Small handful flat-leaf parsley, sliced Sea salt Ground black pepper French stick Heat oil in a large heavy-based pan; sweat off onions and vegetables with fennel seed. As onions begin to go transparent, add garlic. Cook for three minutes. Add tomatoes, puree, bay leaf, sugar, fish stock and saffron then simmer for 30 minutes. Add white fish and snapper then mussels and prawns. Put lid on and cook for 4 minutes. When mussels have opened, take lid off, check seasoning, add parsley and stir. Traditionally, a nice chunk of fresh crusty bread is put in the base of each bowl and the soup is ladled over the top. Or have the bread on the side. Serves 4-6

Chilli garlic and white wine mussels with crusty bread 1 brown onion, finely diced 1 garlic clove, finely diced 1 red chilli, finely diced 200ml white wine 1kg fresh mussels Freshly ground black pepper In a large pot, fry off the onion, garlic and chilli, then add the wine and reduce to get rid of the alcohol taste. Add the mussels and cover for three minutes; when all are open, add some freshly ground pepper and serve with crusty bread. Serves 4

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HOLIDAY SEASON

Sailor’s delight ... on board Halcyon. Photos: Roger Paice

Tales of an old salt

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A yacht chef shares the secrets of seafaring fare, writes Martha Tattersall. SAILING north along the west coast of Scotland, a refurbished 1929 yacht, Halcyon, circumnavigates the isle of Aran and continues up to Holy Island. Misty mountain tops, cottages and castle ruins dot the landscape, while in the distance a minke whale rises to the surface and gannets dive. For the crew onboard, these are truly halcyon days bringing tranquil destinations, great food and seafaring friends. Chef Andre Daniels spent nine months on the 95-foot Bermudan ketch, striving to make exquisite meals and great service as the yacht charted its way along the coasts of Wales and Scotland, up through the fiords of Norway and on to Dartmouth in England’s south. His experiences and some recipes he prepared are now published in the cookbook Halcyon Days. ‘‘It was a real blessing,’’ he says of the time. ‘‘The night I went for the interview for that yacht, I walked on and I went: ‘This is going to be my home.’ I knew I had the job even before it had begun. I just felt intuitively this is where I’m going to be.’’ Against the backdrop of breathtaking waterways and open seas, he discovered cooking on a yacht is a

Sea legs ... chef Andre Daniels. challenging endeavour and far different to his Sydney days under chefs such as Simmone Logue, Tony Bilson and Matthew Westhorpe. ‘‘In the midst of cooking, the captain would say, ‘Andre on deck, Andre on deck,’ and I‘d have to fly up deck, haul up the mainsail 70 foot high, help with tacking or turning the boat around and then run back downstairs and continue cooking. ‘‘It was drama! Up, down, up, down like a yoyo,’’ he says. With a galley the size of a walk-in wardrobe, the choice of just one el-

ement on the stove or the oven and an overheating generator, organisation was vital. ‘‘The great thing about working for Simmone was I would have to do an excessive amount of food for an excessive amount of people in a very short amount of time, so I learnt to be efficient, really quick and multitask,’’ he says. Although he planned meals in advance, he often had to be spontaneous and intuitive. ‘‘The thing about working on a yacht is you have to be a bit of a cowboy. You don’t have the time and of course, it’s only me doing it.’’ The guests would not have known. ‘‘One time, we had guests on who wanted a two-course meal for their children – six kids – and then, about an hour after, they wanted a threecourse meal for four adults,’’ he says. ‘‘It was like a Benny Hill show. I was running around the place like a lunatic and somehow I pulled it off.’’ The guests – sometimes sailing enthusiasts themselves – were often a great addition to the crew. Up to eight people can sleep on Halcyon and day sails meant Andre could be catering for 14 people. ‘‘Normally there is friction between the crew and it gets quite intense,’’

says Daniels. ‘‘When guests come on, it’s really cool because a lot of the time they’re interested in you, they want to know how you work and what you do, how you fell into this game of cooking on a yacht or working on a yacht. It’s really lovely to meet all these people.’’ The differences between cooking in a restaurant and on a boat are apparent. After leaving Halcyon, he spent six months working in Berlin restaurant Vau. ‘‘It was nice to have that camaraderie in the kitchen versus on a yacht, which can get quite emotionally intense,’’ he says. ‘‘On a yacht, you’re limited by time, you can’t go too fine because you’ll be working from 6am to 2am seven days,’’ he says. ‘‘After a while, you start going a bit crazy.’’ Despite this, he would have no hesitation in returning to the sea. Seeing the world is an obvious drawcard. ‘‘I got to see places that I never would have even thought of going to,’’ he says. ‘‘I have never experienced anywhere as beautiful as Scotland. It was just phenomenal.’’

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Event Manager Fairfax Media has an exciting opportunity for an experienced, committed events manager to join the Fairfax Events team for a 12 month contract (with potential to extend) working with the Sydney Morning Herald’s new International Food Festival, to be held in October 2009. Reporting to the Festival Director, you will be expected to develop, manage and implement the festival program.You will have extensive major event experience, notably in a food-related field, as well as a sound knowledge of the food and hospitality industry. A good understanding of event marketing is also highly desirable. This is a full time position based at the Fairfax Media offices.

Interested applicants are invited to apply online at http://careers.fairfax.com.au, to job reference No. 516542, forwarding a letter of application accompanied by their resume.Applications close 5pm Tuesday 6 January 2009.

Halcyon Days is published by Halcyon Yacht Charter, halcyonyachtcharter.com.

TRAVEL SERVICE ART DEP 2009 6, JULY

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2009 Ashes Cricket tour Jeff Thomson and The Age invite you to join them in cricketing heaven; the 1st and 2nd Test of the 2009 Ashes tour. Be there for the first ball of this highly anticipated series in Cardiff before experiencing the 2nd Test at the home of cricket; Lords. For cricket fans it doesn’t get any bigger than this and here is your chance to be a part of the action. PLACES ARE STRICTLY LIMITED.

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Terms and Conditions: *Prices are per person based on twin or double share. $2900 surcharge applies for single supplement. Tours operated by FanFirm trading as Sporting Edge. License 2TA5690. TCF: 2/8821. Airfare and Airline taxes are not included in the package price and will be invoiced separately at time of ticketing. Economy class flights with Qantas are available from $2,500 plus taxes. Business & first class upgrades are available on request.

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