I am and have always been a great procrastinator and it has never is the past come between me and good food, but alas, the day has come where my procrastinating ways has caused me great regret…
I had planned to go to the Slow Food Noosa, Slow Bird dinner held on Monday night at the Blue Angel Restaurant, but I procrastinated to a point that by the time I thought to book a seat they were well and truly booked out. Julie Shelton, guest speaker for the night, and I shared a late coffee about 2 hours before the dinner where the dinner was mentioned once again – I had only been reminded of this dinner at least half a dozen times. So after we made a scramble of last minute phone calls I resigned myself to the fact that if I was going to have duck for dinner that night I was going to have to cook it myself.
Oh well I thought, no biggie, not like I have any shortages on the dinner circuit – that was until I spoke to Julie the next morning and she described each course to me in mouthful by mouthful mouth-watering detail.
The Slow Bird dinner is essentially a celebration of the bird, as in poultry; duck, spatchcock, chicken and quail, all raised lovingly by Bendele Farm a free range poultry farm in Kilkivan renowned for its quality poultry. And this was not just a celebration of the premium cuts of the bird, it is a celebration of all of the bird as the menu below so clearly demonstrates; livers, hearts, gizzards, eggs, fat, etc. This concept, to me is fabulous. I myself always purchase the whole bird. In the instance of duck, instilled into me by Max Porter, the duck ambassador of the Sunshine Coast, I purchase a whole duck, cut away the breast, Maryland the legs, crackle the fat (duck crackling is to die for…), render the remaining fat for future use and boil up the frame and wings for stock. So I usually get 3 meals (for 2) out of my one bird.
Now duck is pretty much my favourite meal, and Bendele Farm duck at the top of my farmers’ market shopping list (you can buy poultry directly from the farm stall), so if duck is on the menu, count me in, I just need to make sure I don’t procrastinate that’s all…
To add insult to injury, upon my request, Julie was kind enough to email me the menu today with a note, “read and weep” which I thought particularly cruel and unfeeling but what I almost felt like doing.
I would now really like to share the menu you with you so you can see the diversity in which poultry can be presented.
First Course – Chef Katrina Ryan – Spirit House
Ma Hor – Caramelised chicken with mandarin and pineapple
Second Course – Chef Daniel Mosedale – Blue Angel
Confit duck breast stuffed with livers, hearts, gizzards and black pudding, cumquat chutney and upland cress
Third Course – Chef Belinda Tuckwel – Ma Mensa
Carbonara with wings – Duck egg pasta, braised squab, duck prosciutto and a quail’s egg
Fourth Course – Chef Nathan Nichol – River House
Char grilled quail, chorizo, cabernet sauvignon grapes, fennel and apple salad, sherry caramel
Dessert – Chef Damon Porter – Coconut Grove
Duck egg cream pot with goose fat cenci and rhubarb batons
Mouth watering? While all of the courses sounded fabulous (and I was assured that they were) I was particularly captured by the dessert. I had wondered what chef Damon Porter would come up with without being predictable and I was not disappointed. Apparently the duck egg cream pots were served in an actual duck egg that was secured to the dish and the cenci (Italian fried pastries) were fried in goose fat. Now that is not in the least bit predictable and apparently it was divine.
So I guess what is the purpose in telling you all about it, when it is clearly too late to do anything about it? Well, so I feel better – it’s off my chest now, and that there may be others out there that now regret not going also – that I am not alone, you know, a taking comfort in masses type thing! Also so you too can look out for the next Slow Food dinner, whatever and whenever it may be, which means I will have to be really quick next time around or I will miss out again if I keep telling people how fantastic these dinners are.
This post was written by Petra Frieser – Local Harvest
Author: Local Harvest
About the Author: Local Harvest
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