This Food Blog was written by guest blogger, Kerry Heaney a Food and travel writer from Heaney Ink.
Also check out her Food Blog, Eat Drink and Be Kerry

Hoping in my car and heading out from Brisbane south west to the Granite Belt has always been one of my favourite trips. It’s always a little colder there, even in a hot Queensland summer, and it even snows there briefly in winter. Long known as one of Queensland’s premier wine districts, the Granite Belt is now claiming attention as a serious destination for foodies as well as wine lovers.

Home to Queensland’s newest cheese maker, only vinegar maker, countless highly awarded wineries and the freshest local fruit and veg, the Granite Belt now has several new restaurants as well.  Add all this to the natural beauty of the landscape and you’ve got a winning destination.

It’s an easy three hour drive from Brisbane to Stanthorpe where you’ll find wide open spaces, rolling hills of green, good honest food, plenty of wine and warm and welcoming locals.  You can just about see the stress and tension baggage left along the roadside.

Foodies in search of regional finds will be thrilled with Karen Deeth’s newly established Granite Belt Dairy Farm at Thulimbah near Stanthorpe. At 900 metres above sea level and with night temperatures as low as -9c, this is one of Australia’s coldest and highest dairy farms. The farmhouse cheeses are made by hand to traditional recipes milk from her own herd of 70 Jersey cows.

Buy some olives to enjoy with your new Granite Belt wines at Mt Stirling Olives at Glen Aplin.  Growers Jim and Viviane Miller have more than 3,500 trees which they harvest to produce cold pressed extra virgin olive oil, tapenade, spiced olives and a wide variety of other olive products.

Pick your own apples at David and Ros Sutton’s Juice Factory, Cidery and Distillery at Thulimbah. Their juice has that super fresh varietal flavour that can only be obtained by bottling the freshly pressed juice immediately. Varieties available vary depending on the season but may include Granny Smith, Jonathon, Royal Gala, Winesap, Mutsu, Pink Lady and Sundowner. Apple with ginger, lemon, mandarin and orange are other popular variations. The Suttons also plan to open a café in the near future.

New dining options on the Granite Belt include Singling Lake at Robert Channon’s winery. The dining area overlooks a small lake where horses graze making this a pleasant place to stop and enjoy lunch while on the wine trail.

Host Athena Corbally and Chef Alec Pioveson at Cooks Gluttons and Gourmets in the Stanthorpe High Street use local farm fresh produce and only stock Granite Belt wines. Try their delicious local bacon and sausages for Sunday breakfast.

The Queensland College of Wine Tourism on Caves Road has the Banca Ridge Cellar Door and Bistro which is open from 10am to 4pm daily. Their Medley of Mains tasting plate, prepared and served by hospitality students and served with Banca Ridge wines, is a great lunch treat.

Anna’s Restaurant, a local institution, has an extensive Friday and Saturday night Italian buffet with favourites such as Cannelloni, Scaloppine Alla Marsala and Stuffed Mushrooms. Sweets include Italian treats Canoli, Tiramisu and Crostoli.

After a hard day on the wine trail you can relax over a drink in the new Piano Bar in the Central Hotel with live music to entertain you.

The Granite Belt’s new Strange Bird wine tasting trail is great for those who have ABC (Anything But Chardonnay) days. There are 21 wineries and 16 grape varieties including barbera, chenin blanc, colombard, durif, gewurztraminer, malbec, marsanne, mourvedre, nebbiolo, petit verdot, pinot gris, sylvaner, tannat, tempranillo and viognier.

The Strange Bird winery list is tempting but long. We made it to Jester Hill owned by John and Genevieve Ashwell which, along with great wines, has a large open area for families and children to enjoy. Hidden Creek Winery Café was a chance to enjoy award winning wines over lunch while sampling local produce. We also picked up some of Geoff Metcalf’s New England Larder yummy Sour Cherry jam.

Linger at Casley Mount Hutton winery just to drink in the aroma of their cellar but don’t forget to taste the extensive range of award winning wines that have captured the attention of wine pundits. Their Strange Bird wines include chenin blanc and voignier.

At Pyramids Road, Warren and Sue Smith are happy to talk wine at their cellar door and give visitors a glimpse of the working side of the winery.

Golden Grove Estate Wines have wines made from durif, tempranillo and barbera grape varieties. The Costanzo family celebrate their rich Italian heritage with an annual Sicilian lunch in February each year to celebrate the start of the vintage. Volunteers carry home harvest in a procession, led by the newly appointed goddess of the vineyard. The grapes are dumped into a large tub and volunteers are called to stomp the grapes to the music of the tarantella until the juice runs free.

Pulling the car into the brand new villas set amongst the granite boulders at 31 The Rocks was a real pleasure as was meeting our hosts, Phil and Beryl Moye. There’s everything you could want for in the way of comfy queen size beds and stylish flat screen televisions plus some extra touches like the hot chocolate and marshmallows for a cosy drink. The finishing touch is a complimentary liqueur and chocolate nightcap delivered to your door so you can light the fire and fall asleep watching the glowing red flames.

There’s a new energy on the Granite Belt, new award winning wines and new food delights. The one thing that hasn’t changed is the warm country welcome.

For more information visit www.granitebeltwinecountry.com.au

Benjamin Christie's Australian Food, BBQ Recipes and Australian Recipes feature bush tucker ingredients like lemon myrtle and wattleseed. Check out recipes like shrimp on the barbie, anzac biscuits, lamingtons and banana bread. 

Food Service professionals will be interested in his chef blog as well as articles on menu planning, food photography, cooking kangaroo, menu engineering and food costing.

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This is a question I often ask myself. Especially when I find enticing recipes like these;

Hooked on Heat has always been a favorite of mine and Meena's most recent recipe for Spiced Split Pea Lentils, Chana Dal Masala, is a great way to use up a canister of split peas in my cupboard. Pass the naan bread!

A forgotten blog birthday led to JenJen's first attempt at a layer cake. Check out the gorgeous Cocoa-Buttermilk Birthday Cake she made for her blog, Milk and Cookies. I'd say it was a very successful attempt!

For something a little lighter and more refreshing, Radish's recipe for Chilled Corn and Cucumber Soup on Sassy Radish looks just perfect.


Photo courtesy of iStockphoto, Damir Cudic


Vanilla Garlic's author, Garret, shows off his recipe for Strawberries Romanov, a mountain of Grand Marnier infused strawberries topped with luscious, sweetened whipped cream.

Luisa at The Wednesday Chef takes on Chez Panisse's Rhubarb Grapefruit Preserves. The result is a beautiful, ruby colored spread that looks amazing. See full article.

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Fourth of July Recipes Cherry Swirl Cake for July 4th 1 box French vanilla or white cake mix 1 can cherry pie filling Frozen whipped topping, thawed Mix the cake as directed on the box, pour into a 9×13 pan that has been buttered or sprayed well. Open the cherry pie filling and dot on tablespoons full of the [...]

I am sure all the parents wish their children living in a healthy and safe environment. I am wishes the same too. I wish I could bring SQ and Kiki to playground and enjoy their childhood everyday. However, I am quite worry about their safety in those playground that is not manage well. There are so many dangers hiding inside.

Then, how could I let my children enjoy playground without worry about the environment? I think only the manfred mantis playsets could help my dream come true. I am looking in the 18 months to 9 years old Manfred Mega mantis home premium play set system now. I think this must be great to place in my new garden. SQ and Kiki are not only could play in safe environment but also can invite their friends to play together. $1,179 included taxes and delivery seem like worth it. It is only $131 per year.

Not to be a contrarian, but the standard deli-issued potato salad isn't really my thing. Potatoes as the center-point of a salad? Sounds great, I like the general concept. But all the mayo and mush you get with many American potato salads I can do without. I thought a grilled potato salad might be a fun alternative. My gameplan: throw as many of the salad ingredient as possible on the grill, whip up a simple vinaigrette, toss and enjoy.

The first decision I had to make was how to cut the potatoes - slices vs. wedges battled it out in my brain. Coin-shaped slices would cook more quickly. Wedges, well who doesn't love a potato wedge? And I knew they'd hold up better. I went the wedge route. Aside from the dressing and lettuce, I arranged everything else on a medium-hot grill - pattypan squash, green onions, halved lemons, and the potato wedges.

I tossed the potato salad components with a rice vinegar finished with barely a hint of toasted sesame oil this time around, but I couldn't help but think about all the different ways you could approach this. For those of you who enjoy the hedgehog potatoes (from SNC) as much as I do - I'm itching to try a creamy version where I'd toss these potato with the same yogurt mint dipping sauce I use in that recipe. Or, I bet a harissa vinaigrette would lend nice color and flavor and go well with the grilled potatoes. Or, or, or - I think its tough to go wrong here...If you have a unique twist on potato salad, give it a shout in the comments.

Continue reading Grilled Potato Salad...

Avagy ahogy kicsi Vú és Mamma az orient expressen mondanák: sup cua mang tay. Egyik hétvégére zöld spárgával szerettem volna készíteni valamilyen ázsiai beütésű levest. Több ázsiai illetve orientális ihletésű könyvem is van, s erre a vietnám kultúrájáról és konyhájáról szóló könyvemben találtam rá. Szinte az egész sorozat megvan egyébként, mert egyszer féláron árulták s tetszett is a könyvek felépítése. Túl sok különleges ötlet ugyan nincs bennük, de annál több adott régióhoz vagy országhoz tartozó hagyományos étel és háttérinformáció a szokásokról.


Az orient expressen kicsit furcsáltam, hogy a kínai csirkehúsalaplé szinte csak és kizárólag csirkéből és sós vízből áll. A vietnámi könyvben is hasonló alapléfőzést javasoltak, s most kivételesen követtem is a receptleírást. Őszintén meg kell, hogy mondjam - a hagyományos "európai" szárnyas alaplevem sokkal jobban ízlik. Spárgával együtt egyébként már nagyon finom lett a leves, s tényleg szépen ki is bontakozhatott a spárga íze, hisz semmi nem nyomta el. A rákhús friss híján üvegből származott az ázsiai boltból - többet nem fogom használni... Inkább az alapléhez felhasznált csirkeszárnyak húsát (t)eszem hozzá ;) Összeségében egyébként rettentő egyszerű leves és a végeredmény is finom lett. (recept)

Pie Recipes

PUMPKIN PIES. MRS. E. FAIRFIELD.

One quart of pumpkin, one cup of Orleans molasses, one cup of brown

sugar, one pint of milk, three eggs, one tablespoon each of nutmeg,

ginger, and cinnamon, and one teaspoon of salt. This will make two

large, or three small pies.



Recipes

COFFEE CREAM
Have one and one-half cups of strong coffee hot, add one
level tablespoon of gelatin soaked in one-half cup of milk for fifteen
minutes. When well dissolved add two-thirds cup of sugar, a saltspoon of
salt, and the yolks of three eggs beaten light, stir in the double
boiler till thick, take from the fire, and add the white of three eggs
beaten stiff and one-half teaspoon of vanilla. Fill molds that have been
dipped in cold water, set in cool place and when firm unmold and serve
with powdered sugar and cream.

Recipes

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