Time for a little baking

Here we go again... same ole, same ole.  It’s Friday the 17th and preparations for Christmas are well under way, well by the social committee anyway.  Maybe not in the kitchen just yet. What Christmas means to most commercial operations is either a day or two off due to high operating costs and increased wages, oh and of course the fact that many mums and dads (wait staff) will be producing semi ridged smiles and expending precious goodwill that may better be concentrated  on loved ones gathered around the Christmas tree. Christmas can also mean getting up really early, grabbing a few coffees in between slicing smoked salmon, poaching eggs or rolling out pastry ready for Danishes then feeling your way through a foggy and confusing day of good wishes and warm fuzzies from colleagues,  then high expectations and time critical demands from the consumers. 

I’ve been placed in a rather unique position of having to cater to 73 plus expeditioners (consumers) who, on the flip side, are also the loved ones to whom I’ll stand side by side with whilst gorging on the excesses of the Christmas spirit.  Either way I’ll win right?  So let’s just take it easy and do the menu planning next week.......Hey the social committee needs a draft of the menu so they can get it approved and printed off... and they sorta need it now.?
Well Tony and I merged grey matter and scribbled down in chefs’ hand ( very similar to Doctors handwriting) a simplistic menu of running salads, seafood buffet, old school roasts with accompaniments, dessert table (Christmas pudding included) and a cheese board.

I’ll be able to update the blog with the exact menu after Christmas.  Things can change for any reason down here.

With the first version of the menu now making it’s way around our local intranet I felt a sense of calm and even a little energy.  Baking!!
I love finding time to bake extra goodies for the crew. It gives me a feeling of pride and satisfaction knowing people will soon discover tasty sweet morsels arranged on various platters dotted around the dining room. When I was a little kid I remembered coming home from school and opening the lid on our two toned brown Tupperware cookie container... looking in all I could see was darkness (this thing could act like the TARDIS sometimes).  I knew the jar was empty yesterday, was it still today?  I’d throw my arm up in the air, pull the sleeve up past my elbow and dive down inside. Just as a shag comes popping up from the oceans depths .......so too would my hand. Yes!!  It’s loaded!!  What have I scored?  Fudge.  Hmmmm, I’d have removed that lid at least 3 more times before my sister got home.  Then I was the self-appointed guardian of the jar.  I loved my mother’s baking ,who doesn’t?

Apricot Slice

Well there was nothing holding me back. Armed with a 2006 edition of the Edmonds recipe book, (mini cooks bible... in N.Z anyway), memories of my childhood delicacies and a fully equipped kitchen I set about creating a pantry full of icing and coconut topped treats.

Ginger Crunch

A little baking on Saturday and a lot on Sunday left most of my stock containers in need of a topping up.  Ginger crunch, hedgehog (fudge), jam slice, lemon and apricot slice, coconut brownie, caramel slice ,  Anzac biscuits and toffee apples.  I thought this would last me a week (my mother probably thought the same back then).  As it turned out we had a visit from the Indians on Monday, including their construction workers, and a Chinese delegation made an appearance on Tuesday.  By Wednesday my goodies were all gone.
It still felt nice making them.

Here we go again... same ole, same ole.  It’s Friday the 17th and preparations for Christmas are well under way, well by the social committee anyway.  Maybe not in the kitchen just yet. What Christmas means to most commercial operations is either a day or two off due to high operating costs and increased wages, oh and of course the fact that many mums and dads (wait staff) will be producing semi ridged smiles and expending precious goodwill that may better be concentrated  on loved ones gathered around the Christmas tree. Christmas can also mean getting up really early, grabbing a few coffees in between slicing smoked salmon, poaching eggs or rolling out pastry ready for Danishes then feeling your way through a foggy and confusing day of good wishes and warm fuzzies from colleagues,  then high expectations and time critical demands from the consumers.

I’ve been placed in a rather unique position of having to cater to 73 plus expeditioners (consumers) who, on the flip side, are also the loved ones to whom I’ll stand side by side with whilst gorging on the excesses of the Christmas spirit.  Either way I’ll win right?  So let’s just take it easy and do the menu planning next week.......

Hey the social committee needs a draft of the menu so they can get it approved and printed off... and they sorta need it now.?
Well Tony and I merged grey matter and scribbled down in chefs’ hand ( very similar to Doctors handwriting) a simplistic menu of running salads, seafood buffet, old school roasts with accompaniments, dessert table (Christmas pudding included) and a cheese board.

I’ll be able to update the blog with the exact menu after Christmas.  Things can change for any reason down here.

With the first version of the menu now making it’s way around our local intranet I felt a sense of calm and even a little energy.  Baking!!
I love finding time to bake extra goodies for the crew. It gives me a feeling of pride and satisfaction knowing people will soon discover tasty sweet morsels arranged on various platters dotted around the dining room. When I was a little kid I remembered coming home from school and opening the lid on our two toned brown Tupperware cookie container... looking in all I could see was darkness (this thing could act like the TARDIS sometimes).  I knew the jar was empty yesterday, was it still today?  I’d throw my arm up in the air, pull the  sleeve up past my elbow and dive down inside. Just as a shag comes popping up from the oceans depths .......so too would my hand. Yes!!  It’s loaded!!  What have I scored?  Fudge.  Hmmmm, I’d have removed that lid at least 3 more times before my sister got home.  Then I was the self-appointed guardian of the jar.  I loved my mother’s baking ,who doesn’t?

Well there was nothing holding me back. Armed with a 2006 edition of the Edmonds recipe book, (mini cooks bible... in N.Z anyway), memories of my childhood delicacies and a fully equipped kitchen I set about creating a pantry full of icing and coconut topped treats.

A little baking on Saturday and a lot on Sunday left most of my stock containers in need of a topping up.  Ginger crunch, hedgehog (fudge), jam slice, lemon and apricot slice, coconut brownie, caramel slice ,  Anzac biscuits and toffee apples.  I thought this would last me a week (my mother probably thought the same back then).  As it turned out we had a visit from the Indians on Monday, including their construction workers, and a Chinese delegation made an appearance on Tuesday.  By Wednesday my goodies were all gone.

It still felt nice making them.

Photos to follow.

Less than two days to go

Bali was great, thanks for asking. Loved it, loved it, loved it. There was not really going to be any other outcome! Big thanks to Justin's parents for making the trip from Riyahd. We all had a great time together.
And now, Justin leaves in just two days time to commence his Antarctic training in Tasmania. Time really has flown.

I knew from the beginning, when Justin first started the interview process, that they were lucky to have a candidate like him apply for the role of chef in Antarctica.
Our experiences 'on the road' catering for bands on tour pushed us to our very limits. Setting up kitchen and dining room in all sorts of weird and wonderful places like a shower block(!!!), dealing with crazy eating habits and dietary requirements (one dancer could not have any of the food on her plate touch anything else on same plate!), liasing with all and sundry trying to do our best to get it right for everyone from truck drivers, management, entourage to artists. We did it all, working with people who spoke little to no English, shopping in countries where a lot of what we were used to was not available and as a result having to make last minute menu changes and living the whole rock and roll lifestyle (well... let's say to an extent), on and off tour buses and in and out of hotels.
It's a pretty surreal little world and that is what I think has set Justin up to do well in this next job. Not that he is there yet but it seems as though he is going to continually try to come up with new ideas to keep things fresh for a small group of people with different likes and dislikes. They have a good hydroponic crop down there that will hopefully continue - lettuce, cucumber, tomatoes, herbs etc. I plan to document Justin's challenges when it comes to menus, food storage etc as he works his way through the year.
Today is packing day and although we started out rather conservatively, a lot has been added as we go. It is a whole year after all and having never been before, we can't be sure as to the extent of the activities they will get up to... so best pack for everything we can think of!!