Tasmania's Taste Festival

Midst all the hubbub in Hobart with the Christmas holidays, the arrival of the Sydney-Hobart race boats and the upcoming New Year's celebration, Tasmania's Taste Festival, a summer waterfront celebration, is in full swing from 28 December through 3 January. How much excitement can one little city, its inhabitants, a half million visitors and the Nine of Cups crew handle in one week? Evidently a lot … we're overwhelmed.

The long daylight hours of summer make this celebration Tasmania's largest. In its 24th year, the Taste Fest highlights all things Tasmania … wine, produce, food, crafts, entertainment. All along the waterfront, Princes Wharf and into Salamanca Place, booths and marquees were set up, beckoning visitors to stop by and “taste Tasmania”. It was crowded and crazy.

Parliament Park had been turned into “The Kid's Park” and kids really seemed to be enjoying themselves. A few kiddie rides like Teacups and Swings were set up as well an inflatable bounce castle, but mostly it was things to do. Thousands of Legos spread out on a huge tarp engaged some kids. Others “fished” in little wading pools while some toddlers worked hard to get a hula hoop going. Bright colors and music pervaded the scene. It was brilliant.

The throngs of people were absolutely amazing. Hundreds of food stalls offered everything from Parisian food to all things chicken to seafood to every ethnic option imaginable. The mix of aromas was nearly overpowering. Cadbury Chocolate offered a live cooking show in one area and chocolate samples in another. Wine, beer and spirit tastings had waiting lines .

The day was breezy, but beautiful. Picnic tables and chairs were set up and fully occupied. Brightly covered bean bag chairs had been placed strategically on the lawns and astro-turf covered medians. People lounged and relaxed, ate and drank, chatted and played.

Strains of music varied from bagpipers, to blues bands to rock to jazz to mellow guitar and filled the air, lending a carnival spirit to an already high energy day. Stages and bleachers were set up throughout the venue and come evening, the place would be hopping with party goers and live entertainment.

We observed. We listened. We sniffed. We felt the energy and the closeness of the mob. We felt the sun on our backs and we tasted the day away.

Just Desserts

Australians like their sweets. Why should they be any different than the rest of us? We've run across some traditional desserts that are uniquely Australian and, in the interest of cultural exchange, we've tried and enjoyed.

There are no cookies in Australia, but they do have oodles of sweet biscuits. Same thing, different name. Tim Tams are very popular and come in a variety of flavors which we've tried on numerous occasions... again purely for our cultural edification.

My personal favorites are ANZAC biscuits. Named way back in WWI for ANZACs (Australia-New Zealand Army Corps), these easy traveling, long lasting cookies became associated with wives and mums sending treats to their men overseas during the war. The basic ingredients are oats and coconut. We tasted them the first time on ANZAC Day at a tiny celebration on Pitcairn Island and thought they were the ultimate oatmeal cookie. ANZAC Day, celebrated April 25th each year, is comparable to Veteran's Day in the USA and in my mind, having a cookie specific to the holiday is an excellent idea although they're available commercially all year long.

When we were in New Zealand, we sampled Pavlova for the first time. There's an ongoing battle between the Kiwis and the Aussies as to which country first introduced the Pavlova. Evidently the prima ballerina, Anna Pavlova, visited both countries in the 1920's and this dessert was named in her honor. No matter who claims the title of origin, the resulting dessert is lovely. Made with a meringue that's crusty on the outside and soft on the inside, the whole thing is covered in whipped cream and studded with fresh fruits like strawberries, kiwis, passion fruit and blueberries. Pre-made meringues can be purchased in the stores, so all you need to do is top it with cream and fresh fruit. Pretty easy. It's typically served on special holidays like Christmas and it's delish.

They also have something called White Christmas and Chocolate Crackles, both made with rice bubbles, aka Kellogg's Rice Krispies. Though the recipes are different from the ones we grew up with in the USA like Scotch Treats and Original Marshmallow Krispie Treats, the process is similar. Kids make the recipe because it's an easy, no-bake, chill-in-the-fridge, hopelessly sweet kind of treat.

Then there is Lamington Cake or Lamington Cream which is definitely Australian in origin. I've seen them in pastry shops and the grocery store bakeries, but not yet tasted them. There seem to be several variations on the theme. It's a yellow sponge cake topped first with a chocolate cream icing which soaks into the cake, then it's dipped in shredded coconut. A filling of cream and/or strawberry jam can be layered in the middle according to some of the recipes I've read. It's on the “to make” list.

I saw “brandy custard” in the dairy case at the supermarket the other day. It comes in 1-liter waxed cardboard containers like a quart of milk or eggnog, so it's obviously liquid. The containers were decorated in Christmas colors and I thought perhaps they might be akin to egg nog. I had to e-mail my Aussie friend, Marly B., in Melbourne and get the scoop on custards. They come in powder or liquid form though making them from scratch is the best, she says. What she describes sounds like a rich vanilla pudding which can be drizzled on Christmas pudding or served with fruit or made into cream tarts. Evidently a myriad of choices. Egg nog, by the way, is not very popular here...brandy notwithstanding.

The traditional English plum pudding is still a Christmas favorite here. At least I've seen lots of them in the stores on sale. And, of course, fruit cake is available. I prefer waiting till after Christmas to buy our fruit cake. They're heavily discounted then and are great for celebrating January 7th... Fruitcake Toss Day. We know folks who have used them as dinghy anchors. They seldom drag.

Being from New England, my favorite Christmas dessert recipe is Cranberry Pudding. Though neither fresh nor frozen cranberries are available here in Tasmania (dried cranberries do not work well), I thought I'd share this old Martha's Vineyard recipe with you anyway. It's easy to make and tastes scrumptious when served warm and topped with whipped cream or ice cream.

Cranberry Pudding a la Nine of Cups

2 cups whole fresh cranberries, washed

¾ cup white sugar – separated ½ cup and ¼ cup

¼ c chopped walnuts 6 tbsp melted butter – separated 4 tbsp and 2 tbsp

½ c flour 1 egg, well beaten

Place cranberries in a well-buttered 8” pie plate. Mix ¼ cup of sugar and the walnuts with 4 tbsp of melted butter and drizzle over the cranberries. Combine the remaining sugar with the flour and add to the beaten egg; stir well. Add the remaining melted butter; stir well again. Pour over the cranberries.

Bake about 40 minutes at 350F (180C) till the top is lightly brown and the cranberries are bubbling. Serve warm or cold. Top with freshly whipped cream or vanilla ice cream.

Please bake one for me. Send me a picture. As you're eating it, savor the taste. Think about those of us poor folks who have no fresh cranberries. Sigh! I know I could substitute another fruit, but it just wouldn't be the same.

A Traditional English Teakettle

This may be a non-sequitur to our time in Hobart, but you're probably sick of hearing about how wonderful this city is and I thought a change of pace was in order. I've been asked recently (and many times in the past) what items I considered essential in my galley. Before we even bought Nine of Cups, our son, Brennan, gave us a whistling tea kettle for Christmas one year. It's chrome over copper, sturdy, well made, a proper British kettle made by Simplex. When we moved aboard Nine of Cups, it came with us. It was hard to know at the time what to bring and what to leave behind. We sold or gave away most everything in the way of furniture, fine china and artwork. Kitchen utensils and pots and pans seemed reasonable to move aboard. Over the years, some have been discarded for non-use and others have been replaced. The kettle, however, has maintained it place.

The kettle moved aboard with us almost as part of the crew and it sits comfortably on the stovetop. David installed a potguard on the stove to keep the kettle (and other pots or pans) in place when we're underway. Of all the pots, pans and implements in the galley, this is the one item that I use and admire the most. It has my affection...as much as you can effectively love a kettle. It gives the galley a warm, homey look. When I clean the galley, the last item to be wiped and polished till its shine reflects the world around it, is the kettle. When the kettle shines and whistles, I'm content.

Here's how the company describes its teapots:

“Combining the virtues and traditions of Victorian design and elegance, with the innovations of modern technology, Simplex Kettles are considered by many as the only true Old English Tea Kettle. Recently a copper kettle was provided as a gift for the wedding of William and Kate which describes the stature of these products. You do not just purchase a kettle, but an heirloom of your life that will serve you well for many years and become a partner to you in your kitchen.” Pretty impressive, wouldn't you say?

Despite the flowery language, they only provide a year's guarantee now. Wonder what that means?

Actually, I had a problem with the kettle about two years ago. The wooden handle was getting gnarly and the chrome handle supports were all rusted out. Perhaps from all the salt air? Nevertheless, figuring that England is a chilly, damp island and they must know how to deal with the salt air issues, I contacted Simplex. I sent an e-mail with pictures of the gnarly handle and chrome supports. I didn't expect an answer quickly, so I was quite surprised when a few days later I received a nice reply from their Customer Service asking for the address to which the replacement parts could be sent...at their expense. What? They were standing by their product and making it good again? Sure enough, the new parts arrived in about a week and my old kettle looked good as new.

Some things go the way of spaghetti servers and lime zesters on this boat. No time for silly gadgets or single-purpose items ... and other things remain “my partner in the kitchen”.