Five food challenges for 2006 (and koala)

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Lucas (aka Crazy Gaijin) has tagged me to come up with my five food challenges for 2006.

1. Bake loads of different cakes and biscuits
Especially a sponge cake, probably a traditional one using no fat but also a Genoese (made with butter) one filled with strawberries and cream. I’ll probably make a couple of each and gorge myself. I may share some with friends and neighbours. Or perhaps I’ll hide them and scoff both. There may be a small amount of cream/crumbs left for a fox terrier and a Jack Russell. I’ve never, never tried to make a sponge before. I’ll also make a chocolate, chestnut and almond cake. I may also dabble in dog biscuits that can be eaten by humans.

2. Make trifle, traditional, Italian and Spanish style.
I’m going to used the stuff left over from my sponge cake, soaked in Sherry (Pedro Ximenez?). Inspired the crazy jazz trifle guy Steve (watch this space). I’ll make a couple of berry jellies from scratch with boiled cows hoof Gelatine and possibly some champagne. The custard will be made from organic full cream milk, vanilla pods and free-range eggs. Of course, I want this to be in season so have to do it soon. Perhaps for Australia Day (26 Jan), but definitely soon. Heck I’ll make all three mid-week so it’ll be secret and I won’t have to share any of it.

3. Eat more and discover more varieties of fish
Okay, I admit it my repertoire is limited. Tuna Tartare, carpaccio, and variations of tuna/salmon/swordfish steaks. Ditto Flake and snapper. I just need to buy more and perhaps cheaper fish. I’ll be avoiding what down here is called sea bass as it’s the endangered Patagonian toothfish. Ditto whales and dolphins.

4. Cheaper slow cooked cuts of meat.
Last year I tried crispy cooked pigs’ tails but, hungover, chickened out eating them. Two small dogs were very grateful. I’ve done slowly cooked lamb shanks but would like to discover more to do with pigs (enter Fergus Henderson) and dabble in slow cooked ox-cheek. Then there’s that slow-cooked ox tail and chorizo stew. Perhaps I could try it with a kangaroo tail. Quite possibly, this could be the year I begin cooking with koala.

5. Expand my repertoire of Asian cooking (and recipes in general)
Sure, I’ve made green and yellow curries, Vietnamese salads and so on but I could do more. As Crazy Gaijin knows I’ve been wanting to cook more Japanese style food and I will.
It’s well known that most people endlessly rotate less than a dozen recipes. In 2006 I am going to discover at least two new recipes a month. I’m looking for fresh healthy cooking and flavours that are also quick to prepare. Oh, sod it. Fancy a takeaway?

I tag Paz, Dave, Sean , Saffron and apprentice patissier who is Melbourne’s latest recruit to food blogging.

Ed Charles is a journalist and digital consultant who spend the better part of the part two decades in Australia. He trained with IPC in London and has written for major international and national business and lifestyle titles. Establishing this blog in 2005, he was one of the first of a handful of food bloggers in Australia. He's spoken at the Melbourne Writers Festival and Emerging Writers Festival and has broadcasted regularly on food and digital media issues. He is currently writing a history of mankind told through food.

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