SmallNotes

BEAUTIFUL STARS

With the warm breezes of spring invading, it’s back to the cellar for your Merlots and Pinot Noirs.  In their place, the heat begs for something cooling, with notes of lemon and lime or black currant.

Stella Bella Wines, hidden in the Margaret River region, offers a distinctive selection of replacements for winter’s Reds.  A blushing Muscat with an aroma of rose petals, musk, and Turkish delight; Chardonnay promising notes of peach and honeydew; the Semillon Sauvignon Blanc thoughtfully blended with spices and stone fruits.

For each wine, Stella Bella also offers a food pairing suggestion and time frame for imbibing when it’s most vital.

As a special treat to all SmallNotes readers, Stella Bella would like to offer you 10% off any order placed online.  All you have to do is enter the code SBW10 in the coupon box.  Better yet, delivery is free within Australia.  Click here to order.

Stella Bella is open daily from 10am - 5pm.  They are located at 205 Rosabrook Road, Margaret River, Western Australia.

FRECCIA GASTRONOMY

For those of you who love authentic Italian food, but want to avoid the sluggishness that comes with a traditional, post-pasta binge, Freccia Gastronomy in Subiaco is now offering a range of internationally recognised gluten free fresh pasta.

Guiltlessly feast on fettuccine, spaghetti, beef lasagne, pumpkin ravioli, beef ravioli and potato gnocchi.  Better yet, it’s all made in Western Australia by WA Gluten Free.

As a special treat to all SmallNotes readers, Freccia Gastronomy would like to offer you 25% off their lasagna, gnocchi and ravioli ranges for the next week.

While you’re there, try Alessandro’s gnocchi (via his Nona) it’s so light and delicious.  Team it with fresh tomato sauce and basil leaves and you’re good to go. Or sample his aranchini. Bitting into those rice balls filled with goodness, made us feel like we were back in Rome sitting in Piazza Navona watching the world go buy.

Freccia Gastronomy are located at Shop 4, 1 Forrest Street, Subiaco.  They’re open Monday to Friday from 10am to 6pm. Tel: 9380 9992.

DELICIOUS DAYS

The days ahead hold the promise of rice pudding laced with coconut, Zwetschgendatschi layered with juicy Damson plums and almond slivers, and shell-like Mallorcan Ensaimadas.

delicious:days, a porthole into the kitchen of Munich lovebirds Nicky and Oliver, is a gluttonous treasury of recipes and culinary inspiration.

When you’re full and sleepy from Panisses and Easter Bread with Chorizo, visit their suggestions for fun, secret spots in Munich to plan your next trip.

Visit delicious:days or, for something a little more tangible, pick up their cookbook here.

Kitchen Casanova

In our misty fantasies, we have access to a Cyrano de Bergerac who not only tells us what sweet nothings to whisper to our paramours, but also hints at what to do in the kitchen to impress them.

Our dream-come-true has arrived in the form of the Kitchen Casanova who writes Cook to Bang, a blog about the culinary avenue to seduction.

Whether altruistically improving tenuous Canadian-American relations with succulent shrimp, sharing an oyster recipe as formidable as his ninja skills, or exposing his innermost, blondie-obsessed demon, Cook to Bang arms you with potent tools for getting some action.

CHOCOLATE & ZUCCHINI

Clotilde Dusoulier speaks the language of one who is in the midst of a real love affair with food. 

She shares this enthusiasm with us through her blog, Chocolate and Zucchini,  Entries entwine intimiate peeks into her life in Paris and recipes she has created, poetically evolving from story-telling to instruction. 

Her Cacao and Zucchini Absorbtion pasta is tremendously restorative after an interminable day and her Melt-In-Your-Mouth chocolate cake keeps its promise.

Visit Chocolate and Zucchini here.

CINNAMON AND PAPRIKA SWIRLS

A cinnamon and paprika-infused breeze swirls around your head as you enter Abstract Gourmet, the brainchild of Matt, a Perth-based champion of all things delectable.  This is quite a feat considering Abstract Gourmet is a blog. 

The warmth of Matt’s kitchen is present in every entry he writes, guiding you toward an aromatic, bubbling kefta mkaouara or a comforting leek and broccolini frittata. When not cooking, he generously steers you in the direction of excellent jazz clubs or his most coveted spot for curry.

Visit Abstract Gourmet to ignite your appetite.

FOOLISHLY HEALTHY

Your body is a temple, but somehow, the offering of leftover birthday cake for breakfast wasn’t quite as satisfying as you thought it would be. It turns out our bodies are more likely to respond to a nutrient-rich diet (not found in icing) that keeps us functioning at an optimum level.

Here to guide us in the right direction is Teresa Cutter, founder of The Healthy Chef, a website overflowing with resources for treating your body the way it deserves.

Teresa is a proponent of the 80/20 method that allows for the occasional indulgence (like a poorly conceived breakfast, perhaps) and her recipes virtually trick you into eating well; her website includes offerings like prawn-filled rice paper rolls with chilli dipping sauce or flourless chocolate cake.

She can’t fool us with the “Healthy sandwich”, though.

Click here for her wonderful recipes, or if you are lucky enough to live in Sydney, you can visit her restaurant, The Healthy Chef Cafe, at 17 Avalon Parade, Avalon Beach. NSW 2107.

A GARDEN GOOD ENOUGH TO EAT

For those of us who’ve dreamed about growing succulent tomatoes, strawberries and broccoli just outside our door, Your Patch has arrived to save us from our black thumbs.

Your Patch will come to your home, assess your needs and design the perfect bountiful plot of organic goodness suited to your busy lifestyle and garden size.

Not only will Your Patch create your veggie garden, they’ll also drop past every fortnight to make sure the fruits and vegetables you’ve selected to plant stay luscious and plump.

Who knows? Before long you may have your very own Jack and the Beanstalk!

Call Tim Woodard on 9438 2671 for more information or visit their website at www.yourpatchorganic.com.

TIME IN TUSCANY

Some of us here at SmallNotes don’t have a sweet tooth.  I know, can you believe it?

But when that devil of a sugar craving comes calling, we rely on these sweet little Italian morsels of delight to satisfy our syrupy needs.

Typically a Tuscan dessert, “Biscotti di Prato” is made with flour, fresh organic eggs, sugar, almonds and pine nuts and still baked in the same bakery today as they were 150 years ago.

So if you are in need of a ten minute Italian vacation, let the Mattei family, who still own and operate the bakery, treat you to their famous biscotti.  Whilst your sipping on a cappuccino or two of course…..

Antonio Mattei’s “Biscotti di Prato” can be found in all Simon Johnson stores or ordered online here.

SIPPING PRETTY

You love a nice cup of tea to calm the day’s stresses.  The aromas, the ceremony, the sitting down and putting your feet up for that special five minutes.  So why then do we put up with those dull, dusty and grey-like tea bags jam-packed into cardboard boxes?

Well no more thanks to Mighty Leaf and their hand-sewn silk pouches full of flavours like White Orchard, Organic Darjeeling Estate, Chamomile Citrus and the heavenly sounding Chocolate Mint Truffle tea.

This pretty little tea pouch, developed by the founders in California, allows for full flavor expansion and doesn’t let anything through but the taste and boy, does it taste good.

If you’re wondering how pretty they really are, Donna Karan requested a private label for her spa line and the Mandarin Oriental throughout the US welcomes guests with their jasmine blend.

Tastes good and looks good.  We’ll drink to that.

Might Leaf Teas can be found in selected shops throughout Australia, or online at mightyleaf.com.au