AMUSE magazine

CONTENTS

MUSES 3

Mad Ma x

5

Chloe Sevig ny

7

Barbarella

9

A n na Karina

11

Rei Kawak u bo

13

E m pire Records

15

Twin Peaks

17

David Bowie

Rocketeer

21

The girl who fell to Earth

31

FASHION A

FEATURES 47

Short story: Radd iation!

49

Do it Yourself: Skin ny leg jea ns

51

Men are fro m Mars, Lets all live on Venus

69

Restaura nt Review: Cafe Vue

71

Do it Yourself: Grow a vegeta ble garden

Holla nd aise sauce

57

Paella

59

Te m pura Vegeta bles

61

Crispy D uck with Spring Onion Pa ncakes

63

Red Velvet Cupcakes

67

FOOD CONTENTS

FRO

M

THE ED

R ITO

So those m a ny m onths ago when A muse m agazine was born it was decided that the very first ed ition would b e based entirely on the concept of SPACE. But space is so m ething you ca n’t really see, so the task appeared much harder then first presu m ed.

W hat b eca m e of this d ifficulty was a n ex ploration into all things space or other wise.W hat I ca m e to k now is space is big a nd space is li m itless. A n how wonderful it was to create a m agazine based on such encourage m ent.

However so m eti m es space is confined to a n A4 piece of paper – A nd on this paper A muse m agazine took all the things in space you could n’t see b efore a nd created it into so m ething that you could.

Tha nkyous to E m m a, to Jess for the ca m era, Becky Sue, Eli the Jewish Mexica n, a nd Bobby.

Hope you enjoy

‘SPACE IS THE BR EATH OF A RT’ - FR A NK LLOYD WRIGHT

STYLE MUSE

In

leather

clad

dystopia n

futures,

co m bat

boots a nd silver zippers do m inate, a nd Mad Ma x is not exception. Set against the arid Australia n desert, Mel Gi bson stars as Ma x Rockata nsky, apparently the 12th coolest hero in pop culture, who pursues the bad g uys on the highways. Leather, a now highly pro m inent feature in fashion, covers the actors in the fil m. The ga ngs of pu nks who terrorise the cou ntry don chain m ail, a nd heav y, textured brow n d raping, they are bad ass. Ma x is bad ass, the whole vi b e is vengea nce, a nd to take revenge you have to d ress the part. Your big boots need to withsta nd the sa nd a nd tar wastela nd,

your

gloves need to grip the ha nd le bars of your m otorcycle or steering wheel of your hotted up car a nd you need as m a ny buckles as possi ble, just to hold it all together. It’s all a bout b eing just a little bit r ugged a nd sweaty, in the m ost attractive way possi ble, a nd our Mel, while lately has b een acting so m ewhat controversial, does just that.

3.

STYLE MUSE

STYLE MUSE

Never one to b e boring, Chloe Sevig ny is as adventurous with her fashion choices as she is with her roles in fil m. Fro m playing a n HIV-positive girl with a pixie haircut, to girlfriend of Teena in Boys Don’t Cry, to one of the wives in Big Love she has do m inated the screen with her honest a nd m esm erising perfor m a nces. Perhaps even m ore m e m ora ble are her outfits. She doesn’t shy away fro m leather bodysuits, she wears blazers a nd scalloped shorts with this ease (a nd often) a nd ca n turn a ny vintage find into a classic. More i m pressive still is her u nisex line for O pening Cere m ony a nd those buckles shoes so coveted by a ny girl. Blonde hair, red lipstick, high necked shirts - collared or other wise - a nd short shorts do m inate her palette. With tra nscendent ease Sevig ny stalks out on a pair of brow ned, muscular legs a nd like a ny style icon has hits a nd m isses, but regard less of the clothes she has a confidence, a nd that is a m ark of a tr ue icon.

5.

STYLE MUSE

STYLE MUSE

BARBARELLA

It’s a wonder not m ore people have picked up on the fashion in Barbarella. W hile futuristic fa brics a nd a ngled cuts are gaining

m o m entu m,

nothing

is

q uite

like the outfits Ja ne Fond a a nd A nita Pallen b erg wear in the outrageously ca m p fil m. W hile e m phasising fe m ale sex uality,

the

costu m e

desig n,

by

Paco Ra bba ne, plays with texture plastic, m esh, spa ndex, fur, leather, m etal (a nd even hair!). This m ix of futurism a nd 60s style fashion creates an

erotic

(but

tong ue-in-cheek)

u niverse, where wo m en wield g u ns a nd control tyra n nical regi m es. As seen in previous collections of Dolce a nd Ga bba na, Balencia, Jea n Paul Gaultier a nd Gareth Pugh, as well as cou ntless others, the look is per vasive. Often find ing herself u nd ressed in a variety of

sex ual,

but

non-ex plicit

ways,

gives Ja ne Fond a the opportu nity to ex press the full repertoire that is Barbarella.

After,

what

see m s,

her

first sex ual awakening (a nd her set of clothes b eing sufficiently ripped by a hoard of shar p-toothed, cho m ping dolls), she puts on what is my favourite outfit, a sk u nk-looking fur wrapped arou nd her body - co m plete with tail.

If you wa nt to m ake love the ‘earth’ way, you need to look the part, tight a nd short, big hair a nd sm okey eyes.

They really don’t m ake the girls like they used to.

7.

STYLE MUSE

STYLE MUSE

You see her thick fringe fra m ing thick eyeliner, big lips a nd long lashes. She sm iles k nowingly in Da nish. With the m es of existentialism a nd a partnership with Jea n-Luc God ard, A n na Karina pioneered m odelling, fil m, fine art, theatre, music a nd writing.

Her fil m s with God ard, of the French New Wave persuasion, focused on the a bsurd ity of life a nd she often played the trou bled wo m a n, or just trou ble. Later, her m outh uttered French m onolog ue’s of love in Alphaville, a nd arg ued silently through book titles in A Wo m a n is a Wo m a n. With a pencha nt for hats a nd sweaters, Karina char m ed no less tha n four husba nds. Her pale skin a nd large eyes developed a n inti m ate relationship with the ca m era, a nd then, with the aud ience. A n air of in nocence enveloped her, like a school girl, but one with a n i m possi ble m ix of m aturity a nd silliness - as is reflected in her style.

MUSE 5 9.

STYLE MUSE

STYLE MUSE

REI KAWAKUBO Block grey, black a nd white, deconstr ucted, parted. Rei Kawak u bo‘s a nti-fashion of Co m m e des Garcons were frayed a nd u nfinished, they d rape over your body, one side is longer a nd it grazes your calf as the other rests on your thigh. Thick textures touch you a nd holes let in a chill breeze, your goose bu m ps rise u nder the m oving fa bric which is boiled u ntil balls appear, a nd pleats like splinters. Like boys is d ark a nd d istressed. Thick patchwork pillows keep you war m so the goose bu m ps d isappear. Plaid peeks in its head next to the sheer. Her clothes don’t set to flatter, there are lu m ps where there would n’t other wise b e, it looks like snow a nd intestines on your body. She fuses fa brics together a nd pokes fu n at the concept of fashion. Layer upon layer, Kawak u bo b elieves in the link b etween fashion a nd other aspects of desig n, pu blishing her ow n m agazine, Six, a nd d ips her fingers in the visual desig n a nd advertising honey pots. She licks the m in private.

11.

STYLE MUSE

STYLE MUSE Shaved

head

sheek

b efore

Natalie

Port m a n, reinventing the Doc Martin a nd the m id riff a nd the plaid pleated skirt a nd the clog, is the one a nd the

only,

E m pire

Records.

A

cult

classic, a co m m ercial failure, E m pire Records showed you ca n d a nce at work, that

everyone

has

proble m s,

that

u nreq uited love will always work out a nd that you ca n end the d ay with a ba nd on your roof a nd a party in the street. Classically nineties. Gr u nge in all its for m s is yet to d ie, with loose ju m pers you wear as a d ress, co m bat boots on stocking or jea n clad legs, long hair on boys swept back a nd that ever popular m idd le part. Sugar High (or brow nie high) they fa ntasise a bout their futures. Lucas is stuck to the couch muttering philosophical assura nces, every thing will work out.

They b efriend a thief a nd save the shop. A ny thing ca n happen in a d ay

EMPIRE RECORDS 13.

STYLE MUSE

STYLE MUSE

Sm all su burba n tow ns, a place for shiny veneers, teeth a nd other wise, for perfectly clipped law ns a nd dew-d ipped roses, are also ho m e to hysteria. In David Ly nch’s world, each sm iling character by the white picket fence is hid ing so m ething far m ore sinister. Beneath the sheer white lies a cloak of black, tinged in red. Twin Peaks, a tow n splintered by murder b egins to reveal itself. Sprawling ferns ta ngle arou nd the co m mu nity wrists a nd a nkles a nd it re m inds m e of Miu Miu’s clea n cut d resses, collared, pure a nd when you look closer the swallow-like print b eco m es repeating naked wo m en. Drenched in m otifs of owls d rinking coffee, logs du nking in donuts, fire licking ducks a nd red, white a nd blue. Her tarta n skirt falls to her k nees, starched straight a nd his classic cut suit, hair slicked back, m atching golf shoes. Along the tracks she walks, b etween the twin peaks a nd her face turns blue a nd cold.

All the while he d rea m s of red roo m s a nd short m en.

15.

STYLE MUSE

STYLE MUSE

DAVID BOWIE The q uick-cha nge artists David Bowie, Zigg y Stardust a nd The Thin W hite D uke all share the sa m e face, yet nu m erous outfits. Through his evolution as a musicia n ca m e his style revolution that continues to grow through age. With his trade m ark bright red mullet - a colour so favoured a m ong the fashion elite a nd hipsters alike, David Bowie crossed genres a nd styles to e m erge as a fashion icon. In his initial Gla m Rock phase, Bowie don ned platfor m s a nd brightly coloured ju m psuits. He pioneered the a nd rog y nous look, with m akeup, tight spa ndex a nd fla m boya nt colours. His 1973 Tour m arked a d istinct period in this style of d ress with Ka nsai Ya m a m oto was co m m issioned to desig n outfits. Here we see the iconic one ar m ed-one legged ju m psuit, geo m etric patterns, strong shoulders a nd asia n inspired ki m onos, all still so prevalent (perhaps exclud ing the first) in tod ay’s fashion.

The Thin W hite D uke appeared next, crooning soul a nd R&B hits in his trade m ark white shirt, black pa nts a nd waistcoat as a seg ue to the m ore d apper Bowie of tod ay. W hile see m ingly m ore ‘nor m al’ tha n the rest of his personas, the character took the m ost out of Bowie (due to his cocaine ha bit, of course). As this “e m otionless A rya n Super m a n”, Bowie took his character to the extre m e, as while not b eing the first to co m pletely live as a specific identity, he certainly popularised it. W hile keeping his flair, Bowie finally m oved into a nother era of style, shar p suiting. No one, it see m s, ca n q uite wear the white suit as Bowie ca n. Like the cha m eleon, his costu m e cha nges to reflect what person he is feeling like, a nd does so with such ease. W hile m ost influential in the 70s Bowie re m ains to b e one of the greatest fashion icons, for both m en a nd wo m en, b ecause of his a bility to push bou nd aries u ntil they are so far gone that new ones are created.

17.

STYLE MUSE

21.

27.

31.

1.

1.

1.

47.

SHORT STORY

SHORT STORY

A d isturbing tow n with all of its dusty

A nd we all screa m, of course, but we

lights a nd red lights a nd u nlit alleys

k new we had it co m ing. After the pests

a nd alleys full of dust. A tie ha ngs over

have b een exter m inated the cock roaches

the doork nob, saying for those who care

lead the city into a peace it has never

to k now not to enter a nd cold bod ies

k now n, u ntil the fleas b egin to grow. As

cal m the m selves inside. The next roo m is

big as cows. Those oppressed fleas ca n’t

e m pty. A nd it’s sheets are bloody, for

sta nd the treat m ent a ny m ore a nd lead the

those who’d care to look. But it doesn’t

re b ellion, their bou ncing m arch towards

see m as if a nyone m inds too much a bout

the centre of the city. They line the

the stain, now brow n. If you were in that

cock roaches up in a colour spectr u m (for

roo m you would n’t m ind.

they always loved that sort of decoration) a nd blow their brains out, one by one.

The roo m next to that has a n everlasting m asturbator.

A

never

collection

a nd

a

of

thinks

his

m other,

fil m

tissues.

They burn the m in piles a nd d ifferent

He

coloured sm oke rises fro m the city a nd

ho m e,

it rains acid dow n on the fleas b ecause

possi bly m asturbating. A nd he no longer

they d id n’t consider all the rad iation

wa nts to, but presses play a ny way. The

that had built up in their bod ies over

re m ote has layers of stickiness, but he

the m onths. It’s a terri ble scene for

doesn’t notice for his fingers are always

everyone involved, but it is soon over.

of

box

end ing at

her

sticky.

That m a n still sits in his hotel roo m A

corridor

full

of

these

roo m s,

this

m asturbating.

level u nderneath twenty, the hotel one of hu nd reds on the road, m illions in the

His last video is over a nd he wonders

world. All roo m s that stink of sweat a nd

a bout the silence. But the rain bow cloud

ju nk a nd passion a nd so m eti m es d isinterest

he sees is nice a nd he falls asleep a nd

a nd sad ness. You find yourself walking

d rea m s of it a nd never wakes up.

past such a place, nose turned up like the god you are. Nose turned up to let

The evolution is farcical a nd I laugh

all the odours find the m selves inside

b ecause

your nostrils. You don’t m ind.

cock roaches or people in the d ing y hotels.

I

don’t

k now

the

fleas

or

Their inky bod ies d isintegrate over ti m e The

cock roaches

dogs

so I cover the m in plastic b ecause plastic

a nd they for m ar m ies a nd m arch towards

takes a thousa nd years to break dow n. A nd

the centre of the city, a nten nae m oving

I bury the m u nderneath the soil stained

end lessly.

nuclear

with coloured particles, which sink as

attack, but only b ecause they don’t live

seeds a nd grow as flowers a nd at such

long enough for the rad iation to kill

speed b ecause of the rad iation.

They

grow

as

sur vive

big

the

as

the m. But they breed fast enough so they never really d ie a nd the cock roach q ueen

But they are b eautiful, a nd there is one

gags the hu m a ns a nd the king raises a

in every colour.

gia nt boot in their faces.

DO IT YOURSELF

DO IT YOURSELF

MAKE BAGGY 2ND HAND JEANS SKINNY LEGS Put jea ns on inside out a nd sta nd in front of a m irror. To create the new sea m start with your right leg a nd gra b the botto m he m of your jea ns to pull the m taut against your leg.

Using straight pins, b egin pin ning the new sea m fro m the botto m up.

Use your first pin to m ake sure that the botto m he m lines up; this way the cuff will b e even when you sew. Work your way up the leg, pin ning every couple of inches a nd blend ing back into the original sea m at the k nee. You should use your ha nds to sm ooth the fa bric arou nd your leg as you pin. Be careful not to pin too close, or you won’t b e a ble to take off your jea ns. Check out your work in the m irror b efore you take off the jea ns. If the fa bric is puckering or the botto m doesn’t line up, take out the pins a nd start again. It is also helpful to take a per m a nent m arker a nd d raw a line following the new silhouette of your leg up to your k nee. This will m ake it m ore clear how to sew the new sea m. Repeat on the left leg.

Take off the jea ns. Cut off a tiny sq uare of what is now excess fa bric -- the part that you will cut off after m aking your new sea m -- a nd use it to test the thread tension of your m achine b efore you sew your jea ns. Use your sewing m achine g uide to help you deter m ine how to cha nge the settings if your test stitches co m e out bad.

Begin stitching the new sea m. Line the foot up so that the m arker line you d rew is right outside the edge of the presser foot (b e sure to do this in such a way that you are sewing a line that is slightly larger tha n what you pin ned, not slightly sm aller). Follow the line up to the

.

point at the k nee where you blended back into the original sea m. Take out the pins a nd check out your work in the m irror. Do the pa nts go over your heel? Do they look right, without bu nching? Does the botto m cuff m atch up? If not, take out your stitches a nd start again. If so, congratulations! Take the jea ns off a nd cut off the excess fa bric, leaving a bout a half inch past where you stitched. For extra support of your new sea m, you should sew a second sea m that is parallel to your first stitch (on the side that is away, not next to, your leg).

Repeat on the other side.

FEATURE ARTICLE

what p l an et

is m or e

liv a

bl e, m

s ar

or s? nu ve

MEN ARE FROM MARS LETS ALL LIVE ON VENUS

51.

FEATURE ARTICLE

Accord ing

to

“NASA

facts,

Earth

a nd

Mars”

produced

by

National

Aeronautics a nd Space Ad m inistration (NASA) Venus, Earth a nd Mars are three pla nets that have their ow n at m osphere b ecause they have retained gases. However, these at m ospheres d iffer greatly b etween each pla net, which in turn affects the cli m ate of each pla net a nd therefore the potential for life in these environ m ents.

Venus is co m m only referred to as Earth’s “twin” due to their si m ilar size; Earth’s d ia m eter is approxi m ately 644 kilo m etres larger tha n that of Venus. W hen co m pared to other pla nets in our solar syste m, Venus is the pla net that orbits the closest to Earth, only b eing approxi m ately 38.2 m illion kilo m etres away. The m ass of Venus is slightly less tha n Earth, so objects would weigh slightly less when on Venus, due to the force of gravity. (Head, J., 2004). Each d ay on Venus eq uates to 243 Earth d ays. Venus has a ‘u niq ue back ward rotation’ as it is the only pla net to rotate in the opposite d irection to the way it travels arou nd the su n (NASA, 1975). Venus a nd Earth have a slightly si m ilar che m ical co m position, a nd Venus has m a ny active volca noes which results in this pla net having a way to ‘cycle che m icals i m porta nt to life’ (NASA, Life on earth... a nd elsewhere?).

Mars is co m m only referred to as b eing “Earth’s next door neigh bour” (Sq uyres, S. 2004) b ecause it is close to the Earth. Mars has a n average te m perature of -63C. W hile Venus has a n at m osphere that creates a green house effect, Mars’ at m osphere is too thin to protect the surface of Mars. Mars appears to b e a n ora nge-redd ish colour b ecause of its iron-rich rocks a nd soil. With a si m ilar rotation to that of Earth, each d ay on Mars is eq uivalent to 24.62 Earth hours. The gravitational force on Mars is approxi m ately 38 percent of Earth’s.

Mars is a m ore suita ble destination for future colonisation Mars is situated on the edge of the ha bita ble zone, this m ea ns that su nlight is a possi ble energ y source (NASA, Life on earth... a nd elsewhere?) It is b elieved by scientists that

FEATURE ARTICLE

there are three necessary req uire m ents for life a nd Mars al m ost certainly has each of these co m ponents which include; “che m ical ele m ents such as carbon, hyd rogen, oxygen, a nd nitrogen that for m the build ing blocks of living things, a source of energ y that living orga nism s ca n use, a nd liq uid water” (Sq uyres, S. 2004). The at m osphere of Mars has a general circulation of wind which is created in a si m ilar way to the wind we ex perience on Earth (Sq uyres, S. 2004), de m onstrating that Mars is si m ilar to Earth.

In 1877 Giova n ni Schiaparelli first noticed the ca nals on Mars, which are b elieved to have b een car ved by liq uid water, de m onstrating that life on Mars has existed (Bin ns, S., 2000). There is a possi bility to ex perience this again, as all that is req uired to alter on Mars is a slight cha nge to Mars’ te m perature. If this te m perature rose, there would b e co m plex cha nges to the vaporisation of the polar caps, the at m osphere would b eco m e denser a nd this is why it is b elieved that the pressure in the Mars at m osphere has the potential to b e high enough to hold bod ies of water on the pla net (NASA, 1975) Venus is not a suita ble destination for future colonisation Carbon d ioxide is in a dense layer at the botto m of the at m osphere (NASA, 1975). The surface te m perature of the pla net is extre m ely hot, approxi m ately 464 degrees Celsius (Head, J., 2004) which is b elieved to b e far too hot for future colonisation. Venus is b elieved to have the densest at m osphere of a ny pla net (Head, J., 2004) this pla net has de m onstrated a green house effect that has escalated. (NASA, 1975).

There is no water on Venus’ surface, as the te m perature causes the liq uid to evaporate q uickly. Venus is surrou nded by thick clouds of sulphuric acid which d istort the view of this pla net fro m Earth, a nd it affects geologists’ a bility to study the surface of Venus in detail.

(Head, J., 2004). W hen studying this pla net in great detail a nd by taking into accou nt the facts outlined a bove, it b eco m es evident that Venus is not suita ble for future colonisation.

53.

BREAKFAST

HOLLANDAISE SAUCE

3 egg yolks, at roo m te m perature 2 t bs water 175g u nsalted butter, cut into 1.5c m cu b es, at roo m te m perature 2 t bs fresh le m on juice Salt & grou nd white pepper Method Place a heatproof bowl over a m ed iu m saucepa n that is q uarter-filled with water. The bowl should fit snugly into the pa n without touching the water (lift the bowl to check a nd re m ove so m e water if it does).

Re m ove the bowl, cover the pa n a nd bring the water to the boil over high heat. Uncover a nd reduce heat to very low so the water is barely si m m ering (there should b e al m ost no m ove m ent at all). It is i m porta nt that the water is barely si m m ering while m aking the sauce - if it is too hot, the egg yolks will cook too much a nd the sauce will curd le.

Place the egg yolks a nd the 2 t bs water in the heatproof bowl a nd place over the pa n. Use a wire balloon whisk to whisk the m ixture consta ntly for 3 m inutes or u ntil it is thick a nd pale, has dou bled in volu m e a nd a ri bbon trail for m s when the whisk is lifted.

Add the butter a cu b e at a ti m e, whisking consta ntly a nd add ing a nother cu b e when the previous one is incor porated co m pletely. (It should take a bout 10 m inutes to add it all.) If butter is added too q uickly, it won't m ix easily with the egg yolks or the sauce m ay lose volu m e. At the sa m e ti m e, it is i m porta nt that the butter is at roo m te m perature a nd added a cu b e at a ti m e, so that it doesn't take too long to b e incor porated - if the sauce cooks for too long, it ca n curd le.

The sauce will b egin to thin when you start add ing the butter. However, once the e mulsion is esta blished (after a bout the third cu b e), it will b egin to thicken again. It will continue to thicken as the re m aining butter is added. If the sauce curd les or separates it ca n b e saved as long as it isn't grainy a nd the eggs haven't set.

Re m ove the bowl fro m the pa n a nd place on a heatproof surface. The cooked sauce should have the consistency of very lightly whisked thickened crea m. W hisk in the le m on juice a nd season with salt a nd pepper.

57.

BREAKFAST

MAIN

PAELLA

Heat 1/4 cup (2fl. oz) of the olive oil in a pa n. Add the pork, a nd brow n all sides. Mix in the garlic, onions, to m ato, a nd capsicu m, stirring consta ntly u ntil cooked. Set aside.

In a nother pa n, heat a further 1/4 cup (2 fl. oz) olive oil a nd cook the chicken u ntil brow ned on all sides. Season with salt, pepper, paprika, rose m ary, thy m e, a nd cu m in. Tra nsfer the chicken to a plate a nd set aside.

Heat 4 ta blespoons olive oil in a pa n, a nd sautÊ the rice u ntil it’s tra nslucent. Pour in the chicken broth, a nd co m bine well. Add the pork m ixture, stirring consta ntly. Sprinkle in the saffron a nd continue to stir u ntil well m ixed.

Mix in the chicken, chorizo sausages, shri m p, a nd peas, co m bining well. Si m m er, u ncovered, on a low heat for arou nd 25 m inutes, or u ntil all the liq uid has b een a bsorb ed. Do not stir during this ti m e. The paella needs to develop a cr ust at the botto m of the pa n Ser ve the paella straight fro m the pa n, garnished with le m on wedges.

59.

1/2 pint of olive oil 2 oz boneless pork, d iced 2 teaspoons m inced garlic 6 oz onions, chopped fine 1 m ed iu m to m ato, skin ned, seeded a nd chopped 1 red capsicu m, seeded a nd cut into thin strips 1 green capsicu m, seeded a nd cut into strips 2 chicken thigh fillets cut into chu nks Salt a nd pepper to taste 1 teaspoon paprika 1/2 teaspoon d ried rose m ary 1/2 teaspoon d ried thy m e 1/4 teaspoon grou nd cu m in 1.5 cups rice 3 cups chicken broth 1/4 teaspoon saffron 2 chorizo sausages, cooked a nd cut into chu nks 10 u ncooked shri m p, peeled a nd deveined 1/4 cup peas Le m on wedges, to garnish

61.

MAIN

2 sm all ba by egg pla nts,

Preheat oven to 160째C. Place egg pla nt, b ea ns a nd sweet

tri m m ed, thinly sliced

potato on a flat tray lined with paper towel. Pat with

leng thways

m ore paper towel to re m ove excess m oisture. Place

12 stringless green b ea ns

plain flour in a shallow bowl.

1/2 sm all sweet potato,

Half-fill a deep-fryer or wok with oil. Heat u ntil hot.

peeled, cut into 5m m-thick

Place a wire rack over a baking tray lined with paper

slices

towel.

1/3 cup plain flour

Mea nwhile, co m bine 1 egg yolk a nd 1 cup chilled water

vegeta ble oil, for deep-frying

in a bowl. Stir with chopsticks or flat-bladed k nife.

Kikko m a n Soy, Sashi m i a nd

Add 1 cup flour a nd stir lightly with chopsticks. Do

Sushi Dipping Sauce, to ser ve

not b eat or over-m ix (flour should still b e lu m py).

Dip veeta bles lightly in plain flour. Dip in te m pura

Te m pura batter

batter to coat. Gently ease 5 to 6 pieces at a ti m e

2 egg yolks

into hot oil. Cook, turning occasionally, for 2 to 3

2 cups chilled water

m inutes or u ntil crisp a nd golden. Use a slotted spoon

2 cups plain flour

to re m ove to wire rack. Make second batch of te m pura batter

using

re m aining

ingred ients.

Repeat

step

4

using te m pura, b ea ns a nd sweet potato.

A rra nge vegeta bles on ser ving plates. Ser ve with d ark soy d ipping sauce.

crispy duck with spring onion pancakes

MAIN

pancakes

2 cups plain flour 2 tsp baking powder 1 1/2 t bs pea nut or vegeta ble oil, plus extra for shallowfrying 10 green onions, root-ends tri m m ed 2 t bs sesa m e oil Hoisin sauce, to ser ve Co m bine flour, baking powder a nd 1 tsp salt in a food processor. With m otor r u n ning, add 160m l war m water m ixed with 1 1/2 t bs pea nut or vegeta ble oil a nd process u ntil it for m s a dough. Wrap in plastic wrap a nd aside for 20 m inutes.

Tri m onions to 30c m. Cut white part into 10c m leng ths, then shred.Thinly slice green tops a nd reser ve. Co m bine shredded onion, carrot, cucu m b ers, b ea n sprouts, sugar, vinegar a nd 1/2 tsp salt in a bowl.

Preheat oven to 180째C. Roll dough into a 30c m-long log, then cut into 12 pieces a nd cover. Place 1 piece on a lightly floured surface a nd use a rolling pin to for m a 15c m rou nd. Br ush with sesa m e oil, scatter with 1 t bs onions tops, then roll up. Seal ends with sesa m e oil a nd for m a spiral.

Repeat with re m aining dough, sesa m e oil a nd onion tops, then flatten sprials into 12c m rou nds. Store pa ncakes b etween layers of plastic wrap. Heat a thin fil m of pea nut or vegeta ble oil in a frying pa n over m edui m heat. Cook pa ncakes, in batches, for 1 1/2 m inutes each side or u ntil lightly golden.

Note: these little pa ncakes are such a lovely acco m pa ni m ent with a ny Maylasia n or Ind ia n curry.

65.

MAIN

duck

2 tsp whole Szechua n peppercorns (see note) 1/4 tsp grou nd star a nise 1.8kg whole duck (see note) 2 whole star a nise 1 piece cassia bark or 1 cin na m on q uill 2c m piece ginger, sliced 1 spring onion, cut into 3 leng ths 2 t bs d ark soy sauce 2 t bs Chinese rice wine (shaohsing) or d ry sherry 1 cup plain flour, to dust Vegeta ble oil, to deep-fry Place the Szechua n pepper, grou nd star a nise a nd 1 1/2 ta blespoon sea salt in a fry pa n over m ed iu m heat. Dry-fry for 2 m inutes u ntil fragra nt. Cool, then pou nd to a powder using a m ortar a nd pestle.

Rinse duck inside a nd out a nd d ry well with paper towel. Place whole star a nise, cassia, ginger a nd spring onion in duck cavity, then r u b powdered spice m ix into skin. Cover a nd chill for at least 4 hours, prefera bly overnight, for flavours to infuse.

Cook duck in a large stea m er set over boiling water for a bout 1 hour 30 m inutes u ntil cooked (juices r u n clear when thigh is pierced). Cool for 2 hours to d ry out.

Mix soy a nd wine, then r u b well all over duck. D ust in flour, shaking off excess.

Half-fill a large wok with oil a nd heat to 190째C (a cu b e of bread will turn golden in 30 seconds when oil is hot enough). Carefully add duck, breast-side dow n, then cook for 4 m inutes. Turn a nd cook for a further 4 m inutes u ntil deep golden all over.

Drain on paper towel a nd allow to rest.

Note: reg ular pepper ca n b e used as a replace m ent for the szechua n pepper, just d ivide the q ua ntity This recipe ca n b e halved or even q uatered, use it on a duck breast for insta nce, ajust the cooking ti m es accord ingly.

TREATS

RED VELVET CUPCAKES

3 1/2 cups sifted cake flour 1 teaspoon baking powder 1 teaspoon salt 2 ta blespoons u nsweetened cocoa powder 2 oz. red food coloring (two bottles) 1/2 cup u nsalted butter, softened 1 1/2 cups sugar 2 eggs, at roo m te m perature 1 teaspoon va nilla extract 1 cup butter m ilk, at roo m te m perature 1 teaspoon white vinegar 1 teaspoon baking sod a

67.

TREATS

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line two 12-cup muffin tins or silicone pa ns with cupcake liners.

2. Sift together the cake flour, baking powder, a nd salt into a m ed iu m bowl a nd set aside. In a sm aller bowl, m ix food coloring a nd cocoa powder to for m a thin paste without lu m ps a nd set aside.

3. In a large bowl, using a ha nd m ixer or sta nd m ixer, b eat butter a nd sugar together u ntil light a nd fluffy, a bout three m inutes. Beat in eggs, one at a ti m e, then b eat in va nilla a nd the red cocoa paste, scraping dow n the bowl with a spatula as you go. Add one third of the flour m ixture to the butter m ixture, b eat well, then b eat in half of the butter m ilk. Beat in a nother third of flour m ixture, then second half of butter m ilk. End with the last third of the flour m ixture, b eat u ntil well co m bined, m aking sure to scrape dow n the bowl with a spatula.

4. In a sm all bowl, m ix vinegar a nd baking sod a. Be careful as it will fizz so don’t do it in a shallow bowl. Add vinegar m ixture to the cake batter a nd stir well to co m bine. Fill cupcake cups with cake batter u ntil they are a little u nder 3/4 full. I ended up with 20 cupcakes. Place muffin tins in your preheated oven. Bake for approxi m ately 20, rotating pa ns halfway through. The cupcakes are done when you are a ble to pat the tops a nd the cake springs back up. If it sinks dow n they are not yet co m plete. Or you ca n insert a toothpick into the center of a cupcake in the center of the tin a nd if it co m es out clea n they are done 5. Cool the cupcakes in their tins on a wire rack for 10 m inutes then re m ove a nd allow to cool co m pletely b efore frosting.

RESTAURANT REVIEW

VUE REVIEW In Ju ne 2006, the indulgent Vue D u Monde welco m ed a you nger a nd m ore infor m al si bling to Mel bourne – Café Vue.

O w ner

a nd head chef, Sha n non Ben net, has m ore tha n don’t it again.

It is located on Little Collins Street, in b etween Queen a nd Eliza b eth Streets. The café is q uite sm all a nd does not take bookings so there m ay b e a bit of a wait during busy ti m es, but speaking fro m my ex perience I had no proble m.

Upon arriving at Café Vue, I decided on the lu nch box, which is basically the Cafés sig nature version of deg ustation. The takeaway lu nch box is pitched at those such as business m en a nd wo m en with li m ited ti m e, but I’d send it out with a parental advisory:

the

$15

box

of

tricks

is

great

(last

m onths’s

included la m b rillettes, ocea n trout on brioche, a nd rhu barb cheesecake) but it’s going to m ake parents feel very g uilty a bout send ing the kids off with Vege m ite on sliced white a nd a ba na na. As the for mule of the lu nch box co m ponents always follows starter, salad, savoury a nd sweet, the lu nch box m enu b eing ser ved on my particular visit included – Chicken Sausage Roll Chick pea & goats cheese salad Plough m a ns roll Yuzu yo-yos To b egin with, I adored the novelty of separate co m ponents ser ved in a single box – which was also b eautiful – al m ost like a conte m porary-Australia n take on Bento. Choosing what to start with was d ifficult, a nd I ended up referring to

a nd

following the ite m s listed on the lid of the lu nch box. The Chicken Sausage roll was A M AZING. Fla xy puff pastry, roll in toasted sesa m e a nd a salty chicken m ine inside was definitely the highlight of the box. Although it looked q uote m iniature, it was deceivingly filling a nd I enjoyed every bite. Next was the Chick pea & Goats cheese sald. On paper this sou nds like my perfect salad – I adore goats cheese a nd although I love chick peas,

69.

RESTAURANT REVIEW

if a criticism were to b e m ade a bout a ny co m ponents of the lu nch box, it would b e the salad. The fen nel used in in the salad, co m bined with a stra nge green herb (I think it was d ill) that I could n’t q uite identify – were over powering. It only took a couple of forkfulls b eing I was defeated by the strong flavour, a nd I m oved into the Pough m a ns roll. This cute little parcel was also lovely – a sweet roll with salty ha m a nd ta ng y chutney was a really nice bala nce, twisting a so m ewhat ‘u ncool’ sa ndwich ty pe into Vue sophistication. The Yuzu yoyos were also a highlight. Yuzu is a n asia n citr us fr uit that has see m ed to b eco m e popular in western cooking recently, a nd the yoyos fro m Vue were no exception – sweet, cr u m bly a nd light, fused together with a set y uzu ga nache. O verall I loved my lu nch box!

Basically, if you don’t have a sly $600 to blow in one sitting like what is req uired at Vue D u Monde, yet still yearn to taste the in novative, a nd still gour m et, creations of Ben nets then I highly reco m m end a trip to Café Vue. Bon Appetit!

DO IT YOURSELF

grow your own

71.

DO IT YOURSELF

Sowing Now you are ready to open your packet a nd sow those m iraculous little seeds!

It is usually b est to sow in a straight line so that you ca n easily d isting uish your vegeta bles fro m a ny weeds which m ay also sprout. A general r ule that works for m a ny seeds is that you pla nt the m at a depth that is twice the d ia m eter of the seed with a m ini mu m depth of 1 c m.

Water with a fine spray initially. The seeds need m oisture to develop, so keep the m m oist but don’t d row n the m.

Pests Looking

at

your

growing

crop

every

d ay

not

only

gives

satisfaction but ca n ena ble you to q uickly detect a ny har m ful insects a nd physically re m ove the m. The other options, of course,

include

choosing

products

with

low

toxicity

eg

Pyrethr u m insecticide, trying biological control eg Dipel (for cater pillars) a nd using co m pa nion pla nting. (Marigolds are very good). Snail bait is so m ething that you m ay need to use. (Multig uard is much safer tha n other baits.) A snail b eer trap ca n b e very effective - bury a container level with the grou nd & fill with b eer. Coffee grind ings sprinkled on the soil ca n work well too.

VEGETABLE GARDEN

Location

The one really vital req uire m ent for a successful vegeta ble garden is a su n ny location. Choose the su n niest spot you ca n find. If the only su n ny area is paved, or on the deck or balcony, then pla nt your vegeta bles in pots.

The Soil The soil in a vegeta ble garden needs to b e well-d raining with a good str ucture (nice a nd cr u m bly) that allows rapid root grow th a nd easy access to nutrients, water a nd air. It should b e dug over to break up clu m ps of soil (never d ig when the soil is wet & sticky as this will cause clu m ping).

If, however, you find d igging d ifficult, or are faced with a co m pacted, poorly-d rained site, then build ing up a "no-d ig garden" with layers of straw, hay a nd co m post a bove grou nd level will allow you to grow wonderful vegeta bles without the heav y work of d igging over the b ed.

W hat to Pla nt To m atoes,

b ea ns,

peas,

broccoli,

capsicu m s,

lettuce,

carrots a nd zucchini are all fairly easy to grow. You don’t need a huge space at all, a nd a vegie garden ca n b e very attractive.

FINISH

73.

NEXT ISSUE: THE BEIGE ISSUE

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