Popcorn controversy

Could you ever imagine eating Flipper? Worse yet, can you imagine eating Flipper and not knowing it?

I'm still undecided about the movie 'The Cove' - I think the adventure actually outplays any genuine message of the film. But I think it's best that everyone forms their own opinions - especially when it comes to documentaries that touch on traditional and cultural sensitivities.

The Cove - out 20 August

Feeling tarty

I love a good tart. Cakes are lovely but there's something about the harmonious relationship between pastry and a filling that makes a tart ever so pleasing and delicate. Most tarts, anyway. I have a disposition for frangipane tarts, which I've had before I even knew what frangipane was. And, I also have this terrible habit of taking shortcuts and making adaptations to recipes - you'd think I'd learn after numerous kitchen disasters.

Beating eggs into creamed butter and icing sugar

The recipe for the filling calls for equal weights of butter and icing sugar mixture to be creamed, and the subsequent addition of eggs to the beating. It sounds silly, but I found the frangipane way too buttery, a bit too sweet and a bit too eggy. Silly, I know.

Adding almond meal into butter, sugar and egg mixture

It's then the addition of almond meal, which is a new ingredient to me. It smells quite fragrant though I forget to have a taste before adding it all to the mixture. I continue to mix with a spoon, putting out of mind any thoughts about fat content and the like.

Raspberries into the tart case...

At least there's nuts and fruit - they're healthy. I try not to eat all the raspberries straight from the freezer pack, instead putting them in the base of the baked pastry case. Next time, I thik I would mix them through the frangipane filling instead. I cheated and used store-bought shortcrust pastry rather than making my own. Pastry and icing are long-time foes of mine.

Off topic, I think frozen raspberries make a lovely and healthy, albeit slightly expensive, snack for summer time or even winter as in this case. I think the remainder will go into pancakes, if not straight into my mouth.

... and frangipane filling on top

I plop the frangipane filling into the pastry case in what looks a less than pretty sight. With no raspberries visible, it looks rather bland and unexciting. But it's not all about looks, is it? Especially when it comes to tarts.

A few more raspberries for the top

A few additional raspberries on top pretties up the picture and at this point I'm quite excited and can't wait to taste the creation. In what the recipe describes as 25 minutes in the oven turns out to be almost double that. I'm not sure if my tray is not as wide as a tart ring or if my oven is a little on the mild side, but it was a lengthily-watched oven and tart before the wobbling, jiggling centre disappeared.

The baked tart

This was not how I envisaged the tart in my mind. Aside from the 'too lazy to cut the corners (oxymoron?) from my square of shortcrust pastry for the round dish', I was thinking of red raspberries popping out the top of an evenly golden surface. Not quite, as the raspberries submersed themselves quicksand-style in the dark edged filling. Oh well.

The only visible raspberry after baking

I was a little scared to bring a knife to the tart, with visions of deflation or liquid insides on mind. There was quite a bit of moistness towards the centre of the tart, but the overall seemed adequately cooked. And in the most important test of all?

Sliced raspberry frangipane tart

It was edible. I loved the slightly sour contrast of the cooked raspberries to the filling, although their very berry presence on the bottom made the pastry a little soggy. The flavour of the almond meal is a little overpowering in the first mouthful, gradually overtaken by butteriness and sweetness, with a final hit of egginess. No points for guessing the ingredients in this tart!

In the end, I think a short and sweet pastry would have made a difference, as it's a key part to enjoying a tart as opposed to a soggy pastry. I would explore other recipes for frangipane, remaining aware of the powerful flavour of almond meal as too the fact that many recipes call for excess amounts of butter. Tucking into another slice with a cup of tea, this tart has learnt a good lesson in tartiness.

Speaking up

I've been told before that if you say out loud what you want, you'll get it. I was skeptical when I first heard it and I'm still skeptical about it. What does that say for birthday wishes when you're not supposed to tell anyone?

And aside from realising that there's a lot of internal muttering happening in my head, I don't see my million dollars, Jimmy Choo's or round-the-world plane ticket. Perhaps there was small print. Perhaps the voiced desires are more a motivation tool or 'cry for help' rather than click-of-the-fingers, genie stuff. Too bad it's not all as easy as pressing a button, like it is at Madang. Press, speak up, get it - beautifully simple stuff.

We endured the obligatory Friday night wait by leaving the dark laneway - raffle ticket in hand - and heading to the nearest pub for a drink and snack. At least 30 minutes later our number still hadn't been called, so pity the souls who actually wait outside the restaurant huddled around an outdoor heater.

The atmosphere inside is immediately warming and lively, doorbells going off every few seconds or so above mostly group chatter. The banchan starters are hurried over to our waiting appetites after not long and never fail to delight with their seeming random-ness and ever-changing variety.

Banchan at Madang Sydney Restaurant, Pitt Street, Sydney

Tonight we have, starting from the top left, a particularly spicy kimchi radish in soft, thin strips. Next (clockwise) is the normalcabbage kimchi; a good level of chilli heat for me. Then my favourite butter lettuce leaves with still undetermined puree on top - there must be raw onion in it because the aftertaste is really quite strong, but it's also a bit sweet and very refreshing. The most novel banchan is the ice cream scoop of mashed potato colourfully dotted with peas, corn kernels, diced carrot and cubes of apple. We're reassured it's not ice cream but it is, nonetheless, an odd mouthful. And finally, a spinach dish sprinkled with sesame seeds.

Seafood pancake

I can't go to Madang and not have their seafood pancake. Call it an addiction or obsession, if you will. Every bite is a guranteed pleaser: if not some squid or prawn, then it'll be some well-cooked spring onion or golden crunchy dough smothered in the chilli dipping sauce.

Steamed dumplings

It's the first time I've tried these steamed dumplings, as I tend to favour the fried versions normally. These are very similar to Chinese wonton, although the pork filling is distinctly different. These morsels are bite sized and disappear frighteningly fast.

Spicy tofu and crab soup

For a chilly night, nothing beats a boiling hot and spicy soup. The combination of tofu and crab sounds divine on paper but is even better in tongue-scalding real life. Equipped only with metal soup spoons, it's devourer beware as the chilli gets you if the heat doesn't. I actually discover several decently sized chunks of crab, not imitation crab stick, which lends a certain sweetness to the soup beneath the spicy flavours.

Now looking back, it seems quite a light meal but I guess numerous refills of the banchan, the bottle of Korean raspberry wine (like Ribena - which I know is blackcurrant - gone 18+), and the sneaky bowl of chips at the pub (with what seemed like cupfuls of tomato sauce and aioli) might have played a part.

Sated and smoked we depart, wishing that life were only as simple and straightforward as ordering in a restaurant. I guess it comes back down to the same ever-challenging problem - knowing what you want before speaking up.