Dinner with Doris (Saturday November 17)

Just wanted to spruik an event featuring Anthony Georgeff and Jane Cornes - she's on the right in the above picture; with her is friend and other half of music duo Doris, Margie Hanly, not Mr Georgeff - two (retired?) food and drink writers who've played big roles in helping Western Australia eat and drink a little better (Anthony used to edit the sadly defunct Spice Magazine while Jane was Australian Gourmet Traveller's former WA state editor before I took over). Great part of the world, Balingup. If you're after an excuse for a south-west road trip, this'd be a good one. Details of the dinner below copied from press release.

Join WA’s favourite gal duo for a night of good food and fine original music. Includes a three-course long table Spring Feast created by Anthony Georgeff

SAT 17 NOV

6.30pm, Balingup Lesser Hall

$65 per person BYO

Bookings essential – book online at trybooking.com/35768 or at Taste of Balingup

The Bee's Knees

With World Gin Day almost upon us, now seems like an appropriate time to dig out a few gin recipes. Can't recall how I arrived at this old school concoction, but I know coming home from Esperance with a jar of local Protea honey and an abundance of lemons had something to do with it. If possible, I'd stick with a higher proof gin. The honey and lemon in this drink are feisty characters and I think the extra oomph helps keep them in line. Incidentally, this is the first all West Australian cocktail I've featured. Easy enough as there's only one form of alcohol in there I suppose, but thinking out loud for a sec: wouldn't it be great if there were more 100 per cent West Australian cocktails around the traps?

The Bee's Knees
(Adapted from a recipe by Erik Adkins of Slanted Door published in the San Francisco Chronicle)

60ml The West Winds The Cutlass (or any high proof London Dry Gin)
22.5ml fresh-squeezed lemon juice
22.5ml Protea honey syrup¹

Combine ingredients² in an ice-filled mixing glass and shake for 15 seconds. Strain and serve up in a chilled cocktail glass. Garnish with a flamed lemon twist.

¹ To make honey syrup, combine equal parts honey and hot water. I find it easier to add the honey to the hot water rather than vice versa, but whatever works. Refrigerate before use.

² There's latitude to make this cocktail as sweet or as sour as you like. For mine, equal parts honey syrup and lemon juice makes for a drink a little on the sugary side. Adjusting with an extra quarter ounce of lemon juice did the trick, but you might like it as is. Balance really is a personal thing and, without getting too wanky about it, the variety of lemons and honey you're using will come into play, too: there's a marked difference between the tart juice of a bush lemon and the musky, floral liquid produced by juicing a Meyer lemon. Kill all that noise, yo. Thanks to my man Darren at Yet Another Foodie Blog, I won't be deviating from the bush lemon (or at least non-Meyer lemon) path when it comes to mixing drinks. That extra zip in the bush lemon juice snapped The Bee's Knees back into lip-smacking balance. Thanks for the heads up, chief.

And just because I want to, here's a link to an excellent local artist I heard on the radio today. "Tired" is one heck of a listen.

Chairlift Daytrotter Session

Back from a hectic 24 hours in Melbourne. It was full on but a lot of fun and was well worth it to get to interview Heston Blumenthal.

My friend at Sony flicked on an email about this new band called Chairlift which had this to say about them:

Chairlift, a multi-instrumental three-piece, currently hailing from Brooklyn, New York, play a thoughtful, dream-filled pop music, combining the timelessness of unforgettable melody with spare and sophisticated production, a meta-psychedelic worldview, and a classical avant-garde sensibility resolutely and merrily embracing the future.

A bit of a mouthful but I was intrigued and loved what I heard. For those who love mellow psych-tinged music, give this a go. The track I downloaded "Somewhere around here" reminds me a lot of the B -side to this Poets of Rhythm 45 I have in my record collection.

Give the tracks a listen by clicking here.

Own your own AT-AT Walkman

Star Wars fans take note - whether you're with the Rebellion or the Empire, you have to admit that a boombox modeled on an AT-AT walker is a Force to be reckoned with.

I don't know if it's for sale, a prototype or just some damn cool illustration, but you can find more pictures here.

Props to Matt the senior graphic designer at work for sending through the images as well as the link to ffffound!