Escape to Byron in your kitchen
Byron Cooking and Eating - Steven Snow
Louise Johnson
Byron Cooking and Eating by Steven Snow [©Steven Snow]
I pulled the dust cover off Steven Snow's cookbook, Byron Cooking and Eating, when it arrived and opened it out to reveal a massive panoramic image of the lighthouse at Byron Bay. On the back is a collage of iconic images from the region, mixed with food from inside the book. Already I'm in a delicious place.
There's something about Byron Bay that draws out your inner hippy. Every time I visit I find myself scouring noticeboards for yoga classes, ordering vegetarian meals and seeking out the "organic" and "preservative free" options on the wine list. And, like many, I spend at least 20 minutes in a real estate agent's window wishing I had the balls to uproot, downsize and live the blissful life.
Byron Cooking and Eating inspired those same urges just with its dust cover - imagine what happened when I started reading.
Steven Snow (Snowy) is a renowned Australian chef. He took over the "jinxed" site of Fins at Brunswick Heads, complete with a resident python, and transformed it into a quirky, sought after, dining icon, before moving it to Byron Bay's Beach Hotel. Fins at Byron was awarded best country restaurant for three consecutive years by The Sydney Morning Herald Good Food Guide, which gives the new Fins venture at the beachfront Salt Village in South Kingscliff in northern NSW two hats in the 2009 guide. Snowy is constantly touring, teaching master classes and working in kitchens throughout Portugal, Indonesia, France, Vietnam, Vanuatu and Fiji.
He gets around, and it shows in the diversity of influences in his recipes. There are many secrets in this book, all referred to within the recipes and tucked away in the back under the "basics" section. Snowy's basics aren't limited to how to make a nice chicken stock (though he does include a few stock recipes). This section is packed with amazing marinades, a Mullumbimby plum chutney, tarmarind water, and an amazing Lisbon paste that will transform your cooking.
We eat with our eyes and Snowy acknowledges this in the images chosen for the book. Amazing images of Byron and surrounds, of the food and of Steven at work by photograher Brett Boardman, turn this into more than just a cookbook. It's split into sections based on how we eat, rather than what we eat.
"Blissed out on the verandah" looks at the food Snowy creates at home, a farm at Possum Creek. Fresh vegetables and fruit from his garden adorn the recipes in this section, with lemon myrtle taking a starring role. "Peace, love and red beans" is a nod to the healthy culture of the Byron area, and these vegetarian recipes will have you breaking out the lentils. Japanese dumplings with tamarind ginger sauce and enoki tempura are a hit on the Fins menu, and will be a hit in kitchens around the country now. "Barefoot on the beach and splendour in the grass" covers outdoor food with great ideas for picnics and barbeques, and "night sky and sparkling slip-ons" brings us back to where it all began with some amazing seafood dishes from Fins.
Overall, this is the sort of cookbook that will make you feel good about cooking, especially about cooking seafood, and brings a holiday feeling into your kitchen. It's guaranteed to give you a longing for the sandy shores of Byron Bay, and a trip to the new Fins in Kingscliff.
Byron Cooking and Eating is published by Murdoch Books (September 2008), RRP A$69.95
VisitVineyards.com and Winepros Archive subscribers may buy Byron Cooking and Eating at a subscribers-only 12.5% discounted price through our book partners, Seekbooks (postage extra).
Regions
- North Coast NSW (NSW)
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