Top chefs will tell you that the secret to great cooking is great ingredients. Your first thoughts should be about what’s going to give you the richest and best quality flavours. Choose recipes to compliment the best ingredients available to you at any given point in time.
What's in Season for February
Again we find the perfect excuse to postpone those healthy New Year resolutions, for what Valentines Day is complete without strawberries & cream, rich dark chocolates and chilled oysters by the dozen?
All are purported to possess aphrodisiacal qualities, and all will have you longing for more! After all who can resist such wicked delights? Casanova, who’s name remains synonymous with the art of seduction and is often credited with having been the worlds greatest lover, famously feasted on Oysters every day.
Salty, sensuous and seductive, Oysters are best at their simplest (in my opinion) - freshly shucked and served on a bed of crushed ice with just a squeeze of lemon. But for something a little different try a French inspired eschallot vinegar, or a Japanese dressing of mirin and grated white daikon. Alternatively you can serve them hot as Kilpatrick or with a creamy Mornay sauce.
Any which way, Oysters by candlelight, finished with strawberries and chocolates, accompanied by glasses of chilled champagne are sure to be a hit.
| Fruits In Season |
|---|
| Apricots |
| Melon – Honeydue, Rockmelon, Watermelon |
| Bananas |
| Nectarines |
| Berries – Blackberries, Blueberries, Boysenberries, Gooseberries, Mulberries, Raspberry, Strawberry |
| Oranges - Valencia |
| Cherry |
| Passionfruit |
| Grapes |
| Peaches |
| Figs |
| Pineapples |
| Pear - Howell, Williamsn, Red Sensation |
| Plums |
| Lime |
| Guava |
| Lychee |
| Rumbutan |
| Mangos |
| Mnagosteen |
| Vegetables In Season |
|---|
| Asian Greens |
| Peas – Green Peas, Snow Peas, Sugar Snaps |
| Avocados – Reed |
| Radish |
| Beans - Borlotti, Butter, Green, Flat, Snake |
| Capsicum |
| Chilli |
| Celery |
| Squash |
| Choko |
| Sweet Corn |
| Onion – Brown; Salad; spring |
| Lettuce |
| Cucumber |
| Tomatos |
| Daikon |
| Watercress |
| Eggplant |
| Zucchini |
| Okra |
| Zucchini Flowers |