Bourke Street Bakery has earned its place in many a Sydney foodie’s heart and gained a reputation as somewhat of an institution. Having moved close to BSB recently I have had to resist the temptation to go here daily for a sweet and/or savoury fix.
For those not lucky enough to live so close or those wanting to avoid the inevitable queue of pastry addicts there is another way- Bourke Street Bakery: The Ultimate Baking Companion. The book is described as having “clear and concise instructions, aimed at the novice home baker while remaining an inspirational and technical reference for professionals of the crust and crumb world”. A friend of a friend who happens to be an experienced pastry chef has tried many of the recipes in the book and has confirmed that they are legitimate. Whether a person lacking in professional baking experience would be able to replicate BSB treats with the same success remains to be seen. I intent to give it my best shop as soon as I get my paws on a copy of the book.
The book is a tome of considerable size, coming in at 368 pages and includes recipes for such BSB favourites as white chocolate and raspberry muffins and sourdough breads. It is available to buy from the ABC shop for $69.95. For those of you who are strapped for cash and/or patient it can be pre-ordered from Book Depository for only $20.25 including postage but will not be available until March 2010.
Tags: baked goods, baking, bourke street bakery, cook book, cookbook, recipe, recipe book
When watching Whip It last night I was very surprised to find that a song from the debut record of Strokes drummer, Fabrizio Moretti’s side project, Little Joy, was featured on the soundtrack. Why is it so surprising, I hear you ask. Well, the film is the directorial debut of actress Drew Barrymore. Made the connection yet? No? Fabrizio and Drew dated for five years after meeting at a concert back in 2002 until Moretti called the relationship off in early 2007.
A couple of weeks back a friend informed me that on their upcoming Australian tour, punk rock band The Bronx would be supporting themselves as their alter-ego ‘
Out of all the titles covered by the thirty three and a third series a few really caught my attention. First and foremost was Elvis Costello’s ‘Armed Forces‘, written by 
Another of the titles which grabbed my eye was 
Are we any closer to ‘Closing the Gap’?
12 AugAlthough Indigenous Affairs minister, Jenny Maklin has stated that it is the government’s view that long-term effectiveness of any initiative relies on indigenous engagement, this view does not appear to be reflected in the implementation of government policies. There is a stark contrast between the bureaucratic red tape and delays demonstrated by the government and the rapid success of indigenous lead housing initiatives.
Yunupingu’s housing scheme which has been running since May has employed local indigenous workers and successfully constructed an eight bedroom home. This initiative is not only serving the purpose of creating desperately needed housing but is also training young men and women in the skills required to build, plumb and wire houses. Yunupingu expressed his frustration over the stagnation and inactivity of the government who have failed to deliver one single house in the two year period since the Northern Territory government announces this $700 million initiative. His scheme has achieved more in four months than the government has managed to accomplish in a two year period.
Similarly, the residents of Tiwi Island have been told they will receive less than a third of the new housing which was promised to them by the federal government’s under the Strategic Indigenous Housing and Infrastructure Program, a joint initiative undertaken with the Northern Territory government. Delays in delivering promised housing have been attributed to the large costs associated with demolishing existing housing which had not been factored into initial estimated. Also, a desire from residents for a variety of housing designs has been blamed for a reduction in economies of scale.
Tags: australia, closing the gap, Current Affairs, Galarrwuy Yunupingu, housing, housing crisis, indigenous australians, intervention, jenny maklin, northern territory, the intervention