Crittenden Estate

Crittenden Estate
25 Harrisons Road
Dromana 3936

Before I start talking about lunch at Crittenden Estate I want to mention that today is Leap 'baby' Piecey Num Num's 4th birthday. I didn't plan to launch my blog on the 29th, it just sort of happened and as the day only comes around once every 4 years I think it is worth mentioning. The last 4 years haven't exactly panned out as I had planned. The frequency of my posts has been a bit erratic over the years as I have allowed 'life' to get in the way of blogging but I have big plans for the blog this year and regular posts are at the top of the list. Now back to lunch :)

On our way home from our week in Mt Martha we dropped into Crittenden Estate for an early lunch. On the weekends in summer they serve casual food truck style food on the terrace in front of the Stillwater restaurant.  This suited our plans perfectly for a casual lunch and the food was delicious.

Normally at a winery I am all about the wine but as I was driving home and it was just before noon I decided to have tea. Tea and coffee are served with a petit four and on this occasion it was a divine little macaron. The flavour was intriguing - I didn't write it down (blogger fail) but I remember it was a combination of chocolate and sichuan pepper.  

We shared a number of dishes for lunch.  All the food arrived picnic style in baskets and boxes. My favourite was the pork slider but the mushroom and truffle arancini were also delicious and very moreish. The truffle flavour was gorgeous.

Pulled pork sliders with dill pickles, slaw & BBQ sauce (2) / $14

Mushroom & truffle arancini with aioli (5) / $12

Bowl of chips / $10

Prawn gyoza with soy & mirin sauce (5) / $12

The kid's fish and chips were a big hit with everyone, not just the kids!  We also ordered the kid's pasta bolognese ($13) but Miss 4 was too hungry to wait so no pictures.  She polished it off so that's always a good sign! (The penne bolognese was served in a bowl!)

Kid's fish & chips / $13

The grounds are gorgeous and huge with lots of space for kids to run around.  My niece and nephew had a lot of fun exploring and visiting the various animal sculptures dotting the landscape.

  

As we left we visited the cellar door.  It's a lovely space overlooking the lake so I will definitely be coming back to sample some wine.

Piecey Num Nums 1st Birthday!!

My "leap year baby" blog is one today!  My first post was on 29th February 2012 - I didn't plan it - it just sort of happened!!  

I can't say the year has unfolded as I had hoped when I wrote my first post.  Primarily I haven't blogged as much as I would have liked however I am hoping to change that this year.  I also didn't travel outside of the state I live in though I am excited to say that is definitely going to change this year.

In June I am travelling to France and Spain.  I am beyond excited about this as it has been many years since I was last in Europe.  And as you might guess from these glimpses of my home, I am slightly obsessed with Paris!  I am looking forward to sharing my trip with you!  

To mark this occasion I decided to make some birthday savoury muffins.  This recipe from the taste.com.au website caught my eye awhile ago but as usual I decided it would be so much better with a few little additions ;)  They are best eaten warm (20 seconds in the microwave) and I think they would be lovely as an accompaniment to soup.

Cumin and Pea Muffins

Ingredients

• 1 brown onion, grated or finely chopped
• 2 slices lean bacon, finely chopped
• 1 tsp minced garlic or 1 garlic clove crushed
• 1 tablespoon ground cumin
• 1 cup frozen peas
• 1 egg
• 1 cup of milk
• 2 cups of self raising flour, sifted
• 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
• 2 teaspoons olive oil
• 80gr butter, melted
• olive oil spray for greasing

Method

1. Preheat oven to 200°C
2. Grease a 12 hole muffin tin
3. Saute the onion, bacon and garlic in the olive oil until soft and golden.  Around 3-4 minutes should be long enough  
4. Add the cumin and peas.  Cook for about 2 minutes then remove from the heat and allow to cool 
5. Sift the flour into a bowl
6. Mix the butter, milk and egg.  Add it to the flour and combine
7. Gently stir through the pea mixture and the parmesan cheese.  If the mixture appears too dry add a dash more milk
8. Spoon into muffin tin and bake for 18-20 minutes