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Cooking on the Bay InstagramTonya2023-07-04T15:49:19+10:00

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Chef Tonya Jennings, creates, cooks and celebrates food, and teaches cooking with fresh, local, seasonal produce at Cooking on the Bay Cooking School.

How the weeks flyby… Summer has gone in a blink

How the weeks flyby… Summer has gone in a blink for me…. March is such a perfect month with its really cool mornings beautiful days, some still very hot…. There is only this weekend of Cooking classes and April 5 and six…. And then it’s the Easter break.
Our last class was French Bistro Classic Desserts and it was desert heaven… especially designed for the people who look at the desert menu first when they dine out… you can see from the delicious deserts we made how much fun they have… the next French desert class is Sunday, May 4… so treat yourself to an early Mother’s Day present and come along alone or with your partner…. To share the desert joy…. Book into the next French Bistro Desserts cooking class on Sunday 4 May … go to www.cookingonthebay.com.au/french-bistro-desserts-cooking-classes/
#frenchdessertscookingclassmelbourne #melbournecookingclasses #cookingonthebaycookeryschool #cookingonthebayfrenchcooking #frenchcookingclassesinmelbourne

Last weekend’s Cooking Class was my Masterclass

Last weekend’s Cooking Class was my Masterclass in Stocks Sauces and Soups, the foundation and basics of good cooking. Great cooks know how to make great stock and that is an essential element of tasty and healthy cooking in our healthy low-carb world. Somewhere along the road in our fast paced lives we have forgotten that good cooking is achieving the best flavour in our foods. This class teaches you how to get those best flavours in the food we cook. You take home my comprehensive 30 page booklet with recipes and any excess stocks and sources you made in the class. As usual we sit and dine at the table with Wine and enjoy the dishes we cooked during the morning. The next stock sauces and soups class is on Saturday 26th of April. To book www.cookingonthebay.com.au or email me tonya@cookingonthebay.com.au #cookingonthebay #cookingonthebaycookingclasses #cookingclassesmelbourne #stockmakingcookingclasses #homemadesauces #cookingclassstockssaucessoups

My Kureelpa office here is where I spend most of m

My Kureelpa office here is where I spend most of my time when out of the kitchen. It is a beautiful spot overlooking the rainforest and valley out the front and also over the paddocks opposite which I can see from the windows behind me. It is a peaceful and quiet, place to work and I like to think I can immerse myself here in my creative thoughts, ignoring life’s chaos outside this room. #cookingonthebayatkureelpa #creativeworkplace #homeofficeinspiration #cookingonthebay #workingathome

Here at Kureelpa… 30 minutes drive from Maroochy

Here at Kureelpa… 30 minutes drive from Maroochydore Sunshine Coast airport… all is peaceful. Roads are empty, shops empty, people at home as requested…. News full time on the cyclone….🌀 I am fine a bit nervous but I have done all I can to secure the house and property here with the help of my kind wonderful friend Rod and his Annie too… now we just wait… for the landfall of the cyclone 🌀…. The time keeps moving further away. It is now Saturday morning a.m. during the night which is not what I was wanting… I have a room set up downstairs with some water and snacks chair table rug ! And a bottle of wine just in case I need it! This room where we store our garden and outdoor equipment… under the house it presumably could be quite safe and if I feel really scared, I will go down there as it will be safer than in the main house closer to that huge tree … there is another tree on the other side of the house as well… it all depends on the direction of the wind… now we are all waiting… I am working while I still have Power and Internet Connection and trying to distract my mind from what could be terrible…. I am so lucky here though as I am a long way away from the flood. And those people along the coast are most likely go to face the worst of it. It feels like Covid revisited when you look at the empty streets, especially Brisbane. Jetstar and Qantas are now no longer flying into Brisbane. … we will see what happens to the Sunshine Coast airport. Anyway, all is good here at the moment… we wait and see #sunshinecoasthinterland #kureelpa #cyclonealfred #calmbeforethestorm⚡️

In preparation for Cyclone Alfred people are stock

In preparation for Cyclone Alfred people are stocking their larders leaving shelves of fresh fruit and vegetables empty… businesses are closing their doors tomorrow and Friday; the doctors surgeries are closing and some schools are closing to. People are battening down their homes securing outdoor objects and making their home safe; cleaning out gutters for the deluge of rain expected. I am 30 minutes in land from the coast and hope to be okay but I have also done preparations around the house. The wind is blowing very very wildly and I just hope that my huge Gumtree’s stay safely rooted in the ground. If they fell they would go over through my house and squash it … horrible thought. So fingers crossed. 🤞🤔😬#cyclonealfred2025 #woolworthsnambour

Last weekend’s classes ‘visited’ exotic Moro

Last weekend’s classes ‘visited’ exotic Morocco. As always, it was good to welcome back returning cooks, Michael and Richard, as well meeting new attendees in the Cooking Class. The dishes were flavourful, well seasoned and balanced and very well executed. The Moroccan flatbread, batbout, is always a highlight as it is so delicious cooked in the pan, and not dried out the oven, the Moroccan mint tea mid-morning is a fun and refreshing break for a little while, the honey sweet and saltiness of the aubergines is a favourite of mine, and the colourful and spicy pomegranate and beetroot dip is great with the bread; one main, the Berber omelette of tomatoes, tons of spices, eggs formed into a ‘lid’ with labneh, the second, a duck chermoula tagine with dates, apricots, more pomegranate seeds makes a good combination, with the chermoula featuring again to flavour the Hasselback zucchinis with coriander oil. The finale date, chocolate and almond torte with cranberry jelly is also always a finishing star. All cooked and enjoyed despite the searing 3C heat! Next Moroccan Exotic Spices and Flavours of the Medina is on Saturday 5 April
#cookingonthebay #cookingonthebaycookingclasses #cookingonthebaycookeryschool #moroccancookingclassmelbourne #melbournecookingclasses #melbournecookingschool #moroccandpices #exoticmorocco #taginecooking #ducktagine #chermouladuck #chermoulamarinade #chocolatedatealmondtorte #cranberryjelly

My Francophile friend, Christine, gave me this fab

My Francophile friend, Christine, gave me this fabulous Le Petit Prince poster from Willi’s Wine Bar, in Paris. It is perfect in the kitchen of the Cooking School, as I love le Petit Prince’s story of a young prince who visits various planets including earth, and discusses the themes of loneliness, friendship, love and loss. Here he is looking thoughtfully at the universe, with a glass of red wine by his shoulder. I studied this book at Monash University years ago and loved ‘words of wisdom’ expressed by the author, illustrator, and military pilot, Antoine de Saint Exupéry. The story is a keen observation about life, adults, and human nature. This book has sold record of 140 million copies worldwide! Willi’s Wine Bar hangs a variety of interesting, thought-provoking, collectable (most are numbered), iconic and intriguing posters on its walls for decoration and for sale. The owners had a passion for the wines of the Rhone valley, which, at the time were not in favour, nor on many French wine lists. At Willis they still serve, sometimes obscure, interesting and enjoyable wines. I first went to Willi’s years ago in early 2000 and now I try to pop in whenever I get a chance. I after a wine, I dine next door at Willi’s ‘sibling, Macéo, which I love and suggest to you when next in Paris.
By the way, Willi was a dog, with a playful past apparently, so the story goes!
#cookingonthebay #cookingonthebaycookeryschool #williswinebarparis #williswinebar #lepetitprince

Last weekend Cooking on the Bay cooked dishes from

Last weekend Cooking on the Bay cooked dishes from around the Mediterranean. The flavours were fabulous and the textures created were perfect for these Mediterranean dishes. The pissaladiere was a great starter to go with the pickled octopus which was tangy and the octopus was tender, the mussels were also tender, juicy and sweet, the herb, garlic and anchovy topping on the mussels was beautifully seasoned, and enjoyed, by even those not so partial to anchovies. The rack of lamb with its spicy Mediterranean rub was cooked perfectly to medium rare and the feta, labneh and mint dressing complemented it well. The salads were a colourful Tuscan panzanella and roasted eggplant with walnut salsa and more pomegranate seeds which had a nice, crunchy texture to top the creamy caramelised eggplant wedges. The Persian meringue roulade with Turkish delight, white Belgium chocolate ‘nibs, pomegranate seeds and pistachios is always delicious and remarkably light, and so a good dessert for the end of a Mediterranean feast. The accompanying cranberry jelly goes well with the textures and colours of the roulade. The cooks did a great job and were pleased with their results. Which all makes for a happy successful cooking day here at Cooking on the Bay. The next Mediterranean – Touch of Spice cooking class is on Sunday 6th April with one available place and after that on Saturday 17th May with 2 places available. There are more dates on the website. #cookingonthebay #cookingonthebaycookingclasses #cookingonthebaycookeryschool #mediterraneandiet #mediterraneanfoodrecipes #mediterraneancookingclassesmelbourne #pickledoctopus #musselswithanchovies #meringueroulade

And photos of the Italianicious cooking class maki

And photos of the Italianicious cooking class making great sauces, pastas, father Jon, and daughter Mia made perfect ravioli! It was a very full-on day… cooking sensational food! Not much time for photos #italiancookingclass #cookingonthebaycookingclasses #italianpastasauces #ravioliwithricottaandspinach #andmuchmore

What a wonderful start to our 2025 cooking class y

What a wonderful start to our 2025 cooking class year kicking off with the forever popular French Odyssey – Journey through France and the Italianicious – Cooking with Passion cooking classes. Two full-on days of exceptional cooking and much fun and laughter around the dining table.

All cooking class dates are on the website, https://www.cookingonthebay.com.au/cooking-classes/ so do take a look a book a class today to set you on your 2025 culinary journey of great cooking.
#frenchcookingclasses #cookingclassmelbourne #cookingclassesmelbourne #cookingonthebay #frenchcookingcourse #frenchcookingclassesmelbourne

This weekend is the first weekend of cooking class

This weekend is the first weekend of cooking classes for 2025 at Cooking on the Bay. For years now it has been my ‘tradition’ to start the year with the French Odyssey – Journey through France cooking class. Often our dessert has been a celebration of the Epiphany on January 6th with us making the fabulous Galette des Rois. This year, I am celebrating La Fête de la Chandeleur, held each year on February 2nd, otherwise called Crêpe Pancake Day , or Candlemas with a wonderful summery dessert of classic French crêpes, with summer berries and fruits macerated in red wine and sparkling Loire, with leaves of basil, spearmint, lemon verbena and mint, with hazelnut crème Anglaise and hazelnut ice-cream.

The French celebration of the ‘crêpe’ on February 2nd, like many special days in France, have various traditions surrounding this special ‘crêpe day’, La Chandeleur. It has been celebrated in France for centuries, and is rooted in both religious and pagan traditions. It marks the 40th day after Christmas, and so signals the end of Christmas festivities, it celebrates the harvest, and indicates it is midway through winter.
One of the most popular customs of La Chandeleur is the making of crêpes, or ‘galettes’, the savoury crêpe. It was said that the round shape represents the sun, the return to light, and the cycle of the seasons, the circle of life, while the act of eating and sharing with others commemorates a historical tradition of popes giving food out to the poor pilgrims every year on February 2. And traditionally, for some unknown reason, these crêpes are eaten accompanied by alcoholic apple cider! #lachandeleur #crêpeday #candlemascrepes #cookingonthebayfrenchcooking #cookingclassmelbourne #pancakeday2025
#pancakeday #frenchdessertsarethebest #frenchdesserts #crêpeswithberries

The South Melbourne Market celebrated the Chinese

The South Melbourne Market celebrated the Chinese New Year last weekend… it is the year of the snake! It was a very colourful dance with very loud music. They paraded throughout the market, it was quite spectacular and enjoyable. Well done, South Melbourne Market.! #chinesenewyear #theyearofthesnake2025 #southmelbournemarketshopping

The saga of my food processor pusher and SOS, Morw

The saga of my food processor pusher and SOS, Morwell – my life saver!
Last July the bowl lid of my Breville Kitchen Whizz fell apart, so I ordered the new part from Breville. While waiting for the new lid I used the 10year old processor which surprisingly did an excellent job. When I received the email to say the new part was on its way I threw the old part out. That was a big mistake!
When I opened the box with the new lid, it was just the BOWL LID, which I had ordered but the most significant part of this lid is the pusher which activates and operates the processor. Without the pusher, it does not work! I was devastated! I rang Breville and was told this pusher was OUT OF STOCK and had no forthcoming date! The latest new Breville, top-of-range processor is about $800 or more, which I did not want to spend just then.
I raced downstairs to the rubbish bins; they were now outside on the nature strip waiting for the rubbish collection. I had to search through each bin, all 6 of them! in full view of the evening traffic on Marine Parade, hoping to find my pusher! No luck. So the box with the useless lid sat on the desk for the next few months, while I waited hoping it may come back in stock. The reply remained the same ‘not in stock’ and worst of all ‘discontinued’.
So I wondered what to do. Advertise on Facebook? Or search for spare parts online. A breakthrough came after Christmas when I went to the Traralgon Harvey Norman with Yolanda, my daughter, to buy a refrigerator. As usual, we consulted our friend and expert consultant there, Dora, who always advised us on best model, price etc for all of our appliances and equipment needs. During this purchase, I mentioned my problem with my lost Breville Food Processor pusher. She immediately suggested a nearby store in Morwell, SOS Spare Parts, who specialise in supplying quality appliance spare parts and accessories. My life saver! https://www.sosparts.com.au/ yes – they had my pusher. It was quickly purchased on line and is now safely with Yolanda in Traralgon waiting for me when I get there on Saturday….
So remember Morwell, SOS Spare Parts. They specialise in quality appliance spare parts
#SOSspareparts

And before I can blink, this is my last day here a

And before I can blink, this is my last day here at Kureelpa. I leave tomorrow. It is always a beautiful time for me here; it is revitalising being in this different environment.
People do tend to associate Queensland with holiday time, and this is definitely a holiday break for me, but the routine still goes on. Early morning walk at 6 o’clock before it gets too hot; an hour’s reading time to try to make a dent in the mountain of books I have on the desk. Then I make a coffee and go to my beautiful office for emails and work. I actually do love this office, my ‘safe’ haven! Out the front are glorious huge trees, from the rainforest valley below; I am surrounded by relaxing and peaceful views; out from my side window is the farm across the road with cows grazing. Its not all work, I do go out with friends for a lunch or dinner; I often cook for friends here. After a usual office day, I am back in my kitchen cooking dinner around 6.30. So, it’s pretty jampacked, but still relaxing mostly, and gets me ready for coming year of seeing you all in cooking classes.
These photos might show you why I love it here so much.
See you back in cooking classes at Cooking on the Bay, St Kilda soon!
#kureelpaholidaytime #cookingonthebaycookingclasses #cookingonthebayatkureelpa #relaxingworkingholiday#workingholiday #workingholidayatkureelpa #kureelpacooking #kureelparetreatstudio #cookingonthebayonholiday

Last night looking out my window from the dinner t

Last night looking out my window from the dinner table, I simply had to take this photo of the lovely pink reflection from the sunset in the dam, framed by the sensational cassia tree in full bloom… what a great place to be! #kureelpasunset #fromthedinnertable #damreflections #sunsetreflections #cassiatreeinbloom #cassiatree

January is a special time for me at Kureelpa. Ther

January is a special time for me at Kureelpa. There is always a long list of things to do for the house and garden, seeing friends, reading, exercise and walking very early before it gets too hot, and of course there is always my work. Fortunately for me, bookings and the emails continue and in January there is a lot of planning for the new year as well. The time certainly flies by. I had a lovely luncheon here yesterday for one of my friend’s birthdays, plus there have been a couple of luncheons and dinner out as well. The lunch yesterday was lovely we started with an olive oil and vegetable ‘cake’ as part of the hors d’oeuvres, some pan fried halloumi and Italian prosciutto. The main course was racks of lamb with a spicy Mediterranean rub, which imparts a nice flavour through the lamb and gives a colourful, caramelised crust, a pork loin marinated in lemon garlic and rosemary, both were juicy and tender. I normally don’t make potato salad, but this time I fancied some. I especially like mine which includes hard-boiled eggs, cornichons, spring onions, chives, my mayonnaise, plus sour cream and my vinaigrette; salads also included a simple mixed green salad with avocado and my vinaigrette and the colourful and delicious shaved fennel with orange segments, fennel fronds and walnuts to give an additional crunch to the fennel. The dessert was a French brioche, chocolate and custard pastry, to which I added the poached nectarines I made during the week, vanilla bean ice cream and my crème Anglaise. We finished with chocolates and coffee at 6.30pm, after a 12.30pm start. That indicates quite a successful day I would say.! 😍#cookingonthebayatkureelpa #cookingforfriends #thejoyofcookingforfriends #happybirthdaylunch #happybirthdayluncheon #kureelpafriends #relaxedfunday #cookingonthebaycooksathome

As those of you who come to my classes know, I alw

As those of you who come to my classes know, I always reserve any of the fruit stocks that we make for various desserts. This fruit stock was made with pears and so it was fine for the poaching of my nectarines. In fact, the extra sweetness from the pear stock made them even more delicious.
The pear syrup was sweet enough,so it was unnecessary to add any extra sugar. I gently poached the nectarines for 5 minutes; I left them in the stock for another five minutes then removed them into an iced water bath to stop them cooking any further. Prior to using them, I removed the skin and you can see their glorious colour, and the stock is a soft ruby colour.
I then reduced the fruit stock, for about 10 minutes until it was quite syrupy; perfect to cling and gloss over the nectarines when served. My original plan had been to use these poached nectarines and make a base for a nectarine soufflé, but as my lunch party was close to 6 January, Epiphany Day, I was very keen to make the Galette des Rois, the delicious French epiphany galette made with puff pastry and Frangipane. I knew my French friends would love that as their dessert, so I am now using the poached nectarines as an accompanying fruit on the side, with the nectarine syrup and my vanilla ice cream and creme Anglaise
I also made some Sable biscuits to serve with our coffee. It is interesting making the puff pastry and the Sablé biscuits here at Kureelpa, where the temperature is usually above 20 and mostly 25 to 28℃. Even early in the morning it is not cool enough for the dough and the pastry, so it is quite challenging really. So throughout the process of making both the pastry and the sable dough need to be rested in the fridge and the freezer otherwise it’s very difficult to handle. Just a five-minute rest in the freezer makes a huge difference to the rolling and cutting. I also need to roll them out between baking paper with floured cling film over the top.
Go to the recipe collection on the Cooking on the Bay website for the recipe and the story of the biblical significance of the Galette des Rois.
#cookingonthebaycookingclasses #cookingonthebayatkureelpa #puffpastry #poachedfruit #poachednectarines

As my lunch party was close to 6th January, Epipha

As my lunch party was close to 6th January, Epiphany Day, I was very keen to make the Galette des Rois, the delicious French epiphany galette made with puff pastry and frangipane. I knew my French friends would love that as their dessert, and they did! When I was in Paris last September, I found some of the tiny porcelain ‘fèves’ in the Marche Aligre to add to my collection at home…their photo is with the recipe. Traditionally, the person who discovers the ‘fève’ in their slice of the cake is crowned king or queen of the day and given a gold crown to wear. Sadly, I left my ‘fèves’ and the gold crowns at home! It is a fabulous galette. I sometimes make it in the November and December French Bistro Classic Dessert cooking classes.
You will find my recipe for this Galette des Rois on the Cooking on the Bay website in the recipe collection #cookingonthebayatkureelpa #galettedesrois👑 #epiphanyday #epiphanygalettedesrois #cookingonthebaycookingschool #frenchcookingclasses #frenchdessertcookingclassmelbourne #frenchdessertsarethebest #frenchdessertrecipe

After the storm and the rainbow has gone, the vall

After the storm and the rainbow has gone, the valley still looks beautiful peaceful lush and green… what a beautiful place to be… #sunshinecoasthinterland #kureelpafalls #kureelpa #cookingonthebayatkureelpa #afterthestorm #lunchgueststomorrow #bourrideprovençale #menutomorrow

From my kitchen, cooking dinner tonight I am overl

From my kitchen, cooking dinner tonight I am overlooking these beautiful rainbows with their heavenly colours, so vibrant and clear… then I look North across to the valley and see the clouds wafting. I can clearly see the telecommunications tower on the top of Mount Coolum! So despite the torrential rain on and off today this is the most beautiful place to be… All is now green crisp, clear and peaceful … and I am cooking seems like a perfect place in every way! #cookingonthebayatkureelpa #rainbows #afterthestorm #cookingdinnerwithaview #perfectholidayatkureelpa

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