Celebrating Autumn Dinner

Friday night was such a great success celebrating the food of Autumn.

We kicked the dinner off with a lovely piece of infinity walnut bread with goats cheese and my honey roasted pear.

Second course was a recipe given to me by my brother, the famous Andy Logue - figs with Gorgonzola and prosciutto baked in cream. OMG!!

Main course was a roasted scotch fillet from Cape Grim. Tender and succulent with a mountain of forest mushrooms on top and a lovely red wine jus.

Then for dessert I served a classic apple pie with crumble topping, vanilla bean ice cream and cinnamon anglaise.

What a night!

Roll on celebrating winter, I say! :)

Happy eating,
Simmone x

Mother's Day

Victoria sponges and chicken finger sandwiches remind me of my grannies, although, I thought they would be a special addition to our Mother's Day offering this year.

It's been a long time since I have posted a blog. It seems there are never enough hours in the day! Anyway, here I am to tell you all about how we are celebrating Mother's Day this year and the plans we have to spoil our mums.

I'm so excited about the new cake in my repertoire, the Victoria sponge, which I've decided to launch on the Mother's Day weekend. It is a beautiful and buttery vanilla pound cake with lashings of my home made strawberry jam, softly whipped cream, and fresh strawberries. The large size is only $58.00 and cuts into 12 slices beautifully. The small size is more suited to 6-8 people and only costs $32.00.

I am also offering my gorgeous little chicken finger sandwiches in a box of 24 for the special Mother's Day price of $60.00. I just thought they would be a lovely pass around item before lunch or dinner or a nice picnic idea if you are going to the park with the family.

I am having my family over to the house for shared platters down the middle of the table. This is such a hassle free way of entertaining as I can prepare it pretty well the night before so I can spend the day with my mum.

I can make platters for you too if you would like the Simmone Logue fairies to just show up at your house and drop it off. All you need to do is add in the champagne. The selection consists of herb crusted roast sirloin, poached ocean trout, rocket salad, homemade potato salad, sourdough bread rolls and petit fours. This buffet menu only costs $60.00 per person.

We look forward to seeing you in store to pick up your cake. Make sure you call our team at head office on (02) 9519 3680 and place your booking to ensure you don't miss out! The finger sandwiches and shared platter menu can be ordered through our head office on that number too.

My Double Bay and Cammeray stores will be open all day on Mother's Day for brekkie and serving beautiful coffee and patisseries so come on down with your mum and join us for a lovely day.

Happy Mother's Day and bon appetite!

Simmone x

The Party Season

The party season is in full swing and the team at Simmone Logue know how to get down and deliver delicious and innovative food to the private, corporate, and conference catering audience in Sydney.

Here we keep it fresh and simple with beautiful little Sydney rock oysters with a shallot and red wine vinegar dressing.

Salt and pepper squid in cute little tin buckets.

....and my favourite; the delicately cured salmon with dill mayonnaise served in a shortcrust tart case.

If you are requiring a caterer for a private home event, Simmone Logue and her team are the best little foodie fairies, slipping into your kitchen, creating effortless and delicious food with ease and panache. Besides delivering gorgeous food, we are also experts in delivering a great range of local imported beers, wines and champagnes cold to your door with ice buckets, glassware, and top bar service people.

The best bit? We do the washing up too.

Happy eating,
Simmone x

I Love Canberra

For the second year in a row I have ventured down the Hume to stop over in Canberra on the way to Thredbo. It's a good idea for a few reasons: it's a great way to break up the trip being only about three hours south of Sydney; it's a really pretty town; culturally exciting; and the food is amazing.

We stayed at the Hyatt Hotel which is such a lovely way to remind your senses that you are on holidays. It oozes classic old world charm and I always request to stay in the heritage part of the hotel where the walls in the hallways leading to your room are adorned with photographs of past politicians. If the walls could talk it would be very interesting.

We booked a table at the highly recommended Italian & Sons and were not disappointed. What a meal, and so professionally executed both from the kitchen and the wonderfully informed and friendly people on the floor.

We started with garfish and the most lovely peperonata, dotted with toasted pine nuts and plump little currants. With a squeeze of lemon to spike things up it was a perfect way to start.

Next up we ordered a salad of witlof, cos, apple, and house smoked ricotta di Buffalo. So fresh and crisp.

For the main we shared a couple of dishes, although, the one that stood out for me was the beef short ribs cooked slowly in wine and served with polenta.

Dessert was the bomb! Italian ricotta doughnuts rolled in cinnamon with a nice scoop of mascarpone ice cream on the side.

The next morning on our way to visit a couple of local wineries, we dropped in on the Londsale Street Eatery.

They served brekky all day and are roasting their own coffee beans on site. We had a large brekky of braised beans, poached eggs, bacon, and sausage with a nice piece of pissaladiere bumped up on the side which I thought was a groovy idea. The coffee was outstanding too.

On the way to the snowy, we diverted west to visit one of my favourite wineries Helm Winery. The 2014 1/2 dry Riesling is my pick at the moment. Quite fruit driven, made in the style of many of the famous German and Austrian wines, and just fab served alongside a spicy Thai curry dish.

Well stocked and happy, we head off down the road with bellies full and a boot full of wine to Thredbo vowing to return on our way back to town.

Happy eating,
Simmone x

Sunday Roast

I chose the first day of winter to launch my Sunday roast at my Double Bay store and it went down an absolute treat!

We set the store up beautifully with a lovely new timber table from Elements I Love perched out on the street with an old champagne bucket full with my favourite roses. In true Simmone Logue style, I set the scene for what was a wonderful afternoon. Although the sun wasn't shining, the rain stayed away and it was the type of weather that made us all want to tuck into a hearty plate of goodness.

I cooked the lamb shoulders for 5 hours in a little bit of stock, lots of fresh herbs, red wine, and aromatic vegies. The lamb ticked along on 150°C until the meat was almost falling off the bone. The vegies caramelised up nicely with whole garlic cloves bumped up alongside kumera, Queensland blue pumpkin, onion, and baby carrots.

To finish off the dish - a tossed bright green sweet as sweet peas in mint relish with lashings of butter. What a treat this meal was with a generous ladle of rosemary jus.

I also served my famous bread and butter pudding which made me feel quite sentimental as it was one of the first desserts I baked when I started my business. People even came back for seconds!

Sorry to the people who missed out last week as it's important to book. This Sunday I will be stuffing organic chickens with spec and sage, and serving them with tarragon jus and roast vegies. I also plan to bake a big apple crumble and serve it with vanilla bean ice cream.

See you all there, and don't forget to book on (02) 9327 5700.

Simmone x

Spoil Your Mum on Mother's Day

We love to look after our mums at Simmone Logue and that's why we are cooking up a storm for the special weekend ahead.

Why not spoil your mum with one of our beautiful banana cakes with passionfruit icing, or a lovely hummingbird cake with cream cheese icing and fresh mango. All of our beautiful cakes will come with a complimentary pastel rose, tied with a soft coloured organza ribbon.

In store over the weekend I will be baking fresh scones and serving Devonshire tea with my homemade preserves and whipped cream.

We have a gorgeous selection of teas to accompany the scones and, of course, we are renowned for the quality of our coffee too. Brekky will be served all day, as well as your favourites the entire weekend at both the Simmone Logue stores in Double Bay and Cammeray.

I spent the last couple of days picking mushrooms in the pine forest near Oberon. I will be serving them as a special brekky tossed in a pan with garlic, lots of parsley, and a squeeze of lemon on hot buttered sourdough toast.

Come into store and indulge your mum with a box of tempting and delicately prepared little cakes and tarts. I will be in store all weekend so I look forward to seeing you all. Or just call our office to place your order.

Happy Mother's Day to all our mums,


Simmone x

Somewhere on the South Coast

Every now and then I just have to cut out and head to a quiet place close to the ocean where I can sleep, cook, eat, drink, and breathe in a whole lot of fresh sea scented air.

I jumped in the car with my fishing rods, tackle box, and a case of beautiful wine and headed south about 5hrs from Sydney.

The reason for why I'm being so cagey about the location of this spot is because my newfound fishing friends are very protective of their special spot. They made me promise only to refer to this place as somewhere on the south coast. This place is true paradise……

It was around magic hour when I crossed an old rickety timber bridge with sandy flat waterways on each side. Bird life and fisherman abundant, I knew this place was for me.

When I spotted the little beach house, which was going to be my home for a week, feelings from my childhood stirred. This was the archetypal fibro beach house, just like the one I spent my holidays in when I was a kid. Those days are truly my fondest memories growing up.

Salty air, wet sandy dogs, the smell of stinky bait and diesel, bare feet, curly sun beached hair, sunburn, and fish & chips. All this represents holidays and relaxation - that is what I needed and that is what I got.

I woke the next day to sunshine and the most beautiful white sandy beach. This was paradise. I ventured to the fisherman's wharf to make some new friends and see what possibilities there were for dinner.

I met Alan… he has the only licence to dredge for clams on this part of the coast and I marvelled at his great catch that day. I bought two kilos of his prize flame clams to cook up that night for dinner, straight off the wharf. Couldn't get fresher than that!

I had so many questions for Alan. I was just so excited to see these glistening nets of freshness being heaved onto the wharf. He explained how he only brings in one size, throwing the little ones back so they can grow into big ones and through the big ones back 'cause they make the little ones… sweet!!! I love how fishermen are looking after the sustainability of our ocean these days. He doesn't throw the empty shells back, which he brings up from the ocean floor. Instead he tips them on his driveway at home…. 800 metres of it evidently!!!

My clams with garlic, white wine and tomato… heaven!

The next day my new fishing buddy Rainer took me out on his boat. We trawled off the beach for kingfish and then went out further hoping for flathead. We came home with both.

That night I prepared sashimi with the kingfish and we cooked the sweet flathead tails up on the barbie bumped up alongside a very yummy potato salad.

Each night as the clock struck six I mixed a cocktail with gin, elderflower, and the piquant and mouth-popping finger limes.

Sadly, my week seemed to pass too quickly as most holidays do, and on my last day as I drove out of my new favourite place in the universe, I dropped into their farmers market. Could it have been any more perfect..? No!!!!

I purchased a beautiful big bunch of organic beetroot, a kilo of local honey, and a bucket of the sweetest and reddest little cherry tomatoes, which I roasted.

Slow roasted cherry tomatoes… great folded through piping hot spaghetti with olives, basil, and goats cheese.

Whoops…!

Happy fishing,
Simmone x