He has surfed and cooked his way around the world, but celebrity chef Curtis Stone loves nothing more than being back in Australia and barbecuing a feast for his mum’s 60th birthday.
“There’s nothing better than having a meal cooked for you by your mum,”
says globetrotting chef-du-jour Curtis Stone. Unless he’s cooking a meal for her, that is. The occasion? A celebration of his mother, Lorraine Coles’ 60th birthday.
For Curtis, 32, it also marks the return to his Victorian home town for a breather from his increasingly hectic life as an internationally renowned chef, author and presenter of ABC TV’s successful cooking program, Surfing the Menu. “Family time — time with good friends — is really important,” says Curtis.
If the chosen menu says something about Curtis’ relationship with simple, fresh ingredients, the guest list says even more about his relationship with his mum, who ignited his passion for fine food.
Old friends of Curtis — people who have formed independent friendships with his mother — fill the home in Clifton Springs, Victoria, with happy chatter. As he bastes the beef that will be cooked on the outdoor rotisserie built by his stepfather, Shane Coles, a group of young children help him paint on the mustard with dabs of a brush.
“I’m Uncle Fun,” Curtis says, laughing.
“I breeze in and out of their lives. I started cooking with my mum when I was about four or five. One of my earliest cooking memories is the smell of the Anzac biscuits as she pulled them out of the oven.”
He has raided her garden, selecting spring onions, a head of lettuce, baby beets, lavender and some eggs from the ducks she raises to help create the meal.
While fresh ingredients are clearly an important part of his cooking success, Curtis says that “you don’t have to be a great chef to know how to put good food on the table. Fresh herbs, salt, a drizzle of olive oil — fresh food needs only a little bit of work to bring out the flavours”.
The real secret to a good meal, Curtis believes, is the company,
“It’s important to serve nice food, but if you have great company, a nice bottle of wine, interesting conversation and lots of laughter, then it should be great anyway.”
Entrée
Salad of Baby Beets with Goat’s Cheese and Balsamic Vinegar
Mains
**
Seafood Cooked in White Wine, Lemon and Parsley
**
**Roast Beef Rib with Fresh Horseradish Sauce
**
**Salad of Wild Rocket, Shallots and Raspberry Vinaigrette
**
Salad of Heirloom Tomatoes and Mozzarella
Dessert
Lavender and Blueberry Crème Brûlèe
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