INTRODUCING CHARCOAL GOURMET PROVISIONS!...MORE NEW ARRIVALS THAT YOU WILL LOVE! SMASHED POTATOES WITH GARLIC AND HERB CREAM CHEESE & PROSCUITTO...RASPBERRY AND LIME MARGARITAS AND MORE!!....HAPPY FRIDAY!

CHARCOAL GOURMET PROVISIONS!
OUR LARDER DOORS ARE NOW OPEN!!

We are so excited to finally be able to announce the opening of our Charcoal Gourmet Provisions section of the showroom.  
Over the past few weeks, we have been busy sourcing products exclusive to Charcoal.

We invite you to peruse our selection of quality Gourmet Pastes, Chutneys, Dressings, Fresh Herbs, Sauces, Flavoured Salts, Nuts, Dukkah, Flavoured and spiced Crackers, Dried Fruits, Exclusive Bon Haye Olive Oil (cold pressed and from 100 year old wild olive trees)....and coming soon...to compliment our delicious Gourmet Hampers - Bremerton Wines.
We now stock all your platter requirements and make entertaining a breeze.  Ask us about our hampers for all occasions.  Thinking of heading out of town for a picnic this weekend?...then grab one of our picnic hampers with everything you need for a delicious snack.


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NEW ARRIVALS!


Our front courtyard is now full to the brim, bursting with gorgeous pots, urns, statues, doors...and soon to come..water features!

And we know you will love our new outdoor furniture, plus the excited range of super comfortable pod chairs now in store.  
See yourself curled up on here?  

This divine outdoor setting is fully upholstered in outdoor fabric, and the weave..although it looks to be of natural fibres (which warp and crack in time) is actually a poly-propylene style weave, completely outdoors, weather resistant etc...and holds its colour.  We are just so in love with this new range.  Available in store now and waiting for a pool-side venue to call home.....

Or what about one of these out on the back deck?

...or this gorgeous urn as a special feature for just about anywhere in your home....

www.charcoalinteriors.com.au
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SMASHED POTATOES WITH GARLIC & HERB CREAM CHEESE AND PROSCUITTO

Forget crackers with a bit of cheese on top for you next dinner party 'horses-doovers' attempt.  Try these little gems.  I have never even thought of this technique so fortunately theres some very smart and clever people out there who  think of these things, because its now our new favourite recipe!

Just boil up the baby potatoes until they are soft, and then you gently squash them down flat, but make sure they still keep their shape, then follow the recipe and enjoy this delightful dish.  There are so many variations too that are only limited by your imagination.  We thought of combining some of our Spice Girlz Jamato with the cream cheese and then topping with smoked salmon and rocket or dill.  Or, how about combining some chopped spring onion with the cream cheese and then making up a little salsa with tomatoes, capsicum, red onion and a splash of balsamic and lemon...pop little mounds of this onto the cream cheese...delicious.

But for now, heres the original recipe that gave us a starting point.  Enjoy!

Ingredients (serves 4)

• 12 chat potatoes
• 2 tbs extra virgin olive oil
• 1 large garlic clove, finely chopped
• 2 tbs finely chopped flat-leaf parsley
• 1 tbs each finely chopped fresh thyme leaves and basil leaves
• 150g fresh ricotta or cream cheese
• 12 slices Italian prosciutto
• 2 cups (50g) watercress sprigs

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 240C. Line a baking tray with baking paper.
2. Place the potatoes in a large saucepan of salted water and bring to the boil over high heat. Boil for 15 minutes or until the potatoes are tender. Drain well.
3. Arrange potatoes on the lined baking tray. Using a potato masher, smash each potato so that it’s flattened but still holds together. Brush with the olive oil and season well with salt and pepper.
4. Bake the potatoes for 25 minutes or until crisp and golden. Cool slightly.
5. Meanwhile, mix garlic, parsley, thyme, basil and cheese together in a bowl. Place a spoonful of the herbed cheese on each potato, then finish with a slice of prosciutto piled on top. Serve the potatoes garnished with watercress.

   
   

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   BREAK OUT THE LITTLE COCKTAIL UMBRELLAS...ITS COCKTAIL FRIDAY!!

   
   

   Summer is well and truly here this week in Brisbane....phew...its been a warm one.  So I got to thinking about what kind of cocktail I felt like this week.  There were two main pre-requisites...number one was that it had to be cold and number two was that it had to quench my year-round desire for the beloved lime.  So, I found this great recipe for Raspberry and Lime margaritas!  

   If you run out of raspberries...or like me simply couldnt be bothered with fresh ones and juicing them...just use cranberry juice.

   Limes are lovely and fresh at the moment and pretty much plentiful in the shops.  My tip for limes is to juice them and then freeze in ice trays.  Then you can have the experience of the lime fresh all year round...great in Thai cooking too.

   Enjoy the Raspberry and Lime margarita and be sure to sip this one by the pool, feet up, mag in hand.

   
   

   
   

   
   

   
   

   
   

   
   

   
   

   Raspberry and Lime Margarita

   Makes 4 cocktails

   1 pint fresh raspberries (or about 1 cup frozen)

   1/2 cup lemon juice

   1/3 cup lime juice 

   1 cup tequila (hefty, yes…if you alter this amount I won’t be offended)

   Combine the raspberries and citrus juices in a blender. Pulse until smooth. Use a fine mesh strainer and a spatula to press the raspberry mixture through into a bowl- this removes the seeds from the berries.

   Add the tequila, pour into a jug and pour into a salt-rimmed glass with ice. Garnish with half a lime. Cheers!

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   We have had a great week!  Exciting stuff with the new arrivals and then all the fun of putting together our Provisions section in the showroom.

   Just finished a fabulous pre-production meeting with the wonderful Damien Bredberg (award winning photographer) and his lovely assistant Nicole.  We are so very excited about our photo shoot next Saturday and cant wait to bring you all the details!

   Wishing you all a wonderful weekend!

   The Charcoal Team...Cathie, Colette and Jen