RECIPE - Berries and white chocolate pudding

A brilliant saucy pudding that works with any berries. This recipe is enough for 12 small ramekins or 6 medium ones.

Ingredients - sauce
1/2c water
1/2c caster sugar
400g berries
2tsp lemon juice, optional

Ingredients - pudding
125g softened unsalted butter
60g caster sugar
1tsp vanilla extract
2 eggs, separated
100g white chocolate, finely grated
75g plain flour
1tbsp full cream milk

Preparation
1. For the berry sauce, place water, sugar, berries and lemon juice in a pot on medium heat. Stir until sugar dissolves then allow to boil for 1 minute. Remove from heat and set aside for 5 minutes to allow it to cool. Pour sauce mixture through sieve and push through with a wooden spoon. Discard the pulp and pour sauce into bottom of greased ramekins.
2. Cream the soft butter, vanilla and sugar until soft and fluffy. Then add yolk one at a time, mixing well in between.
3. Carefully fold in grated chocolate and sifted flour with the milk until partially combined.
4. Beat egg whites in a separate bowl on low speed until soft peaks form. Then beat on high speed until firm peaks form.
5. Fold in half of egg whites into batter until mixture has loosen up, then partially fold in remaining egg whites.
6. Spoon the mixture into the ramekins, taking care not to dislodge the berry sauce.
7. Place a large sheet of baking paper on a large pan and place ramekins inside, then fill with water until halfway up the ramekins. Cover pan and place on high heat until boiling, then reduce heat to simmer for 15-20 minutes until pudding is firm.
8. Remove ramekins from pan and serve immediately with ice cream.

Tips
Top the pudding with berries for a spectacular presentation.
Use moulds instead of ramekins. To serve, run a warm wet knife along the sides of the mould to loosen pudding and tip upside down onto a plate.

RECIPE - No-bake strawberry cheesecake

A simple egg- and nut-free recipe for a cheesecake with no baking required!

Ingredients
100g scotch finger (roughly 9-10 biscuits)
60g melted butter
250g cream cheese spread
250g cottage cheese
1/2 cup caster sugar
1 1/2 packs of strawberry flavoured gelly
1 tbsp edible gelatine powder

Preparation
1. To make the biscuit base, grind the biscuits in a food processor, then mix together with the melted butter in a bowl.
2. Spoon the biscuit mixture into serving containers to roughly 3-4mm high and press it down (with a spoon or bottom of a glass) to form a firm base, then refrigerate.
3. To make the cheesecake filling, start by dissolving 1 pack of the strawberry flavoured gelly (85g) and 1 tbsp of plain edible gelatine powder in 150mL of boiling water. Set aside and allow to cool slightly for 2-3 mins, stirring occasionally.
4. Combine the cottage cheese, cream cheese and sugar in a bowl with a hand mixer until well combined.
5. Slowly incorporate the gelatine into the cheese mixture with a hand mixer until all combined.
6. Spoon the mixture into the moulds then refrigerate for 2 hours to set.
7. To make the topping, dissolve 1/2 a pack of the strawberry gelly in 100mL of boiling water. Stir for 2-3 minutes to allow it to cool quickly.
8. Top the cheesecake with the gelly mixture by pouring onto the back of a spoon, then refrigerate overnight to fully set.

Tips
This dessert looks fantastic in shot glasses (or clear tea light holders) as you can see the layers.
Ensure that the gelly topping is not hot (cool to touch) or it will otherwise melt the cheesecake.
By pouring the topping on the back of the spoon, it will form a nice even layer on top without ruining the cheesecake particularly if the gelly is still slightly hot.

RECIPE - Chocolate custard

A great warm-weather pudding that can be prepared in advance.

Ingredients
2 egg yolks
1/2 cup caster sugar
2 tbsp cornflour
3 tbsp cocoa powder
1/2 tbsp gelatine powder
2 cups milk
1 tsp vanilla extract

Preparation
1. Cream the egg yolks and sugar together in a saucepan until smooth and creamy.
2. Slowly incorporate the cornflour, gelatine powder and cocoa into the mixture with a whisk to ensure that there are no lumps.
3. Add the vanilla to the mixture.
4. Add the milk to the mixture in drips while constantly whisking to ensure a smooth consistency.
5. Place the saucepan on the stove on high heat and constantly whisk for roughly 4 minutes until it thickens, then immediately turn the heat off and whisk for a further 1 minute.
6. While still hot, transfer the custard to individual serving containers and refrigerate for at least 2 hours before serving.

Tips
Never leave the saucepan unattended. The mixture burns easily if not whisked for a few seconds.
When the custard has thickened, you will have less than 2 minutes to transfer it into containers before a skin develops on top. Otherwise, it is very difficult to pour/ladle and the presentation is ruined.
Turn the unused egg whites into meringue drops to top and decorate the custard.
Serve in little ramekins or shot glasses for a great impact.

RECIPE - Banana choc chip pudding

A fantastic moist version of a banana muffin with NO egg, ideal for those with allergies. A perfect winter dessert served with cream, custard, fruit coulis or all of the above. Wicked!

Ingredients
60g butter
1/2 cup caster sugar
1 cup self-raising flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 cup milk
1 large ripe banana
120g choc bits (or drops)

Preparation
1. Preheat oven to 180C.
2. Cream soft butter and sugar together in a bowl with a wooden spoon until fluffy and lighter in colour.
3. Combine flour and baking powder with a sifter, and carefully fold into butter mixture in batches.
4. Add milk in 2 or 3 batches, very lightly folding in mixture in between.
5. Peel and mash banana completely, and fold into batter.
6. Spoon mixture into individual (buttered) ramekins or muffin pans.
7. Sprinkle choc bits on top of each ramekin.
8. Bake for 20 minutes, or until top is brown and slightly firm.

Tips
The key to making this pudding is by really creaming the butter and making it very fluffy. In the creaming process, you want to incorporate as much air into the mixture.
Only mix ingredients until combined. It is fine to leave some flour not fully incorporated. Over-mixing will cause the glutens in the flour to seize up giving the cake a rubbery texture.
Leave bananas to ripen in a bowl until completely black, then store in freezer for when required. Over ripe bananas have a runny texture when mashed which do not look appealing but is sensational in cakes, muffins and puddings. If you get caught out without a "black" banana, try to pick the blemished bananas that are overripe from your green grocer.

unleashing the tiger: 60 to 500 in 24

In yet another one of my optimistic plans, I'm going from 60 to 500 and unleashing the tiger...

That's right, I've been talking about upgrading my trusty Macbook from Tiger to Leopard OS. In the process, I have gone the full hog and will be replacing the internal 60GB drive with a Seagate Momentus 500GB.

My Mac is already quite fast for what I use it for --- web browsing, kids' photos, home video editing --- so I chose to stay with the low-rev 5400RPM SATA2 drive to keep power usage low and have a longer battery life.

By installing the Leopard on a new drive it means that I have a rollback plan when things go south. Wish me luck!

going naked has never been cheaper

I've decided to take the plunge and go starkers. Naked in all its glory is saving me a lot of money.

It does have its downside --- no internet access during the changeover period. While the phone line is disconnected, it is quite obvious that ADSL also is unavailable while the line is being converted to Naked DSL. The claim is that turnaround is 20 days.

This option will save me around $500 a year, not a small drop in the ocean.

More importantly, I also get an upgraded wireless router (I have a 10-year old setup) with VOIP for $9.95 a month and no longer have to pay for local and national calls.

I will provide updates on the progress. Have you gone Naked? What was your experience?

5 reasons why you shouldn't bother with Clash of the Titans

Clash of the Titans was a real let-down. It was so disappointing after the hype surrounding the trailer.

Here are my top reasons why you shouldn't bother with this movie, or just wait until it comes out on DVD.

1. Uninspiring story line

OK, so you don't go out to watch a movie like this expecting to have a meaningful plot but they could have at least tried.

They didn't stray at all from the standard formula of leading character seeking revenge after being hard done by then goes on a quest to get retribution. It wasn't so much that they followed the formula but more that it was so predictable with no twists.

2. No character development

The story was all about the god Zeus, his brother Hades, and son Perseus. All other characters were just incidental to the story. By this I mean they weren't introduced and they just suddenly "happened", i.e. walked into the scene.

How can you like/sympathise/associate with a character when you don't know anything about them.

The 2 "monster warriors" are case in point. They just showed up to join the "fellowship of the ring" (ok, so that's a different film altogether) but they were quite likeable. I would have wanted their characters to have been built up, e.g. they could have appeared in an earlier scene as an obnoxious pair disliked by Argos dwellers due to their mischief, then [boom!] it turns out they are good guys after all.

That kind of character build-up is Literature 101.

3. A waste of 3D technology

From my perspective, I got the feeling that the film was made first, THEN adapted into a 3D version. Lots of scenes were in 3D, but the experience was absolutely lacking.

Just like other special effects --- digital theatre sound, position perspective, graphics --- 3D should be used to enhance the experience of being there. It should give you the feeling that you are part of the scene.

For example when someone throws a spear, it should come at you and almost get the feeling that you need to duck. This is exactly the experience that 3D shows in theme parks do. That's nothing new and it can be overdone, but there are clever ways of making effective use of the technology. Otherwise, why bother having a 3D version?

4. Lack of depth

This is what it all boils down to: not having depth in all aspects of the movie.

The characters had no depth. They were just people enacting a scene but you have no sense of their motivation, their experiences, their story.

The plot had no depth. It was very predictable and there were no surprises.

The 3D had no depth. Let's face it: no one goes to see a movie like this for the story or the characters. We all see a movie like Titans expecting to be wowed by the effects.

5. Seriously...

Really? After all the points I've raised above, you're still expecting a 5th reason?

Then go ahead. Blow your $25 on a lame film. But don't tell me I didn't warn you.

I was worried because I was a virgin

I have to confess that I was a virgin up until today. Well, not that kind of virgin --- I have never flown on a budget airline before.

Imagine my shock at the travel agent when she told me only budget airlines fly to the Gold Coast. What choice did I have? The horror stories I have heard of have come rushing like a near-death experience.

But so far, it has been great and here are the surprises for me:

1. Flight was right on schedule

As advised by friends and travel agents, Virgin Blue have the least likelihood of delays or cancellations compared to JetStar.

On our flight, boarding gates were opened 20mins prior to departure. Take off was about 4mins after advertised time which I think is pretty spot on.

2. Virgin flight attendants were very pleasant

They reminded me of the old Qantas crew and the key was they came across as liking their job.

Being a budget airline, I was concerned about being treated like cattle as you are prodded into your seat. This was certainly not the case here.

3. Baggage allowance was included in our fare

We had 23kg allowed each! That's almost 100kg between us. If you are expecting to take a fair amount with you, sometimes the discounted fares end up costing more.

4. We got upgraded

Not sure how or why but while waiting to board, we were paged by Virgin staff and when I turned up at the counter, I was told that we were being issued a new boarding pass as we got upgraded --- awesome!

5. Virgin's in-flight menu was reasonably priced

I wasn't expecting to be fed for what we paid and the prices on the menu were pleasantly surprising --- water $2.50, chicken noodle meal $6.50, ham-cheese-tomato sandwich $7.50.

All in all, I am a satisfied customer and will fly Virgin Blue airline again to see if they are consistent. Let me know what your experience has been.

DISCLOSURE: My comments are unsolicited. I am not sponsored or associated with either JetStar, Virgin Blue or Qantas airlines.

swarm for melbourne's first foursquare day

Join the swarm on Friday 16/04 for Melbourne's first Foursquare day.

It will be held at @st_ali (http://stali.com.au/) from 8am. St ALi will be shouting coffee if a swarm (50+) is achieved.

Regular Friday tweetup #socialmelb will be held there as well for this special occasion.

I am looking forward to meeting Melbourne tweeps!


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Council takes on little kids on the block

There are so many rules for all facets of life in Australia. For the most part, it is a good thing to ensure we can all live peacefully with each other. Sometimes the rules are just lacking in common sense. But who is to blame?

Today, the Brisbane City Council is in the news for making the decision to pull down a treehouse built by kids on council property. They claim that the platform is 4 metres above ground and is overlooking a neighbouring property.

But the real issue here is that being on public land, this is a huge liability for the Council. We can all blame over-regulation, however we are all partly to blame.

We have become such a litiguous society, always looking for someone to blame, that insurance has become a major line item for annual budgets. All entities from multinationals, hospitals, councils and even neighbours with a shared driveway, now have to pay excessive premiums just to mitigate the risk of being sued.

As touching as it sounds that families on this particular street were brought together by the treehouse, the reality is that this risk is a potential headache for years to come (up to 20 years based on current statute of limitation).

It is sad that our world has changed in a single generation. Read the article on http://www.bit.ly/9MI7US

hit me with a one-liner

I came across this pic on a recent bender and thought it was a good candidate for a one-line caption comp.

Hit me with your best line!

Your deepest secrets revealed

Imagine some of your darkest and deepest secrets you thought were buried somewhere in cyberspace never to be seen again. Until now.

@newscientist reveals shape-shifting web crawler that indexes the dark corners of the web that Google and others can not reach.

It's all good if it finds Osama bin Laden and his mates. Not so good if it finds those compromising photos of you on a bender in college.

A reminder to all of us that the internet is always watching.

Read the article on http://bit.ly/d6mu7r

Tweeps @tweastie #nettuesday

Lots of great conversation with interesting people doing amazing things.

This week's tweastie* #NetTuesday** was sponsored by Cold Flow Melbourne - many thanks.

@marigo
@richendag
@wonderwebby
@marcusbetschel
@day2dayPA
@patriciadodd
@keithdon
@kirsty_wilson
@dwinter
@jaymcc
@stickylearning
@cherylgaskin
@hierohero
and mike mcdemott (pending handle)

If I have mistyped/misread, please let me know so I can correct it.

* @tweastie is a tweetup in Melbourne's eastern suburbs organised by Patricia Dodd & co held every Tuesday at Station Street Cafe (Nunawading Station).

** #NetTuesday is a gathering of tweeps using social media for good hosted by Jasmin Tragas (@wonderwebby). More info http://bit.ly/cvJhkl

EDIT: @wonderwebby has published a follow list - http://twitter.com/wonderwebby/nettuesday-melbourne

God forbid I should go out to dinner

I am neither a supporter nor a critic of Christine Nixon, but enough already! And now Jeff Kennett is getting in on the action.

I think people's reaction are over the top. Let us get some perspective here.

Sure, there was a bushfire raging. Yes, probably not a good idea in hindsight. But as someone has commented recently, not even the bushfire command centre knew the extent of the bushfire. I hardly think that qualifies as "abandoning her post".

Christine Nixon has publicly admitted herself that it was an error in judgement. In my books, case is closed and let us all move on.

Kennett calling for her resignation is absurd and unqualified. We need to focus on the task at hand and get on with rebuilding Marysville and surrounds.

Sacking Nixon will serve no purpose and will only delay works in progress by the bushfire authority.

iPhone OS4 fails with wifi issues

Have you upgraded to iPhone's OS4 yet?

Reports are coming through from users who have upgraded and found that wifi is no longer working, in particular those who do not use Airport wireless routers.

Some users are not able to associate with the wireless network at all. For those who are lucky enough to see their network, the password is being rejected.

I am beginning to wonder whether this is related to iPad's wifi issues and whether Apple has incorporated iPad's [newer] networking code into the OS4 release. This is going to be a deal breaker for a lot of users, particularly those who regularly hook-up to hotspots around town.

A lot of users who have upgraded over the weekend (and have Airport at home) are going to have a huge shock this morning when they head out on the road --- no internet access.

What is your experience?

Baring it

I have been around the IT traps for a while but have always kept my online presence to a minimum. That has since changed and I am stripping some of the layers off.

I am Erick from Melbourne, Australia. I'm a dad with a young family, my raison d'être. I hope to contribute to making the world a better place, one small step at a time.

I am an IT professional with a decade of experience in working for several blue-chip companies. I've managed large environments with 4,000+ servers in data centres spread across the globe including New York, London and Paris. This is all very exciting but 2 years ago I decided to take a backstep so I can see my kids grow.

I love music, used to play the piano and been learning to play the guitar so I could teach my kids. They seem to have caught the bug and look forward to my next song purchase so we can sing-along in the car, the lounge room and everywhere else.

I have an interest in languages. I believe learning a language gives you a better understanding of the people. I studied Japanese in high-school and university. I can understand Spanish which helped me pickup French when I lived in Paris during the dot.com boom. I have also started learning German which my kids are learning at school.

Recently, I caught the social media bug which is the motivation for starting up this blog. I like the way it brings together people from across the globe and I love communicating with people who I would not normally meet.

I look forward to getting connected. Catch me on Twitter!