Sydney Eat Street: Christmas treats with a twist
From Christmas flavoured lamingtons to a unique Christmas gelato log cake, here are some special treats to enjoy, or gift to someone else, over the festive season.
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PiOiK LIMITED CHRISTMAS PANETTONE
PiOik Bakery’s classic Italian Christmas sweet bread is quite literally the best thing since sliced bread.
It requires a meticulous 36-hour process that ends with the bread being hung upside down, a method used to keep the fluffiness from collapsing.
“Panettone is a traditional Italian bread, rich in history, flavour and texture. Our classic panettone is complex and requires lots of patience to make, but the result is an aromatic and simply delicious Christmas treat,” says owner and head baker Shady Wasef.
“It’s typically enjoyed at breakfast with a coffee or Champagne, and it makes for a very festive French toast.”
The fine dining chef, turned artisanal baker, Shady has mastered the minutia using citrus puree, plump raisins and candied orange peel topping it with a sweet crust of almonds, cocoa husk and pearl sugar.
Done right, it’s moist and buttery, and because of the natural fermentation of the dough, it stays fresh for at least a month – good for family and friends that stop in throughout the Christmas season.
— 176-178 Harris St, Pyrmont; pioikbakery.com.au
CARRIAGEWORKS TWILIGHT CHRISTMAS MARKET
If you’re in the market for a special Christmas lunch, then there is no fresher place to gather than the Carriageworks Twilight Christmas market.
The popular weekend farmers market gets fully festive with the return of the annual Twilight Christmas Market on Wednesday, December 23 from 4-8pm.
There are more than 70 growers, farmers and artisanal producers selling the best of the season for your festive feasts and holiday treats.
Not only are you sure to get premium produce, the markets offer an opportunity to engage with producers, get some insights and even pick-up a few of their holiday cooking tips and tricks.
Of course, taking pride of place on the table is the glorious Christmas ham, made all that much sweeter coming from sixth generation farmers at Longa Longa Farms. Add to that ripe summer cherries from Kurrawong Organic or lovely cherry preserves from Cornersmith.
A yummy and fun treat on Christmas morning or for that matter, any time of the day are the sourdough crumpets from Crumpets by Myrna who for the season has created some baked in the shape of a Christmas tree, made all the more beautiful with the melted gold that is Pepe Saya butter.
— 245 Wilson St, Eveleigh; carriageworks.com.au
KITKAT – KITKAT CHOCOLATORY CHRISTMAS FEAST
Forget adding coffee or chilli, Connie Yuen, head chocolatier at the KitKat Chocolatory has chocolate pairings down to a science, creating new flavours and experiences that sweetly tick all the boxes (of chocolates).
This year, she’s taken it to the next level and fully embraced the Aussie festive season.
“At the KitKat Chocolatory we try to experiment, get creative and push boundaries, which is why we used absolutely unique flavours and ingredients to create the KitKat Christmas Feast,” she says.
“Some people will see it as their fantasy food brought to life, but for others it may feel more like a whole new frontier. That’s the beauty of experimenting and innovating with a brand like KitKat – we can create a product so unique that it gets everyone talking, with something for everyone.
“Regardless, the Christmas Feast will make a memorable gift for the chocolate lover in your life who may want to try something different this Christmas.”
KitKat’s four-course Aussie Christmas Feast features the flavours of baked ham with orange and clove glaze; honey-glazed carrots; prosciutto, melon and champagne; and finally, Christmas pudding with Brandy, smooth milk chocolate, crisp wafer, plump currants and spiced milk ganache, finished off with a brandy custard drizzle.
You’ll never taste Christmas the same way ever again.
— Mid-City, Ground Floor, 197 Pitt St, Sydney; kitkat.com.au
LOVE CREPE
Love Crepe’s strategy is simple: make dessert the hero of the holiday season.
“We wanted to make this a dessert centrepiece the whole family would enjoy during the holiday season,” Love Crepe’s owner Nick, Kondilis says.
“The red and green is an obvious nod to traditional Christmas colours, the flavours are fresh and summery, and it makes for an impressive way to finish a meal with family and friends.”
Love Crepe started in Pyrmont and moved on to bigger and better space in Drummoyne where they can further explore variations on the handheld desserts so popular in Greek creperies.
Using a traditional recipe, Nick re-created the joys of his childhood summers spent in the Greek Islands and has added to that, house made Italian-inspired gelato.
Try the gelato Christmas log cake, featuring pistachio gelato, strawberry sorbet, raspberry jelly and almond sponge, sitting on a bed of crispy pistachio base and enveloped in a white chocolate glaze.
Considering that a trip to Greece for the warmer months is off the books for now, this gelato Christmas log cake, priced at $69 (8-10 people) is sure to make the holidays a bit easier.
— 216 Lyons Rd, Drummoyne; lovecrepe.com
TOKYO LAMINGTONS
These aren’t your regular CWA lamingtons, these Aussie icons have been given a Japanese twist, rather adeptly by Tokyo Lamingtons’ owners and artisans, Min Chair (N2 Gelato) and Eddie Stewart (Black Star Pastry).
The pair started their experiment in 2019 with the intention of opening a boutique spot in the back alleys of Tokyo, COVID restrictions curtailing their travels, so they stayed in Sydney and developed a line of lamingtons that paired the humble sponge cake with Japanese flavours and Japanese ingredients such as matcha and black sesame or more Aussie ones such as fairy bread popcorn and Ferrero.
For Christmas, they’ve taken their quirkiness to the next level with a holiday collection including Pavlova, Mint chocolate Nibs and the scrumptious, Rum & Raisins – lamington is filled with Rum Soaked Raisins and dipped in White Chocolate and coated with Coconut Shreds. ($7 each)
— Market City, Level 3/9 Hay St, Haymarket; tokyolamington.com
FOUR PILLARS AUSTRALIAN CHRISTMAS GIN
It’s been a tough year, but to get you in the holiday spirit, Four Pillars Gin has released their fifth annual Australian Christmas Gin, a blend inspired by yuletide cheer so unique to the Lucky Country.
This year’s release is an homage to family, specifically head distiller Cameron Mackenzie’s late mother, Wilma (also the name of their still), by channelling the essence of her pudding.
“The resulting gin smells like gin and tastes like Christmas. Aromatics of classic juniper and a hint of cinnamon.”
This is a limited release, so you’ll need to swiftly get yourself online or up to their distillery in Surry Hills.
— 410 Crown St, Surry Hills; fourpillarsgin.com
PERSONALISED GLENFIDDICH
Whisky. It’s the one drink known to lure Bond away from martinis. So, for those looking to woo a loved one or commemorate a moment, Glenfiddich, creators of award-winning single malt Scotch whiskies, is affording you the opportunity to craft a bespoke label with your own message to be adhered to any bottle throughout the Glenfiddich range, including the Glenfiddich 12-Year-Old, Glenfiddich 15-Year-Old, Glenfiddich 18-Year-Old, Glenfiddich 21-Year-Old, Glenfiddich Experimental Series IPA, Project XX (pronounced Project Twenty) and Fire & Cane bottles.
This year, after months of separation, it’s more important than ever to make things personal.
Buy a bottle of Glenfiddich from any retailer Australia-wide and then create a personalised label online
CRAFT CARTEL – 100-CAN CASE
Whoever said that good things come in small packages had never encountered a metre-long case filled with craft beer. Craft Cartel’s – 100 Can case is not only a perfect gift for the beer lover in your life, it’s also ideal for parties and get-togethers, plus you can get an extra dose of good cheer knowing that you’ll be supporting 25 independently owned Australian craft breweries across the country including Hawkers, Young Henrys, Moon Dog, Two Birds, Sauce Brewing and more. (Limited custom-made timber box, costs $499 and comes with 10 x $20 vouchers to spend on the Craft Cartel Liquor website)
MYMILO
Kids of all ages will be green with envy when see your name plastered across a tin of 460g of Milo. And it’s not a name on the label as there are eight different designs to choose from, making sure yours truly is one of a kind.
This bespoke gift is ideal as a stocking stuffer or as a yuletide gesture to friends, colleagues and neighbours.
To get started, head to my.milo.com.au, simply select a favourite design and begin the creative personalisation process. Each 460g MYMILO tin will be available to purchase for $11.99 AUD plus $8 nationwide shipping.
SYDNEY SEAFOOD SCHOOL
The Sydney Seafood School (SSS) located at the Sydney Fish Market, the largest fish market in the Southern Hemisphere is headed your way for the holidays.
Alas, Roberta Muir, General Manager of the SSS won’t be there, but you can pick-up a close second with The Sydney Seafood School Official cookbook ($39.99) and for those truly motivated, or just hungry for fish, there’s also the SSS@Home gift voucher ($52.50) which give you a recipe kit that includes the fresh seafood, vegetables, herbs and premium pantry items required, plus detailed printed recipes and a step-by-step video on how to cook it all.
— Sydney Fish Market, 25 Bank St, Pyrmont; sssathome.sydneyfishmarket.com.au
HEARTS OF CUPID
On Christmas, it’s said that the Grinch’s heart grew ten times that day, but for true believers, three is even better, especially 3D chocolate hearts.
That’s what sisters and former caterers, sisters Kelly and Nora realised so began selling salad plate-sized chocolate hearts filled with Nutella and other sweets.
From there, they’ve gone on to make many different shapes, colours and fillings, but none more merrier than their Christmas creations.
– To order visit heartsofcupid.com.au
Originally published as Sydney Eat Street: Christmas treats with a twist
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