The Great Barrier Reef

Not only is Australia blessed with some of the most incredible geography on the planet, it is also home to one of the world’s most phenomenal wonders: The Great Barrier Reef. Abounding with an unimaginable variety of sea life, this reef is big enough to be seen from space! It is the largest coral reef in the world, comprising over 3,000 reef systems and hundreds of tropical islands.

If you love SCUBA diving or snorkeling, this is the THE place to go! The colors, creatures and spectacular undersea beauty will take your brea…um, oxygen away. Even if you’ve never submerged your head, you can sign up for a beginner’s dive or snorkel trip. Diving expeditions depart daily from most of the coastal resorts. No matter where you stay on the reef, you are never more than 20-60 minutes away (by boat) from an excellent dive spot.

So where does one stay to see the reef? Queensland has several great cities with lovely coastal resorts. Here are a few:

Cairns (at left) is a sophisticated city and a perfect place from which to explore Tropical North Queensland with access to the World Heritage listed Reef, Rainforest and Outback.

Townsville sits on Ross Creek and is encircled by many interesting towns and places to see, such as Charters Towers and Ayr. The Great Barrier Reef sprawls to the east,
the Outback beckons to the west, and islands and rainforest entice to the north. Explore away!

In Rockhampton (at right), situated on the Fitzroy River, you’ll be near the beautiful Capricorn Coast beaches. It is partially surrounded by mountain ranges and is known as the Beef Capital of Australia (complete with a variety of bull statues). Here you can rent a houseboat, peruse the galleries, visit the Cliff Kershaw Gardens or test your bush-walking skills to reach the Mt. Archer Lookout.

While you’re visiting Australia, be sure to sample one of the Aussies’ favorite desserts! Pavlova was named for the Russian ballet dancer Anna Pavlova, who enjoyed this dessert while visiting Australia. It has a crispy meringue outside and a sweet, marshmallowy inside. It is usually topped with whipped cream and a variety of colorful fruits.

PAVLOVA

4 large egg whites
1 cup superfine (castor) sugar
1 teaspoon white vinegar
1/2 tablespoon cornstarch

Topping:
1 cup heavy whipping cream
1 1/2 tablespoons granulated white sugar
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Fresh fruit - kiwi, strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, passion fruit, peaches, pineapple, or other fruit of your choice

Preheat oven to 250 degrees and place rack in center of oven.

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and draw a 7- inch circle on the paper.

Beat the egg whites on medium-high speed until they hold soft peaks. Start adding the sugar, a tablespoon at a time, and continue to beat until the meringue holds very stiff peaks. (Test to make sure the meringue feels smooth, not gritty. If it feels gritty the sugar has not fully dissolved.) Sprinkle the vinegar and cornstarch over the top of the meringue and, with a rubber spatula, fold in.

Gently spread the meringue inside the circle drawn on the parchment paper, smoothing the edges, making sure the edges of the meringue are slightly higher than the center. (You want a slight well in the center of the meringue to place the whipped cream and fruit.)

Bake for 1 hour and 15 minutes or until the outside is dry and takes on a very pale cream color. Turn the oven off, leave the door slightly ajar, and let the meringue cool completely in the oven. (The outside of the meringue will feel firm to the touch, if gently pressed, but as it cools you will get a little cracking and you will see that the inside is soft and marshmallowy.)

The cooled meringue can be made and stored in a cool dry place, in an airtight container, for a few days. Just before serving gently place the meringue onto a serving plate. Whip the cream until soft peaks form. Sweeten with the sugar and vanilla and then mound the softly whipped cream into the center of the meringue. Arrange the fruit randomly, or in a decorative pattern, on top of the cream. Serve immediately as this dessert does not hold for more than a few hours. Serves 6 to 8.

Disaster in the Gulf

And God said, Let the waters bring forth abundantly the moving creatures that hath life, and fowl that may fly above the earth in the open firmament of heaven. And God created great whales, and every living creature that moveth, which the waters brought forth abundantly, after their kind, and every winged fowl after his kind: and God saw that it was good.

Change of plans…instead of highlighting Mexico City’s interesting spots, I have to vent about the BP oil disaster in the Gulf of Mexico. Maybe writing about it will provide some sort of relief from the heartbreak…but I doubt it.

My memories of diving in the Gulf are almost dreamlike – crystalline waters, amazing plants and creatures that look otherworldly, fish in brilliant colors and patterns, hand-painted by God himself. I can picture the fragile coral reefs that developed over decades, teaming with creatures of all sizes and shapes, darting into crevices, gliding in and out of sun-dappled seagrass. From beneath the Gulf’s blue waves I have been blessed with the opportunity to see sharks, dolphins, stingrays and giant sea turtles. From above, snow-white egrets and roseate spoonbills were among the beautiful birds gracing the air and shoreline.

And now this.

The images are killing me. Black-coated birds that will never recover, miles and miles of Louisiana wetlands coated in the deadly slime, closed beaches. To date, there have been well over 300 dead birds, 200 sea turtles and at least 20 dolphins, but we all know these numbers are nothing compared to what is to come. The oil from the BP well has been gushing, day and night, for over five weeks now. Like a cloud of death, it spreads out over the water, blackening and destroying everything in its path. Clean-up efforts have taken the noxious mess to a higher level by using tons of toxic chemicals that are jacking up the death toll. All we need now is a storm or, worse, a hurricane.

No word yet on whether yesterday’s effort to plug it with a mud and cement is working. We’re supposed to hear something by tomorrow. Some may say it’s in God’s hands now, but I disagree. When it was in God’s hands, the Gulf of Mexico was amazing, beautiful, breathtaking. I can’t help but wonder if it will ever be that way again. Certainly not in my lifetime.

Lord, I pray for a miracle. Only You know what is needed now. Only You have the power to make it happen. Only You can extend the grace we need, for no one could ever possibly atone for this devastation. Please give powerful guidance to all those in charge, those working to seal up the uncapped well, and everyone involved in the clean-up. I pray that all will work together, instead of pointing fingers, and that, impossible as it seems, something good will come from this horrendous disaster. Amen.

BEYOND BORSCHT

I was looking forward to my research on Russian food because, for those of us who aren’t Russian, it is a bit of a mystery. Sure, we all know about borscht, but it’s unlikely that Russia’s 142 million people sit around eating borscht day after day. And…it’s a huge country that actually spans two continents, so the food is as diverse as the people. With over 160 nationalities represented, there must be some incredible “melting pot” stuff going on when it comes to cuisine!

Many of the foods we consider Russian are actually French influenced and known as Franco-Russian. Examples are Veal Orloff, Beef stroganoff and Chicken Kiev. Here are a few other main dishes that sounded good to me: Beef Shashlyk is a marinated beef kabob, popular at picnics. Bosartma is stewed lamb in a tomato base. Fish cutlets involve grinding the fish, mixing it with sour cream, egg and other ingredients, then forming a cutlet or patty which is fried.

Hot and cold soups have always played an important role in Russian meals. An age-old favorite is Shchi (pictured at right), which contains cabbage, meat, carrots or parsley roots; spicy herbs like garlic or onions; and sour components, like apples, sauerkraut or pickle water. Rassolnik is a hot soup in a salty-sour cucumber base which contains either veal, beef kidneys or poultry giblets.

Now this came as a surprise to me: mushrooms are a popular ingredient in Russian cuisine, often replacing meat. Here’s a delicious traditional mushroom-based recipe.

MUSHROOM CUTLETS

200 grams fresh mushrooms
100 grams rice
2 onions
2 Tbs. flour
Salt and pepper to taste
Oil for frying

Boil mushrooms in salted water, then drain and rinse. Let water trickle off. Finely chop mushrooms and set aside. Finely chop onion and fry in oil. Boil rice until almost cooked, then let it cool. Mix mushrooms with onion, rice, salt and pepper to taste. Shape into small cutlets and roll in flour. Fry in oil until there is golden skin.Serve with a fresh green salad.