Vintage Recipes at Patina at Alumni Court

Overview

There's never a bad time to stick your nose in a book or several at the University of Queensland; however, when the UQ Alumni Book Fair pops up, it's a better time than most. That's on the agenda from Friday, April 28–Monday, May 1, and it isn't just an excuse to fill your shelves with future reading material — from Wednesday, April 26–Friday, April 28, it's also a reason to tuck into an impressive meal.

For three days only, to celebrate UQ's Rare Book Auction — which takes place as part of the book fair — St Lucia restaurant Patina at Alumni Court is whipping up a few special dishes. Executive Chef John Offenhauser is picking from two of the best-selling cookbooks of the 18th and 19th centuries: Hannah Glasse's The Art of Cooking, Made Plain and Easy from 1747 and Mrs Beeton's Book of Household Management from 1861.

On the menu is a 276-year-old caramelised rice pudding recipe found in Glasse's tome, as well as a 162-year-old salmon recipe — which features caper sauce and asparagus — from Beeton. Tuck in and you'll be tasting history, with the dishes available from 11.30am–2pm each day.

Keen on making them yourself? Those two books are up for grabs themselves at the auction. You might need deep pockets to add them to your kitchen shelves, but you will be helping raise money for scholarships to support UQ students.