World's Thickest Thick Shakes in Tenterfield

Staff at Tenterfield's Famous Pie Shop and shoppers on the street were seeing stars on Tuesday.

Paul Hogan and Shane Jacobson, most widely know for his portrayal of the globe trekking, speech impaired plumber Kenny, passed through Tenterfield on Tuesday to try the Famous Pie Shop's world's thickest thick shakes as part of their new film Charlie and Boots.

The pie shop's world's thickest thickshakes were in fact invented for the movie, but the Famous Pie Shop owners Geoff and Gabrielle Schnitzerling said the thick shakes and new signage are here to stay.

Mr Schnitzerling said the film's director, Dean Murphy, chose to film at the Famous Pie Shop after visiting the shop on a trip through Tenterfield in the previous year.

"The director came through town last year and stopped for a pie. He said he loved the place so he got in touch with us and asked if he could hire it do some of the filming," he said.

"I'm very pleased to have had part of the film shot there, it's great to know someone wanted to film the pie shop."

It took three thick shakes to film the close-up shots of Mr Jacobson in the pie shop.
In an interview with the Star, Jacobson said his favourite flavour was banana, but was unsure if it would be anymore.

"Fifteen minutes ago my favourite flavour was banana, and now it is anything but banana. I think I've just deprived three million chimps bananas, if you cut a hole in me I'd be able to feed bananas to all the chimps in Africa."

"The thick shake was very nice," Jacobson said. "The only thick thing about it was at the end of the straw."

Mr Jacobson will play Boots, with his estranged fictional father Charlie, played by
The characters are reunited after a family tragedy, putting their differences aside to head off on a road trip from Warrnambool through the centre of New South Wales and Queensland to fish off the northernmost tip of Australia.

Tenterfield Shire Mayor Toby Smith said the movie would provide good exposure for Tenterfield as well as the Famous Pie Shop.

"The weather is wonderful and I am, of course, pleased that they stopped in town for the filming. We're a very historic town and this only adds to it. It's not every day that we have Paul Hogan and Shane Jacobson in town," Councillor Smith said.

Principal filming for Charlie and Boots will end on December 15. A release date has not been confirmed, but it is expected the film will screen in cinemas around Australia in September 2009.

Source: http://www.tenterfieldstar.com.au/news/local/news/general/crocodile-dundee-paul-hogan-and-shane-jacobson-of-kenny-fame-passed-through-town-on-tuesday-shooting-for-their-new-film-charlie-and-boots/1377606.aspx

How To Make Great Shakes

Making good malts and shakes isn't rocket science, according to some foodservice operators. But making great ones comes close, insist veteran soda jerks.

Malts and shakes hark back to a soda-fountain culture that had its heyday in the '40s and '50s when ordering an "In the Hay" got you a strawberry milkshake and the guy known as a soda jerk commanded respect.

With the current interest in comfort food and diner cooking, these dairy-rich drinks are making an encore. But practitioners of the art claim skilled soda jerks are in dwindling supply.

"[Making a good shake or malt] takes physical stamina. Your hands get mighty cold, the mixer overheats and if you make enough of them your shoulder blades ache," says Bev Surrency, whose claim to fame is a personal record of making 600 malts in one day. Surrency and husband Ted own Yellowstone Drug Store in Shoshoni, Wyo.

In 1997, the 12-stool, 35-seat landmark sold 55,146 malts and shakes. "It's hard to find young people who want to do this kind of work," Surrency laments. With 59 flavors of ice cream and an average output of 300 drinks a day, she devised a production line to take orders, dip, mix and serve. "An experienced counter person can do a malt in 16 seconds," she adds.

Malts and shakes are first cousins, with malts building on milkshake's formula with the addition of malt powder, according to Malcolm Stogo, an icecream industry consultant. The formula for a shake is two scoops of ice cream, 8 ounces of cold milk and 2 ounces of syrup. Thickness depends on the amount of milk or ice cream, according to Stogo's Ice Cream and Frozen Desserts (John Wiley & Sons Inc., $59.95, 1998).Though recipes for both are basic ice cream, flavoring and milk, the difference between good and great depends on the quality of ingredients, the sequence in which they're packed and technique.