11 December 2018 - CoTD Bill Alexiou-Hucker

The last gasp lunch for the year attracted over 60 members and guests and our Chef of the Day was our Foodmaster, Bill Alexiou-Hucker. Bill had set upon the idea of picking four recognised canapé makers from 2018 to provide one canapé each and these were Messrs Liebeskind, Peacock, Reynolds, and Hill

Canapés (in random order).

James Hill – we have lost count of the number of times James has been a Chef of the Day for us during this year. He repeated a roast duck and lychee salad which was so popular early on in the year. The duck and lychee were served with spring onions, ginger, garlic and topped with deep-fried peanuts and sesame seeds. A hoisin-based sauce accompanied it. Served on spoons, it was plentiful and gratefully received.

Steve Liebeskind - apparently an old family recipe of Bismarck herring (pickled in a light brine) with grated green apples, red onion, fresh cream and dill served om pumpernickel. Whilst I did not try this feedback was excellent.

Nick Reynolds - an old standby for Nick, smoked salmon blinis with cream cheese, sour cream, horseradish, dill and salmon roe. Always popular.

Merv Peacock - Merv served curry puffs which he had served at his initial venture into the kitchen earlier in 2018. Puff pastry enclosing beef, curry powder and mango chutney provided some spicy and savoury characteristics and much liked as they were the first time.

Aperitif wine. After having a few lunches with bits and pieces as aperitif wines during the year with excellent feedback, we had one again today ranging across Riesling, Pinot, Chardonnay, etc but with a core of an interesting Spanish wine, Astobiza Txakoli 2016. From Txakoli de Alava D.O. of Spain it is made from local grapes, called Hondarrabi Zur. We have enjoyed this previously and it is a bright and engaging aperitif wine playing the educational card for our Society.

Main Course. Bill had promised us pork in the Greek style. For 62 people that is a lot of pork! The pork shoulder was brined and then cook for 6 hours in white wine. When in the REX kitchen it was warmed and plated with an egg and lemon sauce (a Greek special) with potatoes, artichokes and spinach. There was no shortage of crackling which was extremely crunchy but possibly lacking a touch of flavour. The pork was tender with the brining assisting to maintain moisture levels. A good way to finish 2018.

The Wines.

• Scorpo Chardonnay 2012 (Mornington Peninsula) (screwcap, 14.5%)
• Ocean 8 Aylward Pinot Noir 2010 (screwcap, 13%)
• Orlando St Hugo Cabernet 2004 (cork, 14.5%)
• Fontodi Chianti Classico 2011 (cork, 14.5%)

The Mornington Chardonnay was a very good Australian wine trying very hard to be a Burgundy. Slightly reductive sulphur, it had texture, purity and a light creaminess and was a wonderful accompaniment to the pork. The Pinot Noir also from Mornington Peninsula is a high-end wine from Ocean 8. It was unfiltered so there was a touch of cloudiness in the glass and it was on the lighter edge of the spectrum. It was sweeter in the Australian style but had elegance that only a handful of Australian wines can match. Both excellent selections with the pork.

The St Hugo Cabernet is a favourite of many, although the 2004 was in a more traditional Australian style with a degree of extraction which overrode any elegance that it may have had. Still, it is a classic Australian Cabernet and enjoyed by many. The Fontodi is a wine that we have enjoyed a couple of times during 2018. The 2011 vintage in Chianti Classico was excellent and this wine had the dryness, astringency and savoury characteristics that many of us love about Chianti. It is not yet at its peak.

With the larger than expected numbers at each table some odds and sods left over from previous lunches were placed on each table. A fun way to use orphan wines that added to the diversity of wine tasted.

Cheese and coffee. Today James Healey served us one of the Oscar winners of Australian cheese, Holy Goat La Luna. It looks beautiful and tastes beautiful even for those who aren’t particularly fond of goat’s cheese. A special treat for the final lunch of the year, as it sells in David Jones for north of $200 a kilo.

Spencer Ferrier served us some Indonesian coffee today, speaking about the cooperative arrangements that the country has to produce and market coffee. He also left a small gift on each table of some East Timorese coffee. Some of my table found the Indonesian coffee to be a little lacking in strength.

Bill also served dates stuffed with walnuts, candied eggplant and Turkish delights. A delightful end to the meal. The candied eggplant was amazing and a new experience for most of us.

After explaining his food preparation Bill thanked his four canapé elves for their work as well as Leo and others of the team at REX for their hard work and assistance during the year.

The President closed the lunch and the year and presented the team working at REX on our lunches with a festive season gift for their contributions during the year. He reminded the room that the first lunch for 2019 would be on 5 February and he wished the members and guests present today an enjoyable Christmas season.

4 December Mixed Lunch - CoTD Grant and Susi Montgomery

For our final mixed lunch of the year we had our meal prepared by Grant and Susie Montgomery (both first time chefs for us) and what a meal it was. Susie was responsible for the canapés whilst Grant had allocated himself the main protein and accompaniments for an excellent crowd of eager diners approaching 50 in number.

Canapés. Two canapés from Susie today, one in a shot glass and one on a spoon. On the spoon was a deconstructed smoked salmon terrine with layers of smoked salmon, smoked salmon mousse, mascarpone and nori, topped with pickled beetroot cubes and baby cress dressed in olive oil. In the shot glass was gazpacho comprising of pepper (capsicum), cucumber, Spanish onion, tomato and basil leaves, sieved and poured over a jelly made of the same liquid but strained again over muslin and with gelatine added. Dressed with diced cucumber, onion, pepper and Greek basil.

Both starters were in the look at me, taste me and enjoy category. They did not disappoint with their promise and were much appreciated.

Aperitif wine. The first drink to touch out lips today (well, besides for those loitering beforehand at The Republic) was the Seppelts Salinger 2010. The fruit was sourced from Henty in South Western Victoria and whilst it had clean acid there was only the faintest suggestion of a yeasty backdrop. Still, a pleasant way to start the lunch.

Main Course. Grant promised us high-quality Wagyu sirloin and he delivered. I could paraphrase but from the man himself:

• Queensland Wagyu sirloin cut Marble 5-6. Seared, rested, hot griddle grilled and then baked in the oven, rested
• A fairly complicated porcini mushroom sauce, made with beef stock, red wine reduction, butter and dried porcini and fresh swiss brown mushrooms
• Potato stack with some cream and garlic infusion twice baked
• Snap peas very quickly sautéed and left crunchy
• Assorted yellow and red carrots baked in olive oil

The professionalism of the presentation on the plate was noted. Once again, the nearby photographs save me describing this charming dish. Comments were very positive, especially about the porcini mushroom sauce with many wishing there was a little more served on each plate.  

The Wines.

• Burton McLaren Vale Shiraz 2004 (cork, 14.5%)
• Bowen Cabernet 2006 (cork,14.5%)
• Clairmont Crozes-Hermitage 2008 (cork, 13%)
• Cogno Barbera D’Alba 2014 (cork, 13.5%)

With the beef there was of course an expectation of some meaty wines and Paul Ferman delivered on this expectation. Both wines were under cork and both 14.5% alcohol. The Bowen has a somewhat hit-and-miss reputation for bottle variation caused by cork, but today there was only minor variation. The Burton Shiraz was at its peak, solid, not too sweet and not over extracted. Certainly, the favourite of the two. The Bowen had some sweeter style Cabernet fruit and was also a very presentable wine drinking at its peak.

With our excellent fromage, the Northern Rhône and Piedmont wine pair provided us an excellent and educational contrast. The Croze-Hermitage was lighter in colour with the elegance of a good Syrah from the North. A very good wine. The Barbera from Cogno, an excellent producer, was beautifully balanced for a 4-year-old with a fruity but dry finish. Another excellent example of what this grape and resultant wine from that area should taste like.

Cheese and coffee. James Healey today selected a cheese to top off a “Montgomery Day” with a Neal’s Yard Dairy Montgomery Cheddar made from raw cow’s milk and animal rennet from Somerset. It was a semi hard cheese, crumbly with nutty characters. Well done James.

Spencer Ferrier took us back to Yirgacheffe beans from Ethiopian today which may not be one of his favourites but certainly it is one of mine.

In closing, the President, Peter Kelso, presented Grant and Susie a joint apron after they had both addressed the lunch about their own contributions to this very successful lunch. The head chef, Leo once again received praise for his insightful assistance.

2018 has seen several first-time chefs and all have done a great job of cooking for their companions and guests at the Society.

27 November - Wine Lunch CoTD Nick Reynolds

In the absence of the lunch reviewer we have a brief description of the wine and food served at this wine lunch.

Nick Reynolds was CoTD for this final wine lunch of 2018.

Appetisers:

• All butter puff pastry dumplings with Italian sausage both hot and sweet (sweet = non-hot).
• Mini quiche Lorraine.

Main:

Fish soup (not bouillabaisse) with tomato and saffron plus prawns, mussels, cockles, and fish, both ling and redfish. This was served with sourdough croutons with rouille.

Cheese:

Will Studd selection Comte La Couronne.

Wine:

Appetiser - Wairau River Albarino 2017

Main –

• 2006 Leo Buring Leonay Riesling
• 2010 Henri Bourgeois Sancerre
• 2015 By Farr Viognier
• 2012 Cheron Vosne Romanee les Barreaux
• 2002 Torbreck Struie
• 1998 Lindemans Pyrus

20 November 2018 - CoTD Matthew Holmes

Chef of the Day this week was first-time chef Matthew Holmes assisted by Nick Reynolds. A significant lunch as in addition to Matthew's first time in the kitchen we were celebrating the fact that Walter Edwards was turning 102 years old was this week. We had a special tasting of Keith Tulloch wines kindly donated by Keith who attended the lunch with Cameron Davies also from the vineyard.

Canapés. For those with an affection for oysters, they were in seventh heaven as Matthew had a number of trays of Sydney rock oysters which ran out far too soon for the voracious oyster lovers at the lunch. For those of us who do a pass on oysters, we heard the appreciative sounds from elsewhere in the room. Apparently, they were very fresh and tasty. In a seafood theme, the other starter was lightly poached green prawns served with a fine coconut source made from dry coconut and served in single serve spoons.

Aperitif wine. The first wine of the day from Keith Tulloch Wine was the 2017 Hunter Valley Chardonnay (13%). The wine had been fully barrel fermented in a selection of French oak and had a beautiful fullness and length of fruit balanced by sufficient acid. Drinking well now but will certainly stick around for a few years.

Main Course. Many first-time chefs choose to go softly softly with something that they know well but not Matt. He launched into a deconstructed duck curry based on traditional coconut cream with three types of chilli. There a long list of ingredients, many of which would be familiar to those who cook Asian food. The presentation of the food was splendid with the full duck breast placed on top of the mild coconut curry sauce and served with lycees. After rendering the duck breast, it had been cooked briefly in the oven. The sweet character of the lycees was a sublime complement to the sweetness of the duck. Well done Matthew.

The Wines.

• Keith Tulloch Shiraz Viognier 2016 (screwcap, 14%)
• Keith Tulloch Forres Blend 2015 (screwcap, 14.5%)
• Keith Tulloch Tawarri Shiraz 2016 (screwcap, 14.5%)
• Keith Tulloch The Kester 2016 (screwcap, 14%)

The duck was accompanied by the Shiraz Viognier and the Forres blend. There is an opinion by some members that excluding the Northern Rhône blend of Shiraz/Viognier and a couple of Australian wines, that they are generally a little over sweet and perfumed. The Tulloch wine was neither and the Viognier as a percentage was up there at 5%. The grapes are co-fermented, and the result was surprisingly soft with a certain roundness from seemingly balanced fruit and tannin. The Forres blend was the favourite of a number of members who love their Cabernet blends. This 2015 was a blend of Cabernet (55%), Merlot (28%), Shiraz (9%) and Cabernet Franc (8%) with the latter being from the Hunter and the other components from Hilltops. Again, surprisingly drinkable at two years of age with, at this stage, a dominant Cabernet character.

The two reds with the cheese were a different kettle of fish as they say. The Tawarri is from a higher altitude Hunter Valley vineyard with some plum and spice evident. Nicely integrated oak and fruit created a solid impact on the palate and whilst enjoyable now, this is a wine for the longer term. Keith’s flagship wine, The Kester Shiraz, was a step up in power, but still relatively supple. Fruit flavours were very bright (a description that could be applied to all the reds today) and there was more power evident in the fruit and oak. This wine clearly needs time to reach its peak drinking time.

Keith Tulloch ran the room through a little history of the family and the confusion that exists in the minds of many about the multiple Tulloch labels that existed historically and how his family set up Keith Tulloch Wine in 1997. He is Hunter to the core. He also commented on the use of Viognier and his personal style with the variety. Keith also ran us through the five wines that he had generously presented to us today.

Cheese and coffee. We were back in the good ol’ USA today with a Cabot cheddar clothbound cheese from Vermont. This cheese has always presented well and did so again today. It is one of the more expensive cheeses available from any country.

Spencer Ferrier provided us with Brazilian coffee, the name of which was not clear. Mid strength and fruity were my first thoughts.

The President asked Wal Edwards to say a few words in honour of his 102^nd birthday and of course he obliged. Wal reiterated his background in the 1930s beginning work for Johnnie Walker in Sydney and knowing nothing about wine but being able to sell ice to Eskimos. We promptly sang happy birthday in imperfect harmony before indulging in the 79.5% Inner Circle rum Wal had provided. Whew.

In closing, the President, Peter Kelso, presented Matthew Holmes with his Wine and Food Society apron and Matthew spoke about his food. He was cool as a cucumber and our Foodmaster will line him up for 2019.

Today was a lunch with three components, being a new chef, Wal’s 102^nd and Keith Tulloch providing an excellent tasting of a selection of his top wines and special member only pricing for the lunch.

Thank you to all involved for an outstanding lunch attracting some 60 members and guests.

13 November 2018 - CoTD Steve Liebeskind

Chef of the Day this week was Steve Liebeskind assisted by Paul Irwin and Jeremy Lubrano. Steve’s reputation on the pans is such that we had healthy numbers of about 50. It was a real joint effort with canapes.

Canapés. Three was the order of the day. In no particular order, we had pork terrine wrapped in bacon topped with beetroot relish on a slice of baguette followed by gravlax with dressing on the same base and finishing up with pumpernickel topped with pickled herring in a dressing mixed with onion. A prodigious quantity of canapés was produced and eaten, and this may account for the aperitif wine being consumed at full tilt. An excellent set of canapés.

Aperitif wine. Back to Riesling today with the Pressing Matters R9 Riesling 2015. The R9 refers to 9 g of residual sugar which adds just a touch of sweetness to this fine wine from Coal River in Tasmania. Interestingly enough, similar wines just at that off-dry level have not attracted much positive comment in 2019 but this wine was appreciated. A couple of comments suggested they would have liked a touch more acid to offset the small amount of sweetness.

Main Course. The presentation of the main arriving at the table was splendid. Steve later said that he had a lot of fun preparing the lunch and will take his word for that, but there was a boatload of ingredients on the plate and my description shall fall short of naming all.

The dish was sou vide salmon topped with sea weed flakes and touches of wasabi, the latter becoming evident when a spike of heat attacked the palate. On the plate with was an olive tapenade, charred onion, pickled cucumber and a Thai basil and silver beet portion. Oh, there was also some mushroom, but my memory runs out at this stage. What was particularly impressive about this dish was the incredibly crispy skin on the salmon, which was a real treat. A complex dish and a most impressive production. Indeed, Chef of the Year finalist material was the suggestion by many.

The Wines.

• Domaine Roux “Clos des Mollepierres” Rully AOC 2013 (cork, 13%)
• Clerget Bourgogne Rouge 2014 (cork, 12.5%)
• Montgomery Hill The Mulberry Block Reserve Chardonnay 2010 (Albany, WA) (screw cap, 12%)
• Pallister Pinot 2009 (screw cap, 14.5%)

The fish was served with the Rully Chardonnay and the red Burgundy. The former wine we had only a few weeks ago and it is a fine example. At 5 years of age it had a mature richness and fine acid cleanliness. The Clerget was lighter bodied, but an excellent example of the Clerget style albeit at the lower end of the range. It. A delightful pair of wines to have with the salmon.

The Winemaster repeated the combo with the cheese with the WA Chardonnay opening the batting followed by the Pallister New Zealand Pinot Noir. And there the likeness ends. There are winemakers, wine professionals and consumers who like a touch of sulphur in wines on the basis that it can had some complexity and body. The Chardonnay had the match struck reductive sulphur style that divides a room. Whilst proponents claim it adds a degree of Burgundy complexity it is a style that I don’t enjoy but others loved it. It was an impressively low 12% alcohol. The New Zealand Pinot from Martinborough was on steroids compared to the Burgundy in the first bracket. Too big, too sweet.

Cheese and coffee. Gary Linnane provided us with a Beaufort cheese today. This raw milk rather firm cheese is associated with the Gruyère family of cheeses and was in wonderful condition. We were fortunate indeed to have large portions this week.

Spencer Ferrier in absentia provided us with one of his best liked beans, Kenya AA. As usual, fresh beans and high-quality beans produces good coffee.

A top-quality lunch with Steve once again confirming his experience and expertise in preparing attractive, complex and seductive food for large numbers.

6 November 2018 Melbourne Cup lunch at Brick Lane

Some 45 members and guests attended the Society’s Melbourne Cup lunch at Brick Lane in Darlinghurst. We started with three NV Champagnes, Gosset Brut Excellence, Bernard Bremont Grand Cru and Donson Blanc de Noir and after that it was a BYO event with some fine bottles produced.

Many thanks to James Hill for organising the lunch with the Brick Lane and REX crew and to Kiran who kept the room purring along over many courses.

The me and you looked a bit like this.

Duck Samosas

Duck & cinnamon, eggplant dip

Spice Cured Smoked Salmon Tostada

Spice cured smoked salmon, citrus avocado salsa, coconut yoghurt

Batata Vada (vg)

Plump spiced potato and chilli dumpling with tangy coriander chutney

LIGHT BITES:

Naan-Mi

Roti bread wraps with roasted pork belly, spiced pate curry sauce, spring onion, chilli

King Prawn Curry Leaf (gf)

Grilled king prawn piece on prawn & coconut curry with spiced basmati & betel leaf

MAINS:

Served with spiced basmati rice and roti bread

Holy Cow (gf)

Boneless tender beef curry, slow cooked with nutmeg, cardamom and cinnamon

Coconut Chicken Curry (gf)

Tomato, fenugreek, red chilli, coconut cream, with cucumber & cabbage slaw

DESSERT:

Chai Chocolate Moose

Sweet roti and honeycomb

A wonderful lunch with spices but no real heat to suit our whole cohort.

30 October 2018 - CoTD Gary Patterson

A special lunch today with some 60 members attending with Gary Patterson in the kitchen, turning out a wonderful duck pie for each of us, and member Bruce Tyrrell, providing his now annual Hunter Valley tasting of the best of the 2018 Hunter Valley Wine Show. Paul was assisted by Matthew Holmes and Paul Thorne.

Canapés. Gary’s intention for this lunch was a total duck theme and we started off with duck consommé, which was made using the carcasses of the ducks which had been clarified with egg whites and flavoured with some saffron. It was sumptuous. This was followed by Peking duck on blini with cucumber, hoisin and a few other bits and pieces topped off with a wonderful crispy piece of duck skin. It looked. A classy canapé.

Aperitif wine. Staying with the Hunter Valley theme, our Winemaster had sourced from Bruce, the Tyrrells HVD Semillon 2013. At 5 years of age under screwcap it was as fresh as a daisy with crisp acidity which had obviously softened just a little to make the wine drinking well now and with a medium-term future.

Main Course. Hand making 60 duck pie for a lunch is not for the fainthearted. Gary never baulks at doing something different in his own style and in his own time. Gary had used the meat of 12 deboned Peking ducks with some pumpkin and pate and hand wrapped each in the pastry. Going to our web page to look at the photograph to the duck would be worthwhile. The ducks were served with a sauce of soy, hoisin and fennel with an interesting salad and asparagus. The salad had some sweetness for the duck. The fact that all the plates went back to the kitchen empty says it all. Well done

The Wines. Bruce Tyrrell had badgered a number of wine makers in the Hunter to provide us with a selection of the best wines of the 2018 Hunter Valley Wine Show. There were 11 wines in all and you can view a photograph of the listing of wines on the website under Recent Functions, no password required.

The five 2018 Semillons from 2018 were as a group surprisingly soft and drinkable and confirms somewhat of a style change over the past half-decade or so. The six Shiraz from the 2017 vintage varied significantly with one wine, Mount Pleasant Old Hill 1880 Vines Shiraz, at $135, showed massive oak and a most un-Hunter style.

Cheese and coffee. Gary Linnane filling in for James Healey as Cheesemaster gave us a will Studd El Esparto Manchego. This sheep’s cheese from La Mancha is easily identifiable by its tyre tread like skin and the example we had today was well aged and some thought a little on the dry side.

Coffee by Spencer Ferrier today was Ethiopian Yirgacheffe, a favourite of mine.

The combination of Gary in the kitchen and Bruce supplying wines was a combination that worked to a tee. Thank you to both for an extraordinarily enjoyable lunch.

23 October 2018 - CoTD David Madson

David Madson was in the kitchen this week assisted by Peter Fitzpatrick and James Tinslay on canapés.

Canapés. Speaking of canapés, we started with three today. In no particular order, the first was a mixture of butter, pumpkin and herbs topped with pancetta on a dried bread base. Creamy and tasty. The next was another spreadable style on a dried bread base and crackers (for some variation) of cream cheese, mayonnaise, prawns and various herbs and the like, such as dill. Slightly runny and again a very rich flavour that worked well with the aperitif wine. Finally, a simple canapé of pan-fried halloumi topped with chorizo, the latter lacking a little heat to make it more interesting.

Aperitif wine. Besides the usual suspects of our much-loved Sherry, the aperitif wine was a Girardin Chardonnay, an entry-level white Burgundy from 2012. It had all the attributes of an excellent aperitif wine with no wood evident, crisp acid with a fruit driven finish. Comments on this were very positive.

Main Course. Serving curry at the Society is generally fraught with dangers of the heat/spice and wine matching. Today was no different. The butter chicken recipe David used today was classic with a wide range and variety of spices. Contrary to some comments, there was no chilli used in the recipe. However, there was chilli as an accompaniment on the side that some may have mistaken as part of the rich and buttery sauce accompanying the chicken. The chicken were whole thighs with bone in and skin on which had been browned before being cooked in the curry sauce. A very comforting meal served with salsa, cucumber and chopped green chilli, the latter being not so benign if you managed to get it mixed with the sauce. Chilli lovers would not have even noticed the green chilli but for some of us with a low heat threshold, we did. An excellent main.

The Wines.

• Marina Coppi Barbera (cork, 14.5%)
• Medhurst Pinot Noir 2010 (screw cap, 12.8%)
• Dom. Roux Rully Clos des Mollepierres Chardonnay 2013 (cork, 13%)
• Vasse Felix Filius Cab Merlot 2013 (screw cap, 14.5%)

This is not the first time in recent lunches where the issue of wine matching with food-based spice or heat has come to the fore. Not a bad thing. It becomes obvious however that assuming a curry is generic leads to problems. Suffice to say conversation was lively around the matching of the with the complication of chilli being dragged, literally, into the curry.

The Barbera had the softness and body to be the best match with the butter chicken. Mind you, the Midhurst Pinot Noir at 8 years of age was also in good condition and whilst not tasting particularly like Pinot, many thought this was the match to beat. Personally, I preferred the Barbera.

With the excellent cheese there was one clear winner and that was the Rully white Burgundy. At 5 years of age it had a mature richness and fine acid cleanliness that arguably made it the wine of the day. Sadly, the Vasse Felix entry-level Cabernet Merlot failed to set any pulses racing. It was just a little boring and bland.

Cheese and coffee. The cheese selected by James Healey today was a d’Affinois from Guilloteau from the Rhone-Alpes. It was as expected, in great condition. Silky in the mouth followed by a creamy finish. The cheese was served with mixed nuts and dried fruit.

Spencer Ferrier provided us with a Colombian coffee today with the moniker, Inza. It had a sharp finish with a good breath of flavour across the palate.

During the last week the Society lost one of its members, Ross Porter, and he was farewelled with the traditional toast of green chartreuse.

16 October - CoTD John Rourke

Thanks to James Hill for this lunch review

Long-time member, Past President and former Chef of the Year, John Rourke, was in the kitchen today presenting some great spring fare.

Canapés. John had made a pork, chicken and pistachio terrine a week ago with his own special herb and spice mixture complimented by the cornichons and reconstituted apricot and orange. Full of flavour.

Aperitif. Our aperitif wine was 'Red Robin' Clare Valley Riesling from 2011 under stelvin at 11.2%, a gold medal wine in the Sydney Show some years ago it was remembered by members as good example of Clare valley Riesling. Today it was still showing lime and lemon acidity with aged characteristics and a hint of petroleum in the nose.

Our sherry today was Gonzalez Byass Amontillado and a Fino, and both wines went well the terrine.

Main Course. John served us Cowra lamb shoulders which have been taken off the bone, rolled with a herb (mint dominant) and spice marinade and sous vide cooked at 56 C for five hours, before being oven finished. It looked great on the plate and better on the palate although there was some table variation on doneness.  It was served with duxelles of mushroom made with onion and butter cooked over a low heat. John added walnut and pine nuts for texture. Some 'cocktail' potatoes, a leaf of witlof with braised red pepper (which added some bitterness) provided a good balance to the meal. The lamb was topped with flowering spring rosemary and a jus made from lamb juice, veal stock and red currant jelly.

A great meal that members commented was of restaurant quality.

Wines.

• Burton Cabernet Sauvignon Coonawarra 2004 (cork, 13.5%)
• Richmond Grove Cabernet Sauvignon Coonawarra (magnum) 2001 (cork, 13.5%)
• Laurent Combier Croze-Hermitage 2012 (cork, 12.5%)
• Tyrrell Old Patch Shiraz 2007 (stelvin, 13.5%)

With the main we enjoyed the Cabernets, a serendipitous match to lamb.

Both very good examples of Cabernet Sauvignon from Coonawarra. The room was divided as to best match, but all agreed both very good wines showing tannin fruit and acid.

With cheese both wines were perfect examples of Shiraz, both new drinking very well on the day. The Crozes-Hermitage had an unmistakable Rhone Valley wine bouquet and palate and the Tyrrell’s was still young with fine tannins and acid. John generously donated the Shiraz in celebration of his birthday on 17 October.

Both a great match for the cheese.

Cheese and coffee.  Our Cheese Master, James Healey, presented the cheese and it was a chèvre from the Pyrenees, pasteurised goats milk a semi-hard Tomme made from hand ladled curd. A creamy texture perfectly complemented by accompanying walnut and honey.

Spencer, in attendance, presented a blend of coffee from El Salvador and New Guinea Pearl. To quote Spencer ' a reasonable coffee quite acceptable on the day”.

Happy birthday John.

9 October 2018 - CoTD Paul Ferman

Special thanks to James Hill for the lunch review this week.

Winemaster, Paul Ferman, was in the kitchen this week.

Canapés. If there is one thing that is a certainty with Paul is that will have soup and terrine. So, Paul served us a vegetable soup of spinach and lettuce with a potato base and chicken stock. It was topped with cream, herbs and chopped bacon. It looked a treat and tasted just as good.          

Next, we had one of Paul’s favourite dishes, a Raymond Blanc terrine made from three cuts of pork, chicken liver and a range of herbs. Paul had made this ten days ago, so the flavour had integrated beautifully. It was served on Iggy’s baguettes. Delicious!

Aperitif wine. Astobiza Txakoli 2016, a Northern Spanish white blend under stelvin (12.5%) started us off. This had a mixed reception when served some weeks ago however today much appreciated it was floral and textural with a good acid balance that complemented the canapés. The obligatory Sherry was Tio Pepe Fino en Rama NV under cork at 15%.

Main Course. Paul served us braised kangaroo which was mainly the tastier part of the shoulder and Ioin with some browned chicken and bacon fat added to add taste.

It was braised with carrots, eshallots and chestnuts served on a bed of a very flavoursome polenta made up of buckwheat and maize that was cooked with cheese and chicken stock. It was served with crisp green beans. A great meal.

The Wines.

• Elderton Barossa Shiraz 2004 (stelvin,14.5%)
• La Grola Allegrini a red Italian blend 80% Corvina Verona 2010 (cork)
• Alvaro Castro (Dao) red blend of Touriga Nacional/Alfrocheiro/Tinta Roriz Portugal 2009 (cork, 13%)
• J Mayer Riesling Germany 2016 Kabinett trocken (vin lock (glass stopper) 12%)                                              

With the main we enjoyed the Elderton Shiraz a typical Barossa Shiraz fruit evident somewhat jammy still with acid showing. The first vintage under stelvin.

The Italian wine was preferred a 'food' wine savoury with sour notes and a hint blackberries and currants, it was rich and elegant.

With cheese Alvaro Castro (Dao) full bodied spicy with black cherry fruit evident.

The Mayer Riesling came straight from the fridge, so the residual sugar was masked by the cool temperature and the acid a highlight. Once in the glass apple and pear aromas came to the fore.

Both good matches for the cheese.

Cheese and coffee. James Healey presented the cheese this week and it was a cracker with most comments suggesting it origins were Italian or French. How wrong we were. It was a Berry's Creek Tarwin Blue cow’s milk from Gippsland. Straw coloured with a creamy texture and a long intense finish on the palate.

James always make sure that the cheese is removed from refrigeration hours before serving so that we get it at the correct room temperature. It was unwrapped when we arrived for lunch and displayed an ammoniated crust none of which was evident when eaten. Iggy’s bread was perfect with this cheese.

Paul accompaniments for the cheese were pecan and walnuts, muscatel naturally dried grapes and a salad of cos lettuce pear and chives.

Spencer, in attendance, presented a coffee from Costa Rica Arabica a good balance of tannin and acid with style and finesse one of the better coffees.

Paul generously donated various bottles of aged port to finish off a superb lunch.