3 October 2017 CoTD Jason Hannah - William Blue Dining

Our executive chef of the day, President Keith Steele, organised his mate Jason Hannah from William Blue Dining to prepare us lunch. Jason is the Executive Chef and Head Teacher of the William Blue Dining training facility for apprentice chefs. Assisting Keith was John R Edwards and Jason bought two of his young apprenticeships along to assist him and for the experience in another restaurant.

Canapés. Both canapés originated from Keith Steele, the first being a pork terrine on bread sourced from Victoire topped with pickles and seeded mustard. This was followed by top notch anchovies also on bread.

Aperitif wine. Peter Lehmann Eden Valley Riesling 2008 started us on our journey today with a pretty standard 11% alcohol. One of the many fine facets of Riesling is its relatively low alcohol. The Riesling was showing a little development in its colour and was as expected and excellent example of what the Eden Valley does so well with the grape. The match of acid and fruit saw us drinking this wine at its best.

Main course. Jason had chosen for us today deboned spatchcock roulade with a truffled mince/bread stuffing. The drumettes were not excluded and were deep fried with the skin folded back. This was served with Paris mash, pumpkin purée, pickled golf ball carrots and sugar snaps. The jus was made from the stock of the chicken bones with a touch of vinegar. The presentation, as can be seen above, was excellent and the touch of pickled golf ball carrots was much commented on. The spatchcock meat was succulent and the stuffing matched perfectly.

The Wines.

• Metrat “Cote Rotie” Chiroubles Beaujolais 2012 (cork, 12.5%)
• Anne Gros & Jean-Paul Tollot La Ciaude Minervois (Languedoc-Roussillon) 2012 (cork, 14%)
• Bowen Cabernet Sauvignon 2006 (cork, 14.5%)
• Devil’s Lair Cabernet Merlot 2007 (screwcap, 13.5%)

The Chiroubles to start with (which has the confusing handle Cote Rotie) was in excellent condition and was a classic Beaujolais albeit one of higher quality with classic Gamay characteristics. The pairing wine was the Minervois of the same vintage. Languedoc is an often-overlooked area although it is a prodigious producer of wine. With a blend of. Carignan, Syrah and Grenache it relates very well to Australian palates although having drier tannins. The wine was soft and balanced and a good match for the Beaujolais. In fact, they were both well matched to the poultry.

Both the cheese wines were screaming Cabernet and they were both substantial. The Bowen came from the great 2006 year but some saw a little greenness in it, a not uncommon characteristic of Coonawarra. The Margaret River wine had more elegance, but some felt there was a little overuse of oak for the fruit level. Both classic Australian Cabernets.

Cheese and coffee. Our acting Cheesemaster Gary Linnane provided us with Maffra cloth aged cheese with 18 months on the clock. This Gippsland based producer makes a range of cow’s milk cheese with the cloth aged version having a bit more bite and crumbly texture than it stablemates. A wonderful cheddar. Cheese was served with dried apricots and bowls of mixed dried fruit. A good match.

Coffee was by Spencer Ferrier and presented to us by Hilton Chapman. The coffee was Ethiopian and some described as having a buttery character.

Keith invited Jason Hannah to introduce his two young apprenticeships and talk to the food produced for us today. Jason described in detail the food and opinioned that he preferred the Beaujolais with the spatchcock.

Lunch reminded a number of those present that it was time to visit William Blue Dining once again.

26 September 2017 - CoTD James Hill

Our tireless Chef of the Day repeater, James Hill, was back in the kitchen again this week for the September wine lunch. Assisting him was one of our newest members Matthew Holmes.

Canapés. We were treated to three starters today. First off, a prawn bisque made from the stock of the prawns also eaten on the day with a splash of brandy. It had a beautiful intense prawn flavour. This was then followed by anchovy paste and olive oil on Iggy’s bread with baked grape tomatoes. Finally, prawns and celeriac remoulade served on a Asian type spoons. All three different in flavour and also in texture.

Aperitif wine. Paul Ferman started us off today with St Huberts Chardonnay 2013. The wine was in excellent condition with moderate use of wood, good acid, resulting in a wine that was not Chablis like but in the line of an excellent Australian impersonation.

Main course. James had chosen an oven cooked confit of lamb served with roasted garlic, Paris mash and tarragon jus. The recipe involved marinating the lamb for 24 hours prior to oven cooking and as indicated from the photograph above the “doneness” was perfect throughout the cut. It was accompanied by asparagus with a striking look of the green top with the shaved white stem. Excellent presentation and taste

The Wines.

• Domaine St Damien Gigondas 2012 (Southern Rhone)
• Aldo Conterno Langhe Rosso (Piedmont)
• Torres Salmos Priorat (Spain)
• Tyrrells Vat 9 Shiraz 2007
• Seppelts St Peters Shiraz 2006
• Torbreck The Struie 2006

A good selection of wines ranging from elegant to large. The Gigondas was more elegant than expected and possibly not as intense. Gigondas is typically nearly 100% Grenache but this was on the lighter side. The Piedmont a wine was intriguing in that you would expect a large amount of Nebbiolo or Barbera in the mix but there was neither. The predominant grape at 80% was Freisa with some Cabernet and Merlot. Freisa is an indigenous grape and with its plump and round character could be mistaken for Barbara.

The Priorat from Spain was fairly typical of the style, plum, cherry and black fruit. Mainly Grenache. Next up was the Tyrrells Vat 9 2007. This will be a good wine. However, at 10 years of age it is a bit young and has a touch of volatility and needs a couple of years to settle down. It could be great. The St Peters from the Grampians was decent but as 2006 was a good year for this well-known wine label it was a little disappointing. Possibly a little dumb due to a stage in development. We normally have expectations of better wines from this label. Torbreck have a reputation for big wines with dark fruit, plum, blackberry et cetera. This did not disappoint. It was a sweeter style. Some found it a little overripe but there is no rush to consume this wine

Cheese and coffee. Our acting Cheesemaster Gary Linnane served a Perenzin Formajo Ciock al Vino Rosso from Veneto. This cow’s milk cheese is immersed in red grape must for about 10 days. When removed some of the grape skins are retained on the rind creating a striking look. It was served with Corella pears.

Coffee and tea were provided by Spencer Ferrier. The former was a favourite of ours, Yirgacheffe, whilst the tea was purchased in Paris and the details will be updated at a later time. The tea was stunning in its mild but fruity flavour.

A much-enjoyed lunch.

19 September 2016 CoTD Joey Ingram of The Royal Exchange Of Sydney

The kitchen at the Royal exchange of Sydney is headed up by Joey Ingram who cooked for us today. Joey has an impressive background in the restaurant industry and agreed to cook for us today after having a couple of weeks to observe and assist the member CoTDs with their meal.

Canapés. Joey offered us two canapés. The pork and fennel sausage rolls looked and tasted fantastic. These were made in the kitchen with slow cooked pork shoulder and the shiny glazed pastry topped them off.  The next was rillettes of smoke our ocean trout on a water cracker with dill and cornichons.

Aperitif wine. The starter wine of the day was one well-known to members, the Denmar Estate Hunter Valley Chardonnay 2010. The wine was now where it needs to be drunk but was still interesting and as somebody described it, “good average” Chardonnay.

Main course. Joey prepared for members today a meal that some described as a ‘safe meal’ but prepared in style. Whole chickens have been brined was salt and sugar and then cut up into pieces and roasted. The brining lead to the flesh being moist and succulent and there was a range of white meat and darker meat on the bone on every plate. Of course, the dark meat won. The protein was served on Paris mash with asparagus and a chicken broth sauce with Madeira jus deglaze. Beautifully presented with well-defined tastes and textures.

The Wines.

• Framingham Select Riesling 2016 (Marlborough) (screwcap, 8.5%)
• Tiefenbrunner Lagrein 2011 Alto Adige, (Trentino-Alto-Adige, Italy) (cork, 14%)
• Wynns White Label Shiraz 2009 (screwcap full, 14.4%)
• Pirathon Barossa Shiraz 2009 (screwcap, 14.5%)

The first of the two wines with the main course caused some discussion. Whilst Framingham is a first-class producer of Riesling (and this one only 8.5%) most felt it was not a good match for the chicken with a rather rich jus. The Langrein grape unknown to many people was a better match. The wine comes from northern Italy near the border and hence the Germanic sounding name. This grape producers a deep red wine with cherry characteristics and medium tannin. It was the preferred match.

Paul selected two Australian 2009 Shiraz wines for the rich cheese. We all know the Wynns White Label Shiraz (usually available on discount at well under $15) and this is compared to a more expensive Barossa-based wine. The Wynns wine was thought to present excellent value for money and for some was probably the wine of the day. The Pirathon was not a typical big Barossa Shiraz but was rather elegant and provided an excellent pairing.

Cheese and coffee. Our acting Cheesemaster Gary Linnane served a Roquefort from the selection of Will Studd. There was some discussion about whether this was Gorgonzola 0r Roquefort as they both have rich textures and a salty sweet finish. This was excellent.

Coffee today was provided by the Royal Exchange from their espresso machine. Quite a task, serving 40 coffees whilst dealing with their regular customers. Well done.

President, Keith Steele, invited Joey to have a bit of a chat about the meal and about his cooking style and background.

A very enjoyable lunch.

12 September 2017 CoTD Nick Reynolds

Today on the pans was our Foodmaster, Nick Reynolds. Nick had gone for a Sicilian meal in Australian style, as you will see below.

Canapés. Canapés of which there were two started with Arancini risotto balls, followed by polenta deep-fried with truffled pecorino and aioli. Both were appealingly presented and just as pleasant to consume.

Aperitif wine. Pikes Riesling 2010 was the starter for this lunch. This wine under screwcap was in excellent condition with stunning fruit and well-matched acid. The crisp finish was well matched with the canapés.

Main course. The main course was Spada (Swordfish) Sicilian style with agrodolce caponata (in essence sweet and sour ratatouille) underneath and cherry tomatoes, olives stuffed with capers in vinegar, sliced almonds and some micro-herb (preferably oregano) garnish on top. The caponata had eggplant deep-fried in olive oil, celery, onion, garlic and chili. The sweet-and-sour taste came from vinegar, capers and pine nuts. The swordfish had been sous vide and then quickly warmed to prevent the flesh becoming too firm. Comments around the swordfish were mixed with acknowledgement that swordfish is a particularly difficult fish to prepare. However, the pieces that were left over were snapped up immediately after lunch by some appreciative members.

Comment was made about the butter served with the lunch which had been handmade by Nick in the salted manner.

The Wines.

• Domaine de la Pepiere Muscadet (cork, 12%)
• Pala Cannonau (Grenache from Sardinia) (glass cap, 14%)
• Chateau Musar Jeune (Cinsault from Lebanon) (cork, 14%)
• Salomon Syrah (Fluereiu) 2012 (screwcap, 14.5%)

Nick had requested wines with noticeable acid to accompany the main course, particularly in relation to the caponata. The Muscadet from the Loire Valley had sufficient acid and a beautiful crisp fruit, finishing long. It had some development at the expense of some freshness, but the development added another dimension to a very enjoyable wine. The Sardinian Grenache was soft, flavoursome with some interesting tannins. Of those who spoke most preferred the red in balance with the acid in the food.

The two cheese wines were enjoyed. The Lebanese wine was the second label of the famous Château Musar winery, which is intended to be consumed in its youth to enjoy the floral drinking now elegance. The Salomon (family of the ancient Austrian wine makers) had only 4% Viognier but the floral presence on the nose and palate was very evident. It was also of larger body. An interesting comparison.

Cheese and coffee. The cheese selected by James Healey this week was from Piedmont and was a cow’s milk Fontina. Fontina is one of Italy’s most well-known cheeses and is imported here by a small number of producers. It is a semi hard, cooked curd cheese with a beige interior. Very earthy herbaceous and lightly perfumed. With the cheese, Nick provided some salted nuts to match the style of the cheese

Spencer Ferrier in absentia today took us to an espresso roast with notes indicating that espresso first arose in 1907 in Milan and it literally meant ‘is expressly made for you’. As expected, there was a stronger extraction from the beans and is more unusual to have this served by way of a plunger. There was a touch of bitterness as would be expected. There was no milk offered for those who preferred a cappuccino or flat white style. To me it was a perfect end to the meal. 

5 September 2017 CoTD Paul Ferman

The Chef of the Day for the first spring lunch was our Winemaster. Paul Ferman. His assistant, meant to be Josef Condrau, was struck down by the flu and Paul soldiered on with the very capable assistance of the REX kitchen crew.

Canapés. Paul had prepared two starters for us today. Up first was a pâté served on Iggy’s bread with a fruit topping made of a variety of fruit chutneys al la Col Sanders. The pâté was made from pork, chicken, bacon and chicken liver. Very tasty. Next came a spring vegetable soup again made up of a variety of vegetables and it was very refreshing.

Aperitif wine. The aperitif wine was the Framingham Dry Riesling 2006 from Marlborough. It was a somewhat controversial wine with some of us referring to it as stunning and others not so much. Framingham is known as a high-quality producer of Riesling and this Dry Riesling is release with some age. This wine at 11 years of age had almost searing acid and was just off-dry with residual sugar around 12 to 15 g/L. It was tight, structured and long. This wine will last.

Main course. The lunch notice said beef bourguignon and whether this was a misunderstanding or more likely a deliberate ploy is open to debate. The result was both successful and surprising. You will see from the photographs above that the main course was certainly red meat but had been slow cooked and shredded in the way of pulled pork. However, it was kangaroo rump, slow cooked and it was delicious. The vegetables accompanying the protein were many and varied and was served in individual bowls on each table. Once again, we had duck fat potatoes (spoiled for two weeks in a row) with carrots, brussels sprouts, French shallots and even deep-fried chestnuts. Most of the vegetables were slow cooked in chicken stock and wine. An excellent course.

The Wines.

• Tyrrells Stevens Shiraz 2011 (screwcap, 13%)
• Anguollong Fossil Hill Sangiovese 2009 (Orange) (screwcap, 14.5%)
• Mildara Coonawarra Cabernet Sauvignon 2012 (screwcap, 14%)
• Fraser Gallop Cabernet Sauvignon (Margaret River) 2012 (screwcap, 14%)

The Hunter Shiraz and the Orange Sangiovese the were worlds apart. The youthful Tyrrells Shiraz had an extraordinarily spicy characteristic with typical Hunter medium bodied fruit. A well like style with no interfering oak due to the use of large oak maturation. A bit young but a nice future. The Sangiovese at 8 years of age was getting past its best although it still had some sour cherry characteristics. The Orange wine was a favourite at some tables.

The comparison of two Australian Cabernets were selected by the Winemaster for a reason. Both 2012 the Mildara was minty and pleasant but was simple and short. The Margaret River wine which also had about 10% of Petite Verdot and Malbec was in the true Margaret River style, dusty, blackcurrant overtones and a touch of tobacco. This is a solid wine with fine and long tannins and whilst somewhat more expensive than the Mildara it showed true quality.

Cheese and coffee. James Healey served a favourite of many members with Swiss Gruyere. Most picked cow’s milk (or said they did) and it had a wonderful complexity, nutty and sweet and an aroma makes it impossible to ignore. A wonderful cheese that many would be happy to have every week.

Spencer Ferrier in absentia today provided an Indian peaberry coffee. A peaberry, as he has explained before, is a natural mutation of the coffee bean inside its cherry. The coffee bean grows two to a fruit rather than one much like a peanut. It had excellent body and a pleasant dark chocolate finish.

Paul Ferman donated two bottles of McWilliams Vintage Port 1966 which were poured around the tables. Unlike many vintage ports from that era, his was not a tawny port but was a true vintage port and in excellent drinking condition after heavy filtering.

Paul Ferman when speaking to the food made very encouraging comments about the support and the innovation of ideas from the kitchen crew assisting on the day.

Our VP, Peter Kelso, closed the lunch to a room full of very satisfied members.

29 August Burgundy Lunch - CoTD Nigel Burton

The August wine lunch was a special event with the Burgundy reds generously supplied/donated by Ray Healey. In the kitchen was Nigel Burton cooking up a duck feast and assisted on canapés by Hilton Chapman.

Canapés. We were supplied with two homemade canapés to start both served in Asian style spoons for ease of service. The first was baba ganoush topped with pickled eggplant and this was followed by hummus topped with chickpea. Clearly, the theme was to top the bases  with the “raw” ingredient that was used to make both of these tasty starters.

Aperitif wine. The aperitif wines ran far and wide with a feast of Chardonnay from Philip Shaw, Bellarmine, Tyrrells Vat 47, and so on. There were also a couple of high ranking Pinot Noirs is such as Medhurst and Port Phillip thrown into the mix. The Chardonnay did certainly match the Middle Eastern themed canapés.

Main course. Everyone loves duck and there was good reason to like the meal served by Nigel today. The duck breast sourced from Luv-a-Duck were wonderfully cooked with a consistent pink presentation which had been sous vide off-premises and then rendered with the assistance of the team in the REX kitchen. To top off this beautiful duck, Nigel had used lashings of duck fat to crisp the potatoes in the interests of our health. Courgette was the accompaniment on the plate and it had been criss-crossed to provide a charming presentation.

The Wines.

Ray Healey served all tables seven bottles of Burgundy from the 2014 and 2015 vintages. These were:

• Clerget 2014 Bourgogne Rouge
• Chéron 2015 Chambolle Quarante Ouvrées
• Chéron 2015 Chambolle Musigny Clos de l'Orme
• Chéron 2014 Chambolle Musigny Clos de l'Orme
• Chéron 2015 Vosne Romanée Les Barreaux
• Chéron 2014 Vosne Romanée Les Barreaux
• Chéron 2015 Gevrey Les Seuvrées

Ray presented us with a simplified and shortened masterclass in both Burgundy and the striking differences between the two vintages, 2014 and 2015. For those of us less knowledgeable in the finer art of Burgundy (than many in the room) it was a fascinating exercise and one that Ray has in one form or another run for us for a few years. A very generous donation from Ray.

Cheese and coffee. James Healey searching for his Irish ancestry served us a semi soft washed rind cheese from Ireland called Durrus. It even sounds Irish. On initially unwrapping the cheese there was a pungent aroma around a 10-metre radius of the cheese. The flavour was not as powerful and had a mild and buttery flavour. Much liked

Coffee today by Spencer Ferrier was Monsooned Malabar a coffee which is not always available but a special treat when it comes to hand. This uniquely Indian coffee is called monsooned because of its exposure to the monsoon rain and winds for a period of about 3 to 4 months causing the beans to swell and lose the original acidity. It is a heavy bodied, pungent but dry coffee with a chocolatey aroma. A treat.

Keith Steele, closed the lunch thanking Ray for the donation of the Burgundy.

22 August - CoTD Paul Kuipers and John Goldbrough

Some photos above including of the refurbed REX dining room and our two new members Matthew Holmes (between the evil James pair) and Peter Fitzpatrick.

Lunch today had been a long time in the making. John Goldsbrough had been working with Paul Kuipers of Courtney’s Brasserie fame and presented us roast beef cooked on the bone. There was no shortage of members and guests willing to attend and we had the magnificent number of 65 sit down to a superb luncheon.

It was also the first lunch at the Royal Exchange of Sydney with the new management team running the kitchen and the restaurant. More of that later.

Canapés. Three canapes were served. Firstly, anchovies on brushed garlic coated toast dressed with a slim layer of tomato paste, followed by smoked salmon with crème fraîche on small pikelets and finally chicken liver pate on small toast with a sweet red cherry on top. All were well accounted for.

Aperitif wine. The main aperitif wine of the day was the Philip Shaw Chardonnay No 11 2010. This Orange sourced wine was showing development with wood evident. The colour of the wine was starting to enter its golden era but it was an excellent Australian Chardonnay at its peak drinking beautifully now. Given the large numbers in the room some of us also shared in some Brokenwood Semillon, Vasse Felix Chardonnay, Richmond Grove Watervale Riesling and an aged Lindeman’s Semillon. All these latter wines were served in singles prior to sitting down to enjoy the main course.

Main course. This is where we get to the reason that were all there today, the beef on the bone prepared by Paul Kuipers. The beef was beautifully medium rare and served simply with Café de Paris butter, some crisp potato bake and broccolini on the side.

Paul explained that he had ended up with grass fed beef after initially looking at grain fed. I suspect grass fed is his favourite. He partially cooked the big pieces of beast at Courtney’s and finish them at the REX kitchen. The meat was a special treat, especially as he managed it for some 65 members and guests. When most of us had finished the main, the beef bones with much meat attached were passed around the tables so we could do them justice. An excellent meal.

The Wines.

• BVE Ebenezer Shiraz 2002 (cork, 14%)
• Jamsheed Garden Gully Syrah (Beechworth) 2011 (cork, 14.5%)
• Wynns Black Label Cabernet Sauvignon 2005 (cork, 14.5%)
• Burton Cabernet Sauvignon 2004 (Coonawarra) (cork, 13.5%)

Goldie had asked our Winemaster, Paul Ferman, for some larger wines to go with the beef and the cheese to follow. He got them.

The two Shiraz based wines went with the beef. The Ebenezer at 15 years of age was still a big red with oak showing. There was plum and chocolate but no extraction often found with the Barossa. The Beechworth wine was more of a cool climate deal but still with blackcurrant and ample size. There was also some spice evident making it more like a robust version of a Northern Rhône Syrah wine. I guess that is what the winemaker was after.

The two Cabernets with the cheese were well known to members. The Wynns Black Label is of course a favourite of many, and this had the typical cassis flavour with classic Coonawarra fruit. The Burton with only one more year on it was silky, long and still drinking beautifully. A wonderful pair of Coonawarra wines.

Cheese and coffee. The larger style of wine was well matched by the selection of a Neal’s Yard Colston Basset Stilton selected by our Cheesemaster James Healey. James purchased a whole 7 kg wheel which looked magnificent. There is a picture of it above. Crumbly to the cut and a medium blue flavour whilst rich and complex.

Spencer Ferrier introduced us to the Ethiopian Limu coffee. This Ethiopian coffee is wet processed from the original Arabica bean. Citrus was evident and it was a medium bodied, well-balanced and enjoyable black coffee.

During the lunch, the President, Keith Steele, welcomed two new members to the society at their first lunch as members. They were Peter Fitzpatrick and Matthew Holmes and both were presented with the Society tie. The President also introduced Joey Ingram, the new head chef, and the two operators of the Royal exchange of Sydney, Alastair French and Kieran Baines.

He also acknowledged some members of the Beefsteak and Burgundy Club of Mosman.

8 August CoTD's Peter Manners and Neil Galbraith

There was no shortage of experience in the kitchen this week with Peter Manners and Neil Galbraith presenting us the goods. They were supported on canapés and wine drinking by Tony Scott and Bob Swinney. These guys are a great advertisement for the Society showing is never too late to be a Chef of the Day.

Canapés. We had a bit of a treat today with a duck consomme start made from the pan drippings and flavour of the duck cooked for the main. And, we had three canapés, the first being some duck pate on crisp bread rounds followed by anchovy and cream cheese on blinis and finally mushroom palmiers (also known as pig's ear or elephant ear). The palmiers were the hit of the canapés and a new experience for many. Beautifully rich mushroom rolled in pastry and devoured in seconds.

Aperitif wine. We began the lunch wine wise with the Bellarmine Chardonnay 2010 from Pemberton in Western Australia. A small amount of the wine sees new French oak but despite the minor influence the Chardonnay was quite rich with stonefruit overlays. Over the past year there has been a noticeable uptake of those appreciating Sherry with the aperitif’s. Today we had the Lustau Amontillado and the La Goya Manzanilla

Main course. Duck glorious duck. The theme today was duck a l’orange and it was beautifully cooked and presented (see the photograph below). Peter manners sourced the duck from Thirlmere but not without a little trouble. The owner said something to the effect I’m 72 years old and I can’t be bothered doing this to which Peter replied he was 93 and cooking. He got the duck! The duck was served with a glaze and a very innovative pastry duck figurine settled on the top. Carrots and orange pieces were decorated around the edge of the plate. Looked and tasted fantastic.

The Wines.

• Wynns C/W White Label Shiraz 2007 (screwcap, 13.5%)
• Medhurst Pinot 2010 (screwcap, 12.6%)
• Glandore TPR Tempranillo 2011 (screwcap, 13.9%)
• Montgomery Hill Chardonnay 2010 (screwcap, 12%)

The duck was served with the Medhurst Pinot Noir and the Wynns Shiraz. It. The Pinot was very elegant and was the more favoured with the duck. A marriage made in heaven was a comment by a member. The Wynns 2007 Shiraz was in great condition and whilst simple just confirmed the value for money that this wine has been and still represents.

The Glandore Tempranillo was a robust wine with oak evident. Drinking well at 6 years of age it probably says more about the Hunter than it does about the Spanish grape. The Chardonnay was the second Western Australia Chardonnay of the day coming from Albany. Most thought that this was the better of the two is an at 7 years of age had started to show some real character. Again, a powerful wine.

Cheese and coffee. James Healey provided us today with Tarago River Cheese Company Shadows of Blue. Most of the comments and guesses around the room centred on French and it was an exercise in how well Australian cheese is progressing.

Spencer Ferrier had us back to a commercial blend today with a Nero Espresso from the Byron Bay Coffee Company. The presentation and packaging of the coffee was excellent and it garnered a very good reception from the room. The coffee was 100% of Arabica and is available through coffee retailers and commercial food outlets.

Peter Manners thanked the kitchen for their assistance today and in the past. The President informed members that the catering arrangements at the Royal Exchange of Sydney would be changing in the coming week and we would have a totally new crew in for the next lunch on 22 August after skipping a week due to minor renovations in the dining room and kitchen.

1 August - CoTD Josef Condrau

1 August being the Swiss National Day it was appropriate to have our own Swiss member, Josef Condrau, in the kitchen being assisted by Ian Masters and Nick Reynolds. I had expected Joseph to bring along the Swiss flag (he has one) but we were spared that little bit of nationalism. This is the second time in a month that we have had national day lunches with the recent Independence Day lunch.

In opening the lunch, the President took the opportunity to crunch some numbers with some of our long-standing members who were present. He said that between Wal Edwards, Michael Cassimaty, Terry Stapleton, and Brian Sproule there were some 210 years of joint membership. A fitting reflection of the history and dedication from this group of long-term members.

Canapés. Ian Masters worked diligently on the canapés with little or no assistance. The first was pork terrine with loganberry sauce on thinly sliced bread. The origin of the terrine was not declared but it was of very high quality. Secondly, we had air by air dried beef with gherkin on pumpernickel. Apparently, this is a very Swiss dish and is served at many functions. Again, the air-dried beef was of high quality.

Aperitif wine. The aperitif wine of Richmond Grove Watervale Riesling 2008, was a very good fit with both of the canapés. The wine was in excellent condition under screwcap and had beautiful depth and length that we have long admired about Rieslings from Watervale.

Main course. Whilst the numbers were a little lean at lunch today those there were looking forward to the venison that Josef had promised us. We were not disappointed. Venison can be tricky to cook because of its low-fat content, but Josef’s effort resulted in a beautifully rare meat with consistent texture and colour. The venison was sourced from Orange. The traditional accompaniments to the venison were spaetzli, red cabbage, chestnuts and a beautifully poached pear filled with red currant jelly. The sauce contained orange, lemon and port. The red cabbage was made with red wine, caraway and mustard seeds and some cinnamon sticks. An excellent main.

The Wines.

• Coldstream Hills Pinot Noir 2010 (screwcap, 13.5%)
• Port Philip Estate Pinot Noir 2010 ((screwcap, 13.5%)
• Salomon Cabernet Sauvignon 2008 (Fleurieu Peninsula) (cork, 14.5%)
• Penfolds Bin 128 2002 (cork, 14.5%)

Two Pinots, both from 2010, both from Victoria and both at 13.5% alcohol. Immediately the Port Phillip wine appeared to be superior as it had more body, more structure and a little more tannin. However, after tasting each a couple of times you can see why some preferred the Coldstream Hills as it was of a sweeter style. At twice the money for the Port Phillip Pinot you would expect it to be superior and most found it that way.

The next two reds under cork were an interesting comparison. The Salomon was quite a solid wine with strong blackcurrant overtones and evident tannins but for all of that it was relatively elegant. Some called in to question the relatively elevated level of acids. The Penfolds 2002 (a very good vintage) was in excellent condition with no noticeable bottle variation. The wine was at its peak with beautiful smooth tannins and a long finish. For many it was the wine of the day.

Cheese and coffee. It was no surprise to anyone that James Healey selected a Swiss cheese given the theme of the lunch. He served us a Kase Swiss Blumenkase, an unpasteurised (raw) cow’s milk cheese. It was firm in nature and was not unlike Gruyere which many picked.

Spencer had a little surprise for us today with a decaffeinated coffee made using a process called ‘Swiss Water’ which is apparently a proprietary name. Water is used with activated charcoal to remove the caffeine but it leaves the other flavours and chemicals behind. It was surprisingly strong and it was unlikely that anyone would have picked the lack of caffeine and certainly none admitted to it.

All in all, an excellent lunch although a little disappointing that more members and guests did not get to enjoy it.

25 July 2017 - CoTD James Hill

For our July wine luncheon, we had James Hill once again in the kitchen assisted by Hal Epstein and James Healey and Gary Linnane assisting on canapés. It was Hal’s first time in the kitchen assisting and we would like to see him back in the future.

Canapés. The team put together two canapés today. Firstly, thinly sliced celery on top of anchovy paste on, Iggy’s bread, of course. The second was really two in one being sliced salami on Iggy’s bread topped with a pickle. One salami was hot and other not so. Both simple but both an enjoyable start with our aperitif wine.

Aperitif wine. To start today was a Lindemans Hunter River Semillon Bin 0755 2007. It was under screwcap and was in marvellous condition and at 10 years of age, some years until it reaches its peak.

Main course. Following on from a rosso osso buco last week, James served as a bianco osso buco, that is, with no tomatoes. It was served with boiled potatoes, fried mushroom and gremolata. On this occasion and in the style of this dish there was no bone and the marrow had been used in the sauce which accompanied the dish. The sauce was beautifully rich and succulent but did not overpower the wines for this wine luncheon.

The Wines.

• Kaesler BV Old Vine Shiraz 2008 (screwcap, 15.5%)
• Charles Melton Nine Popes 2009 ((screwcap, 14.5%)
• Cuilleron St Joseph 2011 (cork, 12.5%)
• Penfolds Bin 389 1998 (cork, 14%)
• Houghton Gladstones Cabernet 2005 (screwcap, 14.0%)
• Antinori Badia a Passignano Reserva 2006 (cork, 13.5%)

The wines served at lunch were in the main on the heavy side. The Kaesler had a label declared alcohol of 15.5% but could be more. That is not to say that it was extracted or hot but rather it was a well-made high alcohol Barossa wine. The Nine Popes also from the Barossa was a strapping big wine though Grenache based. Both relatively young for the style and still with lashings of fruit.

The St Joseph was the youngest of the wines today. From 2011 it was a more restrained northern Rhône Syrah style which some thought was the wine of the day. It had lifted and bright fruit and was drinking at its peak although it may stay there for many years. Next in line, the Penfolds Bin 389, from a vintage that has attracted much criticism of recent times. These bottles were in excellent condition and were better examples than most had seen.

The Houghton Gladstones was a massive wine which clearly needs another 5 to 10 years before being approached again. Brilliant Margaret River lifted fruit and a dusty character that we come to expect from that area. Finishing off with the Chianti from 2006. This was a Reserva so one would expect some more body and that is certainly what we got. Though medium bodied it had power and elegance handed down from its elder brother, Antinori’s Tignanello. Beautiful.

We were fortunate to have member Richard Gibson donate 6 bottles of Barolo to the lunch. It was the Azelia Barolo split between botlles of 2003 and 2004. A real treat and both drinking beautifully. Thank you Richard.

Although few were able to try it Hal Epstein bought along his last bottle of Huntington Estate Pinot Noir 1982 as a 'chef's wine'. In stunning condition, it tasted nothing like a Pinot but was excellent drinking and a credit to Bob Robert's winemaking all those years ago.

Cheese and coffee. James Healey went all Cornish on us today serving Neal’s Yard Dairy cow’s Kern from West Cornwall. Cornish Kern is a modern British hard cheese and it was probably the first time the Society has had it served. It is aged for 16 months in black wax and this results in dense fudgy texture and complex profile. It is caramel sweet and salty. Nobody guessed it was from the UK.

Spencer was back in his fine coffee mode today serving a Kenya Karogoto AA. In his notes, he explained that this is a fresh import batch which he thought probably exceeded the quality of the same coffee we had earlier in the year. A medium coffee but very fruity.