Food review by James Hill

Food

Hal Epstein was in the kitchen as our Chef of the Day.

Canapés

Sicilian olives in oil and lemon.

Fresh seasonal figs wrapped with prosciutto.

Mango salsa with a good chilli heat served in pastry cups. Hal said he pulled back on the chilli and most thought it just right.

Melon and bocconcini on sticks with home grown Thai basil (horapa). Hal served this last as a palate cleanser after the mango salsa.

Main

Hal always tries something different when he’s on the hobs today it was pork ribs, those with a long history in our Society couldn’t remember this being served before.

Pork ribs, baked cabbage steaks and beans. Hal kept it simple without compromising flavours. The ribs were served with red cabbage ‘steak’ topped with yoghurt and dill and with green bean with egg and vinaigrette.

They were delicious. Hal got the quantity almost, right down to the last rib, there were those wanting more! Eating them with your fingers was de rigueur.

The ribs were marinated in Serrano sauce from Texas made with cucumbers, garlic and lime and tajin seasoning comprising lime chili peppers and salt. They were baked in foil and flashed on the grill.

Bread country loaf from Baker Bleu, a white sourdough with a chewy caramelized crust and moist crumb.

It was a success, canapés and main greatly appreciated by members today.

Thanks Hal.

Cheese

Our cheese Master, Mark Bradford, presented a white mould cow’s milk cheese from France “Ferme de la Temblaye

It came to the table in perfect condition room temperature,runny initially some ammonia on the nose but none evident on the palate

Traditional-style French brie produced on the farm and presented in a wooden box. Ferme de la Tremblaye are located southwest of Paris and produces a range of goat’s and cow’s milk cheeses. With a focus on environmental responsibility, the B Corp approved farm has adopted the agroecology model of sustainable farming that works with nature.

A traditional-style brie with a soft, buttery paste and complex savoury flavours contained within a delicate, thin rind.

Wine

We are missing Steven O'Halloran's inspiring wine prose as he did not attend this lunch. The Cellarmaster is writing this but not taking his place.

We started off Hal's lunch with a Nicolas Bergaglio Minaia Gav del Commune di Gavi Roverto, which is a long way of saying a delicious Gavi from Piemonte made from the Cortese grape. Every time I serve this wine to accompany our appetisers, I hear only positive comments. It is certainly a crowd pleaser although many seem to view it every time as a newly presented wine. Fortunately they are consistent in their praise on each occasion.

For his main of pork ribs, Hal requested a chardonnay and a lighter red. The Chardonnay that we had was a 2022 Oakridge Hazeldene Chardonnay. Although more an entry level wine for this winery, it is well balanced with an appropriate oak treatment and more than sufficient body to cope with the pork and spice of the main course. The second wine was an Austrian blend of Blaufrankisch and Zweugelt from the 2014 vintage made by Pittnauer. The years have been kind to this wine which still retained much of its linearity and fruitiness while possessing a good weight. Once again, a good match for Hal's dish.

To accompany the cheese, as is rapidly becoming a tradition, we had a white to start, in this case a 2019 Hugel Classic Gewurtztraminer.  The grape was meant to be a spicy, tropical fruit, and acidic accompaniment to the brie. Some appreciated it with the cheese, while others don't really like Gewurztraminer in any form so it got mixed reviews on the day.

After the plethora of whites and light reds, I then presented something that could best be described as a wine match to the coffee. A 2007 Wynn's Coonawarra Shiraz. While possessing some Shiraz characteristics, this wine was rather tired after spending so much time lying down in our cellar. I am pleased to announce that this was the last of this vintage in the cellar.