Food review by James Hill and wine review by Stephen O'Halloran

Food

Rob Guthrie was in the kitchen today for our fifth and last ‘cook off’ for our Chef of the Year award for 2024.

Canapés

Assisting Rob with canapés were Paul Mitchell, Julian Parmigiani, Stephen O’Halloran and Bayne Kelly.

A lot of preparation was evident with the starters today, well appreciated with many positive comments from members.

Paul Mitchell first up with home-made choux pastry with smoked ocean trout, dill and cream fraiche filling. They were topped with homemade pickled onion and dill.

Julian produced filo pastry cups filled with ricotta, basil pesto and sun-dried tomatoes.

First time assisting today was Stephen and Bayne, topping some Jatz biscuits with goat’s cheese, white anchovies and a black olive.

Main

The main course was a crusted lamb rack, inspired by the late Bill Grainger. The crust was made from oven-toasted sourdough bread broken into crumbs and mixed with Italian parsley, garlic, olive oil and lots of lemon zest and seasoning.

The lamb, which had been French trimmed, was prepared by searing the fat side, then coating with Dijon mustard and pressing the crumbs in.  It was cooked on high heat to crust and crunch the crumbs and allow the lamb to come to the table pink.  It was served with cherry tomatoes on the vine that were roasted in olive oil with garlic pieces.

The jus was made from roasted veal bones and vegetables reduced over 18 hours, then strained to form the demi-glace.  This was later combined with chicken stock and further reduced, then seasoned.

The side dish of French beans and mangetout is an Ottolenghi recipe, the beans and mangetout were blanched, dried, then combined with roasted hazelnuts, orange zest, chives and flaky sea salt.  The dressing was a mixture of hazelnut oil, olive oil and orange juice.  It was served at or close to room temperature.

The mash was made by running cooked potatoes through a potato ricer, then blending with butter and sour cream.

The meal was accompanied by wholemeal sourdough from the Organic Bread Bar in Darlinghurst. Loved this bread.

Many favourable comments on lunch today, showing why Rob is a contender for Chef of the Year. Some said ‘the best lamb they’ve had in our society’!

Thanks team.

Cheese

Most people guessed the cheese today presented by Mark Bradford, Testun Di Barolo, a semi-hard cow’s milk cheese from Piedmont, Italy. I thought it came to the table in perfect condition today.

The name testun loosely translates to hard-headed, referring to the texture of the cheese, and Barolo is the local red wine.

Beppino Occelli creates cheese in the Lange region, where the alpine pastures provide rich feed for the local cows, goats and sheep. Known as formaggio ubriaco or ‘drunken cheese’ this specialty of Piedmont is aged in traditional wooden barrels containing the grape skins of Barolo wine. The marinade leaves a purple stain which gradually penetrates the rind of the cheese leaving a very distinctive wine barrel flavour.

The wheels are then aged for a further two months in Langa marc and Barolo wine during which time the cheese develops a rich flavour, semi-hard texture and lingering sweetness. The flavours of the cheese and grapes mingle together to create a flavour that is bitey, creamy, sweet, winey, buttery and sharp all at once.

Dried fruit of figs, apricots and dates was the accompaniment.

Wine

Our Chef du Jour, Rob Guthrie, put on an excellent meal in the form of a rack of lamb with all the trimmings. The pre-lunch pass arounds were of a high standard, leading to a delicious meal enjoyed by all. The lamb was cooked to perfection. See the food report for full details.

We started the day with an Italian white, a Cincinnato Bellone 2022 13%. I really liked this wine, crisp, full of flavour but also very dry. A typical classy Italian white wine that went so well with every canapé. This is the wine I can imagine myself drinking on a warm summer day in Rome at some trattoria, tucking into an antipasto. Heaven. I hope we have some more in the cellar. A winner. We also drank a bottle or two of Gavi with the canapes. Those of you who are regular readers of my reports will be aware of my love of Gavi. A terrific wine for a pre-lunch drink. Enough said. 

First of the red wines was the Yalumba Menzies 14% 2012. A Cabernet from Coonawarra. This wine was a wonderful example of a quality aged Australian Cabernet. Now a 13 yo wine drinking, I think, at its peak, but with plenty of time left. All those delightful Cabernet flavours were there, rich muscular dark fruits, a little tannin, great balance of all component parts. Velvety smooth with a silky finish. A great wine. My wine of the day. When drinking this wine, I was struck by how distinctive this wine was from my other favourite Australian Cab, the Margaret River wines.  I have always felt that a top MR Cab is very close in terms of aroma and taste to a quality Bordeaux. This Yalumba wine is, however, in my view, a different style, a unique Australian taste and flavour, quite distinguishable from other Cabernets. Thank you Winemaster, a treat! 

The second wine was a little ripper from Tuscany, the Tenuta di Ghizzano Veneroso Terre di Pisa. 2010 13.5% If you can remember the full name without checking the label, you deserve a large glass of this superb wine. 2010 was a great year in Tuscany, so my research advised, and this wine showed the full benefit of a top vintage. 

Italian wines are food-centred, and this wine drank perfectly with the main course. A blend of Sangiovese with a little Cabernet added in. Elegant, restrained tannins with a clean and persistent finish. A powerful wine with plenty of time ahead, great with food without attempting to dominate the flavours. Just edged out by the Yalumba for my wine of the day. 

The third wine was the Domaine Leflaive Macon-Verze Chardonnay 2015, 14%. With the cost of high-quality French White Burgundies continuing to rise like a Saturn rocket, we are indeed lucky to enjoy this wine. Well done, Winemaster, hope it did not bust the budget!  This was a delightful wine, redolent with citrus flavours of apple and grapefruit with buttery overtones. Rich and voluptuous with a seductive and sensual finish. A delight. My thoughts at the time were that this wine was a little bit lost sandwiched between two powerful reds. It still, however, shone as a fine White Burgundy. 

The final wine was a John Duval Entity Shiraz from the Barossa, 14.5% 2015. This winemaker is a legend in his own time, making Grange Hermitage for Penfolds for years and now making some superb wines in his own name. His wines are amongst my favourites. This wine presented as a full-bodied Barossa Shiraz, packed with deep dark fruit flavours, spice and near perfect tannin /oak mix. Now 10 yo but plenty of time ahead.  Rich, ripe and supple, a delight to drink.

We were fortunate to be able to drink three first class red wines today.