Lunches
16 March 2021 - CoTD Matthew Holmes
Food review by James Hill and wine review by Steve Liebeskind
In the last “cook off” for our chef of the year award Matthew Holmes was in the kitchen today with assistance from Nick Reynolds. The standard of food in the chef of the year lunches has been high and today was no exception given comments from members from the floor.
Entrée
We were seated as per Covid regulations (finishing soon we are happy to report) and were served our entrees on a single plate.
- Broccoli and pea soup with sour cream and bacon garnish, parsley and a pinch of chilli
- Burrata bruschetta using a semi sourdough topped with snow and fresh peas, broad beans, parsley and mint, radish and chilli, drizzled with chardonnay vinegar dressing.
The theme was garden to plate with some green acknowledging St Patrick’s day. The soup had an intensity of infused flavours, good texture and came to the table at a good heat.
The bruschetta had been served on some sourdough it had an abundance of interesting flavours and was very satisfying.
A good lead in to our main course.
Main course
Matthew’s main course, a Greek-inspired pie ‘spanakopita’ or ‘weed pie’.
It had feta, goat and pecorino cheeses combined with young leaf spinach, roasted pine nuts, onions and dill, all wrapped in filo pastry. Accompanying was a tzatziki dip homemade without the usual garlic to keep it light and refreshing against the full-flavoured spanakopita. There was a lot of preparation in presenting this vegetarian dish for us today.
The presentation was excellent with a medley of cherry tomatoes, olives, red onion, fresh oregano, sparsely dressed with lemon and garlic olive oil. A good balance of acid and texture to cut the big flavours of the pie and a good match for accompanying wines.
The pie was a great version of spanakopita filo golden brown with many layers of buttered pastry, the spinach well dried after wilting so the pie wasn’t damp an achievement in itself.
Our food master was first to comment on the quality and how authentic it tasted.
Matthew served a seeded bread with the main and a sourdough with the cheese.
Cheese.
James Healey presented ‘Shadows of blue’ a farmhouse blue cheese made from cows milk aged approximately three months.
Shadows of Blue is made on the farm in Gippsland from Friesian milk with added Jersey cream. Selected blue moulds are added to the curd which is then hooped and salted before maturation under a wax coating.
The wax denies the blue mould oxygen until the wheels are spiked after two months. This results in a ‘sweeter’ flavour and sets it apart from cheeses matured with a natural rind. The added cream imparts richness of flavour, as well as texture and when ripe, small pocks of blue mould are laced throughout the creamy paste.
Matthew simply served a bowl of grapes with the cheese.
Wines
Our wine master Charles (Chilly) Hargrave selected the wines and unfortunately couldn’t attend the lunch. He provided the following comments on the wines.
The Yabby Lake wines are from 2014 (cooler vintage) and 2015 (perfect season - called a Goldilocks vintage). All wines are fermented with some stalk (up to 25%) depending on the season. Aged in French oak (20% new) for about 12 months.
The two wines from Roche de Bellene are both premier cru, but there are enormous differences in quality. A premier cru in Beaune is very different to one in Gevrey Chambertin.
The Lavaut Saint-Jacques is the closest thing to a grand cru in the Appellation. Perhaps if it was one the other side of the village it might be grand cru. Obviously being Gevrey it is described by firm tannins and mid-weight.
Grèves from Beaune is one of the largest of the village’s which 42 premier crus. They tend to be soft and complex, without any of the fruit complexity or structure of the Gevrey.
Wine review
1st Bracket – two good Semillons under Stevin that showed differently with breathing and food. Overall good examples of varietal and maker styles. One thing for sure is that these two wines both have a long life ahead of them.
2014 Tyrrell's HVD Semillon – Acid, citric and good length. Some sweetness on the finish – could be residual sugar. Solid wine which is balanced with 7 years of age.
2013 Lindemans Bin 1350 Semillon – Acid, fruit initially was short but expanded as it breathed and warmed up. Muskiness to start (could be some sulphur).
2nd Bracket – again two wines that changed significantly in the glass and when accompanying food, the preference of wines changed.
2015 Yabby Lake Pinot Noir– Pepper, sweet fruit good length and obvious tannins from some new French oak. Some stalkiness that balanced out with opening. Ripe fruit improved with breathing and food.
2014 Yabby Lake Pinot Noir – Capsicum, strong tannins with breathing there was a hole in middle palate. Showed a darker colour to 2015. Showed up very well on opening but 2015 finished better as the lunch went on.
3rd bracket – what a treat 2 quality Burgundies that improved from 1st to 2nd wine.
2012 Roche de Bellene Beaune 1er Cru Les Grèves – Big tannins
not initially pretty in glass with a slight bitter finish. The wine changed with breathing quality wine at 18+.
2010 Roche de Bellene Gevrey Chambertin Lavaut St-Jacques – quality well-balanced wine from the outset – violets and strawberries, balanced and elegant. Many years ahead of it. Soft tannins, ripe /elegant fruit. Worthy of 19+.
9 March 2021 - CoTD Steve Liebeskind
Food review by Nick Reynolds
In the fifth of the cook-offs for Chef of the Year, Steve Liebeskind was in the kitchen, ably assisted by David Simmons and Paul Irwin.
Cooking to a packed house, Steve presented an enhanced version of the dish that led to his shortlisting as a chef of the year candidate.
Steve presented three appetisers: Fennel puree on pastry rounds topped with raw salmon and a sprig of fennel; Raw salmon with lemon and other Asian flavours (ceviche) on a spoon (created by Paul Irwin); and a repeat of the potato and broccoli soup in chicken stock with cumin. The soup used leftover potatoes from the main course. All were well appreciated by members.
For his main course, Steve reprised his slow-cooked (10 hours) Mediterranean lamb shoulder, wrapped in caul fat to retain moisture. In a variation on the last time we saw this dish, Steve served the lamb on a smooth roasted pumpkin and onion purée. He retained the duck fat cooked potato rounds, which once again fooled some of us into expecting surf-and-turf as they looked like scallops. In another addition, Steve topped the dish with deep-fried parsnip crisps, which added a textural element as well as providing some additional sweetness. The last component was once again baby eggplant with elegant, crosshatched, knife cuts that was baked with a fine layer of miso paste.
The dish was very well received apart from some comments on toughness in the eggplant skin, which highlights the problems faced by chefs recreating dishes with ingredients that may no longer be seasonal.
At Steve’s request, James Healey presented a soft cheese in the form of a Brique D’Affinois. This unusual brick-shaped cheese is made by Fromagerie Guilloteau near Pelussin, France and is based on the ‘brique’ shape of a traditional cheese of the region. An elegant cheese with a mixed washed/white rind, it was slightly pungent with a mild silky texture.
As an accompaniment to the cheese, Steve served a delicious salad. The salad included peeled red capsicum, which led a number of members to reminisce about when they were introduced to this ingredient by Neville Baker many years ago. A number of newer members were confused about this but it is put in context by the fact that at the same time they were introduced to red capsicum, olive oil was available only over the pharmacist’s counter. Australia has come a long way food-wise since then.
The coffee was once again our house blend, which is gaining appreciation and positive comments every time it is presented.
2 March 2021 - CoTD James Hill
Food review by James Tinslay
Progressing to CoTY cook-off 4 we had James Hill in the kitchen today ably assisted by Bill Alexiou-Hucker.
The starter came in two parts, on one plate. First off was a consommé made from oxtail and brisket. Luscious meaty flavour sprang into the mouth and left me wanting more. In this case, more was the second starter which was described as Peppers Piedmontese. There were several components to this dish. The red peppers had been roasted and in the centre was a roast tomato, accompanied by anchovy and garlic with a few olives scattered over the top. The anchovies provided a flavour boost for the dish (as they always do, delightfully). The garlic was certainly not unnoticeable and a few at my table would have preferred the garlic to have been lightly fried before going into the dish. A simple but tasty dish.
The main was quail involtini with pork and pistachios stuffing covered. This dish speaks to you about the work involved to prepare it. There were a lot of moving parts. What is firstly evident is the vine leaf that covers the torso of the quail edge providing the curious look of two little leg bones protruding. The satisfyingly moist quail was accompanied by broccoli, kipfler potatoes, onions, grapes, feta cheese and cooked fennel. The quail was cooked with verjuice and butter, which provided the jus for the meal.
Leaving the best last, that would be stuffing. The ingredients were pork and fennel sausage mince with onions, pistachios with fennel and cumin. Once the stuffing was removed from the cavity of the beast, it held its shape and enabled us to enjoy it as a side dish. A very appealing main.
The cheese presented by James Healey today provided a number of us to learn a new term, a truckle. Ignoring “to push (a piece of furniture) along on truckles” it is an English term for a small barrel-shaped cheese which is exactly what James served us today. A lovely cheese, it was a Pyengana cloth bound truckle weighing in at 1.1 kg. Pyengana is a relatively common serving at the Society, but this particular product was new and was marked by a particularly yellowish appearance. It is a seasonal cheese described by its maker as follows:
This small truckle is made only seasonally, just in time for Christmas each year, making it the perfect gift for cheese lovers. The curds are formed using a technique known as ‘stirred curd’ and after hooping, the rounds are clothbound and pressed on an antique Victorian bed press. Pyengana Dairy matures the truckles for 6 months encouraging the symbiotic relationship of the surface moulds and cultures. The result is a fine-textured, crumbly body, with subtle flavours of pasture and a lingering nuttiness.
The cheese was served with terrific figs.
The coffee was the Society’s house blend, for the time being, Calibrate Coffee White Blend. This is a mix of Brazil Fazenda Imperio, Ethiopia Yirgacheffe, and Java Jampit 1X.
Another appropriate meal for a cookoff.
For wine, Chilly Hargrave served us:
2007 Lindeman’s Reserve HR 0755 Semillon
2007 Tyrrell’s Belford Semillon
2015 Georges Lignier Gevrey Chambertin
2014 Pooley Butcher’s Hill Pinot Noir
2009 Tyrrell’s Lunatiq Heathcote Shiraz
2009 Bress Heathcote Shiraz
23 February 2021 - CoTD Steve Sparkes
Food review by James Tinslay and wine review by Richard Gibson
Steve Sparkes was in the kitchen today assisted by Nick Reynolds. In a somewhat unusual circumstance, this was a double-up of a wine lunch and Chef of the Year cookoff (number 3) brought about by a change of cooking schedule. Some of us when we cook prefer to cook for wine lunches as it takes the focus off the food and onto the wine. Today the focus was on both with an accomplished chef and wine lunch quality wines.
Steve started us off with some home-made quail ravioli. Each succulent piece of ravioli was chockablock with succulent quail. The ravioli was served in a consomme based on his chicken stock with herbs and some sliced mushroom to finish off the dish. The result was excellent with a velvety texture. As an aside with the vino, the Italian Verdicchio from BISCI and the Australian Gruner Veltliner from Sinapius (new to me) were marvellous accompaniments.
The main was pure Northern Italian being Osso Buco. The piece I have was quite substantial and had well browned ‘batter’ topped with the traditional gremolata. The latter was not overpowering and added a zesty flavour to the meat. The highlight of the main was the risotto cake made with parmesan, chicken bits and clarified chicken stock. They were scrumptious. Crispy, came apart easily, whilst having an enjoyable crunch. The risotto was prepared the previous Saturday and pan-fried just before lunch. There were some crushed hazelnuts spread around the plate to add further texture to the main.
On the side were some beans and sugar snaps wrapped in a spring onion parcel. The sugar snaps were a little overdone but serving 48 with such a delicate vegetable is tricky.
James Healey was back on deck today and provided us with a Taleggio from maker Mauri based in Lombardy. This washed-rind cow’s milk cheese has an ivory chalky texture which begins to change slowly as it ripens, becoming buttery and soft. This example appeared to be on the younger side and had not developed the beautifully smelly characteristics that normally require it to be stored in your refrigerator with three or four levels of protection. I recall that Taleggio is one of the members favourite cheeses.
The cheese was served with a salad and a fruit roll made by Steve from walnuts and figs. Scrumptious.
The coffee was the Society’s house blend, for the time being, Calibrate Coffee White Blend. This is a mix of Brazil Fazenda Imperio, Ethiopia Yirgacheffe, and Java Jampit 1X.
In summing up his meal, Steve explained it was essentially the same as the one he cooked in October last year. He was disappointed that the butcher told him at the last minute that he could not obtain veal for this occasion and hence he was forced into using beef.
A notable and very enjoyable lunch with 47 in attendance.
Wine
2018 Bisci Verdicchio di Metalica and 2018 Sinapius Pipers Brook Gruner Veltliner
The ravioli was served with two whites featuring Italian varietals.
The Bisci is made from 100% Verdicchio grapes grown in the cool climate hills of the Marche region in Italy, fermented in steel and aged on lees in cement vats for 8 months.
It displayed fragrant aromas of apple and pear plus floral characters on the nose followed by ripe apple and stone fruits (with hints of honey) on the palate with a flinty minerality – it should age well (given its alcoholic richness (13.5%) and acidity).
The Pipers Brook wine is from the Tamar Valley in Tasmania and made from Gruner Veltliner grapes (the principal white grape from the Wachau region of Austria) - the variety has adapted well to cool climate regions in Australia (notably Tasmania, Adelaide Hills and Canberra). It saw some skin contact prior to pressing and was aged for 12 months in large oak barrels.
It displayed ripe pear and citrus characters on the nose with spice and herbal notes. On the palate, we saw a broad spectrum of fruit ripeness (incl. lemon & pineapple) and good length and acidity.
The textural balance, ripeness, line and length of both wines were a perfect match for Steve’s entrée.
Tyrrells Vat 9 Shiraz vertical
The main course was served with a vertical of Tyrrell’s flagship Shiraz, Vat 9; the vintages were 2013, 2011, 2010, 2007, 2003 (under cork) and 2000 (under cork).
The wine is made form old vines (average age of 50 years); a mix of whole bunch and destemmed fruit fermented in open vats; aged in large (2700L) French oak 1-2 years.
Considerable bottle variation was experienced with many of the wines (notably the two youngest and two oldest). The wines have are best reviewed in pairs.
The 2013 and 2011 were dry, savoury traditional style Hunter Shiraz, both displaying a cherry/plummy nose with vanilla, tobacco and pepper notes. The palate of the 2013 showed rich blackberry/jammy characters with plenty of spice – some bottles were perhaps over-extracted. Tannins were reasonably well integrated with good acidity .
The 2011 was also jammy (with some capsicum on the nose) and medium-bodied with fine tannins and good acid levels – the better bottles displayed some elegance and balance with a good mouthfeel (one or 2 bottles however lacked this balance).
The 2010 and 2007 were generally regarded by members as the best wines of the flight.
The 2010 displayed oak and leather on the nose with some ‘barnyard’/bret characters. On the palate it was mid-weight, finely textured and balanced showing restrained red fruits and sour cherry. It was a precise, pleasant drinking Hunter.
The 2007 (served blind) was, for most tables, the best wine of the flight.
It showed brooding, sweet black fruits on the nose with spice and earthy leathery characters. The palate displayed a wave of savoury dark fruits and showed some attractive development; fine well-integrated tannins and good acidity levels – a lovely finish with good length. Drinking well now, it will benefit from more aging.
The 2003 and 2000 (both under cork) were highly variable around the room.
The 2003 came out of a dry, very warm year with small early harvest crop sizes producing concentrated fruit. The nose was barnyard funky and earthy with a fair dose of bret. On the palate, it was medium bodied with plumminess and bitter licorice notes – the fruit appears to be fading and the wine is probably past its peak.
The 2000 (served blind) was the better of the two older wines – the nose showing savoury fruits, spice and dried herbs.
The palate was medium weight and still retains some fruit sweetness (although again offset by a little bret) as well as leather and licorice characters. The tannins were soft and fine and acidity was ok (but the finish was a little short).
The 2000 was an elegant, clean, medium-bodied Hunter shiraz drinking well now. For some, this was the best wine of the flight (but there was considerable bottle variation).
Overall the flight of Vat 9’s was an interesting vertical which, despite the vintage and bottle variations, nevertheless displayed the consistency of Tyrrell's flagship wine. They were a good match with Steve’s tasty osso buco and the taleggio.
16 February 2021 - Bernard Leung
Food review by Nick Reynolds and wine review by Richard Gibson
The fight for Chef of the Year 2020 is really hotting up.
Today we had Society's first time chef in September and Chef of the Year contender Bernard Leung recreate the dish that wowed us last time.
Bernard was ably assisted in the kitchen by Steve Liebeskind.
The starter was once again the Heston Blumenthal-inspired Pea and Ham Soup. Masterful handling of the peas during cooking meant that it was fluorescent green rather than the uninspired brown that most of us were served as children. A flavourful ham stock combined with the green peas and nature’s wonder ingredient bacon led to a dish that was silky smooth, vivid in colour and textured with shredded ham from the ham stock and fresh peas with a dash of mint oil.
Well received by all judging from the clean plates returning to the kitchen, it was a wonderful lead-in to the main course.
The main was 48 hour slow-cooked lamb shanks, cooked sous vide at 62C and then browned before service, the lamb shanks were still slightly pink with all the collagen rendered but still coherent such that the meat came easily off the bone as muscle groups and had great texture with bite but not chewy. Bernard served the shanks on delicious buttery mash with blanched crisp broccoli and deep-fried parsnip chips for crunch and texture and chervil as a garnish and liquorice element. It was all surrounded by an intense reduced red wine beef-stock jus of sufficient quantity that members for once did not complain that not enough was served.
Both the entrée and the main were well presented, visually attractive, and very tasty.
We look forward to more meals from Bernard in the future, although he has set himself a very high bar with this one.
The cheese, which was chosen and presented by James Healey, was a Will Studd-selected La Couronne Comte AOP which came to the table at a perfect stage of ripeness. Bernard accompanied the cheese with a green salad, which was well regarded, apart from some comments about the inclusion of Kale which was possibly one green too far.
The coffee today was our house blend, which is a mix of Brazil Fazenda Imperio, Ethiopia Yirgacheffe, and Java Jampit 1X.
Wines
The starter was served with two Yalumba Pewsey Vale Rieslings from the 2013 and 2012 vintages.
Both wines displayed very similar characters. The nose of both showed intense zesty citrus (lime/lemon) notes and flinty/ stoney minerality. The palate of each displayed a depth of citrus fruit (lime) and floral/herbal characters and was clean and dry with fresh acidity/minerality. The 2012 showed some spice and perhaps was a little less fruit expressive than the younger wine – the 2012 also had more developed toasty/brioche characters with a bone dry finish. Both were well matched to the richness and textures of Bernie’s delicious soup.
The main was served with two Rosemount McLaren Vale ‘Balmoral’ Shiraz.
The 2007 (alc 14.5%) was a cleanskin and perhaps reflected the (rather ordinary) 2007 vintage in McLaren Vale (at least for Rosemount). The wine was aged in American oak (50%) and French oak (50%).
It had a developed blackberry, plummy nose and on the palate was big, ripe and spicy with supple tannins, plenty of vanilla oak and coffee/chocolate characters. The fruit was a little short on the mid-palate and finish and the wine is perhaps fading.
The 2004 (alc 14.5%) showed developed blackberry/plum on the nose with cigar box/ coffee characters.
The wine was medium/full-bodied showing layers of savoury, spicy black fruits, and reasonably well-integrated tannins. However the fruit was fading on the mid-palate, it was over-oaked and lacked balance with a short, hot finish. It was nonetheless a better wine than the 2007 and well matched the textures of the excellent osso buco.
The cheese was served with two SA Shiraz wines from the very good 2002 vintage:
Penfolds Bin 28 Kalimna Shiraz 2002 and
Torbreck – The Struie 2002
The Bin 28 (alc 14.5%) is sourced from multiple vintages/multiple vineyards from the SA region and made very much to a Penfolds ‘style’ – rich, robust and generous. The 2002 was aged for circa 12 months in aged American oak.
The nose displayed developed, rich plummy /blackberry fruit, spice and licorice with vanilla and coffee/ choc notes. On the palate we saw rich, ripe (but not over-extracted) fruit, a medium body with well integrated oak and soft tannins as well as some mid-palate complexity and denseness. The finish was long and dry – it was a balanced and elegant wine, drinking very well now but retains enough fruit to age further. It was generally regarded as the best drinking red of the day and well matched to the osso buco and cheese.
The Torbreck is made from fruit grown in the Eden (40 yr old vines) and Barossa (60 yr old vines) valleys. It was aged for 18 months in seasoned French oak (80%) and new French oak (20%).
The wine’s nose displayed big, rich raspberry and plum fruit with coffee and pepper tones. On the palate, it was full bodied, rich, ripe and opulent yet showed a nice savouriness and elegance. The tannins were soft and well integrated (with no ‘heat’) - secondary herb/earthy characters were also present.
In summary, the Torbreck was a balanced wine, showing intensity and complexity and drank well on the day and was an excellent match with the Comte.
9 February 2021 - CoTD Nick Reynolds
The
Food review by James Tinslay and wine review by Chilly Hargrave
The President Nick Reynolds was in the kitchen today for the first of the Chef of The Year cook-offs. There will be six in all and members will be able to see who and when in the program details contained in the weekly lunch notice.
As befits a CoTY cook-off and Nick’s track history, the starters were beautifully presented. There were three of them being chopped egg and smoked trout tapas, prawn and romesco sauce pintxo and finally, a gazpacho bite.
Last item first, the gazpacho bite was a fascinating looking beast with cucumber hollowed out and replaced by a circular mould on the top which gave it somewhat of an eclectic look. The image above does a far better job of describing the plated outcome. The smoked trout was served on top of an egg-based sauce on toasted sourdough. The romesco sauce had a veritable legion of ingredients including almonds, hazelnut, peppers and cherry tomatoes. A small amount of chilli flakes along with the hot smoked paprika gave it a zippy and full of roasted tomato and pepper flavour.
The main was blue eye, served on a potato rosti with Canadian scallop, asparagus and soubise sauce with dill oil. The potato rosti was delightfully crispy as was the skin on the blue eye. The effect of the smattering of dill oil on the source was very effective. Even a poor fish eater like myself found the fish beautifully cooked, flaky and tender. The asparagus looked a little grey and may have been a little overcooked.
James Healey, in absentia, had selected a goat’s cheese from Holy Goat, La Luna, but in one of the new pyramid shapes. La Luna is always popular and at a retail price of well over $100 per kilo, it should taste excellent.
The coffee was Calibrate Coffee White Blend. This is a mix of Brazil Fazenda Imperio, Ethiopia Yirgacheffe, and Java Jampit 1X. The coffee was well received and is being adopted as our house blend for the time being.
An excellent start by Nick to the cook-off series and with larger numbers allowed from 23 February more members will get to enjoy these lunches.
Wine
A pair of 2014 Hunter Semillons were served with the entrée. The Brokenwood was a bigger style with more colour in the glass. It was developed with mature Hunter lemon curd notes. The Tyrrell’s Belford was a much tighter wine. It was fine and mineral although not showing the flavour intensity of the Brokenwood.
Two Chardonnays were matched to the main course. The first, a 2018 Domaine William Fèvre Chablis was quite a fruity wine that lacked the minerality we expect from Chablis. Similarly, the palate was full with low acidity - undoubtedly due to malolactic. The 2012 Seppelt Jaluka Chardonnay was for many the best wine of the day. Coming from a rather unique vineyard in the Henty region it was still a young wine. Citrus fruit was balanced by attractive barrel ferment characters. The palate was tight and long with fresh acidity. With this wine, there is no malolactic.
A couple of rather interesting wines finished the day. A 2012 Tyrrell’s Belford Chardonnay (covered in wine show award bling) was a big wine. Showing a lot of artefact of new oak, barrel ferment and natural yeasts, it was a real mouthful. A high acid level pulled the wine up on the finish.
The COTD had requested a Loire Sav Blanc to go with the cheese and it surprised many - the cellar master included. The 2012 Château de Ladoucette Pouilly Fumé was still fresh with bright gooseberry fruit aromas. These were complemented by a subtle apricot botrytis note. The palate was quite rich with obvious sweetness and proved a good match for the Holy Goat.
2 February 2021 - CoTD James Hill
James Hill is a prolific and persistent contributor to the Society in all areas, but particularly in cooking. As had been his custom, he kicked off this year’s lunches as our first Chef of the Day.
And what a lunch it was!
A Government-mandated restriction reduced the number of members attending. The lucky ones started with a trio of appetisers with ingredients chosen for their seasonality. First, there was a perfectly ripe peach wrapped simply in bresaola. When the fruit is this perfect, there is no need to embellish. Sweetcorn was also in season so James treated us to a sweetcorn and basil soup created using a recipe from the former top Sydney restaurant, Banc. The third appetiser was a delicious chicken and pistachio terrine served in the conventional manner with cornichons.
While the appetisers were delicious, it was the main course that proved to be the pièce de la résistance. James served us a modern Greek deconstructed version of moussaka from a recipe by Peter Conistis. Seared sea scallops and fried red capsicum were stacked within fried slices of eggplant on a bed of creamy taramasalata. The latter was made by James’ assistant for the day, our Foodmaster Bill Alexiou-Hucker. The moussaka was ringed by two different types of fish roe, resulting in a treat for the eyes as well as the palate.
James Healey sourced a Red Jensen Cheese, which had a very strong umami note. James Hill presented this with a simple salad and some seasonal baby pears that he spied at his fruiterer.
The food was enthusiastically received and praised.
The coffee was Calibrate Coffee White Blend. This is a mix of Brazil Fazenda Imperio, Ethiopia Yirgacheffe, and Java Jampit 1X. The coffee was well received and is being adopted as our house blend for the time being.
Our latest octogenarian, Mike Staniland, augmented the wine selection with a delicious Rutherglen Muscat, one of Australia’s great wine treasures. Happy birthday Mike.
In our first meal of the year, James has set a very high standard to which our Chefs of the Day can aspire. It was an ideal way to kick off the year.
8 December 2020 - CoTD Bill Alexiou-Hucker
Food review by James Tinslay
This being the final Society lunch for 2020 (and what a year it was), the Foodmaster, Bill Alexiou-Hucker, was in the kitchen as is customary. This was the first lunch of the year since early 2020 where numbers exceeded twenty-five. We ended up with having forty-eight on the day and it was good to get back to somewhere approaching normal.
Of the six wines served today, each table had four in common, and the others were odd single bottles from the wine fridge that were randomly dropped on each table.
Appetisers:
The lunch being a lunch run by Bill, of course, we had two plates of starters! The first plate had three morsels on it. The first two being served on toast one with olive tapenade and the other with fish roe. The third was a cucumber slice with yoghurt and pistachios.
Next up was an amazing serving arrangement for octopus, octopus carpaccio. Normally the word carpaccio is related to raw food but in this Greek variation, the octopus is braised and then pushed into a plastic soft drink bottle (after the top part has been cut off) and frozen. Freezing helps to further breakdown the texture of the octopus. The plastic bottle is then cut off and then the octopus is then thinly sliced. The flavouring is dependent on the spices or herbs added during the braising process and it is an amazing looking dish. It also tasted wonderful.
In this case, there was 6 kg of octopus cooked in red wine, olive oil, gelatine and rocket.
Main:
Bill stuck to Greek cuisine today by serving Greek pastitsio (or pastichio) which is the Greek version of the lasagna. He described it as Greek peasant food. It is made with bucatini pasta, a thick pasta like spaghetti with a hole running through the centre. To get a better idea of the look of this unusual lasagne refer to the photograph. With the pasta was an egg béchamel mix and the meat sauce was made up of pork and beef. The dish was served with a simple Greek salad.
An interesting variation on Italian lasagne with a lot of flavour.
Bill thanked the new REX chef, Rob Doll, for his assistance today and the wonderful start he has had assisting members when they are in his kitchen.
Cheese:
The cheese selected by James Healey today was new to just about everybody, it was Fiore Sardo. This Italian cheese hails from Sardinia and is a hard cheese made from raw sheep’s milk and lamb rennet. The cheese was very granular and whilst part of the pecorino family had a far more punch and flavour and aroma. Most notable was the smoky flavour as the cheese is briefly smoked. A most unusual cheese but some found the texture too dry.
The cheese was served with figs that Bill had poached in ouzo which made them a stunning accompaniment.
Coffee:
The coffee today was an old Society favourite, Yirgacheffe from Ethiopia, an Arabica bean. These beans were sourced from Forsyth in Naremburn and produced a medium-bodied coffee that attracted no comment.
Awards:
There being no opportunity for a Chef of the Year awards dinner, today was used as an opportunity to present those awards.
Firstly, there was a special award presented to Paul Thorne by our Society member, Steve Liebeskind as President of the Federation of Wine and Food Societies of Australia. The award of the Federation of Wine and Food Societies of Australia Award and Medal was presented to Paul for his significant contribution to the lunch booking platform and arrangements during the pandemic restriction on numbers. Much manual work was involved in ensuring numbers remained at twenty-five, especially with the temporary provision of two wine lunches per month.
For the Chef of the Year 2019, there was two seafood entrants and four non-seafood entrants. The results were as follows:
Chef of the Year – Nick Reynolds with Paul Irwin as runner-up and others with outstanding meals being Denis Redfern and Steve Liebeskind.
Seafood Chef of the Year – Matthew Holmes with Grant Montgomery runner-up.
Congratulations to all winners.
President Nick Reynolds closed the lunch noting the annus horribilis that was 2020 but pointing out that we are unique with our member cooking protocol. He thanked all members for their understanding of lunch number restrictions and other implications of COVID.
Wine:
1 December 2020 - CoTD Peter Fitzpatrick
Food review by James Tinslay and wine review by Chilly Hargrave
Chef of the day for this second last lunch of the year was Peter Fitzpatrick assisted by David Madson and James Tinslay. And, at least for the time being, this was the last COVID lunch limited to 25 members with the number rising to 50 for the final lunch of the year. We are hoping that this will a post-COVID normal in 2021.
Appetisers:
On the starter plate today, there were three different appetisers. The first two were both quiches, one satay and the other salmon served hot and cold, respectively. The pastry had been cooked ‘just right” and both were tasty. The other dish was Greek-style meatballs made with 80% lamb and 20% pork. The serving sauce was a middle Eastern spiced yoghurt, giving a dish, some cultural sharing.
Main:
Peter is a keen meat smoking man and he had smoked 6.3 kg of pork loin for about five hours in his home smoker. For plating, the pork had been sliced in substantial sized steak portions where you can see the ingress of the smoking rub into the meat to about 1 cm depth with the tasty crunch on the perimeter of the pork slice. The pork slice was accompanied with jus and some homemade apple sauce on the side.
For the green, a rather exotic salad (some likened it to a Caesar salad) with the ingredients of gem lettuce, baby rocket leaves, slivered toasted almonds, pecorino, mangoes and croutons. The dressing was lime juice, sesame oil and Tabasco. The result was a very satisfying salad that could have been served as the main course. But of course, not at our Society!
Cheese:
James Healey had selected Maffra cloth-aged cheddar from the heart of Gippsland for our lunch today. Maffra has always been enjoyed when it has been served previously and today was no different. The cheddar is matured to an optimal age of between 15 to 24 months and had a soft, crumbly texture with a long smooth palate.
The cheese was served with almonds and dried apricots.
Coffee:
The coffee was Kenyan washed process Maganjo AB Single Origin from Nyeri Kenya, roasted by Gabriel Coffee, Chatswood. Gabriel Coffee gave the coffee tasting note descriptions of blackberry, black tea and citrus peel.
Wine
Two aged Tyrrell’s Semillons were served as starter wines. Both (in the traditional low alcohol, high acid style) were still in good condition - a testament to screw cap and the judicious use of SO2. The 2006 (10.7%) showed extremely well with its freshness, length and acid tension. The 2004 (10.2%) was starting to show a lot of secondary buttered toast aromas and flavours. It was starting to dry out and the acid dominated.
Four Chardonnays were presented with the two main courses of fish and pork. The 2015 Domaine Leflaive Mâcon Verzé showed many of the characters we generally see in Mâconnais whites - rich fruit, full flavour and obvious oak. It was well made with struck match notes and little phenolic grip. Unfortunately, it was sealed with cork which hadn’t assisted its development.
A pair of Shaw and Smith Chardonnays followed. The room was informed that they were from the 2014 vintage and that one was Tolpuddle (Coal River) and the other was M3 (Adelaide Hills) - no more. It was a rather difficult exercise as they came out of the same cellar with the same winemaker. The first (the Tolpuddle) showed obvious oak with flinty aromas and citrus fruit. The acid was high (suggesting no or little malolactic) with a fine, long palate. The second (the M3) was a fuller, richer fruit style, although the pale was a little fat and lacked the tension of the Tolpuddle. Both bore the winemaker’s fingerprint.
The final Chardonnay was a 2012 Vincent Girardin Meursault ‘Les Narvaux’ was the favourite of many in the room(s). This is an interesting vineyard that sits above the village and hence many of the Premier Cru of Meursault. It is not one itself but is a highly regarded lieux dit (named place). Although showing some honeyed development (under cork again), it had excellent use of oak supporting the fruit on both the nose and the palate. It was long and linear with some ripe fruit and a great acidity.
For the cheese, we had two Bordeaux reds from the renowned 2000 vintage. One from the east (right bank of the Dordogne) and the other to the west (left bank of the Garonne). The Chateau L’Enclos from Pomerol was a disappointment to many at the first wine lunch. We opened 4 bottles and 3 were corked (2 very badly). The TCA became More obvious after pouring. The second lunch did well as neither bottle was corked, although that did allow some more of the Brett to show through. Château L’Enclos is an interesting property as it is one of the few in the area that actually has a chateau. Generally, it’s just a modest house. Typically, these wines are very Merlot dominant with this being no exception at over 80% (with a little Cabernet Franc and Malbec). It was very much in the old ‘claret’ style with plum fruit and dry, grainy tannins. Probably not a great future ahead of it.
The 2000 Clos du Marquis is the second wine of Château Léoville-Las Cases - a well-known and highly regarded Second Growth. Many say that their second one is one of the best to be found in Bordeaux. A blend of 65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot and a touch of Cabernet Franc, it showed the expected cassis aromas with attractive oak. The aroma was nonetheless showing some development as was the palate. The tannins were very soft suggesting at its peak. Some mentioned that they considered this to not be a good example and queried the history of its cellaring by the Society.
24 November - CoTD Nick Reynolds
Food review by Matthew Holmes and wine review by Chilly Hargrave
Appetisers
Nick Reynolds was in the kitchen today, skilfully assisted by Steve Sparkes who prepared pickled cucumber with smoked salmon, mascarpone cheese, black sesame seeds and dill. The delicate serves made for a taste treat to start the day’s proceedings.
On the same plate Nick provided an appetiser of Scotch Eggs via Peking, with boiled quail’s eggs wrapped in duck breast mince, five-spice powder, ginger and spring onion served with Peking Sauce. Roger Straiton reminded us that Scotch eggs were not from Scotland, rather they originated in the Whitby area of Yorkshire in the late 19th century. Their name in those days was 'Scotties', allegedly because they were made at an eatery by the name of William J Scott & Sons.
Main
Nick presented a perfectly cooked crispy skin Blue Eye with scallop, served on a deep-fried potato galette, asparagus and a lemon soubise sauce with dill oil. The dish was beautifully plated. Both appetisers and main course were very well received as evidenced by the smiles on members faces and the empty plates being carried away.
Cheese
James Healey provided Beaufort Cheese, which was served with iceberg lettuce and Japanese toasted sesame dressing. The cheese came to the table in good condition and was ably complemented by the dressing.
Coffee
The coffee was Kenyan washed process Maganjo AB Single Origin from Nyeri Kenya, roasted by Gabriel Coffee, Chatswood.
It was Wal Edwards’ birthday today and bringing 104 years of experience to bear, he reminded us that one should “love mates and female mates and that we should give first to get back”.
Wine
Two aged Tyrrell’s Semillons were served as starter wines. Both (in the traditional low alcohol, high acid style) were still in good condition - a testament to screw cap and the judicious use of SO2. The 2006 (10.7%) showed extremely well with its freshness, length and acid tension. The 2004 (10.2%) was starting to show a lot of secondary buttered toast aromas and flavours. It was starting to dry out and the acid dominated.
Four Chardonnays were presented with the two main courses of fish and pork. The 2015 Domaine Leflaive Mâcon Verzé showed many of the characters we generally see in Mâconnais whites - rich fruit, full flavour and obvious oak. It was well made with struck match notes and little phenolic grip. Unfortunately, it was sealed with cork which hadn’t assisted its development.
A pair of Shaw and Smith Chardonnays followed. The room was informed that they were from the 2014 vintage and that one was Tolpuddle (Coal River) and the other was M3 (Adelaide Hills) - no more. It was a rather difficult exercise as they came out of the same cellar with the same winemaker. The first (the Tolpuddle) showed obvious oak with flinty aromas and citrus fruit. The acid was high (suggesting no or little malolactic) with a fine, long palate. The second (the M3) was a fuller, richer fruit style, although the pale was a little fat and lacked the tension of the Tolpuddle. Both bore the winemaker’s fingerprint.
The final Chardonnay was a 2012 Vincent Girardin Meursault ‘Les Narvaux’ was the favourite of many in the room(s). This is an interesting vineyard that sits above the village and hence many of the Premier Cru of Meursault. It is not one itself but is a highly regarded lieux dit (named place). Although showing some honeyed development (under cork again), it had excellent use of oak supporting the fruit on both the nose and the palate. It was long and linear with some ripe fruit and a great acidity.
For the cheese, we had two Bordeaux reds from the renowned 2000 vintage. One from the east (right bank of the Dordogne) and the other to the west (left bank of the Garonne). The Chateau L’Enclos from Pomerol was a disappointment to many at the first wine lunch. We opened 4 bottles and 3 were corked (2 very badly). The TCA became More obvious after pouring. The second lunch did well as neither bottle was corked, although that did allow some more of the Brett to show through. Château L’Enclos is an interesting property as it is one of the few in the area that actually has a chateau. Generally, it’s just a modest house. Typically, these wines are very Merlot dominant with this being no exception at over 80% (with a little Cabernet Franc and Malbec). It was very much in the old ‘claret’ style with plum fruit and dry, grainy tannins. Probably not a great future ahead of it.
The 2000 Clos du Marquis is the second wine of Château Léoville-Las Cases - a well-known and highly regarded Second Growth. Many say that their second one is one of the best to be found in Bordeaux. A blend of 65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot and a touch of Cabernet Franc, it showed the expected cassis aromas with attractive oak. The aroma was nonetheless showing some development as was the palate. The tannins were very soft suggesting at its peak. Some mentioned that they considered this to not be a good example and queried the history of its cellaring by the Society.