10 April - CoTD Bill Alexiou Hucker

It being the week after Greek Easter we had an enthusiastic Bill Alexiou-Hucker in the kitchen for a Greek feast shortly after he was elected the Society’s Foodmaster for the coming year. Bill’s sturdy assistants Peter Manners and Peter Squires (otherwise known as the Canapé Masters) were assisting Bill with this complex feast.

Canapés. Of canapés, there were two. First off, cucumber with taramasalata (home-made of course) with brown olives topping. A pleasant and sharp start to the day well matched with the aperitif wine. The second canapé is one of my favourites, meatballs, or keftedes, which were made with pork and beef with bread crumbs then dusted in flour and deep fried. These are always stunning and there was certainly none left for sale.

Aperitif wine. Given that the AGM was held there was a quite a bit of wine with the main aperitif wine being the Coldstream Hills Chardonnay 2013. Most bottles were drinking well, and many drinkers were highly complimentary. However, there was some bottle variation showing with a range of lighter to dark hues despite the screwcap.

Main Course. When we sat down for the meal we were each presented with a red chicken’s egg. The challenge was to hit the egg with your neighbours and not crack the shell. There was some concern expressed that Bill had not hard-boiled these eggs, but that rumour proved to be false. The immediate past President, Keith Steele, seem so happy with his new role that he managed to defeat everybody else on the table by some method that probably broke the rules of engagement.

The main course itself was of course based on lamb. A picture speaks a thousand words, so I will leave most of it to the picture above. However, the lamb shoulder had been cut into circles and was accompanied by spanakopita liberally lathered with butter before and during baking. It was stuffed with pine nuts and sultanas and was a meal in itself. The lamb was topped with aubergine which had been chargrilled. There were various vegetables on the plate as well. There were some comments made that the lamb could have been a little more moist and Bill agreed with this when discussing the dish later in the day. A great hearty meal with some feeling the quantity was probably a little much. We know however that complaints are more frequent at the other end of the scale.

The Wines.

• Heidi Schrock Klum Blaufrankisch (Austria) 2012 (cork, 13.5%)
• Devil’s Lair Cab blend 2007 (cork)
• Duval Plexus 2015 (screwcap, 14.5%)
• Alvaro Castro Dao Tinto 2011 (Portugal) (cork, 13%)

The first pairing of the Devil’s Lair and the Blaufrankisch was interesting. A number of those present picked up on the “Cabernetish” nature of the latter wine which despite the ribbing it often gets from members can be an excellent Austrian wine. The Austrian wine was somewhat softer, even at its younger age, than the Devil’s Lair, which was a very good entry-level style Bordeaux type blend from Margaret River. Both were suitable matches for the lamb.

John Duvall is rightly somewhat of an icon in Australia after being Penfolds chief winemaker. Some Barossa blends such as Shiraz, Grenache and Mourvèdre are about was enjoyable to me as drinking sump well, on a good day. The Plexus wine still had luscious fruit, but the gentle tannins and touch of oak make it very approachable at its young age under the guise of a Barossa wine. Only 250 cases made.

The Portuguese wine was educational and a very good drink. Alvaro Castro is an acknowledged superior winemaker from the Dao region and the grapes used are pretty much unknown in Australia except for Touriga Nacional which is the base wine of Port but is also grown from some of the enterprising winemakers in McLaren Vale and Adelaide Hills. The wine had excellent lighter but ripe fruit with great elegance.

Cheese and coffee.  Cheese this week from James Healey was easily identifiable from its looks, which has Barolo leaves encapsulating the cheese. It was Ocelli Testun di Barolo, the cheese we have enjoyed on a number of occasions. It is a mixture of goat and cow milks and has a winey flavour due to the leaves. It has a unique and amazing flavour profile

Spencer served Mexican peaberry beans today and they attracted favourable comment. A month or so ago he served the same beans, but whatever reason they seemed a bit acid and light. Today they shone.

With the coffee and cheese Bill had made Greek biscuits and serve these with dates and walnuts stuffed dates. A great finish.

May Greek food prosper.

27 March 2018 - CoTD Nick Reynolds

A great turnout of over 50 people greeted our Foodmaster’s, Nick Reynolds, return to the kitchen for this wine lunch and probably his last gig as Foodmaster. Assisting Nick was the potential Foodmaster in waiting Bill Alexiou-Hucker.

Canapés. We had two canapés and the photographs above do more credit to the servings than mere words. The hot canapé which Nick had been studiously evasive about and which led to many incorrect press guesses, was pickled young ginger, wrapped in Serrano ham and deep-fried. The guesses were wild, mine included. The cold canapé was blinis with sour cream, salmon, chives, dill topped with salmon roe. Both were delightfully successful.

Aperitif wine. The aperitif wines served at this wine lunch was a 2001 Steingarten Riesling. Whilst the wine was under screwcap, there was some bottle variation but only one poor bottle. Two of the screwcaps had leaked but surprisingly, these were very drinkable. The Steingarten was in wonderful condition at 17 years of age with a developed Riesling character well balanced by the more than lingering acid that had survived the years. A beautiful wine

Main Course. The main was advertised as pepper steak and veg and in a way, it was. Nick’s evasive smile when asked before the meal about the meat was answered during the wrap-up when he declared that he had used chuck steak sous vide for some 24 hours before being seared. In retrospect, it was easy to tell by the shape of the meat between the fat that it was indeed chuck steak. It worked.

The steak with pepper sauce (made up of juices, chicken stock, tomato paste, Merlot and pepper) was served with smashed potato and onions, with garlic and thyme. The main was a great surprise for many.

The Wines.

• Tyrrells 4 Acres 2005 (screwcap, 13.5%)
• Lindemans Stevens 2005 (cleanskin) (cork)
• Rosemount Balmoral 2004 (cork, 14%)
• Seppelts St Peters 2006 (screwcap, 13.5%)
• Torbreck The Struie 2004 (cork, 13.5%)
• Murdock Shiraz 2004 (cork, 14.5%)

A wine lunch at first sight for those who like their reds large, Australian and Shiraz. But looks can be deceiving.

The first set of three saw the Tyrrells wine leading off and it did cause some discussion. It was a lighter elegant wine with marked perfume, not unlike Nerello Mascalese or Pinot Noir. It was also a little sweet for some. Next came the Stevens 2005, which was a beautifully elegant Hunter Valley ‘Burgundy’ style. The third of the trio, the Balmoral 2004, was a huge wine but with little of the extracted fruit that those wines sometimes have. It was elegant and well received.

Next was the St Peter’s 2006, running in at only 13.5% alcohol. The wine was rich but not inelegant, but it did not fit into the top echelon of the wines from this label. Next up was the Torbreck 2004, which had its lovers and haters. There was definite bottle variation with the one I tried being extracted, dull and boring. Our table didn’t like it. Finally, the Murdock Shiraz 2004. This label was not known to most of us and again it was a rich Barossa style wand few who found it in the top league of wines at the lunch today.

Cheese and coffee. Cheese by James Healey today was a Neal’s Yard Montgomery’s Cheddar from Somerset. It was of the big wheel variety weighing in at 24 kg. Most had a pretty good idea of what the cheese was although many picked it for a high-quality Australian cheddar. It was drier than many cheddars and hence Pyengana was suggested a few times. Again, a wonderful cheese.

We had a holiday from coffee today, but Spencer’s coffee will return next week.

20 March 2018 - CoTD David Madson

We waltzed into the final cook-off with the fifth and final contestant being David Madson assisted by Peter Fitzpatrick and James Tinslay. Again, good numbers with 47 in attendance. Notes are a bit scarce this week as your reporter was assisting and a certain vagueness crept in.

Canapés. One hot and one cold canapé to start the lunch. The hot canapé was a palmier pastry often referred to as elephant’s years. In this case the puff pastry was rolled around crispy bacon and sun-dried tomatoes on a base of Philadelphia cheese (with other bits and pieces), and then baked after being smothered in butter. All 140 disappeared. The cold canapé on crisp bread was a base of avocado topped with chopped fresh prawns with cream fraiche crowned with vinegar “pearls” which David “discovered” for us in 2017. In this case they were tangerine flavoured and very much enjoyed and a first for many.

Aperitif wine. It has been a while since an aperitif wine attracted reasonably consistent dislike but that is what happened with the Giesen Riesling 2012. It appeared to be made in the Germanic style slightly off-dry but with insufficient acid to carry it across the line. Our Winemaster, Paul Ferman, railed against the comments pointing out that he had at least 100 dozen left for people to get to know the wine better.

Main Course. David was recreating the pork belly and watermelon dish that saw him get to the cook-offs. In May last year the review was “pork belly and watermelon salad with the salad component using ingredients such as rice wine vinegar, Thai chilli, kaffir lime leaves, ginger and palm sugar”. The recipe was same, but the dish had been refined/changed somewhat resulting in a range of comments. The pork itself was excellent being double fried but some found the salad too strong in terms of pickling strength and the higher level of acid. Others found the meal just worked well. There was some variation in the plating much of it to do with yours truly and the use of the sauce between the first plating in the last. Just cooked and seasoned green beans accompanied the meat. Once again, the meal was something outside of most attendee’s norm and as such should be applauded.

The Wines.

• Glandore Single Site DPJ Chardonnay (HV) 2017 (screwcap, 13.5%)
• Laurent Gauthier Morgon 2013 (cork, 12.5%)
• Timo Mayer Pinot Noir (Yarra) 2012 (cork, 13%)
• Orlando St Hugo 2001 (cork, 14%)

The main was served with a Hunter Valley Chardonnay and a Morgon Beaujolais. David generously donated the Glandore wine from his vineyard. The young Glandore wine was in fine form with just a light touch of oak and many thought that the acid in the wine worked well with the main. Morgon is one of the more substantial Beaujolais styles and it was drinking well with elegant fruit and mouth filling Gamay characters. Once again, the wine showed what Gamay in Beaujolais is capable of.

The cheese wines were a bit like chalk and cheese (no pun intended) with a young Yarra Pinot Noir up against a 17-year-old Coonawarra Cabernet from Orlando. The Timo Mayer Pinot whilst clearly an Australian Pinot Noir style, was a little lacking in character, but at six years of age it may well hit its straps later. The St Hugo showed significant bottle variation and was becoming a little tired even when one got the opportunity to try a better bottle.

Cheese and coffee. This week, James left the well-trodden path by serving us Berry's Creek Riverine Blue buffalo cheese from Gippsland. White in colour with a very slight blue, it was wonderfully creamy and a cracker of a cheese.

Spencer provided us with Colombian coffee today for the first time in a while. He described it as chocolatey and first class. A few members commented on how delightful it drank.

So, the cookoffs are over, the school sheets are in and will find out our winner in due course.

13 March 2018 - CoTD James Hill

Nearing the end of the Chef of the Year cookoff’s, we had James Hill once again cooking for members and guests. A tremendous turnout today at just under 60 which stretched our providers capacity and food but certainly not their spirits or goodwill. James was assisted by Bill Alexie-Hucker and Matthew Holmes and they were accused of doing a wonderful job under the pressure of such numbers.

The write-up today is a little different (and longer) as Tony Scott kindly provided all eight wines that he had directly imported. The tasting notes below in italic print are from the notes that were provided by Tony and distributed to every table.

Tony was invited by the President to give us a short presentation on each of the wines and the depth of his knowledge was very clear. Thank you Tony.

Canapés. We were treated to three canapés, all substantially different. The first two were Ajvar, a Turkish condiment of red peppers and eggplant on Iggy’s bread and then smoked eggplant with yoghurt and mint on spoons. Most of us could eat Iggy’s bread on its own but the red pepper condiment with its touch of heat with a great match for the first aperitif wine. The mixture of the yogurt and eggplant was a simple but delicious taste looking wonderful on the spoons.

The third was foie gras which was donated by Paul Ferman and was up the at the very upper end of the quality chain. Paul advanced around the room with Sauternes in hand in front of the trays with the George Bruck foie gras to ensure that most attending got the opportunity to taste the classic flavour combination. Thanks to Paul for the donation, which may have otherwise seriously blown the budget lunch.

A wonderful selection of canapés to start the day. The Foodmaster pointed out that we were forbidden on judging James’s performance today on the canapés and we must concentrate on the main.

Aperitif wine. Two interesting and very different wines were served today. The Chenin Blanc from Loire started us off with the first two canapés. The third canapé was foie gras for which Tony had provided a Sauternes from the 2007 vintage. Whilst an entry-level Sauternes, at 11 years of age it was wonderfully drinkable and mature but may last many years. Tasting notes follow.

• 2015 Domaine du Closel, “La Jalousie” – Savennières AOC, Loire (100% Chenin Blanc 13.5%).

Appearance: Light gold with green tinges.

Nose: Clean, fairly subtle nose of pear and red-apple like Chenin fruit. Some white flowers – sure to develop in weight and richness with bottle age. Palate: A lovely Chenin Blanc. Medium bodied and slightly spicy with terrific acidity, very attractive mouth-feel and a long, spicy finish. Delicious but sure to improve with bottle age. Very much up to the quality expected of this revered appellation.

• 2007 Château Barbier (J. Medeville et Fils) – AC Sauternes, Bordeaux (90% Semillon, 10% Sauvignon Blanc 13%).

Appearance: Brilliant light to medium gold, green tinges. Nose: Clean, but quite reserved – subtle pineapple and botrytis honiedness is coaxed out.

Palate: A superb, quite mature Sauternes, fruity with pineapple and peachy flavours, good botrytis character, but lovely delicate acidity giving an impression of freshness and emphasising the wine’s quite extraordinary length. Beautifully balanced and while completely ready to enjoy now, this will happily cellar for at least another 5 years. A really fresh Sauternes – not the super-rich crème brûlée style at all.

Main Course. The main came to the table looking serious indeed. Seared duck breast with pomegranate molasses, duck jus, pickled radish, plums with leek and ginger baked in extra virgin olive oil, salt and pepper. Accompanying this was a black dome-shaped object that had many of us scratching our heads. It was in fact a stuffed mushroom (portobello mushroom topped with mushroom pate and duck liver). Theories abounded about the ingredients and nobody near me was close to the mark.

The presentation of the main was generously commentated upon as were the flavours and textures that James had managed to get onto the plate.

The Wines. We enjoyed six red wines over the main course and cheese, three from France and three from Spain. A wonderful collection. As usual there was no standout winner amongst the large number of comments. There was not a bad wine amongst the group and in the end it got down to personal preferences. The Bordeaux wines were the preferred of the first group whilst the Priorat was probably the most popular of the Spanish set. It was a big wine and young being 2015. It has a wonderful future. Tasting notes follow.

• 2015 Domaine Les Granges de la Perrière – C. Baudry/J-M. Dutour, Val de Loire - Chinon AOC (100% Cabernet Franc 12.5%)

Appearance: Beautiful ruby red of medium hue.

Nose: A classic Cabernet Franc nose – the leafiness is there but there is good ripe fruit too. Attractive.

Palate: A textbook Chinon. Really elegant as well as displaying beautifully ripe red fruits that are truly delicious in the rich strawberry/raspberry spectrum. Really classy tannins and characteristic acidity provide structure and balance and there is a graphite/’pencil shavings’ nuance adding complexity. The moderate (12.5%) alcohol completes the picture of a benchmark Loire red.

• 2015 Château de Haux – Côtes de Bordeaux AOC (30% Cabernet Sauvignon; 60% Merlot; 5% Cabernet Franc; 5% Malbec / 13.5%)

Appearance: Lovely bright ruby red – shines in the glass.

Nose: Very enticing – excellent depth of ripe fruit without any ‘green’ characters – reflecting the very ripe vintage that 2015 delivered.

Palate: A truly great de Haux. Medium to full bodied – perfectly ripe fruit with the hint of violet seen in great years. Lovely fine tannins in perfect balance and really outstanding length. Delicious already but this has, in the panel’s view, real potential to age as well for easily a decade or more.

• 2010 Château de Lussac - Lussac Saint-Émilion AOC, Bordeaux (80% Merlot; 20% Cabernet Franc 14.5%)

Appearance: Deep inky purple/black – almost opaque. Impressive and substantial looking.

Nose: Classic Right Bank nose – blackcurrant, tobacco and dark fruits. Lovely.

Palate: A big, impressive dry red with lots of everything. Rich Merlot fruit, nice complementary oak of quality, some alcoholic warmth (14.5%), substantial chewy tannins and terrific length. Reflects a great year. Already ready to enjoy with some substantial protein but has a long cellaring future ahead of it.

• 2015 Clos Figueras – Christopher Cannan Family - Font de la Figuera, Gratallops – Priorat DOQ (60% Grenache; 10% Carignan; 30% Cabernet/Syrah/Mourvèdre 15%)

Appearance: Very attractive deep ruby red.

Nose: Clean, still quite closed but hints of rich fruit emerging – plum and prune.

Palate: A lovely ripe-fruited Priorat. Already drinking very well but with the depth and structure to cellar to advantage. Less evident alcoholic ‘warmth’ than some vintages and all the better for it. A really balanced Priorat that should appeal to all its loyal fans.

• 2014 Bodegas Monteabellón – Ribera del Duero DO (100% Tempranillo 14%)

Appearance: Deep ruby/black, almost opaque.

Nose: Very closed but a hint of pepper/spice and deep fruit.

Palate: A deep flavoured, rich Tempranillo. Showing very young at this stage but with real depth and balance. Totally fruit (not oak) driven, some alcoholic warmth (but in balance) and, while it will go very well with rich meat dishes already, it has substantial potential to continue developing complexity with time in the cellar – easily 5 to 10 years for those who are patient.

• 2010 Bodegas Viña Herminia, DOQ Reserva – Rioja (85% Tempranillo 10% Garnacha 5% Graciano / 14%)

Tasting Notes – Club Aquitaine Tasting Panel: Appearance: Very deep ruby/black. Nose: Lovely, classically rich Tempranillo nose, with a eucalypt like complexity.

Palate: This is sensational – beautifully balanced, ripely fruity, with a gorgeous backdrop of very well integrated vanillin oak, medium to full-bodied, with delicious brambly fruit, some spice, complex, savoury and super long.

Cheese and coffee. The cheese from James Healey this week was a chevre from Jean Faup made in the Pyrenees in France. This was an unusual, semi hard cheese made by hand from 100% goats milk. It had a wonderful creamy texture and goaty/tangy/earthy flavour. A great cheese and the leftover portions were snapped up immediately.

Cheese was served with green figs which provided a first for some who are more used to the more standard figs that are currently out-of-season.

Coffee was from the absent Spencer Ferrier who again provided us with an example of Rwandan coffee, with notes indicating that coffee from that country is now regarded as some of the most high-class coffees available whilst still lacking the grace of the best Ethiopian and Kenyan AAA coffees.

The President, Keith Steele, closed the lunch and thanked the room for the abundance of comments and Tony Scott for his generosity in providing the selection of wine.

6 March 2018 - CoTD Steve Liebeskind

Back in to the Chef of The Year cook-off maelstrom today with Steve Liebeskind and cook-off number 4 being assisted by David Simmons.

Canapés. Two tasty starters today, the first being, beetroot relish topped with half an oven baked cherry tomato and a sprinkling of sumac. It was much liked. The other starter was a mixture of tuna, beans, anchovies, lemon juice and thyme on a toasted bread round. Also flavoursome.

Aperitif wine. Most members today had the opportunity to try two aperitif wines being the Philip Shaw Chardonnay 2010 (Orange district) and the Tyrrells Belford Chardonnay 2012. The Orange wine was a little sloppy with overworked wood, which at 8 years of age had begun to overwhelm the wine. The Tyrrells on the other hand was the wine preferred by most with oak also very evident but with enough acid and fruit to provide a balanced experience. The Belford is not a Vat 47 and needs to be consumed.

Main Course. Steve was recreating the dish that saw him selected to enter the cook-offs, rack of lamb. The lamb had been smoked and marinated for 24 hours and did not lack flavour. It was simply served on mash with asparagus, char grilled cauliflower and zucchini is in a tarragon, honey, marmalade and mustard seeds sauce. There was good contrast colour and texture, in particular the cauliflower which was the highlight of the vegetables. Some comments from members thought that the lamb was not as tender as it could be and with our steak knives hiding themselves somewhere in the building, there was a bit more work involved to cut the meat. The thinly sliced zucchini had a beautiful complementary role with the honey and marmalade, providing additional sweetness.

The Wines.

• Chateau Lanessan 2005 (cork, 13%)
• Taylors Jaraman Cabernet 2005 (screwcap, 14.5%)
• Lowe Block 5 Shiraz 2009 (cork, 14%)
• Lindemans Bin 1003 Shiraz 2010 (screwcap, 13%)

The main course wines pitted a left bank Bordeaux from the great 2005 vintage with the same vintage of a Clare wine from Taylors. Two Cabernets could not be more different. Both wines played to their origin with the Lanessan a good average non-classified wine with a dusty European finish. Some detected Brett, an observation which always has the potential to throw up arguments for how much is too much. The Taylors wine was very fresh under screwcap and was distinctly sweeter in the larger Australian style. The French wine was preferred.

The cheese wines saw quite a large Mudgee wine against elegant Lindeman’s Hunter Valley “Burgundy” style wine. The Lowe wine was well made but lacked the elegance of the Lindemans wine which is drinking particularly well despite it being only 8 years of age. The Lindemans was the favourite of the lunch for a number who spoke to the wines.

Cheese and coffee. For our fromage this week, James Healey provided us with Taleggio. This Lombardi sourced cow’s milk cheese was wonderfully ripe with the external mould showing well in the photograph above. This was a first-class cheese, mild and delicate with its creamy texture melting in the mouth. A wonderful cheese.

Coffee this week selected by Spencer Ferrier was Kenya Karogoto AA from a cooperative in Kenya. We have had this copy coffee before and it has always been well liked and today represented a fresh import batch which had only recently arrived at Forsythe coffee.

Two more Chef of the Year cook-offs left, be sure not to miss them.

27 February 2018 - CoTD - Gary Patterson

Gary Patterson was in the kitchen today for the February wine luncheon celebrating the 97^th anniversary of the foundation of the International Working Union of Socialist Parties. It was really just a front to ensure that we could identify and eliminate any commies in the room. Gary was assisted by Matthew Holmes despite stories Matthew heard about the excitement of cooking with Gary.

Canapés. Gary had promised us a complete seafood menu and he came good on his commitment. The sashimi tuna was very fresh and its intense colour was a stand out. What grabbed the attention of members on the day were the crab cakes which were described as fabulous and for some the highlight of the meal. A great start.

Aperitif wine. Our Winemaster started us off with the New Zealand Framingham Dry Riesling 2006 under screwcap. Framingham is arguably New Zealand’s top producer of Riesling with a range of styles loosely modelled on Germanic styles. I thought a fantastic wine but clearly there were others who found the residual sugar not to their liking and others who just found the wine boring. For many, the 12-year-old dry Riesling was a wonderful way to start the day.

Main Course. To those who have been to meals before cooked by Gary you can see the style. He likes to accompany his main portions with salads or similar to produce light fresh dishes. Today we had a salad with individual seafood terrines. Gary made a point of saying that he had used whole pieces of seafood in each terrine preferring this over pureeing. The resulting texture was excellent. Whole pieces of French sourced scallops provided a beautiful plump centrepoint for the dish which was accompanied by king prawns from the Gulf and salmon supplied by Tassell. He had sourced all the seafood from a local wholesale outlet avoiding retail to ensure quality. The image above is unclear but the salad was lettuce, mushroom and tomato on a yolk-based sauce. A wonderful dish.

The Wines.

• By Farr Char Three Oaks Vineyard 2015 (screwcap, 13%)
• William Fevre Chablis Premier Cru Fourchaume 2010 (cork, 13%)
• Vincent Girardin Meursault 2012 (cork, 13%)
• Hugel Jubilee Riesling 2009 (cork, 12%)
• Lindemans Pyrus 1998 (cork, 13%)
• Lindemans Pyrus 2008 (screwcap, 13.2%)

A great collection of wines which was preceded by the birthday wine from Ross Tzannes, a wonderful Remoissenet Chassagne -Montrachet 2014, a simply delicious wine and a generous gift from Ross. Thank you.

The By Farr 2015 wine was a very well-made wine but was in the shadow of the complexity of the other white Burgundies. It is still young, and some found it a little over oaked although that was not a universal view. The Premier Cru Chablis at 8 years of age still had some lemon complexity and minerality and was ready to drink. Some thought it a wine of the day.

Next came the Girardin Meursault wine which had beautiful stone fruit richness and again the minerality one expects of Burgundy. It was quite a contrast to the Chablis and drinking beautifully. Last of the whites was the Hugel Jubilee Riesling from 2009. This wine was not a match with the other whites but was an excellent Alsace Riesling with less than 4 g/L of residual sugar. The acid and the sweet fruit (thought dry) made for a stunning wine that in isolation with the seafood would have gained a higher rating with many of those at lunch.

We finished with the two Pyrus wines from 1998 and 2008. Surprisingly, the hue and colour of the wines were not dissimilar. On the palate obviously the 1998 was more aged with most thinking it was in excellent condition for a 20-year-old wine whilst others thought it was past its prime. The 2008 was still very fresh at 10 years of age and was definitely showing its regional origin. Fresh, somewhat simple but very drinkable.

Cheese and coffee. The Cheesemaster served us a El Esparto Manchego Artesno (see image of the beautiful looking packaging) from the Will Studd collection. James has been buying from Will Studd for a while. They are a Melbourne-based wholesaler. It would be simplifying Manchego to say that they all tasted the same. This had quite a different coloured rind and was a dryer style of Manchego with some comments I heard suggesting it was too dry.

Spencer Ferrier had selected a Mexican peaberry coffee bean at the behest of Gary Patterson and it was interesting in so far that it was a change from recent coffees. The dosage was apparently the same, but it is a lighter flavoured more acidic coffee which I found to be a little on the bland side.

President Keith Steele closed the lunch noting the numerous stories that existed about those who had cooked over the years with Gary in the kitchen. The good news is that Gary can laugh along with us on these incidences and it doesn’t gloss over the fact that Gary always turns out a good meal despite the path that may have got him and his assistants over the line.

20 February 2018 - CoTD Nigel Burton

Nigel Burton was in the kitchen this week for the second cookoff for the Chef of the Year from those outstanding dishes from 2017. Nigel was assisted on the canapés by his usual cooking partner, Hilton Chapman.

We also had a guest today in the form of Ian Mackie and owner of a coffee plantation in northern Queensland who was donating the coffee but more of that later.

Canapés. Hilton provided us with two canapés to start the lunch. I no particular order we’ll start with hummus topped with scotch bonnet chilli slices. This was followed by baba ghanoush topped with with lemon thyme. I believe that Hilton hand made every ingredient and that the toppings were all from his home garden. So many positive comments were made about these two canapés that for a moment you could be forgiven into thinking that Hilton was cooking for Chef of the Year! The images are above, and the presentation excelled.

Aperitif wine. The chef of the day requested a Semillon and that was what he received. In this case it was a Keith Tulloch Semillon 2010 under screwcap. This wine at 8 years of age had a becoming balance of fruit and acid. There was a touch of residual sugar, but quite low, and the wine was probably drinking at its peak. It is a wine to enjoy now and in the short term, not of the style to go another 10 years.

Main course. Most dishes can be divided into components so let’s start with the duck breast. These had been sous vide and then rendered. The duck meat was just cooked, with a touch of pink near the skin and juicy and tender as duck should be. The accompanying vegetable mix included, shiitake mushrooms, snow peas and bok choy. This vegetable mix caused consternation for some and there were comments about to salty or too sweet. The oyster sauce may have been responsible for either/or those characteristics. Mango was served as a side piece, the sweetness working well. The pièce de résistance were the duck fat potatoes (skilfully cut by Hilton we were told) which were cooked in the produce of the rendering. To die for, was heard a few times.

The Wines.

• Cloudy Bay Pinot Noir 2007 (screwcap, 14%)
• Clerget Bourgogne 2014 (cork, 12.5%)
• Soumah Chardonnay (Yarra) 2013 (screwcap, 12.7%)
• Burton Reserve McLaren Shiraz 2002 (cork, 14%)
• Burton McLaren Shiraz 2002 (cork, 14%)

Being duck, there was Pinot Noir. Contrast is good and that is what our Winemaster managed to do today. Seven years apart and certainly a contrast in style. The New Zealand wine was well made in the larger New World style and comments were made about the sweetness and higher alcohol. The Burgundy (1.5% less then the NZ wine) was, as expected, lighter but had a certain elegance and dryness that stamped its origin. Despite its relative low level on the food chain it needed time to settle down and will improve over the short term.

Once again, we had a white wine and red wine with the cheese. The Yarra Chardonnay was a real hit with many in matching the cheese. Some could argue that it was a bit overpowering with its use of oak but on warming up and some oxygen exposure it became more balanced. The Burton wines were of course liked as it is a style that members know and like. At 16 years of age both the reserve and the standard version were holding up well and there was not much between them. Both in excellent condition

Cheese and coffee. The cheese presented by James Healey today was Marquis Brie de Rambouillet from Île-de-France, a region that includes Paris. This pasteurised cows’ milk cheese is soft with a surface mould and breaks down to become quite gooey with a wonderful fungal aroma and barnyard tastes. Stunning fromage.

Spencer Ferrier introduced Ian Mackie the owner of the Dimbulah brand coffee grown in northern Queensland. The coffee is designed for espresso and is sold only in Singapore through a chain of outlets owned by the company. Ian is a friend of Matthew Holmes and James Hill and hence his presence at the lunch. Ian gave an interesting commentary on the company which through 11 shops in Singapore sells approximately 5000 cups a day. The company is 100% vertically integrated and the fruit comes from 33 ha of trees.

Whilst we enjoyed the coffee that day via plunger, Spencer was darting around the room letting us try the coffee made by the REX espresso machine to give us an idea of the difference. An interesting lesson on coffee and thank you Ian for the donation.

The VP, Peter Kelso, in the chair today closed the lunch and thanked Nigel and Hilton for a great lunch.

13 February 2018 - CoTD Bill Alexiou-Hucker

It’s that time of year again when we get to review the best efforts of Chefs of the Day from 2017. Kicking off the cook-offs this year was Bill Alexiou-Hucker, a member not unfamiliar with this territory. Members responded heartily by presenting themselves in good numbers. He was again assisted by the canape masters, Peter Squires and Peter Manners.

Canapés. Bill provided us with two canapés to start the day. First off was cucumber served with fetta, sun-dried tomatoes and olives. Very refreshing. Next up was what could be described as lamb rolls which were simply (delicious) filo pastry enclosed with lamb and hummus. These were given a good dunking of real butter, and then baked in the oven until golden brown. Butter, lamb and filo pastry, what’s not to like?

Aperitif wine. With Bill in the kitchen, what better opportunity to show off some good quality Greek white wine. The Gaia Assyrtiko 2012 may not be a grape everybody is overly familiar with, but it is a well-known and widely grown white grape in Greece. This grape is a native of the island of Santorini but is grown elsewhere. This particular example from Santorini was wild fermented and was bone dry with a minerality that made it perfect for the exercise today.

Main course. Bill recreated his beef cheek dish from 2017. It was simply served on mashed potato with beans and carrots with a deeply reduced beef cheek jus. Beef cheeks can be cooked in any number of ways, all slow cooked. These beef cheeks were of the sturdier style. Not exactly falling apart but very tender. Some comments thought that they were a little too gelatinous and that further cooking may have broken down the fat content further to make them less fatty. Nevertheless, beef cheeks are fatty. And that’s why they are so much loved by all meat eaters.

The Wines.

• Rosemount (clean skin) Balmoral Shiraz 2007 (cork)
• Alvaro Castro Dão 2009 (cork)
• Lindemans Bin 1100 Reserve Shiraz 2011 (screwcap)
• Terre a Terre Cabernet Franc 2014 (Piccadilly Valley) (screwcap)

Paul Ferman served us three Australian wines and one Portuguese. To go with the rich main course, Paul had the 10-year-old Rosemount against the Portuguese Dão wine (Dão being a region) largely made from Touriga Nacional. It was spicy with black cherry and herbal overtones. The Touriga grape is being used in Australia by number of growers, notably SC Pannell. The Australian wine was very typically so, soft and approachable at that age. It was at its peak but could sit there for many years to come.

The cheese wines pitted the classic Lindeman’s Hunter Valley Shiraz against the young and fresh Cabernet Franc from Piccadilly. The Lindemans fitted the mold. The Terre a Terre wine was floral and soft and tasted like an elegant interpretation of a Bordeaux.

Cheese and coffee. Cheese today was Perenzin di Capra al Foglia di Noce, a goats’ milk cheese from Veneto. A semi-hard cheese that comes wrapped in walnut leaves it is wonderfully savory with definite walnut influences.

Coffee from Spencer Ferrier, was New Guinea Pearl/Blue Mountain. Soft with abundant fruity character it was a good foil for the cheese and Bill’s finishing touches. These were sweet figs in syrup, Greek Delights with ouzo infusion and Mastika gum flavoured liqueur.

Another excellent lunch from Bill and his team with sideline support from his table of mates.

6 February 2018 - CoTD James Hill

James Hill used his lunch to remind us of our deceased friend and member Graham Fear shown here as joint-winner with Steve Liebeskind at the 2017 Chef of the Year dinner

Today was the kick-off lunch for what we hope is going to be a very successful 2018 for your Society. James Hill, was in the kitchen and he was assisted by member Gary Linnane and a friend from Melbourne, Michael Morris. I fact Michael did a sterling job spending two hours separating the coriander and basil leaves from the stems for service. We need more guests like Michael. 

James had more recently planned this lunch in acknowledgement of our recently deceased member Graham Fear AM. James had sourced muntries from Graham's nephew who grows them in Victoria. Known as emu apples, beach berries or native cranberries, muntries are a low growing shrub found on the south coast of Australia. They popped up in the canapes and the main. Michael Morris bought them to Sydney for the lunch.

Canapés. Two canapés started the day. In no particular order, we had smoked trout meticulously stripped from the bones before lunch and added to muntries and served on a wafer. The other was a duck and lychee salad served on a spoon which also had the beach berries as well as roasted peanuts and other ingredients. Both canapés were excellent.

Aperitif wine. Our Winemaster had taken the final bottles of Tyrrells Vat 1 Semillon 2001 from our cellar to serve on the day. The 2001 was one of the last Vat 1’s wines under cork and some variation was expected and we were not wrong. However, other than a few dodgy bottles, the remainder were remarkably fresh, and one wonders what they would have been like at 17 years of age had they been under screwcap. At its best, it is a very good wine showing good acid and mature fruit.

Main course. James served soy and Shiraz poached beef fillets with crispy fried shallots on an Asian salad. The beef had been beautifully cooked rare the day before and left chilling overnight with the soy and Shiraz. Above you will see a photograph of James’s assistant, Michael, with the beef fillets. The meal looked good on the plate and followed up by tasting even better. Some comments were made about preferring a little bit more spice/heat in the dish but I thought it was about right especially for the wine. Salads are always a little controversial with our members, but James nailed this.

The Wines.

• Shiraz by Farr 2011 (cork)
• Anne Gros & Jean-Paul Tollet La Ciaude Minervois 2012 (cork)
• Woodlands Margaret Cabernet blend 2008 (screwcap)
• Fontodi Chianti Classico 2011 (cork)

An interesting selection of wines put on by Paul Ferman. Farr wines have an excellent reputation, so the 2011 Shiraz was somewhat of a letdown. A full-bodied wine, too fleshy and obvious hot stewed characteristics made it not particularly enjoyable. The Minervois (Anne Gros is Burgundy royalty) was a wonderful Languedoc wine made from Carignan, Grenache and a few other grapes such as Syrah. Beautifully balanced with soft fruit it was by far (no pun intended) the better of the two.

With the cheese, again, we had two very different styles of wine. The top-of-the-line Woodlands Margaret is a fine wine. It was bright, very clean and whilst not over un-oaked there was certainly the remnants of new oak still evident. The Chianti was in excellent condition. The savoury nose and palate of the Sangiovese fruit was evident and for some, including myself, it was the wine of the day.

Cheese and coffee. Cheese today was presented by Gary Linnane and he served one of Australia’s finest with Pyengana cheddar from Tasmania. Apparently, Pyengana has recently been impossible or almost impossible to buy for reasons that are not clear. This cheese comes in a few forms mainly relating to the ageing at the farmhouse where it is made and today we had one with less age which meant it was still quite firm and not a sharp as the more aged examples become. A wonderful cheese.

Coffee from Spencer Ferrier, was Agung Agung from Bali and is commonly called God’s Cheese. This is an excellent medium bodied coffee that members should seek out for home.

Our President, Keith Steele, celebrated his birthday today and plied us with some Portuguese ruby port, which was deliciously soft and much enjoyed.

The tradition of the Wine and Food Society is to remember our recently deceased members with Green Chartreuse and we did so in honour of Graham Fear AM and Michael Hobbs who also passed away the previous week.

The lunch was then closed. We now enter into the Chef of the Year cookoff cookoffs, an exciting time for your Society.

12 December 2017 CoTD Nick Reynolds

Guest "writeuper" of the day was Roger Straiton. Thanks Roger. Volunteers always welcome, you know where to find me. JT.

Cook of the day Nick Reynolds was rewarded with a predictably full house for the final lunch of 2017. Nick was ably assisted by Steve Liebeskind.

Aperitif and Canapes

Three canapes were served. Roasted skinned capsicums were stuffed with anchovies, pine nuts, parsley, capers and raisins. Delicious. Small pastry boats were filled with goats cheese and decorated with either green onion or Peruvian Kiss peppers. A very festive appearance. Finally squares of watermelon were skewered to feta and mint then topped with an olive. A great start to the day.

Served with this were the oft seen Denmar chardonnay – always welcome, as well as a standout chardonnay from St Huberts. Preferred by some was the 08 Riesling from Lehmann. Also popular were the usual excellent sherries from Lustau, a Manzanilla and a Fino. One member complained that the Riesling didn't go with the watermelon. You can't please everybody.

Main Course – Christmas on a plate.

The main course was a beautifully thought out and presented plate. A cylinder of shredded pork cooked in apple cider, carrot, celery, garlic and bay leaf and moistened with apple puree was formed into a tower with the addition of sage and thinly sliced apple. This was topped with a mixture of crumbed black pudding and toasted panko breadcrumbs. Very tasty.

Sitting with this on the plate was a crumbed and deep fried Croquetta made from a thick nutmeg béchamel containing Serrano and home smoked ham. A superb mouthful that had wonderful texture contrasts.  

The third element was a homemade sausage containing dark turkey meat combined with Grand Marnier soaked cranberries and crushed pistachios. A flavour bomb of epic proportions.

Vegetables were thrice cooked mini potato balls and carrot and celery mirepoix all sitting in a rich chicken gravy. Although there did not appear to be a lot of food on the plate it was very satisfying as the different elements were so interesting to eat. Nick always produces something innovative and he didn't fail us this time.

Wines.

The main course was accompanied by two chardonnays both from areas bordering Burgundy. First off was a Rully 2013 from Domaine Roux. Quite full bodied it finished well and was a fine example which went well with the white meat. Slightly less successful was a 2015 Macon from the esteemed house of Leflaive. Rather thin and lean it failed to sparkle and had a rather characterless profile.

With the cheese we had a 2010 Ocean Eight Aylward pinot whose murky appearance was probably due to lack of filtration. Quite Burgundian on the nose with a reasonably fine middle palate it fell away rather quickly and did not really justify its high price. Similarly, a Reserve Shiraz 2001 from Huntington Estate promised much on the nose but failed to follow through. Probably too old now.

We were then treated to a ‘bonne bouche' courtesy of James Hill of half bottles of Cockburns Special Reserve. Fruity, alcoholic and satisfying. Thank you James.

Cheese and Coffee

James Healey went for broke and sourced the mighty La Luna Holy Goat. This award winning handcrafted goats cheese is made near Castlemaine and is based on the traditional French soft curd style using slow lactic acid fermentation and produces an amazing full bodied creamy texture with slight nutty notes. Expensive but worth it. Served with this were a selection of nuts and non-sulphured dried apricots.

Coffee by Spencer was a high-quality blend from Bali. Round and full.

Our President Keith Steele then made presentations of Christmas gifts to all the members of the superb new team at the Royal Exchange. Everyone is very happy with the new arrangements.

Finally, Keith welcomed three new members and presented them with their Society ties.

Reluctant to wind up the day many members adjourned to the bar.