AGM and lunch 14 April 2015

Food Master Nick Reynolds had the job ahead of him, serving a lunch to about 40 members following the AGM which concluded about 12 noon. The intervening hour was filled by a succession of wines from the generous Wine Master, along with plenty of canapes from Nick and Bill Alexiou: the result was an unusually boisterous crowd sitting down at 1pm.

Nick and Bill took it all in their stride, however. For starters, Bill produced some wonderful pork and beef Greek meatballs and a zingy beetroot paste on bread crisps, while Nick came up with a lemony homemade hummus under a nicely done coffin Bay scallop topped by a piece of grilled bresaola, or air-dried beef, on ceramic spoons. Accompanying them, the wines included, but were not limited to, a 1997 Tyrrells Stevens Semillon, a 1998 Steingarten riesling, a 1998 Vat 1 semillon from Tyrrells, a Picnic pinot from Central Otago in NZ and a choice of amontillado and manzanilla Lustau sherries. Space, and an increasing blur, do not permit notes on each.

As previously stated, Nick faced the hordes at table undaunted. Sundry sous vide tanks on display indicated what was to come, and some wonderfully bright pink fillets of ocean trout duly appeared, sprinkled with a dusting of Middle Eastern spices and served with an appropriately slightly pickled salad of fennel and crumbled fetta cheese, boosted with intense fennel pollen. With the rich but not oily fish appeared a 2009 Ocean Eight chardonnay from Mornington Peninsula, with crisp stone fruit characters on nose and palate but lacking depth; and a 2010 Port Phillip pinot noir from the same area, plenty of sweet fruit on the palate in the lighter Oz style but needing a bit more time to develop depth.

The cheese was, as ever, great, a Secret de Scey semi-hard cows' milk cheese from the Franche-Comte region of France, with a distinctive vein of ash and a salt-washed rind, showing good mild creamy flavours and soft chewy consistency. Some salted mixed nuts were an ok accompaniment, as were a 2006 Epsilon shiraz from the Barossa, showing typical overripe fruit and big bricky characters but some strong tannins to give it a degree of elegance; and a 1998 Bowen Coonawarra cabernet, light and elegant for a Bowen, mature and better with the cheese.

An El Salvador (Central American) medium roast bean was the basis for a smooth, relatively soft coffee in the US style to bring proceedings to a final halt.

Mixed lunch 7 April 2015

Who said members avoid mixed lunches? Even our President was among the 54 members and guests who assembled on the first day after the Easter break to enjoy some great food from Roger Straiton in the kitchen, and ditto wines, cheese and coffee from the usual respective providers.

Vinously, Paul Ferman started with an eclectic mix of a Bredif sparkling chenin blanc from Vouvray, a McWilliams Museum Release amontillado sherry and some still whites, chiefly the Tim Smith Eden Valley Riesling seen at previous lunches.A campari was provided to liven up the vouvray! All very refreshing but no fireworks. Not so some terrific canapes, actually prepared by Ian and Chris Witter: homemade ocean trout gravlax with a tangy sauce on pumpernickel, and a rich savoury duck liver parfait simply served on crispbread.

Roger promised, and delivered, quality fillet of beef, with whole Angus fillets roasted blood pink, sliced and served with a classic sauce chasseur made on mushrooms, herbs and heaps of booze, with some crunchy dutch carrots and some little potato croquettes completing the plate. It all turned on the beef, and Roger certainly delivered. So did the wine master, with a 2009 Ch Peyredon Bordeaux from Haut-Medoc, juicy but savoury, and a 2008 Crozes-Hermitage from Dom de Clairmont, also refreshing if a bit thin on fruit.

The cheese was another triumph, a soft and sticky but fresh and clean fromager d'affinois from the Rhone-Alpes region of France, buttery and sweet with a soft lactic aftertaste. Simple green seedless grapes were an ideal accompaniment. The first accompanying wine was a 2004 Providence "Miguet" chardonnay from Tasmania, fully developed and showing top integration of fruit and acid to yield a fine match with the cheese. Also a match, but an even better wine, was the 2001 Seppelts Chalambar shiraz from Victoria, also well developed with a rich fruit overlay on classy tannins, and certainly the best wine of the day. Assorted ½ bottles of sticky whites were also in evidence, and soon accounted for.

Spencer Ferrier wound things up by giving a choice of a coffee made on Aceh beans form Indonesia, with strong chocolate characters in the mouth and a good long finish; and English Breakfast tea, but not as Mr Twinings knows it. Two perfect ways to finish a standout meal.

5th cook off and wine tasting 31 March 2015

It was a coincidence of gustatory pleasures, with James Hill in the kitchen doing the last of the cook offs for the 2014 COTY, and Paul Ferman providing a wholly masked bag of local and foreign reds and whites for the monthly wine tasting. It justified the huge attendance of 56.

First, the canapes, James providing something new in the form of a homemade olive bread, thin slices of a cakey bread flavoured with green olives, parmesan cheese and herbs; as well, freshly prepared rabbit rillettes, made with goose fat and a bit of pork as well as the seasonal bunny, served on thinly sliced Iggy's sourdough. The aperitif wine was the 2001 Tyrrells Vat 1, not an outstanding year and showing considerable bottle variation , with most tired and lifeless. Not so a Innocente manzanilla sherry also available, and appropriately sharp and tangy.

And so to the main event, a revisiting of James' mustard-braised pork neck with cognac. The necks were slow cooked for about 3 hours in stock with a mix of wholegrain mustard, brown sugar and herbs, then turned out and thickly carved. The sauce, enlivened by a hit of cognac and with prunes added, was poured over and the dish finished with garlic mashed potato and wilted silverbeet. Definitely sweet, as befits pork, but with balancing fire from the cognac and bitterness from the beet.

On the whole, the dish was well matched by the tasting lineup of 6 masked wines, 2 white and 4 red, with only an airy statement that there was a mix of Old and New World to help us. Wide and varied were the appraisals, but the wines were revealed as: 2008 Montmains 1er cru Chablis, still delicate and highly acid but a good foil for the sweetness in the food; 1999 Steingarten Riesling, deep gold and developed, perhaps a little too much so; 2009 Dom Fontaine, predominantly grenache from Gigondas in the S Rhone, a bit thin for the company; 2008 Craggy Range shiraz from New Zealand, big and intense with a meatiness that had many picking Spain or Italy; 2008 Trapio monastrell from Spain, a very well made wine that many picked as Bordeaux; and 2008 Lindemans Pyrus, really good drinking with a cabernets blend, and very popular.

The standard was maintained with the cheese, a rich, nutty caramel flavoured semi-soft number , finally identified by Ross MacDonald as a goat's milk cheese from Holland rejoicing in the name Midnight Moon. Certainly worth staying up for, and nicely balanced with some sliced Fuji apples and William pears.

The coffee, introduced by Spencer Ferrier, was a medium roast from NW Sumatra, pleasingly clean and bitter on the palate with an ok length. It was made even better by a birthday port from Gary Linnane. A splendid 1983 Stanton & Killeen, with heaps of rich sweet fruit and spirit to match, it was presented in magnums.

Lunch 24 March 2015

Ignoring the cracks about mothers-in-law, Royal Exchange Club manager and new member Will Hattersley talked to his, and came up with an authentic version of a dish from her native Haut-Savoie region of eastern France: raclette (although some recalcitrant Swiss persist in claiming the dish as theirs).

It was preceded by some canapes of smoked salmon with crème fraiche on crispbread and smoked oysters with a horseradish cream sauce on the same. None the worse for being a late inspiration, they were accompanied by a 2011 Tim Smith Eden Valley Riesling which was okay but uninspired with a hard finish and light fruit, and the Lustau manzanilla sherry, a regular aperitif with reliable style and salty bite proving a better match for the snacks.

The raclette dish was a community effort on the table, each of which was equipped with a special raclette grill brought in by Will for the occasion. Pieces of raclette cheese were grilled on trowels until melting and bubbly, then transferred to individual plates with ham and pastrami, boiled new potatoes, cocktail onions and cornichons provided to accompany, together with lots of good French baguette bread and a touch of chutney which soon vanished. Designed for sharing around a table after a hard day's skiing, the food went down surprisingly well on a typical humid Sydney day, helped by an eclectic lineup of wines: 2007 Tyrrells Steven Semillon; 2009 Ernst Triebaumer blaufrankisch from Austria; 2000 Ingoldby shiraz from McLaren Vale; and 2004 Majella Coonawarra cabernet. Opinions were divided on the best wine and best match: for many, the Steven was a terrific example of the fruitier style of Hunter semillon, but not quite up to the food, while the Austrian wine, with lighter, more acid characters than the other 3 reds was best with the food although outclassed as a drink by the remarkably smooth and rich shiraz and the big, slightly overripe Coonawarra.

The 4 wines were served together because there was, obviously, no cheese course. Instead, Will produced individually baked apple cakes, with good texture and pleasantly tart fruit, which were well washed down by a 2007 Ch Lafaurie Peyraguey Sauternes from France, luscious and starting to mature, fortuitously provided by birthday boy Peter Kelso. Coffee was a house blend of medium roast beans from Forsyths, full in the mouth with woody chocolate notes and a clean finish. It was made even better by a prune liqueur, made by Will's granfather, with plenty of fire but identifiable fruit from a bit of ageing.

4th cook off 17 March 2015

To be sure, it was reconstructed Irishman John O'Rourke in the kitchen for St Patricks Day, and the food was very much in theme. Although a finalist in the 2014 COTY, John had ruled himself out of contention as a previous 3-times winner, but that didn't stop him cooking up a storm.

To warm up, we had Guinness and oysters; the former needing no comment, and the latter a terrific example of large Sydney rocks, served in the shell, mainly unadorned except for a drop of lemon, but some with a bit of pickled ginger, nice but unnecessary. Also on hand was a 2010 The Yard chardonnay from Margaret River, light on fruit but refreshing and showing some development; and the ever-reliable Lustau manzanilla sherry.

So on to the main course, Irish stew but not as you know it. A big stock was made from lamb pieces and bones with aromatic vegetables including onion and leeks, to which was added cubed lamb leg and, at the last moment, diced carrot so that it retained crunch. The obligatory praties were cooked separately in stock for extra flavour and the stew mix poured over them before serving. Certainly too good for the peasants, this "stew" (more a casserole) was comfort food and not only for the Celts. Some great ciabatta bread from Haberfield Bakery helped to mop up the sauce. Wisely eschewing Irish wine, Paul Ferman provided a 2009 Olivers Taranga shiraz from McLaren Vale, with forward nose and medium strength fruit with a fresh finish which complemented the food. The other wine on the table was masked, and most picked it as Rhone, a choice vindicated when it was unveiled as a 2009 Mon Coeur Cotes du Rhone from Chave, a well-regarded maker. It was beaut, with intense rich fruit which will soften and become more complex with time.

John himself provided the cheese, or to be precise, the two cheeses, both of which floored the audience and which turned out to be sheep's milk cheeses from Tasmania (Grandvewe), one a manchego-style semi-hard cheese of some authenticity down to the grass-embossed rind, and the other a blue inspired by Roquefort, worthy but a little rubbery and lacking the intensely salty creaminess of the original. Whole fresh figs were an ideal accompaniment, as were a 2006 Bowen Coonawarra cabernet, and another masked wine, this time the 2005 Taylors Jaraman cabernet from Clare. The Bowen was true to area and maker, but a bit thin and sour, whilst the Taylors was complete, with perfectly ripe fruit balanced by long tannins, and to many the wine of the day.

The coffee came from New Guinea (a plantation once owned by Bob Oatley), a medium strength brew of good but not outstanding character. The kitchen leprechaun had one more surprise up his sleeve in the form of a liqueur from the same place as the cheese, made from the whey left over in the cheese-making process with vanilla added. Sweet and lactic, it took most back to the days of vanilla milkshakes; an interesting experiment which it is to be hoped will not soon be repeated .

3rd cook off 10 March 2015

The COTY award is given to the best main course, and sometimes this is a pity when the overall effect of the meal is especially good. This was the case last Tuesday, when Bill Alexiou-Hucker presented a Greek feast from go to whoa for the 3rd of the cook offs for the 2014 awards. We started with 3 canapes: some quality tapenade topping a slice of egg on a crouton; terrific homemade taramasalata on croutons, made even fishier with the addition of a sliver of dried mullet roe, or bottaga, on top; and a refreshing tzatziki (yoghurt with garlic, mint and lemon) on cucumber slices. All nicely balanced by a 2006 Wine Society Tasmanian riesling, mature and complex with fruit to complement the firm acid.

Bill repeated his braised octopus for the main course, with a rich tomato and red wine sauce which may have been a bit powerful for the accompanying whites but which was terrific in its own right. There was medium octopus as well as some babies in the mix, along with (slightly gluggy)risotto-style rice and some shoots of baby asparagus wrapped in prosciutto. To accompany it, a Greek white, the 2014 Thalassitis assyrtiko from Santorini, with forward nose redolent of dried herbs, cleansing acid and a good match with the food; and a local hero, the 2007 Tyrrells Vat 47 chardonnay, showing signs of maturity with buttery fruit balanced by clean acid. A better wine than the Greek, but maybe not as good a food match.

The feast continued, with a typical Greek salad made on pieces of red, yellow and green capsicum, spanish onion and (Greek, of course) fetta with olive oil. This was followed by a sweet dish of grilled haloumi cheese, made in Cyprus from sheep and goats' milk, topped by a lightly heated fresh fig sprinkled with honey. Accompanying this mixed bunch were a big, soft shiraz/merlot blend 2009 Dom Gerovassiliou from Elanomi in Greece, half a bottle of 2000 Stepping Stone Coonawarra cabernet, interesting but at the end of its life, and 1/2bottles of a Samos vin doux from that island, made on muscat grapes and softly sweet but lacking a bit of firmness. It went well with the fig and haloumi, and also with authentic Greek (aka Turkish) coffee, made thick and strong on the spot by the visiting barista from Aesop restaurant in the city with, of course, a piece of Turkish (aka Greek) Delight.

Well done, Bill, especially with around 52 members and guests there to support the Greek cause.

2nd cook off 3 March 2015

The first cook off featured Ted Davis assisted by Gareth Evans. This time, roles were reversed, with Ted assisting the Welsh wizard as he visited Spain for a representation of his tapas-style meal, with a series of finely wrought courses in succession. First, though, canapes in the form of salt cod (bacalao) croquettes by Ted Davis: hand-shredded and still textured poached cod with a touch of potato in balls coated in freshly fried breadcrumbs; and marinated button mushroom caps enfolding a piece of pan fried chorizo, on a toothpick. Both buzzing with Spanish flavours, and both well complemented by a 2012 Pewsey Vale Riesling from wine master of the day Hilton Chapman, fresh clean and enough acid to cut the richness of the fish and sausage.

Then came the tapas progression, necessarily condensed by timing restrictions to force two courses on the plate at a time. There was a cold octopus and chopped potato salad in a lemon-based dressing; chicken sausage pieces enlivened with white wine and sherry and served with seedless green grapes; some simple okra, still crunchy and lacking the gumminess often found; well-cooked and therefore soft and gelatinous honeycomb tripe with chickpeas, tomato and paprika; some extremely well received morcilla, or black pudding, served with a crumble of speck bacon and toasted breadcrumbs; and a mild chorizo sausage with haricot beans and some mysterious fresh chilis which tested many ( and which Gareth may have identified as Bishops Crown peppers). All this was washed down with a Deliciosa manzanilla sherry, which matched some of the milder meat courses as well as the okky, and a 2006 Embruix Priorat red, also from Spain and predominantly grenache, high (15.5%) alcohol but in balance with nice tannins which undercut the bigger meat dishes well. In summary – ole!

The meme from Spain stayed to our gain with the cheese, a classic semi-hard Queso Iberico from Central Spain, made from a mix of cow, sheep and goat's milk with a lovely sweet nuttiness and a distinctive embossed rind showing the imprint of the dried grass bands used in the manufacturing. It was back home with the matching wines: a soft and savoury 2005 Tyrrells Stevens shiraz and a bigger, more assertive shiraz cabernet from Rosemount at Mudgee, a cleanskin but picked correctly by many as the Mountain Blue.

The coffee from master Spencer Ferrier, was from El Salvador, an Arabica clone medium roasted to produce a soft and sweet brew on the palate with a fairly short finish. Nothing short, though, about the birthday wine from Leigh Hall, a1978 Baileys Vintage port, intensely sweet and spirituous which will be going strong long after most of those drinking it.

Finally, let's repeat the plea from the Acting President Keith Steele that members, and their guests, book for the remaining cook offs. We can't guarantee that future chefs will be able to repeat the loaves and fishes exercise that Gareth pulled off, and you may be turned away if you haven't booked.

Wine tasting 24 february 2015

The first wine tasting for 2015 saw a trip around the world vinously, and Greg Sproule acting the goat in the kitchen.

Starters was a fresh scallop, done just so, served with a fine shred of shallot and carrot in a tangy dressing on porcelain spoons. Described as Normandy scallops, they were great wherever they came from and were well matched by a (masked) muscadet from the Loire region of France, traditionally matched with oysters, but with soft acidity to wash down the scallops.

The main event saw Wine Master Ferman at the height (or depth, depending on your viewpoint) of inscrutability, presenting six masked wines with regions, but not in order, announced and nothing more, except that they were all cabernet or similar fruit. The guessing game progressed, not assisted by the fact that wine no.2 was badly corked on a few tables. When the veils were lifted, the results were: 2009 Bourgueil from the Loire made from cabernet franc; 2002 Alkoomi cabernet from WA; a 2002 Barolo from that region of Italy, made on nebbiolo grapes; 2002 St Hugo cabernet from Coonawarra; 2002 Huntington cabernet from Mudgee; and 2000 Ch Lanessan, an unclassified Bordeaux. An interesting lineup, with palate loyalty showing in the popular choice of St Hugo as the top wine, and the Huntington mistaken for Bordeaux by many. The real Bordeaux was also well supported, as was the Bourgueil, the Barolo disappointingly acid and thin to most.

Similar controversy erupted with the food, where Greg had butchered and braised a whole kid goat, edible organs and all. To most, the result was a fine daube, with the offal flavour of the liver and kidneys in particular adding a meaty umami character to the delicacy of the meat. To some, it was too much, an education for which they were unprepared. C'est la vie. With it was an interesting gnocchi in assorted shapes, made with a rare pepper which hit the palate when chewed.

The quality of the top wines provided a soft slightly acid balance to a wonderful chevre d'affinois from the Rhone-Alpes region of France, made in an unusual hexagonal shape and showing particularly smooth creamy but nicely sour texture and flavour from the preparation of the milk prior to making. With a good bitter green leaf salad, the cheese ,as observed, went well with the reds; but not nearly as well as it went with the remains of a superb 2005 Boillot Puligny-Montachet white, presented by birthday boy Ross Tzannes at the outset of the main course, for those lucky enough to have kept some. A fine example of generosity by Ross, which we hope other members may emulate.

The coffee was a Bun Coffee blend from a maker in Byron Bay which we enjoyed a few weeks ago. This time, the beans were grown, again in South America, under sun and not shade, which may have influenced the robust flavour and firm dark chocolate finish.

First cook off 17 February 2015

The cook offs for the 2014 Chef of the Year got off to a flying start with contender Ted Davis in the lists (assisted by fellow contender Gareth Evans) producing the goods for a large crowd of 54, some unbooked and exerting pressure on quantities which Ted surmounted with aplomb.

Canapes were superior pork rillettes with plenty of moisture and flavour topped with a cornichon and served on baguette slices; and some salty, tangy white anchovy fillets atop roasted red pepper slices, again on baguette. Fresh and inviting, they were well accompanied by (some of) 2005 Tyrrells Vat 1 and HVD, the ones not oxidised or corked being pleasant, plus some extras from First Creek in the Hunter, some chardonnay from Vasse Felix in WA and the reliable Lustau manzanilla sherry.

On to poultry as the main course, with all ducks fed and ready to fly. They had been boned and rolled into a ballotine with a stuffing of pork mince, pistachios and the intense flavour of duck livers to lift it. Baked then sliced, it came to the table above a well- made kumera puree and under a terrific sauce made on the duck bones with aromatic vegetables and a large glug of port. Simple in concept if not in execution, it was a wonderful combination of colours, flavours and textures, and certainly set the standard for the cook offs to come. The accompanying wines were of higher than usual standard, being a 2012 Chiroubles gamay from Beaujolais with colour, lift and some elegance which had most mistaking it for a pinot; and a 2009 Tamar Ridge pinot from Tasmania, lighter in colour and body with a delicate fragrance but lacking substance.

It was Ted's pick for the cheese, and he did it again, with Ross MacDonald presenting a top Bleu D'Auvergne from that part of France. It was in great condition, showing plenty of marbling, a creamy but slightly crumbly texture and some soft blue mould spices with a tart finish. Cabernets were a good match, a 2008 Vasse Felix showing dark rich fruit, a bit tough at this stage but destined for greater things, and a 1998 Wynns Black Label from Coonawarra, at its peak with minty, Ribena fruit balanced by soft drying tannins, a pleasure to drink.

The coffee, in the absence of the Master, was a concerto (or cacophony) of blends from previous weeks which turned out surprisingly rich and rounded: perhaps the start of a Society blend. With it, for some but not all, were a couple of spare stickies providing a sweet contrast.

Lunch 10 February 2015

The excitement of the 1st week back must have proved too much for some members. For a disappointing attendance of only 30 was on hand to experience a taste of Portugal from chef Peter Kelso, capably assisted by Martin McMurray.

Seafood started things off, with baccalao, or reconstituted dried salted cod, made into a paste similar to the French brandade, and served on toasted bread squares topped with a few tiny balls of citrus from finger limes, a native Australian fruit. Also on hand were toast strips topped with a simple sweet pepper paste and a white anchovy, tangy and salty. Washing these down was a 2010 chardonnay from Pemberton in WA, which won unanimous applause for its intense tropical fruit flavours, balanced by fresh acid and a touch of spritz. The lucky few also saw a very dry manzanilla sherry from Lustau, perfect with the salt of the canapes.

For mains, the kitchen produced a healthy helping of chicken. Superior thigh fillets were quickly seared then baked in a bed of red onion, tomato, mustard and wine, naturally with a hit of port for sweetness and a splash of brandy for the hell of it. Plain pasta accompanied it, together with some halved and baked zucchini, in top condition at the moment. Accompanying were a brace of European reds, a 2010 La Giola Veronese from Italy, and a 2009 Dao Alvaro Castro from Portugal itself. Both with modest alcohol levels, the Italian showed as more Australian in style, soft with forward sweet fruit; whilst the Portuguese was a more savoury and complex wine with drying tannins which complemented the food rather better than the other.

We stayed on the Iberian Peninsula for the cheese, an Ossau Iraty semi-hard sheep's milk number from the Basque area of SW France with a history going back more than 4000 years. At least 90 day's old, it showed a supple oily texture with a nutty flavour reminiscent of olive oil, and was in terrific condition. A simple green salad on iceberg lettuce and torn nasturtium leaves was dressed with a dressing made on balsamic vinegar infused with figs and, to accord, some pieces of fresh fig, now nearing the end of its season. In the wine department, it was back home with a 2004 Bethany Barossa shiraz (13.5%), dark and fruity with good clean tannins and plenty of life left; and a Zema Coonawarra cabernet from the same year (14%), showing strong minty Coonawarra fruit and a long way to go, if lacking in the complexity of top wines from this region.

The lunch concluded with a BunCoffee organic blend, made in Byron Bay but from beans grown in South America. It was a dark roast with mouth-filling flavour of bitter chocolate, but a bit short on the finish.