Our Foodmaster Bill Alexiou-Hucker coaxed long-time member Peter Karr back into the kitchen today for a joint effort. Good numbers again at about 45.

Canapes

Peter took on responsibilities for the canapés today and gave us two. Firstly, was a duck liver pâté which included bacon, cream and topped off with some caramelised onions. This was served on a baguette. Then came along a home-made terrine made from chicken and veal with a plethora of ingredients including fennel, cumin, oregano, pistachio, pepper et cetera et cetera. It was wrapped in bacon.

Both canapés provided an abundance of flavour and there was no shortage of supplies.

Main Course

Bill provided the risotto for the main using Molinaro rice and it was delicious. Copious quantities of butter and cheese had been used to give it its wonderful depth of flavour. There was a nice sized chunk of sausage topping it off. Peter had handmade 5 kg of sausages using pork fat, chicken and veal and the veritable “kitchen sink”. The sausage was tender, soft and full of flavour. A rich enjoyable dish. The dish certainly fits into the comfort food category.

Cheese

The cheese by James Healey today was Bongrain Saint Agur a blue cheese from cow’s milk from Auvergne. St Agur is a relative newcomer and was only created in the late 1980s. It is soft and fruity, with all the blue cheese characteristics you would expect, but not overpowering.

The Chefs of the Day provided stuffed and marinated fig to accompany the cheese.

Coffee

Coffee by Spencer Ferrier today in absentia, was Colombia “La Union” and was very much in the style you would expect from the excellent Colombia style.

Wines

Today’s canapés were coupled with two Pewsey Vale Rieslings. They both showed some development in colour and aroma, although still identifiable as a pair. The 2013 had more freshness, while the 2012 had more classic Riesling flavours.

With the main course another pair. This time a couple of 2012 Margaret River Cabernet Sauvignons. The Fraser Gallop was at its peak, with soft tannins and bright leafy, minty fruit. The Vasse Felix was still a young wine with fresh blackcurrant fruit aromas, it had an excellent mid-weight palate with age-worthy tannins.

With blue cheese, it is often suggested that Sauternes is the best match. Today we had a 2016 Framingham Select Riesling. It had the requisite sweetness and citrus fruit characters to work with the cheese but lacked the lusciousness that more botrytis would have brought to the wine. The second wine, a 2008 Vasse Felix Cabernet Sauvignon, showed the ageing potential we anticipated from the 2012. Still bright in fruit and tannin, it had great balance of components. An excellent wine, although perhaps not as a good match for the cheese.