Mark Bradford was in the kitchen today and chose to not ask for assistance and prepared all the canapés and the main without the assistance of another member. A very self-sufficient Prof Bradford.

Canapes

On his lonesome, he turned out three starters. First off were mini sausage rolls from pork and veal mince, bacon and toasted fennel seeds. The accompanying ketchup was made from ripe tomatoes and balsamic vinegar. They looked and tasted wonderful.

Next up were small crepes with chopped chives in batter, spread with creme fraiche, smoked salmon and Danish caviar rolled into a cylinder and cut into bite-sized portions. I believe Mark made the crêpes which had a smashing texture and consistency.

Finally, came mini corn fritters and fruit chutney, based on Bill Granger who has two kernels processed in the batter for every whole one in the fritter. Again, these were made from scratch and were yet another testament to the work that Mark put into this lunch.

Main Course

We were provided with a Spanish influenced dish with a Basque fish stew or marmitako. Ingredients were fresh tuna, Desiree potatoes, sweet paprika, green capsicum, puree of roast red capsicum and roasted tomatoes. This was served with toasted and oiled baguette slices with a garnish of lemon zest and roughly chopped parsley. This reviewer is not a massive fish fan but I found this tasty and very enjoyable.

Cheese

Even before we tasted the cheese today it was so very picturesque that I liked it at first sight. It was Spanish Merco Queso Iberico semicurado. Not Manchego (it looks like it) but made from cow, goat and sheep milk. The creamy texture melts in the mouth gradually, releasing a rich, full-bodied nuttiness before delivering a fruity tang on the finish.

Coffee

Spencer provided a Rwandan coffee for the third time in 2019 as part of his worldwide tour. It had a grassiness on the palate and was all the more enjoyable for medium to heavy roast.

Wines (No wine notes from this week)

Mark provided the lunch with a remarkably diverse range of dishes all on his lonesome. Well done.