Food review by Nick Reynolds and wine review by Charles "Chilly" Hargrave

Food

Steve Liebeskind faced a packed house in his cook-off for Chef of the Year.

He was ably assisted in the kitchen by Paul Irwin and guest cook Romain Stamm.

Steve presented three canapés, each of which was delicious in its own way. The first was a spicy pumpkin soup served in large shot cups. This was followed by fennel purée with fresh salmon on puff pastry rounds. The final canapé was inspired. Steve took the leftover trimmings of steak from the main course and cut them finely, combined with the appropriate condiments, and served the resultant steak tartare on crisp bread rounds. As you can see from the pictures, all the canapés were presented with Steve’s normal attention to detail and tasted every bit as good as they looked.

The main course again showed the attention to detail and fine cooking that we associate with Steve. A superb piece of eye fillet steak was cooked to perfection and served with a reduced beef stock and red wine sauce. A number of accompaniments were served with this. The first was caramelised onion served with onion pieces that had a bitter-sweet char around the edge. The second was zucchini topped with tarragon, with the aniseed flavour that accompanies steak so well. The third was a baked field mushroom served on a roasted pumpkin dish, again giving a sweetness and umami that added depth to the steak dish. Lastly, but by no means least, was a bowl of mashed potatoes served in a bowl for each table. Rich, creamy, and buttery, these served as an unctuous accompaniment that many wished had been provided in larger quantity (but our members always say that, no matter what the serving size is).

The meal was well received by members with empty plates going back to the kitchen as ample evidence of their enjoyment.

A Society-favourite soft cheese, Taleggio, was served with salad greens, shaved fennel and toasted pine nuts drizzled tossed in a simple Vinaigrette. An ideal end to a lovely meal.

Steve presented a worthy dish that will provide stiff competition for the other chefs cooking in the competition.

Wine

Today’s lunch was matched with three pairs which strongly reflected vintage conditions but also changes in winemaking and winemakers. Of interest was that the two reds were produced under Southcorp stewardship for the older wines and then Fosters (TWE) for the younger ones.

The 2013 and then 2012 Seppelt Jaluka Chardonnays showed distinctive vintage variance. The warmer 2013 vintage yielded a fuller, richer wine while the 2012 has more precision and tension. Both wines, however, showed the same hand of winemaking with subtle barrel ferment characters and fresh acidity in a wine that rarely undergoes any malolactic fermentation.

With the main course were a couple of Rosemount Balmoral Shiraz. The 2010 vintage showed the bright fruit expected from McLaren Vale with admirable oak restraint. The tannin levels remained very high. The 2004 had lost the fruit profile of the younger wine and showed many secondary characters. Again the tannin levels remained high becoming unbalanced as the flavours diminished with time.

The delightful Tallegio cheese was paired with two Limestone Ridge Shiraz Cabernet. The younger wine from the excellent 2012 vintage showed a lot Shiraz fruit aromas with the Cabernet being very much in the background. A little disjointed with oak, fruit and tannins yet to become integrated. The 1999 wine at 21 years of age was in fantastic condition. Following on from the much-admired 1998 vintage, this wine would have sat in the shadows but has turned out to be a sleeper. It was a wine of great class with an aged harmony of flavour, oak and tannin. It showed both Shiraz and Cabernet in abundance. Most likely at its best, it to me was the highlight of the day.