Review by Roger Wiggins

How would you describe Mark’s meal today? I would sum it up in one word: Courageous.

After the meal that he served earlier in the year, which came under an enormous amount of criticism, many people would have just either given up or retreated licking their wounds. Not Mark, he took on board the comments and stepped right up again to bat.

The meal and canapes this time were in plentiful supply and a great assortment of dishes. Very well-done Mark for your enthusiasm and vigour in your work today.

The canapes consisted of two sorts of small micro quiches some with spinach and cheese and the other an anti-pasta mix, with chopped olives and sundried tomatoes. There was also a large quiche lorraine which came out piping hot. The smaller micro quiches were a little bit underdone, resulting in being a little chewy, but quite tasty.

Mark being the mathematician that he is, called these his pi dishes.

Mark also served up a corn fritter with a tomato chutney.

The aperitif wines were a 2002 Jacobs Creek Steingarten Riesling from the Barossa and a 2008 Tyrrells Stevens from the Hunter.

One of the members, Phil Laffer was actually the wine maker for the Steingarten.  His discussion on both the wine, the way it was made and the style, plus the history of the vineyard and the saving of the old vines from being pulled out was fascinating. We were also treated to a technical discussion on the evolution of the Stelvin closure. How the early caps, being like a top hat and the seals being only on the top of the bottle were prone to popping with a bit of mishandling. They were later changed to a more rounded top that extended the seal, providing better protection for the wines. We are very fortunate to have as members in our Society people like Phil who not only know the history of the wines and makers, but also interesting information on the technical nature of wines.

Both wines were extremely fresh, especially the Steingarten, being 19 years old. Phil thought that it was now at a stage where it would not get better, however there were comments that it would probably be in good shape for the next 5-7 years. It is fantastic that Chilly is now going through the cellar to bring these wines to the table that should be consumed now, rather than saving them for a special occasion that may result in the wines being past their prime.

For the main, Mark served up two chicken thighs per person, well cooked, wrapped in roasted prosciutto and baked, that had a subtle lemon, cream and parsley sauce.  They were stuffed with gorgonzola and basil pesto, scrumptious with lots of flavour. The couscous patty also had a small amount of feta and spring onions embedded within and a couple of very plump asparagus resting on top with a green pea puree and basil leaves.  The patty was a bit dry, however it was still very tasty. (note; the plural of asparagus is not asparagi, unless you are speaking Latin and as today was more of a French than Italian theme, we will stick with asparagus).

This time, rather than there being a paucity of food, there was more than enough for all of the members, with many not being able to finish their meal as they were “too stuffed to jump”.

The wines accompanying the meal were a 2009 Italian Chianti; Marchese Antinori and a NSW Orange Sangiovese from Fossil Hill.  They both went well with the chicken, however the Classico took the line honours. It initially had a bit of a smell, which evaporated, leaving an elegant spicy wine. The Sangiovese was too high in alcohol and the vines not old enough for this wine.

These were followed with a 2014 Cabernet Franc Terre a Terre from the Crayeres Vineyard  and a 2010 Sancerre Les Baronnes from Henri Bourgeois.  Both an interesting choice for the cheese, however it is hard going from reds during the meal to finish with a white, probably just a personal taste. It was suggested that Cabernet Franc is the father of Cab Sav… not sure who the mother is.

James supplied Iggy’s bread; two different types; a sour dough and a rye.  They went extremely well with the meal and the cheese.  The cheese was a surprise to many of the members, as although they had tasted this cheese in the past, this version was made from goat milk. It was a D’affinois Florette, from Rhone-Alpes France.

The cheese was a soft, surface ripened pure goats’ cheese made near Lyons, France using a special micro filtration technique called “ultra-filtration”, that concentrates the rich solids in the goat’s milk ensuring a very smooth texture and delicious rounded creamy flavour.

Ultra-filtration is a technique that occurs before the cheese making process. Pasteurised milk is forced through a series of membranes, extracting protein, and removing water, concentrating all other desirable components. This results in the production of consistent, nutritionally rich cheeses that have a silkier mouth feel and creamy subtle flavour.

The numbers for lunch were down and there is the ability for many more members to attend. I would suggest that although we now seem to be out of lockdown, you never know when we could have another imposition placed upon us, so get out now while you can, as there are only a few lunches left before the Christmas break.

“Truth is ever to be found in simplicity, and not in the multiplicity and confusion of things.” – Isaac Newton. A simple, honest meal done very well!

Congratulations Mark, your redemption meal was a great success.