Food review by James Hill and wine review by Stephen O'Halloran

Our food master Bill Alexiou was in the kitchen for our American Independence Day celebration lunch. Bill stepped in at the last moment and certainly stepped up!

Canapés

First, we had pastry cases filled with feta, ricotta and lime zest, the cheese was baked in the cases. Bill advised that this was a last-minute addition as he had some left-over feta that he couldn’t waste. Full feta flavour with the lime zest adding that extra zing.

We moved on to our next canapé let’s call them ‘tex mex’ empanadas made with beef. Perfectly cooked pastry a good size to get your hand around.

The stuffing was meat and vegetables with a very tasty home sauce as a dip. The empanada had a great taste, the meat perfectly cooked with a little chilli added that left a pleasant lingering heat on the palate.

What is July 4 without mac and cheese, these had a little Greek influence. The cheese custard in the mac was warmed which enhanced the flavour and it did need a pinch of salt to finish.

You don’t go hungry if Bill is in the kitchen our last canapé was jalapeño poppers. These were jalapeño peppers deseeded and stuffed with cheddar, Gruyère and feta then wrapped with bacon. Another winner great flavour, well cooked with a very mild Jalapeño pepper heat.

Main

Our main today was beef rib that had been marinated in beef stock, Coca Cola and rosemary for 48 hours before cooking. The ribs were so large that Bill had to remove them so we could get the meat in the roasting pan and then on the plate. The beef was roasted in maple syrup, salt and oregano it was tender and melt in the mouth. The sauce was the residual cooking juices with some potato starch added to give it some thickness. It was served along with barbecued corn on the cob with a disc of butter, lime and chilli. The beef was set on some broad beans with that delicious sauce. To top it off we had fries as a side.

A great effort Bill, much appreciated by all in the room for the authentic flavours and so well executed.

Cheese

We welcomed back our Cheesemaster James Healey who’s been on a research and education tour of Italy, France and Spain.

No one guessed today’s offering, a blue cow's milk cheese from Ireland ‘Cashel’. When young, Cashel blue is firm yet moist, with just a hint of fresh tarragon and white wine. With age, its true character emerges, mellowing to a rounder spicier style.

We had a great example of the cheese today and Bill’s accompaniment was walnuts that were roasted with maple syrup, oregano and salt.

Wine

Due to a  gremlin in the system, my wine report for the  Chef of the Year Dinner on 24 June did not see the light of day at the time. This has been rectified I am told and is now for viewing under “Special Events“. See https://www.wfsnsw.org.au/functions/past-special-events.html. I  felt the report did justice to the memorable wines we had that night.  A stunning performance by our Wine Master.

Bringing ourselves back to earth, I will now produce my report on the lunch wines we had yesterday.

At the outset, I will repeat what I said yesterday, that is, in my view, the first and last wines were duds, and the middle bracket was excellent.  The first wine a Pinot Bianco 2020 from Erste+Neue was with the aperitif for the finger food.  I felt the wine was non-descript and lacked flavour. Some members commented that its delicate flavours were ideal with the pass-around food. My view was that it was so delicate as to become unnoticeable.  After a glass or three, it began to remind me of the sensation of trying to finish off a boring novel with a pointless finish!  Not much joy there.

Wines 2 to 5 were fine. The second white, Chardonnay from the Mornington district was a great example of good quality Chardonnay, however, sadly my allocation was tiny,  unlike the previous wine. Perhaps the word had got around!

Wines 3 to 5 were excellent, 2 Rosemount Mudgee Mountain Blue Shiraz Cabernet blends from 06 and 02.  Really both delightful and holding up well. Tons of flavour, well balanced, even the 02 (my favourite) showed no sign of ageing beyond a little browning around the rim of the glass.

Wine 5 the Penfolds Bin 389  lived up to its reputation as an outstanding all-rounder. Great Fruit, balanced, drinking at just about its peak. In my view the wine of the day.

This then brings us to Wine 6. Dear oh dear what happened here?   A Shiraz from Heathcote Vic with plenty of winemaking faults.  Most unpleasant aromas, a strange chemical smell. Did not improve on tasting.  At 7 years bottle age, this wine has little to offer. Could not recommend it even as cooking wine.

The wines for next week’s lunch look exceptional. See you then.