Food review by Matthew Holmes

Canapés

Today the canapés were prepared by Matt Holmes and designed to set the scene for Nick Reynold’s Moroccan lamb dish. First out was homemade hummus on a home-baked tortilla base. The hummus was topped with roasted pine nuts and pomegranate seeds, garnished with paprika and parsley. The pomegranate added a lovely sweetness and a textural crunch as you bit into their seeds. The hummus was made with hulled tahini to prevent any bitterness.

Next and out of the oven, organic dates stuffed with feta cheese, wrapped in prosciutto with parsley garnish. A hidden ingredient came in the form of a pistachio nut that replaced the date pip, the pistachio added texture and more complexity to the flavour. Both canapés received a favourable response from the members.

Main course

For the main course, Nick produced Moroccan lamb shanks served on steamed cauliflower purée with diced carrots and celery. The lamb shanks were dusted with Moroccan spices then cooked sous vide for 48 hours at 64C and then held at 55C for 24 hours. The steamed cauliflower purée was made with sheep’s yoghurt, salt and sumac.

Garnishes included dehydrated and deep-fried chickpeas with Ras al Hanout spices, cinnamon-infused prunes, pine nuts and a gremolata-style relish of olive oil, parsley, garlic and preserved lemon. The sauce was a combination of porcini mushroom powder, beef stock, roasted chicken stock, red wine, port, pomegranate molasses, and duck jelly.

The dish was served with homemade Harissa paste made of fried and ground spices including Thai, ancho and pasilla chillies, cumin, coriander, sweet paprika, salt, caraway and garlic granules. The spices were made into a paste using olive oil and lemon juice. Once again, the king of sous vide was triumphant with the dish being well received by the members.

Cheese

The cheese today was from the French Basque Country. Chabrin is a natural rind, pressed cheese made in the traditions of the region using milk from a cooperative of farmers. Each wheel is aged in their cellars for three months giving the cheese a lovely mineral aroma. It is mildly goaty with sweet and nutty overtones and was enjoyed by all.

PS: the final image is of Matthew's hands whilst plating. His hands may be stained for days!

The main course and cheese wines were:

2010 Chateau Meyney

2010 Charteau Sociando-Mallet

2008 Lindemans Pyrus

2006 Yalumba Signature

The Bordeaux were in excellent condition and drinking at their peak and should hold for some time. The local wines were the source of some differences in liking fruit versus aged characteristics. I think the Bordeaux won the day but that is not a reflection on the two local wines.