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Food review by Steve Liebeskind and wine review by Nick Reynolds

Paul Irwin produced a lunch worthy of a COTY nomination for 20 members. It was disappointing to have a small roll up but that allowed for a more personal lunch for those who attended.

The theme today was Middle Eastern utilising some recipes from Yotam Ottolenghi.

Canapes

There were two starters today.

Firstly, Paul went off-theme with tuna seared on a spoon. The tuna was lightly seared in long rectangular pieces rolled in sesame seeds, and sliced with a raw middle. Topped with shallots and a sauce with citrus (orange juice), soy and smoked capsicum oil. The canape looked great and the flavour is what you would like and expect to pair with the aged Riesling served today.

Second, on theme, we had cauliflower fritters. The cauliflower pieces were combined with cumin, turmeric, cinnamon, parsley, garlic, flour and egg. This mixture was divided into pieces and fried. The fritter was served with a dip of yoghurt with lime juice and zest, then garnished with chives and parsley. The fritter did lose some of its crispness but the flavour was terrific. The spices came through however what little heat (minimal) there was, was cut by the dip. The lemon juice and zest enhanced the flavour of the fritter and the texture and feature of cauliflower were on the front foot.

Main

Members were presented with an attractive plate of colour and quality produce.

Atlantic salmon was seared to crisp the skin and then baked in the oven for 6 to 7 minutes. The salmon sat on a bed of Israeli/pearly couscous which had been cooked and tossed in olive oil and chopped herbs. On top of the salmon was a good serving of capsicum and hazelnut salsa.  To finish the plate there were broccoli pieces blanched with slivered almonds, sliced garlic, sautéed serrano peppers with lemon juice and zest. A dash of salt lifted the citrus flavour.

The salmon came to the table in perfect condition. The skin was crispy, the meat was cooked through and remained pink whilst retaining moisture and flaked with a fork. The capsicum complemented the salmon and added a wonderful dimension to the protein. We haven’t seen Israeli couscous for a while and it worked so well. The pearls were soft and well seasoned and complemented the salmon and capsicum.

Not to be forgotten was the outstanding soughdough bread that had a wonderful flavour and char on the crust. While the bread was lighter than Iggy’s it certainly was right up there for enjoyment.

In summary, the members were very complimentary of the lunch and felt fortunate to have attended.

Cheese

Today we had a D’Affinois Bleu a cow's cheese that came in a 2 kg round. Jean-Claude Guilloteau created a method of ultra-filtration that occurs before the cheese-making process. The process utilises pasteurised milk being passed through a series of membranes to extract protein and water. The outcome is a wonderfully silky and creamy texture to the mouth. The blue is light and subtle and today's cheese was in perfect condition. To complement the cheese we had rocket with pear slices with a dressing of honey, vinegar and olive oil.

Wine

We started off with 2012 Pewsey Vale Riesling. Although it retained its classic Bickford’s lime cordial taste, the wine was starting to verge into a honeyed and aged expression of Riesling. Some thought it may be the petrol/kerosene notes thought to be generated as a by-product of sunburnt grapes common in Australia. However, this characteristic is also common in aged German Rieslings so it was probably varietal related. Whichever it was, the wine was well balanced, aromatic, and well received.

With ten members at each table, we had three wines with the main Salmon dish. The first was a 2017 Tapanappa Picadilly Valley Chardonnay made by Brian Croser. The wine is fermented with a proprietal yeast blend and was aged in one-third new oak with the remainder second and third fill. It sat on lees for around nine months before bottling. Stone fruit and marzipan dominated the palate and the wine was well balanced and mouth filling. Some commented that it was a big Chardonnay but there was no evidence of excessive malolactic fermentation, instead the wine had the cheesy note that comes from lees. The second main course wine was a 2014 Christian Clerget Bourgogne Rouge. This vintage in Burgundy started out with some pretty severe hail and finished with sufficient heat for an unusual breakout of vinegar flies (Drosophila Suzukii), which can cause fruit rot. The selection of fruit reduced this issue and today’s wine was supported on purchase by Ray Healey as a very good example of regional Burgundian wine. Today, eight years after its production, while the structure was still good the fruit had fallen away. Each of the two tables had a second bottle of Australian Pinot Noir, one made in 2012 and the other from 2015. A number of members preferred the more fruit expression of Australian Pinot Noir, others the structure of the French. Perhaps the ideal would have been somewhere in the middle? As usual, there was some disagreement as to which wine best matched the main course, with the Chardonnay probably winning out.

The cheese was served with two red wines. The first was a 2008 Hardy’s Clare Valley HRB D646 Shiraz, which is a blend of McLaren Vale and Clare Valley fruit. The former can be excessively alcoholic and fruity, while the latter is more a cool climate product with sophistication and fine structure. In this case, the blending worked extremely well with the final product being well balanced with good fine tannin structure, underlying sweet black fruit, as well as some chocolate notes. I look forward to seeing this wine again. The second was a 2017 Paolo Scavino Dolcetto d’Alba. In Piemonte, the order of planting sees the best vineyards devoted to Nebbiolo, the next best to Barbera, and the remaining to Dolcetto and other grapes. Dolcetto translates to “little sweet one,” which when combined with its status on the pecking order of grape plantings means that it is typically a simple fruity wine that doesn’t see any form of oak. That being said, Paolo Scavino is a higher-tier maker; moreover, today’s wine comes from 50 year old vines, which makes it unusual in a number of respects. The wine came to the table as a combination of the light sweet fruit with a backbone of tannin from the grape. Balanced and with a decent length, it was appreciated by many in the room but not as much appreciated by those with a personal preference for more Australian-style lighter wines.

Wines Served: 2012 Pewsey Vale Eden Vale Riesling, 2017 Tapanappa Piccadilly Valley Chardonnay, 2014 Christian Clerget Bourgogne Rouge, 2008 Hardy’s Clare Valley HRB D646 Shiraz, 2017 Paolo Scavino Dolcetto d’Alba