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

Food

‘We few, we happy few, band of brothers, ‘ said the bard of our Society, Peter Kelso, introducing comments on lunch today with Hal Epstein as our Chef of the Day.

Canapés

First up, chicken liver pâté made by yours truly served on crusty toasts topped with a pickled onion. This is a Thermomix recipe with an unusual ingredient of tomato paste. Moist lightly textured and flavoursome. It did need a little salt.

Next up Hal, to the Italian theme, prepared some buffalo mozzarella topped with sun-dried tomatoes on buttered ‘village‘ loaf sourdough.

Then came some warmed spinach and feta rolls made with filo pastry.

Main

Honeycomb tripe with fennel and tomato base in the passata and chopped styles combined with chilli and topped with hand-grated pecorino. Presented with mixed couscous (pearl and ordinary) and roasted cauliflower with a nice border of green arugula.

This dish had all the hallmarks, quality, texture and flavour. The combination of ingredients worked well and looked perfect on the plate. Hal used long red chilli, so the heat wasn’t dominant.

Tripe, like the various pastas, provides texture and has a neutral flavour. It’s the perfect carrier for the ingredients prepared with it.

Of leftovers, there were none!

The meal and canapés were greatly appreciated by those in attendance today. Hal yeah! said Paul.

We had bread from baker Bleu Double Bay, a village sourdough and a crusty baguette, very good.

Cheese

Our choirmaster reprised an artisan cow's milk cheese from Cornwall, England ‘Cornish Kern’.

‘Kern’ is the Cornish word for ‘round’ and suitably describes the shape and flavour of this cheese. Created by Lynher Dairy, this modern British hard cheese is made in West Cornwall to an adapted gouda recipe using milk from nearby farms.

Each wheel has an attractive coat of thin black wax that allows the cheese to be matured for 16 months without losing too much moisture. The result is a dense, fudgy texture and complex flavour profile that is intensely savoury. The lingering caramel sweetness is accentuated by a proper dose of salt.

Wine

Hal Epstein’s tripe dish was terrific, pity more members were not there to enjoy it. There were I think 18 members present and so on a cold winter afternoon we hunkered down to enjoy the food and the wines, it was a cosy little group with a good atmosphere in the room.

The first wine was a Society favourite, the Tyrrells HVD Sem 2014 10.5%. The wine was in perfect condition, pale straw, clear, with a slightly sweetish taste on the front palate which quickly vanished leading to a crisp finish. Excellent fruit and moderate acid kept any undue sweetish overtones in balance, thus producing a fine, still-fresh wine with no indication of ageing. A great future is expected, a keeper.

Wine 2 was the Corcelette Morgon 2021. I really liked this wine. Vibrant, juicy and joyful are terms that come to mind. Medium body with strong Gamay fruit, intense flavour. 13%. Very easy drinking inviting you to have another glass (bottle?).  Having enjoyed this wine before, I can well understand its universal popularity. On my table, there were several dissenting views about this wine, with some preferring the following Grenache. I don’t understand why but to each his own.

Wine 3 was the Villian and Vixen Barossa Grenache from Hentley Farm. 14.5%, a very typical gutsy Grenache, light body with pinkish hues of crimson. Strong fruit flavours with a tannic finish. To me, the wine was thin and lacked depth of flavour. Not exactly my cup of tea. Others liked it, so there you go.

Wine 4 was the Brokenwood Beechworth Chardonnay 2014, 12.5%. A really fine wine, holding its age very well. Excellent fruit with sufficient acid to hold it together, delightful finish. The wine was a perfect match with the English Cheddar. A wine that met with strong support from our little group. Should be drinking well for a few years yet.

Wine 5 was the Yabby Lake 2015 Pinot Noir 13.5%. This is a high quality vineyard producing top class Chardonnay and Pinot. This wine showed Pinot flavours in concentrated form. I thought the wine was excellent., but others suggested that at 10 yo the wine had seen better days. To me, there was still sufficient acid to ensure a firm finish, with lingering Pinot flavours. I really enjoyed it.