Food review by James Hill

Food

The last hurrah for 2024 with a Christmas-themed lunch with Foodmaster Steve Sparkes and his band of merry men Steve Liebeskind, Nick Reynolds, Bernard Leung and President Bill Alexiou-Hucker assisting in meal and canapés prep today.

Steve advised that lunch was a way of thanking all for the continuing support of our Society, those who cooked through the year and importantly our kitchen brigade.

Canapés

Steve Liebeskind - Bacon-wrapped veal, pork and pistachio terrine topped with relish on white bread toasts. Big favour depth in the terrine. Very moreish.

Bernard Leung - Siu Mai with pork and prawns. Steamed for 15 minutes and rested for 5 minutes so they don’t burn the mouth. Served with Siracha for those who want more punch, or sweet chilli for those who don’t. Did I hear that he raided his mum’s freezer? They were special.

Nick Reynolds - Lime marmalade, sour cream topped with prawns sitting on homemade mini sourdough crumpets on homemade mini sourdough crumpets. Great balance of flavours , delicious.

Main

A traditional meal of moist turkey breast off the bone with cranberry sauce.

Stuffed loin of pork with chestnuts and cranberry. It was aged in the fridge resulting in a perfect crackling when cooked.

The vegetables, served in bowls, cooked by Bill were al denté carrots in butter and honey, then peas, sprouts and bacon. Finally, Hasselback potatoes in duck fat.

Gravy to die for.

A great meal applauded and much appreciated by the members and guests today.

Thanks team.

*Hasselback potatoes get their name from the restaurant Hasselbacken in Stockholm, Sweden. Hasselback is the Swedish word for "hazel slope", as the restaurant was located near a thicket of hazel trees on a steep mountain. In 1953, student chef Leif Elison served the dish, and it was a hit.

Cheese

Our Cheesemaster Mark Bradford presented ‘Riverine Blue’ a cheese made from 100% buffalo’s milk. This strikingly white, creamy milk comes from a modest herd of Riverine Buffalo that graze nearby. After the curds are set, they are placed in moulds to drain before spending two months ripening in specially built maturation rooms overlooking Wilson’s Prom.
Riverine Blue is the first of its kind made in Australia and one of only a few buffalo milk blue cheeses made in the world. It has a complex savoury flavour and the smooth, firm texture. Blue-green ribbons provide pockets of delicious salty blue flavour within the porcelain paste.

The cheese was accompanied by pomegranate seeds, blanched almonds and biscuits that had some heat on the palate.

To finish our lunch Steve served a Christmas pudding with homemade vanilla ice cream, brandy cream sauce and marinated berries. The pudding started in October, fed with brandy, it was rich yet light and very tasty.

It was served with a well-aged Topaque, fresh from the Sparkes’ barrel! 

A tribute to Steve for a great lunch today and the year, he encouraged people to cook and they jumped in, with special mention to our three new cooks this year Johnathan Casson, Rob Guthrie and Julian Parmegiani.`