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

Food

In the kitchen today was our well-regarded chef Steve Liebeskind.

Canapes

Bismark herring on Pumpernickel - herring, cream, red onion and grated green apple. Steve advised it was his mum’s recipe ..loved it.

Goat’s cheese in pastry shells with a spicy beetroot chutney.

Adrian Coote prepared some smoked trout mousse in vol-au-vent with wasabi mayo, topped with fish roe. Lovely texture, the wasabi was dominant.

Main

Hot smoked salmon on Asian vegetables and mushroom/miso broth, with crispy salmon skin and topped with red caviar.

Asian vegs - wombok, bok choy, snow peas, julienned and enoki mushrooms.

A great dish, love the flavour mixture with the smoked trout infusing its smokiness into the broth. The broth was poured into our bowls at the table, ensuring it came at temperature. Good textural balance, the snow peas added some crunch, not forgetting Steve’s signature crispy salted salmon skin. Members asked for the recipe ..we have to wait till next time!

Much effort and thought went into the dishes today, much appreciated by members and reflected in their comments.

Thanks Steve.

Salad

Cheesemaster Mark Bradford presented a Fromager D'Affinois Buche Double Crème, a white mild cow’s cheese from France.

Located close to Lyon in the Rhone Alps region, the name d’Affinois is a play on ‘affinage’ – the French word for the ripening process of cheese. Using an innovative method called ultrafiltration, Jean Claude Guilloteau pioneered a new method of cheese making in the 1980s that created a luscious and velvety cheese naturally richer in proteins and minerals.

Cheese is made in Belley, a small town nestled at the foothills of the picturesque French Alps, surrounded by ancient forests and famous for its many waterfalls, and local farmers supply the dairy with luscious milk from their herds of Montbeliardes and Holstein cows that graze on dense pastures nearby.

With a thin white mould rind, and a paste that gradually develops a mild, sweet, creamy flavour, this double crème cheese has a silky mouth feel and creamy subtle flavour.

Accompanied with a green salad with walnuts and dried muscadelle grapes.

Steve generously provided some aperitif and fortified wines for our lunch.

Wine

The chef du jour was our Steve Liebeskind, who produced a superb dish of hot smoked salmon with a miso broth and matching greens. Preceding the main were some delectable pass arounds, including one of my favourites, Bismark Herrings, yum! 

First wine today was the French white wine Aligoté, from Blouctet Garnier Bichot 2021, 12%. This wine was perfect for the pass arounds. Crisp, pale yellow with strong citrus flavours. Quite dry, but with great mouth feel leading to a nice clean finish. This grape variety comes from the Burgundy region where it is in much demand as a good quality, reliable white wine for an array of dishes. It certainly went well today. 

Second wine was the Bannockburn 1314 Chardonnay 2018, 13.5%.  A wine named after the year of the Battle of Bannockburn. This wine from the Geelong region of Victoria nearly blew my head off with just one sip. Pow! An explosion of heavy oak, high alcohol and some residual sweetness. Last time I drank a Chardonnay like this was in the mid-80s when Chardonnays were over-oaked, too alcoholic and full of sweet buttery overtones.  I can accept that some may still like the 80's style, but not this little black duck!. The modern style, restrained, taut and fruit-driven is my style now and there is no going back. I thought today's wine was out of balance and I did not enjoy it at all. Enough said. 

The third wine was a delightful Beaujolais Villages from Dominique Piron 2022 13%. Made from Gamay, full bodied and tons of flavour. Medium weight with great integration of oak/tannin/acid. Quite a big wine, nothing like a light-weight Beaujolais Noveau, this wine would partner well with any dish requiring a full-flavoured red wine. An excellent choice Wine Master. 

Next wine was a Seppelt Chalambar Shiraz from the Grampians region of Victoria. This wine was first produced by the legendary wine maker Colin Preece, who created this easily recognisable style in the 1950s. A big wine as always, this Preece style combines spicy shiraz with firm tannins and restrained oak, producing a voluptuous, mouth filling wine with a powerful, satisfying finish. A lovely wine. 

Final wine for the day was a beauty, the 2006 St Hugo Cabernet 14.5% from Coonawarra. A delightful wine, medium body, big colour from ripe dark fruits and an intense flavour.  A very impressive mix of tannins/acid/ oak, all blended with perfection on the palate. Upon tasting there were beguiling hints of cedar, leather and eucalypt. It was a real joy to have with us today our member Phil Laffer, who in his winemaking days with Jacob's Creek, was the winemaker of this wonderful wine. Sincere congratulations Phil, on a job well done. A great thing to have the man who made the wine 16 years ago with us today to enjoy in our company the rewards of his work. My wine of the day!