Teasers, Suggestions and Events
By Franz Scheurer
WINE DINNER
The second Maroubra Cellars wine dinner will feature a seven course seafood degustation
at Danny's Seafood Restaurant (1605 Anzac Ave, La Perouse) on the 30th
March starting at 7.00pm. Wines featured on the night:
Jansz
Premium NV cuvee sparkling (Tasmania)
Pirie
2004 Pinot Noir (Tasmania)
Pirie
2004 Chardonnay (Tasmania)
Forrest
Hill Vineyard Riesling (WA)
Forrest
Hill Vineyard Sauv Blanc Semillon (WA)
Forrest
Hill Vineyard Shiraz (WA)
Yalumba
Hand picked Botrytis Viognier (Wrattonbully)
Andrew Pirie and his brother David helped establish the first
commercial vineyard in the modern era of Tasmanian wine production,
establishing Pipers Brook in 1974. Andrew left Pipers Brook and established his
own labels to much acclaim. These wines demonstrate his exceptional ability. Forrest Hill vineyard is the oldest commercial
vineyard in the Great Southern wine region. The vast majority of vines are not
irrigated, allowing deep natural root penetration resulting in exceptionally
fragrant wines. Cost is $80.00 per
person. For more information or bookings, call:
Maroubra Cellars on 02 9344 5556 or e-mail
Mike Cutrupi at: mike@maroubracellars.com
Restaurant
& Catering NSW & ACT CEO, Robert Goldman, said recently that restaurant
tips should not be used to pay wages and were a gift from the diner to the
waiter for good service. He was commenting on a small number of recent
incidences where staff alleged that tips were being pooled and paid in lieu of
wages prompting fears among some that isolated restaurants in NSW & ACT
were moving to the US model where tips as wages are the norm. “This is the
first time that this issue has arisen and we want to ensure that it does not
take on,” he said.
“There is
no reason for us to follow the US model. Waiters in the US get a basic minimum
wage that is frankly not livable, so they depend on tips to top up their
earnings. That is not the case in
Australia as we operate on a living-wage basis.”
And Goldman
says – don’t hold back on tipping the waiter for good service.
“TIPS are
for service and should be given directly to the waiters.” Robert stated the
term TIP – originated in the early 1900s and was so named “To Insure Promptness”. The Australian Gourmet Pages’ attitude is that
the size of the tip reflects the quality of service and attitude of the service
staff. We nearly always tip at least 10% but sometimes, when service has been
careless, sloppy or rude, leaving no tip hopefully gets the point across. It’s
just a pity that the service staff has no way of making the patrons pay them
extra when patrons are rude… It’s a two-way street!
Vic’s Meat offers now Milk Fed Bobby Veal Racks
Bobby Veal are very small male calves that are killed at two weeks of
age. They are, as a consequence, purely milk fed and offer delicate
pale-coloured meat. These racks are available frozen only, as bobby veal is
only occasionally available. The fact that these racks are frozen in no way
detracts from the very high quality of this product. These racks are no larger
than a lamb rack, weighing around 600 to 800 gm. Limited availability, $29.50 per kg. We finally start to see veal
of the quality the Europeans have been enjoying for centuries.
PINOT NOIR DINNER
Pello is encouraging you to take part in their Pinot Noir Journey. Explore the versatility of this difficult variety that arouses such passion and divides the punters from the lighter rosé styles to full-on blockbuster styles. The seven courses and six matched wines (from Victoria, Western Australia, Tasmania and New Zealand) will be a terrific culinary experience. Held at Pello on Thursday, 14th April 2005 at
$ 125 per person. For more information contact Thomas Johns 02 9360 4640
Join Peter Bourne in his terrific four-night introductory
Wine Appreciation Course on Tuesday 26th April and 3rd,
10th and 17th May 2005 in this ‘Back to Basics’ over four
fun and informative sessions. What is
wine? How do we taste? What are generic styles and varietal wines all about?
Taste the classic varieties along with the new and exciting fashion varietals.
Explore the influence of winemaking on flavour and style. Cost of
4-night course is $255/person. If you have already participated in this course
you might want to attend the next level: Advanced
Wine Appreciation Course, starting on Wednesdays 4th May and
11th, 18th and 25th, 6.30pm to 9.00pm. This
course focuses on the classic European regions with the first night looking at
Riesling in France, Germany, Austria and New Zealand. Night two will feature
the Burgundian varieties Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. The Rhone region is the
focus on the third night with its Viognier, Shiraz, Grenache and Mourvedre. The
final night will look at Semillon, Sauvignon Blanc and the five red varieties
that hail from Bordeaux. Cost of 4-night course $360.
For more information
and bookings call: 02 9552 2366
or email: thewineman@peterbourne.com
MALT WHISKY CONVENTION
The Malt Whisky Society Of Australia
has just opened bookings for Australia's Malt Whisky Convention, from 19th
to 21st August 2005. Join Michael Urquhart, Ronnie Cox, Doug
Belford, David Baker, and me, Franz Scheurer, in 3 Masterclasses, 3 Plenary
Sessions, The Gala Whisky Dinner & The Great Whisky Exposition, all held
under one roof at The Avillion Hotel, in Sydney’s CBD.
Full Package $530 (does not include
accommodation)
To book go to:
https://registration.ozaccom.com.au/ei/2005/mal05/index.html
If you love Single Malts you must be there!
Spotted on the weekend in Claude’s kitchen in Woollahra: Janni Kyritsis manning the burners. Does this mean Chui has managed to coax Janni into practising for a ‘guest chef’ appearance at this venerable restaurant or is he finally getting so bored with his holidays that he’s happy to lend a hand anywhere he’s needed? We shall keep an eye on developments!
On Tuesday 22nd March four chefs will cook an 8-course degustation menu, showcasing their classic restaurant dishes at Fins Restaurant in Byron Bay. Steven Snow has managed to convince Armando Percuoco, Janni Kyritsis and Tetsuya Wakuda to help him put on this special dinner in aid of the Tsunami victims.
Janni will cook his ‘Steamed Fillet of Beef in Bone Marrow Dumpling with Tapenade and Madeira Sauce’ and also serve his fabulous ‘Tomato Consommé’.
Tetsuya will showcase his classic ‘Confit
of Petuna Ocean Trout with Konbu & Summer Vegetables’ and a dish of
‘Rice Vermicelli with Smoked Eggplant & Tonburi’.
Armando will cook ‘Fettuccine al Tartufovo’, fettuccine with
cream and parmesan, topped with a fried truffled egg and tossed at the table,
and ‘Quaglie alla Griglia con Vincotto’, grilled deboned quails with
caramelised figs.
Steven Snow will offer ‘Sea Salt Cured Local
Jewfish Balls’ with drinks. His first course will be ‘Byron in the Raw: Sashimi
of Brunswick Prawns and Cobia with Possum Creek Finger Lime’ and he will also
be responsible for the last course, which will be ‘Pear Parfait, Warm Brie de
Nangis, Armagnac Infused Prune and Pinot Noir Syrup’.
Should be a fabulous night! With these guys on the loose in Byron Bay all I can suggest is: get into party mode, quickly! Cost: $ 275 per person including wines.
For more information or bookings call Fins on: 02 6685 5029
The fabulous cooked raw milk cheeses of Switzerland: Gruyere and Emmenthal, were traditionally aged in huge sandstone caves in the Swiss mountains. Alas once technology progressed and demand increased, humidity and temperature controlled warehousing became the norm. Seems the old cheese makers finally managed to convince the accountants that the taste is simply not the same. After close to 50 years of controlled warehousing, Gruyere and Emmenthal have moved back to the caves. These huge sandstone caves hold the cheese at a constant 94% humidity and at a temperature of 12.5 C, as duplicated in the artificial atmosphere in the warehouses, but the real secret to the optimal ripening of the cheeses lies in the mineralised air of these caves. Cheeses are a living thing and react quickly to their environment. These new (and at this stage quite exclusive) ‘cave aged’ cheeses are sold at 3, 8 and 14 months old. No doubt we will soon see them in Australia.
And finally, thanks to help from Scottish cookbook writer Sue Lawrence, for all of you who just can’t wait for winter, the time to make your own haggis, here’s an authentic recipe:
Haggis
(From The Scots Kitchen, 1929) by F Marian McNeill
The large stomach bag (sheep / lamb)
The smaller bag
The pluck (lights, liver and heart)
Beef suet
Oatmeal
Onion, black pepper, salt, water
Brown and toast a breakfast-cup of oatmeal in front of the fire. Clean the great bag thoroughly and soak it overnight in cold salted water. In the morning put it aside with the rough side turned out. Wash the small bag and the pluck and put them on to boil covered with cold water, leaving the windpipe hanging out over the pot to let out any impurities.
Let them boil for an hour and a half, then take them out and cut away the pipes and any superfluities of gristle. Mince the heart and lights and grate half the liver. Put them into a basin with half a pound of minced suet, one or two finely chopped onions and the oatmeal and season highly with black pepper and salt. Over the whole pour as much of the liquid in which the pluck was boiled as this will make the composition sappy.
Fill the great bag rather more than half-full; say five-eighths, as it requires plenty of room to swell. Sew it securely and put into a large pot of hot water (into which half pint of milk is often added). As soon as it begins to swell, prick it all over with a large needle to prevent it bursting. Boil steadily without the lid for 3 hours. Serve very hot without any garnish.
Should the haggis be made some time before it is wanted, it should be reheated by being put into a pot of boiling water and allowed to boil without the lid for an hour and a half. The small bag may be omitted.
Bon Appetit!