Culinary adventures

Bress Wine, Cider and Produce New Release Wine Lunch 2014 – Plough Hotel, Footscray

~ culinaldi ~ 1 Comment

Instead of my usual Saturday breakfast adventure, my fabulous foodie friends Adrian and Mez, kindly invited me along to special long lunch at the Plough Hotel in Footscray, showcasing the new release wines produced by Bress Wine, Cider and Produce. It’s been a few years since I have visited the cellar door at Bress in Harcourt so I leapt at the opportunity to enjoy their stunning wines, and the afternoon certainly didn’t disappoint.

I’ve never been to the Plough Hotel before, so the first thing that caught my attention was the beautifully designed and newly renovated interior. Right on trend with an industrial decor complete with a series of exposed filament hanging light bulbs, clean lines, and neutral colour palette. Upon arrival, I helped myself to a glass of NV Pinot Noir Chardonnay Sparkling (Macedon) and a canapé of white anchovy fillet which created a heavenly explosion of flavours that kicked started the lunch off with a little bit of zing and pizazz.

Bress Wine, Cider and Produce New Release Wine Lunch 2014 – Plough Hotel, Footscray
Bress Wine, Cider and Produce New Release Wine Lunch 2014 – Plough Hotel, Footscray
Bress Wine, Cider and Produce New Release Wine Lunch 2014 – Plough Hotel, Footscray

Making our way into the main dining room, we were lucky to be seated near the open kitchen area and I had fabulous views looking towards the bustling streetscape outside. Almost immediately our first glass of wine, 2014 Vermentino (Heathcote) was poured. The bouquet on this wine is simply stunning and smelt like bananas with a hint of musk lollies. An unctuous mouth feel, with an apple crisp freshness and acidity on the finish. The only word that we could say was “Amazing!”. It would be fair to say that the food served during the lunch was a mere accompaniment to the wine on display. The velouté was served in a small shot glass, with the salt cod croquette balanced above on a toothpick. Delicious but it disappeared all too quickly.

2014 Vermentino and Celeriac velouté, salt cod croquette; Bress Wine, Cider and Produce New Release Wine Lunch 2014 – Plough Hotel, Footscray
2014 Vermentino and Celeriac velouté, salt cod croquette; Bress Wine, Cider and Produce New Release Wine Lunch 2014 – Plough Hotel, Footscray

The next wines to be served were the 2014 Cabernets Rose (Harcourt Valley) and the 2013 Pinot Noir (Yarra Valley & Macedon). Both of these wines had beautiful pink and ruby hues of colour. The Rose was a dry style of wine, which I prefer, and had the delicious aroma of candied strawberries and cherries which morphed into candied toffee apple on the palate. I don’t think the Rose lasted long enough to be enjoyed with the terrine of guinea fowl and foie gras. The Pinot Noir had classic characteristics of forest floor aromas, savoury notes of white pepper, together with red cherries and strawberries and a beautiful mouth feel.

The Pinot brought out the gamey meat flavours within the terrine, which was delicious and beautifully presented and an elegant accompaniment to the savoury characters within the wine. I love brioche at all hours of the day so I was happy to see a small portion on my plate to balance out the rich and bold flavours of the meat.

2014 Cabernets Rose and 2013 Pinot Noir; Bress Wine, Cider and Produce New Release Wine Lunch 2014 – Plough Hotel, Footscray
2013 Pinot Noir; Bress Wine, Cider and Produce New Release Wine Lunch 2014 – Plough Hotel, Footscray
Terrine of guinea fowl and foie gras with quince chutney; Bress Wine, Cider and Produce New Release Wine Lunch 2014 – Plough Hotel, Footscray

Next on the tasting menu was the bold and beautiful: the 2014 Cabernet Franc (Harcourt) and the 2013 Cabernet Sauvignon (Yarra Valley) wines. The Cabernet Franc had a beautiful violet colour and perfume of violets. A light sweetness on the finish, this wine was fruit driven had a silky smooth mouth feel. Not to be outdone, the Cabernet Sauvignon displayed its own intense black fruit aromas and hints of spice. The perfume was divine  and all I could think of to describe the wine was “You had me at hello”! The steak was served medium-to-well and was a good match with the luscious and complex full-bodied flavours of the wine.

Full blood Wagyu porterhouse, pomme fondant, parsley and horseradish butter and oxtail jus; Bress Wine, Cider and Produce New Release Wine Lunch 2014 – Plough Hotel, Footscray
2014 Cabernet Franc and 2013 Cabernet Sauvignon; Bress Wine, Cider and Produce New Release Wine Lunch 2014 – Plough Hotel, Footscray

For something a little different, the next course was cheese with cider. The NV Bon Bon cider was sweet and creamy with a draught flavour. Although cider is likely to be next revolution, it’s something that I rarely drink and I found the sample of the Bon Bon to be very enjoyable.  The white mould cheese was really stunning and Adrian and I were wielding duelling knives to get to the soft outer rind and creamy texture. Something I hadn’t seen before on our cheese board were thinly dehydrated slices of fennel, which were crispy and had sweet flavour that matched the sweetness of the cider.

NV Bon Bon cider; Bress Wine, Cider and Produce New Release Wine Lunch 2014 – Plough Hotel, Footscray
Le Conquerant cow’s milk white mould cheese (Normandy, France) lavosh, pear and mache salad; Bress Wine, Cider and Produce New Release Wine Lunch 2014 – Plough Hotel, Footscray

No meal is complete without a sweet wine to finish with and true to form, the grand finale The Kindest Cut Late Harvest Riesling Viognier was served as the last wine of the day in a signature Bress wine glass. With aromas of honeysuckle or baked honey and nectarine, this wine had a slight spritz on the finish. The panna cotta was creamy yet light and the rhubarb was beautifully poached and decorated with wafers of biscuit. The lemon balm leaves that adorned the dessert were small explosions of flavour, like little shots of lemonade icy poles bursting in your mouth.

The Kindest Cut Late Harvest Riesling Viognier; Bress Wine, Cider and Produce New Release Wine Lunch 2014 – Plough Hotel, Footscray
Buttermilk panna cotta, poached rhubarb salad; Bress Wine, Cider and Produce New Release Wine Lunch 2014 – Plough Hotel, Footscray

This was the first “new release” wine lunch and it was a fabulous display of stunning and elegantly crafted wines. Throughout the day, I was thinking that each wine would be perfect for Christmas Day and that I needed to get my hands on some of those bottles as soon as I could. I missed out on getting an order form but I think can foresee a road trip to Harcourt in the not-too-distant future.

http://www.bress.com.au

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Chez Dré, South Melbourne

~ culinaldi ~ 2 Comments

This past Saturday morning I woke up with a plan and purpose. During the week, I had spied in The Age newspaper that there were a number of cafés who were participating in a promotion by giving away free copies of The Age 2014 Good Café Guide when customers paid with EFTPOS on Saturday. Looking through the advertisement, I spied Chez Dré in the listing of cafes and devised a strategy for Saturday morning breakfast. I admit that Chez Dré has been on my “must do” list for the longest time and I love freebies, especially one which I can use to find good food and great coffee.

Walking towards South Melbourne was a surreal experience as the heavy rain from the night before had made the wet roads and paths take on a bright new sheen, and everything seemed to sparkle and glisten in the morning sunshine. It was so beautiful to see but at the same time, I was also wishing that I had brought my sunglasses with me.

Chez Dré, South Melbourne
Chez Dré, South Melbourne
Chez Dré, South Melbourne
Chez Dré, South Melbourne

Turning down a small alley off Coventry Street, I was surprised to see that there wasn’t a long queue of people waiting outside trying to get a table. It wasn’t until I stepped inside the cavernous warehouse building did I realise where everyone was hiding. Making my way through the noisy hum to the courtyard to wait for a table, there was a bit of a jostle trying to get noticed and register my name with maître d’ for a seat. Thankfully I didn’t have to wait too long and was escorted to a seat outside.

The French inspired breakfast menu includes the traditional Croque Monsieur, a White Bean Cassoulet and the pastries and baguettes you would expect to find in a pâtisserie or boulangerie. My heart was set on the Brioche French Toast as soon as I found it on the menu.

Chez Dré, South Melbourne
Chez Dré, South Melbourne
Chez Dré, South Melbourne
Chez Dré, South Melbourne

Seated outside in the courtyard area, I was engulfed in a sea of black puffer jackets and sportswear, with everyone looking très chic (fashionably glamorous) in trademark Melbourne black attire. I usually live and breathe black clothing, but I felt a little conspicuous in my long camel coloured coat and red hair glowing beneath the outdoor heaters. Even my super-sized latte looked stylish when it arrived sporting its own matte black mug.

Chez Dré, South Melbourne
The Age Good Cafe Guide 2014 – Chez Dré, South Melbourne
Chez Dré, South Melbourne

I had a quick look around the tables around me and dish du jour seemed to be eggs and toast yet all eyes were on me when my breakfast arrived. The girls sitting near me stopped chatting to each other almost instantly and then one of them said to me “That looks amazing! Good choice!” Naturellement.

Brioche French Toast, seasonal poached fruit, vanilla mascarpone and caramelised pecans - Chez Dré, South Melbourne
Brioche French Toast, seasonal poached fruit, vanilla mascarpone and caramelised pecans – Chez Dré, South Melbourne

My breakfast indeed looked spectacular. The brioche French toast had a thick, hard outer crust which was a little difficult to cut through at first so I started with the delicious cardamom-infused blood plum compote. The vanilla mascarpone was divine, generous in size but not too sweet. The poached pears, spears of rhubarb, together with the crunchy pecans and sweet brioche provided a myriad of textures and flavours that were so enjoyable, but extremely filling.

After five or minutes, my waitress sidles over and asks “How’s that French Toast treating you?” It was such a novel and friendly way of asking if you are enjoying your meal. I said it was fantastic and she promptly followed up with whether a wanted another cup of coffee. It’s hard to believe but over the last couple of weeks, when I really wanted another coffee, nobody bothered asking or came near my table. Unfortunately this time when I get the opportunity to order another coffee, my super-sized latte and the substantial French Toast put paid that idea. I didn’t eat another morsel for the rest of the day but I did get my free book to take home to enjoy and plan for my next breakfast adventure.

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New Fresh Style Tapas Menu – Spice Bazaar, Seddon

~ culinaldi ~ Leave a comment

I absolutely love cooking and happily refer to myself as a “one-handed cook”; the knife in my right hand and a glass of wine in the other. Lately I have been reminiscing about my Year 7 Home Economics class. In terms of cooking and learning new culinary skills, I was fearless. I remember making my own choux pastry, Chelsea buns from scratch, brioche and all kinds of dough concoctions, then coming home and wreaking havoc in Mum’s kitchen, trying hard to recreate all the things I had learned.

About four and half years ago, I signed up for a Tapas cooking class at Spice Bazaar, as a way to prepare myself for an upcoming trip to Spain. Since that first day, I’ve had a lot of fun cooking different cuisines and learning new techniques under Jill and Patrick’s expert tutelage, with the added bonus of making new friends as we all prepare the ingredients and recreate the recipes together. My friend Adrian posted some beautiful pictures on Facebook from the new Fresh Style Tapas class that he went along to on his birthday, and after I had recovered from the severe case of food envy, I enrolled as soon as I could.

The new menu that Jill has devised for the Fresh Style Tapas class includes Gazpacho shots, a lighter style Tortilla made with zucchini, Jerez style Garlic Prawns, crispy grilled chicken marinated with harissa, lime and garlic, Spanish meatballs served with a traditional almond sauce, Moorish lamb skewers, accompanied by sautéed garlic mushrooms and roasted pumpkin cubes with a honey dressing, followed by a delicious White Chocolate Mousse topped with passionfruit jelly to finish.

Spice Bazaar, Seddon
Spice Bazaar, Seddon
Spice Bazaar, Seddon
Spice Bazaar, Seddon

There were a total of eight participants in the Fresh Style Tapas class, so after we made our introductions, donned on our aprons, it was literally time to sharpen the knives and start preparing our dishes. Due to the length of time needed to ensure that our dessert would be ready in time, we got to work on melting the chocolate and preparing the ingredients for our mousse. Although I profess a deep love for chocolate mousse, I’ve never actually made one myself and Jill’s recipe is very easy and simple to make. After whipping together a yoghurt, cream and chocolate mixture and spooning it into small glass containers, we made a jelly using gelatine powder and passionfruit juice which once cooled, covered the mousse. Once that step was completed, the mousse went into the fridge to set.

White chocolate mousse with passionfruit jelly – Spice Bazaar, Seddon
White chocolate mousse with passionfruit jelly – Spice Bazaar, Seddon
White chocolate mousse with passionfruit jelly – Spice Bazaar, Seddon
White chocolate mousse with passionfruit jelly – Spice Bazaar, Seddon
White chocolate mousse with passionfruit jelly – Spice Bazaar, Seddon

Cooking in two teams of four, whilst I finished off the dessert, the other team members got to work on preparing for the other dishes to be eaten during our entrée course. Instead of a potato based tortilla, Jill has come up with a light and healthier alternative using zucchini, similar to a frittata. Together we chopped our way through the list of ingredients and as one person cooked on the stove, there was an opportunity to start preparing the harissa, lime and garlic marinade required for the chicken dish to be eaten during the main course.

Spice Bazaar, Seddon
Gazpacho – Spice Bazaar, Seddon
Moorish lamb skewers – Spice Bazaar, Seddon

More chopping, grating, zesting, measuring and spice throwing to create the marinade and allow the flavours to infuse through the chicken, then we repeated a similar process for the Moorish lamb skewers using a blend of Chermoula, Sweet Paprika and Smoked Paprika mixed together with oil, garlic, chilli, herbs and lemon juice to marinate the lamb. One of the things I love about cooking in the Spice Bazaar kitchen as opposed to cooking at home, is that all the ingredients, cooking implements and utensils are right in front of me, and then I get to put all the dirty dishes and knives into the sink where they get magically washed and put away by Cheryl, the kitchen assistant. It makes cooking a breeze and not at all like Year 7 Home Eco when you had to clean up after yourself while the teacher was yelling at you to hurry up!

Moorish lamb skewers – Spice Bazaar, Seddon
Gazpacho – Spice Bazaar, Seddon
Zucchini tortilla – Spice Bazaar, Seddon

With the tortilla warming in the oven, its time to create a classic Spanish gazpacho soup to be served as a shooter. After blanching the tomatoes, and preparing the other ingredients, we tested our trigger skills on the blender and prepared the soup with a little of oil drizzled in to create a silky, smooth texture. Once the mixture is strained over a bowl, the soup is served in small glasses and garnished with some finely chopped cucumber. Whilst the finishing touches are applied to both the tortilla and gazpacho, its almost time to plate up for entrée, as one of our teammates is slaving over the hot grill and cooking the Moorish lamb skewers to order.

Spice Bazaar, Seddon
Moorish lamb skewers – Spice Bazaar, Seddon
Spice Bazaar, Seddon
Spice Bazaar, Seddon

Cooking is thirsty work and another thing I love about Spice Bazaar is the opportunity to take a breather and enjoy what you have just created over a nice glass of wine, expertly matched to the dishes on the menu. The gazpacho was lovely with a creamy texture with the cucumber giving a light, fresh finish on the palate. I enjoyed the lighter style tortilla which looked stunning when served in the colourful tapas crockery. The chermoula in the lamb skewers provided a touch of heat to our dishes but was lovely and rich to taste. With the plate of skewers in front of you, it’s hard to resist at one but you need to be mindful of the next wave of dishes to be made and enjoyed for the main course.

After half an hour or so of grazing, chatting and drinking, it’s time to get up, wash the hands again and start preparing the rest of the menu. While someone strong starts carving up the pumpkin into bite size cubes, there is the opportunity to start preparing the balsamic and honey dressing or start chopping the ingredients for the sautéed garlic mushrooms and start finely dicing more gloves of garlic for the Jerez style prawn dish.

Jerez style Garlic Prawns – Spice Bazaar, Seddon
Spice Bazaar, Seddon

One of the highlights of the menu, is the exotic sounding Spanish meatballs served with a traditional almond sauce. The meatballs are made with pork mince, chopped garlic, onion and parsley, seasoned and mixed with egg. While the meatballs were being formed, I rolled them in flour and started on creating the almond sauce, which involved gently frying almonds and bread in a frypan, adding wine and stock, before processing the mixture in the blender or food processor. A word of warning – make sure you do this in a glass vessel as the mixture is very hot and the quantity expands. Once puréed into a creamy, smooth and frothy mixture, the almond sauce is poured over the cooked meatballs and placed in the oven to finish.

Spanish meatballs with traditional almond sauce – Spice Bazaar, Seddon
Spanish meatballs with traditional almond sauce – Spice Bazaar, Seddon
Spanish meatballs with traditional almond sauce – Spice Bazaar, Seddon

Feeling a little bit like a short order cook, I got to work on grilling the marinated chicken fillets over high heat on the stove, while my other cooking companions cooked the prawns and started assembling the pumpkin and mushroom dishes. Many hands make light work and it all seems very easy when you have three or four extra pairs of hands helping prepare the ingredients for when they are required. Whenever I enjoy a cooking class or lesson, I find the best thing to do is practice the recipes at home within a week or two so that you don’t forget the sequence of ingredients and techniques that have been learnt, and that you actually have a go at the steps that someone else might have completed for you during the day.

Grilled chicken with harissa, lime and garlic – Spice Bazaar, Seddon
Grilled chicken with harissa, lime and garlic – Spice Bazaar, Seddon

Three and a half hours seem to disappear very quickly when you are having fun! With the chicken looking crispy and cooked to perfection, and all the main course dishes and garnishes prepared and resembling the same quality as Masterchef, its time to kick back, throw off the aprons and enjoy the rest of meal with another glass of wine.

Spice Bazaar, Seddon
Spice Bazaar, Seddon
Spice Bazaar, Seddon
Spice Bazaar, Seddon
Spice Bazaar, Seddon

Finished with lemon juice and chopped parsley, the flavours and texture of the pork meatballs cooked with the almond were astounding and its very easy to prepare when you know how. The prawns were fresh and lightly cooked with a Spanish sherry vinegar, cayenne pepper and garlic. The pumpkin dish was beautiful and the roasted flavours with dried rosemary and a thick, rich honey glaze is delicious on its own or can be enjoyed with the meat dishes. I’m not a fan of mushrooms at any hour of the day so I didn’t go near that dish!

My favourite dish of the day was the harissa, lime and garlic marinated chicken which again is easy to create. The chicken thigh meat was light and juicy and the harissa and lime flavours really work well together, especially when grilled on the barbecue. And just when I thought that I couldn’t possibly eat another thing, the pièce de résistance was served. Once your spoon cuts through the passionfruit jelly and you savour the slighty sweet white and fluffy chocolate mousse, it really is game over.

Another fantastic four hours spent learning new recipes, making new friends and over indulging in fabulous tasting food that I had helped to prepare, and so it was time to say good-bye to everyone, roll home and plan the next dinner party.

http://www.spicebazaar.com.au/

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