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Wednesday 19 June 2013

Truffles Are Sniffed Out

It might not be a pig, but a guide dog is a help
picture: Truffle Festival
For a foodie is there anything cooler than seeing a pig, hunting out truffles? It really is the essence of getting back to basics on food and enjoying the fruits of the land.


The Australian truffle season has begun and this weekend sees the start of the Truffle Festival in Canberra.



I have grabbed a very cool recipe from the Tower Estate webpage that I contribute, for one of the most adult of boiled egg recipes; childishly named "Googy Eggs". Link


Who could go by the winter breakfast favourite of boiled eggs and toast soldiers? Executive Chef George Francisco has gone all out and fancy with a 3 star version. The secret to the recipe is infusing Truffles into fresh eggs a week ahead of time.

Yes I know! A week! Plan ahead and be patient, because the results are spectacular, so invest in a bit of luxury and knock your socks off.

Googy Eggs

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Cook time
Total time
This is a fantastic warm winter dish. Sounds flash but every mum makes it for their kids.
Author: 
Recipe type: Breakfast
Cuisine: Adult
Serves: 6
Ingredients
  • 6 fresh eggs, best possible quality
  • 12 thin slices of fresh baked sandwich bread
  • 1 fresh black or white truffle, approximately 30 grams or more
  • 60 grams Fontina cheese, sliced
  • 90 grams butter, unsalted, softened
  • 6 grams Cyprus black sea salt
Instructions
  1. One week before making this dish place six whole fresh eggs in an air tight container with the black or white truffle.
  2. Heavily butter all slices of bread using all of the softened butter. Place the sliced Fontina cheese on one side of the bread and top with thin slices of truffle. Cover one side of bread with the cheese and the truffle slices.
  3. Put the top piece of bread on the bottom to create a sandwich. Brown the sandwich on both sides and bake in the oven until cheese is melted.
  4. In the meantime in boiling water place the truffle infused eggs. Cook for 3 minutes 30 seconds and remove.
  5. Cut the toasted cheese sandwiches into “soldiers”.
  6. Cut the top off of the cooked eggs, add a pinch of the black sea salt to the inside.
  7. If there is any truffle left julienne it and add it to the egg as well.
  8. Serve the truffle cheese “soldiers” on the side for dipping into the truffled egg.


Saturday 15 June 2013

Get You Paris On In The South Pacific

The South Pacific is such a beautiful location and a fascinating mix of traditional and European colonialism; especially in the case of New Caledonia. Winter in Australia is usually a mild affair, compared to many locations in the world. But with New Caledonia only a 2 1/2 hours plane flight from Sydney, who could resist a quick getaway from chilly mornings and early sunsets?
The French influence in New Caledonia is obvious in language, food and affordability. With a currency linked to the Euro, this island is affluent compared to its Pacific neighbours, but with that you need to pay. A holiday will cost the same as a luxury holiday in Australia. While this will scare off regular visitors to Bali or Fiji, those looking for a bit of France in their neighbourhood, New Caledonia will tick almost all the boxes, without the 23 hour flight to Paris.
For the foodies looking for top end dining, you can't go past L'hippocampe at the Le Meridian resort in Noumea, Check out my review from TripAdvisor below.

“Get You Paris On In The South Pacific”
4 of 5 starsReviewed 10 May 2013
Fine dining is always about throwing the wallet to the wolves, so let's not discuss such things in polite company. Everything in a French Restaurant is expected to be formal and L'hippocampe is just that. Thierry and his young team perform with all the grace and poise required to make this a Grande dining experience.
It was beautiful to watch the young attendant pouring Champagne; completely nervous but focused and error free.
The decor is warm and enticing, the food masterly produced and service formal but with Pacific charm.
  • Visited May 2013
    • 3 of 5 starsValue
    • 4 of 5 starsAtmosphere
    • 4 of 5 starsService
    • 4 of 5 starsFood
Four course luxury at L'hippocampe Restaurant

Friday 14 June 2013

Rib Eye Fillet and Hunter Shiraz By The Fire


Rib eye Pic
Let’s have a look at food and wine pairing. Just in case you haven’t been outside all week – Winter is here!
What better way to celebrate the change in season, but to get stuck into a big piece of red meat, with a Tower Estate Shiraz and settle in by an open fire.
Now that we have your attention and your mouth watering, we have a great recipe for you. Executive Chef George Francisco has got a fantastic Rib Eye fillet recipe for you to try out.
And if you are in the Hunter Valley this weekend, you can always call into Roberts Restaurant and get George to cook it himself; after all this awesome dish is on the current menu.
Enjoy.
Shiraz by the Fire 2013
Rib Eye Fillet and Hunter Shiraz By The Fire
 
Oven roasted Ranger’s Valley rib eye Black pepper blistered green beans, rich puréed potatoes béarnaise sauce, jus.
Author: 
Recipe type: Winter Meal
Cuisine: Comfort
Serves: 6
Ingredients
  • Oven roasted rib eye:
  • 2 kilos Ranger’s Valley rib eye
  • sea salt
  • black pepper
  • Black pepper blistered green beans:
  • 480 grams green beans
  • 100 grams butter
  • 10 grams freshly ground black pepper
  • 8 eschallots
  • 30 grams corn flour
  • 120 ml vegetable oil
  • sea salt
Instructions
  1. Oven roasted rib eye:
  2. Rub sea salt and black pepper all over the rib eye. Warm a thick large pan or barbeque until very hot. Place rib eye in pan and brown each side very well. When all sides are browned. Place on baking pan and roast in 200 degree oven until it is cooked to your liking. The recommendation is 40 minutes at 180 degrees and then rest the beef in a warm place for 30 minutes.
  3. To serve re warm if necessary in the oven or just slice and plate as it is.
  4. It is recommended to serve the roast rib eye with black pepper blistered green beans, rich pureed potatoes, béarnaise sauce, jus and any condiments you find necessary.
  5. Black pepper blistered green beans:
  6. Trim the green beans of any woody ends. Slice 4 of the eschallots thinly and toss in the corn flour. Heat the oil in a sauce pan until 170 degrees. Fry the  schallots in the oil stirring carefully to ensure they brown evenly. When light brown and toasted remove from oil. Blot dry on paper towels and season lightly with sea salt. Reserve until ready to serve the beans.
  7. Soften the butter. Dice the remaining eschallots.Sauté lightly in a sauce pan with a touch of oil until transcucent. Remove from pan and add to softened butter. Add freshly ground black pepper to the butter. Season lightly with sea salt and then mix the butter well.
  8. Bring water to a boil in a pot and heat a sauce pan to very hot. Add the trimmed beans to the water and cook until al dente. Remove the beans from the water and immediately add to the very hot sauce pan. This will blister the beans. Saute the beans for a few seconds and then add the butter mixture to the beans and season with a bit of sea salt. Cook the beans until they are well blistered and coated with the butter.
  9. Serve in a dish with the fried eschallots sprinkled on top.

Thursday 13 June 2013

State Of Origin - NSW Wine Vintage


With vintage well and truly done, it is time for a bit of review from Andrew Thomas at Thomas Wines via Gourmet Traveler Wine.

For the full article check it out here.



Mike Bennie takes us on a tour of NSW’s wine regions, talking to winemakers about the 2013 red vintage. 


Andrew Thomas, Winemaker, Thomas Wines, Hunter Valley
"Well, despite some challenging conditions with all that nasty weather up north, we've actually come through relatively unscathed," says the affable Andrew Thomas of Thomas Wines. "It seems much of New South Wales didn't get smashed by rain and talking to winemakers around the area, everyone is extremely happy with the quality of the reds this year," he qualifies. This comes off the back of the red wine disaster in the Hunter Valley in 2012, where summer seemed to pass unnoticed, quashed by incessant rain.

Thomas, affectionately known as Thommo by most in the wine community, says that red wines from 2013 offer respite. "This year it's so good to have high quality reds in the house - I am pretty impressed. I talked to people in the supermarket or pub, winemakers like Jim Chatto, Mike De Iuliis and PJ Charteris, and everyone is punching the air and saying it's all looking great."

So why the turn around in 2013 for red wines of New South Wales? "Well, a lot of it comes down to vineyard management, pedigree of vineyard, vineyards we hear about that might have that something special to get them over the line," explains Thomas. "It also comes down to crop levels, anything that was too big a crop struggled to get ripe. We go through and thin down anything that looks on the higher side."...

The Hunter, of course, still holds Thomas' biggest interest for red wines. "The contemporary style of Hunter Valley shiraz is more fruit driven with aromatic vibrancy and it's elegant, medium bodied and savoury," he says. "Across a lot of New South Wales we've seen producers following this lead with unforced wines which are ticking the authentic-to-region box, which is something often overlooked." Thomas cites Clonakilla, particularly Tim Kirk's work with shiraz, as iconic wine of New South Wales. He also elevates Canberra District producers Ravensworth, Nick O'Leary and Alex McKay as "doing great stuff with red grapes". He earmarks Winburndale, Chalkers Crossing, and Lowe from Mudgee as heirs apparent.


Wednesday 12 June 2013

Winter In The Vineyards


PruningWinter in the vineyards is not everyone’s favourite time of the year; cold mornings and late sunrises aren't always fun. Grape vines look like they are having a hard time too; bedraggled with intertwined canes devoid of leaves.
But it is such an important time of the year.
The vines have worked so hard producing fruit, drawing water and nutrients all summer to make the perfect grapes; the sap that is so important to sending the nutrients to the leaves and fruit has now stopped flowing.
It is time to rest.
Pruning of the vines has started. With no sap in the vines, the canes can be safely pruned, ready for the spring burst of heat. The pruning process is not mechanical. Yes. Not mechanical.
This is a job for the keen eye and a perfectionist who loves the outdoors. Remember that they are pruning in the fresh winter mornings. Pruning controls the quantity and the quality of fruit for the coming year. Too many buds left on the vine and you have excess fruit, struggling for nutrients. Too few buds and you have cut your crop and your income in half. These are important decisions being made. Decisions that we will rely on over the coming years.
For the benefit of your wine.

Drag Out The Old Blanket.

This blog is my little security blanket that I come back to time to time.  In many ways I have left it behind because my day to day activities don't rely on it. Facebook, Instagram and Twitter with their immediacy have taken precedence.

In my work circles I have been coming back to blogs as a method of communication. The opportunity to discuss a subject in less that 140 characters is quite liberating. I have been challenging myself to write in a creative and engaging way. I hope I am succeeding

The aspect of writing that initially made me anxious and at times furious, is how formally trained PR people always want to modify the written word to glass half full; always positive always perky. While I do write in a PR style for employers, I do occasionally like to write from the gloom of the occasion and build to the light at the end of tunnel.

Humans are a rich tapestry.