Saturday 31 May 2014

Kellermeister Melbourne Wine Dinner

On Wednesday night this week I was lucky enough to be invited to the Kellermeister Melbourne Wine Dinner. Held at the fabulous Arc One Gallery, attached to Cumulus Inc, it was a wonderful setting for some beautiful food and wine.

Kellermeister are a winery from the Barossa Valley who I have written about before. We love their wines and go to their annual tasting in Melbourne in August each year. This is the first time they have held a dinner and when I found out about it I jumped at the chance to go.

The evening started with a glass of the Boots sparkling Chardonnay Pinot Noir, a lovely drop of golden bubbles with a hint of citrus. The perfect aperitif.




The 40 or so guests were all seated at one long table in the spectacular gallery. The exhibition on display by Eugenia Raskopoulos, called Vestiges, was colourful and bright and set a happy mood for the diners.

The dinner was divided into four different brackets, showcasing two or three wines per bracket, matched with fantastic food from Cumulus Inc.




The first bracket showcased a couple of the whites from the Kellermeister range. There was the 2011 Reserve Eden Valley Riesling and the 2012 Rambling Ruins Eden Valley Pinot Gris. Served with the wines was a beautiful pressed chicken terrine with a creamy parsley sauce, radish and bitter leaf salad with candied walnuts and pear. The Riesling was crisp and dry with lots of lovely citrus acidity and a touch of honey. This was a beautiful wine to drink on it's own. The Pinot Gris was younger and more fruity with some nice minerality.  I found that the Pinot Gris matched better with the chicken terrine as the minerality perfectly complemented the creamy sauce. This was a delightful way to start the meal.




The second bracket showcased two of the Storyboard range of wines. The 2011 Funk Wagon GSM and 2013 Curtain Raiser Tempranillo were matched with prosciutto di Parma and aoili, Wagyu Bresaola, fried shallots and parmesan cream and a green bean salad with sweet mustard dressing. The GSM was full of blackberry and black plum flavours with a beautiful rounded mouthfeel. The Tempranillo was bigger and more complex with plenty of red berry and cherry flavours and fine tannins. Both wines complemented the salty, fatty meats and the creamy garlic aioli served with them.




The next bracket compared the three wines in the Threefold Farm series, named after the winemakers three children. The 2012 Threefold Farm Whiskers Single Vineyard Grenache, 2011 Missy Moo Single Vineyard Mataro and 2012 The Firstborn Single Vineyard Shiraz.  These lovely wines were matched with the most fantastic lamb I have ever eaten! A whole slow roasted lamb shoulder, falling apart at the bone with sumac marinated onion and lemon, roast potatoes with confit garlic and wheat and freekah salad with labne and barberries. I forgot to get a photo of the lamb before it was destroyed, so you'll have to trust me when I say it was delicious!




After tasting the GSM in the previous bracket, it was a nice comparison to try the three components as individual wines. The Shiraz was jammy with smooth tannins and lovely ripe fruit flavours. The Grenache more tannic, but still complex and fruity and the Mataro full of black plum and blackberry. All three of the wines complemented the lamb and the acidity in the onions and lemon and the nuttiness and creaminess from the grain and labne salad. A wonderful combination of flavours and textures!







The final course was a chance to let the big boys in the red wine stakes shine. I wasn't sure that cheese was going to be the best choice with these wines, but I was pleasantly surprised. The strong flavour of the sheep and goat's milk cheeses and the sweet, bold quince paste was the perfect way to finish a big meal. The 2012 Black Sash Old Vine Shiraz and 2011 Wild Witch Shiraz were our last two wines. The Black Sash is a big Barossa Shiraz, full of black fruits, grippy tannins and fine oak. The Wild Witch is Kellermeister's flagship wine and it doesn't disappoint. Dark and brooding, it is rich, complex and fruity. Just how a good Barossa Shiraz should be!





Thanks to Kellermeister for a wonderful evening of beautiful food and wine and great company. After the success of their first dinner, I think this will definitely become a regular feature on their events calendar. I am looking forward to catching up with the boys again at The Good Food and Wine Show this weekend and trying some other wines from the Barossa Valley while we are there.

Monday 26 May 2014

Meat-free Monday

It's Meat-free Monday, which means another vegetarian meal in the eat quaff laugh household.
This time (shock horror!) I'm not cooking with haloumi, even though I really did want to!

Tonight I thought we'd go for vegie burgers with a bit of an Asian twist. I originally came across this recipe in a supermarket magazine and have made a few changes to it. The burgers are nice and dense, but not dry, due to the moist zucchini added to them. The chickpeas and cashews give a lovely texture and a bit of crunch. For extra crunch, roast the cashews first. I didn't have time today, but if you do, it's well worth the effort.



I used Jimmy's Sate sauce for the flavouring, but any sort of Asian curry paste would work well - Korma, red curry, Penang. Use whatever you happen to have a half used jar of in the fridge. The Jimmy's is quite strong, so I only needed one tablespoon. Depending on the strength of your paste, you might need a bit more. Add a little bit and then taste. It's easier to add extra than to try and take it away!

The zucchini adds some vegetable matter, but you could always use carrot, eggplant or sweet potato, if that's what you have. Harder vegetables will need to be grated first, otherwise they will be too chunky. The spring onions add a more Asiany flavour, but you could always use regular onion if you didn't want to go out and buy a whole bunch.

These burgers are really easy to make and because you need to set them aside in the fridge to firm up before you cook them, they are great made the day before. That leaves an easy fry up in the pan when you are ready to eat. For a slightly healthier version, spray with oil spray and bake in the oven until golden.



Serve the burgers in pita bread or your favourite wraps with the minted yoghurt, mango chutney and extra mint and salad leaves. They are also great on their own the next day, either cold or warmed slightly in the microwave.

Asian Vegie Burgers


2x400g tins of chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1 cup cashews, raw or roasted
1 medium zucchini, coarsely chopped
1 egg
1 cup fresh breadcrumbs
2 spring onions, trimmed and coarsely chopped white and green part
1 Tbs Jimmy's Sate or curry paste, or to your taste
A few large handfuls of mint
1/2 cup natural yoghurt
Salt and pepper to taste
Mango chutney, pita bread or wraps, mixed lettuce and extra mint to serve




In a food processor, combine chickpeas, cashews, zucchini, spring onion, sate sauce and mint. Whiz until coarsely chopped and combined. You still want a bit of texture, so don't over process.
Add 1/2 cup breadcrumbs and egg and blitz briefly to combine. Season to taste.
Shape handfuls into burgers and then press into remaining breadcrumbs to give a half coating.
Place on a linter tray and set aside in the fridge for at least 30 mins to firm up.
Heat a good drizzle of oil in a frypan over medium heat and cook for about 3 minutes on each side, or until golden brown.
To make mint yoghurt, combine yoghurt and chopped mint in a small bowl. Season to taste.

To serve, place pita bread on a plate, spread with mango chutney and top with a couple of burgers, a dollop of yoghurt, extra mint and mixed lettuce. Wrap up and enjoy.

Friday 23 May 2014

Springhill Pantry Slices

As much as I love to cook and put my baking shoes on, sometimes a girl's just got to have a rest and get out of the kitchen!

Having a back-up store bought slice or cake in the cupboard can be great when unexpected guests drop in or when you've forgotten about that morning tea at work tomorrow and it's already 10pm! Of course, for those amongst us who aren't bakers, shop bought treats are more essential.

Not just any shop bought treats though. So often the store varieties have a long list of nasty ingredients or are so fluffy that they seem to be made of nothing. Not the sort of thing you want to serve up to someone for a special afternoon tea.

I stumbled across these Springhill Pantry slices at my local IGA last week and can't rave about them enough! They are made by a family owned company near Ballarat in Victoria and contain all natural ingredients. I must admit that the fact they were on special lured me into buying them, even though I didn't have any need for more sweets.

I bought one of each of the three flavours and still can't work out which is my favourite!




The Apricot, Apple and Hazelnut Slice is full of chunks of dried apple, apricot, coconut and whole roasted hazelnuts. A healthy dose of oats and chia seeds makes it more of a muesli slice. Not only is it great cut into squares, you can also crumble it up for an instant topping on poached fruit, layer with berries and yogurt for a breakfast trifle or stuff apples with the mix before you roast them. This slice was dense and solid without being heavy.  Great as a lunch box filler too.



The Raspberry and Almond Slice is richer and more soft in texture. The dried raspberries add some tartness to quite a sweet slice and the almonds add crunch. This one is definitely more indulgent. Again, the Raspberry and Almond slice is delicious on it's own, but you could also make it into a dessert by warming slightly and serving with a beautiful vanilla bean or fresh raspberry ice-cream. It would also be great served with some thick custard on a cold winter's night. Yum!




The last flavour in the range is the adults only Chocolate Brownie with Crimson Raisins. Nothing actually makes this adults only, but it's so rich and decadent that you wouldn't want to share it with the kids! Made like a proper brownie with couverture chocolate, cocoa and the juiciest raisins, it is just a delight to eat. Being so rich, a little bit goes a long way, so a small square or slice is enough. Feel like being even more indulgent? Serve little squares with a dollop of cream and fresh raspberries or warm in the oven with a rich chocolate ganache or sauce and serve with vanilla ice-cream. Your waist line might not thank you, but your tastebuds will!




At $12 each, the Springhill Pantry range is not cheap, but when you taste them and look at the quality of the ingredients, they are definitely worth it. They also come in large 350g packets so you do end up getting quite a few serves. Sure, you probably aren't going to pop them in your trolley every week, but for a special occasion, then why not?

Look out for them at your local supermarket. I'm sure you'll be as impressed with them as I was.

Put that kettle on and enjoy!

Monday 19 May 2014

World Whisky Day - May 17

World Whisky Day was on Saturday and while I can't stand whisky, I thought I'd cook up a whisky themed dinner for my husband. I don't mind the general honey, smokey flavour of whisky, but I don't like that alcoholic burn you get when having it neat. In fact, I don't really like any spirits neat. Give me a good wine any day!

I wanted to create a meal that really complemented the flavours of the whisky. In the end I used two different sorts. The Talisker 47 degrees North from the Isle of Skye was more smokey and peaty and matched perfectly with the lamb marinade and the chocolate dessert. The Amrut Indian single malt whisky had more honey and molasses characters and went with the mushrooms. I was surprised by how well the flavours turned out.





The sweetness and honey characters really came through into the meat and the alcohol was burnt off in the cooking. Because of the sugar in the marinade, it caramelised nicely on the lamb and gave a beautiful charred flavour. Make sure your pan isn't too hot when you cook it or the marinade will burn before the lamb is cooked through.

Even though the chocolate creams weren't cooked, the dark chocolate was rich enough that it masked the alcoholic taste. You could always add the whisky to the boiling water to remove the alcohol, before you added it to the melted chocolate. This was a seriously rich dessert, so a small serve was more than enough. The roasted hazelnuts and sesame snaps gave a beautiful texture to it.

My husband gave this dinner a big thumbs up, so I suppose a World Whisky Day dinner is going to become an annual event in our house. Now to find the next alcoholic beverage theme day to have a go at!


Honey And Whisky Lamb With Braised Spinach, Buttery Whisky Mushrooms And Mash


400g lamb fillet, cut into two pieces
1Tbs whisky
1Tbs honey
Salt and pepper to taste




Combine whisky and honey in a dish. Season to taste.
Add lamb and allow to marinate for a couple of hours.
Heat a drizzle of oil in a frying pan over medium heat.
Remove lamb from the marinade and drain slightly. Fry for 3-4 minutes each side or until cooked to your liking. Rest for a couple of minutes.
Drain any meat juices from resting into the reserved marinade and bring to the boil. Simmer for a minute until thickened.


3 medium potatoes, peeled and chopped
2 Tbs butter
1/2 cup milk
Salt and pepper to taste

Place potatoes in a saucepan of cold water and bring to the boil. Cook until soft, then drain.
Return potatoes to the saucepan and mash with the butter. Add the milk and stir to combine. Season to taste.


1Tbs butter
2 cups mushrooms, sliced
1Tbs whisky
A handful each of parsley, oregano and thyme, finely chopped

Heat a frypan on medium heat and add butter until starting to foam.
Add the mushrooms and cook until softened and releasing their juices. Continue cooking until slightly browned. 
Season to taste, add whisky and allow the alcohol to cook off.
At the last minute, stir through the chopped herbs.


Half a bunch of fresh spinach, trimmed and chopped
A drizzle of olive oil

Heat a drizzle of oil in a frying pan over medium heat.
When hot, add the spinach and toss to coat in the oil and allow it to soften and wilt. Season to taste.


To serve, place spinach on the plate and top with a piece of lamb. Spoon over the remaining marinade sauce. Place a spoonful of mushrooms over the top of the lamb. Serve the mash to the side.

Enjoy!


Whisky And Chocolate Creams




100g dark chocolate, chopped
30ml boiling water
15ml whisky
1/2 tsp brown sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla
1/4 cup milk
Sesame snaps and roasted hazelnuts, to serve

Melt chocolate in the microwave in 20 second bursts, stirring each time so that it doesn't burn.
When melted, slowly add the boiling water, stirring constantly to make a smooth mixture.
Add the whisky, sugar, vanilla and milk and stir gently to combine. It should be nice and smooth.
Spoon carefully into small glasses or pots and set in the fridge for 4 hours.

To serve, place the glasses on plates, put a handful of chopped roasted hazelnuts on top and a couple of sesame snaps on the side for dipping.

Enjoy this decadent dessert!



And To Drink....




Even though whisky was the theme of this dinner, there was no way I was going to be drinking whisky with it!

To go with the sweetness of the marinade on the lamb, I wanted a big red with lots of red and black fruit and complexity.  The 2007 ACJ from Pirramimma in McLaren Vale ticked all the boxes. Made with Shiraz, Petit Verdot and Cabernet there was plenty of ripe fruit, plum and cherry and a smooth richness, which was delicious. A bit of lingering spice and vanilla from the French oak made it a perfect match.

It complemented the sweet, charred lamb and the buttery mushrooms perfectly. The last few sips also went wonderfully with the rich chocolate dessert. Red wine and dark chocolate really are a match made in heaven!

Pirramimma was founded in 1892 and has been a family run winery since. Located in the beautiful McLaren Vale, just south of Adelaide in South Australia, it has a mediterranean climate. They produce some wonderful reds and whites, from quaffers to special drops. The ACJ, only made in exceptional years, was one of their special wines.

Thursday 15 May 2014

Crispy Eggplant Fritters

Sometimes I'm inspired about what to cook by recipes I've seen on television or in magazines. Gourmet Traveller is one of my favourites for foodspiration! Other times it's something I've eaten at a restaurant or cafe or a dish I've come across online. Days like today, I'm inspired by the beautiful fresh produce I find at the fruit and veg shop or market. Today I picked up a bag of gorgeous purple and white striped eggplants and knew that I had to create something delicious with them.

What to cook though? Layers of chargrilled eggplant and mince in a cheesy moussaka? Indian eggplant curry? A slow cooked ragout, a la ratatouille? In this case the healthy options lost and the deep fried eggplant fritters won!




I'm usually not a fan of deep frying things, but I couldn't resist. Crispy panko crumbed eggplant slices, cooked until golden brown on the outside and soft and creamy inside. Perfect!

To counteract the oiliness of the deep fried eggplant, I wanted some fresh flavours with a bit of acidity. The herbed yogurt and tomato, rocket and fennel salad matched perfectly. This actually was quite a light meal and the eggplant didn't taste too greasy. My husband was a bit sceptical at first, but ended up loving it. A win for all!





Eggplant Fritters With Herbed Yogurt And Tomato, Fennel and Rocket Salad






2 medium eggplants
1 egg
A dash of milk
Plain flour for coating
Panko breadcrumbs
Salt and pepper to taste
Oil for deep frying

1 cup natural yogurt
A handful each of parsley and mint leaves

2 tomatoes, diced
1 small fennel bulb, trimmed and thinly sliced
A handful of rocket leaves
A drizzle of balsamic vinegar

Cut the stalk end off each eggplant and then slice lengthways into roughly 1cm slices.
Place on a tray and generously sprinkle both sides with salt.
Leave for 30 minutes to release the bitter juices and then rinse well. Pat dry with paper towel.

To crumb the fillets, prepare three bowls, one with plain flour, one with panko crumbs and one with the egg and milk lightly whisked and seasoned with salt and pepper.
Dip each eggplant slice into flour, egg wash and then crumbs. Set aside on a tray until all pieces have been crumbed.

Preheat oven to 180 degrees.
Por oil into a medium sized saucepan until it is about 4-5cm deep.
Heat over medium heat until a few pieces of the panko crumbs start to sizzle as soon as they are added. The oil is now hot enough.
Two pieces at a time, fry eggplant for about 1 minute each side, or until crumbs are golden brown.
Carefully remove with a slotted spoon and place on a baking tray covered with paper towel.
Repeat with remaining eggplant slices, making sure they are in a single layer on the tray.
When all pieces have been fried, place the whole tray in the oven for another 5 minutes to really crisp up.

To make the yoghurt, finely chop the herbs and add to the natural yoghurt. Season to taste.

To make the salad, combine diced tomato, sliced fennel and rocket leaves in a bowl. Season to taste.
Drizzle with balsamic vinegar to your liking. You don't need any oil in this dressing as the eggplant is oily enough.



To serve, place eggplant fritters on a plate, dollop herbed yoghurt around the outside and place a mound of the salad on top.

Enjoy!




Tuesday 13 May 2014

Hungarian Stuffed Capsicums

After a delicious Mother's Day dinner, cooked by my lovely husband, of crispy duck breast, roast fennel, potato galette and herbed mushrooms, washed down with a bottle of pinot, it's time to get back to regular eating!

I think I've mentioned before that my dad is Hungarian, so we often will have dishes that reminds me of my childhood. Nothing fancy, just good, tasty comfort food. These stuffed capsicums are one of my favourites.



The soup is tinned tomato, with a mince and rice filling to the capsicums. They are simple, quick and delicious! Top the capsicum with a dollop of natural yogurt or sour cream and a sprinkling of paprika and serve with some fresh bread or toast for mopping up the soup.

On a cold afternoon, the fantastic aroma from simmering the soup is wonderful. It brings back so many happy memories!


Hungarian Stuffed Capsicums







4 small to medium red capsicums
2 tins of tomato soup
500g pork mince
1/4 cup uncooked rice
1 tsp paprika, plus extra for serving
1 small onion, finely chopped
Salt and pepper to taste
Sour cream or natural yoghurt, to serve
Toast or bread, to serve


Cut the stalks from the top of the capsicums using a sharp knife and remove the seeds and membranes.
Wash the capsicums and drain upside down while you prepare the filling.
Combine mince, rice, paprika, onion and salt and pepper in a bowl.
Using your hands, stuff the capsicums 3/4 full with the filling. As the rice cooks, the filling will swell, so you don't want them too full.
Any extra filling can be made into meatballs.
Tip both cans of soup into a large saucepan and then rinse each can with a full can of water. You should have four tins-full of liquid. Stir to combine. 
Add the capsicums and meatballs and simmer gently for about 40 minutes, or until the mince is cooked and the capsicums are tender.
Serve in bowls with a dollop of yogurt or sour cream, a sprinkling of paprika and some fresh bread or toast.

Enjoy!




Tuesday 6 May 2014

Porky Goodness

I love pork in any way, shape or form. A roast with lots of crispy crackling, a juicy fillet, an old fashioned chop, smoked ham or bacon. Mmmmm!

As much as a roast can be wonderful in the cold weather, sometimes it can be a little bit too fatty and rich. Using a fillet solves that problem and leaves you with lovely lean meat with beautiful flavour and tenderness. This recipe is one of my favourites to have with pork. The sweet, but slightly bitter marmalade creates a beautiful sauce and the addition of the fennel seeds adds an extra dimension. A little bit of aniseed, a little bit of texture.




You can serve the pork with whatever vegetables you like. I chose snow peas, beans and roast potato, as that's what I had on hand. Mashed potato would also be great to soak up the beautiful sauce. If you don't like pork, this sauce would go equally well with chicken, turkey or even duck. Almost like duck a l'orange. The recipe makes a decent amount of sauce, but if you like to have a lot, or want to have some leftovers, then I'd recommend doubling it. You can never have too much sauce!

Marmalade Pork





1 shallot, finely chopped
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
1/2 cup marmalade
1/2 tsp fennel seeds, crushed in a mortar and pestle
2x400g pork fillets
Salt and pepper to taste
Olive oil
Vegetables to serve

Pre-heat oven to 180 degrees.
Heat a drizzle of oil in a small saucepan and fry shallot and garlic until starting to soften.
Add marmalade, fennel seeds and salt and pepper to taste and heat gently until the marmalade melts and all ingredients are combined.
Cut each pork fillet into two pieces and season to taste.
Heat another drizzle of oil in a frying pan and brown the pork on all sides.
Transfer to a baking tray.
Spoon some of the glaze over the top of the pork and bake for 15 minutes, or until cooked to your liking. You still want some pink in the centre of the meat.
Allow the meat to rest in a warm place for 5 minutes.
Combine any of the meat juices with the remaining glaze and heat gently to combine.
Serve a piece of pork on each plate with the remaining sauce and your choice of vegetables.

Enjoy!



And To Drink....




To go with the richness of the pork and the sweet, but bitter marmalade sauce, you want a wine with a bit of body. This Vinaceous 'Shakre' chardonnay from Margaret River was a perfect choice.

A more modern style of chardonnay, it is fresh and fruity with some complexity. There is none of that heavily oaked or buttery style in this wine. Full of citrus and stone fruits, it perfectly complemented the sweet, juicy pork. 

I am really starting to enjoy my chardonnay now, and this was a great example of why I now love this grape variety. I urge you to try the Vinaceous range, but also to venture out and try the newer styles of chardonnay which are just delicious! Margaret River, the Adelaide Hills and Yarra Valley are all producing some great wines, particularly from the smaller wineries.

Thursday 1 May 2014

Roasted Cauliflower And Mushroom Soup

Soup really is such a comforting meal, isn't it? It's like being wrapped up in a warm blanket when you're cold or sick and makes you feel so much better.

When the weather gets cold, I love to make all sorts of types of soups. Chunky, hearty ones with lots of meat and vegetables, or smooth pureed soups with a touch of cream. Either way, you need some beautiful fresh bread or toast to go with it to mop up the last dregs of deliciousness!

This week I was inspired to make a roasted cauliflower and mushroom soup. Normally I wouldn't bother pre-roasting the vegetables, but it does bring out so much more flavour in the vegetables. If you have the time, it really is worth the effort. While you're roasting the vegetables, throw a few  hazelnuts on to roast for the topping too. They add a nice crunch when you're eating the soup and the infused oil adds an extra nuttiness. If you don't want to add the nuts, you don't have to, but I like the extra dimension it adds to the smooth soup.



Roasted Cauliflower and Mushroom Soup


1/2 cauliflower, outer leaves removed, cut into florets
4  large swiss brown mushrooms
1 onion, cut into 8 wedges
2 whole cloves of garlic
A good drizzle of olive oil
6 cups vegetable stock
salt and pepper to taste
1/4 cup hazelnuts
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup cream

Pre-heat oven to 180 degrees.
Place cauliflower, mushrooms, onion and garlic on a baking tray.
Drizzle generously with oil and season with salt and pepper.
Bake for 30 mins or until the cauliflower is soft and the edges are slightly charred. Set aside to cool a little.
Place hazelnuts on a separate tray and roast for 10 minutes or until the skins start to split.
Immediately tip onto a clean tea towel and rub to remove the skins.
Place hazelnuts and 1/4 cup oil in a small saucepan and bring to a simmer. Turn off the heat and allow the oil to infuse for 1 hour.

Heat vegetable stock in a large saucepan until simmering.
Add the roasted vegetables and bring back to a simmer. Allow to simmer for 5 minutes for the flavour to infuse.
Cool slightly, then puree with a stick blender. Season to taste, adding extra stock if you find it too thick.
Just before serving, stir through the cream.

To serve, ladle the soup into bowls and then top with a spoonful of the roasted hazelnuts and a drizzle of the infused oil.

Enjoy!