Easter Degustation and Premium Wines

With Easter fast approaching it had been quite a while since i spent some time putting together, cooking and serving up a Degustation menu with some stunning premium wines. What I'm trying to say is, i was itching to get back in kitchen and pull together another amazing evening of food and wine for my close friends who love and enjoy their wine and food just as much as i do. With the Easter long weekend approaching it seemed the perfect time to do just that.
I first started out like any normal wine person would by choosing the wines i wanted to serve from my cellar and suggested to some friends who were also going to bring a bottle what varietal and type of wine they should bring, if possible to match the the type of food i was thinking about serving. Now i knew the majority of wines and their styles i set about preparing my menu by choosing the main ingredient in each course and then built the other produce and flavours around it. My intention was to hopefully match the wine i intended to serve with each course and allow the wines to highlight and contrast with some of the flavours in each dish. Putting a great deal of thought into each and every dish here is the menu i came up with including wines:

Easter 2010

Amuse Bouché

Aged Gruyere, Fino Sherry and Crouton

Seppeltsfield Flora Fino Sherry

Gravlax and Avocado Consommé

2009 Grosset Polish Hill Riesling

Scallop, Prosciutto, Cauliflower Puree, Cashew and Fish Emulsion

2000 Penfolds Yattarna Chardonnay

Terrine of Duck a’la Orange, Fig, Pistachio Powder and Ginger Plum Salsa

2004 Mount Mary Pinot Noir

Salt Bush Lamb, Liquid Bread, Miso, Almond, Mint, Rosemary, Duchesse Parsnip and Blackcurrant Jus

1986 Wynn’s John Riddoch Cabernet Sauvignon

Hunter Valley Blue Ribbon Dry Aged Scotch Fillet, Snow Pea, Truffle Butter and Black Cherry Jus

1996 Peter Lehmann Stonewell Shiraz

Cardamom and Orange Blossom Panna Cotta, Macerated Raspberry and Wild Hibiscus

1980 Cullen Auslese Rhine Riesling

White Peach Tart, Yellow Peach Ice Cream, Cinnamon Syrup

Seppeltsfield Grand Tokay

Fluffanutter Medjool

2006 Inniskillin Vidal Ice Wine

The first course was an adaption and my own interpretation of a recipe devised by the great Heston Blumenthal of the Fat Duck in England. A combination of Swiss Aged Gruyere and Fino Sherry infused with select spices and herbs to form something of a creamy soup consistency. I served it in a red and black Chinese spoon complete with a floating, salty, crunchy Crouton and a very light sprinkle of Nutmeg. Unfortunately we were so eager to get dinner underway i completely forgot to take a photo of this dish so you are stuck with my description and your imagination to form your own picture of how this looked. To say this set the standard for the rest of the dinner would be spot on. So devine and perfectly matched to the Seppelt Fino Sherry this dish sat everyone back in their seats with that wow factor and left us all in awe of how good Fino Sherry can be with the right food.

Next up was my first attempt at Gravlax. Now at this point i would like to mention that the most important thing about any and every dish i make is the quality of the ingredients and i always seek out and find the best and freshest examples i can. Gravlax is the Scandanavian term for cured fish and in this case it was fresh Salmon infused with Lemon Thyme and Chartreus Liqueur served with cold Avocado Consumme. This dish was matched to the superb 2009 Grosset Polish Hill Riesling which with its floral, tropical nose, lemon, lime, herbacious palate. The beautiful balance of acidity in the Grosset cut through the creamy Avocado Consumme and complimented the sweet, herbacious Gravlax wonderfully.
The third dish for the evening was the Scallops and probably prepared very much in the same manner as many restaurants have prepared them in the past but just so good if you can get that balance of sweet and salty just right. The Scallops are marinated in Yellow Box Honey and Curry powder before being pan fried, served atop a creamy Cauliflower puree topped with a piece of slightly crisp Proscuitto then surrounded by Fish emulsion and couple of marinated Cashews to finish. As one of my guests put it "when you get a small piece of each ingredient in your mouth all at once the combination is so complex and so well balanced its mind blowing". I dont think you could ask for more with a glass of perfectly aged 2000 Penfolds Yattarna Chardonnay, complex, tight, buttery, smoky, nutty, peaches and cream in glass. So good was the Yattarna it left everyone wishing we had another bottle on hand.

Moving away from the Seafood and whites and into the Game and light red territory each and every dish built in flavour and complexity just perfectly. My own creation this dish was in the age old format of a French Terrine (i love making terrines). This Duck Terrine was formed of 4 specific layers, firstly a shredded Duck meat, Pork and Shitaki force meat; then a layer of home made Fig chutney/jelly followed by layers of fresh Orange marinated Duck Breast and finally a Liver and Leek creamy Pate. Served at room temperature with a Plum and Crystalized Ginger Salsa, Pistachio powder and the 2004 Mount Mary Pinot Noir from Victoria. I dont think i need to tell you how good this dish was but what did really leave a number of people stunned was how well the Pinot (which was just brilliant) complimented and even accentuated the Orange component of the dish, its earthiness and pure fruit just sat perfectly in combination with the Plum, Pistachio and Duck.

Moving right along my version of Salt Bush Lamb served 3 ways with the perfectly aged 1986 Wynn's John Riddoch Cabernet. Good quality Lamb Loin crusted with dried Salt Bush and a little salt and pepper pan friend and served perfect medium rare. In this dish i presented the Lamb in 3 different flavour combinations: Almond and Mint, Miso and Rosemary, Blackcurrant. The Almond and Miso formed as a liquid bread and the Rosemary and Mint infused Simon Johnson Virgin Olive Oil (each infused as a seperate oil of course) and lastly the Blackcurrant Jus with just a touch of Star Anise to give it lift. Finished off with Duchesse Parsnip which was so creamy on the inside and crunchy on the outside. The 1986 John Riddoch displays the perfectly aged characters that i love in old Cabernet. Soft and round with smoke, cigar box, cedar and pure sweet Cassis, the tannins have softened and wine is just so moreish. A perfect accompaniment to the Lamb!

With the conversation rolling we took a short 10 minute break before heading back to the kitchen to get the last of the savoury dishes out. My belief with great quality beef is to keep it fairly simple and let the produce shine. The Scotch Fillet was sourced from a 1st prize winning cow from the Hunter Valley show that had been perfectly dry aged by my favourite butcher. Due to the number of dishes and size of the Scotch fillets they were halved as it would have been impossible at this stage for anyone to finish the meal let alone the steak itself. Served medium rare with blanched Snow Pea's, Truffle Butter and a black Cherry and red wine Jus (made with a whole bottle of good quality Barossa Shiraz). Incredibly tender with the sweet earthyness of the black Cherry and melting Truffle Butter sending a lovely aroma into the air. Washing this down with the incredibly good 1996 Peter Lehmann Stonewell Shiraz with its black berry liqueur, dark chocolate, Kirsch and soft tannins finishing extremely long and big. This is what good Barossa Shiraz is all about and easily one of my all time favourite wines from a ripper vintage. Just stunning!

On to the sweet part of the night with Cardamom and Orange Blossom Panna Cotta, the suttle flavour of Cardamom paired with the incredible lift of the Orange Blossom and your senses are in heaven. Add to that Raspberries macerated in Orange Blossom Water and the Rhubarb/Raspberry flavour of the Wild Hibiscus flower in its own syrup and this dish was susinct in every way. The 1980 Cullen Rhine Riesling showing plenty of Honey and soft citrus and caramel characters was unfortunately a little overshadowed by the power of the desert on both the nose and palate. Never the less the Cullen was very good. The Panna Cotta i should mention was just perfect, very light and creamy with that perfect plate wobble when it was served.

Time for the second dessert and it was my own study into the flavours Peach. White Peach tarts cooked upside down with a cheesy crumble topping which forms the base when inverted onto the plate. Yellow Peach Ice Cream to the side and the tart topped with sticky Cinnamon and Peach syrup accompanied by Seppelt's Grand Tokay. The nutty rancio, green tea, golden syrup, citrus and caramel complexity found in the Tokay was a perfect match for this dish and just lovely. Unfortunately when i put this dish on the table it smelt so good that there was not waiting and everyone just tucked in and i again forgot about the photo.......... I will leave it again to your imagination.

To top things off and for those that were still game i finished with stuffed Medjool dates using a combination of marshmallow and peanut butter lightly grilled under the griller to heat them up and soften the stuffing. Sticky, yummy and ohhh so sweet. With my first ever glass of Ice Wine the 2006 Inniskillin Vidal Ice Wine from Canada. I have been wanting to taste this wine for a long time now and on a recent trip overseas decided to pick some up duty free upon my return to Australia. If you have not tried this wine and you like your sweet dessert wines it is a must to try. Incredible bright yellow with a huge nose that reminded me of drinking cans of Passiona as a child, strong Passionfruit, Pineapple, Citrus and tropical fruit that meld into a perfectly complex and yet not too cloying wine. So so incredibly good, not to mention bringing back those wonderful childhood memories!

A fitting and special end to a wonderful night of great food, great wine and even greater company.