Upcoming Events
Featured Member
Food review by James Hill and wine review by Stephen O'Halloran
Food
Nigel Burton was our Chef of The Day for the second “cook off” for Chef of The Year 2024 assisted by George Winyard and Greg Brunner.
Canapés
George started us off with some puff pastry topped with Parmesan, olives, prosciutto and rosemary.
Greg up next with Brandade de Morue on baked toasts. One topped with tomato and parsley olive tapenade.
Plentiful, great flavours and textured in both canapés.
Main
Nigel reprised his Marseilles Bouillabaisse. The name for this dish is derived from two actions bouillir (to boil) and abaisser (to reduce or simmer).
The stock was made up using the bones of fish blue eyed cod, barramundi and fennel to impart an anise flavour. To these fish, prawns, pipis and mussels were added to make up the Bouillabaisse.
The Rouille was made using traditional ingredients of saffron, chilli, egg yolks and white vinegar, served on a slice of baguette.
It’s no easy feat to serve different types of seafood and have them come to the table with the integrity of the flesh preserved. The stock had a great depth of flavour. Nigel advising that it was reduced from 15 to 12.5 litres. It was poured at the table to ensure a perfect temperature
A lot of effort evident in today’s lunch and Nigel brought it together with success. The number of different ingredients in today’s dish and salad totalled 38!
Our meal was made complete with a serve of fries for each table.
Thanks Nigel.
Steve Sparkes assisted with prep today with our head chef away.
Nigel sourced the ingredients of today’s lunch from ‘Get Fish’ at the fish market. A good reminder that society members get a discount when buying restaurant quantities.
Cheese
Our Cheesemaster Mark Bradford selected a Marcel Petite Comté for our enjoyment today, an unpasteurised hard cow’s milk cheese from France.
Marcel Petite was an affineur who specialised in the cool, slow maturation of Comté. Petite wanted his Comtés to be aged in their natural environment, near the mountain cheese dairies where they were made. In 1966 he discovered a defunct military fort in a forest of Haut Doubt, known as Fort Saint Antoine. The fort’s structure of cut and vaulted stone, covered with a thick layer of soil, provided the ideal conditions for “Affinage Lent” (Slow Maturing). Today, over 100,000 wheels are ripened for 10 to 20 months, in the Cathedral of Marcel Petite Comté.
Today, the practices of Maison Petite remain true to its founder’s innovative philosophy of simplicity above all things. The aim is to always offer a simply authentic product, deserving of the name Marcel Petite. When selecting Comté, the Marcel Petite cellar Master considers four key criteria: Delicacy, subtlety, intensity and depth of flavour. The ripening age is an indicator, but not the main criterion of selection.
Comte AOC Regulations
Green V Brown
Each wheel of Comte is graded before sale. Grading is based on appearance, rind quality, internal appearance, texture and taste. The best wheels are awarded a green label with the iconic green bell featured. The next tier is awarded a brown label. Any wheels that do not make the cut are not allowed to be sold as Comte.
A dressed butter lettuce salad with pickled shallots and herbs accompanied the cheese, loved it.
Bread rings from Raffael Bakery at Haberfield.
During lunch we marked the passing of former President Ray Kidd, an icon of the wine industry, well remembered by many members. Hilton Chapman and Phil Laffer shared memories of Ray’s long term membership of our Society and his many achievements and innovation in the wine industry. We then had our traditional toast of Chartreuse to Ray.
Wine
The theme for today's gathering was a Bouillabaisse prepared by Nigel Burton. An excellent meal thank you Nigel. See full Food Report.
In so far as wines were concerned we kicked off with a first-rate Hugel riesling from the Alsace region, 2022 12.5%. This was a perfect example of a quality riesling by Hugel, always consistent, you know what you're getting. Great fruit/acid balance with a crisp finish. A taste of residual sugar on the back palate, but not in any way cloying. A great wine with the pass arounds. Next on the list was a Ch d'Aqueria Tavel Rose 2022 14%. A grenache blend from Southern Rhone.
This was in my view a much more austere wine than the French rose from the Provence district we are used to drinking. Very dry, and somewhat tense in its make up, this was a restrained wine showing hints of raspberry and cherry. Finish was crisp. A much sterner style of Rose, but yet enjoyable.
Hot on the heels of the rose was another serious wine, the Bouland Morgon 2023 14% from the much acclaimed Corcelette vineyard in the Beaujolais region. This old vine Gamay vineyard produces one of the most popular Beaujolais in the Morgon which we are drinking today. A very different wine from the light bodied, fruity, flirtatious Beaujolais that is intended to be consumed within a year or two of release. The Morgon is much heavier, more intense and a more powerful wine, reflecting spicy, deep flavoured red fruits and a hint of meaty, earthy undertones. Powerful, yet elegant the wine demands attention. A most enjoyable drink. My pick for the wine of the day.
The second last wine was the 2016 Yves Cuilleron St Joseph Lyseras Blanc at 12.5%. A blend of Marsanne and Roussanne from the Northern Rhone district. I did not enjoy this wine at all! Perhaps it was my long held antipathy towards Rhone white wines which had coloured my assessment, or was it the fact that this wine was simply poor. It took only a few sips to lead me to think that the wine was flabby, lacking in acid and as a result, listless and tired. No joy here. Perhaps 9 years in the bottle was just a bridge too far for this wine.
The final wine was the Guigal Cote Du Rhone GSM 2010 at 14% from the Southern Rhone district. I have long been a fan of this wine, consistent, predictable, well made and good value. The Coca Cola of French red wines in my view. You always know what you will get. This wine was in my view a standard Guigal, but was being drunk way past its use by date. Still holding up reasonably well for a 15 year old wine, still drinkable but should have been drunk 6/8 years ago.
W
Paul Thorne was in the kitchen as Chef of the Day for our first ‘cook off’ for Chef of The Year award 2024.
Yours truly assisted with a riff on traditional ‘Gildas’ today they were made with pickled celery, guindillas peppers and anchovy paste stuffed green olives.
Gary Patterson up next with a warmed Spanakopita and got the third degree from our Greek president Bill on the ingredients which were English spinach, cinnamon, dill, Dondoni goat and sheep feta and filo pastry.
James Tinslay followed with baked chicken tenderloins marinated with garlic, ginger, date syrup and maple syrup and served with a dip of chilli jam.
A lot of effort evident in the canapés today which were well received by members and a good match for our canapé wine.
We were lucky with the weather today, not too hot, as our main was more a winter dish. Paul served us wagyu beef cheeks on a bed of potato mash and pea purée. The pea purée was made with some Japanese chili.
Such is the dedication of our chef, Paul was up at 4.30 am to cook today’s meal! The cheeks were marinated for 24 hours with a mixture of onions, garlic, celery, carrots, bay leaves, star anise with lots of red wine and duck stock. This was then cooked low and slow, at 160C for one hour then for three hours at 140 C.
The beef cheeks were perfectly cooked with the silky mash and pea purée perfect to mop up the red wine sauce made with Tempranillo.
Lots of hearty flavour, good textures and presentation with many favourable comments on the meal with members commending the portion size.
Today we saw why this dish was nominated for contention, thanks Paul.
Our cheese master Mark Bradford presented a Fromager D’Affinois Florette a white mould cheese from France.
Florette is a hexagonal-shaped goat’s milk cheese with a silky consistency made near Pelussin in the Rhone Valley. As it ripens, the cheese becomes quite runny retaining its delicate creamy goat’s milk flavour.
Members readily guessed the cheese today it came to the table in very good condition and not showing any ammonia that we often experience.
This was served with a well-dressed salad of iceberg lettuce, spinach, pear, pomegranate seeds, walnuts and blue cheese.
Bread from Haberfield Bakery, a Society favourite when it was the only good bread available in Sydney. Good to see evoo and balsamic as an option to butter.
Lunch today saw our Chef du Jour Paul Thorne produce some very flavoursome beef cheeks along with some delicious pass-arounds. See Food Report for full details.
The party got started with a very agreeable WA chardonnay, Folklore by name, produced by the wine making genius Larry Cherubino. 2022 at 13%. I moved around the room seeking opinions from a good number of members about the wine, and it is true to say there was uniform agreement that the wine was most enjoyable with no faults. An excellent food wine, with good balance and a clean finish. More please Mr Wine Master.
The first red for the day was the Clonakilla Hilltops Shiraz 2023 at 13.5%. A very young wine, just an infant, but already showing signs of great future potential. Light to medium weight, vibrant crimson colour with abundant tannin and acid on show. Good spicy, peppery flavours. Should be drinking very well in 5/6 years when the acid and tannin mellow and soften. Keep an eye on this one.
The second red was the Yves Cuilleron Syrah 2014 at 13%. A Northern Rhone wine. Medium weight and in my view beginning to show some signs of ageing. Acid dropping off a little leaving the wine a bit flat and listless. This wine is in my view a definite drink now proposition.
Wine number three was the wild card of the day. A rich mouth filling Pinot Gris from Scorpo wines sandwiched between a tiring Syrah and a huge Dolcetto set to the background of fully flavoured beef cheeks. What was going on here? My taste buds were scampering in all directions. The beef was strongly flavoured and spicy, the Pinot Gris was crying out to be paired with a cold Lychee. I kept some in the glass to pair with the cheese and indeed that was a better match. Nothing wrong with the PG, a very nice wine, just placed in an awkward position.
Final wine of the day was the Paolo Scavino Dolcetto d'Alba 2017 at 14.5%. Whatever happened to the "little sweet one", as Dolcetto is translated. I have enjoyed many Dolcettos over the years and have found them to be medium weight, soft and round and fruity made for early consumption. An ideal wine to go with a pizza or steamed mussels in a rich tomato sauce to be glugged down and enjoyed for the fun of the moment before tomorrow catches up with you. So, it was with these thoughts in mind, I was confused when confronted with a huge, heavy, muscular Italian red much more like a Barbera. The wine itself was enjoyable, well balanced tannins, oak and acid dovetailing into a rewarding finish. Enjoyable, but what happened to my "little sweet one"? Looks like I will have to wait till next time.
Food review by Mark Bradford and wine review by Stephen O'Halloran
Our first lunch of 2015 saw, yet again, James Hill in the kitchen. It’s the 13th consecutive time that James has presented the opening lunch and, unsurprisingly, a full house today. This is always a keynote lunch for the year ahead, cooked to the impeccable standards for which James is renowned. COTY finalist Rob Guthrie assisted with canapés and Madan, acting as Head Chef at the REX for a while, assisted in the pin boning filleting of the fish and in general preparation.
Rob started us off on pastry with mushroom, goat's cheese and an olive, topped with thyme. Very good and enough for two rounds.
Next was James’ take on a Damien Pignolet simple country terrine with fresh herbs with a morello cherry atop, all on oven baked white bread toast.
The final round was Rob’s skewers of haloumi, pesto and basil, wrapped with bacon.
Canapes were aplenty and all a good match for the McWilliams Elizabeth Semillon, as well as a few more odds and ends that ended up in our glasses.
James served us Liam Tomlin’s recipe of blue-eyed cod fillet with prawn colcannon and red wine sauce, topped with crispy pancetta and with sugar snap peas on the side. The colcannon contained savoy cabbage, spring onions and parsley. Beautiful presentation, given the numbers in the room, and a wonderful juxtaposition of flavours on the plate.
In theme with the colcannon, the Cheese Master selected a Cashel Blue cow’s milk cheese from Ireland, named after the Rock of Cashel in Country Tipperary. A raucous table of gravelly baritone voices – all out of tune – reminded the room that it’s indeed a long way to Tipperary!
The cheese is firm yet moist, with a hint of tarragon and white wine. With age, its true character emerges, with blue marbling through the buttery yellow paste.
James accompanied the cheese with a refreshing salad of fennel, apple, celery and cucumber with a dressing of apple cider vinegar and EVOO.
A wonderful start to our 2025 Tuesday lunches.
We had a very healthy turnout for our first lunch of 2025. Our Master Chef James Hill with some help from Rob Guthrie on the pass-arounds put on a superb lunch, which was received with uniform approval and gratitude by the room. See the Food report for more details.
With regard to the wines, the printed list contained five wines that everybody had and there were a few random bottles thrown in, both with the aperitif wine and the main course.
I will restrict my report to the wines as advised, which we all enjoyed.
The first cab off the rank was a delightful McWilliams Elizabeth Semillon 2018 12.5%. An inspired recent purchase by our Wine Master. This was my favourite wine of the day!
To my taste this was a very different wine from previous Elizabeth Semillons we have all had over the years. The wine was fresh and lively, great fruit and well balanced with sufficient acid to ensure a clean crisp finish. 2018 was an 8/10 year in the Hunter and this wine now 7 yo is drinking at near its peak, still quite delicious and full of life. My pick of the litter for today.
The next wine was the Tapanappa Picadilly vineyard Chardonnay 2021, a Brian Croser wine. I have the greatest respect for Mr Croser, but being honest, as I always try to be I did not enjoy this wine. Not sure why, but there was something in the aftertaste that put me off this wine. If one were to compare the aftertaste of this Chardy with say, something equally prestigious say a Pooley from Tas, there is a world of difference on the back palate. This wine did not have to me at least, the usual signature of a top Chardy, richness with stone fruit flavours and a lingering sensual finish. Others in the room enjoyed the wine, so perhaps it was me having an off day with my Chardy palate. Perhaps the bottle our table had was just a little off the pace, or perhaps the wine needed more time in the bottle.
The next wine was the Willunga Trott Vineyard Grenache 2021 14.5%. As soon as saw the Trott name, Wirra Wirra came to mind, Greg Trott being the founder of Wirra Wirra. Then in a split second, my mind was transported back to one of my earlier lives decades ago, when an old girlfriend loved Wirra Wirra late picked riesling as her drink of choice. I had to overcome my dislike of late-picked Australian riesling to ensure harmony! Ah, the memories! But getting back to the Grenache, it was a dry grown, bush vine wine packing a punch at 14.5%, as usual with this type of Grenache, it was a real fruit bomb, with lots of spice, tannin, acid and overtones of strawberry, blackcurrant and pepper. I was inclined to think that the wine would benefit from another 2/3 years in the bottle. Nonetheless, an enjoyable feisty drink.
We then moved on to the Wines by KT, a Watervale riesling from the Peglidis vineyard 2017 at 12.5% made by the very talented winemaker Kerri Thompson. This wine ticked all the boxes for a riesling!
Crisp mouthfeel, excellent balance between high quality fruit and a firm acidic finish. Now at 8 yo drinking at its peak. A lovely, chilled wine to be consumed with a peach on a hot afternoon.
The final wine for the day was one of the Society favs, the Wynns Black Label Coonawarra Cabernet 2019 at 13,8%. Another Sue Hodder triumph! This wine is in my view our answer to the Guigal Cote Du Rhone reds. With both wines you know what you are getting, consistent quality and good value for money. Today's wine was a very typical Coonawarra Cab, rich and intense, oak, tannin and acid all coming together for a perfect, powerful finish. Plenty of time to fully develop into a Coonawarra Classic.
We
Food review by James Hill
The last hurrah for 2024 with a Christmas-themed lunch with Foodmaster Steve Sparkes and his band of merry men Steve Liebeskind, Nick Reynolds, Bernard Leung and President Bill Alexiou-Hucker assisting in meal and canapés prep today.
Steve advised that lunch was a way of thanking all for the continuing support of our Society, those who cooked through the year and importantly our kitchen brigade.
Steve Liebeskind - Bacon-wrapped veal, pork and pistachio terrine topped with relish on white bread toasts. Big favour depth in the terrine. Very moreish.
Bernard Leung - Siu Mai with pork and prawns. Steamed for 15 minutes and rested for 5 minutes so they don’t burn the mouth. Served with Siracha for those who want more punch, or sweet chilli for those who don’t. Did I hear that he raided his mum’s freezer? They were special.
Nick Reynolds - Lime marmalade, sour cream topped with prawns sitting on homemade mini sourdough crumpets on homemade mini sourdough crumpets. Great balance of flavours , delicious.
A traditional meal of moist turkey breast off the bone with cranberry sauce.
Stuffed loin of pork with chestnuts and cranberry. It was aged in the fridge resulting in a perfect crackling when cooked.
The vegetables, served in bowls, cooked by Bill were al denté carrots in butter and honey, then peas, sprouts and bacon. Finally, Hasselback potatoes in duck fat.
Gravy to die for.
A great meal applauded and much appreciated by the members and guests today.
Thanks team.
*Hasselback potatoes get their name from the restaurant Hasselbacken in Stockholm, Sweden. Hasselback is the Swedish word for "hazel slope", as the restaurant was located near a thicket of hazel trees on a steep mountain. In 1953, student chef Leif Elison served the dish, and it was a hit.
Our Cheesemaster Mark Bradford presented ‘Riverine Blue’ a cheese made from 100% buffalo’s milk. This strikingly white, creamy milk comes from a modest herd of Riverine Buffalo that graze nearby. After the curds are set, they are placed in moulds to drain before spending two months ripening in specially built maturation rooms overlooking Wilson’s Prom. Riverine Blue is the first of its kind made in Australia and one of only a few buffalo milk blue cheeses made in the world. It has a complex savoury flavour and the smooth, firm texture. Blue-green ribbons provide pockets of delicious salty blue flavour within the porcelain paste.
The cheese was accompanied by pomegranate seeds, blanched almonds and biscuits that had some heat on the palate.
To finish our lunch Steve served a Christmas pudding with homemade vanilla ice cream, brandy cream sauce and marinated berries. The pudding started in October, fed with brandy, it was rich yet light and very tasty.
It was served with a well-aged Topaque, fresh from the Sparkes’ barrel!
A tribute to Steve for a great lunch today and the year, he encouraged people to cook and they jumped in, with special mention to our three new cooks this year Johnathan Casson, Rob Guthrie and Julian Parmegiani.`
For help with the WildApricot app or this website please contact Bill Alexiou-Hucker
To contact a member of the Committee please go to WFS Committee page
