A full house on Orthodox Easter Tuesday saw our food master Bill Alexiou in the kitchen with friend Voula Price, presenting Greek Easter fare for the first mixed luncheon of the year. It is well known that nobody leaves hungry when Bill is involved in a lunch, and today was no exception.
Canapés
They were aplenty.
We started with taramasalata topped with caviar on toast.
Following this was quality anchovies on a bed of tomato on sourdough toast. Very tasty…Voula said the tomato salsa was made with tomatoes from her father’s garden.
Finally, we were served spanakopita bites , a buttery filo pastry filled with spinach, feta, onion, herbs, and eggs.
All canapés were delicious and eagerly devoured.
A very good match for the aged Prosecco, our canapé wine.
Entrée
Sitting down to an alternate serve entrée, one was Lahanodolmades, cabbage rolls sitting in a light sauce of lemon and chicken stock with beaten eggs. The cabbage rolls were stuffed with ground beef and rice.
It’s not a complete lunch with Bill in the kitchen if there’s no octopus; today was octopus on skordalia that were braised for one hour then charred with sweet paprika oil.
Texture and flavours perfect.
Bill passed on information about the significance of the painted Greek eggs on our table ,including their significance and the etiquette of cracking them and eating them in a group.
Main
Today we were served a deconstructed moussaka of béchamel and eggplant slices with seared pink slices of lamb back-strap and eggplant chips. The food came to the table at a perfect temperature.
This was served with Marouliesalata (lettuce salad), having lettuce, dill, lemon, and olive oil with apple cider vinegar.
As someone said, it’s great when Bill cooks and sensational when Voula is the executive chef.
As Voula said, you should always cook with love.
Thank you, Voula and Bill – much thought and effort went into today’s Greek-themed lunch – a lively atmosphere around the room today with good company, wine, and food.
Dessert
The cheese master was given the day off, and we had a tasty version of baklava and galaktoboureko ( baked custard ) in a Kataifi nest served with ice cream and pomegranate molasses .
Delightful.
We welcomed a new member to our society today, Stuart Macwhirter. Stuart was proposed by Miles Hedge.
Miles is pictured under the portrait of his great-grandfather, George Cohen.
He was presented with a society pin and our society publication, ‘A Table with Delights’, by our Vice President, Jonathan Casson.
Today the Society and its guests (mixed lunch) were treated to an array of wines from around the world.
We started with a 2021 Riva Dei Frati DOC Prosecco Rose Extra Dry Millesimato from Vento. A bright and vibrant pale pink prosecco. Aromas are delicate, with typical floral hint of rose, fruity with notes of peach and red berries. Flavours are soft and well structured, fresh and harmonious with a fruity finish. The ladies across the board enjoyed the bubbles. The bubbles complemented the canapes which were varied from anchovies on toast, Taramasalata and Spanakopita.
A 2015 Tyrrells Belford Chardonnay 13% was selected to go with the entrée. Pale, bright green colour, the nose is intense with white peach, some citrus, dry straw and delicate oak in the background. The palate is not unlike a Semillon in that there is a dense and robust nature to the fruit weight, with bright acidity. These rich flavours are balanced nicely by the textural elements from the solids ferment, and extended time on yeast lees.
Main was served with the often-seen wines at the Society:
2021 Domaine Melanie & Daniel Bouland, Morgon Bellevue Sable Beaujolais Cru (Gamay) 13%. This was a medium-to-deep ruby colour, nose of red cherry, strawberry, black pepper, and a bit floral; palate is medium-bodied, smooth, dry, acidic, with mild yet noticeably tannin; pleasant, long finish, with fruit followed by spice. A number felt it was a flavour bomb.
2016 Massolino Dolcetto d’Alba 14%. This was aromatic and fruity, with flavours of plums and black cherries, as well as aromatic violet and herb characteristics bouncing around the palate. Soft tannins and balanced. It has a long freshness with chalky acidity, made from Dolcetto vines.
2013 Ch Raymond-Lafon 13.5% (375ml) Sauternes. What a great way to finish a lunch. This wine has been in the cellar for a little while and it doesn’t disappoint. Still drinking super well, We were treated to a fruit salad of flavours apricot, tart plum and orange marmalade with a full bodied structure of mineral and sweetness, with a lush texture finely balanced by mouthwatering acid.
