A home non-bake full of wine

The other day I was organising my preserved grape juice collection into a container (to minimise humidity and god forbid - laundry damp - out of my precious goodies) and, shock horror, could not fit them all in the 80L heavy duty storage tub!! So to rectify this situation, I've decided to share the love! What is the entry price then? Bring me something that matches wine, of course!

Disclaimer: We are not wine connoisseurs, but simply gluttons who aim to taste and try new flavours where we can!  :p

Starting with a foreign unknown - Pouilly Fume, a bottle I bought from a supermarket in France, a quick google search told me that this was a Loire Valley savignon blanc; it was followed by Hunter Valley Semillon (2013 Margan), then a 2014 rose called "Big Men In Tights" from Bloodwood (Orange NSW).

The Pouilly-Fume was nothing like a sauvignon blanc we've ever had: a gorgeous floral and fruity bouquet with a more earthy full bodied flavour than the usual sav-blanc. I'm planning to get a case of this thing when I can. Margan Semillon: fresh, fruity, sharp, very exciting and easy to drink, probably more suited to a summer afternoon, but then again, good wine is enjoyable regardless of season. "Big men in tights" - funny name, but as a normally big bold malbec now restrained into a rose, Bloodwood had created aa gorgeous concoction with more depth and flavour than a normally fruity, light and flighty rose. This was liquid strawberry and cream - delicious and interesting stuff.

What have we got to fill our stomach and satisfy our taste buds?

Lets start with meats. Lots of cured meats. Lovely truffle salami, wagyu bresaola, jamon serano, and "boring" prosciutto... We giggled at the thought that we now consider prosciutto "boring" ... oh how much the food scene has evolved! And it didn't stop there: Orange and duck liver pate was one of those things we must have on a charcuterie spread such as this.


And then there are the cheeses - "boring" brie, "boring" blue cheese, and now a couple of more interesting ones: raclette (Aussie version), traditionally a melting cheese, and one of my favourites - comte (French) which is a slightly crumbly milder version of a parmasen, full of umami and deliciousness.


One beautiful addition to the cheese - goes especially well on blue cheese - truffle honey drizzled all over a crumbly blue - heavenly.

We also had some hot stuff - Arancini on a bed of coleslaw with mustard dressing to cut through the richness, and some incredible mini tartlets of 12 hrs braised beef cheek, caramelised onions and crumbled up blue cheese. THANK YOU to the first time dessertee Anthony - you are SO invited to our future events! 

Moving on to reds - a 2000 vintage shiraz (Limestone Coast South Australia), Argentinian Malbec (Norton Reserva 2006), and finish with St Hugo cabernet sauvignon (Barossa Valley, South Australia, 2006). 

That Wonambi Limestone Coast Shiraz was a blast! Full on vanilla (we know for sure, because of the vanilla pods in my pantry), smooth and silky. The Argentinian malbec was also a well-received drop, not as silky but it was a lot of fun. The highly anticipated 2004 St Hugo Cab Sav was somewhat disappointing though - it felt flat, none of that cellared smooth sophistication either. Either it wasn't cellared enough, or that it had gone past it's use-by date.

It's not a dessert tour without something sweet: Some vanilla and rum caneles, a souvenir from Bordeaux (the molds, that is) and coffee flavoured vino cotto (Maggie Beer's delicious creation) over ice cream. 

I'm looking forward to when caneles become popular like the macarons - they're not as pretty, and definitely limited in flavours (vanilla, mostly), but the fresh canele with a crispy shell and a somewhat gooey center should absolutely trump a fancy macaron. If only I had a bottle of sticky dessert wine like a sautern.....
 
Vino cotto is a wine vinegar reduction similar to caramelised balsalmic, but on steroids. I didn't think coffee would be a flavour that goes with this, but it added much more depth and body to the otherwise (still delicious) sweet-tang. Drizzled generously on ice cream? Heaven. 

To finish off, a drop of port, a bit of gossip, and so ends a brilliant afternoon with a perfect mix of people .... 

CS

SugarRush 2015 - Bistro Mint

As if we haven't ingested enough sugar this month, let alone this year, an invitation from Bistro Mint arrived and who can resist chocolate?

Balmy spring evenings are the best in Sydney. Following some stomach-lining at the Night Noodle Market, we strolled to the oldest public building in the CBD. Sydney Mint was built in the early 1800s, once known as the "Rum Hospital" due to the contractors having been paid with 45,000 gallons of rum! A different kind of alcohol was served on the evening of Sugar Rush, part of the Good Food Month.

Seated on the balcony overlooking Macquarie Street, glasses of Yalumba Museum Reserve muscat were served. Tawny-coloured, it's plumy, chocolatey, a little spicy and very much sticky!

The dessert plate arrived with a dark chocolate dome, its contents in suspense, and a scoop of vanilla bean ice cream topped with honey foam. A hot dark chocolate sauce, with extra vanilla stirred in, was poured over the dome as the show began.

While the chocolate dome melted, the ooh's & ah's were quite audible in the otherwise placid surrounding. The big unveil consisted of a chocolate fudge coin (geddit!) and Merlot gel - rich and tangy all in one hit. Crushed peanuts at the base of the plate gave the liquidy dessert an extra texture kick, as well as adding its nutty fragrance.

It was another beautiful evening to appreciate our wonderful city, made even better by a sugar high! Thank you Bistro Mint for a lovely sweet indulgence!

**Sugar Rush at Bistro Mint is available from 7pm Tuesdays to Fridays until 30 October 2015. For more information, please visit their website.

Hsinner ;)