Innholdsfortegnelse for March 2016 i Gourmet Traveller

EASTER LUNCH Celery heart, charred treviso, and egg salad (RECIPE P40) Suckling lamb roasted with chamomile (PICTURED; RECIPE P144) Piperade (RECIPE P142) Chocolate mousse cake (RECIPE P89) The flavours in this menu lend themselves to Spanish grape varieties and wine styles. Try a cava or other light, dry sparkling wine – or a bone-dry fino or manzanilla sherry – with the salad; a full-fruited, supple but firm tempranillo with the lamb and piperade; and a treacly black Pedro Ximénez sherry with the mousse cake. CHOCOLATE TEA PARTY Chocolate raspberry meringue cake (PICTURED; RECIPE P107) Black Forest roulade (RECIPE P105) Chocolate truffles (RECIPE P186) All good tea parties should involve a bottle of bubbles. Try a young, slightly sweet sparkling shiraz with the cake, then offer a small glass of young,…

ALL THE CHOCOLATE Some people kicked off the year with a cleanse; I ate chocolate. We’ve sourced chocolate from more than 40 producers around the country for our tasting on page 76 so GT HQ has been flooded with the small-batch, the hand-tempered, the single-origins and all manner of variations. My favourites? Sue Lewis, Wawa and Bibelot for their beautiful packaging, Fortunato No 4 dark for the 3pm fix and Winnow’s Cherry Ripe-esque raspberry and coconut just because. MAGGIE SCARDIFIELD THE BAYTIME When is a chocolate dessert not a chocolate dessert? When the chocolate isn’t chocolate, but rather the grain freekeh, toasted to a nutty, chocolatey brown, and used to enrobe peanut-milk ice-cream and caramel on a twig of lemon myrtle. Team Noma likens it to a Gaytime; the look…

How would you describe your style of cooking? Mediterranean. That’s what I grew up eating and it’s what I feel comfortable with. Garlic and good olive oil are always the first things I reach for when I cook. How does Australian oil stack up against Italian? Olive oil is very delicate. The fresher, the better, which is why I’m a huge advocate of Australian oils. We get ours cold-pressed from McLaren Vale. What can we expect on the menu this month? This is the time of year when we like to get creative. We recently found a nearby supplier that does alpaca. I’m hoping to serve it with some Australian natives like lemon myrtle, pepperberries and paperbark. It’s such a beautiful and flavoursome meat. What’s the Jonah’s signature? Our menu…

A zesty autumnal sipper balancing light and bright with Southern charm. Pink Moon Saloon’s patron saint of cocktails, co-owner Marshall King, is going green – a vibrant, shamrock green – and there isn’t a drop of Chartreuse in sight. “For our Sugar Pea Southside cocktail, we combine sweet but savoury sugar snap peas, aromatic gin and citrus – all of which are very good friends in the glass.” King recommends Archie Rose Signature Dry Gin for notes of Dorrigo pepperleaf, lemon myrtle and river mint. Pink Moon Saloon, 21 Leigh St, Adelaide, SA, pinkmoonsaloon.com.au > Blend 2 cups of raw sugar snap peas with 1 cup each sugar and cold water until sugar dissolves. Pass the mixture through a fine strainer. Combine 45ml pea syrup, 50ml dry gin…

There are many ways to get your daily dose of vegetables. Mark Best likes his in dessert. “It’s a little different, but they can be so delicious and sweet,” he says, ever the contrarian. To celebrate the launch of his second cookbook, Best Kitchen Basics, we’ve teamed up with the Sydney chef to present a six-course reader dinner at Marque, featuring some of his favourite cook-at-home recipes taken from the new book, including a surprising vegetable number to finish. “They’re not high-end restaurant dishes,” he says. “Good cooking is not about luxury ingredients. It’s a response to what you have.” Best Kitchen Basics exalts simple ingredients with the twist of innovation we’ve come to expect from the rogue chef. Fermented chickpea falafels and slow-cooked lamb shoulder with daikon in a…

Whether you love, hate or are ambivalent about kale seems to hinge on how long you’ve known it, and the relationship you’ve shared with it. If you have lived in the UK and tried allotment gardening, for example, you’d know that kale is about the only thing that survives during the winter. In this case it will rekindle memories of cold, wet winters infused with the smell of boiled kale. Most Australians, however, would have become familiar with it in the last decade and nowadays it has taken on superfood status. In my youth, I knew kale’s Italian cousin, the sexier-sounding cavolo nero. I love eating raw broccoli, cauliflower and cabbage – in fact, anything from the brassica family – so kale always has a place in my garden. I…

“I have skin-contact sauvignon blancs in the ‘amber’ section and low- or no-sulphur sauvignons in the ‘weird’ section.” Sauvignon blanc has an image problem in fine-wine circles. It’s the most popular commercial white wine in Australia. We guzzle an ocean of it every year, mostly in the form of cheap supermarket bottles from Marlborough in New Zealand. But its ubiquity is its undoing: familiarity, for some, has bred contempt. Snooty wine lovers and sommeliers dismiss the grape’s fruity charms, claiming the wines it produces are boring. And as a result you can struggle to find sauvignons in some of our top restaurants. Unless, that is, the wines have been made using unconventional techniques. The modern mainstream sav blanc – clear, crisp, fruity – relies on safe handling in the winery:…

I don’t like the country. I don’t mean I don’t like my country or your country, though I wouldn’t say my friendship with either is unquestioning. It’s the countryside I can do without. Why do we call it countryside? Is it because it gawps like a lumpy hitchhiker beside the road, the road that goes from one city to another? The space in between cities beside the motorway where the urban loses the will to live and just dumps its rubbish. That’s the countryside. We generally see the rural from behind speeding windows or from 30,000 feet. We regard it with mixed emotions: distaste and gratitude, mostly. Is country just beside the point? The point being where the point has always been: built in concrete and glass and air-conditioning. When…

Prepare to be happy. This layered chocolate mousse cake has a lovely texture and rich chocolate flavour, yet is simple to make. The beauty of it is that it can also be made ahead and frozen in preparation for a special occasion and, of course, it’s perfect for Easter feasts. For the cake base, I like to use a roulade sponge – it has no fat content so it can be refrigerated without becoming hard, and it has a lovely light texture that balances well with mousse. Whisk the yolks and some of the sugar in an electric mixer on medium speed, being careful not to overwhisk or the sponge will be dense; this goes for whisking the eggwhites, too – just whisk them till they hold stiff peaks. When…

Many’s the chocolate fan who would say their substance of choice is something best savoured as simply as possible (and there’s a hardcore to that group who would likely add “preferably alone” to that picture). Then there are those of us who are content to get our fix any way we can take it, or – better still – thrill to the wonders our country’s most talented chefs can work with chocolate, spinning it into remarkable new forms. Happily, the only correct response to offer here is “we’ll take one of each”. And, no, we won’t be sharing. Wattleseed custard with Daintree chocolate, GOMA This clever wattleseed custard dessert evokes the outback and almost looks painterly enough to share gallery space with Rover Thomas’s Barramundi Dreaming. Originally conceived for…

“It’s the chocolate serious people are ashamed of and its persecutors will accurately observe that ‘it’s not even chocolate’.” White chocolate. It’s always been the poor cousin of the chocolate family. Dark chocolate – with its hardcore fans intently monitoring cocoa-solid content as it rockets through 70, 80 and 90 per cent towards its ultimate bitter target of 100 – is the rock star. It’s bloody hard to offend anyone with dark chocolate. You can use it unimpeachably of course, in countless desserts. You can put it in savoury dishes. You can even eat it and remain smug about your dietary health, like those Paleo types and sugar-dodgers. (Indeed, every month or two someone releases a study concluding that dark chocolate is good for fending off Alzheimer’s, or maintaining gum…

Brunch with punch Long weekends are made for leisurely brunches and we’ve got the goods to get you jumping out of bed. Farm to table Chefs Darren Robertson and Mark LaBrooy of Three Blue Ducks at The Farm have the recipe for fun, big-hearted dining. Easter lunch is sorted. Best practice In his new book, Best Kitchen Basics, chef Mark Best shows how to elevate the everyday simply with good cooking. It’s thought for food.…

Mark Best is being sanguine about his first book. Prod him on the subject of Marque: A Culinary Adventure and the Sydney-based chef concedes that maybe in 2011 the world wasn’t quite ready for recipes that didn’t stoop to offer anything so banal as a list of ingredients. “I thought I was doing the world a favour by writing them that way, and that by decoding them the readers would own them, but in fact I just made people hate me more,” he says. “If that was possible.” In Best Kitchen Basics, by contrast, he has gone with the radical approach of writing ingredient lists and methods that the reader can readily follow in the conventional manner. The constants across the two books – and Best’s career, both at Marque…

I first came to San Sebastián by accident. It was six years ago, and my flight was delayed leaving Europe because of the volcanic eruption in Iceland. We ended up with a few days spare at the end of the trip, and just headed up from Barcelona for a lark. As soon as I arrived, though, I thought, “I have to spend more time here.” I was struck by the fact that it’s a small town but it has everything – the beaches, the architecture, culture, art, music, great bars and extraordinary food. The Basques are both inward-looking and very international at the same time. You’ve got wild architecture and art like the Kursaal and the Chillida sculptures next to very traditional buildings and work. It’s the same with the…

Bags packed? Join Gourmet Traveller Journeys by Abercrombie & Kent. Former Sydney-based jewellery designer Rebecca Raft will open her riad in the Moroccan city of Fez to travellers on a new bespoke tour by Gourmet Traveller and luxury travel company Abercrombie & Kent. An insider’s tour of the city’s medina by Raft, of Bouvier Jewellery, is among the highlights of small-group tours exploring the culinary and cultural traditions of Morocco as well as India. In Morocco, the journey begins in Casablanca, and takes in the ancient cities of Chefchaouen, Volubilis, Fez, Meknes and Marrakech. Highlights include a night at a desert camp and private access to the cellars of the Royal Mansour in Marrakech. In India, the flavours of Delhi, Agra, Jaipur, Udaipur, Mumbai and Goa are explored in street-food…

RIVER RUNS Two new river-cruise ships will join the Evergreen Tours fleet next year: the 138-passenger Emerald Liberté and the 112-passenger Emerald Radiance. The vessels have been custom-built to sail Evergreen’s latest destinations – France’s Saône and Rhône rivers and Portugal’s Douro River. evergreentours.com.au RUBENS AT SEA The most popular museum in the Netherlands will come to life at sea in a new partnership with Holland America Line. Reproductions of some of the Rijksmuseum’s most famous paintings will be installed throughout the MS Oosterdam during its dry dock next month. On-board art workshops and guided presentations from museum staff are also part of the Rijksmuseum at Sea concept, which is expected to roll out across the entire fleet in the next few years. hollandamerica.com HIGH KICKS AT SEA The MSC…

1 Begg & Co “Trevanny” wool and cashmere scarf, $135, from Mr Porter. 2 Kaufmann Mercantile handmade pewter flask, $106. 3 Burberry London wool-blend sweater, $835, from Mr Porter. 4 Omega Speedmaster Co-Axial Chronograph, numbered edition, in titanium, $11,875. 5 Rick Owens Geobasket leather trainers, $1,304, from Mr Porter. 6 Cedes Milano bamboo corkscrew, $580, from Matches Fashion. 7 Acne Studios “Miles” wool beanie, $190. 8 Louis Vuitton “Christopher PM” backpack in Damier Graphite canvas, $4,150. 9 Aesop Resolute Hydrating Body Balm, 500ml, $103. 10 Country Road chinos, $99.95. 11 Mulberry Clipper leather holdall, $2,733. 12 Tom Ford cotton shirt, $911.17, from Mr Porter. Stockists p183 .…

Acne Studios (02) 9360 0294, acnestudios.com Adairs 1300 783 005, adairs.com.au Aesop 1300 721 754, aesop.com Amedei (02) 9699 5600, lario.com.au Anvers Confectionery (03) 6426 2958, anvers-chocolate.com.au Bahen & Co (08) 9757 1034, bahenchocolate.com The Bay Tree (02) 9328 1101, thebaytree.com.au Becker Minty (02) 8356 9999, beckerminty.com Belle Fleur (02) 9550 0650, bellefleur.com.au Bibelot (03) 9690 2688, bibelot.com.au Bison Australia (02) 6257 7255, bisonhome.com Burch & Purchese (03) 9827 7060, burchandpurchese.com Callebaut mayers.com.au Cioccolato Lombardo (03) 9826 2092, cioccolatolombardo.com Citta Design 1800 256 723, cittadesign.com Claypool claypool.com.au Country Road 1800 801 911, countryroad.com.au Cuvée by Deniz Karaca (03) 9776 9223, cuveechocolate.com.au The DEA Store (02) 9698 8150, thedeastore.com De De Ce (02) 9360 2722, dedece.com Design Mode International 1800 084 258 Design Twins designtwins.com Dinosaur Designs (02) 9698 3500, dinosaurdesigns.com.au…

working with the team on this chocolate special, I have a new appreciation for this confectionery which brings so much joy to so many. My chocolate dessert game has certainly received a kick thanks to inspiration from Emma Knowles and Lisa Featherby in their choctacular food feature, which begins on page 100 – chocolate honeycomb, semifreddo and, of course, the ultimate brownie are now part of my repertoire (just in time for Easter). In other chocolate-related news, we wrap up the country’s best desserts (page 92), chocolate shops (page 80) and bars (page 76), Annabel Crabb makes an argument for much-maligned white chocolate (page 99) and Fergus Henderson tells of his quest for perfect chocolate ice-cream (page 90). Also in the issue, Gourmet Traveller’s chief critic Pat Nourse reviews Noma…

From Bourdain to Batali – chefs are called to the food court. With a wave of new food halls slated to open here and abroad in the next few years, the spotlight (albeit a fluorescent one) is turning towards quick, communal and casual eats. Is the food court the new food truck? Toby Wilson, former owner of Sydney’s Wedge Espresso, thinks so. The chef opened Ghostboy Cantina in Sydney’s Chinatown in February, serving a mix of Cantonese and Central American-inspired street food from a shop in Dixon House food court. “Food trucks can cost $100,000 to set up, and for markets you need all the equipment and a kitchen to prep in,” he says. “A spot within a food court is a pretty good entry into that world if you…

CLASS ACTION Pâtissière Lorraine Godsmark hosts a chocolate appreciation class, Chocsessive, on 14 and 15 March. The evening is one of the various “show and tell” nights on the jam-packed March into Merivale program. Tickets are $75. marchintomerivale.com.au UNDER THE STARS The team behind Diner en Blanc Sydney launch A Moveable Feast on 12 March with a Riviera-themed picnic on Bondi Beach. Tickets are $220, including food and drinks. amoveablefeastevents.com.au DINNER DATES As part of the Melbourne Food and Wine Festival (4-13 March) Epocha, Mamasita, Baby, Le Bon Ton and The European will each have food stalls at the Gourmet Cinema, an outdoor movie theatre at Caulfield Racecourse 2-6 March. Each night one restaurant will curate three dishes to match with the evening’s film screening. gourmetcinema.com.au; melbournefoodandwine.com.au…

Their various nicknames – prawn-killer, pissing shrimp, sea locust, thumb splitter among them – obviously weren’t dreamed up with marketing in mind, but mantis prawns have their dedicated admirers. Chef Chase Kojima, of Sydney’s Sokyo and Kiyomi on Queensland’s Gold Coast, is a fan and snaps up any mantis prawns Sydney fish supplier Narito Ishii can get his hands on. “It’s traditionally eaten as sushi – you get it live, boil it, peel it, and then roast the shells to make tsume (a sweet teriyaki-style sauce made from soy, mirin, sake and sugar),” says Kojima. Dan Hong (of Mr Wong and Ms G’s) says mantis prawns are only occasionally available in Sydney, as a by-catch of eastern king prawns. “They’re very perishable out of the water – only the big…

1 Donna Wilson “Beardy Man” eggcup, $25, from Space Furniture. 2 Huon Pine eggcup, $22, from Indeco. 3 Design Letters AJ eggcup, $59.95 for a set of two, from Design Mode International. 4 Rice hen-shaped eggcup, $29.95, from Outliving. 5 Dressed Marcel Wanders for Alessi white eggcup, $47 with spoon, from Top3 by Design. 6 Art Deco silver eggcup, $295, from Greene & Greene Antiques. 7 Marimekko “Oiva” eggcup, $39 for a set of two, from The Bay Tree. 8 Coastal blue eggcup, $13, from Le Creuset. 9 Lucie Kaas Bordfolk “Girl” eggcup, $34.95, from PoppyShop. 10 Lucie Kaas Bordfolk suit “Boy” eggcup, $34.95, from PoppyShop. 11 Rice heart-shaped eggcup, $28.95, from Outliving. 12 Badger ceramic eggcup, $25, from Third Drawer Down. 13 Cara wooden eggcup, $20, from Mr Kitly.…

SON IN LAW Crisp barramundi fillets with roasted chilli, mint and coriander MOMOFUKU SEIOBO Jerk pork chop with lime OSTERIA OGGI Celery heart, charred treviso and egg salad SPICE TEMPLE Chinese pavlova “Son in Law’s barramundi fillets have just the right amount of spice and zesty lime. I’d love to serve the dish at home. Can you help?” Jennifer Collins, Richmond, Vic Crisp barramundi fillets with roasted chilli mint and coriander Prep time 20 mins, cook 20 mins Serves 4 as an entrée or 2 as a main course 1 tbsp uncooked glutinous white rice (see note) 1 kaffir lime leaf, chopped 1 tsp finely chopped lemongrass 1½ tbsp fish sauce 1½ tbsp lime juice 3 tsp tamarind water (see note) 1 tsp roasted ground dried chilli, or to taste…

It was a game of wine-bar snap when Embla and Marion opened within months of each other. Both are headed by acclaimed restaurateurs: The Town Mouse’s Christian McCabe and Dave Verheul at the former; Andrew McConnell at the latter. Both have wine lists that showcase small producers and minimal intervention; both have a French connection; both emphasise that they’re bars first and foremost (Embla doesn’t take bookings), though their short, sharp menus of wine-focused food are certainly a major part of the appeal. Given the match-up, it’s tempting to sift the tea leaves for signs of a new epoch in Melbourne dining. Established players taking it down a notch? A Parisian-influenced wine bar in every stable? Wine bars with food morphing into food bars with wine? But Embla and Marion…

This year I chose to mark Australia Day not by jumping off the roof into the pool wearing a flag as a cape or drinking Passion Pop from the bottle on the beach topless while smoking a Winfield Blue. (Been there, done that.) Instead I decided to have lunch at a restaurant opened by a Danish-born chef of Albanian-Macedonian descent backed by an American hedge-funder on a site named for an Eora woman of the Cammeraygal clan. Cammeraygal women were said to have tried to lure white men ashore in 1788 so the clan’s warriors could attack them, but they were above all women of the sea. They worked their boats and fished with skills that dazzled the colonists, getting around Sydney’s waterways in canoes, some of their craft tricked…

1 FINE FIANO 2015 Jericho Fiano, Adelaide Hill, SA, $25 I’m very impressed by the latest releases from this new label, established just a few years ago by the experienced Jericho wine family. As well as this lovely perfumed, textural white, look out for a juicy but savoury tempranillo. jerichowines.com.au 2 YARRA “CLARET” 2014 Tokar Estate Carafe and Tumbler, Yarra Valley, Vic, $25 Follow the label’s advice. Invite some friends around, pour this medium-weight-but-firm blend of shiraz, tempranillo and pinot noir into a carafe, and take it and some tumblers (and a pizza or two) out to the garden or deck, and just enjoy it. tokarestate.com.au 3 JUST ADD SODA Red Økar, SA, $39 A fabulous new “amaro” made in the Adelaide Hills by the crew behind Unico Zelo wines,…

1 Pilu at Freshwater extra-virgin Italian olive oil, 500ml Jayne Bentivoglio at Rylstone Olive Press makes this oil for Sydney chef Giovanni Pilu. Made with Australian-grown olives, it’s soft and peppery, and just waiting to be drizzled over a salad or served with bread. “I used to believe the best oil was Italian but Australia is producing outstanding examples, and you can’t argue with freshness,” says Pilu. 2 Montalto olives These olives grow wild at the Montalto winery in Victoria’s Red Hill. They’re hand-harvested, cured and marinated with rosemary from the estate garden. Perfect for Easter aperitivi. 3 Salumi Australia cacciatorini, 290gm Hints of red wine and spice feature in this rustic Salumi Australia cacciatorini, which is produced in the New South Wales Northern Rivers region from 100 per cent…

Bean-to-bar. Single origin. White, dark or milk. Truffles, freckles, blocks and brownies. Tempered, buffed and ready to roll. Bunnies, eggs, baubles and bonbons. You want fine chocolate, and these dedicated professionals are here to give it to you. Take no prisoners. NEW SOUTH WALES KAKAWA Kakawa chocolatier and pastry chef Jin Sun Kim worked under Swiss-trained master chocolatier Keith Hurdman at Melt in London’s Notting Hill. Together with her partner, David Ralph, Kim has brought some of Notting Hill’s white-painted English charm to her two Sydney shops. The Darlinghurst site is where everything is handmade; Kim and her three chefs can be seen making (then serving) truffles, say, so as you satisfy your cacao craving you can quiz them on what’s in the rocky road (a dark house-blend of Valrhona,…

“ They say that chocolate produces the same effect on the body as being in love. And, like love, chocolate is essential to happiness. ” I was young and carefree eating in Harry’s Bar in Venice with my mum and dad. Michael York was at the next table and I thought how good it was, eating with d’Artagnan in the room. The scene was set for a significant culinary moment, and boy did it come. That moment was a chocolate ice-cream that imparted total and utter satisfaction. I was already a chocolate enthusiast, but instead of quenching my chocolate thirst, this excited it unforgettably. There are many types of chocolate ice-cream, starting with the pointless and tasteless. This is stuff that should never be allowed to call itself chocolate ice-cream;…

A tribute to Max Schubert Penfolds celebrates Max Schubert with a new range, the first Penfolds wines named after a winemaker and a mark of the esteem in which he is held by the winery and fellow winemakers alike. Penfolds’ chief winemaker for 37 years, he is best known for creating Australia’s flagship red wine, Penfolds Grange. He also pioneered the Penfolds Bin wines, starting with Kalimna Bin 28 Shiraz in 1959. A master of the art of multiregional blending, Max nurtured the spirit of innovation, which continues at the winery to this day, and the Penfolds winemakers and viticulturists today are proud custodians of his legacy, celebrated with this landmark commemorative range. Honour roll Max Schubert joined Penfolds in 1931 as a messenger boy, becoming chief winemaker by 1948.…

Chocolate and blackberry tart Be sure to blind-bake the pastry until light golden so it will be crisp once the filling is cooked. Cool the tart completely before you serve it, and if it’s a hot day place it in the fridge to help set the filling. Prep time 20 mins, cook 1¼ hrs (plus resting, cooling) Serves 8-10 (pictured p100) 180 gm dark chocolate (55%-60% cocoa solids) 85 gm butter, diced 4 eggs, separated 50 gm caster sugar 80 ml ( 1/3 cup) pouring cream, whisked to soft peaks 200 gm blackberries, plus extra to serve Shortcrust pastry 250 (1 2/3 cups) gm plain flour Scraped seeds of 1 vanilla bean 150 gm chilled butter, diced 1 egg 1 For shortcrust pastry, process flour, vanilla seeds and a pinch…

BLAT salad Bacon, lettuce, avocado and tomato: it’s pretty straightforward – delicious. Use free-range bacon, preferably from a smokehouse if you can find it, and whichever tomatoes are ripest on the day. Prep time 20 mins, cook 20 mins Serves 6 200 ml olive oil200 gm thinly sliced rindless streaky bacon200 gm Vienna-style white bread, diced 1 garlic clove, crushed 6 cups (loosely packed) mesclun700 gm mixed cherry tomatoes, halved 4 oxheart tomatoes, cut into wedges 2 avocados, cut into wedges Buttermilk dressing 130 ml buttermilk 2 tsp Dijon mustardJuice of 1 small lemon 2 tbsp mellow-flavoured extra-virgin olive oil 2 tbsp finely chopped chives 1 Preheat oven to 150C. Heat 1 tbsp oil in a large non-stick frying pan over high heat and fry bacon in batches, turning occasionally,…

Sunday 2 October: Arrive Colombo Arrive in Colombo and transfer to your hotel in Negombo. The rest of the day is at leisure. Monday 3 October: Negombo An optional half-day city tour to the Colombo residence of renowned Sri Lankan architect Geoffrey Bawa. Later, meet Geoff Jansz and your travelling companions for a beach reception and welcome dinner. Tuesday 4 October: Cultural Triangle Breakfast poolside, then a visit to Lellama Fish Market to buy fish for a cooking class with Geoff. Travel to the Cultural Triangle and your rural retreat set in paddy fields. Wednesday 5 October: Cultural Triangle Learn to cook kiri bath (milk rice) and its associated dishes. Visit a home to try local delicacies. Geoff gives a cooking demo, then visit the fifth-century city of Polonnaruwa. Thursday…

SHENZHEN TO SYDNEY Known as China’s Silicon Valley, Shenzhen is a new hub for Guangzhou-based China Southern Airlines, which has launched three direct flights a week from Sydney to the city of 10 million on the northern border of Hong Kong. csair.com/au MELBOURNE IN STYLE Emirates has boosted its presence in Melbourne by adding a second daily A380 flight to Dubai this month, replacing an existing flight on a smaller aircraft. As well, the carrier has opened a new lounge at the airport; able to accommodate 241 passengers, it’s one of the carrier’s largest and follows recent upgrades of Emirates lounges in Perth and Heathrow. PLANES, TRAINS Travellers flying to Italy and France can book seamless air and train travel on Emirates’ website with Italy’s Trenitalia and France’s SNCF, which…

Ballantyne The spreadable premium dairy range of butter from Australian-made, family-owned company Ballantyne comes with added olive oil or avocado oil to enhance the creamy texture and flavour. ballantyne.com.au Domayne Organise your bathroom or ensuite with this range of minimalist counter-top accessories. As stylish as they are functional, these chic accessories will keep your bathroom tidy and beautiful. From $19.95. domayne.com.au Winning Appliances Discover the latest in laundry technology. Now, with the Refresh Butler from V-ZUG, your high-quality fabrics can enjoy anti-crease, sanitising and drying treatment at home. winningappliances.com.au Harvey Norman The Beautyrest Black Boston medium queen ensemble combines the Pocketed Coil body support system with a luxuriously soft Cloud Top layer. Priced $3999.harveynorman.com.au Kailis These “Eclipse” earrings by Kailis make a sophisticated statement with their asymmetrical design in 18ct…

MEASURES & EQUIPMENT * All cup and spoon measures are level and based on Australian metric measures. * Eggs have an average weight of 59gm unless otherwise specified. * Fruit and vegetables are washed, peeled and medium-sized unless otherwise specified. * Oven temperatures are for conventional ovens and need to be adjusted for fan-forced ovens. * Pans are medium-sized and heavy-based; cake tins are stainless steel, unless otherwise specified. COOKING TIPS * When seasoning food to taste, we use sea salt and freshly ground pepper unless otherwise specified. * To blanch an ingredient, cook it briefly in boiling water, then drain it. To refresh it, plunge it in plenty of iced water (this stops the cooking process), then drain it. * We recommend using free-range eggs, chicken and pork. We…

Raspberry chocolate truffles Fresh raspberries add lusciousness to these rich chocolate truffles, while cacao nibs add crunch and texture. You can roll the truffles into balls or shape into rough quenelles with a spoon, as we’ve done here. Toss them directly into rich Dutch-process cocoa, or, for another layer of texture, roll first in melted chocolate and then into the cocoa. Store in the fridge in an airtight container for up to two weeks – although we doubt they’ll last that long. Prep time 20 mins, cook 5 mins (plus chilling) Makes about 20 200 ml pouring cream 30 ml raspberry liqueur, such as Framboise or Chambord 340 gm dark chocolate (55%-65% cocoa solids), finely chopped 100 gm raspberries, coarsely crushed 2 tbsp cacao nibs (see note) Dutch-process cocoa, sieved,…

JESSICA REFTEL EVANS AND MARTIN REFTEL Jess Reftel Evans and Martin Reftel met while studying photography at RMIT and the couple now work as a team. “This way we get to see each other at work every day,” says Jess. After eight years living in London they returned to Melbourne three years ago, lured by “friends, family and lifestyle”. In this issue they shot the city’s best chocolate shops. “Bibelot was visually stunning, and I loved the guys at Monsieur Truffe,” says Jess. See page 80. GERALD DIFFEY A player on the Melbourne hospitality scene for more than 25 years, British-born Gerald Diffey has been ahead of the curve on everything from craft coffee and laneway dives to baking and wine bars. Exporting a version of his eponymous hit Carlton…

Is 70 per cent cacao best for cooking? The world of cocoa is as complex as that of coffee. For some reason, 70 per cent has become the catchcry, the pass mark by which chocolate dishes are judged. Well, sometimes rules should be broken. The best chocolate to cook with is not 70 per cent alone: it’s difficult to use, and in a ganache it tends to split. Processing can make a huge difference to the final result, too. The percentage only gives a relative idea of the sweetness, not the flavour or quality of the beans. It’s the norm to use different chocolates for different recipes, be it a filling or a tempered shell. The reasons for using good-quality chocolate remain the same, however: good snap, shine and flavour…

Collaboration and couverture are the magic ingredients in these rich truffles WHO In 2015, Daniela Mazzone switched her creative focus from writing to chocolate when she started Chocolat by Daniela from her home kitchen in Adelaide. The self-taught chocolatier cites trial and error as her main guide. “Although I had some mentoring from my wholesaler, who has years of experience, I had very little knowledge of couverture to begin with,” she says. “It’s a very precise art.” WHAT Mazzone specialises in hand-rolled, ganache-centred truffles. The chocolates are made using premium couverture from Cacao Barry, and are flavoured with liqueurs, rose petals, spiced nuts and dried fruit. When it comes to choosing her fillings, Mazzone likes to experiment with South Australian-produced ingredients, including gin from boutique distillery Kangaroo Island Spirits, craft…

HONG KONG Australian chef James Henry has swapped Paris’s 11th arrondissement for Soho in Hong Kong. The former Bones and Au Passage chef is set to open Belon on Elgin Street this month, a Parisian bistro favouring French classics and an all-natural wine list. BRISBANE Paul McGivern, owner-chef at East Brisbane’s The Wolfe, describes the aesthetic at his new digs as “Queensland luxe”. The 55-seater replaces Egg Bistro and offers the likes of barbecued duck with figs and a cherry gastrique, and seared sea bream with pipis, zucchini flowers and saffron. The wine on offer suitably favours pinot noir and chardonnay. NEW YORK David Chang’s Momofuku Nishi has opened in Manhattan’s Chelsea with former Momofuku Ko chef Josh Pinsky taking the reins. Italian food is given an Asian spin with…

1 Peppers and eggs 2 Corn and avocado soup with goat’s feta 3 Linguine with pesto 4 Chicken, radish and bean salad with tarragon dressing 5 Steak with zucchini and blue cheese salad 6 Chicken schnitzels with cabbage and grape salad 7 Spanish saffron rice with chorizo and prawns 8 Fish with tahini sauce, pomegranate and fennel 9 Figs, blackberry and mascarpone sablés 1 Peppers and eggs For nice, neatly centred yolks, stir the eggs for a minute when you first add them to the water. Serves 4 (pictured p43) 1 tbsp olive oil 6 mixed capsicum (yellow, red or orange), seeds discarded, thinly sliced 2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil, or to taste 1 tbsp white wine vinegar, or to taste 1 tbsp capers in salt, rinsed and drained 1…

Panama crossing Reasons for braving the stairs at Panama Dining Room increased when Luke Stepsys bought it and installed Ayhan Erkoc in the kitchen. Erkoc’s modern Euro/Scandi-influenced menu includes prettily plated charred kangaroo with oyster leaf and rhubarb, and burrata with shellfish oil and peach, alongside slow-cooked lamb to share. Prices are fair and you can still have a beer and a game of pool. Panama Dining Room, level 3, 231 Smith St, Fitzroy, (03) 9417 7663 French vibe The latest collaboration between chef Ian Curley, Con Christopoulos and Josh Brisbane is French Saloon. Its zinc-topped bar imported from France and bentwood café chairs tap into the theme, as does Todd Moses’s menu. Think smoked duck leg with cherries, beef carpaccio with anchovies and pickled green chillies and whole grilled…

Rise and shine Opened by respected Thai providore Fiat Malaniyom, Sunrise Asian Produce is part-grocery and part-eatery. And just as the shelves and fridges hold the likes of fresh coconut cream and pickled white turmeric alongside confit duck and Valrhona, the menu mixes West with East, offering Iggy’s toast at breakfast, and coconut and banana blossom salad for lunch. Sunrise Asian Produce, shop 1/19-23 Elizabeth Bay Rd, Elizabeth Bay, (02) 9332 2844 Social nobility The last piece of the food-and-drink puzzle has fallen into place at The Old Clare hotel in Chippendale with the opening of Kensington Street Social, from UK chef Jason Atherton. Modelled on London’s Pollen Street Social, it marries a modern international menu with a smart local-leaning list and a likeable have-it-your-way flexible approach to dining at…

WINE INSIDER: MADS KLEPPE, NOMA AUSTRALIA What are you drinking? Yetti and the Kokonut 2015 sercial. It’s full of rich, exotic fruit but still fresh and astringent. Surprising Aussie producers? Monique Millton and Tim Webber of Manon are picking fruit from abandoned vineyards. Most challenging match? The bowl of fruit. There are so many explosions in your mouth, I didn’t want to mess with it. Sydney bars? Love, Tilly Devine, 10 William Street and Mary’s. Can’t wait to return to? Two Metre Tall brewery in Tasmania, to spend hours “nerding” fermentation with Ashley Huntington. Top pairing in Sydney? A Melbourne Bitter and a pie at the Unicorn. Noma Australia, shop 10, 23 Barangaroo Ave, Sydney, NSW, (02) 9188 4100, noma.dk/Australia MAGGIE SCARDIFIELD…

Block party We’ve emerged from our cocoa-induced comas to reveal the best chocolate bars bar none. Choc therapy Chocolatiers are raising the bar – we round up our favourite places to buy the ultimate choc hits. Pantry raider: cocoa Enrich both savoury and sweet dishes with this adaptable ingredient. Masterclass: chocolate mousse cake Chocolate fiends will love the triple-hit in this layered confection. I should cocoa Perfection in matters chocolate is hard to come by, and it shouldn’t be messed with, writes Fergus Henderson. Hot chocolate desserts Whether played off berries and citrus or wattleseed and sesame, chocolate rocks dessert. Discover Australia’s best. Is cocoa the go? In defence of white chocolate: Annabel Crabb makes the case for the controversial confectionery. Excess all…

Sue Lewis is one of the key figures in the chocolate renaissance in the West and her move to a shiny new CBD workshop is good news for Perth chocolate-fanciers. Cocoa is a surprisingly versatile stand-by and it pays to know what you’re getting. Cocoa powder, fermented, dried and roasted cacao beans, ground into a fine powder, comes in several forms, the two most common being natural cocoa and Dutch-process cocoa. Natural cocoa is light in colour with high acidity, while Dutch-process cocoa has been through a washing process, using a potassium carbonate solution, which alkalises it, producing a mellow, earthy flavour and dark colour. We prefer Dutch-process cocoa for the complexity of flavour it adds to dishes and that rich hue. Of course, cocoa comes into its own in…

classic The pinnacle of the new Max’s range, this outstanding wine has been specially crafted to commemorate winemaker Max Schubert and his relentless pursuit of excellence. The Max Schubert Commemorative Release Cabernet Shiraz is a new classic, drinking superbly from now to 2045. RRP $450 tribute Inspired by the spirit of innovation and progress Max instilled in Penfolds, these plush and approachable wines reflect the generosity of spirit that is part of his lasting heritage. Max’s Shiraz, a rich and immediately appealing wine, and Shiraz Cabernet, youthful yet ready to drink now. RRP $34.99 gifted The spirit of giving has been a long-held tradition at Penfolds. Max Schubert and other past winemakers were known to offer unique wines as gifts to colleagues, friends and family. True to its name, Max’s…

THREE BLUE DUCKS LUNCH MENU + RAW FISH, BUTTERMILK, GINGER, RHUBARB AND FENNEL + SPICY BOURBON PORK + WATERMELON AND RADISH SALAD + BARBECUED WHOLE FISH WITH LEMONGRASS AND LIME LEAVES + RED CABBAGE, JICAMA AND CITRUS + OCTOPUS, CORN, MINT AND FARRO + CHARRED PINEAPPLE WITH LEMON AND GINGER GRANITA, CASHEW PRALINE AND THAI BASIL + BEETROOT AND CHOCOLATE WITH BURNT ORANGE Three Blue Ducks chef and co-owner Mark LaBrooy just watched a three-and-a-half metre bull shark devour a 15-kilo kingfish. “He made a real mincer of my dinner,” he says matter of factly. It’s all in a day’s work for LaBrooy and fellow chef Darren Robertson, who moved to the Northern Rivers region of New South Wales 18 months ago to open Three Blue Ducks at The Farm.…

Our man in San Sebastián It was love at first sight for Gerald Diffey, of Melbourne bar Gerald’s, when he first visited the Basque Country’s famed resort town. Here he opens the door to his adopted home. Mountain highs With a cashmere rug and mug of hot chocolate, Eliza O’Hare settles into an armchair adventure through the Canadian Rockies. Let’s go Greek, endaxi? Value for money and improved service are driving Greece’s tourism-led recovery.…

“In June and September we were begging to get rooms on Mykonos and Santorini. There were none. Absolutely nothing.” The Greek Prime Minister, Alexis Tsipras, promised a “national rebirth” for his economically crippled nation when he marked the new year. Other observers from abroad were just as upbeat, though for different reasons. “Greece is the word for 2016” reported the Daily Mirror as new-year bookings from the UK to the Hellenic isles ran hot. “The question really is why shouldn’t you go?” asked the Flight Centre Travel Group, based in Australia and one of the world’s biggest travel agencies, when it predicted this year’s hotspots. Only eight months ago, news headlines were anything but upbeat – “Greece: Can’t Pay, Won’t Pay”; “Greece Closes Banks as ATMs Run Dry” – as…

Marilyn Monroe’s career is in the spotlight in two new exhibitions. In the central Victorian town of Bendigo, a star is reborn. Norma Jeane Baker, aka the 20th-century screen siren Marilyn Monroe, has come to town thanks to an exclusive alliance between Bendigo Art Gallery and 20th Century Fox. Showing from 5 March until 10 July, Marilyn Monroe is an attempt, says senior curator Tansy Curtin, “to represent Marilyn the film star, but also Marilyn the person. To put together a fuller picture of this star who is still so important to us today. What is it about her that still entices us?” Gallery visitors can explore the enduring enigma of Monroe through a diverse show with displays ranging from the mundane – mascara and moisturiser – to the glamorous,…

Farmers, makers and bakers will gather in the gardens at Lake House, in Daylesford, for Macedon’s Regional Producers Day on 17 April. The single-day event features shop-talk with producers over a country-style breakfast, market stalls, a tasting tent and cooking demonstrations. In north-east Victoria, join winemakers to celebrate the vintage at the annual Tastes of Rutherglen festival on 12 to 13 March. Surrounded by vines and rose bushes, festival-goers can taste wines by 17 of the region’s top makers with matched dishes in a two-day, progressive-style lunch, plus a packed program of dinners, live music and masterclasses. lakehouse.com.au; winemakers.com.au…

DON’T MISS Launched early last year, Ploen Rudee Night Market has more local flavour than the nearby touristy Night Bazaar. Buy crafts and handmade clothes, then take a seat on a hay bale at a packing-crate table for snacks ranging from tonkatsu to burgers. It’s open Monday to Saturday from 4pm. Chang Klang Rd LOCAL KNOWLEDGE The north’s finest Lanna food can be found on Chiang Mai’s south-east outskirts at rustic Huen Jai Yong, a favourite of chef David Thompson. On a menu written in Thai, highlights include larb pla nin kua (a spicy minced fish salad) and gaeng kanun (pork rib and jackfruit curry). 64 Moo 4, Buak Khang, San Kamphaeng Rd…

FOOD All the fun of buns Good things, small packages: play it savoury or play it sweet, it’s a win either way with these little bundles of joy. The pasta masters Tipo 00 has seduced the diners of Melbourne with its superb pasta. Learn the secrets of its sauces and noodles alike in this exclusive. Basement brasserie Put a playful spin on French classics with the team from Sydney’s sensational new CBD dining hotspot, Hubert. Frond regards Hot and tender under parmesan and cream, slow-roasted with juicy pork, or fresh and bright with green apple and pumpkin seed, fennel has the versatility that makes it perfect for autumn. TRAVEL Relaxation pose Ruth Ritchie dashes from hot yoga on the coast to high tea in the highlands in a time-poor traveller’s…

Charles Tyrwhitt Charles Tyrwhitt is offering 100 per cent cotton shirts for only $39.95, plus free delivery and returns. Claim the offer and browse the classically stylish men’s and women’s collections at ctshirts.com. Raymond Weil The Raymond Weil Toccata possesses a timeless charm. Made entirely of steel, this watch has a white mother of pearl dial and 91 sparkling diamonds set on the case and dial. Available at gregoryjewellers.com.au. Vitamix Superior engineering meets compact design in the Vitamix S30. It powers through ice and the toughest ingredients to prepare soups, frozen desserts, sauces, dips and smoothies with ease and speed. Priced from $845. vitamix.com.au Ted Baker at Myer Ted Baker’s “Go to Bed with Ted” collection mixes traditional and contemporary influences with an irreverent sense of humour and quintessential British…