Gourmet Traveller August 2016

SLOW-COOK SATURDAY Twelve-hour Indian-spiced lamb shoulder with saffron pilaf (RECIPE P120) Roasted broccoli with roasted sesame sauce (PICTURED; RECIPE P94) Rice pudding fritters with rhubarb and winter strawberry jam (RECIPE P100) Normally I wouldn’t recommend a red wine with an Indian meat dish – the spiciness of the food could clash with the higher alcohol and oak of more traditional Aussie reds – but the juiciness of a light, new-wave unoaked grenache would work very well here. Oh, and with the fritters? A glass of sweet moscato. WINTER WEEKEND BRUNCH Frittata “carbonara” (PICTURED; RECIPE P37) Spinach pancakes with hot sauce and sour cream (RECIPE P110) Brioche apple custard tart (RECIPE P178) Yes, this is a winter brunch, which means you’ll probably want to drink something red and comforting, but I…

There has never been a better time to be a diner in Australia. We’re spoilt for choice with a restaurant landscape that’s the envy of the world, and the constant stream of exciting new openings continues to challenge the status quo. It’s a particularly exciting time because not only are there so many downright excellent experiences out there, but there’s so much diversity, too. Take our restaurant awards, specifically the nominees in our New Restaurant of the Year category, as a case in point. They couldn’t be more different: Igni, a small ambitious dégustation-only diner in the gritty backblocks of Geelong’s CBD; Hubert, the hip, retro-flecked French bistro-bar in Sydney; and Melbourne’s Dinner, the big night-out restaurant at its most luxe, by Heston Blumenthal’s team. They all deliver and they…

JANA WENDT Journalist and writer Jana Wendt negotiated the slippery stone stairways of the Italian city of Matera for our feature on page 158. The labyrinthine city is characterised by its sassi, or caves – first inhabited in the Paleolithic era, largely abandoned by the 1950s, and progressively restored in the past few decades. “Matera’s history spoke to me at every turn,” she says. “Little wonder directors including Pier Paolo Pasolini and Mel Gibson chose Matera as the location for their biblical epics.” SUSAN WRIGHT Australian-born photographer Susan Wright has lived in Rome since 2003, drawn by the city’s artistic and historic depth. For our feature on page 142 she travelled to the sleepy island of Ponza in the Tyrrhenian Sea, equidistant from Rome and Naples. “The Pontine islands are…

OYSTERS, CHESTNUT MILK Move over shallot vinaigrette and make way for chestnut milk. Pacific oysters in peak condition are served resting atop a bowl of chestnut shells. They’re dressed with the milk, which boosts the iodine levels of the oyster, giving them a fresh, wintry twist. Gauge, 77 Grey St, South Brisbane, Qld, (07) 3852 6734 FIONA DONNELLY EMU, POTATOES AND EMU Peter Gilmore, Dan Hunter and Neil Perry knocked the socks off New York, cooking a brunch-barbie for Tourism Australia to celebrate the news that the World’s 50 Best Restaurants moves to Melbourne next year. Attica chef Ben Shewry won the optics with a stunner of a dish combining emu egg and potatoes cooked in emu fat and served in an emu egg. Attica, 74 Glen Eira Rd, Ripponlea,…

New World whiskies are making a splash. In your late-night rambles through Australia’s whisky bars, you may have spotted bottles of Japanese White Oak or French Armorik dotting the shelves among the Bourbon and rye, the Irish blends, the Aberlour and Aberfeldy. “New World whiskies are an emerging trend that’s been building in Australia for eight or so years,” says Dave Withers, production manager at Sydney’s Archie Rose Distilling Co. While there’s plenty to be said for the traditional drams from Scotland, Ireland and America, the innovative likes of Tasmania’s cool-climate drops, Sweden’s cherry-scented single malts and the cola-coloured releases from Taiwan are pushing the boundaries of style. “The tried and true are more confined with what they can release,” says Withers, “whereas newer distillers are borrowing from tradition to…

COMFORT COOKING Discover Middle Eastern flavour with Ben Williamson (17 August) and the best pies and puddings with Matt Moran (31 August) as part of August’s Gourmet Institute program. Tickets $60. hn.com.au/ gourmet-institute MEAT SWEATS Plains Paddock Lamb and Yarra Valley Dairy join other artisan, ethical and sustainable producers for the Meat Your Maker festival at Abbotsford Convent in Melbourne (7 August). Along with a meat market and wine bar, Meatsmith’s Troy Wheeler will teach attendees how to break down an animal. Tickets $25. meatyourmaker.com.au THAT’S AMORE Sydney Town Hall gets a taste of la dolce vita when the Italian Wine & Food Festival kicks off (21 August). There’ll be 250 Italian wines on offer, live Italian jazz, a Negroni bar and the Gourmet Traveller Food Market. italianwinefoodfestival.com.au BACK TO SCHOOL…