Gourmet Traveller August 2015

HEARTY WINTER DINNER Broccoli soup with crème fraîche and hazelnuts (PICTURED; RECIPE P46) Beef Bourguignon (RECIPE P57) Rhubarb and strawberry lattice pie (RECIPE P178) Start with the yeasty, briny, apple-scented tang of a good fino Sherry: the 15-plus per cent alcohol will help thaw those winter chills. Then open a bottle of top-quality, full-bodied shiraz with the beef braise. And finish with a glass of fine pommeau (a blend of apple juice and apple brandy). PREPARE-AHEAD LUNCH Pumpkin, Gorgonzola and rosemary pie (RECIPE P109) Butter lettuce and dandelion salad with hot bacon dressing (RECIPE P118) Rhubarb, strawberry and pink peppercorn crumble with chamomile ice-cream (PICTURED; RECIPE P102) Sparkling wine is lovely at lunchtime and the only preparation needed is chilling. Pink Champagne, cloudy funky pet-nat, dry red lambrusco – all…

This year is no exception. The range and quality of new restaurants that have opened in the past 12 months and the number of exciting chefs coming through the ranks are extraordinary, and that’s to say nothing of the established players who deliver year in, year out, all the while creating new benchmarks. Newcomers to the game this year include an edgy African eatery in Adelaide and a wine-centric 15-seat bolthole in Byron Bay; a gang of Italian brothers in the outer Melbourne suburb of Beaconsfield punching way above their weight with an out-there dégustation menu, and a grilling maestro in Sydney’s Surry Hills turning the coals like no other. And that’s just the beginning. Congratulations to all the finalists in the 2016 Gourmet Traveller Restaurant Awards; shining a light…

CLAIR WEAVER After being bitten by the travel bug as a 17-year-old backpacker, Clair Weaver became a flight attendant to see more of the world. But journalism was her true calling. Now an award-winning journalist at The Australian Women’s Weekly, she jumped at the chance to travel to the US ski resorts of Aspen and Crested Butte for GT (page 138). “It was such an adventure,” she says. “We skied beautiful terrain, and a peek into the lives of the rich and famous was a bonus.” AIMEE JONES Sydney-based stylist Aimee Jones has spent the past 13 years freelancing for Australia’s premier lifestyle magazines. “Working on Gourmet Traveller is the ultimate,” she says. “Whether it’s refashioning products or sourcing one-off pieces, there’s so much room to be creative.” Jones pulls…

KOKOTXAS AL PIL-PIL Great vinyl. Great vibes. Great snacks. Great hooch. The San Sebastián outpost of Gerald’s Bar has everything you’d expect as a devotee of the Melbourne mothership. But authentic Basque food? If this lunch special of hake throats, slippery and mushroom-like in a silken pil-pil sauce from El Bulli-trained local chef Loren Herrero is any guide, it’s the real deal. Topa! Gerald’s Bar, Iparragirre 13, San Sebastián, Spain, +34 943 083 001 PAT NOURSE VIETNAMESE BLOOD SAUSAGE There’s plenty to love on chef Thi Le’s modern Asian menu at Anchovy, but perhaps it’s the gorgeously textured spicy Vietnamese blood sausage topped with a sliver of fresh ginger and wrapped in a crisp cosberg leaf that gets the most love of all. Anchovy, 338 Bridge Rd, Richmond, Vic, (03)…

Aussie chefs making waves in Bali. Australia’s hottest new dining suburb is Seminyak. Well, at least our chefs are flocking to Bali in record numbers to join the island’s thriving restaurant scene. Jane and Geoff Lindsay opened Saigon Street in June, a “street-style” incarnation of their Melbourne Vietnamese eatery, Dandelion. “Dandelion is more focused on the imperial food of Hue, more like royal cuisine,” Geoff says. “Our Bali model is more like the bia hoi menus of Hanoi.” The MoVida crew is on its way, too, with co-owner Andy McMahon revealing he’s opening in the Potato Head Beach Club complex in Seminyak later this year. Maurice Terzini hopes to have Da Maria, a tropical offshoot of his Bondi pizza venue, Da Orazio, open by December. He has been travelling to…

ANTHONY PUHARICH, BUTCHER What’s the key to nailing a really good classic Sunday roast? First, and it almost goes without saying, buy the best-quality meat you can afford. Speak to your butcher about what you’re thinking of cooking and what he thinks is best on the day. Something on the bone will make your roast a bit more special – not only does it look impressive, it’ll also make for juicier, tastier meat. Make sure the meat has an even fat coverage, which will naturally baste the roast while cooking. For consistent doneness, take the meat out of the fridge 20 minutes before it goes in the oven. Another way to guarantee even cooking is by investing in a good meat thermometer. Ideal internal cooked temperatures for beef, lamb and…