Innholdsfortegnelse for October 2015 i Gourmet Traveller

SEAFOOD LUNCH Niçoise salad with albacore tuna (PICTURED; RECIPE P50) Snapper and mussel pie with baby vegetables, chervil and tarragon (RECIPE P120) Frozen lemon nougat with walnut praline and raspberries (RECIPE P122) The best match for Niçoise is pale, dry rosé made from full-flavoured grapes such as mourvedre: it’s the pink wine synonymous with Provence. The same wine – or a light, fresh, crunchy pinot noir – would also be great with the fish pie. Wash dessert down with sweet muscat, Beaumes de Venise, another southern classic. FRENCH-STYLE AFTERNOON TEA Chocolate-coffee crêpe cake (PICTURED; RECIPE P113) Ginger madeleines with spiced crème Anglaise (RECIPE P150) Paris-Brest with hazelnut praline cream (RECIPE P145) Crème caramel (RECIPE P65) As well as tea (black, with lemon) and coffee (dark and strong), offer a range…

GREEN BEANS, CAVIAR AND GARLIC FLOWERS Mauro Colagreco’s eye for outstanding vegetables means that the star in this summery dish isn’t the caviar so much as the humble green bean – in this case tiny baby beans plucked from the Ventimiglia market just over the border. Sublime stuff. Le Mirazur, 30 Avenue Aristide Briand, Menton, +33 4 9241 8686 PAT NOURSE SCALLOP AND SMOKED BONE MARROW Hold the bubbling Gruyère and breadcrumbs – Esquire’s pared-back version of coquilles St Jacques gets my vote. Pristine roe-on Tasmanian scallops cooked in their shells with a lick of smoky bone marrow for richness. Pass the rye sourdough and mop up those juices. Esquire, 145 Eagle St, Brisbane, Qld (07) 3220 2123 FIONA DONNELLY FRIED CLAMS A jumble of oh-so lightly battered and crisply…

Brentwood bicycles and baguettes are all very well, but there’s something chic about contemporary Parisian style sur la table . 1 Mantis table lamp, $975, from Ondene. 2 Fibi crystal candlesticks, large $125 and small $95, from Parterre. 3 Tsé & Tsé big sparkling glass, $135, from Space Furniture. 4 Wine glass, $15, from Honeybee Homewares. 5 Wine jug, $185, from Space Furniture. 6 Lobmeyr crystal Alpha pitcher, $225, and tumblers, $85 each, from Ondene. 7 Black glass urn, $175, from The Country Trader. 8 Gold cutlery, $49 for a five-piece place setting, from West Elm. 9 Mirrored glass tray, $129, from West Elm. 10 Pink linen napkins, $25 each, from Pure and General. 11 White organic-edged breakfast plate (top), $26, and dinner plate, $39, from The…

CATCH OF THE DAY Join Ryan Squires, owner-chef of Brisbane’s Esquire, at Gourmet Institute on 28 October as he talks us through the ins and outs of cooking with sustainable seafood. He’ll be at Harvey Norman Aspley. Tickets are $60 from eventopia.co. FACE FIRST Over four days in October, a host of Australian artists (including our very own art director, Anna Vu) will join forces to bring you For the Face, a Sydney exhibition exploring food in art, design and lifestyle. There’ll be a string of weekend workshops (cheesemaking with Full Circle’s Kristen Allan, for example) and a gallery shop. The fun runs from 8-11 October at Create or Die, 10 Mitchell St, Marrickville, Sydney. createordie.com.au THE SWEETEST THING Melbourne pastry maven Pierre Roelofs hosts another string of his popular…

1 Salt & Pepper fromage rectangular wooden board, $89.95, from Myer. 2 Barton marble rectangular board, $69.95, from Country Road. 3 Have You Met Miss Jones blue chopping board, $38.95, from The Bay Tree. 4 Caravan black marble cheeseboard, $54.95, from Papaya. 5 Brooklyn Slate Co cheeseboard, $59.95, from Simon Johnson. 6 Marble Basics equilateral triangle trivet, $75, from Koskela. 7 Véronique Maire for Y’a Pas le Feu au Lac serving platter, $80.50, from Top 3 by Design. 8 Boska “Petit Paris” oak cheeseboard (comes with a cover), $99.95, from Royal Selangor. 9 Flip Flop Slip round platter, $110, from The Fortynine Studio. 10 The Big Chop round Tasmanian blackwood cheeseboard, $69.95, from Wedding List Co. 11 Black and white marble cheeseboard, $55, from Weylandts. 12 Marble cheese set, $16.95,…

Darren Robertson and the Three Blue Ducks gang have spread their wings this year, and now divide their time between their home base in Sydney's beachy Bronte and The Farm, their new establishment just outside Byron Bay (the fact that there's quality surfing in both locales, ladies and gentlemen, is by no means a coincidence). The Ducks have had an affinity with the land all along, but now that they've expanded their holdings from a patch out the back to some serious acreage, their food is fresher than ever. Make the most of the season with the fun and flavoursome likes of raw flank steak with salsa verde and pickled carrots. EVENT DETAILS CHEF DARREN ROBERTSON TOPIC SPRING HARVEST LOCATION HARVEY NORMAN @ DOMAYNE, 84 O’RIORDAN ST, ALEXANDRIA, NSW DATE…

1 Asparagus and goat’s curd tartines 2 Poached prawns with cucumber, chervil and lamb’s lettuce salad 3 Eggs piperade 4 Leek and parsley soup 5 Roast chicken with tarragon butter and Dutch carrots 6 Lamb racks with white beans and pistou 7 Mustard-crusted roast beef with peas à la Française 8 Seared tuna with potatoes, baby beans, frisée and olive vinaigrette 9 Roast strawberries with crème fraîche and candied fennel seeds 1 Asparagus and goat’s curd tartines New-season asparagus and goat’s curd make a perfect pairing, though poached eggs with this dish also wouldn’t go astray. Makes 8 (pictured p55) 8 thick slices sourdough bread Olive oil, for drizzling 1 garlic clove, halved 3 bunches asparagus, tough ends trimmed 200 gm goat’s curd Herb salad 1 cup (loosely packed) mixed…

One of the most famed French desserts, crème caramel – a winning combination of just two components – is testimony to the notion the simplest things are often the best. And of course success lies in making each of these components, custard and caramel, the best they can be. Starting with the custard, the first step is to whisk together the eggs and sugar, and I find for the best result the mixture should then be left to stand for a few hours so the sugar dissolves completely before adding the milk. You can make a successful crème caramel without this step, but taking the extra time makes for a glassy, shiny-looking custard with a smoother texture. The custard can be made and refrigerated for two to three days. In…

Look, touch and smell the natural rind growing on the outside of any artisan or traditional cheese and you’ll find important clues about what lies beneath. With the exception of rindless cheese such as feta or fresh curd, a protective rind defines the type, character and maturation of specialist cheese, and provides an essential guide to its quality and flavour. Cheesemakers have a diverse variety of rind options to play with. These include natural rinds containing yeast, mould and bacteria, traditional natural inert coverings such as charcoal, leaves, cloth and bark, and modern protective barriers such as plastic and wax. The rind they choose depends on the type of cheese and how much control they want over the ripening process. Many traditional cheeses employ ingenious natural coverings developed long before…

Great and small True to its name, Smalls is a wine bar that keeps things compact. The sharply fitted-out room seats just 24, the menu is a single sheet and the bottle list stops at two expertly focused pages. With clever wine-friendly snacks (soy-pickled mushrooms), an interesting list of à la mode labels by sommelier Wiremu Andrews (formerly of Rockpool) and a cleverly designed room, it’s hard not to agree Smalls is beautiful. Smalls, 20 Yarra Pl, South Melbourne Moving and shaking The new city laneway digs for Lee Ho Fook are roomier, more comfortable and better-looking than the former Collingwood site but the best news is that co-owner-chef Victor Liong is now working in a modern, purpose-built kitchen and his food is thanking him for it (as are we).…

Pro Provini Spaghetti carbonara! No cream, no chicken, no nonsense – the holy grail for many a pasta lover now has a home in Canberra at Provini, a new restaurant on the site of former Garema Place landmark La Scala. The place has a pleasant buzz, and there’s smart pizza (we like the Vesuvio, topped with potato, ’nduja and rosemary), a big rib-eye to share, and a scattering of good things on the wine list. Provini, 50 Bunda St, Canberra, ACT, (02) 6154 9720 Master blaster This being Surry Hills, some readers might see a BDSM overtone in the name of Master. Given the modern-Chinese theme, we’re guessing it’s more a reference to masterstock, but we can attest that service is submissive while former Momofuku chef John Javier’s big flavours…

What are your favourite pours right now, Rami? The 2014 vintage of Massolino Dolcetto d’Alba is one of those gluggable kinds of wine. And your favourite food-and-drink pairing? Our Clare Valley beef tartare goes really well with a 2012 Morgon Côte du Py gamay from Jean Foillard. Delicate wines for delicate dishes. Who are your current winemakers to watch? Boutique winemakers like Fraser McKinley from Sami-Odi and Abel Gibson from Ruggabellus. They’re reinterpreting classic styles while staying true to the Barossa. And what should we be drinking now that the weather is warming up? I’d be looking at some nice muscadets from Loire. And, being in the Barossa, riesling is always fantastic. Vintners Bar & Grill, 752 Stockwell Rd, Angaston, SA, (08) 8564 2488 EMMA HUTTON…

ACT Fyshwick 80 Collie St, (02) 6126 2500 NSW Alexandria 84 O’Riordan St, (02) 8339 7000 Auburn 103-123 Parramatta Rd, (02) 8748 4200 Belrose 4-6 Niangala Cl, (02) 9479 8800 Caringbah 212 Taren Point Rd, (02) 8536 5200 Castle Hill Home Hub Castle Hill, 16 Victoria Ave, (02) 9846 8800 Gosford Cnr Pacific Hwy & Manns Rd, West Gosford, (02) 4337 4800 Kotara 18 Bradford Cl, (02) 4941 3900 North Ryde 31-35 Epping Rd, (02) 9888 8888 Penrith Harvey Norman Centre, cnr Mulgoa Rd & Wolseley St, Jamisontown, (02) 4737 5000 Warrawong 119-121 King St, (02) 4255 1800 QLD Bundall 29-45 Ashmore Rd, (07) 5553 2100 Fortitude Valley Homemaker City Fortitude Valley, 1/1058 Ann St, (07) 3620 6600 Maroochydore Unit 14 Maroochydore Homemaker Centre, 11-55 Maroochy Blvd, (07) 5452 1400…

Paris-Brest with hazelnut praline cream Paris-Brest is a classic for good reason – light-as-air choux pastry rings filled with hazelnut praline cream are hard to beat. Extra praline scattered inside adds a little unexpected crunch. Prep time 50 mins, cook 45 mins (plus cooling) Makes 8 200 ml milk2 egg yolks, plus 1 extra, for eggwash(see cook’s notes p200)70 gm caster sugar35 gm (¼ cup) cornflour150 ml thickened cream, whipped to soft peaksCoarsely chopped hazelnuts and icingsugar, to serve Hazelnut praline 170 gm caster sugar170 gm roasted hazelnuts Choux pastry 100 gm butter, diced200 gm (1 2/3 cups) plain flour4 eggs, at room temperature 1 For hazelnut praline, stir sugar and 40ml water in a saucepan over medium-high heat until sugar dissolves, then brush down sides of pan with a…

I’m swimming in a field of merlot. Not literally, of course, although given how much “vin du jardin” I’ll be drinking tonight it’s not that far from the truth. What I mean is I’m swimming in a 20-metre pool set in a vineyard above the city of Bordeaux, surrounded by merlot vines, birdsong and the pealing of church bells. Bumblebees kiss roses in a garden beside me. Soon I’ll retire upstairs to my hotel suite, one of 18 designed by starchitect Jean Nouvel in the style of an old tobacco-drying barn, and dress for dinner prepared by the hotel’s starred chef. Our hotel, Le Saint-James, is in the commune of Bouliac, the “balcony of Bordeaux”. It’s our first stop on a week-long drive through south-western France following a route du…

When the Zetter Hotel in London’s Clerkenwell district opened in 2004 it was a hit for its chic looks, affordable prices and, since 2010, its restaurant by chef Bruno Loubet. In 2011 the hotel expanded with Zetter Townhouse in the same Georgian square, which added more rooms plus a cool cocktail bar. Now a third branch has opened, in Marylebone – close to Hyde Park, Marble Arch station and the West End’s shops and nightlife. Zetter Townhouse Marylebone’s 24 rooms are styled in a quirky faux-Edwardian look that highlights the grandeur of the six-storey building. There’s no restaurant, but the bar is cutting-edge. Rooms from around $560, 28-30 Seymour St, London, thezettertownhouse.com…

For a Sunday out with the family, the October Giant Picnic at Sydney’s Barangaroo Point Reserve (4 October) serves up picnic food such as smoked fish from John Susman. Gardener, chef and holistic teacher Shelley Pryor hosts an Organic Living Retreat at Gwinganna (1-4 October). There’s nothing restful about this year’s Melbourne Festival (8-25 October); an extravagant program of dance, theatre, and arts popping up across the city. Don lederhosen at the Brisbane Showgrounds for Oktoberfest (9-11 and 16-18 October); or in Sydney, beer block parties are the calling cards of Sydney Craft Beer Week (17-25 October). Chef Shannon Bennett swaps Melbourne’s CBD for the blue lagoons of Laucala Island resort in Fiji (23-25 October); fishing tours and cooking demonstrations are part of the long weekend. Join Parisians in Montmartre…

FOOD Supernormal Andrew McConnell captures Melbourne’s favourite modern-Asian diner in his new book, and we’ve got its party-friendliest picks. Celebration cakes Regardless of whether you still count candles, the cake can still maketh the party, and not least these beauties. Party sandwiches Kick it off with luxed-up clubs, chill it out with mozzarella and lemon toasties, and take it everywhere in between with these soigné bites. This Must be the Place Sydney’s hottest new cocktail talent has all your party-starting needs ready to rock. Who’s thirsty? TRAVEL Spice queen There are pakoras and lassis, samosas and bhel puri. But above all there’s goat on the menu as we join British-Indian chef Anjum Anand on her search for Hyderabad’s finest biryani. Road to Mandalay In the land of a thousand pagodas,…

met a handmade platter that didn’t say “buy me”), so it’s only natural that we would come to thinking about designing our own ceramics. In this issue we launch the Gourmet Traveller Signature Collection by Robert Gordon Australia (see page 100). Our first range brings a modern, handcrafted sensibility to the ritual of afternoon tea with cake stands and plates, platters and serving vessels in a chic muted palette. A collaboration between Gourmet Traveller and Robert Gordon, a third-generation production pottery, each piece of this collection has been designed and handmade in the company’s Melbourne workshop. On behalf of the GT team I’d like to extend a very big thank-you to sales and marketing manager Sam Gordon and head of design and development Kate Gordon for helping us realise our…

Top croissanterie: bigger than ever. They’re the Melbourne croissants that are so good they draw a queue before dawn. Now comes news the sibling team behind Lune Croissanterie are moving in October from their tiny Elwood digs to a warehouse in Fitzroy. “We’re going to be dancing the line between making people happy we’ve moved to Fitzroy and making them angry we’ve sold out too soon,’’ says co-owner Kate Reid, who kickstarted the croissant cult after serving an apprenticeship at Paris bakery Du Pain et des Idées (see more on page 160). A partnership with local café proprietor Nathan Toleman helped procure the Rose Street warehouse. But the man behind Top Paddock and Kettle Black is not about to be the Svengali who sends an artisanal product into mass production.…

What’s on the plate at France-Soir in October? We do a lot more salads and ceviche during spring. Asparagus is the vegetable that I really get excited about. White asparagus, in particular, is very special – the season is short and I like them with black truffles and vinaigrette. After almost 30 years in the game, what is it about France-Soir that keeps piquing diners’ interests? The consistency of having the same chefs for more than 29 years; people don’t have to think twice about coming because they know that they can order from our menu for 12 hours each day, every day of the week. What’s your go-to dish when you touch down in France? The first thing I look for is chicken, so Le Coq Rico in Montmartre…

A bitter and refreshing spring tipple. Sullivan Doh, manager and co-founder at Le Syndicat, one of the most talked-about new bars in Paris, uses only French products in his drinks. In the Gen’tonique the base is Bonal (a fortified wine containing quinine) and Gentiane de Pontarlier mixed with a house-made tonic syrup and sparkling water. These bottles can be hard to find outside Europe, though, and homemade tonic isn’t always at hand, so for us Doh suggests the marginally easier-to-find Byrhh in place of the Bonal, Suze (“though it’s a bit sweeter”) for the gentian hit, and a dry tonic such as Fever-Tree for the mixer. Le Syndicat, 51 rue du Faubourg-Saint-Denis, 75010, +33 6 66 63 57 60 > Fill a large tumbler with large ice cubes. Add 20ml…

The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree. Or at least it doesn’t in the case of the new generation of the Perry clan. At the ripe old age of 21, Josephine Perry, eldest daughter of Rockpool Group founder Neil Perry, has become a restaurateur in her own right. La fille Perry’s début, Missy French, brings a polished French-accented package to Sydney’s Potts Point, and there’s no skimping on the glamour. Grant Cheyne, a designer who has done no small amount of work for Perry père, has wrought a chic, contemporary look in shades of grey picked out in careful, elegant lighting. White-shirted staff glide between crisply clothed tables dispensing good drops from a French-Australian wine list put together by Rockpool Bar & Grill sommelier Richard Healy. In the kitchen,…

As chef and owner of Queensland's top-rated restaurant, young-gun Ryan Squires is riding high. But Squires, a graduate of some of the most high-pressure fine-dining kitchens in the world, has never been one to rest on his laurels. Top-quality seafood has always been one of the hallmarks of his cooking, and he knows the best of the catch from Queensland and beyond like the back of his hand.But he's just as concerned with the environmental impact of fishing as he is with the quality of his fish; in this session he'll address the question of how to put something on the plate that's not only simple and delicious, but also environmentally responsible. EVENT DETAILS CHEF RYAN SQUIRES TOPIC SEAFOOD SIMPLICITY LOCATION HARVEY NORMAN ASPLEY, 1411-1419 GYMPIE RD, ASPLEY, QLD DATE…

Most dried legumes need to be soaked overnight, which rules them out for last-minute meals. Not so French-style green lentils, known as vertes du Puy in France after the region where they’re grown (they’re now also grown in Italy, North America and Australia). These small, beautiful lentils have a slightly nutty flavour, don’t need soaking and are quick to cook, so you can have them on the table in next to no time. They have a great texture, too; unlike red or brown lentils, they hold their shape and are less inclined to turn to mush. Lentils take up flavours easily and benefit from simmering in a flavoursome stock. Green lentils are happy dressed in a vinaigrette and served warm or at room temperature, here with roast beetroot and soft…

In the world of growing plants there are two types of people: bean people and tomato people. Between them is a great divide. So come October you’ll need to decide what side of the fence you sit on. Are you a tomato or are you a bean? Of course, we sit on the bean side this month, because the next month is actually better for tomatoes. Yes, we are fence-sitters and proud of it. More tolerant of the cold than tomatoes, beans are a safer bet in early spring. As a flowering plant, they need a sunny spot and free-draining soil. Don’t overdo the nitrogen when you’re preparing the patch – beans naturally produce this element. Only add a moderate amount of compost and position them where your hungry brassica…

It’s almost certainly unfair. And definitely ageist. But when you make a booking at a restaurant called Missy French knowing that it belongs to a 21-year-old first-time restaurateur, you can’t help but expect a certain lightness of touch. A raffish, flying-by-the-seat-of-the-pants quality that has you reaching for those fun, flighty words the French are so good at. What you’ll find instead is a restaurant that’s not so much little-black-dress Chanel but more the beige bouclé jacket end of the register. Rampling rather than Tautou. Chic, yes, but with a certain seriousness. The 21-year-old we’re talking about here is Neil Perry’s daughter Josephine. She was born into the trade, has worked all over her father’s company, latterly on the floor at Rockpool and Spice Temple. She has chosen to embrace the…

Nothing widens the eyes like a Snowgoose Hamper. For 60 years Snowgoose has been gathering the freshest seasonal produce for its oh-so-special fruit hampers. Imagine the crispest apples, juiciest peaches and most succulent cherries — the best picks of the season are thoughtfully arranged and colourfully presented for a lush feast for the senses. It’s the perfect gift for any occasion. To find the perfect hamper for that special someone and to order online visit SNOWGOOSE.COM.AU…

The best way to take all your preconceptions about Bordeaux and shake them upside down is to try the ethereal wines of Château le Puy. The same family has run this estate since 1610 – two and a half centuries before the renowned 1855 classification cemented the reputations of Bordeaux’s lofty First Growth châteaux, Margaux, Lafite, Latour and so on. There’s no architect-designed winery, no consultant helping to craft luscious modern wines to win high scores. Instead, 13th- and 14th-generation vignerons Jean-Pierre and Pascal Amoreau grow grapes and make wine as their ancestors did: biodynamic farming, ageing in big old barrels and in some cases bottling without any additions – including sulphur dioxide preservative – and following the cycles of the moon. Before I first tasted their extraordinary, terroir-driven wines,…

As I write this, there are flaming tyres at the mouth of the Channel Tunnel, lit by striking ferry workers, and a few thousand desperate migrant workers are trying to smuggle themselves onto trucks and trains bound for England. On our side of the channel are motorways being used as a lorry park, and holidaymakers trying to get to France are having days of delay. The press are running bloodshot headlines denouncing France and the French as having descended into chaos and decrepitude: they are incapable of running a country. You would think that this was the fall of the Roman Empire all over again, with the starving and dispossessed Goths, Huns and Alans surging across the Danube for protection and work in the Western empire. This story is the…

Flash in the pan Whether it’s outrageous chocolate-coffee cake or savoury socca, crêpes are enduring crowd-pleasers. Brahimi en famille In his new book, French chef Guillaume Brahimi prepares the dream menus of prominent Australians in their homes. Miracle cures More than a means of preserving, the art of charcuterie bestows new dimensions of savour and texture on meats. Where’s the boeuf ? Beef up your meat repertoire with all-time French favourites – who can go past the likes of steak frites with saucy béarnaise? Let them eat cake From petites madeleines to an ovation-worthy gâteau Opéra, the French kitchen has the pastry world covered.…

Smoked duck breast with pickled grapes Smoking imparts a delicious flavour that enhances any meat. Set your exhaust fan on high and open all the windows, or you can do the smoking on a barbecue outside. The duck here is quick-cured and hot-smoked, and best eaten within a week. Start this a day ahead to prepare the duck and pickled grapes Prep time 30 mins, cook 10 mins (plus pickling, curing, chilling) Serves 4 4 duck breasts (about 180gm each) 60 gm (¼ cup) fine sea salt 20 gm caster sugar 1 tsp chopped thyme 1 juniper berry, coarsely crushed Small handful of smoking woodchips, such as hickory Frisée leaves dressed with white wine vinaigrette, and toasted walnuts, to serve Pickled grapes 150 ml white wine vinegar 50 ml red…

Paris confidential Aussie chef James Henry took Paris by storm at his restaurant, Bones. Here he shares his adopted city’s favourite haunts. Highway to heaven A leisurely road trip from Bordeaux to Limoges promises long lunches, sojourns in châteaux and a ticket to happiness. Salon treatment A private mansion in the 8th, a seductive maison of boudoirs and a Pigalle neighbourhood hangout – three boutique lodgings redefining Paris hotel chic.…

In a city defined by Belle Époque grandeur, the celebrated palace hotels of the French capital are becoming more competitive, investing in more rooms and lavishing attention on ever-smaller details. Recent high-luxe arrivals with 100-plus rooms – The Peninsula Paris, Mandarin Oriental Paris and Shangri-La Hotel Paris – have headquarters in Asia and blend their own sense of style with French character. Hôtel Plaza Athénée, meanwhile, reopened last year after a $320 million makeover of its 154 rooms and 54 suites. And within the coming year, the Crillon and the Ritz are set to emerge from long beauty sleeps. On a scale more petite than palatial, however, are three new hotels that have redefined Parisian hotel chic: a very private mansion at the lower end of the Champs-Élysées, a former…

Artist “I was invited to join a clutch of Australia’s leading landscape artists on a trip to Gallipoli to paint the varying terrains of the Gallipoli peninsula. Many of us had travelled together before, but this trip had quite a different tone to any raucous sojourn in the Australian desert. “It was the centenary of the landing of the Australian troops in the First World War; this was a learning curve steeper than any of us could have imagined – and a great outpouring of works came from this one tremendous trip. “We spent days there in a very privileged position with access to the bushland, beaches and lookouts. From the forests on the hilltops to the high clay escarpments that plunge down to the glistening Aegean Sea, there is…

WINE OVER WATER Leading Australian vintners – Darren Davis and Amy White of Seppeltsfield, Bruce Tyrrell, John Tomich, and Nathan Waks of Kilikanoon Wines among them – will join APT’s new wine ambassador program on its river cruises. The winemakers will sail on select European departures from June next year, with new cruises scheduled for the Douro, Danube, Mosel, Rhône, Rhine and Seine rivers. The ambassadors will host regional wine tastings on board, join guests on vineyard excursions, and choose wine pairings for special dinners. aptouring.com.au CURTIS DÉBUTS Melbourne-born, LA-based chef Curtis Stone has been signed to revamp dining across Princess Cruises’ 18 ships. From this month, Stone’s menus will roll out on Golden Princess, and the chef’s first restaurant at sea, called Share, will open on Emerald Princess in…

Potato blini with smoked salmon and crème fraîche Prep 15 mins, cook 1 hr Makes 12 600 gm Desiree potatoes, scrubbed30 gm plain flour3 eggs2 egg yolks80 gm crème fraîche, plus extrato serve2 tbsp finely chopped chives,plus extra to serve250 gm smoked salmon 1 Preheat oven to 180ºC. Place potatoes in oven and bake until tender when pierced with a sharp knife (45-60 minutes). 2 Halve potatoes, spoon fluffy insides from skins and pass through a ricer or drum sieve into a bowl. 3 Mix in flour, then add eggs, yolks and crème fraîche and combine well. Add chives and season with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Allow mixture to rest for 1½ hours. 4 Place an 26cm Tefal frying pan on medium heat, add a little oil, then…

Qantas’s decision to go back to the future and re-establish its own services on the nation’s busiest holiday routes underscores just how ferocious the four-way battle for travellers’ hearts and minds has become. Soon after Virgin Australia reinvented itself in January 2012 – when it rebranded all-economy Virgin Blue and became a full-service carrier with business class – Qantas had to start recasting its business model in which the main brand concentrated on the corporate market while low-cost subsidiary Jetstar specialised in cheap fares on leisure routes. One of the first pennies to drop for Qantas was that it couldn’t afford to leak market share to Virgin Australia on routes such as Melbourne and Sydney to the Gold Coast, where Virgin would suddenly have a monopoly on business-class service. Qantas…

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…

See France in a whole new way, cruising the rivers of the country’s south with your host and guide Gourmet Traveller’s food and style director, Emma Knowles. First, you’ll trip the light fantastic in Paris, before heading to Bordeaux to embark on a voyage through the charming waterways of the region and on to the equally spectacular Rhône Valley. See the sights and taste the produce of two of the world’s most-fêted food and wine regions; this promises to be a unique culinary journey onboard and off. Kick off the luxury trip of a lifetime here. THE MENU ENTRÉE Twice-baked Gruyère soufflé, sauce soubise, frisée, rocket and toasted walnuts MAIN COURSE Slow-roasted lamb shoulder, herb crust, pomme purée, caramelised baby onions and rosemary jus DESSERT Blood-orange parfait, poached rhubarb and…

ROSA JACKSON Food writer and owner of Nice cooking school Les Petits Farcis, Canadian-born Rosa Jackson explores the new energy of France’s second city, Marseille. “Partly it’s the momentum built last year as the European capital of culture, and partly Marseille is a natural melting pot of a city,” she says. Jackson says she finds the port city more confident and creative than ever, “and still home to some of the world’s best pizza”. She captures the city’s upbeat mood on page 189. DAVID LESER Sydney-based author and journalist David Leser thought he knew a bit about France – until he took to the road in the south-west and fell in love with the country all over again. His route du bonheur, or road to happiness (page 162), took him…

HUGH WENNERBOM, PRODUCE GUY It’s salad season; how do you dress yours? What I know about salads I owe to une femme who took me in as a boarder in Toulouse. Despite falling on hard times, she presented a balanced meal every night. The structure was usually entrée, a simple main course (one night, when we had guests from the country, it was roast pheasant, pick-out-the-buckshot-as-you-eat, with sautéed apples; one of the best meals I’ve eaten), then salad, then fruit. The salad was a mix of soil-grown leaves, bought at the bi-weekly market. My favourite was heart of cos, treviso and rocket, dressed with vinaigrette: a teaspoon of Dijon mustard, salt and pepper, red wine vinegar and olive oil. La femme would clean and dry the leaves, place them in…

Annie Smithers’ charcuterie: coming to a kitchen table near you very soon. WHO Chef Annie Smithers made her name with her eponymous bistro in Kyneton in regional Victoria before opening the French-inspired Du Fermier in Trentham. She and long-time collaborator Angus Beaumont are fiends for charcuterie, and decided to start selling their own. WHY Smithers and Beaumont have nearly half a century of training, technique and skill between them. Working with Western Plains Pork and other local producers in the Du Fermier kitchen, the pair uses tried and tested recipes they’ve accumulated over the years to make fine pastry, and properly seasoned and mixed sausages and terrines that have excellent texture. HOW Hot-water pastry is an art perfected in the pork pies, which are filled with delicious morsels of pork…

MELBOURNE Dinner by Heston Blumenthal opens this month in the former Fat Duck pop-up space at Crown, following the Duck’s recent sell-out antipodean stint. Like the original Dinner in London, the 120-seat Melbourne version will present modern takes on historical British recipes. Executive chef of Dinner worldwide, Ashley Palmer-Watts, will travel between his London base and Australia after spending the opening months Down Under, while the London restaurant’s manager, Jonno Forbes, will relocate to Melbourne. The opening coincides with the reopening of Blumenthal’s renovated The Fat Duck in the UK. BRISBANE Star Brisbane baker Jocelyn Hancock is cooking up a new West End store, her first venue since the sale of Jocelyn’s Provisions in 2009. Cake & Bake will début this month at 296 Montague Road, selling everything from Hancock’s…

OUR APPS Get the Fast recipe app for your iPhone free at the Apple App Store SEARCH FOR GOURMET TRAVELLER IN THE APP STORE; AVAILABLE FOR IPAD: APPSTORE.COM/MAGSHOP Gourmet on iPad + Interactive and made for iPad + Video content and step-by-step demonstrations + Extra images in our photo galleries + Landscape cook-mode for easy cooking OUR WEBSITE GOURMETTRAVELLER.COM.AU BOEUF HEADS Take a bite out of our selection of French beef recipes, with everything from a simple char-grilled sirloin with garlic butter to an ultra-trad pot-au-feu that’s sure to impress. CRÊPES SHOW or savoury , or Take your pick from more than two dozen of our best-ever pancake recipes from around the world – okonomiyaki, dosai and more. JUST THE CURE Big fan of charcuterie but want to try something…

STOKEHOUSE Niçoise salad with albacore tuna LES BISTRONOMES Snapper and clams en papillote with tarragon beurre blanc HELL OF THE NORTH Navarin of lamb SOURCE DINING Dark chocolate délice, salted-caramel ganache and chocolate sorbet “The snapper en papillote at Les Bistronomes is so good I make up excuses to go to Canberra so I can have it. Any chance I can have the recipe?” Barbara Nash, Seaforth, NSW Snapper and clams en papillote with tarragon beurre blanc Prep time 40 mins, cook 50 mins Serves 4 2 whole snapper (800gm each), cleaned 12 diamond-shell clams (see note) Steamed kipflers tossed in a brown butter and chopped flat-leaf parsley, to serve Tarragon beurre blanc 375 ml dry white wine 1 golden shallot, finely chopped 1 each thyme sprig and fresh bay…

“I was trained from a very young age in the art of French cookery and it’s still the backbone of my cooking style and philosophy today. The basis for any good duck confit, a French classic is the fat, and I favour animal fat sourced from pasture-raised animals. Many cooking fats and oils are treated with chemicals, bleached, deodorised and refined, whereas duck fat is simply rendered from the flesh to create a cooking fat in its purest form. Of course, we can’t forget vegetables, and I love a great side dish like this ratatouille – the combination of vegetables delivers such delicious flavour. Tomatoes are a great source of antioxidants and lycopene, capsicum is considered a natural painkiller and, of course, garlic has its potential immune-boosting properties.” Ratatouille Prep…

I’d been travelling happily for four months round India when I found myself in Pondicherry, a very beautiful French colonial outpost. As I strolled around town I came across a beautiful building, made all the more beautiful by the appearance – carved above the door in the stone façade – of large letters spelling out the word CHARCUTERIE. After so long in India I was more than ready to settle down to a plateful of Bayonne ham or to chew on some saucisson sec, so I bounded up to the door and into the building. Blinded by the thought of fromage de tête and cornichons, I scarcely noticed the interior, which should have rung warning bells. A chap appeared by the table and I managed to stay calm as I…

Scott Pickett’s darkly handsome new fine-diner in Northcote is so glamorous that stepping into it from the gentrifying bohemia of High Street gives you the vertiginous feeling of landing in another place entirely. You might even check behind you to see whether all the craft-laden homewares stores and live-music venues are still there. ESP is hushed and earth-toned, with sculptural timber panelling incorporating backlit shelves lined with glasses, a mix of carpeted, timber and polished-concrete floors and circular timber tables bound with thick steel bands. There are elegant Philippe Starck “Passion” chairs (surprisingly comfortable given that they come from the grand master of edgily uncomfortable furniture) and a striking light-fitting hovering above the main dining area – three UFO-like interlocking hoops by Melbourne designer Christopher Boots called Oracle. “Expensive”, it…

One of the ironies of Marco Pierre White’s professional life is that, though he was once England’s most vocal exponent of the power of French cooking, and although he fetishised the Le Guide Rouge perhaps more than any of his contemporaries, he had never actually been to France. But French cuisine was (and is) his passion, and he made his name cooking food that was a hybrid of French tradition (learned from Pierre Koffmann, Albert Roux and Raymond Blanc) and his own peculiar genius. His views on the way restaurants should be run, and on how food should be served are famously particular (the incident in which he threw the contents of a cheeseboard at a wall at Harvey’s, his London three-star, has become the stuff of hospitality legend), so…

1 SLURPY RED 2015 Quarry Hill Lost Acre Tempranillo, Canberra District, NSW, $25 The Spanish red grape tempranillo, with its ripe berry flavours and persistent but mellow tannin, is particularly well suited to the young, juicy, slurpable style of red wine currently in vogue – and this is a gorgeous example of the style. quarryhill.com.au 2 ONE FOR THE CELLAR 2013 A Retief Field Blend, Hilltops, NSW, $28 A highly unusual blend of grenache, mataro, merlot, malbec and tempranillo from a single vineyard, this dark, snappy wine is good now but has the density and tannin to mature beautifully in the cellar for at least the next 10 years. aretief.com.au 3 BRILLIANT BURGUNDY 2013 Benjamin Leroux Bourgogne Rouge, France, $65 There were some terrific top-end wines at a recent Leroux…

Hitting the shelves exclusively at Domayne this month is the Gourmet Traveller Signature Collection by Robert Gordon Australia. The high tea-themed collection – which is handmade here in Australia – comprises eight pieces, including creamers, cake stands, platters and plates in Vanilla, Shortbread, Charcoal and Sage. Fittingly, perhaps, for a line of fine tableware, the collection started as a conversation at the table. In this case the principals were the editor of Gourmet Traveller, Anthea Loucas, and Robert Gordon Australia’s sales and marketing manager, Sam Gordon, having lunch at The Apollo in Sydney. The third-generation Melbourne pottery company’s pieces have been no stranger to our pages over the years, so the fit seemed entirely natural. That was more than 12 months ago, but in a sense the story goes back…

Socca with rosemary and olives Whether socca is a crêpe or a pancake is debatable, but, whatever you call it, this Niçoise specialty is delicious piping hot from the pan, preferably paired with a cold glass of Provençal rosé. Socca is traditionally cooked over coals or in a wood-fired oven, producing a pancake with a smoky flavour and scorched edges. Prep time 10 mins, cook 15 mins (plus resting) Serves 4-6 as a snack 130 gm chickpea flour (also called besan) 60 ml (¼ cup) olive oil Rosemary, extra-virgin olive oil and wild black olives, to serve (see note) 1 Combine chickpea flour and 1 tsp salt in a bowl, gradually whisk in 280ml cold water until smooth, then whisk in half the oil. Place in a jug, cover with…

Beef tartare Tartare condiments such as cornichons are often served on the side, but mixing them in gives the flavours a chance to get to know each other while the dish is coming to room temperature before serving. Prep time 20 mins, cook 8 mins Serves 6 1 kg beef eye fillet, cut into 5mm dice80 gm golden shallots, peeled and very finelychopped50 gm small salted capers, rinsed and drained35 gm cornichons, finely chopped2 tbsp Dijon mustard, plus extra to serve1 tbsp tomato sauce2 tsp brandy1 tsp Worcestershire sauce8 anchovy fillets, finely chopped2 egg yolksTabasco, to taste6 ciabatta slices (about ½cm thick)Olive oil, for brushingCoarsely chopped parsley, to serve 1 Combine ingredients except ciabatta, olive oil and parsley in a large bowl, mix well, season to taste with sea salt…

It was romance that first drew James Henry to Paris. “I initially wanted to move to the southwest of France,” he says, “but I had a girlfriend from Paris so that’s how we ended up here.” The Brisbane-raised chef, whose resumé includes time at Cumulus Inc in Melbourne and The Stackings in Tasmania, kicked off his Parisian culinary career four years ago as chef de partie at American chef Daniel Rose’s Spring restaurant. Then Henry helped launch the acclaimed neo-bistro Au Passage, a week-long stint that turned into a year. “Au Passage was sort of like an instant hit,” he says. “It was fresh and new to the city and maybe a little inventive... The French were always surprised to find out it was an Australian kid in the kitchen.”…

Just when we wondered if Bali could sustain another high-end hideaway, the much-anticipated Alila Seminyak is due to open this month on a stretch of beachfront near Petitenget Temple in the heart of Seminyak’s retail throng. The group’s fifth hotel in Bali is bigger than its usual boutique scale – 240 rooms in signature pared-back style, with a beachfront restaurant, spa, gym and plenty of vertical and rooftop greenery. It’s the first of a trio of Alila openings this year and among 19 properties being developed by 2018. Due to open next month is an Alila city retreat in Solo, Central Java, known for its art scene and an hour’s drive from Borobudur, the world’s largest Buddhist temple. And the group’s first property in China, Alila Anji, is due to…

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NESPRESSO ON VIRGIN At last, a coffee as good at 30,000 feet as the one you’d order on the ground. Virgin Australia has teamed with Nespresso to install purpose-built machines in its new domestic business-class cabins, the first such collaboration in the world. As well as good coffee and hand-delivered meals – trays and trolleys are banished – the business-class cabins on the airline’s Airbus A330 fleet, used primarily on its Perth-east coast routes, have the “longest and widest fully lie-flat bed in domestic business class in the world”, says Virgin. virginaustralia.com.au SINGAPORE’S PREMIUM Singapore Airlines has launched its premium-economy cabins with an emphasis on the package as much as the seat pitch: priority check-in and baggage handling, 35-kilogram allowance, a choice of three main courses and the ability to…

1 Chanel earrings with diamantes, $800. 2 Givenchy silk-crêpe and cotton-piqué dress, $3909, from Net-a-Porter. 3 Dior Addict Lipstick in “Gotha #967”, $52, from David Jones. 4 Lanvin rabbit-felt hat, $690, from Net-a-Porter. 5 Saint Laurent medium-sized camera bag, $1795, from Parlour X. 6 Chloé wool trousers, $1103, from Farfetch. 7 Chanel Le Vernis Nail Colour in “18 Rouge Noir”, $39. 8 Pierre Hardy suede pumps, $791, from Matches Fashion. 9 A.P.C. textured cotton top, $305, from My Theresa. 10 Louis Vuitton Pégase 55 travel case in Epi leather, $6050. Stockists p199 .…

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