Gourmet Traveller Feburary 2016

CHINESE NEW YEAR GATHERING Sizzling cumin lamb (RECIPE P127) Fried rice with crab, egg and cucumber (PICTURED; RECIPE P119) Stir-fried black fungus with ginger, garlic stems and snow peas (RECIPE P120) Mango and papaya with coconut tapioca and lime syrup (RECIPE P106) A celebration calls for sparkling wine – foaming purple sparkling shiraz would be great with that sizzling lamb. Then offer the best, most venerable bottle-aged Hunter sémillon you can find with the rice and fungus. And finish with a glass of golden sweet botrytis sémillon. SUMMER BARBECUE Vietnamese noodle salad (RECIPE P48) Pork skewers with young coconut and pineapple salad (RECIPE P47) Melon and frozen yoghurt sundae with lime-vanilla caramel (PICTURED; RECIPE P47) This barbecue is all about freshness, so make sure all the wines on offer are…

Suddenly the days seem short? And while you’re rested and relaxed from the summer break, it may be time to shift a few kilos, too? (Yes, we’re looking at you mince pies.) Thank goodness, then, that it’s time for this Fast and Fresh issue – it’s designed to usher you into the new year with clean and quick food ideas that are short on time but big on flavour. It might be one of Michael Bacash’s fabulous fish recipes – Melbourne’s seafood master shares tips and tricks on page 108 (his Lebanese-style pan-fried snapper is at the top of my to-cook list.) Ben Devlin of Cabarita Beach’s Halcyon House brings his creative flair to quick eats (page 92), Lisa Featherby fires up her wok for new-look stir-fries on page 116…

SOPHIE DENING Writer Sophie Dening is a native Londoner and a lifelong lover of Provence and its hidden Vaucluse region. “It’s a thrill simply to drive out to market in the morning, or look for a winery up a farm track,” she says. “There’s a secretive, protected feel to the terrain and, in summer and autumn, it’s almost cartoonishly fruitful – loaded cherry and fig trees, lavender and vines as far as the eye can see.” Dening’s tour of unspoilt Provence starts on page 144. AMY CHANTA Chef and restaurateur Amy Chanta is the founder of Chat Thai, one of the most respected Thai restaurant brands outside Thailand. It comprises five branches of Chat Thai around Sydney, plus Assámm diner, the Samosorn food hall, and Jarenchai, a Thaitown grocery housing…

LIVER, FAVA BEANS, CHIANTI A recent cinematic celebration at Melbourne institution Gerald’s Bar manifested not only in the staff (manager Daniel Docherty as a blood-spattered John McClane; founder Gerald Diffey in Ray Winston’s Sexy Beast get-up, gold knickers and all), but also the menu. The standout? A Silence of the Lambs tribute rendered in chicken liver parfait topped with a nice Chianti jelly. Gerald’s Bar, 386 Rathdowne St, Carlton North, Vic, (03) 9349 4748 PAT NOURSE MORETON BAY BUG, GRAPEFRUIT, SAMBAL MAYO Tempura-battered bug comes to the table topped with green papaya and chunks of pink grapefruit. Do we dunk it in the nicely spicy sambal mayo? Or opt for the peppery rice vinegar dipping sauce? There are no wrong decisions here, people. Kiyomi, Jupiters Hotel, Casino Dr, Broadbeach, Qld,…

From bottles and casks to juice-boxes, cold-brew coffee is on the move. Gone are the days when grabbing an iced-coffee meant ducking into the servo. Today, a cold coffee is more likely to mean a house-made honeycomb-infused single origin in a hip flask (à la Single Origin Roasters), or a long-neck of triple-filtered grounds, steeped for 24 hours until the juice turns a clear crimson red (as at Canberra’s Two Before Ten). Around Australia, cafés and roasters are turning to refreshing cold drip for its smooth finish and clean taste – not to mention the convenience and longer shelf life. “Cold coffee is more stable over time than, say, a long black or a latte,” says Lee Safar, creator and founder of Elixir Specialty Coffee in Sydney. “This gives people…

WHEY ABOVE GT’s resident cheese expert Will Studd shares his expertise for a masterclass at Melbourne’s Eureka 89 on 8 February. In collaboration with Essendon cheese shop Harper & Blohm, the evening includes wine matches and views over the city. Tickets cost $120. eureka89.com.au *TACO EMOJI* As part of the Perth Writers Festival, From Paddock To Print on 20 February explores great food writing and how it has been influenced by social media across a feast of workshops, tastings and exhibitions. Tickets from $10.50. perthfestival.com.au GIN & JUICE You have until 14 February to team a visit to the Grayson Perry exhibition My Pretty Little Art Career with an Archie Rose gin cocktail at the Museum of Contemporary Art’s pop-up Gin Garden. The exhibition continues until 1 May. mca.com.au GO…