Interpretation and guidelines from Horst the chef
to the menu
-Spring 2012-
This is , a
bit of food history and modern interpretation, some facts and thoughts about
the menu development. However, most importantly, a serious approach to support
the enjoyment of hospitality and food in McLaren Vale.
Entree
Winefood
BREADzel and Lloyd Brothers olive butter
Bavarian pretzels are made with butter for beer. Our BREADzels
are made with olive oil & wine for the sophisticated food of the McLaren
Vale region.
Smoked
trout pâté with olives & BREADzel
Something old, new again: salmon trout enhanced with
dill, roasted aniseed and fennel, a little sharpness of seeded mustard &
horseradish and a tangy hit of lemon zest, the sauv-blanc and dill jelly on top
rounds up the tasty experience of this pâté.
Venison
pâté with olives & BREADzel
Shiraz-marinated venison liver and
caramelised leek, orange zest, roasted almonds & apples are the secrets of
this fine pâté. The jelly is made with Lloyd Brothers Shiraz, juniper and
venison- beetroot-aroma tea.
Goat
curd pâté with olives & BREADzel
Here it comes, the goat curd in its
mildest form. Garlic can be brutal but here it is, blended in nicely with
spinach coriander and whipped olive oil butter, topped with a well-balanced
roasted almond dukkah.
Vineyard
platter…smoked trout, venison & goat curd pâtés, Serves 2-4
olives and olive oil, almond dukkah & BREADzels
Designed for the elegant and stylish wine of McLaren Vale, all
three pâtés
are well balanced and supportive of your wine tasting experience. Lloyd
Brothers olives and olive oil along with gently-roasted almond dukkah are on
this tasting plate. To complete the dish, you have four winefood BREADzels on a
side plate.
Cheese
platter…two local cheeses and goat curd pâté,
olives and BREADzel
There are so many cheeses on the Fleurieu, it’s hard to choose.
We look for a wine matching duo with characteristics and richness to go with
the balanced goat curd pâté. Please ask your waiter about this week’s cheese selection.
Scallops
& lemon dill crêpes, Noilly Prat vermouth & tomato concassé, daikon citrus salad
Scallops have the most delicate texture of all seafood. Crêpes
have the most delicate texture of all pancakes. Here you have the best of both
worlds, packed with flavours of dill, vermouth and pungent citrus salad.
Quail
terrine & cassis pepper brioche, porcini parfait, fortified shiraz rhubarb
& celeriac salad
A terrine is a fine French “smallgoods” product (some people will disagree with this definition). However, it can be so much more…the quails are
de-boned and filled with quail meat, cream, parsnip, pistachios and fortified
shiraz farce, then gently baked and set to chill. The fine butter brioche is
layered with porcini mushroom parfait, to form a fine savoury “petite four” .The
rhubarb chutney and celeriac salad bring this entree together nicely.
Mains
Rabbit
in pancetta & buttermilk pie, pumpkin fondant & spinach tartello,
warm
Shiraz vinaigrette
Rabbit delivers the most clean and healthy meat…marinated in red
wine reduction and olive oil, it becomes even more interesting. While front
legs are braised in buttermilk and baked on a crunchy mini pie in preserved
lemon pastry, tender pieces of rabbit are wrapped in smoked pancetta. The
spinach tartello rests on a layer of pumpkin fondant, wrapped in roasted sesame
seeds.
Ballotine
of spring chicken, carrot, almond & date tartello, snow pea coulis
A ballotine is simply a part of poultry, stuffed and poached or
roasted. Here we have really small young chickens, the legs are partly deboned
and the breast is herb-flavoured and stuffed under the skin. Caramelised
carrots and dates in verjuice are baked on a thin layer of almond meal bread.
Snow pea coulis is here to bring another texture and fresh colour to this dish.
Fillet
of beef, spring onion & mustard mousse, Shiraz-glazed
heirloom carrots, potato gratin
On the positive side: fillet is the most tender piece of beef. On
the down side: some argue the taste of scotch or sirloin outperforms the
fillet. Here the solution: cooked medium rare first, then covered in taste and
flavour boosting onion & mustard mousse and set on low heat ‘to rest’ until
medium rare to medium.
Rich black paper, rosemary and shiraz-glazed heirloom carrots
deliver more and the final work is done by French potato gratin dauphinoise baked
on light herb & garlic bread. Judge the taste of beef fillet now.
Quail,
parsnip & pistachio farce, roasted apple, leek & macadamia tartello, saffron
emulsion
Quails are deboned and then filled with quail meat, cream, parsnip,
pistachios and fortified shiraz farce.
So far the same technique as the quail we have for entree.
Difference is the entree terrine is finished in a special baking form and set
to chill. For your main, each bird is cooked individually and served with leek
quiche lorraine, roasted apple and macadamia tartello. Saffron emulsion is the
prosperous friend of the well known garlic aioli. OK before I get hit by a
celebrity chef I better explain: not garlic as in aioli, but saffron infused olive oil emulsified with egg yolk and verjuice to a fine but
tasty sauce.
Fish
of the day, dill & preserved lemon butter, paella rice & vegetable
tartello, daikon citrus salad
Prawns, snapper, yellowtail, tuna or Atlantic salmon…ask your
waiter what’s on the menu today. However the catch of the day gets its
background flavour from Spanish influences…preserved lemon and dill. Paella
rice is layered on sundried tomato bread and covered with roasted vegetable on
this tartello slice. Also from our Spanish friends…citrus herb salad comes
along in olive dressing.
Vegetarian: carrot, almond & spinach tartello, leek macadamia
tartello, snow pea coulis & vegetables
Gluten
free: all mains can be ordered
gluten-free…we replace gluten-containing food items with seasonal steamed &
roasted vegetables and potato gratin.
Dessert
Lloyd
Brothers Sauv-Blanc cheesecake brûlée, strawberries, lavender honey &
verjuice syrup
The traditional German cheese
cake is modified for McLaren Vale standards with zesty lemon and Sauvignon Blanc reduction. The sweetness is offset further by an extra layer of
caramelised butter icing.
Dark
chocolate & Fortified Shiraz frangipane, drunken pears &
almond blossom anglaise
Dark chocolate, almond, orange, honey,
rosemary, pears & Lloyd Brothers Fortified
Shiraz
frangipane!
Ok, I’ll try to explain why this dish
works: for a start, port/fortified and chocolate is known to spoil our taste
buds. Orange and chocolate make it jaffa-like. Pears and red wine are a classic
combination in French cuisine. And finally, almonds & honey build the
bridge to frangipane, which brings this arrangement together for a potential
signature dish.
Strawberry
Bavarois
This dessert sounds simple and I’d like to keep it that way. However,
some fancy European elements make it interesting for me to cook and for you to
eat. The Bavarian dessert cream is placed on Scottish short bread and covered
with a light French biscuit which is than topped with English trifle jelly.
Belgium chocolate genache on top...
...well, I apologise for not covering all European countries but
as I said, I try to keep it simple.
Add
to your dessert: verjuice & honey
iced parfait
Parfait refers to a frozen dessert based on intense fruit or
other suitable sweet, raw ingredients. I like the Fleurieu sweet honey, offsetting
it by a fruity fresh reduction of verjuice, some free range egg yolks and
Fleurieu cream, lifting the flavour base to a fluffy, creamy iced dessert,
similar to Italian semifreddo.
34 Warner's
Road, McLaren Vale SA 5171, Ph 08 8323 8792
No comments:
Post a Comment