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Australian Gourmet Pages Newsletter
 
News & Views 
August 2015
In this issue
Ben Greeno has left Momofuku and after a short period of more or less patient wait time, it's 'welcome Paul Carmichael', a top chef from Barbados via New York. Paul has immediately embraced the new (native) food flavours on offer here and mixes them with his, tropical and rather unusual, flavour palette. So it's hello guava and wattle seeds and first impressions are 'wow'. Let's make it clear that this is not just a chef handover but in essence it's a case of good bye Momofuku and hello Momofuku. This really is a completely new restaurant with a new kitchen brigade and Kyle Javier Ashton now 'mans' the pass and does a bloody good job, too. Don't expect a re-hash of the Momofuku of old but welcome a whole new dining experience with some very exciting new flavours and textures. I was not tempted to review it at this stage as I didn't think it would benefit anyone. Let them find their stride, become a team and then I see the sense in reviewing it. But first impression: right back up to the top!
Cheers and see you there
Franz

The "Hell's" Angels' Share: Speyside Distillery goes full throttle with launch of Beinn Dubh single malt 


It   was not so much the Angels' Share more   the "Hell's" Angels' Share as Speyside Distillery crossed to the dark side to launch its new black whisky -Beinn   Dubh - at Europe's biggest Harley Davidson motorcycle  rally yesterday.
 
The single malt was unveiled to over 3,000 motorbike enthusiasts who gathered in Aviemore in the Cairngorms - the home of the tiny boutique distillery - for the annual Thunder in the Glens event.  
 
Speyside Distillery CEO John Harvey McDonough says there was no better platform to launch Beinn   Dubh than at the   biker rally, which draws Harley enthusiasts and visitors from all over the UK and Europe.  
 
He adds, "Whisky drinkers know all about the Angels' Share - the term for the whisky that evaporates into the atmosphere during maturation -   but with the launch of our new whisky at a motorbike rally, it's possible that the angels who were looking over Beinn   Dubh   were wearing black leathers and biker boots.  
 
"Visitors to Thunder in the Glens have been able to sample Beinn   Dubh over the weekend, and the feedback is that it's a heavenly dram. The colour of the whisky - a very rich ruby-black - has been a real talking point.  
 
"We feel honoured to be part of this fantastic event. There has been an incredible atmosphere in Aviemore, and we are delighted that our new friends from Thunder in the Glens have been among the first people in the world to sample this new single malt."  
 
Beinn   Dubh   was the name given to Ben Macdui - the highest peak in the Cairngorm mountain range - by Professor Norman Collie after his solo climb to the summit in 1891. It translates from Gaelic as the black mountain - a reference to the mystical and spooky atmosphere Prof Collie encountered on Ben Macdui.  
 
Speyside Distillery wanted to recreate the essence of the black mountain in a bottle, and Beinn   Dubh was born. It gets its unusual colouring because it has been finished in toasted port casks from the Douro Valley in Portugal.  
 
Speyside Distillers Ltd managing director Patricia Dillon says, "Like the mountain, the whisky is dark and mysterious. It is very much the whisky of the Cairngorms - the water used in its production is from the Black Mountain itself, and the malted barley is sourced locally.  
"We are deeply passionate about the Cairngorms and our links to this area: the landscape, the history and the people are very much part of the distillery's story. The Cairngorms is a truly magical place and I can understand why thousands of bikers come to Thunder in the Glens   to ride through this beautiful area."  
 
George McGuire, rally co-ordinator for Thunder in the Glens, says visitors were intrigued by the brand new expression from Speyside Distillery.   
"It's a fantastic dram and the colour is so unusual; no one has ever seen anything quite like it. If any whisky was to represent the Cairngorms - this incredible part of Scotland where people come from all over to ride - then it is Beinn   Dubh," he says.  
 
Beinn   Dubh's taste is deep and dark: rich fruits, currants and chocolate dominate at first, but these gradually give way to both bitterness and sweetness. Beinn   Dubh is bottled at 43% ABV and the 70cl bottle has an RRP of £50.  
Speyside Distillery near Kingussie has been in production since 1990 and is operated by Speyside Distillers Ltd.   For further information about Beinn   Dubh, visit  www.beinndubh.com .   

 
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Food-Wine-Travel - Three of Our Favourite Things

 
Cookbook author, freelance writer, and manager of Sydney Seafood School, Roberta Muir, recently launched a weekly e-newsletter and website celebrating three of her favourite things - food, wine and travel ... and who wouldn't concur? "Almost everyone I know enjoys food, wine and travel," Muir says. "We're surrounded by information on these subjects - online and in print - but most people are busy and don't have time to read lengthy newsletters or articles. So I decided to keep mine really short and sweet. Each Wednesday morning I send a brief email with either a 'Top 5' food, wine or travel list or a simple delicious recipe. It's an occupational hazard that I get to eat quite a bit of outstanding seafood ... so I started with my top 5 fish'n'chippers and have a top 5 restaurants in Italy coming up soon, plus I'm working on a piece on sherries and orange wines." Past top 5 lists and recipes are archived on the website for future reference along with copies of her previously published articles on everything from Venetian restaurants to artichokes and the wines of Alsace.
 
The manager of Sydney Seafood School, Australia's largest recreational cooking school, since 1997, Muir holds a Master of Arts degree in Gastronomy from the University of Adelaide and is a trained cheese judge. She is the author of the Sydney Seafood School Cookbook (Penguin/Lantern, 2012) and 500 Cheeses (Quintet, 2010) and co-wrote A Sardinian Cookbook with chef Giovanni Pilu (Penguin/Lantern, 2012) as well as assisting chef Janni Kyritsis with his cookbook Wild Weed Pie (Penguin/Lantern, 2006). Her next book, A Lombardian Cookbook (Penguin/Lantern, 2012) co-written with chef Alessandro Pavoni, will be released in August this year.
 
Her passion for food, wine and foreign culture has led her on adventures through Europe, Africa, Turkey, North America and South East and Central Asia. She lives in Sydney with her husband, photographer and fellow foodie Franz Scheurer of Australian Gourmet Pages, and in her spare time reviews restaurants, is a keen cook and enthusiastic diner.
 
Subscribe to the free e-newsletter on the bottom of any page at www.food-wine-travel.com

 
A Lombardian Cookbook
(Lantern/Penguin, 2015) 
by Alessandro Pavoni & Roberta Muir
 
While Italian regions like Tuscany are instantly recognised and 'emerging regions' such as Puglia are gaining attention, a few of Italy's 20 regions are overshadowed by powerful capital cities and barely known by name. So it is with Italy's wealthiest region, industrial Lombardy with fashion capital Milan at its heart, also rich in agricultural land.
 
In 2012, Alessandro and Anna Pavoni (from two-hatted Sydney restaurant Ormeggio at the Spit) led food writer Roberta Muir and myself, photographer Franz Scheurer, on a trip around Lombardy, discovering the fabulous produce, rich culture and cuisine of Alessandro's little-known corner of Italy. Together they created A Lombardian Cookbook, a celebration of Lombardy's traditional food, as diverse as the Alps, lakes, hills and plains that make up this landlocked region.
 
Lakes such as Como and Garda provide fish and a micro-climate that allows olive trees, citrus and grapes to flourish further north than normal, while the rib-sticking dishes of the Alps have more in common with bordering Switzerland than sunny southern Italy. Wooded hills provide boar, pheasant and other game plus mushrooms and chestnuts, and the fertile plains of the River Po produce corn for polenta, rice for risotto and pastures for cattle, making dishes like osso bucco popular and producing some of Italy's most famous cheeses, including mascarpone, gorgonzola and taleggio. Baking is also popular in Lombardy and traditional sweets include Italy's famous Christmas bread, panettone, and delicious cakes, nougat and deep-fried Carnevale treats.
 
The traditional dishes of Lombardy translate to an Australian setting even better than Pavoni could have imagined when he first started researching the book. "Spiedo, spit-roasted meat, is the most traditional Lombardian dish, especially for large gatherings," he explains. "I really wanted to include it in the book, but we cook it in a special machine which you can't get here. Then Roberta suggested we could cook it on the rotisserie attachment of her barbecue. I was so excited - it worked perfectly and we dedicated a whole chapter to this style of cooking - perfect for the Aussie summer."
 
Location photography by Franz Scheurer Photography www.franzscheurerphotography.com
Food Photography by Chris Chen (with styling by Geraldine Munoz) www.chrischen.com.au
ISBN: 978-1-921383-38-0
RRP $59.99
Publication date: 26 August 2015
 
Authors' Biographies & Contact Details
 
Alessandro Pavoni
After honing his culinary skills in his native Lombardy, then stints in a number of Michelin-starred restaurants in France and Italy, chef Alessandro Pavoni settled in Australia in 2003, landing the role of Executive Chef at Sydney's Park Hyatt. In 2009, he realised his dream of opening his own restaurant and Ormeggio at The Spit was born. Within nine months, Alessandro was awarded a coveted chef's hat in The Sydney Morning Herald Good Food Guide, gaining his second hat in 2012 while he was in Lombardy researching A Lombardian Cookbook. In 2014, Alessandro opened Via Alta in Sydney's Willoughby, featuring the traditional food of Lombardy and northern Italy, followed closely by Chiosco by Ormeggio in the marina adjacent to Ormeggio, inspired by Italy's seaside trattorie.
 
Alessandro can be contacted at:
M: 0401 102 020
Twitter & Instagram: @AlexPavoni
 
 
 
Roberta Muir
The manager of Sydney Seafood School, Australia's largest recreational cooking school, since 1997, Roberta Muir holds a Master of Arts degree in Gastronomy from the University of Adelaide and is a trained cheese judge. She is the author of the Sydney Seafood School Cookbook (Penguin/Lantern, 2012) and 500 Cheeses (Quintet, 2010) and co-wrote A Sardinian Cookbook with chef Giovanni Pilu (Penguin/Lantern, 2012) and Wild Weed Pie with chef Janni Kyritsis (Penguin/Lantern, 2006). Her latest project is a weekly e-newsletter and website www.food-wine-travel.com
 
Roberta can be contacted at:
M: 0412 159 656
Twitter & Instagram: @RobertaMuir
 
AP+RM
Authors Alessandro Pavoni & Roberta Muir at Palazzo Vertemate, Lombardy © Franz Scheurer

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