Paper Palate

A bit of consternation and bated breath as this month’s AGT arrived a little late. Another lovely issue and while the travel experiences may be a little out of readers’ price ranges there’s more than enough cooking to keep your mind off holidays you can’t afford.

This month Fare Exchange features four recipes from across Australia, including places as far flung as Broome. While the tagliatelle with porcini, pine nuts, fresh tomato and thyme (Cafe Carlotta, Broome), the slow cooked ocean trout with couscous, zucchini, chilli and bottarga (Forty One, Sydney) and the almond lemon cake with roasted plums (Vini, Sydney) appeal, it was the crisp pork belly with fennel and white anchovy salad (Meadowbank Estate, Tasmania) that really caught my eye. I imagine that the fennel and anchovies do a fanastic job of cutting through the rich pork.

Another month and another Perfect Match that I haven’t tried: this time roast lamb with Merlot. The recipe features roast lamb shoulder, stuffed with currants and pine nuts and served with silverbeet. The three suggested merlots are Gibson’s Reserve from South Australia’s Barossa Valley, Lethbridge from Victoria and Parker Terra Rossa from South Australia’s Coonawarra region. Since the Barossa is known for its Shiraz and the Coonawarra for its Cabernet Sauvignon these would be interesting wines to compare with the cooler climate Victorian.

As it’s the Easter issue Classic Dish could only feature hot cross buns. My issue arrived after Good Friday but the recipe looks good - and let’s face it, you can eat spice buns year round!

The Easter theme continues with a feature on chocolate. While I was tempted by chocolate malt meringues, chocolate mud cakes or even chocolate fondants (for starters), I opted to make the chocolate caramel tart. The original recipe is to serve 16 (it pays to read the instructions!), so I halved it as best I could and served it to four friends. I was most impressed by the pastry (very sweet and biscuit like), but really found the tart an elaborate version of millionaire shortbread! Which doesn’t mean it wasn’t delicious. Both the caramel and ganache were easy to prepare and the tart could easily be prepared ahead or constructed in stages.

Again, tenuously Easter-like, there’s also a good selection of egg recipes. Spinach and goat’s cheese souffle with salad. Need I say anthing else? In case I do there’s stracciatella, a couple of salads, herb frittata with feta and smoked ocean trout and even a meat loaf wth tomato salsa!

There is a lovely light lunch/picnic article which, while aimed at Australians trying to make the last of the sunshine, would easily suit northern hemisphere menus as we move through spring. English asparagus is starting to make an appearance, so asparagus and soft egg salad with toasted almonds could be followed by lemon, thyme and garlic roasted chicken for Sunday lunch. Unsurprisingly, it was the berry, hazelnut and ricotta cake that caught my eye.

For a very different take on a Malaysian menu, the Malaysian banquet takes the reader through a series of dishes that are well outside the expected: tomato salad (dressed with chillis, dessicated coconut and kecap manis), fish head curry, and fluffy pancakes with roasted peanuts and sesame seeds are among the choices.

Neil Perry has a new book in the wings and there’s an exclusive preview. He covers a range of dishes: crumbed pork cutlet with sauteed apples, potatoes and sage, through pasta, duck, lamb and fish before finishing off with a gorgeous looking olive oil and sauternes cake served with roast pears.

Masterclass this month looks at spice blends, taking in ras el hanout (Morocco), Chinese five spice, quatre epices (France), za’atar (the Middle East), garam masala and even English mixed spice (which you’ll have on hand from making hot cross buns, no doubt!).

Travel wise, it’s all ‘Best of the Best’ - which means best hotels, best travel experiences and best food. Particularly interesting is the ‘Most Decadent Dishes’: scampi and spaghettini in champagne and caviar sauce ($AU65) or lobster pizza ($AU110)? The food part of Best of the Best is huge and rather daunting, but makes for good reading and, if you’re Australian, you should never be short of impressive restaurant ideas!