Paper Palate

In the northern hemisphere we’re supposed to be enjoying summer, but the unseasonal and inclement weather in the UK over the past month has meant that a winter edition of Australian Gourmet Traveller is not as out of place as it might have been.

June’s AGT is focussed on ‘comfort food … cosy winter dishes’ so I was a bit worried about finding something I’d feel like eating. I guess it’s just lucky that an Australian winter isn’t too far removed from a slow start to an English summer!

Fare Exchange opens the recipe part of the magazine with a stunning chocolate, fig and hazelnut fudge cake from Beaumont’s Cafe, in Rutherglen, Victoria. It’s not surprising that the area which produces some very fine muscat and tokay is also producing a very impressive looking chocolate cake. More savoury offerings include beef cheek ravioli with mandarin mustard fruits, roast chicken, bread salad, braised lettuce and peas and rabbit with pearl barley risotto and rosemary jus.

There’s an In Season special on the humble potato. Australia seems blessed with a wide variety of potatoes, many of which you are hard pressed to find elsewhere. However, the walk through the difference between waxy and floury potatoes, and how you should be using them, is useful and the potato and Jerusalem artichoke galette looks absolutely delicious.

Perfect Match pairs chocolate and sherry, but rather than looking at an amontillado or oloroso, the pairing is made with Pedro Ximénez (or PX for short). Of the three examples given, two are Spanish and one is from Australia’s own Turkey Flat vineyards.

Continuing with the rich, wintery food the Classic Dish is steamed pudding, featuring a marmalade and ginger example.

Restaurants featured this month include Ottoman Cuisine in Sydney, The Press Club in Melbourne and Nobu Melbourne, which is due to open at the Crown Casino in early July. Coming back down to earth, AGT also features examples of ‘cheap and cheerful’ restaurants across the country, where you’ll be able to find a meal for 2 for under $50 (about £20, €30 or $US40).

On to the ’steaming soups’ and ‘hearty pies’ section, which starts off with the soups, including a delicious looking mussel and saffron veloute, which I’m sure could be incorporated into a summer menu. Lamb and pearl barley soup definitely has a more wintery feel, as does chicken broth with bone marrow dumpling, pea and ham soup or duck borsch.

More wintery dishes in the selection of baked offerings - duck with quince, olives and lentils, or the beef sauerbraten with parsley mash and cabbage which you need to start three days in advance! The braised lamb with chicory and braised pork loin with fennel and cider are far more manageable if the weather allows you to have the oven or stove on for a good couple of hours.

No winter issue would be complete without pies and while I was sorely tempted by the chocolate and hazelnut pithiviers (let’s face it - chocolate, hazelnuts and cream inside a puff pastry casing - how could you go wrong?) I actually made the snapper, fennel and potato pot pie. Although moderately time consuming to put together, it only required half an hour in the oven and made an excellent Sunday evening supper. Other savoury recipes include beef cheek, onion and stout pie with thyme and onion pastry or a herbed duck and rabbit pie with suet crust.

From the restaurant world, AGT features recipes from Rumi’s in Melbourne (a selection of Middle Eastern dishes, including a hot yoghurt soup and lamb fatteh) and Quay in Sydney (slow braised rabbit with roasted onions and buckwheat polenta or preserved cherry clafoutis).

Masterclass features one of my favourite foods: pulses. The Masterclass covers a range of cuisines, as well as beans: pork and white beans, broad bean puree with chorizo, falafel and dhal with coriandeer and fried onion are just a handful of examples. All of the dishes look fantastic!

Travel is focussed on the Travel Awards, as well as Dubai’s indoor ski resort, Wellington and weekend escapes in Australia.

Although seasonally this issue really is six months out for northern hemisphere readers, the range of recipes is even better than usual. While I might not be hankering for a big, slow cooked stew at the moment, I know I will be by December, and that’s when I’ll be returning to this issue with a vengeance.