Eat & Drink with Tatyana Leonov
GET TO KNOW LUKE MANGAN
Luke Mangan is one of Australia’s leading chefs and restaurateurs.
My favourite food in the world is steak. You can’t beat a good quality steak cooked to perfection and served with a simple side dish and a big glass of red. If I could invite anyone to a dinner party, it would be the late Frank Sinatra or Bill Clinton. I admire both of them very much and would love to cook for them. My favourite dish to make is my mum’s trifle. As a kid my mum and I would cook the trifle together at least once a year and it is something we try to keep up (I’m lucky she has passed on the recipe!) My cooking philosophy is simple and fresh. In my restaurants we try not to follow food trends but focus more on fresh, simple dishes using only the highest quality produce. I’m inspired by Mario Batali. I have had the privilege of dining in several of Mario’s restaurants and everything the man does is amazing! When I’m in Australia I love to eat at Sean’s Panaroma at Bondi Beach – amazing food, in a lovely, relaxed setting. The one dish I can’t live without is homemade soup. Nothing beats soup on a winters night; its healthy, warm and comforting. You’d be surprised to find my mum’s homemade chutney in my fridge. She likes to bring me a jar when she comes to visit – it’s great for steaks and homemade burgers. The culinary tool I recommend is sharpening steel. Sharp knives are a must for any chef. For fun I enjoy cooking on my BBQ in the summertime. lukamangan.com
Luke’s French-inspired orange and cinnamon crème catalan
Serves 8
Ingredients:
130g egg-yolks
130g castor sugar
500ml cream
500ml milk
1 vanilla bean
zest of ¼ lemon, then finely chopped
zest of ¼ orange, then finely chopped
¼ of a 5cm cinnamon stick
80g castor sugar for blow torching
Method:
1. Place the milk, cream, lemon zest, orange zest and cinnamon stick into a non-stick saucepan and bring to the boil, then set aside to cool for 1 hour; this will ensure all the flavours are infused.
2. Split vanilla bean and scrape seeds.
3. Mix the egg yolks, vanilla bean with seeds and half the sugar in a separate bowl.
4. Bring the cream and milk mixture to the boil again and strain a little over the egg mixture, then whisk to combine.
5. Strain over the remaining mixture and continue to whisk adding the remaining sugar.
6. Strain again and cover with a cartouche* and refrigerate for 3 hours. Pour into a shallow dish and bake in an oven on 100 degrees for 45 minutes or until set.
7. Take out and cool on a bench top for 20 minutes and refrigerate for 2-3 hours. When cold place castor sugar on top and caramelise the top with a blowtorch; serve.
*A Cartouche is a cover usually made from baking paper that sits inside the saucepan rim and directly touches the top of the liquid’s surface. This ensures that the liquid does not dry out and form a skin.
REMARKABLE REVAMPS
The Tea Room Gunners' Barracks, Mosman Sydney
Nestled within bushland at Georges Head, Mosman and boasting some of Sydney’s most spectacular harbour views, The Tea Room Gunners’ Barracks has long held a reputation for the place to be, whether for a wedding, high tea or lunch. Housed in former military barracks, its old-school charm adds to the stunning location.
The luxury establishment has had a facelift and now houses a new softer, lighter colour interior scheme. Updated design features include custom-designed wallpaper and carpet, dazzling Waterford crystal chandeliers and bespoke furniture upholstered in exquisite fabrics.
Outside, the highly-sought out harbour deck is now fitted with a retractable outdoor terrace roofing system, allowing guests to enjoy harbour views all year round, and grey and white are prominently featured complementing the sandstone exterior of the heritage building. In addition, the venue’s sandstone courtyard has been updated with chic furnishings, offering yet another option when choosing where to dine. The refurbishment adds to what is already a stunning location with exceptional dining and service.
End of Suakin Drive, Mosman NSW. thetearoomcom.au
Claude's, Woollahra Sydney
The iconic Claude’s has been reborn. Melbourne-based interior architect Gomes- McNabb (Bentley Bar, Cumulus Inc.Cutler & Co) has created a space that captures the essence of what is innovative design. Working closely with owner/chef Lee Luk to achieve the desired look, the juxtaposing textures, surfaces and colours accentuate the mishmash that is now Claude’s.
Staff wear bespoke uniforms designed by Gary Bigeni (a Sydney-based clothing designer whose show was stand out at Mercedes Benz Australian Fashion Week this year) ,adding to the audacious palette.
With a 36-year history, the restaurants rebirth is injecting positivity and excitement into having a meal out. By encouraging customers to indulge in more than just the taste sensations (though the menu boasts enough options focus on just that), Claude’s is taking dining to a new level, one emphasised by aesthetics.
10 Oxford Street, Woollahra NSW. claudes.com.au
5 MINUTES WITH TRYO KALLESKE
Winemaker and co-owner of Kalleske
A seventh generation Barossan, Troy established Kalleske together with his brother Tony in 2002 (after149 years of farming and grape growing by the Kalleske family). Honoured with numerous awards, Troy is rapidly gaining recognition as one of Barossa’s and Australia’s best young winemakers
How do you produce sustainable wine?
Kalleske is organic and biodynamic in both the vineyard and winery. The health of the soil, and subsequently healthy vines and quality grapes, are of utmost importance for sustainability wine production. In the vineyard we spread compost (which includes the BD (biodymanic) preps), we sow a green manure cover crop, spray BD500 and BD501, and we don’t use any chemicals. In the winery we are self-sustaining with solar power and rain water ensuring a minimal environmental footprint.
What inspired your interest in sustainable, organic and biodynamic wine production?
My father, John, was the big driver into sustainable, biological, organic and then biodynamic production. After reading numerous publications and visiting biological farms Dad saw that it was the right way to go and implemented subsequent practices on our property from the 1980s, and then became certified in 1998. When we first made wine in 2002 it was logical to embrace organics and biodynamics in the winery too. This way of production is a win-win-win, as it’s good for the environment, good for grape/wine quality and good (healthy) for people, both farm workers/neighbours as well as consumers.
Do you implement other practices?
Farming naturally means that there is a healthy yeast population in the vineyard and these yeast subsequently come into the winery when the grapes are crushed. By utilising wild yeast, it means that generally three to five different yeast species conduct the ferment (as opposed to one specie if adding commercial packet yeast) and each of these species can add their own unique flavour or character to the wine. These yeast are inherent to the vineyard and thus naturally compliment those grapes. We also rely on natural malolactic bacteria to conduct the malolactic fermentation as opposed to adding commercial malo culture. Our wines are also not fined (ie no egg whites, gelatine etc) as growing the grapes naturally results in balanced wines that don’t require fining. Subsequently our wines are not only organic but also vegan friendly.
Is the wine taste affected?
We believe so. Our vines are naturally more robust and resilient when it comes to disease pressure and drought conditions – and subsequently this can lead to more natural flavour compounds, natural tannins and so forth in the grapes compared to ‘force-fed’, chemical-protected vines. We’d like to think our wines are more expressive of their time (vintage) and place (soil/area).
What’s next for Kalleske?
We’re opening our cellar door in late 2012 so it will be great to welcome customers to our place to try our range of wines first hand. We will also be releasing ia new wine in 2013 – a Zinfandel that is currently maturing in barrel. We also plan to release an ‘orange’ wine – which is a white wine that has been treated like a red winehaving been fermented on skins. 6 Murray Street, Greenock SA. kalleske.com
PROFILING ITALY
Italian food, just the mere thought of it, evokes heady a sense of indulgence. Homemade pasta spirals tossed with freshly-picked basil, the smell of a woodfired pizza straight out of the oven, tender veal ragu… Characterised by simplicity, Italian chefs focus on creating food where the focus is on the quality of the products, not the quantity used, tantalising our taste buds with simple, yet prolific creations.
Italy's Regions
Stefano Manfredi is recognised as one of Australia's leading chefs and masters of modern Italian cuisine.
What inspires you when it comes to Italian cooking?
It would have to be produce. I especially like the change of seasons when new products come into season.
What’s your favourite Italian dish and why?
If I had to choose it would be a dish from my childhood like tortelli di zucca (pumpkin ravioli with burnt butter and parmesan) or porcini risotto or rognoncini trifolati (veal kidneys braised in red wine with parsley and garlic).
What’s your favourite region in Italy when it comes to food and why?
Apart from my home region of Lombardy, I’m fascinated with Sicily. I love the history. From the Romans and Greeks to the Arabs and Spanish, the food of Sicily is a melting pot of the ancient world.
Do you use any traditional cooking methods?
Both Balla and Manfredi at Bells use traditional, as well as modern, cooking methods. At Balla we have a large wood grill where we cook all manner of things like large T-bones, spatchcock, quail, vegetables, whole fish, calamari, crayfish and more. We use ironbark that has been seasoned for an incredibly long time so it burns very hot with almost no smoke.
When you are designing a meal, what factors do you take into account?
Above all I’m a slave to the seasons. It insures that I have the best quality, which doesn’t necessarily mean the most expensive. After I choose the ingredients, then the dishes naturally come together.
The Star, 80 Pyrmont Street Pyrmont NSW. Balla is currently serving regionally-inspired meals. star.com.au/sydney-restaurants/signature-fine-dining/pages/balla.aspx
Woodfire Cooking
Tony Sabia, owner and chef at Puntino Trattoria, was one of the first chefs in Sydney to use a traditional woodfire oven for pizza making.
“I was intrigued by the woodfire oven when I went to Italy to meet my grandmother in 1977 when I was eight. I loved the taste of the bread straight from the oven, and when I returned in 1986, I developed more of a passion seeing my family use woodfire ovens to cook a range of dishes – so I began to experiment myself.
I started using woodfire cooking in my restaurant Puntino in 1994, and I would have only been about the fourth person in Sydney with a woodfire oven in my restaurant at that time – it provided a great point of difference. Now at Puntino I have a dedicated al forno (or ‘from the fire’) menu and use my woodfire ovens for traditional woodfire dishes such as pizzas. I also love to cook a woodfire porchetta loin with herbs, and we’ve cooked a whole suckling pig! You don’t need to over complicate or over season, as the cooking method lets the quality of the ingredients speak for themselves. Fresh produce and fresh herbs – in the woodfire – and you have something sensational.
One of my favourite dishes is prawns cooked with rock salt – you need nothing else! We even toast our nuts in there to give them flavour, and I cook a range of woodfire desserts, such as baked ricotta cheesecake and stuffed apples with custard.”
41 Crown Street, Woolloomooloo NSW puntino.com.au
