newsletter twelve june 2009
Welcome. And, just in case you might be wondering why the newsletter is so late I'd like to share with you our frustrations of the last week. A “Hallion” experience with the telephone company Telstra. What’s a “Hallion” experience, a new word meaning a human contact with a machine. It may not make it into the Oxford Dictionary, and yet again it might. What have we done by allowing companies to treat us so poorly? We should all remember Space Odyssey 2001 and be very, very afraid. Telstra has an appalling reputation for customer service but being the only ADSL2 provider in our area there was little choice. The service took about 10 days to install and then the problems really started. The emailed contract did not coincide with the contract we signed at their shop (most of which we now realise are agencies) a point to be born in mind when trying to settle account difficulties. Letters written and no reasonable resolution, the first invoice arrived with the amounts I had agreed to pay and an unidentified item for $100 AUD. How dare they? Imagine if we were to add unidentified amount to our restaurant bills. Would our customers, our diners stand for that? Would anyone be willing to wait four days in a restaurant to have their order taken, their presence acknowledged? Would our customers be stupid enough to pay? No of course not! So, why does Telstra things that their customers will? More phone calls, more talking to machines, and more people who cannot speak English. Here is is important to say, having frequently worked in countries where I cannot speak the language I have some sympathy for these employees. They in return, when in complete frustration my voice was raised (just a tad) hung up. Finally about two weeks ago with their accounts department it was agreed the $100 was not mine and that in fact all I owed was $60.41 AUD due on July 1. On Monday July 1, after four hours without the internet and hours of waiting and pushing buttons talking to a machine we were told our service had been suspended because the account hadn't been paid. They had the amount right and I was asked would I pay my account now and was so bemused and flabbergasted that I failed to add one, I’d be happy to if I was connected to the internet and two that my account was not actually in arrears because they had suspended my service before the due date, Two machines had seemingly failed to communicate! That was Monday and finally on Friday after umpteen phone calls and hours of wasted time I decided to attempt to ring again to find that I had not even been put on a reconnection list as promised and would now be put on a priority reconnection list. Later that day we were reconnected. No apology, no mention of a refund! In the mean time, we had to travel to friends offices to collect and send emails wasted hours of valuable work time on “hold”. When you work in the hospitality industry, an industry that only thrives with politeness, good service, an industry that honours it’s contract with equal civility when you book your function, your wedding, an industry that attends to our customers with human contact the second they walk through our doors. You have to wonder why companies like Telstra manage to survive. Yet the truth is they manage to survive because both we and the general public have allowed different standards. A restaurant who even treats their clientele slightly badly will go broke and yet a company like Telstra shows absolutely no respect either for it’s clients or it’s employees continues to survive. Well this week is busy for us with Cassoulet and Caramel but the following week I’ll be starting with the board of Telstra not some poor minion who does their bidding because if we don’t stand up for ourselves we will only be talking to machines, those few remaining employees will be on the dole queues out of a job, replaced by a machine!
To our June/July newsletter. Well who the hell would have thought that Channel 10's Master Chef would have blitzed the ratings in the way it has. Viewers who might never have even waivered from the ABC or SBS are now having entire conversations about the program. George Colombaris’s Melbourne restaurant The Press Club is packed with viewers wishing to experience his food and Matt Preston (whom we just love) because he is part of the genius behind Melbourne’s brilliant Food and Wine Festival now has entire runs of comments about his dress, including cravat jokes now circulate the internet. For our many overseas subscribers and readers check out their web site where episodes can be downloaded click here
How best to describe the show; initially a cross between house or any other tragic reality TV show and Iron Chef with a strong dose of Anthony Bourdain’s Kitchen Confidential with a touch of Bill Burford’s Heat it has morphed into something much more interesting. We love the mystery box and hope that the next Adelaide based Tasting Australia might adopt some of the fun aspects that have made Master Chef so successful. Most importantly of all the broad viewer age demographics are a stunning achievement for food television and the Channel 10 team.
Simon Wilkinson, Adelaide Advertiser Deputy Editor of SA Weekend says with authority that their web site is going ballistic. As for us we don’t care about the delivery if a show makes food fun, drives people towards recipes and cooking in their own homes something they might never have previously attempted and out into restaurants we just love it. The truth is every other food program or event in Australia must be struggling to find an idea half as clever (or appealing) to such broad demographics. As an industry we need to remember food is meant to be fun and if we cannot entice a new generation to enjoy food and wine we have failed dismally. Critically analysing every mouthful is the role of the restaurant reviewer not the diner and it is my belief that within 10 years restaurant reviewers will all be dinosaurs as this generation will not want this type of information. And with so few restaurants reviewers in Australia with real knowledge about food, wine or running restaurants it might be fun to turn the tables and put the contestants against some of Australia's better known restaurant reviewers.
One hope is that series two might find endorsement from the wine industry as a group and add the selection of wine to the show as an import aspect of the entire dining experience. As a complete purist it would be good to see no supermarket bread and more fresh seasonal ingredients, but then the show does have sponsors and sadly economic reality is a part of life. Regardless it is impossible not to find judges comments about seasonality a bit hypocritical.
With just four remaining contestants the heat is on!
Last weekend we cooked for the Rockford Wines Steam Powered Dinners. Totally challenging a wood stove and 28 guests the weekend is one of complete indulgence for the guests. Winner of multitudinous awards including a coveted Gourmet Traveller Jaguar award for excellence it is a three day, no sleep challenge for the chef and a seamless wine and food experience under the direction of Rockford Wine’s Steam Powered Dinners front of house manager and sommelier Brett Lanthois (also general manager of Chapel Hill Wines Retreat). Old friends and colleagues Brett and I have worked together many times. We first met during the opening of the Radisson Playford Adelaide (now the Sebel Playford Adelaide) and both agree perhaps the most remarkable was the tech conference in the South Australian Flinders Ranges for Constellation Wines. We fed and watered 130 people for five days. Breakfast, lunch and dinner, morning and afternoon smoko. No running water and four semi trailers of food and wine and accoutrements it was the hardest but best experiences of our professional lives. By comparison the PS Marion is a joyous doddle, but it is a tough gig, becoming tougher with the added complication of increasing dietary requirements, especially coeliacs and a mighty Murray River that is diminished every year. Chefs throughout the world are learning to deal with the coeliac phenomena, but turning complicated menus including soufflés gluten free for one person does add to the task. This trip, my ninth, in 28 travellers there were five different dietary requirements was just the start. To view the menu click here, and for those who read the quote and might wonder just where letters from a mad old woman they have been the title of my travel diaries since 1996. You may well wonder who “Hitler” actually is and it is my pleasure to expose him as Yazan Akeel from L’Hotelier who truly earned the title when we travelled together in 2003. It is a name Yazza’s life and business partner justifiably continues to call him by.
Add the tragically diminished River Murray that translates in lugging tons of food, wine and gear an additional 20 meters and a gangway so tiny that every box has to be held above the railings because the gang plank is too narrow to carry them any other way. Little jetties that once stood well out into the water are now high and dry and alarming distanced back from the water’s edge. Oddly despite the obvious devastation more than ever at sunrise and sunset fish are rising to the surface and diving deep again and pelicans are feasting on their bounty.
food and/or reviews are now lodged on Galaxy Guides every Friday by end of day (a restaurant day, so more likely midnight than 5.00pm). To enjoy this up to the minute information bookmark the front of Galaxy Guides which will always take you directly to the areas on the new articles and recipes on the Galaxy Guides site www.galaxyguides.com
email me

Other publications by Ann Oliver Southern Rocklobster Limited CHEF NEWS focusing on the development of the export market in America and recipe and technique development for the group and weekly restaurant review for the Independent Weekly
Ann’s resume can be viewed by clicking here

Please bookmark the front of our site and return on a regular basis it helps our statistics! www.galaxyguides.com
and please send a link to all of yours friends and colleagues.

Australian truffles The Australian truffle season is just getting under way and we agree that so far the best truffles we have cooked with in Australia have come from the Wine and Truffle Company in the Western Australian Manjimup region. The global price is slightly down this year which may mean either the plate price will be slightly less or the portion slightly more (our preference). image — winter at the Wine and Truffle Company, Manjimup Western Australia where in the season you can truffle hunt and keep you find at the going rate. Image courtesy the Wine and Truffle Company. Black Gold a little truffle information, history and the Western Australian truffles We could be forgiven for mistakenly assuming truffles were only found in France, Italy and Spain, Perigor, Alba and Abejar respectively being the most famous. So fiercely marketed as the best by their truffle markets as they strive to maintain and improve their price, it has been almost forgotten that truffles have been commonly harvested in the Middle East and China for centuries. The Spanish will also insist that 50% to 60% of the truffles being sold as French Black in France are in fact Spanish. Taxi drivers doing the shuttle from Amman to Baghdad for just $120 per car arrive with bags of white truffles purchased from the Bedouin and sell them at around $15 per kilo. Given that people are killed every day doing this trip their miniscule price is a sad sign of the desperation of the region. It is impossible not to wonder how many of these truffles are sold from Alba, which is famous for its white truffles. A comparative Western price would range from $300 – $600 per kilo depending on the quality. We always think of genetics as being insidious for our food supply but in fact they have made (and are constantly making) many improvements, most importantly the protection of the consumer. DNA testing is being used to identify the contents of canned and fresh truffles and will hopefully lead to better protection of the consumer whilst unravelling the complexities of truffle farming. Despite the fact that truffle farming first started in the 1800s it has proved mostly elusive until quite recently. The truffle can only grow in a symbiotic relationship with a tree and then prefers certain trees such as the oak, poplar, hazel and willow. Young trees can now be inoculated with truffle spoor, however it is a slow process and often unsuccessful as inoculated stock also requires a specific soil type and several years before you can expect a harvest. Add to that the truffle cannot propagate itself easily as being subterranean it does not cast its spores to the wind all of which makes it quite unlikely that the price of truffles is about to drop significantly in the next 20 years. The days of recipes from the Middle Ages listing a pound of truffles when they would have been the bounty of the peasants has long since gone. With some 200 identified species of European truffles scientists in Australia are only just starting to locate and identify the indigenous species. Professor of Mycorrhizae, Fungi in Ecosystems, Dr Jim Trappe1 claims to have identified over 250 species and those only from a small area in South Eastern Australia so we can surely expect to see many more truffle varieties appearing on Australian menus. Dwindling European crops due to environmental and climatic changes, not to mention urban expansion over truffle regions have placed pressure upon scientists to find solutions for farming one of the world’s most expensive ingredients. from the left — 50:50 Southern Rocklobster and truffle, my kilo of Chinese truffles, cheap but no where near as good as European or good Australian, Truffled egg at M on the Bund Shanghai, utterly exquisite but still not a match for my best truffle dish truffled egg and tagliatelle at Sydney’s Buon Riccordo. At least seven years ago the memory despite many contenders remains unsurpassed! The unusual flavour and aroma of the truffle, classed as its organoleptic properties has been revered by gourmands since records began and it is the luxury staple of extravagant dishes in restaurants throughout the world. None of the truffle’s devotees are more famous than Apicius the famous Roman recipe writer, and his truffle banquet (20 AD) remains legendary. The French philosopher Brilliat–Savarin (1826)2 essays Physiology of Taste added to the reputation of the truffle and it has continued to grow ever since. Which Adelaide diner does not remember Chris Matuhina’s (formerly Magill Estate Restaurant) truffle degustation when Bottega Rotolo3 flew in winter truffles from Italy in 1999? The truffle is revered as an ingredient by all chefs and adored by every experienced diner. The only chef to ever gain six stars, Alain Ducasse has long had a truffle degustation on his menu and given the price of truffles, its almost $500 price tag (with matched wines) still makes it value for money. One of the dishes Duck foie gras cooked in truffle butter sounds so exquisite it’s impossible not to start salivating at the thought of the divine flavour it might have. above — French Chef Alain Fabregues of Perth’s highly regarded restaurant The Loose Box with his nose to the ground scenting out truffles. Image courtesy the Wine and Truffle Company. Whilst there have been limited amounts Tasmanian truffles for a number of years the Western Australian Wine and Truffle Company were the first large scale Australian truffle farmers. They are experiencing wide acclaim with their brand prominently listed on menus throughout Australia. To say that it is a massive commitment of money and time is an understatement but their ambitions are far reaching. They planted their first trees inoculated with melanosporum (the French black truffle) in 1996 and harvested their first crop, a single massive 163g truffle, in 2002. A group of 25 shareholders, The Wine and Truffle Company has a long–term vision and extreme patience for what is a massive capital investment. They currently have 23 hectares of mature cultivation and another 75 hectares just planted, conservatively estimating that in ten years their annual crop will be ten tons, making them the largest truffle producer in the world. To put the scope of their ambition into perspective, France’s entire crop has dwindled from 2,000 to just 8 tons in 100 years. For those of you who have never cooked with truffle a single large truffle can be purchased from the Wine and Truffle Company from their web site. Shipping was prompt and efficient in an Australia Post express pack and their season will last until the end of August. They come cleaned of dirt and vacuum packed, ready to use. Cleaning truffles with an Oral B toothbrush and a hair sieve positioned underneath to catch every tiny spec is tedious and well avoided anyway. Having been lucky enough to taste truffles all over the northern hemisphere including China we found their truffles were not as pungent as the full blown first quality truffles of France and Italy and it is reflected in the price. Regardless they were subtle and delicious and unmistakably fresh black truffles, a taste and aroma that is never contained in canned or preserved truffles no matter how much you pay for them. Texture and colour were identical and we wonder if truffles develop flavour with maturity of production in the same manner as old vines produce more complex flavours. A scientific study carried out by Falasconi5 and colleagues in an Italian research project on the white truffle from Alba found that there was very little deterioration in their samples for four days, but after that they dropped away significantly in quality and aroma. They also found that intensity of flavour was dependent on mass and size correlated with intensity of aroma. Science tells us that the best way of keeping and preserving the aroma of a truffle is to freeze it. Joe Anza, from Wine and Truffle Company concurs but says they are reluctant to freeze truffles because it does affect the truffle texture with some moisture loss. French Chef Alain Fabregues of Perth’s highly regarded restaurant The Loose Box has had a close involvement with the Wine and Truffle Company and developed an interesting way of freezing the truffle and maintaining the texture. He shaves them, layering them in single layers, applying them still frozen like sashimi to the food. A clever solution that maintains premium texture (and weight) while at the same time preserving maximum aroma. the first of the Australian truffle season menus at Melbourne’s Vue de Monde At their absolute peak right now, truffles from Manjimup in WA are a wonderful example of the Australian grown truffles we are seeing from many of our cool climate regions. With a kilo being delivered to us every Tuesday, Manjimup truffles are currently featured in Vue de monde on our Menu Gourmand. Included in the price of the Gastronomes Menu ($250 per person) and available as a supplement for all other menus (an extra $60 per person), expect classic dishes such as risotto and pasta finished with generously shaved truffle at the table. A special wine match is also available including 1956 Château Corneilla Rivesaltes from South West France. At lunch time a truffle dish of the day is offered as an à la carte option. In Bistro Vue, a truffle croque monsieur ($60) joins our classic truffle omelette ($59) on the à la carte menu available for lunch and dinner. For cooking at home, whole truffles (30-60gm) are also available for purchase. Reservations or further details please call t +61 03 9691 3888.

this month’s feature article
Rockford Wines Steam Powered dinners
click here to read more or click here to see pictures of our weekend.

never been on a Rockford Steam Powered Cruise because they are booked so far in advance. There is a cancellation for the July trip Friday 24 to Sunday 26
t +61 8 8563 2720 or email Pam O’Donnell.
Chefs wishing to express an interest in doing a trip and pitting their skills against esse should email their CV to Brett Lanthois or Pam O’Donnell

Black Gold
the australian truffle season
gets underway
a little truffle information, history and the Western Australian truffles read more

the first of the season’s truffle dinners and events read more

truffle tip when purchasing a truffle remember that science has proved mass equates to aroma. This of course explains why chefs from the European kitchens with a truffle culture pay fortunes for the giant truffles.
Rather than buying a small truffle share a large truffle with a friend. Chefs should enforce they know their stuff by refusing to take delivery of small truffles unless they are price appropriately. Truffles should be at least about the size of a walnut. The size of the little Italian truffles preserved in jars are a complete waste of money and a good indication of the size you don’t want.

wine dinners in Australia click here

Ann Oliver’s COOKS’ CLUB
There are a couple of places for the last remaining classes of this program. Best Brains is very low on numbers, so even if you only want to eat brains, peeled and perfect you should sign up. Full details and booking forms click here

The August to November program from garlic to garfish will be available to the general public Sunday 19 of July, and sent to our regulars a week earlier. Classes are limited to eight, fully documented and pitched at people with reasonable skills unless marked as a beginner class.

Ann Oliver’s COOKS’ CLUB is supported by the Independent Weekly

recipes
Our recipe data base is expanding and whilst there are thousands of kitchen tested recipes to load onto the site we are starting slowly and sticking to seasonal recipes click here

neck and shoulder of
Hay Valley lamb a wonderful slow cooked winter dish click here
faking it!
recipes that achieve brilliant results without the pain like for instance perfect polenta and cous cous with pickled lemon, blanched pistachio, pomegranate and herbs

wine dinners for July click here

melbourne
We’re looking forward to being back in Melbourne in September and have Gigababa high on our list. Ismail Tosun cooked our best meal in Australia 2007 at his then Perth restaurant Eminem and Cutler and Co is another restaurant we only hear good things about. If you are taking advantage of those cheap air fares we think our Melbourne list offers really great recommendations for food obsessed individuals click here

Want to make a suggestion for food email our food editor

Wine Dinners and Events
July 2009
Bastille Day events
July 14, 2009

adelaide, south australia
cassoulet & caramel
A Galaxy Guides event at Bird in Hand Wines. Classical Toulouse style cassoulet and créme caramel cooked by Ann Oliver
click here for full event details and booking form. bookings close Tuesday July 7, 2009

apothecary 1878 Wine Bar & Restaurant
Hindley Street, Adelaide
A really terrific menu with French wines and just $120 food and wine
email the restaurant for menu or
t +61 8 8212 9099 for reservations

melbourne, victoria, australia
bistro Vue
Tour of Burgundy Wine Lunch
Saturday 11th July
Matched with a three-course menu, the lunch is priced at $150 per person.
click here for the menu and featured wines
Reservations t +61 3 9691 3838

Bastille Week Lunches 13th – 17th July
To celebrate Bastille Day special lunches at Bistro Vue
Monday 13th July to Friday 17th July, Bastille Week Lunch features three courses for $55 per person with an optional French wine match is available for $22 per person. click here for menu details
Reservations t +61 3 9691 3838

Toying with opening a business in Shanghai or Beijing
We know and trust these people to deliver their promise and all have essential market knowledge and between them cover all aspects.

Campbell Thompson, The Wine Republic
David Laris, Laris Creates
Simon Tan, The Wine Centre
Walter Zahner, walternative

pomegranates There are still a few pomegranates around and most of them, having survived the possums, have the deep ruby hearts we lust after. They freeze very well, but at this late stage of the season it is good advice to smell them before making your purchase. Any hint of a winy smell they will be rotten inside, so don’t waste your money!

reading

this month we are are taking some time off of food and reading Tobias Wolff’s In Pharaoh’s Army a strikingly disturbing and beautifully crafted book about the Vietnam War and in the pile a highly recommended Christopher J. Koch’s Highways to a War

Quality Indonesian Bourbon Vanilla Paste
$50AUD 500g contact
Jason Davis
0435 177 036 Australia
+61 435 177 036 international
Ann Page
(08) 8379 5585 Australia
+61 8 8379 5585 international

visit the Red Gate Beijing web site for full exhibition details

Galaxy Guides Policy
We support our suppliers for their integrity. We need them to care as much as we do, it makes the food we cook better. When you buy your ham this Christmas support your local producers and, where ever you are buy local

Senior wine editor
Dr Alexandra Burridge reviews
1999 Piper Heidsieck ’Rare’
Our wine editors Dr Alexandra Burridge and Duane Coates come with impeccable credentials and contribute their time and advice for the love and passion for their craft. Duane is fully absorbed with vintage for both his own company and the many other companies he consults to. Duane’s wines have consistently won first–rate accolades and have never rated below 90 points - www.coates-wines.com

try this recipe
using fabulous wild pine mushrooms click on the image

remember that people die throughout the world during the mushroom season because they eat poisonous mushrooms. never eat mushrooms you cannot accurately identify.
We have found this book to be invaluable The Ultimate Mushroom Book

restaurant reviewing
for july and august
We are revisiting our favourite Adelaide (South Australia) restaurants for their annual review. These are the handful or restaurants with a price range from as little as $10 AUD to the max who always deliver a good experience.