What You Missed From An Evening With Me & Truffles…..

Here’s What You Missed….

After another fantastic visit to Tarago Truffles, and a many hours sourcing the very best local produce and wines, both Australian Flavours and myself are proud of the evening presented this past Tuesday.

We started the evening, in the beautifully presented Essential Ingredient Rozelle, with Gently Tea Smoked Oysters and Crustini with Freshly Shaved Black Truffle, perfectly paired with Bowral’s very own Centennial Wineries Blanc de Niors with it’s complex aromas of earthy mushroom, smoky strawberry, damp hay, with some nutty almond biscuit, it is soft and full-flavoured. This complex sparkling is a wonderful expression of climate, nurture, and patience, just like the wonderful Truffles.

Next up I served a deliciously decadent Truffle Infused Duck Confit, with Grilled Radicchio and Celeriac Salad, which also had fresh pear and blood plum balsamic. For this wine pairing the Centennial 2013 Reserve Pinot Noir which has a deep and complex nose of ripe cherry and raspberry, funky meaty notes, and spices. The palate of this is light-medium bodied, quite feminine and delicate, yet with good flesh and length of flavour. It perfectly paired with the delicate and rich truffle and confit, but lifted with the fresh salad and Plum balsamic….Just Yum!

For the main, I went with Black Truffle and Wild Mushroom Risotto, with Fresh Lobster. Talk about a winner, this risotto was a crowd favourite, and no surprise. I paired this with Centennial 2013 Reserve Arneis, if you have to ask what’s an Arneis? Do yourself a favour, go and by several bottles. How to describe it, it is partially wild fermented in French oak (4% new) with regular battonage, has an added complex nutty almond characters to the subtle pear, and herbal core. The palate has a pleasant crispness, yet is ripe and mouth filling with excellent weight and texture. A delightfully different, but very easy drinking wine that partners well with all seafood, and you great to drink now to 2018.

For the dessert, I really wanted to impact my dinners, so I made a Marscarpone, lemon and Black Truffle Gelato with Honey and Chocolate Soil, and to cut through all that sweet, rich flavours I served a Centennial Raspberry Nectar which has a fantastic, pungent raspberry aroma. Sounds like alot of flavours, but it all marries really well.

Finally I served up some Truffle Brie Cheese with Lavosh Crackers and Pears, which were completely complemented by the sweet Centennial 2011 Finale Late Autumn Chardonnay, which was arguably my favourite wine of the night. This unique dessert wine shows peach marmalade and caramel aromas with luscious palate flavours of stonefruit and honey. Add the Truffle Brie and Pear and you will never want anything else.