Culinary Cluedo

Guess what this is...
If you guessed that this a badly injured Bichon Frise bleeding on a yellow rug, then no. Look closer, you might recognise something?

Find out very soon... stay tuned.

Weekend Wedding, Hunter Valley Part II

Everyone loves a wedding, don’t they? I guess the answer would be yes, unless you are really sombre and sullen, then any reason to party would always be reason enough. And if you are like most, then a place where food, wine and music converge is definitely a place worth being at. No matter how many weddings I’ve been to any no matter how many times I whinge and whine about being invited to another wedding, I always come away from each one happy that I attended. If a free meal, some booze and a reason to get dolled up is enough, then I don’t know what is.

At least this time, the wedding was nowhere near Sydney, so it gave most of us a nice reprieve from the stock city weddings that we had all gotten so accustomed to. And besides, breathing in a little bit of fresh country air couldn't hurt. could it? I know I was lapping it all up because a weekend away always goes quicker than you expect.

So I can admittedly say that, a wedding is always fun, it's a time where memories are made; whether it turns out better than you imagined, or it's dotted with little mishaps or tainted with calamity- you will remember it for better or for worse. And what better place to meet up with friends and make new ones. This wedding certainly was nothing different.

It was G’s (step)sister J’s wedding and we couldn’t have been more than happier to be there. Being the cheeky ushers that we were, we just couldn’t help taking random photographs of the chapel and ourselves in between handing out programs, bubbles and petals. The petals and bubbles were for throwing at the bride and groom after the ceremony, I was in charge of the petals and G the bubbles- he quickly gained the moniker bubble boy by the end of the ceremony.

After the vows were exchanged and pictures were taken, drinks and canapes of prawn cocktails and Vietnamese spring rolls were being served at the garden in front of the Barrel Room where the reception was going to be held.

The Barrel Room looks and sounds rather warehouse-like and crude when unadorned in the daytime, but come dusk when all of the fairy lights and candelabras are lit, the place turns into an ethereal den that's fit for the romantic occasion. To top it off, there's even a fireplace to makes things a lot cosier.

The Hunter was the perfect setting for such an occasion, there's just something about wine country that leaves an indelible impression on anyone who visits. More so than the wines and the produce, there's something about the people and the place that in seeps into your being.

I can't wait to crack into that wine we bought someday and reminisce about the time we had in the Hunter Valley.

Weekend Escape, Hunter Valley Part I

Rolling meadows and undulating slopes, long dusty trails and an endless horizon of vineyards; the October labour day long weekend found us right in the middle of NSW wine country- the Hunter Valley. To call it picturesque would be stating the obvious, its charming rural chic and tranquil ambience lingers with you long after you leave the place.

We were in the Hunter Valley for G’s sister’s wedding at the Peppers Creek Vineyards in Pokolbin. And we couldn’t find a better excuse to make a quick getaway to the countryside but for a wedding. We arrived a day earlier just so we could visit some wineries and sample the best this region had to offer, and sample we did.

ON THE WAY

We left early Thursday morning in order to avoid the peak hour traffic and decided to take the scenic route, which fortuitously enough was empty. We passed though quaint little rural towns like Laguna and Yallambie and there were signs almost every 500 metres for locally grown produce, like strawberries and oranges and fresh eggs being sold at family farms. I was tempted to plead with G to stop at the strawberry farm, but because we had left so early, I doubt they would have been open.

We did make a short pit stop at the a large tourist map near Wollombi, just so we could check that we hadn’t completely driven off track and would end up taking the extremely scenic route. We figured out we were not far from Cessnock and just as we did, to my delight we were greeted by two very cute horses, who were very friendly this early in the morning. They started towards us and came right up to the edge of the fence, I was quite surprised at how forthcoming they were to strangers. And because the current horse flu epidemic only affects those of the equine variety, we were in no danger of catching anything and weren’t hesitant in giving them a right old pat.

THE WINERIES, THE VINEYEARDS

There’s something festive and convivial about walking into a cellar door, perhaps it’s all of that alcohol being consumed at the premises and the hospitable way they readily pour you a glass of whatever you please no sooner than when you have made yourself comfortable at the bar. I love it. And have you noticed how everyone is so chatty at the cellar door bar? Everyone is loose, happy and boozed up and that's what makes it a great place to be at. I've never seen anyone leave a winery with a frown on their face, never.

But on the other hand, if you are more than eager to try to your hearts content a winery’s range of vintages, then you have to be just as willing to buy some of that which you have tried. It’s not obligatory, and no one’s there to twist your arm after the tastings, but I can’t help but feel that it’s somewhat expected.

Our first stop was the De Bortoli winery as it’s the first one before you make a left at Broke Rd, where most of the other vineyards are. After perusing the cellar door’s wine list we went home with some white and some red.

So these are some of the goodies that we came home with:
De Bortoli 2006 Syrah Roussanne
De Bortoli 2007 Semillon
Tempus Two Botrytis Semillon
Tempus Two 2007 Moscato
Roche 2007 Talawanta Rosé
Lindeman’s Pophrys
Seppelt Tokay DP37
Audey Wilkinson Liqueur Verdelho
Tulloch 2006 Verdelho
Tyrrell’s 2007 Traminer Reisling
Tyrrell’s 2007 Cabernet Merlot
Tyrrell’s Special Aged Tawny

We also bought up at the Hunter Valley Chocolate Company and the various cheese shops around Pokolbin, although we either scoffed it all up or it melted beyond recognition in the car before I could take a photograph of them.

Of all the wineries we visited, I think Tyrrell's Vineyards (pictured above) were probably the most magnificent looking. Endless rows of grapevines as far as the eye can see, a myriad of green stems covering blocks and blocks of land. It's hemmed in by a small creek at the bottom and if you look further, you you will find that the property is set against a backdrop of these grandiose looking mountains. You couldn't ask for a better view. Unfortunately the day we visited Tyrrell's was so hot and windy, we took just a few snaps an hurried ourselves into the cellar door.

And, the best cellar door I have to say was the imposing sprawl of the Tempus Two winery. The cellar building looks almost like a shrine to wine, as you walk up the cathedral-like steps into the ultra-chic cellar bar that houses, all of the Tempus Two and Roche Wines and two restaurants. Wall to wall wines meet you as you enter the uber-stylish and spacious bar and if it weren't for the helpful staff, we wouldn't have known where to start.

Coming up next... Part II: The Wedding and Reception

Insipred, At Last

After a short hiatus from baking and blogging, I have finally found the inspiration to pick up the wooden spoon once again and get back into the groove. It was only fitting that this luscious Strawberry Brulee tart from Bourke St. Bakery in Surry Hills would be just the thing to shake off all that blah that I found myself in. Not to mention the trip we took to the Hunter Valley for a wedding- who doesn't love a good excuse to go away to the country?

Besides going away on our short-lived road trip, I've been keeping myself busy working on other projects, but now that I've given myself sufficient respite from the kitchen I am ready and raring to get in there and get my oven mitts back on. Absence does make the heart grow fonder, or should I say the stomach?

And it's great to see that you all didn't stay away from the blog while I was gone...

Pictures from our weekend in the Hunter Valley coming soon.