Goats and Shanley's

Goats form the inspiration for this post. Elysia and Iain spent the weekend in the Huon Valley and we took the opportunity to visit a couple of our favourite producers, as well as a bit of eating and some lovely accommodation.

The trip began early on Sunday morning with a quick visit to Piccalilly to pick up a couple of ingredients and then to the Hill Street Grocer for some more bits and pieces for dinner (which we will dicuss later).

The day was warm but not sunny and the roads were quiet so our trip to Cradoc for our first stop went quickly. Peter and Lorraine at Rivendale Boer Goat Stud had agreed to show us around their property and introduce us to their wonderful goats. Rivendale’s goat has featured on Piccalilly’s menus for nearly three years and is a product that we absolutely love. Leaner, sweeter and more delicate than lamb, it is a real treat.

Boer goats were developed in South Africa in the early 1900s specifically for meat production. They are a large and solidly-built goat with a long body, red-brown head and white body. 

 The older kids

The Rivendale goats had kidded in late August so there were heaps of little goats around – skipping, jumping and climbing. The older ones that had just been weaned were occupying a paddock adjacent to the house. It seemed that they would stand on anything to get off the ground, whether it be a log, an upturned bucket or even each other! Lorraine bottle-feeds the kids and as a result they are very friendly, and as we stood and observed their hjinks they would come right up to the electric fence, sometimes to their detriment - a zap and crackle and the kid would spring away with a very loud exclamation of surprise, which all the other kids would join in on making for quite a chorus.

The farmers explained that the electric fence is very important with young goats because of their inquisitive nature, rambunctious play and ability to climb anything which makes it hard to keep them contained.

We then went to visit the even younger goats that were still on the bottle and confined to the shed. The little ones are even more social, jumping at the fence and making a lot of noise – very cute!

Little kids

 Being friendly!

It was then off to see the adult does and bucks in another of the green hilly paddocks. The adult goats are far more relaxed than the little ones, happy to examine their visitors with quiet regard. We could see how muscular these goats are and why they are held in such high regard as a meat producing goat. They lounged in the sun munching lush green Huon grass, at ease with us and now with a couple of Lorraine and Pete’s puppies that had joined us.

 Big ones

The sun was now out and we were introduced to the rest of the  Rivendale menagery - rabbits, a miniature white donkey (which was very shy), a couple of very large horses and the big white maremma that diligently looks after the goats in the bottom paddocks.

Maremmas are a breed of dog bred to live amongst livestock to protect them from any predators. The dogs regard their hoofed companions as members of their own pack and will defend them to the end.

The puppies tumbled around while we collected some goat shoulder before heading in to Cygnet to try and find some lunch.

It was a pleasure to finally see the goats at Rivendale. Very happy and healthy animals that lead a good life. Fantastic ethically-grown, hand-raised meat. Thank you to Lorraine and Pete for the tour and for supplying us for the last few years.

You can meet Lorraine and Pete at the Farm Gate market on Sundays when they are there. To subscribe to the Farm Gate newsletter and keep an eye out to see when goat is available click here.

In Cygnet we headed straight to the Red Velvet Lounge and weren’t surprised to see it was packed. We shared a large table with a couple of other people and studied the menu.

Unable to narrow our choices down we opted to have entrees and main courses (and good coffee). Vegetable and ham hock soup and cheese croquettes with cucumber salad hit the table first. The soup packed with ingredients in a minestrone-style was a big portion and we were starting to regret our decision to order mains.

Croquettes

 Hok soup

Pulled-pork sourdough sandwich and squid with chickpeas. The house-made sourdough with its shiny glazed crust was excellent and packed full of crispy pan-fried pork. The squid was soft inside its crunchy coating. A lot of food!

The pulled pork sandwich

 Squid and chickpeas

On the way in we walked past the selection of cakes in the display cabinet and were looking forward to tasting a couple but were forced to take some away to enjoy after dinner.

Next was the long drive back up to Huonville and back down the other bank of the river to our accommodation. Just before Dover, Shanleys click here is very new boutique B&B accommodation and we were looking forward to seeing it! We were met on the driveway by Eamon Shanley, a very large horse and a friendly brown and white spaniel.

Shanley's view 

Shanley's sheep

We pulled up to the little house that was to be ours for the night, set in its newly landscaped garden. Bespoke furniture, polished boards and a lot of glass to make the most of the stunning view.  We relaxed for a couple of hours before shucking some oysters that we had pinched from work and opening a bottle of Glen Shian sparkling. We also got stuck into white anchovies, olives and cheese from Hill Street.

Shanley's spa with a view

 Cheesy snacks

We had read on the Shanley’s website that they had a pizza stone so on Friday Iain had started the process of making a light rye sourdough pizza dough that we topped with simple tomato, mozzarella and salami with a little bit of garlic and oregano oil.  Perfect pizza. For dessert we tried unsuccessfully to finish the banoffy pie and berry trifle we had bought at Red Velvet Lounge, before watching a DVD and turning in for the night (on possibly the biggest bed in the world)

 Simple pizza the way it should be!

The following morning (after waking up in possibly the most comfy bed in the world) started with bacon and eggs (from the Shanley’s chickens) on home-made bread that was provided as part of the Shanley’s service, and made the most of the view while the small flock of sheep and a chocolate-coloured horse in the neighboring paddock started their day.

We said goodbye to the Shanleys before driving about 10 minutes south to the St Imre Vineyard click here. We were excited to see the natural wines produced in at this small, family-run setting. They grow gewurtztraminer, pinot noir, chardonnay and pinot gris as you might expect, but also blend in some unusual varieties like gamay, ziegerrebe, and the very rare baco noir click here.

The wines are made with grape juice, and only grape juice. This means that each vintage is completely different and that vertical tastings are very interesting. We bought a couple of bottles to take home for the Piccalilly list.

Heading north again we made straight for Geeveston and the Tahune Airwalk click here. The galvanised walkway snakes through and above the treetops offering stunning views of the forest and the tree canopy that cannot be seen from the ground.

The view from the end of the Airwalk

We stayed in the Tahune car park and used the raminder of the pervious evening’s dinner to make some sandwiches in the back of the car before heading further north.

Sandwiches in the boot 

We had an appointment to meet Dr Anne Clark  and her herd of Toggenburg dairy goats at Belstone Goat Cheese click here. The long driveway snakes over Bonnet Hill then back up a small rise to the house and cheese-making room on its own little hill.

Standing in the parking area you look across the top of Blackmans Bay towards Bruny Island and the Southern Ocean. Spectacular!

 Belstone's view

We were met at the door by Anne all kitted up in hair net, apron, gloves and special boots to keep any foreign bodies out of the cheese room. We were given all the appropriate coverings and headed into the very warm room. The aroma of warm goats milk hung in the air, sweet and sour at the same time it is a wonderful thing. Pots on induction plates warmed slowly, curds were pressed and brined, and several large collar boilers were busy setting big pots of milk.

 Cooking whey for ricotta

We spent a couple of hours helping Anne and her assistant Kate in making chevre, soft white mould cheeses and natural ricotta. Fascinating processes left-right-and-centre. It was then time to leave the clinical environment of the production room and prepare bottles for the baby goats in one of Anne’s paddocks.

The nine kids knew what was coming and were clamouring at the gate as we approached. The scrum of very vocal kids shoved each other as the bottles are upended into a rack where all the kids can be fed at once without bottles being held by hand (although we did hand-feed a couple).

Very excited!

 Elysia feeding one of the Belstone kids

We left the kids to it and went to meet the small herd of milking goats. Very docile, they regarded us in a casual way and went about their business of eating and sitting. Anne showed us her antique milking machine and her tiny dairy before we met the two huge Toggenburg bucks. Looking like rugged hairy mountain goats, their paddock faces Mt Wellington making for a spectacular backdrop.

Anne and one of last year's kids

 Vintage milking machine

The boys

Anne loaded us up with cheese samples and sent us on our way home. Thank you to Lorraine and Pete, the Shanleys and Anne Clark for a wonderful weekend! 

Spring 2010 Menu

It’s that time again… New menu time! It’s time to tempt you all with our new dishes and Travis’ beautiful photographs (to see the menu click here).

On returning from Melbourne we wrote a mostly new menu but included a couple of favourites that we weren’t keen to see the end of yet. Since our last menu we have managed to get our hands on quite a few new plates so a couple of old dishes have been re-vamped to suit.

We will start with Raw yellowtail Kingfish with ginger and watermelon. Quite simple as it sounds, raw sliced king fish with fresh watermelon - but we have also added tiny pieces of lime, cabbage shoots, a little bit of green chilli oil (which is invisible on the black plate until it touches the white Kingfish). The ginger is in a pipette, along with corn syrup, yuzu juice and light soy sauce to be applied to the dish to the diner’s taste.

The good old Vegetable salad with Meredith’s marinated feta remains (although technically there is some fruit on the plate too). This dish changes quite often as different veggies come in and out of season, but the dish is always tied together with the combination of hazelnuts and the wonderful Meredith’s goats’ cheese. Some of the vegetable items are cooked sous vide, some are blanched and some simply raw. Textures vary from soft to crispy and, as there are so many differing elements, each mouthful is different in both flavour and texture.

The Local white fish with various onions and roasted onion essence is another dish that has been on Piccalilly’s menu in the past. The onions prepared in various ways: caramelised brown onion puree; confit garlic; raw, crispy and sous vide shallots; glazed spring onions; pickled white onions; raw red onions and chives with a couple of slices of red radish. The roasted onion essence uses red onions and the principles of ice clarification to extract only the sweetest juices. The onion essence contains so much pectin that it sets quite firmly in the refrigerator. The fish in this case is latchet however it changes from day-to-day. All our fish comes from Mako Fresh Fish.

Chicken liver and cinnamon parfait with wood sorrel and pickled beetroot is our nod to all the livers we ate when last in Melbourne. The parfait is created from chicken livers, salt, red wine vinegar and the obligatory butter; then set into cylinders and coated in cinnamon and honey jelly. Pickled beetroot retains its crunch and colour through the pickling process in Pendleton red wine vinegar. We forage wood sorrel and wood sorrel flowers from a couple of local Battery Point gardens. We also have yuzu panagratta, dehydrated orange zest, Cypriot salt and salted cinnamon biscotti.

White rabbit with pea and ham veloute and turtle beans is a simple dish of green pea puree let out with ham stock to a silky consistency. We then add rabbit, in this case rack, loin, kidney and liver (but we also use hind and fore legs as well as the belly and flank of the rabbit). A piece of golden-fried ham and buttery black turtle beans top the pea sauce with roasted carrot oil and chervil shoots to complete the dish. We will allow you to make up your own mind as to what it all represents.

 In our Mount Gnomon rare-breed pork shoulder with sweet corn mousse and carrot syrup dish the pork is cooked in butter and its own juices for around 30 hours. We mousse fresh sweet corn using algae and again use ice clarification to extract the essence of organic carrots, which on top of which the corn mousse floats. Pork crackling and South Australian caper berries add crunch and acid to cut the silky richness of the mousse and the pork. Click here to see Mount Gnomon's blog

Our Baked mushrooms with mushroom tea and confit egg yolk dish has appeared on several menus over the last couple of years, however this time it has had a re-working. There are no longer sauté mushrooms on the plate as they are now baked to allow their individual textures to come through and we have added thyme and avocado puree to the base of the dish for richness and an interesting favour combination. The mushroom tea is clarified mushroom essence infused with parsley, thyme and sage and poured at the table. The egg yolk is confit in olive oil at 62.4°C for 120 minutes and topped with Cypriot salt. Read about one of our local mushroom suppliers here

For the Slow-cooked goat shoulder with grains and chic pea puree dish the goat shoulder is cooked at 70°C for 40 hours before being crisped in a very hot pan and seasoned. It sits on top of black rice, soybeans, farroh, bhurgal, and barley, black, white and red quinoa and millet each cooked individually before being mixed with preserved lemon and vinegar. Chic pea and garlic puree and house-made labneh add moisture to the dish while toasted almonds add crunch, and fresh mint and cucumber foam add freshness. We use Boer goat meat from Rivendale Boer Goat Stud in Craddock, Huon Valley click here.

Rolled duck breast with duck leg Bolognese and prune puree was a dish we created for a VIP who had never tasted duck before, so we tried to do something a little bit different and also to try and use the whole duck. The breast is trussed before being cooked at 85°C for 4 minutes before being rested. It is then rolled in salt and herbs. For the Bolognese we mince duck leg meat by hand before caramelising it in a hot pan and deglazing it with fresh tomato puree and cooking it down until it is almost dry. We then add carrot and onion for sweetness. On top is a duck cracker, much like a prawn cracker but made with duck mousse set in the oven and shallow-fired until it is puffy and crisp. Prunes are rehydrated and cooked with caramelised onion before being pureed with a little bit of stock to create a silky puree, and a splash of brown chicken sauce floods the bottom of the bowl.

Dry-aged Longford eye fillet with umami and horseradish includes the dry-aged fillet has been a staple on the menu since the day we opened but this is the first time it has been plated without piccalilly (the relish) being involved. Instead we have added an umami (click here for more information) rich dashi stock for its strong savoury flavour. Dashi is the base of most Japanese cooking and comprises kombu seaweed and bonito dried tuna flakes. It is rich in umami, which is the 5^th distinguishable flavour on the human tongue otherwise known as “savoury”. The many Asian cultures have known about umami for a long time but we in the west have only just really discovered it. It is found naturally in high quantities in foods like tomatoes, parmesan and Thai fish sauce - and lots in bacon and in a refined form in MSG. The umami stock is added at the table over a blob of spiced orange bitters jelly, which melts and becomes part of the sauce. Horseradish and beef are old friends and I think that this too adds a savouriness to the beef. Lastly there is a cube of 40-hour beef cheek just in case the dish wasn’t rich enough.

Textures of Tasmanian apples is the first of our sweet dishes. We use Jonathan and Granny Smith apples and prepare them in various different ways without adding much at all apart from a little bit of sugar and a bit of algae. We have dehydrated apple, apple sorbet, apple marshmallow, apple juice, apple foam, apple jelly, raw apple and poached apple. Simple.

To make Mock coconut pina colada we produce a little mock coconut through a long process of setting coconut sorbet into hemisphere moulds, scooping out the center, filling it with liquid frozen Lark’s Island Rum Syrup, sticking two halves together and sealing the seam, then brushing a couple of layers of chocolate onto the outside. It is delivered to the table with two salads, one made with the flesh and jellied liquid of an immature coconut along with pineapple compote, dehydrated pineapple and mint; and the other a salad made from the flesh and jellied liquid of a mature coconut with mint and pineapple. The two fresh coconuts have very different flavors and textures and it’s a nice expression of the same product at different stages of its life.

Untraditional black forest gateau  is chocolate and hazelnut sponge batter cooked to order so it is still warm which is then soaked in kirsch and plated along side sour cherries, sour cherry gel, kirsch cream and aerated crushed chocolate. All the elements of a black forest cake are present but in an untraditional way.

The process of preparing Soft centered chocolate and violet mousse with crystalised blossoms begins by adding another algae-based compound that is commonly used in commercial confectionery (and also in Hollywood movies) to slightly thicken a French violet liquor before it is frozen into disks. We then set each disk into the centre of a larger dish of dark chocolate mousse so that when the mousse is disturbed the violet liquid will run out. We top the mousse with a little chocolate nest made using ice and chocolate and crystalised blooms - in this case violets, pansies and nasturtiums.

If you would like any more information on any of the ingredients or dishes we have mentioned here please let us know. Otherwise we look forward to seeing you at Piccalilly to see it all for yourself…

A bit more Devil Dinner

We have been sent a few photos by the official photographer of the night of the Devil of a Dinner. They are bit better than the iPhone ones in the last post so here they are. 

 Plating the crayfish dish

 Our vegetable salad

 Pre-service briefing 

 Plating Matt's quail dish

At the end of a long day...