Indholdsfortegnelse for December 2024 i Gourmet Traveller

SUBSCRIBE NOW magshop.com.au/gmt Details p128 To start: Neil Perry’s king prawn, mango and hazelnut salad (page 125). Followed by spiced porchetta with cherry tkemali (page 111); and a side of radicchio salad with port-glazed figs and pickled beetroot (page 107). Before ending with strawberry polenta cake with ginger labne cream (page 117). That, dear readers, would be my perfect Christmas menu – all gleefully ripped from the pages of this issue. Alas, life is not perfect and instead I will have to cater to the whims and dietary requirements of 12 adults, five children, three dogs, and a very fat cat, as I return home for Christmas following a year on strike. Last year, I refused to attend Christmas dinner (let alone cook it) instead basking in the joy…

T2 Let this be your new pre-Christmas ritual. As plans ramp up, take respite with a different tea each day. Sip fortifying green teas, vibrant fruit tisanes and aromatic black brews. Try classics such as French Earl Grey and chai alongside festive reimaginings of breakfast tea and desserts. $48, t2tea.com/en/au Koko Black Australia’s much-loved chocolatiers have crafted this generous calendar for Christmas, with a double hit of daily pralines ensuring you never have to share. Countdown to Christmas with pudding-spiced ganache, Champagne truffles and pistachio marzipan coated in milk and dark chocolate. $159, kokoblack.com Gin Loot Explore the botanical bounty of gins from across the world with 24 different sips. On any given day you may try a yuzu-infused number from Japan, or perhaps a bush honey-powered pour from Tasmania…

What led you to a career in wine? My family had property on Mornington Peninsula. We planted a vineyard and I worked summers as a teenager. Then I spent time in a winery and thought this is cool. I studied Arts at uni and was working in hospitality. When I met my wife in my early 20s she said why don’t you study winemaking. I did and loved it. What’s in your cellar? Hunter shiraz. Its typically Australian and paradoxically ages so well given what a silly place it is to grow grapes in. Clonakilla shiraz viognier, I’m friends with Tim Kirk and a huge fan of his wines. Plus, Burgundy and Champagne, which have a higher consumption rate. Is winemaking art or science? It’s 2024 so…

1 Champagne coupes in Clear and White, $149 for two, Maison Balzac. 2 Double Twist earring with diamond in Yellow Gold, $3000 for one, Olivia Bond. 3 Baignoire Mini watch, size 16 in Yellow Gold Quartz Movement, $21,000, Cartier. 4 Zaha earring, $2500 for one, Cushla Whiting. WRAP UP For aesthetes and bon vivants alike, coveted must-haves in the colour of the season. 1 Flush balm in Rouge, $48, Great Skin moisturiser, $61, Shade Slick tinted lip oil in Mapleton, $38, Bronze Balm bronzer in Leo, $48, all Merit. 2 Tom Ford Lost Cherry eau de parfum, $575 for 50ml, Mecca. 3 Flat Hem short sleeve silk camp collar men’s shirt in Cocoa Red V Monogram, $280, Venroy. 4 Glossier Crème de…

For pastry chef Rhiann Mead the festive season is the busiest time of year, but also a chance to draw upon years of honing her craft – from apprenticeships at London’s William Curley to working under Peter Gilmore. “When I worked in London, I used to make something similar to this every Christmas, like a staff family dessert,” says Mead. “It’s a tradition that stuck with me and it’s something special for me to give to people for Christmas.” Mead’s top tip for mastering this impressive dome is prepping ahead. “The good thing about this is you can make it a week in advance.” Simply build the internal cake (up to step 6) and keep it in the freezer. “It’s a huge time saver and it’s one less thing to…

Building on our shining success with Silver Nova in 2023, our second Nova-class ship, Silver Ray, is a guiding light for the future of luxury travel. A bold, asymmetrical design creates wide open spaces and vast breathtaking views of your destination, everywhere you look. Welcome to Silver Ray. OVER THE PAST SIX WEEKS, I’VE MADE SOME of the smartest travel decisions of my life. My summer holiday choices have one thing in common: I made them quickly, impulsively, emotionally. I made travel plans the way you’re not supposed to. I learned to spearfish invasive lionfish in Belize, a thrilling conservation-oriented scuba activity and something I never imagined I could master in a million years. I had an unexpectedly wild weekend at an Andalusian poetry festival in Córdoba that shook me…

I can’t recall ever being so dazzled by the light, especially in the depths of a European winter. It’s like the sun itself has been polished; crystalline rays filtering across the glossy, whipped-meringue whites of the Engadin valley in waves of pink and glimmering gold, brush-stroked across cornflower-blue skies. From my perch at the Kulm Hotel St. Moritz, I can see the fairytalemeets-high-fashion town’s frozen lake being readied for the annual Snow Polo World Cup. Ah, St Moritz; where wealth (even the chairlifts are Prada-emblazoned) and whimsy collide at the intersection of alpine sports gravitas and playful hijinks. It may have hosted two Winter Olympics, but apparently around half those who visit never click boots into skis; with so many diversions, who could blame them? Opened as St Moritz’s first…

You’ve worked at Café Paci, Fred’s and Saint Peter. What have you learned working in these kitchens that you’re bringing to the new role? Pasi Petänen, Danielle Alvarez and Josh Niland all taught me different skills. I chose to work with them intentionally because they were, and still are, at the top of their game. Pasi’s food is the most creative and working with him as sous chef set me up for a leadership role in the kitchen. Danielle knows how to cook from the heart and accentuate already beautiful seasonal produce. Josh taught me how to treat whole fish and was always the first at work. How did you get your start in cooking? I got my first job in a café when I was 14. But…

Panettone Discover local iterations of this traditional Italian Christmas bread. Sonoma Bakery It takes 36 hours of proofing and baking to bring this seasonal treat into the world. Made with sourdough starter, the dark chocolate dough is studded with cherries and a crisp sugary crush. $50, pnvmerchants.com Wholegreen Bakery Dairy- and gluten-free, this is the ultimate BYO dessert when dietary restrictions are in play. Its rich blend of rum-soaked orange peel, lemon peel and raisins is impressive as well as inclusive. $45, wholegreenbakery.com.au Baker Bleu Baked in-house at Bleu’s Sydney and Melbourne outposts, this panettone is steadfast to pannettone’s traditional flavour profile. If you’re not a dried fruit fan there is also a dark chocolate number. $65, bakerbleu.com.au PHOTOGRAPHY JASON LOUCAS (SOFITEL FOOD & DRINK).…

RISING SHARPLY FROM THE OUTER SUBURBS OF EASTERN Adelaide, the Mount Lofty Ranges sandwich themselves between their low-lying neighbours, the Barossa Valley and McLaren Vale, with a much cooler and diverse topography. Meso-climates, hidden valleys, and narrow belts of growing potential contribute to a setting that forces you to seek and, therefore, uncover enclaves of winemaking magic. Some of the highest vineyards sit close to 700 metres above sea level. When coupled with low annual rainfall, the result is commonly a prolonged ripening season where richer and more concentrated wines are the status quo. A benchmark Australian style of ripe sauvignon blanc and chardonnays displaying great natural acidity underline the Adelaide Hills’ white grape prevailing plantings. Medium-bodied, smooth pinot noir is a well-liked style and contributes to a robust sparkling…

FROM LONDON TO TOKYO, FIVE-STAR HOTEL STANDARDS ARE RISING WITH A PARADE OF BIG-TICKET openings. If there’s one link between the current suite of openings, it’s a hyper-focus on personalised experiences. Checking all the five-star hotel boxes – lavish spa, butler service, multiple restaurants thick with Michelin-star chefs – is a given with these properties. The extra layer in an increasingly crowded sector, is the customised approach, from fresh flower preferences to an “experience concierge” tailoring itineraries around shopping, art, food, yoga or nightclubbing. It’s all emphatically linked to location too (say, umbrellas in London) so the memory of your stay blends hotel and location with the emotionally cossetting acknowledgement of your impeccable, individual taste. MAROMA, A BELMOND HOTEL , RIVIERA M AYA Just north of Tulum and Playa Del…

Spiced porchetta with cherry tkemali sauce SERVES 10-12 AS A MAIN // PREP 25 MINS // COOK 2½ HRS (PLUS DRYING) Tkemali is a Georgian sour plum sauce to accompany roast meat. We’ve used cherries instead of plums for a seasonal and festive spin in this Christmas table centrepiece. 2.5 kg pork belly, scored at 1cm intervals Vegetable oil, for drizzling Fine sea salt, for rubbing 3 red onions, cut into wedges 1 garlic bulb, halved horizontally 2 oranges, thinly sliced SPICE PASTE 2 tsp each coriander seeds, fennel seeds and black peppercorns 1 tsp fenugreek seeds 6 garlic cloves, crushed 60 ml (¼ cup) olive oil CHERRY TKEMALI SAUCE 600 gm frozen pitted cherries 1 tbsp pomegranate molasses 2 small garlic cloves, crushed 2 tsp Aleppo pepper 1 tsp…

Domain de Canton French 75 MAKES 4 // PREP 10 MINS (PLUS INFUSING) We’ve given the classic French 75 a festive and refreshing twist with the addition of fragrant and heady ginger. 30 ml Domain de Canton (French ginger liqueur) 30 ml Australian gin 1½ tbsp light agave syrup 2 tsp finely grated ginger 1 tsp lemon juice Chilled Champagne, to top Lemon twists and crystallised ginger, to serve 1 Combine liqueur, gin, agave syrup, ginger and lemon juice in a jug and stir to combine. Refrigerate to chill and infuse (1 hour). 2 Half fill a cocktail shaker with ice. Strain cocktail mixture through a fine sieve into shaker; shake vigorously until well chilled. Strain among four Champagne coupes; top with Champagne to fill and garnish with…

Bold type PAGE 158 Object of desire PAGE 162 BOLD TYPE Custom stone is the star of this modern kitchen, textural concrete and oak accents round out the look. 1 Fisher & Paykel 600mm Series 5 7-function contemporary pyrolytic oven, $1500, Harvey Norman. 2 Ingo Maurer floatation suspension lamp, from $4680, Space Furniture. 3 Aerin Corvo large vase in White, $1545, Palmer & Penn. 4 Galactic marble, POA, World Stone Solutions. 5 Victorian Ash Truescale Natural, POA, Laminex. 6 Everyday dinner set in Bronte, from $1320, Studio Enti. 7 Carl Hansen & Søn FK63 Cabinet floor standing, from $6500, Cult. 8 Changes bowl in Sage, $305, Greg Natale. 9 Warren Platner stool, POA, De De Ce. ART HOUSE Bold artwork and…

ENTRIES ARE NOW OPEN FOR GOURMET Traveller’s Hotel and Travel Awards, with winners set to be revealed in May 2025. The new awards, which will celebrate the best hotels and travel experiences in Australia, are open to hotels of all sizes, with individual categories for Hotel of the Year, Boutique Hotel of the Year and Resort of the Year. Judged by a panel of luxury travel experts, led by Gourmet Traveller editor Joanna Hunkin, the awards will also recognise Best Hotel Dining, Best New Hotel and Cruise Line of the Year. “Australia has its own style and perspective when it comes to luxury travel and we want to celebrate the properties and operators that work so hard to capture that, delivering unique, singular experiences,” says Hunkin. “The world is full…

AT THE LUME MELBOURNE, TOP CHEFS BRENT SAVAGE, Brigitte Hafner, Josh Niland, Rosheen Kaul and Shane Delia are on stage as the envelope is unsealed. “And the Pacific Finalist of the S.Pellegrino Young Chef Academy Competition is…” Pause for effect. “KyongHo ‘Daniel’ Choi.” Choi is a South Korean-born, Irish-raised chef working at Omnia in South Yarra. His resume is already stacked with Michelin stars, having worked at Benu and Situ in San Francisco and then Greenhouse and Chapter One in Dublin. Cooking off against nine other bright young chefs, Choi clinched his win with a dish he calls Bacon and Cabbage or Pork and Kimchi; a retelling of his childhood move from Seoul to Dublin through gochujang, black pudding and potato served with kimchi soda bread and a sesame hollandaise.…

ASK ALMOST ANY restaurateur and they’ll say the same thing: cover counts are dwindling and spend per head is down. It is, in other words, not an auspicious time to be launching a restaurant, let alone a two-storey, indoor/outdoor 150-seater in a quiet leafy suburb. Yet despite the beleaguered state of business (or maybe because of it), Postino Osteria may just be Sydney’s smartest opening this year. Where Alessandro Pavoni is cooking Italian food, of course, folks will follow. So, it’s hardly a shock to find nearly every table occupied at 7.30 on a Thursday night, clinking Spritzes and passing plates of mondeghini – unmissable stewy-soft Milanese meatballs crumbed and fried to a gratifying golden crunch. I sense, however, that the Summer Hill set has also turned up to celebrate…

PARTY POUR Cool off this summer with TikTok’s trending sip, the Paloma. Where warmer weather usually calls an Aperol or Hugo Spritz to mind, the Paloma is typically a grapefruit, tequila and lime refresh. Gin-based riffs are also on the rise, as seen here with Papa Salt’s easy-drinking Paloma tins. $27 for 4 x 250ml, papasaltgin.com SALT SPRAY Joining traditional and Australian botanicals, repurposed oyster shell is the not-so-secret ingredient lending this Hickson House gin its minerality and creamy mouthfeel. Saltbush and seaweed add to the oceanside ambience, while finger lime and ruby grapefruit shape its smooth, dry finish. $88, hicksonhouse.com.au SPOTLIGHT ON Grant Ashton, founder of Melbourne’s exclusive new wine club, 67 Pall Mall, talks international wine list sensations and go-to drops. Riesling is an essential on any wine…

FOR CERTAIN BARTENDERS, THE RAMOS GIN FIZZ IS something of a nightmare, a totem of late 19thcentury New Orleans, notorious for its prescribed 12-minute shake time. Bar Midland co-owner Loudon Cooper, however, sees the bracer as more of an opportunity; not only to nail an age-old technique, but also to reinvigorate the velvety, frothy-headed take on a Tom Collins with a local pastis instead of gin – a move in-line with his handsome Castlemaine restaurant and bar’s strictly Victorian ethos. “This started out as a sweeter drink, but then I realised that the locally made Forêt Pastis was really destined to take the lead,” he says. “From there, we cut down the sweetness, ramped up the citrus and leaned more on the classic Ramos recipe to highlight the timeless pairing…

Barbecued scallops with pickled chillies SERVES 4-6 AS AN ENTRÉE // PREP 20 MINS // COOK 3 MINS ½ tsp cumin seeds, coarsely crushed ½ tsp ground chipotle 18 scallops in the shell Micro coriander, to serve PICKLED CHILLIES 2 long green chillies, thinly sliced 60 ml (¼ cup) white wine vinegar 1 tsp caster sugar ¼ tsp dried oregano CORIANDER-LIME BUTTER 125 gm salted butter, softened 1 garlic clove, finely grated ¼ cup finely chopped coriander Finely grated zest of 1 lime, plus 1 tbsp juice 1 For pickled chillies, combine all ingredients in a bowl; season to taste and set aside, tossing occasionally, until lightly pickled (15 minutes). 2 For coriander-lime butter, place all ingredients in a food processor, season to taste and process to combine.…

THE PERRYS ARE COMING TOGETHER TO celebrate Christmas. It has been a big year for the family with the openings of Song Bird and Bobbie’s (two more building blocks in a Double Bay empire alongside Margaret, Next Door and Baker Bleu). This was also the year Neil Perry AM was honoured by the World’s 50 Best Academy with the Woodford Reserve Icon Award, yet again bringing Australian dining to global attention. For Christmas, Perry favours simplicity, calling on seasonal, local produce. “We’re so lucky that Christmas falls in the middle of summer here. Beautiful ripe tomatoes, zucchinis, and oysters from the North Coast are all rocking and rolling this time of year,” he says. “Christmas is all about opening some oysters, sharing some beautifully cooked prawns, and roasting or barbecuing…

When French couturier Christian Dior said, “Real elegance is everywhere, especially in the things that don’t show,” he might have been foreshadowing this refined weekender. Supple and grained to the touch, Dior’s calfskin leather is gently marked in a barely-there expression of luxury. Call it logomania’s demure reinvention or just a wink to those in the know, Dior’s Oblique motif is scaled up to the point of abstraction and pressed into place, courtesy of Dior Men’s artistic director Kim Jones who developed the house’s new embossing technique. Inside, the polish level is maintained thanks to a generous zip compartment and an embossed Dior signature that would make its eponym proud. Weekender 40, $6300, dior.com WORDS ANNA MCCOOE. PHOTOGRAPHY WILL HORNER. STYLING SAM YATES.…