In this week’s column: making perry with Adelaide Hills pears, dinner at the Oval, Central Market specials, a new East End whisky bar, and South Australian gelato heads for world championships.

Hills perry spices up

Adelaide Hills perry (pear cider) producer Paracombe Premium Perry is set to release a ginger beer, a cardamom syrup, an apple cider and three new perry varieties to add to its suite of four award-winning small-batch perries and fresh juices .

Perry maker Damian McArdle also plans to open up the family orchard for tours, tastings and shed-door sales for those keen to see how the handcrafted brews are made.

Hills perry maker Damian McArdle. Photo supplied

“The shed door will be open by appointment and for special events,” says McArdle. “The tours will be educational – a chance for people to see how perry is made from the tree to the bottle, how the pears are grown and then processed into juice and from juice into an alcoholic beverage.

“There will be tastings and produce matching with cheese and chocolates.

“We’re aiming to have it all up and running by the end of next month.”

The new ginger beer, called “Rooted”, is made from fresh ginger sourced from Queensland and NSW, but McArdle is currently trialling growing his own ginger. “I’m just not sure the climate is suited to growing ginger down here; it might be a bit cold,” he says.

The cardamom syrup idea came from McArdle’s love of cooking.

“Pear and cardamom is a match made in heaven. You can use syrup if you’re cooking pears or add it to cider and perry to make a sticky wine.”

He will also soon release a new perry called Pearacombe, described as a “pear version of sparkling wine; drier and more carbonated”. It’s a dry-style perry made from Red Anjou pears.

Most of McArdle’s perries are single-varietal, limited-release brews made from tree-ripened pears.

Other new releases include Josephines Labyrinth, made from Lemon Bergamot pears; The Mysterious One, made from McArdle’s perry trials; and Appleanche, an apple cider.

Watch the Paracombe Premium Perry Facebook page for updates.

Dinner at the Oval

Hill of Grace restaurant. Photo Nat Rogers/InDaily

InDaily has partnered with the Hill of Grace Restaurant at Adelaide Oval to offer readers an exclusive preview of the new autumn/winter menu with dishes presented by head chef Dennis Leslie.

The dinner will be accompanied by premium Henschke wines and hosted by InDaily editor David Washington and publisher Amanda Pepe.

Tickets are $195 per head for a five-course menu with matched wines. Individual or group bookings welcome. Numbers strictly limited.

For bookings call 8205 4777.

This week at the Central Market

Photo Nat Rogers/InDaily

The spectacular Spanish Dessert Fig, with its dark purple skin and dark red flesh, is available for $15 per kilogram until April 3 at Pick Me Fresh, Stall 30, Adelaide Central Market.

Photo Nat Rogers/InDaily

Sashimi-quality Atlantic salmon is available for $36 per kilogram until April 3 at Samtass Seafoods, GO46-48, Adelaide Central Market.

New East End whisky bar

The last undeveloped piece of the old East End Market, a bluestone barn set back off Rundle Street between The Stag Hotel and Sosta, is currently under restoration, and rumour has it that it will be a “whisky bar with a boutique beer twist”.

The stonemasons have been working to remove the foam coating that was hiding a stunning wall facing Ebenezer Place at the rear of the property. They have also been repointing the stone on both the internal and external walls.

InDaily’s sources say that property owner Theo Maris didn’t want another wine bar in the precinct to compete with the existing Tasting Room at East End Cellars and Mothervine, both of which also share Ebenezer Place.

They say “four young lads” have taken on the new project and are “being very secretive about it”.

 Adelaide gelato scoops second place

48 Flavours gelato. Photo supplied

New Gouger Street gelateria 48 Flavours earned its stripes at the Gelato World Tour Asia-Pacific region heat held in Singapore last week.

The flavour which secured second place was Roasted Walnut and Honey Crunch, created by gelato maker David Lamprell and his father-and-son gelato team-mates Brian and Michael O’Donnell.

“The Roasted Walnut and Honey Crunch flavour will be available for tasting at the Gouger Street store shortly,” said Brian O’Donnell after arriving back home in Adelaide today.

The winner of Gelato World Tour Asia Pacific finals was Good ‘Ol Days by Sharon Tay of Momolato, Singapore. But the 14 other producers from the Australia’s eastern states, New Zealand, India and South-East Asia didn’t go home empty-handed.

“There were consolation awards for the other participants and we were all like family over there,” O’Donnell said.

The 48 Flavours team will go on to represent Australia in the world championships to be held in Rimini, Italy, in 2017.

What’s on…

Feast in the City on Foot – March 28
Discover new eating places and art in public spaces on this walking tour hosted by local foodie Caitlin Hillson. The three-hour tour starts at 10am and takes participants around the city square mile to experience everything from Middle Eastern snacks to gourmet chocolate and dumplings. Tickets are $25 for the tour, or $69 for the all-inclusive food and beverage package. Private tours also available. More information available here.

East End Wine Down – March 29
Vardon Avenue in Adelaide’s East End will be transformed into a dynamic urban laneway festival showcasing more than 100 local wines, street-style food, DJs and roving entertainment. Tickets are $30 (pre-booked) or $35 at the door (unless sold out). More information available here.

Bottega Rotolo Cheese Experience Evenings – April 16 & 30
Let fine cheese purveyor Rosalie Rotolo-Hassan and Bottega Rotolo’s resident sommelier take you on a journey around French and Italian cheeses with matching wines at the King William Road store.  Cost is $50 per person and seats are limited to a maximum of 12 guests per experience. Private tastings can also be made by arrangement. Bookings 1300 2688 3422

Barossa Vintage Festival – April 15 to 19
The 2015 program for the Barossa Vintage Festival offers 95 events celebrating the region’s rich heritage and gastronomic pleasures over five days. Highlights include a series of ticketed events such as a decadent feast, an exclusive wine auction lunch and a host of indulgent wine and food experiences.

The future of food – April 22
Some of the world’s greatest thinkers on food and food innovators will converge on the Festival Centre on April 22 for the Food South Australia Summit: Looking Ahead to discuss emerging food trends and how they can be converted into new food products and business models. Local food identities will examine the latest trends in the food industry and how they are affecting the future eating habits and choices of Australian consumers. The annual event attracts more than 200 participants and offers an excellent networking opportunity as it runs back to back with the Think Food trade show.

Cheese appreciation evenings at Bottega Rotolo. Photo supplied

How to make table olives with Rossa Matto – June 14

Following on from her Tasting Olive Oil workshop last year, chef Rosa Matto is running part two of the olive oil story – how to make table olives. The workshop will cover curing, pickling and cooking with olives and will be held at Angas Street WEA.