In this week’s column: French Alpine-style cheese in the Adelaide Hills, making fun of the local wine industry, Assaggio re-launch, new city restaurants and cafes, an organic market, and a host of food and wine events.

New cheese on the block

A new Adelaide Hills cheesemaker has jumped the fence from an established corporate career in the hope of fulfilling a long-held fascination with ferments.

Kym Masters has a 15-year background in banking and qualifications in engineering, economics and finance, but has spent the past couple of years pursuing a future in making deals of a more palatable kind.

Kym Masters. Photo: supplied

Family in France and a 12-month sabbatical in Piedmonte, Italy, studying Italian and living the village life, inspired him to decide that making French Alpine-style cheese to reflect the terroir of the Adelaide Hills would be his new direction.

“Comte is the most consumed style of cheese in France at the moment,” explains Masters. “The thing I loved about it was its diversity – there are different varieties, depending on which valley the cheese is made in, that have become recognised in their own right, such as Beaufort and Gruyere.

“These cheeses have been made for over 200 years and have a connection back to traditional agrarian culture, which interested me, coming from a farming background.”

Raised on a farm at Cleve on the Eyre Peninsula, Masters says he grew up milking the house cows.

“My 15 years in investment banking was always a search to find my passion and then the courage to step out of a linear career”.

To do this he first sought out the best milk he could find using the National Dairy Awards as his guide, then set up his factory, Section 28, at Woodside.

“I found a fantastic source of milk in Glenmax Holstein dairy at Mt Torrens and then actively sought a factory location that would work logistically.”

Masters took another 12 months’ leave to oversee the build and start production. He already has great wheels of his first cheeses in maturation, but he’s back working a few days each week as a director at accounting firm Ernst and Young, because the cheesemaking is only part time at this stage.

Masters checking the maturation process. Photo: supplied

On his days off, using small batches of 500 litres of milk at a time, Masters has produced both 10kg and 55kg wheels of Montforte and 10kg wheels of Mont Priscilla, both semi-hard cheeses in the Comte style.

“Monteforte has a herbaceous taste with roasted hazelnut undertones and an umami back flavour,” explains Masters. “Whereas the Mont Priscilla, being a washed rind, has that pungent smell of stinky wet socks, but the flavour is quite mild with hints of lemon and fresh-cut grass and a creamy mouth-feel.

“When people see the line of ash in the Mont Priscilla, they assume it’s a blue, but the reason for the ash is more for historical fact than taste – the thing that fascinates me about cheesemaking is the artistry and the history, as well as the scientific base.”

Masters says that while he is also creative, painting and drawing as a hobby, his education and experience have given him the logical mathematical processes, the methodical attention to detail, and an understanding of the core fundamentals and skills that are needed in a scientific endeavour such as cheesemaking.

“A good scientist can make good cheese, but the art is something that might take 50 years of learning – I’m only two years into that process.

“It isn’t a regular move by any stretch, but I understand what it’s like to not sleep at night and what it’s like to not be sure that you’re going to make it – I’m equal parts terrified and equal parts thrilled at the thought of stepping off that cliff.”

Masters plans to launch his Section 28 cheese range when the cheeses reach maturity around October.

More Plonk

South Australia’s winemakers, celebrity cooks and local personalities make an appearance in season two of the satirical comedy Plonk, which will be aired on TV and video-on-demand service Stan.

Plonk follows the trials and tribulations of a TV crew making a “serious” wine show, starring The Chaser’s Chris Taylor, Barossa-born Joshua Tyler and creator Nathan Earl.

“Nothing says Plonk quite like South Australia, so we were thrilled when the SATC [South Australian Tourism Commission] invited us to collaborate on our second season,” says Earl. “We received such a good-humoured and enthusiastic reception when filming throughout the wine regions that the entire production team are now considering moving here.”

The second season of Plonk was filmed exclusively in South Australia, showcasing McLaren Vale, Barossa Valley, Clare Valley, Coonawarra, Adelaide and Adelaide Hills. It is hoped that the show will provide a new platform through which to entice tourists to the state.

There are cameo appearances by Premier Jay Weatherill, Tourism Minister Leon Bignell, Yalumba Wines’ Robert Hill Smith, d’Arenberg winemaker Chester Osborn, wine icon Stephen Henschke, cook and food producer Maggie Beer and sommelier Matt Skinner.

Plonk season 2, will be shown in six half-hour episodes via Stan from Thursday and will be shown on Nine Network later this year. Season one is available on Stan now.

Sidewood wins top wine award

Sidewood Estate’s Owen & Cassandra Inglis. Photo: supplied

The Decanter World Wine Awards have named Adelaide Hills’ Sidewood Estate 2013 Mappinga Reserve Shiraz the Best International Rhone Varietal over £15 ($30), the first win for South Australia in this category. The 2013 Mappinga Reserve Shiraz is one of the winery’s premium wines and is made from estate-grown and hand-picked fruit by Darryl Catlin, formerly senior winemaker at Shaw and Smith for 13 years.

Out and about …

Lady Burra Brewery – Situated in Adelaide’s newest bar and restaurant hotspot at Topham Mall between Currie and Waymouth Streets, microbrewery Lady Burra Brewery officially opened its doors to the public on Saturday. The concept was initially to create a brewery and tasting space in the Adelaide CBD, but it has grown into a fully functioning brewery, cocktail bar and restaurant open for breakfast, lunch and dinner. The food is Portuguese style, and every dish incorporates and celebrates the brewery’s four beers in a clever way.

Red Door Bakery – The Forager jumped the gun slightly with its earlier announcement about Red Door Bakery’s new store in the city, but we are happy to say that the Grenfell Street outlet is now open for business. Owners Gareth and Emma Grierson follow the concept of keeping it simple, as they have with their Croydon and Goodwood Road stores, using the best-quality ingredients to produce handmade breads and pastries.

The buzz on Pirie Street – Colin & Co, in Rundle Place, is under new management. In Pirie Street, self-taught pastry chef Jonny Pisanelli (known for his pop-ups on Leigh Street and at the Adelaide Showground Farmers’ Market) has just opened his first permanent retail space – Abbots & Kinney – in the newly restored building at number 76-80. And by the end of the month the building will also house Simon Kardachi’s new family-style pasta bar, Oggi, the latest venture in a string of his successes in the city, including Press and Maybe Mae. At the end of August, this same stretch will also become home to sandwich bar Chicken & Pig, where whole chicken and porchetta will be showcased by the team behind Mozzarella e Pizza Bar.

Assaggio re-launch

Hospitality group Assaggio has announced the closure of its retail store in the Adelaide Central Market and the re-launch of Assagio Ristorante on King William Road, Hyde Park. Owner Marcin Kierno says with the departure of some owners from the business, those remaining want to focus less on the presence of a retail brand and more on their hospitality. “We are going to rustle up the menu and modernise the interior, however stay true to the Assaggio brand,” he says. The re-launch is expected to happen by late October to coincide with its 10-year anniversary.

Organic & Sustainable Market

The Organic & Sustainable Market is South Australia’s first certified organic market. Open every Saturday morning from 9am to 1pm at the corner of Park Terrace and Fifth Street in Bowden, it is a one-stop shop for certified organic and biodynamic produce including meat, honey, wine and olive oil.

This week at the Adelaide Farmers’ Market

Fresh in-season mandarins. Photo: supplied

In Australia, mandarins are a convenient and healthy winter snack food harvested from an estimated 2.3 million citrus trees across the country, but the fruit has its origins in Vietnam, southern China and Japan, where it was named after the Chinese officials of the Imperial Court and was initially reserved for the privileged and the wealthy.

For hundreds of years, the Chinese have not only eaten the flesh of mandarins, they have also preserved the skins as a flavour enhancer for sweet and savoury dishes. The skins of the fragrant Xinhui variety, in particular, are dried and used in Chinese cooking. The Xinhui is not available in Australia, but the Imperial mandarin is said to have a similar aroma.

Dried mandarin peel. Photo: George/Flickr

To preserve your own mandarin peel, wash fruit and pat dry. Remove the skin from flesh and then scrape as much of the white pith as possible away without damaging the skin. Leave peel to dry in the sun for three days or more until it becomes brittle. You can also use a low oven. Dehydrated skins can be stored in air-tight containers indefinitely. The longer the mandarin peel is kept, the more fragrant it becomes. The peel will turn black over time.

Add a small piece of dried mandarin skin to soups, desserts and stews for a fragrant hint of flavour or just enjoy the fruit fresh while they’re in season.

Adelaide Farmers’ Market stallholders Cooinda Proprietors, Fat Goose Fruits and B&A Andonopoulos will be selling mandarins from 9am this Sunday at the Adelaide Showground Farmers’ Market. DJ Garden Fresh Citrus sell mandarins at their stall at Prospect Farmers’ Market on Thursday afternoons from 3pm. Prospect Farmers’ Market is located next to Prospect Town Hall on the corner of Vine Street Plaza and Prospect Road.

What’s On

Street EAT – June 18
The next Street EAT event on O’Connell Street in North Adelaide will be held from 5pm until 7pm before the Adelaide Crows play Hawthorn at Adelaide Oval, so stop by before the game to grab a bite to eat from Paesano or a enjoy quick drink at Bombolo’s.

Fork on the Road – June 20
Fork on the Road will hold its next event, Fork in the Port, at Harts Mill in Port Adelaide when around 20 trucks will be on site, including La Cantina Co and the Honey Puff Ladies. The Fork bar will be set-up in the flower shed. The event will run from 12pm-8pm.

The Longest Table – June 20
Tickets are still available for The Longest Table event, which is held to raise money for cancer research. Bree May and Dougal McFuzzlebutt will host the “ultimate three-course dude food meal” at the Big Shed Brewing Co. Alternatively you can host your own dinner, either at home or elsewhere, by registering with The Longest Table here.

Prancing Pony Brewery Winter Solstice – June 20
Prancing Pony’s Winter Solstice event is the perfect way to spend the longest night of the year. With full-flavoured ales and new flamed treats on offer, the night is all about celebrating great food and good beer from 4pm until late.

Ginza Miyako Japanese fusion high tea – June 21 and July 19
The unique Japanese fusion high-tea experience at Ginza Miyako gives guests the chance to immerse themselves in Japanese food and culture. You can choose to enjoy these treats in traditional seating in the restaurant or in the beautifully furnished Western-style dining area at the Stamford Plaza Hotel on North Terrace. Bookings are essential on 8221 6147.

Last Friday in North Adelaide – June 26
Last Friday is a new initiative, supporting creative culture and creating a community feel in the North Adelaide area. The upcoming Last Friday “Italian Carnival on O’Connell Street” will celebrate all things Italian including dine-in specials for those donning masks. The event will run from 4pm-8pm. To book your place on the Carnival Mask Making tour, email: [email protected].

Coonawarra Cellar Dwellers – July 1 – 31
Coonawarra will dig out some treasures from the cellars to offer visitors a rare opportunity to taste and buy aged wine during the month of July. Coonawarra wines are well known for their ageing ability, and Cellar Dwellers provides an opportunity to taste wines that are otherwise not available for tasting. Book into one of the many dinners and degustations held throughout the month or simply wander the vineyards and visit the cellar doors before warming up with a glass of Coonawarra aged wine in front of a crackling open fire.

Adelaide Beer & BBQ Festival – July 10 to 12
Join chefs Drew Akin, Jordan Jeavons, Andy Nowell, Duncan Welgemoed, Brendan Bell and Sam Worrall-Thompson for barbecue demonstrations at the Adelaide Showgrounds’ Brick Dairy Pavilion and lawns during the Adelaide Beer & BBQ Festival. Local and international beer and cider brewers including Lobo Cider, Birbecks Brewing Company, Rehn Bier, Swell Beer and Clare Valley Brewing will also serving artisan beer and cider. A feature bar dedicated to the winning brews from the Royal Adelaide Beer and Cider Awards will also be open for tastings.

Winter Reds – July 24 to 26
Fire up your winter soul in the Adelaide Hills at the Winter Reds weekend, with more than 30 wineries offering exclusive ticketed and general-admission food and wine events. Check out the ‘Deep South’ of the Hills event at Longview Winery on Sunday, July 26 when they will serve up smoky BBQ delights, soul and blues music and museum reds “flowing like the Mississippi”. Tickets are $65 per head for a three-course meal. For bookings and more information call Longview on 8388 9694.

News, tips and information?

The Forager would love to hear about your news, events and suggestions. Please contact us at [email protected].

With additional reporting by Millie Thwaites.