It was exciting to host another sell-out event as part of Barossa Gourmet Weekend. There really are a lot of sweet tooths around!
Over 40 Guests enjoyed an afternoon master class hosted by Ron Liebich and his daughter Briony who took them?behind the scenes of the world of fortified wine. Ron shared his tips for barrel ageing and how different grape varieties develop while Briony led the sensory experience of matching wines to indulgent desserts.
Matching Fortified with Desserts
Briony works as a Sensory Analyst and provided insights into basic taste interactions and why we love sweet flavours. The desserts were prepared by local chef Kate Harbison using as many local ingredients as possible. The most popular pairing was the Semillon and Cr?me Br?l?e.
Here are the wines and desserts served as complementary pairings:
Classic Semillon
Wine:?????????????????????????? Gorgeous burnt toffee, candied nuts and sticky date pudding flavours
Dessert:????????????????????? Honeycomb Cr?me Br?l?e with Blood Orange Marmalade
Classic Frontignac
Wine:?????????????????????????? Irresistible musk perfume and tropical fruits with caramelised flavours
Dessert:????????????????????? Sticky Walnut Tart with Peach Glaze
Classic Muscat
Wine:?????????????????????????? Alluring dried apricots, candied citrus and luscious honey flavours
Dessert:????????????????????? Dark Chocolate & Apricot Roulade
Grand Tawny
Wine:?????????????????????????? Extremely complex spicy fruitcake with a lingering dry, nutty finish.
Dessert:????????????????????? Chocolate Cream Layered Biscotti with Spiced Quince Jelly and Chocolate Glazed Fig
Thanks to everyone who attended and assisted with this true sweet indulgence!
A perfect, refreshing dessert with a light creaminess and the characteristic flavours of Muscat grapes. A softer, creamier version of ice cream.
Degree of Difficulty: Easy
Preparation Time: 20 minutes
Freezing Time: 4-6 hours
Ingredients
1 cup pre-soaked raisins or sultanas in Muscat
3 eggs
2 egg yolks
1 cup castor sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla essence
1 ? cups pouring cream
? cup toasted nuts (optional)
Method
Have a jar of Muscat-soaked dried fruit handy in the pantry or prepare one a day beforehand. Alternatively, use ? jar of Liebich Drunken Fruit.
Place the eggs, yolks, sugar and vanilla in a heat proof bowl over a saucepan of simmering water and whisk for 5 minutes or until thick and pale. Remove from heat and use an electric beater to whisk for about 8 minutes or until cool. Set aside.
Whip the cream separately until soft peaks form. Fold the cream and egg mixture together and pour into a metal cake tin.
Swirl the fruit mixture and nuts (if using) into the egg mixture.
Cover with foil and freeze for 4-6 hours until firm.
A quick and easy dessert to?showcase Liebich Drunken Fruit or any seasonal fruit such as apricots or peaches in summer.
Degree of difficulty: easy
Preparation time: 60?minutes
Cooking time: 30 minutes
Ingredients
For the pastry
140g butter
100g caster sugar
250g plain flour
25g ground almonds
1 egg, beaten
For the filling
1 jar Liebich Drunken Fruits (or dried apricots pre-soaked in Semillon at least 24 hours)
175mL (1 small glass) Liebich Fortified Semillon (or any sweet fortified wine)
100g caster sugar, plus 4 tablespoons extra for toffee topping
1 vanilla pod, split and seeds scraped
300mL cream
4 eggs
Method
For the pastry, beat the butter and sugar together until pale, mix in flour and almonds then stir in the egg until the pastry just comes together. Shape into a ball, wrap in cling film and chill for at least 30 minutes. While the pastry is chilling, drain 1 jar Liebich Drunken Fruits.
In a saucepan bring the vanilla and cream to the boil. Turn off the heat and leave the cream to infuse.
Heat oven to 220?C/fan 200?C/gas 7. Roll the pastry to fit a 23cm fluted tart tin and leave it to chill in the freezer for 10 mins. Line the tart case with foil or greaseproof paper and fill the tart with blind baking beans. Bake the tart for 20 minutes until the edges become biscuity, then remove the beans and foil or greaseproof paper and cook for a few more minutes until the base starts to brown. Remove the tart from the oven and lower the heat to 160?C/fan 140?C/gas 3.
While the tart case is cooking, whisk the eggs in a large bowl. Strain the vanilla cream over the eggs and whisk again, then mix the drained liquid from the fruit jar in with the vanilla cream and the eggs to make custard. Pull the fruit apart and press them sticky side down into the tart case. Pour the custard over the apricots and bake for about 20-30 minutes until the filling is just set. Remove the tart from the oven and leave to cool.
Just before serving, scatter the remaining sugar over the tart and blast with a blowtorch to caramelise it, leave it to harden for a minute and cut into slices and serve.
As there are so many lovely flavours in the tart already it needs no accompaniment except a glass of Liebich fortified of course!
