Healthy Food: Aperitif: Ham Awards for Excellence, Potts Point (5 July 2010)

Monday, July 5, 2010

Aperitif: Ham Awards for Excellence, Potts Point (5 July 2010)

7 Kellett Street Potts Point NSW 2011
Phone (02) 9357 4729
http://www.aperitif.net.au

Ham Week 5-11 July

Thanks to Stewart White from Whiteworks Public Relations for inviting me along to the launch of Ham Week (5-11 July 2010) at the very sexy Aperitif restaurant. I think tonight's event is both a celebration of the winners of Australia's Awards for Excellence and the cooking of Aperitif's chef Derek Baker who prepared a selection of canapés using ham as the main ingredient. I'd love to revisit this cosy restaurant with it's combination of Moroccan, French and Spanish decor to try some of their tempting menu dishes of Seared Wild Sea Scallops with Carrot Purée & Dried Quinoa ($18), Confit of Duck with Puy Lentil & Lardon ($22), Bouillabaisse ($48 share plate for 2) and for dessert the Crème Brulée ($14) to compare to Tabou's.

It's been just under 4 months since Australian Pork launched National Bacon Week and I still haven't finished it all but I'm down to my last pack of BB Products Lachs Shinken. Tonight is a feast of so much ham including two delicious winning entries which have been prepared as a Glazed Baked Ham marinated with a combination of Orange Zest, Orange Juice, Brown Sugar and Mustard — so juicy and tender without being too salty. Another favourite of mine tonight is the Croque Monsieur with such yummy Gruyère Cheese. The Double Smoked Ham Croquettes and Ham Terrine were good as well and easy to eat. The pastry on the Smoked Ham & Mushroom Pie was excellent although not the easiest canapé to eat as it required two hands — I think a fully enclosed mini pastry pie would have been the go so one could keep holding their wine ;-). There was a similar dilemma with the Pea & Ham Soup but if the ham was diced finer I think it could have worked OK as a one handed shot of soup. Wines were generously provided by the appropriately named Piggs Peake.

The entrants for the ham competition were in the main, small companies and butchers who still use age old recipes and methods, and not high tech machinery and processes. To support Ham week, David Jones have partnered with some of their suppliers and will be running a sampling program all this week of some great Aussie hams. The square, pink Australian PorkMark is a no-ifs-no-buts guarantee of Australian origin and what is in the packet is 100 per cent Australian home grown and manufactured ham. To date there's 170 butchers and smallgoods manufacturers Australia wide licensed to display the logo on their products, which are the finest smallgoods available in Australia.

95 hams from 72 different businesses entered and judged against four key criteria such as appearance, aroma, texture and most importantly, taste. The judges were three experts in their fields. Fleischmiester Horst Schurger from CBS Foodtech, and Chefs and commercial cookery teachers Paul McDonald and Simon Bestley from Northern Sydney Institute of TAFE who are here with us tonight.

Traditional Australian Bone - In Leg Ham category

1st Prize: Barkly Smokehouse - Preston Victoria

2nd Prize: Pastoral Ham & Beef - Sydney New south Wales

3rd Prize: Gregs Tender Joint - Belgrave Victoria

Boneless Australian Ham category
1st Prize: CutFresh - Dandenong Victoria

2nd Prize: Quin's Gourmet Butcher - Northam WA

3rd Prize: Simco Meats – Macquarie Canberra

And the Best Ham overall, chosen as the top scoring ham across the categories:
Barkly Smokehouse - Preston Victoria

Other blog reviews:

• Fooderati

• Fig & Cherry

SNAPSHOT REVIEW:

PROS: Nice and romantic decor, Friendly service, Interesting menu, Quality ingredients

CONS: Limited parking, So much ham and cheese makes you thirsty

MUST TRY: Revisiting Aperitif to try the menu and wines, Buy Australian Pork

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