Beautiful Berowra Waters Inn

Approaching by boat -

Berowra Waters Inn from the water

 

It was my birthday yesterday, and my lovely husband decided to treat me to a long lunch at the Berowra Waters Inn. This destination restaurant has been on my must do list as it was closed for a while there, reopening with a new chef Brian Geraghty (ex Quay, Bilson's) and so I was thrilled to finally get the chance to enjoy their food and the gorgeous riverfront setting on my birthday. The restaurant is set amongst bushland on the Hawkesbury River, a one and a half hour drive from Sydney. The venue itself is only accessible by boat or seaplane - so if, like us, you have neither of these forms of transportation - you take advantage of the restaurant's private boat, that picks you up downriver at an agreed time, and ferries you back when your meal is over.

 

The short boat trip up to the restaurant is really gorgeous and sets the tone for the whole Berowra Waters Inn experience. The winter sun reflected off the water and river birds flew along the edges of the trees as we approached the inn to disembark at the private wharf. From the moment you step on the boat you feel as if you are destined for something special.

 

 

The Dining Room

 

After a warm welcome from the staff, who meet you at the wharf, you are ushered up the stairs to the simple, light filled dining room. The design makes the most of the river view, with floor to ceiling windows that let you watch wildlife and riverboats as you enjoy your meal. I think lunchtime really is a great time to visit Berowra Waters Inn, giving you the maximum opportunity to enjoy the stunning setting.

 

The menu is a degustation style, and diners choose from either four or seven courses, with or without matching wines. We opted for seven courses, and went for wine by the glass - I always find the matching wine option too much if I am having lots of courses, and would rather consult the Sommelier for a couple of recommendations instead. We started off with a glass of luscious Gosset Champagne (well, it was my birthday!) and settled down to an afternoon of some really beautiful dishes.

 

A very pretty looking amuse bouche of apple and aromatic cheese, and a velvety chicken liver parfait in a crispy tuille began our meal. Incredibly delicious, with such rich flavours and interesting textures. Definitely a winner.

 

Amuse Bouche -

Cheese "Apple" & Chicken Liver Parfait

 

I was really excited to see scallops on the menu, being one of my very favourite kinds of seafood. This dish was light and luscious, with beautifully pickled discs of root vegetables which worked so well with the rest of the ingredients. A great start to lunch.

 

 

Scallop, Horseradish Cream, Rye & Root Vegetables

The next seafood dish of confit ocean trout was soft, buttery and delicious - the addition of crispy dashi wafers made this dish such a delight to eat.

Confit Ocean Trout, Smoked Milk, Dashi & Lemon

 

A beautifully cooked, gelatinous and glazed piece of pork belly was the centerpiece for the next dish, with a reduction of honey mead (yum!) and paired with green tomato and sweet Moreton Bay bug meat. A crunchy rye crumb gave this dish lots of textural interest. Really loved this one.

Pork Belly, Honey Bug, Mead & Green Tomato

 

An indulgent combination of fish, prawns, pine nuts and winter truffles gave the next dish a very rich and indulgent feel. Sitting there, enjoying winter truffles, drinking good wine and looking out over the Hawkesbury, I must admit I felt very spoilt indeed!

Whitefish, Broccoli Veloute, Karid Prawn, Pinenut

& Winter Truffle

 

A meaty, savoury course of slow cooked Kobe brisket, leek and stinging nettle was full of rich winter flavours, without being overpowering. The caramelised leek was a delicious sweet accompaniment to the robust flavour of the beef.

Slow Cooked Kobe Brisket of Beef

Braised Leek, Stinging Nettle

 

The cheese course was one of my favourite dishes of the day. A light as air blue cheese parfait in a crispy shell, creamy red onion sorbet and fresh, shaved walnuts. A knockout combination and so beautiful on the plate. 

Blue Cheese Cigar, Red Onion Sorbet,

Shaved Walnut & Celery

 

A surprise pre-dessert of pannacotta and tangy, fresh raspberry was a great transition into the final dessert course. 

Yoghurt Pannacotta with Raspberry Foam

 

The finale was a hazelnut and mandarin dessert that was just beautiful - the toasty, almost marshmallow texture of hazelnut parfait with milk sorbet and a punchy, citrus mandarin gel. Really delicious and a great way to end the meal.

 

Hazelnut Parfait, Mandarin Gel & Milk Sorbet

 

Well..... almost the end of meal. The coffee is seriously good (funnily enough, the blend is from The Grounds Roasters in Alexandria, just around the corner from where we live) and some lovely sweet morsels to enjoy with it.

 

 

Grounds Roasters Coffee

Apple Cakes & Rose, Lime & Chocolate Macarons.

 

So, the verdict on Berowra Waters Inn? Just beautiful. Definitely one of the best meals we have ever eaten in Australia and in such a stunning setting. We both agreed we would visit again and check out the menu when the season changes. It really was a special way to spend my birthday.

 

If you wanted to enjoy the food and wine and not drive home, there is riverside accommodation nearby, or you could always stay on a Hawkesbury houseboat overnight. Now that would be really something special!

The sunlight over the Hawkesbury,

as we were leaving in the afternoon

 

 

For more information on reservations and how to get there, check out the Berowra Waters Inn website: http://www.berowrawatersinn.com/  or call them on (02) 9456 1027

 

******

 

 

Pate - Gourmet Goddess Style

I haven't made pate for ages and I had a bit of a craving for it last week, so I decided to whip up a batch. Making pate is very easy. I think the thing that puts a lot of people off is dealing with the chicken livers, however it isn't as messy or difficult as you think. Choose very, very fresh livers (I would go to a butcher to get them as opposed to a supermarket if you can)

You can make the pate by itself or you can go one step further like me and make a beautiful glossy consomme aspic for the top. This kind of topping not only gives an extra dimension of flavour and texture, it also stops the pate from discolouring and also looks professional and pretty. I added fresh chervil leaves to mine, but you can add any soft herbs that you may have on hand. I didn't make the consomme myself - I just chose a supermarket brand for convenience and it worked beautifully.

I like my pate very smooth, so I blend it for quite a while until I am happy with the texture. You may prefer a more rustic pate - go with whatever you prefer. Sometimes I actually put the mixture through a sieve if I want it to be extra velvety. I didn't on this occasion, but still ended up with a very, very smooth result.

The pate will last for 4 or 5 days if you don't scoff it all before then. Keep it well covered in the fridge.This batch didn't last long - we had polished off one large pot by day two and I took my friends Justin and Marek a pot when I visited them for dinner the other night, which we later enjoyed with a few glasses of French champers as a starter. Very nice.

If you have never made pate, give it a try - it is not hard and flavour is just wonderful. I think the best way to serve pate is with toast, but crackers of freshly cut crudites (raw vegetables) are also nice.

Gourmet Goddess Chicken Liver Pate with port and chervil

You will need:
(for the pate) 500g chicken livers, 3 rashers streaky bacon (rind removed and chopped into small pieces), 6 eschallots sliced, 2 cloves crushed garlic, 200g unsalted butter, 2 bay leaves, a couple of pinches of freshly ground nutmeg, 1/3 cup port, salt and pepper, a splash of olive oil + 2 teaspoons butter.

(for the aspic topping) 400ml cold chicken consomme (I just used a store bought one) 100ml boiling water, 1 tablespoon powdered gelatine, 2 tablespoons fresh herbs - I used Chervil, but any soft leafed herbs such as Thyme (stalks removed of course) parsley or chives would all work well.

Method: First, cut any of the visible connective tissue from the chicken livers, so that you are left only with the livers. Rinse the livers under cold water, drain them and then pat them dry with paper towels.

Heat a splash of olive oil and the 2 teaspoons of butter in a frypan. Cook the chicken livers on a high heat for a few minutes until they are nicely browned on the outside. Do this in a couple of batches so that you do not overcrowd the pan and cause the livers to stew and not brown properly. The livers should be cooked until still a little pink in the middle. Set the livers aside.

Add the eschallots, bacon, bay leaves and garlic to the pan and saute until the eschallots are soft and transparent. Return the livers to the pan and add the port. As the port is bubbling up, use a wooden spoon to scrape up any small pieces from the bottom of the pan - don't miss any, as there is a lot of flavour in those small caramelised bits. Add nutmeg, a touch of salt and some pepper and stir through the mixture. Remove the bay leaves from the mixture.

Transfer the contents of the pan to a food processor and blend for 5 minutes until fairly smooth. Cut the butter into pieces and gradually add the butter a few chunks at a time, blending well in between. Keep blending until the mixture is very smooth. At this point, pour the mixture into ramekins or pate pots. If you want a very velvety pate, then you can pass the mixture through a sieve before doing this, to make it extra smooth.

It is a good idea not to overfill the pate pots - leave enough room for your aspic topping and to give enough space to cover them later without ruining the top of your aspic.

To make the aspic, combine the gelatine and the boiling water until very well dissolved. Strain the liquid (I use a tea strainer) and then whisk the mixture into the consomme. Gently press your fresh herbs into top of the pate and spoon over the consomme mixture.

Cover the pates with plastic wrap and refrigerate until the aspic sets - about an hour. Overnight is even better.

Serve with hot toast or crackers.

**This recipe will make 2 large or 4 small pots of pate. You could also make one batch in a smallish loaf tin. If you do this, I recommend making the aspic first. Let it set completely in the loaf tin, and then add the pate mixture. This means that when you turn it out, the aspic will be on the top and you can then slice it into pieces.

******