reviews
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Books
Wines
Atul’s Curries of the World
Atul Kocchar
Gerard Bertrand
Saint Chinian, Syrah/Mourvèdre,
Absolute Press £20
Languedoc, france 2010 £11.99
Always a bit of an event, whenever uber-chef Atul
Kochhar launches something new. so it’s nice to know
that his latest cookery book, Atul’s Curries of the World,
is reason enough to celebrate as it’s a fine addition to
one’s book collection. The title says it all – with recipes
from around the globe encompassing different meats
such as lamb, beef, goat, duck and game, and even
vegetables are given a look in and brought to us in very
easy-to-replicate recipes. Good on you Mr Kochhar!
owned by the vineyard’s namesake and ex-rugby
player, Gerard Bertrand is one of southern france’s
largest vineyards. This red blend is a part of the saint
Chinian appellation, which has seen its reputation
improve drastically for warm and spicy reds in recent
decades. This wine’s colour is medium, rich garnet and
its nose offers berry jam and peppers. on the palate it
has a medium body, tickling tannins and subtle fruit.
Pair this tasty wine with mild lamb and game.
Jerusalem
Yotam Ottolenghi
Gerard Bertrand
Gris Blanc
ebury Press £27
france, 2012 £9.99
With each passing year it seems that chef extraordinaire
Yotam ottolenghi gains ever more in reputation. And
deservedly so. he’s supremely talented and given his
Middle eastern origins, brings forth the kind of imaginative and flavoursome recipes that would put even the
most high-profile of British chefs to shame. in his new
book, he takes to the city of Jerusalem and brings us
a superlative concoction of recipes that bind different
cultures, religions and ingredients into one delicious pot.
Gris Blanc is a mutation of the red wine grape Grenache
and is a popular varietal in southern france. This one’s
colour is particularly pretty in the glass, light yellow with
the faintest hints of pink. its fresh and pleasant bouquet
transparently reveals this wine for what it is – a quality
but unfussy potable perfect for the warm, beautiful
weather for which its region of provenance is famous.
once sipped it has a good acidity and refreshing notes
of peach. Pair with mild to medium grilled seafood.
The Breakfast Bible
Seb Emina & Malcolm Eggs
Sula
Sauvignon Blanc
Bloomsbury £16.99
Nashik, india, 2012 £8.99
Breakfast isn’t just a highly pleasurable experience, it
has always been perceived as probably the day’s most
important meal – and appropriately so, as it sets you up
for an energetic day. What the authors of this new title
have done is to not only bring us a breakdown of the
‘full english’, with each of its said ingredients being put
under the microscope, as it were, but also to bring us a
myriad of contemporary influences – from coffees and
smoothies to juices and even mango lassi.
This is a vineyard that i have come to know intimately
during my travels in india, and despite always producing
quality wines, their 2012 vintage demonstrates vast
improvement. in the glass it shows a crystal light gold,
whilst on the nose it is rather pleasant with notes of
tropical fruit and herbaceous grass. on the palate these
flavours persist with a light chalky texture and a medium
acidity. i think this wine is begging for some local
Marathi or Gujarati vegetarian cuisine!
Beyond Essence
David Everitt-Matthias
Fratelli
Chenin Blanc
Absolute Press £30
Maharastra 2011 £11.99
Michelin-starred chef David everitt-Matthias is very
much in the league of the world’s best culinary talents,
and his restaurant Le Champignon sauvage, in Cheltenham, one of the finest in the uK. No surprise then that
everitt-Matthias has taken yet again to writing a recipe
book – one that goes a notch or two above his previously
published essence and brings us an array of wellexecuted and highly skilled dishes. Thumbs up for that.
But being so cutting edge, is it for the layman?
Chenin Blanc is one of the more common varietals
grown in india, and the fratelli version surprisingly
grew on me after a few sips. its colour is medium
gold, and its aroma offers tasty notes of ripe mango
and pineapple. on the palate it is medium dry and
at first tastes of an indian wine that has still not
arrived… But then its tropical fruit, slight nuttiness
and utter drinkability seduce you and make you crave
some spicy chicken!
June / July 2013 T A N D O O R I
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