Summer time at RHCL

Summer has arrived here at Richmond Hill Cafe & Larder, come over and check out some of new seasonal dishes.

Salad of Crystal Bay Prawns w/ San Daniele prosciutto, watermelon, white balsamic roasted peaches, smoked tomato jam, avocado and rye bread

Seared local bay caught snapper w/ salad of green mango and spanner crab, spring onion, coriander and lime dressing

Asparagus and house matured Caprinelle Goats Cheese tart in walnut sabile pastry w/ truffled green beans, heirloom tomatoes, fresh peas and candied walnut salad

Twice cooked free range Western plains pork belly, sweet and sour carrot and orange puree, chargrilled pineapple chutney, dry cured bacon and Chinese spiced pork braising juices

Slow cooked King Salmon in lemon and extra virgin olive oil w/ snow pea and green apple slaw, roasted hazelnuts, baby celery cress and nebbiolo verjus jelly

Featured Chef in The Age Epicure

Check out our head chef Franco Caruso. He is featured in this week's The Age Epicure.
http://www.theage.com.au/entertainment/restaurants-and-bars/tuesday-roast-franco-caruso-20111203-1obzo.html

RHCL Fruit Platter

Finally Summer has arrived and it is the perfect time to come on down to RHCL and enjoy our seasonal fruit platter. An amazing dish which includes a selection of seasonal fruit, blood orange jelly and five seed crunch. Kylie Minogue(who was in last week) loved it, especially the blood orange jelly.

Loving the celebrity vibe at Richmond Hill, stay tuned because you never know who else will show up.

Traditional Afternoon Tea

Book now for our Christmas themed afternoon tea at Richmond Hill Cafe & Larder. 23rd December 2011
Sample a range of sweet and savoury delights including finger sandwiches, little tartlets, house made mince pies, a glass of bubbles on arrival and a bottomless pot of tea.

The perfect way to spend an afternoon with friends!

Book for Friday 23rd December 2011 on 9421 2808
$45.00 per person     

This weeks fish special at RHCL

Seared Harpuka, green mango and spanner crab salad, chargrilled Crystal Bay prawns, spring onion, coriander and red chilli.

Fort St Antoine -Marcel Petite Comte!

 

Hard to believe is the fact that Comte is France’s biggest selling hard cheese and represents the largest volume of all cheese protected by the A.O.C system.

Commonly thought of as a type of gruyere a name that originally came from the forests in the French and Swiss Alps –known as ‘Gruyeres’ which were once used as fuel to heat the huge copper cauldrons of milk often containing up to 500 litres of milk for one whole cheese! Around 30 cow’s milkings!

This particular Comte is made and matured by a Monsieur Marcel Petite in the side of a mountain which was once a fort. The cave is at 1,100 metres and is named Fort Saint-Antoine. This cheese is made in the small dairy of ‘Tres Major’ in the Jura mountains and are carefully graded and ripened for a minimum of 12 months at Fort St-Antoine. The huge naturally humidified caves can hold around 60,000 wheels of cheese and require constant turning, rubbing and in the early stages brining.

The resulting cheeses reminiscent of handfuls of pureed sweet cashews honey and flowers. The milk is from the famous Montbeliard cow’s who famously wander calmly through the highlands bells clanging around their necks- grazing on the rich, abundant pastures in the French Alps.

This week's fish special at Richmond Hill Cafe & Larder

Pan roasted Striped Trumpeter, cassoulet of Spring Bay Mussels, puy lentils and tomato, pink fir apple potatoes and fennel.

This week's fish special at Richmond Hill Cafe & Larder

Pan fried fillet of barramundi with char grilled asparagus, kalamata olives, cherry heirloom tomatoes and eight year aged balsamic and a warm salad of kipfler potatoes, basil, pine nuts.

Book now for The Pasta Master Class at Richmond Hill with our Head Chef Franco Caruso

On November the 10th, Richmond Hill Cafe & Larder will hold a special Pasta Master Class. Below are some of the pasta techniques which will be demonstrated by our Head chef Franco Caruso. Impress your friends at your next dinner party and learn to make your own gnocchi rigati, durum wheat ravioli and hand cut pappardelle

Potato and herb gnocchi rigati

Fresh ravioli made with 100% Italian durum wheat

Join us for a demonstration of 3 pasta techniques plus a 4 course menu. It will be a fun evening so book a place now by calling Richmond Hill Cafe & Larder on  

(03) 9421 2808.

This week's fish special at Richmond Hill Cafe & Larder

Pan roasted Hapuka with warm salad of crab and iceburg lettuce, crushed peas, crab fritters and sauce vierge.

This week's fish special at Richmond Hill Cafe & Larder

Herb crusted local snapper, spanner crab ravioli, new season white & green asparagus and bitter leaves.

Here at Richmond Hill, we like to make our pasta with 100% fine ground durum wheat. Come in and try this beautiful seasonal dish

All new RHCL continental breakfast

Sliced fresh fruit platter, blood orange jelly and 5 seed crunch
San Daniele proscuitio, fresh ricotta, heirloom tomatoes and aged balsamic
Honey toasted muesli, vanilla yogurt, poached rhubarb and strawberry
Toasted brioche with selected RHCL jams


perfect to share with a friend, this one is sure to be a hit in the warmer months at RHCL

This week's fish special at Richmond Hill Cafe & Larder

Baked ruby snapper with Pommery Mustard rarebit topping, fennel puree, shaved fennel and dill salad, Yarra Valley salmon caviar and Champagne cream

Start your day the Latin way!

Come try the Rodriguez eggs at Richmond Hill.

Two free range eggs, baked in a rich ragu of chorzio, red wine & San Marzano tomatoes. Topped with fresh ricotta & Pebre salsa "a chillean salsa made from fresh tomatoes, coriander, lemon & red chillis.

One of our most popular breakfast dishes at Richmond Hill.

Five Things to do with Myrtleford Butter Factory Butter Milk

1. Marinate lean meat, the lactic acid breaks down the protein and helps tenderise
2. Bake with it, the active culture does a great job in aerating cakes and bread dough
3. Make Panna Cotta, a refreshing dessert
4. Make some pancakes
5. Drink it, Buttermilk aids digestion and is low in fat

Courtesy of The Myrtleford Butter Factory

www.thebutterfactory.com.au

Myrtleford Butter Factory Butter Milk and thier amazing Cultured Butter are available at Richmond Hill Cafe & Larder


Picture from www.essjay.com.au

Artavaggio

It's springtime and we have some beautiful Mauri Artavaggio in the Cheeseroom right now. 

Artavaggio is a washed rind cheese from the Robiola family of Italian washed rinds. You may know Taleggio which is the most famous member of this family. Artavaggio is softer, and slightly more intense than Taleggio.


Like its big brother Taleggio, Artavaggio is ripened in a pure and totally natural environment, inside caves carved into the mountainside which lie just below the snow line for most of the year. As the snow melts it dribbles through cracks in the rocks. This provides just the right amount of humidity and cool airflow to encourage wild yeasts present in the environment to grow on the rind. Sadly, global warming is causing some concern to the makers at Mauri as the snow line creeps higher and further away each year and less moisture makes its way into the caves. But we shall not despair just yet…the cheese is as good as ever and is still a favourite in the RHCL Cheeseroom.


To go with your Artavaggio, we have a specially created recipe for you to make the most of the cheese and this beautiful spring weather!

Asparagus, Almond & Artavaggio Risotto 
serves four

Ingredients:

• 2 tsp olive oil
• 125g butter
• 2 cloves garlic finely diced
• 1 onion finely diced
• 2.5lts chicken stock
• 125ml apple cider
• 400 g Carnaroli rice
• 150 G flaked or slithered almonds
• 1 1/2 bunches asparagus
• 400g Artavaggio
• 100g Parmesan
• Salt and pepper

Method:

• Bring stock to the boil.
• Slice and blanch asparagus in salted water for 1 minute, and set aside.
• Toast almonds in the oven at 180˚C for 5-10 minutes, and set aside.
• Melt 50g butter and 2 tsp of oil in a large heavy based saucepan over medium heat.  Add garlic and onion and sautee until soft but not coloured, approximately 10 minutes.
• Add rice and cook stirring constantly for 2 minutes to lightly toast the rice.  Add cider to deglaze the pot and simmer until the liquid has evaporated.
• Add a ladle of stock to the rice and simmer on a low heat stirring constantly until the stock is absorbed.  Continue this process until the rice is tender and creamy, approximately 25 minutes.
• Once the rice is tender remove from heat and add the Artavaggio and Parmesan, using a wooden spoon beat the risotto until creamy. 
• Add the asparagus, almonds and remaining butter.
• Season to taste and serve. Match with apple cider or pinot noir. 

Our Charcuterie Board

Here at Richmond Hill Cafe & Larder, we take great pride in the fact that we have been able to source some of Australia's best charcuterie products. From the free range Berkshire  Pork and Fennel Sopressa to the 100% grass fed Warialda Belted Galloway Beef Bresaola. Our home made Country Style Pork Terrine is full of generous chunks of smoked ham hock, prunes, apricots and pistachios. The Chicken Liver and Port Wine Parfait is the perfect accompaniment to our crusty baguettes and a glass of red wine.

Our Head Chef Franco says "At Richmond Hill we truly believe we have one of Melbourne's best Charcuterie Boards. We've worked hard sourcing some of the best produce Australia has to offer so you can come along, take it easy and unwind with friends".

 This morning in The Cheeseroom we opened some amazing new cheeses, and made a video, so you can share in the excitment! On show today are the amazingly buttery and nutty Ossau Iraty as well as the sweet little Tomme du Chevre Caprinelle. A real treat! Come in today to try these freshly opened beauties!

Welcome to the world of Richmond Hill Cafe and Larder

Good morning all,
We are all very excited here at Richmond Hill Cafe and larder about writing our first ever blog.  Its been a busy little fortnight here with fathers day yesterday and our Soiree to celebrate Spring last Friday night. Chef Franco Caruso put together a 5 course tasting menu inspired by Spring.

Holy goat fromage frais Panna cotta with a wild watercress mousse

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 Ocean Trout cerviche with white & green asparagus, shaved fennel & blood orange

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New Seasons Rutherglen milk fed lamb loin with fresh peas, mint and salsa verde

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A selection of Septembers finest Cheeses from our award winning cheese room

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Caramelised pineapple tart tatin with spiced sugar, szechwan pepper and lychee sorbet

Also a new addition to this months lunch menu is Twice cooked Western Plains free range pork belly with a char grilled pineapple chutney, Inca berries, sweet and sour carrot puree, dry cured bacon and straw potato.

HEAD CHEF FRANCO CARUSO SAYS: the inspiration behind this dish comes from child hood memories of a mixture of gammon and pineapple and sweet and sour pork both Scottish specialities LOL!. the sweet and sour matches the pork perfectly and the western plains pork is a real quality Victorian product.

We have some great events coming up at Richmond Hill Cafe and Larder check out our website www.rhcl.com.au to book for our next Soiree on Friday 7th October or to book one of our fantastic Cheese and Wine matching workshops, the next one will be held on the 18 th October. 

Come and visit of famous Cheese Room we have just cut open Coeur du Savoie a rich Alpine cheese from France full of nutty flavours with sweet undertones a real farmhouse cheese!!