Todd crafts perfect marriage
The careful linking of wine with food so that one does not dominate the other is a science that Perth chef Todd Stuart knows all about.
The subtle characteristics of Denmark’s Singlefile Wines vintages determine the choice of red or white meat, or even seafood, but even then the choice might have called for a slight deviation from standard thinking to create a celebration for both the eyes and palate.
In fact, Mr Stuart said it was a case of not having any “real rules” as the taste of one was “married” to the other.
“Generally you put your seafood with your white wines, but that’s not always the case,” he said. “Sometimes salmon marries very well with a nice red wine, if you put the sauces meaty enough to go with it.
“There are no real rules, I don’t think. We try to keep it interesting and not get too far outside the box.”
Stuart said working in a foreign kitchen often lent itself to disaster but there were still plenty of options left over to create an outstanding dish bursting with colour, texture and flavour.
Backed by more than 15 years of experience cooking in restaurants throughout New Zealand, London and the east coast of Australia, the Kiwi-born chef has developed and used award-winning French cooking techniques that require little change.
Since moving to Perth in 2007 and opening Petite Mort in Shenton Park in August 2011, Stuart has been awarded Best New Restaurant 2012-2013 by the WA Good Food Guide and the Restaurant and Catering Awards.
Petite Mort was also a national finalist at the 2012-2013 Restaurant and Catering Awards.
When he prepared the menu for the degustation dinner at Denmark’s Singlefile Wines, his mind was open to the choices that had to be made by working around the reds and whites available to him.
“We trial three to four dishes per wine to decide which will go very well together,” he said. “This followed tastings over a couple of days before coming up with something that suited.”
His restaurant’s degustation menu runs to 10 courses, but the list of options at Singlefile Wines on March 10 will be four savoury and one sweet.
“We try to balance it out with white meat and red meat and seafood, so it is not one-sided,” he said.
“A botrytis wine requires fruit, so we will stay away from chocolate.
“Something subtle will go along with that so that with the wine and the food, one does not dominate over the other.
“We want to ensure the best of the wine and the best of the food.”
