LYNDALL Vandenberg's passion for preserves blooms through the taste and texture of her extraordinary baked quinces — truly seasonal, of a wonderful rich colour, dense and delicious. Teamed with Stefano de Pieri — the chef who found fame with A Gondola on the Murray — the pair has melded a love of good food with the finest fruits and vegetables to produce an artfully seasonal range of conserves and preserves at Mildura in north-western Victoria. Lyndall has brought to Stefano’s Preserves an ardour for the old-fashioned art of preserving and an energy to create uncompromising quality using the best available produce. ‘We are making preserves of great integrity and culinary interest with a strong seasonal quality,’ says Stefano in his latest book, Modern Italian Food. ‘Lyndall cuts every orange or nectarine by hand and refuses to cook in pots larger than five litres. We got into preserves because Lyndall joined our kitchen and brought enormous integrity, skill and passion to the job.’ The range logo — a mythical creature that is part fish, part bird — and motto reflect the nature of the great Murray River: ‘Esse quam videri’ roughly translates to ‘to be rather than to seem.’ Lyndall says there is a lot of emphasis on food presentation and design in the contemporary, commercial world. ‘A lot of products are stronger in presentation than taste. We wanted to affirm that, for us, content is more important than appearance.’
antipasto 310-330g
asparagus tips
green tomatoes
sunraysia pickled mushrooms
condiments 330g
beetroot & apple chutney
caramelised onion jam with balsamic
eggplant pickle
preserved lemons
preserved limes
quince chutney
tomato & capsicum relish
conserves & marmalades 370g
apricot jam
fig jam
mulberry jam
peach & vanilla bean jam
blood orange marmalade
blood orange & lime marmalade
orange marmalade
curry pastes
red 150g
yellow 150g
pasta 500g
pappardelle egg
spaghetti egg
tagliatelle egg
pasta sauce 570g
vine-ripened roma tomato and aubergine
vine-ripened roma tomato and basil
vine-ripened roma tomato and chilli
sauces
blood orange 250ml
sweet chilli 250ml
seasonal preserves
baked quinces 570g
mulberry compote 250ml
peaches in syrup 570g
books
Books by Stefano de Pieri are available from Big Island, including Modern Italian Food, A Feast by the River, and Vintage.
newsletter
Lyndall Vandenberg’s 2008 October edition PDF