Food Inspiration
friday ‘happy hour’ is inspired by spring
The Members’ Lounge & Bar is open! What do we have in store for you….? Spring into Summer with Blossom Rose Cider.
We’re ready and waiting to serve up some delicious spring treats for your return. We’ve been teasing you with some new flavours during lockdown and this one is no exception.
A new addition to our beverage menu is the sweetheart that is Strongbow Blossom Rose Cider.
“Inspired by the beauty and elegance of apple blossoms, Strongbow Blossom Rose is a lightly sparkling rose cider that delivers an aroma of juicy toffee apple notes, delicately balanced by a crisp apple tartness, followed through by a light, lingering dryness in the finish.”
This week we’re taking some inspiration from the Spring Racing Carnival and playing with some fresh flavours with a Strongbow Rose Sangria & Spritzer.
Date: October 30, 2020
friday ‘happy hour’ – sangria
We’re following on with our international theme and this week we are heading to Spain, with a red wine Sangria and a tapas of chorizo empanadas.
As we head into Melbourne’s spring racing season, and enjoy picnics in the park with family and friends, Sangria is the perfect summer beverage – it’s light, colourful and easy to prepare – and a pitcher of Sangria always looks spectacular in the centre of the table. Our Sangria recipe was used for an event at the Club last year and was a hit with all who attended.
Now that everyone who has been joining us in our weekly Friday ‘Happy Hour’ cooking masterclass has conquered pizza dough, today we are making empanada dough. Empanadas are a type of baked turnover and a great savoury option to pair with a red wine Sangria. The word empanada comes from the Spanish verb ‘Empanar’ which literally translates to ‘enbreaded’ – wrapped in bread – very original. For our filling, we’ve selected a spicy chorizo recipe to complement the Sangria.
Date: October 23, 2020
friday ‘happy hour’ – it’s mojito time!
Spring is in the air, we’re enjoying drinks out on the deck and neighbours are hosting drinks over the fence – this week we’ve decided it’s time to enjoy Mojito’s. Emily has put together her recommendation for Mojito’s prepared three ways – the classic, the Passionfruit and the Ginger-Pineapple.
Whether you’re a fan of the old classic, a fresh and minty Mojito, or like your cocktail on the sweeter side – you’ll find your favourite combination in one of these three.
The biggest mistake people can make when preparing a Mojito is overworking the mint – there’s no need to puree your mint in the muddle! As you don’t want to break down the mint, just bruise it to release the natural flavours, very little elbow grease is really required here. A little pressure or a quick squeeze in your hand is enough to bring out the natural oils and flavours.
To complement the fresh flavours of your Mojito, Emily has paired it with some fresh fish tacos – creating a tropical, Caribbean affair this week.
Date: October 16, 2020
friday ‘happy hour’ – Petillant Naturale!
As we come into the warmer months there’s always something exciting about a new discovery! Something new and exiting to enjoy for delightful spring afternoons, or to spice up a Saturday afternoon picnic in the park. You want sweet, fruity and refreshing – something delicious and ‘smashable’, we’ve got you covered!
It’s called Petillant Naturale!
Old school sparkling winemaking techniques, labelled by the French as ‘method ancestale’ meets new, fresh and fruity flavours. As the name suggests a Pet-Nat takes hold of a natual production method which sees the first and only fermentation process occur in the bottle. Made from red or white grapes without any additional ingredients, this natural fermentation process sees a lot of different flavour profiles being produced in a very organic way – the character of each wine varies depending on the winemaker, grape and bottle age.
Pet-nats are an approachable, low alcohol drink which can be sweet, juicy, tangy, tart, floral and spicy! But mostly, fresh, fizzy and refreshing.
Give it a go and tell us what you think!
To complement, we recommend a spicy appetiser – Bahn Mi.
Date: October 9, 2020
friday ‘happy hour’ – pizza & wine
With the kids still on school holidays, pizza is a great meal that can be made together and this week, we’re sharing our Head Chef’s recipe to make the perfect – well, never as good as it is when we cook it for you in The Members’ Lounge – pizza dough that can then be topped with your favourites ingredients.
Enjoy with a tossed garden salad and warm crusty bread. Dessert is optional, but a delicious gelato is our recommendation – if you can, head out for a walk with the family and enjoy a double scooped wafer cone of your favourite flavours.
for the adults – wondering what to drink with your Pizza?
This week’s Emily is sharing her knowledge of wine matching and with pizzas, much depends on the toppings you’re enjoying – or you can, simply go with your personal favourite grape varietal.
To match Chef’s favourite selection of toppings, Emily is taking us on a wine pairing journey to discover some beautiful Italian varietals. There are some great Italian varietals from the Yarra Valley which can be found at DeBortoli in Dicksons Creek and Soumah in Gruyere. Otherwise head north to the King Valley where the Italian varietals thrive in the warmer climate with a personal favourite – Pizzini – which will be Emily’s first stop when we can all do some regional exploring again.
Date: October 1, 2020
friday ‘happy hour’ with a school holiday twist
As we come to the end of the first week of school holidays, and it looks like the weekend will bring some wintery conditions, Emily has created her take on the LCM bar with less sugar, or an alternative to every kid’s favourite – the chocolate crackle. It’s a recipe that’s really easy, doesn’t need a lot of fancy kitchen equipment and is fun to make together as a family before curling up for Friday ‘movie night.’
For the kids, a great complement to the Coco Pop Slice is your favourite flavoured milk shake or smoothie – as massive chocolate lovers, we are staying with the chocolate theme and enjoying a thick chocolate shake; but we would love to hear what you have selected.
For the parents, we haven’t forgotten about you – you’re doing an amazing job and Emily has created The Toblerone for you to enjoy.
INGREDIENTS
- 20ml Frangelico
- 20ml Baileys
- 20ml Kahlua
- 60ml Cream
- 30ml Honey
- Chocolate sauce
- Toblerone
- Ice
HOW TO
- Add honey, Frangelico, Baileys, Kahlua, cream, and ice to a blender.
- Blend until smooth.
- Coat the edge of the glass with chocolate sauce.
- Pour blended cocktail into glass and garnish with Toblerone.
- Now sit back and enjoy Mum and Dad, you deserve it! (and hide any remaining Toblerone for after the kids have gone to bed)
friday ‘happy hour’ – inspired by a children’s birthday party classic
This week, as our amazing teachers and awesome parents make it through yet another term of home schooling, our Friday ‘Happy Hour’ has been inspired by a children’s birthday party classic – fairy bread. As so many people continue to celebrate ISO birthday’s this year, Emily has taken this children’s classic and given it an adult twist with the Fairy Bread Martini.
INGREDIENTS
- 30 ml Whipped vodka (available at Dan Murphy’s)
- 25ml Amaretto
- 15ml White chcolate liqueur
- 30ml Half and Half (15ml milk, 15ml cream)
- 1tsp Honey and Sprinkles
HOW TO
- Begin with two shallow dishes or plates. To one – add 1 tsp of honey. To the other – add your sprinkles. Coat the edge of a martini glass with the honey then into the sprinkles.
- In a cocktail shaker..In goes, ice, vodka, amaretto, white chocolate liqueur and half half.
- Shake up to the happy birthday song and strain into your sprinkled martini glass.
To complement, whip up a batch of Fairy Bread Melting Moments – something that is fun to make and can be done by ‘kids of all ages’ and is also perfect for a sweet treat to take to the park during the school holidays.
Fairy Bread Inspired Melting Moments
friday ‘happy hour’ – the espresso martini & aperol spritz
In today’s Friday ‘Happy Hour’ Emily has selected two classic cocktails for you to master at home this week.
Espresso Martini
A classic that can be enjoyed at anytime but is the ultimate after-dinner cocktail.
Ingredients
Equal parts of
Vodka I Espresso Coffee I Kahlua
- Pour 30ml of each ingredient into a shaker over ice and shake well.
- Strain into a glass and voila!
- If you like your espresso martini on the sweeter side, add 15ml of creme de cacao or a simple syrup. A vanilla or caramel syrup works a treat if you’re a bit more of a sweet tooth.
Aperol Spritz
Simple and refreshing – perfect for spring evenings or weekend brunching on the deck.
Ingredients
Aperol I Sparkling Wine of your choice I Soda Water I Orange to garnish
- Add some ice into a nice big wine glass, add 30ml of aperol, 90ml of sparkling wine – Proseccco is the choice here.
- Top with a splash of soda water.
- Garnish with a few slices of orange and that’s it.
friday ‘happy hour’ – the exene cocktail
With spring in the air, we are seeing longer days and some warmer temperatures. Head outside this afternoon for Friday ‘Happy Hour’ and enjoy Emily’s Exene Cocktail.
ingredients:
- 45ml Bourbon
- 30ml Aperol Aperteif
- 15ml Honey Syrup – to see how easy it is to make your honey syrup, head to our Facebook page and cook along with Emily
- Bitters
how to prepare:
- Add all ingredients into a shaker with ice and give it a good shake
- Strain in to a cold glass – we recommend a martini glass or champagne coupe – over ice and top with soda if you like
- If your’e feeling fancy and want to create a nice fizzy, fluffy touch, add an egg white into the shaker and dry shake for 10 seconds before adding ice and shaking
Tonight we’re complementing this cocktail with Chef’s tartlet of mushroom and Yarra Valley Persian fetta. The perfect taste sensation to pair with tonight’s cocktail of choice. Both recipes can be found below.
Salute and have a lovely weekend.
Tartlet of Mushroom & Persian fetta
Published: September 4, 2020
friday ‘happy hour’ – passionfruit martini
With some much better weather expected this weekend, it’s time to head outdoors with a martini. With passionfruit in season, Emily has created her showcased it in her Passionfruit Martini.
Ingredients:
- 60ml Vodka
- 15ml Passionfruit Liquer
- 50ml Passionfruit Purre
- 15ml vanilla simple syrup
- 15ml fresh lime juice
How to prepare:
- Add all ingredients into a shaker with ice and give it a good shake
- Strain in to a cold glass and garnish with a fancy half passion fruit – Voila!
- If your’e feeling fancy and want to create a nice flufy martini – add an egg white into the shaker and dry shake for 10 seconds before adding ice and shaking again
To complement, Head Chef, Brian recommends Luke Nguyen’s favourite bar snack – Laotian Spring Onion Fritters – a perfect accompaniment to a tropical Passionfruit Martini- a combination of sweet and sour flavours, with mild spice and a good textural crunch, these fritters will make you feel like you’re relaxing in a tropical destination snacking away with a cocktail and friends.
“I first cooked these with Luke Nguyen when doing the food for the launch of his book ‘Journey down the Mekong’. We were having a chat and he told me that he had discovered them when researching in Laos for the book and they had become his go to beer/bar snack. They’re friggin awesome!!’
“Sometimes called the Burmese spring onion fritter. Village women call them the gossip snack apparently, cause everyone sits around eating them, drinking and telling stories”.
Passionfruit Martini & Laotian Spring Onion Fritters
Published: August 27, 2020
friday ‘happy hour’ – winter bourbon peach smash
As we find ourselves at the end of the week, Emily’s suggestion for Friday ‘Happy Hour’ is a refreshing bourban peach smash.
The peach bourbon smash is a deliciously fruity and fresh bourbon cocktail that will make even the non bourbon believers a fan. Sweet muddled fresh peach and mint complements the smooth woody characteristics of the makers mark to create a delicious cocktail to warm the winter blues away – with the weather that’s coming this weekend, we are going to need it!
Ingredients:
- 45ml of Bourbon of Whisky
- 4 mint leaves
- 1/2 medium peach
- 45ml Orange Juice
- 90ml Pineapple Juice
- 2tbs Simple Syrup (please refer to last week’s ‘Happy Hour’ to make
- Sparkling water and mint leaves to garnish
How to prepare:
- Cut the peach in half & add it to a tumbler with the mint leaves
- Muddle the peaches, mint & simple syrup together until everything combines
- Fill the glass with crushed ice and add the bourbon, orange juice & pineapple juice
- Top with sparkling water & garnish with some mint leaves
Enjoy with Chef’s marinated olives. The beauty of marinated olives is they pair well with the most simple of antipasto boards. Why not step it up a notch and marinate your own to make them a new fan favourite for when you can invite your friends over again and impress them with your new skills in the kitchen and bar.
Bourbon Peach Smash & Marinated Olives Recipe
Published: August 20, 2020
friday ‘happy hour’ – Twisted WHISKY SOUR
Our Front of House Manager, Emily, has put her twist on the classic Whisky Sour – the perfect cocktail for a Winter’s night and matches perfectly with a plate of New Orleans style crab puffs. Follow our Hea
d Chef’s recipe, that can be found below, and Friday ‘Happy Hour’ will be an evening to remember.
Ingredients
60ml Bourbon or Whisky
20ml Freshly squeezed lemon juice
30ml Orange juice
4 dash Orange bitters (angusturo bitters is an alternative but will give a more bitter and tangy flavour than a fresh citrus taste)
30ml Simple syrup*
10ml Grenadine syrup (can omit for a fresher less sweet alternate)
1 Egg white
2 Orange twist or slice for garnish
How to make a simple syrup:
1 cup water & 1 ½ cup sugar
- Combine all liquid ingredients and egg white into a shaker with a tight seal
- Dry shake (without ice) for 10 seconds
- Add a few ice cubes and shake again for 20 seconds
Salute!
New Orleans style crab puff recipe
Published: August 13, 2020
winter ‘ORDER & GO’ MENU is temporarily suspended
With the introduction of Stage 4 restrictions for Metropolitan Melbourne we have temporarily suspended our ‘Order & Go’ menu.
During this time, we would like to wish all Members the best, please stay well and keep safe.‘Order & Go’ Menu
Desserts are new to the menu
‘The best things in life are sweet, or cheese.’
The perfect ending to any meal is a taste of something sweet and you can now enjoy some of our most popular desserts that are prepared and ready to heat and serve. For those that enjoy their cheese our Head Chef has sourced a selection of local and international cheeses for your enjoyment, complemented by his own feijoa paste made using fresh feijoas sourced from the Yarra Valley.
We’ve added some winter favourites
‘Winter is the time for comfort, for good food and warmth.’
Winter is a time for slow cooked, hearty meals and our expanded menu let’s us do the cooking for you. Select from some classics including osso bucco, lamb shanks, and lasagne – choose from either a traditional bolognaise option, and for the vegetarians there is a roasted eggplant lasagne. Following your feedback, everyone’s favourite dish, the Chicken Pie, now comes in a serving that is perfect for two people to share – add one or two of our newly added selection of side dishes and dinner is ready.
Dinner is served
‘The fondest memories are made gathered around the table.’
Our family roast chicken dinner can now be ordered for collection on Monday, Wednesday and Friday – we’ve done all the prep work for you to simply put in the oven and enjoy.
Feeling like a porterhouse, our Head Chef has sourced some of the country’s premium beef cuts from Gippsland to create the perfect dinner for two. With his easy to follow instructions, all that needs to be done is pour a glass of red and enjoy the food and company.
Bon appétit.
Pizzas and ‘Heat & Dine’ Re-heating Instructions
4 easy steps to order:
- Complete the order form with the quantity required for each item and place your order with us by email
- We will confirm your collection date
- Drive to the Clubhouse entrance
- We will place the order in your car
Orders will be available for collection from Reception every Monday, Wednesday & Friday between 2pm – 4pm. Please allow us 48 hours to gather your hamper – we will contact you to confirm it is ready for collection. ‘Weekend Family Roast’ orders must be received by Wednesday for collection on Friday.
Contact free home delivery can be arranged for your convenience if you live within a 30 minute radius of the Club for an additional charge of $7.50.
Updated: July 10, 2020
friday ‘Date Night’
from the kitchen – making crumpets
With Mother’s Day next Sunday, our Head Chef has shared his recipe for a favourite for the family to make together and surprise Mum with ‘breakfast-in-bed’. To watch how to prepare these delicious delights, head to our Facebook page.
From the Kitchen – View our Head Chef Making Crumpets
This week’s ‘Top 5’ ‘order & go’ Dishes
Saturday ‘Takeaway Pizza Night’
‘Order & Go’ – ‘Top 5’ of the week
- Chicken Pie – it’s so popular we cannot take it off – now available in a size that is perfect for two to share
- Eggplant Lasagne – a new addition to the menu that’s already proving a winner by making it into the ‘Top 5’
- Family Chicken Roast Dinner – the ‘go to’ ultimate comfort food
- Lamb Shanks – a winter favourite – we suggest adding a serve of the Robuchon pomme puree, also known as Paris mash, to elevate dinner to the next level
- Margherita Pizza – but watch out for the new Meat Lovers Pizza which we expect to enter the ‘Top 5’ within days
Posted: July 13, 2020
offering Complimentary Home Delivery*
At a time where ‘Stay at Home’ is being strongly encouraged for all Victorians, we are offering complimentary contact free delivery to those most vulnerable* within our community.
- If you are aged 70+ years
- Have existing health conditions and are aged 60+ years; or for Indigenous Australians, 50+ years
- Live within a 30 minute radius of the Club
* T & C’s apply
for the love of your local campaign
Carlton & United Breweries are supporting their locals with the creation of the ‘For the Love of Your Local Campaign’ – by purchasing beer voucher(s) from the link below CUB will match your support by shouting you another – pint for pint.
When The Members’ Lounge & Bar is able to welcome you back – please come in, redeem your voucher(s) and enjoy a long overdue ‘face-to-face’ catch up with family and friends.
Please buy your beer voucher today, following these easy steps:
1. Head to the website using the below link:
For the Love of your Local website
2. Search for Eastern Golf Club / Yering 3770
3. Confirm the number of pints you wish to purchase and add to your cart
4. Fill in your information
4. Head to the check out and pay
Thank you for your continued support, albeit from afar for the moment, and we cannot wait to open the doors again for your enjoyment and our team will be here waiting to see you again.
cocktail of the month – elderflower G & T
Perfect for a mild autumn evening on the deck, combine all ingredients in a glass with ice:
- 45ml of your favourite dry Gin – we recommend Four Pillars Navy Strength
- 15ml Elderflower liqueur – Edinburgh Gin can be found at Dan Murphy’s
- Squeeze of grapefruit juice – cut a fresh wedge and squeeze in
Top with tonic water to fill the glass over the ice.
Garnish with a slice of grapefruit and a sprig of rosemary.
Salute!
Published: March 30, 2020
