..... No sooner have I celebrated Christmas on the beach than I am invited to dinner in one of the lofts which the Newtown district of Sydney is famous. Robert Carmack and Morrison Polkinghorne have adorned the airy space with the splendor of glittering Christmas tree and a table set for eight. Robert whose profession is food writing and styling is an inventive cook, and his menu is runs the gamut of Japanese, Thai and French - with just a touch of American, as Robert comes from Oregon. The results are purely Australian, a vibrant mix of local ingredients and international flavorings.

We start with tamago rolls topped with salmon roe - neat little spirals of nori seaweed sheets and egg crêpe, sliced to act as a canapé base for golden salmon roe. The roe, from Atlantic salmon raised in the Yarra Valley near Melbourne, is huge, each egg a burst of flavour pleasantly backed by the iodine tingle of seaweed. Next comes another Australian specialty, a moist, lightly smoked golden trout that Robert has coated with an aspic made fragrant with kaffir lime leaves, lemon grass, and fresh ginger - Asia again. The salmon caviar and trout are just two of the many artisan foods that are burgeoning down here. Robert and Morrison delight in seeking out the very best free - range chickens, pheasants, kangaroo, even emu; much produce is organic and tropical fruits abound, many ripened on the tree. My particular delight are the cheese - creamy Bries and Camemberts, brisk blues, triple creams, and nutty, aged sheep cheeses - some the equal of any in France.

"What are we drinking?" I asked. We've opened with a stylish sparkling white, the Seppelt Salinger from 1992. Glass succeeds glass, and I'm reveling in the Australian love for tasting up to a dozen wines at a single meal. My neighbour at table is Ian McKenzie, a chief winemaker for Australia's largest wine group, Southcorp, which includes Lindermans, Penfolds, and Seppelt, labels now widely available in the United States. "I find this Partalunga Chardonnay matches the strong flavors of the fish very well, " Ian says. "But the fish overwhelms the Pinot Grigio (from Drumborg Vineyard, one of the most southerly vineyards on mainland Australia). That's so light and fresh, that's so wonderful with the salad." (Just to whet our curiosity, Robert has included a little Vietnamese salad of sliced banana flowers flavored with dried shrimp, Asian mint, coriander, peanuts, and sesame). I agree; Pinot Grigio is one of my favorite varietals, and the trout is too strong for it. I'm surprised by the youth of both wines, only two and a half years old. "They're made to drink young." explains Ian. "But the Chardonnay particularly will age and improve as it matures."

Now Robert starts to carve the pièce de résistance, a magnificent double rack of milk - fed veal served upright with the bones crossed in "guard of honor" style and glistening shiny red with a Christmas glaze of Thai sweet chili sauce. In acknowledgment of the heat, the meat has been slightly pickled so that it can be served hot, coo, or even chilled, according to the temperature of the day. The weather in Sydney can veer from torrid to temperature in an hour or two, depending whether the wind blows hot from the central desert or stormy from Antarctica. We're lucky: The evening is cool enough for a hot meal, to be served with gravy and a garnish of juicy fresh litchi fruits.

Will the Thai chili sauce be too much of a challenge for the wines? Happily, two splendid reds rise triumphantly to the occasion - a Great Western Shiraz and a Penfolds Old Vine, a blend of Shiraz, Grenache, and Mourvèdre grapes, both from 1993. "Lovely soft, sweet wines; the balance is perfect for the veal," says Ian. "The Shiraz is interesting, the closest we can come today to nineteenth - century vinestocks brought to Australia from France over a century ago. They can be traced directly to the Rhône Valley, whereas in France the vines have been crossed-bred and the connection is not nearly so direct." To round out the wines and pave the way to desert, Robert slips in a couple of goat cheeses with some fresh cherries. These two cheeses made by pioneer Gabrielle Kervella in the outback Western Australia, are lively and clean on the palate.

And now the desert - Aussie pavlova, a snow castle of meringue filled with passionfruit ice cream and topped with red berries in honor of Christmas. Pavlova is a curiosity: the addition of less than a tablespoon of vinegar breaks down the structure of the meringue so that it bakes to a crisp on the outside with a collapsed, marshmallow - like centre that invites a rich filling. Such a desert demands one of the famous Australian "stickies" - rich, golden, sweet white wines, usually of Muscat or Riesling grapes, which, I feel, outclass many Sauternes.

A seafood beach picnic with Polish overtones. Dinner in a loft with Asian salads, European - style milk - fed veal, and a desert packed with tropical fruit. A feast that comes with an abundance of world - class wines, all domestically grown. Where could we be, other than down under in Australia? The Christmas weather may be upside down, but the food and drink are very much on top.

Anne Willan is a recognised authority on French cooking and the culinary history of France. She has thirty-five years experience as a cooking teacher, was the host of the "Look & Cook" series on PBS, and is the author of more than a dozen internationally published books. LaVarenne.com

PASSIONFRUIT ICE CREAM

Because unsweetened passionfruit juice is not easily obtained in retail markets, it is best to order whole fruit and make you own juice by working the seeds through a strainer of mouli sieve to extract the juice.

1. In a medium bowl, beat sugar and egg yolks until thick and light, 2-3minuts. Whisk in passionfruit juice. In a medium saucepan, bring cream just to the boil. Stir half the heated cream into the egg mixture, then add back to cream in saucepan. Heat gently, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, until mixture is thick enough to coat the back of the spoon. (A finger drawn across spoon should leave a clear trail.) remove custard from heat at once and pour into a bowl. (Take care not to overheat or cook custard too long, as it will curdle.) Cove and chill.

2. Stir custard to blend as necessary and freeze an ice cream maker according to manufacturer's directions. Transfer to a chilled container, seal, and store in freezer. (If making more than 12 hours ahead, let soften in the refrigerator for about an hour before serving.