11 posts tagged “food & wine pairing”
Up on the terrace of Orrery; I found my sweetheart. It was always going to be French. It’s a Bandol. Domaine La Suffrene, 2007. And it’s a Rosé.
Everyone is talking about Rosé. I am amazed at the polarity of opinion. There’s a real love/hate thing going on here. The jury among the chattering classes still seems to be out as to whether rosé can ever be taken seriously as a fine wine.
And was neatly captured by John Stimpfig recently in “how to spend it”. It’s basically “a bit of fun for when the sun comes out. Not a wine for contemplation. For some, the words pink, wine and fine can never be in the same sentence. It would simply be beyond the pale.
That said it’s now perfectly possible to find several heavy weight wine critics who are willing to come out in public about their predilection for pink wine. (Jancis Robinson did so this past week-end, FT Life & Arts). It’s quite a schizophrenic style, with a lot of happy-go-lucky stuff at the bargain basement end … and there are some dry, distinctive classy rosés made from some serious red grapes.”
Back to the Bandol. It’s complex. Great balance with a flowery nose and hints of gooseberry. I am told it is highly complementary with fish and charcuterie. The sommelier says “it displays the kind of character which could be summed up as Mediterranean in a glass…” bring on the serious sunshine.
Hooked by the BBC’s series “Great British Menu” and the chefs’ challenge to conjure up contemporary British cuisine; we opted for Jason Atherton’s attempt.
Four courses. Witty, modern and exceedingly in good taste.
A glass of Limoux to get the proceedings under way. First up is “Bacon, lettuce and tomato with Croque Monsieur”. I hear you already, but a BLT is American and the Croque Monsieur is as Gallic as they come. Apparently, the programme’s judges allowed the chefs to draw on international influences and insisted only that the main ingredient is British. So, Jason’s dish is a simple take on the Brits love of sandwiches.
Wow, spooning the tomato jelly with bacon onion cream and sipping lettuce soup, I was in heaven. The brioche based croque monsieur was just fantastic (though not very keen on cheddar cheese).
Next up was snow. Lightly smoked salmon with avocado puree and horseradish snow. The best touch was the thinly sliced Anya potatoes sitting on top of the salmon. These potatoes would work in a cold salad with fresh green beans and some herbs. Terrific.
Poured out a glass of Valpolicella Ripasso (as recommended by Liffey on a number of occasions) to accompany the next dish.
Beef fillet, ox tail, smoke potato puree and marrow bone.
I did have fun running around town looking for a bone or two. The nice man in the Ginger Pig gave us plenty. What a lovely man. Plus his 28 day aged beef. Pretty marvelous stuff. Big thanks to the other gentleman for explaining the various cuts of meat and ageing process. Am sure I confused you. Would love to invite you over for lunch at some point. Tracking down hickory essence and smoked wood chips, that was a challenge. Many hours later and thanks to another kind chap, I came back fully equipped.
Now that was worth it. Our smoked mash potato was unctuous.
And, then the pudding. Arctic roll, berry salad and raspberry sarawak. Very ‘70’s and simply gorgeous.
Coffee to follow.
Recipes: http://www.bbc.co.uk/food/tv_and_radio/menu_southeastthree.shtml
Talking about eggs. Again. I couldn't resist it any longer. We had scrambled duck eggs. Oh, so light and fluffy, creamy and smooth. On the side, brioche with sautéed mushrooms, smoked trout (with pancetta, onions) and small fried potatoes in duck fat. The eggs stole the show. I opened a Centellito Verdejo 2006 Rueda, a dry Spanish white. The tasting notes were accurate - vibrant, crisp and grassy with hints of grapefruit and passion fruit.
I was catching-up on my reading and discovered a little article for matching wines with Thai food. (Caterer & Hotelkeeper, September 2007)
Apparently, it’s better to drink beer or water with Thai food. Full stop.
Or to drink alcohol before or after eating, not during. But if you are looking to drink wines, stick to the whites. Unless the reds are soft, say American Pinot Noirs; something soft and fruity rather than earthy and rich.
German whites were favoured. The Riesling Kabinett a favourite on the list. The slight sweetness of the wine reduces the heat of chillies.
Coconut is seen as a big "no-no" for wines, too. The fat in the coconut destroys any flavours, subtleties in the wines.
Gewürztraminer works successfully with banana blossom salad with chili jam. Hot. The flavours of the dish were surprisingly enhanced by the wine.
A regular on a Thai restaurant menu - Green mango salad. With shallots, fresh mint, toasted coconuts, dried prawns and Thai basil, this dish goes very well with an Australian Riesling (Jim Barry, Florita, 2005). This wine also got a thumbs-up with the stir-fried cured pork salad & rice. The salad contained fresh ginger, garlic, chilies and coriander. The wine "...picked out the smokiness of the wok..." and "cleaned everything-up..."
Um.
The broccoli soup had great texture. Reminded me of leek and potato soup. Great subtle flavours. I wondered whether the stalks of the broccoli were perhaps a little too difficult to break down, as if I am little critical of the dish I could say, the soup was stringy.
We accompanied the soup with Manchego cheese,
fresh French baguette and French butter. Wow, what a wonderful combination. Simple.
I forgot to put The Ned Black Label Waihopai River Pinot Grigio 2007 Marlborough, New Zealand wine in the fridge overnight. It spent all of two hours in the fridge before serving. Oops. Ah, when I served the wine I was pleasantly surprised. A very pale colour. Certainly some type of fruit nose, really difficult to point out the type of fruit. On reading the label afterwards, it was ripe white pear. Umm. Taste was creamy, smooth. Clearly not cold. Perhaps that helped. The creaminess and body, fruits, sweetness made the wine just perfect for the cheese. So, maybe I’ve discovered my perfect white for cheeses. Peut-etre.
Finally I got to Orrery's wine tasting. It was held at L'Epicerie, and not in the main restaurant. Pity. With 30+ persons (excluding our wine host, 3 waiting persons, another wine expert with a distinctly French accent, and a chilled cabinet), the space was tight. Our waiting person had only 90 minutes to circulate 6 wines (3 whites and 3 reds) plus top-ups. Hot. Hungry. Thirsty. She did well.
A real Spanish fare Marques de Riscal - wines plus tapas-style nibbles and my companion for the evening was Portuguese; a wonderful combination.
We started with 2007 Blanco Rueda. Verdejo grapes, fermented in steel vats. Mr. Portugal was buzzing with ideas and picked out strawberry notes. A lovely fresh white, great as an aperitif.
Next up. Sauvignon Rueda (2006). Am sure the heat was getting to us folks. I heard descriptions like "...wild boar ... at altitude ... licking pine tress..." I wasn't sure if someone was recanting an adventure holiday, a Coen Brothers’ movie or my companion had already had a long lunch!
Combination of peppers, mozzarella, salmon nibbles accompanied the wines nicely.
Rioja Rosado (2006) produced using the saignée method did manage to remain delicate, fresh and smooth, apparently untypical for this type of
wine. Within moments of sipping, a lovely lady to my right squealed "bakewell tart". Original. She followed up with "... but I hate these cakes...” Oops. Not sure she intended to bellow out that comment quite so loudly. One assumes her reference to "Mr. Kiplings cakes" was inspired by the almond notes. She loved the wine.
Of the three reds which followed, my favourite was 2003 Rioja Reserva. The tasting notes explained, after pressing and fermentation, the Reserva wines of Riscal spend approximately two years in American oak barrels, followed by a further 18 months in bottle before release. Usually, I find Rioja fruity and not tannic enough. Clearly I am buying wines at the cheaper end of the market. This wine was beautifully balanced, tannic, with blackcurrant aromas.
1860 Tempranillo (2004) and Rioja Gran Reserva (2000) were also served.
A wonderful selection of Spanish wines. The prices ranged from £10 to £25 for the Gran Reserva.
So, a hot night of fun, frivolity, and gorgeous wines. L’Epicerie, I think you need a larger room, perhaps next time.
so, I think I need some help with this dinner engagement.
I am looking to pair wines with a couple of the dishes:
white asparagus with hot mayonnaise (am assuming the white asparagus is usually milder than the green)
prawn and caramelized prawn head pipette (perhaps I'd focus on the caramelized part)
octopus in hot potato jelly (the hints from the chef are: homely)
breast of duckling with seaweed salt and vegetable scallops (chef says, focus on the duck and not to forget hints of seaweed may come through)
So far, I am considering a white (perhaps an albarino or french lirac for the first two dishes and then a red for the next two (octopus and duck).... would love some help...
It just had to combine everything I love about food (so mostly French influenced) with a smidgeon of English.
Poached eggs on toast and a glass of champagne started the morning off nicely. Gifts unwrapped.
Around midday, it was time to open the Margaux.
Meanwhile, we started on the olives. Gasp. They had sold out of my favourite olives, yes those yummy picholine olives. Ha. Fortunately, the server was French and offered an adequate substitute, Lucques.
Artichoke soup to start. Home-made French baguettes. French butter.
Followed by a chicken roast. It had to be a poulet de bresse. Now, this is where you discover the real flavours of chicken. Exquisite. And so was the Margaux. Complex with some hints of spices at the tip of the tongue. It went beautifully with the roast.
To finish us all off, we had trifle (Heston style). No more, please. Well, not until 25 December 2008.
I was just in that kind of mood and called the reservation line at the Fat Duck. It’s Christmas time, was I mad. Apparently not, I got myself onto the cancellation list. Two days later and bingo. We were in for lunch. It’s a bit of a whirlwind from herein, and it went like this:
Up at the usual time. Train from Paddington to Bray. Taxi to the restaurant. And still, we managed to turn up just a tad too early. Now Bray isn’t a large place. It’s a tiny little village made up of the Fat Duck, a few cottages, the Hinds Head (Heston, again), a few dog walkers and a postman. 12 noon on the dot we entered. Ha, and we weren’t the first.
Jackets and winter paraphernalia off. Seated.
It starts.
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A trolley arrives.
A selection of Tattinger champagnes is offered. Having focused on Chardonnay based shampers for a short while now, the choice was obvious. The Taittinger Comtes de Champagne Blanc de Blancs Brut 1996. Wonderful. Small bubbles and a great taste. Encore, I couldn’t resist.
We nibbled on Picholine olives and bread whilst perusing the menu. For sure, we’re opting for the tasting menu. Bring it on.
Before the meal starts, mr. waiter arrives to prepare our palettes. Nitro-green tea and lime mousse. A small bite-size macaroon prepared in liquid nitrogen. Perfect meringue shape. Pop. Fresh. Dry. Umm.
Now rid of all those nasty City pollutants (smoke, perfume, smelly trains, subway sandwiches etc.), our palettes are prepared.
Oyster, passion fruit jelly and lavender. I remain befuddled as to why the oyster was cut 1/3 2/3. We didn’t ask and no-one explained.
Next up. Pommery grain mustard ice cream, red cabbage gazpacho.
Jelly of quail, langoustine cream, and parfait of foie gras. It sat on a bed of pea puree. The quail jelly was a rich consommé, but struggled to compete with the flavours of foie gras and langoustine.
Dish count: 4.
Oak moss and truffle toast. Odd.
Ah, and on the neighboring table I discovered a kindred spirit, the chef from my favorite restaurant. Well hello.
Up next is Heston’s signature dish, snail porridge. Snails, oats, fine Joselito ham and shaved fennel. The point here is you eat porridge for breakfast and associate it with something sweet. But it isn’t sweet. It’s simply a grain, so we eat it like you would rice and accompany it accordingly. It should be utterly delicious. Except, sorry Hessie the kitchen let you down, I thought it was overwhelmingly green, too much parsley.
Moving stealthily along. I sat back to enjoy my Vacqueryras Lopy, Le Sang des Cailloux, 2003. Oops we’re on again.
Prepare for the “Sounds of the Sea”. Two beautiful sea shells were placed in front of us. Those infamous white cables and black ear pieces handed to us. iPods. Indeed. Belting out of mine were the sounds of sea gulls and crashing waves against rocks. Delightful. And the food. Well, served on a glass sheet mounted over a glass fronted box containing sand. Seaweed, tapioca (presumed to represent sand), an oyster; sea water foam.
Separately, I enjoyed the oyster and seaweed. My companion quizzed if only we had a choice of seaside sounds, stating Brighton would have been his choice. I examined the iPod. No luck.
Cheekily, we put the shells to our ears, no luck; oddly, we heard sounds of chattering wafting through the restaurant and no gulls.
Dish count: 8
By the way, the waiting persons were perfect, if not mechanical and impersonal. Pity, as we had so many questions.
Salmon poached in liquorice. The plate was sprinkled with red grapefruit and dots of balsamic. A little too vigorous, and sadly a little too dried out. My companion’s salmon was overcooked, so I generously gave him some of mine. He was pleased. Very, very subtle liquorice disguised as a film around a block of salmon. Quite yummy.
Ballotine of Anjou pigeon. Black pudding “made to order” wow, I still remain puzzled at what this means. Pickling brine and spices juices. On top, a Chinese pigeon cracker. Wow. This was a very good dish. Rich flavours and excellent presentation, though I am still unsure about the black pudding (little texture or flavour).
Hot & iced tea. Soooo entertaining. Really hot tea on one side, cold on the other. I remarked to my companion it reminded me of my recent trip to the dentist. My lips were puffier on one side and not the other. Wonderfully odd, but pleasant sensation was had by all - that is, and of course in the restaurant, not the dentist chair.
Mrs Marshall’s Margaret Cornet. We were given a leaflet about Mrs Marshall. I didn’t retain any of the information which I now recall would help as background stuff on the dish. It seems irrelevant now as at the time. Small sugared cornets with apple ice-cream on top. Pleasant.
And so was the Chateauneuf de Pape, Domaine de Beaurenard 2006.
Dish count: 12
Mr. Waiter arrives again; we clearly need our palettes cleansed again. Oh, what’s up afterwards.
Pine sherbet fountain. Picture lemon sherbet dips with liquorice. Fat Duck’s own, except we were told the liquorice was instead a dried vanilla pod and not to be eaten. Pity.
Up next, a mango Douglas fir puree. Bavarois of lychee & mango, black currant sorbet. He seems to have a penchant for trees!
Parsnip cereal. Now this is where it gets oddly odd. Not because it’s a cereal, I’ve had it before. It’s the behaviour of the waiting staff which is odd. Suddenly, after swiftly clearing the way for this dish, they simply say “now its breakfast time” – how unoriginal and out of context is that. I felt like I was on the redeye back from New York. Extraordinary.
Nitro-scrambled egg and bacon ice cream. Pain perdu and tea jelly. So they continue the breakfast theme, which is fine and reinforces my airline experience. The liquid nitrogen is brought out again. An egg (one assumes egg custard) is cracked into a bucket and becomes ice cream after some vigorous activity with liquid nitrogen. Then placed onto a brioche style slice of toast with a wafer thin slice of pancetta. Wonderful. Great idea and presentation.
Dish count: 15
At this stage I needed some cheeses. I noticed my favorite restaurant chef on the neighboring table had ordered outside of the tasting menu. I followed suit. I chose Chaouorce. Yummy.
Whisk(e)y gums. Presented on a mirrored glass picture frame. I wasn’t so impressed. The gums were filled with a whiskey from an assortment of Scottish and Tennessee types. Whilst I understand the appreciation of whisky, I am not a devotee of it myself.
Petit fours & coffees.
It was after 5pm. Taxi ordered.
Of all the restaurants I have patronized and last to leave, I have seen chairs placed on tables, lights out and total darkness, never have I seen table clothes ironed for the next seating. Memorable.
Taxi. Train from Bray to Paddington. Sleep. Home.
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I was so looking forward to a Gigondas. We had some fantastic veal chops with celeriac. Yummy. The wine had berry notes, very smooth and full bodied. But it was bland. I was expecting something more complex, rich and entertaining. Overall quite disappointing.
Tasting notes: Gigondas 2003 E Guigal
A big, chunky red laden with intense berry fruits reflecting the Guigal trademark of fullness and depth. This wine will develop added complexity with bottle age.
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