Food and Wine Page
This page gives an overview of matching wine to food, talks a bit about food with Beaujolais in particular, and also has a number of recipes from Southern Burgundy. The sections of this page are:-
Basics |
Glossary of Burgundian Foodstuffs|
Food and Beaujolais
Recipes - Starters |
Recipes - Main Courses |
Recipes - Desserts |
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Food and Beaujolais
The following combinations are generally accepted as working well
Cold pork-based meat products (sausages, brawn,
ham)
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Beaujolais, Beaujolais-Villages, Chiroubles
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Hot pork-based products (andouillettes, bacon)
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Beaujolais-Villages, Brouilly, Juliénas, Fleurie
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Poultry and game (chicken, rabbit)
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Chénas, Côte de Brouilly, Chiroubles
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White meats (veal, pork)
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Côte de Brouilly, Fleurie, Juliénas
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Red meats (beef, lamb)
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Saint-Amour, Morgon, Moulin-à-Vent
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Gamebirds (pheasant, partridge)
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Morgon, Moulin-à-Vent
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Fish, Shellfish, Frogs legs
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Beaujolais-Villages, Brouilly
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Cheeses
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Juliénas, Morgon, Moulin-à-Vent
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Food & Wine Matching Basics
Why bother?
Why is it important to match food and wine? One reason is that by doing so
it is possible to significantly enhance the enjoyment of both. When matched
well, food and wines simply taste better together. It is important to remember
that matching food and wine is essentially a highly personal thing - there
is no definitive "right" or "wrong", and anyone who says that there is is
talking rubbish. Equally the extent to which matching food and wine matters
is again highly subjective. What is good is what works for you,
and what suits your own tastes may be very different to what
works for others. That said, there are conventions and traditions as to what
combinations are generally accepted as successful, which have evolved over
centuries of experience, and it would be wrong to ignore these, as they work
well for many people. Some of these are best described as generic, others
have regional origins. It can be difficult, for example when throwing a dinner
party, to satisfy all the guests - no matter how perfect the marriage of
the food with the fine red Burgundy you love, this will not satisfy a guest
who drinks only white wines.
Conventional Guidelines
Generally, many believe that white wines are best with fish, seafood dishes,
and white meats, whereas red wines are best with meats. However, many lighter
styles of red wine are equally good with white meats such as pork, chicken,
turkey etc.
Classic Combinations
Grilled or Fried Fish
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A dry white, possibly with some acidity,
especially where this is needed to contrast richness of a sauce or perhaps
if the fish is an oily variety.
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Seafood (shellfish etc)
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A dry white, ideally with a bit of acidity.
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Roast Chicken/Turkey
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A good mature cabernet-sauvignon
based wine such as a fine Bordeaux works extremely well with roast poultry.
Also very good is a Pinot-Noir based red Burgundy. Also a good Beaujolais
Cru, especially a mature full-bodied one.
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Game, Venison
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Good robust red Burgundy, Bordeaux, or
Rhone wine.
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Red meats (beef, lamb)
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A good robust Claret or Burgundy
- or perhaps an oaky Rioja - to some extent this depends on how the meat
is prepared and accompanied. Rarer beef or lamb may be better with lighter
fruitier wines.
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Asian/Oriental Food
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To some extend this depends on how spicy
it is - milder cuisines such as Chinese or Thai will work well with spicy
or slightly acidic whites (such as Riesling) served quite cold - or equally
well with light fruity reds such as Beaujolais. Very spicy foods such as
hot curries probably fall into the problem category - and it may be best
to go for an alternative to wine, as even the most fully-flavoured wines
will be wasted if not a match for the intensity of flavours a hot curry can
provide.
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Cheeses
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The varieties of cheese available, and
consequently the combinations that work well, are huge in number and we can
only generalise here; a book could be written on this subject. Generally
speaking, stronger flavoured cheeses demand more robustly flavoured wines.
Classic combinations include good strong cheddar with robust red wines, port
and stilton (both of which I like), and sweet white wines with soft creamy
cheeses (which I am not so keen on). On the whole I find red wines
work better with many cheeses, and I personally find that whites, especially
oaky whites, don't work so well. I particularly like a good crumbly
tangy goats cheese (very hard to find good ones in the UK, but they do exist)
with a Beaujolais Cru or red Pinot-Noir based Burgundy to be an excellent
combination. Experiment and go for what you like.
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Problem Cuisine
There are some foods which it is hard to find a good wine to match. These
include chocolate based dishes, hot curries, and eggs; equally, foods which
are not normally themselves problematic can become so if dressed with acidic
sauces, especially vinegar-based ones. Pickled herrings. Wherever possible,
try to match the food and wine by style - an acidic food could be better
matched to a wine with an above-average acidity, for example.
Combinations to avoid.....(well, maybe)...
Red wine with fish
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This is often cited a a classic combination
to avoid - and it is hard to argue with the logic. Most fish has quite
a subtle delicate flavour, which would be quite overwhelmed by many red wines.
Drink a gutsy Rhone red with, say, Dover Sole, and the fish will seem tasteless,
and any oiliness in the fish will mar the wine. But a light elegant
red wine, such as a Chiroubles, or a simple Beaujolais, may match stronger
tasting fish well.
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In Summary.......
Matching food and wine can be a minefield, and is particularly hard to get
right for many people at the same time. My advice to anyone trying this (eg
at a dinner party) would be as follows:-
- be aware of your guests preferences - is there anyone who dislikes
all red wines, for example?
- avoid combinations known to be contentious, unless you know for sure
that your guests are OK with them
- try to avoid including problem dishes in your menu
- offer choice to your guests - always have red, white, and rosé
wines available, ideally several styles, and make sure they are at the correct
temperature - there's nothing worse than trying to warm up a cold bottle
of claret quickly, for example, yet somehow the concept of throwing a white
in the freezer for 20 minutes doesn't seem quite so awful
- have a decanter available to expedite the process of wine breathing
- don't take it too seriously - most combinations are at least acceptable
to most people, even if unconventional
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Recipes - Starters
La Soupe au Beaujolais
Ingredients:-
1 carrot
The white part of 1 leek
1 turnip
1 medium onion
1 soup-spoon of butter
Half a bottle of Beaujolais - preferably Fleurie or Morgon
1 litre of good quality stock (beef or chicken)
2 soup-spoons of tapioca
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Method:-
Peel, wash, and cut into small cubes the vegetables. Gently heat them in
a casserole with the butter until starting to brown. Add the wine, and simmer
on a low heat until the consistency begins to thicken. Heat the stock and
add to the casserole. Cover, and allow to simmer for a further hour. Add
the tapioca, and continue to cook for a further 20 minutes. It is said that
if using beef stock, then Morgon wine is to be preferred, and if using chicken
stock, Fleurie is better, but this is not critical.
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Recipes - Main Courses
L'entrecôte Beaujolaise
Ingredients:-
1 fine thick cut of entrecôte (preferably Charolais)
Some butter, flour, salt and pepper for seasoning.
1 shallot
Black peppercorns
Fresh Parsley, Thyme, and Bay Leaves
1 stick of celery
1 bottle of strong Beaujolais
Garlic to taste
Cognac
Bonemarrow |
Method:-
Cut up the entrecôte into the desired number of portions. Season
and cook in hot butter according to taste, then remove from the pan and
place on a serving plate, and keep warm. Add to the butter used for
cooking the entrecôte the finely-chopped shallot, the peppercorns,
parsley, the sprigs of thyme, the bayleaves, and the chopped celery stick.
Add a generous amount of the wine, about 3 times the volume of the sauce
which will be needed to serve with the meat. Reduce buy two thirds,
and thicken at the last minute with a beurre manié,
finally adding a little chopped garlic, a splash of cognac, and some fresh
butter. Do not allow to boil. Pour over the meat and serve. Drink
with a sturdy Beaujolais Cru such as Juliénas or Chénas. |
Ragoût de Mouton au Beaujolais
Mutton stew Beaujolais Style
Ingredients:-
1.5 kilos breast or shoulder of lamb, diced
100g lean bacon, chopped
2 soup-spoons lard
1 dessert-spoon flour (to thicken)
Salt, pepper, nutmeg for seasoning.
A large bowl of hot bouillon.
2 large glasses of mature Beaujolais, warmed.
6 cloves garlic, chopped
Fresh thyme, parsley, bayleaf.
Small potatoes, peeled.
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Method:-
First, season the lamb with salt, pepper, and nutmeg to taste. Heat a heavy
casserole until quite hot, add the lard and melt. Add the bacon, and stir
for 30 seconds. Now add the seasoned lamb, and stir continually until
browned. Add the flour, and stir until the flour has absorbed the jiuces
from the meat. Now add the hot bouillon and wine, and continue
to stir until thoroughly combined. Finally, add the garlic, herbs, potatoes,
cover with water, bring to the boil, and then simmer till done. |
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Glossary of Burgundian Foodstuffs
under construction |
Recipes - Desserts
Fromage Blanc à la Crème
This is an incredibly simple yet excellent alternative
to the cheese course, found throughout the Rhône-Alpes
district and also in La Suisse Romande. It seems a bit odd
to sprinkle sugar on cheese, but it works extremely well. The Fromage Blanc
obtainable in France, especially in southern Burgundy, tends to have a soft
texture and is easily obtainable in small plastic tubs, which have draining
inserts to allow easy removal of the liquid in which the fromage blanc sits.
In the UK it is hard if not impossible to find these, however a reasonable
substitute can be found in the form of Fromage Blanc in large plastic tubs.
A glass of soft fruity Beaujolais, Beaujolais Villages, Chiroubles or Régnié
accompanies this marvellously.
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Ingredients:-
Fromage Blanc, pouring cream, sugar to taste |
Method:-
In a bowl place a piece of Fromage Blanc, pour cream over, and sprinkle
with sugar to taste. |
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UNDER THE AGE OF 18.
(SECTION
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Consume alcohol
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