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For Valentine’s Day...
Food and wine
have a symbiotic relationship (heck, there’s a whole magazine,
Food & Wine,
dedicated to the subject). Each complements the other and makes
it stronger, like the bird in the Hippo’s mouth, but in a much
more appetizing, less-saliva kinda way. A juicy steak with a big
California Cab; Sauvignon Blanc and goat cheese; lobster and
Riesling, each partner enhances the other.
I will be
dedicating several columns to this subject and was pondering
where to start when the subject of Valentine’s Day came up. Last
year I decided that rather than go out we would stay in and I’d
cook. Valentine’s Day is probably only surpassed by Mother’s Day
as one of the more “factory-like” nights as restaurants deal
with the larger crowds through “special menus” and tighter
reservation times, resulting in a less-than-optimal experience.
Why not stay home, spend a bit extra on some prime ingredients
and nice wine and have a more romantic experience. And at a
fraction of the cost!
One question
is: what comes first? Do I choose a wine then match the food,
or vice versa? The answer is a murky “depends.” If I have an
extraordinary wine, I’ll buy food to match it. If I’ve got an
awesome, massive, juicy ribeye, I’ll buy wine to match that. In
the case of Valentine’s Day, I did a mixture of both, which
you’ll see in the description of each course. I can’t go into
recipe details here, but you can request them at orders@maincourse-ma.com.
The recipes are relatively simple and “guy friendly.” So, guys,
give it a try. I’ll just say this much ... it worked for me!
By the way,
you’ll notice I recommend four bottles of wine for this meal.
Don’t be alarmed for two reasons: 1) You don’t have to finish
them! The only bottle I’d “kill” is the champagne because the
bubbles go away after a few hours, leaving behind something that
is flat, tasteless and undrinkable. Enjoy a glass with your
partner while you’re prepping and cooking and then finish it off
during appetizers. The wines, if unfinished, will hold for
several days. Put them in the fridge and pull the red out a half
hour before you drink it next. The ice wine lasts for weeks. 2)
The beauty of drinking at home is you can indulge a bit more
without endangering society, so don’t be afraid to “freshen up
the glass.” What to do if you do end up knocking back all four
bottles will be covered in a later article. Until then, just
make sure you drink a lot of water.
So let’s get
started…
Appetizer –
Duxbury oysters on the
half shell and shallot mignonette with
sparkling wine or Muscadet Sevre et Maine: Oysters
and champagne chose themselves for this dinner. Both have
romantic connotations and are a recognized perfect match because
the minerality in the champagne matches well with the oyster. I
also chose the Muscadet because it matches so well with all
shellfish. It is dry with a nice mouth feel (due to aging on the
lees), also with minerality, and some say a hint of saltiness
(the grape is grown near the Atlantic at the mouth of the
Loire). - Graham Beck
Brut NV, South Africa, $17.99, Remy Pannier Muscadet Sevre &
Maine 2007, Loire, $11.99
First Course
– Pan seared scallops
on sauteed spinach with
Viognier. In
this case I chose the Viognier and looked for a complementary
dish. I call Viognier the “Valentine Wine.” In its highest form,
known as Condrieu, named after the town in the northern Rhone in
which it’s made, it is sublime with peach, apricot and white
flower aromas and creamy lusciousness. It’s like bringing a
bouquet of flowers to the table. A bouquet that you can drink!
(Now that’s my kind of florist!) Viognier is a difficult grape
to grow, so despite its popularity, it has not spread throughout
the world like other grapes. However, there are some very good
examples from California, Australia and Chile at considerably
lower pricing. They tend to be a bit less “luscious” with a bit
more fruit and less flower, but some believe are a better food
pairer. Still, Valentine’s Day is when I personally splurge on
the Condrieu. As you may have picked up on by now, the scallops
are just an accompaniment to the wine; their sweetness provides
a nice balance to the wine’s acidity and complement to the
wine’s aromas. - E.
Guigal Condrieu 2008 Rhone Valley $50, Yalumba Viognier 2008
South Australia $11.99, Secreto Viognier 2007 Chile $11.99
Second Course
– Grilled lamb chops
and chive potato hash with
Syrah/Shiraz:
One of the nice things about the grilled lamb chops is that you
can have portion control, which fits well into a multi-course
meal. Two riblets is a nice little nosh, after oysters and
scallops, and will leave plenty of room for desert (yay!). But
you can always add more if you want. Shiraz (or Syrah as it is
known most elsewhere) is a classic pairing with lamb.
Interestingly, a bit of Viognier is blended with the Syrah to
create Cote-Roties (and the Yalumba Shiraz/Viognier), which
makes the transition from the previous course kind of cool. The
bold flavors of the Syrah stand up well to lamb and garlic with
its fruit providing a nice foil to the lamb’s richness. The
wine’s tannins help tame lamb’s tendency to be a bit fatty. - E.
Guigal Cote Rotie2000
France $45.99, Yalumba Shiraz/Viognier
2008 South Australia
$11.99
Dessert
– canolis with
ice wine or
brownies & ice cream
with port: For so many people, the wine part of the
program ends with the main course. But they’re missing out on
one of the nicest pairings to be had. A lusciously sweet/tart
ice wine (or Eiswein in Germany) can be an excellent foil for a
creamy canola (think berries and cream). Or imagine a warm
brownie with vanilla ice cream washed down with the rich
chocolate/butterscotch/dark cherry of a port. An excellent way
to end a romantic dinner for two! -
Jackson-Trigss Ice Wine
$20.99, Graham’s 6 Grapes Porto NV $20.99
All of the ingredients
and wines needed to create this meal (as well as many other fine
wines) are available at The Main Course Market, 11 Washington
St., Canton, MA 02021, 781-821-0005,
www.maincourse-ma.com
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