Bugrundy feast - What to serve food and wine

I've taken off the cross posting.

Salut/Hi simobap,

le/on 12 Sep 2003 03:39:28 -0700, tu disais/you said:-

Then I imagine you want to try to make something seasonal.

If you can get some fresh cepes, then there's a lovely burgundian starter of Marinated cepes. Another possibility would be with Cold Eggplants Less seasonal, but truly traditional are "Tourte Bourguignonne" This is a double crust pie wholse filling consists of little meatballs made from a mixture of fairly coarsely minced pork and veal. Can be eaten hot warm or cold.

An all time favourite of course are eggs meurette. Eggs pached in a classic burgundy sauce. If you do this, you'd not want to do my first choice main course of Beef Bourguignon.

An excellent and very traditional cold starter is "Jambon persillé" Ham poached in white wine with loads of parsley. It ends up a kind of green jelly round the pink ham.

If you can get hold of freshwater crayfish, there is Ecrivisses au Chablis Another traditional fish dish is Pôchouse, a sort of fresh water bouillabaisse made with Aligoté wine. Uses a variety of river fish like pike, perche, tench, eel and freshwater angler fish.

Beef bourguignon. (large cubes of beef simmered in red burgundy, served with a garnish of baby mushrooms, button onions, bacon lardons, (each cooked apart). The sauce is thicken after cooking).

I imagine you can't get a c*ck (make chicken) about 1-2 years old, if you can, this is what you need to make the classic coq au vin, an alternative to beef bourguignon. Another possibility is to make a "poulet au vin Nuitonne" which is made with a decent free range chicken instead.

Keeping to the seasonal theme, "Echine de porc aux raisins" That's a roasting cut of pork from behind the shoulder braised with Aligoté and served with skinned and seeded grapes in a creamy sauce.

If you can get game, there are several good game recipes like "Grives Vigneronnes" (could just be done with quail) or Pheasant Vigneronne.

Poires au cassis Flamusse aux pommes reinettes Flan de Courge (sort of pumpkin pie without pastry). Pruneaux au vin de Bourgogne (prunes in Burgundy wine) Rigodon - almost like bread and butter pudding, served with a fresh fruit marmelade (thick sweet puree) of seasonal fruit especially quince.

If you like the idea of any of these, let me know and I'll put up recipes, with possible wine suggestions.

How´s that? "freshwater angler fish"? Please to explain to der foreign gentleman, ja?

Nils Gsutaf

-- Respond to nils dot lindgren at drchips dot se

Ian, excellent summary!

I don't think I know this one. Sounds good though. What wine do you serve with this?

Good ideas, and ones which point out there are white Burgundies beyond the Côte de Beaune.

Those were to be my suggestions.

I'll say that red Burgundy is usually my first choice in most recipes that have good mushrooms (I'm thinking morels, cepes/porcini, hen of the woods, black trumpet, chanterelle, etc- don't know what beyond cepes is authentically Burgundian). I also think red Burgundy works very well with duck, though I'm not clear how common that is in Burgundy.

And, I'll cross swords with Ian and others here by once again declaring I like Epoisses with red Burgundy!

Dale

Dale Williams Drop "damnspam" to reply

I have seldom seen this outside of France, so when a local restaurant put it on their menu, I was delighted. Problem is that whenever I go there, I have a hard time ordering anything else, and as theirs is a 3 egg version, one is too full for all the other good thinsg they make (the owners are from Burgundy).

I make this in both red wine and white wine versions myself - very versatile dish.

Another one we don't see and appreciate much in North America. A white or a light red, say a Loire Cab Franc, go very well with this.

I'm getting hungry.......

Salut/Hi Nils Gustaf Lindgren,

le/on Fri, 12 Sep 2003 15:55:17 GMT, tu disais/you said:-

Yes I was afraid you would ask that ;-)) (btw, all my sympathy to you and your fellow Swedes. Whatever is the world coming to!)

I translated literreally (;-)) from the french "lotte de rivière". Not being an angler myself, I've NO idea what it is.

A recipe for this would be much appreciated.

And likewise this, if easily available/ported.

OK, now I'm being greedy...

...but at least it was invited greed :).

Thanks, Ian.

Ewan

Salut/Hi Dale Williams,

le/on 12 Sep 2003 16:00:06 GMT, tu disais/you said:-

Thanks. I have to confess a near 30 year old love affair with burgundian food and wine, dating from my first ever wine tasting trip back in '76.

I'd serve it with the wine it's cooked with (Aligoté) if you can get a really good one. Otherwise why not a Rosé d'Orches, if you want to be daring, or a village Meursault also from a good grower.

Very simply the recipe uses a variety of meats

Rinse meats and soak in cold water 2 hours. In a large pan cover meats with cold unsalted water, bring to boil and simmer together with bouquet garni shallots, onions, carrots and wine. When tender, (IMH a couple of hours or so), cool all together. When cold, remove meats, and "crush with the aid of a fork, mixing fat and lean and adding loads of parsley, and the wine vinegar".

In a bowl, layer alternately the meat and a layer of chopped parsley, finishing with a really good layer of chopped parsley (1/2 cm thick).

Take some of the cooking juice, (warmed if it's already set - the rind and calves foot supply the gelatine IMH), check seasoning, and pass through a fine sieve, and then gently pour it over the contents of the bowl, making sure it reaches all the interstices.

Finally, to press everything down, cover with an adequately weighted plate or board. Let the contents gell in a cool place (fridge or larder) to eat from the next day onwards.

NB. This delicious ham dish keeps several days in the fridge with ease.

Well, what can I say? They're frontline burgundian dishes.

Well, with this particular dish which marinates cepes in vinegar etc, I suspect that white might be better.

Well, my recipe book doesn't have a single ducky dish. Though that doesn't prove much. When we've finished repairing the stairwell, I'll look in Larousse to see what they have to say about Burgundy duck dishes. I'm sure one could make a salmis/civet kind of duck stew using red burgundy and have an excellent dish.

De gustibus....

Salut/Hi Ewan,

le/on Fri, 12 Sep 2003 13:58:23 -0400, tu disais/you said:-

I presume you mean the Eggs en meurette.

Well, it only took a few minutes to type in.

Chuckle... This too was easily typed in.

As for the wines. Phew.... Not easy at all. Except for the last. Macon Domaine du Bon Gran Cuvée botrytisé. Jean Thevenet. A VERY rare sweet wine made in Burgundy. Yummy, too.

Here are the recipes =======@@@@@ Now You're Cooking! Export Format

Poached Eggs En Meurette

eggs/cheese, french, starters

Sauce meurette ============ In a skillet, melt the slab bacon cut into sticks 1/3"square, 1" or so long, when they have rendered their fat, remove them and keep aside. To the fat, add the oignons and carrot finely chopped together and saute them until they have become soft and transparent. Add butter if needed (bacon too lean).

Add the bouquet garni (parsley, bay and thyme as usual), cover & simmer gently together ten minutes or so, mixing from time to time. Now add the red wine, salt and pepper. Bring to the boil and cook on full heat a minute or two to evaporate most of the alcohol. Add the bouillon (which must NOT be made from a stock cube and should be unsalted) and the crushed garlic. Cook all together 20 minutes. Meanwhile work the butter and flour together to make beurre manié.

When the time is up, strain the sauce, pressing the vegetables to extract the liquid. Bring the liquid to a boil and gradually whisk in the beurre manié, a little at a time, to thicken the sauce. Keep aside until needed.

Meantime, fry the mushrooms in a little butter, and glaze the button onions.

To poach the eggs =============== In a very wide pan bring the sauce to a very gentle simmer. Then one by one, break the eggs into it from _just_ above the surface, make sure they don't touch. Allow to cook about 3 minutes. The yolk should remain very soft. Correct the seasoning.

Garnish with the bacon "fingers", button onions and mushrooms, and serve with one slice of fried bread crouton per person, sprinkled with parsley.

Recipe after "Les recettes de la Table Bourguignonne" by Francis Mornand & Ginette Hell-Girod. MMed IMH c/o Gohlam BBS Fido 2:320/116.14

Yield: 5 servings

@@@@@ Now You're Cooking! Export Format

Echine de Porc aux Raisins (Braised pork with grapes)

casseroles, french, fruits, main dish, pork

Have the (boneless) shoulder joint rolled and strung. Dry it well, then salt it and pepper it. Using a suitably sized casserole (dutch oven), melt the butter with the oil, or use lard of the same weight. Add the pork and cook on all sides till they.become a good golden colour.

(Pour off excess fat - keeping a bit for later IMH) Add the crushed garlic cloves, the thyme, the bay. Moisten with the wine. Bring to the boil, cook a minute or two, then cover and simmer (1h30 to 2 hours) gently.

Meanwhile, cut the slab bacon into cubes (abt 1/2 cm or so across) and blanch (add to boiling water, cook a minute or two then drain) and refresh (cool in cold water, drain again).

In a frying pan (skillet) gently fry the lardons (bacon cubes) with the button onions until the onions start to become tender. Add them to the meat, halfway through its cooking period.

Prepare the grapes by skinning and seeding them.

When the meat is cooked, uncover, (the meat may be removed and kept warm while the sauce is finished,) add the grapes to the casserole followed by the cream, raise the heat slightly and cook gently until the sauce is lightly thickened. Correct the seasoning and serve the pork surrounded by its garnish.

Recipe translated IMH after "Les recettes de la Table Bourguignonne" Mornand & Hell-Girod

Yield: 6 servings

@@@@@ Now You're Cooking! Export Format

Rigodon (Burgundian "Bread & Butter Pudding").

bread pudds, desserts, french, nuts

In a saucepan, put the milk, the cinnamon and sugar. Heat, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Bring to the boil.

Cut the brioche into dice. Put them into a dish and moisten with a little of the sweetened milk. Grill the hazelnuts and add them to the walnuts.Finely chop all together. In a large bowl, beat the eggs as for an omelette and beat in the flour, Now add, little by little and stirring gently, the rest of the milk, the brioche dice and the nuts.

Carefully butter a deep fireproof dish and pour in the mixture. Sprinkle a few small nob s of butter over the surface and bake in a moderate oven until set. (IMH - you might prefer to do this au bain marie, as it's gentler).

Notes. The rigodon is served cool or cold, but almost always accompanied by a marmelade of seasonal fruits.

Prepare a marmelade ("fruit butter") from seasonal fruits such as Mirabelle plums, greengages, pears, quince, apples, pêches de vigne (wild peaches), strawberries etc.... Spread this good and thick puree in an even layer over the rigodon.

Recipe translated IMH from "Recettes de la Table Bourguignonne" Mornand & Hell-Girod

Yield: 6 servings

If my mantra for choosing Burgundies is "producer before vintage or appelation", it applies triplefold for Aligoté. Good ones from de Villaine, Lafarge, Coche-Dury, etc are great QPR, lots of others are trash at any price.

Sorry I wasn't clear. I was referring to dishes in general, had forgotten you had suggested the cold marinated cepes. I think it's a pretty general rule that vinegar-marinated dishes tend to go best with whites (and then maybe not your Montrachets, either!).

Isn't there a famous dish - duck in Chambertin? Though I'll tell you right now, if Betsy runs across that recipe and wants to make it, there is NO CHANCE IN HELL that I'm giving her my one bottle of Chambertin for the dish! My theory is that a good generic Bourgogne would be fine (just as Beef in Barolo seems to do ok with a Langhe or Nebbiolo d'Alba).

Ian, if you do come to US next year, I promise NOT to make you eat Epoisses and old 1er Cru Chambolle ! (at least not together).

Be well, thanks for recipe!

Dale

Dale Williams Drop "damnspam" to reply

"Ian Hoare" skrev i meddelandet news: snipped-for-privacy@4ax.com...

A worse place, I´m afraid.

A-Ha! 'Lotte', yes. I have always been amazed that in the fish shops in the Midi, lotte refers to angler-fish. However, the fresh-water lotte is not at all related, it is, in fact, the only fresh water species of the cod fishes. In Swedish 'lake'. Highly regarded as a late winter primeur and, in Sweden, eaten in a kind of soup. The liver in particular is regarded as extraordinary. If you get the feeling that I am reading from a script, you are right. I tried 'lake' once, and did not like it, finding it a bit muddy taste-wise. 'lotte' is in latin 'lota lota', and, apparently, burbot in English. HTH ;)

Nils Gustaf

-- Respond to nils dot lindgren at drchips dot se

Salut/Hi Dale Williams,

le/on 12 Sep 2003 23:39:43 GMT, tu disais/you said:-

Absolutely. Which is why it's SO hard to answer intelligently to people who ask "I've heard red Burgundy is fabulous, what should I try?"

Agree.

Rings a bell. Hang on!

Right... Larousse came to the rescue (though I've sabotaged the stairs to find it).

Rouen duckling au Chambertin.

You'll remember the Rouen duckling used to be killed by smothering, so it kept all its blood, giving it a completely different flavour from a traditionally "bled" animal. The nearest equivalent would be to get some blood from a slaughterhouse, now that procedure is banned.

Braise the duckling, trussed as for an entree in braising liquor based on red wine (Chambertin). When it is nearly cooked put it into another pan. Add 125 g lardons blanched and lightly fried, and 24 mushrooms caps peeled and lightly tossed in butter. Boil down the braising liquid, pour over the duckling and finish cooking in the oven with the lid on.

So that's pretty close to a salmis and/or coq au vin.

Hmm. Years and years ago, when prices collapsed across the board, I was able to obtain various Geisweiler (yeah, I know) grand cru Burgundies from '69 and '70 at ludicrously low prices. I bought quite a lot, and once, when I wanted to make a beef bourguignon, it happened that a Corton was the cheapest red wine in my cellar. So I used that. I was astonished at the difference it made. So I don't 100% go along with you. I think that if the wine is an important component (quantity and character-wise) then I think you should either bite the bullet, or do something else. That said, I think I'd jib at using a DRC (or other equally expensive) wine in cooking. For the duck in Chambertin recipe (if I managed to get a suitable duck), I'd want to use at least a 1er cru Gevrey-Chambertin with good village characteristics, I think.

Oh we're definitely coming. The only question is how long for! We've not saved as much as we ought to have this year, so we many not be able to take our normal 2 month trip. As for Epoisses and old Chambolle, I'd taste the match to do you honour. I'd then probably finish them separately.

I usually have a$20 threshold for "wines where whole bottle is used in recipes". And I can't think of a Gevrey 1er from a good producer I've seen for less than $40 (or $50). I'd rather get a good Bourgogne from a good Côte de Nuits producer (this would NOT be an instance I'd use the Volnay-esque Lafarge Bourgogne I'm always talking about) from a bigger year, than some 1er Cru from a lesser producer. While I'm a confirmed terroirist, I still hold producer first. For instance, if Mark L. is listening, when he visited we had a 96 Corton from Laboure-Roi. It was a better wine than I expected. But it wasn't (to me any way) identifiable as a Corton. If I was guessing blind I would have guessed maybe a village level Beaune or Pommard. So even though Corton might be what a recipe calls for, unsure it would help. I guess what I'm trying to say is that when a recipe calls for a specific wine, I try to imagine what it is that it wants from the wine. In this case, Chambertin makes me think they want a fragrant, earthy, meaty wine. I'd be happier with a $15-20 basic Bourgogne that fits that description (though likely to be a bit lighter) from a top Gevrey grower than a thin insipid $50-75 Chambertin from Reine Pedauque or Louis Max. :)

Just hoping you can make a stop in Westchester before going to CT! Dale

Dale Williams Drop "damnspam" to reply

snip

snip

Anyone out there have a recipe for Tourte Bourguignonne? I've been to all my recipe sites without success.

Paul

Salut/Hi Paul,

le/on Sun, 14 Sep 2003 13:53:52 GMT, tu disais/you said:-

Yup.

With the information I've given, you should be able to busk it if I tell you what the filling mix is.

Cut the meats into cubes and mince. Add the salt, pepper, parsley, wine and "fine". no point in mincing finely. (IMH I have a preference for seasoning while the meat is in cubes, mixing very thoroughly and then mincing (grinding) as it makes sure the seasoning is evenly dispersed.)

Roll the minced meat mixture into balls the size of a small hen's egg.

You would have previously lined a suitable sized deep mould with shortcrust pastry, and yopu will then arrange the forcemeat balls in the bottom, not touching. Cover with the rest of the pastry, decorate, make a hole in the middle to let the steam out. Gild with a beaten egg. Put a paper funnel into the central hole (alternatively you could have inserted a pie funnel in the tart to support the pastry and keep the hole open. in any case this will let steam out and allow the inside of the pastry to cook drier).

Cook around 3/4 hour in a moderate oven. (so they say, I'm dubious - I suspect longer might be needed.)

You can pour a little veal stock into the pie after cooking if you like.

Many thanks, Ian.

Aligote is seldom available here but, luckily, I have two bottles in my cellar.

Paul

Hi Ian,

thanks for the reply and also the recipes you've all ready posted. It certainly made me excited and you gave some excellent choices. I've been thinking about your suggestions and also looking at my Burgundy Gastronomique book and think the following will be the menu.

#start menu STARTER/S Crème De Noix (which is a walnut cream soup)

then followed by either

or Champignons A La Dijonnaise

#on ingredients, I should be able to get most things by heading down to the Borough Market

MAIN/S

and maybe "Echine de porc aux raisins"

DESSERT

or Gateau De Meringue Aux Noisettes Et Au Chocolat

CHEESE maybe?

#end menu

Please do...would love to get some of those wine suggestions.

Merci,

/Simon

Salut/Hi simobap,

le/on 15 Sep 2003 05:30:48 -0700, tu disais/you said:-

Hmm, don't have that, though we DO have some lovely fresh walnuts, hint, hint.

Can't pretend, living in the middle of France, to know it well, but have been there twice. Wonderful market. If Cepes are available anywhere, they should be there.

You need resonably young ones for this recipe.

Marinated Cepes

Scrape the bottoms of the stalks of the cepes which should be small, firm and white, and wash them thoroughly. Blanch them 5 minutes in boiling water that you've salted and acidulated with the juice of a lemon.

Place the oil, the vinegar, the crushed garlic and herbs all together into a saucepan. Bring to the boil and cook together several minutes before pouring boiling over the cepes which you've put into a terrine.

When cool, place the terrine in a cold place.

IMH notes. If you start by heating the marinade, and bringing it to the boil and then simmering it, by the time the cepes have been blanched, you can then drain them, put them into the terrine and pour the marinade over. If you increase the weight of cepes, you don't need to increase the quantity of blanching water much. I also reckon you could increase to 900 gms without changing the marinade volume.

I'd be inclined to make this about a week in advance. (One dish out of the way!!) Serve sprinkled with plenty of chopped parsley.

OK here you are

----- Now You're Cooking! v5.62 [Meal-Master Export Format]

Title: Boeuf Bourguignon (Braised Beef, Burgundy Style) Categories: beef, casseroles, french, main dish Yield: 6 servings

- or lardons

NB * The beef should be cut into large cubes, abt 2". Choose from, b ladebone or chuck, thick flank, topside, silverside.

*** A full bodied Pinot could be substituted but don't go too far away from that type of wine. Avoid a tannic cabernet

Preparation Remove rind, and cut the bacon into fingers 1/4" thick and 1.5" long (the thickness of the piece). Simmer rind and bacon 10 mins in plenty water. Drain and dry (bacon). Sauté the bacon in the hot oil in a casserole over moderate heat for 2-3 mins to brown lightly. Remove to a side dish with a slotted spoon. Reheat to near smoking before browning the beef.

Preheat oven to very hot (450°F 230°C ). Dry the beef - it won't brown if it's damp (you may like to mix seasonings with flour and toss the dried beef in this before the browning stage - it's just as correct and a little easier). Sauté it, a few bits at a time in the hot oil and bacon fat until nicely brown on all sides. As browned, remove and keep with bacon. Whan all is done, put the sliced carrot and onion in the pan, and brown them.

Pour out sautéing fat. Return beef and bacon to the pan, and sprinkle with salt, pepper and flour (unless tossed previously, in which case proceed to flaming). Place casserole uncovered in the preheated oven for 4 minutes. Remove, toss the meat, and return for a further 4 minutes, to brown the flour and make a light crust on the beef)

Remove casserole from oven and turn down to 375°F 180°C . Warm the brandy, tip over the meat and light, shaking well to make sure as much of the brandy as possible gets burnt. When flames die down, tip over the red wine, and stir in enough stock to make sure the meat is barely covered. Add the tomato paste, the garlic the herbs and the blanched bacon rind. Bring to full roiling boil on top of stove, and boil fast a couple of minutes to evaporate most of the alcohol.

Then cover casserole and put in the lower part of preheated oven. Regulate heat so that the liquid simmers very slowly. Cook for 3-4 hours or longer until meat is done. This is when a fork pierces it easily. While the meat is braising, prepare the onions and mushrooms, leave aside until needed. When the meat is tender, pour the contents of the casserole into a large sieve, placed over a pan. Wash out the casserole and return the meat and bacon to it. Distribute the cooked onions and mushrooms over the meat. Skim fat off the sauce. Simmer for a minute or two, skimming off any additional fat as it rises. You should have about a pint (for 6) of sauce thick enough to coat a spoon lightly. If too thick, add a few tablespoons of stock or bouillon. Boil it down rapidly, if too thin. Taste carefully and correct seasoning. Pour the sauce over the meat and vegetables.

For immediate serving, cover and simmer 3-4 minutes, basting the meat and vegetables with sauce several times. Serve in the casserole, or arrange the stew on a dish surrounded with potatoes, noodles or rice and decorated with parsley. For serving later. Cool quickly and when cold, cover and refrigerate. About 15-20 mins before serving bring to simmering point, cover and simmer very slowly for 10 minutes, occasionally basting meat and vegetables with the sauce. Dish as above.

Recipe after Mastering the Art of French Cookery (Beck Bertholle & Child) IMH c/o Le MarYol BBS Fido 2:324/151.4

-----

Well, I've made my suggestion for the Rigodon.

As for the walnut soup, I'd not be inclined to serve a wine, but if you really wanted to I'd look perhaps at a vin jaune served in small quantities, or a sercial madeira, just maybe an amontillado sherry. In any case something more or less nutty and strong, so as not to drown in liquid.

For the Pork, it's not easy at all. I'm really stumped as to a wine from Burgundy... It uses an Aligoté in the cooking, but I can't see it going well as a wine with a dish containing grapes. I would expect most red burgundies to be unhappy with the sweetness of the dish, and too big anyway. If I were NOT trying to find a Burgundy wine match I'd maybe go for a Pinot Noir from Alsace, or perhaps a slightly off dry Vouvray. Perhaps a nutty Meursault might do.

With Beef Bourguignonne, you go for the biggest and best red burgundy you can. Le Chambertin or more modestly a Clos St Jacques from '93 ought to do the job perfectly.

Lastly, for the marinated cepes, given the amount of vinegar and garlic in them, you don't want to look to a subtle fine wine, really. I'm sure a white would be better than red. I'd look to a decent aligoté whose freshness should stand up to the dish OK.

You won't be able to find the Domaine de Bon Gran cuvee Botrytis, so look to a decent Sauternes or Monbazillac. Cuvée Richard Coup de Coeur Saussignac ought to be available in the UK and is a truly honest wine.

Salut/Hi Dale Williams,

le/on 13 Sep 2003 20:08:13 GMT, tu disais/you said:-

NOT be an instance I'd use the Volnay-esque > Lafarge Bourgogne I'm always talking about) from a bigger year, than some 1er Cru

I don't think we're that far apart, actually.

Yes, that's fair enough.

Never!!!.

You can count on it! Our tentative plans call for us leaving France around

Correct presumption.

Large - Ian, this post never made it to my server (hence the posting now from google, where I went to check) and so I have been remiss in not offering (profuse) thanks; allow me now to do so :).

They're printed off and in line for the near future, I hope.