I have a friend who enjoys cooking and enjoys good wine. She's just "discovered" chardonnay and is intrigued at the variety of styles in which it is made. Most of the examples I've provided have been relatively crisp, unoaked chards, as these are the style _I_ like and have in my cellar. To aid in her education, I went and got a big, fat, buttery, oaky chardonnay. The question to those "foodies" among you is: What are appropriate sorts of dishes for a chardonnay of this sort?
TIA.
-- Regards,
- Roy
=*=*Always do right. This will gratify some people and astonish the rest.
- Mark Twain The truth is rarely pure, and never simple. - Oscar Wilde
Most seafood, especially shellfish with chard... Fowl, with the exeption of duck... depending on the level of oak you can even push chard into red meat pairings...sometimes. Remember the basic rule with food & wine: Compliment or Contrast. Go with similar flavors, or opposites. Even if this does'nt always work, it's fun to keep notes & compare with others as to why you thought something did or did'nt work.
You've hit the nail on the head with the observation that, because of the wide range of styles in which chardonnay can be made, it is very difficult to generalize as to what kinds of foods will work well with that varietal. I'll not argue with Dale's suggestion of lobster with drawn butter with the kind of chardonnay you describe. I'm always open to suggestions but I can't think of a food where the idea of "contrast" would work with this type of chardonnay. Any "contrasting" foods that I can think of would be overwhelmed. I think you have to look beyond the basic ingredient (chicken, seafood, etc.) and focus more on the sauce(s) employed. Fattier seafoods (halibut, some salmon, etc.), chicken and other poultry with heavy creamier sauces are what I would suggest trying. But no guarantees.
Vino To reply, add "x" between letters and numbers of e-mail address.
In general, _rich_ foods. I go for compliment - not contrast with this type of wine. Serve it with fillet of sole, e.g. and it'll stomp all over it. OTOH, grilled salmon, sturgeon, swordfish, chilean sea bass are all good - especially when done either Cajun style or with a butter/cream sauce. Fettucini Alfredo is a good match, and shrimp scampi should be nice too, but I don't eat that anymore (cholesterol) so I'm not sure about that one. Roast chicken, veal, pork (not in tomato sauce) and turkey are all reasonable matches, although lighter reds are equally interesting with those. Oddly enough, I found that big Chardonnays sometimes go pretty well with maduro cigars (smoked - not eaten!).
Not too shabby all by itself on a warm afternoon with a good book. Pretty versatile, really.
Good thoughts. I knee-jerked to lobster and drawn butter then saw that Dale had beaten me to it. I've also found a nice buttery Chard good on the deck on a summer evening with crab or shrimp Louie. At a tasting dinner a few years ago there was a massive buttery chardonnay served with a lobster bisque and it would definitely complement almost any rich, cream-based soup.
I like your recommendation of the Fettucini Alfredo.
As for Chard with Maduro? I used to be a great Maduro fan, but found it did much better with spirits than wine--port being the exception. A nice single-malt, reposado tequila or Spanish brandy did the job for me. Had to give up the 'gars last year after some surgery and radiation--not smoking related.
And, a pleasant chilled wine in the open air with a good book is always a great option.
Ed Rasimus Fighter Pilot (USAF-Ret) "When Thunder Rolled" Smithsonian Institution Press ISBN #1-58834-103-8
le/on Wed, 02 Jun 2004 01:25:29 GMT, tu disais/you said:-
The question to those "foodies" among you
Well, this has evoked an interesting thread.
White burgundy can be pretty oaky sometimes, though because they tend to use the oak only enough to sustain the fruit, they don't come over as oaky as that often. However, I'm serving a pretty oaky chardonnay (non Burgundian) tonight, so your question is well timed!!
I'm taking a gamble. I'm serving it with one of my favourite starters which is "mushrooms a la grecque" As we make it, it's not at all crudely tomatoed, but has a delicate balance (though powerfully flavoured) of herbs, flavouring vegetables, lemon white wine and shallot. I have to admit, this is a gamble. I've not served the dish with this style of chardonnay, and don't know exactly how it will go! But the dish following it is braised rolled pork shoulder joint, with woodland mushrooms and chestnuts, and that WILL go very well with the wine. Which is why I'm serving a light red with it! (;-)))
I agree with most suggestions that have already been made, though I find fairly richly sauced pork and creamily sauced mussels both to be wonderful with these wines.
If any one is interested, this is my "a la Grecque" recipe. @@@@@ Now You're Cooking! Export Format
Vegetables A La Grecque
french, sauces, starters, vegetables
----COOKING LIQUOR----
5 fl oz water; -=PLUS=-
10 fl oz white wine -=or=-
2 tablespoon lemon juice -=and=-
9 fl oz water (extra)
5 tablespoon olive oil (extra virgin)
2 tablespoon shallots; finely chopped
1/2 teaspoon salt
12 peppercorns
12 coriander seeds
6 parsley sprigs
1 small celery stalk w.leaves; -=or=-
1 pinch celery seed
1 sprig fresh thyme; -=or=-
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1 sprig fennel; -=or=-
1 pinch fennel seeds ----OPTIONAL----
1 garlic clove; cracked
1 small can tomato puree (mushrooms) salt to disgorge
1 teaspoon lemon juice (for aubergines) ----VEGETABLES ONE FROM----
1 lb button mushrooms
8 artichokes
4 celery hearts
1 lb cucumber
1 lb aubergines
4 fennel heads
4 endives (uk chicory)
8 small leeks
1 lb button onions
1 lb bell peppers (red or green)
You can either use wine, or water with lemon juice added, or a mixture, as long as you reduce the wine in proportion to the amount of lemon juice shown in the recipe. Ie, if you want to use half the amount of wine, use half the lemon juice and top up with half the "extra" water. The overall volume shouldn't change. The recipe is equally good when made with fresh or dried herbs. If you grow parsley in profusion, or have access to them, adding a parsley root adds richness of flavour. Any of these vegetables can be served on their own as an excellent cold starter with brown bread, or you can make several, or use one or two as part of mixed hors d'oeuvres. Combine chosen ingredients in a largish saucepan, and bring to the boil. Simmer covered 10 minutes, then put in prepared vegetable. If cooking more than one vegetable, each should cook in its own court bouillon. Prepare and cook the vegetables as detailed below. If the vegetable requires disgorging, toss it with salt in the proportion of 1/2 ts salt to every pound & allow to stand 20 mins or so before draining thoroughly. Once the vegetable is cooked, remove from the cooking liquid, and allow to cool in a suitable earthenware, or porcelain serving dish, and reduce the cooking liquor down to about 1/4 or less of the original volume. The liquid will become thick and emulsified. Correct seasoning, strain over the vegetable - pressing well to extract all the liquid from the herbs/flavourings, spoon over the vegetables or toss all together. Chill at least 2 hours in the fridge before serving - Vegetables a la Grecque will keep well for up to three days in the Fridge. If the vegetable exudes a great deal of extra liquid, diluting the sauce unduly, you may like to reduce again by boiling, and pour over the vegetable again, chilling a couple of hours as before. Serve sprinkled with chopped herbs or parsley and with brown bread.
Vegetable Preparation method Cooking time Method
Mushrooms Trim, wash 10 mins Simmer in pan
Artichoke hearts Trim, rub w lemon 40 mins Simmer in pan remove choke after cooking
Celery Hearts Trim, halve or 1/4 30 - 40 mins Bake in dish lengthways. Wash. in 350 oven
Cucumbers Peel halve lengthways 10 mins Simmer in pan deseed, cut in pieces disgorge & drain.
Aubergines Peel, cut in serving 10 mins Simmer in pan pieces, disgorge w salt & lemon, drain.
Fennel/Endive Quarter or halve, wash 30-40 mins Simmer in pan
Onions (baby) Drop in boiling water 30-40 mins Simmer in pan to cover 1 min, drain and peel, cut cross in root end. Bell Peppers Halve lengthwise, deseed derib, slice or 1/4.
10 mins Simmer in pan
Leeks Trim roots & green top 30-40 mins Bake in 350 oven
leave 7" or so long, Make 2 lengthwise cuts in green part. Wash thoroughly under cold running water to make sure no grit is left. Arrange leeks in fireproof dish, pour over simmering court bouillon, add boiling water if needed, to cover leeks. Bring to boil then bake in preheated oven until leeks are tender. Continue as usual.
Recipe after "Mastering the Art of French Cookery"
A vintner I know with an oaky Chardonnay recommended pairing it with lobster in a really creamy, lobster-infused sauce. Yes, that's double double lobster. Em
By the time that you read this Ian, you will probably be basking in your glory of another inventive pairing. For me, the tomatoe Chardonnay combination would be the equal of a Burgundy with a not so freah fish in the opposite direction. I would think the tomatoe acid would bring out any flaws in the Chardonnay.
le/on Wed, 02 Jun 2004 23:59:54 GMT, tu disais/you said:-
Grin! I'd give it 3 to 3.5 as a pairing. I couldn't really claim that either wine or dish were _improved_ which would be my criterion for 4 or 5. However the ensemble was perfectly agreeable, with both wine and dish showing very nicely.
with a not so fresh
any flaws in the Chardonnay.
Interesting points. In fact, for about 2 pts of liquid in total (before cooking and subsequent reduction), I put in a couple of hefty squirts of coencentrated tomato puree. Call it a couple of level tbs. _However_ my liquid consisted of 10 floz of a quite sharp white wine, and a couple of tbs of lemon juice, so there was not inconsiderable acid content. When reduced, I guess I had about 5 floz of a pretty thick goo, coloured red from the tomato of course, but REALLY strongly flavoured - this was normal, but on tasting it I feared for the chard. However, after 6 hours marinating, the mushrooms (which when they come out of the cooking liquor are quite bland) had given out some further juice and absorbed quite a lot of the "spikyness" of the sauce, and the whole dish wasn't too sharp for the wine.
Not a triumph then as a match, but perfectly acceptable.
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