Cooking Lunch in Paris

Cooking Lunch in Paris

Poulet Basquaise

Menu:

Oven Grilled Sardines (Sardines Grillées Au Four)

Mussels with white wine and fennel (Moules Marinières)

Chicken and sweet pepper stew (Poulet Basquaise)

Mini Almonds Cakes (Financiers aux Framboises)

Has a meal ever changed your life? That’s the question posed by Elizabeth Bard, US author of Lunch In Paris. It is not a cook book, even if the menu above was “pulled” from its pages.  It is a love story, with lots of food and quite a few recipes.

It begins with a recipe. Or does it?

“This is amazing,” Elisabeth said. “You have to give me the recipe.”

“There is no recipe,” he said, smiling. “I use whatever I have. It never tastes the same way twice.”

She had no way of knowing how this man, and his non recipes, would change her life.

Each chapter follows the twists and turns of the relationship between the American woman and her Breton lover and later the interaction between her American relations and the French family. It has its ups and downs but mostly it brings smiles. Not least because at the end of each chapter there are a few recipes related, in some way, to incidents in the previous pages.

Elizabeth was puzzled for a long while as to how French women, particularly her mother-in-law,  stayed so slim and able to wear bikinis right into old age. She twigged when a gateau Breton was being shared out. “Une petite part ou une normal?” she was asked. “Normale,’ she replied. It was the wrong answer, if you wanted to fit into your bikini. All the other ladies choose the small portion.

Our starter came at the end of that chapter. I had been hoping to do the sardines but was told “they won't be in until Wednesday”.  Neither dish could be regarded as diet food but both could help you get back into the bikini. The mussels (Pat O’Connell) are basically your normal Moules Marinières, with the addition of a half bulb of Fennel (Superfruit). Recommended wine: El Grano Chardonnay (€14.30 Le Caveau)

Not too clear why the Poulet (Chicken Inn), our main dish, came in where it did. It does follow on from her introduction to that very basic French dish, the andouillette, “a peculiar sausage, roughly cut from the stomach and intestines of the pig”. Another French hurdle jumped by the author.

Peppers drying in Espelette

You'll find lots of Poulet Basquaise recipes on the net. Bard includes peppers from Espelette. I failed to get them in the English Market but Mr Bell had a good alternative in smoked paprika. Recommended wine (will also go well with the mussels): Marco Real Corraliza de los Roncaleses 2012, Santacara (Navarra DO), €15.50 Karwig Wines.

The financiers are usually shaped like a gold ingot but these, like the ones in the book, are round. You can do the little rectangular ones if you have the proper mould! Elizabeth and her husband bought their fianciers at the boulangerie, along with croissants. Again, recipes for these addictive mini-almond cakes are easily found on the internet. Speaking of addiction, the recommended wine is: QA Velenosi Visciole NV, 13.5%, 50cl, €18.95 Karwig Wines.

* As you've realised by now, we didn't actually cook a lunch in Paris. Less than 12 months ago though, we did have lunch cooked for us there by a top Chilean chef, Chris Carpentier, who runs his own restaurant in Santiago and is the man who fronts Masterchef in the country. Check it out here.

Four Countries. Four Bottles. Your Euro Wine Trip.

Four Countries. Four Bottles.

Your Euro Wine Trip.

Itinerary: Meet at Karwig Wines, Carrigaline 11.00 any weekday. Countries visited: France, Germany, Spain, Austria. Virtual trip possible on-line.

Chateau Mouret Graves blanc (AOC) 2014, 12.5%, €16.90, Karwig Wines

Advice from Graves on choosing a wine.

Start without preconceptions, start simply. I like. I do not like. Then try to explain why. But always return “to the notion of pleasure”. This wine made ​​me happy . Did not make ​​me happy. So yeah I bought. No, I did not buy.

I was also talking to Joe Karwig about the Mouret and he admitted that he loves the blend. He was speaking to the converted. Still, the question remained: Would this wine make me happy?

The blend of Sauvignon blanc and Semillon can vary quite a bit but this is of classic proportions with sixty per cent SB. The nose and finish are probably more Sauvignon. On the palate it delivers fruit and refreshment; it is light, clean and crisp. Green fruit, herby and grassy aromas are followed by a bright acidity in the mouth, all the characteristics you’d expect to find in a blend of these proportions.

This classic example did indeed make me happy and is Very Highly Recommended.

Moselland Riesling Classic 2014 (Mosel), 11.5%, €13.60, Karwig Wines

When people chat about Riesling, there is often a noticeable division of opinion between those it pleases and those who don't like it. This one could go some way towards bridging the divide as, on the label, it is recommended for a chat. It is also recommended for chicken, salads, fish and seafood.

It has a light straw colour and pleasing floral aromas. Nicely balanced and pretty full-bodied with no shortage of fruit, no shortage of finish either from this crisp dry wine. Moselland, created over 25 years ago, is the largest wine-growing co-op in the Rheinland-Pfalz. It pleased me and is Highly Recommended.

Las Renas Monastrell 2013 (Bullas DO), 14%, €12.45 Karwig Wines

We reviewed the 2012 edition of this wine a few months back. The 2013 is also good, maybe even a little better. Monastrell is the Spanish equivalent of Mourvedre.

Bullas

Color is cherry red and it has rather intense aromas of red and black fruits. It is fresh, young and fruity, smooth, medium bodied, very pleasing and easy drinking, well balanced with average persistence at the finalé. An excellent well-priced wine and Highly Recommended.

Winzer Krems, Sandgrubel 13, Blauer Zweigelt trocken 2013, St Severin (Austria), 13%, €14.45 (check net) Karwig Wines

Blauer Zweigelt, or just plain Zweigelt, is the grape here and the colour is a light red, almost see through. Red fruits, cherry (mainly) and strawberry, in the aromas. Fresh and fruity too on the palate, traces of spice, mild and velvety, with good acidity. Light and lovely indeed, ideal for summertime recreation rather than winter mediation. Delightfully different and Highly Recommended

Wine in a Tube! For a cosy tête-à tête. Sweet Sauternes.

Sauternes. Sweet for My Sweet
Wine in a Tube! WIT Or Witless?

Château Lamourette 2005

Château Laville 2001

You've got to hand it to the French, never short of ideas when it comes to marketing. Just been browsing the Maison du Sauternes and came across the WIT (wine in tube). Discover our new concept for a cosy “tête-à tête”. Be astonished. Spend a delicious time - share original Sauternes. Two different wines for moments of delight. This pack contains “S for her” and “S for him”. Special offer. 22€. This price includes postal charges.

Might take a punt on that but then maybe the the revenue might come looking for their share of the proceeds. Maybe not! By the way, I wonder what do they call it in France. WIT or VIT? Looks like WIT on the website.

Just one surprise from Sauternes. The other, for me, on a visit there last year, was that it was quite an ordinary village and indeed the Maison Du Sauternes was one of the bigger buildings there.

Another surprise came in a local restaurant, Auberge des Vignes, where we had an excellent three course Menu du Jour, that also included wine and coffee, all for just sixteen euro per head. Read more about the meal and the village here.

Richard the Lionheart praised the wines of Sauternes in the 12th century and this sweet Bordeaux has been a regular on royal tables since. You’ll pay 1,000 euro or more for the top end but prices start at about 12 euro and that means a Sauternes also appears on more humble tables, including mine!

The World Atlas of Wine, while acknowledging that not all Sauternes is top class all the time, says it is “lamentably underappreciated but incomparable, it is a speciality that finds few real rivals”. "In great vintages the results can be sublime, a very sweet, rich-textured, flower-scented, glittering golden liquid.” Sauternes is widely available in Ireland, not sure though about the tube.

I’m currently enjoying the Lamourette. It comes from a vineyard not too far away at all from the headliner Chateau d’Yquem and is very impressive. It has the usual nose of candied fruit. The palate is creamy, that candied fruit is still there but it is balanced and pleasant with a long spicy finish.

Overall, this is lighter than expected and you could see why the Maison du Sauternes can recommend drinking Sauternes all through a meal, even recommending it with Leg of Venison (which has been marinated in Sauternes, of course!). It is a sweet wine, no doubt in the world about that. But there is a terrific balance here, a wash of acidity that negates any hint of heaviness or any tendency towards a cloying feel. 2005 saw plenty of noble rot - a good year. I haven’t tried the Château Laville yet but I'm hugely encouraged by what Jancis Robinson had to say about the 2001 vintage: The rain that spoilt the reds encouraged botrytis to such an extent that this is a truly magnificent, long-term vintage, helped by a greater degree of selection and cellar expertise than ever before. Perhaps the greatest Sauternes vintage in modern times. For a good insight into Sauternes (including noble rot) see here.

The 2001 Laville is no longer featured on the Maison du Sauternes website but you may check the 2010 here.

The Lamourette now available is the 2009. Info here.

Recipe for the Sauternes Cup

I found this on the website. Doesn't say it is is for one or two. What do you think?

In a large glass bowl, place fruit depending on the season ( apricots, peaches, pears, melon, etc ... ), diced and sliced ​​oranges. Pour the Sauternes (about two glasses per person), add one or two glasses of brandy. Macerate about an hour in the refrigerator. Serve with ice cubes and carbonated water. Sauternes, with the bouquet and strength, lifts the heart: the wine of the happy day.

Three Reds and a Rosé. Dadá is me daza!

Three Reds and a Rosé

Dadá is me daza!

Dadá is me Daza

Dadá De Finca Las Moras, Art Wine 1 2014 (Argentina), 13%, €10.99 O’Donovan’s Off Licence

This wine went down very well indeed at Our Table  in Cork last Sunday night when 400 white-clad dinners enjoyed a three course meal on the street!

On the nose, it is vanilla, no doubt. You’ll also find Art Wine 2 and 3 but this #1 has had contact with medium toast American oak, hence the vanilla. They say this is “an artistic wine inspired by Dadáism, a cultural movement that began in Zurich in 1916”.

Art inspired or not, the vanilla remains a major feature on the palate, spice there too and soft tannins. Hard to discern by taste just what grapes are involved. But look at the back label and you’ll see that Bonarda and Malbec are used. It is an opulent blend. The winemaker has had a major say here and I admit I’m a convert. Very Highly Recommended.

Masi Campofiorin 2009 Rosso del Veronese (IGT), 13%, €15.99 (now at 12.99), Bradley’s Off Licence

This deep ruby red has aromas of red fruit, mainly cherry. Serious and rich are the immediate impressions as it reaches the palate, good concentration and some spice too, well balanced with lengthy finalé. 

“Friendly at the table” the makers say and I couldn't disagree. On the label, in Latin, it says (Google translation, so beware), Nectar of Angels and Men. The angels have had their share, now time for mine. Highly Recommended.

It has been a success for Masi since 1964 and has won numerous awards. The blend is of three native grapes: Corvina, Rondinella and Molinara. And the appassimento technique - the grapes are dried to obtain greater concentration of flavour and aroma - is used here.

The Masi Masianco white has been Very Highly Recommended in a previous post.

Velenosi Querciantica Lacrima di Morro d’Alba (DOC) 2013, Marche Italy, 12.5%, €17.10 Karwig Wines

Just one variety of grape in this bottle, the Lacrima di Morro d’Alba. Colour is a rather intense ruby and there are rich aromas of red berries, strawberries and raspberries, some cherry too and floral hints. Medium bodied and very smooth, it is fruity and juicy, easy drinking, with slight spice and just about noticeable tannins, all followed by an excellent finish. Very Highly Recommended.

Claude Val rosé 2014, Pays D’Oc (IGT), 13%, €12.25 Karwig Wines

Summer time, they say, is rosé time; never confined myself to just one unreliable season though! And certainly not with this excellent example from the Pezenas region of the Languedoc. It is a blend of three grapes: Grenache, Cinsault and Syrah.

Colour is pink, of course; quite an arresting blush actually. The red fruit aromas are also attractive and there are floral notes too. Fruit is generous and it is very pleasant on the palate, lingering on and on. Approachable, easy drinking and fantastic value could all be applied here and the producers would have no problem with that as it was indeed their aim! Highly Recommended.

Your Weekend Wine Suggestions. Ace Organic Boyo! And More.

Weekend Wine Suggestions

Ace Organic, Boyo! And More.

Cantina Orsogna Coste dí Moro Montepulciano d’Abruzzo (DIOC) 2011, 14%, €15.99, reduced from 19.99, at Curious Wines

This splendid “biodinamica” wine, hidden behind its brown paper labels, is made from the Montepulciano grape grown in the Abruzzo area of Italy.

Pour this super organic gem and you’ll see the colour is a dense ruby and that it has amazingly pleasant fruity aromas. On the palate, it is warm and intense, the tannins are soft. Overall, an easy drinking wine that, in its freshness, is reminiscent of a Loire Cabernet Franc, and one, with its almost sweet flavours, that will please many. Very Highly Recommended.

Velenosi Rosso Novello 2014 (IGT Marche, Italy), 13%, €15.50 Karwigs

Montepulciano is the main grape (90%) in this blend, another wine earning a Very Highly Recommended tag.

It is a young and bright wine, ruby the colour. There are intense red fruits on the nose, some spice too. On the palate, it is full of fruit, so smooth and yet is so well balanced as the acidity is not shy either. Light and pleasing to drink but take your time; you’ll enjoy a sip as much as a slug. Hints of blood orange on the finish.

 Falvo Li Veli Orion Primitivo 2013, Salento (IGT), 14%,, €17.25 Karwigs

Ruby, a dense one, is also the colour here and it boasts rich ripe fruit aromas; note also a little spice. This is rich and fruity, quite powerful, yet elegantly smooth and long. The acidity though doesn't let go and so you have a fresh and pleasing wine, really beautifully balanced and you’ll love that long finalé. Very Highly Recommended.

Vigneti del Salento Primitivo 2012, Puglia, 14%, €12.39 reduced from 15.49 at Curious Wines

Pleasant aromas from this one as well and hints of spice too. Fruity, for sure, but balanced, overall soft and generous with fine tannins. Another easy drinking wine with lots of ripe and luscious fruit flavours. Highly Recommended.

Etienne Barret Crozes Hermitage blanc 2012, 12.5%, SuperValu.

This was my St Patrick’s Night wine and I wasn't all that keen on taking notes. But I have to say this blend of Marsanne and Roussanne is a beauty and Very Highly Recommended. Attractive aromas, full of flavour, almost creamy mouthfeel, plus a generous finish. One to note for sure.

For your Weekend: One White, One Red

For your Weekend: One White, One Red

Vina del Sopie Verdejo DO Rueda 2013, 13.5% abv, €13.95 Karwig Wines

Venture away from the usual white grapes and you'll be richly rewarded. Especially if you try this one which is one hundred per cent Verdejo (pronounced Ver-deko) and all the grapes are from fifty year old vines.

It is yellow in colour with green tones and looks clean and bright. The nose is rather expressive, white fruits combine with floral aromas, for me it was love at first sniff. And the affair intensified when it hit the palate, smooth and round and again those fruits and indeed floral characters, ending in a long and fruity finish.

The Spanish vineyard recommend pairing it with Mediterranean dishes, vegetables, rice and seafood and flavourful fish and I can agree when they say it is exceptional as an aperitif. Quite delicious all round and very highly recommended.

If you’d like to pick up a red while you’re in Karwigs, check out the Caldora Montepulciano and the Caldora Sangiovese. I’ve had these recently and they are two really lovely reds and each is well priced.

Chateau Lezin, Bordeaux Superieur 2011, 13%, €10.00 (down from 19.99), SuperValu.

Merlot (69%) certainly dominates the blend here. Soft and lush on the palate, the fruit flavours and hints of spice are well balanced, tannins are just about noticeable and it all ends with a persistent finalé.

The renovated winery are very happy with this one, describing it as powerful and complex. Not sure I'd go that far but I'd have no hesitation in recommending it as an excellent example of Bordeaux red.

With the French wine sale still on in SuperValu, you might be tempted to get your white here as well and the one I’d recommend is the Michel Lynch Barrel Select Sauvignon blanc 2012 .

An Exquisite Riesling and a Curious Duo

Exquisite Riesling

from the steep slopes of Nahe

Mathern

Mathern 2012 Niederhäuser Riesling Trocken, Nahe (Germany), 12.5%, €16.90 Karwig Wines

This Riesling, from the Nahe village of Niederhäuser, speaks for itself. It is simply superb and Very Highly Recommended.

Colour is a very pale honey with hints of green. On the palate, it is tangy and lively, green apples for sure, and with a good dry finish. Nothing at all complex here. Well made. Excellent. Buy it and try it!

Curious Duo

Chateau Saint Louis La Perdrix, Costieres de Nimes blanc 2011, 13%, €13.99 (11.19 for August)

Moulin de Gassac Merlot, Pays D’Herault 2013, 13.5%, €12.49 (9.99 for August).

There is a French sale at Curious Wines this month and you get 20% off when you but two French wines at €25.00 or under. These are two of the cheaper wines, both from the South of France, and two that I enjoyed.

Nimes is where denim comes from (de Nimes) and also where this white originates. The fact that it was made mainly from the Roussane grape caught my attention. I like the Roussane and liked this bottle, fresh and fruity and easy to drink.

Moulin de Gassac, farmed organically, overlooks the Med near Sete in the Languedoc and “offer a collection of wines highlighting the special characteristics of each grape varietal”. This medium bodied Merlot is one of the series, a rather friendly one, easy drinking and great value, especially at the moment.

Satellite Merlot

Satellite Merlot. Lussac Saint-Emilion

Chateau Haut-Jamard 2011, 12.5%, €8.00.

Chateau Busquet 2008, 13%, €13.35.

Chateau Lucas, Grand Cuvée de Lucas Cuvée Prestige 2010, 14%, €12.35.

You like Merlot in a Bordeaux blend? But how much of it?

If you buy a bottle in Lussac, one of the four satellite towns of St Emilion, you’ll have a choice. Take the three bottles above, for instance. All are from Lussac and all have Merlot but the amount in the blend ranges from 50% in the last to 80% in the first!

Generally you won't know from the bottle. In a conversation with a French wine worker in the Dordogne a few years back, it was suggested that France had lost out in world markets because it didn't have the variety on the label. The man, a Serb who had settled locally, was fed up with such suggestions. “Around here we can use up to 13 varieties. How are we going to get all of them on the label?” A not unreasonable reaction.

But things could be changing. Chateau Lucas had the blend on the label and it was fifty fifty Merlot and Cabernet Franc. Jamard is 80 Merlot, 15 Cab Sauv and 5 Cab Franc while Busquet is 60 Merlot, 30 Cab Franc and 10 Cab Sauv. Quite a difference between the three.

Must say I preferred the Lucas and not just because of its motto: Sans Ceres et Bacchus, Venus est de glace. My translation: Without Ceres (food) and Bacchus (wine), Venus (love) is ice. We need a little of all three. In any event, I would be disposed to a wine in which Merlot and Cab Franc are major constituents.

And some love has already been expended on this wine as it comes with three silver medals to its credit. Harvesting is manual and they've come up with a near perfect blend, full and balanced and generous of flavour, with a lovely long finish.

Who's for the washing up?

The Haut-Jamard is the youngest of the three and quite a pleasant wine. On the palate it is round, tannins present but quite soft and again the finish is long.

All three are aromatic, the Busquet perhaps a bit more pronounced. This is smooth and mildly spicy, really well balanced, the tannins present but almost unnoticeable.

All three were bought last month in the Maison des Vins in St Emilion itself. While the blend info does not generally appear on the bottles, they had mini-info cards mounted alongside each bottle that gave the breakdown and other info such as the appellation and the soil type.

The other three satellites of St Emilion are Montagne, Puisseguin and St Georges. “At their best, the wines from these areas are every bit as good as a Saint-Emilion grand cru. At their worst, they are attenuated and rustic.” I quote from the Wines of Bordeaux by Clive Coates. This was published in 2004.

Rustic is often used when speaking of lesser known appellations, often applied to the likes of Listrac and Moulis as well. But times have changed as Coates noticed in 2004 “the last few years have seen an encouraging increase in quality”.

Indeed, he also had good things to say about the Lucas wines. And the prices are attractive. Three bottles from the satellites cost me €33.70 while three from main AOC came to €64.75, not a very scientific comparison admittedly. But do watch out for quality good value wines from Lussac in places like Mitchell’s, Curious Wines, Tindals and Le Caveau.

* By the way, I have updated the 2014 list of favourite wines here.