10 Wines for Your New Year’s Celebration
What’s not to love about Champagne? It goes with every type of food, it’s perfect all by itself and it makes any occasion special. Going into the next decade of the 21st century certainly calls for a drink – of something special! Cheers!

Top 5 Best Selling Champagnes over $30:
1.    Veuve Clicquot Brut Champagne – $40
2.    Ariston Aspasie Brut Rosé Champagne – $33
3.    2002 Perrier-Jouët “Fleur de Champagne Belle Epoque” half-bottle – $40
4.    Krug “Grande Cuvée” Brut Champagne – $120
5.    Marguet Pere et Fils “Cuvee Reserve” Brut Champagne – $33

Top 5 Best Selling Champagnes for $30 or less:
1.    Ariston Aspasie “Carte Blanche” Brut Champagne – $25
2.    Nicholas Feuillatte “Blue Label” Brut Champagne – $25\
3.    Laurent-Perrier Brut Champagne – $30
4.    Michel Loriot “Cuvee Reserve” Brut Champagne -$30
5.    Philippe Gonet “Brut Reserve” Champagne – $30

Serve with Mini Potato Pancake Appetizers

Recipe:

Mini Potato Pancakes

Ingredients:
2 russet (baking) potatoes, peeled
1 small yellow onion
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 egg beaten
1 teaspoon salt
freshly ground black pepper to taste
1 cup Crisco or peanut oil for frying

1. Finely grate the potatoes and onion onto a freshly washed kitchen towel.  When all is grated, wrap the towel around the pieces holding the towel over the sink and wring out all excess liquid.

2. Place the potato pieces into a mixing bowl and add the flour, egg, salt and pepper.  Mix thoroughly.

3. Heat the oil in a large frying pan over medium high heat. Pan is ready when you splash cold water from your fingers into the pan and it sizzles.

4. Using a tablespoon, drop potato mixture into the pan. Cook about 2 minutes per side, until the surfaces are brown and crispy and the insides are tender and cooked through. If your pan isn’t large enough to cook the pancakes all at once, do them in batches.  Add more oil to the pan if necessary.

5. Transfer to a paper towel lined plate and keep warm in 200 degree C oven while you finish cooking the rest. Serve warm with toppings of your choice.

Favorite Toppings:
Sour Cream with a sprinkling of scallions or caviar
A little granulated sugar
Applesauce
Apple/Onion Chutney – homemade or store bought

Enjoy with a glass of your favorite Champagne.

Not Just Any Blend
The world of wine is changing and like everything else, we enjoy wine trends. I’ve recently noticed that blends are becoming more popular. There are different reasons. For one, they can be more cost effective to produce than varietals – something the industry is thinking about these days.

But the main reason is how winemakers have really turned blending into an art.

With the cool weather and the holidays approaching, we’ve begun bringing out the reds we’ve been saving all summer, to enjoy with our autumn meals. Some of our favorites are blends.

A Meritage is a blend of at least two traditional Bordeaux grape varieties. No single variety can make up more than 90% of the blend. The wine must be produced and bottled by a U.S. winery from grapes that carry a U.S. appellation. The word is trademarked and wineries pay a fee to use it. Also, a Meritage release cannot be mass marketed – it must be under 25,000 cases.

Last year, Sunset Magazine had an article on perfect wine pairings. One of the pairings was a grilled Teriyaki Tri-Tip with a Hahn 2007 Meritage. What’s not to like about steak and red wine?

The reason this pairing works is the blend – Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot, and Malbec – traditional Bordeaux grapes that are dark and full-flavored which are great with heavily marbled, hearty cuts of meat.

The tri-tip is marinaded in soy sauce which adds salt and the charring from the grill adds a sweet, smokey flavor – both which enhance the flavors of the wine.

Hahn 2007 Meritage
Dark purple color. Aromas of black cherry, currant and blueberry with hints of oak and vanilla. Full bodied and good balance with flavors of black  cherry and plum with hints of chocolate and tobacco. Open bottle at least 45 minutes before serving. $11.95 from Napa Cabs.

Recipe: Teriyaki Tri-Tip

Prep and cook time: about 30 minutes. Yield: 6 to 8 servings

Marinate tri-tip for at least 2 hours. For the most flavor, marinate  overnight.
Ingredients
• 1  cup  soy sauce
• 1  cup  washed raw cane sugar or 1/2 cup granulated sugar plus 1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar
• 3/4  cup  thinly sliced onion
• 1/2  cup  sake
• 1/2  cup  mirin (sweet sake; or 1/2 cup additional regular sake plus 1 teaspoon sugar)
• 1  tablespoon  minced garlic
• 1  tablespoon  thinly sliced fresh ginger
• 1/2  teaspoon  coarse-ground pepper
• 1/2  teaspoon  dry mustard
• 1  beef tri-tip (1 1/2 to 2 lb.), fat trimmed, rinsed, and patted dry
Preparation
1. In a one gallon zip-lock plastic bag, pour in soy sauce, sugar, onion, sake, mirin, garlic, ginger, pepper, and mustard. Hold bag closed and shake until sugar is dissolved. Add beef; seal bag. Chill at least two hours or up to 1 day, turning occasionally.

2. Lay tri-tip on a lightly oiled barbecue grill over a solid bed of medium coals or medium heat on a gas grill (you can hold your hand at grill level only 4 to 5 seconds); close lid on gas grill (discard marinade).

Cook, turning every 5 minutes, until rare in center of thickest part (cut to test; 125° to 130° on a thermometer), about 25 minutes, or until as done as you like.

3. Transfer tri-tip to a cutting board. Let rest about 5 minutes, then cut across the grain into thin, slanting slices.

Tomato Plant in a Pot
For those of us who haven’t gotten around to planting our tomato seeds, don’t worry. Costco has ‘Better Boy’ tomato plants in a 16″ pot with cage! All the plants are about 2′ tall and already have fruit.

No muss, no fuss. All you have to do is put it where it will get full sun and water it. $16

Basil
Perfect accompaniment with the tomatoes, basil is easy to grow in a pot. I Found 10″ tall basil plants for $2.99 everywhere. Trader Joe’s always has them at this time of year. While you’re there, pick up some olive oil, balsamic vinegar, and mozzarella for your Insalata Caprese.

Insalata Caprese Recipe
Ingredients:
Ripe tomatoes, cut into 1/4 inch slices
Fresh mozzarella cheese, cut into 1/4 inch slices
1 red onion, sliced thin
Extra virgin olive oil
Balsamic vinegar (optional)
Chopped fresh basil
Salt and pepper to taste

Wash and slice tomatoes. Slice mozzarella cheese. Place tomato slice on a serving plate. Top each tomato slice with one slice of mozzarella cheese and sprinkle with chopped basil leaves.

Drizzle with olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Serve immediately.

Serve with a dry rose or light pinot noir.

Rainy Day Wines
It’s been raining, on and off, for a couple of days, and for some reason rain and soup just seem to go together. They had some nice leeks at the store so I decided to make leek & potato soup. It’s pretty simple to make and goes perfectly with European style chardonnays. With a rotisserie chicken and  some crusty bread, we had a great meal while watching the rain. (The soup recipe is after the fold.)

Two wines that go well with the meal:

Louis Latour 2008 Pouilly Fuissé
Light golden color with a touch of green. Aromas of peach and apricot. Flavors of pear, lemon and green apple with slight minerality. The balance is good with a smooth, satisfying finish. Drink  now or hold a few years. Excellent value. Costco has it for $16

Laetitia Estate Chardonnay 2007
This wine was chosen by the Wall Street Journal as one of their 12 best wine buys of 2009.
Golden yellow color. Aromas of lime and orange with hints of pineapple and cantaloupe. Flavors of pear, pineapple and lemon with the slightest hints of oak and melon. Buttery texture, good balance. Smooth medium finish. Another great value. Wine House on Cotner Ave. in west LA has it for $11

Leak & Potato Soup Recipe:

Leek & Potato Soup
Ingredients:
•    ½ lb leeks
•    2-3 medium Russet (or other starchy) potatoes
•    2 Tbsp unsalted butter
•    1 medium onion, peeled and roughly chopped
•    1 clove garlic, peeled and crushed
•    ½ cup dry white wine
•    1 qt chicken broth – canned or homemade
•    Kosher salt, to taste
•    Ground white pepper, to taste

Preparation:
Cut white part of leeks into half inch slices

Peel the potatoes and cut them into pieces about the same size as the leeks.

In a heavy-bottomed soup pot, heat the butter over a low-to-medium heat.

Add the onion, garlic and leeks and cook 3 to 5 minutes or until the onion is translucent.

Add the wine and cook for another minute or two or until the wine seems to have reduced by about half.

Add the broth and the potatoes. Increase the heat to medium-high and bring to a boil. Then lower the heat and simmer for 15 minutes or until the potatoes are soft enough that they can easily be pierced with a knife. Don’t let them get mushy, though.

Remove from heat and purée in a blender, working in batches, using pulse mode.

Note: Make sure lid is on blender and don’t fill with more than 1/3 with hot liquid.

Pour puréed soup into another pot and bring to a simmer again, adding more broth or stock to adjust the thickness if necessary.

Season to taste with Kosher salt and white pepper.

Serve with a dollop of sour cream.

Riesling
Riesling is the most food compatible wine in the world. Because of it’s relatively low alcohol content, fruity acidity and a range of dryness levels, it goes well with a variety of foods. It’s also the fastest growing white wine in the U.S. in terms of sales. Washington State’s Chateau Ste. Michelle, is the largest Riesling producer in the country.

Up until now, unless you’ve tried the wine or heard about it, there was no way to know if the bottle of riesling you were buying would be too sweet or too dry. No more guessing! The International Riesling Foundation has come up with a “Riesling Taste Profile” to be used on the back label of the bottle. The simple chart will help the wine buyer find the style of riesling he/she is looking for:

This spring, Chateau Ste. Michelle will feature the “Riesling Taste Profile” scale on two of it’s new releases: the 
2008 Winemaker’s Cabinet Riesling and the 2008 Waussie Riesling.

Dry riesling pairs well with creamy or fatty cheeses like Brie or Munster or salty cheeses like Gruyere or Asiago. The acid in the wine cuts through the fattiness or the creamy cheeses and sets off the saltiness of the saltier cheeses. Chicken and riesling is a no-brainer.

Here’s a tasty recipe for Chicken with Riesling that is easy to prepare and tastes great the next day:

Chicken with Riesling
8 chicken thighs (bone in and skin on)
Salt and pepper to taste
1 Tbsp Extra-Virgin Olive Oil
2 Tbsp unsalted butter
4 shallots, chopped
3 Tbsp cognac
3 cups dry riesling wine
12 sprigs flat leaf parsley
2 small bay leaves
2 sprigs fresh thyme
A pinch of nutmeg
2 Tbsp unsalted butter
8 oz mushrooms, quartered
Juice of one lemon (about 3 Tbsp)
2 egg yolks
2/3 cup crème fraîche
Finely chopped parsley for garnish

Season the chicken pieces with salt and pepper. Heat the oil and 2 Tbsp butter in a heavy wide Dutch oven or braising pot. When hot, place the chicken pieces in the pot. Brown the chicken on all sides, turning with tongs from time to time.

Lower the heat, and add the chopped shallots and cook for another 2 minutes or so.

Remove the Dutch oven from the heat. Pour in the cognac, return to the cooktop, and flame it. When the flame dies, stir in the wine, parsley, bay leaves, thyme, and nutmeg. Cover the pot and reduce the heat to low; simmer gently for 20 minutes or until the chicken is nearly cooked through.

Meanwhile, heat the remaining 2 Tbsp of butter in a wide fry pan, and sauté mushrooms for several minutes, stirring from time to time, until the mushrooms are tender. Add the lemon juice and set aside. 

When the chicken has cooked 20 minutes, add the mushrooms to the chicken, along with any accumulated mushroom juices.

Continue to cook the chicken for another 10 minutes and then remove the chicken pieces to a deep heated platter. Cover loosely with foil and hold in a warm place while you finish the sauce.

Finish the sauce: turn up the heat and reduce the braising liquid to about 1½ cups; it can take several minutes for the excess to boil off. Once reduced, remove the bay leaf, parsley, and thyme sprigs, and then reduce the heat to low.

In a small bowl, beat the egg yolks with the crème fraîche, and then add to the reduced sauce. Heat the sauce gently for a minute or so, whisking often to avoid curdling, and to encourage thickening. If any juices have accumulated under the chicken, add it to the sauce.

Remove from the heat, and correct for salt and pepper seasoning. 

Pour the thickened sauce over the chicken pieces, sprinkle with some finely chopped parsley, and serve with buttered noodles, spaetzle, or mashed potatoes.

Makes 4 — 6 servings

Merlot
Merlot is back! For the past decade the step sister to Cabernet Sauvignon has been pushed to the back burner by the big, beefy California Cabs – but no more. Merlot has been brought to the forefront with the help of some great Washington wine makers and the perfect fruit grown in the Columbia Valley. In fact, the two finest places on the planet for Merlot are the Columbia Valley of Washington and Bordeaux’s “Right Bank” region.

From Sunset Magazine:
“Merlot is one of the most seductive wines in the world. It relies less on power and more on finesse, drifting toward red fruits (dark or sour cherry, raspberry) rather than the black fruits of Cabernet. Most important, its delicate balance and structure make it an incredible food wine.”

2006 Chateau Ste. Michelle Ethos Merlot
Deep red color. Aromas of dark cherries, plum and vanilla. complex wine with a hint of of oak. Long, creamy finish with firm but velvety tannins. $31

Hogue Cellars 2006 Merlot
The entry level – under $10, of the 3 product tiers for Hogue wines. Dark red color. Aromas of plum and cherry with a hint of smoke. Bright cherry flavors with a hint of vanilla and spice. Medium bodies with laid back tannins and a long, fruit-forward finish. $10

The perfect pairing: Washington State Merlot and Cedar-planked salmon. Recipe:

Cedar-Planked Salmon with Merlot Reduction
4 servings

Ingredients:
•    4 untreated cedar shingles, about 5 1/2 by 10 inches each
•    2 teaspoons vegetable oil
•    4 (8-ounce) salmon fillets
•    2 teaspoons Essence, recipe follows
•    Washington State Merlot Reduction, recipe follows

Directions:
Prepare a grill and light the fire. Rub 1 side of each shingle with 1/2 teaspoon of oil.

Season the fish on both sides with Essence. Place a fillet on each oiled shingle. Place the shingles in the center of a hot barbecue grill. Close the lid and cook for about 10 minutes, or until the fish flakes easily with a fork. Remove the shingles from the grill using a long-handled spatula. If the shingles catch fire, sprinkle with a little water.

Put the shingles in the center of large plates. Drizzle the fish with the wine reduction sauce.

Essence (Emeril’s Creole Seasoning):
•    2 1/2 tablespoons paprika
•    2 tablespoons salt
•    2 tablespoons garlic powder
•    1 tablespoon black pepper
•    1 tablespoon onion powder
•    1 tablespoon cayenne pepper
•    1 tablespoon dried leaf oregano
•    1 tablespoon dried thyme

Combine all ingredients thoroughly and store in an airtight jar or container.
Yield: about 2/3 cup

Merlot wine reduction sauce:
•    1 (750-milliliter) bottle Washington State Merlot wine, or other dry red wine
•    1 small onion, quartered
•    2 celery stalks, chopped
•    2 carrots, peeled and chopped
•    1 bay leaf
•    2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into pieces
•    Salt
•    Freshly ground black pepper
In a medium saucepan, combine the wine, onions, celery, carrots and bay leaf. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer until the liquid reduces by half, about 30 to 40 minutes. Remove from the heat and strain. Return to the pan, over medium heat. Whisk in the butter, 1 piece at a time, until the butter is incorporated, being careful not to let the sauce break. Adjust the seasoning, to taste, with salt and pepper.
Cover to keep warm until ready to serve, whisking occasionally.
Yield: about 2 cups

Four Vines Wines
Paso Robles winemaker Christian Tietje is a hedonist. He is passionate about wine: making it, drinking it and bringing people together to enjoy it.

A former chef, Chris fell head over heels for old vine Zinfandel, and founded Four Vines in 1990 with a plan to make four “killer zins” from the four top California appellations for old vine Zinfandel grapes:  Napa, Sonoma, Amador and Paso Robles. The bold, fruit-forward, food-friendly style of wine making would become Christian’s trademark. His first two wines, “Anarchy” & “Heretic” took the wine world by storm.

“Anarchy” is an unconventional Rhone blend: unexpectedly pairing spicy, brambly old vine Paso Zin with Syrah and Mourvedre. “Heretic” brings a pure, passionate, no holds barred approach to Paso Petite Sirah. The market was ready, and so were the critics.  Christian earned his first high marks from the Wine Spectator. Giant red wines with outrageous attitude, intriguing blends and unique marketing are geared toward Gen X, Gen Y and those Boomers who think they can keep up.

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2007 “Zinbitch” Magnum, Zinfandel, Paso Robles
Only in amazing vintage years I plan to select my best barrels, from my best vineyards and put together my crème de la crème Zin. 2007 was an epic Zinfandel year.

Thus, the first ZinBitch was created by blending Dante Dusi and Martinelli Vineyards;  two of the oldest, head-pruned, dry-farmed Zin vineyards in Paso that together are the history of Zinfandel in Paso Robles.

A very limited production of 300 bottles have been produced and bottled only in Magnum (1.5ltr) bottles for optimum aging.  I then bottle aged the wine for 10 months before release.

Four Vines will be releasing the 1st ZinBitch on February 14, Valentine’s Day and the birthday of the ZinBitch himself. Get one of only 300 Zinbitch Zinfandel magnums – each signed by winemaker and ZinBitch Christian Tietje.

Ships February 15, 2010.  300 bottles produced / Only 240 bottles remaining
Serve with Spicy Grilled Lamb Chops

lamb

Spicy Grilled Lamb Chops Recipe
Ingredients:
2 lbs. lamb loin chops
1 teaspoon paprika
½ teaspoon crushed dried thyme
½ teaspoon crushed dried basil
¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
½ teaspoon ground cumin
½ teaspoon sea salt

Directions:
In a large baking dish, combine all the ingredients, except for the lamb chops and salt. Mix until combined, add the lamb chops and rub the marinade into both sides. Cover and refrigerate for 2 hours, turn over, and refrigerate for 2 hours more. Lamb chops may be marinated over night.

Preheat grill, grill pan, or broiler. Remove chops from marinade and salt both sides generously. Cook about 5-6 minutes per side for medium-rare. Let rest for 5 minutes before serving.  Serve with Hidden Valley Ranch Dressing on the side.

La Caudrina Moscato D’Asti 2007
The single most dessert-friendly wine around is arguably Moscato d’Asti. Serve this slightly sweet, semi-sparkling, low-alcohol wine chilled with a favorite fruit or baked dessert. Aromas of peach, pineapple and citrus. Flavors of freshly baked brioche with hints of citrus and almond. Well balanced. It pairs well with Pannettone or a fresh pear upside-down cake. Serve the cake warm with the chilled wine. Yum. $17

Recipe: Pear Upside-Down Cake With Pecans

Pear Upside-Down Cake With Pecans
Ingredients:
1 tablespoon butter
1/4 cup packed light brown sugar
1 cup thinly sliced peeled pear
8 pecan halves
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup butter, softened
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon almond extract
1/3 cup low-fat sour cream
1/2 cup 1% low-fat milk

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350.

Place butter in a 9-inch round cake pan; place in oven 2 minutes or until butter melts. Remove pan from oven.

Sprinkle brown sugar evenly over bottom of pan. Arrange pear slices and pecan halves spoke-like over sugar. Set aside.

Lightly spoon flour into a dry measuring cup; level with a knife. Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl. Beat sugar, butter, egg, and extracts with a mixer at medium speed until well blended. Add sour cream and half of flour mixture; beat well. Add remaining flour mixture and milk; beat well. Pour batter over pear slices, spreading gently.

Bake at 350 for 30 to 33 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Coolon a wire rack 5 minutes.

Run a sharp knife around edge of pan to loosen cake. Place a serving plate upside-down over pan; invert cake onto serving plate. Serve warm or cool completely.
From: CDKitchen

2006 Cambria “Julia’s Vineyard” Pinot Noir
Wine Enthusiast’s #1 rated wine for 2009. “This is the best Pinot Noir at this price on the market. Easily. It’s picture-perfect cool climate, absolutely dry and silky, with complex flavors of cherries, Mandarin orange, cola, pomegranates, licorice and cinnamon spice, made even richer by smoky oak. Just lovely, and gets even better as it breathes in the glass.” 93 Points. $18

Cambria Wines suggests serving this delightful Pinot with Pancetta and White Asparagus Pizza.
Recipe:

Pancetta and White Asparagus Pizza
INGREDI ENTS
One 6 -7 ounce ball fresh pizza dough
(pre-purchased or homemade)
6 white asparagus stalks, trimmed
6 slices pancetta
½ cup tomato sauce
1 cup grated mozzarella cheese
½ tablespoon dried oregano
extra virgin olive oil

Preheat oven to 400˚F. Dust a smooth surface with flour.
Place pizza dough ball in the center. Flatten the dough into
a disc shape with your fingers. Next, roll the dough with a
rolling pin until the dough is thin and reaches a diameter of
10 – 12 inches.

Steam asparagus in a sauté pan with a little water or place
in a vegetable steamer until crisp-tender. When cool, slice
asparagus diagonally.

Cook pancetta over medium low heat until fat is opaque then
drain on paper towels.

Spoon the tomato sauce evenly over dough and sprinkle
generously with the mozzarella cheese. Arrange the pieces
of white asparagus and pancetta. Place the pizza in the oven
and let bake for 5 minutes.

Turn the pizza 180-degrees and continue baking for
another few minutes or until crust is golden brown and the
cheese is bubbly. Remove pizza from oven. Sprinkle with
the driedoregano and drizzle with extra virgin olive oil.

From Chef Leonardo Curti of Trattoria Grappolo
Santa Ynez, Santa Barbara County

Finding the Perfect Wine for Beef Stew
From the Dallas Morning News
by Tina Danze

THE MISSION: Find wines that cost less than $20 to pair with Beef Stew in Red Wine With Onions and Mushrooms.

THE FOOD: Beef Bourguignon (the French name for the stew described above), served with a side of garlic mashed potatoes.

THE TASTERS:
•Hunter Hammett, sommelier, Pyramid Restaurant at The Fairmont Dallas.
•George Howald, Serendipity Wine Imports
•James Tidwell, master sommelier and certified wine educator, Cafe on the Green, the Four Seasons Resort and Club in Las Colinas
•Barbara Werley, master sommelier; wine director, Pappas Bros. Steakhouse
•Cathy Barber, Taste editor
•Tina Danze, freelance writer

The wine panel at the Dallas Morning News debated this month’s pairing entree: Would it be a rustic Beef Stew in Red Wine With Onions and Mushrooms, or the classic Beef Bourguignon that Julia Child translated for the American kitchen?

Actually, the two are the same dish. Julia simplified the technique somewhat for the stew recipe in the ’90s. But each name conveys a slightly different image. If you want an earthy, peasant-style dish for a casual family gathering or pumpkin-carving party, call it beef stew. If you want a traditional French dish for a stylish dinner party, call it Beef Bourguignon.

If you’re going to the trouble of cooking for hours and marrying the flavors overnight, you want a wine that enhances your culinary achievement. Too bold or tannic, and the wine can overwhelm the stew; too light or uncomplicated, and the wine falls flat.

After tasting 14 wines with the stew, here are the top 2:

2004 Lungarotti Rubesco, Italy
Elegant yet earthy, this wine came in a close second for our panel pick. “It’s an approachable wine,” said Hammett. “It’s delicious with a bite of the onion and mushroom, and it rounds out nicely on the finish.” Tidwell liked the wine’s complexity, which meshed well with that of the stew. “It has an earthiness and a fruitiness which complements the dish without overwhelming it,” he said. Both Werley and Howald hailed it as a versatile, solid food wine. $12

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2004 Taurino Salice Salentino Rosso Riserva, Italy
Although not a wine that panelists would uncork for sipping solo, this lesser-known varietal turned out to be the best match for the stew. Barbara Werley said that Southern Italian wines such as this one are made for food like this – comfort-food dishes that have complexity. “This wine becomes bright on the mid-palate. Its earthiness gives way to fabulous fruit,” said Werley. “I wouldn’t serve it as an aperitif, but with the meal, it’s perfect.” James Tidwell identified a “mushroom earthiness” in the wine that he found compatible with the dish. $14

Which wine did we cook with?
2008 Cartlidge & Browne Pinot Noir, California
Often Beef Bourguignon tastes too winey – a result of cooking with overly assertive or tannic wines, or just too much wine.

The goal was to find a fruity, medium-body wine, such as this domestic pinot noir. To keep the wine from dominating the dish, the wine was supplemented with canned beef broth, adding just enough to cover the beef.

A terrific stew can be made with any number of wines. Julia Child recommends a zinfandel, and many recipes call for a burgundy. But bear in mind, the wine matches were tailored to the dish, which was made with a fruity, medium-body California pinot noir. Feel free to experiment.

Here’s the Recipe:

Beef Bourguignon – Beef Stew in Red Wine with Onions and Mushrooms

Beef Bourguignon is a classic French dish of inexpensive beef simmered with vegetables in a wine-based broth.

INGREDIENTS
4       pounds boneless beef chuck cut into 1 ½ – to 2-inch cubes
Vegetable oil for browning the meat
2       cups sliced onions
¾     cup sliced carrots
1        bottle of medium-body, fruity, young red wine (divided use)
4       or 5 large unpeeled garlic cloves, smashed
2 ½  to 3 cups canned beef broth
2 ½  to 3 cups canned drained Italian plum tomatoes
2       bay leaves
1        teaspoon dried thyme
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
24     small frozen pearl onions, defrosted
3       cups quartered fresh mushrooms (such as cremini)
5       tablespoons softened butter (divided use)
3       tablespoons flour
Dry the meat thoroughly with paper towels – damp meat won’t brown well. Film a frying pan with 1/16 inch of oil and set over moderately high heat. When very hot but not smoking, brown as many pieces of meat as will fit in one layer without crowding. Turn frequently to brown on all sides – 3 to 5 minutes; this is a very important flavor step, so don’t take shortcuts. Transfer the pieces as they are done to a 3-quart, heavy-bottom, flameproof casserole or Dutch oven.

Preheat oven to 325 F.

Skim all but a spoonful of fat out of the frying pan. (If burned, discard all the fat and add fresh oil.) Add the sliced vegetables, stirring and tossing for 3 to 4 minutes to brown lightly before scraping them out over the beef. Pour a cup of the wine into the frying pan, swishing and scraping up any browned bits and coagulated juices. Pour the liquid into the casserole. Add the garlic, the remaining wine, and beef broth to the casserole to cover. Fold in the tomatoes, bay leaf, thyme and salt to taste. You should have enough liquid almost to cover the beef; add more beef broth if needed.

Bring the mixture to a simmer on top of the stove. Cover and transfer to the preheated oven and cook for about 3 hours, turning and basting the meat several times, until just fork-tender. Check the dish after 15 minutes to make sure it is not boiling; reduce oven temperature if it is bubbling too vigorously; it should maintain a simmer.

While the dish simmers, prepare the pearl onions and mushrooms. Heat 1 tablespoon butter in a heavy saucepan or skillet over moderately high heat until the foam subsides, then sauté onions, stirring occasionally, until browned in patches. Season with salt and pepper. Add water to come halfway up the sides, then simmer, partially covered, until onions are tender, about 15 minutes. Boil, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until liquid is reduced to a glaze, 5 to 10 minutes. Set aside.

Heat the 1 tablespoon butter in a large, nonstick skillet over moderately high heat until foam subsides. Add mushrooms and sauté, stirring, until brown and any liquid that the mushrooms give off is evaporated, about 8 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

When beef is tender, pour the contents of the casserole into a colander set over a saucepan to collect all the liquid. Wash out the casserole and return the pieces of beef to it. Press the juices from the solids in the colander into the saucepan. Degrease the cooking liquid and taste very carefully for seasoning. You should have about 3 cups of liquid. Boil it down rapidly if its flavor needs concentrating. Remove from heat.

Using clean hands, blend flour and remaining 3 tablespoons of the butter into a paste with your fingers. Whisk the butter-flour paste into the degreased sauce. When thoroughly incorporated, bring the sauce to a boil to thicken. If not thick enough, repeat the process using ½ tablespoon each of flour and butter.

Add the sauce, prepared onions and sautéed mushrooms to the beef in the casserole and simmer for 2 minutes to blend the flavors. This dish is best if made a day or two ahead of serving, as its flavors meld and develop overnight. Cool, uncovered, before chilling, covered. If making ahead, it’s easier to remove fat from the surface after chilling. If you can’t make it a day or two before serving, at least time the preparation so that it sits at room temperature for 1 hour before serving. The dish may be reheated, covered, in a 350 F oven. For faster reheating, remove stew from the refrigerator an hour before putting in the oven.

Makes 8 servings.

SOURCE: Julia Child, The Way to Cook

The right stew meat

Chuck roast is the best choice of stew meat for this dish because it can hold up to long, slow cooking and has enough marbling to baste itself as it cooks. Don’t be alarmed by the layers of fat within each cube of chuck; the fat melts out, leaving behind flavorful, fork-tender meat. After the dish is cooked, you will have an opportunity to remove the grease; it’s easiest to do this after chilling the dish overnight in the refrigerator.

Leaner cuts of stew meat will not be as tender or flavorful, so resign yourself to degreasing after you cook the dish, rather than avoiding the fat on the front end.

And consider this pearl of wisdom from Julia Child’s The Way to Cook (Alfred A. Knopf, 1989): “Cuts like the rib and rump will fall apart, and something like the eye of round will shred.” That’s not a pretty prospect, so stick with the chuck.

Flavor tip: Cook a day in advance

The secret to the best stew is making it a day (or even two days) ahead. A day in the fridge gives the flavors a chance to meld and develop. Working ahead has other advantages too: You won’t be nervously monitoring your stew in front of your guests, and you can degrease the stew easily when the chilled fat solidifies on the surface.