21 minute read
Food and Drink
Since It Must Be So ...
by John Sherwin
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The title of this piece is the literal translation of the Japanese ‘sayonara’, or ‘goodbye’. Of all the possible ‘farewell’ quotes I thought it was the least cheesy. This is my final piece for the mag, but before I get metaphorically blown away by a collective sigh of relief from my long-suffering readers, I thought I’d share some thoughts with you, meandering hither and thither with no apparent point. Nothing new there, then.
No such thing as a stupid question.
I used to trot this out to wine tour clients and actually believed it, until, that is, I met John (no relation), a youngish American know-it-all who asked me if the vines were irrigated. Not a stupid question. The answer was and is ‘no’, it’s not allowed. You take the rough with the smooth weather-wise. He obviously didn’t believe me as he asked the same question at the first five vineyards we visited, getting the same reply. Then it becomes a stupid question. At the sixth stop, same again. The charming young lady said ‘no, we are not allowed to irrigate the vines… but we can piss on them’. He was a good, quiet boy thereafter. Wine snobs. Someone who knows the price of everything and the value of nothing. An American stockbroker in Burgundy (not a great title for a film, sorry, movie) told me he would only taste the grands crus. Not only impolite, but dumb. At any tasting you progress from the less good to the best, appreciating the differences along the way. An old Chinese guy (just to redress the Great Power balance) at a visit to Mouton Rothschild quavered that he had a collection of all their vintages since 1945. Couldn’t be arsed to do the tasting though because the vintage on offer was too young. Really? I mean, really? It’s all willy-waving. Complex. Your host reveals that ‘special bottle’. He pours. You swirl, sniff, sip. You …. hesitate a little, perhaps repeat the routine (not a bad move at all), then you smile and proclaim, with a knowing, collegiate glance at your host, ‘complex’. This means it’snot-bad-and-there’s-a-lot-going-on-I-can’t-describe. Apart from ‘red’, white’ and ‘rosé’, it’s the only word you need in the amateur tasting arena. Oh, not forgetting ‘rustic’, which is a polite word for ‘crap’. My favourite wine? A question I’m often asked. I keep it simple. It’s the wine my friends and I always ordered when we visited our favourite family restaurant in Macau. Grilled sardines, salad with red onions and olives, fries, lamb stew, boiled potatoes, and bottles (and bottles) of vinho verde from Casal Garcia. The simplest, light (9° alc) Portuguese white with a slight spritz. You had to be there at those times, with those people. Time, place, people: these should be your guide to defining your favourite wine. This is a favourite question of wine snobs whose sole aim is to
go one better than you – so aim low and grungy and enjoy their confusion. Why are there no ‘bad’ vintages anymore? Two words: temperature control. Before the 1970s the temperature of fermentation was controlled by peasants in clogs either lighting fires under the vats to kick off fermentation or slapping cold cloths around them in “ This is my final piece an attempt to control it. This didn’t always work according to plan. for the mag .....” When the Americans discovered computers in Area 51 in Nevada, temperature control became a cinch, with computer-controlled hot or cold water running through coils inside the vats as needs be. Below 21C fermentation won’t start; over 33C you kill the yeast and you’re left with expensive vinegar. Nothing to do with weather….. but …. Climate change. I don’t want to get into the big picture – world ‘leaders’ will have cocked up COP26 anyway by the time you read this – but address the effects of changing climate on grape growing and therefore wine. A higher average temperature will have a long-term impact on alcohol level, sugar, acid and tannins. It will, in a nutshell, change the very character of the wine of any given area. It may well be that even the celebrated vineyards of Burgundy and Bordeaux will have to rethink their grape varieties, changing to ones which can cope better with the heat. Wines from the southern Rhone are already regularly at 14° to 15°+ which is a level where alcohol masks anything else of interest. The pesky Champenois are ahead of the game, having bought up thousands of hectares in the southeast of England. The soil there is the same as in Champagne, and as the weather gradually aligns with that of northern France they will have perfect conditions for their three grape varieties, Pinot Noir, Pinot Meunier and Chardonnay. No one likes a mardy smartarse, but that Greta’s got a point. Wine and ‘exotic’ food. Wine makers would have you believe, of course they would, that there’s a wine for every dish. While this is true to a large extent for European cuisines, it doesn’t necessarily follow that everything you put in your mouth has to be accompanied by fermented grape juice. Two of my favourite cuisines – not just to irritate the French, though this is a good enough reason in itself – are Indian and Chinese. I realise I’m dealing in huge generalisations here, but I’ll crack on regardless. Indian food is not about heat, it’s about the infinite variety of spice. Wine could just about handle the basic combo of onion plus garlic-and-ginger paste (just), but add cumin, coriander, chili, turmeric, garam masala etc etc, and a splash of yoghurt, you’re going way off the wine-matching scale. Southern Indians drink warm water with their meals, and who are we to gainsay them? If you must, try a saké or fino sherry. Never lager unless you’re a big fan of unending hiccoughs. As for Chinese food, in all its kaleidoscopic guises, I advocate Chinese tea, i.e. warm
water with some dried leaves thrown in. Please note the recurring warm water theme, and mock not. You will see articles by wine writers suggesting this that and the other wine for both of the above cuisines (usually from Alsace, or a Viognier) but trust me, they speak with forked tongue. They get paid, I don’t. My wine heroes. Wine, dear brethren, as we have seen above, attracts snobs, those who wrestle in the muddy, miserable arena of one-upmanship. Not a good look, so when a whole bunch of them get it in the neck, not to mention bank account, I get all wriggly with schadenfreude. Welcome Rudi Kurniawan, the fraudster who swindled millions out of high-end ‘connoisseurs’. A whole book has been written about the fun and games , and I recommend it for your Christmas stocking, but the upshot is as follows. Young Rudi, of Indonesian/Chinese origin, established himself in the States around 2003. He evidently had money behind him as he built up quite a cellar of classy French wine, particularly from Burgundy. The only true thing about him was that he had an amazing palate and could identify wines at blind tastings which foxed much older, more experienced experts. His bona fides established, he sold cases and cases of ‘exclusive’ bottles which he had knocked up in his kitchen at home using a mixture of New and Old World wines from the local supermarket. He had access to ‘correct’ labels, bottles etc, and all that combined with his reputation was enough to convince his new multimillionaire buddies to part with their cash. Cut to the chase, the Feds caught him in 2013. He was released into a half way house in 2020. At the last count, one of his dupes had run up legal fees of US$20 million to get some kind of recompense (revenge?), presumably to assuage his punctured amour propre. What a Koch. (Bill Koch.) On a far more virtuous note, every winemaking community in France should have a statue to the guy who discovered the antidote to the scourge of phylloxera. Quick resumé. Phylloxera is a tiny bug that sucks the life out of vine roots, i.e. it does its dirty work out of sight so that when vines began to die here, there and everywhere from around 1865, no one could figure out why. Put yourself, if you can from your privileged 21st century vantage, in the position of a 19th century farmer whose livelihood is dying before his eyes. You would do anything to put things right, right? And believe me, in some cases voodoo didn’t even come close. Still nothing worked, not even pissing on the vines (see above). Cue scientists – you know, those boring, bearded guys who dance on their own at discos, the ones who made Covid vaccine in double quick time, whose great-great grandfathers saved the French wine industry. I do not exaggerate (moi?): at its worst the plague had destroyed almost 90% of all French vineyards. Think about that. There is, of course, a book if you want to get into a fascinating story, but the upshot is that American rootstock was (and is) impervious to the bug (which is still out there), so all French vines, and most worldwide, are grafted onto American roots. Several wisecracks come to mind, but in the circs a humble ‘thank you’ seems more appropriate.
But who to thank? There are several candidates, of whom the likeliest lad is one Thomas Volney Munson, a Texan horticulturalist, who recommended the types of rootstock which are in use to this day. He was the second American, after Thomas Edison, to receive the French Legion of Honour Chevalier du Mérite Agricole, conferred on him in person in Denison, Texas in 1888 by a delegation of the French government. Clearly, we of the modern age didn’t invent extravagant junkets: nothing new under the sun. Take care of your wine…. and it will take care of you. Not much of a slogan I have to admit, but it’s worthwhile remembering that uncorking a bottle of wine is not the same as cracking open a tinnie. Wine is the product of a series of meteorological events “ Take care of your within a certain period, vines tended and cosseted by men of the soil over wine ... and it will take that same period and picked with care and attention at fruition. A cycle care of you .....” which has never unravelled the same way before and will never again. A vintage. Store bottles, even for short periods, carefully. No light, no abrupt change of heat, no vibration, no strong odours – under the bed in the spare room will do fine; in the kitchen is about the worst place possible. No need for fancy glasses. INAO tasting glasses (Google it) are inexpensive, classic, practical, and good for any style of wine. Be aware of temperature. If red wines are served too ‘warm’ they become flabby; white wines served too ‘cold’ lose most of their aroma. The gamut, whites to reds, is fairly tight, between 8°C to 16°C. Don’t mess around with decanting. Either serve from the bottle, or from a comely carafe. In fact I recommend the practice of ‘carafing’ as the pouring from bottle to carafe aerates the wine and helps to release aromas. Patrimoine or ‘heritage’. A certain Sarah Berry said to me, over ten years ago, that she doubted there was much to write about wine that would justify a regular column, but give it a whirl anyway, why not? Well, my dear, here we are, years later, and there’s still so much more for someone else to write about. Let’s not forget this magazine is a resource that we all value, so thanks to SB, Anna and Stephen who received the baton, and Tony and Lynne who are the current holders of said baton. Mine’s a pint. Is that allowed?
Merry Christmas! JS John Sherwin, French Wine Tours 07 50 90 02 00 or www.french-wine-tours.com www.facebook.com/bestfrenchwinetours From all of us who have had the pleasure of reading your articles John, a huge thank you for all the years of humour, interest and information. Enjoy your "retirement", see you soon for a Wine Tour.
Saugé Vintage Tea Room Château de Saugé
79400 Saivres 06 29 15 36 55 Info@chateaudesauge.com
It’s Christmas….…the most wonderful time of the year
December is one of our busiest months of the year with lots of events going on including our local Keynotes Choir joining us for two special evenings. We have Festive Afternoon Teas and Christmas Sunday Lunches in our Vintage Tearoom – it’s wonderful to spend time with so many lovely people at this time of year - so thought I would share a few of our Tearoom recipes with you, hope you enjoy them and Merry Christmas love. Donna
Everyone loves a scone, why not try our Cranberry Scones…delish
Raisin & Walnut Spice Cake
225g SR Flour 50g Butter 50g Cranberries 150ml Milk to form dough consistency not sticky
Set oven to 180C. Either rub together or use a food processor to combine the flour and butter until a breadcrumb consistency. Add the cranberries and the milk and mix till the dough is formed. Gently press the dough flat – around 1.5 inch thick and cut out your scones, this will give you a good height scone. They will take 10-12 minutes in the oven.
Serve hot out of the oven with butter or jam & clotted cream. mmmmm 1 cup Raisins 2 cups Water ½ cup Butter 1 tsp Bicarbonate of Soda 1 cup sugar ½ tsp cinnamon ½ tsp nutmeg 1 cup chopped walnuts 1 ¾ cups Plain flour
Set oven to 180C and lightly grease / line a 10 x 10 baking pan. Mix the raisins and water in a pan and boil for 10 minutes, remove from heat and add the butter stir until dissolved and then leave to cool down. Once cool add the flour, soda, sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg and nuts and mix well, pour batter into baking pan and cook for 35 minutes. Serves 8-12.
Ricotta Tarts
A great favourite with all our guests
Make Shortcrust pastry tart cases or readymade. 1 tub Ricotta 1 egg 75g Cheddar Cheese 5g Fresh chives Salt & Pepper Pinch of Cayenne Pepper Finish with 2 slices of Tomato
Mix all ingredients together in a bowl. Add the filling to your shortcrust pastry tart case, filling to the top, add 2 slices of a small tomato and a sprig of chive. Cook in the oven at 180C for around 20 minutes until they are fluffy Serve immediately.
Need Ideas for those Christmas Stockings ? Why not try these cheap and homemade ones:
Fruit and nuts – Homemade cookies and sweets – Chocolate coins – travel size cosmetics - toothbrush – Christmas socks and gloves – crayons & pencils – tie – earrings – seed packets – gift voucher – keyring – yoyo – small stuffed toy – bubbles – marbles.
LetEveryDayBeChristmas
By Norman W. Brooks Christmasisforever, notforjust oneday, forloving, sharing,giving, arenot toputaway likebellsandlightsandtinsel, in someboxuponashelf. Thegoodyoudoforothersisgood youdoyourself.
Why not make a unique table decoration from things you would find around the house…. A wood tray, candles, pine cones and some spray snow –makes a stunning centre piece.
Top 6 Traditional Christmas Flowers and Plants
Amaryllis Poinsettia Azalea Cymbidium Orchids Red Roses Christmas Foliage's
Vintage Tearoom & Shop – checkout our opening times on facebook / website
@ Château de Saugé Buy all your UK Food and Drinks locally
Château de Saugé 06 29 15 36 55 Info@chateaudesauge.com Siret: 84890418100015 Chambres d'hôtes – Gites – Event Space – Vintage Tearoom – Trading Post Please like us on Social Media: chateaudesauge.com facebook.com/ChateauDeSauge/ instagram.com/chateaudesauge/
CHRISTMAS FAYRE
Brie, Apple and Onion Tart
INGREDIENTS
320g pack of ready-rolled all-butter puff pastry, defrosted at room temperature if frozen 1 tbsp olive or rapeseed oil , plus a drizzle 3 large onions, halved and sliced 2 tbsp white wine vinegar, plus a splash 1 tbsp Dijon mustard small bunch of thyme, plus a few sprigs to serve 1 eating apple 100g cranberry sauce (or chutney) 175g brie, sliced Seasoning to taste
METHOD
Heat oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. Unroll the pastry sheet onto a large baking tray (leave it on the paper from the pack). If the edges are not straight, trim them with a sharp knife. Score a border, about 1cm in from the edge. Score a criss-cross pattern over the central piece of pastry (this will prevent it from rising too much) and around the border for decoration. Bake for 15 mins. Meanwhile, heat the oil in a large pan. Add the onions and cook for 10-15 mins until softened and starting to caramelise. Stir in the vinegar, bubble for 1 min more, then add the Dijon mustard and thyme, season well and set aside. Slice the apple thinly through the core so a few slices have a nice star in the middle and remove any pips. Toss the slices in the splash of vinegar to prevent them from browning. By now the pastry should be puffed and starting to colour. Push down the centre, then spread the onions over and add blobs of cranberry sauce. Top with the apple slices and brie, overlapping them to cover the tart. Add a few more thyme sprigs, drizzle with a little oil, then put back in the oven for a further 25 mins until the cheese is bubbling and the apple slices are soft. Serve warm or cold.
Chocolate and Cranberry Individual Cheesecakes
INGREDIENTS
100g amaretti biscuits, crushed finely 25g unsalted butter, melted 200g Cream Cheese (similar to Philadelphia) 50g caster sugar 200ml soured cream 175g plain chocolate 3 tbsp cranberry sauce plus 2 tbsp for decoration If you don’t have shot glasses and want to make 1 large cheesecake, make it in a 20cm loose based tin.
METHOD
Mix the biscuits with the melted butter, place heaped teaspoons into the base of shot glasses. Melt the chocolate in a bowl over hot water. Using an electric whisk, mix the Cream Cheese and sugar together, then mix in the soured cream. Whisk in the melted chocolate and then stir through the cranberry sauce. Using a large plain nozzle in a piping bag, pipe the mixture onto the biscuits in the glasses (spoon into the glasses if you don’t have a piping bag). Top with a little more cranberry and chill for 2 hours.
Mango and Lime Chicken Wings
INGREDIENTS
1kg chicken wings Oil of choice for drizzling 200g mango chutney Zest of 1 lime 1 red chilli , sliced Coriander leaves, roughly chopped
METHOD
Heat oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Toss the chicken wings in a drizzle of oil and some seasoning in a baking tray. Cook for 30 mins. Mix the chutney with the lime zest. Brush all over the chicken, then return to the oven for 20 mins, turning and painting halfway through cooking. To serve, scatter with the chilli and coriander.
Rich Chocolate Truffles
MAKES ABOUT 30
INGREDIENTS
225g plain or milk chocolate (at least 60% cocoa) 125g butter cubed 10ml liqueur of choice (Brandy, Cointreau, Tia Maria etc) 175g icing sugar Coating – ground nuts , cocoa powder, chocolate vermicelli.
METHOD
Melt the chocolate in a bowl over hot water. Remove from heat and add butter and liqueur. Beat until smooth. Sieve in icing sugar and beat again until smooth. Chill until firm enough to handle. Shape into 2.5cm balls and roll in choice of coating. Place in little paper cases and keep cool until required.
Amaretti Truffles
MAKES ABOUT 16 INGREDIENTS
50g butter 175g icing sugar 75g plain chocolate (at least 60% cocoa) + 125g for dipping 1tsp instant coffee A few drops Almond essence 16 Italian Amaretti biscuits
METHOD
Melt the chocolate in a bowl over hot water. Dissolve the coffee in a small amount of boiling water and add to chocolate. Remove from heat and add butter and almond essence. Beat until smooth. Chill until firm enough to handle and shape into 2.5cm balls. Press each one onto the side of a biscuit. Melt the remaining chocolate and dip each “truffle” side. Leave to cool coated side up.
MEGAN’S KITCHEN
Gluten Free Recipes
by Megan Like
GLUTEN FREE ROCKY ROAD GLUTEN FREE CHESTNUT CAKE
Can also be made dairy free by substituting the chocolate with dark or dairy free chocolate, and using a dairy free spread
Ingredients:
200g gluten free biscuits 200g chocolate 135g butter 30g golden syrup 100g mini marshmallows 100g of chocolate/fruit of choice. e.g. honeycomb/ mint choc/ glacé cherries
Method:
Line an 18cm square tin with greaseproof paper. Break the biscuits and chocolate bars into small pieces. Melt the chocolate, butter and golden syrup in the microwave or in a bowl over a pan of boiling water. Mix in the biscuits, marshmallows and chocolate pieces/ fruit. Pour into the baking tray and spread evenly. Leave to cool.
Sprinkle with icing sugar/ extra marshmallows or dribble over melted chocolate to decorate.
Serves 16
Ingredients:
500g chestnuts 250ml milk 6 eggs, separated 250g caster sugar 100g unsalted butter, softened 100g blanched almonds, ground 100g dark chocolate, grated 1 lemon, zest grated and juiced 50ml brandy
Method:
Preheat oven to 200 C / Gas 6. Grease a 26cm round springform cake tin. Cut an x into each chestnut then place on a baking tray and roast in preheated oven for 15 to 20 minutes or until skins start to peel outwards. Keep oven on but reduce temperature to 180 C / Gas 4. Allow the chestnuts to cool slightly and then peel. Once peeled, place them in a small pan with the milk. Bring to the boil. Simmer on low heat for about 15 minutes until the chestnuts are soft. Drain well, then puree. Cream the egg yolks with sugar, then beat in the butter. Combine with the pureed chestnuts. Mix the almonds and chocolate with lemon juice and zest, brandy and chestnut mixture. Beat egg whites until stiff peaks form and then gently fold in until evenly combined. Pour the mixture into the prepared tin. Bake in preheated oven for 45 minutes or until a skewer comes out clean when inserted into the centre.
STEPS TOWARDS A NEW NORMAL
Ifeel I need to confess. Last month I mentioned how I’d planned to fill my November days with structure and purpose, continuing the clutter clear-out I began in lockdown 2, a year ago, and maybe even lift a paintbrush or two. Things haven’t quite gone to plan. The sudden lack of routine was more unsettling than I expected, and my motivation deserted me. I blame the dry, crisp, autumn weather that seems to have given better colour on the trees and hedgerows than we’ve had in recent years. Our heads were turned by the golden glow
by Jacqueline Brown
that enticed us out on the bikes and helped us forget the chores that needed doing at home. The mild weather has also produced an unusual change in our eating behaviour. For more years than I care to remember, salads have been our lunch of choice in the summer, soups in the winter. When we switch, we switch, and there is never an overlap, until this year. Some days have been soup days, some salad and while the sun continues to shine, I’m not yet ready to stop buying the salad ingredients.
As a tentative step towards normality, this year our village held a small ceremony for 11th November, open to the public and with a vin d’honneur served in the salle des fêtes, much like it had always done pre-Covid-19. This was the first time the salle des fêtes had been open in over a year, pass sanitaires were checked at the door, social distancing was sensibly combined with socialising, and a much-missed sense of community returned. I have to admit it left me with a smile on my face, albeit one that was hidden under my mask, that had nothing to do with the kirs I’d consumed. under tens in the village, and although I’ve yet to bake a batch of mince pies, I have made the mincemeat using our own apples, walnuts and dried prunes. I’ve also stocked up on all the ingredients needed for the mulled wine to serve with them.
Happy Christmas to you all. I hope 2022 brings you good health and happiness. Our commitment to 2022 will be to step up our use of bicycles over the car. Action against climate change isn’t just something for politicians to take responsibility for and the humble bicycle is one of the simplest solutions to reducing carbon emissions, as well as being one that is easily available to most of the population. The Deux-Sèvres has a good infrastructure of marked cycle routes as well as many quieter roads that are a perfect alternative to the main roads. Cycling shouldn’t be something reserved for lycra-clad speed demons, even a short distance cycled at a slow pace will bring you many benefits as you learn to reconnect with your environment. Every short car journey replaced with an active travel alternative will be a positive step to saving the planet, as well as economising on rising fuel costs.
There are signs all around that Christmas is approaching. I’ve received my first Christmas card, had my annual date with Père Noel, helping him choose thirty-five gifts for the
