After barely using wine over the years, I had to buy a new bottle of cabernet yesterday. I still have a half bottle of chardonnay, so I'm covered for white wine recipes (for now!) And, I didn't drink any of it...this has all been reproducing your recipes, plus experimenting with my own.
If it helps to stimulate members to come up with wine recipes, here's my remaining list of brain-stormed ideas...
- a stir fry
- home made ravioli
- a spice island mash and possibly a related spice coulis
- something approaching artistic molecular gastronomy using the mash/coulis
- a braised chicken half breast
- something with a salmon fillet, but not settled yet on details.
- a chutney or curry (which are dishes I have never done before)
- another soup
Recipe - Tartiflette
Potatoes...cheese...bacon and onion and wine...what could go wrong from that mixture?
Nothing, that's what! This is excellent! No surprises here with the flavors, except that the wine gives a little hint of sourness, and some brightness, that cuts through the fat from the cheese and bacon. Wonderful side dish, easy to make, nearly foolproof.
As I mentioned in the recipe, I couldn't get to the specialty market to get Reblochon, so I did a little research, and found that Gruyere is a good substitute...except that I couldn't get that either, so I had to sub in Jarlsberg for that. A two-level sub, and it's still delicious.
Yes, regardless of the two-times substitution on the cheese!Is that a traditional tartiflette?
CD
Don’t forget to use some allium as a palate cleanser:Yes, regardless of the two-times substitution on the cheese!
Next week, I'm going to make another tartiflette, using gingerbread, chicken beaks, and crushed light bulbs for a garnish.
Here is my challenge entry (also uploaded as a recipe post).
Beef Bourguignon is a classic french recipe and my ultimate comfort food, especially during the cooler winter months. It's cooked in red wine, which adds depth and complexity to the sauce.
Ingredients (serves 4-6)
150g bacon, solid chunk cut into lardons
500g braising steak, cut into cubes
2 tbsp flour
2 carrots, peeled and diced
1 onion, peeled and diced
3 cups red wine
2-3 cups beef stock (enough to cover)
1 tbsp tomato paste
4 garlic cloves, mashed
2 sprigs thyme, leaves picked
1/2 bunch parsley, finely chopped
1 bay leaf
200g mushroom, quartered
50g unsalted butter
olive oil
salt & fresh ground pepper
Instructions
1. Preheat the oven to 200 degrees. Heat a tablespoon of olive oil over medium heat in a large frying pan, sauté the lardons for 2 to 3 minutes until lightly browned and set aside on a plate.
2. Coat the pieces of beef in flour, season with salt and pepper, and brown on all sides in the bacon fat and olive oil. Set aside. Again, in the same oil/fat, sauté the onion, garlic, and the carrot until softened. Set aside.
3. Deglaze the frying pan with the wine, pour it into an oven-proof casserole along with the meat, lardons, shallots, garlic, carrots and add enough stock to almost cover the mix. Stir in the tomato paste and add the parsley, sage, and half the thyme.
4. Bring to a simmer on the top of the stove, cover, and place in the oven. Reduce heat to 120 degrees and simmer slowly for 3 hours to 4 hours, or until a fork pierces the meat easily.
5. When the stew meat is tender, add the mushrooms. If the sauce is too thin, stir in a spoonful of flour and boil it down to reduce to the right thickness. Taste for seasoning before serving.