Shrimp Etouffée - Laissez les Bons Temps Rouler!

Hello, wine and food friends!  Welcome back to Cèpage et Cuisine, Mary’s and Brian’s wine and food blog.  After our last blog entry on Riesling, we got in the mood for some zesty Cajun cuisine, a style of food that pairs fantastically with Riesling.  Today’s post is about shrimp étouffée.

Etouffée is a French term that translates roughly to “smothered.”  It refers to a rich sauce of flour and onions cooked in butter to make a roux.  It is seasoned with pepper, spices, and garlic.   It is most characteristic of southern Louisiana but widely prepared in kitchens here in central and southern Mississippi, especially across the coastal counties on the Gulf of Mexico.  The roux typically includes what is known as the holy trinity of Cajun cooking … onions, green peppers, and celery.  The whole dish is served over white rice.

The protein highlight of étoufée is usually shellfish, either shrimp or crawfish tails, but you can use chicken, turtle, or alligator.  We don’t often see turtle and alligator in typical grocery stores here in Jackson, but they are common in specialty seafood markets and the markets of south Louisiana.  The dish we’re describing today used shrimp.

Here are photos of the dish in preparation with Mary describing how she works her magic.

Ingredients are butter and flour, onion, bell pepper and celery, garlic and chopped tomatoes, bay leaves and parsley, cayenne pepper and Essence of Emeril (or other Cajun seasoning), vegetable stock, and of course, shrimp and rice. I bought the shrimp fresh with the tails on.  Brian peeled and deveined them and removed the tails. I was very happy about that!

Flour (we use whole wheat because of Brian) is added to melted butter to make the roux in a small sauté pan. That was cooked for about 10 minutes, until it resembled peanut butter. The trinity was added and cooked for 10 minutes. Tomatoes and seasonings were added and cooked about 5 minutes more.  

 Once the stock was added, the whole thing simmered for about 45 minutes.

   

 The shrimp was added, cooked another 10 minutes, and served over rice. Delish!

Here comes Brian again to talk about the wine.

As I mentioned previously, Riesling is perfect for pairing with Asian food or spicy food such as Cajun cuisine.  Either dry or sweet, the fruit and mineral character and the fresh acidity enhance the food and the food enhances the wine.  I won’t talk too much about Riesling since I discussed it in the previous post, but the wine we chose for this dish was a dry style from Alsace.  Here are my notes on the wine.

Hugel et Fils Riesling Alsace 1998.  This wine had delightful aromas of citrus and flinty minerality on the nose.  Mary detected an orange fruit character.  The palate showed bracing acidity, light body, almost what I might call ethereal, and wonderful grapefruit citrus and mineral notes.  Deliciously balanced and fresh, perfect for pairing with a Cajun shrimp étouffée.  Modestly complex, but fine for a straight Alsace AOC wine.  11.5% alcohol.  It was a bargain at $15.

Here’s the final product again.  Doesn’t that look great?  Add some lagniappe and joie de vivre to your cooking and try a Cajun dish with a chilled Riesling.  Mardi Gras is just around the corner!

That’s our post for today.  We hope you enjoyed it.  Check back again at Cèpage et Cuisine for more wine and food adventures.

Cheers,

Brian♥Mary

Wine of the Week - Riesling of Mosel-Saar-Ruwer

Hello, everybody, and welcome back to Cèpage et Cuisine, Mary’s and Brian’s wine and food blog. Today’s post is a note on Riesling from the Mosel-Saar-Ruwer region of Germany.  A good topic for a future post is a more in-depth discussion of this and other wines of Germany, but we’ll just hit the highlights for now.

Riesling has a bad reputation among many wine drinkers because of its history in the U.S., notably innocuous, poor quality wines such as Liebfraumilch and marketed as Blue Nun, Black Tower, Zeller Schwarze Katz, and similar names.  On the contrary, Riesling can be thrilling, soaring to heights of few white wines, with complex aromas and flavors, and a wonderful accompaniment to food.  Citrus, especially lime, peach, apricot, flowers, and exotic mineral notes are often present.

Most German Riesling sold in the U.S. does have some residual sugar (natural sugar from the grape that is not fermented completely to alcohol), but high quality wine is balanced by steely acidity to keep it from being cloying and to enable excellent pairing with food.  Dry styles are also available, termed “trocken,” and Rieslings from other regions such as Alsace in France, Wachau in Austria, and Clare Valley in Australia are available in dry styles.  Mary and I have found few American Rieslings that are as balanced, complex, and delicious as a good Mosel Riesling, but there are some noteworthy exceptions from hillside areas in Napa Valley and the Anderson Valley of Mendocino County.

Here’s a label from a Riesling we enjoyed recently.  As you can see, a German wine label can be difficult for Americans to understand.  Let’s talk through it to help you with interpretation.

• At the top is the name of the producer, Max Ferdinand Richter. 
• The estate is located in the village of Mülheim in the Mosel region. 
• Familienbesitz seit 1680 is translated in English to “family owned since 1680.”  Amazing! 
• The vintage is 1992, a mature wine.  Riesling can age and improve for decades. 
• Sonnenlay is the specific vineyard site in the village of Mülheim, meaning that all the grapes for this wine came from a single vineyard.  Sonnenlay means “sun and slate.”  This vineyard is southwest-facing, which means it gets maximum sun exposure for optimum ripening in the cool northern climate.  Slate is a common mineral component. 
• Riesling is the grape variety, of course. 
• Kabinett refers to the level of ripeness when picked and is the lowest ripeness level for high quality Riesling. 
• Qualitätswein mit Prädikat is translated to “quality wine with distinction,” which is the highest quality level. 
• The A.P. number, or “amtliche Prüfungsnummer,” is a specific identifier for this wine.  It is typical for a single producer to offer small quantities of many different wines, even from the same vineyard. 
• 
  

  Mosel-Saar-Ruwer is the specific wine-growing region.

Village of Mülheim with steep vineyards sloping to the Mosel
(clipped from Blue Petunia's Photostream at http://www.flickr.com/)

Riesling pairs well with the usual fish and poultry white wine companions, but it is much more versatile.  We love it with sushi.  It is fantastic with any spicy dish such as many Asian foods and Cajun cuisine.  Think about crawfish etouffée or red beans, rice, and andouille sausage.  Now we’re talking!  One of our favorite parings is with pork roast or pork tenderloin.  It is wonderful for cooking, too, such as adding to sauerkraut.  We had this particular bottle with a dinner of roast turkey and dressing.  Here are my notes on the wine.

Max Ferdinand Richter Mosel-Saar-Ruwer Mülheimer Sonnenlay Riesling Kabinett 1992.  We both loved this wine and thought it was delicious.  It was golden from the bottle, reflecting its age.  The aromas were lovely white flowers, gardenia or orange blossom, lime citrus, peach or apricot, and mineral notes.  The palate had wonderful freshness, a beam of zingy, mouthwatering acidity, and delicious apricot, lime, a honeyed quality, and a slatey minerality.  The petroleum note that sometimes appears in mature Rieslings was not present.  The fruit flavors weren't exactly the perfectly ripe, fresh flavors of a young wine.  Instead, Mary termed the apricot quality more like a nectar, like a dried fruit, but not candied.  Beautifully balanced, complex, long-finishing, an excellent wine.  8.0% alcohol.  It is a terrific value at $20.

That’s our post for today.  Try a nice Riesling from the Mosel soon.  If you haven’t had much Riesling in a while, you might be surprised at how much you like it.  Keep coming back to Cèpage et Cuisine for more posts on wine and food.  In the meantime,

Cheers!

Brian♥Mary

Tuna with Olives, Tomato, and Herbs and Broccoli - Bell Pepper Gratin

Hello again, everybody, and welcome to Cèpage et Cuisine, Mary’s and Brian’s wine and food blog.  Today, we’re sharing a dish we discovered when shopping at a seafood wholesaler here in Jackson.  The original version is by Emeril Lagasse.  Mary modified it to suit our preferences.  It’s easy, satisfying, delicious, and different.  It takes a wonderful and nutritious food, fresh tuna, and dresses it up.  The vegetable side dish transforms fresh broccoli and bell pepper into a fantastic side dish.  Here’s Mary to talk about the preparation.

I love this tuna recipe because it’s fast and delicious.  Start with high quality fresh fish, of course.  The ingredients for the sauce are onions, garlic, plum tomatoes, pitted Kalamata olives, a few anchovy fillets, basil, parsley, and oregano.  

The seasoning is just grocery store seasoning mix.



Onions are sautéed in olive oil, then the other ingredients are added and cooked for 15 minutes.  Butter is added at the end and melted into the mixture.



Ingredients sauteed and mixed.



Butter adds richness and body.

The recipe calls for pan-frying the tuna, but we prefer grilling it outdoors.  Brian handles that.  For tuna steaks about an inch thick, 4 to 4 ½ minutes on each side over medium high heat will give you nice medium or medium rare tuna.  Spoon the tomato/olive mixture over the tuna.

I prepared a side dish of broccoli-bell pepper gratin, which baked while I made the sauce for the tuna. The gratin dish is quick and easy!  Steam the broccoli, then toss with a sliced bell pepper that was sautéed in a little olive oil.

The vegetables are put into a casserole dish, topped with a mixture of bread crumbs and generous (of course!) freshly grated parmigiano-reggiano cheese (not the green can!), and baked for 15 minutes.


Ready for baking



Hot out of the oven

Here's Brian on the wine. I think this wine cries out for Pinot Noir.  Pinot Noir!  Pinot Noir!  Can you hear it?  It is powerful enough to stand up to the complex flavors of the dish, but delicate enough that it integrates without dominating.  The wine I chose was a Russian River Valley Pinot by Kathleen Inman.  For those of you in Sonoma County, Olivet Grange Vineyard is right at the intersection of Olivet Road and Piner Road in Santa Rosa.  Kathleen is a believer in elegance, finesse, and balance.  She picks earlier than many California producers, so her wine is more feminine and understated, not too high in alcohol.  She encourages enjoying her wines in their youth in order to enjoy their vibrant fruit and freshness.   Here are my notes on the wine.

This wine is very solid, varietally correct, elegant, and balanced.  It is a pretty medium ruby in the glass, not inky dark.  It is nicely aromatic of cherry and earth notes.  The palate is completely smooth with medium to medium-minus acidity, well balanced, with cherry and spice notes.  I would describe it as a moderately complex wine, but the texture and balance are what make it such a pleasure to drink.  14.0% alcohol.  It is a terrific value at $20.

That’s it!  Dinner is served! 

Fresh, delicious, nutritious.

That’s our post for today.  Thanks for reading us!  Come back again for more wine and food adventures at Cèpage et Cuisine.

Cheers!

Mary♥Brian

The Other Cabernet

Hello, everybody, and welcome again to Cèpage et Cuisine, Mary’s and Brian’s wine and food blog.  Today we’re posting a quick note and short description of what we might call the “other” Cabernet.  Cabernet Franc does not have the fame and prestige of its better known offspring, Cabernet Sauvignon.  That’s right…Cabernet Franc is the genetic parent of Cabernet Sauvignon, but doesn’t get the glory.  Cabernet Franc is one of the five Bordeaux reds and may be present in Bordeaux wines as part of a blend, but it reaches its greatest heights in its ancestral home, the Loire Valley of northwestern France.

Here's a map of France with the heart of the Loire Valley indicated by the teardrop arrow.

You can see that the Loire Valley is well north of Bordeaux and slightly southwest of Paris.  Cabernet Franc production is especially noteworthy in the growing regions called Chinon, Anjou, Saumur, and Bourgueil.  Wines produced from Cabernet Franc tend to be more elegant than Cabernet Sauvignon, a bit fleshier or softer in texture, more medium in body, and more perfumed of red berries and floral notes such as violet.  It pairs nicely with slightly less hearty dishes than are sometimes required for Cabernet Sauvignon.  Mary and I especially enjoy Cabernet Franc with a simple roasted chicken.  While it certainly would stand up to some red meat dishes, it also does well with rich fish such as tuna or salmon, especially if a rich sauce is involved.

The bottle above is a wine we enjoyed not too long ago during the visit of Mary’s delightful sister, Fran.  Fran was the photographer that day, too.  Thanks, Fran!  You may not find this particular producer in Jackson or where you live, but a good wine merchant will have a few selections of Loire red wines.  Try it.  We think you will be surprised and pleased.  Here are Brian’s notes on the wine.

Clos Rougeard Saumur Champigny 2004.  This was just a delightful wine, moderately complex, entirely easy to drink, not ponderous, and paired wonderfully with food.  It had nice Cabernet aromas of cedar, bacon, and red fruit, but also had lovely floral and mineral notes.  The palate showed a smooth texture, almost silky, with medium body and high acidity.  Red cherries, red currant, possibly pomegranate, and minerals characterized the flavor profile.  Definitely built for food, it was nicely balanced and had medium length.  Not amazing, but rock solid.  Perfect with roast chicken.  12.5% alcohol.  The low alcohol allowed us to enjoy a couple of glasses of a very good wine without feeling fatigued or dragging down the conversation.  We paid $30 for this wine.

That’s our post for today.  Thanks for reading.  Come back again to Cèpage et Cuisine for more adventures in wine and food.  In the meantime,

Cheers,

Brian♥Mary

 

Sea Bass and Champagne - Happy New Year!

Hello, everybody, and Happy New Year!  Welcome back to Cèpage et Cuisine, Mary’s and Brian’s wine and food blog.  It was an eventful New Year’s weekend here in central Mississippi, including a severe storm with a tornado that caused damage in our area but, thankfully, no severe injuries or loss of life.  Mary and I enjoyed an evening at home for New Year’s Eve, then dined out Jan 1 for our 10^th wedding anniversary!

Today, we’re talking about another of Mary’s culinary creations, baked sea bass with a lemon-herb breadcrumb topping. 

This is Mary--Brian says things like "Mary's culinary creations," but what I really do is work with recipes we find. This recipe came from the Food Network. Below are the ingredients: bread, butter, lemon, thyme, garlic and parsley.

I make my own bread crumbs from toasted whole wheat bread and then I cube the slices as small as I possibly can. I've tried using the food processor, but with only 2 slices of bread, it just tosses them around and doesn't chop them into small enough pieces.

Here’s the seasoned fish in an oval baking dish. Try to use a baking dish about the same size as the fish so the topping stays on top while baking. Add lemon juice, lemon zest and thyme. 

Melt butter in a saute pan and add garlic. Cook for a minute or two, take off the heat, and let the garlic flavor the butter. Add the bread crumbs and toss. Let the bread absorb the garlic butter. Add the parsley and stir all together.

Spoon the topping onto the fish. Bake in the oven for 15 minutes. 

Here's how it looks right out of the oven, and then on the plate.

I  made a honeycrisp apple risotto (maybe a future blog post) and garlic spinach as sides for the sea bass.  It makes a pretty plate of contrasting colors and textures and pairs well with our wine for the evening.  Here’s Brian again, discussing the wine.

In honor of the occasions of New Year’s Eve and our Jan 1 anniversary, we selected a Champagne to pair with this dinner.  Although often associated with celebrations, which is fine, sparkling wine performs well as a food wine with the right foods.  I enjoy sparkling wine, but Mary loves, loves, loves it and in the world of sparkling wine, Champagne is certainly the gold standard.  It is more expensive than other sparklers, no doubt, but the creaminess and complexity on a special occasion is worth it.

We chose a non-vintage Taittinger, a blend of 50% Pinot Noir, 35% Chardonnay, and 15% Pinot Meunier.  It is a white wine, of course, even though the blend is 65% red grapes.  That’s because the juice is pressed off the skins immediately after crushing the grapes and before fermentation.  A rosé Champagne may allow brief contact with the skins before pressing.  Perhaps sparkling wine is a good topic for a future blog post.  Here are my notes on the wine.

Taittinger Brut Champagne La Française NV.  Just what we expected, the nose showed nice lemon, apple and baked bread aromas.  The palate had a lovely creamy texture, refreshing acidity, and lemon citrus, green apple, yeast bread, and mineral notes.  Very nicely balanced, moderately complex, wonderful length.  50% Pinot Noir, 35% Chardonnay, 15% Pinot Meunier, 12.0% alcohol.  We paid $47 for this wine at Briarwood in Jackson.

Mary loved the Champagne so much she played with the bottle, cork, and cage for more photos, so here they are!

Et voilá!  Sea bass, baked with lemon-herb breadcrumb topping, apple risotto, and spinach, paired with a lovely Champagne on New Year's Eve.  And here we are the next evening at our happy anniversary dinner.

That's our post for today, our first of 2011.  Thanks for reading our blog.  We hope you enjoy it and find it interesting.  Keep checking back at Cèpage et Cuisine.

Cheers!

Brian♥Mary