So what was the actual menu for the recent champagne dinner that led me to start talking about champagne and food?
We based it on a meal I enjoyed a few years ago at Moët & Chandon’s private Château de Saran. Then, each course served was in fact two dishes in one, neatly and elegantly separated on the left and the right of the plate. With each course two champagnes were served and the idea was to demonstrate how, by altering the method of cooking, the seasoning and/or the accompaniments, the nature of the dish could be significantly changed. The two different champagnes complimented the dish on one side of the plate more than the dish on the other – although of course we tried all the different combinations possible whilst we had this fabulous food and drink in front of us.
So the menu on May 16th was.....
So the menu on May 16th was
Aperitif
Canapés
Champagne Franck Bonville Sélection
Grand Cru, Blanc de Blancs, served in magnums
First Course
Seared Scallops on a beetroot purée with cep infused foam
&
Morel and cucumber risotto
To match these dishes we served
François Hémart Brut
Grand Cru ( 70% Pinot Noir, 30% Chardonnay )
&
Leclaire Thiéfaine Cuvée Sainte Apolline 1998
Grand Cru, Blanc de Blancs
Main Course
Spiced confit leg of Gressingham Duck with a shallot and thyme cabbage ball and liquorice glaze.
&
Roasted breast of Gressingham duck with a fig purée and red current raspberry sauce
The champagnes served with the main course were
Champagne François Hémart Rosé
( 90% Pinot Noir, 10 % Chardonnay)
&
Champagne Collard-Chardelle Rosé
(50% Pinot Noir, 50% Pinot Meunier)
Cheese course
Dessert
Almond Mille-feuilles with caramelised apricot and white chocolate sabayon
Champagne Bénard-Pitois, Gourmandine
Premier Cru, Demi-sec
(80% Pinot Noir, 20% Chardonnay)
The results
Champagne as an aperitif takes a lot of beating in my view and there’s no better choice of champagne than a blanc de blancs. The Chardonnay really wakes up your taste buds and by the time the food is served your appetite is well and truly whetted.
There’s also no better exponent of the art of making blanc de blancs champagne than Franck Bonville.
To choose a fish dish as a first course is not new, but the fact that the scallops were seared added a richness and depth that were accentuated by the addition of a beetroot purée. To match this, a champagne that had equal depth of flavour was needed and the François Hémart Brut was perfect.
On the other hand, the Leclaire-Thiéfaine had the extra ageing to have really brought out the nutty, earthy flavours and the soft texture of an older Blanc de Blancs. This proved to go well with the morel mushroom flavours and the creaminess of the risotto.
The main course consisted of two variations of Gressingham duck. The richer of the two was seasoned with cinnamon and 5 spice and had been marinated for 3 days. The register of flavours was rich, dark and intense, but all this was lifted and balanced by the thyme and the liquorice.
François Hémart Rosé was a first class match reflecting the fullness and fattiness of the duck, yet with enough freshness to keep the overall impression from becoming too heavy and cloying.
The second duck dish was more red fruit based and the Collard-Chardelle Rosé worked well. It’s a younger champagne than the François Hémart and the Pinot Meunier in the blend ensures that the fruit is very much to the fore and of course, in both cases the beautiful colours of the champagnes found a balance in the rich colours on the plate.
We followed the main course with cheese: a habit the French have and with which I agree..
Serving dessert first means that you move from the savoury flavours of the main course, to the sweetness of dessert only to return to more savoury flavours with the cheese. This seems too much of a disruption, so I prefer to complete the savouries before settling into dessert.
Dessert was unashamedly rich on the eye and on the palate, but here again the pleasing fresh acidity in the demi-sec champagne lifted and balanced the whole. The range of flavours in both champagne and food – nuts, sugar, fruit – proved again to be a great combination.
So what ideas can you take from all this? Well, here are a few thoughts:
- Champagne is not just for drinking before a meal. There is such a diversity of styles of champagne that you can find one to match almost any food.
- Do try cheese with champagne, or with any white wine for that matter. I think you’ll find that in most instances it’s a better match than red wine.
- Do try demi-sec champagne with dessert.
- Experiment, try new ideas and have fun.
More on champagne later. In the meantime have a bubbly day
Jiles Halling
Related articles:
Champagne Dinners part 1
Champagne Dinners part 2
Comments