The great Australian house Penfolds, world-famous for its large range of quality wines, briefly visited Montreal in November 2009. They took the opportunity to present brand new wines from their exclusive line Cellar Reserve Wines, a recent series of great signature wines in extremely limited quantity.
For the occasion, renowned winemaker Peter Gago personally asked me to create a menu from scratch inspired by his wines as well as my research on molecular harmonies and sommellerie. I had the pleasure of creating the course, which was presented at the restaurant Toqué!, with house chefs Normand Laprise and Charles-Antoine Crête.
Since we wanted you to have fun with these wines at home even if you’re not a stove chef and to demonstrate their versatility at the table, here are a few trails you can easily follow in order to highlight the new range of refined wines.
We set the table with a surprising gewürztraminer presenting a subtle and European freshness that is extremely rare under the Australian sun. Its sapid body and subtle flavors that are not of the usual litchi/rose typicality, but rather in the world of apple/pear/peach, had put me on the trail of ingredients sharing the same dominant volatile components as apple and pear. It is the case with nori, carrots, quince, cinnamon, fresh figs, honey, apples, grapes, licorice, saffron, and thyme (see my recipe suggestions in the commentary on the three wines).
Then, an ultra-refined chardonnay followed - quite concentrated, great freshness, electrifyingly mineral, and decent alcohol percentage, detailing notes of hazelnuts, grilled almonds and glazed lemon. Since it has a very burgundy aspect, cook it with recipes where hazelnut-complementary ingredients are dominant, as for instance peanuts, coffee, shrimps, roasted barley, soy sauce, tofu, and vanilla.
For special occasions, the range of excellent wines, also comprising a refreshing Pinot Noir Cellar Reserve 2007, a juicy and explosive Sangiovese Cellar Reserve 2006 and a classically Australian Cabernet Sauvignon Cellar Reserve 2006, is completed by a great Cabernet Sauvignon/Shiraz 2005 combination. A “cab/shiraz” combination that shows itself to be powerfully aromatic, opulent, quite tannic and dense, with extroverted flavors of blackberry liquor, smoke, tar, clove, violet and pepper.
At the table, while considering the information conveyed in my book Taste Buds and Molecules, dare to cook a recipe where the dominance will be either one of these ingredients complementary to pepper (lamb, nori, juniper, black olives, oranges, thyme, saffron) or one of the foods of the same aromatic family as clove (oil-roasted asparagus, thai basil, grilled beef, coffee, cinq-épices, strawberry, rosemary, vanilla).
Menu
By Chartier’s & Toqué!
Penfolds
Friday, November 6th, 2009
Scallops marinated in cranberry water, tequila and ginger, citronella oil, lime, and wasabi mousse.
Gewürztraminer Cellar Reserve Penfolds 2008
Razor clams, matsutake mushrooms, mashed potatoes, grilled hazelnuts, poultry broth with jasmine tea, peperoncino oil.
Chardonnay Cellar Reserve Penfolds 2007
Pan-seared duck foie gras, raspberry water, carrot sugar, ras el hanout powder and jelly, almond-concentrated almonds.
Pinot Noir Cellar Reserve Penfolds 2007
Star anise pork flank and smoked fat steam buns, mustard-seasoned quince and wulong tea mash, grilled peanuts and thai basil oil.
Sangiovese Cellar Reserve Penfolds 2006
12-hour braised beef shoulder, gremolata and tuberous chervil, meat broth and licorice oil, smoked potato and black garlic mash.
Cabernet Sauvignon Cellar Reserve Penfolds 2006
&
Cabernet Sauvignon/Shiraz Cellar Reserve Penfolds 2005
Red Etampes squash cake, maple cream, curry dacquoise, clementine and squash ice cream, Kurdish black pepper infusion.
Penfolds Grandfather Fine Old Liqueur Tawny
The pictures of the Penfolds event are available on Papilles et Molécules Flickr page.
After attending a wine tasting hosted in December 2008 by the greatly inspired and talented Spanish wine-grower Àlvaro Palacios in the atelier of the mythical Catalan restaurant elBulli, sommelier François Chartier decided to repeat the experience in Québec. In turn, he invited the brilliant wine-grower to Montreal in November 2009 and orchestrated a meal around grand crus from Bierzo, Priorat, and Rioja with help from chefs Marc-André Jetté and Patrice Demers as well as sommelier Marie-Josée Beaudoin, all three former co-workers at Newtown restaurant. Here is his harmonic tale on the trail of his research on harmonic and molecular sommellerie.
Creating a Menu For and From the Wine.
I wanted to share the privilege I had of creating a meal for and from the wines grown by Àlvaro Palacios, whose grand crus, celebrated by the critics and sommeliers of the world, allowed Spain to win back its spurs.Why? To offer you additional harmonic hints when the time comes to create meals as accompaniments to your favorite wine bottles.
The menu (see here) was thus designed from aromatic hints based on my research on harmonic and molecular sommellerie and from the aromas and flavors of the wines grown in señor Palacios’ three domains. I encourage you to read the recipes contained in this article, where you will find details on the creation of three courses from this menu and the accompanying wines.
Inspired by the expressive and appealing Rioja La Vendimia 2008 (15,20 $; 10360317), we served a red beet mousse as an aperitif. The idea was to demonstrate that we can wake up our guests’ taste buds with an almost rustic product and a wine sold at a more than mellow price:
“Beet and our Vendimia go together like champagne and caviar!” Cristina Palacios exclaims.
The unique Bierzo San Martín 2006 (84,50 $; SAQ Signature; 11100285), with notes of cocoa, pepper, black olives, and roasted wood allowed me to imagine a meal paying homage to the Bierzo land.
The salty leaves of the cocoa played the role of the fissility in shale rocks found in the earth and the dehydrated black olive powder that of the soil, while the well-grilled scallop acted as pebbles. As for the wild boar, it was reminiscent of the black pigs that wander around San Martín vineyard looking for mature grapes - their favorite treat.
Finally, I suggested the sauce, a steaming subtle duck broth with Lapsang Souchong tea, be served in a cup so you can drink the concoction, thus creating a harmony with the meal as we do with wine. Mission accomplished for the two chefs. The result was a touching symbiosis between the ingredients and the wine!
In the other courses, the lamb, with its aromatic structure evoking thyme, combined with the two novelties from Priorat among which the brand-new Camins del Priorat 2007 (24,95 $; 11180351).
As for the deer, accompanied by coffee-flavored gravy and a seeping mushroom purée that interpenetrated with the two exceptional Priorat Finca Dofí 2003 and 2006 (76,75 $; 705764), it followed the same harmonic trail.
The exercise left an imperishable olfactory memory on the fifty guests present and would be worth repeating!
How to Draw Inspiration from this Menu at Home
The beet being marked in its structure by eugenol – the aromatic molecule with clove aromas that is also found in grilled red meat as well as strawberries, red wines from Grenache, and wines grown in barrels - all you have to do is create a recipe at home where red beet, quatre épices, grilled beef and/or strawberries are dominant. Then, serve the expressive and more than affordable La Vendimia 2009 Rioja (15,20 $ ; 10360317) – one of my favorite red wines.
To accompany a wine from Rioja comprising a good proportion of Grenache – a rare occurrence these days – for instance a La Montesa 2007 (19,05 $; 10556993) which is full-bodied, spicy, and woody, opt for a piece of pork that you will have grilled or roasted to obtain the desired smoked/roasted taste. Then, reduce blackcurrant cream so you can put three small drops in the serving plate, which will whip your taste buds and enhance the fruity flavors of this type of young Spanish red wine.
To achieve a harmony with a Pétalos 2008 (20,50 $; 10551471), cook a piece of beef of your choice enhanced with ground pepper that you will accompany with roasted, almost crystallized red peppers. Before you serve, make a point of mixing one or two small drops of grilled sesame oil with the peppers. The mix will be as vibrant as can be!
For the two complex and gourmet Priorat that are Camins del Priorat 2007 (24,95 $; 11180351) and Les Terrasses 2006 (35,25 $; 10931562), roast a piece of lamb of your choice and accompany with a purée of root vegetables such as Jerusalem artichoke or parsnip. Don’t forget to add star anise to the cooking water of the vegetables. This way, you will emphasize the natural anise perfume of these rootstocks, which will perfectly accompany either grand cru from Priorat.
MENU
Meal-Tasting Signed François Chartier and Àlvaro Palacios
Newtown Restaurant, Montreal, November 23rd, 2009La Vendimia 2008 Rioja
Molecular hint : EUGENOL (CLOVE)
Red beet mousse and strawberries, quatre épices grilled beef powder, beet salad, beet and clove jelly.
******
La Montesa 2006 Rioja
Molecular hints : LACTONES (PORK/COCONUTS), MALTOL (WOODY, ROASTED) and MERCAPTO HEXANOL (BLACKCURRANT).
Smoked/braised pork flank, sweet onions and soy purée, smoked eel, and blackcurrant concentrate.
******
Pétalos 2007 Bierzo & Villa de Corullón 2004 Bierzo
Molecular hints : METHOXY PYRAZINE (PEPPERS/TANNINS) AND EUGENOL (CLOVE)
Brioche croutons, grilled beef marinated in long pepper, and purée of red peppers roasted in grilled sesame.
******
San Martín 2006 Bierzo
Molecular hints : DIMETHYL PYRAZINE (COCOA), ROTENDONE (PEPPER) AND MALTOL (ROASTED WOOD).
Bierzo Terroir well-seared scallop, braised wild boar flank, cocoa leaves, dehydrated black olive powder, duck broth with Lapsang Souchong tea.
******
Camins del Priorat 2007 Priorat & Les Terrasses 2006 Priorat
Molecular hints : THYMOL (THYME/MANDARIN) AND Glycyrrhizin (LICORICE)
Québec lamb loin, lamb gravy with mandarin peel, Jerusalem artichoke crisps, and star anise purée.
******
Finca DOFí 2006 Priorat & Finca DOFí 2003 PrioratMolecular hints : PYRAZINE (COFFEE/COCOA/MUSHROOMS) AND ROTENDONE (PEPPER)
Red deer and coffee gravy, trumpet of death, cocoa, and black pepper.
******
ICE CIDER 2007 « WINTER HARVEST »
Molecular hints : CAROTENOIDS (APPLE/QUINCE), SAFRANAL (SAFFRON) AND CINNAMIC ACID (CINNAMON)
Saffron panna cotta, honey and Ceylan cinnamon jelly, caramelized quinces, Tatin apple purée, apple sorbet, cider mousse, and gingerbread sablé.
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RECIPES
CREATED BY FRANÇOIS CHARTIER,In Close Collaboration with MARC-ANDRÉ JETTÉ and PATRICE DEMERS
Braised/smoked pork flank, sweet onions and soy purée, smoked eel, and blackcurrant concentrate
This recipe was inspired by the volatile components found in La Montesa 2006 Rioja (19,05 $; 10556993) - a more recent vintage year will also create a harmony. The components are from the molecular family of LACTONES (also found in pork and coconuts), MALTOL (with hints of wood and roasting) and MERCAPTO HEXANOL (aromatic molecule with a strong blackcurrant perfume). You can still create a harmony if you are unable to buy smoked-pork or to smoke it yourself. Do not hesitate to use a sweet onion purée and blackcurrant concentrate with other recipes including pork. Remember that you can harmonize your recipes with the same type of red wine from Rioja – young and slightly woody. Finally, take note that BBQ Smoked Eel (available at Kim Phat supermarket) is also a great match to this style of red wine when accompanied by meat.
Flanc de porc :
1 kg flanc de porc frais (non fumé)
1 carotte
1 oignon
1 branche de céleri
1 branche de thym
1 feuille de laurier
Poivre en grain
-Déposer le flanc de porc dans une casserole.
-Ajouter tous les légumes et les aromates.
-Ajouter de l’eau pour couvrir le flanc de porc.
-Couvrir avec un papier d’aluminium.
-Porter à ébullition et cuire au four à 275 pour 3 heures.
-Retirer délicatement la viande.
-Passer le jus de cuisson au tamis fin et réduire du ¾. Assaisonner, ajouter un peu d’huile d’olive et de vinaigre de vinaigre de vin rouge.
-Laisser la viande refroidir pour ensuite la fumer pendant environ 20 minutes
-Couper le flanc en portion de 100 g.
Purée d’oignons doux :
2 oignons espagnols épluchés et coupés en 2
2 c. à soupe sauce soya
-Dans une poêle, déposer un peu d’huile d’olive et ajouter les oignons, côté coupé vers le bas. Faire cuire au four, à 325F, pour environ 1 heure jusqu’à ce que les oignons soient bien caramélisés
-Retirer du four, déglacer avec le soya et réduire en purée parfaitement lisse au mélangeur. Assaisonner de sel et poivre
Concentré de cassis :
350g purée cassis non sucrée
50ml eau
3 c. à soupe sucre
6g agar agar
-Dans une casserole, chauffer la purée avec l’eau et le sucre. Incorporer l’agar au fouet et laisser mijoter une minute en brassant.
-Verser la gelée dans un contenant et laisser figer au froid au moins 2 heures.
-Démouler la gelée, la couper en petits cubes et la réduire en purée parfaitement lisse au mélangeur. Passer dans un tamis fin
Montage :
-Dans une poêle bien chaude, saisir les flancs du côté du gras pour obtenir une belle coloration. Colorer aussi les autres côtés et terminer la cuisson au four, à 350F pour environ 4 minutes
-Déposer les flancs sur les assiettes, et les garnir de 2 petits morceaux d’anguille japonaise BBQ. Ajouter un peu du jus réduit autour.
-Terminer le montage avec la purée d’oignons et un point de concentré de cassis.
Rédigée par MARC-ANDRÉ JETTÉ
Brioche croutons, grilled beef marinated in long pepper, and purée of red peppers roasted in grilled sesame
For this recipe, I followed the trail of the aromatic aromas present in two wines of the Mencia grape variety, designated as Bierzo, as are the remarkable Pétalos 2007 (20,50 $; 10551471) and Villa de Corullón 2004 (55,50 $ ;10823140) - you can also serve more recent vintage years as it will also create a harmony. For instance, the aromas were from the molecular family METHOXY PYRAZINE (with pepper aromas found in the tannins of certain red wines) and EUGENOL (the aromatic molecule of the clove that can also be found in Thai basil as well as the roasted oak of some barrels). Take note that this raving red pepper purée can be harmonized with a number of red wines such as the Cabernet family and the Merlot (including the Chilean Carménère). Choose your favorite red wine and add this purée to your preferred meals!
Purée poivron :
4 poivrons rouges
1 c. à soupe huile sésame grillé
1 c. à soupe vinaigre vin rouge
-Au four, sous le grill, colorer fortement les poivrons de chaque côté. La peau doit être complètement grillée. Déposer les poivrons dans un bol et couvrir de pellicule plastique et laisser tempérer.
-Peler les poivrons et les réduire en purée au mélangeur.
-Ajouter l’huile de sésame et le vinaigre. Assaisonner de sel et poivre.
Bœuf saisit :
1 morceau de Boston ou 1 bavette de 200g
q.s. huile olive, poivre long fraîchement moulu et thym frais
-Mariner les bavettes dans un peu d’huile avec les aromates pour au moins 12 heures.
-Égoutter et éponger les bavettes pour ensuite bien les assaisonner de sel et poivre. Chauffer une poêle (elle doit être très chaude), saisir les bavettes de tous les côtés pour quelques secondes seulement.
-Laisser refroidir la viande et la trancher finement
Montage :
q.s. brioche tranchée finement
q.s. basilic thaï
-Cuire les tranches de brioches au four, à 350F pour qu’elles soient bien croustillantes.
-Déposer les tranches de bœufs sur les brioches et garnir de purée de poivron et de fleur de sel.
-Terminer le montage avec quelques feuilles de basilic thaï
-Note : Avant le service du plat, mettre au centre de la table un bouquet de feuilles de basilic thaï, afin que les convives puissent, une fois qu’ils auront dégusté le vin, goûter le basilic, puis re-déguster le vin, pour ainsi comprendre le chemin harmonique autour de l’eugénol (molécule du clou de girofle trouvée dans le basilic thaï) de cette création harmonique.
Rédigée par MARC-ANDRÉ JETTÉ
Saffron crème prise, Tatin apple pulp, honey and Ceylan cinnamon jelly
I had the desire to share an electrifying ice cider with the Spanish wine-grower and since Patrice Demers already had on his menu a dessert that was an almost perfect match for this precious nectar, we have simply adjusted his sugary creation to the aromatic flavors of the exceptional Neige 2007 “Winter Harvest” (50 $; 742627) - do not hesitate to go with a more recent vintage year or a different Neige vintage as it will still create a harmony. The flavors included CAROTENOIDS (found in apples and quince), SAFRANAL (found in saffron) and CINNAMIC ACID (cinnamon aroma also found in honey). Have fun decomposing this recipe by serving one of the three elements (cream, purée or jelly) with another dessert or with cheese in the case of the purée and jelly, while filling your glasses with ice cider.Crème prise :
4 c. à soupe sucre
160 ml (2/3 tasse) crème 35%
2 pincées safran
1 ½ feuille de gélatine préalablement réhydratée
240 g (3/4 tasse et 2 c. à soupe) yogourt méditerranéen
-Dans une petite casserole, amener à ébullition le sucre, la crème et le safran. Retirer du feu, ajouter la gélatine et bien brasser. Couvrir et laisser infuser 10 minutes.
-Passer la crème dans un tamis fin et la verser dans un cul-de-poule. Ajouter le yogourt et bien mélanger à l’aide d’un fouet pour obtenir une texture parfaitement uniforme.
-Badigeonner légèrement 8 petits ramequins avec de l’huile de canola. Verser la crème dans les ramequins et laisser figer au froid pour au moins 12 heures.
Purée de pommes caramélisées :
5 pommes
1c. à soupe sirop maïs
150 g (3/4 tasse) sucre
50 ml (3 c. à soupe) eau chaude
-Éplucher les pommes, les couper en quartiers et retirer les cœurs.
-Dans une casserole, réunir le sirop de maïs et le sucre. Ajouter juste ce qu’il faut d’eau pour mouiller légèrement la préparation. Cuire à feu élevé, jusqu’à l’obtention d’un caramel assez foncé. Retirer du feu et verser délicatement l’eau chaude dans le caramel. Remettre sur un feu modéré pour s’assurer que le caramel est bien liquide.
-Verser le caramel sur les pommes dans un plat allant au four et cuire à 200 ºC pour environ 40 minutes. Il est important de brasser les pommes à toutes les 5-10 minutes pour s’assurer d’une cuisson et d’une coloration uniforme.
-Lorsque les pommes sont bien caramélisées, retirer du four et laisser tempérer.
-Réduire ensuite les pommes en purée parfaitement lisse à l’aide du mélangeur.
Gelée de miel et cannelle de Ceylan :
160 ml (2/3 tasse) miel
250 ml (1 tasse) eau
1 c. à thé cannelle Ceylan moulue
6 g (environ 3 c. à thé) agar agar
-Dans une casserole, réunir tous les ingrédients et bien brasser à l’aide d’un fouet. Cuire à feu élevé, en maintenant un petit bouillon pour une minute.
-Verser la gelée dans un contenant et laisser figer au froid pour au moins 2 heures.
-Démouler la gelée, la couper en petits cubes et la réduire en purée parfaitement lisse au mélangeur. Passer la gelée au tamis fin.
Montage :
Pour démouler les crèmes prises, tremper le fond des ramequins 5 secondes dans de l’eau chaude et décoller les côtés à l’aide d’une petite spatule.
Déposer les crèmes au centre des assiettes, garnir de la purée de pommes et de la gelée de miel
Rédigée par PATRICE DEMERS
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Copyrights 2010
Tous droits de reproduction et de représentation réservés. Pour toutes demandes d’utilisations commerciales, veuillez communiquer avec : This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
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