I don’t habitually cook food that pairs well with Rhone whites so occasionally I go out of my way to do so. A couple bottles, an F. Villard '06 Condrieu Grand Vallon and a Pegau '06 CDP Blanc Cuvee Reservee, have been taunting me so it was time.
The first meal was poulet au citron, zucchini baked in tomato coulis, and a Provencal pilaf. I popped open the Condrieu early afternoon and left it in the refrigerator until dinner. The wine was singing, paired beautifully with the chicken, and worked well with the zucchini.
There was plenty of zucchini and pilaf left after the chicken was gone so I did cotes de porc aux pommes a la moutarde with 2-inch thick pork chops and 2 pounds of Granny Smith apples. The chops are browned in a skillet and finished in the oven on top of the sliced apples permeated with a sauce of heavy cream and mustard. The Pegau had been opened the night before and gassed. It was also an extremely good pairing.
Even though both pairing were good, next time I’ll go with CDP blanc with chicken and the Condrieu with pork. The CDP was on a lighter, citrus part of the spectrum which would have worked even better with the chicken and lemon sauce. The Condrieu was heavier with apple notes to make it a more even match with the cream, apples, and pork fat in the chops.
Plenty of pork left so I may make a special trip to my wine locker to retrieve a Guigal '03 Hermitage Blanc because the pairing sounds ideal.
Both excellent pairings. I love me some pork w/ cream and apples. What sort of herb profiles did you use? I find they can really enhance white rhone pairings.
Good luck on the hermitage blanc. Based on the CT notes as long as it’s not oxidized (prematurely) it should be a proper drink.
Kenny,
The sauce is 1/3 cup mustard to 1 cup heavy cream so the mustard flavor is still pretty strong even after the heat takes the sharp edge off. Salt and pepper are all the recipe calls for beyond that. Any suggestions?
BTW, I’m really happy with the way the Granny Smiths performed. Nice flavor, they maintained their structure, and didn’t become mealy.
Yeah, greyhounds are a mellow bunch with a zen-like disposition but this guy is at another level. Mine wouldn’t be so patient about wine glasses on their heads.
My cook instinct is calling for tarragon and sure enough a quick google search shows plenty o’ recipes. White rhones love herbs.
Something to consider with your granny smiths next time is to carmelize them ahead of roasting in the sauce. Grannies are perfect for holding their texture with that kind of treatment and the carmelization really adds to the sauce.