like your choices are endless. I reckon it is probably the most food
friendly red wine available today. This is one of the few red wine
styles that actually pairs extremely well with some fish dishes. I
think the key to Pinot Noir’s food pairing magic is that it tends to
be less tannic and more acidic than most other red wines. It is
usually very lightly aged in oak, if aged at all, and the lack of those
woodsy aromas and tastes gives it a more fruity body, which also
helps it pair with food so well.
Remember the lessons learned from last month’s food and wine
pairing. You should ideally match the thickness of the food you
prepare (like light or heavy cream sauces) to the mouthfeel of the
wine, i.e. light-bodied, medium-bodied or full-bodied.
Unfortunately, Pinot Noir can vary in all three styles depending on
the wine-maker and the vintage. I would guesstimate that most
Pinot Noir’s are in the medium-bodied range. When in doubt, go
with one that you have tried before and liked.
Another important thing to remember when matching wine and food
is to look for the flavors the wine and food have in common. Pinot
Noir has a gamut of styles like plump cherry, rich strawberry,
raspberry and big earthy flavors, which make it a natural choice for
mushroom based sauces and food.
Here are some recipes that match up well with our 'Wine of the
Month', Pinot Noir. I'm sure they will make your mouth water!
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Recipes
prepare.
2 skinned salmon fillets, 6 oz
1 cup fresh bite-sized pieces of spinach
Half each red, yellow and green pepper, cut in strips
1 tbsp shallots, or onion peeled and chopped
4 lemon slices
2 tbsp cilantro leaves
¼ cup Pinot Noir or other red wine
Pinch salt
Preheat over to 450 F.
Cut two 18-inch long rectangles of parchment paper. Place a salmon fillet on each parchment paper
rectangle. Divide half the spinach leaves, peppers, shallots, lemon slices and cilantro between each
package, layering ingredients on top of salmon. Sprinkle 2 tbsp of wine and a little salt over each serving.
Gather the corners of the parchment toward the center and twist tightly to seal each package. Tie off at
the top with twine to fasten. Place the packets on a cookie sheet and bake on the center rack of the oven
for 15 minutes. Let stand for 2 to 3 minutes. Serve parchment packages unopened. Slice open at the
table to release the aromas. Makes 2 servings. Recipe doubles easily.
2 tablespoons olive oil
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
Serving suggestions: honey mustard, horseradish mashed potatoes, mesclun greens
Bring the salmon to room temperature 10 minutes before cooking.
Warm a large nonstick skillet with oil over medium-low heat. Season the fish with salt and pepper. Raise
the heat to medium-high. Place the salmon, skin-side up in the pan. Cook until golden brown on 1 side,
about 4 minutes. Turn the fish over with a spatula, and cook until it feels firm to the touch and the skin is
crisp if desired, about 3 minutes more.
The skin can be served or removed easily with a knife or spoon.
Transfer to a plate and serve as desired.
Copyright © 2003 Television Food Network, G.P., All Rights Reserved
¾ lb. small mushrooms
18 pearl onions, peeled
3 lb lean boneless beef, cut in 2-inch cubes
¼ cup all purpose flour
2 cups beef stock
2 cups dry red wine (of course my preference here is Pinot Noir though a Beaujolais works well too)
1 tbsp. tomato paste
4 cloves garlic, crushed
1 tsp salt
1 tsp dried thyme
1 bay leaf
black pepper, chopped parsley
In large heavy skillet or Dutch oven, melt half of the butter. Add mushrooms and brown very lightly;
remove and set aside. Add remaining butter to pan; brown onions well, stirring often. Remove and
set aside.
Add beef cubes to pan in batches, browning them well on all sides (add extra fat if needed). Remove
beef and set aside. To fat remaining in pan (there should be about ¼ cup, if not add some) stir in
flour. Add stock, wine and tomato paste; bring to boil, stirring as sauce thickens. Add garlic, salt,
thyme, bay leaf and a few grindings of black pepper. Return meat to Dutch oven. Cover and bake
in 350 F oven for about 2 hours or until very tender, adding onions for the last 30 minutes and
mushrooms for the last 15 minutes. (If the sauce cooks down too much, add enough water to keep
the meat just barely covered with liquid). Remove bay leaf; taste and adjust seasoning.
Before serving, sprinkle stew with copped parsley. Serve with crusty bread and red wine.
6 Tbsp butter
1 tbsp dry mustard
1 tsp paprika
¼ tsp pepper
This is a really wonderful rub to put on a good quality beef roast. I usually use this rub with a
prime rib cut.
Brown the flour in a skillet on low heat. You need to stir the flour every now and then to ensure
it does not burn. It will take a while to brown but this is the crucial ingredient to this rub. Once
the flour has brown, remove from heat and add the next 4 ingredients. If the butter does not
totally melt, put it back on low heat and stir all the ingredients until all the butter has melted.
I usually just pat it on the roast with my hands…..oh and sometimes I double the recipe because
it’s so good. After your roast has cook through to your liking, remove the roast from the pan
and use the drippings to make gravy. You can do that by simply whisking a bit of beef stock to
the drippings in the pan over low heat.
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 bacon strips
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 pound assorted mushrooms, such as shiitake, crimini, and chanterelle, stemmed and halved
1 tablespoon finely chopped garlic
2 sprigs fresh rosemary
2 cups Pinot Noir
2 tablespoons prepared demi-glace
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
Season both sides of the filet mignon generously with salt and pepper. Wrap a piece of bacon around
the sides of each steak and secure with butcher's twine. In a large heavy, ovenproof skillet, heat the
olive oil over medium-high heat until almost smoking. Place the steaks in the hot pan and cook until
well seared on 1 side, about 3 minutes. Turn the steaks over, there should be a nice crust on top. Add
the mushrooms, garlic, and rosemary; give everything a good stir. Transfer the pan to the oven.
Roast for 10 to 12 minutes or until the steaks are cooked medium-rare. Remove the steaks,
mushrooms, and rosemary to a platter; cover to keep warm. Return the pan to the stove over
medium-high heat. Deglaze with the wine, scraping up all the yummy bits in the bottom of the pan.
Mix in the demi-glace, stirring to combine. Put the steaks and mushrooms back in the pan and coat in
the pan sauce. Finish with a couple of tablespoons of butter to make it rich.
Put the steak and mushrooms on 2 serving plates and cut off the butcher's twine from the filets. Pour
the wine sauce on top and garnish each plate with a roasted rosemary sprig.
Copyright © 2003 Television Food Network, G.P., All Rights Reserved