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Sparkling wine plus paella equals a party to remember
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CommentSparkling wines pair well with holidays, and a recent course hosted by Schramsberg Vineyards included many opportunities to pair bubbly with food -- including a huge "forklift" paella chef Holly Peterson Mondavi created to feed 50 hungry diners.
It's ironic that even though wine lovers rarely think of serving sparkling wines with food, it can be a better match for many dishes than still wines. Sparkling wines' crisp acidity and carbonation tend to cleanse the palate, while its low level of bitter tannins and typical slight tinge of sweetness complement many dishes.
It's ironic that even though wine lovers rarely think of serving sparkling wines with food, it can be a better match for many dishes than still wines. Sparkling wines' crisp acidity and carbonation tend to cleanse the palate, while its low level of bitter tannins and typical slight tinge of sweetness complement many dishes.
"Sparkling wine is much more versatile with food than most people expect," says Culinary Institute of America instructor and chef Mondavi.
To help chefs and other food and wine professionals better understand the role of sparkling wine including during the meal, each year Schramsberg Vineyards holds a Sparkling Wine Symposium at its winery in Calistoga and at the CIA's Greystone Cellars in St. Helena. Over three days, the chefs, sommeliers and other wine experts learn about sparkling wine, even helping pick grapes and blend batches of wines to their own tastes.
To help chefs and other food and wine professionals better understand the role of sparkling wine including during the meal, each year Schramsberg Vineyards holds a Sparkling Wine Symposium at its winery in Calistoga and at the CIA's Greystone Cellars in St. Helena. Over three days, the chefs, sommeliers and other wine experts learn about sparkling wine, even helping pick grapes and blend batches of wines to their own tastes.
Matching sparkling wine with food
A key part of that education is learning more about how sparklers match food. This comes in many informal steps, like the appetizers and courses paired with Schramsberg sparkling wine at meals, but especially when Chef Holly Mondavi leads the group through tastings, pouring different sparklers with an assortment of basic tastes and aromas to see if they help or harm the taste of the food and wine. She then served the wines with small plates of what could be sophisticated appetizers or parts of a meal.
A key part of that education is learning more about how sparklers match food. This comes in many informal steps, like the appetizers and courses paired with Schramsberg sparkling wine at meals, but especially when Chef Holly Mondavi leads the group through tastings, pouring different sparklers with an assortment of basic tastes and aromas to see if they help or harm the taste of the food and wine. She then served the wines with small plates of what could be sophisticated appetizers or parts of a meal.
For example, 1999 Schramsberg Blanc de Blancs, made from chardonnay alone, is the winery's driest (least sweet wine), though only one of its wines (Crémant) has more than a hint of sweetness. The attendees tried Blanc de Blancs with flavors and aromas such as lemon, grapefruit, apple, pear, lemon grass, basil and melon.
In matching the wines to foods, Mondavi likes to focus on complementing rather than contrasting flavors, for example, serving the crisp, citrusy 2000 Blanc de Blancs with foods containing lemon or other acidic flavors. "You want a wine that makes the food taste better," she says, "and vice versa."
The older 1997 J. Schram is mellower, and went better with fig, toast, pineapple, smoke and toasted hazelnuts, while Blanc de Noirs, which is made from red pinot noir grapes, exhibits undertones of mushrooms and red fruit, and is richer than Blanc de Blancs, making it a better match with heavier foods.
Blanc de Noirs, and especially Brut Rosé also made from pinot noir, also exhibit flavors of, and complements, raspberry, strawberry, plum and even beets and pine nuts. It goes well with pork, a meat notoriously difficult to pair with most wines, as well as turkey and game birds. It's also perfect for salmon, whether smoked or gravlax as appetizers, or with a grilled presentation.
Sparkling wines aren't the perfect match for everything, however. "They don't say 'Wow!' with salads or most vegetable courses," notes Jamie Davies, co-founder of Schramsberg.
And only a sweet sparkler like Schramsberg's Crémant, made with rare fruity Flora grapes is a good complement to most desserts. Even then, Mondavi suggests cutting the amount of sugar used in desserts served with the wine.
After pairing the sparklers with basic tastes like lemons, Mondavi then had the students try the sparklers with actual dishes. They were extremely varied, but many involve seafood, and also Asian flavors, which seem to have a special affinity for sparkling wine:
Schramsberg Blanc de Blancs with chilled Kumamoto oysters with a trio of contemporary mignonettes; a selection of caviars; arborio rice encrusted shrimp with tomato "stew"
In this case, the oysters were superb even without the sauces, which involved various citrus and fruit and herbal flavors. The caviar was a classic match; surprisingly, the wasabi-flavored tabiko caviar made the wine taste especially good, but the tomato stew was too sweet to be a good match.
J. Schram with Champagne oyster tartlets; Crab spring rolls with dipping sauce; soy and green bean salad
The crab rolls were a standout with the salty, slightly fishy and complex dipping sauce. The wine helped temper that richness of the tartlets, too.
Schramsberg Blanc de Noirs: Sea Star-roasted salt and pepper scallops with sesame cilantro salad; halibut gravlax; saganaki (fried cheese)
The scallops were superb, but I think a salmon gravlax is better than bland halibut alone as well as with the wine. The wine helped cut the richness and fat of the saganaki , a surprisingly good match.
Schramsberg Brut Rosé with lobster salad with Finnish potato and summer beans; tea-smoked duck salad with hoisin vinaigrette, totsoi greens, black radish and crispy rice noodles; and beef tenderloin crostini with horseradish sauce.
The lobster salad -- in fact, any lobster -- is perfect with the sparkling rosé, but the duck was the real winner. I wouldn't turn down the beef crostini, but think it and, especially the horseradish, aren't a match made in heaven for the wine.
Schramsberg Crémant with apricots in puff pastry; chocolate paradise; and pan-seared foie gras with warm salad of golden baby beets and purslane, cantaloupe-ginger emulsion and black pepper-blood orange drizzle.
Crémant is noticeably sweet and fruity, and it's perfect with fruit raw or in pastry. The opinions were divided about the rich chocolate with the wine, but I'll pass. There was controversy about the savory duck liver with sweet wine. Aside from any issues about how the fowl are treated, I find foie gras simply too rich and fatty for me to enjoy, and I suspect many others feel that way, too.
If you'd like any of these recipes, please e-mail me at paul@franson.com.
A paella for 50
One other opportunity for comparing the sparkling wine with food came at a picnic in the Schramsberg's mountaintop vineyards among massive redwoods. This year, Mondavi prepared her famous fork-lift paella, a preparation for 50 so big it literally was served from the giant pan resting on the tines of a fork-lift tractor.
Paella is a delicious "all in one" dish -- very satisfying and flavorful. Classically, the ingredients in paella can vary from region to region. This one is made with the wine in mind. The rice is cooked in a rich broth that is made from the chicken, fish, lobster and sausages that are cooked together with saffron and white wine. There are only a few other ingredients that deepen the savory flavors; they all build upon one another to create a wonderful and complex flavor.
A sparkling rosé provides a perfect foil for the complex interaction of seafood, saffron and other flavors in the paella, and both the paella and the wine make a festive party.
You don't have to fix it for 50, though note that The Spanish Table in Berkeley (www.tablespan.com) sells a pan for as many as 200 servings (It's more than 4 feet across and has six handles).
Fortunately, Mondavi says her recipe can simply be scaled down linearly to serve fewer people, such as 1/4 as much of each ingredient for 12 people.
You can also increase the percentage of rice, and I love the sauce-soaked rice as much as the lobsters and other ingredients.
Every paella differs, however, and it's common to add mussels, clams and calamari, or to use shrimp or monkfish instead of expensive lobsters, substitute hard smoked Spanish beef chorizo (not Mexican, which is crumbly pork), and sprinkle on a green vegetable such as peas or asparagus for color and flavor contrast.
Mondavi imports the flavorful Sea Star salt she specifies, and it can be found in many local markets and gourmet shops.
Mondavi served the paella with a simple salad and for dessert a Crémant Zabaglione with white and yellow peaches with Cremant Demi-Sec. You could also served the zabaglione with her ginger cookies for a holiday touch.
Forklift Paella
Chef Holly Peterson Mondavi
Ingredients:
50 chicken thighs
25 Italian sausages
15 lobsters (1.5 lbs each)
5 lbs. Chilean sea bass
60 mussels
15 cups Arborio rice
8 cups white wine
15 cups unsalted chicken stock (plus some extra)
6 oz. saffron threads
1 bunch fresh oregano
1 bunch fresh marjoram
10 roasted and peeled red bell peppers
2 bunches Italian parsley
5 chopped shallots (1/2 cup)
1 head fresh garlic (5 tbsp chopped)
1 -1/2 cups olive oil
Sea Star Sea Salt to taste
Forklift (optional)
Directions:
Steam the lobsters for nine minutes. Remove the claws and shell. With the shell still on the tails, cut the tails lengthwise in half. Reserve the lobster meat with the juice and tails for adding to the paella later.
Roast, peel and seed the red bell peppers. Slice them into pieces. Save the peppers and the juice for later. Heat the chicken broth in a separate pot. Cut the sausages into 3-inch pieces. Toss the chicken thighs with olive oil and 3 tablespoons sea salt. Filet and remove the skin and bones of the sea bass. and cut into 2-inch pieces. Finely chop the herbs but keep them separate.
Place paella pan over even heat. Brown the chicken thighs on all sides. Add the sausage and brown on all sides. Add the shallots and stir. When the shallots become translucent, stir in the rice, then saffron threads. Carefully add the white wine, as it will steam up quickly. Add the garlic and hot chicken stock and stir. Arrange the chicken and sausages evenly around the pan and press down into the rice. Arrange the bell pepper and sea bass in the pan and press down into the rice, followed by the lobster and some of the chopped herbs. Cover the pan and adjust heat to a simmer. Total cooking time is about 1/2 hour but will vary slightly. Check rice, chicken and fish for doneness. Adjust seasoning if necessary with sea salt, herbs or broth.
Serves 50. Enjoy with Schramsberg Brut Rose!
Holiday Ginger Cookies
Chef Holly Peterson Mondavi
Ingredients:
1/2 cup crystalline ginger, finely chopped
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar
6 Tbsp butter, room temperature
1/4 cup unsulfured molasses
1 large egg
2 cups all purpose flour
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. Sea Star sea salt
1/2 tsp. ground black pepper
3/4 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp. each ground clove, ginger and nutmeg
Superfine sugar to coat
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
In food processor whirl ginger and sugar until finely ground. Beat butter and brown sugar in large mixing bowl until fluffy. Add ginger mixture, molasses and egg, and mix to blend. In separate bowl, combine dry ingredients. Add to butter mixture and mix well. Cover dough and chill until firm to the touch, about 1 hour. Shape dough into large balls of about 2 tbsp. each. Flatten slightly and roll in sugar to coat. Place balls 2-3 inches apart on nonstick baking sheet. Bake until slightly browned, about 12-15 minutes. Transfer to racks to cool.
Serve or store in airtight container for up to one week, or they may be frozen. Makes 3 dozen cookies.
Zabaglione
Chef Holly Peterson Mondavi
Ingredients:
5 egg yolks
1 whole egg
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar
1 cup Schramsberg Crémant sparkling dessert wine, stirred to dissipate most of the carbonation
2 tablespoons heavy cream
Directions:
Either use a double boiler, or use a metal or Pyrex bowl over a large pot containing water, making sure the bowl fits securely and it doesn't touch the water. Bring the water to a light boil over medium heat with the bowl off heat.
Place the egg yolks, whole egg and sugar in the bowl. Whisk together until pale yellow and well-blended.
Place the bowl over the simmering water. Whisk continuously for 10 minutes, or until the mixture coats the back of the spoon. Add the Crémant and whisk continuously for about 10 minutes, or until the mixture is the consistency of a medium-thick pastry cream. Add the heavy cream and whisk until blended. Carefully remove the bowl from the heat.
Spoon the zabaglione over berries or other fruit in wine glasses. Serve immediately or chilled. 6 servings
In matching the wines to foods, Mondavi likes to focus on complementing rather than contrasting flavors, for example, serving the crisp, citrusy 2000 Blanc de Blancs with foods containing lemon or other acidic flavors. "You want a wine that makes the food taste better," she says, "and vice versa."
The older 1997 J. Schram is mellower, and went better with fig, toast, pineapple, smoke and toasted hazelnuts, while Blanc de Noirs, which is made from red pinot noir grapes, exhibits undertones of mushrooms and red fruit, and is richer than Blanc de Blancs, making it a better match with heavier foods.
Blanc de Noirs, and especially Brut Rosé also made from pinot noir, also exhibit flavors of, and complements, raspberry, strawberry, plum and even beets and pine nuts. It goes well with pork, a meat notoriously difficult to pair with most wines, as well as turkey and game birds. It's also perfect for salmon, whether smoked or gravlax as appetizers, or with a grilled presentation.
Sparkling wines aren't the perfect match for everything, however. "They don't say 'Wow!' with salads or most vegetable courses," notes Jamie Davies, co-founder of Schramsberg.
And only a sweet sparkler like Schramsberg's Crémant, made with rare fruity Flora grapes is a good complement to most desserts. Even then, Mondavi suggests cutting the amount of sugar used in desserts served with the wine.
After pairing the sparklers with basic tastes like lemons, Mondavi then had the students try the sparklers with actual dishes. They were extremely varied, but many involve seafood, and also Asian flavors, which seem to have a special affinity for sparkling wine:
Schramsberg Blanc de Blancs with chilled Kumamoto oysters with a trio of contemporary mignonettes; a selection of caviars; arborio rice encrusted shrimp with tomato "stew"
In this case, the oysters were superb even without the sauces, which involved various citrus and fruit and herbal flavors. The caviar was a classic match; surprisingly, the wasabi-flavored tabiko caviar made the wine taste especially good, but the tomato stew was too sweet to be a good match.
J. Schram with Champagne oyster tartlets; Crab spring rolls with dipping sauce; soy and green bean salad
The crab rolls were a standout with the salty, slightly fishy and complex dipping sauce. The wine helped temper that richness of the tartlets, too.
Schramsberg Blanc de Noirs: Sea Star-roasted salt and pepper scallops with sesame cilantro salad; halibut gravlax; saganaki (fried cheese)
The scallops were superb, but I think a salmon gravlax is better than bland halibut alone as well as with the wine. The wine helped cut the richness and fat of the saganaki , a surprisingly good match.
Schramsberg Brut Rosé with lobster salad with Finnish potato and summer beans; tea-smoked duck salad with hoisin vinaigrette, totsoi greens, black radish and crispy rice noodles; and beef tenderloin crostini with horseradish sauce.
The lobster salad -- in fact, any lobster -- is perfect with the sparkling rosé, but the duck was the real winner. I wouldn't turn down the beef crostini, but think it and, especially the horseradish, aren't a match made in heaven for the wine.
Schramsberg Crémant with apricots in puff pastry; chocolate paradise; and pan-seared foie gras with warm salad of golden baby beets and purslane, cantaloupe-ginger emulsion and black pepper-blood orange drizzle.
Crémant is noticeably sweet and fruity, and it's perfect with fruit raw or in pastry. The opinions were divided about the rich chocolate with the wine, but I'll pass. There was controversy about the savory duck liver with sweet wine. Aside from any issues about how the fowl are treated, I find foie gras simply too rich and fatty for me to enjoy, and I suspect many others feel that way, too.
If you'd like any of these recipes, please e-mail me at paul@franson.com.
A paella for 50
One other opportunity for comparing the sparkling wine with food came at a picnic in the Schramsberg's mountaintop vineyards among massive redwoods. This year, Mondavi prepared her famous fork-lift paella, a preparation for 50 so big it literally was served from the giant pan resting on the tines of a fork-lift tractor.
Paella is a delicious "all in one" dish -- very satisfying and flavorful. Classically, the ingredients in paella can vary from region to region. This one is made with the wine in mind. The rice is cooked in a rich broth that is made from the chicken, fish, lobster and sausages that are cooked together with saffron and white wine. There are only a few other ingredients that deepen the savory flavors; they all build upon one another to create a wonderful and complex flavor.
A sparkling rosé provides a perfect foil for the complex interaction of seafood, saffron and other flavors in the paella, and both the paella and the wine make a festive party.
You don't have to fix it for 50, though note that The Spanish Table in Berkeley (www.tablespan.com) sells a pan for as many as 200 servings (It's more than 4 feet across and has six handles).
Fortunately, Mondavi says her recipe can simply be scaled down linearly to serve fewer people, such as 1/4 as much of each ingredient for 12 people.
You can also increase the percentage of rice, and I love the sauce-soaked rice as much as the lobsters and other ingredients.
Every paella differs, however, and it's common to add mussels, clams and calamari, or to use shrimp or monkfish instead of expensive lobsters, substitute hard smoked Spanish beef chorizo (not Mexican, which is crumbly pork), and sprinkle on a green vegetable such as peas or asparagus for color and flavor contrast.
Mondavi imports the flavorful Sea Star salt she specifies, and it can be found in many local markets and gourmet shops.
Mondavi served the paella with a simple salad and for dessert a Crémant Zabaglione with white and yellow peaches with Cremant Demi-Sec. You could also served the zabaglione with her ginger cookies for a holiday touch.
Forklift Paella
Chef Holly Peterson Mondavi
Ingredients:
50 chicken thighs
25 Italian sausages
15 lobsters (1.5 lbs each)
5 lbs. Chilean sea bass
60 mussels
15 cups Arborio rice
8 cups white wine
15 cups unsalted chicken stock (plus some extra)
6 oz. saffron threads
1 bunch fresh oregano
1 bunch fresh marjoram
10 roasted and peeled red bell peppers
2 bunches Italian parsley
5 chopped shallots (1/2 cup)
1 head fresh garlic (5 tbsp chopped)
1 -1/2 cups olive oil
Sea Star Sea Salt to taste
Forklift (optional)
Directions:
Steam the lobsters for nine minutes. Remove the claws and shell. With the shell still on the tails, cut the tails lengthwise in half. Reserve the lobster meat with the juice and tails for adding to the paella later.
Roast, peel and seed the red bell peppers. Slice them into pieces. Save the peppers and the juice for later. Heat the chicken broth in a separate pot. Cut the sausages into 3-inch pieces. Toss the chicken thighs with olive oil and 3 tablespoons sea salt. Filet and remove the skin and bones of the sea bass. and cut into 2-inch pieces. Finely chop the herbs but keep them separate.
Place paella pan over even heat. Brown the chicken thighs on all sides. Add the sausage and brown on all sides. Add the shallots and stir. When the shallots become translucent, stir in the rice, then saffron threads. Carefully add the white wine, as it will steam up quickly. Add the garlic and hot chicken stock and stir. Arrange the chicken and sausages evenly around the pan and press down into the rice. Arrange the bell pepper and sea bass in the pan and press down into the rice, followed by the lobster and some of the chopped herbs. Cover the pan and adjust heat to a simmer. Total cooking time is about 1/2 hour but will vary slightly. Check rice, chicken and fish for doneness. Adjust seasoning if necessary with sea salt, herbs or broth.
Serves 50. Enjoy with Schramsberg Brut Rose!
Holiday Ginger Cookies
Chef Holly Peterson Mondavi
Ingredients:
1/2 cup crystalline ginger, finely chopped
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar
6 Tbsp butter, room temperature
1/4 cup unsulfured molasses
1 large egg
2 cups all purpose flour
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. Sea Star sea salt
1/2 tsp. ground black pepper
3/4 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp. each ground clove, ginger and nutmeg
Superfine sugar to coat
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
In food processor whirl ginger and sugar until finely ground. Beat butter and brown sugar in large mixing bowl until fluffy. Add ginger mixture, molasses and egg, and mix to blend. In separate bowl, combine dry ingredients. Add to butter mixture and mix well. Cover dough and chill until firm to the touch, about 1 hour. Shape dough into large balls of about 2 tbsp. each. Flatten slightly and roll in sugar to coat. Place balls 2-3 inches apart on nonstick baking sheet. Bake until slightly browned, about 12-15 minutes. Transfer to racks to cool.
Serve or store in airtight container for up to one week, or they may be frozen. Makes 3 dozen cookies.
Zabaglione
Chef Holly Peterson Mondavi
Ingredients:
5 egg yolks
1 whole egg
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar
1 cup Schramsberg Crémant sparkling dessert wine, stirred to dissipate most of the carbonation
2 tablespoons heavy cream
Directions:
Either use a double boiler, or use a metal or Pyrex bowl over a large pot containing water, making sure the bowl fits securely and it doesn't touch the water. Bring the water to a light boil over medium heat with the bowl off heat.
Place the egg yolks, whole egg and sugar in the bowl. Whisk together until pale yellow and well-blended.
Place the bowl over the simmering water. Whisk continuously for 10 minutes, or until the mixture coats the back of the spoon. Add the Crémant and whisk continuously for about 10 minutes, or until the mixture is the consistency of a medium-thick pastry cream. Add the heavy cream and whisk until blended. Carefully remove the bowl from the heat.
Spoon the zabaglione over berries or other fruit in wine glasses. Serve immediately or chilled. 6 servings
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