296586 Thu Mar 25 16:58:01 -0800 2004 9 27 General Chowhounding Topics 0 1634209 I'm serving, for 6 people, the following meal: To start: Chestnut soup (possibly with a fennel creme fraiche) Main: Spiced* pork tenderloin Roasted root vegetables Butternut squash quinoa *(spice rub includes coriander, cumin, cardomom & star anise) I am stumped as to what to serve with the soup. I was thinking perhaps a sercial madeira, but the fennel throws me off. Also, (and this is dumb) I don't have proper stemware for madeira, i don't think! For entree, I believe I will serve a ripe, juicy zinfandel for the "meaty" wine drinkers, but I'd like a lighter wine for those who don't care for zin. What goes well with such a well-spiced dish? Thu Mar 25 16:58:01 -0800 2004 0 Fatemeh 1 1634220 How about an Alsatian Gewurztraminer? It's a wine that is often recommended as a good accompaniment to Asian food ... the spices in your rub are definitely Asian. Thu Mar 25 18:42:12 -0800 2004 1634209 0 Timowitz 1 1634226 You'll hear it on this board often; German white wines go great with spicy foods. Low acid, low alcohol, fruity, often a touch of sweetness. Riesling and Gewurz are very versatile. Thu Mar 25 20:29:29 -0800 2004 1634209 0 sbp 1 1634236 FWIW, there's a prior thread on the Chestnut soup topic... see link at bottom of the page. Matching wines to this dinner is more complicated than first meets the eye, IMO, but here's a "basic" approach that should work pretty well: 1) The roasted root veggies definitely work w/ Chardonnay and sauvignon blanc... try "grilling" them with a bit of garlic-infused olive oil and the match with Chardonnay will be even better. So, I'd go with Chard here. 2) Butternut Squash Quinoa. Gewurztraminer, Riesling, Chardonnay all might work, depending on recipe. If you include garlic & butter in the recipe then Chardonnay begins to stand out. Add a bit of cream, perhaps & chardonnay gets that much better. So, again, you can do this dish to match very nice w/ chardonnay. 3) Chestnut soup: I'd have TWO wines on the table here, A) an Amontillado Sherry or Madeira AND B) a white wine, given the fennel and creme fraiche. NOW... which white wine ?? Fennel definitely likes sauvignon blanc and a drier chardonnay. Chardonnay works nicely w/ the creme fraiche. Semillion is very nice white w/ chestnuts as is riesling. But we've already established chardonnay as the best match w/ the roasted veggies & quinoa squash. So, go w/ Chardonnay or a chardonnay/semillon blend here. 3) Pork Tenderloin. Overall best reds for a "spicy pork" are probably Syrah or Zinfandel, so have one of those w/this course. The chardonnay wouldn't really interfere here but wouldn't probably match as nicely w/ this dish as riesling or gewurztraminer given the spices involved.... but chardonnay/semillon works so well w/ the roasted veggies, the squash dish, and the chestnut soup that I think you have to go with it. SO, backing into the lineup: 1) W/ Chestnut soup: 2 glasses, 1 sherry or madeira and the other chardonnay/semillon (heavier on chard in the blend is best) 2) Pork tenderloin: 2 glasses, 1 zin or syrah and the other the white wine from the soup course 3) Roasted/ grilled veggies: white wine from the soup course carries over 4) Butternut squash quinoa: white wine from the soup course carries over. That's 3 wines total, if you wanted to add a 4th I'd definitely rec that be a riesling or gewurztraminer. NOTE: With these wines you can add a VERY INTERESTING Fromage course of your 3 wines and 3 cheeses: Chardonnay w/ Brie, Sherry or Madeira w/ a Blue Cheese, and Zinfandel w/ Monterrey Jack. Your dinners guests will love it! Link: http://www.chowhound.com/topics/show/296347#1631985 Thu Mar 25 22:17:33 -0800 2004 1634209 0 Chicago Mike 2 1634277 What a wonderful, wonderful post! thank you SO much - and what great suggestions for the cheese course! Will definitely be doing that. Fri Mar 26 12:49:18 -0800 2004 1634236 0 Fatemeh 3 1634300 Fatemeh: Here's a little twist to consider... just one person's opinion... When I was reviewing your food planning, the dish that gave me the most pause was the Pork Tenderloin. Not that there's anything wrong with it by itself or matched with the Syrah or Zin... but it's a bit "out of step" with the other dishes in that pork is not an accessible match with chardonnay particularly, and the spices lean more towards riesling or gewurztraminer... But chardonnay is the single best match for everything else (if you can only pick one wine). To remedy this I'd suggest as an alternative main dish try an "oily fish steak"... thinking specifically a tuna steak or a salmon steak. THEN match it with both Chardonnay AND Pinot Noir! Or a grilled duck w/ hint of truffle would accomplish the same thing. These dishes EXPLODE with both Pinot and Chardonnay and I think would have greater "overall continuity" with your outstanding meal. If you were to do this, during the fromage match Pinot with Gruyere (which also is interesting w/ Chardonnay) and the Brie. Yet another twist, try a version of the pork tenderloin with more "red wine herbs" such as: onion, garlic, parsley, thyme, bay leaf, rosemary, and black pepper, either in a sauce and/or marinade (DON'T use any vinegar in a marinade). Also if you could involve pancetta, bacon, and/or a red wine reduction in the preparation that would be very friendly to a stout red like zin or syrah. Your meal will be fabulous just as is, and is very "interesting" as well. If your guests are winenuts you could offer BOTH a syrah and a zin with the pork tenderloin so they can taste the different matches. These are just "versions" to try on subsequent occasions. Fri Mar 26 15:05:32 -0800 2004 1634277 0 Chicago Mike 4 1634317 All wonderful suggestions... as I was playing with the menu, I was, to be honest, trying to find something to work WITH the pork. It's a dish I've been working on for some time, and is rather exquisite with the roots (I use parsnip, beet, potato, shallot & carrots). They get carmelized and heavenly, especially when paired with the cardamom, star anise, cumin & coriander in the rub - despite the anise, definitely leans more toward the mediterrannean than asian. So I see why the chestnut soup would throw that off... if we approach from a different angle, what would you REPLACE the starter with, assuming I definitely want to do soup? Oh, and I took your phenomenal idea for a fromage plate and ran with it. Here's what I've come up with thus far... Uniao Rainwater Madeira with Spanish Manchego La Crema Chardonnay with Triple Crème Brie Pinot Noir TBD with Taleggio (but now thinking about your gruyere idea...) Krohn Colheita Porto (1989) with English Stilton Fri Mar 26 18:10:08 -0800 2004 1634300 0 Fatemeh 5 1634343 Uniao Rainwater Madeira with Spanish Manchego La Crema Chardonnay with Triple Crème Brie Pinot Noir TBD with Taleggio (but now thinking about your gruyere idea...) Krohn Colheita Porto (1989) with English Stilton ************** Fatemah: Going back to "Plan A" which is your original very interesting meal plan.... First, I'd have a heavier red wine with the pork than Pinot... preferably Syrah, Zin, or Rioja, let's say Zin (your original choice)... So, probably Pinot is out for the fromage because it's out for the main dish. Of course you could always open a bottle of pinot during the fromage but it's not a super cheese wine anyway, so you probably wouldn't. With the madeira, the Manchego is an interesting regional match but I'd also want a blue cheese there with it... preferably the "king" of all blue cheese, Roquefort, AND "parmesan and dates" is a very interesting cheese course w/ Madeira as well. Now, keeping with that theme, instead of Port and Stilton, consider Sauternes and Roquefort, probably my single most favorite cheese and wine combination. With zin I'd match it up with Monterrey Jack. Again, not a super cheese wine, but interesting. SO, that would leave the "Plan A" Fromage as: Uniao Rainwater Madeira w/ Spanish Manchego, Roquefort, Parmesan and Dates La Crema Chardonnay with Triple Crème Brie and Walnuts A single-vineyard Ridge Zinfandel w/ Monterrey Jack A nice Sauternes w/ Roquefort NOW... with this lineup, keep going right to dessert: Madeira loves vanilla, nuts, & dried fruits Sauternes loves vanilla and fruit SO... do a fruit creme brulee w/ walnut dust. OR fruit creme brulee and pecan pie. This will send the dinner off "with dessert in their memory", the hallmark of a great meal ! Sat Mar 27 01:29:41 -0800 2004 1634317 0 Chicago Mike 5 1634344 So I see why the chestnut soup would throw that off... if we approach from a different angle, what would you REPLACE the starter with, assuming I definitely want to do soup? ********** Honestly, I think the Chestnut soup as a starter is fine... it gets the Madeira and Chardonnay introduced into the meal... HOWEVER, if you wanted a substitute, I'd go with a "chardonnay-oriented" soup. Some ideas: 1) Lobster bisque 2) Crab bisque 3) Lobster AND crab bisque 4) a rich New England clam chowder. The keys are: cream, butter, seafood, hint of garlic, for an incredible chardonnay match... The chestnut soup would match the madeira a little better w/ chardonnay also nice... the seafood soups above would match the chardonnay better w/ the madeira also nice. One point to emphasize: if you go w/ chestnut soup I'd look for a Chardonnay/Semillon blend as chestnuts like both semillon and chardonnay. Sat Mar 27 01:36:29 -0800 2004 1634317 0 Chicago Mike 5 1634346 All wonderful suggestions... as I was playing with the menu, I was, to be honest, trying to find something to work WITH the pork. It's a dish I've been working on for some time, and is rather exquisite with the roots (I use parsnip, beet, potato, shallot & carrots). They get carmelized and heavenly, especially when paired with the cardamom, star anise, cumin & coriander in the rub - despite the anise, definitely leans more toward the mediterrannean than asian. ********** Since the pork is really the "featured" item, and a dish you've been working on for some time, don't miss the opportunity to add another wine to this sumptuous meal... since it's already turning bachanallian anyway... Keep Plan A as described (w/ the fromage changes)... But just add one more wine to the lineup: it's gotta be a riesling given the potential matchups with the chestnut soup and the pork spices... The chestnut soup likes a little sweeter, the pork likes a little drier... I'd go w/ a non-dry Kabinett riesling here. So, it's Madeira, Chardonnay/Semillon, and Riesling on the table from the Soup on... Bring out the Zin for the Pork... For Fromage it's Madeira, Chardonnay-Sem, Zin, Sauternes, & Riesling: W/ Kabinett on the table add a young Emmental and a young Gouda to the Fromage!! The Gouda will also match nicely with the Chardonnay... Your fromage course will be world class... For Dessert it's Sauternes and Madeira. This will be one of the more memorable meals your guests have all year. Sat Mar 27 02:54:15 -0800 2004 1634317 0 Chicago Mike