Pairing Recommendations for non-traditional Canadian Thanksgiving dinner
It is Thanksgiving in Canada this weekend. My wife and I are hosting a dinner party tonight and would appreciate any pairing recommendations.
The menu is:
1st Course: Cheeses, picholine olives, bread. (I realize this is in reverse order, but....this will allow our guests to graze while we complete dinner). The cheeses we are serving are: Bleu de Basque; Saint Nectaire (soft); and Pepato Siciliano (a hard sheep milk's cheese).
2nd Course (Entree and side dishes served together):
Duck legs in green olive sauce with cracklings and papperdelle
Carrots braised in maple syrup and balsamic vinegar
Collard greens fried in garlic and olive oil
Dessert Course: Homemade apple pie served with vanilla bean ice cream.
I realize this is last minute, but any last-minute suggestions would be appreciated.
-
girobike
Oct 13, 2008 12:12 AM
Hi. I don't do cheeses, but I can help with the duck legs.
If you have cracklings with them (ie. if the skin of the duck's legs is crackly, I would go for a Pfalz Riesling from a sunny year (for the body). We used Koehler-Ruprecht Kallstadter Saumagen Riesling Spätlese Trocken 2003 (late harvest, dry). I suspect the 2005 would do you good:
http://www.snooth.com/wines/Koehler-R...
This specific type of Riesling would open up the flavors of the duck's cracklings to give it a really memorable flavor.
I'll leave more qualified people to comment on the others. :)
