No, this wasn’t a romantic pre-Valentines dinner. It was simply another of my dinner parties this past Saturday with my friends, Frantz and Karina. The menu of Corned Beef and Cabbage, was made from James Beard’s 1965 recipe. Sooo easy and it was delicious…recipe below. Dessert was one of my specialities, Cherry Clafoutis. For those who aren’t Francophiles, Clafoutis is a traditional French dessert; sort of like a baked custard and traditionally with cherries. Although, being the adventurous recipe freak that I am, I have made it with white peach and blueberries, when in season, and my French friends have joyfully accepted this messing with tradition. I poach the peaches in Lillet first….can’t wait for summer to return!
What did we drink?? Frantz is a fine winemaker and has made a fortified white dessert/apéritif wine from Muscat. So we sipped a bit before dinner while noshing on hummus and olives. With the main course, we started with a lovely Grenache from Domaine André Brunel, a new estate in Southern Rhone Valley. A simple Vin de Pays, which pairs great with a workman’s dinner like corned beef and cabbage. This wine is imported by Robert Kacher Selections , one of my favorite portfolios. If I am browsing wines in a shop, looking to try something new, I always look for who the importer is, and if it’s a Robert Kacher, Louis/Dressner, Kermit Lynch…to name a few, for sure I will try that wine. They focus on smaller, quality producers.
Then we moved on to a bolder, more complex 2006 Meritage, made by Frantz for Sweely Estate Winery and called ’1867′. Frantz is originally from St. Emilion, so his roots show forth in his winemaking. The blend is 75% merlot aged for 12 months in new French oak, and 25% cabernet franc that stayed in stainless steel. The fruit is rich with dark cherry, slight toast and leather, with a hefty structure and tannins just enough to tell you that this baby will age beautifully. This wine garnered 3 Gold Medals, one from an international wine competition called The Dallas Morning News….., but I’ve been drinking this wine from inception and it was fabulous even before the medals arrived.
We continued to drink the Meritage with the cheese course, which was a buttery, soft Robiola from the Piedmont Region of Italy. A combination of sheep & cow’s milk. I highly recommend this cheese. Be sure to let it sit out and ripen before serving. And this could also pair with a full bodied white wine. We went back to the fortifed Muscat for dessert and it paired beautifully. Already you get lots of ripe pear and once the alcohol settles down, this wine will be fantastic. Frantz will continue to nurture this wine along and I am always honored when a winemaker shares their work-in-progress with me.
My only Valentine story is that I received a dozen red roses from a “Secret Admirer.” No kidding! I think I may have figured out who the masked admirer is…but, regardless, I spent V-Day curled up on my sofa watching my favorite love story, Pride & Prejudice, with Colin Firth as Mr. Darcy….now why couldn’t Colin have been the secret admirer!
I haven’t forgotten…here is the Corned Beef and Cabbage recipe – serves 6 with some left overs. I made a smaller portion.
6 lbs. of corned brisket of beef (I just used a brisket of beef)
6 peppercorns, packet of pickling spice (I used 2 palmfuls of McCormick Pickling Spice)
3 carrots, peeled & quartered (I used more, because I love carrots cooked this way!)
3 onions, peeled & quartered
1 medium-size green cabbage, quartered or cut in wedges
Melted butter (4 tablespoons)
Place the corned beef/brisket in water to cover, with the peppercorns and pickling spices in a large pot. Cover the pot, bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer 5 hours or until tender, skimming occasionally. During the last hour, add the carrots and onions, and cover again. During the last 15 minutes, add the cabbage. Transfer meat and vegetables to a platter and brush the vegetables with the melted butter.
Serve with parsleyed boiled potatoes, cooked separately.
Recipe from House & Garden
January 1965
James A. Beard
A cook from Auburn, CA suggested using Guinness while simmering, and I plan to try that next time.
Cheers,
Anita
I’m still waiting for the blog post about the dinner party that you hosted for us so that I can steal the recipe for those wonderful shrimp and that delicious cake!
Hey Anita
I love the corned beef recipe and the clafoutis. This is real good honest food and brisket is such a tasty, but unfashionable, cut of beef. Well done you. The muscat would work like a dream with the cherry (very traditional) clafoutis. If you moved over the Alps to Italy you would find an Asti Spumanti would work with the pud as well. I would not normally drink Asti but it works suprisingly well with puds such as this. Clafoutis is such a versatile dessert that you can use fruits such as raspberries, or blueberries as you have, or any good fruit, use your imagination.
Maybe I could be your Mr Darcy (well maybe an internet substitute)….but please do not tell my wife.
Tim from Stratford upon Avon, where Will Shakespeare once walked the streets.