Recipes: Food with wine and wine with food

Fish poached in champagne

Most white wines when added to a white sauce to go with fish generate a rather bitter taste. Pinot whether red or in the form of Champagne lacks the bitter taste component. Champagne as the base of a Mornay sauce is delicately sweet and delicious.

Cut a red onion very fine, add a generous lump of butter and slowly sauté in a thick bottomed pan until the onion is soft (do not let it brown). Add a spoonful of rice flour (ordinary flour would be OK) and cook the flour on low heat. There should be enough butter so that the onion-flour mix remains liquid. Turn off the heat and leave the pan on the stove.

Place a baking dish to warm in a low oven, 120° C.

Place the fish (500gm - 1Kg) into a thick bottomed pan. Fresh Brill cut into small portions is great, or rolled sole filets, or Groper filets cut into chunks. Add 1 dozen Nelson scallops, with roe attached. Cover with Champagne (Lindauer Sec with its yeasty aroma works fine), place on a gentle heat until the fish has just turned white; don't let it boil.

While waiting for the fish to poach, add 3 egg yolks to 300ml cream and mix them together. Add a generous portion of fine grated Gruyere cheese (this has the right sharp flavour, Parmesan is a good substitute), and mix into the cream. Place the onion/flour pan back onto the heat, add the juice from the fish and scallops, and stir constantly until it has fully thickened. Add the cream/egg/Gruyere and keep stirring until the sauce has fully thickened (adjust as necessary). Place the fish in the warmed oven dish, pour the sauce over, sprinkle grated Gruyere or Parmesan on top, and grill at high heat for 2-4 min until the cheese has browned. Remove from the oven and stand for while to let the flavours integrate.

Best accompanied by a Central Otago Pinot Gris or Pinot Rosé wine, lightly chilled.


Venison medallions garnished with red wine sauce

For the garnish: brown mushrooms, onion, garlic, honey-cured bacon. Finely chop these ingredients and fry (low-medium heat) in butter or olive oil until bacon is cooked and vegetables are tender.

Coat the medallions in a generous amount of Dijon mustard (Tarragon or whole-grain). Melt 50gm of butter in a thick-bottomed pan and quickly sauté the medallions. Place the medallions in a warmed serving dish and keep warm. Add 200ml of red wine (Australian shiraz) to the cooked mustard, mix well, and heat until boiling. Add the mushrooms, onion, garlic and bacon, and reduce by about half. Reduce the heat and add 250gm of cream cheese or sour cream, and stir until well mixed. Thicken if necessary with one or two egg yolks.

Cover the medallions with the garnish. This dish can be prepared in advance and reheated in a medium oven just before serving.

Serve with Central Otago Pinot Noir wine, at room temperature

John Harris and Marilyn Duxson, 413 Maori Point Road, Tarras Ph 03 428 8842 or Cell 027 243 2725