À la maison Eat... Drink... Baby leek galettes Richard Hemming toasts Member with goat’s cheese of Parliament Samuel Pepys this Flavours of France and wild garlic month as he discovers the great wines of France, as mentioned in great INGREDIENTS quotes, spoken by great people • 12 to 14 baby leeks, white and light green parts only Wine Quoter, part three: Samuel Pepys and Haut-Brion • 3 tablespoons unsalted butter • Leaves from 6 sprigs thyme “There drank a sort of French wine called Ho • ½ cup (120ml) dry white wine, such as Burgundy chardonnay Bryan, that hath a good and most particular • ½ cup (120ml) crème fraîche taste that I never met with” • Fleur de sel and freshly ground black pepper • 1 large egg, beaten So said Samuel Pepys in a diary entry it is a blend of cabernet sauvignon and • 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh dated 10 April 1663, when describing merlot, plus a smaller percentage of flat-leaf parsley a night at the Royal Oak Tavern in cabernet franc. This holy trinity is what • ½ recipe pâte brisée (see recipe opposite) Lombard Street. The wine he mentions gives Bordeaux its characteristic dark • Unbleached all-purpose flour, for dusting is known today as Château Haut-Brion, cassis fruit, full body, firm tannins and • 1 cup (115g) crumbled fresh goat’s cheese and he surely could not have imagined balanced, crisp acidity. In the hands • Handful of wild garlic leaves or ramp leaves, they would be celebrating his words on of great producers, it makes wines of coarsely chopped the exact same day 350 years later. superb complexity and length, capable • 1 large egg yolk Haut-Brion is a wine estate in of ageing for many decades. • 3 tablespoons heavy cream Bordeaux, in the Pessac-Léognan This was demonstrated on 10 April appellation close to the city. Today, it 2013, when Cambridge University METHOD is most famous as one of the five ‘first hosted a celebratory tasting of Haut- Preheat the oven to 400°F (205°C). Line a growths’, a classification made in 1855 Brion, including vintages stretching baking sheet with parchment paper. that ranked each château according back to the 1980s, to mark 350 years Halve each leek lengthwise, then cut them Pâte Brisée to its price, and by implication, its since Pepys’ diary entry. Records don’t crosswise into thin slices. Rinse the leeks in a quality. For centuries, Haut-Brion has reveal how expensive Haut-Brion • Makes enough for two (9 inch/23cm) large bowl of cold water, swishing to remove maintained a reputation as one of the was back in the 17th century, but tarts OR 16 (4 inch/10cm) tartlets any sand. Using your hands, transfer the leeks very best producers in the region, and it is inevitably costly now – so I’ve • 3 cups (375g) unbleached all-purpose flour to a colander to drain, leaving the sand in the indeed the world. also included two more affordable • 1 teaspoon fleur de sel bottom of the bowl. Like the majority of top red Bordeaux, recommendations to look out for. • 1½ cups (3 sticks/340g) cold unsalted In a large sauté pan, melt the butter over butter, cut into small pieces medium heat. Add the leeks, thyme, and ½ • ¼ cup (60ml) ice water, strained cup (120ml) water and sauté until the leeks • 1 teaspoon distilled white vinegar are tender, 10 to 12 minutes. Add the wine Château Haut-Brion 1998 Pessac-Léognan (£583 Roberson Wine) and cook until the liquid has reduced, 10 to Made from 60% merlot, the 1998 vintage is rich, full and potent In a large bowl, whisk together the flour and 15 minutes more. Add the crème fraîche and – an ideal candidate for long ageing. At full maturity, Haut-Brion salt. Add the butter. Using your hands, gently stir to coat the leeks. Season with salt and is said to have an aroma of warm bricks and there is definitely toss to coat the butter in the flour mixture. pepper. Remove from the heat and let cool for something earthy about this wine, offering the sort of complexity Scoop the mixture in your hands and gently 10 minutes. Add the beaten egg and parsley of flavour that simply few other châteaux can achieve – a ‘good and press the flour and butter between your and stir to incorporate. Set aside. particular taste’ indeed. fingertips until the mixture looks grainy with Divide the pâte brisée into six equal pieces. some small pieces of butter still visible. Work On a lightly floured surface with a floured Château Brown 1998 Pessac-Léognan (£29.10 Colombier Wines) quickly to ensure the butter stays cold. rolling pin, roll each piece into a round about From the same appellation as Haut-Brion, the blend of Château Brown In a small bowl, whisk together the 6 inches (15cm) in diameter and ¼ inch contains more cabernet sauvignon than its neighbour, giving it the sort cold water and vinegar. Drizzle over the (6mm) thick. Brush off any excess flour with a of structure that can also age well. At 20 years old, this bottle is at its peak, dough and use a fork to gently toss until pastry brush. Arrange the galette rounds on showing off all the exuberant character of great red Bordeaux – cedar, incorporated. Continue working the dough, the parchment-lined baking sheet. Divide the tobacco, blackcurrant, earth and spices. gently squeezing it between your fingertips leek mixture among the galettes, spreading until it comes together and there is no dry it in the centre and leaving a 1½inch (4cm) flour visible. Be careful not to overwork the border. Sprinkle with the goat’s cheese and Château Bauduc 2014 Bordeaux (£9.90 bauduc.com) dough. It’s ready as soon as you can squish wild garlic leaves. Gently fold the border over Surely one of the smartest buys in Bordeaux, Château Bauduc is run the dough in one hand and it stays together. the leek mixture, overlapping it as you go. by expat Gavin Quinney and is a perfect example of the style: savoury Divide the dough in half and shape each In a small bowl, whisk together the egg yolk black fruits and subtle spices with a hearty, firm structure. There’s no half into a disk. Wrap them in plastic, wrap and The Cook’s Atelier: Recipes, Techniques, and Stories from Our and heavy cream. Use a pastry brush to lightly need to age this wine: the 2014 vintage is drinking brilliantly now, with refrigerate for at least 1 hour, or preferably French Cooking School by Marjorie Taylor and Kendall Smith brush the egg wash over the dough. the appetising acidity and generous fruit intensity that makes it a great overnight. Pâte brisée can be wrapped in a Franchini (Abrams, £35) Photographs by Anson Smart Bake until the pastry is golden and the cheese match for stews and steaks. double layer of plastic wrap and refrigerated for is just starting to brown, 25 to 30 minutes. up to two days or frozen for up to two months. On the menu next month: Watercress soup Serve warm. completefrance.com completefrance.com March 2019 Living France 63