Food-matching PERFECT PAIRINGS: Sticky chicken tulips, prunes, APPETISERS WITH STYLE smoked bacon, Food and wine-matching expertise doesn’t come much more accomplished than at London members’ club 67 Pall Mall. Top sommelier and Decanter judge Ronan Sayburn MS explains toasted pecans, how he worked with the club’s head chef, Marcus Verberne, to produce an in-depth reference on the subject, and selects four of their superb in-house recipes with tips on wine-matching star anise

Serves 4 as an appetiser

ood and wine-matching can be as For our book Food and Wine: The Perfect INGREDIENTS complicated or as easy as you want Match, 67 Pall Mall chef Marcus Verberne and • 16 chicken wing ‘drumsticks’, ordered from to make it: either drink the wine I approached the pairings in different ways. your butcher you like with the food you like and Some were classics: moules marinière with • 600ml chicken stock Fdon’t worry about it, or have fun and try to Muscadet and choucroute garni with Alsace • 8 star anise create something with a synergy that can Riesling, for example. For others, we thought • 2.5cm cinnamon stick elevate the combination to another level. about flavours and ingredients from the • 50g pitted prunes Personally, I look at good matches that country of origin and worked them into dishes • 40g pecans either compare or contrast – echoing the around the wine’s flavours: beef skirt rubbed • 1 tbsp honey flavours of the wine in the food’s ingredients, with merkén spice and served with stuffed • 4 smoked pancetta rashers, finely chopped or contrasting flavours to cleanse the palate green peppers and sweetcorn to match Chilean Above: the inaugural • 2 tbsp groundnut oil and refresh for the next bite. Carmenère. Plus our favourite, where we threw publication from • 80ml Madeira To create a truly memorable experience, caution to the wind and made a canapé/bar London’s 67 Pall Mall • 1 tbsp soft brown sugar it’s important to consider the ingredients and snack to go with Madeira, mirroring flavours club, Wine and Food: • salt cooking techniques, richness and flavour of of pecan nuts, prunes, smoked bacon and star The Perfect Match , garnishes and even the order of service anise with chicken (see recipe, opposite). (£40, Jacqui Small, To prepare the chicken tulips, using the heel of foods and wines. Chargrilled venison has a Here we share with you four recipes that September 2020) of a heavy cook’s knife, assertively chop the very different depth of flavour and texture to make bite-sized portions – ideal for the festive small knuckle off the end of each wing that of a poached Dover sole, and the wine season ahead – accompanied by wine match drumstick to reveal the bone. Pull back the match needs to take this into consideration. ideas that we believe work extremely well. flesh from the drumsticks, turning it inside Season’s greetings! out to reveal the bone in its entirety. Place the Classic combinations chicken tulips into a small saucepan and cover Comparable flavours may include fresh green Ronan Sayburn MS is head of wine for members’ with the stock. herbs with lemons and capers on fish, matched club 67 Pall Mall in central London, as well as CEO Add the star anise and cinnamon and with a crisp Sauvignon Blanc or Verdicchio. of the Court of Master Sommeliers Europe. He is season well with salt. Over a medium heat, Above: canapé chicken Deglaze the pan with the Madeira and add the Match the creamy lactic flavours found in a regular judge at the Decanter World Wine bring to the boil, skimming off any impurities tulips prepared with brown sugar and prune . Toss the tulips cream or sauces with an oaky style of Awards and in 2020 took up the role of Regional Below from left: Ronan that collect on the surface with a ladle. Once it ingredients that mirror in the pan to coat, then pour in 150ml of the wine that has been through its malolactic Chair for Alsace. He also runs his own RS Wine Sayburn MS with head is boiling, drop in the prunes and remove from the flavours of Madeira reserved stock. Stirring regularly, reduce the fermentation and developed softer acidity and Academy, a consultancy specialising in wine chef Marcus Verberne the heat. Allow to cool and infuse for 30-40 stock to a sticky caramelised glaze, with a a broader, richer palate – classic oaky training for the trade and wine events. at the 67 Pall Mall club minutes. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to consistency that coats the chicken. Place the Chardonnay from Burgundy or California 170°C. Place the pecans on a small oven tray tulips on a serving platter and coat with the would fit this. Deep and intense Asian flavours and toast for 5 minutes or so. Remove the tray glaze. Roughly chop the honey-roasted pecans of fish and palm sugar with chilli pair from the oven, drizzle over the honey and mix, and sprinkle them over the top. Serve with a well with off-dry wines such as German coating the nuts in the honey, then return to finger bowl and plenty of napkins. ➢ Riesling or Alsace Gewurztraminer; roast leg the oven for a final 2-3 minutes. Remove from of lamb with an elegant, mature Bordeaux; the oven, mix them again, then allow to cool. barbecued and charred ribs and sticky glaze Once the stock has cooled, strain the with a full-bodied Zinfandel. All follow simple chicken through a sieve over a bowl to collect WINE MATCH guidelines of matching flavours, weight and the cooking liquor. Remove and discard the intensity without overpowering one another. star anise and cinnamon: they have done their Madeira is one of the most wonderfully complex wines you will ever taste, but Contrasting flavours can be acidic wines job. Place the chicken tulips on kitchen paper it’s often left to the end of the meal, or served with cheese. We wanted to do counterbalancing fatty or oily foods, such as to dry. Chop the softened prunes very finely to something different. This sticky chicken dish works very well, as the intense smoked salmon with Chablis; charcuterie and create a paste. To finish the chicken, preheat a flavours in the Madeira need to be paired with punchy ingredients. It’s a fun pâtés with a young Beaujolais; the salty flavour non-stick frying pan over a medium heat. Fry bar snack or pre-dinner nibble. The sticky glaze is infused with the most of Stilton cheese with sweet Port; or rich the chicken tulips and pancetta in the prominent flavours present in aged Madeira, such as smoky bacon, prunes, Christmas pudding with a light Moscato d’Asti. groundnut oil until the pancetta is crispy. honey and nuts, with the complementary spices of star anise and cinnamon.

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Oyster tempura, green apple, & lime , shiso

Serves 4 as an appetiser enough room at the top to allow for rapid Right: the laser-like boiling when the oysters are added. Place over acidity of a good- INGREDIENTS a high heat, but be careful it doesn’t get too quality Hunter Valley • Tempura batter (see below) hot. If you have a cooking thermometer, use it Semillon perfectly cuts • 100g tempura flour, to coat to regulate the temperature. If not, test the through oyster tempura • 1 tbsp wasabi paste heat by dropping in a cube of bread; it should • 2 tbsp lime juice bubble on entry and start to brown after 15 • 150g mayonnaise seconds. Have to hand some kitchen paper • vegetable oil, to deep-fry and a slotted spoon to remove the oysters from • 12 live rock oysters the hot oil (don’t try to use spring-loaded • 1 Granny Smith apple tongs – this can be very dangerous, for obvious • rock salt, to serve reasons). Shuck the oysters (find a guide online, • 1 punnet purple shiso cress, to serve (optional) if you need it), then tip off the juices and reserve. Place the oysters into a colander and FOR THE MAYONNAISE wash the bowl-shaped shells (discard the • 6 egg yolks flatter half of the shells). Fill a serving platter • 20g English with rock salt and sit the shells on the salt. • 40g Strain the reserved oyster juice to remove • 35ml white wine any fragments of shell. Add enough of it to the • 500ml vegetable oil mayonnaise to give a loose cream • 250ml consistency. If you have a mandolin, use it to • Juice of ½ lemon, or to taste cut the apple into thin batons. If not, do so with a knife. Dress immediately with FOR THE TEMPURA BATTER mayonnaise to prevent discolouration. Place a • 300ml sparkling water, chilled little apple into each shell, being generous • 1 ice cube with the dressing. Place the tempura flour into ‘Fill a • 150g tempura flour, plus more to dust a bowl, and, one by one, coat the oysters with the flour, shaking off excess. Drop the floured serving Start by making the batter, then leave it to rest oysters into the batter. When you’re ready to for 30 minutes. When making tempura batter, cook the oysters, lift them out one at a time, platter it’s important that the sparkling water is placing them carefully into the fryer with a chilled. To keep it cold, slide an ice cube inside spoon. Hold the oyster in the spoon submerged with rock the whisk. Place the flour in a bowl. Slowly in the oil for a few seconds to allow the batter whisk in the sparkling water a little at a time. to set, before letting it go (this will stop it from salt and sit The consistency should be light enough to just sticking to the bottom). coat the oysters. Chill until ready to use. Cook 6 at a time, or they will stick together. the oyster To make the mayonnaise, whisk the egg Deep-fry for about 2 minutes, until golden and yolks, mustards and vinegar in a large bowl, crisp. Drain on kitchen paper to soak up any shells on until well combined. Slowly drizzle in the oils, oil, before placing them on the dressed apple whisking continuously until the mixture in the shells. You shouldn’t need to season. If the salt’ thickens and emulsifies. Don’t rush this stage, you like, pick a few purple shiso tips and place or the oils won’t incorporate with the egg them on top of each oyster to serve. ➢ yolks and the mayonnaise will split. Add the lemon juice and season to taste. If the mayonnaise is too thick, add a touch of warm water. It keeps for two weeks in the fridge. WINE MATCH In a mixing bowl, whisk the wasabi and lime juice into the mayonnaise. Don’t adjust A Hunter Valley Semillon from Australia would be a perfect match here, with the seasoning yet, as you will add some of the its flavours of lime and green apple, and oyster minerality. In this region, the salty oyster juice. grape variety produces wines that are bone-dry, with laser-like acidity. With Once the batter has rested, set a deep-fat age, flavours emerge that make you convinced these wines have been aged fryer to 170°C. If you don’t have a fryer, place in oak, when in fact they have not. ALTERNATIVE WINE MATCHES: New the oil in a large, deep saucepan, leaving Zealand Albariño, Alsace Sylvaner or blanc de blancs Champagne.

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Cheese straw trio Aubergine chickpea fritters, Makes about 24 of each straw barrel-aged feta & INGREDIENTS • 100g pitted Kalamata olives Serves 6 an appetiser To produce 400g of aubergine pulp, burn the • 100g salted aubergine skins over a charcoal barbecue, or • 600g all-butter puff pastry FOR THE FRITTERS the flame of a gas hob. Turn to char all sides • plain flour to dust • 4 large aubergines evenly, until the aubergines start to collapse. • 2 eggs, lightly beaten • 2 garlic cloves When cool enough to handle, remove the skins • 300g Parmesan cheese, finely grated • 200g canned chickpeas, drained and rinsed and tops. Spoon the pulp into a muslin cloth, • 100g Emmental cheese, finely grated • 50g gram flour, plus more if needed tie it to form a bag and, using string, hang it • pinch of cayenne pepper over a bowl in the fridge overnight. Preheat the oven to 180°C. Finely chop the • 1 tbsp tahini paste The next day, put the garlic cloves in a small olives and then grind them to a paste in a • juice of 2 lemons, or to taste saucepan, cover with water and set over a high mortar and pestle. Wash out the mortar and • 1 tsp ground cumin heat. Boil for 8 minutes, then drain and cool. pestle and do the same with the anchovies. • 200g feta cheese, chopped into 1cm cubes To make the pesto, preheat the oven to 170°C. Reserve both the pastes, separately, for later. • vegetable oil, to deep-fry Place the pine nuts on a tray and toast in the Cut the pastry into 3 x 200g portions. Dust • basil cress, to serve (optional) oven for 5-7 minutes, or until golden. Remove a worktop with flour and roll each into a large from the oven and spread out to cool. After square. Prick heavily with a fork. Trim the FOR THE PESTO about 10 minutes, add all the ingredients to a edges to get 3 x 30cm squares. Using a pastry • 40g pine nuts blender and pulse-blend until amalgamated brush, brush a coating of egg on the first • 80g basil leaves but still a little coarse; be careful not to over- pastry square right to the edges. Mix 100g of • 80g Parmesan cheese, finely grated blend the pesto. Taste and adjust the seasoning. the Parmesan in a bowl with all the Emmental. • 1 garlic clove, finely chopped Below: aubergine Pulse the chickpeas coarsely in a food Sprinkle half of this evenly over the egg- • 1 chilli, deseeded and finely chopped chickpea fritters paired processor and remove. Peel and finely chop the washed pastry right to the edges. Cover with a • 300ml extra virgin olive oil with a smoky St Laurent garlic. Put the aubergine in the food processor sheet of baking parchment and, using a rolling • salt & pepper red from Austria with the gram flour, cayenne, garlic, tahini, pin with no force, gently roll it across the lemon juice and cumin. Blend to a purée, put pastry so the cheese sticks. Remove the in a bowl and fold in the chickpeas. Season, parchment and lay it flat on the worktop. Above: cheese straws adding lemon juice if needed. Carefully turn the pastry sheet over on to are easy to make, and Set up a deep-fat fryer to 190°C, or use a the parchment, then repeat the process on the go well with Champagne saucepan. Test a spoon of fritter mix in the other side, with more egg and the other half of fryer. If it disintegrates, add a little more gram the cheese mixture. Cut each pastry sheet into Right: Taittinger’s flour. Fold in the feta. You can use 2 dessert 12 x 2.5cm strips. Line several baking trays Comtes de Champagne, spoons to shape the mixture into quenelles, with baking parchment. Twist the ends of Blanc de Blancs but this is tricky for a novice, so don’t feel each strip in opposite directions until you defeated if you choose to drop the mixture have a tight straw and lay them out on the from a spoon instead. Deep-fry the fritters for baking trays, leaving space between them so a couple of minutes until golden and crispy. they crisp up (you may have to bake these in You’ll need to do this in batches. Once ready, batches). Bake for 10-12 minutes until golden drain on kitchen paper. Serve with the pesto and crispy. While they are still warm, using a and sprinkle basil cress over, if you like. D serrated knife, trim each end and cut each straw in half. Cool on a wire rack. with paste. Serve at room Spread the second pastry sheet with half temperature, or flash back through the oven the olive paste and scatter with another 50g of for a couple of minutes to serve warm. WINE MATCH the Parmesan. Cover with a sheet of baking parchment and, using a rolling pin with no This is inspired by the Arabic meze dip baba force, gently roll it across the pastry so the ganoush. The key is to make sure the skins of the cheese sticks. Remove the parchment and lay WINE MATCH aubergine are charred to ash; only then will you it flat on the worktop. Carefully turn the achieve the smoky flavour integral to the dish. pastry sheet over on to the parchment, then The perfect pairing for Champagne or sparkling wine. Rather than just one You can serve as a starter, or smaller, as a canapé. repeat the process on the other side, using the flavour, we are giving you three: both salted anchovies and olives are great Austrian St Laurent is a deep and dark red wine remaining olive paste and 50g more with Champagne and sparkling wine, so we are using those. These are so easy with a smoky character, and this is mirrored in the Parmesan. Form the straws and bake as above. to make. The lactic and nutty nature of cheese and the toasty, yeasty charred aubergines that go into these fritters. Make the anchovy straws in the same way character of pastry both work well with Champagne, which can have similar ALTERNATIVE WINE MATCHES: Petit Verdot, as the olive straws, replacing the olive paste flavours. The wine’s acidity will also cut through the richness of the pastry. Douro red or German Spätburgunder.

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