It was a great evening. And in a tremendous burst of generosity, you opened too many bottles. Your guests, although friendly, deserted the lounge before sunrise, without finishing the wine. Don't force yourself to drink it! You can find many use of leftover wines.
First of all, wine keeps better than you might think, especially with modern refrigerators. Secondly, very few people knows this, but white wine is fantastic for wiping out red wine stains - tried and tested many times and approved just as much. But if it's good, it's better to use it for a higher purpose: cooking.
The number of recipes that use wine is almost infinite.
They depend on the region, the colour of the wine, its aromas, the type of dish, etc. coq au vin, boeuf bourguignon, daube provençale, oeufs en meurette with red wine. And, overall, any cooked meat in a casserole for which you would like to make a sauce base.
The white wine is not to be outdone, it goes well with rabbit with mustard, mussels, risotto, frog's legs, Savoyard fondue, scallops with white butter, veal sauté, pork sauté, mutton stew too.
You can also prepare dessert with red wine: strawberries in red wine with vanilla, peaches or pears in red wine with spices. And with a sweet white wine? A sabayon, apple cake, fruit salad.
If wine is so present in the kitchen, it's not just to rinse off the chef and his clerks. It has precious faculties. In marinade, it softens the flesh of meat and fish. Alcohol seeps into textures, transmits the aromas of wine and aromatic herbs. It also preserves raw meat and fish if the fridge is out of order.
So which wine to choose for cooking?
Just apply the same basis as for food-wine pairings. A local dish calls for a wine from the same place of birth. Basically, we agree on the colour: with fish and white meat, white wine; with red meat and game, red wine. The strength is taken into account: for delicate dishes, a delicate wine; for powerful sauces, a powerful wine. Fine gourmets will play on the aromas. A sauvignon or a white wine with citrus notes will go well with a lemon sauce, a woody white burgundy will accompany a creamy mushroom sauce. A fruity and not very tannic red wine will highlight strawberries while a tannic burgundy will complete a wine merchant sauce.
Obviously, there is no need to choose a grand cru, which will lose all its finesse when cooked. It is better to choose a round and very fruity wine, which will transmit its aromas. It is important to know that while cooking enhances these aromas, it also reveals the defects of a wine. Bad wines therefore have no place on the plate.
Comments