New Gastro Menu

Well the Gastro menu changed yesterday, but i was kinda busy with a few things and so I couldnt update the blog.

Anyways, here it is, with a brief note of what wine Im pairing it with.

Starter

Scallop with anise jelly and fennel

the aniseed is very dominant in this dish so there are a couple of wines that i think this will work with. The first is a Picpoul de Pinet from Chtx St Martin de la Garrigue in the Languedoc. Its a sharp, acidic white with a citrus nose. Its name actually means lip stinger in french and you would see why.

The other wine i might pair this with is a Fiano di Avelino from Feudi di San Grigorio. A native italian grape variety, this is moderately to highly acidic, with a slightly nutty character to it.

Intermediate

Monkfish pan fried with truffled ox cheek and parsley

Ive paired this off with a premium Sake from Yamatagowa. Its Rashiku Ginjo Sake, it comes it at a hefty 15.6%ABV, so you are only .4% away from being classified as a fortified wine!! This is very similar in style and in some flavour characters to a viognier. But its high alcohol content helps cleanse the palate.

Main course

Chelford Beef, herb poached with a sweetbread ravioli and seared foie gras.

For this wine, Ive chosen to go classical, after the off the wall previous choice. Ive chosen a claret from Chateau Bauduc, "Clos des Quinze" 2001. This is a great easy drinking claret from a young english couple, Gavin and Angela Quinney. Dominated by Merlot this wine has lots of complementary flavours that accent the herb poached beef, and the earthyness of the sweetbreads.

Pre-Dessert

Orange Sorbet and Champagne Granite

this is intended as a palate cleanser and as such i dont match anything with this.

Dessert

Trio of Apricot - Tatin, sorbet and melba

Not too sure about this one just yet. At the moment Im experimenting with a Cabernet Franc icewine from Canada's Pelee Island. A rose red sticky sweet wine with a subtle hint of winterberries and rosehip. Ill have to report back during the week to see how i get on with this one.

Well the menu is delicious, although personally, the fennel and anise are just a bit too dominant for my liking, but hey its horses for courses. Speaking of horses, next week sees the start of the racing season at Chester, and its our busiest week of the year. Cant wait - NOT!

grazza