Flavour conduit

Despite our year-around attraction to the barbeque, we are now entering the time of year when we also begin to think of “comfort food”. Rich stews, casseroles and marinated meats and fowls will begin to headline the bill of fare. All these menus are enhanced by the addition of a suitable wine, which—by adding a combination of acid, sugar, tannins and alcohol— deepens the flavour profiles and complexity of a dish.

Fall and winter tends to be the time when we roast meats and fowl in the oven. I find that the best way to extract the maximum flavours of any roast is, once the meat is cooked and set aside to rest, to deglaze the roasting pan with a little wine (red in the case of beef, lamb, or game; white for poultry). This process allows all the pan juices to integrate with the wine, with an end result of a deep, rich sauce or gravy that enhances the dish. The results are even more intensified if vegetables have been roasted in the same pan as the meat.

Always keep in mind that the wine used for cooking may also be served with the dish. If you can’t drink it, don’t cook with it. If a wine is corked or oxidized, do not use it for cooking, as it will really destroy your dish. Use moderation when adding a port, Marsala or fortified wine. When you add wine or spirits to a recipe, the heat will remove the alcohol but not its flavour. It makes sense to cook with the same wine that you will enjoy with the meal.

Sometimes wine can be used without cooking off the alcohol. Gin, vodka or brandy may be added to a cold dish such as vodka-cured salmon or a brandy-infused steak tartare to ensure the protein is safe for consumption. In these examples, alcohol is used to “cure” the fish or meat, in much the same way as lemon juice is used to prepare scallops or any seafood ceviche. You might also add a little dessert wine to a dessert or ice cream (always a popular choice), but don’t forget the alcohol has lost none of its potency when calculating the sum total of your alcohol consumption at a meal.

Alcohol has its place in the kitchen as a conduit by which the flavours of a dish can be maximized.

It is also the time of year to explore weightier wines such as Baco Noir, Cabernet Franc, Merlot or Pinotage. All these wines are grown in the County. And next weekend, the Crystal Palace will host the opportunity to taste from this pantheon of sublime County wines.