The magic of French Cuisine casts spell over Ingredients

With such a storied culinary past, the French have formulated numerous rituals and theories that go along with eating food. For one, “there is more to a meal than just sustenance.” As the French have taught us, there are several elements that go into a perfect evening: good food, good drinks and good company. At Ingredients Cafe’s French Wine-pairing Dinner on Tuesday, September 26, the wine was flowing, the five-course dinner was amply portioned, and the company? Excellent. The dining room was crowded that evening. A large table occupied the center of the floor and other wine dinner guests sat at tables encircling it. Shiela Stewart of the Wine Merchants poured the first wine, a Chapoutier Muscat Beaumes de Venise. Shiela instructed us that we had to save the wine to drink with the first course, but restraining ourselves was difficult. This lovely sweet wine is usually served with dessert, but it paired perfectly with the first course's sweet tidbits, paving the way to an exceptional dinner.
Since Chefs Ben and Tony decided to start the night off with such an ultimate and richly flavored delicacy – Foie Gras – that we could only eat it in nibbles, punctuated by small sips of the Muscat. The Foie Gras was wrapped in a quick fried Tempura breading and served with Roasted Fig, and Sauternes Syrup on a bed of Mixed Green Salad. The Muscat’s fig undertones highlighted the mellow richness of the figs. An appealing contrast to the primarily honeyed flavors was provided by the fresh bitterness of the greens. Shiela said she was pleased to have an opportunity to showcase wines from Chapoutier winemakers; three out of the five wines she served came from this “Maison.” Since the early 1800s, the Chapoutier family has been producing wine from the Rhone River Valley in France. They employ biodynamic methods to cultivate their grapes. What that means is they use no pesticides and look to natural methods – such as the use of “good bugs” to combat “bad bugs,” and good ol’ manure – to raise their grapes. And, Shiela added, they plant their crops based on the cycles of the moon. This method has produced a wide variety of wines that truly speak of the soil that raised them.	Chef Tony explains the theory of French Cuisine
The second course – a sublime Onion Soup with Duck Confit and Garlic Rapini Crostini – required an almost wild tasting Chapoutier Cotes-du-Rhone to temper the flavors. This red whine is a mix of fruity granache grapes and robust syrah. Rather than war with the assertive flavors of the course, the Cotes-du-Rhone seemed to dissipate cleanly when tasted with the duck. The Onion Soup was so multi-layered – a hint of onion, a hint of dry sherry, just the right amount of salt – the dinner could have stopped there and people would have left satisfied. My dinner companion noted that the right amount of salt was used on the crostini bread, too, but in the opposite direction. Flakes of white crystals peppered (is that a pun? If so, then it’s intended) the crisp toast, satisfying our salt cravings whether we bit into it by itself, dipped it into our soup or draped it in succulent duck or the garlic-laced rapini.	Onion Soup with Duck COnfit and Garlic Rapini Crostini
We were transported from the ocean depths to the dark forests with the fourth course, a succulent Venison Loin served with Cranberry Sauce, Purple Cabbage and Celery Root Brulee. The venison was served rare with a veneer of red wine. Unlike the venison that I am used to eating (dragged home through the mountains of New Hampshire by my dad), the gaminess of this meat was more of an accent than an overbearing flavor. I was struck by how the venison tasted like a combination of pork and beef. Cranberry and cabbage are classic accompaniments to venison, and they did their job well. The pungent, tart natures of these two sides were seconded by the robust Chapoutier Crozes Hermitage “Les Meysonniers.” “This, ladies and gentlemen, is the wine of the night,” Shiela announced. Made from 100% syrah grapes, it was not a shy wine. The most apparent flavors were pepper and spice. It would have knocked us over if we weren’t sitting down. At the same time, however, the vintage was not harsh. Its pungency was all flavor and no burn. By the time dessert rolled around, most of the patrons were feeling like they should be rolled home. The rich foods were formidable foes, but tasted so good that we couldn’t let any go to waste.
Again, a sweet dish was countered with a delicate wine, this time a Josmeyer Riesling “Le Kottabe” from the Alsace region of France. It was a lovely dry accompaniment for the Classic Tarte Tatin – a Puff Pastry topped with Caramel Apples and Vanilla Ice Cream. The caramel was so delicately sweet and it was drizzled with abandon over the oven-soft apples. The ice cream – an in-house recipe – was luxuriously creamy and soaked into the pastry, making it feel like bread pudding. The Kottabe’s tartness did not sour the dessert – something that happens more often than you’d think when trying to pair wines to the finale.   As my dinner companion looked at the remnants of her dessert, she declared, “I’m stuffed, but I will still lick the plate.” I think that sentiment was shared by all.	Tarte Tatin – Puff Pastry topped with Caramel drizzled Apples and Vanilla Ice Cream