Sticky chicken ‘tulips’ with vintage Sercial madeira

It’s not often you get eight pairings in a single session, any one of which could have been a match of the week which makes this week’s choice particularly difficult but I’m going for a combination that surprised me as much as, I suspect, it will amaze you.

It was one of the mini courses in a tasting to launch a spectacular new book on food and wine pairing - Wine and Food: the perfect Match from Master Sommelier Ronan Sayburn and chef Marcus Verbene of the wine-themed members club 67 Pall Mall.

I’ll post the rest when I have a moment.

I would certainly never have thought of pairing chicken with madeira but neither was in the slightest way ordinary. The chicken ‘tulips’ (basically chicken wings turned inside out) were coated in a sticky glaze flavoured with smoky bacon, prunes, cinnamon and star anise and sprinkled with honey-roasted pecans to which the wine, a 1989 D’Oliveiras Sercial was the perfect nutty, smoky counterpoint with madeira’s typical acidity cutting through the richness and sweetness of the glaze (which also includes madeira but a more humble one).

At 67 Pall Mall it’s served as a bar snack or ‘pre-dinner nibble’ and theoretically serves four* but I would treat yourself and a madeira-loving pal to a whole pile of them at home!

*the recipe is in the book.

I attended the event as a guest of 67 Pall Mall.

Turkish coffee cake and espresso

I was casting around for a dessert to make for friends on Saturday when I remembered this fantastic coffee cake from chef Margot Henderson’s book You’re all Invited. I suppose it’s more of a mid-morning or tea-time treat but I sometimes prefer cake to a full-blown pudding at the end of a rich meal.

It’s not as intensely coffee-flavoured as it sounds from the name. There’s a shedload of soft brown sugar - and sour cream - in the recipe which makes it taste quite fudgy (did I say it was light? Er, hem…) but you get that nice dark rich coffee taste without it being at all bitter.

I paired it on the night with a Noval 10 year old tawny port but it would also have been delicious with an Aussie port drinkalike like the D’Arenberg Nostalgia Rare Tawny or with a sweet oloroso sherry, madeira or marsala. But I enjoyed it most the following morning when I scoffed a piece for breakfast with a cup of espresso (which I always dilute with a bit of hot water). A black Americano would also hit the spot.

I do urge you to get the book which full of equally lovely recipes and quite delightful. You can read about Margot who happends to be married to Fergus Henderson of St John here or visit her restaurant Rochelle's Canteen which I'm ashamed to say I've so far not managed to get to.

Roast venison and madeira

It was a tough call coming up with a single wine pairing last week - there were so many good ones but I’m going for this combination because it’s such a cool serving suggestion.

It was at a very glitzy event hosted by Marks & Spencer and themed around clementines (featured in this course as clementine steamed dumplings though I don’t think this had a huge effect on the match)

The venison was served with a glass of madeira which I’m guessing was probably this 5 year old medium rich then a beefy stock was poured into the empty glass. (Nice idea though I don’t think it picked up quite enough madeira flavour. I think you’d want to leave half a shot in the glass to get the full effect - or make the ‘tea’ with a good slug of madeira in it.)

I also reckon it would lend itself well to roast beef. A bit like drinking a savoury hot toddy. (As an alternative to gravy rather than with it)

* Sorry about the pic. The very jazzy lighting effects meant that the original was bright pink!

Sweetbreads, morels and madeira

Lots of good food and wine combinations this week but I’m picking out the one with the most unusual wine: Barbeito's Rainwater 5 year old reserva medium-dry madeira which I had at Bell’s Diner in Bristol on Friday night

It has much the same sort of nutty character as a dry amontillado but is less oxidised and a little fruitier.

We drank it with a range of small plates including salt cod croquetas but the outstanding match was a dish of sweetbreads, morels and broad beans with a rich sauce that I’m guessing had also seen a splash of madeira or sherry. Just wonderful.

Why the name Rainwater? Well there's a couple of interesting hypotheses on the Fareham Wine Cellars blog. They stock the Barbeito for £11.99 a 50cl bottle. You can also buy it from The Solent Cellar for £12.99.

Barbeito is apparently one of the more traditional producers on the island and doesn’t de-acidify or add caramel to their madeiras.