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Pairings | Ultra brut

The best match for caviar - vodka or champagne?

The best match for caviar - vodka or champagne?

Posted on December 30 2015 at 07:14

For those of you who are lucky enough to be serving caviar this New Year's Eve I just dug this post I wrote back in 2009 out of the archives. Is champagne or vodka the better pairing? (I must confess the *research* was fun ...)

Tags: vodka drink:spirits & cocktails drink:champagne & sparkling caviar caviare food:fish & shellfish Krug Laurent Perrier Ultra Brut Champagne drink:spirits & cocktails Petrossian vodka caviar drink:champagne & sparkling food:fish & shellfish Petrossian
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Pairing wine and artichokes

Pairing wine and artichokes

Posted on July 15 2020 at 06:47

Artichokes have the reputation of being a wine-killer but as with most of these diktats the problem is over-played. True, artichokes can make even dry whites taste oddly sweet but that doesn’t account for the different ways in which they are cooked and how they are served.

Tags: burgundy white burgundy Chardonnay Tavel dry rosé drink:rosé dry sherry fino sherry manzanilla drink:sweet & fortified wine ultra brut Champagne non-dosage drink:champagne & sparkling Zinfandel Valpolicella Bardolino Italian red Cot Gamay Cabernet Franc Loire red Marcillac drink:red wine Grüner Veltliner Albariño Verdicchio white Grenache Chablis Grenache Blanc white Grenache blend Vermentino Bianco di Custoza Soave Sauvignon Blanc drink:white wine blue cheese parmesan vinaigrette pancetta food:pork hollandaise la barigoule risotto veal food:pasta, rice & noodles cod carpaccio rare beef garlic mayonnaise cheese artichoke artichokes food:fish & shellfish food:soups & starters food:beef & lamb food:veg & salads
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I don’t know if the rest of you have been having problems concentrating during lockdown but it was becoming such an issue a few weeks ago that I realised I had to do something about it. And so I discovered a guy called Cal Newport - an academic who has written a book on the subject caked Deep Work. One of the techniques is this time planner which helps you create blocks of time to devote to work that needs real concentration and get on with bigger projects you - or at least I - are apt to put to one side. I’ve completed two since I started it I’ve been procrastinating about for weeks. Obviously you don’t need to buy the work book - just use a large exercise book - but I thought it might motivate me and it has. I like the flexibility of it. If something happens to throw you off course you just reschedule your day in the next column (swipe to see how that works). The irony is that I’m sharing this with you on social media which he encourages you to avoid but I regard as part of my working life. Just give it its own slot and don’t spend the day scrolling! . . . #book #bookstagram #selfhelp #timemanagement #timeblocking #planning #calnewport #deepwork #concentration #focus #ipaidforitMy first taste of Carlin peas thanks to kind neighbour @jennychandleruk. Fried off a bit of @coombesheadfarm’s lovely smoky bacon and a chopped onion then added the cooked peas, a handful of chopped parsley and some shredded cavolo nero and finished with a drizzle of olive oil. 15 minutes flat, delicious, simple filling lunch. . . . #carlinpeas #pulses #bacon #cavolonero #greens #oliveoil #lunch #homecooking #comfortfoodJudging by the number of food pix on my feed you might doubt my claim to be ‘an obsessive snapper of wine’ but THIS is the kind of bottle that really rocks my boat. It’s a young cabernet franc from the Loire and just brimming with the most gorgeously vivid fruit - think freshly crushed berries like wild cherries and mulberries. You might find it a tad too tart and sharp if you like bigger riper reds like malbec and shiraz but if you enjoy reds you can chill you should adore it. It comes from @lescavesdepyrene (who sent me the sample) - you can also buy it from @hopburnsblack for £18.95 which isn’t cheap but you’d probably be happy to pay that for a bottle in a restaurant. What would it go with? Charcuterie, goats cheese anything herby - think grilled lamb or chicken with herbs. Lots of veggie dishes too - I’m imagining it with fennel. Dip your toe into cabernet franc! . . . #cabernetfranc #wine #redwine #naturalwine #organicwine #anjou #loire instawine #winestagram #winelabelI confess I bought an ENTIRE meat box from @coombesheadfarm just to have the joy of this mangalitza and prune pie which I had for dinner last night (along with pink fir potatoes and PSB with an anchovy vinaigrette. EVEN better, the 2007 La Conseillante Pomerol I pulled out of the rack without any expectation of it being much cop (I bought it on impulse from Tesco when they had a Bordeaux promo a few years ago) turned out to be on song and just gorgeously rich and velvety. . . . #pie #porkpie #mangalitza #redwine #bordeaux #pomerol #laconseillante #winepairing #foodandwine #paidfor #notanad Follow on Instagram

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