In collaboration with Cordier Wines
Our wine specialist Jasper Van Papeghem is ex Best Sommelier of Belgium 2017-2018 and former sommelier of two-star restaurant De Jonkman in Bruges. Each month, he brings his own unique perspective on the world of wine. And he gives insight into his notebook with 'coup de coeurs'.
As the days get shorter and colder, we can lose ourselves in a delicious meal accompanied by a generous glass of wine. Today, in our second article on theCalifornian top wine house Louis M. Martini we bring you some delicious cooking inspiration, straight from the gastronomic and creative hat ofGhent’s new revelation: Commotion! Be welcome to join us in our marvelous trip!
As we already read in the previous article, California is a special and productive agricultural area, with beautiful nature, fertile soils and above all, an excellent climate for viniculture. But what makes California so suitable for making extremely fine, balanced wines? California itself is slightly larger than Germany and has an immense coastline of around 1,400 kilometres. Almost all of the vineyards are located along this coastline and benefit from a free temperate climate with the refreshing influence of the Pacific Ocean. The heart, and consequently the best vineyards, of California is located mainly around San Francisco with the iconic areas of Napa and Sonoma Valley where the influence of the ocean is greatest.
Long summers, mild temperatures
The big difference with its French counterpart Bordeaux is that the grapes here can benefit from a few weeks more of sunshine at free moderate temperatures which allows the grapes to continue to ripen slowly while retaining their acidity. For decades, Californian wines have been compared to their Bordeaux counterparts because they both make the same type of wine and, above all, use the same grapes. The boost for Californian wines was the famous Judgment of Paris in 1976 where, under the direction of the legendary Steven Spurrier , Californian wines beat the absolute top from Bordeaux in a blind tasting. For the film buffs: watch the fantastic film Bottle Shock which tells this story. The tasting was repeated 10 and 30 years later with the Californian wines getting better ratings each time…
This is how California wine found its way to the best restaurants and cellars in Europe and the rest of the world. Louis Martini’s Napa Valley wines are a shining example of what California wine should be:strong and refined with subtle acidity, making for a wine that is highly drinkable young but might effortlessly age for many more years.
Here is the tasting note from the previous article:
In the nose we have a complex bouquet of pepper, cassis, blackberries, cedar and slightly roasted notes of chocolate and coffee. After rolling, a nice spiciness emerges with especially some rosemary and eucalyptus. The typicallight animality with some old leather spices the pallet even more. In the mouth, first a light moelleux with especially some sultry, ripe fruit followed by refined acidity and fine tannins. The whole looks surprisingly elegant and fresh for a Cabernet-Sauvignon where you often expect powerful wines. The long finish provides an ideal balance between power and elegance with a light moelleux supporting the whole. Wine for game
Commotion: the new sound in Belgian gastronomy!
After two successful pop-ups in Kortrijk and Ghent, the rebellious chef and sommelier, Thomas Gellynck and Lara De Vlieger, decided to settle permanently in the green outskirts of Ghent: ‘Commotion’ found its permanent home. The open kitchen and the minimalist interior create an intimate atmosphere where taste, sensory perception and the experience are central. Thomas and Lara do almost maniacally ‘just their way‘ and provide a new wind in the Belgian gastronomy.
the delicious dish of commotion (Ghent): venison – red beetroot and fermented blueberry
INGREDIENTS
- Blueberries Sea salt Grapeseed oil
- Young pine needles Red beetroot
- Butter
- 100g deer liver
- June, Thyme, Bay leaf, garlic Cognac
- Room
- pepper & salt
- Lacto-fermented blueberries, 150gr deer fillet
- Red beetroot juice Honey Juniper berries Grain mustard Game stock
- Blueberry coulis and Shiso leaves
RECEPT
1/ Fermented blueberries
Fertilise blueberries with 4% sea salt in relation to your total weight and leave to ferment for 2 weeks. A simplified option is to soak lightly crushed blueberries in a little salt for a few hours.
2/ Pine needle oil (optional if you have a thermomix)
Blend young pine needles with grape seed oil in a blender to 60°C. Strain through a muslin cloth and leave to cool.
3/ Red beetroot
Roll the beetroot in aluminium foil and let it cook in the oven for 5 hours for a caramelising effect. Cut it into nice round slices and fry them in the pan with butter until they are nicely caramelised.
4/ Cream of liver
Sauté onion in butter with thyme, bay leaf and garlic. Add the sliced liver. Cook these for 5 minutes on a low heat. Deglaze the pan with cognac. Blend into a cream. Add cream, pepper, salt and fermented blueberry juice. Blend into a smooth mousse. Pour into a piping bag, and form one beautiful dot on a plate.
5/ Deer fillet
Make a varnish of reduced beet juice and honey. Bake the lacquered fillet of deer crispy on the bbq, then let it rest in a preheated oven at 50°C.
6/ Sauce
Smoke onion with thyme, bay leaf, garlic, juniper berries and grain mustard. Deglaze with game stock and reduce for a few minutes. Then add beetroot juice and blueberry coulis. Blend into a smooth sauce and finish with a knob of butter, pepper and salt.
7/ Finishing
Spread 2 half round slices on a large flat plate. Pipe the liver cream on the beetroot and finish with the shizo leaves. Slice the deer fillet nicely, place 1 round on the plate. Serve the sauce generously and enjoy this piece of winter on your plate!
Let us, as usual, try to dissect this very complex dish.
The two main ingredients are of course the deer fillet and deer liver. Deer is rightly considered one of the fine and elegant pieces of game. We also note the dark fruit aspect with the bluecurrant which will provide a sweet acidity accentuated by the honey and brandy. The red beetroot gives earthy notes followed by spicy accents with the thyme and bay leaf. As I mentioned in previous articles, I personally think the feel of the mouth is the most important for a good pairing, and this dish wakes up all the taste buds: sweet, sour, bitter, salty and umami. The wine should therefore have the same complexity and, above all, a lot of length.
The light moelleux of the wine provides an excellent support for the venison and especially the sauce with the game stock. The refined acidity of the wine perfectly balances the briny of the preparation while highlighting the spicy aspect. Although I am absolutely not a fan of pairing by smell (you know, red fruit in the nose and red fruit in the dish) I must admit that here the blue berry in the nose and in the preparation gives a surprisingly beautiful effect. But the best of the pairing here is in the tail: the long finish and the dish continue to play a heavenly game between wild and sweet, spicy and refreshing with the slightly sweet touch of the dish prolonging the wine.
A match made in heaven….
All information about the Louis M. Martini wine can be found here: https://bit.ly/LouisMMartini
More info on Cordier Wines can be found here: https://www.cordier-wines.be/nl / Address: Ekkelgaarden 6a, 3500 Hasselt / Tel: 011 28 19 57
More information on the Commotion restaurant can be found here: https://www.commotiegent.be/
Do you want to discover more delicious drinks? Visit our PureFood page