Friday 12 August 2016

Un grand vin pour un grand pas.

About ten years ago or maybe more... we were given a MAGNUM (150cl)  in gratitude for us teaching English to two children and because it was a Christmas gift!  The bottle was laid horizontal in a variety of temperatures at the other French house where I lived.. it was either a hot or cold environment! ... and here where the temperature has been more stable!
Having no other wine in the house I thought it was time to TEST it, to TEST the new oven and to celebrate the new kitchen.  Also to thank my former partner for 3 months work laying the floor tiles, installing the kitchen furniture, reconnecting the drainage system, several other minor but important tasks, not to mention four months last year prepping walls and ceilings and installing laundry / larder room furniture.

We were both exhausted by the turn of July into August.
He has been frustrated with my slow decision making.
My own slowness has definitely frustrated me!
However, working as a team we got to where we are now - the end of six rooms being renovated in six years!
.. as well as a marvellous kitchen where I have to re-hone my cooking skills!

I invited a friend and so we were three.

We opened a bottle of Vouvray, saving half which I drank two days later and it still had fizz!
I needed bubbly!

Lamb rôti (40% price reduction bought mid June waiting in the freezer for a special occasion) was  slow roasted. I slashed the top with a knife. Then rubbed into the top and underside of meat 'a chopped, crushed, blended together mixture of rosemary leaves, garlic cloves, capers, anchovies, lots of lemon zest, lemon juice and olive oil'.  Then I placed the meat onto sliced onions and sliced potatoes from my garden. I put it into a large oval pyrex dish which has its own lid as deep as the container. I used to have a wonderful enamelled metal one with dimples on the top but that died a few years ago!
The lamb which was more braised than roasted was served with four vegetables.

It wasn't the most amazing meal I have ever cooked but the lamb shredded off the bone after I let it rest out of the oven.  I like that!
It was followed by local goats' cheese, batavia and walnut oil.
For dessert I made a blueberry / myrtille tart.. page 182...adapted to contain pears from THE FRENCH KITCHEN by Joanna Harris and Fran Warde.  DELICIOUS!

ohgoodoh! My cookbooks can be found!

This wine really deserved a better meal but at least it wasn't served with a fried egg. That is another story from the long time past! Not sure how much this would have cost if I bought it in 2016! I had to not care!  Delicious it was...

To be fair to this story.. we opened it the evening before this meal and drank one glass each!  The cheeky monkey said it was nowhere near as good as half a bottle of St Emilion I once took home from a priest's house (with his permission!) to share with my friend!!!!!   Talk about gratitude!!!!!!  Maybe  he does it to wind me up!  Anyway I almost wish I hadn't opened it, especially when the first glassful disappeared from his glass whilst mine was still full!
GRUMBLE is my middle name!
https://www.vivino.com/wineries/bouteilley/wines/cotes-de-bordeaux-merlot-cabernet-sauvignon-2002
 YUM!

1 comment:

  1. It certainly looks delicious, and I'm sure also tasted so. Good to see the new kitchen in use.

    ReplyDelete

It would be lovely to hear what you think.