Critic’s Notebook: Cabernet franc, the food-friendly red(2)
So what’s Breton’s advice to people who, despite all the nuanced beauty of these wines, still dislike cabernet franc? “Drink more!” he insists. “It even took me 10 years, and then one day, it clicked.”
Domaine Catherine et Pierre Breton’s Bourgueil Trinch 2010 is available through private import from Oenopole, www.oenopole.ca 514-276-1818 ($21 per bottle for cases of 12). Look for 2012 C&P Breton, Bourgueil Les Perrières 2009 at the SAQ in March. Breton’s Bourgueil Clos Sénéchal 2009 is available on the wine list at Les 400 Coups, Toqué!, Liverpool House, Petit Alep and Pullman.
I asked sommelier Aurelia Fillion of Bu sur le Web (busurleweb.com) for a few suggestions for good cab franc from the Loire available at the SAQ. She recommends wines by Guiberteau (Saumur), Yannick Amirault (Bourgueil), Bernard Baudry (Chinon), Philippe Alliet (Chinon), and Thierry Germain (Saumur-Champigny).
And, as Gluckstern advises, enjoy them with food. Here is the recipe from Les 400 Coups that was paired with Breton’s cabernet franc:
Blood Sausage Croquette with Celery Root Purée, Mushrooms and Herbs
Serves 6
At Les 400 Coups, chef Marc-André Jetté serves this dish as a starter with a garnish of marinated shallots and Brussels sprouts leaves.
1 pound (500 g) fresh blood sausage, removed from its casing
2 tablespoons (30 mL) chopped chives
2 tablespoons (30 mL) chopped parsley
1 cup (250 mL) flour
3 eggs, beaten
1 cup (250 mL) panko (Japanese breadcrumbs)
2 cups (500 mL) assorted mushrooms such as shiitake, oyster, button and chanterelles
Butter
Salt and pepper
Celery root purée (recipe follows)
Preheat your oven to 350F (180C). In a bowl, mix together the sausage filling with the herbs. Roll the mix into six balls and flatten slightly. Roll each ball first in the flour, then the beaten egg mix, and finally the panko, and then repeat the operation, rolling each ball again in the egg and panko crumbs.
Fry the croquettes in butter in a deep frying pan until golden on both sides and then place in a warm oven for five minutes.
Wipe the frying pan clean and melt a few spoons more of butter. Fry the mushrooms until softened and season with salt and pepper.
To serve, place a spoonful of celery root purée in the centre of the plate. Top with a few spoonfuls of mushrooms and place the croquette on top. Serve immediately.
Celery Root Purée
3 cups (750 mL) celery root cubes
1 tablespoon (15 mL) butter
1 cup (250 mL) whole milk
Salt and pepper
Sauté the celery root cubes in a large frying pan in the butter. Add the milk and let simmer for about 10 minutes, or until the cubes are tender. Purée with a hand blender and season to taste. Keep warm until ready to serve.
