Like the weather, with a
certain unpredictability, my taste for wine shifts like seasonal
winds. Lately I've really been enjoying Chardonnay, a wine with
which I am particularly picky. After trying so many that tasted like
fermented pineapples I gave them up, dismissing them as I had shunned
Boone's Farm* so many years ago. Then I began dating my
husband-to-be, whose preferred wine is Chardonnay, and I began slowly
and apprehensively experimenting again.
During this time I was
working as the Coffee Buyer in the Specialty Department at a Whole
Foods Market. Included in this department is coffee, tea, high
quality chocolate, cheese, beer and wine. Jackpot, I know! The
first Chardonnay I successfully enjoyed was from Bonterra, an organic
winery, which gave me hope. Occasionally I would try others, simply
to keep my wine mind open, but my focus usually fell elsewhere; at
the time I preferred heavy reds like Sangiovese and Super Tuscans.
Years (and years) later,
while living in Texas, I discovered an oasis in the middle of my
blazing, desolate hell – Spec's Fine Spirits and Specialty Store.
The first wine specialist I spoke with there taught me the most
important wine fact in relation to my taste preference for
Chardonnay: warmer climates produce a more tropical flavor (ex:
pineapple) and cooler climates produce less tropical. The other
major factor is whether it is aged in oak or not. With more
experimentation I learned my preference lies in the cool-climate/
light oak category, which helps tremendously when selecting a
Chardonnay.
Since moving to Japan I
am still discovering where to find an acceptable wine selection.
Spec's spoiled me rotten. Label requirements here are different and
are usually in kanji so buying wine holds an unknown risk. As in
Texas, sweet wine is common and I wouldn't know what to do if I
opened an undrinkable bottle after spending 1000Y/$10 or more. The
safest place to buy wine locally unfortunately has the least
desirable selection. Everything is labeled for the US market, so on
the plus side, I know exactly what I am getting; on the negative
side, I know exactly what I am getting. The best Chardonnay, to my
liking, this shop carries is Kendall-Jackson's Vintner's Reserve
Chardonnay. Your reaction will surely vary with your wine
consumption.
Why all this talk of
Chardonnay, you ask? I wanted some with dinner tonight and hence
researched Chardonnay friendly recipes. I found three and made the
one whose ingredients I found easily, Wine-Baked Chicken Legs with
Marjoram. I made a few adjustments, of course.
 |
| Update: photo of leftover meal, still incredible. |
Being a thrifty-minded
person, I was not going to use 2 cups of a $14.95 bottle of
Kendall-Jackson Chardonnay. In fact, I wouldn't even use 2 cups of
$8.95 Mirassou Chardonnay. So the 2 cups of dry white wine consisted
of 6 oz. Mirassou and 10 oz. of Martini extra dry Vermouth. My
husband likes classic martinis but a bottle of Vermouth will not stay
fresh for as long as it takes him to finish it. Since it is a
drinkable, dry, white wine it is completely acceptable to use in
cooking, even more so than any cheap “cooking wine” found in the
condiment aisle.
When making a meal
designed to pair with wine I usually pour a glass while cooking and
periodically taste it during the stages of preparation. Tonight was
no different except the that the wines surprised me. I poured a
small glass of each Chardonnay and tested them through the recipe
steps. On their own, the Mirassou was thin and bit tropically sweet,
the Kendall-Jackson a bit more full with an oaky, fruit roundness.
But as I tasted them during the onion sauce preparation, the Mirassou
lost it's sweetness while balancing the creamy sauce and the
Kendall-Jackson seemed to lose it's oaky edge in the same fight.
I've frequently read that you should always cook with a wine you
would drink and it seems that using the less expensive wine during
cooking (even mixed with an even less expensive Vermouth) increased
the desirable taste of the wine when being paired with the completed
meal. I even performed a blind taste test with my husband (who is
familiar with Kendall-Jackson's Chardonnay and was not present during
my wine purchase), asking him which of the unlabeled glasses of wine
tasted better with the meal and his conclusion was the same as mine –
the less expensive wine tasted better. It goes to show, you never
know; Keep an open mind.
Nonetheless, tonight's
dinner of Wine-Baked Chicken Legs with Marjoram was delicious. I
impressed myself enough to judge it worthy of a blog post.
Preparation was very easy, the longest span of time was the oven
baking. Best of all, this recipe lends itself to endless variations
of protein source, herb enhancements and filler (vegetable or
starch).
This is my version of MarciaKiesel's recipe from Food & Wine Magazine:
Wine-Baked Chicken Legs with Marjoram
1 bay leaf
4 chicken thighs
2 cups dry white wine
Salt and freshly ground pepper
1 cup half & half
1 tablespoons marjoram (dried)
2 tablespoons of flour
Reduce the oven temperature to warm. Temporarily transfer the chicken legs to a heatproof platter. Discard the bay leaf. Pour the pan juices (with onions) into a small saucepan. Put the chicken back into the roasting pan, cover loosely with foil, and return to oven to keep warm.
Bring the onion sauce to a boil over high heat until reduced to a thicker consistency (about 2 cups), about 10 minutes. Season the sauce with salt and stir in the marjoram. Add the half & half and very gently boil until reduced a bit more, about 5 minutes. Reduce heat to med-low and add flour, tablespoon at a time, stirring until sauce is thick.
Serve over a bed of fresh spinach leaves or angel hair pasta.
With no photo of the finished product nicely plated, all I have is this photo of the leftovers, not beautiful but it will be just as delicious tomorrow.
These are the wines used in order of price: Vermouth, Mirassou Chardonnay, Kendall-Jackson Chardonnay.
* Disclaimer: Boone's
Farm played a significant role during my college years.
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