Wednesday 9 September 2009

Chanterelle Risotto


Apologies for not posting this sooner. It wasn't poisoning, just a bad dose of work, the curse of the blogging classes. These are all the ingredients other than chanterelles and Parmesan. And this is what I did.

Sauteed the chanterelles in a bit of butter and garlic over a fast heat for a couple of minutes and set aside. I reckon there was nearly a kilo. It's a big frying pan.
Next sautee a finely chopped shallot very gently with pancetta cubes in some butter and olive oil for 10 minutes without colouring the shallot.

Add the risotto rice, 300 g for 4 servings, and gently fry for a couple of minutes until the rice starts turning transparent. Add half a glass of white wine and keep stirring till it's all absorbed. Do the same with a ladle of hot stock and then keep repeating the process with hot stock until the rice is done.

I like it to retain a good bite. A couple of minutes before it's done stir in the chanterelles and their juices. Finally add some finely chopped parsley, Parmesan, a knob of butter then stick the lid on and leave it stand for 5 minutes.

I tasted for seasoning then had one of my 'ideas'. These can go either way, normally the wrong way.

Thankfully this one was right. A tablespoon of white balsamic vinegar over each portion. It added a gentle fruity acidity that cut through the richness and really complimented the chanterelles. The quantity of chanterlles made for a magical, enveloping scent. Apricoty yes, but so much more besides. It was ethereal. I would say that, but there was a witness, honest.

My plan to serve a viognier (apricot flavour like chanterelles) also went awry when I spotted this reduced in Tesco.

Bargain. And boy was it good. It went pretty well too. Lots of nougat on the the nose and palate and nice acidity too.

In a slight aside I've started realising that certain wines suit certain music. I'll develop that idea in later blogs, but for now, might I suggest a Mirwais 2000 to listen to while drinking Meursault. Not just because he's French with a similar name. It's a perfect combination. How could one listen to anything else while supping Meursault?

2 comments:

  1. You could write a book on wine and music marriage and call it 'Wine Tuning'.

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  2. Very funny Douglas, I'll make sure you're credited if the book ever comes out... of my head.
    Someone else suggested 'Tasting Notes'.

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