WTN: Rhones (mostly)

Notes from a travel planning session.

Pierre Peters Blanc de Blancs Champagne (nv) – quite nice lemony nose, tasty, clean and fresh.

2005 Crochet Sancerre – had this recently – one of my favourite Sancerres, this time showing more lime than lemon in the nose, with clean savoury mouth impressions.

2001 Les Pallieres Gigondas – a hint of menthol in the nose, soft tannins, smooth – time I got into mine as this drinks perfectly now.

2003 Rostaing Les Lezardes Syrah – a vin de pays from Collines Rhodaniennes, this was delightful! Lovely fragrant nose, bright fruit, everything working well together.

2002 Las Tablas Glenrose Vd. – the label indicated a blend of 35% Syrah, 29% Mourvedre, 26% Grenache, 10% Counoise, and in this case it resulted in a good Rhone nose, one of the best I’ve seen in a California Rhone blend. Bright flavours, god acidity, soft tannin, and an excellent ringer for a Rhone tasting. A tad on the simple side, so more like a decent CduR than a CNduP.

2001 Serrette Cornas VV – This was Cornas Light, for those who lack the patience to wai out the traditional style. Pleasant sort of generic nose, soft and ready.

1997 Dom. Coursedon St. Joseph - Patrcick lesec wine, this still has good colour, a nice syrah nose with a definite green element, and almost soft smooth feel. Decent length. Drink up.

[Jenise]

What a fun afternoon. I can still taste Coop's excellent cassoulet. There was nothing of the sort in my house, however, so I consoled myself with bacon for breakfast!

Anyway, re the wines: The Pierre Peters as a Mesnil, btw. And I thought it was excellent, great body, voluptuous curves of fruit and yeast. The Sancerre was perfection with Coop's perfect fish soup, five years in the bottle have given it a great richness. We need to do a tasting themed "Serious Sauvignon Blancs".

The Pallieres was very good; if I owned them, though, I'd be looking to drink them earlier than later.

Completely agree with your take on the three wines I brought. I have two more bottles of the Cornas--they're going into the drinking queue. The Rostaing was so light on its feet and pleasing, almost a pinot-noir style of syrah in that way. Much lighter than usual but not lesser in any way. And the Las Tablas: I just called the winery. The grapes for this wine were sourced from a local vineyard and Tablas Creek only made this one wine from it in 2002, sadly. Easily the most credible domestic Chateneuf blend I've ever had--I'm so sorry I didn't buy more (it was a winery purchase).

I enjoyed your St. Joseph--the green element did calm down and integrate better with time.

I think my last bottle of 2001 Pallieres Gigondas was about a year and a half ago, and it was in top form. It was one of those occasions when I brought this bottle to a friend's barbecue where she had several large format bottles of Yellowtail that everyone was flocking to. Joel and I had the Pallieres to ourselves and we were quite happy.

What a fun afternoon. I can still taste Coop's excellent cassoulet.

This is one dish I really want to try and cook over the next year. I keep being put off by the confit step for the duck legs but come winter down here I am definitely going to have a crack at it this year.

[Jenise]

What a fun afternoon. I can still taste Coop's excellent cassoulet.

This is one dish I really want to try and cook over the next year. I keep being put off by the confit step for the duck legs but come winter down here I am definitely going to have a crack at it this year.

Coop employed a great shortcut method where he 1) marinated the duck legs with olive oil and herbs for maybe a day then braised them in a large flat dish where the meat was immersed in broth pretty much and the skin exposed for crisping up. Very very credible version of Confit Lite and unless you ate true ripe confit all the time you wouldn't know the difference.

Coop employed a great shortcut method where he 1) marinated the duck legs with olive oil and herbs for a day then braised them in a large flat dish where the meat was immersed in broth pretty much and the skin exposed for crisping up. Very very credible version of Confit Lite and unless you ate true ripe confit all the time you wouldn't know the difference.

Jenise

I would love to what herbs Coops used in the marinate and how the meat was cooked in the broth (components) and for how long. I am happy with the rest of the dish; I just need to crack this faceat of the dish.

Mark (aka the rooman )

[Jenise]

Coop employed a great shortcut method where he 1) marinated the duck legs with olive oil and herbs for a day then braised them in a large flat dish where the meat was immersed in broth pretty much and the skin exposed for crisping up. Very very credible version of Confit Lite and unless you ate true ripe confit all the time you wouldn't know the difference.

Jenise

I would love to what herbs Coops used in the marinate and how the meat was cooked in the broth (components) and for how long. I am happy with the rest of the dish; I just need to crack this faceat of the dish.

Mark (aka the rooman )

Rooman, I'll ask him for his recipe and get back to you.

Jenise. I dug around and found my password for this site. I'm glad you liked the Cassoulet. It turned out pretty well.

The method I used for the duck legs is pretty simple. I seasoned them with salt, pepper and thyme a few hours before cooking. This lets the salt penetrate the meat and fat. I then place them in a baking dish and cover them about 3/4 of the way up the sides with water. I then roast them in a 450 oven. After about an hour I turn the heat down to 350 and let them go another 1 1/2 hours. What ends up happening is the skin crisps and the fat renders out and the legs finish cooking in their own fat because most of the water evaporates. It's like starting onions or bacon in a little water when cooking them.

Here's a link to the recipe I use as a reference:

http://www.foodnetwork.ca/recipes/Beans ... ishID=8514

It's a decent method but it seems that if you follow his timing every step the end result is a little undercooked. I also make sure to cool the duck legs over night in the fat. Later when I sautee the vegetables and sausage I sautee them in duck fat rather then olive oil. There is lots surrounding the legs. I baked the finished cassoulet for about 30 minutes plaus however long it took us to enjoy the Pierre Peters and the Sancerre. About an hour or maybe a little more.

[Jenise]

Thanks, Coop: it was a great dish, and in fact better than some cassoulets I've had that were made the long way. Every aspect was perfect.

Yeah. Calling it confit lite is probably insulting it unintentionally (I'm not even sure a dish like confit COULD ever be 'lite' - that is sort of like non-fat foie gras, a contradiction in terms).

I really liked it too, and anything that reduces cooking time without sacrificing taste is a good thing. Like I said, this dish keeps out the weather two ways - it insulates the eater against the roaring mistral, and if you leave it cold for a day you could caulk between the timbers of you house to do the same thing for it!

Which is just a way of saying that it is a superb winter dish, although I don't know that I'd be able to eat it more than, say, 6 or 7 times a week......

[Jenise]

Yeah. Calling it confit lite is probably insulting it unintentionally (I'm not even sure a dish like confit COULD ever be 'lite' - that is sort of like non-fat foie gras, a contradiction in terms).

Right--notice I didn't say Cassoulet Lite--the dish lacked for nothing. It just wasn't the traditional French method of immersion cooking and ripening--which compliments it all the more, to achieve what as far as I'm concerned were equally excellent results without sacrificing a thing. I'm not one for sacrificing flavor or texture.

Six or seven times a week? Yeah, me too. In fact, as a form of consolation for the state of cassoulet withdrawal I've been in since Saturday, I've got a pot of beans on the stove right now. It won't be the same, but it will do.

The one thing I'm really careful with when I make cassoulet is not to cook the beans too long. They should retain structural stability. Thanks for all of your compliments and the wines you brought as well. Here are my notes:

N.V. Pierre Peters Champagne Blanc de Blancs - France, Champagne, Le Mesnil Sur Oger, Champagne (2/7/2010)
De Gorged 2007. Medium gold. Apple, cream and brioche. Lemon flavours and a long dry finish. More complex and less intense after almost two years in the cellar. A favorite of mine.

2005 Lucien Crochet Sancerre Le Chene - France, Loire Valley, Upper Loire, Sancerre (2/7/2010)
Clear light yellow. Steely lemon and lime nose. Lemon, slightly creamy flavours and a dry finish. Excellent. Of the 4 bottles of this I've had this one was the richest.

2001 Domaine les Pallières Gigondas - France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Gigondas (2/7/2010)
Dark red. Blood, dark fruit and black pepper. Dry but lots of fruit flavour. Light finish. Good.

2003 Rene Rostaing Vin de Pays des Collines Rhodaniennes Les Lézardes - France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Vin de Pays des Collines Rhodaniennes (2/7/2010)
Medium red. Really nice sweet red fruit nose with floral and pepper notes. Nice rich fruit flavours and a nice medium wieght dry finish.

2002 Tablas Creek Las Tablas Estates Glenrose Vineyard - USA, California, Central Coast, Paso Robles (2/7/2010)
Deep red. Earthy raspberry, flowers and pepper nose. A bit of sweetness. Nice balanced finish. I really liked this wine, the best wine I've had from Tablas Creek.

2001 Dumien-Serrette Cornas "Patou" Cuvée Vieilles Vignes - France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Cornas (2/7/2010)
Medium red. Nice earthy syrah nose. Thinish flavours and short finish. An early drinking Cornas.

1997 Domaine Coursodon St. Joseph La Sensonne - France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, St. Joseph (2/7/2010)
Deep red. A hint of funk, pepper, meat and just a bit of green. Smooth flavours and a nice smooth finish. Really nice and ready to drink. A Patrick LeSec selection.

Posted from CellarTracker

Yeah. Calling it confit lite is probably insulting it unintentionally (I'm not even sure a dish like confit COULD ever be 'lite' - that is sort of like non-fat foie gras, a contradiction in terms).

I really liked it too, and anything that reduces cooking time without sacrificing taste is a good thing. Like I said, this dish keeps out the weather two ways - it insulates the eater against the roaring mistral, and if you leave it cold for a day you could caulk between the timbers of you house to do the same thing for it!

Which is just a way of saying that it is a superb winter dish, although I don't know that I'd be able to eat it more than, say, 6 or 7 times a week......

Winter in Vancouver Bill? Isn`t it ten above or something!
Guess you will be hosting some Olymipic gatherings at your humble abode.

Fun thread, this one.

Jenise. I dug around and found my password for this site. I'm glad you liked the Cassoulet. It turned out pretty well.

The method I used for the duck legs is pretty simple. I seasoned them with salt, pepper and thyme a few hours before cooking. This lets the salt penetrate the meat and fat. I then place them in a baking dish and cover them about 3/4 of the way up the sides with water. I then roast them in a 450 oven. After about an hour I turn the heat down to 350 and let them go another 1 1/2 hours. What ends up happening is the skin crisps and the fat renders out and the legs finish cooking in their own fat because most of the water evaporates. It's like starting onions or bacon in a little water when cooking them.

Here's a link to the recipe I use as a reference:

http://www.foodnetwork.ca/recipes/Beans ... ishID=8514

It's a decent method but it seems that if you follow his timing every step the end result is a little undercooked. I also make sure to cool the duck legs over night in the fat. Later when I sautee the vegetables and sausage I sautee them in duck fat rather then olive oil. There is lots surrounding the legs. I baked the finished cassoulet for about 30 minutes plaus however long it took us to enjoy the Pierre Peters and the Sancerre. About an hour or maybe a little more.

Many thanks. I will try the dish during our winter and then let you know the feedback. Most appreciated.

Mark
(Still in a great mood after the Saint's win yesterday)

Winter in Vancouver Bill? Isn`t it ten above or something!
Guess you will be hosting some Olymipic gatherings at your humble abode.

Fun thread, this one.

8 C. actually (about 45 deg. F.) Pretty mild.

[Jenise]

Winter in Vancouver Bill? Isn`t it ten above or something!
Guess you will be hosting some Olymipic gatherings at your humble abode.

Fun thread, this one.

8 C. actually (about 45 deg. F.) Pretty mild.

34 F this morning at my house--this is the coldest morning since November!

Does it make you feel any better to know it is only 7.30 in the morning and already it is 75 F. Looks like it is going to be another hot day.

[Jenise]

Does it make you feel any better to know it is only 7.30 in the morning and already it is 75 F. Looks like it is going to be another hot day.

How can you even bear to think about cassoulet in that weather?

Does it make you feel any better to know it is only 7.30 in the morning and already it is 75 F. Looks like it is going to be another hot day.

How can you even bear to think about cassoulet in that weather?

I am definitely thinking winter months around mid year. At present I am on another of those no drinking (almost) months as part of the Liver Cleansing Diet. It has actually worked so far after 5 weeks of torture