Côtes du Rhône Blanc: A. Brunel La Bécassonne 2015 – Pairing Rating: 9.5 out of 10.0
Amontillado Sherry: Lustau Los Arcos – Pairing Rating: 9.0
Broccoli – superfood or green-grocer-hype? When asked, we say that nutrition experts agree that broccoli (a member of the cabbage family) is indeed a superfood. Here are some fast facts about this über green veggie:
- Reduces excess cholesterol (soluble fiber content)
- Reduces inflammation in the gut (rich in Omega-3 fatty acids)
- Potent source of antioxidants (Vitamin C and flavonoids)
- Promotes bone health (calcium and Vitamin K)
- Promotes heart health (isothiocyanates are anti-inflammatory)
- Forget calorie-counting (broccoli is nearly 90% water)
All good. Yet the ardor for eating more broccoli has always been tempered by anemic preparations: steaming, over-roasting, smothering with cheese or cream sauces. No more! This Broccoli Salad recipe (and the recommended wine pairings) will reinvigorate your enthusiasm for this green and put you on a better path. To say this is the Joel Osteen of salads is extreme; it’s more like the food equivalent of most Tom Hanks’ movies. You feel better afterward.
This recipe (see below) brings a lot to the party: crunch from the pecans, savory from the mustard vinaigrette, a touch of sweet from the red grapes, and texture from the bacon and cheese. All serving to enhance the fresh, bright crunch of the lightly cooked broccoli flowerets.
The diversity of these taste elements argued for a variety of wine pairings. And we tried many. A French Sauvignon Blanc (Sancerre) overpowered the dish because there wasn’t enough acid in the salad to stand up to the wine. A wine-pairing failure. Red wines did poorly because there wasn’t enough fat in the salad to balance the tannins in the wines. We needed to find a white wine with moderate acidity and a somewhat creamy mouthfeel. We found that in a Côtes du Rhône Blanc from André Brunel called La Bécassonne ($19 for the 2015 vintage).
La Bécassonne is an entry-level wine from the Chateauneuf du Pape Domaine called Les Cailloux, famous for its red wine called Cuvée Centenaire. Like nearly all Rhone wines, La Bécassonne is a blend; in this case, a blend of Roussanne (50%), Grenache Blanc (30%), Clairette (20%), all from 40-year-old vines, on average. The wine sees no oak barrels; rather, it is aged for 6 months in concrete vats, thereby preserving its freshness, floral character and smooth yet vibrant mouthfeel.
It is important to note that Côtes du Rhône producers have wide discretion on what grapes can be included in their blends. In this case, the dominant grape is Roussanne, which gives elegant, complex notes of honeysuckle, apricot and white peach. We thought this was key to the pairing. Because of its freshness, exotic character and mouthfeel, the La Bécassonne was the best of the whites we tried. But we wanted to include a pairing that would play off the pecans, bacon and white cheddar in the salad. We found that in a dry Amontillado Sherry from Lustau, called Los Arcos ($20).
It’s not lost on us that dry sherry may not be on your top 10 list. It’s an acquired taste – one that we’ve grown to enjoy and appreciate. For the uninitiated, perhaps the place to start enjoying Amontillado is with Marcona almonds, Manchego cheese and Iberico ham – a classic pairing. Unsurprisingly, the Los Arcos worked beautifully with this salad, bringing the nuts, cheese and bacon flavors to the forefront. Pure, precise and potent, the sherry made a bigger statement than the La Bécassonne, making for a more dramatic, adventurous pairing.
Bottom Line: try this salad recipe; everyone we’ve served it to loves it. And pour both wines. It may just uncork an appreciation for Amontillado Sherry!
Broccoli Salad with Warm Bacon Vinaigrette and Cheddar
Notes
This outstanding salad recipe was found on the NYT Cooking site, posted by Margaux Laskey. The recipe was adapted from “Poole’s: Recipes and Stories from a Modern Diner” by Ashley Christensen (Ten Speed, 2016)
Ingredients
- Kosher Salt
- 1-1/4 lbs of broccoli
- 1/2 cup pecan halves
- 4 ounces of thick-sliced, lean bacon, cut in 1/4″ wide strips.
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
- 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
- 4 green onions, white and light green parts only, chopped.
- Black pepper
- 1 cup of red seedless grapes, halved.
- 4 ounces of aged white cheddar, sliced thin and chopped.
Instructions
- Prepping and Cooking the Broccoli
- Bring a large pot of generously salted water to a boil. The water should taste like the ocean.
- Set up an ice bath next to the stove and generously salt that as well.
- Cut the broccoli stems from the heads and slice the florets into small, bite-size pieces, about 1″ long.
- Peel some of the outer skin of the broccoli stems; cut each stem in half lengthwise, then slice into 1/4″ thick half-moons.
- Blanch the florets & stem pieces in the boiling water for 30 seconds, then move them to the ice bath to stop the cooking.
- Drain the broccoli in a colander and set aside, allowing the florets and stem pieces to drain completely.
- Preparing the Vinaigrette
- Toast the pecan halves over medium-high heat in a large, dry skillet about 1-2 minutes, until they smell nutty.
- Lower the skillet to medium heat and add the olive oil and bacon pieces.
- Cook the bacon until near-crispy, about 10 minutes. Do not drain the fat from the skillet.
- Turn the skillet heat to low and whisk in the mustard and vinegar.
- Add the green onions and pecans and season generously with black pepper.
- Mixing the Salad
- In a large bowl, combine the broccoli and red grapes.
- Pour the contents of the skillet into the bowl and toss to combine.
- Season to taste with salt and pepper.
- Sprinkle with the cheddar and toss again.
- Serve immediately with the recommended wines.
Cori and Doug says
Anything works for us if bacon is included! We miss you. Happy Thanksgiving.
C & D.
Steven says
We miss you two as well! Thanks for reading and commenting. All the best for a blessed Thanksgiving to you two and your extended families!