Crab cakes with good French Chardonnay?

[wondersofwine]

I have a bottle of Verget Chassagne "Chaumes" or "Charmes" (not sure of spelling) which I want to try this week. The wine is on sale at my usual wine shop for $36.99 and I want to see if I should order more bottles. Would it pair well with crab cakes or should I try to get halibut or flounder to prepare with it? (Need something that doesn't take a lot of preparation time).

[lolly mackenzie]

I would suggest choosing Halibut. Pan roasted with olive oil and lemon thyme and served with sauteed leeks and baby Carrot in a Buerre Blanc. Fresh and lightly French My feeling is that the crab cakes will be too light - i like a Sauvignon Blanc with crab cakes or a gerwurtz if you make them spicy.

[wondersofwine]

Thanks, Lolly for the quick response. Your suggested menu sounds fine. I will look for halibut tonight.

[lolly mackenzie]

May I also suggest that you use a splash (heaven forbid) of the same wine when making your buerre blanc (reduce cream, add wine and wisk in cold butter to finish) and serve it with the fish as well. It will make a HUGE difference in complimenting the wine. I know it may seem decadent but it will really marry the halibut with your lovely Chardonnay.

[Botafogo]

Re "cooking wine": I have an original edition Escoffier "Cuisine Francais" and in it the dish we all call "coq au vin" is "coq au Chambertin" (as in megabuck Grand Cru Burgundy and it calls for a whole bottle!). Just as you would never tell your butcher to give you a "cooking" roast or your greengrocer to give you some "cooking" mushrooms as you are "just going to put them in the sauce", you should use good quality wine in your dishes (better yet the wine you are going to drink), the difference is immediate and fabulous.

Roberto

[This message has been edited by Botafogo (edited 08-17-2001).]

[lolly mackenzie]

Absolutely botafogo. if you wouldn't drink it - you shouldn't eat it. Bad wine, makes a bad sauce. However if you are feeling like you want to supp every last drop of your megabuck bottle and can't bear to part with a half cup for your sauce just use the rule above...staying within the same grape variety I think is important as well. A chard with a chard, a merlot with a merlot.

[Thomas]

I don't think it is a must to stay within the variety as much a you should stay within the weight and texture, i.e. color, body. What is amusing is that in order to label a product "cooking wine" in the U.S. the FDA forces you to fill it with sodium so as to make it un-potable, both for drinking and for cooking.

[This message has been edited by foodie (edited 08-20-2001).]