Restaurant
Which wines to serve with which dishes? An often tricky question, especially with a more elaborate menu. How about just one wine? In this case, a Crémant d'Alsace whose fine bubbles perfectly underline the festive side.
Latest edition : 26 April 2020
It's the same puzzle every time. What wines to serve at Christmas dinner? Or any other festive meal?
The professional or the enlightened amateur does not ask himself: he knows exactly what goes perfectly with each dish and, of course, he has all these cuvées in his well-stocked cellar.
But when we don't know? Or when you don't want to buy 2 bottles of this, 2 bottles of that and run out of wine before you get to the cheese?
So we have a little suggestion for you: a menu with Crémant d'Alsace, preferably a brut, see extra-brut or, even better, a zero dosage.
We chose the zero dosage crémant from the Valentin Zusslin estate in Orschwihr and invited a restaurateur and a winemaker to a little gourmet brainstorming.
Jérôme Koehler, restaurateur at the Auberge du Cheval-Blanc in Westhalten and fine wine connoisseur, and Marie Zusslin, biodynamic winemaker and fine gourmet, have thought about an easy-to-make festive menu.
For the aperitif, Jérôme Koehler offers toast (or thin slices of crunchy bread) with semi-salted butter and a slice of truffle with a little fleur de sel. “It's fine, not greasy but with a lot of taste. The crémant brings the sapidity necessary to highlight it. »
Another “amuse-bouche” quickly ready: a snail on a “bibalakas” (salted cottage cheese with fine herbs) simply placed on a small tasting spoon.
"You can serve smoked salmon whose fat will cut with the crémant". And the traditional foie gras? "Better a dry Riesling," replies the winemaker. We will therefore do without foie gras on our menu.
For the starter, scallops are a must. “A noble and festive product that is easy to find. A scallop tartare with a sugar beet or a pan-fried scallop with a sabayon, all au gratin in the hot oven, enthuses Jérôme Koehler while offering a simpler version to prepare at home, a carpaccio. Cut a scallop into 3 or 4, place them on a little salt, drizzle with a drizzle of vanilla olive oil.
As a main course, Jérôme Koehler opts for a poached turbot with Hollandaise sauce. More accessible, a fillet of John Dory roasted on the skin with a dry Alsatian white wine sauce (a Riesling), fish stock and a fine hint of saffron.
“Our crémant also goes very well with a capon,” emphasizes Marie Zusslin.
“The creamy side of the bubbles and the freshness really go well with a fricassee of capon and a morel sauce. Or baked whole in the oven and served with mashed chestnuts or a slice of grilled pumpkin…”
At the time of the cheese, restaurateur and winemaker are unanimous: a trilogy of goats, fresh, refined, very refined. If someone doesn't like goat's cheese, you can serve a soft cheese like Pont-l'Évêque, Brillat Savarin or even a Comté at least 24 months old.
To close the meal, Jérôme offers a citrus salad with “bredalas” (small Christmas cakes) or a chocolate-orange entremets with a mandarin sorbet.
And here are some suggestions for a nice menu with finesse accompanied by an excellent Crémant d'Alsace. “The 2013 vintage is a blend of Auxerrois, Chardonnay and Pinot Gris with no added sulphur,” explains Marie Zusslin. “It's a very fresh Crémant, with a lot of body but very fine bubbles. »
L'Auberge du Cheval-Blanc
68 350 Westhalten
Tel. 03 89 47 01 16
Domaine Valentin Zusslin
57 Grandrue, Orschwihr,
Tel. 03 89 76 82 84
Crémant zero dosage 2013, €13.50 ex-cellar