This shows a good concentration of apple, white peach and pear aromas on the nose. It has a touch of sweetness on the palate, but the lively apple acidity contains it nicely.
Selecting a menu for Canada day is going to be dependent on the weather. If the temperatures continue as they are, light and simplistic foods will be the order of the day.
One of my favourite appetizers has always been a large bowl of steaming hot mussels with a glass of wine and a hot toasty baguette. PEI produces some of the finest examples of mussels in the world. They are relatively inexpensive, quick to prepare and very tasty. The unoaked chardonnay will work well as that touch of residual sugar will be off set by the cream in the sauce.
Mussels Mariniere
Serves four as an appetizer, but doubling the recipe is always a good idea as they are so good and they will disappear quickly!
1.4 kg (3lb) bag of mussels
1 garlic clove, finely minced
2 shallots, finely minced
15g butter
750ml unoaked Chardonnay (chilled)
60 ml 35% cream
A handful of minced parsley and minced chives
crusty bread, to serve
Method:
Clean the mussels and discard any open ones that won't close when splashed with cold water.
Remove the tough fibrous beard that may protrude from between the shells.
Soften the garlic and shallots in the butter in a large pan big enough to take all the mussels.
Add the mussels and about 100ml of the wine, there should be enough room in the pan to allow the shells to open, turn up the heat, cover with a lid and steam them open in their own juices for 3-4 minutes, giving the pan a good shake every now and then.
Once all the mussels have opened, remove the lid, add the cream, the chopped herbs and remove from the heat.
Spoon into a large warmed bowl, pour remaining wine in your glass and serve with lots of crusty bread.
An idea for a main course for the Chardonnay is a Thai style barbequed chicken. Again that touch of residual sweetness in the wine will be masked by the slight degree of heat in marinade.
If the weather is still really steamy, serve this on a platter full of good quality salad greens with an Asian Vinaigrette
Thai barbequed chicken
½ bunch fresh cilantro with roots
3 cloves garlic, peeled
3 small red or green chili peppers, seeded and chopped
3gm of fresh ginger minced
5ml ground turmeric
5ml ground coriander seed
2ml ground cumin seed
10ml brown sugar
1 pinch salt
30ml fish sauce (now available in most local supermarkets)
20m vegetable oil
6 pieces of chicken breast with wing bone attached.
75ml of unsweetened coconut milk
Thoroughly soak the coriander to remove any sand.
Dice the cilantro, including roots and stems enough so that they will break down in the food processor. Set aside a few leaves for garnish.
In a blender or food processor, combine cilantro, garlic, chili, turmeric, coriander, cumin, ginger, sugar, and salt.
Process to a coarse paste. If it does not break down, it will when the liquids are added.
Pour in fish sauce and oil then blend until smooth.
Place chicken in a large freezer bag and coat with the cilantro paste. Marinate in the refrigerator overnight.
Preheat grill for high heat.
Lightly oil the grill. Place chicken on the prepared grill, and brush liberally with coconut milk. Grill chicken turning only once, and baste occasionally with coconut cream.
The chicken may brown sooner than expected due to the level of sweetness in the marinade so adjust heat accordingly.
Cook until browned and juices run clear.
Enjoy
Alan