I have to admit that some days are better than others. Yesterday was a great day in my path through gastronomic arts and sciences and it is a bit embarrassing. As a man in my mid-fifties, I should have known what real Champagne tasted like and how well it goes with food. Not just eggs and toasts but with real food. In the next blog, I will talk about my mother's fried chicken and her apple pie. Two great (and maybe not so healthy) dishes that are worth the occasional use of bad ingredients (butter crisco). This blog is about what we ate the fried chicken with and that was real Champagne from the Champagne region of France.
There are many books about wine and the differences in European and American wines as well as those from all over the world. I personally like them all and they can all go so well with the right food. I know the least about Champagne mostly because what we call Champagne in the United States is typically not champagne at all. In my studies of wine and matching them with the proper food, I learned several things. First, the real champagne is very different and very good. It can only come from one region of the world or it is not champagne. Second, champagne is a food wine. Third, two of the best matches for champagne are fried chicken and popcorn. It was time to test this theory so we bought a nice bottle of French Champagne. Nothing too expensive but a nice middle of the road bottle. Interestingly, the salesman asked what we were looking to eat with it and when I said, "fried chicken", he responded with an exuberant, "you will love it". They he told us that he had the same bottle at home and was going to have it with popcorn during the NFL playoff game that night. Apparently he already knew that the savory but somewhat fatty flavor of both fried chicken and popcorn marries so well with the dry, smooth, clean and complex flavor of a real champagne. I had not idea how good they really go together but I do now. First of all, the champagne was so delicious on its own and nothing like what we were served on New Year's Eve recently. There is simply no comparison between a typical American brut and what we were drinking. The balance, clarity, smoothness and sophistication of the champagne was noticeable and bordering on perfect. Then we ate a bit of my mom's fried chicken (my wife made it but it is my mom's recipe) and we both had the same reaction. "Holy shit!!!!" It was an amazing marriage of flavors with the bonus of a mouthfeel unlike a typical meal. The two elements seem to improve each other and themselves with each bite and sip. I cannot say that I was amazed as I suspected it was true before we started. However, experiencing it was worth the effort and I would recommend it to anyone that likes food and wine. Now I am on to understanding more of what I can do with champagne and other real wines of the world.
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Dennis SmithHome Chef and Wine Snob Archives
October 2021
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