So why are we posting early this month? Beaujolais is releasing their 2017 harvest today! Each year the current harvest of Beaujolais wines are released on the third Thursday and it has become a great marketing tool for them. You can learn more about Beaujolais wines and this event by reading this invitation post written by Jeff of Food Wine Click, who is hosting this month.
This year, on of our members, Lynn of Savor the Harvest, was able to procure samples of four different Beaujolais wines for our group to try; Nature Terra Vitis from Vignerons de Bel Air, Brouilly from Domaine de Briante, Morgan Côte du Py from Domaines Piron and Cote de Brouilly Les Garances from Domaine Baron de L'Ecluse.
You can see what the others have to say about this wine in their individual posts:
- Jill from L’Occasion shares “No Sleep ’til Beaujolais: The French Wine That’s Keeping Us Up All Night“
- Martin from Enofylz writes “Ready To Elevate Your Beaujolais Game? Go Beyond Nouveau!”
- Lynn from Savor the Harvest writes “Beaujolais Beyond Nouveau”
- Rob from Odd Bacchus shares “Beaujolais Reassessed“
- Wendy from A Day in the Life on the Farm writes “Say Yay for Beaujolais“
- Jane from Always Ravenous shares “Beaujolais Wine: A Foodie’s Dream”
- Nicole from Somms Table writes “Cooking to the Wine: Stephane Aviron Cru Beaujolais with Pork Tenderloin While Jumping Life Hurdles“
- Lauren from The Swirling Dervish shares “Thanksgiving for Two: Mushroom-Stuffed Pork Loin Paired with Beaujolais Cru”
- Jeff from Food Wine Click! shares “Tasting the Beaujolais Pyramid over Dinner”
- Gwendolyn from Wine Predator asks "Do you know the way to Beaujolais?" Followed up by "We do! Part 2 with Coq a Vin!"
- Liz from What's in that Bottle invites us to "Discover Real Beaujolais"
- Cam of Culinary Adventures with Camilla tells us about her "Top of the Central Coast; My Beaujolais Pairing Dinner"
- Michelle from Rockin Red Blog writes "Exploring Cru Beaujolais with #Winophiles".
- David from Cooking Chat shares "Food-Friendly Red Wine from Beaujolais".
Shakshuka is a dish of eggs poached in tomatoes and vegetables. Often served for breakfast, I decided to enjoy it for brinner and pair it with the bottle of Côte du Py. You can find versions of this dish in nearly every culture. This dish in France is spelled Chakchouka. I shared the Italian version, Uovo al Piatta con Pomodori, last Easter season.
I found this recipe by Celeste of The True Spoon on a website called Honest Cooking. It appealed to me because Celeste had paired it with Beaujolais when she served it. I also was thrilled with the addition of beets to the recipe.
I had recently received a wonderful box of produce for our #FabulousFallBounty event that starts in just two days. One of the items included in this box were some steamed and peeled baby beets. Perfect for this recipe.
The most interesting thing about this pairing was the difference in my tasting as compared to Frank's tasting. I took a sip of the wine and was please with how light and smooth I found it. I thought that it was the perfect wine for this rustic dinner.
Frank also enjoyed the pairing but after he took a couple of sips of the wine he said "Wow, this is really a chalky wine". We, more I than he, enjoy chalky wines. I like when you take a sip of wine and it is so dry that your mouth feels like you just licked some chalk. But I was surprised when Frank said this. I didn't find the wine that dry at all. It was not sweet. It was very fruity. But it did not leave that chalky feel in my mouth as it did in his. This just goes to show that tasting is in the buds of the beholder. We should never judge a wine on someone else's review. We all have our own palates and a wine that I love may not be the wine you love and vice versa.
Beet Shakshuka
adapted from The True Spoon
8 oz. baby beets, steamed, peeled and chopped
8 oz. fingerling potatoes, cut into bite size slices
3 T. garlic infused olive oil
1/2 red onion, coarsely chopped
salt and pepper to taste
1 (15 oz) can tomato sauce
1/4 t. cumin
1/4 t. caraway seeds
3-4 eggs
Place the potatoes and onion in a cast iron skillet. Drizzle with olive oil, season with salt and pepper and toss to coat. Place in a preheated 400* oven for 15 minutes. Add the beets to the skillet. Stir, flipping the potatoes to allow even browning and return to the oven for 10 minutes. Stir in the tomato sauce, cumin and caraway seeds.
Pressing down with a spoon create indentations for each egg you are using. Add an egg into each well, season with salt and pepper and return to the oven for 10-12 minutes, until whites are set and yolks are cooked to desired consistency. Remove from oven and let rest a few minutes before serving.
Print Recipe
Join me on Saturday as I pair the Brouilly with a marvelous French Soup that I prepared for #SoupSaturdaySwappers featuring #FabulousFallBounty.