Flavor Savers

I grew up surrounded by hunters, cooks and vintners who pooled their efforts to produce some of the most memorable meals of my life.

When I was a child in the Loire Valley, working in my aunt’s restaurant, great attention was paid to what certain game birds may have been feasting upon and what flavor it would lend to their flesh. I remember long discussions about where this or that deer came from and which herbs and berries it may have fed upon--the hoped-for result being a choice of wine that would accent the character of the meat and not be overwhelmed by it.

In much the same way, I feel, some wines have flavors that can be traced to fruit or herbs grown at the outskirts of a vineyard. The tiny vineyard of one of my great-uncles supported one huge age-old cherry tree growing smack in the middle of the plot. Year after year the cherries eaten in June were reminiscent of the Cabernet Franc wines made in October.

Despite this, for a long time I was a little hesitant to add cherries, plums, raspberries or fresh figs to a red wine sauce until I realized that often the fruit used in the sauce became the link, or bridge, between the wine and the meat, especially for small game birds such as quail or squab, or even for chicken.

There are several other types of bridges between wine and food; I call them taste modifiers. A solid basic understanding of these links can help anyone bring their food and wine into closer companionship.

* Salt: This is the first and most important of these bridges because it can be used to balance the acidity of the wine. If a dish contains a lower concentration of salt than our body, we perceive it as undersalted, and the acidity of the wine, and the tannin too, come almost savagely to the surface.

If, on the other hand, a dish contains a higher concentration of salt than our body, we perceive it as oversalted, and the acidity of the wine is so neutralized that the wine appears slightly flat or even possibly flabby.

Those who want to cook to complement their wines should salt cooked meats before saucing them, and not only the outside of the piece of meat but also the cooked cut slices.

Table salt is not the only salt used in seasoning sauces and meats. Anchovies and anchovy paste, soy sauce, meat glaze and meat extract are other ingredients in which salt is locked into proteins, providing a much more opulent taste than table salt alone.

* Sugar: Beginners in the kitchen often think immediately of adding plain sugar in order to lower the acidity of a wine sauce. This is a mistake that results only in a sweet-sour sauce that may do even more damage to the taste of the wine. If sweetness is needed in a sauce, it should come from the small amounts of fructose included in the sap of shallots, onions and/or possibly carrots, finely chopped and cooked with the wine in the sauce as it reduces.

* Acids: As one uses salt to lower the acidity of wine, one may use acids such as plain lemon juice or vinegar reduced in the base of the sauce in order to bring the acidity of a sauce or dish closer to that of a wine. I often use this method to complement young Beaujolais and Gamays and Chardonnays that are slightly tart. Emphasizing the acidity in the food makes the wine feel rounder on the tongue and palate.

* Fat: Added to a sauce, this is yet another bridge between food and wine because it coats the mouth, masking the feeling of a wine’s acidity on the tongue and palate. The fat may be simply butter added to a sauce or a compound butter on top of a lightly grilled piece of meat. Other possibilities are fattened goose or duck liver homogenized into the sauce with a blender, or a tablespoon or so of duck or goose fat--even tiny amounts of peanut butter.

* Cream: Sour cream is a perfect salt corrector. Should you find a sauce or piece of meat wildly oversalted, sour cream, with its relatively high acidity, will help you pull the dish back into a range where the wine will not appear too flat. In classic cuisines, reduced sweet cream is used to neutralize the acidity in sauces prepared with a base of Chardonnay or Sauvignon Blanc, as well as Rieslings, Sylvaners or Pinot Gris.

* Bitter flavorings: Either commercial bitters straight out of the bottle or the bitter peels of citrus fruits can be useful. I like them when a tannic wine grabs the sides and back of the mouth with a slightly bitter aftertaste. The bitters can help neutralize the tannin or bitterness in the wine.

But bitter flavorings are used not only for correction but also for their own good flavor with wines that have a strong aroma of citrus fruit--the orange scent in red Italian wines or the lemony smells in whites such as lighter Sauvignon Blancs.

It is important to give special thought to older wines of great quality, and much should be done to pamper them with food.

This is especially true of older barrel-fermented Chardonnays, with their remarkable buttery flavor and fat roundness in the mouth. In preparing sauces to accompany fish or shellfish with which an older Chardonnay will be served, it is important to minimize the acid in the sauce. This can be accomplished by adding a few drops of fino Sherry to the finished sauce, which introduces the same feeling of roundness as one finds in the wine. The aged Sherry in minute amounts becomes a happy ally to an aged Chardonnay.

Similarly, older red wines should be keyed to dishes by a sauce containing a reduction of the same red wine, and finished with a comfortable pat of butter and a touch of flamed Cognac, Armagnac or other brandy, preferably of the best quality. I have been extremely successful with single-malt Scotches that were aged in Sherry casks.

For this recipe, if you have only dried herbs, make sure they still smell extravagantly good; use half as much of a dried herb as you would of a fresh one. I recommend 48 hours of marination, but you can marinate much longer if you like a stronger venison flavor. Accompany with winter vegetables such as Brussels sprouts, baby onions or well-buttered chestnuts.

TENDERLOIN OF BEEF

1 (6-pound) whole fillet of beef, fat removed

1/3 cup very finely chopped Italian parsley

1 tablespoon chopped chives

1 1/2 teaspoons chopped fresh basil

1 1/2 teaspoons chopped fresh mint

6 rosemary leaves, very finely chopped

2 large cloves garlic, very finely chopped

6 juniper berries, very finely powdered

1/8 teaspoon ground allspice

1 teaspoon finely grated orange zest

6 tablespoons unsalted butter

2 cups Cabernet Sauvignon (older wine is better)

1 quart plus 1/2 cup excellent veal or beef stock

Use paring knife to completely remove any traces of fat and thin membrane (silver skin) from fillet. Cut off “tail” and remove “chain” or side muscle running along side of tenderloin. Tie tenderloin with string at 1/2-inch intervals, so piece of meat is round throughout for even roasting. Dice tail and chain into 3/4-inch cubes and set aside.

Mix together parsley, chives, basil, mint, rosemary, garlic, juniper berries, allspice and orange zest. Blend 1 tablespoon herb mixture into 1/4 cup butter. Place in small bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Sprinkle remaining herb mixture evenly all over tenderloin, pressing mixture into meat. Place meat on stainless-steel rack set over jellyroll pan. Lightly cover with foil tent and let marinate in refrigerator at least 48 hours.

To prepare sauce, melt remaining 2 tablespoons butter in skillet. Add and brown reserved cubes of beef on all sides. Discard butter. Add wine to pan and reduce by 3/4 over high heat. Gradually add 1 quart stock, 1 cup at a time, reducing each time until sauce lightly coats spoon and yields about 1 cup.

Bring meat to room temperature. Roast tenderloin, still coated with herbs, at 400 degrees to internal temperature of 125 degrees, about 25 minutes. Remove from oven and let stand 10 minutes before carving.

Deglaze roasting pan with remaining 1/2 cup stock and reduce to very thick glaze. Strain glaze into finished sauce and whisk in reserved herb butter. Makes 8 large servings or 12 smaller servings.

STIR-FRIED SCALLOPS WITH PISTACHIOS

1 1/2 pounds large sea scallops

4 shallots, finely chopped

1 sprig fresh thyme

1 small bay leaf, crumbled

1 cup fresh or bottled clam juice

1 cup fish fumet or chicken broth

1 bottle Chardonnay

1 large bundle chervil stems, chopped

12 large parsley stems, chopped

Salt

Freshly ground pepper

1 1/2 cups whipping cream

1/4 cup butter, or to taste

Mashed anchovy or lemon juice, optional

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 tablespoons peeled sweet red pepper, diced 1/8-inch

1/4 cup shelled and chopped pistachios

Chervil leaves for garnish

Rinse scallops under running water and blot dry. Remove small side muscles known as “feet” and place in saute pan. Reserve scallops. Add shallots, thyme, bay leaf, clam juice, fish fumet, Chardonnay, chervil and parsley stems to “feet.” Season to taste with salt and pepper. Heat to simmer and reduce mixture to 2 cups. Strain into bowl.

Heat whipping cream in skillet until reduced to 3/4 cup. Add wine mixture and simmer until it coats spatula. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Whisk in as much butter as needed to balance acidity of reduced mixture. If desired, add small amounts of mashed anchovy or lemon juice.

Heat olive oil in skillet and stir-fry scallops until no longer translucent. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve scallops lightly napped with sauce. Sprinkle each serving with 1 teaspoon diced sweet red pepper and 2 teaspoons chopped pistachios. Decorate plate with chervil leaves. Makes 6 servings.