At Home with RWM: Musings from the Rosenthal Team
“... Brilliant L’Étoile 2016 from Nicole Deriaux’s beautiful Domaine de Montbourgeau. This wine is vivid, vivacious and vibrant, bursting with energy. This wine practically trembles in the mouth with a near static electricity. Fully expressive of its specific terroir, the elegance and cut of Nicole’s wines are on display. ”
As Neal’s team at Rosenthal Wine Merchant settles in for more nights at home, a collective writing project spearheaded by our very own Clarke Boehling has taken shape. Our team's musings pay homage to our growers, providing readers with a journey through words to the places we look forward to visiting with you in the not-too-distant future. Below, a note from wine sales representative Tobias Rower on new and different ways to enjoy Nicole Deriaux’s Montbourgeau L’Etoile.
Montbourgeau L’Étoile is a wine I never, ever have enough of at home. I like drinking it, but I like cooking with it even more. Deglazing a pan with oxidative wine of most any sort is a secret weapon that every home cook should employ. My tendencies in the kitchen are to abandon all pretense of following a recipe, or even a concept, and what starts out as “just a quick bowl of pasta” turns into 90-odd minutes of mincing, blanching, searing, steaming, seasoning and simmering until my hungry wife pokes her head into the kitchen and says “what the hell is going on in there?” So, here is my recipe for Complicated Broccoli Pasta:
> First, take a tiny tiny saucepan and fill with half an inch of Il Censo’s swarthy BI-CE-MU olive oil (the smaller the pot the better). Take 3 tablespoons of capers and pat dry w/ paper towel, and deep fry the salty bastards in the oil over low heat, stirring occasionally. Cook until darkened and aromatically close to burning, but do not burn. This takes a while so do it first while you prep vegetables, and give them time to cool and dry on the same paper towel.
> Dry pasta: Fusilli or Mezze Rigatoni are best, perhaps Radiatore in a pinch. No Penne, ever. Penne is horrible. Set a pot of water to boil.
> Broccoli: cut into longish spears with a flat side, and sear in butter &/or olive oil in a heavy pan, on medium-high heat until browned on the flat side. Turn off heat and cover the pan with a tight lid for 3 solid minutes to steam the broccoli just a bit towards tenderness. Sprinkle kosher salt, not too much. Set aside.
> Shallots: mince a large one as fine as you can manage with your sharpest knife. Melt butter in same pan as broccoli, and gently sauté the shallots. While this is happening:
> Garlic: peel one or two cloves.
> Anchovy: take two or three filets and place into a garlic press (ideally a cylindrical column shape with no chance of side-leakage). Take a clove of garlic and place atop the ‘chovies, and press, forcing a beautiful mess of crushed anchovy and garlic into the shallots (repeat if you want to punish yourself). Melt this mixture (adding olive oil or butter as needed) until soft, and then pour a couple of glugs of Étoile into the pan, turn up heat, and reduce the mixture. Turn off when it is thickened but not yet dry.
> Drop the pasta, if you haven’t already, and when it is almost done to your liking, add to the pan with a ladle or two full of pasta water, turn up the heat, and let the wine/shallot/anchovy mix come together with the starchy water and noodles. Add the broccoli only at the very end so as not to overcook.
> Plate (or bowl, would be more accurate) the mixture, and top with chopped parsley, the now-dry fried capers, and lots of grated Parmigiano & fresh black pepper.
I’d drink an off-dry German Riesling with this, ideally Julian Haart’s Moselle or 1000L.
- Love from TR
We invite you to discover the Domaine de Montbourgeau in person and meet Nicole on our Pilgrimage to Burgundy & The Jura.
Shop olive oils and other gourmet products from our sister company, Mad Rose Specialty Foods.