Louis Latour Agencies

Valentine's Day: Cook a 3-course meal with wine to match

04 February 2021

Le Cordon Bleu have put together this wonderful menu for you with wines paired by Le Cordon Bleu's very own Master Sommelier Matthieu Longuere. Don't forget to post pictures of your dishes and tag us so we can see! 

 

Starter – Grilled Scallops, Fennel, Avocado and Pomegranate Salad

Main – Pan Roasted Cod, Herb Gnocchi, Parsley and Garlic Sauce

Dessert – Pineapple and Mascarpone Tartlets (see below)

 

Valentine’s Day is a great excuse to break out some good wine and treat the one you love with a special menu. Fortunately this year it falls on a Sunday, so why not indulge yourself and pick two bottles of wines to go with this adventurous menu and enjoy them over the whole weekend.

Without getting into stereotypes, a Valentine’s without Champagne would not feel like Valentine’s day. Pink being the colour “de rigueur” for some, why not go for a Pink Champagne that would match the starter and the dessert. The scallop dish and the dessert are both characterized by tropical influences and sweet and sour flavours. The wizards at Gosset, the oldest wine house in Champagne, have created the perfect bottle for the occasion, called Petite Douceur. It is a fruitier, riper style of pink Champagne, slightly sweeter, creamier with flavours of quince, blood orange and verbena. It should be able to handle the tanginess of the starter and the richness of the tartlet.

For the main course, why not try experimenting with a different take on Sauvignon Blanc from Margaret River in Australia. McHenry Hohnen Burnside vineyard Sauvignon Blanc 2018 has been partially fermented in oak, adding an extra layer of complexity on the palate. The acidity of this wine will balance out the saltiness of the fish and the samphire while the guava and elderflower aroma will marry perfectly with the herbs of the sauce and the gnocchi. If you cannot consider a meal without having red wine, a more serious yet not too rich Beaujolais like the Fleurie Château des Labourons 2018 from Henry Fessy would work perfectly. It is elegant and complex while not too rich and won’t overpower the fish.

Of course, Valentine’s Day is all about making your beloved feel special, so if they have a favourite bottle it’s likely they will enjoy it no matter what. If you’re not sure and only want to open one bottle, a good Champagne always makes the occasion feel special.

 

Pineapple and Mascarpone Tartlets – makes 8

Pâte Sablée

• 185 g plain flour
• 60 g icing sugar
• 20 g ground almonds
• 1 g salt
• 95 g butter, cold and cubed
• 40 g eggs

Pistachio and almond cream

• 75 g butter
• 60 g caster sugar
• 75 g eggs
• 35 g ground almonds
• 40 g ground pistachios
• 10 g plain flour

Mascarpone and lime cream

• 100 g mascarpone
• 25 g icing sugar
• 200 g whipping cream
• 1 g vanilla seeds
• zest ½ lime, finely grated

Pineapple and passion fruit confit

• 50 g simple syrup (50 ml water and 50 g caster sugar)
• 5 g Ultratex (tapioca starch)
• 50 g passion fruit purée
• 50 g fresh pineapple, cut in brunoise

Decoration

• pineapple brunoise
• silver spray
• Viola flowers

 

Method:

Pâte sablée: Put the flour, icing sugar, almonds and salt in a large bowl and mix to combine. Add the butter and rub in with your fingertips until the mixture resembles sand. Add the egg and mix to form a dough, being careful not to overwork it. Roll the dough on a lightly floured surface then chill until firm, meanwhile preheat the oven to 165°C. Line the tartlet rings with the pastry and chill again. Bake for 15 minutes, or until the edges are golden and the bottoms are set.

Pistachio and almond cream: In a bowl, cream butter, sugar and eggs then fold in the dry ingredients. Transfer the mixture to a piping bag, snip off the end and pipe the cream inside the part baked tart cases. Put back in the oven and bake for another 5 minutes. Set aside to cool completely.

Pineapple and passion fruit confit: Make a simple syrup with the water and sugar by cooking over a low heat until the sugar has dissolved. Whisk the Ultratex with 50 g simple syrup and passion fruit purée until thick. Carefully stir in the brunoise pineapple pieces.

Mascarpone and lime cream: Place all the ingredients in a large bowl set over an ice bath. Whisk to form soft and pipeable peaks. Spoon the mixture in a piping bag fitted with an 8 mm round nozzle.

Assembly: Pipe small blobs of the mascarpone cream on top of the tarts then garnish with pineapple brunoise, silver spray and Viola flowers.