Mozambican langoustines on asparagus mash
When we tasted Jordan’s Chenin Blanc 2009, Michel Morand and I both shook our heads – not at the wine, but at the modest 3.5-Star rating bestowed by the 2011 Platter’s Guide.
“Barrel fermentation is less prominent than in Kathy Jordan’s earlier vintages,” remarked the owner of this multi-awarded Sandton restaurant. “This wine is more about the grape’s character than adjustments in the cellar.”
Sommelier Isaac Kubheka agrees. “The sweet tropical fruit nose has an edge of citrus but the mouthfeel is pleasingly dry without sharp acid. It expresses a sunny terroir without the oxidative associations of Swartland Chenins.”
Kubheka adds that Chenin is still a difficult wine to sell to South African diners, because “people still remember it as the sweet Steen of previous decades.” Memories of cardboard-packaged headache-inducers are understandably off-putting to mature drinkers, which is a pity as Chenin is a natural food partner and its unusually long life for a white makes good Chenin a wonderful investment for future banquets.
In reviews, I have censured many oriental restaurants whose wine lists woefully lack Chenin, seemingly unaware that its voluptuous tropical fruit complements spicy dishes far better than Sauvignon and Chardonnay. But not only spicy dishes. Today I was curious to see how an experienced Burgundian restaurateur and a young chef from the Périgord, Yo Saumande, would pay Gallic homage to their compatriotic noble Loire Valley cultivar.
They opted to pair top African produce with top African terroir, at the same time matching classic winemaking skills with classic cooking methods. The result was a visually striking and colourful showcase of premium seafood, with a balanced and interesting combination of supporting flavours. The trump card was eschewing the customary rich wine-based sauce and instead presenting a lighter, elegantly smooth mousse-textured royale, redolent with Cognac that aptly echoed the wine’s cultivar. In a nutshell, a balanced and harmonious pairing.
Mozambican langoustines on asparagus mash
(Quantities are expressed per person)
8 Mozambican langoustines, cleaned and de-veined
Stock
50g onions, peeled
50g carrots, sliced
1-2 celery stalks
200ml cream
50ml Cognac or brandy
Royale
1 egg
10g salt
100g butter
1 leek stalk
Accompaniment
½ punnet asparagus
3 medium-sized potatoes
Pesto garnish
½ packet Italian parsley
20ml virgin olive oil
1. Detach three langoustine heads. Desiccate in a pre-heated oven (180°C for 20 minutes). Set aside to garnish plate. Leave only a piece of pink shell on the end of each tail (as decoration)
and refrigerate. Place the rest of the detached heads and shells in a saucepan with the stock ingredients. Bring to the boil with half a litre of water, then add cream and Cognac and simmer for an hour to reduce. Strain, discard the solids and cool.
2. Steam the asparagus. Retain the tops (one per langoustine) as garnish and blend the rest with a
little cream or butter. Boil the potatoes, carve and retain three firm cubes, then mash the rest together with the blended asparagus.
3. To make the royale, blend the reduction with the eggs until homogenous. Season to taste and cook in a steamer at 80°C for 30 minutes. Pour into buttered moulds (three small tians per serving) and refrigerate until firm.
4. Flash-fry some parsley leaves in butter for five seconds and dry on tissue paper. Blanch the
rest of the parsley, blend with olive oil into a pesto and refrigerate. From the steamed leek stalk, take strands to tie around each royale when prised from its mould before serving.
5. Gently sauté the langos with butter in a hot pan for about one minute until firmly cooked but not tough. Arrange on plates atop the asparagus mash, beside potato cubes and the royale trio. Garnish the royale with langoustine heads, potato cubes with fried parsley and langos with asparagus spears, dabs of pesto and optional added colour such as bell pepper and potato crisps. Serve at once.
PREPARED BY
Michel Morand and Yo Saumande of
AUBERGE MICHEL
122 Pretoria Avenue, Sandown
TEL: 011 883 7013
www.aubergemichel.co.za
