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Corned Beef and Cabbage - Horseradish Sauce - Wine Choice 5 lb. corned beef brisket 1 large onion stuck w/ 6 whole cloves 6 carrots, peeled and halved 7 medium potatoes , quartered 1 tsp. dried thyme 2 lbs. cabbage, quartered 1 tsp. dried parsley Place beef in a large pot and cover with cold water. Bring to a boil without the lid. Add thyme, parsley and onion. Simmer and cook for 3 hours. Skim the fat as it rises to the top. Add all vegetables. Simmer 20-30 minutes or until cabbage is cooked. Removed the meat and cut into pieces. Place on the center of a platter. Strain the cabbage and season heavily with black pepper. Place cabbage, carrots and potatoes around the beef. Serve with horseradish sauce. ½ pint whipping cream 2 tbsp. mayonnaise 2-4 tbsp. prepared horseradish Whip cream until it stands in peaks. Fold in mayonnaise and horseradish.
Corned Beef and Cabbage is an Irish-American tradition on St. Patrick's day. When I think of such a meal, I think of beer and ale. I particularly think of Guinness Stout. I do not think of wine, and that made this month's task a bit difficult.
As I sat and thought that over, my eyes fell on the horseradish sauce. Even worse, I thought: what wine will stand up to that?
I ran through a long list in my head. When in doubt, I often fall back on the old cliche about red wines with meat, but I had trouble imagining any red we had with the Corned Beef and Cabbage, let alone the horseradish sauce. Cabernet, Merlot and several others all seemed wrong. Even worse, I had the feeling the meal would take all the taste away from an otherwise fine wine.
With time running short, I began to consider lighter reds that would bring more fruit to the table. Beaujolais might do, but I had none around. A Barbera? A Chianti? Maybe. There are some nice Barberas available these days from California, and the Chianti might be acceptable if it was young and fruity; this definitely was not a meal for a Reserva. Possibly a Pinot Noir, and we have a nice one from Long Island down under the cellar stairs.
Did I have a choice? Maybe. I started thinking of whites.
At first glance, whites seemed even worse. Chardonnay was quickly crossed off. Certainly not a Zinfandel. Most of the names that sprang to mind would be overwhelmed by the Corned Beef and Cabbage flavors. As I was getting ready to abandon the whites altogether, I thought of Riesling.
That idea resonated for some reason. We have two very nice Finger Lakes Rieslings available. Dr. Konstantin Frank's Johannisberg Riesling Semi-Dry and a Heron Hill Semi-Dry Riesling. I decided to go with the Dr. Frank.
I still cannot imagine a good wine match for the horseradish sauce. Perhaps a true dry Riesling instead of the semi-dry example I picked here. I plan to have a good amber ale available in any event, and I think I'll suggest that anyone who favors the horseradish might prefer that.
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Last modified: August 07, 2007 |
