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Chicken with Banana Curry - Wine Choice

CHICKEN WITH BANANA CURRY SAUCE

4 chicken breasts, (about 2 1/4 pounds), skin removed

2 large bananas, cut into pieces

2 teaspoons ground coriander   2 tablespoons curry powder    

1 teaspoon dry mustard            3 tablespoons butter

1/2 teaspoon grated lime rind    4 teaspoons lime juice

1/2 teaspoon black pepper       3/4 cup water

Heat the oven to 450 degrees.

In a food processor or blender, puree the bananas, curry powder, coriander, dry mustard, butter, lime rind, lime juice, pepper, and 1/4 cup of the water.

Make three or four deep cuts in each breast.  Place the breasts in a roasting pan. Pour the curry sauce over the chicken, making sure the sauce gets into the cuts. Roast in the bottom of the oven about 20 minutes.

Remove pan from the oven.  Remove the chicken from the pan.  Leave the sauce in the bottom of the pan.

Set the pan over moderate heat and whisk in the remaining 1/2 cup water. Continue to whisk until the sauce is heated through.  Add more water for a thinner sauce.

Serve the chicken breasts with the sauce over them.

WINE CHOICE

My first impression was daunting.  Bananas?  Curry powder?  Lime?  What wine will go with that?

I spent some time muttering, but I eventually began to think about this seriously.  The truth is that changes in cuisine have brought wine matching to dishes that would have been rarely considered in the past.  Asian influences in particular were new, I thought, and might use some of these flavors.

I began by searching the Internet.  As usual, I found too much information available.  Much of what I found I disagreed with, not surprisingly.  I began to get a general idea of how wines might match these tastes, and what I might like with them.

It was immediately obvious that the big, bold reds need not apply here.  A light, fruit-forward wine was what attracted me.  Naturally enough, those fell into some easily recognizable categories.

For white wines: Gewurztraminer, Riesling

For red wines: Petite Sirah, Zinfandel

As it happens, I was having a discussion with some acquaintances about Finger Lakes Reislings a few days before writing this, prompted by an article in the Wall Street Journal (Gaiter & Beecher, "Rediscovering New York Reisling", 9/23/2005).  They had mentioned a winery we had visited not too long ago, Dr. Konstantin Frank Vinifera Wine Cellars, praising their 2004 Dry Reisling.  That sounded like a match.  Since I knew where to find a bottle, that is what we'll have with this.

Chicken with Banana Curry - Wine Choice

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 Last modified: March 10, 2007