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Food and wine pairing ideas

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Meal families

Beef

Beef cheek daube with red wine and braised endives

Daube : braised stew (lamb, beef, mutton, octopus, wild boar or bull) marinated in white or red wine and aromatics.

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Sea fish

Grilled sea bass with maitre d’hotel butter

Maître d'hôtel butter : softened butter mixed with finely chopped parsley, lemon juice, salt, and pepper.

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Warm starters

Spinach and ricotta quiche

Quiche : shortcrust pastry topped with a mixture of eggs and cream combined with seafood, vegetables, meat, and/or cheese.
Ricotta : Italian or Maltese cheese made from whey of other cheeses, from sheep or cow milk.

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Shellfish and Seafood

Lobster Thermidor

Lobster meat combined with a béchamel sauce and Cognac, shallots, fish stock, and mustard, then served in its shell and often gratinated.

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Desserts

Apple strudel

Puff pastry filled with pieces of apple and raisins, usually seasoned with cinnamon and served warm with vanilla ice cream, whipped cream, custard, or vanilla sauce.

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Cheeses

Vieux Lille

France. Hauts-de-France. Nord. Pas-de-Calais.
Soft-ripened cow's milk cheese with a washed rind.
Ripening : 5 to 6 months.

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Cheeses

Abbaye de Tamié

France. Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes. Savoie.
Pressed and uncooked cheese made from raw cow's milk.
Ripening : 4 weeks.

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Sheep and Goats

Herb roasted leg of lamb

Leg of lamb : cut of meat consisting of the saddle and the leg
One thigh is called Chump.

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Cooked meats

Pâté en croûte

Terrine of assorted meats, oven-baked in a pastry crust and set in natural gelatin.
Served cold.

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Appetizers

Dark chocolate sorbet

Dark chocolate : with more than 70% cocoa.

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Beef

Grilled beef with pommes paillasson and peppercorn sauce

Pomme paillasson : pancake of grated and fried potatoes.
Peppercorn sauce : melted butter with shallots deglazed with Cognac, enhanced with crushed pepper, reduced veal stock, and heavy cream.

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Cold starters

Shrimp tomato

Belgium.
Tomato stuffed with grey shrimp mixed with mayonnaise.

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Sauces

Mornay sauce

Mornay sauce : béchamel sauce with grated cheese.

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Poultry

Glazed fattened chicken with sweet spices

To glaze : to spread honey over the skin of an animal before cooking in order to achieve a crispy and sweet texture with a shiny appearance.
Sweet spices : star anise, cinnamon, cardamom, clove, turmeric, nutmeg, saffron, vanilla… These are spices that bring a sweet and fragrant flavor, a warm or aromatic complexity, sometimes slightly spicy, but never harsh, burning, or strong.

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