Happy Bastille Day

Every year as it gets closer to July 14^th, I start to plan what delicious French treats I am going to prepare for Bastille Day. I’m not French, and don’t have any direct French connections, but I love French food and Paris would have to be one of my favourite cities.

Usually my food inspiration comes from my Gourmet Traveller magazines, who always do a French edition around this time of year. Previous menus have included confit duck, slow cooked beef with escargot, cassoulet and a slow cooked lamb dish. I match my food with a French wine, of course, to try and make the whole meal as authentic as I can. There might even be some French music playing in the background!

Dessert always includes something suitably French too.

Tonight’s menu had to match with a bottle of champagne, as we still  hadn’t got around to celebrating the move into our new house. What better way to celebrate a new house and Bastille Day than with a French Champagne.

When I was looking for the main course, I wanted something based on chicken, pork or seafood with the right flavours to complement vintage champagne.  In the end, a slow cooked pork rillettes salad with kipfler potatoes, baby beets and a mustard and chive dressing won. The salad was meant to be served at room temperature, but I modified it slightly to serve it warm. On a cold, Melbourne night a warm salad is so much nicer.

As an entrée and to go with the salad, I also bought a beautiful fresh baguette, an ashed chevre and a Coeur de lion brie. A perfect meal. Why can't every Monday night be like this?

  

Salad of Pork Rillettes, Crackling, Potato and Beetroot

600g piece pork belly, cut into 3cm thick slices

3 thyme sprigs

2 bay leaves

8 black peppercorns

500g small kipfler potatoes

8 baby beets

A few handfuls of mixed salad greens

1 Tbs Dijon mustard

1 Tbs red wine vinegar

¼ cup extra virgin olive oil

1 tsp brown sugar

2 Tbs finely chopped chives

For the rillettes

Preheat the oven to 150 degrees.

Combine pork, thyme, bay leaves and peppercorns in a dish and bake, covered, for about 3 hours or until the meat easily pulls away from the bone and the fat has nicely rendered.

Allow to cool and then remove the bones, rind and fat. Shred the meat with your hands or two forks and place in the fridge.

Scrape the fat from the rind and set aside for later. Discard the bones and fat.

Place the rind on a lined baking tray and grill under high heat until the skin has crackled and is crisp and golden.

Drain on kitchen paper and break into smaller pieces when cool enough to handle.

Boil the potatoes and beetroots in separate saucepans of salted water for 10-15 minutes, or until tender when pierced with a skewer. How long this actually takes will depend on the size of your vegetables.

When they are cooked, drain separately and keep warm.

Peel the beetroots and cut in half lengthways.

Reheat the pork in an oven preheated to 180 degrees for 20 minutes, or until just warm and the remaining fat has rendered.

For the dressing, combine all ingredients , except chives, in a small jar and shake to combine. Season to taste.

Add the chives just before serving.

To serve, combine the salad leaves, warm potatoes and beetroots, crispy pork skin and warmed pork in a bowl.

Toss gently with dressing and then pile on to plates.

Serve with fresh crusty bread.

Bon appetite!

And To Drink....

Looking through our selection of Champagnes, I wanted something special to celebrate our new house, as well as something that would match the pork. We have quite a few vintage and non vintage champagnes in the cellar, so it was no easy decision. In the end, I opted for the 1999 Pommery Louise.

This would have to be one of the most beautiful and refined Champagnes I have ever tried. It was only mildly yeasty, with plenty of fruit flavour still present, even though it was 15 years old.

The golden colour and fine bubbles made it look so special in the glass too.

There was some residual sweetness, but also enough acidity, that it was wonderful with the fattiness of the pork. The sweet, earthiness of the beetroot also complimented the sweetness in the wine and it's acidity. Stone fruit and quince were the beautiful flavours that came through to me.

We had the cheese with the champagne too and the creamy brie, as well as the tart goat's cheese, also matched perfectly. The Louise was certainly a wine that paired well with the whole meal. Now if only I could afford to drink this sort of Champagne every day!