One wine. Two bites. Two honest results.
Dry Riesling Challenge
Domaine Amelie & Charles Sparr 2020 Riesling Légende
Matthew’s bite
Asian Pork Lettuce Wrap
What the pairing is
Ground pork with carrots, garlic, ginger, soy sauce, and hoisin, served in butter lettuce leaves. An optional Bang Bang sauce adds a creamy, sweet-and-spicy finish. Matthew used Miracle Whip in place of mayonnaise for the sauce for this episode.
The idea behind the pairing
I found the wine to be bright, with a mineral quality and light tropical-fruit notes. I didn’t want to overpower it with seasonings. My hope was that the sweetness of the carrots and sauce would soften my perception of the acidity and bring the combination into balance.
What Matthew discovered
For me, the heat and tang of the sauces made the wine’s acidity feel even more pronounced. This pairing didn’t work for my palate the way I’d hoped. That’s part of the exploration—you can have a good idea going in and discover something different when you taste the wine and food together.
Best to serve
Rinse the butter lettuce leaves and refrigerate until serving. Prepare the optional Bang Bang sauce ahead and keep refrigerated. Spoon the cooked pork mixture into the leaves and finish with sauce, if desired.
Make Matthew’s bite
Ingredients
- Butter lettuce
- 2 tbsp sesame oil
- 2 lbs ground pork
- 1 cup peeled or shredded carrots
- 2 large cloves of minced garlic (about 1.5” garlic paste)
- 1 tbsp minced ginger (about 2” ginger paste)
- 2 tbsp soy sauce
- 1 tbsp Hoisin sauce
Bang Bang Sauce (optional)
- 1/2 cup mayonnaise (Miracle Whip used in pairing)
- 2 tbsp sweet Thai chili sauce
- 1 tbsp Sriracha sauce
- 1 tsp rice vinegar
Instructions
- Heat the oil in a large pan or wok.
- Brown the ground pork until it reaches 160°F (about 5 minutes).
- Add carrots, garlic, ginger, soy sauce, and Hoisin sauce.
- Mix and combine the ingredients for about 2 minutes.
- The Bang Bang sauce can be prepared in advance and kept cool. Combine all the ingredients in a bowl and mix well.
- Scoop the cooked pork onto a lettuce leaf and optionally top with Bang Bang sauce.
Tom’s bite
Corn Chowder with Crab
What the pairing is
A rich corn and crabmeat chowder with bacon, potatoes, cream, thyme, and parsley.
The idea behind the pairing
The wine had a tartness and crisp acidity, and I thought that the sweetness and richness of the corn chowder would provide a good balance.
What Tom discovered
In this case, I think the idea matched the reality. The sweetness of the corn paired wonderfully with the crisp acidity, and the earthiness of the bacon, corn, and crab played off the deliciousness of the tropical fruit flavors. A success.
Best to serve
Serve warm with a sprinkle of parsley on top.
Make Tom’s bite
Ingredients
- 6 ears corn, cobbed and pulped
- 1 medium onion, diced
- 6 small red potatoes, 1/4” cubes
- 1 lb bacon
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 TB flour
- 1 c chicken broth
- 1/2 c milk
- 1 TB fresh thyme
- 2 bay leaves
- 2 c crab meat
- 3/4 c heavy cream
- 2 TB butter
- 1/4 c parsley
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Cut the corn off the cob and set aside.
- Grate the corn cob with a coarse cheese grater into a bowl. Run the dull end of a chef’s knife along the cob to extract the corn juice into the bowl. Set the corn pulp mixture aside.
- Into a large, preheated pot, add the bacon and sauté until cooked through and the fat is rendered. Remove the bacon.
- Add the onion to the pot and cook in the bacon fat until soft and translucent.
- Add the garlic and sauté for 30 seconds. Add the flour. As soon as the garlic is cooked through—being careful not to burn it—add the chicken broth.
- Add the diced potatoes. Bring to a soft boil and simmer for 5 minutes.
- Add the milk and simmer for a few minutes. Add the corn pulp and simmer for a few minutes.
- Add the cream and corn kernels. Simmer for a couple of minutes.
- Remove from the heat. Add the butter and crab meat. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Serve with a sprinkle of parsley on top.