Knowing which wine to serve with your meal - or even with each course - can be quite tricky if you're a novice. Angela Day devised a delicious dinner party menu and asked Georgina Haupt to pair each course with a suitable wine.
Menu
Creamy Mushroom Soup
Whalehaven Pinot Noir
Honey and Chilli Prawns in Lettuce Cups
Ken Forrester Chenin Blanc
Roast Chicken with Olives
Plaisir de Merle Chardonnay
Pear and Amaretto Sorbet
Graham Beck Bliss Demisec
Brie Cheese with Caramel Nut Topping
Bredell's Cape LBV 2004
Creamy mushroom soup
Serves 4
50g butter
1 onion, chopped
2 stalks celery, chopped
2 cloves garlic, crushed
250g shitake mushrooms, sliced
250g button mushrooms, sliced
50ml flour
1 litre chicken stock
30ml dry sherry
125ml cream
salt and pepper
chives for garnishing
Heat the butter and gently fry the onion, celery and garlic until soft. Add the mushrooms and fry for 5 minutes, until they are soft.
Stir in the flour and cook for a minute. Stir in stock and bring to the boil, stirring.
Simmer, partially covered, for 20-30 minutes until thickened.
Add sherry and cream, then season well. Heat through and serve garnished with chives.
1 Whalehaven's Pinot Noir
is a well-structured wine, with a lingering aftertaste. The fruity, smoky and meaty flavours complement the earthy flavours of mushroom soup. Costs R110.95
Honey and chilli prawns in lettuce cups
Serves 4
500g prawn tails, shelled and de-veined
1 egg white
15ml cornflour
2 cloves garlic, crushed
30ml honey
30ml rice vinegar
30ml soy sauce
60ml peanut oil
1 red chilli, seeded and chopped
1 bunch spring onions cut into 2cm pieces
100g salted cashew nuts
200g can water chestnuts, drained and sliced
125ml bean sprouts
butter lettuce
Pat prawns dry with paper towel.
Lightly beat egg white and add cornflour and half the garlic. Add prawns and mix well. Chill until needed.
Combine honey, vinegar and soy sauce. Set aside this honey mixture.
Heat a wok with 30ml oil and fry the prawns a few at a time until light golden on each side. Set aside.
Wipe the wok with paper towel. Heat remaining oil and fry rest of the garlic, chilli and spring onion. Add cashew nuts and water chestnuts, then fry for a minute.
Return prawns to the pan with the honey mixture. Bring to boil and stir in the sprouts. Remove from heat and serve in lettuce cups.
2 Ken Forrester Chenin Blanc
Chenins are fabulous with spicy food. KF's range is full-bodied, rich and a good balance of fruit and wood. With pineapple and apricot notes, this chenin's creamy texture and long finish will go beautifully with the chilli and prawns.
Costs R59.99
Pear and amaretto sorbet
Serves 4
4 pears
500ml water
80ml sugar
juice of 1 lemon
15ml Amaretto liqueur
Peel, core and dice the pears.
Combine the water and sugar and bring to the boil. Simmer until a medium syrup forms (6-8 minutes). Add the pears and remove from heat. Allow to cool completely.
Put pears, syrup, lemon juice and liqueur in a food processor and puree until smooth.
Put into a metal container and freeze until the edges start freezing. Using a wire whisk, beat well. Return to freezer until nearly solid. Beat again with the whisk, to break down ice crystals for a smoother texture. Place into suitable container and freeze.
Scoop out balls with an ice cream scoop and garnish with fresh mint.
The mixture can also be placed into an ice cream machine and churned until frozen.
4 Graham Beck's Bliss
This classy semi-sweet Cap de Classique has a delicate sweetness and lively yeastiness, and is a great accompaniment to puddings. It is sweeter than the sorbet, yet this wine does not overwhelm the pear flavours. Costs R99.99
Roast chicken with Olives
Serves 4
3 cloves garlic, crushed
100ml olive oil
45ml balsamic vinegar
250ml dry white wine
15ml dried oregano
1kg chicken portions
250g pitted prunes
100g green olives, pitted
125ml capers, drained
salt and pepper
fresh oregano to garnish
Combine the garlic, oil, vinegar, wine and oregano and mix well.
Put chicken in a large ovenproof casserole. Add the prunes, olives and capers and season well. Pour over oil mixture and cover with foil.
Roast at 180°C for 30 minutes.
Remove the foil and roast for a further 30-40 minutes until chicken is cooked and golden brown.
This is delicious served with baby potatoes and a green salad.
3 Plaisir de Merle Chardonnay
This chardonnay has spicy notes and good acidity which would complement this chicken dish's buttery olive and prune sauce. It also has a lovely lemony freshness and is lightly wooded, and so is perfect for white meat, fish or salad. Costs R79.99
Brie cheese with caramel nut topping
Serves 4-6
500ml sugar
60ml water
150g mixed whole nuts
60ml dried cranberries
500g whole brie cheese
Combine sugar and water in a pan and stir over a low heat until sugar dissolves. Brush down any sugar crystals from the side of the pan with a brush dipped in water.
When sugar is dissolved, bring to the boil and simmer without stirring until it turns a pale golden colour.
Place the brie on a serving plate. Arrange nuts and cranberries on top and pour over the caramel. Serve with savoury biscuits or crusty French bread.
5 Bredell's Late Bottled Vintage
Brie is difficult to match, but topped with caramel, cranberries and nuts, it goes beautifully with a vintage port from Bredell's. It has Christmas pudding on the nose and black currents, prunes, fruitcake flavours on the palate.
Costs R59.99