The French Winophiles: Cod Grenobloise + a Louis Jadot Chardonnay #winophiles

Bonne année! Happy New Year! And welcome to the first 2016 event for The French Winophiles, a wine-swilling, food-loving group coordinated by Christy of Confessions of a Culinary Diva. This month we are heading to Burgundy with Jeff, of FoodWineClick, leading the charge. Click to read his invitation.

Clicking on the follwing regions will take you to my recipe post that includes the #winophiles round-up as well. So far, we've traveled - by tabletop and goblet - to the Loire Valley, Corsica, the Southwest, Languedoc-Roussillon, Côtes du Rhône, Bordeaux and Champagne. Today we're headed to Burgundy.

To Burgundy...
While Burgundy is a region in France, it's also how we refer to the wines from the region. And there are two main grape varietals that hail from Burgundy. "Red Burgundy" is Pinot Noir and "White Burgundy" is Chardonnay. It's that simple.

In wine terms, Burgundy stretches from Chablis, through the Cote d'Or and down to Macon.

from justburgundy.com

Being the history buff that I am, I was excited to learn that archaeological evidence establishes viticulture in Burgundy as early as the 2nd century though the Celts may have been growing vines there as early as 50 BC. The earliest recorded praise of the wines of Burgundy was written in 591, comparing it favorably to Roman wines.

What the Winophiles Are Pouring...

Our French #Winophiles group is exploring France with a monthly virtual visit to a new wine region. You never know what we’ll dig up: food and wine ideas, travel experiences, anything goes! Here’s what our group has created for our January visit to Burgundy:

• Lyn from BinNotes shares “Meet The Formidable Mdm. Anne Parent of D. Parent’ from Pommard”
• Wendy from A Day in the Life on the Farm shares “Vol au Vent served with a 2014 Chablis”
• Christy from Confessions of a Culinary Diva shares “Classic Burgundy”
• Jill from l’Occasion shares “Risotto with Forest Mushrooms & Shallots, a Meatless Match for Aegerter Les Enfants Terribles”
• David from Cooking Chat shares “Pouilly-Fuissé with Goat Cheese Pasta and Chicken”
• Camilla from Culinary Adventures with Camilla shares “Cod Grenobloise + a Louis Jadot Chardonnay”
• Michelle from Rockin Red Blog shares “Burgundy: A Taste of Terroir”
• Martin from ENOFYLZ Wine Blog shares “A Taste of Burgundy”
• Jeff from Food Wine Click! shares “A Virtual Visit with Burgundy Friends”

Don’t forget to join the live Twitter Chat this Saturday (Jan. 16, 2016) at 10 am CST (1700 hours in Beaune, France!) Just search for the hashtag #winophiles. We love new participants, if you would like to join us, just let us know.  Stay tuned for our February visit to Alsace. Au revoir!

In My Glass...

I decided to go with the 2014  Mâcon Villages from Louis Jadot. I was debating between the red and the white - remember, Pinot Noir or Chardonnay -  and opted for the Chardonnay. It's unoaked and that is always something I love in a Chard. I had actually purchased a bottle of the 2013 months ago in preparation for this event, but in the chaos of our kitchen remodel, I think that bottle was stowed away for "safe keeping." Well, when I unearth it, I'll have to try another pairing.

This has a brilliant straw hue with delicate aromas of green apple and mandarin. On the palate, it has a nice balance of acidity and minerality. And, for the price, you really can't beat it; I found this for under $15 at Trader Joe's.

On My Plate...
White burgundy is often paired with lobster, but since Burgundy is landlocked there are no traditional Burgundian dishes with lobster. They did have a freshwater fish stew that looked interesting, but I prefer ocean fish. So, I decided to prepare some fresh Pacific cod with a grenobloise sauce.

Grenobloise sauce is nothing more than beurre noisette, citrus, and capers. It's one of my favorite ways to elevate a dish from good to elegant and amazing.

Beurre Noisette [bur nwah-zet] noun, French Cookery. 
Literally 'butter the color of a hazelnut.'

Brown butter is one of those magical ingredients that transforms the flavor of just about anything be it sweet or savory. Its nutty taste and aroma are out of this world. And it can add a creative twist to any recipe that includes butter.

Ingredients

Cod en Papillote

• 4 Pacific cod filets
• 1 sliced organic lemon
• olive oil
• 4 T beurre noisette*
• 2 T freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 2 to 3 T capers

Also needed: 4 piece of parchment paper or one large piece to cook them all together

Procedure

Cod en Papillote

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Lay fish on parchment paper. Cover the filets with lemon slices . Drizzle the filets with olive oil.

Bring the sides of the parchment up around the fish and fold the edges together, rolling it down to the fish. Crimp the ends together, folding them in till fish is enclosed. Place the packets on a baking sheet. While the fish roasts, make the sauce.

Roast for 25 minutes. Remove pan from the oven and let steam for another five minutes. Because I made the sauce separately from the fish, I opted to open the parchment paper and plate the fish.

Grenobloise 

*To make beurre noisette: place butter in a pan over medium heat. Swirl the pan occasionally to be sure the butter is cooking evenly. As the butter melts, it will foam and begin to darken. The color will progress from a pale lemon yellow to golden straw hue and, finally, to a hazelnut brown. Once you achieve the color and aroma you want, pour the beurre noisette into a glass container. The milk solids will continue to brown - and eventually burn - if you leave it in the pan.

Add the lemon juice to the beurre noisette. Be careful. It will foam. Stir in the capers. 

To serve: spoon grenobloise over the fish. Serve immediately.