Skip to main content

Grilled Lamb Sirloin with Cèdre Héritage 2015 #Winophiles


This month Jill of L'Occasion invited the French Winophiles to post about Cahors. Here's her invitation. If you are reading this early enough feel free to join the live Twitter chat on Saturday, September 15th at 8am (Pacific time). Search for us with the hashtag #Winophiles. Or you can peruse those tweets at your leisure any other time.


And an admission: I think I have too much wine! Or maybe I just have too many recipe posts hanging out in draft form. Both are a possibility. So funny story, I bought this bottle of wine earlier in the year, knowing that I wanted to pair it for this event, the September editon of #Winophiles. I cooked and paired the wine with my Comforting Beef Stroganoff. Then I couldn't find the photos or remember what I paired with the wine. So I bought a second bottle of the same wine and did a whole new pairing! I guess the good part of that is that Jake and I actually preferred the second pairing. Before I get to my post, please check out the rest of the #Winophiles' articles.

The Cahors Crew


Cahors in My Glass
The Cahors area produces some of the richest, darkest red wines in France, primarily using the Malbec grape variety, sometimes referred to as "black wine." Mine didn't seem that dark. I poured and paired a Cèdre Héritage 2015.


Two brothers - Pascal and Jean-Marc Verhaeghe - have banned all herbicides and chemicals from their estate and work to produce Cahors wines that are polished and balanced. Their 2015 Malbec is the perfect example. 95% Malbec with a smidge of Merlot, this wine has ample tannins and a big personality.

Though I typically think of Malbec in association with Argentinian wines, the grape was originally grown in France. In fact, as far back as the 1300s, the Brits praised the 'Black Wine of Cahors.' This wine was rich, but approachable. I got herbs on the nose and some hints of black tea on the tongue. And, at its price point, it's a great value!


On My Plate
I thought about what to pair with the wine and settled on lamb. After a friend mentioned a leg of lamb with a coffee-vanilla rub - for pairing with a different wine - and I thought I'd play with that flavor profile with this one. Yep. It was amazing!


Ingredients
  • 1 pound lamb sirloins, butterflied
  • 2 T pink peppercorn salt blend
  • 1 t vanilla bean powder
  • 1 organic onion, peeled and sliced
  • 2 T butter
  • 1 T olive oil
  • 1 t pure vanilla extract
  • freshly ground salt
  • freshly ground pepper


Procedure
Blend the salt and vanilla bean powder together and rub the sirloins with the mixture. Let come to room temperature. And prepare your grill.

In the meantime, melt butter in olive oil. Stir in the onions and cook until they soften and start to turn translucent. Stir in the vanilla and cook until desired level of caramelization. Set aside.

Grill the lamb to your desired doneness. Let stand for 5 minutes before slicing. Serve covered with caramelized onions.


I served these with sautéed kale, grilled bear's head mushrooms, and smashed red marble potatoes.

Next month, the French Winophiles will be heading back to the Rhône Valley with Michelle from Rockin Red Blog at the lead. Can't wait.

Comments

  1. That lamb sounds sensational! I agree that lamb and Cahors tend to work well together. I had a Cèdre once as well, and I really enjoyed it. It was the 2014 (I had it last year), and it was already quite approachable, as you say. Not a big tannin bomb or anything.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Providence....the second pairing needed to take place.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Your lamb dish sounds great, I'll file it away for the next time Julie is out of town!

    ReplyDelete
  4. I love the idea of the coffee-vanilla rub with malbec! Since I don't do lamb, can you suggest another cut of meat that might work nicely? And how did you like the wine? I had the same wine and loved the nose. This one seemed expressive as it opened up!

    ReplyDelete
  5. That little salt packet looks fab! Love your attention to ingredients.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Meyer Lemon Custard-Filled Matcha Turtles #BreadBakers

#BreadBakers is a group of bread loving bakers who get together once a month to bake bread with a common ingredient or theme. You can see all our of lovely bread by following our  Pinterest board  right here. Links are also updated after each event on the  Bread Bakers home page .  We take turns hosting each month and choosing the theme/ingredient. This month Stacy of Food Lust People Love  is hosting and she wrote: "Your bread can be large, as in one big animal, or small - animal-shaped rolls. Use your imagination! Points for flavor and shape!" If you are a food blogger and would like to join us, just send an email with your blog URL to Stacy at foodlustpeoplelove@gmail.com. Here's the animal-shaped bread basket from the #BreadBakers... Beef and Sweet Onion Dim Sum Pandas from Karen's Kitchen Stories Bird Bread Rolls from Ambrosia Easter Bunny Buns from Cook with Renu Ham and Cheese Elephant Rolls from Food Lust People Love Hedgehog Bread from Making Mir

Connecticut Lobster Rolls, Canned Lobster Bisque, and a 2019 Henry Fessy 'Maître Bonhome' Viré-Clessé #Winophiles

This month the French Winophiles group is looking at affordable wines from Burgundy.  Host Cindy of Grape Experiences wrote: "Burgundy, or Bourgogne, is known for its wines of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir... as well as Aligote, Gamay, Sauvignon, César, Pinot Beurot, Sacy, Melon in lesser quantities. Many of the well-known wines are quite expensive, but there are plenty of values to be found." Read her invitation here. And there won't be a Twitter chat for this event, so you will have to dive into the articles themselves to read about our pairings and findings. Here's the line-up... Wendy Klik from A Day in the Life on the Farm enjoys Domaine Chevillon Chezeaux Bourgogne Hautes Cotes de Nuits, 2018 Paired with a Maple Pecan Chicken . Camilla Mann from Culinary Adventures with Camilla shares her love of Connecticut Lobster Rolls, Canned Lobster Bisque, and a 2019 Henry Fessy 'Maître Bonhome' Viré-Clessé. Jeff Burrows of FoodWineClick! explains why we should Look t

Quick Pickled Red Onions and Radishes

If you've been reading my blog for even a short amount of time, you probably know how much I love to pickle things. I was just telling a friend you can pickle - with vinegar - or you can ferment - with salt - for similar delicious effect. The latter has digestive benefits and I love to do that, but when I need that pop of sour flavor quickly, I whip up quick pickles that are ready in as little as a day or two. I've Pickled Blueberries , Pickled Asparagus , Pickled Cranberries , Pickled Pumpkin , and even Pickled Chard Stems ! This I did last night for an upcoming recipe challenge that requires I include radishes. Ummmm...of course I'm pickling them! Ingredients  makes 1 quart jar radishes, trimmed and sliced organic red onions, peeled and thinly sliced (I used a mandolin slicer) 3/4 C vinegar (I used white distilled vinegar) 3/4 C water 3 T organic granulated sugar 1 T salt (I used some grey sea salt) 6 to 8 grinds of black pepper Proce