Classic Wine Club Recipes - December 2022

• Rinse anchovy fillets and pat dry. Chop capers and olives. Cut cucumber into small cubes. Rinse basil, shake dry and pluck leaves from stem. Finely chop half of basil leaves.

• Place steak tartare in a bowl and make a well in the middle. Mix anchovies, capers, olives, cucumber, basil, mustard, tomato paste and yolks in a bowl and pour in the well. Gently mix everything together. and season with salt and cayenne pepper. Peel onions and cut into thin rings. Trim mushrooms and brush with paper towel.
• Place a metal ring on a plate and fill with some of the tartare. Press tartare down firmly and remove metal ring. Do the same with remaining tartare. Arrange onion rings on each tartare and slice mushrooms with a truffle slicer. Drizzle each with some olive oil and season with pepper. Serve immediately garnished with basil leaves. Enjoy!

Gerard Bertrand Picpoul de Pinet 2020

Pairing: Holiday Roast Chicken 

Adapted from: The Dinner Bite  | Serves 4

Ingredients:

• 2 kg Free range whole chicken
• Orange zest from 1 big orange
• 100 g Butter
• 3 oranges or 2 large oranges
• 1 lemon
• 2 carrots
• 1 big onion
• 1 garlic head
• 1 spring rosemary
• 3 Sage leaves
• 1 spring thyme
• A handful parsley
• Salt and pepper
• 1 cup low sodium chicken stock

Directions:

• Bring out the chicken about half an hour before use so it comes to room temperature. Pat the chicken with a kitchen towel so it is dry.
• Preheat the oven at 200C/400F
• Loosen the skin on the breast of the chicken carefully using sliding your fingers under the skin or with the back of a spoon. Season the chicken including the cavity with salt and black pepper
• Cut the carrots into chunks, cut the garlic bulb in halves then the onions, oranges and lemon in quarters then place in the roasting pan. Reserve 2 orange wedges and lemon for later. Set aside and proceed to prep the chicken.
• Finely chop the herbs (rosemary, sage, thyme and parsley) and add to the butter then mix to combine with the orange zest. If the butter is still hard, place it in the microwave for about 10 seconds to soften it.
• First, rub the herb butter on the back of the chicken then place it on the vegetable bed in the roasting pan breast side up. Rub the herb butter under the loosened skin of the bird and all over it including the cavity. Stuff the cavity with the reserved lemon and orange wedges.
  Pour the chicken stock at the bottom of the baking pan.
• Place the chicken in the oven and roast until the internal temperature of the thickest part of the bird reads 165C/75F. 
• Let rest, plate and serve!