Smoked Brisket and Spanish Mencia

I have probably mentioned before that my dear husband is a meat-and-potatoes kind of guy. Actually, make that minus the potatoes. He loves meat. And lucky for me, he also likes to experiment with preparing meats in all kinds of different ways. Be it that he makes his own deer jerky (not that I would ever eat Bambi... but I hear it's rather tasty...), to his latest passion of smoking all kinds of meats and fish. Smoking, as in curing meats by exposure to smoke that is...

So the other day, he smoked a beef brisket. At first he treated it with his secret spice rub, and then smoked it for about six hours over charcoal and wood chips. Low and slow is key here, he told me conspiratorially. Whatever... as long as it tastes good in the end. And that it did! It was delicious, and we ate it with barbecue sauce and potato salad to make it a complete meal. I would be amiss if I did not point out the lovely pink smoke ring around the slices of brisket in the picture. Please make sure to take note of it... (There, I said it...)

The way I make my potato salad is basically a classic recipe. Sometimes I make changes such as chopping up some pickles instead of using prepared relish or using red or yellow onions instead of scallions. Often I also substitute red bell pepper for the celery. It has the same fresh crunch, but I prefer the flavor and it adds a nice bright color.

I decided to pair this meal with the 2006 Flavium Mencia Crianza produced by Vinos de Arganza from the Bierzo region in Spain. Mencia is a lesser known red grape variety that produces a light, yet very fragrant and aromatic wine. I got some floral notes and blackberry on the nose and the flavor is remarkably well-balanced and smooth. Together with the food, it impressed even more. It had a nice interplay with the spices on the beef brisket. What a great find, and for a very fair price.

Easter Ham and a Rosé from California

This year it took me a while to decide what would be on the menu for Easter dinner. I went to the store only the day before the holiday and was delighted to get the last few bundles of white asparagus. White asparagus just brings back memories of growing up in Europe and how this locally grown vegetable would always be a sure sign of spring. The season was always short, six to eight weeks at the most, and during that time, we would have white asparagus two or three times per week. Asparagus soup; asparagus hot, with melted butter or a hollandaise sauce; asparagus cold, with a vinaigrette, chives and crumbled hard-boiled eggs as a salad.

The perfect starch to go with asparagus is potatoes. I decided to make a potato gratin, with green onions and lots of cheese on top. This in itself would have been a festive meal, but I could hear my better half asking already... "Where's the meat?" So add a smoked ham to that. I prepared a maple and mustard glaze for it.

Next question of course, which wine pairs well with ham? An Internet search found plenty of articles suggesting Riesling, but the one idea that got my attention was a Rosé. I picked a 2009 Bonny Doon Vin Gris de Cigare which is made from grapes typical for Rhône-style blends. It is from the Central Coast of California and has a beautiful light salmon color. The flavors are of watermelon with a nice minerality and good acidity. It was less fruity than I would have expected. Probably the 2010 vintage would have provided more of the typical strawberry notes I was hoping for.

The wine paired nicely with the food, but it is a rather subtle and understated wine. More of a supporting actor than in a lead role. It was a really lovely meal overall, and I am still enjoying the leftovers. Now stay tuned for what was for dessert...