Saturday, May 8, 2010

Pairing with Lobster Mac & Cheese

Zenchef over at the Zen Can Cook blog brings us a recipe for Lobster Mac & Cheese. This was featured in today's Foodbuzz Top 9. Make sure you check out the rest of the recipes for some incredible eating ideas for any occasion.

http://www.foodbuzz.com/recipes/2232431-lobster-mac-cheese

First off, the concept of using as much of the lobster as possible in the recipe is magnificent and refreshing. You will want to click the link above and spend the time to read about this evil creation. This recipe looks like you could die from happiness just looking at it let alone eating it. Bravo!

Back here, I am going to try to offer some wine pairing suggestions ,but I am not sure if I can offer anything that will truly make the dish "better", it is pretty damn good looking as it is. I'll try.

When I first read the recipe oaky, buttery Chardonnay was screaming at me. I think this will be an obvious pairing for many and despite it being mundane perhaps, it will work and I do recommend it. In particular the Kendall-Jackson Grand Reserve Chardonnay comes to mind as one that should offer the right balance of fruit, butter and oak flavors for this dish. I used this wine in my Sensory Evaluation course back in 2008 and was very sad when the bottle was gone. With all the great bottles of wine to try in the world I just haven't gone and picked up any more.

An alternative pairing recommendation is a Pinot Noir. I think Pinot Noir has enough nuances to play together with this dish without overpowering the elegant texture common to lobster. I think the tomato and spices in the sauce will play especially well with a balanced and subtle Pinot Noir. I'd go with the Lange Three Hills Cuvee from the Willamette Valley in Oregon. I haven't had this wine, although the regular estate Pinot Noir from Lange is excellent, but the winemaker's description leads me to believe it will be better with this dish than an alternative choice form their winery.

Now that I am sufficiently hungry and not making this dish for dinner I will go and wallow in my sadness.

Cheers!

Jason

4 comments:

Zenchef said...

Thanks a lot for the wine recommendations, Jason.
Great picks! Can't wait to get my hands on a bottle of that Kendall-Jackson chardonnay.

And sorry if you couldn't have the lobster gratin for dinner! Give it a try when you get the chance.

Lynsey James March said...

Oh WOW! Lobster and mac and cheese, how can you go wrong with that?

Sandy said...

Jason, good wine picks! I've had Lange's wine's before and have always liked them. Their chardonnay is great, but isn't oaky and buttery like most (which is why I like it, since i don't really like chardonnay.)

Linda said...

I always fine pairing so tough that I usually just stick with the wines I like no matter the food, but this pairing is really out there. Lobster Mac N Cheese nice... Good picks I think.