Yes, Patagonia makes more than just fleece.

What are we drinking now with the FABulous Kristen

Verum
Chardonnay
Patagonia, Argentina
$28.99/bottle

While it’s a touch more classic to pair a white Bordeaux or Burgundy with an elegant French fish dish like Sole Meunière (see the recipe below), I just love a unique pairing to get wine drinkers thinking outside the box. While I chose a Chardonnay to pair with this buttery-but-delicate French favorite, I went just a touch further south than Burgundy to a much lesser-known region: Patagonia, Argentina.

Patagonia is such a hot spot (figuratively, not literally) to be drinking wine from right now (really gorgeous Chardonnay and Pinot Noir), and we’ve got some in the shop.
Verum Chardonnay was the perfect pairing with this French dish because it behaves, in many ways, like a French Chardonnay. There’s excellent body and a touch of welcome texture from some time in neutral wood, in addition to aging in stainless, and not even a hint of oak on the wine to muddy up its freshness. Bright lemon juice, underripe pineapple, pear tart and a fine purity and salty minerality define this elegant wine and make it a divine choice with buttery fish and shellfish dishes, oysters on the half shell, roasted chicken, and potatoes au gratin.

Trying new wines gives us a chance to adventure to new places and flavors. For more ideas on how to mix up your wine game, come talk with us in the shop! A vacation for your senses is just moments away.

Sole Meunière Marczyk
By Bill St. John

In French, a miller — the person who grinds wheat into flour — is a “meunier” if a male, or a “meunière” if female, or likewise, the meunier’s female spouse. (We Yanks just say “wife.”) The recipe for “Sole Meunière” gets its name because the fish filets are dredged in flour before hitting the heat and butter bath.

This recipe is a working together of the recipes for “Sole Meunière” of four women: Julia Child, The New York Times’s Melissa Clark, Barbara Macfarlane Marczyk, and her mother — midwives to us all of fine cooking and eating.

Serves 6.

INGREDIENTS
• 6 skinless, boneless filets of sole, each 4-5 ounces and up to 1/2-inch thick, rinsed and patted dry
• kosher or sea salt and freshly ground white or black pepper
• 1/2 cup King Arthur All-Purpose Flour, spread out on a plate
• 4 tablespoons ghee (clarified butter)
• 3 tablespoons finely chopped flat-leaf parsley
• 6 tablespoons Isigny Ste. Mère unsalted Butter
• 2 tablespoons Ritrovo Sicilian Salted Capers, well-rinsed and squeezed dry
• Juice of 1 lemon
• Lemon wedges for serving

DIRECTIONS
1. Heat oven to 200 degrees and place inside it a large oven-safe plate or baking sheet. Dust the filets lightly on each side with salt and pepper. Just before sautéing, dredge each filet on both sides in the flour and shake off any excess.

2. In a 12-inch nonstick or enamel-lined skillet over medium-high heat, heat 2 tablespoons ghee or clarified butter until bubbling. Place half of the fish fillets in the pan and cook until just done, 2-3 minutes per side, for a total of 5-6 minutes, then transfer to the plate or baking sheet in the oven to keep warm. (The fish is done when just springy rather than squashy to the touch of your finger.)

3. Add 2 more tablespoons clarified butter to skillet and heat until bubbling, then cook the remaining filets. Wipe out the skillet with paper toweling.

4. To serve: Remove the filets from the oven and place the cooked fish, in one layer, on a large warmed serving platter. Sprinkle the filets with the chopped parsley, scattering it evenly. Set the wiped-out skillet over high heat and add the fresh unsalted butter, the capers, and the lemon juice, stirring quickly. Heat until bubbling, about 30-40 seconds, then spoon or pour the sauce evenly over the filets, “cooking” the parsley, which will bubble up nicely. Decorate with the lemon wedges and serve at once.

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By | 2024-03-13T22:38:19+00:00 March 8th, 2024|

About the Author:

Marczyk Fine Wines has Bill St John and other wine lovers to thank for our blog. Wine and food facts and falsehoods, delicious recipes, Denver liquor history, and "the best wines you never heard of" explained, all in one nifty place. This is the Denver wine store you're looking for. Bill is a Denver native and for 40 years, a teacher and writer on food and food & wine, including The Denver Post; Rocky Mountain News; Chicago Tribune; Wine & Spirits magazine; KCNC-TV Channel 4; and others. Check out Bill's food blog, with recipes, historical food knowledge and tips on eating and food shopping in Denver. Great guy and a bottomless well of food and drink knowledge. GET COOKING WITH BILL ST JOHN