Wine is very much a part of the dining experience, not just something to drink to kill thirst. To me, wine is inseparable from eating well, but it can also be useful in the kitchen. Wine is a liquid that doesn’t dilute taste and that comes in many styles. Wine can bring as much pungent flavor to a recipe as a rich stock. Its acidity is similar to the tang of vinegar or citrus, only milder and less aggressive.
Growing up in France, wine was a staple, served with every meal. This everyday wine had no “color.” We weren’t choosing a style to “match” our dinner, we drank the local red wine-Beaujolais or Côtes-du-Rhône. We cooked with the wine and served it with our meals, of course. When we reached the bottom of our cask in the cellar, my mother used the dregs and sediment to make stew. Wine is a key ingredient, another seasoning for the chef. For those who find themselves with wine leftovers at home, there are many ways to incorporate it into your own cooking. But I confess that in my house, wine is not left over very often. We do a good job of finishing most bottles we open.
- IF A WINE TASTES BAD, DON’T COOK WITH IT.
Cooking will not improve the flavor of bad wine. If the wine was once good but simply tastes faded or flattened, don’t worry. It has just been open too long, and it will be fine for use in the kitchen. However, mildew smells are a sign of a common wine problem known as cork taint that will taste just as bad in your recipe. Instead of cooking with them, take such wines back to your wine merchant to exchange them for fresh bottles.
- IF A WINE TASTES VERY GOOD, DON’T COOK WITH IT.
I am a chef, not a sommelier, but cooking is a waste of great wine. If a wine can be savored and appreciated, drink it. A sauce made with world-class Châteauneuf-du-Pape will not taste so different from one made with a modest Côtes-du-Rhône. Also, the finest wines are so well made that many will continue to taste very good for days after being opened. Some may surprise you by tasting even better. Taste leftover wine before sending it to the saucepan.
- COOKING REDUCES WINE, CONCENTRATING FLAVOR AND REMOVING ALCOHOL.
With heat, wine reduces quickly as alcohol and water vaporize, leaving everything else behind. Whatever flavors were present in the wine will grow stronger in the liquid that remains. Sweet wines will get sweeter, fruity wines fruitier, herbal-scented wines more herbal, and so on. Alcohol is more volatile than water and evaporates faster, but it will not burn off completely. A small fraction will always be present in the final dish.
- WINE MARINADES KEEP FISH MOIST AND TENDERIZE MEATS.
Wine makes a great marinade for fish, a flavorful means of adding moisture to lowfat fish, which can dry out easily in cooking. Also, wine’s acidity brightens flavor, just like a squeeze of lemon or a splash of vinegar. For meats, wine provides another benefit. Exposure to wine’s acidity will soften toughness when used in marinades or in braising liquids.
- FINISHING WITH A SPLASH OF WINE REFRESHES THE FLAVOR OF A DISH.
Wine assumes depth and richness when cooked into a sauce or a stew, but it also loses freshness. Although it is best to cook in the wine long enough to eliminate its “raw” alcoholic taste, a small jigger of the same wine added at the last minute will awaken the layers of wine flavor in a pleasant way.
MARNIE’S CORNER
Recipes are made to be changed. Whipping up something different and exploring new flavors is more than half the fun. If you’re looking for a healthy way to experiment, wine makes a great flavorful, low-fat substitute for other common ingredients. When poaching fish or making soup, supplement the water with white wine to add a different taste. When sautéing vegetables or meats, replace the majority of the oil with red wine and simmer to lighten the dish without sacrificing flavor. Wine and a splash of oil can pinch-hit for a rich stock or broth. For a nutty, complex flavor, try finishing a sauce or stew with a spoonful of fortified wine such as Madeira or Sherry, instead of butter. Even in baking, wine can be used in place of half the fat in many dessert recipes, with delicious results.
One of America’s best-known chefs and cookbook authors, JACQUES PÉPIN has published 25 cookbooks and hosted nine acclaimed public television cooking series. His latest book, a visual biography entitled Chez Jacques: Traditions and Rituals of a Cook, contains one hundred of his favorite recipes, showcases his art and essays on food history and cooking, and includes stunning photographs of him enjoying life with family and friends. Pépin’s recent PBS series include The Complete Pépin, Fast Food My Way, and More Fast Food My Way, all produced by San Francisco’s KQED and paired with companion cookbooks.
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