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Foods io Serve With Wines and Liquors
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With the roast (he likes a Chateaubriand, or steak with
sauce Bemaise) he would serve a Burgundy (sparkling, of
course), and in this case I will let him add that it be either
Pommard, Bon Veaune or Chambertin of the vintage of
1926. (I stillsmack my hpsover tasting all three!)
When I suggested that many Americans like Champagne
at this stage, he almost shuddered. "They're in error!" he
expostulated. "They think Champagne should be served
throughout a meal! Nonsense!"
So we went on to the salads. Absolutely no wane, he
insisted,should be served with salads ofany kind.
With the dessert, he suggests a sweet Champagne, and
with the demi-tasse of coffee thesameincomparable Napoleon
Brandy,served in the same manner the other expert advised.
"Use a 14-ounce glass," he warned. "They're huge, but
Napoleon Brandy requires its proper admiration, inhaling
and dehcate sippingfrom the big glass. And never serve more
than an ounce and a half of it! It's reaUy too priceless!"
For the average American dinner, he suggested a Martini
or Manhattan appetizer (but never an old-fashioned cock
tail);then, with the courses, white wines before red wines.
"If Champagne is served after the red wine, never serve
any white wines other than the Champagne thereafter," he
warned.
So you now have a good perspective upon the foods to
serve with the various wines in covu-se dinners, and you can
easUy make up your menus by observing the types offoods to
serve with each course as suggested in the previous chapters
on red and white wines,and when and how to serve them.
For the types of glasses to use with various wines and
liquors, let me refer you to Chapter XIX, in which I at
temptto tell you "Something of Liquor Glassware."
To getawayfrom "de rigeur"types of dinners,Iasked the
owner of a high class restaurant what he mightserve with the
various wines. Here's his list:
With oysters or clams, serve Sauterne, Hock, Moselle or
white Burgundy. (He should worry about any ill effects!)
With soups, Sherry or Madeira.
With fish,any white wine,such as Rhine or MoseUe.