“The Way to Someone’s Heart is Through Their Stomach.” ~ Old English Proverb
The French love food and wine. Period. According to Susan Herrmann Loomis in her book “In a French Kitchen,” paraphrasing here, the French love of food encompasses their entire being, it is their life and lifestyle. As an American observing a French person, the whole food and wine thing appear not only natural but effortless. They are masters at hosting five-course dinner parties, mid-week, after work with two to three other couples, no problem. The French learn early on to navigate a farmers market, converse with the butcher, seamlessly select cheese for a cheese board, whip up a simple but delicious dessert, and serve the perfectly matched wines with their menu.
Do they learn this love of food and wine as adolescents, is it passed down through the family, is it acquired with life experiences? I would venture to say yes to all of the above. So if you are interested in food, cooking, gardening, and wine, you too may have this French trait. Develop it, nurture it, and spread the love of food and wine with every meal you make and every wine you pour.
The French Winophiles are celebrating L’amour this month – French wines with a name or notion of love. The wines we are sharing are Loire Rosé, Savoie Apremont Fleur du Jacquere, Saint-Amour, and Côte-Rôtie. Join our Twitter chat Saturday, February 17th at 11:00 am ET using hashtag #Winophiles to follow the conversation and check out my fellow #Winophiles L’amour blog posts at the bottom of this post. A special thank you to Lynn at Savor the Harvest for arranging the wine samples.
My Tasting Notes
2016 Pure Loire Rosé D’ Anjou, Famille Bougrier (sample)
11% abv | $13.99 SRP | 50% Gamay 50%Groulleau
Light salmon in color. Medium acidity, light bodied, off-dry. Notes of strawberries & stone fruit.
2017 Savoie Apremont, Domaine Jean Perrier & Fils (sample)
11.5% abv | $13 SRP | 100% Jacquère
Pale lemon yellow in color with a slight green hue. Medium + acidity and light to medium bodied. Notes of citrus, floral, herbs, and saline minerality.
2016 Saint-Amour, Beaujolais Cru, Vigneron de Bel Air (sample)
13% abv | $18.99 SRP | 100% Gamay
Ruby magenta in color. Medium + acidity, light to medium bodied, with medium tannins. Notes of bright red fruit, spice and a hint of earthiness.
2013 Côte-Rotie, Brune et Blonde, Maison Vidal-Fleury (sample)
13.5% abv | $72 SRP | 95% Syrah 5% Viognier
Bright ruby in color. Medium acidity & tannins and medium + bodied. Notes of plum, black pepper, smoky, and tobacco notes.
L’ Amour Food Pairing
With love in the air and of course in my heart, I made Seared Lamb Fillet with Mixed Greens and a Pomegranate Dressing. A beautiful dish bursting with flavor, but yet light and refreshing on the palate. The Loire Rosé highlighted the pomegranate notes, bringing the fruit notes in the wine and salad to the forefront. The Savoie’s acidity accentuated the herbs in the salad. My favorite wine with the seared lamb salad was the Saint-Amour. The Saint-Amour was the perfect balance of acidity and fruit complementing the food. The Côte-Rotie might have been a better match if the lamb were grilled, but overall it was too heavy and big for the salad.
Seared Lamb Fillet with Mixed Greens and Pomegranate Dressing
Ingredients
- 1 1lb. lamb fillets
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
- 1/2 bag mixed young salad greens
- 1/4 bag baby arugula
- 1 bunch fresh mint leaves, torn into pieces
- 3-1/2 oz. pomegranate seeds
For the Pomegranate Dressing
- 4 oz pomegranate molasses
- 1 oz balsamic glaze
- 1/2 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 1 heaped teaspoon Dijon mustard
Instructions
- Mix the dressing ingredients together in a bowl. Set aside.
- Rub the lamb fillets with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Heat a heavy frying pan over high heat. When the pan is hot, add the lamb fillets and sear each side for about 3 minutes.
- Check the temperature of the lamb fillets, 145 F is medium rare. Let fillets rest for 5 minutes and then slice.
- Toss the salad and mint together in a bowl.
- To serve; on a large platter, make a mount of salad in the center and arrange the lamb slices around the salad. Drizzle the pomegranate dressing over the salad and lamb (you may not use all the dressing). Garnish with the pomegranate seeds.
More L’Amour food and wine blog post from the French #Winophiles
Camillia at Culinary Adventures with Camilla shares “L’Amour dans une Bouteille ou Quatre”
Susannah Gold from Avvinare tells us about “Love in the Rhone Valley”
L.M. Archer at binNotes shares “The Hedonistic Taster | № 36 | #Winophiles + Love: L’Amour du Patrimoine”
Jeff at Food, Wine, Click! gives us “French Wines for ‘His’ and ‘Hers’ Valentines”
Jill from L’Occasion takes us on a sensory route “Tasting Romance: French Wine and the Senses”
Michelle of Rocking Red Blog helps us “Celebrate La Saint-Valentin with French Wine”
David of Cooking Chat dishes up “French Wine Picks and Pairings for Valentine’s Day” and “Beef Stew with Root Vegetables and Côte-Rôtie Wine”
Lauren from The Swirling Dervish shares “How Do I Love Thee? Let Me Count the Wines”
Liz from What’s in that Bottle pairs “Celebrate Galentine’s Day with French Wines & Fondue”
Gwen at Wine Predator shares “Sweethearts: French Wines and Pizza”
Wendy at A Day in the Life on the Farm shows us how to “Spice up your Love Life with Shrimp Etouffee”
Nicole from Somm’s Table shares “Cooking to the Wine: Domaine Chardigny Saint-Amour with Roasted Salmon and a little Romance”
Martin from ENOFYLZ Wine Blog tells us about “Celebrating L’Amour Du Vin With French Wine At The Table”
Rupal of Journeys of a Syrah Queen swirls up “Valentine’s Day Romance with French Wines”
Jane at Always Ravenous asks “Why Does French Food and Wine Taste So Good? LOVE!”
Lynn at Savor the Harvest shares “L’Amour du vin”
Sue says
Bravo sister Jane!
Lauren Walsh says
Really like the idea of a lighter lamb dish, in this case, a beautiful salad. I’ll have to try your recipe and give my best impression of a poised Frenchwoman whipping up a delightful meal in no time! Cheers Jane!
Jane says
It is my kind of salad, light but full of flavor. And cheers to channeling that French woman whipping up dinner with ease and grace..I can picture you now!!!
Lynn says
I think I already told you but I’ll say it again, your seared lamb dish rocks! I have the Susan Herrmann book too. Have made several items from it, all fantastic.
Jane says
Thanks again. I actually have the audio book of “In a French Kitchen” but ended up purchasing the book for the recipes. It is a fun read!
Michelle Williams says
I want to do it like the French. It sounds so easy by your description….not! Your lamb looks incredible!
Jane says
The French do make it look easy! Thank you.
Wendy says
I love this recipe. I love lamb but don’t usually get it unless we are eating out. Except for Easter, I do make a lamb dish each Easter and this may be perfect for this year. I can serve it as a first course so that I get my lamb and my husband (and other’s that are not lamb lovers) are not overwhelmed.
Jane says
Not only is the dish tasty, the lamb is done in minutes! Perfect for entertaining.
Jeff says
Delicious and unique lamb dish and so interesting that Saint Amour was the best pairing. Thanks for sharing, Jane!
Jane says
Lamb fillets were perfect for this Persian style salad in addition to the pomegranate molasses and seeds making the Saint-Amour a superb pairing.
L.M. Archer says
Not a meat eater, but love the recipe format, and agree with your thoughts on French fare. These wines were so fun to pair. Cheers, Jane!
Jane says
The wines made for a romantic food and wine pairing evening!
Jill says
Pomegranate is a fascinating fruit. I remember my elementary school teacher bringing one to class and pulling out the seeds in a lesson about Persephone. I thought it was like magic. Still think it is an exciting ingredient… healthy too!
Wonderful post and pairing.
Jane says
Funny, I had my first pomegranate in elementary school too, a classmate brought one back from her trip to Israel.
Nicole Ruiz Hudson says
This dish looks absolutely gorgeous and so perfect for Valentine’s with the jeweled pomegranate seeds. What a fab feast with all of these wonderful wines!
Jane says
It was indeed a feast! The pomegranate played to the Valentine’s Day theme;)
Liz Barrett says
I love your food pairing, Jane. The pomegranate adds such a great Valentine’s touch. Great inspiration!
Gwendolyn Alley, MA says
Very pretty! I can see where the pomegranate added color but also made for an interesting pairing with these wines. I wanted grilled lamb with the Syrah also.
Rupal Shankar says
The lamb looks divine. Pomegranate gives it a touch of love. Great with the Cote Rotie
David says
The seared lamb sounds so good! If we can absorb just a bit of the French way w food and wine that is a good thing!