Drinks Essential Ingredient

A splash (or more) of wine boosts the flavour of a whole host of dishes from entree to dessert

- Toni Paterson 

Wine is an excellent ingredient to cook with. It can add acidity, colour, body, flavour, liquid and richness to a dish. Recipes in vintage French cookbooks reveal that wine and food have combined in many ways over the years. The most common use of wine was for braising meats, where the wine was flavoured with additions such as herbs, spices and onions. It has also been used as the liquid ingredient in batters and doughs, and to coat meat before pan-frying, trapping in moisture and flavour.

Perhaps the most famous French dish involving wine is coq au vin, where chicken is cooked in wine and flavoured with butter, bacon, onions, garlic, mushrooms and herbs such as parsley and thyme. Traditionally, the dish was finished off with a splash of eau de vie or armagnac.