Jamie, wine and the psychotic reindeer

The newlywed Rappachappas, Miss SMBW and Mr Hope came round for festive drinks and supper on Tuesday evening. (Well, Miss SMBW came round for lunch accidently and we headed off for Brent Cross instead!)

DBFB and I used the opportunity to do some experimental cooking and try out a recipe from Jamie's 30 minute meals.

Given that Mrs Rappachappa has always had a hankering for Nando's, we picked:

• the Peri-Peri Chicken in her honour, served with
  
• sweet and roast potatoes and
  
• Portuguese custard and cinammon tarts for dessert

For the salamatarian, I baked:

• a celeriac and butternut squash parmigiana, made with double cream and raclette and parmesan cheeses. Not for the dieters!

Followed by more cheese:

• brie
• manchego and
  
• blacksticks blue (from Shropshire)

To drink with this menu, we had a red, a white and and a dessert wine.



The red was one I had bought from Harry about 6-7 years ago. It was that expensive, Miss SMBW and I bought 6 bottles between us. I managed to keep one this long through sheer willpower and burying it in my understair cupboard.

It was a Savigny-Les-Beaune 1999, Domaine Philippe Girard, 13% made with old vines (vielles vignes) number 001143. And a bronze medal winner at the 2001 Concours des Grands Vins de France for Macon.

This wine was decanted before serving. It smelt of farmyards and old cabbage. But it opened up to some berries - red currants and a plums. On the palate the fruit was there mixed with an earthy vegetal flavour. Great with the spicy chicken and the rich cheeses.

We also had a Sauvignon Blanc from South Africa, M'Hudi 2009 12.5% from Marks and Spencer £8.49 a bottle. Beautifully aromatic, not as heavy on the grassiness you expect from a New Zealand version, but passionfruit on the nose and lemons and grass on the palate. Good with cheese and the peppery salad.

Lastly came Croix Milhas Rivesaltes Ambre, 15.5% from Perpignan. A vin doux naturel, aged 3 years in oak and made from Muscat, Grenache Gris, Grenache Blanc and Macabeu. If you're new to dessert wine, this one is a reasonable £7.99 from Tesco. It's easy to drink with raisins and hazelnuts on the nose and taste and worked well with the simplicity of the custard tarts and the soft brie.

In the new year we'll be doing a Jamie meal every week! Yay! But the evening ended with Mr Rappachappa and Mr Hope departing with the psychotic Lindt reindeer. Oh yes, they were back.