Recommendations
Braised beef cheeks with F. Martins Special Reserve
On the plate are beef cheeks that have been in the oven so long they fall apart with a fork, in a dark jus of red wine, thyme and carrot. The port sets a reserve against that, with dark fruit and tannin, which catches the meat and the connective tissue.
From the shelf
The bottle
F. Martins is a Portuguese port house from the Douro and this is the Special Reserve from the range. A reserve is, according to the Instituto dos Vinhos do Douro e do Porto, a blend that is full and rich and has a deep ruby-red colour, made from carefully selected wines of the year and younger than a tawny with an age statement. The bottle has 19.5 per cent alcohol and comes in 75 centilitres. Because the wine comes from the demarcated Douro region and fermentation was stopped with wine spirit, residual sugar remains and the alcohol comes out high.
The combination
Why this works together
A beef cheek is little more than muscle and connective tissue, and in the two and a half hours it spends in the oven the collagen turns into gelatin. That is exactly what carries this combination. Tannin binds to proline-rich proteins in saliva and makes them clump together, so the saliva no longer lubricates and the mouth feels dry; Zanchi and colleagues described that mechanism. The gelatin and the protein from the braised meat catch that tannin, so the reserve rolls round in the mouth instead of tightening. The dark fruit goes along with it: the pan has a jus of reduced red wine and the glass smells of the same black and red fruit, so plate and glass complement each other instead of working against each other.
At the table
The dish
- For 4 people
- Ready in 2 hours and 45 minutes
- Type main course
What you need
- 4 beef cheeks of 175 g, trimmed
- 1 tablespoon of olive oil
- 1 onion, diced
- 1 stalk celery, diced
- 1 carrot, diced
- 2 cloves of garlic, sliced
- 4 sprigs of thyme
- 250 ml red wine
- 250 ml beef stock
- salt and pepper
How to make it
- Preheat the oven to 170 degrees. Place a casserole on medium-high to high heat and brown the beef cheeks in the oil for 3 minutes on each side, until they are brown. Remove them from the pan.
- Put the onion, celery, carrot and garlic in the pan and fry briefly until they take on a little colour.
- Put the beef cheeks back in the pan, add the thyme, the wine and the stock and bring everything to the boil.
- Put the lid on and place the pan in the oven for 2 to 2.5 hours, until the meat falls apart with a fork.
- Season the jus with salt and pepper. Serve it with a purée of cauliflower or potato.
In the glass
Serving
Serve this reserve at 12 to 16 degrees, the temperature the port institute uses for the ruby style. Use a tulip-shaped glass and fill it no more than a third, so you can seek out the aroma. Decanting is not necessary. According to the institute, an opened bottle of ruby or ruby reserve keeps for eight to ten days; store it upright in a cool place with the cork on.
Everything about F. Martins Special ReserveBack to Recommendations from ’t Bockje
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