Brooklyn Chefs Take On Languedoc Wines

Brooklyn chefs have been taking on the wines of the Languedoc as part of New York's fifth annual Sud de France Festival. Chef Angelo Romano of The Pines is throwing a special seven-course dinner to help celebrate southern France, and says the region's wines have always matched his style of cooking. "I've always worked with natural wines. Their flavor profile translates well into my dishes," he told us. "I don't pair to counter the flavor, I want it to be like another ingredient in the dish."

Chef Romano has been dry-aging ducks for the dinner, but that motivation came from his idea for dessert. "I'm doing a white bean gelato, with candied duck skin. Then I'm taking lardo and whipping it into a butter cream." He'll also be doing a frog leg agnolotti paired with the Domaine Ribiera "La Vista" 2011, and "Duck and a Bean" matched with Domaine du Matin Calme "Bonica Marieta" from the Côtes du Roussillon.

Last week at Donna, Chef Max Sussman also served up a 4-course pop-up brunch to show his love of the Languedoc. "They have a lot of lamb dishes, so I brined lamb like a corned beef, roasted it, then cut it up and baked it with beans and spring vegetables. My non-traditional take on a cassoulet." The dish was paired with the Domaine Rimbert Saint-Chinian Le Mas au Schiste, which hails from the small town of Berlou. Other courses included an asparagus and soft boiled egg salad and a pickled seafood salad, paired with a Crémant de Limoux, one of the region's sparkling wines.

"The Languedoc has been making wine for 2000 years, but we're still a fresh face here in the U.S.," Marianne Fabre-Lanvin, Executive Director of Sud De France in New York, told us. "Our wines are a perfect match for chefs bringing innovation to the table and Brooklynites who love being ahead of the culinary curve."

Other events for the festival include a sommelier contest and a double-decker bus tour  on Monday, June 17th, with a live jazz band, that will be serve wine and cheese, and stop at Terroir in Tribeca and Iona in Williamsburg for more food and wine.

Dinner at The Pines is on Sunday, June 23rd at 6pm ($125). Click here for more information and reservations.