The first credible response to the kedgeree dish I published a couple of weeks ago.
Kedgeree - la riposte
After cooking my kedgeree this weekend, my brother-in-law Karel Doms had this to say about his own adventures with the dish:
"Yesterday, I cooked the KENdgeree (sorry for being silly, couldn’t resist).
"OK, I’m a nerd (but perhaps that’s precisely why Ken asked me to do this) so let’s start with something I already touched upon. The asparagus appeared too bitter to be at ease with the mango; mange tout is likely a better alternative for the green beans.
"Nerdiness, part two: the egg in Ken’s picture looks very hard-boiled (KP: “I suspect this is tied up somewhere between the UK tendency towards hard boiled eggs and the rigors of being on campaign in India at the time in the 19th century.”) for a better accompaniment with wine. I’d leave it just that little bit unctuous, but not runny. I boiled it for 7 mins, which was probably 1 min too short for what I’m trying to achieve.
"Nerdiness galore: living in a Frankfurt suburb, I do not have ready access to the multitude of spices that, surely, are readily available in London. Actually, ever since we dined at Rœllinger’s in 2005, I have been ordering pepper, spices and vanilla in Cancale once a year. Unfortunately, right now, I only had the Bombay curry to which I’ve added a pinch of their Rajasthan chilli pepper. Anyway, I think it was along the lines of what you intend. Purely out of interest, have a look at what they have on offer.
"Back to reality: I used smoked trout, pre-packed fillets without skin from the supermarket that were actually surprisingly good. A tad dry perhaps (but, hey, there is enough fat in the kedgeree) with elegant unobtrusive smokiness, which is important to me, but that’s personal taste.
"And now for the anti-climax: I had a range of wines in mind that would work perfectly with the kedgeree. And I know a number of wines that may work with the side salad. After the first try, though, I’m at a loss as to what wine could bring the two together. The beauty of what you’re doing here, bringing entirely different tastes into one meal, wreaked havoc on the first wine I thought could have been a winner .The beautiful but, sadly, too generally refined, and unfit for the mango in particular, Skerpioen, a chenin blanc and palomino field-blend by Eben Sadie in the great "Ouwingerdreeks range.
"This is a bit like eating at a restaurant with very elaborate creations where combining the food with a great wine never seems to work.
"But it’s only the start. Next time, I’ll focus more on that side salad. By the way, I picked out the pieces of asparagus and mixed them with the kedgeree which was great! For my own peace of mind, I hope we’re not going to find gewürztraminer is the best choice… I couldn’t stand that."
But, to see Karel's definitive, full wine pairing for this dish, make sure to look here.
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