This week’s article admittedly was done on a lark.   A few weeks ago I was up early on a Sunday morning and had nothing pressing ahead on the day’s agenda.  With the luxury of a rare lazy Sunday morning at home and delightful warm weather outdoors, the back deck was simply too inviting to pass up for a brunch wine pairing.

Similarly, for far too long I have received requests from fans and friends alike to feature wine with brunch.   Any time brunch fare is requested, it is no secret that the requestor is hoping for a mimosa with which to toast the morning.   One friend in particular who has made this request is my friend, James, who is quite the avid cook himself with a particular talent for French cuisine.  James’ talent (aside from genuine interest) is also due to the long spans of time that he spent studying and living in France.  Rather than proceed towards a menu of traditional brunch fare, I elected to instead draw upon my own distinct aptitude with foreign cuisine.  Like James, I, too, spent several summers and a year living and studying in a foreign country.  As I have touched upon in the past in articles, my foreign study, however, was completed in Mexico.  

My first few summers as a young adult were spent in San Luis Potosi, Mexico, where I was fortunate enough to be surrounded by genuinely caring people who became long life friends such that decades later, our fond friendships remain in tact.  Similarly while spending time in San Luis Potosi, Mexico, I had the good accidental fortune to learn the foundation of authentic Mexican cooking.  This simple foundation was obtained spending countless afternoons parked in the family kitchen watching the household maids prepare sauces and salsas.  Quickly I processed that true authentic Mexican cooking has influence not only from the Spanish and native indigenous tribes, but also from the French.  Similar to the French, a quality slowly simmered sauce is often the base to many exquisite recipes.  Once you learn how to prepare a proper Mexican sauce (or salsa for that matter), that sauce can take you down any number of delicious possible culinary paths.   This week’s food pairing shows precisely that.

Returning to the topic of wine, however, why is it that sparkling wine pairs so well with Mexican food?   Frankly, it is due to its similarity to beer.   The wine’s bubbles present a wonderful crispness sprinkled with a necessary sweetness and balanced with a gentle presence of acidity.  Depending on the nature of the sparkling wine paired (for example, brut or extra brut), its light, crisp and slightly sweet nature will do a festive dance with the spices and chiles found in many Mexican dishes.   As a point of reference, nearly three summers ago, I published an article here on the site pairing a blanc de noirs sparkling wine with steak tacos.  The feedback was so resoundingly in agreement that my local Trader Joe’s promptly sold out of the very same wine due to the article (see, “For the Love of Bubbles”).

This week, the Brut Classic sparkling wine from Chandon located in Yountville, California, in Napa Valley, is featured.  Its affordability makes this wine a candidate for “everyday sparkling” and so for those with the traditional old school hang up that sparkling wine is only for celebrating, guess what?  Every day is worth celebrating.  Similarly, affordability often will make wine connoisseurs cringe but fear not, here quality was not sacrificed.  Instead the wine reflects a simple honesty in its identity.  It is crisp and dry, yet balanced.  It reflects a touch of sweetness in its apple and pear flavors while stamped with personality reflecting citrus spice.   Given its texture and flavor profile in the mouth, it will pair well with spicy, salty or creamy food.  Once you see what is in store menu-wise, it will logically follow why this wine becomes the perfect versatile candidate for a Sunday morning brunch Mexican-style.

To prep our sparkling for its pairing, rather than add commercial orange juice to create a mimosa, I elected to add the actual fresh juice of an orange which has a slight tanginess.   This is intentional to reflect an authentic Mexican touch but also to pair well with this week’s menu:

• Lonja-Inspired Poached Eggs in Smoky Chile Tomato Broth, Queso Fresco, Toasted Tortilla, and With Fresh Chives and Cilantro

As winter was mild, herbs returned naturally this year to the garden and all spring I have been enjoying an abundance of fresh cilantro in the garden.

Soon other vegetables will be arriving and by month-end will be influencing my pairing ideas.   Here is a sneak peek of lettuces, sugar snap pea vines and beet tops currently growing in the garden.

This week’s recipe is inspired by a classic brunch recipe that was served at La Lonja in San Luis Potosi, Mexico, while I was living in the city.  La Lonja is a gorgeous historic ballroom and high society club which was constructed in 1860 (meaning that to date it is 152 years old) and a place where the wedding receptions of some of my friends were held.

I was lucky to be in attendance of these events and so modifying this particular recipe to something more manageable for the home chef on a Sunday morning is of particular fond meaning to me.  It is a wonderful homage to a region of the world that embraced me when I was a young adult and that sparked an interest in me in cuisine and cooking.

In the traditional recipe, a sauce and broth is created using tomatoes, various chiles, onions, garlic, spices and water.   To simplify this, I used one of my own authentic sauces from the refrigerator as a quick starter base.   The sauce is a blend of roasted tomatoes, roasted garlic, chipotle chiles and adobo sauce.   After being blended, the sauce is simmered on the stove top in a bit of lightly-flavored olive oil to help bring it to the proper consistency and allow the flavors to meld.   This sauce can be used in a variety of ways (if you can resist slicing some queso fresco immediately and snacking on corn tortilla strips slathered in the sauce) and it can be easily stored in your refrigerator or frozen.   On this particular Sunday morning, it was easy to take a few spoonfuls of the smoky chipotle tomato sauce from the jar, add it to a medium frying pan, add one cup of water, stir and bring to a rolling boil.  This quickly makes a tomato broth.

Once the tomato broth is rolling, raw eggs are gently slid into the broth by a saucer and a lid is quickly placed over the pan to allow the eggs to poach.   Poaching the eggs only takes a matter of a few minutes.  During this time, fresh corn tortillas are sliced in half and quickly toasted on a griddle.   The tortillas are placed on the plate in a decorative manner and once the eggs are poached, they are gently placed a top of the tortillas and some of the tomato broth is drizzled over.

To finish the plate, queso fresco is crumbled over the eggs and the ensemble is garnished with fresh chopped chives and fresh chopped cilantro from the garden.

This colorful brunch dish delivers a punch of flavor and sensuous texture due to the poached eggs, the toasted tortillas and the creamy crumbled queso fresco.   One of the wonderful aspects of authentic Mexican cheeses is that they will hold up against heat and not instantly melt when placed atop a dish.  As a result, they can attractively function as a garnish at the same time.

The toasted fresh corn tortillas bring rustic flavor to the smoky flavor of the chipotles, tieing the two in separably together.  As the egg is poached, it releases a goohey yolk that adheres to the sauce, softening its bold spices and transitioning it artfully to the creamy, salty nature of the queso fresco.  There is no way to resist the flavor of recently chopped cilantro and chives which had only been picked from the garden moments beforehand.  Brunching on the back deck in the spring breeze with the aromas of the garden nearby and sipping your sparkling wine mimosa completes the atmosphere with a touch of casual refinery.

So when you have a lazy morning and the world is not rushing you to be anywhere, linger in the kitchen, tinker and dine “al fresco”.  Doing so gives a small slice of “vida” that is incomparable.