Is it your turn to host a summer dinner with friends, but you can’t have a barbecue in your city apartment with a balcony? We propose something as American as a BBQ in Wisconsin but with a bit of originality, it will become the dinner of this summer.
Nothing like a “gourmet dinner” with hot dogs, where the sauces and “toppings” will be thematic and will perfectly pair with the most “American” wines of our country: the 3055 range from Jean Leon.
The 3055 range recalls Jean Leon’s beginnings in the United States when, to survive, he worked as a taxi driver with license 3055 in New York. The city of skyscrapers is world-renowned for its street “hot-dog” carts where always hurried New Yorkers stop to fill their stomachs. If you’ve been to the United States, you already know that the sausages are boiled, kept in hot water, and may or may not be grilled. This will simplify your task even more, as you just need to boil them in salted water for 5 or 6 minutes over medium heat. Be careful not to split them, or they will lose much of their flavor. Dry them with paper towels before putting them in the bun. Do you want to fry or grill them for more flavor? Now is the time, and we recommend making a crosswise cut to prevent them from breaking. Unsure which type of sausages to choose? You will impress if you prepare various types: pork, chicken, turkey, or even some vegan ones.
And now it’s time to surprise your guests. Forget the typical ketchup and mustard and create three “stations” with original condiments to create surprising hot dogs perfectly paired with the 3055 range of Jean Leon wines.
Greek style, with Jean Leon 3055 Chardonnay
Prepare tzatziki by mixing Greek yogurt with a finely chopped garlic clove and grated cucumber. Mix everything, add salt, pepper, and oregano. In another bowl, have sliced black olives (pitted) and feta cheese in another. A very refreshing and summery option that will pair wonderfully with this young, light, and certainly refreshing chardonnay.
Japanese style, with Jean Leon 3055 Rosé
We play the exotic card, but did you know that the 3055 Rosé has received significant awards at the Sakura Awards, the most prestigious in the Land of the Rising Sun? Teriyaki sauce and mayonnaise. If you can get or dare to make Kewpie-style mayonnaise, it’s a bonus. Another option for the sauce can be a mixture of mayonnaise and wasabi if you like strong flavors… A bowl with pickled ginger (the one from sushi), another with sesame seeds, another with sliced scallion stems, and a last one with nori seaweed cut into thin strips. And you have a hot-dog with a unique combination of rich umami and ginger flavors. With a pale rosé wine made from pinot noir and grenache, very refreshing and unique in its kind, like these hot-dogs.
Spanish style, with Jean Leon 3055 Petit Verdot – Merlot
For the sauce, nothing better than alioli, or if you don’t want such strong flavors, mix it with mayonnaise. And for the toppings, a bowl with fresh tomato, onion, and diced pepper, to which you have added a chopped garlic clove and parsley. Another with crumbled cured Manchego cheese, and you have the hot-dog in a very traditional version, but equally refreshing. The combination of petit verdot and merlot in the 3055 red is perfect to combine with the vegetable mix we propose, in a young wine that has become one of the most popular options for summer reds.
You only need some fries and a couple of tubs of good ice cream for dessert, and you have a summer dinner to surprise and enjoy, accompanied by young, fresh, and very pleasant wines like those in the JEAN LEON 3055 range, which perfectly pair with these informal dinners.
Have a great summer!
Sergi Castro, Sommelier at Jean Leon
