Beef cheeks are so underappreciated. I first tried beef cheeks in Napa Valley at a lovely dinner at Nickel & Nickel Winery during the S. Pellegrino 9th Annual Almost Famous Chef Competition. I fell in love with the ultra soft texture, collagen-rich texture of the meat. It was much less dry, much less stringy than any meat I’d ever enjoyed. Later, I found out that beef cheeks are really really cheap, because no one wants them! Our local upscale market (Savenor’s) sells them for $2/lb (unprocessed), or $6/lb processed.
Around the same time, a Spanish wine company called Tapeña (derived from the words Tapas (small plates) and Peña (close group of friends)) contacted me asking whether I would be interested in trying some wines that were designed to go with Spanish tapas.
Well, we ended up making a French dish to pair with the Spanish wine, so maybe you can call this a European fusion meal? 
I mentioned earlier that beef cheeks are a lot cheaper if you buy them unprocessed. Please note that it takes A LOT of work to process the cheeks. You literally get this “flap” that’s the entire cheek. You have to do a lot of work to cut away all the fat and connective tissue surrounding the cheek meat. I personally think it’s not worth the effort and I’m happy to pay $6/lb for the cleaned version (pictured above). 
Since we were having wine, I invited my wino friend Peter (he’s written a few guest posts on this blog) to come over. I figured I could finagle a blog post out of him. I always love cooking with Peter and his wife Chia Chi because they really enjoy good food and do not mind cooking time-consuming meals with me in my tiny kitchen. 
We decided to make Boeuf Bourguinion straight from Julia Child’s book (a la Simply Recipes). By now, this is probably one of the most popular food blogger recipes because it’s the first dish that Julie tried to make in the movie Julie and Julia. 
Of course, we put a slight twist on the Julia Child recipe since we were using beef cheeks instead of normal beef chuck (thanks to this blog‘s inspiration). 
The final dish turned out great! Yes, you have to cook beef cheeks for a long time before you break down the connective tissue. However, because of its slightly higher fat content, the texture of the final product is deliciously soft.
Since I basically just followed Elise’s and Ryan’s recipe, I will not be reproducing it here.
And how did the wines taste with our fantastic meal?
Here’s Peter . . . .
When Jen invited me to try three “Tapas” wines under $10, I was skeptical. While there is no correlation between price and quality above $20 (Matt Kramer of Wine Spectator asserts that the cost of making even a top quality wine is $15 a bottle), wines under $10 tend to be designed for mass market appeal and few are produced with the level of care and precision needed to be outstanding.
Also, I admit that I am a bit of wine snob. If a wine does not garner 92 points or higher from a reputable rating system or come recommended by a person whose palate I trust, I typically don’t even consider it. Why waste the opportunity when you could drink something better? But to be a true lover of food and wine, sometimes you have to put aside your prejudices and judge a product on its own merits.
Our beef cheek experiment gave us the perfect chance to try the three Tapena wines and find the best match. The normal pairing with Boeuf Bourginion is a red Rhone, Burgundy, Beaujolais, or Saint Emilion Bordeaux. But the Tapena wines are from Spain, so the available varieties are Garnache, Verdejo (the Spanish version of Sauvignon Blanc) and Tempranillo.
Not surprising, the Verdejo does not pair with the beef; but in a standalone taste test, it is the hands down winner of the three wines. The fresh white has the most complexity with a nose of melon, apples, and peach. Not overly dry or acidic, it has the balance to satisfy a large audience and would be a crowd favorite at any summer party.
Typically fruity and spicy, Garnacha usually pairs with ethnic foods with a kick. The Bourginionm with its earthiness, poses a real challenge for this wine. With a nose of cherry and red fruit, Tapena’s Garnacha is surprisingly sweet and tasted strongly of red fruit. While not spicy, it is too jammy for the hearty beef dish.
The violet Tempranillo is the most hearty of the three competitors. It has nice dark red color bordering on violet. With an interesting nose of peppermint and crushed rocks, the wine smells fairly herbaceous. On the palate, it carries a hint of spice but also has a nice earthiness that makes it the best pairing of the three.
Thanks Peter!
Giveaway!
Tapeno has been generous enough to give one lucky Tiny Urban Kitchen reader ingredients and supplies to host your own “Tapas” Party! The winner will receive the following ($150 value):
THREE bottles of wine: Garnacha, Tempranillo, and Verdejo
TAPAS PARTY SUPPLIES! Coasters, Olives, Nuts, a Corkscrew, Pens, a Tapas Book, an Ice Bucket, and a Spice Pack
To enter, check out Tapena’s extensive recipe collection of Spanish tapas! Pick your favorite and mention it in the comments below. For additional chances to enter, please tweet (one additional entry) and/or put on facebook (one more entry) a link to this post. If using Twitter, please mention @tinyurbankitchn in your tweet.
Example:
Giveaway! Throw a tapas party! Win three bottles of Spanish wine plus tapas ingredients @tinyurbankitchn http://bit.ly/jDGiNs
Please comment below letting me know if you posted something on facebook and/or twitter.
Maximum number of entries per person: 3
Contest ends THIS FRIDAY, MAY 20, 2011 at midnight EST.
Good luck!
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Almond stuffed hot dates are one of my favorite foods! So happy to have found a recipe here!
hi Jen! thanks for hosting this awesome giveaway! i loved reading about which wine pairs the best with the Boeuf Bourguinion since it’s my favorite dish to make for guests! i’m also a complete novice when it comes to wines so it’s good to know the Tempranillo would be a suitable choice.
i’m a huge fan of spanish tapas and the roasted fig wrapped in bacon is on my MUST make list if not tomorrow night then definitely the following night.
The lamb ragu cups sound delicious! =)
I have to check with our butcher to see if we can get beef cheek in dubai – would love to try making it a la Beef Bourginion.
TheSmokey Eggplant and Fresh Tomato Salad look incredible!
I would choose the Patatas Bravas. They remind me of this tapas place I went to when I visited Barcelona while studying abroad. I am crossing all my digits to win!
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I love beef cheeks too. Using them in boeuf bourginion sounds great. I have yet to make Julia Child’s recipe!
Thanks for the link! 🙂
I love tapas, and the sweet and savory Pumpkin Empanadas are yummm <3
It’s a good thing we’re allowed to leave three comments because after living in Spain for a semester, it’s impossible to pick a single “favorite” tapa! Of course, it’s nearly just as difficult to pick just three, but I’ll do my best. One of my favorites is so simple – just marinated olives, dipped in some fresh crusty bread.
Another favorite of mine is anything with scallops – scallops in saffron cream sauce, or the scallops and shallots mentioned in the recipe list. Especially in cities by the ocean, Spain makes some delicious scallops!
And last but not least…. wintergreens and chickpeas, or as they say in Sevilla, espinacas y garbanzos! Que rico!
Roasted figs wrapped in bacon … is it gross to crave these at 9am??
Thanks for hosting such a great giveaway!
Scallops and Shallots
I want to make the Grilled Pork Mahon Cheese Medallions plus olives & spices nuts!
The Chorizo Shrimp Stacks sound amazing, and super easy to make!
I just tweeted about your contest at ElvaEats; it’s also linked to Facebook.
Chorizo Shrimp Stacks….mmmmmm
What a great giveaway! I’d like to try the piquillo pepper dip!
I tweeted!
I tweeted! @swimmons8605
figs and bacon. because what I really need in my house is an ice bucket.
ooo Easy Empanadas! =)
Yum, they all sound great but the Roasted green beans and shallot tortilla sounds really good!
I linked the article to Facebook.
I would try the Patatas Bravas recipe to see if it’s anywhere close to the delicious dish that we had in Barcelona!
The Mixed Grilled Vegetables sound delicious!
I made beef bourguignon with cheeks once, it was so good! For the tapas, I’d have to go with the sardine cakes with salsa verde.
This recipe sounds so interesting!
As for the tapas, I’d definitely love to try that White Bean Dip!
Looks like a ton of fun! And what a great little collection of tapas recipes. I love quince/membrillo, so I couldn’t go past making the quince, arugula, and manchego dish. I’d also like to try the Potato Mushroom Torte and the Roasted Artichoke and Shallot Salad. Deliciosos!
I’d make the Chorizo Shrimp Stacks! Delicious!
bahahaha, i can’t believe you called Peter a wino! http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wino
that aside, i’m going to have to try making beef cheek sometime… it’s awesome in tacos.
Facebooked this giveaway under my boyfriend’s account too!
Sardine Cakes with Salsa Verde sound great.
the melted goat cheese spread has my name all over it 🙂
The minted goat cheese spread sound divine!
Great giveaway!
Would love to try the Sardine cakes with salsa verde! i’ve never cooked with sardines before! great tip on the beef cheeks being a cheaper cut. i’m going to look for them too at the butcher as I think they are delish
I tweeted! And I did facebook too!
The Smokey Eggplant and Fresh Tomato Salad sounds really good!
I’d love to try the ham and mushroom croquettes!
The Lemon Crusted Shrimp looks delicious!
The Caramelized Onion Bread Squares sounds REALLY good.
The lemon crusted shrimp sounds wonderful.
The Spinach Tortilla Espanola seems really easy and tasty 🙂
The Artichokes with Chorizo sounds addictive and yummy!
Artichokes with Chorizo
I would try the Scallops with shallots. I am a scallop kinda gurl 🙂
I think I had two favorites out of them. The potato mushroom torte and the caramelized onion bread squares. Yum!
Stuffed mushrooms–although the Mushroom quesadillas are also quite tempting…I think I need to get me some shrooms!
Sardines! I shared this on Facebook too! Thank you!
Oh, I’m just readding the book about Julia Child :))
http://www.blogczekolady.blogspot.com
What a great presentation on those vibrant greens.
Your adventerous palate never ceases to amaze me. I wish I was as daring as you are when it comes to meat.
and I would LOVE to able to throw my own tapas party on Tapeno. Pick me pick me 🙂
Quince, Manchego and Arugula sounds fabulous!
I’m on an artichoke kick this season, so I’d have to go with the artichokes and chorizo! Thanks for the great giveaway!
As good as many of the recipes look, I’ll have to go with the Savory Lamb Meatballs ! yummy.
Love the savory lamb meatballs! yum!
Honeyed shrimp with citrus salad — it sounds so summery and we need some sunshine in Boston!
My pick would be marinated olives. LOVE them!
Just tweeted about the giveaway!
Shrimp and Parsley Toast caught my eye. I think anything with shrimp would, but your dish is daring and beautiful.
Late to the party… But have to give beef cheeks a try
Mouthwatering…what kind of pasta is with the beef?
the dish looks so good. i want to try some beef cheeks now, too. but preferably yours. 😀 haha