COFFEE AND FOOD PAIRING: A NEW TREND

     Coffee pairings are getting to be a major trend. Thanks to the increased availability of high-end coffee and chocolates, you can go beyond classic coffee pairings with the decedent combination of coffee and chocolate (with or without cooking up a storm). As robustly flavorful, mood-altering substances, it's no wonder that coffee and chocolate are so popular around the world. In many cases, they pair fantastic together. But there are many other wonderful pairings for coffee. From breakfast to dessert, coffee is a delicious drink to sip with food.

FRUIT PAIRINGS- fresh fruits and fruit based sweets can offer a lighter, healthier options for some coffees. Just be careful not to overdo the sour tones in the pairing.
     Berries: Kenyan and Haitian coffees are great with any berries, but Yemeni and Jamaican coffees are even better.
     Stone fruit: Fresh or baked are delicious with Tanzanian or Haitian.
     Tarts are a well match for a nice medium bodied Brazilian.
BREAKFAST FOODS- Light balanced flavors of most Central American coffees are ideal for many breakfast foods, including: crepes, eggs, bacon, omelets with mushrooms or Quiche.
MEATS: its pretty much straight forward, whatever coffee you cook with you should drink the same one.

In these difficult economic times, coffee pairings are an interesting different thing chefs can do to entice diners to come out for something new without breaking the bank, also many coffee houses are doing great things with coffee and food pairings. So get out to your local favorite spot and see what they have in store.

Here is link to one of my favorite Coffee houses
www.sbycommongrounds.com

GRAPE AND GRAIN

     Man has been accorded by a kindly nature four stout companions to sustain and console him on his terrestrial pilgrimage. They are wine, spirits, fortified wines and beer. These drinks provide the solace, relaxation and stimulus that a man needs if he is to complete with equanimity his arduous and often arid journey. The golfer standing  on the 18th tee gathers his strength at the prospect of cooling Gin and Tonic or Beer that awaits him whether or not that final putt has won him the game; the businessman exhausted at the end of the day by the noise of the telephone and the people around him anticipates the first cool sip of the Martini when he reaches home.
     The Highball, the cocktail and the glass of beer have helped so many of us to unwind, to make the transition from one kind of moment to another, totally different one. Wine, on the other hand, fills a somewhat different aspect of our need. It is for a different time, a different place from the stronger beverages. Wine may safely be said to be more subtle. For wine enormously enhances the pleasure of the table. "A meal without wine is a day without sunshine" is a famous French saying. A meal accompanied by wine is taken slowly; it  has to be, since wine must be sipped. It should not be quaffed. And there  should be a long pause between sips, so that the bouquet can linger on the palate and the wine can spread its beneficent warmth through every vein and nerve cell; you are in no hurry to take the next mouthful; you let the magic of that last sip remain. And as you are in no hurry to eat or drink, you have time to talk and wine aids the digestive process, from the very fact that it prevents hurried eating.
     Although there are many reasons why a man could wish to have lived in another century rather than in our own, none of them concerns wines and spirits. There has never been a time such as the present when those who wish for alcoholic beverages have had such a variety of choice. The best of everything is available. We have only to decide how to make good use of it.

CHEDDAR CHEESE AND WINE

 I'd like to talk to you about pairing wine with cheddar cheese. Cheddar cheese was originally made in Great Britain, but now it's made all over the world. It's one of our most popular cheeses. Cheddar cheese is one of the few cheeses that really goes best with red wines. Cheddar cheese has a distinctive, sharp, tangy flavor and a rich taste that goes well with the fuller body of red wines. For the perfect cheddar cheese and red wine pairing, try it with a fruity red wine, like Malbec from Argentina, Shiraz from Australia or a Merlot from anywhere in the world. It also goes well with Carmenere from Chile or Pinot Noir. For a different type of cheddar cheese and red wine match, try cheddar cheese with a sweet red wine. It may sound a little strange, but it may make for a perfect dessert course and a cheese and wine pairing in this way. The perfect sweet red wine to go with cheddar cheese for dessert might be a Ruby Porto, or a late harvest Zinfandel. The little bit of salty tang in the cheese will contrast perfectly with the sweet flavor of the wine and give you the perfect ending to any meal. So try cheddar cheese with any red wine, including a sweet one

PAIRING PORT

This versatile dessert wine pairs well with everything from cheese to chocolate.  Port is an ubiquitous part of fine dinning during the holiday season, but this long-lived dessert wine rarely garners much fanfare in the United States. Yet for lovers of big bold wines, Port is an obvious next step once the dinner plates, and their accompanying table wines, are cleared away. While sipping a glass of Port can certainly be considered dessert in and of itself, Port’s various styles match well with many foods. This largely attributed to Port’s sweetness and its high alcohol content, from 19% to 21 %, which allows it stand up to strong cheeses and to desserts with more assertive flavors. The classic pairing for vintage Port is Stilton, the rich and earthy cow’s-milk cheese from England. Virtually any type of blue cheese is happy alongside Port, ranging from a creamy Bleu d’Auvergne from France to a crumbly Cashel Blue from Italy. Looking beyond blue cheese, aged cheeses can also make successful pairings with Port. Try aged cheddar or an aged Parmesan for cheeses with powerful flavor profiles to match the concentrated dark fruit flavors found in Port. Echoing Port's fruit and nut flavors with the original product is another option, as dried fruits and berries and a wide range of nuts are also complementary. Fig paste and quince paste are two typical accompaniments for cheese, and both offer concentrated fruit flavors and a touch of sweetness, as does Port. Apple or mince pies, as well as the dried and baked fruit and nuts in the holiday fruitcake, also pair well with Port, particularly the lighter style tawny Port.

CHEF PATRICK OF THE HIGH SPOT

I am always doing reviews of wineries and wines. I have done many interviews with winemakers and cigar shop owners. I have even done a few blogs about wine, beer and even rum dinners, but, I seem to have left out one of the most important part of all dinner events. The Chef!! The chef and his or her staff are one of the fantastic reasons that these meals go so well. I recently had the pleasure of working with Chef Patrick Fanning of The High Spot in Cambridge, MD. We were doing some wine training with his staff and afterward we sat down to a couple of glasses of Belgium beers and I asked him a few questions.

When did you decide you wanted to be a Chef?

     As a child in the kitchen watching my mother cooking, I was thinking of ways to use the stuff she was leaving out.

What was your biggest mistake as new Chef?

     Not following my own instincts

What do you love most about your job?

     I love meeting and serving people. It's always fun to have a new challenge of new people.

What has been your hardest dish to cook?

     Chicken Breast, it may seem easy to cook, but to many people have become so picky about their chicken. Some people think it is to dry some say it is not cooked enough.

Where do you get your ideas for your dishes?

     Most of them just pop in my head. I get some ideas when I'm having a great Belgium beer and begin thinking what would be a good pairing with  

     this.

What is your best advice for a home chef?

     Cook what you like. Experiment with different flavors and styles of the same dish.

So if your passing through Cambridge, stop in to the High Spot and taste some of Chef Patrick's creations and see what pairings he usually has in store for certain dishes. I am amazed every time i go in there with selection of Belgium beers he has and the many different pairings you can have

VEGGIE LOVER'S AND WINE

     We all have a friend or relative who prefers eating a vegetarian meal, whether it is their preference or just occasionally. It can be a challenge at times to find the right wine pair with vegetables. Assuming that "vegetarians" entrees might include fish or eggs, but with an emphasis on truly vegetable dishes, what are some excellent pairings that you have tried? Don't believe the nonsense you may have heard that vegetarian dishes are too light.  Many vegetarian dishes or vegetable dishes have wonderful flavors which contain many ingredients. Unfortunately there are no animal fats and proteins in vegetarian dishes (as there is in meat.) Which is what helps to tame the tannins of full bodied red wines and oaky whites.
     The way to make the vegetable dish work for wine pairing is to use ingredients that produce strong flavors. Do this by making sauces or purees (such as mushroom, cheese, polenta or by roasting vegetables.)  With a vegetable based menu, choose wines that are more mature rather than young, they will have less tannins, so they won't overwhelm the dish.
     Here are a few of my favorite veggie dish and wine pairings.
Rustic Mushroom Tart with a Valpolicella from Italy or a Rioja From Spain.
Hearty Minestrone Soup with Montepullciano
Caesar Salad with a California Sauvignon Blanc
Spaghetti with Parsley and Almond Pesto with Chianti or a Soave
Garden Pizza (tomato, mozzarella cheese, basil, onion or whatever you have in garden) with a Pinot Grigio or California Merlot.

HOW TO PAIR CIGAR AND WINE

The right wine can compliment a cigar. Many believe that alcoholic beverages go hand in hand with cigars. Here are a few simple steps to compliment and enhance your cigar and wine pairing.

1. Choosing a red wine may be your best bet. A hearty red wine goes best with cigars. The bold flavors of a re wine will not be overpowered by the taste of cigars. A good example here is pairing a Cabernet Sauvignon or a big bold Zinfandel with a Maduro. I recommend pairing Artessa Cab with Honduras Caribbean Maduro or the Birckhouse Mighty Mighty.

2. Choosing a white wine to pair with a cigar is more difficult than choosing a red. If you prefer white wines over red, chose one that is light and dry, these wines go well with cigars because they are neutral. A good example here is a Pinot Gris with a Claro. I recommend pairing King Estate Pinot Gris with Honduras Caribbean Claro or William Ventura Robusto.

3. When pairing a fortified wine such as Port of an Oloroso Sherry with an Oscuro style cigar. I recommend pairing Quinta de Ventezlao LBV Port or Sandeman Armada with Drew Estate Ligra Privada no.9

4. Avoid sparkling white wines and Champagne with cigars. The bubbles will interfere with your palate.

If your looking for any of these  great smokes stop by Smoke Shop at etch art award in Salisbury, MD. Mike is always there and willing to help you pick that perfect smoke.