Matching Food & Wine

Food and fruit juice matching

Posted on January 1 2013 at 08:29

If you’re on the wagon this month, mealtimes can suddenly seem a bit drab and colourless. But if you’re missing the taste of your favourite wine try substituting a fruit juice that has similar flavours.

What to drink with cake

Posted on September 5 2007 at 09:42

A recent email from a reader asked me to suggest a wine to go with “a triple coconut cake with a tangy pineapple icing served with fresh fruit salsa that has kiwi, strawberry, madarine oranges, blueberries and fresh pineapple in it”. Quite a challenge (I suggested demi-sec Champagne or a peach-flavoured liqueur topped up with fizz) but it got me thinking that there are many possible matches for cake beyond a cup of tea or coffee, particularly if you're serving it as a dessert.

Tags: double espresso coffee milky coffee latte cappuccino green tea Earl Grey chocolate beer drink:tea & coffee Darjeeling raspberry beer cherry beer frambozen kriek coffee beer porter passion fruit beer mango beer barley wine peach beer fruit beer drink:beer & cider Sailor Jerry Morgan's Spiced spiced rum rum Macallan malt whisky fruit liqueur peach schnapps Archers peach schnapps peach liqueur whisky whisky and ginger wine Whisky Mac ginger wine ginger liqueur Cointreau cherry brandy passion fruit liqueur orange liqueur Grand Marnier drink:spirits & cocktails rosé Champagne Prosecco demi-sec demi-sec Champagne Moscato d'Asti Moscato Champagne drink:champagne & sparkling Maury Vintage Character port Banyuls LBV Late Bottled Vintage vin doux naturel liqueur Muscat Bual Matusalem port sherry oloroso Madeira tawny port Pedro Ximenez cream sherry orange flavoured sherry liqueur sherry liqueur Moscatel de Valencia drink:sweet & fortified wine coconut cake coffee and walnut cake coffee cake chocolate roulade chocolate cake gingerbread fairy cakes cup cakes iced cakes ice cream gâteau creamy gâteau pastries mille feuille fruit cake lemon cake orange cake almond cake pound cake madeira cake gâteau cake cakes food:desserts & cakes espresso drink:alcohol-free drinks fruit juice tropical fruit juice
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Wines - and other drinks - to match recipes from the Ottolenghi Cookbook

Posted on April 19 2008 at 07:52

The book I’ve been looking forward to most so far this year has just started being serialised in the Guardian today. It’s by Yotam Ottolenghi who founded two exceptional London restaurants and is simply called Ottolenghi: the Cookbook. l love Ottolenghi's food - it’s so generous and big-flavoured, piled high on bright, colourful platters - you can't fail to be tempted by it. It also lends itself perfectly to entertaining for large numbers at home.

Tags: Seabreeze drink:spirits & cocktails beer drink:beer & cider Charles Melton Rosé of Virginia California Argentina Australia Syrah rosé Grenache blends Grenache Côtes du Rhône Rhône drink:red wine Rioja Tavel Navarra dry rosé drink:rosé rosada Santorini Greece Assyrtiko Albariño Picpoul de Pinet Italy Soave Gavi di Gavi macadamia drink:white wine white chocolate brownies macadamia and white chocolate brownies grapefruit food:desserts & cakes red grapefruit salad harissa chicken harissa-marinated chicken lentils pulses kosheri rice food:pasta, rice & noodles fennel lime seafood pitcher cocktail seafood, fennel and lime salad food:fish & shellfish asparagus courgettes broad bean radish radish and broad bean salad basil oil halloumi manouri asparagus, courgettes and manouri food:veg & salads food:chicken & poultry food:cheese & eggs drink:alcohol-free drinks milk sparkling mineral water mineral water fruit juice pomegranite juice drink:tea & coffee espresso black Americano Ottolenghi
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My top pairings with strawberries

Posted on June 25 2012 at 06:50

With Wimbledon kicking off this week, I’m sure you’ll be enjoying a bowlful or two of strawberries. But what to drink with them? The classic Wimbledon pairing of champagne is to my mind too dry unless the champagne is demi-sec but there are plenty of other possibilities depending on how you serve your berries.

Which drinks pair best with Thai food?

Posted on April 10 2013 at 06:25

With the Thai New Year celebrations coming up you may well be planning to eat in a Thai restaurant or host a Thai meal at home. But which drinks are the best to serve?

Chicken salad and real apple juice

Posted on May 5 2008 at 09:33

Yesterday finally felt as if spring had come. After weeks of unsettled and unseasonably cool weather it was warm and balmy, rich with the scent of blossom. We went out with friends to the village of Wrington just outside Bristol to follow an ‘art trail’ of exhibitions by local artists. (Yes, I bought something - a delightful picture of radishes by a talented collage artist called Anne Carpenter)