Pairings

How to pair whisky with cheese

Posted on March 8 2012 at 09:52

I’d been aware that cheese was a good match for whisky but it was good to have the opportunity to try several different styles and cheeses at a tasting this week

Tags: whisky and cheese tasting Islay whisky malt whisky whisky drink:spirits & cocktails French cheese Livarot washed rind cheese Bleu d'Auvergne blue cheese Beaufort Alpine cheese food:cheese & eggs
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Epoisses and marc de Bourgogne

Posted on October 20 2010 at 10:51

Epoisses has to be one of the most difficult cheeses to match, not least when it gets to the almost liquid stage shown in this photo (a stage too far IMHO)

Tags: natural wine Beaujolais Châteauneuf-du-Pâpe drink:red wine Sauternes drink:sweet & fortified wine marc marc de Bourgogne drink:spirits & cocktails washed rind cheese cheese Epoisses food:cheese & eggs drink:beer & cider strong Belgian beer Belgian beer
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Top pairings for dry and off-dry Alsace whites

Posted on June 15 2011 at 12:53

Having just got back from Alsace I thought I’d update my recommendations on the best matches for Alsace dry and off-dry white wines. What struck me particularly on this visit is how key sweetness is to the success of a match - something that will often be more marked in a younger wine than an older vintage.

Tags: rogan josh Riesling blends mango vendange tardive grand cru Alsace blends cinnamon late-harvest apple streudel apple crumble Alsace Muscat Sylvaner Pinot Blanc Gewürztraminer Riesling drink:white wine smoked ham fruit salad fresh fruit tropical fruit tropical fruit salad smoked cheese asparagus charcuterie tartiflette stir fry frittata fish cakes fish pie risotto pasta with creamy sauce ham and cheese salad quiche Lorraine tarte flambé onion tart goose duck Stinking Bishop Maroilles washed rind cheese Epoisses lobster laksa Munster food:cheese & eggs Szechuan Korean cuisine Chinese cuisine Rogan Josh rogan josh guinea fowl pigeon game pâté game monkfish scallops gravadlax mushrooms foie gras veal in creamy sauce pâté en croûte charcuterie chicken in creamy sauce veal food:beef & lamb Thai cuisine Chinese cuisine Japanese cuisine Indian cuisine Vietnamese cuisine food:world food apple citrus fish tacos crab cakes pad thai dim sum tandoori tandoori chicken korma chicken tikka curry curries pork belly food:pork goats cheese onion tart seabass sea bass fish terrine eel salmon smoked eel smoked salmon smoked fish seafood cocktail seafood salad crab oysters ceviche carpaccio tartare sashimi sushi smorgasbord fish in creamy sauce creamy sauces sole plaice zander choucroute food:veg & salads food:chicken & poultry food:fruit food:fish & shellfish
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Ideas for a beer and game menu

Posted on October 28 2009 at 07:06

I've been invited to a game dinner at Brown's hotel in Mayfair next week at which every course is matched with a beer or a perry. I can't make it but thought you'd be interested in the pairings (my notes in italics):

Haggis and Westmalle Dubbel

Posted on January 25 2010 at 14:05

If you’re going to or hosting a Burns’ Night dinner tonight and want to create a bit of a stir, crack open a bottle of Westmalle Dubbel, a classic Belgian Trappist ale that is still made by monks at the monastery of Westmalle. You could of course drink a Scottish beer - there are plenty of good ones - but haggis to my mind needs a bit of roundness, sweetness and strength, qualities you find more often in Belgian than British beers.