6 of the best matches for chocolate mousse

Although chocolate mousse is usually made from dark chocolate it's quite a light dessert as chocolate puddings go because of its airy texture - lighter than petits pots au chocolat, for example.

That means you can pair it relatively easily with a conventional dessert wine though remember if you have a flavour such as orange in the mousse that will tend to knock the same flavour out of the wine. Try:

* a sweet red wine such as Andrew Quady's Elysium Black Muscat, Brachetto d'Acqui or Brown Brothers Cienna Rosso (the surprise winner in the What Food, What Wine competition a couple of years ago

* an orangey Spanish Moscatel such as Moscatel de Valencia or Torres Floralis Moscatel d'Oro which also scored well in the competition.

* An off-dry rosé sparkling wine especially if the mousse is made with white or milk chocolate and served with strawberries

* A raspberry or cherry-flavoured beer (Kriek or Frambozen)

* Ratafia di fragola - a gorgeous Italian strawberry-scented liqueur or other strawberry-flavoured liqueur - served well chilled. The essence of summer.

* A violet-flavoured liqueur, again served chilled. (Think violet creams . . . ).

Picture © Chris Tweten from Pixabay

The best wine and beer pairings for savoury pies

We Brits don’t need much encouragement to eat pies—they’re a staple of comfort food culture. But when it comes to enjoying a drink with your pie, the question arises: which is the better match—wine or beer? The answer, as always, depends on the type of pie you’re talking about and the flavours it brings to the table.

Steak pies with gravy
Almost always better with a strong ale or porter in my opinion.

Steak pies with red wine sauce
Should work with any full-bodied red. I normally tend to favour Languedoc or Rhône-style reds but a new world red like a malbec or an Australian shiraz would work well too

Chicken pies with a creamy filling
I’d go for an unoaked or subtly oaked Chardonnay, old vine Chenin Blanc or any other smooth dry white. Cider and perry also work well with chicken pies.

Pies with a tomatoey filling
Whatever the other ingredients I generally find cooked tomato works better with wine than with beer - I’d suggest an Italian Sangiovese or a Tempranillo-based red like Rioja, especially if there’s chorizo in it.

Cheese and spinach pies
I generally prefer crisp whites such as Sauvignon Blanc or even a more neutral white such as a Picpoul de Pinet with a light vegetarian pie like this but a light red like a Beaujolais would be delicious too.

Fish pies
Pair with the same sort of wines as creamy chicken pies.

Cold pies
With a classic pork pie I’d always go for an English bitter. A cold game pie however is a great match for a good red burgundy or Pinot Noir.

Photo © Richard M Lee at Shutterstock

Which beers are best for Burns’ Night?

Although we naturally think of drinking whisky on Burns’ Night, beer is just as appropriate a pairing, especially for haggis. And with Scottish beers like Brewdog and Innis & Gunn in wide distribution it’s not too hard to find a homegrown one.

Popular suggestions when I asked some of my fellow beer lovers on Twitter included Fraoch heather ale, Innis & Gunn original and Traquair House Ale or Ola Dubh for the cheeseboard. Beers aged in whisky casks obviously kill two birds with one stone.

If you’re prepared to stray outside Scotland a tasting a couple of years ago suggested that strong Belgian beers like Chimay Bleu and Westmalle Dubbel are the ideal match. Two dark Orkney beers, Dark Island and Skullsplitter did well too.

Here are some other suggestions:

@TheBeerCast Got to be @WilliamsBrewery Fraoch, goes beautifully with haggis - nothing I’ve tried has worked better

@goodtastefood Williams Bros have done an amazing imperial Fraoch, at 10% I believe

@R_McCormack heather ale

@timcarlislewine brewdog and innis & gunn obv. Also Fraoch Grozet from orkney brewery

@FairgroundComms as a non whisky drinker, Innis & Gunn Original goes brill with the flavours of a Burns’ Supper - whisky kick & no dram in sight!

@rowanmolyneux Harviestoun Ola Dubh

@Caledonianbeer all a matter of personal taste but Deuchars is excellent with spicyness of haggis. For traditional go Caley 80 :)

@lucychippindale how about Schiehallion Craft Lager from the Harviestoun Brewery?

@BeersManchester @HarviestounBrew Schiehallion hits just about any spot I can think of!

@ChefTimAnderson Traquair House Ale/900/Jacobite. Also anything whisky cask-aged, of course! Possibly @HarviestounBrew Highland Park Ola Dubh.

@beeradventcal Glen Garioch or Glen Spey barrel-aged Imperial Brown Stout from @kernelbrewery. Poetry in a bottle.

@BrewdogBristol Paradox Isle of Arran

@ilikeotters Dogma Scotch Ale, or Cairngorm Wildcat, a lovely malty caramel ale

@emmaorussell something from Allanwater Brewhouse - Bridge of Allan Brewery! Keep it Scottish :-)

@Kingsbarnsdist check out @standysbrewing!

@howlingcow McEwan’s 90 shilling!!

@indiespiritbath i would recommend @TopOutBrewery‘s dark abbey beer, its a cracker!!

Rose Murray Brown (@RoseMurrayBrown) of the Scotsman recommended a relatively new brewery @edenbrewery near St Andrews which you can read more about here

You might also enjoy this post I wrote on a crazy Burns Night with Brewdog a couple of years ago and find this article on Scottish beer I wrote for the Guardian useful.

Any other Scottish beers you think would hit the spot with haggis?

Image by Marcelo Ikeda Tchelão from Pixabay

5 great pairings for an IPA

Of course it depends what type of IPA or India pale ale you're talking about. A relatively light style will lead you in a different direction from a huge, hoppy double IPA, but these I think would be my top five . . .

1) Curry
Loose term but as a general match for mild-medium hot Indian food I don't think you can beat an IPA. A lighter, more refreshing style though.

2) Beer-can chicken
The spicy rub calls for a bit more ooomph than a straight pale ale. A generously hopped IPA hits the spot

3) Pork belly
And other roast pork joints of course. Brilliant with a slightly richer style like Goose Island

4) Chargrilled steaks
Again, particularly suits the richer, American styles. (So do burgers, of course.)

5) Mature cheddar cheese
Sometimes causes problems for red wines but not for strong hoppy IPAs. (They're great with proper artisan cheese toasties made with sourdough bread too.)

Image by Nina Firsova at shutterstock.com