Pairings | Moules marinières
The best wine and beer pairings for mussels/moules
Just as with every other ingredient the ideal pairing for mussels depends how you cook them, starting with the classic moules marinières.
- Moules marinières is made with a dry white wine such as Muscadet so you might as well drink the same wine with them. Picpoul de Pinet would be equally good or you could try a dry Alsace Riesling
- If you cook them with witbier/bière blanche as they often do in Belgium, again drink the same beer with them. Witbiers like Hoegaarden are cracking with moules.
- Mussels cooked Thai style with coconut, lime and coriander also go well with witbier or try a Grüner Veltliner, Pinot Gris or New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc.
- Mussels topped and baked with garlic and breadcrumbs suit a crisp dry white like a Pinot Grigio or other Italian white but an unoaked Chardonnay or fruity Sauvignon Blanc such as Sauvignon de Touraine will match well too.
- If they’re stuffed with sausagemeat, as they often are in the south of France where they’re known as moules farcies, and served with a rich tomato sauce you’ll find an inexpensive Languedoc red or strong southern French or Spanish rosé will probably be a better match than a white.
- With mussel and saffron - or curry - soup (mouclade), try an oaked white Bergerac or Bordeaux or a Viognier.
Some top food pairings for pear cider and perry
Pear cider - also known as perry - has a different taste from apple cider. It’s generally lighter, drier and more fragrant, a better match for delicate ingredients like fish.
You can treat drier styles like a dry white wine, sweeter ones almost like a dessert wine. And sparkling perries like champagne. But cheaper. Good news all round!
Here are some suggestions:
* The drier styles work particularly well with simply cooked fish or fish with a creamy sauce. Avoid strong flavours like tomato and garlic.
* Fried fish like goujons or even fish and chips
* Fishcakes and fish pie
* Fresh crab
* Seared scallops though you might want to go for a medium-dry style
* Mussels in a cream sauce marinière-style but cooked with a medium-dry perry
* Prawn or seafood cocktail or salads (medium dry styles)
* Delicate or gently spiced chicken dishes: roast chicken with tarragon. Creamy chicken pies like this chicken and leek pie. Chicken salads. Chicken terrines (but watch the chutney!)
* Pork dishes with apple or pears like this dish of pork chops with apple, fennel and onion I wrote about earlier this year. And pork sausages of course. But not with onion gravy (too strong)
* English-style cold cuts like ham sliced off the bone, cold roast pork, pork pies, Scotch eggs
* quiches
* Boxing Day leftovers
* Mild cheeses - young goats cheese, Delicate regional cheeses like Caerphilly and Cheshire. Medium sweet styles work well with mellow blue cheeses like Stilton
* Vegetable soups with a touch of sweetness like carrot, pea or leek soups, especially with a little cream
* Fresh-tasting salads with peas, broad beans or fennel
* Sweeter styles, which often have a touch of honey go well with salads with fruit and milder blue cheeses and with simple puddings like a simple apple or pear tart or pannacotta and raspberries as I suggest in the Guardian today.
* Sparkling perry will go with typical party nibbles (especially cheesy and fishy ones) and with midly spiced Indian snacks.
So mild is the word with perry. Treat it gently and stay clear of fierce flavours.
Image © Yevheniia - Fotolia.com
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