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Top 5 Flavor Pairing Predictions for 2009

YumSugar — Mon, 05 Jan 2009 11:16:02 -0800

At the onset of each year, American spice company McCormick offers its prediction for the top spice combinations. When we shared the company's top picks with you last year, your vote went to the vanilla and cardamom combo. Incidentally, throughout 2008, I encountered that flavor pairing in recipes and menu items from flan to peach pie. McCormick recently released its forecast for 2009. To see five of the new flavor combinations predicted to explode onto the food scene (and your tongue) this year, read more.

Toasted sesame and root beer
Chinese five spice and artisan-cured pork
Dill and avocado oil
Mint and quinoa
Smoked paprika and agave nectar

The Peruvian grain quinoa has been gaining popularity, and I've already seen recipes for it tossed with mint and other herbs. With the shift away from high-fructose corn syrup and toward natural sweeteners, I could see agave nectar and smoked paprika being a big hit. Toasted sesame and root beer? That's an interesting idea, but I'd have to try it in order to believe it will take off.

What are your thoughts on the flavor forecast?

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Taste the Future of Flavor - The Top 10 Flavor Pairings For 2008

YumSugar — Tue, 12 Feb 2008 16:20:51 -0800

Each year, the folks at McCormick put out a list of 10 flavor pairings. Last year things like clove and green apple reigned supreme, but this year it's more intriguing like vanilla bean and cardamom. To see all 10 of their food-pairing predictions, click the "Start Slideshow" button below.

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Discover New Food Pairings

YumSugar — Mon, 03 Dec 2007 06:27:39 -0800

If you're looking for some cooking inspiration, then be sure to check out the new Food Pairing website. Designed by the folks at Food for Design, the site creates food pairing trees generated by the flavor components of each ingredient. The shorter the distance between the two food products, the more flavors the food have in common. Right now, there are 42 ingredients to begin with - although there will be 250 when it's completed - and they range from blue cheese, to oysters, to blueberries.

The folks at Food for Design hope that you use these trees to come up with new food pairings. For example, they've suggested strawberries and peas. You may not think of these two as complementary but think about a summer salad with peas, mint and strawberry, delish! So go ahead and give it a try and see what combinations you come up with.

Happy Hour: Josh Wesson on Pairing Food and Wine

partysugar — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 14:00:16 -0700

Despite the long lines and hungry event goers, there was one thing the organizers of the Great American Food and Music Festival did right: they invited Josh Wesson to give a special wine seminar. Wesson is a highly regarded wine professional. He's won countless awards and cofounded New York's acclaimed Best Cellars. I was lucky enough to attend Wesson's seminar, Fast Food/Faster Wine! In it he discussed the foundations for pairing food and wine. To learn what he had to say, read more.

Look for similarities. An obvious pairing is a dessert with a dessert wine. Just make sure the dessert (cake, cookie, pie, etc.) is sweeter than the wine.
Balance sweet and sour. When a dish is highly acidic, look for a sweet wine. If the pairing works, the food will taste less acidic and the wine will taste less sweet.
Think about the dominant taste. Do you want the strongest flavor to be the food or the wine?
Look for ways for the food and wine to complement each other. When a fish tastes oily, it's often served with fresh lemon because the acidity mutes the fishy flavor. This same effect can be achieved with an acidic white wine.
Consider the smell of the wine. Without a sense of smell, the wine is tasteless.
Drink a lot of wine. Don't be afraid to try new wines and different pairings.
The final point that Wesson stressed was that drinking and pairing wine is subjective. If it doesn't appeal to your palate, don't drink it.

Do you enjoy pairing wine with food? What are your go-to matches?

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A Lesson in Pairing Food and Wine With Peter Marks

partysugar — Fri, 14 Mar 2008 15:13:31 -0700

When I was planning my wine and chocolate party I had the lovely opportunity to speak with Peter Marks, an expert on the subject. Peter is a wine master and wine educator at COPIA - The American Center for Wine, Food, and Arts - in Napa, CA. He has won an array of wine-related awards and even hosted a wine-centric television show. His highly sensitive tastebuds are not afraid of sweet Rieslings or White Zinfandels. To see what he taught me about pairing food and wine, read more.

PartySugar: How do you choose a food and wine pairing?
Peter Marks: I don't over analyze it. It really depends on your mood and who you are serving. I think about the general weight of the food, the level of sweetness in both the dish and the wine, the level of fat. You have to find a balance between the salt and the acid. If you have a very acidic white wine, you can lessen the acidity by eating something salty. Season the food to make the wine taste better. Also remember that many wines that may taste sweet are actually super fruity. The intensity of fruit gives the impression of a high level of sugar.
PS: What are some classic wine and chocolate pairings?
PM: A dry Cabernet Sauvignon with chocolate is a classic pairing that we do at Copia. But half the people who taste it love it and the other half don't. When pairing wine with anything avoid extremes. Don't choose a wine with heavy tannins to pair with bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, instead, look for young, fruit-driven wines. Choose a wine that is as sweet or sweeter than the food to maintain a level of sweetness. If the wine is less sweet you'll have that drinking-OJ-after-brushing-your-teeth effect that creates a bitter, bad taste in your mouth. Rieslings work well with chocolate because they are both sweet and acidic. Madeiras complement chocolate with nuts or caramels because the wine has a baked nutty character. For milk chocolate a super-sweet Port, cream Sherry, or late-harvest Riesling are nice selections.

PS: Can you pair Champagne or sparkling wine with chocolate?
PM: In general, most sparkling wines are very dry and highly acidic so they don't pair too well with it. The sweeter styles a doux or semi-sec are OK to pair with something like white chocolate. A fruity sparkling wine also may work like a Rosé or a Blanc de Noir. Other options are a Spumante or Moscato di Asti, which go well with caramel and vanilla flavors. These are lower in alcohol and super-sweet sparklers. Sparkling Shiraz is very good with dark chocolate. An ice wine is good with milk chocolate because it's sweet intenseness can hold up against a super-sweet chocolate.

PS: What advice do you have for a young wine drinker who doesn't know much about wine? How can they pair wine and food?
PM: Select wine you like, serve food you like and go from there. Pay attention to what happens when you enjoy the two together. Choose flavors that either mimic or contrast. Richer foods tend to go better with richer wines. Match the flavors of the dish to the wine or contrast the two. Contrasting always provides a surprising result. I love to pair a Riesling with smoked foods.

PS: What is your favorite food and wine pairing?
PM: It's more a philosophical effect. For me to really enjoy a pairing, I have to be with my favorite people. Usually my favorite pairing is the food and wine I am currently having. However, I really enjoy fresh salmon with lighter red wines like a Pinot Noir or a Beajulois Nouveau.

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Yummy Links: From Oatmeal Cookie Milk Shakes to Food Cities

partysugar — Tue, 15 Sep 2009 09:15:03 -0700

Must make: oatmeal cookie milk shake. - Chow
Is Eric Ripert the most interesting man in the world? - Eat Me Daily
Padma Lakshmi denies that there is a gender bias on Top Chef. - Grub Street
Grant Achatz on why wine and food pairings matter.- The Atlantic
Learn more about Gourmet's Adventures With Ruth. - Gourmet
Meet the Fojol Brothers, an interesting street food truck that operates out of Washington DC - Serious Eats
Yesterday President Obama and Bill Clinton enjoyed a healthy lunch at Il Mulino in New York City. - Eater
What do you consider to be the top 10 food cities in the world? - The Epi-Log

Yummy Links: From Milkshakes to Frank Bruni

partysugar — Fri, 17 Jul 2009 06:50:02 -0700

Twelve milkshake recipes that will have your mouth watering. - Chow
Learn how to put together a colorful candy buffet. - Hostess With the Mostess
What do you think will be Nate Appleman's next move? - Eater SF
Going camping? Learn how to make trout en papillotte. - Serious Eats
Every recipe on Epicurious now has wine pairing suggestions. - The Epi-Log
A look at the food of Apollo 11. - Eat Me Daily
Frank Bruni has officially unveiled his memoir. - Grub Street

Yummy Links: From Vampire Cookies to Beer-Turkey Pairings

partysugar — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 06:50:14 -0800

Celebrate the premiere of New Moon by making vampire cookies. - Baking Bites
Fabio Viviani talks turkey. - Endless Simmer
Find out why ground beef is dangerous. - The Atlantic
Are you on Team Martha or Team Rachael Ray? - The Epi-Log
Anthony Bourdain is not happy that the Travel Channel is now under Food Network's ownership. - Eater
Google has launched a new food-centric portal. - Grub Street SF
A detailed description of Guy Fieri's just launched road tour. - Eat Me Daily
Michael Chiarello on brining turkey. - Chow
Worried about what wine pairs with turkey? How about serving beer instead? - Serious Eats

Yummy Links: From Food Porn to Taco Trucks

partysugar — Fri, 13 Feb 2009 06:45:55 -0800

Did you catch the Food Porn episode of Anthony Bourdain's No Reservations? - Eat Me Daily
Learn how to make the perfect Sazerac. - Chow
Tips for pairing soup with wine. - The Kitchn
Anti-Valentine's Day dinner ideas. - The Epi-Log
Spend a typical day on one of LA's most popular taco trucks. - Serious Eats

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13 Under $20 Wines Perfect For Hostess Gifts

partysugar — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 16:15:34 -0800

Do you have an iPhone? Then stop what you're doing right now and download the Nirvino (my preferred online drinking community) wine ratings guide. With over one million wines listed by name, price, grape varietal, flavor profile, region, and producer, the wine application is an amazing resource to always have at your fingertips.

Not only does it provide food pairing suggestions, but there's also lots of fun lists to browse. Food Network's Aida Mollenkamp shares her favorite wines to drink while cooking, Sommelier Mark Bright rounded up his top bottles from Whole Foods, and yours truly has even created a list!

I headed to Safeway to pick out the best wines - all of which are under $20 - for hostess gifts. I've tasted and enjoyed these wines and would bring them to a party. Be it a birthday bash at Hog Island oyster farm, an intimate Thanksgiving dinner, or an upcoming holiday soirée, there's a bottle for every occasion. To check out my list, keep reading.