Champagne and umami
"Food and drink go well together when they create umami synergy through the combination of glutamate and certain nucleotides. Champagne and oysters create a remarkable synergistic effect that significantly enhances the flavor of champagne," explains lead author Charlotte Vinther Schmidt at the University of Copenhagen. "Moreover, champagne contributes to the overall impression, for example, with its acidity and bubbles. This explains the harmony of these two dishes" (Nature, 2020).
Champagne, known for its versatility, complexity, and variety of styles, is the ideal complement to a wide variety of dishes. Apparently, the key is umami. While basic flavors like salty, sweet, sour, and bitter are easy to recognize, people are generally unaware that the taste we recognize in many favorite dishes is umami. The key to intense umami flavors lies in combining glutamate-rich foods with products containing ribonucleotides. The aging process releases significant amounts of free glutamate into champagne. That's why champagne pairs so well with so many dishes. Serve champagne in a large wine glass to fully express its flavors. Below interesting combinations.
Fish and chips and champagne
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Scrub the potatoes clean and cut them into thick slices. Then cut them into small strips to make nice fries. Rinse them under running water and place the fries in a large bowl of water. Let this sit for half an hour. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 210 degrees Celsius (410 degrees Fahrenheit) top and bottom heat. After half an hour, drain the water and rinse the fries again. Then pat the fries thoroughly dry with a tea towel or paper towel. Dry the large bowl as well, add the fries again, and toss with a tablespoon of oil.
Bake the fries in the oven for forty minutes, or until golden brown. Halfway through, toss the fries again. While the fries are baking, we'll crisp up the fish. Prepare three plates: one with flour, one with beaten egg, and one with panko and dill. Pat the fish dry, season with salt and pepper, and coat with flour, then egg, and finally panko. Place on a plate. Add the fish to the fries for the last twenty minutes of baking time, and bake the fish until golden brown. Don't worry if the fries take an extra ten minutes to bake; if they're getting too brown, you can, of course, remove them before the fish. Season the fries with salt as soon as they come out of the oven and serve the fish and chips with a fresh salad, peas, and tartar sauce.
Sushi and champagne
Order champagne through the link in the text with the bottle!
Cook the rice according to the package directions. Place the rice in a saucepan with the cold water. Bring the water to a boil and cook the rice covered for ten minutes. After ten minutes, the water will have evaporated. Let the rice sit, covered, for fifteen minutes. Mix the rice with the rice vinegar and let it cool slightly.
Sushi filling: While preparing the rice, you can already chop the ingredients for the filling.
- Avocado with sesame seeds
- Avocado and smoked salmon
- Cucumber and sesame seeds
- Fried tuna and cucumber
- Sweet omelet with cream cheese
Cut all the ingredients into strips. You can then assemble the sushi using a bamboo mat. We've made sushi this way a few times. Place a norisheet, shiny side down, on a bamboo mat. Cover about two-thirds of the norisheet with sushi rice. Make sure there's no rice on the top, only on the bottom. Stick the rice to the norisheet with your wet hands. Press this firmly. Make sure the rice is not too thick. Sprinkle some ingredients over the rice, such as a few avocado slices and some sesame seeds. Serve with soy sauce.
Shrimp tacos and champagne
Order champagne through the link in the text with the bottle!
For the shrimp: Place the flour in a bowl and add the paprika, dried dill, salt, and pepper. Stir briefly. In another bowl, beat the eggs. Place the two bowls side by side. Dip the shrimp one by one into the egg, then into the flour, then back into the egg, and finally back into the flour. It will be a bit messy, so make sure to use a fork when dipping the shrimp so you don't get your hands dirty every time you dip the shrimp back into the flour. Heat a large pan with oil.
Fry the shrimp in the pan for about four minutes, or until golden brown on both sides. For the sauce: place the mayonnaise, sriracha, and dried dill in a small bowl. Stir and season with a pinch of salt.
To assemble the tacos: Heat the tortilla wraps in a pan for about two minutes. Place a tortilla wrap on your work surface and spread a thin layer of the sauce. Then add a handful of white cabbage, followed by the red onion, tomato, avocado, and fried shrimp. Garnish with some extra red onion, the sauce, grated Parmesan cheese, and freshly chopped cilantro/parsley. Continue garnishing the remaining tacos.
