I have to admit I was a little dubious about any hard cider that comes with the suggestion to "serve over ice!"

I was born and raised in Asturias, a region of northern Spain that is very similar to where I live now in western Pennsylvania. Apple orchards are a common sight in both of these landscapes. In Asturias, hard cider is one of the most popular and commonly enjoyed alcoholic beverages, but not in Pennsylvania, nor (as far as I know) anywhere in the U.S.

Hard cider is starting to develop a following in this country, but is still viewed by many as an inferior choice to beer. Maybe because of different marketing strategies, I find that many hard ciders in this country have many other ingredients other than just fermented apple juice, which is basically the main ingredient in fine European hard ciders. A good example is Crispin Hard Cider, which offers the suggestion of serving over ice–a bizarre idea bordering on sacrilege for someone raised on Asturian sidra! This beverage contains hard cider, filtered water, apple juice concentrate and natural apple essence. As a sweet apple flavored drink, well, it’s not bad. It’s probably a drink that would be enjoyed by many, but it’s not hard cider, not my kind of hard cider that you would drink as you would a beer. This Crispin cider beverage reminds me of an appletini or dessert drink–something like granny smith sorbet, not hard cider. But who knows–maybe it’s an encouraging sign to see more ciders on the market, even if they don’t necessarily match my idea of what hard cider should be.

Farnum Hill semi-dry hard cider, a great choice for our Thanksgiving feast!

Now, a good American hard cider is made in New Hampshire at Farnum Hill. Farnum Hill ciders are–in my modest opinion–great hard ciders. I have much to say about Farnum Hill, but for this entry, I will just say that Farnum Hill Semi-dry cider was my choice for this year’s Thanksgiving dinner, and it was a great pairing to our harvest feast.

Buen provecho!

Sharron Peterson

Before I begin, let me say that I love Thumper as much as anyone. My memories of him frolicking with Bambi in the grass are very vivid. So let me assure you that I understand why many of you are wary of wary of the Hare. However, rabbits have been considered a viable protein source all over the world for centuries. One might even call rabbit Europe’s “other white meat.” So, today, I ask you to set your visions of the Easter Bunny and talking rabbits aside as we give credence to this wine friendly, versatile meat.

Let’s begin with some Rabbit Food History.

According to Rabbit records, our consumption of the hare dates at least as far back as the Phoenicians (3,000 B.C.), whose sailors discovered rabbits.

The Romans later used rabbit meat to feed their soldiers, and even developed enclosed wall areas called “leporaria” to keep wild rabbits ready for eating. In the Middle Ages, Monks kept “leporaria” and began breeding for weight, color and even flavor profile. By the 16th century King Henry VIII took to hunting them for sport (yes, he was a little nuts). And his daughter Queen Elizabeth kept “rabbit islands” where the little critters could run free and flourish. This is actually how Coney Island got its name: the Dutch named the island “Conyne Eylandt” which translates to “rabbit island.”

There are still rabbit islands today, but most rabbits in this country are bred for pets. Which takes us back to our original topic – rabbits as food.

One common misconception is that rabbit tastes like chicken. Well, it doesn’t–it tastes like rabbit! Rabbit is considered a “game” meat and offers a savory, softer flavor profile than chicken. It is low in fat and can be chopped, fried, diced, sliced… prepared any way your hopping heart desires. Rabbit is a white meat and well suited for spring, summer, autumn, or even winter. Because of this versatility it pairs well with many red and white wines.

For example, let’s take a look at Chef Daniel’s rabbit and pear dish.

Chef marinates his rabbit in a flavorful mixture of salt, pepper, garlic, and calvados. The seasoned pieces are sauteed and served with pear, rutabaga, and turnips. What a scrumptious combo! In order to pair wine with this dish, I look at the most dominant components: garlic, its fried preparation, salt, and pear.

In order to stand up to the garlic and the fried preparation, we must choose a wine with enough acid to “cut through” these qualities. Also, we need a wine that will neither accentuate the salt nor overpower the delicate flavors of the pear.

My Choices
Reds: Oregon/ French Pinot Noir or a nice Chateauneuf-du-Pape from the Rhone Valley

Whites: Alsatian Riesling or a white Rhone such as Marsanne or Rousanne

All of these wines are known for their vibrant fruit flavors yet have enough of a backbone (acid) to stand up to the garlic and fried preparation.

So, there you have it. Prepare Chef Daniel’s Rabbit and Pear dish, choose a wine and remember that food and wine is best when shared!

Charlie Adler's book, I Drink on the Job

First of all, I want to mention that it’s really great that Daniel is using local resources as his ingredients. It’s really sad that people are so urbanized and removed from nature that they don’t even trust the fruit that grows on their local trees! Just like Daniel used the local quinces for the Yinzer torte recipe, I have often thought about using the ginkgo “stinky” fruit that falls from the female trees that are common all over Washington, D.C. Stinky Gingko Fruit – unfortunately, it is SO stinky, that it will probably never happen!

The first point I want to make is that I am not a proponent of pairing dessert wines and dessert. The way I see it, there’s a missing synergy. In my book, I Drink on the Job (www.idrinkonthejob.com), I have a complete chapter on pairing wine and food, and the principle that comes to mind is “1+1=1/2″. It seems weird, but when you put a sweet food in your mouth and then you drink a sweet beverage (it could be any beverage – fruit juice, cola, etc.), the sweetness is significantly reduced. The pairing rule I often learned was that the wine should be at least as sweet at the dessert, but I don’t see how it makes a difference–sweet and sweet mostly cancel each other out!

Another point is that the Yinzer torte is made with highly acidic quince fruit turned into a butter emulsion. So now you have acidity – and yes, you do want to match acidity in a dish with an equally acidic wine, or the wine will taste really flat! You could easily pair this dish with a traditional dessert wine like a Sauternes or a Hungarian Tokaj, and that will do just fine. But let me throw you a few curve balls:

1. I prefer to have contrast to a sweet dessert dish. Just like many people really enjoy coffee with sweets because the tannin in coffee contrasts the sweetness of dessert on your palate, I would rather pair this with a spirit – and my spirit of choice for this dish is either a Cognac or a Calvados. Cognac is distilled from grapes and has a nice fruit component. Calvados is distilled from apples and has that fruit component as well. You could have a whisky or a Scotch, but definitely avoid a really smoky/peaty version of the latter – there are no smoke components to this dessert (unless you’re puffing on a cigar at the time!),
2. Change the dish a bit to make it go better with wine–this is called a pairing “bridge”. For example, you could put some chopped walnuts on top and maybe serve with a slice of blue cheese and now Ruby Port goes perfectly! Crunchy nuts would also add texture which makes food more interesting on the palate. Add a caramel sauce, and now a Tawny port, which is port that has been pre-aged in barrel will work with those flavors. You could even bridge this dessert by making a dessert wine reduction, and that would bring the flavors together.
3. Add fresh whipped cream with a little liqueur in it like Cointreau. OK, it won’t match better with any wine, but certainly it will make the dish all the better, and isn’t pleasure what you’re really after?

Consider yourself paired!

Charlie Adler, author of "I Drink on the Job"

Arroz con pollo (rice with chicken) is such a great Latin comfort dish, as Daniel mentions, pretty much every Latin country has their version, even cultures from the Middle East and Asia have similar versions, only using different spices. As I do for all pairings, I always like to break down pairings into simple component parts: originating region of cuisine, cooking technique, balance of flavors and spicing, the body of the dish, and the seasonality of the dish are all major points to consider.

So here’s my breakdown of pairing for Arroz con Pollo – Rice with Chicken:

Region: Spain and Latin America – this is a comfort food dish throughout Latin countries – each spices it a bit differently, but chicken, rice and sofrito (In Latin American cuisine, it is a sauce of tomatoes, roasted bell peppers, garlic, onions and herbs)

Cooking Technique: This is a true “Momma’s Dish” that every loving mother makes for her family by spreading the flavors of the chicken into the rice by browning and then stewing with the sofrito. This dish can be served right-away, or even refrigerated and served the next day.

Balance of Flavors and Spicing: The major flavor components of this dish are the browning of the chicken meat, the chorizo sausage, and the sofrito which is a flavorful tomato, onion, garlic and spices/herbs blend. I noticed Daniel in this version uses quite a bit of cumin, which adds body and smokiness to the dish as well as the chorizo which is a smoked sausage. This brings a rustic heartiness and depth to the dish, sort of a base note. Rice is pretty neutral, but using Arborio rice is an elegant addition which adds some cooking time as well as more texture to the dish.

The Body: Just mentioned, the browned chicken, the texture of Arborio Rice and the earthy/weighty flavors of smoked chorizo and the sofrito gives this dish a rich flavor. The secret is to let the flavors stay together long enough to create the harmony of this dish – that’s why it tastes even better the next day!

Other Factors: This is a comfort food dish and I think beverages that are served with comfort food work. Beer would work great, but everyday wines, particularly reds will work.

Wine Pairing Conclusion: This is the kind of dish where an inexpensive light to medium bodied red works perfectly, I’m thinking a nice Spanish Tempranillo or a rustic Grenache based wine. In a pinch, an Italian Sangiovese like Chianti would work great, but any light regional red works. The components I would pair are really the rich flavors coming from the tomato/onion/red pepper sofrito and the cumin which adds a rich gravy flavor that gives the chicken more weight and body. The melding of chicken fat and juice, smoked sausage, tomatoes and rich spices create a harmony of dish where the wine should be simple and just stand up to the flavors. For a little variation, you could also replace some of the chicken stock added to the rice with, say, a cup of wine to give the dish a little zing – I generally cook with light crisp white wines like Sauvignon Blanc, but you could use a light red as well. Drink a nice simple red wine with this dish, and follow with some Tequila Anejo or Whiskey to mellow out the wonderful pleasure of heartiness and simplicity!

Conclusion: Don’t over think this pairing, just pull a bottle from your stash and enjoy!

Consider yourself paired!

Charlie Adler
Author, “I Drink on the Job: A Refreshing Perspective on Wine” (Release date: February, 2010)
www.idrinkonthejob.com
Twitter: @idrinkonthejob
idrinkonthejob@gmail.com

Charlie Adler, author of "I Drink on the Job"

Thanks for having me as the official wine pairing pro for DinnerwithDaniel blog, looking forward to many fun matches! As a wine and food professional, I always like to break down pairings into simple component parts: originating region of cuisine, cooking technique, balance of flavors and spicing, the body of the dish, and the seasonality of the dish are all major points to consider.