FOOD and drinks can be enjoyed on their own, but their characteristics can shine brighter when paired together. However, food and drink pairing can be daunting for many people.
San Miguel Corp.’s (SMC) food arm San Miguel Foods Culinary Center (SMFCC) has teamed up with SMC’s drinks subsidiaries San Miguel Brewery Inc. (SMB), Ginebra San Miguel Inc. (GSMI), and Wine Brothers’ Philippines (WBP) for a 5-course pairing menu that aims to inspire people to enjoy the synergy of well-paired food and drinks.
Drinks with a clean, crisp flavor profile like San Miguel Super Dry tend to complement bold and complex flavors well, which is perfect for appetizers as the burst of flavors whet the palate for the meal to come. One such appetizer that can be made at home is Pintxos — toasted baguette slices with 2 kinds of spreads.
The first spread is a Cheese and Pimiento spread made from Magnolia Milky White Cheezee Spread. This is then topped with cubes of Magnolia Milky White Cheese and sliced green olives marinated in olive oil. Meanwhile, the second spread is a Roasted Garlic Butter which is topped with Purefoods Chorizo Bilbao style and onions stewed in San Miguel Premium All-Malt Beer. Using the beer as a stewing ingredient strengthened the bold flavors of the two and added a distinct malt flavor that matches well with the garlic butter spread.
For pasta, instead of the usual spaghetti or lasagna, why not go for tortellini? Here, fresh pasta envelopes a cream cheese and spinach filling while a beetroot beurre blanc sauce adds a creamy velvety dimension to the dish. This dish is best paired with a Sweet Lemony Martini — one of Ginebra San Miguel Premium Gin’s classic cocktail recipes. The acidity of the martini cuts through the richness of the cream cheese filling. If making the dough from scratch sounds daunting, the recipe can be simplified by using store-bought dumpling wrappers instead.
Confit Chicken is a great dish to make ahead of time as it can keep in the freezer for up to a month. Marinating the dish for days, or even weeks ahead, also lets the flavors seep in more. For the tasting, the chicken is marinated for 24 hours in Ginebra’s 1834 Premium Distilled Gin and a blend of herbs and spices before being slowly cooked in olive oil and seared to a crisp finish. This is served on top of mashed squash-potato and a vibrant green puree and drizzled with a balsamic reduction for a combination of different textures.
The light herbal notes from the chicken marinade is paired with Woomera’s Sauvignon Blanc–a dry wine with a similar light and delicate flavor profile. Not too heavy and with a vibrant, tropical taste, it is a perfect accompaniment to our hot, humid weather. The wine also has enough acid and weight that it can play well with similar flavors–such as the herby chicken–but also cut through the strong, salty, and spicy flavors common in our homegrown dishes.
The Mini Beef Wellington is a testament to how different flavors can result in a balanced, delightful dish. The dish consists of baked Monterey Beef Tenderloin covered in a layer of Purefoods Honeycured Bacon and mushroom duxelles wrapped in a golden puff pastry. It is paired with a1834 Premium Distilled Gin and Tonic. Its smooth, neat taste cuts through the intense mushroom flavor and salt from the bacon.
To cap off the meal, SMFCC prepared a decadent moist cake using Magnolia’s Devil’s Food Cake Mix infused with Woomera’s Sweet Red Wine and covered in a smooth ganache made with the same wine and dark chocolate, and Magnolia All Purpose Cream. On its own, Sweet Red is a vibrant and fruity drink, sweet enough to fit well into the Filipino palette. It adds another layer to the richness of chocolate. It is then paired with Cerveza Negra which brings out the unique caramel flavor of the dark lager.
