Perfect Match

Culinary Combinations, Finding that Perfect Match

Consumer palates have evolved to eat much more adventurously, with unexpected ingredient combinations becoming the new norm. For chefs this presents an exciting new challenge and a whole world of creative opportunities for brand new ideas as well as modern twists on some of the classics.

Of course, a traditional way to heighten the dining experience is to pair food with wine. In many cultures, wine has had a long history of being a staple at the dinner table and in some ways both the winemaking and culinary traditions of a region will have evolved together over the years. This presents a great opportunity to tell a story through a selection of carefully paired dishes with their wine counterparts.

Guests are going to order a drink with their meal regardless, so making a drink suggestion to go with their dish of choice will feel natural to the guest. What’s more, 85 percent of guests say they appreciate a team member recommending drinks that complement their food.

THE HISTORY BEHIND CLASSIC FOOD PAIRINGS

There are some flavours that seem destined to go together. Here are some of the most classic flavour combinations and how they came about.

Chocolate and Peanut Butter

pairings, this is definitely one of the first ones to come to mind. This combination came about in 1917 in Pennsylvania when Harry Burnett Reese started working for the Hershey factory to support his family.

After his success at the factory, he began to sell his own confections, including a treat with this combination as the star.

Salmon and Cream Cheese Bagel

• In American Jewish cuisine, a bagel and cream cheese is sometimes called a “whole schmear” or “whole schmeer”.

A “lox and schmear” is a bagel with cream cheese and smoked salmon. The lox and schmear likely originated in New York City around the time of the turn of the 20th century, when street

vendors in the city sold saltcured belly lox from pushcarts.

Tomato, Basil, and Mozzarella (Caprese Salad)

• Caprese salad is a simple Italian salad, made of sliced fresh mozzarella, tomatoes, and sweet basil, seasoned with salt, and olive oil. Like pizza

Margherita, it features the colours of the Italian flag: green, white, and red.

The salad is named after the island of Capri, where it is believed to have originated. Two common stories about its origin include it being an homage to the Italian flag or created in the 20th century to appease the palates of vacationing royalty and important politicos.

Strawberries and Cream

• The wild strawberry goes all the way back to the Roman times.

It was a symbol of the goddess

Venus (goddess of love) and was prized for its medicinal uses.

It is said that the winning combination of strawberries and cream was introduced by Thomas Wolsey, a right hand man to King Henry VIII. It is believed that he served this dish at a lavish banquet in 1509. It was then served to spectators of tennis matches (at a court in Thomas’ palace) and the perfect snack was born.

Avocado

Avocado is the perfect partner for so many dishes. In salads, as guacamole, with egg or simply spread on some toast, avocado is a hit with customers of all ages. Because of its mild taste, avocado does well when paired with strong or spicy flavours.

One combination that’s hard to go past is the classic avocado and feta smash. The perfect accompaniment to a beautifully poached egg, avocado and feta can also make a great dip for platters. j3 Avocado, brought you by Pole to Pole can be ordered from Pole to Pole’s online sales platform, Freshstore. So grab some and get smashing, visit www.freshstore.co.nz to get fresh avocados delivered straight to your restaurant or café today.

Parmesan Hash Sticks from Wild Chef

Made with slices of premium Agria Potato, enhanced with loads of Parmesan cheese & chives. Extremely versatile for Sides, part of Main Meals, Kids menus, Function food, or Bar snacks!

There are so many options for pairing these delicious hash sticks, from using them as dipping soldiers served with a soft boiled egg, inside breakfast wraps with scrambled eggs and bacon, or in a in a beef burger with tomato, lettuce and sauce.

Baxter’s Original Sauce

Burgers and Baxter’s Original sauces are a match made in heaven!

Creating well crafted burgers using fine ingredients, deserves a quality sauce to compliment the experience and what better way to celebrate the love of burgers, than to get excited about Baxter’s sauces featuring in over six entries at this years Wellington on a plate (WOAP) Burger Welly festival. From August 13-28th the Capital descends into the much anticipated annual burger frenzy!

All of Baxter’s delectably delicious products are proudly 100% NZ made using all natural ingredients and are gluten free. From the mild Sweet & Smoky, to Spicy Bourbon through to the fiery but flavoursome Dragons Breath BBQ sauce. The 4.6kg food service packs are now stocked at selected Gilmours stores, or you can visit www. baxtersoriginal.co.nz/wholesale for alternative ordering options, and to request a free ‘Get on the Sauce’ sample pack.

McCain Crispers

McCain Crispers use new technology to create a unique V-Cut, this cut delivers a crispy bite every time and the product holds shape and texture brilliantly, due to the clear coating, ensuring the end result is always crispy and delicious. The skin is left on for a rustic feel and the ridges deliver a supreme texture experience. These are brilliant for dipping and loading, and really add a new dimension to the plate or menu. Make the perfect beer snack board with McCain Crispers smothered in bitey grated cheddar, served with Barker’s Ploughman’s Chutney and pickled onions.