The Perfect Pairing

The perfect pairing Cajun Jambalaya and Sweet Red Moscato

Julia Child once said "People that love to eat are always the best people". I feel though that it is the people that love to eat and drink socially who are in fact the best people. It is true that a good meal can be enjoyed without the accompaniment of a beverage as well as the same concept vise versa, I feel how ever though that the perfect melding of ingredients paired with the aromatic structure of the perfect glass of wine is what elevates the experience of one or the other on its own to an entirely new level of enjoyment. A match created in heaven if you will.

Every year as the weather begins to change, the air cools and the leaves return to mother earth, I am called to my favorite recipes of comfort foods. I seem to enjoy the spice and warmth of a well built chili or the hearty homeyness of a potato soup. However, my absolute favorite cool weather dish is my Cajun Jambalaya. The heat and succulent textures of the dish always seem to get me all the way right in the winter months. Especially when I pair them with a glass of Red Moscato. I feel that the sweet crisp wine is perfect for extinguishing the heat from the Jambalaya and leaves you with a satisfying tingle and taste lingering in your mouth creating the ultimate food and wine experience.

I discovered this perfect pairing a few years ago when I found myself spending the holidays in the creole swamps of Louisiana. My husband was out of town for work and I sauntered across the yard to my neighbors house with a bottle of Chianti looking to borrow a bottle opener. I had this amazing bottle of wine and no cork screw. Upon knocking on her door I was greeted with the most delightful aroma along with her smiling face. She invited me inside to join her on the quest for her wine key. The journey was short as she had used it only moments before in opening a bottle of Red Moscato. I inquired as to what the fantastic smell was and she explained she had made Jambalaya. We spoke briefly and she asked if i cared to join her as her husband was also absent this evening. Anyone who has ever been to the southern states knows you don't ever turn down an invitation involving food because if you did it would be considered disrespectful of the hospitality olive branch that had been extended. I was ecstatic at the offer and honestly couldn't wait to experience the meal emanating such an enticing aroma. I joined her at the dinner table as she poured us each a glass of Moscato. A wine that until this night I had never paid to much attention too, but all of that would change. The Jambalaya and the Moscato complemented each other magnificently. The flavors danced around each other in a magical way lifting and lowering each other like waves in the ocean. This meal had become a fantastic experience. I believe that this is exactly the manner in which great food and great wine were always meant to exist as a flawless marriage of flavor that creates divine memories and not as just another mundane meal.

I have since adopted this fantastic combination into one of my most favorite go to, feel good winter dinner party experiences. I receive great reviews wherever the winds of change seem to take me. You can take the girl out of the south, but the south never really leaves the girl and Jambalaya and Moscato seems to be enjoyed from Chicago to Cheyenne. I do hope you will give it a try. Who knows maybe you will become a fan!