Posted on: Wednesday, March 16, 2005
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RAISE A GLASS
Don't dine with wine when you cook up corned beef
By Heath Porter
Just when you thought they had all passed, here comes another holiday to work your schedule around, another day to worry about where and when the parade will start. Yes, indeed, a reason to spend money because the calendar says so. We've finished with Hallmark Day — I mean Valentine's Day — and won't see any fat men in red fur for months. At last, there is finally a holiday to enjoy, a day when it's neither wrong nor selfish to do the most enjoyable of things. You got it, the mere mention of the day that makes the liver quiver. Get the snakes out of my country! St. Patrick's Day. Just 'cause I'm Irish, don't think I'm only looking to drink beer. I'm talking about something different. One of the greatest reasons to get up on St. Paddy's Day: corned beef and cabbage! Most of us only think about it once a year, but that's like only drinking wine at church. Talk about food you gain weight by looking at, this is the delicacy of a people not known for their food. It's a celebration in a dish.
Advertiser library photo There are many great indigenous pairings. For me, as a southern kid, it's difficult to forget pulled pork barbecue and sweet tea. Dances of lemon to cut the grease and a tongue lacquered with sweetness to offset the spice. Or how can we do away with fatty cheeseburgers or melted trios of cheese on a deep-dish pie without ice-cold cola to act as a digestive?
For those of us who have lived in Hawai'i for a while, there is really only one true dish against which to measure an indigenous pairing: loco moco. Gravy for the family, eggs, meat, rice and love.
Gotta have it, but what do we drink with it? Sure, I'd like Chateauneuf du Pape with the dripping gravy, but what are the chances? Really, it's about fruit punch. Egg yolk, ground beef and rice offset the melange of three made-up flavors, backed by syrup.
This brings me to the greatest pairing of all time. No, not Ch. d'Yquem and foie gras. Not 'ahi and red burgundy. Yes, you guessed it: PBJ and milk. What could be more indulgent and kidlike? Fruity and sticky waiting to absorb my favorite 2 percent milk. I suggest whole milk with chunky peanut butter. Higher oil content matches whole milk's viscosity. So while you're sitting around thinking about how nice it is to enjoy a holiday without your family, and not stressing about forgetting to send flowers or make a romantic reservation, think about reaching for a glass of wine, but don't be surprised if you get a layered beer with a clover leaf on top. Personally, I'll be happy if I get a beer without lip from any of the bartenders!
If you do feel the need for wine, here are the suggested pairings:
Heath Porter is general manager and wine director at the Diamond Head Grill at the W Hotel, 2885 Kalakaua Ave.; 922-3734.
I know, you're thinking this wine geek is about to pair wine with boiled meat??? Not necessarily. The most pretentious thing in the industry is to think we can pair wine with all foods. Not that we can't, but why waste the greatest food and beverage pairings of all time? Sure, I could tell you that grenache from McClaren Vale in Australia would allow the balance and power of tannin and acid to co-exist with corned beef and cabbage, but let's stick to right and wrong. Face it, right is corned beef and a half-and-half (Guinness layered atop Harp lager), the connoisseurs' choice. No green dye and no funny hats. This is the No. 1 rule in pairings: foods of the region with beverages of the region. Fine Irish beer with true Irish food.
You can choose a wine to go with corned beef, cabbage and potatoes, but why not go with the best? That would be a half-and-half (Guinness layered atop Harp lager).
