How I learned to love Cognac. Part one of a story by French journalist Céline Rivier, founder and editor of the food blog Les Pépites de Noisette, telling us how she discovered cognac-food pairings.
“Cognac and me… I do admit this is a rather fresh love story! I was twenty when I first became interested in wine by chatting with winegrowers who were passionate about their work. Only later did I also start getting into spirits… by travelling to the Caribbean and tasting them there.
As a child, I was always a picky eater in every way; I didn’t like anything! My taste for good food almost developed by accident as I met people in my life. And now, I like everything… or nearly everything!
Cognac and me was exactly this kind of story. I thought it was mysterious, inaccessible, even incomprehensible. But then, I had the opportunity to try out cognac-food pairings… and it was so good, as you can probably tell in this live tasting on my Instagram account, organized with Oriane and Cédric from the Expérience sur mesure culinary agency, which happens to be in Cognac.
From the aperitif to dessert, cognac fits in wonderfully and speaks volumes for itself. Both on the nose and on the palate, it gives off unique aromas and flavours. Pure magic! VS goes very well with melt-in-the-mouth textures, VSOP with delicate tastes, and XO with full-fleshed, chewy food. On my blog, I also provide a few pairing ideas:
- with a VS (served chilled): trout, tuna, and salmon sashimi, sushi, ham, soft goat’s cheese, chirashi, poke bowls, tarte tatin, etc.
- with a VSOP (served at 8°C): trout or salmon gravlax, semi-hard goat’s cheese, aged cheddar, chicken avocado bowls, etc.
- with an XO (served at room temperature): smoked trout, pata negra ham, hamburgers, hard goat’s cheese, dark chocolate cake, etc.
I’m also a fan of cognac cocktails, which I talk about here.”
© Les Pépites de Noisette