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Why does Blueberry, Cherry, and Spiced Apple Tea go so well when cooking beef?

1K views 4 replies 4 participants last post by  french fries 
#1 ·
So I found out this one by mistake one, when I poured my Spiced Apple tea into my Beef Stew by mistake (never keep your Drinks and Seasoning cups beside each other hahahahahaha!).

But to my honest surprised, it actually turned out REALLY Good. There's just something about the Tea that punches through a lot of the other flavors to give the stew a new depth and dimension. After doing some experimenting, I found out that Blueberry and Cherry also work very well. The Blueberry was great fro Roasts and things like that, while the Spiced Apple worked the best in a stew. think it has to do with the clove and cinnamon in it).

Is there any particular reason for this? I know that pairing fruit and meats isn't really something to strange, though I don't see it often. What about them works?
 
#2 ·
Using spiced apples or plain apples in beef stew or with beef is not at all uncommon. You can probably find countless recipes on line.

However, what makes the combination work is the tannin in the tea and the fat in the stew. For example, one of the general rules in wine and food pairing is to pair up fatty foods with wines that have healthy tannin levels. Fat + tannin = magic.

I'll explain.

Tannin is found in many foods, including tea, chocolate, coffee, many fruits, including cherries, blueberries and especially apples. Apples are high on the list of fruits that have tannin. This is why apples and fatty cheeses such as cheddar, Brie, Fontina, Colby, Gouda etc all go so well together.

What happens is the fat and the tannin form bonds in the mouth. That bonding masks the astringency of the tannin allowing the other flavors to become more pronounced. In the world of wine pairing, muting a good red wine's tannin with fatty food and allowing the flavors to come through can be pure bliss. This is why pairing well marbled steaks with "big" red wines is so popular.

In your situation, the tannin from your apple tea did the same thing in your stew. It combined with the fat in the stew thus allowing the other flavors more room to shine.

Cheers. :)
 
#4 ·
Using spiced apples or plain apples in beef stew or with beef is not at all uncommon. You can probably find countless recipes on line.

However, what makes the combination work is the tannin in the tea and the fat in the stew. For example, one of the general rules in wine and food pairing is to pair up fatty foods with wines that have healthy tannin levels. Fat + tannin = magic.

I'll explain.

Tannin is found in many foods, including tea, chocolate, coffee, many fruits, including cherries, blueberries and especially apples. Apples are high on the list of fruits that have tannin. This is why apples and fatty cheeses such as cheddar, Brie, Fontina, Colby, Gouda etc all go so well together.

What happens is the fat and the tannin form bonds in the mouth. That bonding masks the astringency of the tannin allowing the other flavors to become more pronounced. In the world of wine pairing, muting a good red wine's tannin with fatty food and allowing the flavors to come through can be pure bliss. This is why pairing well marbled steaks with "big" red wines is so popular.

In your situation, the tannin from your apple tea did the same thing in your stew. It combined with the fat in the stew thus allowing the other flavors more room to shine.

Cheers. :)
XD that actually makes a lot of sense (and that Blueberries and Cherries are on that List). Thanks for the info!
 
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