may the Feasting begin
Food
Pairings
Here’s where it gets fun. Shield Cider’s balanced sweetness and acidity, low alcohol and light carbonation make it a fantastic match for sweet, savory and spicy dishes. All the flavors and qualities you read about in Cider Tasting Like a Pro have prepared you to naturally, easily pair Shield Cider with your favorite foods — from pizza and curry to crepes and pies.
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Unsure what to serve? Try these tips and check out the pairings below.
Begin with dishes and ingredients you’d cook or serve with apples, like creamy cheeses, pork and crepes. These are naturals. For more options, consider the Three C’s of Food Pairings.
Cut
Will cider help clean the palate or cut through rich or creamy dishes?
Contrast
Will cider provide an entirely different sensation to that offered by the food?
Complement
Will cider accentuate similar flavors in food, bringing them to the forefront?
Shield Cider
Perfect Pairings
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charcuterie
With its fruit-forward brightness, Shield Cider is the perfect foil for delicately smoked meats.
Contrasts with
Prosciutto, salami and fatty and creamy charcuterie such as foie gras, duck liver pâté, terrines and rillettes
cheese
Because Normandy and Brittany, the largest cider producing regions in France, produce no wine, it is natural and traditional to pair cider with cheese from these regions.
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But don’t limit yourself! Try creamy, gooey cheeses from throughout the world and experiment with hard, sharp cheeses too. Shield Cider can stand up to and brings out qualities in strongly flavored cheeses.
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Cuts through
Norman cheeses: Camembert, Livarot, Pont L’Évêque
Creamy cheeses: Brie, St. André, cream cheese and cream-cheese based dips
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Contrasts with
Gruyère, sharp cheddar, goat cheeses, blue cheese
Creamy dishes
Whether sweet or savory, cream-based or simply creamy in mouth feel, Shield Cider cleans the palate and cuts right through.
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Cuts through
Cream soups: Cream of mushroom, cream of chicken, cream of celery, creamy cauliflower soup, baked potato soup
Creamy pastas: Macaroni and cheese, Alfredo pasta
Creamy egg dishes: Quiche, Eggs Benedict
Cream sauces: Béchamel, Hollandaise
Crêpes
Cider has long been the traditional French pairing for crêpes for good reason — whether creamy or sweet, the cider brings out the best qualities of the finished dish, complementing the lightness of the crêpe with subtle effervescence.
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Cuts through
Crêpes with cheese and cream-based fillings, savory and sweet, chocolate or Nutella crêpes
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Complements
Fruit, especially apple, crêpes
Fish & Seafood
As white wine and seafood are a fine match, so too are seafood and cider.
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Cuts through
Salmon, oily fish
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Complements
Oysters, mussels, light fish
Meat & Poultry
The sweetness and delicate flavor of cider is a classic contrast to pork, venison and poultry.
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Cuts through
Hearty, wintry dishes like chicken casseroles or creamy chicken pot pies
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Complements
Chicken: Roast chicken with crisp, salty skin, chicken Caesar salad
Game: Venison
Pork: Pork roast, tenderloin, pork belly, sausages, chops, ham and bacon
Other Poultry: Turkey, duck, quail, goose
Pizza!
Shield Cider can cut through cheese toppings, complement sweet toppings and contrast earthy toppings — all in one swig! Because it also weighs in at fewer calories than wine or beer, it’s a perfect pizza partner.
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Cuts through
Sharp, acidic toppings: Green peppers
Creamy toppings: Mozzarella
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Contrasts with
Vegetal, earthy toppings: Mushrooms
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Complements
Slightly sweet toppings: Italian sausage, sundried tomatoes, pineapple
Spicy Dishes
Shield Cider stands up to spicy curries and chili, helping to cut through the heat.
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Cuts through
Spicy foods: Asian cuisine, Indian cuisine, curry dishes, chili
Vegetables
Cider works best with those vegetables that share late-in-the-year harvest times.
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Complements
Roasted vegetables
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Contrasts with
Fall and winter vegetables and root vegetables
Desserts
Because Shield Cider is not aggressively sweet, it successfully cuts through creamy desserts and complements fruity ones.
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Cuts through
Cheesecake, cream pastries
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Complements
Fruit pies, fruit pastries, fruit cobblers, fruit buckles
