Mexican Menu Questions/Wine Pairing Questions

earnie

earnie

Well-known member
I am having two young couples over for dinner Monday night. They will have worked all day and so I want the evening to be casual and fun and they are use to being test subjects for my experiments. Knowing nothing about Mexican cuisine has not stopped me from thinking I would do Dawn’s Creamy Chicken Enchiladas, rice, a green salad and ending with Daisy Martinez’s Mexican flan. My question is should I add something else like a black bean-corn dish and what wines would I pair with the dinner?

 
Beer suggestions

Any suggestions for a beer? I'm afraid I know less about beer than Mexican foods.

 
Beer absolutely! 3 favorites we love:

Get a tub and fill it with ice and then poke in some bottles of beer to get ice cold.

Dos Equis ( pronounced - Dos Eck ee)
Corona with a quarter slice of a fresh lime pushed in after it is opened.
El Presidente'

And I was just looking at the cutest ideas for last minute gifts and found a 6 pack of beer ready for Christmas. It could be a cute decoration for the table.

http://lifeofamodernmom.blogspot.com/2010/11/reindeer-rootbeer-beer.html

 
Have none of you ever heard of "Sangria?" A red or white verson would be great with this meal and

you're missing a bet if you don't try pairing that spicy rich food with a spicy, rich wine like Zinfandel.

 
Would be fun to do a taste test. By a mixed 6-pack. These are the most popular

Mexican beers available in the US.

Dos Equis (XX)
Corona
Modelo Especial
Pacifico
Tecate
Negra Modelo (dark)

Sol is another popular brand.

From Wikipedia: "Except for some dark beers, such as Dos Equis Ambar, León Negra, Negra Modelo and Noche Buena, which are Vienna-style beers, almost all beer produced in Mexico is pilsner."

Pilsner is lighter beer like Budweiser or Busch. Think: hot Mexican climate = thirst-quenching pilsner.

There are excellent descriptions of the beers above and more on Wikipedia. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beer_in_Mexico (Scroll down.)

http://brosive.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/mexican-beers.jpg

 
I agree it's Spanish and to sweet for Mexican. Don't get me wrong.

I love a good Sangria. And Traca, close your eyes, Kho Samui, just a little walk north of the ferry, a open air restaurant famous for their pitcher of Sangria, filled with fruit! Heaven. But then 2 pitchers later in the heat and a bike ride around the island to the hotel might not have been the best idea. Hey, I'm here to talk about it right?

 
Wouldn't the Sangria be too sweet?

Steve, the sangrias I have had have been very sweet and I can't imagine sweet with the food. But the Zinfandel could work. I know that the two young couple like beer, but I might open the Zin or the Gewurztraminer for me.

 
I **love** sangria. In the summer... in a big glass container on my deck with a spigot. Yum.

I use Cook's Illustrated recipe with my own tweaks and have had people say it's the best they've ever had.

I only make it once a year though. smileys/smile.gif

 
Earnie, would you believe I saw Rick Bayless' "The Whole Enchilada" on a PBS channel the other night

and he had a guest wine pairing expert suggesting this and that wine offerings, but do you think I would remember? Nope. However, look at this link & Image link (wine pairings) and perhaps that will help you.

Is Dawn's a tomato based enchilada? If so, you'll see the recommended wine pairing. At least this gives you a guideline.

http://www.rickbayless.com/tv/season1/enchilada.html

http://www.rickbayless.com/recipes/wine_pairings.html

 
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