You want to share your passion for sake with your loved ones and you think the holidays are the perfect time to do so. However, you still don't have all the information you need to know when, how, and above all with what to offer this wonderful drink... Don't worry, we are here to guide you! Over time and through tastings, we have accumulated a host of possibilities that work wonders.
From classical things to more daring chords, we want you to benefit from this experience. So here are a few suggestions that will bring a lot of originality to your meals.
A sake aperitif!
Fresh, delicate and fruity, sake is a real delight to whet your appetite. It is thirst-quenching and you can simply accompany it with small Japanese crackers, edamame soybeans, or small salty bites, thin slices of boutargue and radish, marinated anchovies, smoked salmon and cream. If you are lucky enough to get your hands on it, Japanese dried fish are incredible as an aperitif!
We propose you to experience it with these two beautiful Daïginjo: Kameizumi and Shichiken, respectively from the houses Kameizumi Shuzo and Yamanashi Meijo. Fresh, lively, crisp, they will surprise your guests at the beginning of your meal.
Kameizumi Junmaï Daïginjo et Shichiken Daïginjo
On the entries
Foie gras, oysters, two great classics! Will you be surprised to learn that both go very well with sake?
The perfect pairings: foie gras and Kawasemi sake - oysters and Eiichi Daïginjo sake.
And if you have the courage, prepare a sake jelly to serve with; here is our recipe :
Ingredients: 120g of Kawasemi Sake - 100g of 30% syrup - 4g of gelatin leaves - A zest of lime. Realisation: heat the syrup, then add the gelatin. Cool the syrup and add the sake and lime zest. Put in the cold and then scrape with a fork to serve.
On the meats
Perhaps surprisingly, sake is a very good companion to meat dishes, as long as you find the right one. One should choose a sake with character like in the Yamahaï category to accompany meat in sauce. On the other hand, with white meat, it is easier to go with a mineral, lively and tense sake, a junmaï or a ginjo that is not too fruity.
Meats prepared in sauce, game
Eiichi Yamahaï - Tedorigawa Yamahaï
White meats, grilled meats
Sayori- Raïfuku Cho Karakuchi
On the fishes
Clearly, fish and sake go well together! Depending on how you prepare your dish, choose a delicate sake such as a Daïginjo for raw or simply cooked fish. On a more complex preparation, perhaps with a sauce, go for an expressive and fruity sake. Rely also on your personal tastes: fruit, powerful, or, on the contrary, refined.
Simply prepared fish
Koshinohana Daïginjo - Myojin 40
Preparations sought
Sakeni Kokoroari - Shichiken Ginjo
With cheeses
The combination of sake and cheese works divinely well, simply because in some sake we find the mark of the ferments used in production, Koji and yeasts, which will echo the fermenting notes of the cheeses. For a successful combination, choose a dense and rich sake with cheeses with a spicy taste: an older sake like Hanahato Kijoshu to go with a Livarot for example; a fruitier sake to go with a parmesan or an old mimolette.
Cheeses with a spicy taste
Hanahato Kijoshu - Koshinohana Shuen
Cheeses with delicate flavors
On the desserts
There is fruit in sake, and it is sometimes very marked! We often notice notes of banana, green apple, peach, dried fruits, citrus fruits, exotic fruits, flowers. The list is far from being exhaustive. In addition, because it is produced from rice, sake has a very smooth base. It will therefore accompany your desserts with great delicacy. There are so many examples that it would be impossible to mention them all.
Light, fruity desserts
Kiyomori Heian Nigori - Tsukino Katsura
Creamy, chocolate desserts
Kawasemi - Raïfuku Sweet
Here are a few examples that we hope will whet your appetite! For detailed advice, precise agreements, do not hesitate to contact us, we would be delighted to help you in your choice.