My first crawfish boil was in Houston at my friend’s relative’s house when I was still in college. It was quite the social event. Eager friends and family stood surrounding this long folding table that was covered with thin plastic. Next thing I know, pounds and pounds of seasoned crawfish, corn, and potatoes were piled onto the table and thus began the feast.
There’s a skill in peeling and eating crawfish. First, suck the juices from the shell of the tail to get some of the flavors and spices. Then, pull the tail off the head, crack and peel off the tail shell, eat the tail meat. If the claws were big enough, you’d use your molars to crack through the exterior to get to the claw meat. Some enjoyed sucking the crawfish head and eating the “brains.” I was hooked after that first crawfish boil. It was a fantastically delicious experience.
Last Easter Sunday, I was invited to a crawfish boil at my friends’ house for dinner. Man oh man was the crawfish amazing. I don’t know what was in my friend’s secret sauce recipe, but the crawfish was piping hot, magnificently flavorful, and with just the right amount of spiciness. I did make one pleasant discovery while I enjoyed the delicious crawfish and I knew I had to make it the topic of my next blog post: Angry Orchard’s Crisp Apple Hard Cider.
Prior to arriving for Easter dinner, I stopped by a convenience store to pick up a some beverages. I knew a few of my friends who’d be there don’t really like beer, so I picked up some cider for them. During dinner, I figured I’d try a bottle because I’d never had Angry Orchard’s Crisp Apple, and what a fantastic discovery I made. It was the perfect combination to go with the crawfish. Not only was it so refreshing and helped soothe my tongue which was “on fire” from the spiciness, but I thought it complemented the flavors particularly well and it wasn’t too heavy or filling.
While beer is generally made from barley and flavored with hops, cider is created from apple juice. Not all ciders are alcoholic, but the ones that are alcoholic are commonly known as hard cider while the non-alcoholic ciders are called apple cider.
According to their website, Angry Orchard adds wine yeast to the freshly pressed apple juice, and then it goes through a fermentation process in which the sugar is converted to alcohol. During fermentation, the cider is wood aged, adding subtle spice and vanilla flavors. (http://angryorchard.com/#!/cider/)
The Crisp Apple Hard Cider has an alcohol content of 5% ABV (Alcohol By Volume). It has just the right amount of sweetness and the carbonation makes it really refreshing and crisp to drink.
Some foods that pair well with the Crisp Apple, per Angry Orchard’s recommendation, are creamy cheeses, spicy dishes, and BBQ. (http://angryorchard.com/#!/food/)
There’s a short, quick video on their website that talks about food pairings with the Apple Crisp. You can watch it here: http://angryorchard.com/#!/crisp-apple/.
What are some of your favorite food pairings with hard cider?