Stella Artois Cidre with Perfectly Paired Pizza

Before having kiddos, my husband and I would have a Pizza Date Night once a week. We would try out different pizza spots and order wine to accompany our fancy pizzas. The best part was the cozy atmospheres and adult conversations we would enjoy. Let me tell you, things have changed – a lot. We no longer go out. In fact, I make our pizzas at home and the only adult beverage I enjoy is an occasional beer that my husband will pick up on his way back from work. Oh, and the adult conversation? Ain’t nobody got time for that! With a 2 & a 4 year old, there are plenty of interesting conversations going on – but they are certainly not the same kind that you get, one on one, with another adult.

This past weekend we decided to get fancy at home and have a Pizza Date Night, for old times sake. We could have easily gotten in the car and gone out to a restaurant, but sometimes it’s just nice to have the quietness of home. I wanted to pair our pizza with a wine, as we used to do in our pre-kid days, but a pack of Stella Artois Cidre caught my eye instead.

We love apples as much as we do pizza (I believe my family’s apple eating record is 1.5 bushels in a month!) – so, naturally, Stella Artois Cidre was a perfect pairing for us. Next, I needed a pizza to go with it. Usually we would pick a pizza then a beverage, so I was doing things a little different this time. I needed a pizza that would taste wonderful with Stella Artois Cidre’s taste of red apple and peach, apricot accents complementing the subtle flavor of orange.

Perfectly Paired Pizza

Ingredients

1 Pizza Crust - store bought or homemade will work

• 1/2 cup Ranch Dressing
• 1/2 avocado, mashed
• 1/2 tablespoon garlic, chopped
• 1.5 cups Muenster cheese, shredded
• 1 2.25oz can olives, sliced
• 1 cup Mozzarella cheese, shredded
• 3 slices bacon, cooked and quartered
• leaves from 4 sprigs of cilantro

Instructions

Fully stir together ranch dressing, avocado and garlic. Let chill for 20 minutes for flavors to blend.

Spread ranch-avocado sauce on pizza crust, then the Muenster cheese, olives, Mozzarella cheese and bacon.

Bake until cheese is bubbly and starting to turn golden. Remove from oven and immediately add cilantro leaves.

Let cool for 10-15 minutes.

2.2

http://www.somedayilllearn.com/2013/09/09/stella-artois-cidre/

Copyright www.somedayilllearn.com

Carefully choosing ingredients that I thought would accompany Stella Artois Cidre nicely, I created a pizza that was creamy, cool, nutty, and smoky with a touch of heat. We called it the Perfectly Paired Pizza, which it certainly was! The flavors of Avocado-Ranch sauce, Muenster Cheese, Bacon, Olives and Cilantro not only meshed well with one another, they also delightfully accompanied the Stella Artois Cidre. Although there are different methods of how to pair food with beverages, I chose to use contrasting flavors with similar intensities. The Perfectly Paired Pizza and Stella Artois Cidre did not over-power one another and provided flavors that paired beautifully.

There are many dishes, from cheese platters to main courses, that would pair nicely with Stella Artois Cidre. Instead of using contrasting flavors, you could pair up the Cidre with dishes that share similar flavors – such as Grilled Salmon with a Citrus Glaze or Roasted Pork Loin with Apples and Onions. The Cidre would also work beautifully with dessert – from something as simple as Angel Food Cake with Whipped Cream to something a bit more complex in flavor, like Mixed Berry & Cream Cheese Crepes. One suggestion would be to try Stella Artios Cidre first and then pair from there, picking out the flavors you want to accentuate with a perfect pairing.

My husband and I had a great time together with our Pizza Date Night. We enjoyed the outdoors with the Perfectly Paired Pizza and our glasses of Stella Artois Cidre. It was forecasted to be the last hot weekend of the summer season, so we bid the blistering weather goodbye from the shade of our backyard patio. We made plans to head up to the semi-local apple orchards next weekend (totally inspired by the Stella Artois Cidre) for some fresh apples and apple pie. It was nice to have a bit of adult conversation over a delicious meal, paired up with a crisp, refreshing adult beverage. The afternoon left me looking forward to the upcoming seasons and our next adventures with Stella Artois Cidre!

“It’s Cidre, not cider.”

Compensation was provided by Stella Artois via Glam Media. The opinions expressed herein are those of the author and are not indicative of the opinions or positions of Stella Artois.

We like to eat, cook, sip, snack, taste, guzzle and chow down. Check out what's satisfying our hunger!

Latest posts by Jess Harp (see all)