Sweet pairings for that savoury flavour blast

Chef Adam Moore

When you season a dish, or add a sauce, you're thinking about combining flavours that taste good together. And utilising the five tastes will help balance out flavours. Discover and learn about sweet ingredients like fruits and berries so you gain a better understanding of the food you cook to help you make great food choices to match.

 Slightly sweeter foods like fruits and berries can enhance aromatic spices, countering some of the heat. Apricot chicken is a classic example of the canned or fresh apricots bringing a savoury complexity, rounding out the spices and pairing very well with the chicken - their sweetness helps carry the flavour notes longer on the palette.

 Another way of adding sweetness to a dish is the humble strawberry which has over 350 flavour compounds, making it one of the most universal flavour pairings. Strawberries can be paired with balsamic vinegar, black pepper, truffle, olive oil, chocolate and basil to produce delicious combinations, not only for sweet desserts but savoury dishes like butter chicken with strawberries, mussels in strawberry wine, or tomato, basil and strawberry salad with mozzarella. It takes the dish to new levels of excitement and sometimes new textures and tastes never experienced before.

Beef tallow apple tart with salted caramel

Other popular fruit pairings include:

  • Pears with stilton or blue cheese or added to a salad with rocket lettuce

  • Venison with cherries and blackcurrants or beef brisket with a cherry and blackberry glaze

  • Roasted apple with coq au vin or paired with pork mince or pork meatballs with apple and cider gravy

  • Orange/Lime segments for a kingfish ceviche or orange and cumin roasted beetroot

  • Green melon salsa with chipotle chicken or green melon and tomato gazpacho soup

  • Banana and fish curry with coconut rice or grilled steak with a spicy banana chutney

  • Mango glazed chicken skewers or mango roasted jack fruit sliders with mango ketchup

There are many more pairings that can elevate your menu or dishes. This knowledge can also take your desserts to a whole new level - like pear and blue cheese souffle, or black pepper and balsamic strawberry cheesecake.

Enjoy these sweet meets savoury pairings and challenge your way of thinking.