Ommegang Three Philosophers + Poppy Seed Chicken

Do poppy seeds even have a flavor of their own?

Nice combo.

The main course was another quickie internet meal thingy.  The recipe commanded the boiling of the chicken, plus some chopping of said chicken, plus cream of chicken soup, plus sour cream, plus poppy seeds.  And Ritz Crackers on top.  To hell with them. (Not the Ritz people, the recipe creators/distributors.)

Boiled chicken is crap.  You must brown it in oil for the flavor.  I don’t boil chicken.  Also, seasoning.  I threw in some garlic powder, as I am wont to do in most dishes.  And some black pepper.  I figured the cream of chicken soup had enough salt in it that I didn’t need to add any more.  Then they want you to drizzle melted butter over the whole thing before you bake at 350.  Melting butter is an extra step I didn’t want to mess with tonight, so I drizzled EVOO.  Good.

I also don’t boil or steam green beans.  I sautee them in olive oil.  With a spice blend that includes salt, pepper, garlic powder, etc.

And finally, the chicken dish was served over rice.  Good brown rice would be the ideal, but microwave-in-bag quick rice does the trick when you’re trying to simplify and speed things up.

Warning: Might prompt musings on the Allegory of the Cave.

The beer was something I suspected would go well with a wide variety of foods, Ommegang Three Philosphers, a Belgian-style quadrupel blended with a little cherry lambic.  The lambic used is Lindemans Kriek (those of the doubted purity among lambic enthusiasts). A fact I learned while conversing with the estimable Rob Nelson, Southeast Regional Manager for Merchant du Vin, the company that imports Lindemans products to the U.S.  While I’m not a fan of Lindemans fruit lambics straight up, the subtle contribution of their Kriek to the Ommegang quadrupel makes for a world class beer.

Rob, by the way, is a walking encyclopedia of beer, especially with regard to the products MDV imports.  He typically shows up for the Magic City Brewfest to talk up his beers and it is well worth your time to stop by and shoot the breeze for a while.  You’ll be amazed at what you’ll learn about beer.

Back to the pairing.  Just a nice combo.  Some savory, very minimally sour notes from the chicken casserole, a little garlic here and there, and some spicy, phenolic pop from the beer with just a little sweetness from the hint of Kriek.  The flavors bounced off one another in a complimentary way.  I suspect there are greater pairings in store for Three Philosphers, but this was a nice meal, and not too much effort.

Tags: Brewery Ommegang, green beans, poppy seed chicken, Three Philosophers