Better Together

[Olallieberry]

Some foods, while good on their own, really shine when paired with a partner. Take chocolate and vanilla, tomato and basil, peanut butter and bananas, artichokes and mayo.

What other pairings are there that elevate both (or even just one) partner(s)? For what combinations is the sum greater than the parts?

[cheflolo]

wow you guys are good i think you covered everything...I like:
raw veggies and rach dressing..apples and honey..rice and beans..tomatos and balsamic vinegar...fried chicken and beer...Italian food and wine....cucumbers and cesear dressing
SPICY buffalo wings and blue cheese....pretzels and mustard or nacho cheese...i was having a moment but NY Style pickles and haagen daaz Rum Raisin ice cream haha! (no i wasnt drunk!) my fav...wine with anything!!

[vballgal]

so many good combinations already listed, but i'll add:
frozen yogurt & peanut butter
mozzarella, tomatoes & basil
avocado & sea salt
olives & cheese (& wine!)
mmm hungry!

[Sam Fujisaka]

Chocolate & bourbon

Laab & khao niyao

Musubi & teriyaki

Ume & hot gohan

Bread from the oven & butter

Weiners & sauerkraut

Monterrey jack & saltines

Bread & cheese

And, if I have a steak (once or twice a year) I have to have hot rice.

[DockPotato]

Cheddar and onions
Apple slices (lightly salted) and thin onion slices
Any dish with cabbage and tomatoes

[lattelover]

Beets and hard-boiled eggs on endive.

[BobB]

Pizza and anchovies.
Fig Newtons and Guinness stout.
Smoked salmon and dill.
Home fries and runny egg yolk.
French toast and maple syrup.
Gefilte fish and horseradish.

[laliz]

"Home fries and runny egg yolk."

absolutely

[scuzzo]

I really love a runny yolk fried egg atop a cheesy fried slice of polenta. Outta this world!

Fig Newtons and Guinness sounds great too!

[smartie]

strawberries and English cream
toast and butter
coffee with half and half (and the cigarette!)
tomatoes with mayo
fries (chips) and ketchup
gefilte fish with chrein

[BamiaWruz]

Pumpkin cake/muffin with cream cheese (frosting or just plain spread on)
Avocado and lemon
Spinach and mint

[laliz]

turkey and cranberry sauce
mashed potatoes and gravy
avocado and coarse salt
shrimp and cocktail sauce
refried beans and cheese
corn on the cob and butter

[lagatta]

coffee and croissants!

garlic and just about anything... but garlic and ginger is sensational.

And I prefer Asian foods with Germanic-varietal white wines (from Germany, Alsace or Austria)...

Try pizza with prosecco or another slightly fizzy white wine!

[cookingodyssey]

Pears and Manchego cheese
Apples and Cheddar cheese
Tomatoes and Fresh Moz

I love cheese and love fruit! :P

[Chew on That]

Lox and cream cheese. I couldn't eat lox without cream cheese!

[LindaWhit]

marshmallows and chocolate and graham crackers
lavender, rosemary, garlic and roasted chicken
wine and cheese
strawberries and aged balsamic
lobster and drawn butter
bacon and anything

[Olallieberry]

anything, eh? that reminds me of the afternoon I spent with a friend trying to think of anything that wouldn't taste good fried.

[meatn3]

You only devoted one afternoon to it?
;-D

I recently had fried green beans as an app - it was new to me and fabulous!

[LindaWhit]

The fried green beans - were they batter-dipped?

[meatn3]

Tempura - nice and light, the beans still retained a clean, fresh taste, but airy somehow. Slightly reminiscent of those snap pea crisps (available at TJ and others). Everyone at our table who tried them was pleasantly stunned by how good they were! Here's the menu -

http://www.porterstavern.com/menu.html

[phantomdoc]

Eggs fried in butter. Some places use oil or margarine.
Cold lobster and mayonnaise.
Chinese food and beer.
Pastrami and beer.
Figs and bleu cheese.
Pears and goat cheese.
Guacamole and tortilla chips.
Bacon, turkey, lettuce and tomato.
Bacon or ham and eggs.

[Emme]

chicken and mayo... as a kid, when my grandmother or mother would make chicken soup from scratch, we'd get a bowl of soup that had lokshen and carrots and celery in broth, and we'd eat the chicken on the side dipper in mayo.

[Janet]

No laughing. . . the perfect salt and sweet- potatoe chips and vanilla ice cream.

[meatn3]

Turkey & dressing
Fritos & onion dip
Martini & olives
Pears & ginger

[invinotheresverde]

I totally agree with pears and ginger!

I'll add apple pie and cheddar, Sauternes and a stinky blue, vanilla ice cream and Guinnes.

[Janet from Richmond]

Definitely Fritos and Onion Dip.

[bitsubeats]

kimchi & any pork product

enough said

[Will Owen]

Any preparation, kind or relative of cabbage and any pork product. The fact that cabbages and pigs tend to grow well in the same (often inhospitable) climate is yet another sign that God loves us.

[scuzzo]

Thank you for sharing this! You really made me smile. Seriously.

[scuzzo]

Strawberries and balsamic vinegar.

Vanilla ice cream and balsamic.

Tomato and tarragon, esp. with white wine vin.

Mushrooms and cajun spice.

Eggs with cayenne and garlic.

[4Snisl]

The other night, I mixed some fresh raspberries and the last of the blueberries with aged balsamic, a light grind of black pepper and topped with a small spoon of vanilla ice cream. My dining companion thought I was nuts (he was just having ice cream with berries) until he took a spoonful. I think he swooned slightly. :)

[scuzzo]

My family refused to try vanilla and balsamic! Their loss.

[porker]

I've mentioned this elsewhere - north carolina vinegar-based bbq sauce with bbqed pork. I never really "got" the very thin sauce until actually putting it on bbqed pulled pork. Like you say, the sum being greater than the parts.

This, I only saw on some food network program, so don't have first hand knowledge: poi and spam. Apparently when paired, they truly sing.

Can anyone attest to this, or is it simply hooey?

[adamshoe]

Coffee and cigarettes
Alcohol and cigarettes
Life and cherries
Peaches and cream
Bagels and lox
Chocolate and lemon
PB and J

[Cookiefiend]

Forever classic :

PB and J

Thank you, adamshoe!

[xena1441]

I don't smoke anymore, but I have to say coffee and cigarettes (or a shot of tequila and a cigarette) was one of my favorite things:)

[givemecarbs]

I used to love cheddar cheese and big sourdough pretzels and milk for my after school snack. Very yummy! I also like a little glass of milk with a chocolate bar. My grandmother adored orange sherbert and chocolate ice cream together and my mom, her daughter in law gave her the idea! A new one for me is baked sweet potato with pulled pork barbecue. I like pork roast with hot rolls sauerkraut and apple sauce. Waffles with powdered sugar. Ok I could go on but getting way too hungry! I'll check back later for more awesome combos from my fellow hounds.

[goodhealthgourmet]

chocolate & hazelnut - the hazelnut definitely reaps the greater benefit.

s'mores - each component is good on its own, but they're infinitely better [particularly the graham cracker & marshmallow] in combination.

[Gio]

Pizza and beer
Franks and beans
Fish and chips
Pie and ice cream
Cookies and milk
Doughnuts and coffee

[Metalee]

Fresh goat cheese and beets/yams/sweet potatoes

Cherries and almond extract/flavor

[bubbles4me]

Fried Chicken & Champagne
French Fries & Champagne
Potato Chips & Champagne
Seafood & Lemon
Crab Legs & Drawn Butter
Chips & Salsa

[mmuch]

I'm with you-bubbles4me TOO! :) champagne and cheese is my absolute fav

[lagatta]

As I'd said, I've frequently had pizza in Italy served with a vino frizzante. Never with real champagne, though of course you could. Not an overdressed-style pizza though - better just either a pizza bianca with some cheese and herbs or a lightly tomatoed one with cheese. A festive pairing. Good cheese, please.

[xena1441]

Apples and peanut butter yummmm.

Eggs and ketchup (for me at least).

Edit: I just remembered nachos and margaritas.

[Emme]

definitely agree ketchup and egg whites... well for me ketchup with lots of things (cauliflower, broccoli, eggplant, blackened halibut...)

[linguafood]

Avocado and lobster, shrimp, or seafood salad (creamy)

cucumbers & dill. potatoes and butter. bread and cheese. bacon and (... almost anything) eggs, perhaps. burger and cheese. smoked fish and horseradish.

wow. hungry now.

[Janet from Richmond]

Wine and cheese. Bread and butter. Coffee and cream. Key lime and graham cracker.