Incorporating Blanc wheat beer into their cooking

Published on: Tuesday, June 29, 2021

By: Anthea Peter

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Award-winning chefs, Chef Isadora (left) and Chef Nathalie (right).

SHAH ALAM: Cooking enthusiasts staying home during the Movement Control Order (MCO) 3.0 can take their culinary experiences to the next level by incorporating the 1664 Blanc premium wheat beer into their cooking.

Through 1664 Blanc’s “Bon Appetit-lah” Campaign, French Chef Nathalie Arbefeuille and Malaysian Chef Isadora Chai have demonstrated an elevated French-Malaysian twist on a five course meal complemented by the flavours of 1664 Blanc.

“The beer will add an exciting twist to every dish and help to enhance or intensify the flavours of the ingredients,” said Chef Isadora.

One of the dishes demonstrated by the award-winning chefs, is the Kai Fan Pilaf Á La Biére —- beer roasted chicken and baked rice pilaf infused with 1664 Blanc, complemented with a generous lashing of chilli and Asian green sauce.

In the campaign’s virtual cooking demonstration streamed on 1664 Blanc’s Facebook page on Friday, the chefs have shown viewers how it is possible to roast chicken and even cook rice with the premium wheat beer.

With the beer’s fruity flavour profile and subtle citrus, lemon and coriander tasting notes, the beer adds a new dimension of flavour to the dishes which fuses both the Malaysian and French cuisine into one.

French-Malaysian fusion dish, Kai Fan Pilaf Á La Biére.

"1664 Blanc has a unique fruity zesty flavour you don’t find with just any wheat beer that pairs very well with a good variety of food both in Malaysian and French dishes.

"We are showing viewers how a touch of Blanc can bring together the best of worlds," said Chef Nathalie.

During the cooking demo, Chef Isadora started by marinating the chicken with a marinade sauce consisting of garlic, ginger, fresh turmeric, lemongrass and coriander roots, among others, which is reminiscent of classic Malaysian flavours.

The twist is in shoving a half-filled can of 1664 Blanc into the internal carcass of the chicken, enabling it to sit upright as it roasts in the oven.

“This is a new way of roasting chicken, we call it the beer can chicken. What happens is in the oven when it’s cooking, the (beer) boils and it’s self-basting from the inside.

“It keeps the chicken moist and it also infuses that nice 1664 Blanc flavors — the citrus notes,” said Chef Isadora.

As for the pilaf rice, the gastronomical twist is in cooking the rice in both chicken stock and the premium wheat beer.

“We are actually going to use the beer to cook the rice. The idea is to give (way to) this beautiful zesty and refreshing flavour of Blanc beer,” said Chef Nathalie.

The full recipe for the chefs’ Kai Fan Pilaf Á La Biére is fully accessible on 1664blancmalaysia.com.

The other four Bon Appetit-lah recipes, which is the Scallop Vinaigrette Kerabu, Modernised Béchamel Thosai, Egg Paneer Beurre Blanc and Jambu Batu French Toast – are also available on the website.

Home chefs can participate in Bon Appetit-lah’s weekly cooking contest and be in the running to win weekly prizes comprising 1664 Blanc products, and also a chance to win a Le Creuset Round French oven worth RM 1,950.

There will be one recipe posted weekly and home chefs will have to recreate the Bon Appetit-lah dish of the week. To qualify, they need to submit by the dates July 4, July 11 and July 18.

Home chefs will need to tag @1664BlancMY on Instagram with a photo and/or video of the dish with the hashtag #1664Blanc and #BonAppetitLah in order to participate.

The Bon Appétit-lah campaign also offers consumers an exciting series of promotions currently running at participating supermarkets, hypermarkets, convenient stores and e-commerce (Shopee and Lazada).

Consumers can redeem a free WMF cutlery set and stand a chance to win the Le Creuset Round French oven or an exclusive vacation at Pangkor Laut Resort when they purchase 1664 Blanc products worth RM150 and above in a single receipt.

This is only applicable to supermarkets, hypermarkets and e-commerce (Shopee & Lazada) purchases now till July 31.

For purchases of 1664 Blanc at convenient stores, consumers stand to WIN the Grand Prize of an exclusive vacation at Pangkor Laut Resort or a WMF cutlery set for a minimum RM25 purchase a single receipt.