Colorado chef's degustation: course five...

Course five of our Colorado chef's degustation menu was the 'intermezzo'... or the palate cleanser course. The purpose of serving a tart or acidic sorbet during the course of a heavy meal is to remove the rich tastes of previous courses and awake the taste buds to what is coming up next. We feel as if we accomplished this task well, serving a beautifully composed and colorful course and reviving the taste buds from the many flavors already experienced during the first half of the meal.

The first of our "trio of sorbets" was a rhubarb and kumquat sorbet-- the acidity and astringency of the rhubarb complemented by the sweet kumquat flavors. The second of our sorbets was a combination of ume (or Japanese green plum) and Hawaiian lavender. The tart plums benefited from the soothing infusion of floral lavender, creating a unique taste and flavor. The last of the three sorbets was a wildflower honey and sweet sage sorbet. Again the sweetness of the honey was complemented by herbal undertones.



To serve our sorbets, we poured a hibiscus flower soup tableside, tying the six flavors together with a colorful and deep-flavored base against which to enjoy the sorbets. The soup provided a sweetness which tempered the acidity of the sorbets, cleansing the palate and creating a multitude of flavor combinations for the guests to try.

Up next, see what we did with local lamb chops. Be sure to check back!