Saturday, July 25, 2009

Chef's Cheese Degustation: Mignardises



Yes, we have sadly reached the end of our Chef's Cheese Degustation-- an event weeks in the making, one night in the enjoying, and unfortunately, months in the blogging... We have, loyal readers, been extremely busy here at orenji. But rest assured, there is more blogging to come following the conclusion of this meal!

Just as we start any significant meal with our amuse bouche, we end with mignardises-- small bites to tantalize the tastebuds...

In this case, we created four small bites (starting top left, moving clockwise around the plate). First, some slow hand-candied orange peel, infused with a touch of cardamom. Second, a Belgian bittersweet chocolate leaf with Mexican cinnamon and smoked sea salt. Third, a pomegranate jelly. And fourth, a milk chocolate and Tallegio Castelli (Reggio, Emilia, Italy) truffle. Tallegio is a washed rind Italian soft cheese, make from calf's milk, and washed with sea sponge. The salty sweet flavors-- quite pungent to the nose-- make for a perfect complement to sweet Belgian milk chocolate... and after all, it was a cheese degustation-- even in the mignardises course!


Paired with our small bites, a 10 year old Tawny Port (Warre's Otima Porta, Portugal) and our favorite organic, fair-trade coffee by Over the Rhine (dark roast blend). Taken together, it was the perfect ending to a perfect meal. We hope to repeat this trend of chef's degustation in the future... perhaps with bacon as a focal point... or chocolate. Either way, it will be a night to remember!

What will be blog about next? Your guess is as good as ours... only way to find out is to check back, here on comparing apples to orenji!