Chef's Cheese Degustation: course ten

As we near the completion of orenji's recently completed Chef's Cheese Degustation, we pause to consider the culinary journey that we have taken! Cheese from all over the world, paired with locally grown vegetables and fruits! Duck, pork, rabbit, octopus! Ten bottles of wine. What an extravagant evening, but one to be remembered!

But, faithful readers, the dessert course is upon us... so let's dig in!

We began our dessert course with locally grown peaches, which we slow-poached in Verjus (a sweet white wine), and subsequently grilled to caramelize their natural sugar! Once grilled, we served the peaches atop a pan-caramelized chocolate and toasted hazelnut "crouton"-- a light and airy confection rich with bittersweet Belgian cocoa and toasted hazelnuts. The stack of warm fruit and cake was finished with a sweet ice cream made from Fromage au lait de chevre (Nantes, Loire Valley, France)-- a fresh, un-aged soft goat's milk cheese. The cool ice cream, rich and creamy, with a slight acidic twist from the sweet goat cheese, melted perfectly onto the warm fruit!




Completing the flavor profile of the dish was a slow-reduced syrup of balsamic vinegar, infused with the fragrance of Thai basil, a Tahitian vanilla crema for sweetness, and a crispy toasted hazelnut tuile. Paired with this fantastic melange of flavors was a sweet dessert wine from Rosenblum Cellars-- Black Muscat Gallagher Reserve (California, 2005). Deep and balanced, the acidity in the wine drew out the subtle flavours of the goat cheese and balsamic syrup, balancing them with the sweetness of peach and vanilla. We could have eaten dessert all night with this pairing!

Are we done? Not quite... In our next post, the perfect bites to finish the meal. Don't miss orenji mignardises!