Food & Wine Pairing

The most unique feature of La Toque Restaurant is the food and wine-pairing program. Every presentation on the menu is paired with a distinct wine, including dessert. I present the wines prior to each course and briefly share with guests some facts about the wine and the pairing strategy. The wine and food program has become so successful that it accounts for 70% of our wine sales mix. I’d like to share with you a pairing I recently created.

My approach to every dish, in regards to pairing with wine, bears a striking resemblance to the Court’s blind tasting method. I visually deduce the dish down to its parts prior to tasting. This allows me surmise how the ingredients will manifest their presence. As I taste the dish, my goal is to understand the function of each ingredient, the nature and level of their contribution, and how their cooking method(s) have influenced the flavor experience. In other words, I confirm, subtract, or add to my visual assessment.

The featured dish is a starter course, a salad of Kona kampachi, Hass avocado, and Asian pear. The kampachi, avocado, and Asian pear are diced to order and tossed in a yuzu, wasabi kizami, and canola oil emulsion. Folded into the mixture are masago tobiko and micro shiso leaves. The mixture is formed with a ring mold and topped with masago arare (masago is Japanese for “small” and arare refers to popped rice balls). The final touches include additional emulsion on the plate, micro shiso garnish, and a quenelle of masago tobiko.

The Deduction:

Kampachi

• Buttery flavor, silky, meaty texture, flavor foundation

• Rich, buttery flavor, subtle nuttiness, supports the texture and flavor of kampachi

• Introduces a mild sweetness and creates a crunchy texture to contrast that of kampachi and avocado
• Water content to prevent muddling of flavors

• The acid and spice offset the sweetness of the Asian pear, brightens the flavors
• Provides moisture and allows the salad to be molded

• Introduces a fresh green, leafy flavor to the dish
• Visual appeal

• Ocean-like briny sweetness, light umami
• Texture that is both moist and popping
• Visual contrast

• Neutral flavor, textural variety, the only dry, crunchy texture in the dish

What comes to mind first is the raw nature of the dish. Nothing has been cooked with heat to deepen the flavors. Because everything is fresh, I can gauge the flavor weight to be relatively light. Brighter white wines without oak aging come to mind. As I taste the dish, three key fundamentals are revealed: The sugar structure (Asian pear and masago tobiko), the acid structure (yuzu kizami emulsion), and their relationship within the flavor spectrum of the dish. The buttery, luxurious flavor of the kampachi and avocado is at the center, flanked by acidity and sweetness in perfect balance.

My instincts lead me to Riesling for its opulent fruit and bright acidity. Because this dish is governed by the sugar/acid structure, this is my first priority in selecting the wine. A troken Riesling would be too austere and full-bodied, and a spatlese would bring too much sweetness into the pairing. This indicates kabinett as the correct ripeness level.

Freshness is what drives this dish, so I look for a Riesling that will honor this freshness. Excessive alcohol, weight, and residual sugar can overwhelm so I look to the cooler region of Ruwer and have selected the 2007 von Schubert Riesling Kabinett Maximin Grunhauser Abtsberg, Mosel.

Thanks for reading. I look forward to posting again soon.