food-and-wine-pairing-a-sensory-experience-robert-harrington

Aperitif/The Exemplary Nature of a Symbiosis Between Dishes and Cognacs 153
1. Serve before each dish 2 cl (2/3 oz) of Cognac in a tasting glass.
2. Taste 1 cl (1/3 oz) of Hennessy Cognac before the dish in order to coat the taste buds with
the flavors of the brandy, thereby having those flavors enter into the proceedings.
3. Taste the remaining 1 cl (1/3 oz) halfway through the dish in order to ensure that the alliance
of flavors is complete.
4. Provide the client with a glass of fresh water to assist in the transition between dishes.
How was this pairing concept carried out to determine its success in terms of gastronomic pleasure?
To further assess the quality of the pairings and in order to present the results to professionals in the
industry, we organized a dinner for professionals and the specialist national press that we titled ‘‘Le Dîner
Symbiose.’’ Conceived and orchestrated as a genuine gala dinner, the intention was to share and raise
awareness of our research.
In order to offer the finest and most precise food and Cognac pairings, we limited the number of
guests to thirty-five. It was equally important to establish an air of quality about the proceedings, an
atmosphere in which service played a key ingredient. To offer a complete sensory impression with regard
to the Cognacs, we created an ambiance entirely dedicated to brandy.
As an example, the aperitif was a Hennessy X.O on ice. The buffet table was decorated with two 250
kg ice blocks, each representing a bottle of X.O, and in which had been placed real magnums of X.O.
Then the two students who served the aperitif sculpted individual ice cubes with a hammer and ice pick
for the brandy glasses.
The omnipresence of Cognac allowed us to affirm the unique nature of the evening while radically
transforming the classic image relating to this beverage. Indeed, the guests were immediately seduced by
the originality of the spectacle mounted just for them.
How would you describe the outcome of this innovative process?
The tests carried out at Saisons during the first phase of the study and the Dîner Symbiose, owing
to the demanding criteria, allowed us to go further. The omnipresence of the Cognacs, the manner of
enhancing the dishes via decoration and quality service, as well as the way in which the whole had been
executed, in complete contrast with the usual rituals related to Cognac, effectively maintained the interest
of the clients through the construction of a powerful and enhancing sensory landscape.
This work has been particularly interesting. It allies a commercial perspective—of great benefit to
the students—with the Paul Bocuse Institute’s typical rigor and innovative spirit. Although the accent in
the pairing process is more often than not put on taste, we have applied to Cognac, for the first time, an
analysis from the richer and more exhaustive perspective of sensory fields, including the impact of textures,
the search for contrasts, the olfactory and retro-olfactory qualities, and the capacity of these pairings to
balance the demands of tradition with the need for innovation and surprise.
Overall, the tests carried out prove two fundamental points:
1. Clients are open to new offerings and are not, as we might often think, stuck in their traditional
ways and conceptions.
2. The table arts and the service rituals play a huge role in the success of these marriages, especially
when they are new and original.
This experience attests to the strength of the created sensory image. In effect, the service quality and
the table arrangements, as well as the quality and precision of the cuisine and the marriages therein,
effectively support the recommendations made to this demanding clientele, whether they are amateurs or
professionals.