The Embassy of France, CNIEl and the European Union co-hosted a cheese-pairing soiree as part of “The Cheese of Europe” campaign. Chef Sanjay Chowdhary shares with Rupinder Kaur how he experimented with a rich variety to create a range of new dishes
The amalgam of various Indian spices and an array of cheese from Europe to create a piquant food story would have seemed improbable a few years back. The obsession, rather incessant love, for the ubiquitous paneer (cottage cheese) and processed cheese has may have held our palates from embarking on a new cheese expedition. The availability of varieties, of course, has been limited in the past, but with restaurant chains bringing in cheese from Europe like the soft and creamy Brie, blue cheese, gouda, et al. we are finally ready to take one step ahead.
Recently, the Embassy of France, CNIEl (French umbrella organisation for the dairy industry) and the European Union co-hosted a cheese pairing soiree as part of “The Cheese of Europe” campaign.
Chef Sanjay Chowdhary, director, dining experience at QlA, with his “Open your taste” menu served his nine delectable creations, of which, three were desserts.
The clink of china, cheese plated on wooden slabs, sliced baguettes and breads in sacks, eyebrows raised and nods exchanged made for an evening of samplings and savourings. But the sudden chill in the Delhi air made us huddle inside and we caught up chef Chowdhary. He was in an experimental mode for around two-and-a-half months working with different fromages. “One needs to taste the cheese first. We know our Indian food really well so you’ll need to think what flavours would blend well with what kind of cheese,” he shared.
First on the card was milky mimolette essence, a creamy garlic soup made using mimolette served with a juicy lemon curried shrimp served in shot glasses. “I skewered the shrimps in Indian curry flavours using ginger, garlic, lime juice and chilli. and dotted the glass with a bit of garlic aioli, garlic chip and sundries tomato. Then I poured the soup in. It was a great combination where you taste the Indian flavour of the shrimp and the get the wonderful essence of the mimolette,” he explained.
While in conversation with him, we were served the crisp beignets called tomme de savoie. He had beautifully executed the dish which had salmon and also yellow lentils, which took us by surprise.
“I soaked yellow lentils overnight which was then stone ground. I added some onions, garlic, cilantro and, of course, the tomme de savoie, which is a soft cheese. The cheese and salmon, which gives a distinct taste, make them soft from inside but the crust remains crisp due to the lentil paste,” he said.
“Anything and everything that comes from India,” he replied when asked about the spices he’s worked with. “I’ve used yakhni spices and ones that come from the coastal regions,” he said.
Another bite-sized wonder was the comte mousse. The hard cheese is grated finely and blended with cream and yoghurt. Sherry vinegar is then added to create a mousse. “I set it overnight and then took the same dough used for making matthi which I baked into cubes. I then placed some mousse and onion marmalade on top of that base,” he said and laughed, “I’ve tried to be creative.”
Small, moist dumplings then made their way through and were served with hot sauces like spice schezuan. Here you get a dose of health with finely chopped broccoli that is cooked with ginger, roasted garlic and then mixed with fourme d’ambert, a semi-soft cheese. It is then steamed. “When you add French cheese, it won’t dry up the food,” he said.
The pairings might also lead to some undiscovered delicious wonders. If within two-and-half months, chef Chowdhary could whip interestingly flavoured appetisers, then imagine the possibilities of Innovative creations when more food enthusiasts come on board.
photo Sanjeev Kumar