Easter Dinner with a Sommelier Twist

According to the calendar, Spring is here. Yet, winter is adamant. It seems to be saying, 'I will not be forgotten anytime soon'. My garden is protesting winter's long stay. Defiantly, my crocuses and daffodils are blooming and the hostas are sprouting up. 'Yes', they say, 'Spring is here'.

Easter dinner is one of my elaborate dinner menus. Research and reading gave way to a wonderful menu that included delectable wine choices. I chose to create a German-French menu inspired by my Sommelier certification earlier this year. 

The meal started with hors d'oeuvres of Tortilla española with chorizo, nuts, and an assortment of olives accompanied by a Crémant D'Alsace Brut Rosé.  

The first course of seafood soufflé with a lobster sauce was served with a 2011 W. Schild Riesling Spätlese from the Mosel region in Germany. 

For the second course, we served filet of beef wrapped in prosciutto, mushroom duxelle, and puff pastry with a foie gras sauce. For this we had two libations: Schneider & Sohn Edel Weisse Eferweissen German Wheat Beer and 2011 Trimbach Spätsburgunder Reserve (Pinot Noir) from Alsace.

Next, a salad with triple cream goat cheese helped us finish the Pinot Noir. 

Instead of one dessert, we opted for a dessert tasting consisting of opera cake with passion fruit, red wine poached seckel pear, and Grand Marnier ice cream. All were accompanied by a 1981 Château de Fargues Sauternes. The recipes for Opera Cake and Poached Pears are included below.

The dinner was completed with café brulot, chocolates & mignardises served in the living room next to a crackling fire in the wood fireplace. The food and wine were extraordinary, as were the delectable conversations with dear friends. 
I hope you give these recipes and their accompanying wine a try. Enjoy!

Opera Cake

Components: Jaconde, Ganache, Buttercream, Glaze

I. Jaconde
Ingredients

80 g Almond flour

20 g Cake flour

40 g Sugar

125 g Whole eggs

70 g Egg whites
50 g Sugar

Procedure

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour a jellyroll pan. Place parchment paper on the bottom.

2. In a large mixing bowl, mix the almond flour, cake flour, sugar, and whole eggs until combined. 

3. Make a French Meringue: Whip the egg whites to soft peaks. Gradually add the sugar to prevent deflating the egg whites. Whip the egg whites until medium, almost stiff peaks. 

4. Fold the French Meringue into the flour mixture.

5. Fold in the melted butter. 

6. Gently spread the cake batter into the prepared pan. Bake for 5 minutes or until golden, springs to the touch, and pulls away from the sides of the pan. Let cool.

II. Ganache

Ingredients

250 mL Heavy cream

250 g 66% Chocolate 

Procedure

1. Chop chocolate into pieces the size of a quarter.

2. In a saucepan, bring heavy cream just to a boil. 

3. Pour heavy cream over chopped chocolate. 

4. Let heavy cream and chocolate sit for one minute. With a whisk, gently stir in the middle working outwards to evenly incorporate the heavy cream with the chocolate. 

III. Buttercream

Ingredients

75 g Egg whites

150 m Granulated sugar

75 mL Water

35 g Granulated sugar

225 g Butter, cubed

Pinch of Salt

Pinch of Cream of tartar
Coffee liqueur

Procedure

1. In a saucepan, combine 150 gm granulated sugar and water. Using your finger or small spatula, gently stir sugar into water being careful not to get sugar on sides of saucepan. If this happens, use a wet brush to remove sugar crystals.

2. Cook sugar to soft-ball stage (238°F). Do not stir the sugar while it is cooking.

3. When the sugar begins to boil, prepare an Italian meringue: Add egg whites, remaining 35 gm sugar, pinch of salt and cream of tartar to a mixing bowl of a stand mixer fitted with whisk attachment. Whisk egg whites to medium peak. If medium peak is reached before sugar reaches soft-ball stage, lower speed on mixer. Do not turn mixer off.

4. When sugar reaches soft ball stage, pour sugar into mixer with Italian meringue, being careful not to pour onto whisk.

5. Increase mixer to high speed until meringue is at room temperature.

6. Gradually add cubes of butter until thoroughly combined. Continue mixing until the buttercream is the consistency of mayonnaise. 
7. Add coffee liqueur to desired flavor. 

IV. Glaze

Ingredients

220 g Semisweet chocolate

115 g Unsalted butter

45 g Corn syrup

Procedure

1. In a bain marie over low-medium heat, place all ingredients and gently melt.

2. Carefully stir the mixture to avoid incorporating air.

3. If not using immediately, refrigerate until ready to use. When ready to glaze, rewarm the glaze over a bain marie until the mixture is body temperature. 

Assembling the Opera Cake:

1. Cut the opera cake into three equal parts.

2. Brush coffee syrup (coffee liquor, or a mixture consisting of equal parts coffee liquor and simple syrup) over the cake layers.

3. On one layer, gently spread the butter cream in a 1/4 inch layer as evenly as possible. 

4. Place the second cake layer on top. Gently press so it sticks to the bottom layer.

5. Carefully spread the ganache as evenly as possible over the cake. 

6. Place the third cake layer on top of the ganache. Gently press so it sticks to the ganache. 

7. Evenly spread the buttercream on the top layer of cake. 

8. Chill the opera cake until set.

9. Pour glaze over the opera cake. Carefully spread the glaze so it is an even layer and it drips down the sides of the cake. 

10. Allow the glaze to set.

11. Cut opera cake into desired shapes.

Seckel Pears Poached in Red Wine 

Ingredients for the Poaching Liquid  

1 bottle Dry red wine
1 bottle Water
1-1/2 cups Sugar
1 Vanilla bean
1 Squeezed lemon
2 Cinnamon sticks
2 cups Raspberry puree
3 Cardamom pods
Peel of One orange and one lemon

10 Pears, peeled and cored, left whole 

Procedure

1. In a large saucepan, combine all poaching liquid ingredients.

2. Add pears to poaching liquid.

3. Over low heat, simmer for 45 minutes to 1 hour, or until pears are easily pierced with a small knife.

4. Cool the pears in the liquid overnight. 

5. Once cooled overnight, remove the pears from the poaching liquid.

6 Place poaching liquid in a saucepan and over low-medium heat, reduce the liquid in half to use as a sauce.