Issue link: http://cp.revolio.com/i/32575
The word Sherry is an anglicization of Jerez, a region in southern Spain and the birthplace of this fine wine. THE RIGHT WINE Blanc paired with a textured, rich Bodegas Tradicion, Amontillado. After the judges reviewed the descriptions of the food and Sherry pairings submitted by teams from some of America’s best restau- rants, they chose four teams to go to the U.S. Finals in New York City in October 2010. In addition to The Broadmoor’s Bouquin and Baldwin, there were teams from The Bazaar in Los Angeles, Casa Mono in New York City, and La Boca in Santa Fe. Worldwide, some 2,400 teams entered the competitions in eight countries. Of those, only eight compete in the international finals. Superior Knowledge of Sherry The competitors were judged on their knowledge of Sherry, as well as the complexity of the food and the wines they chose. At the finals, teams were required to explain why they created the particular courses and the reasons they picked the wines used in the pairings. Bouquin and Baldwin immersed themselves in learning about Sherry wines in general and specifically the wines of the Jerez region, located in Spain’s Andalucía province. “The way Sherry is being made and the flavor profile is so different than other wines,” says Baldwin. “Very few wine regions in the world run the gamut as Sherry does, from styles so thin they look like water to a style so thick that you can pour it over ice cream.” The competition was held at the Astor Cen- ter in New York City, with a showcase kitchen with enough space and ovens for several chefs to work at the same time. “You bring your food in, serve the judges, then serve the wine,” Bald- win recalls. “You were also graded on the way you served it. Was the wine the right tempera- ture, right serving size and right glass selection? Then it’s your job to describe the food and the pairing.” The competition lasted all day and the judges asked pointed questions to discern the chefs’ and sommeliers’ knowledge of Sherry in gen- eral and of the Sherry from the Jerez region. “You needed to be definitely well versed to answer their questions,” says Baldwin. Late in the evening, after the judging, the teams had to again create all of the dishes and pairings and display them to the press. And fi- nally, the competition’s winner was announced: The Broadmoor team won! Loving What They Do Watching Bouquin work reveals his love for cooking. He waltzes around the Summit kitchen preparing the foie gras dish, which was voted the Best Overall Course in the U.S. Finals. He stands at the stove searing a piece of foie gras in a pan. As it cooks, he combines the Oloroso Sherry and superfine sugar in a pot. When fire flares up around the pan, he quickly lifts the pot off the burner and gently shakes it. Then, he sneaks a look at the chutney cooking nearby. “The visual, the flavor and the texture. These things have to work together,” Chef explains as he artfully places the food on a plate. First, he carefully lays a thin layer of the reduc- tion, then he adds the foie gras, covers it with chutney and tops all with a small slab of cocoa crust. “In this wine, there’s a bit of bitterness GONZALEZ BYASS, MATUSALEM, OLOROSO DULCE VIEJO, VORS (30 YEARS OLD) JEREZ, SPAIN CHEF CREATED A COMPLEX DISH WITH BOLD FLAVORS OF COCOA AND APRICOT THAT HAD TO BE MATCHED TO AN EQUALLY BOLD WINE WITH FLAVORS TO MATCH. MANY SHERRIES SIMPLY OVERPOWERED THE FOIE GRAS, BUT THE MATUSALEM HAS THE PERFECT AMOUNT OF SUGAR TO CUT THROUGH THE FAT WHILE ALLOWING THE COCOA AND APRICOT TO SHINE. THE WINE ITSELF HAS BEAUTIFUL FLAVORS OF BUTTERSCOTCH AND CHOCOLATE FOLLOWED BY DRIED ROUNDED FRUITS LIKE APPLES AND APRICOTS. 93 broadmoor.com