This year, in order to celebrate our 14th wedding anniversary, we invited some friends to Raub for a meal at our home. As usual, the decor theme was kept to a minimum bare white as possible so that the focus will go to the taste...
simple decor
amuse bouche made easy: savoury tuna bits on whipped sour cream filled tart shells
The first course was a simple dish inspired by a recently bought tea from China: a very fragrant and smoky Lapsang Suchong which was bought from Hojo in Midvalley Gardens mall. The idea presented some initial problems as to how to interpret the smoky almost bacon-like aroma of the tea into an edible dish.
Well, a jelly - cold jelly to be exact. The tea was infused into a boiling chicken broth which was balanced with white wine, lemon juice and sugar to give it an almost "ice-lemon tea" feel but yet has a smoky bacon undertone. Once set, it was left to sit in the fridge until serving - with crispy baked bacon and apple sauce.
Second course was a simple transition to milder flavour: angel hair pasta aglio olio with air dried caviar fro Petrossian. This delicate caviar is used like black peppercorns - crushed and sprinkle over the pasta. The pasta works as a neutral base for the subtle aroma of the caviar.
The main course: twice baked pork belly in chardonnay, stock and juniper berry served on a bed of potato puree.
A simple Brie and Raclette cheese to finish with a simple salade.
Dessert: chocolate mousse flavoured with Absinthe and served with a nice Phoenix Oolong "Mi Lan Xiang" from Hojo. My friend Chrystal concocted the musk rose - oolong tea infusion just for the occasion.
