Some cheese and more fromage

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Follow us:WhatsappFacebookTwitterTelegram.cls-1{fill:#4d4d4d;}.cls-2{fill:#fff;}Google NewsFrenchman Jean-Christophe Fieschi, the executive chef at Grand Hyatt Mumbai is in town to give Hyderabadis a cheesy experience. Here as a part of the Masters of Food and Wine series that began Tuesday and will go on till September 22, Chef Fieschi will lend his expertise for the cheese tasting sessions that will take place every evening from 7 pm onwards at The Living Room.Looking forward to the sampling sessions, he advises patrons to just go ahead and taste the cheese. “We have put up 19 varieties of cheese, that have been brought in mostly from France and few from Italy. There is goat-cheese, sheep-cheese and cheese made from cow’s milk. You can taste the cheese along with a choice of white and red wines, besides condiments like pickles and chutneys, accompanied by breadsticks, crackers, vegetables and so on.”Explaining the concept behind the idea of cheese sampling, he says, “The point is to let people experience and discover cheese.” Given that India as a country doesn’t have a culture of cheese, the closest to it being paneer, how well received does the chef expect cheese to be?“Well, in the four years that I have been in India, and I have been stationed in Mumbai, there definitely is quite a number of cheese gourmets. People are travelling a lot more and the exposure is increasing, so I dare say that we will have quite a few people turning out. There is also a fair number in the expat community here and hopefully they will bring their Indian friends along.”Have they tweaked the menu to cater to the Indian palate? “No actually. We’ve kept it as authentic as possible. I’ve noticed that Indians ultimately like their gravy and curry. Also, while in Europe cheese is eaten at the end of the meal, over here, Indians prefer it as an appetizer or a snack. So these cultural differences do change the experience as such. We have however, prepared a few chutneys as condiments.”The cheese sampling sessions are a heady mix of cheese - hard/soft French/Italian - and wine - red/white. As far as the pairing is concerned, there is a science to it. Something that perhaps only sommeliers and aficionados would be aware of. To enhance the experience for the city-patrons, Chef Fieschi promises to explain the cheese on display. “While a certain wine does go best with a certain cheese, we really just want people to enjoy their wine while eating cheese. Most ladies usually prefer white wine, so you can’t really tell one to choose otherwise. Pairing requires knowing the kind of grape and milk that is used for the cheese and wine. Usually if they are from the same region, they go best together. And there are some standard pairs, for example, with blue cheese it’s best to wash it down with something sweet like port wine. So I will be telling people about the history of cheese, but it’s really up to them which taste they prefer.”If you are a fan of cheese, names like Brillat-Savarin, cow’s milk cheese from Normandy, Comté, the highest produced cheese from France and Crottin de Chavignol, the famed goat cheese from Loire Valley in France, originating from the village of Chavignol, will entice you. first published:September 20, 2012, 09:43 ISTlast updated:September 20, 2012, 09:43 IST
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Frenchman Jean-Christophe Fieschi, the executive chef at Grand Hyatt Mumbai is in town to give Hyderabadis a cheesy experience. Here as a part of the Masters of Food and Wine series that began Tuesday and will go on till September 22, Chef Fieschi will lend his expertise for the cheese tasting sessions that will take place every evening from 7 pm onwards at The Living Room.

Looking forward to the sampling sessions, he advises patrons to just go ahead and taste the cheese. “We have put up 19 varieties of cheese, that have been brought in mostly from France and few from Italy. There is goat-cheese, sheep-cheese and cheese made from cow’s milk. You can taste the cheese along with a choice of white and red wines, besides condiments like pickles and chutneys, accompanied by breadsticks, crackers, vegetables and so on.”

Explaining the concept behind the idea of cheese sampling, he says, “The point is to let people experience and discover cheese.” Given that India as a country doesn’t have a culture of cheese, the closest to it being paneer, how well received does the chef expect cheese to be?

“Well, in the four years that I have been in India, and I have been stationed in Mumbai, there definitely is quite a number of cheese gourmets. People are travelling a lot more and the exposure is increasing, so I dare say that we will have quite a few people turning out. There is also a fair number in the expat community here and hopefully they will bring their Indian friends along.”

Have they tweaked the menu to cater to the Indian palate? “No actually. We’ve kept it as authentic as possible. I’ve noticed that Indians ultimately like their gravy and curry. Also, while in Europe cheese is eaten at the end of the meal, over here, Indians prefer it as an appetizer or a snack. So these cultural differences do change the experience as such. We have however, prepared a few chutneys as condiments.”

The cheese sampling sessions are a heady mix of cheese - hard/soft French/Italian - and wine - red/white. As far as the pairing is concerned, there is a science to it. Something that perhaps only sommeliers and aficionados would be aware of. To enhance the experience for the city-patrons, Chef Fieschi promises to explain the cheese on display. “While a certain wine does go best with a certain cheese, we really just want people to enjoy their wine while eating cheese. Most ladies usually prefer white wine, so you can’t really tell one to choose otherwise. Pairing requires knowing the kind of grape and milk that is used for the cheese and wine. Usually if they are from the same region, they go best together. And there are some standard pairs, for example, with blue cheese it’s best to wash it down with something sweet like port wine. So I will be telling people about the history of cheese, but it’s really up to them which taste they prefer.”

If you are a fan of cheese, names like Brillat-Savarin, cow’s milk cheese from Normandy, Comté, the highest produced cheese from France and Crottin de Chavignol, the famed goat cheese from Loire Valley in France, originating from the village of Chavignol, will entice you.