Issue link: http://digital.copcomm.com/i/26650
now-stereotypical “I had a horrible college experience” story in reference to tequila. You talk about flavor profiles and compare it as best you can to a spirit your guest is more familiar with. I also think once the consumer is made aware of what calvados is, it becomes a lot less intimidating and unknown. Telling the guest that calvados is an apple brandy made in Normandy automatically gives the guest a basis for comparison. Meikle: For me it is about having the right remembrances and associations. When I use calvados I need it to evoke an emotion and a sense of place for a dish. I think it’s a deep, seductive liquor that can provide great depth to dishes and cocktails. Chef Guy Meikle’s salade tartiflette uses a Calvados-based apple-mustard vinaigrette and roasted apples, along with cherry-wood smoked bacon. See the entire recipe at www.tastingpanelmag.com. be honorable, and that I had the right temperament for this industry. B.A.: Chef Guy, what are some easy and interesting uses for calvados in your dishes? Meikle: I have always loved calvados as a layering agent for sauces and deglazing sautéed dishes. I used to do a braised pork and apple dish with calva- dos that was amazing. We use calvados as a deglazing agent when making the stock, then again when roasting the apples, and then use it again flamed on top of the dish. Yum! One that came to me recently was a new uptake on a salade tartiflette. We roast apples and fingerling potatoes with bacon lardons and thyme, then flame them with 12-year-old Lecompte calvados, top the dish with Nancy’s camembert and broiled it. Very homey, and very evocative of where calvados is made. IDUNN’S APPLE ■ ■ ■ ■ 1½ oz. Daron 5 Year Old Fine Calvados ½ oz. North Shore Aquavit ½ oz. cardamom-cinnamon-honey syrup 2 heaping bar spoons of house-made apple butter ■ 1 oz. lemon juice ■ Shake all ingredients very hard with ice. Strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Garnish with an apple round. B.A.: Leanne, calvados can add a flavorful base to cocktails. Give me some tips when mixing with a quality calvados? Strickler: For me, calvados is akin to mixing with other brown spirits like brandy, whiskey or reposado tequila. Calvados does have crispness to it. I find that this crisp quality makes it easier to mix with other ingredients. Also, proportion is key with anything. I also found that using complementary flavors made for some fantastic drinks. What I taste in a base spirit I try to reflect in the finished cocktail. B.A.: Calvados is a spirit category that the average consumer is not as familiar with as vodka, tequila or whisky. What can you do as a chef and beverage professional to share your love of this spirit and showcase its possibilities? Stricker: For me, it’s about the comparison to other spirits; I learned that lesson when working extensively with tequila and frequently getting the Focus on Boulard Founded in the late 1820s by Pierre-Auguste Boulard, Calvados Boulard’s time-honored reputation begins in its 150 acres of orchards—boasting more than 35,000 apple trees—in the Pays d’Auge district of Normandy, the officially designated source of the finest fruit in the region. The designation Calvados Pays d’Auge is the equivalent of a fine Grande Champagne cognac. Today, Boulard commands nearly one-third of the U.S. market for calvados, thanks to offerings such as the Boulard Grand Solage V.S.O.P. (SRP $49.99–$54.99), an exquisite blend of four- and ten-year-old spirits with ripe fruit and rich nut tones overlaid with subtle oak. Says Bridget Albert: “The taste of Boulard calvados brings back memories of my grandmother Marybeth’s apple crisps. They were both delicious and bursting with flavor of ripe apples and the richness of baking spices. Yum! This calvados captures the sweetness of an apple right in the bottle. Some of my favorite ways to mix with it include a fresh sour and champagne cocktail.” PALM BAY INTERNATIONAL march 201 1 / the tasting panel / 65