Match of the week

Baba with rum

Posted by Fiona Beckett (Google+) on March 20 2024 at 12:44

Yes, you did read that right. Baba with rum not rum baba.

It was one of the dishes that was served by top pastry chef Pierre Hermé at the Constance Festival Culinaire in Mauritius as a finale to the multi-Michelin-starred tribute dinner for chef Serge Vieira who tragically died last year at the age of 46.

Described - as only the French can - as baba infiniment exotique it was paired with a local Mauritian spiced rum liqueur, Chamarel Vanille. which undergoes a second maturation in a cask to which vanilla is added.

What Pierre had done was take the rum out of the baba and serve it alongside as a drink pairing. Which was an absolute game changer, leaving the cake much fresher and lighter. It was served on a bed of passionfruit and finely sliced pineapple and fine shards of chocolate all of which went with the Chamarel rum liqueur too.

You can buy it in the UK from Master of Malt for £36.55.

It's hard to think of a wine pairing that would have worked as well.

More food and wine matches from the festival shortly including the pairings for the Deutz trophy for which I was one of the judges.

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