20 Questions for Judy Mattera of Sweet Solutions
Posted 05/15/2008 at 04:02 PM by Cathy
Interview by Hannah Hausauer, Guest Contributor
You used to be an ER nurse at Massachusetts General Hospital. When did you first realize you wanted to pursue a career in the food industry?
I worked at Mass. General Hospital over twelve years and enjoyed cooking as a hobby at that time. I started to attend non-professional classes with Madeleine Kamman at the French Library in Boston. Although it was a difficult decision, I left nursing in 1985 and decided to pursue a culinary career.
As an ER nurse it seems like the "rush" is from adrenaline. As a pastry chef, it seems like the "rush" is from sugar! Or is it more meditative? How do you compare these two professions?
I enjoy working at a quick pace. In an emergency room, you need to know who to treat and what to do first so you can triage appropriately. In a pastry kitchen, you also need to know how to prioritize. Whether it is in preparation for the evening's desserts or in the dessert orders coming in that night, you must know what to do first, always maintaining organizational skills. The "rush" is not a sugar high but from the environment that you work in. Pastry Art & Design asked me a similar question. My answer was that nursing and baking have two things have in common: clogs and crazy hours.
What is your goal with "Sweet Solutions," in terms of the pairing of food (especially desserts) and wine (especially sweet wines)?
My goal is to increase the profile of dessert wines since I think dessert wines are underappreciated. When pairing wines with dessert, I hope to educate pastry chefs as well as the public on these luscious liaisons. I am currently writing a book on this subject.
The Boston Globe has called you a "poet of pastry." How do you conceptualize a medley of flavors so that they harmonize and become poetry?
In pairing dessert and dessert wines, it is all about balance. Everything must harmonize so that you can enjoy the components that are presented in a synchronized manner, as with poetry.
Can you retrace for us your creative process from conception to aesthetic presentation?
The process for me starts with the dessert wine: its origin, style, and producer. I taste, extract flavors, take notes, and then research fruits and specialties from that particular region or province. I move onto dessert creating a matching flavor, texture, and then I sketch on paper what I want the plate to look like for the customer. Everything needs to be clean, interesting, and taste good.
For example: Moscato d'Asti from Piedmont is a refreshing wine with clean fruit flavors which could be peaches, apricots, pear, or citrus. It has low alcohol, is a bit frizzante, and soft on the palate. Dessert should be therefore light and delicate, such as Panna Cotta, a classic Italian dessert from Piedmont.
How can a pairing of sweet wine enhance our experience of the dessert course?
As long as the dessert wine remains sweeter than the dessert it is being paired with, then the total dining experience is enhanced. Each will complement the other when paired correctly and what better way to complete your meal than with dessert and dessert wine? Do not choose between the two, have both!
What are the key elements you look for when pairing a wine with dessert? What complexities and flavor profiles, both in the wine and in the dessert, do you consider to fully experience the marriage of the two?
A key element is knowing the sweetness levels of the wine versus the dessert. Taste the dessert wine and observe everything from color and aroma to flavors and mouthfeel. Then, in the dessert, either match those flavors from the wine or set up contrasts.
Are rich desserts usually paired with lighter wines or richer wines? What do lighter desserts best pair with?
Guidelines for me are to match delicate to delicate, robust to robust.
Eisweins/Icewines are excellent with citrus and/or tropical aromas that can be paired with desserts of such flavors.
Late Harvested/Botrytized wines are wonderful with fruit tarts and custard based desserts.
Dried grape wines can be matched with nut-based desserts.
Fortified wines such as Port, Madeira, Banyuls will be excellent with chocolate.
Of course, this is just a mere sampling and broad generalization of the endless dessert and sweet wine pairings that someone can showcase on his or her menu.
Champagne tends to be drier then dessert wines. How would you pair it with sweet confections?
Don't forget that some Champagne and sparkling wines can continue right through dessert. A good example is Demi-Sec. Demi-Sec refers to the degree of dryness, it means "half dry," and it refers to a sweet sparkling wine.
Two of my favorite pairings in this category are Gratien & Meyer Cardinal Sparkling Demi-Sec from the Loire Valley with Raspberry Vanilla Bavarois, and Schramsberg Cremant Demi-Sec from Calistoga, California with Strawberry Rhubarb Napoleon.
How does the processing of dessert wines differ from that of regular wines?
Each of the styles or categories of dessert wines have different vinification processes from non-sweet wines. Here are some examples:
Grapes are picked while frozen on the vine for eisweins.
Grapes are picked late into the season beyond regular harvesting time to allow for sugar concentration. These may or may not be affected by botrytis.
Grapes are picked and laid out to dry sometimes on reefs or straw mats, or they're placed on trays and stacked in a drying house.
With fortified wines, brandy or a neutral spirit has been added to stop fermentation and then the alcohol level will increase.
Do you have a favorite style of dessert wine? Why?
I do not have a favorite style but I prefer to drink certain styles with different seasons. Warm weather is for icewines and late harvest wines. The fall is for dried grape wines. And the winter is for fortified wines.
Arrowood Select Late Harvest White Riesling with Peach Croustade is great in the summer. Yalumba Museum Muscat with Pumpkin Mostarda Strudel a good ending for Thanksgiving. And any time is a good time for Demi-Sec Champagne for me. I like bubbles!
What inspires you in and out of the kitchen?
A new wine. A new food experience. Travel. These inspire me.
What message do you want to convey about food and wine, through all of your work as a consultant, teacher and chef?
Dessert wines need to be explored. We need to educate in this area to industry professionals and consumers as well. We can enhance the dining experience with our knowledge of pairing dessert and dessert wines. We can showcase the winemaker's skill as well as the pastry chef's creativity in this area.
You serve on the board of Women Chefs and Restaurateurs (WCR). The purpose of WCR is to foster "education, advancement and connection of women in the culinary industry." As a board member, woman, and chef, how has this group inspired and empowered you?
I have the privilege of serving on Women Chefs & Restaurateurs (WCR), a national board with some of the most talented women in the country. They work in different areas of the hospitality industry: chefs, owners, front of the house, managers, winemakers, education, public relations, insurance, marketing; the list continues. I was the recipient of a WCR scholarship a few years back to attend the Matering Wine course with Karen MacNeil at the Culinary Institute of America's campus in the Napa Valley. Last May I cooked with a team of WCR women at the Santé Symposium in Manchester, Vermont. Each year at the national conference through education, networking, and bonding, I am totally inspired and return home with a renewed sense of exactly why I work in this area.
The past WCR national conference in Newport, R.I. focused on sustainability. Do you feel it is important to take an organic, local approach to your creations?
I purchase local fruits and vegetables as often as I can since living in this part of the country does not lend itself to a daily market for certain products. Berries are one example particularly for a pastry chef, but I do have favorite farmers that I buy from when they're available. I approach sustainable practices and I observe labels that designate eco-friendly agriculture, whether that's organic or biodynamic.
How does the connection between chef, farmer, community, and land – the hot topics of the day! – manifest itself in a dessert pairing?
It is best to buy locally when you can which helps the farmer and benefits the community as a whole. To be conscious of our land is an understatement. All of us should be practicing any small way to help the environment. Whether it is in a dessert pairing, practicing environmentally sound farming in a vineyard, or in our own daily lives, we all should be aware of our actions.
How does sharing your expertise and skill with others enhance and/or contribute to your own culinary experience?
It is quite satisfying to give a session to chefs and others in the industry on dessert and dessert wines. In November 2007 at the WCR national conference in Newport, RI, Jeannie Rogers and I presented a master class called "Heaven in the Glass and on the Plate: Have you been there?" Jeannie Rogers, wine director and co-owner of Il Capriccio in Waltham is so knowledgeable in Italian prized varietals. She poured wines which she had recently brought back from Italy. Paired with my desserts, it was a well received class.
You've got a class coming up at the Cambridge School of Culinary Arts. What will you be teaching in this class?
I have a couple of classes in June. The class on June 11 at the Boston Wine School will be about selling desserts and dessert wines for wine and food professionals. The class on June 18 at the Cambridge School of Culinary Arts will be four pairings, including old and new world wines, with a demonstration of four paired desserts. In the fall, on October 29, I will be at the French Culinary Institute in New York City where the wines (all of them French) will be paired with desserts.
You have worked with many renown chefs, like Todd English, Madeleine Kamman, and Jacques Torres. Who influenced you the most? What did you take away from each experience?
All of these chefs influenced me in different ways. Madeleine Kamman introduced me to French techniques, which are the cornerstone of most food preparation. She is a remarkable chef and at times made me feel quite intimidated by her mere presence in the kitchen. You always had to be prepared with Chef Kamman.
Todd English is just plain GOOD. He knows how to plate many flavors on a dish that balance with each other. He constantly challenged me, making me believe in myself.
Jacques Torres is the most creative pastry chef I have met. I apprenticed at Le Cirque for a short time and I will always remember the evening when Chef Torres found out a certain actor was in the dining room. He went to his chocolate room, and before long he made a movie projector showpiece that was unbelievable! It is amazing just to watch him work in the kitchen.
You have received many awards, including Zagat ranking you #2 for Desserts in Boston. You've written for multiple publications, and you've presented your work all over the world. Which experience proved to be the most fun or rewarding?
I have enjoyed being in Pastry Art & Design, Chocolatier, and other magazines, but the Quarterly Review of Wines has been the most rewarding to me at this time in my career. They focus on my love of pastry with dessert wines.
E-Mail
| 
Digg this!
| 
del.icio.us
365 Days RSS
| Comments RSS for this post
