Appetizers

Comté and Roquefort warming to room temperature on a wooden board, sliced pears, a pot of honey, walnut bread: scattered among them, Domaine de Béquignol’s Chocolate Covered Walnuts, caramelized walnuts in dark chocolate from the Périgord Noir, add crunch and a bittersweet surprise.

Puff pastry rolled tight around ham and Emmental, sliced and baked into golden spirals to pass around with drinks: a thin layer of Domaine des Terres Rouges’ Honey & Balsamic Mustard, gently sweet with a rounded tang, runs through every swirl.

Oil-slicked flatbreads come out crisp at the edges, the sesame toasty and the kitchen fragrant: Place des Épices’ organic Épices Zaatar, a blend of oregano, tangy sumac and roasted Ugandan sesame, brings Levantine cooking to the table.

Cool, crisp lettuce leaves cupped around creamy curried chicken, almonds for crunch and cilantro for lift: Maison Perrotte’s Mango Chutney, with ginger, golden raisins and mild spices, sweetens the dressing and crowns each bite.

Creamy yolks piped back into their whites hide a slow-burning secret: Sauce Martin’s habanero mustard, a sharp, clean French mustard set alight by red habanero, leaves a lively, lingering warmth under the chives.

Warm oil scented with lemon zest, rosemary and a little chili coats Estoublon’s Picholine Olives, fleshy, firm and mild with their peppery finish, and a bowl of them with almonds and crusty bread sets the tone for the evening.

Fingertips pressing deep dimples into the dough, olive oil pooling in each one, rosemary on top: before baking, a generous pinch of Les Terres Blanches’ Salt Flakes Spain, light and crisp, gives the golden crust its delicate crunch.

Goat cheese with strawberry, Comté with mirabelle, blue cheese with caramel apple: a spoon in each little jar and the conversation takes care of itself. Maison Perrotte’s Douce France Jam Gift Box brings twenty-four miniature jars to the board.

A well pressed into silky hummus with the back of a spoon, filled with an oil that smells faintly of wood smoke: Domaine Salvator’s Smoked Olive Oil, Haute-Provence extra virgin oil cold-smoked over selected wood barks, brings a buttery, peppery, clean smoky finish.

A spoonful of jelly pooled in the middle of a cloud of whipped feta, warm pita torn by hand: Dammann Frères’ Touareg Jelly, made from the house’s Gunpowder and mint blend, brings its cool, herbaceous freshness to a dish meant for sharing.

Before dinner in the Basque style, thin slices of Ossau-Iraty on baguette each get half a teaspoon of Haranea’s organic Espelette Pepper & Basil Jelly, where the gentle, fruity heat of the pepper meets the fresh sweetness of basil.

Tea brewed, then reduced with honey into a syrup, glazes roasted figs piled on goat cheese toasts: Dammann Frères’ 7 Parfums Tea N°17, layered with bergamot, apricot, fresh fig and lotus flower, shows its complexity in the kitchen.