Tequila Arette Dinner at Hotel Centennial

Mextrade Australia hosted a special dinner with Jaime Orendain, co-founder of Tequila Arette at Hotel Centennial in Woollahra. The dinner was held after Agave Love, an event which saw several agave specialists visit Sydney for the two-day conference.

Tequila Arette

Tequila Arette was founded by brothers Jaime and Eduardo Orendain in 1986 who are fifth generation tequila producers, continuing the legacy of their grandfather with artisanal methods.

Centennial Sunrise

The informal event began with Centennial Sunrise, an easy-drinking and fruity mix of Tequila Arette Blanco with pineapple, cilantro, lime and roasted jalapeno grenadine before guests were seated at the high table.

Chef Justin North paired various expressions of Tequila Arette with four courses, demonstrating the versatility of tequila with food beyond popular tacos and quesadillas.

Spanner Crab Roll-Up

The meal began with a delightful amuse-bouche of Spanner Crab Roll-Up paired with Tequila Arette Blanco. Fresh, spicy and creamy, the spanner crab was dressed with devilled spices, a combination of smoked paprika, sumac and sea salt, with ginger and curry leaf. The saltiness, creaminess and spice paired well with the blanco expression.

Grilled Glacier 51 Toothfish

Next was the Grilled Glacier 51 Toothfish that has been marinated in mirin and miso, lightly seared on the grill then baked in the oven. The fish was served with charred and caramelised baby corn and corn kernels with a soubise puree made with with oyster juice. The dish was a superb match with the barrel ageing notes of Tequila Arette Reposado, picking up the sweet notes of agave, hint of oak along with the creamy and caramelised corn.

Whole Lamb Shoulder

Regular diners at Hotel Centennial would be familiar with North’s Whole Lamb Shoulder but this version took it another level with the use of agave worm salt, roasted pepper and anchovy jus. The meat was tender and sweet, falling off the bone. The sweetness was balanced with the saltiness from the worm salt and anchovy jus and made another perfect pairing with the rich, caramel and oaky notes of Tequila Arette Anejo.

Wood-Fired Ginger Pudding

Dessert was a Wood-Fired Ginger Pudding with eggnog ice cream, orange, cardamom caramel paired with Tequila Arette Gran Clase. The spices, mainly ginger and cardamon paired well with the rich and oaky notes of the Extra Anejo and put a fine end to a well-executed tequila matching dinner.

Jaime Orendain at Agave Love

The Tequila Arette Dinner was held at Hotel Centennial on Tuesday 24 March 2015.

Photography © by Gourmantic – Copyright: All rights reserved.