Recent DC Events

by Chevalier Wesley Jefferies

The Bailliage of Greater Washington, DC, welcomed 2024 and celebrated the upcoming Lunar New Year – the year of the dragon – with a Champagne dim sum brunch at China Garden Han Gong in Rockville, Maryland on January 13^th.

The bailliage first enjoyed China Garden’s authentic dim sum paired with Champagne in January 2022. It was a revelation to many just how well a glass of elegant bubbly and dim sum complement each other. That event was so popular that the bailliage celebrated the 2023 New Year with Champagne and dim sum at China Garden’s location in Tysons, Virginia, thus establishing a new annual tradition now in its third year.

Arriving members and guests were welcomed with a glass of Le Mesnil Blanc de Blancs NV Grand Cru Champagne from the bailliage’s cellar. This sublime Champagne is made from 100% chardonnay grapes grown in the Côtes de Blancs in an east-facing vineyard where the grapes soak the up the soft, gentle sunlight of northern France. Firm topsoil over a layer of chalk provides ideal conditions of water retention. That climate and terroir result in a wine with an elegant yet electrifying effervescence, tingling with notes of citrus and finished with delicate hints of puff pastry.

Attendees took their seats for the first of three rounds of Chinese delicacies, served in the traditional family style. The first dishes featured a variety of traditional steamed dumplings – shrimp, scallop, and chive and shrimp – as well as shumai and bean curd rolls with oyster sauce. These were followed by gently steamed chicken feet, steamed ribs in black bean sauce, and rice crepes with pork filling. Steamed pork dumplings with crab roe served as the triumphant end of the first course, leaving a lingering echo of satisfaction.

The next course was a culinary sarabande that began with a traditional salad-style Chinese dish with gai lan, a leafy thick-stemmed vegetable also known as Chinese broccoli, served with a generous helping of oyster sauce. This was followed by a lively scherzo of deep-fried crab balls, deep-fried salty pork dumplings, baked roast pork pastry, and pan-fried eggplant. A coda of a traditional Cantonese noodle dish, mei fun or Singapore noodles, ended the second course on a most satisfying note.

These delicious dishes were paired with Joseph Perrier Cuvée Royale Brut Champagne. This cuvée is a balance of 35% chardonnay, 35% pinot noir, and 40% pinot meunier blended with 20% reserve wines and aged for three years. With well-rounded notes of green apple and peach, this wine is the classic expression of the domaine’s style and was historically favored by the royal courts of Queen Victoria and King Edward VII.

As the savory courses concluded and before dessert, Bailli Judy Mazza introduced bailliage member and Chambellan Provincial de Mid-Atlantic Will Perry as the inducting officer for a special induction of Maître Rôtisseurs Franklin Hernández. Chef Hernández is he chef/owner of Semifreddo in Manassas, Virginia, where the bailliage had a wonderful event in July 2023. Will presented the Chef with his Chaîne ribbon and administered the traditional Chaîne oath, formally making him a member. Judy then presented the chef with his bailliage swag, including the chapter pin, the bailliage 50^th anniversary pin, and the bailliage’s unique challenge coin.

Judy then called Chevalier Dany Westerband to the front of the room to congratulate him on his ten years of membership in the Chaîne and present him with his Commandeur pin in recognition of that milestone.

For the grand finale, the dessert course unfolded like a postcards from a distant land. Sesame balls with sweet bean paste, durian sticky balls, water chestnut cakes, deep fried durian cakes, and Portuguese custard tarts offered a sweet denouement, a celebration of diverse influences and wonderful harmonies. The unexpected presence of Portuguese custard tarts on the menu provides a fascinating example of cultural exchange and fusion. Portuguese explorers first arrived on the shores of China’s Guangzhou Province in 1513. When the Portuguese created their pasteis de nata in the 18^th century, they brought the pastry to China, where it became part of the southern Chinese culinary repertoire and remains a traditional dessert in that region to this day.

The diverse tapestry of Chinese desserts was paired with Billecart-Salmon Brut Réserve. This meticulous blend of 40% pinot meunier, 30% pinot noir, and 30% chardonnay includes 50% reservice wines and is aged for 30 months. The result is an extraordinary wine notable for its creamy bubbles and intriguing layers of flavor that evoke citrus, croissants, and almonds – a truly delightful partner to the desserts.

As the brunch concluded, the delicate aromas of fine Chinese teas, wafted through the air serving as a ceremonial bridge between the vibrant flavors of the preceding courses and the lingering moments of Chaîne conviviality.