Fresh cheese with honey, olive oil and black truffles is an unusual but delicious combination that I was served recently as dessert in Istria, Croatia. The cheese can be anything from ricotta to bocconcini mozzarella and serves as a flavour and texture platform for the honey and summer truffles. The choice of honey is important - it should have some defined characters that show the origin and natural flora, but it can't be too pungent or it will strip the truffles of their scent and depth. Most fruit blossom honeys would work but lavender honey is too strong. For this combination, you need the right olive oil and quality truffles. Peppery oil with bite and heat will contrast with the warmth of the cheese and honey. Fruity oil with plenty of viscosity will linger longer on the palate and prolong the truffle taste. The star of the show is the summer truffle. Although these are far from being the most pungent truffles, they are plentiful and inexpensive, which makes this dish easier to swallow. The combination demands a sweet wine but not one that is cloying; a fruity sweetness is highly desirable.
Paul Jaboulet Aine Muscat de Beaumes de Venise le Chant des Griolles 2007, Rhone, France
This Rhone Valley wine is one of the most versatile sweet wines. It's a perfect match with this unusual dessert - the wine's lychee and tropical fruit notes lift the combination while adding to the richness and flavour of the blossom honey. Its creaminess and sweet, high alcohol texture matches the honey, olives and cheese, making it a fulfilling and seamless match.
Available for HK$360 or HK$185 (half bottle) from Links Concept (tel: 2802 2818)
De Bortoli Noble One 2006, New South Wales, Australia
Contrary to popular belief, combining sweet wine with dessert can be a complete failure. Unless the sweetness of the wine and dessert are at the same level, the wine will be overwhelmed, giving a mouthful of tangy acidity. This de Bortoli is a perfect match with the gentle sweetness but diverse savoury flavours of the truffles and cheese. The textures of the wine and cheese match well and the wine's complex dried fruit and vague honey-ness link up with the cheese and olive oil. In fact, rather than using honey, you can use a little wine to drizzle over the cheese, which will give the combination additional lift and depth.