October’s full moon fell on Wednesday, October 24th, one week before Halloween, so it seemed fitting to choose a Halloween related theme for our Full Moon Dinner. Our chefs came up with the theme of Let’s Play Dress Up playing on the holiday tradition of dressing up in costume. The evening’s playful menu, designed by Head Chef Lori, featured food in disguise using molecular gastronomy to transform familiar flavors into unexpected dishes. The October Full Moon Dinner was also a benefit for the Family Resource Center who received the proceeds from the event totaling over $800.
To begin the meal diners were served a surprise amuse bouche of dehydrated olive soil, radish, and goat cheese foam made using whipped xanthan gum. The first course followed, a watermelon salad with compressed watermelon, basil gelee, feta mousse, and a walnut lace cookie. The light, slightly sweet starter was paired with a 2017 Sauvion Les Fondettes Sancerre.
For the second course our chefs constructed a seafood Neapolitan tower from crispy dough layers and fresh caught fish served over a red pepper roulie. The seafood course was paired with a chilled glass of 2015 Domaine Ferret Pouilly-Fuisse.
Taking a twist on a classic French dessert, the third course presented by Chef Lori was a savory foie gras creme brulee served with a glass of 2014 Tablas Creek Esprit de Tablas from the central coast of California.
Our palate cleansing intermezzo followed, a perfect bite of liquid pea ravioli spheres served with a sprig of fresh mint. Pulling from her molecular gastronomy knowledge Chef Lori used cold oil spherification to make the unique dish dropping cooled oil into warm agar (a vegetarian alternative to gelatin made from a seaweed base) to form the ravioli spheres.
Our smoked beef tartare for the fourth course was served still smoking (see the video on our Facebook page), the technique adding a fun and aromatic element to the dish that complimented the savory aspects of the beef and the egg yolk, which was cured with alder wood smoked sea salt and sugar for 16 hours. The tartare was served with a fresh herb salad and a glass of 2010 Numanthia Tempranillo, known for its deep and dense flavors.
Dessert for the October Full Moon Dinner was a beetroot, dark chocolate, raspberry, and black olive dish conceived through the principles of Foodpairing, a culinary technique that creates dishes by matching the key aromas for each ingredient. In this dish the beetroot shares woody notes with the chocolate and olives while also matching to the lighter, floral notes of the raspberries. Put all together the seemingly disparate ingredients act in unison to produce a uniquely harmonious dessert. It was paired with a glass of 2013 Terraza Single Vineyard Malbec, a wine with complimentary berry and chocolate flavors.
Proceeds from the dinner, $825 in total, were donated to the Family Resource Center , a non-profit group that works tirelessly to end family violence in the Virgin Islands and offer support and shelter for victims of domestic abuse and sexual assault. At St. John Catering we are proud to support this local USVI non-profit and want to thank everyone at our October Full Moon Dinner that helped us raise money for their cause.
Our next Full Moon Dinner is Saturday, November 24th. The theme will be Black & White as November’s full moon is the White Moon and the date of the full moon falls just after Black Friday. Like our previous Full Moon Dinners, the meal will feature a one night only menu with five delectable courses for $95 per person. For our November Full Moon Dinner, a Caribbean Wine Club pairing will also be available for an additional $30 per person.
The remaining Full Moon Dinner dates for the 2018/2019 winter season are:
- November 24, 2019 // THEME: Black & White
- December 2018: no full moon dinner
- January 21, 2019 // THEME: Packages & Parcels
- February 19, 2019 // THEME: Little Baby Things
Full Moon Dinners are held at Lucky Chops Lounge in Cruz Bay (at the former Fish Trap restaurant space) and hosted in partnership with St. John Catering. Full Moon Dinners are one night only events with limited available seating, so reservations are required (340-690-3868).
St. John Catering 