For the second consecutive year, the Académie de l'Art Culinaire du Monde Créole hosted the Trophées de l'Art Culinaire Créole ceremony in the Salle des Fêtes at the Hôtel de Ville of the City of Paris. The Académie welcomed 350 persons to the 5th edition of this elaborate event.

The cuisine of Mauritius was the focal point of this year's ceremony.  A team of chefs flew in from the island nation to prepare the haute cuisine Creole meal that was served during the ceremony.  They brought many of the main ingredients with them!

Mauritian chefs and Sandra Mayotte (center), Mauritian ambassador for the event
Image courtesy of Trophées de l'Art Culinaire du Monde Créole

During the welcome cocktail, bite-sized morsels of fish croquettes were served with a variety of sauces.  Champagne flowed freely.

Fish croquettes and sauces
© Entrée to Black Paris

Pouring champagne
© Entrée to Black Paris

The cocktail was followed by a five-course meal.

Poisson salé et miel de Rodrigues de Mourouk was the first amuse-bouche (hors d'oeuvre) served.  This consisted of a single large samosa containing salted fish, eggplant, and rougail, served with chatini (chutney) made from green papaya and citrus lemon and sweetened with honey from the village of Mourouk on Rodrigues Island.

Poisson salé et miel de Rodrigues de Mourouk
© Entrée to Black Paris

The second hors d'oeuvre was Nos Palmiers et coquillages du Cap Malheureux.  This was a heart of palm gratin stuffed with shellfish from the "Cape of Bad Luck," a village located at the northern most tip of Mauritius Island.  The gratin rested in a passion fruit sauce.

Nos Palmiers et coquillages du Cap Malheureux
© Entrée to Black Paris

The entrée (which means "first course" in French) was Rouget de Trou d'Eau Douce et ses mangues bessac.  Red mullet from Trou d'Eau Douce on the east coast of Mauritius was served with bouillon made from mullet and shrimp from the Rivière Noire district on the opposite side of the island.  The dish was accentuated by kutcha mangue, a slice of bessac mango.

Rouget de Trou d'Eau Douce et ses mangues bessac
© Entrée to Black Paris

Our main dish (plat principal in French), La ferme de Terracine et chevrette de Latanier, featured chicken curry accompanied by rice and corn salad topped with crayfish from Latanier, Rodrigues Island.

La ferme de Terracine et chevrette de Latanier
© Entrée to Black Paris

Dessert was a gastronomic work of art!  Noix de coco et patate douce de Riambel consisted of a crunchy wafer topped with sweet potato, a light coconut cream, and a paste made from guava from the Plaine Champagne region of Mauritius Island.

Noix de coco et patate douce de Riambel
© Entrée to Black Paris

Dinner was an absolute delight for seafood lovers!

Come back to the blog next week to learn about the trophy winners.