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When Toledo Museum of Art executive chef Erika Rapp launches the first of a series of gourmet dinners Thursday, they will provide an ambitious palette of good taste: food, wine, and art.

A Contemporary Spanish Dinner will be held at 7 p.m. in the Glass Pavilion. The five courses will be a collaboration of foods inspired by Spanish cuisine with a contemporary twist, Spanish wines, and contemporary Spanish art.

“Spain’s become one of those comfortable cuisines that people are enjoying,’’ says the chef, who trained at the Culinary Institute of America. “The wines are very easy to drink.”

Sommelier Adam Mahler, dinner collaborator and owner of the wine brokerage firm Ampelography, will pair classic wines with each course. Interspersed with his commentary on each wine, Amy Gilman, associate curator of Modern and Contemporary Art, will present four works from the Museum’s collection that have significant connections to Spain.

The chef and the sommelier have planned an ambitious menu.

“We both decided that the common thread is how Spain has changed so much in the last 100 years,” says Mr. Mahler, whose firm take its name from the study of grape varieties. “There’s a modern Spanish art movement, a modern Spanish food movement, and now a Spanish wine movement. Some think that Spain is at the center of all that’s changing, and that the Spanish are leading the change.”

To start this fun and artistic menu, Pan Fried Smelt with Sweet Basil Aioli and Manchego Frittata will be paired with Marques de Gelida Cava Brut. This appetizer course will be passed, and then the meal will continue in the GlasSalon or courtyard, depending on the weather.

The second course is called Soup and Sandwich: Chilled Melon Shooter with “Salted Rim” and Oyster and Serrano Bocadillo with Melon Caviar.

Inspired by molecular gastronomy (the application of chemistry and physics to the culinary world by devising new cooking methods), the “salted rim” will not be salt; it will be dehydrated serrano ham pulverized in a grinder.

Spain is at the heart of molecular gastronomy with chefs like Ferran Adria of El Bulli restaurant in Spain. “This is new for me too,” said Chef Rapp.

As for the fried oyster and serrano ham bocadillo, “I have these amazing oysters from the West Coast (called Hamma Hamma). When raw, they taste like melon, sweet and fresh.”

She promises that the colors will be beautiful in the third course: Cold Smoked Quail with Citrus and Fennel Salad garnished with watercress.

The fourth course is inspired by a Spanish fish stew, but instead of fennel and tomato, the Olive Oil Poached Sturgeon has Currant-Hazelnut Mustard and Golden Beet and Shallot Broth. “It’s earthy with bright notes of beets,” she says.

Finally, there’s Lamb Faux Marrow with Marcona Almond and Fig Gremolata, which looks like osso bucco, but it’s actually potato shaped like the marrow of a bone cooked with braised lamb.

Dessert is a surprise. “I always like surprises at the end of dinner,” Ms. Rapp said. “It’s a little something to sooth the sweet tooth.”

Spanish wines
The foods and new cooking techniques were selected to complement the Spanish wines. “Each wine represents Spain’s attention to quality throughout the country with a moderate price,” Mr. Mahler said.

“Spain is a good balance between New World and Old World [styles] of wines. Europeans have wines that can be acidic, and earthy depending on where they are from. They tend to be lighter. New American wine drinkers are attracted to New World style with fruity richer wines.”

Spanish wines can be inexpensive because the wine industry there is fledgling, he said. Export channels reopened in the 1970s when politics permitted. “Vines that produced extraordinary fruit were available and provided a backbone to help to flavor the industry,” Mr. Mahler said.

When there are more vines per acre, there is less quality. Old vines with limited grapes per acre means the nutrients in the soil are used more efficiently so you get a high quality wine, he said.

Spanish wines have great diversity depending on the region, so Mr. Mahler has selected wines from various Spanish areas. The cava brut that will be served with the appetizer is a blending of three white grapes. It comes from the Penedes region in Catalonia, Spain, well-known for its cava production.

With the Soup and Sandwich second course, Bodegas Godeval will be served. “The [white] wine is from Northwest Spain in the Galician area from the Godello grape, which was all but extinct until 20 years ago,” said the wine expert. “The winery resuscitated the vines and brought them back. The dry richness of the wine reminds me of a rhone white from France. It has a little acidity with stone fruit and melon fruit qualities. It goes well with salty foods.”

For the third course a Spanish rioja or red wine will be served with the smoked quail salad. “It drinks like a bordeaux,” said Mr. Mahler. Remelluri Reserva is aged a minimum of three years between cask and bottle. Remulluri is a modern style producer with a little fruity and richer wine.

With the fourth course, “Erika’s playful thought was that she could have red flavors (currants) with the fish course,” said the sommelier. Bodegas Alto Moncayo Veraton comes from Eastern Spain along the Mediterranean from 30 to 90-year-old grapevines. “There’s great intensity and richness to this wine, with sour cherry and sour raspberry taste to it,” he said.

The final course will be paired with Altos de Luzon, a top blend of red grapes which gives a “big, rich powerful black fruit driven wine.” In America, many would call this a “big red.”

Contemporary art
With such powerful food and wine, the artistic direction of the evening is in the hands of Ms. Gilman.

“It turns out that we have great Spanish-related art that I can talk about during courses,” she said. “I immediately thought of our two great Picassos.” Plus there is a stunning new acquisition from Paul Cadmus (American): Jerry is a portrait of painter Jerod French done by the artist while traveling in Spain. It represents the artist’s first mature work. Paintings by Spanish-born Modern master Joan Miro will also be discussed.

Tickets to the Contemporary Spanish Dinner are $75 for TMA members and $85 for nonmembers. Reservations are required as a maximum of 60 guests can be seated. Call 419-254-5771, extension 7432.

Contact Kathie Smith at: food@theblade.com or 419-724-6155.

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