As a truly international event for connoisseurs of French cuisine, the "Dinner of the Cochon" brought together guests from numerous countries, including the U.S., France, Canada and Lebanon. Here, Jonathan Sauvé, the Canadian Embassy's Second Secretary of Public Affairs and Deputy Spokesman (left), shares an opening glass of wine with Renaud Beauchard, The Washington Times' Director of International Business Development.

Chef Orange's roasted boat beef marrow was served forestière style, presented in a baked half beef bone with sautéed organic and wild chanterelle and shitake mushrooms, red Cabernet sauce, and topped off with diced fois gras.

"La Chaumière" is the French definition for a thatched cottage, and the FICS' dinner provided the cottage atmosphere — with family-style seating around a large table that brought the evening's guests together for a very special four-course degustation menu.

The matelote of smoked eel dish was prepared Bordelaise style with a reduction of red Merlot wine, tomato and garlic, and finished with a squid ink sauce. It was accompanied by an aromatic garnish that included crosnes (a tiny "antique" tuber which grows in a spiral form and has a mild rooty flavor), potatoes Parisian, pearl onions, garlic confit and pancetta crisp.

Chef Orange adds parsley with a flourish to his garbure Gascogne, which is a typical dish of the Gascogne region in southwest France (with similarities to the pot au feu from the country's north). This chowder brought together a pork shank, confit of goose wing and duck leg in a beef consume, along with braised cabbage, carrots, turnips and potatoes.

The evening's finishing touch was a Mirabelle tart, prepared with Mirabelle fruit imported from the French Alsace region. It was prepared with almond crème and accompanied by fresh raspberry sorbet.

Chef Patrick Orange (at right) and Patrick Moulet, La Chaumière's chef de cuisine, joined the FICS' dinner guests after dessert to explain the evening's special menu. Orange is a native of Reims in the heart of France's Champagne region, and has been in Washington, D.C. since 1983. Moulet adds a southern French touch, coming from the city of Artagnan.