RENE REDZEPI - MICHEL BRAS - SERGIO HERMAN CENTRE STAGE AT THE FLEMISH PRIMITIVES

                                                       

       Rene Redzepi                                     Michel Bras                                   Sergio Herman
    Noma ** Denmark                               Bras *** France                     Oud Sluis *** The Netherlands
No.1 San Pellegrino Top 50            No.56 San Pellegrino Top 100            No.19 San Pellegrino Top 50
       www.noma.dk                                   www.bras.com                                www.oudsluis.nl


The Flemish Primitives is an annual gastronomic event in Belgium where top chefs and their suppliers, food scientists and artists meet for inspiring seminars and presentations. Last year the theme was "machines"; fortunately this time it was "people"..... and what people! Chefs paired together by their joint passions. Alexandre Gauthier (La Grenoullière - France) and Kobe Desramaults (In de Wulf - Belgium) were first up; chefs who care about products in the earth and those moving under the sea. Their dishes literally return to their roots; cooking with all the abundance surrounding them - not only foraged herbs and vegetables but also rare breeds such as Flemish Red beef - all simply cooked without technical tricks or gadgets but ultimately creative. Amazing what someone can do with the simple potato, for instance. Local produce does not always equal great food; Wales and Ireland have some of the best products in the world... and chefs who manage to murder them.

The highlight of the show -  if you measure by the number of journalists drawn like moths to a flame - was undoubtably the triumvirate of Rene Redzepi (Noma), Michel Bras (Bras) and Sergio Herman (Oud Sluis). The three - pictured above - gave  world class cooking demos, this time with their own themes. Michel chose 'emotion' presented as a report of his exotic world travels. Rene reminded everyone that Bras' coulant of chocolate, created in 1984, is probably the most imitated dish ever - and the downfall of many aspiring chefs with delusions of grandeur on television cooking competitions. Sergio expounded on his new taste building blocks, inspired by modern visual arts and literature; scallops presented as a rosary, for example. From Rene, the continuing traditional - often humble, sometimes unique - Nordic ingredients that determine his seasonal creations. Reindeer moss is a staple.

Last but certainly not least, the duo Dominique Persoone (The Chocolate Factory - Belgium) and his comrade from Brazil, chef Alex Atala, played out an entertaining hommage to the rain forest. The public, with themed lunch boxes on their laps, could dig into everything from ancient cocoa to forest ants with their citric tones. Green ant ice cream is wonderful. A great ending that whets the appetite for the next Flemish Primitives.



The Flemish Primitives: www.theflemishprimitives.com
Food pairing: www.foodpairing.com
Our website: www.vanderendt-lindsey.com

BY THE GRAPE.COM - TOPCHEFS & SAKE

New review on www.bythegrape.com Click on the 'fotoseries' link for a slideshow.

OXIDISED WINES - SHOWING THEIR METAL

Some wines are 'difficult'. Unfriendly nose with an excess of terroir, missing a fresh, fruity taste and reluctant to exhibit their true worth. For those who are prepared to make the effort, these wines can be persuaded to reveal themselves by the correct treatment - temperature, aeration, the shape of the glass etc. - and also through a well considered food pairing. An acquired taste eminently linked to extreme gastronomic wines, often with the oxidised tones found in white Rioja (Tondonia) or Chenin Blanc from the Loire. Hungarian wines made from the indigenous Furmint grape variety exhibit this difficulty.... or should that be 'merit'. Producers such as Szepsy, nicknamed the 'Furmint General ', take pride in this characteristic - thus beating, I'm sorry to say, many Yquems.

During the Wine Professional 2011 in Amsterdam, Thérèse and Jonnie Boer - the hostess/sommelier and owner/chef from the 3 star Michelin restaurant De Librije in Zwolle, The Netherlands, were invited to prepare dishes to match with these troublesome wines. Faultless combinations like no other; especially those from their new menu (see www.librije.com ).

During our recent visit to Copenhagen - the new gastronomic capital - most restaurants were pouring varieties of oxidised wines in their wine arrangements. Interestingly, the sommeliers were eager to match these wines with the pure flavours of the modern Nordic cuisine - but when the guests were left to their own devices and ordered bottles from the wine list they chose stubborn young, fruity French wines. A case of the restaurant trying to be cutting-edge and the guests favouring safe alternatives. Happily, many clients are willing to surrender to the sommeliers choice.

The culinary artistry of the chefs in the Danish capital has developed a unique cuisine - something to write home about - we will do exactly that in the next blog....

For the new menu: www.librije.com
Visit our website: www.vanderendt-lindsey.com

FAIVELEY IN THE HAGUE

House of Caviar invited the Dutch wine press for a special presentation in the recently re-styled champagne and caviar boutique and gallery on the Lange Voorhout in The Hague. The wines from the renowned Burgundy house Domaine Faiveley were the main attraction because "over the last 5 years, with new winemakers at the helm, our wines have undergone a complete re-styling "according to export director Vincent Avenel during lunch in the adjoining private dining restaurant De Franse Stap. "The family originally started in Nuits-St-George with about 120 hectares of vineyards in Burgundy; these included different Grand Cru and Premier Cru parcels spread across the 'classic' areas of Meursault, Puligny-Montrachet and Gevrey-Chambertin. There is now "new blood with old traditions".

The whole wine team, spearheaded by technical director Jérôme Flous, have developed burgundies with a contemporary, more accessible and polished style, with greater emphasis on fruit aromas and expressiveness rather than on oak. The unique terroir is luckily still very apparent in the new wines from Faiveley but the often criticised bitter tones have disappeared.

Importer Domaine Faiveley: www.fourcroy.nl
Our website: www.vanderendt-lindsey.com

MODERN ASIAN FOOD & GERMAN WINE

German wine and modern Asian food... a match made in heaven? Certainly, when we are talking about the dishes from Han, owner/chef from restaurant Han Ting Cuisine in The Hague. His dishes are an intriguing melange of French and Chinese products and techniques. We had previously tasted some dishes whilst making our book "Topchefs & Sake", but our expectations concerning his wine and food combinations during the Wine Professional 2011 in Amsterdam  surpassed our wildest expectations.

The first wine poured, as an introduction to the tasting, was a Riesling Kabinett feinherb (off dry) Rotlack from Schloss Johannisberg from the Rheingau. This was followed by the first dish; a thinly sliced hamachi with orange oil and soya, pomelo and orange jelly, fresh pomelo and orange, seaweed, frissé salad, tomato concassé, yuzu cream, hamachi and Ghanda ham spring roll, plus a vinaigrette.... are you keeping up?.... and that was just the first offering. Served with a Gewürztraminer Spätlese Sommeracher Katzenkopf from Winzerkeller Sommerach in Franken; a somewhat forgotten grape, harvested from the sunny, south-facing slate slopes along the river, which gives the impression of roses and lychee in a perfect harmony with the bitter of the pomelo and and the sweeter fruit tones in the complex food. I can't imagine a more perfect combination; nor can Han, I think.

Next, he surprised us again with a heavenly combination of scallops and Wagyu beef in a clear ox-tail bouillon with ginger and lemon leaf - I'll spare you the full list of ingredients.By chance this was "our"dish from the book mentioned above - served then with a glass of Daishichi sake. Nevertheless, the information bureau  for German wine, under the auspices of director Alain Jacobs, chose a selection of their top wines to find a seamless connection with the dishes conjured up from the complex brain of Han; especially the 2005 Riesling Spätlese halbtroken Leiwener Laurentiuslay 1. Lage from Weingut Sankt-Urbanshof in the Mosel made a deep impression. ( by coincidence, one of the house wines at The Fat Duck ).

The simple conclusion is that the sweet/sour of the Chinese kitchen can find an ideal match with a beautiful glass of German Riesling .... China isn't their biggest export market for nothing.... "matches made in heaven".

For more information: www.winesofgermany.co.uk

"TOPCHEFS & SAKE" REVIEWED IN PROEFSCHRIFT "Rarely has a book launch made such an impression."

After the presentation of the first copy of the book to Sake Samurai Jan van Lissum at The Wine Professional 2011 in the RAI Amsterdam, we held a sake and food seminar in conjunction with Dick Stegewerns from sake importer Yoigokochi. Sake and food combinations from this unique book were presented to wine experts and the press. During the tasting, it was clear why the subtle aromas and diversity of sake have become a great source of inspiration for a growing number of top chefs. The many aspects of sake were exhibited -  diversity of terroir, different types of rice, vision of the brewers regarding style and production.

Starters from Ysbrandt Wermenbol ( Restaurant Le Marron ) combined well with Ine Mankai, Mukai Shuzo 2010, AFS Kidoizumi Shuzo 2009 and Daigo no Shizuku Terada Honke. Fine, fresh aromas with floral accents that are ideal with fruit, fish and seafood.

Richer but fruity Kizan, Chikuma Nishiki 2010 along with Nabeshima Ginjo Chiyokotobuki 2010 and the Chochokyu Nakano BC 2007 were the choices with the dish from 3 star chef Jonnie Boer. The combination from the book with the first sake and a dish of Opperdoezer potato, Taleggio cheese, potato juice and caviar was sublime and in full harmony with the fresh tones of the sake; an exceptional, subtle marriage.

Chef Willem Schaafsma from Eindeloos made a dish with spicier tones to go with the richer Mutemuka Shuzo 2010. His poached Tsarskaya oyster with beef, Avruga , cauliflower, and vadouvan captured the the full aromas of the sake and highlighted the herb aspects of the sake.

These were, without doubt, great combinations - but the highlight was the Omiji Kijoshu, Omi Shuzo 1978 served with Dominican chocolate, amarene-ganache, and a chocolate-amarene sorbet from Le Marron. Such desserts are usually  served with LBV Port or PX but this was phenomenal with the rare and unique dry sake that has been matured for 33 years. An unknown, rich marriage where numerous aromas, freshness and excitement produced a perfect harmony.

The cheese affineur Michel van Tricht & Son, also presented cheeses that combine wonderfully with sake. All the selections can be found in the book as well as the recipes from the chefs who participated in the seminar.

This is a summary of the review by Fred Nijhuis in the February/March edition of the professional wine magazine "Proefschrift" published by The Wine & Food Association in The Netherlands.


Read the full Dutch version here: www.proefschrift.nl
The Wine & Food Association: www.thewinesite.nl
Our website; www.vanderendt-lindsey.com






"Topchefs & Sake "
Cila van der Endt & David Lindsey
Pub. d'Jonge Hond
ISBN: 9789089102706
29,95 euros.