3 MICHELIN STARS FOR MASSIMO BOTTURA: OSTERIA FRANCESCANA

Massimo Bottura, the innovative chef from the Osteria Francescana in Modena, has been awarded his third Michelin star. This is only the seventh restaurant in Italy to achieve the distinction in the 2012 guide. Earlier in the year he was voted number 4 in the world by the San Pellegrino World's 50 Best Restaurants - what a year.
The dishes he invents reflect the traditions of his region Emilia Romagna and are based on local ingredients such as Parmesan cheese and Balsamic vinegar - pictured below. The smashed dessert originated with an accident in the kitchen and others are the result of a fertile imagination powered by art, jazz and history. Congratulations.

www.osteriafrancescana.it
www.modenatur.it

René Redzepi - NOMA Book

Top chef René Redzepi from restaurant NOMA ( No.1 in the San Pellegrino World's 50 Best ) was in The Netherlands last week to present his cooking bible about the new Nordic cuisine.

Within his allotted hour, he expounded on his philosophy to the fans and press who had flocked to an old church outside Amsterdam from far and wide - a real challenge considering the numerous debates and words written about this revolutionary approach. He opened his presentation by thanking ( 3 star ) Dutch chef Jonnie Boer who had earlier welcomed him with a box of fresh cèpes, picked that morning in the Veluwe forest and Dutch wine from Thérèse Boer "to show we also have beautiful products here which have been used for many years in our restaurant". René had brought some food for the audience to taste; homemade rye biscuits and beach rose petals pickled in vinegar in order to show that even humble products can be delicious. A simple way to show that the essence of his cooking is based on locally grown, foraged, caught or shot products. The use of new cooking techniques - and the reintroduction of traditional methods - enabled Rene and his team to develop a new taste and combination palette, setting this son of a Macedonian muslim immigrant on the culinary map for good. The book is a true reflection of his vision and a new look at culinary possibilities and attitudes and reads like a recipe laced novel. It has been an 8 year journey at NOMA; starting with a playful exploration of Scandinavian nature that gradually grew into a culinary journey that shows no signs of ending. Fortunately, René retains his friendly and open attitude despite all the international attention. We have followed him for years; sometimes up close and often at a distance and intend to continue this adventure that is having an influence on chefs worldwide.

ISBN 9780714859033 Phaidon Publishers

SPITSBERGEN - SUMMER ICE

Read more on: TRAVEL: Spitsbergen - Summer Ice

DOMAINES OTT IS HOT

Sales director Christophe Renard from Les Domaines Ott swapped the Provence for the grey skies of  The Netherlands to allow us to taste wines from the three different Ott vineyards. "All our wines are bio by tradition", said Renard," although we don't state this on the label because it is normal for us".

The presentation for a select group of wine journalists was held onboard the classic canal boat M.S. Kleijn Amsterdam and departed from the quay in front of the Dylan Hotel in Amsterdam. The first offering was the magnificent Blancs de Blancs Clos Mireille 2009 from a vineyard where the Sémillion and Rolle literally  have their toes in the Mediterranean. The vineyard is the size of Monaco - but only consists of 12 houses rather than 25,000. Obviously, this is a wine that combines with fish and seafood; the dish served by Dennis Kuipers, the chef from the Vinkeles restaurant in the Dylan Hotel of  Zoutkamp shrimp bouillon with skate and fennel followed by a zingy creation of crayfish and potato, peas and marinated lemon was a remarkable foil to the wine with the characteristic delicate, creamy oak tones that Ott strive for.

Two Coeur de Grains rosés were next up; the Côtes de Provence 2010 from Chateau de Selle and a Bandol 2010 from Château Romassan, both recently bottled. Other producers bottle in January, but Ott develop more complexity by maturing the wine in large barrels until April. The Bandol stole the show; an outstanding wine made from Mourvèdre (50%), Cinsault (35%) and the rest Grenache. Round and fruity with a silky yet complex structure, ending with strong juicy notes with a hint of spice. The chef had matched this with a deconstructed Salade Niçoise.

The last Ott was another Château Romassan; this time a deep red version ( Mourvèdre, Cinsault, Grenache and Syrah) from 2006. This had mixed reactions and all attention was on the cassoulet from veal kidneys, asparagus and mustard - light, tasty and to the point.

Ott is hot - news to the British guest in the Provence who recognised the amphora bottle and asked the waiter if it was Ott - only to be informed "No sir, we serve our wine cold"!


www.domaines-ott.com

www.classicboatdinners.nl

www.fourcroy.nl

www.dylanamsterdam.com

The patented amphora bottle originates from 1925

Deconstructed Salade Nicoise from Dennis Kuipers

Christophe Renard - sales manager from Ott

SAN PELLEGRINO - THE WORLD'S 50 BEST RESTAURANTS

A couple of tourists studying their guide book in the courtyard of London's Guildhall were totally unaware of the people around them. It reminds me of when I followed the Rolling Stones on a bicycle along the canals in Amsterdam on their way to perform at  Paradiso. Chatting to them on their boat; all the other people oblivious to the stars passing by. If the tourists had been aware of the attractions bathed in the fading sun, they would have witnessed the biggest gathering of the world's top chefs chatting and meeting old friends from around the globe - no security or P.R. police. Mutual respect and the enjoyment of being with your peers. It was great for us to meet up again with many of the chefs. Many had been in London for the day - Heston Blumenthal's new restaurant in the Mandarin Oriental Hotel - Dinner by Heston - had seen a total of 60 Michelin stars through the door in one day!

The beautiful weather prolonged the party before the chefs entered the gothic hall for the results of the World's 50  Best Restaurants 2011. In quick tempo, the top 50 restaurants discovered their position in the list. Rene Redzepi from Noma was voted number one for the second year running; the whole team celebrating with horned Viking helmets!. There were four Dutch chefs in the top 50 - Sergio Herman ( Oud Sluis - 17 ),  Margot Janse ( Le Quartier Francais, South Africa - 36), Richard Ekkebus ( Amber, Hong Kong - 37 ) & Jonnie and Therese Boer ( De Librije - 46 ).

See the complete list here; www.the worlds50best.com

Jonnie Boer, Heston Blumenthal & Sergio Herman - 9 Michelin stars

Claude Bosi - Hibiscus - No.43

Rene Redzepi - No.1

Jonnie Boer, Therese Boer, Sergio Herman & Michel Herman

Richard Ekkebus - Amber, Hong Kong

Thomas Keller - Per Se - No.10

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.

NEW BOOK - TOPCHEFS & SAKE

Our new book "Topchefs & Sake" has been published by d'Jonge Hond ( ISBN 9789089102706). It was launched at the Wine Professional 2011 in Amsterdam.

25 of the best chefs in The Netherlands and Belgium including Jonnie Boer, Sergio Herman and Moshik Roth, have created dishes matched to exclusive Japanese sake. Seafood, meat, cheese and even dessert.

The book covers the history, serving and flavour combinations of sake in a traditionally Japanese bound paperback with 132 pages of full colour photographs and prints.


                                                      For more information visit www.vanderendt-lindsey.com

                                                      Recensie in Perswijn www.perswijn.nl