KACHEN 13 - Winter 2017 - EN

FOOD

AND

LIFESTYLE

MAGAZ I N E

WWW.KACHEN.LU

LUXEMBOURG’S

A Taste of Luxembourg

Winter

FESTIVE MENUS Enjoy stress-free

COMFORT FOOD

Happy

2018

Feel-good recipes

CITRUS FRUITS

04/2017 - 9,95€

Winter vitamins

IN

TE RN ED AT IN IT EN IO ION G N A LIS

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KACHEN ON TOUR

Wellness in Luxembourg - Milan - Rhineland-Palatinate

Im festlichen Ambiente nach Galbani Art

Reichhaltig und cremig Ideal für alle Ihre kreativen Nachspeisen

Entdecken Sie alle unsere Schlemmerrezepte mit

Galbani Mascarpone auf www.ilgustoitaliano.lu

EDITORIAL n

Dear Readers, The end of the year is generally a time of retrospection on what the past year has brought, on good and not-so-good times, on highlights and sad moments. It’s also a time for looking ahead, of good intentions and new ideas.

For KACHEN, 2017 was a very special year. We celebrated our third birthday in November, and since September KACHEN is also available in English, so that our English-speaking countrymen can now finally enjoy KACHEN alongside our Luxembourger readers.

Even if looking back can be instructive and help one to learn from mistakes or firmly anchor beautiful moments in one’s memory, I personally prefer to look ahead, to plan and to come up with new ideas. There is something exciting about brainstorming, thinking up something new, and then making it a reality, especially with people who share that passion. The KACHEN Team has a few things planned for 2018, and if we succeed in realising all – or even some – of those ideas, you can already start looking forward to a few surprises in the future.

The holiday season is often a turbulent time, although it should actually be one of reflection and calm, and of turning off, if only

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briefly, from the already stressful daily routine. To help you avoid this trap, we have put together a Christmas dinner that’s wonderful and easy to prepare, and have organised a tapas party with tasty recipes which even inexperienced chefs can pull off with success, according to the motto “It doesn’t have to be complicated, as long as it’s delicious!” There are also lots of other terrific recipes for you to try at home. For all those who don’t want to be slaving over a hot stove, we’ve assembled a cornucopia of ideas to make it as easy as possible for you to pamper your loved ones, while still finding the time and inspiration to indulge yourself.

Take a moment to look back on 2017 and consider which (realistic) intentions you can put into practice in the coming year. Perhaps 2018 will be the year of cleaning house. Jettison old ballast, and begin the year light and easy, certain that you are the master of your own destiny. Happiness doesn’t come by chance, and it means something different to each of us, but essentially it’s connected to how flexibly we adapt to changing situations or problems in our lives, and how positively we view life. When it comes to enjoyment, we at KACHEN hope to do our part, and so we wish you a happy holiday season and a wonderful start in a new year that’s loaded with energy and rich with pleasure.

With cordial greetings from the entire team, Bibi Wintersdorf Editor-in-chief and publisher

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28 47

50

21

60

42 4

Our Team

27

Say cheese!

5

Claude Neu: Neu à la carte

28

Tapas Party

6

Restaurant- and Shopping News

40 Dreaming of a perfect Christmas?

8

News

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Euro-Toques-News

42 Comfort Food Food for the soul

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Books

50 DIY - Wintry feel-good fragrances

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Lëtzebuerger Shopping

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Product News

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Christmas markets in Luxembourg

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Events - Understanding Luxembourg

16

Family

60 Baking in winter

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Hidden treasures

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18

Relocation, relocation (Interview)

64 Foodilicious stories Angus de Luxembourg

90 Recipes from around the world Iceland

68 Sweet and Sour Citrus fruits in the winter

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20 Have Yourself a (Stress-Free) Little Christmas…

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Christmas Menu

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70

Pastis The earcutter schnapps

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Country recipes Tierteg mat Gesolpertes

80 Lëtzebuerger Rëndfleesch Aged rib eye beef steak

Step by step Pear tramisu Charlotte

82

Typically Luxembourgish - Träipen

Les Sucrés du Lux Christmas fruitcake

85

Ice Wine & Vin de Paille

86

Télévie dinner

88

North German culinary culture in Luxembourg

84 From the resistance to Master Chef

Herbs

Culinary dynasties Oberweis

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SUMMARY n

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126

96 100

140

102

96 Chef portrait: Julien Elles

124 Moringa Oleifera

99 Jonk Chefs: Thomas Texier

KACHEN ON TOUR

100 Restaurant portrait Brasserie Schuman

126 Wellness in Luxembourg

102 Hotel portrait Alvisse Parc Hotel

134 Georges Hausemer Then make it Georgian

DESIGN

135 Genusswerk-Eifel

106 Kitchen design

136 BollAnts im Park

109 Blog Award 2017

140 Harald Rüssel

136

130 Milan

HEALTH & FITNESS 115 Healthy living with Diabetes

144 Subscription information

116 LeneLife: gluten-free holiday menu

146 Recipe directory and imprint

120 Anne‘s Meat Free Monday Mushroom Stroganoff with Polenta

148 Looking ahead

122 TRX Yoga 123 Health & lifestyle coaching 2017 / 4 | KACHEN | 3

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Liberty & Christine Mathieu Van Wetteren

Julien Elles Thomas Texier

Sylvie Simon

Harald Rüssel

Bertrand Duchamps

Theresa Baumgärtner

CHEFS IN THIS EDITION

OUR TEAM

Ramunas Astrauskas

Elisabeth Beckers

Marcel Biver

Anne Faber

Barbara Fischer-Fürwentsches

Claude François

Georges Hausemer

Susanne Jaspers

Claude Neu

Lene Pedersen

Martina Schmitt-Jamek

Kathrin Werno

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NEU À LA CARTE n

Culinary specialities from times past L

ungs, tongue, heart, tripe and other offal meats once belonged to weekly home cooking, but over time have become almost entirely banished from today‘s gastronomical offerings. Only sweetbread (the thymus of a calf) can still be found in choice gourmet dinners, even though its structure resembles that of brains. Otherwise the trend is toward the finer cuts of meat.

Let's take a look at what's being served up in neighbouring countries, where trends often take hold earlier than they do here. In Berlin, for example, young gourmets are reviving all those dishes that one generally only still finds served at country inns and butcher shops after a slaughter. The restaurant “Herz & Niere” in Berlin-Kreuzberg makes it a point of honour to use all parts of the animal that can be eaten. Like in old times.

Meanwhile, in this country, Jeremmy Parjouet is serving these almost forgotten foods in his restaurant “Lion d’Or”. Four times a year he serves calf ’s head, kidney, liver, marrowbone, and many other dishes.

Occasionally one finds veal tongue and beef tongue in other establishments, but only a few prepare them in such a delicious Madeira sauce with mushrooms like “Brideler Stuff ” can.

Other specialities have nearly attained rarity status as well. Horse meat steaks, for example, a main entree at “D’Artagnan” in Luxemburg City for decades, have elsewhere disappeared little by little since all the horse meat butcher shops closed. Tender horse fillet is served in a tangy sauce at “Le Jardin Gourmand” in Hesperange, which enjoys immense popularity with its very classic meat and fish offerings.

Herz & Niere

Fichtestraße 31, Berlin www.herzundniere.berlin

Le Lion D’Or

201, route d’Arlon, Strassen www.liondor-strassen.lu

Brideler Stuff D’Artagnan

1, rue Lucien Wercollier, Bridel www.bridelerstuff.lu 92, bd Général Patton, Luxembourg www.dartagnan.lu

One tasty side dish is now only found in one single restaurant.

“Pommes dauphines” is a deep-fried tender mix of mashed potatoes and choux pastry which goes very well with the meat dishes and sauces mentioned above. These light potato puffs are served with a variety of dishes in “Bonifas”, in Nospelt.

Incidentally, the next offal night at Lion d’Or is on Friday, the 15th of December, before these rare treats are once again replaced by finer cuts for the holidays.

Le Jardin Gourmand 432, route de Thionville, Hesperange www.jardingourmand.lu Bonifas

4, Grand-rue, Nospelt www.bonifas.lu

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Restaurants & ShopsNews Restaurant Mu Luxembourg Restaurant Mu Luxembourg recently opened on the 8th and top floor of the Sofitel Luxembourg Le Grand Ducal, featuring a panorama view of the city, a modern, feelgood ambience, and outstanding food focusing on local beef from Maison Kirsch. Pastry chef Yannick Ferraton’s specialty is Charlotte Grand-Ducale!

Open Mon - Fri 12:00 noon- 2:30 p.m. & 7:00 p.m. 11:00 p.m., Sat 7:00 p.m. - 11:00 p.m; Saturday afternoons & Sundays reduced menu.

Address: 40, Boulevard d’Avranches L-1160 Luxembourg Tel: (+352) 24 87 73 10 - www.sofitel.com

Rôtisserie Le Plëss The new Rôtisserie Le Plëss, designed by prominent interior designer Tristan Auer, opened this autumn.

Chef Fabrice Salvador runs the kitchen together with Mathieu Morvan. It features classics like poulet de Bresse as well as brisket made from Australian Wagyu beef.

Open Mon - Sun 7:00 a.m. - 10:00 p.m.

Address: 18, Place d’Armes - L-1136 Luxembourg Tel: (+352) 274737 411 www.hotel-leplacedarmes.com

Ma Langue Sourit The starred restaurant “Ma Langue Sourit” in Moutfort reopened on 17 November after renovations. It boasts redesigned rooms and astonishing culinary creations. One of the best restaurants in Luxembourg.

Open Tue - Sat 12:00 noon- 2:00 p.m. & 7:00 p.m. - 9:30 p.m.

Address: 1, rue de Remich L-5331 Moutfort Tel: (+352) 26 35 20 31 - www.mls.lu 6 | KACHEN | 4 / 2017

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NEWS n

Uchiwa This new restaurant features both Chinese specialities as well as a variety of sushi dishes and Chinese fondue for two or more diners (must be reserved one day in advance). Delivery service available.

Open Mon - Sun 11:45 a.m. - 2:15 p.m. & 6:00 p.m. – 10:15 p.m.

Address: 163, Rue Principale L-5366 Munsbach Tel: (+352) 26 70 12 12 www.uchiwa.lu

LeneLife @ Kaempff-Kohler LeneLife can now be found at Kaempff-Kohler in the heart of Luxembourg City. The products can be consumed on site or as takeaway. There are gluten and lactose-free products, low-sugar and sugar-free varieties, and vegetarian and vegan delicacies. Catering services are also offered, as well as deliveries to your workplace.

Open Mon - Sat 8:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m.

Addresse: 18, Place Guillaume L-1648 Luxembourg Tel: (+352) 621 439 107 - www.lenelife.com

TEMPO Bar où Manger The new TEMPO, located in the Philharmonie, is the latest addition to Stéphanie Jauquet’s bevy of local restaurants along with Um Plateau, Cocottes and À Table. The establishment features a captivating, lovingly designed interior of green marble, blue velvet, and brass. Head chef Morris Clip indulges guests with delicacies both large and small.

Open Mon - Thur: 11:45 a.m. - 2:15 p.m. & 6:00 p.m. - 10:30 p.m., Fri: 11:45 a.m. - 2:15 p.m. & 6:00 p.m. - 11:00 p.m., Sa 6:00 p.m. - 11:00 p.m. and 45 minutes after concert endings.

Address: 1, Place de l’Europe - L-1499 Luxembourg Tel: (+352) 27 99 06 66 - www.tempobaroumanger.lu

Chocolate House Echternach The new Chocolate House in Echternach is located directly on the Market Square and has a spacious terrace that’s open year round. Special focus is on lunches, cakes and of course all things chocolate.

Individual creations made on request.

Open daily from 10:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m.

Address: 21, Place du Marché L-6460 Echternach Tel: (+352) 621 130 216 Facebook: Chocolate House Echternach

Charlotte

Tanja de Jager and Patrick Giry have recently opened the gourmet bar “Charlotte”, featuring cosy togetherness, good wine and drinks, tasty food and a stylish party mood. The pastel-pink and dark blue ambience with accents in brass and velvet will make guests feel at home. Jan Schneidewind is in charge of the kitchen – it offers small portions for sharing, warming Asian “hot pots” or excellent varieties of cheese. The house cocktail, “Charlotte“, is a must-try!

The first floor can be let for private events.

Open Tue 5:00 p.m. - 1:00 a.m., Wed-Sat 5:00 p.m.

3:00a.m. Address: 17b, Rue des Bains L-1212 Luxembourg - Tel: (+352) 27 85 81 88 www.charlotteluxembourg.com 2017 / 4 | KACHEN | 7

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Cosy Ambience at Becher Gare!

One of the country’s most beautiful terraces now can also be used in the winter. Restaurant Becher Gare, in Bech, has recently installed a dapper little wooden chalet on their terrace where guests can enjoy the wonderful view during the winter months.

Perfectly furnished with a fireplace and cosy wooden tables, this pop-up restaurant is the ideal place for family celebrations or company parties, but is also perfect for a gourmet evening for two over fondue, raclette, tartiflette, cheese boards, and other winter specialities.

RESTAURANT BECHER GARE

1 Becher Gare, L-6230 BECH - Tel.: +352 26 78 42 40 www.bechergare.lu

BRENNE, KONSCHT A SPEZIALITÉITEN DistiART in Kehlen on 16 December 2017 On 16 December, the performing arts and the art of distillery will be featured in the 250-year-old agricultural estate “A Lammesch”.

Caroline Adam-Van Langendonck, power woman with the dream job of schnapps distiller, is one of the few women working in this “men’s” profession. Starting at 11:00 a.m., she will demonstrate blackthorn distillation; throughout the day there will be music and delicious specialities from “Judd, Speck an Zoossiss aus der Baurenhaascht vum Haff ” and “Gromperekichelkelcher” to “Glühwain”, organised by the Friends of the Distillery Museum. 15 artists will be featured in this 14th edition. Start: 11:00 a.m. - open ended.

Plus: Open House at the Distillery Museum!

13, rue d’Olm, L-8281 Kehlen

GAULT&MILLAU

MICHELIN GUIDE

Luxembourg’s culinary best and brightest were recognised for their excellence in October! In an exciting ceremony at the Hôtel Le Royal, Gault&Millau Belux announced the names of this year’s award winners:

On 20 November, the Guide Michelin Belgique-Luxembourg announced the 2018 recipients of its stars in Luxembourg and Belgium, before around 800 excited guests at the Flanders Expo in Ghent. Generally there were no changes, with two stars for Ilario Mosconi and one star each for Cristallerie (Le Place d’Armes), Favaro, La Distillerie, Léa Linster, La Gäichel, Clairefontaine, Le Patin d'Or, Ma Langue Sourit, Toit pour Toi, and Guillou Campagne.

Chef de l’Année: Yann Castano (Oro e Argento, Hotel Sofitel Kirchberg) Hôtesse de l’Année: Estelle Sidoni (La Maison Lefèvre) Chef Méditerranéen de l’Année: Fernando Andreu (Bosque Fevi) Découverte de l’Année: Mathieu Van Wetteren (Apdikt) Personnalité de l’Année: Sandrine Pigeon (Les Paniers de Sandrine) The new 2018 edition of the Gault&Millau Restaurant Guide for Belgium / Luxembourg is available in stores as of November 2017; the online version is also available!

© Dilip Van Waetermeulen

www.gaultmillau.lu

A new addition was Roberto Fani, awarded a Michelin star just one year after the opening of Fani Ristorante in Roeser.

KACHEN congratulates this newly appointed "star" and is delighted that there are now 12 Michelin-starred restaurants in the Grand Duchy!

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NEWS n

now in English!

Starting in September 2017, KACHEN editions are now available in English. This naturally called for a celebration, and so we accepted the invitation of our partner, LUXEMBOURG HOUSE - for the second time, incidentally - to fete the two editions of the autumn issue with many KACHEN friends. The party was a smashing success, thanks to our partners de Schnékert Traiteur, Domaine Mathis Bastian, Maison Aly Duhr and Isabelle Gales. www.kachen.lu

LES SUCRÉS DU LUX

HAPPY 1ST BIRTHDAY! After a long wait, the day had finally arrived. On 20 November, Sucrés du Lux once again gathered the most talented pastry chefs in Luxembourg and the Greater Region to meet at Restaurant la Table de Frank in Steinfort. The main topic was those sweet works of art so familiar at this time of year – Yule logs!

Exactly one year after its establishment, Sucrés has now grown to include 14 members. Returning members are Yves Jehanne, Benoit Cenedat, Jonathan Szymkoviak, Benoît Milleville, Benoît Leichtnam and Jonathan Schneider. New to the group are Fanny Grandjean (Restaurant l'Authentique), Pierre-Alexandre Petry (Two Six Two) and Paul Bugert (Clairefontaine).

Incidentally, the founder and creative mind behind the sweets, Yves Jehanne, has recently been named chef patissier at Steffen Traiteur.

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News Euro-Toques Luxembourg Euro-Toques visits speciality food producers for “T-Days” Although only chefs can become members, one of the main aims of Euro-Toques is the promotion of select and speciality food suppliers – because the best cuisine can only be created from the best ingredients. With their visit, the Euro-Toques honour outstanding producers and officially express their acknowledgement and appreciation for wonderful work and collaboration.

© Mickaël Williquet

For T-Days, the chefs visited Sandrine Pingeon in Münsbach. Since 2012, the native Frenchwoman has been selling her home-grown vegetables in her own farm shop, Les Paniers de Sandrine. Her assortment of regional and seasonal fruits and vegetables with their incomparable taste is loved by private customers and gourmets alike.

On 23 October 2017, Sandrine Pingeon was named 2018 Person of the Year by Gault&Millau Belgium / Luxembourg. A well-deserved recognition for her commitment to high-quality products!

LES PANIERS DE SANDRINE 266, Rue Principale - L-5366 Münsbach - www.lespaniersdesandrine.lu Shop hours: Tuesdays and Fridays 3:00 p.m. - 7:00 p.m.

© Mickaël Williquet

Fresh, Fresher, Euro-Toques

Euro-Toques members naturally use only fresh products of the best quality in their kitchens. Patrick Junker, Head Chef at Hotel Dahm, reveals to us his favourite winter vegetable: black salsify.

The Euro-Toques have a new website!

The new Euro-Toques website is online! Stop in for a visit at www.eurotoques.lu

Also known as winter asparagus, black salsify comes in 175 varieties and is found nearly everywhere in the world. This vegetable is especially aromatic, piquant, and has a slightly nutty taste. Its consistence is similar to that of carrots and parsnips.

Black salsify pairs well with white meats, poached eggs, and fish. It is traditionally served in a cream sauce, but is also outstanding when fried.

Patrick Junker serves black salsify as a side dish to monkfish wrapped in bacon, and also as an accompaniment to rabbit.

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NEWS n

Including 2 Recipes from Oberweis

Books we’ve been reading CONTEST

„HAUTE PÂTISSERIE“ We’re giving away 2 copies of “Haute Pâtisserie”. The first 2 submissions shall win a book. Send an e-mail with the word “Pâtisserie” to: gewinnen@kachen.lu.

The winners will be informed within 2 weeks after submission.

HAUTE PÂTISSERIE 100 creations by the best patisserie chefs Éditions de La Martinière ISBN 978-2-73246-356-8 Language: FR - 384 pages - € 39,90

GEMÜSE ALS HAUPTGERICHT Manchmal sogar mit Fleisch als Beilage Anne-Katrin Weber Becker Joest Volk Verlag ISBN 978-3-95453-142-4 Language: DE - 192 pages - € 29,95 BROT BACKEN IN PERFEKTION MIT SAUERTEIG Vollendete Ergebnisse statt Experimente Lutz Geißler Becker Joest Volk Verlag ISBN 978-3-95453-139-4 Language: DE - 192 pages - € 29,95 HOMEMADE HAPPINESS Chelsea Winter ars vivendi ISBN 978-3-86913-885-5 Language: DE - 240 pages - € 26,00 SCHLANK! und gesund mit der Doc Fleck Methode Dr. med. Anne Fleck Becker Joest Volk Verlag ISBN 978-3-95453-140-0 Language: DE - 304 pages - € 29,95 THE GREAT OUTDOORS Winter Cooking Markus Sämmer Umschau Verlag ISBN 978-3-86528-843-1 Language: DE - 272 pages - € 34,00

2017 / 4 | KACHEN | 11

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n Luxembourg

Shopping n

by LUXEMBOURG HOUSE & KACHEN MAGAZINE

1

2

1 CUVEE GËLLE FRA BRUT € 35,90, CUVEE GËLLE FRA ROSE € 37,90 Domaine Henri Ruppert 2 GRANDE DUCALE € 3,45, REVOLUTION IPA € 3,45, KNIGHTS WHITE SATIN € 3,35, BLACK WIDOW € 3,55 Stuff Brauerei 3 MENG ÉISCHT 100 WIERDER € 22,49 Languages.lu 4 COFFRET ”CHÂTEAU LES CROSTES” illustrated by Bertrand Ney € 65 Museal 5 GLACEIERT KÄSCHTEN € 35 Atelier 3

de Virginie 6 Agenda 2018 € 39,60 Editions Europe 4

2, Rue de l'Eau - L-1449 Luxemburg +352 26 26 26 27 moien@luxembourghouse.lu Opening hours: Tuesday to Sunday from 10.00 a.m. to 6.30 p.m.

Saturday from 9.00 a.m. to 6.30 p.m.

5

6

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NEWS n

Products we like

Artisanal “Pain Copenhague”

“Dräikinneksdag” with Fischer

Cactus is expanding its assortment of traditionally baked breads with “P ain Copenhague”, a rye bread without whole grains and a thick crumb that encapsulates the Danish way of life. “Hygge” means comfort, above all in the winter, but also the enjoyment of everyday moments like breaking bread with one’s family and friends.

Celebrate Epiphany on 6 January with “Galette des Rois aux Pommes Fischer” and discover its new recipe: a “three kings” cake filled with tasty apple compote. Available from 27 December in all Fischer Bakeries. www.fischer.lu

Pain Co penhague 500 g, whole or sliced, normally priced € 2.65.

Available in all Cactus supermarkets.

WINNERS FROM THE AUTUMN EDITION

www.cactus.lu BOOKS: MOLLY: Françoise Medinger, Nicole Schong, Tatiana Seyler POWER-MORGEN: Chantal Warnier, Michaela Winter, Sonia Hoffmann WINE-BUNDLE: Rene Kremer MUSEAL-COFFRET: Jacques Zimmer, Françoise Feyder, Lucie Peter, Gaby Gasperini, Tessy Kries, Eliane Endres, Martine Atten, Eliane Kleuls, Nadine Ritter-Collette, Tanja Maas CHOCOLA TE: Claudine Bohler, Sandra Bichler, Fabienne Rollinger, Monique Bonert

Apple, Lemon, Mint Origo Juices makes its products from cold-pressed fruits and vegetables. New additions: No. 17 with apple, lemon and mint. This variety is especially rich in antioxidants, and makes an outstanding cocktail when combined with rum. Can be ordered online. Available in two sizes: 25 cl bottle for €4.50 and 50 cl bottle for € 7,50 or as part of a 3-day detox cure.

VODKA: Sybille Tintinger VILLEROY & BOCH: Géraldine Haller TRIP TO STOCKHOLM: Eliane Gevelinger A STAY AT AYURVEDA-PARKSCHLÖSSCHEN: Carine Ury, Daniel Rolin MAXIME RAUX CONFERENCE: Astrid Gomez, Renée Kartheiser, Nicole Backes

www.origojuices.com 2017 / 4 | KACHEN | 13

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© SABINO PARENTE PHOTOGRAPHER / LFT

In collaboration with Luxembourg for Tourism: www.visitluxembourg.com

© Robert Theisen / LFT

© Andres Lejona / VDL / LFT

CHRISTMAS MARKETS IN LUXEMBOURG

TEXTS CHRISTINE HANSEN & ELISABETH BECKERS

Christmas is just around the corner, so it’s time to pay a visit to the lovely Christmas markets found throughout the country if you haven’t done so already! Get in the festive mood with some Christmas music, put on your warmest winter jacket, hat and scarf and enjoy this magical time of year with some typical food and drink, like mulled wine, hot chocolate, or “Gromperekichelcher”.

“Winterlights” is the festival of lights and animation in the city of Luxembourg. It comes with Christmas markets spread across several sites within the city, a big wheel, carousels, street animations, processions and parades, exhibitions, shows and concerts.

Winterlights in general: until 7th January 2018 Place de Paris and Grund: until 23rd December 2017 Place d’Armes, Place de la Constitution and Puits-Rouge: until 24th Dec. 2017 In the south of the country, you can find several other charming Christmas markets. The one in Dudelange has a “Middle Ages” theme, with fire shows and a medieval village.

Dudelange, Place de l’Hôtel de Ville:

8th December - 17th December 2017

Esch-sur-Alzette, Place de l’Hôtel de la Ville: Differdange, Place du Marché:

until 24th December 2017

8th December - 23rd December 2017

Other Christmas markets in Luxembourg: Remich:

on advent weekends (ice rink until 28 January 2018)

Ettelbruck:

8th December - 10th December 2017

Diekirch:

16th December - 17th December 2017

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EVENTS

1

A t the Luxembourg Light Festival, a variety of artists will be exposing their light artworks along a set itinerary through the city. The audiovisual installations, video projections and interactive light shows can be discovered for free as the visitors journey across the city centre. The 2017 edition of the Luxembourg Light Festival sets its focus on diversity and accessibility and is open to people of every age and origin.

Luxembourg city centre: 15th December - 17th December 2017 www.lcto.lu/en/luxembourg-light-festival

2

“Vakanz”, the Greater Region’s largest travel and general tourism trade fair, is held annually over 3 days in January, with more than 200 exhibitors from all over the world, at stands covering an area of around 15,000 m2.

Luxexpo The Box: 12th January - 14th January 2018 - www.expovakanz.lu

3

In January will take place the 19th edition of Luxembourg Euro Meet 2017, one of the best long course swimming events in the heart of Europe. The Luxemburg Euro Meet will take place at the aquatic centre “d’Coque” at Luxemburg-Kirchberg.

D’Coque: 26th Janary – 28th January 2018 - www.euromeet.lu

4 5

The Carnival Parade in Diekirch is an event not to be missed if you like to mask and disguise. Diekirch has a cult status because of its now 39th carnival cavalcade with more than 60 floats and groups.

Diekirch: 11th February 2018 - www.cavalcade.lu

With the traditional “Buergbrennen” on the first Sunday after Lent, Luxembourg celebrates the end of winter and the coming of spring. Traditionally, a large wooden cross is set on fire to figuratively burn the winter on Bonfire Day. All over the country: 18th February 2018

6

Launched in 2011, the Luxembourg City Film Festival, is the reference event for movies in Luxembourg. Running over 11 days, the festival’s 8th edition will provide an exhibition at the Cercle Cité and different events in the festival’s headquarters at Casino Luxembourg - Forum d’art contemporain.

Luxembourg: 22nd February - 4th March 2018 - www.luxfilmfest.lu

UNDERSTANDING LUXEMBOURG

CELEBRATING IN LUXEMBOURGISH How do you say ... in Luxembourgish?

Wéi seet een ... op Lëtzebuergesch?

I love Christmas: there’s a feeling of warmth in the air.

Ech hu Chrëschtdag immens gär: et ass e Gefill vu Wäermt an der Loft.

Christmas and New Year’s greetings.

Schéi Chrëschtdeeg an e gudde Rutsch an d’neit Joer.

Have a nice meal! - Gudden Appetit!

Can I have one more potato, please?

Kann ech nach eng Gromper kréien, w.e.g.?

Would you like to dance with me?

Wëlls de mat mir danzen?

This New Year, I’m going to get in shape and eat more greens!

Dëst Neit Joer ginn ech fit an iessen méi Gréngs!

What are your New Year’s resolutions for 2017?

Wat sinn Är gutt Virsätz fir 2017?

Cheers! - Prost!

INTERNATIONAL EVENTS IN LUXEMBOURG The American Chamber of Commerce in Luxembourg (AMCHAM) will hold its annual Christmas Lunch at Sofitel Kirchberg. Minister Gramegna will preview the Luxembourg Government’s national budget for the new year and meet with AMCHAM members.

11th December 2017 12:00

www.amcham.lu

The Irish Club of Luxembourg (ICL) will hold a Christmas Roast Lunch at Oscar’s in Luxembourg-Grund. This members-only event is for individuals, couples, and families.

17th December 2017 12:30

www.irishclub.lu

The British Chamber of Commerce in Luxembourg (BCC) will hold its annual Christmas Lunch at the Hemicycle in Kirchberg (1 rue du fort Thungen). This is the closing event of the Chamber’s 25th Anniversary year and will be attended by special guest speaker John Marshall, the British Ambassador to Luxembourg.

The Danish Community in Luxembourg (Den Danske Forening asbl) organises a carnival-party for kids. The game “beat the cat out of the barrel” will be played. There are no cats involved but there used to be in the old days! The kids have to hit down a barrel filled with candy. The location for this event is still waiting to be confirmed.

15th December 2017 12:00

4th March 2018

www.bcc.lu

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WHAT TO DO WITH THE

FAMILY

The ice skating rink of Beaufort was the first outdoor ice rink in the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, and it opened its doors in 1969.

Luckily, in 2011, a protective tent was built over it to allow for ice skating in all weather conditions. It offers the opportunity to skate and practice ice karting through a simple reservation system. Skate rental and skating aids for children are also available.

2018. This temporary rink in the heart of the city has special spectator and heated areas, which have chalets offering visitors hot beverages and snacks. There is a special animation program, and coaches can teach you how to ice skate or help you to improve your skills.

87, Grand-Rue - Beaufort

“Winterdays in Remich”: Another temporary ice skating rink is located at the Christmas market in Remich. Covered since 2015, this rink will be open until 28th January 2018.

www.patinoire-beaufort.lu

Patinoire Kockelscheuer is an indoor ice rink with one large public and one smaller curling rink. It offers the Pingo School, a public ice skating school for beginners. There are no private lessons available, but the basics of ice skating will be taught in 1-hour lessons for a group of up to 10 skaters. Ice skate rental is also available.

42, route de Bettembourg - Luxembourg

www.kockelscheuer.com

“Knuedler on Ice” is a partially-covered ice skating rink (800m2) which is temporarily located on Place Guillaume II until 7th January

Place Guillaume II - Luxembourg

Place Dr. Fernand Kons - Remich

www.knuedleronice.lu

www.visitremich.lu

For the festive season, another temporary ice skating rink is set up at the Christmas Market in the city centre of Differdange. This rink will only be in place until 23rd December 2017.

Place du Marché - Differdange

www.differdange.lu

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HIDDEN TREASURES

EDWARD STEICHEN (1879-1973) Humanity described in photographs

For a moving, uplifting experience, visit The Family of Man, a UNESCO memory of the world photography exhibition. In permanent residence at Clervaux Castle, 503 images illustrate essential themes of human existence: love, work, birth, death, relationships, how we learn, religion, music, and more. This groundbreaking collection was assembled in 1955 by the Luxembourg-born American photographer and curator Edward Steichen. It became one of the most successful art exhibitions of all time.

Captured by 273 artists from 68 countries, the images in The Family of Man have a universal message about our common humanity. The photographs are taken by unknown artists and world-renowned practitioners, including Robert Capa, Henri Cartier-Bresson, Dorothea Lange, Robert Doisneau, August Sander, and Ansel Adams. Edward Steichen assembled these pieces whilst in his role of director for the photography department of the Museum of Modern Art in New York. The exhibition was in residence there for seven years, before going on a two-year world tour of more than 150 museums, where it was seen by more than 10 million people. It was subsequently presented to the people of Luxembourg by the US government.

The Luxembourg-born American was also a skilled artist in his own right, as can be seen at two shows in the capital. “The function and mission of photography is to explain man to man, and man to himself,” said Steichen. Luxembourg is the place to understand how he accepted this challenge.

Edward Steichen – The Photographer is a permanent exhibition of the great man’s own output. He bequeathed 178 images to the National Museum of History and Art (MNHA), and they are on display in cycles of 20 works at a time.

Luxembourg City Phototheque’s own Steichen collection is on display until 15th April 2018 in the Time Space Continuum exhibition at the Villa Vauban in Luxembourg City. It features his work alongside paintings and sculptures produced contemporaneously

by Luxembourgish artists. Steichen helped to shape one of the most creative periods in the history of art. This exhibition explains how these global influences also affected artists in the Grand Duchy.

The Family of Man Clervaux Castle - L-9701 Clervaux - 01.03 – 01.01 of every year Wednesday - Sunday 12:00 - 18:00 The Bitter Years Waassertuerm - 1b, rue du Centenaire - L-3475 Dudelange 01.03 – 01.01 of every year - Wednesday - Sunday 12:00 - 18:00 Edward Steichen – The Photographer National Museum of History and Art (MNHA) - Marché-aux-Poissons L- 2345 Luxembourg - Tuesday - Sunday 10:00 - 18:00, Thursday until 20:00 Time Space Continuum Villa Vauban - 18, avenue Émile Reuter - L-2420 Luxembourg 08.04.2017 - 15.04.2018 - Wednesday - Monday 10:00 - 18:00, Friday until 18:00

© Walter Bircher / ADAC / ET / LFT

© Romain Girtgen, CNA

© MNHA / Tom Lucas

© Artists Rights Society, New York / The Edward Steichen Estate

Edward Steichen’s genius as an exhibition curator is exemplified

by The Family of Man collection in Clervaux Castle. His skill also came to the fore when he documented the US Great Depression in The Bitter Years Collection, which is now permanently on display in the southern town of Dudelange. These more than 200 images were first displayed in the 1960s at the MoMA, as well as on a world tour. Subsequently, at Steichen’s request, the museum bequeathed

the collection to the Grand Duchy. Now fully restored, the works are on permanent display at the Waassertuerm gallery, a renovated steelworks water tower in Dudelange.

© John Vachon, An Ozark mountain farmer and family, Missouri. May, 1940

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RELOCATION, RELOCATION! Tips and tricks from a relocation expert. KACHEN talked to Audrey d’Angelo and Sylvie Schmit, Managing Director of EUROPEAN RELOCATION SERVICES SA in Bertrange.

Sylvie Schmit

KACHEN: As a professional relocation agency, you are helping newcomers in Luxembourg on a daily basis. What do people tend to either underestimate or simply have false perceptions of when they are coming here?

RELOCATION SERVICES: Generally, we can say that our newcomers are well prepared and have gathered a lot of information about Luxembourg and our local customs, either through our in-house consultants or through expat groups via social media.

We feel though that most of them were not expecting to interact with so many different cultures here, and they often assumed that they would encounter a much greater language barrier than they actually do upon their arrival. Most of them are pleasantly surprised to see that they can navigate fairly well using English as their main language.

INTERVIEW ELISABETH BECKERS & AUDREY D’ANGELO

Our expat population is always also positively surprised about how small and safe the country is. They also really appreciate the large spectrum of activities from which one one can select, despite the relatively small size of the city.

We usually recommend that companies offer a “get to know the country” visit to their candidates and future employees. This really helps to minimize the culture shock that one might face upon arrival, and helps to make the transition smoother for expats and their families.

KACHEN: What is the one surprising thing that people tend to talk about when arriving in Luxembourg?

RELOCATION SERVICES: Shops’ opening hours are definitely “the” subject that everyone discusses upon arrival, but people quickly get used to this and accept it as a specific feature of Luxembourg.

KACHEN: Connecting with people locally as quickly as possible is surely the easiest way of becoming integrated and feeling at home in a new country. How can people arriving find those connections easily?

RELOCATION SERVICES: There is a very large variety of expat groups that our newcomers can join. “Internations” seems to be the fastest growing group In Luxembourg, but the American’s Women Club and the British Ladies Club also still welcome a lot of new members.

“Lux Expat” is currently the largest Facebook group.

It is so lovely to see how the community is willing to help and give advice to new arrivals, whether the question is about where to find a turkey for Thanksgiving, or who is the best dentist in town!

Additionally, as more and more women accept assignments, we are now witnessing new stay at home dad groups as well.

Of course, we are always happy to provide new arrivals with useful contacts, and encourage them to take part in school events and after work events to get their network going as well. As an expat in Luxembourg, it can be very easy to integrate, and everyone always welcomes new arrivals with open arms.

KACHEN: What is specific about Luxembourg?

RELOCATION SERVICES: In Luxembourg, there are many different expats from different parts of the world. Luxembourg has become very multicultural and has now become a melting pot of over 170 different nationalities. Everyone is open minded and excited to learn from one another’s culture. In my opinion, cultural diversity is one of Luxembourg’s biggest assets, and even the locals agree that the ever-increasing number of expats is contributing to the growth and prosperity of the country. www.erslux.lu

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FISCH014

CHRISTMAS, A FESTIVE TREAT!

“La FÉÉRIQUE FRAISE” The “Bûche Douceur Fraise”, with a deliciously light recipe

fischer1913.com

/fischer.1913

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Oh

Have yourself a (stress-free) little Christmas...

Christmas and New Year’s are just around the corner, and you’re not in a holiday mood? Are you dreading the “happy” holiday season more than you’re looking forward to it?

Here are a few tips guaranteed to get you into a festive mood, or at least into a relaxed one, without stress.

COMFORT-FOOD: Simply turn off your guilty conscience and enjoy what you love best, with all your senses. The only condition is that you enjoy it mindfully, and don’t indulge in more than is good for you.

TEXT BIBI WINTERSDORF

MUSIC: Christmas music can get on one’s nerves when it’s already being heard in the supermarket from mid-November onwards. But why not just surrender? Put together the ultimate Christmas playlist to play at home, and let yourself get carried away with Celine Dion, Alvin & The Chipmunks, and Mariah Carey! Play the soppiest Christmas hits over and over, and sing along at the top of your voice.

It’s like a “Happy Holidays” button for the soul. We promise!

SCENTED CANDLES: What can be lovelier than the scent of fresh evergreens, cinnamon rolls, or vanilla biscuits? There are scented candles for everyone’s preference, and they immediately conjure a festive mood at home.

BAKING TOGETHER: Baking together is not only fun and produces delicious results, it also creates quality time, for example

with your children or your partner, who may not normally have anything to do with baking. Even people who can’t even crack an egg will find enjoyment from nibbling on raw dough, and from pilfering treats as soon as they come out of the oven.

GAMES: Ludo, Monopoly, Backgammon, or maybe a round of poker?

In combination with a few easy snacks and a nice bottle of wine, one can spend a relaxing evening with friends and family without the stress of cooking.

FRESH AIR: Try to get outside regularly in the fresh air for a half hour, especially in these stressful days. A short walk can do wonders when your nerves are shot: dress warmly, breathe deeply, enjoy nature, and let your thoughts meander. Warm up with a hot cup of tea back at home, and the world looks better already.

ME-TIME: Treat yourself to a time-out from the hustle and bustle and curl up alone with a cup of tea and a good book, even if only for a short time. If you can’t do that at home, book a massage and let yourself relax in solitude. You’ll be bearable again afterwards – guaranteed!

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RECIPES n

The pictures for this article were taken at the MIELE cooking studio in Gasperich, with recipes by MIELE-cook Sylvie Simon

PHOTOS RAMUNAS ASTRAUSKAS

Christmas menu

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Homemade slow cooker foie gras with mango and Christmas spices

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Serves 4 15 Minutes + prepare the goose foie gras three days in advance • 500 g whole lobes of very fresh goose foie gras • 1 tsp Christmas spice mix (white pepper, ginger, nutmeg, clove) • 1 tbsp. cognac • 1 mango • 4 slices of gingerbread • 1 tbsp. butter • 2 tbsp. cane sugar • sea salt, fresh black pepper and fleur-de-sel • purple shiso leaves and pink peppercorns for garnish

3 Cut the mango lengthwise and remove the pit. Cut into slices about 1 cm thick and punch out disks measuring 2 cm in diameter.

Finely chop the rest of the mango and set aside. Also punch out disks of gingerbread (ø 1 or 2 cm). Crumble the leftover gingerbread and place under the grill for 5 minutes at 200 °C.

1 Use kitchen gloves to de-vein the goose liver without damaging the lobes. Season with the spice mix, salt, pepper and cognac. Put in a heat-resistant plastic bag and seal, or wrap in three layers of heat-resistant plastic film. Set aside in the fridge for 6-12 hours.

4 Melt the butter in a small pan and briefly fry the mango disks.

Sprinkle with sugar and allow to caramelise.

2 Cook the goose liver in the slow cooker for 25 minutes (5558 °C), and then plunge the entire bag in ice water to cool. Chill in the fridge for at least 48 hours before serving.

5 Cut the goose liver into slices ½ cm thick and then into sticks.

Arrange the liver on the gingerbread and mango disks and sprinkle with gingerbread crumble and diced mango. Garnish with shiso leaves and pink peppercorns, and serve with freshly ground black pepper and fleur-de-sel.

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Venison fillet

with sweet potato purée and figs Serves 4

25 minutes + 1 hour cooking time

• A little clarified butter • 1 venison fillet (800 g) • 100 ml Crème de Cassis • 200 ml game stock • 1 onion • 4 sweet potatoes • 4 fresh figs • 100 ml EKABE crème fraîche (30 % fat) • 40 g butter • salt and pepper • Affilla cress to garnish

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1 Add some clarified butter to a pan and bring to high heat. Sear the venison fillet on all sides until nicely browned and let cool.

Once the meat has cooled, vacuum pack and cook in a slow cooker at 65 °C for 1 hour.

2 Deglaze the gravy with crème-de-cassis and simmer for 5 minutes. Add the game stock and reduce to half.

3 In the meantime, finely chop the onion, and wash, peel and dice 3 sweet potatoes (2 x 2 cm). Cook both the onion and the sweet potatoes in the slow cooker for 10 minutes at 100 °C. Cut the

remaining sweet potato into long strips with a peeler. Deep-fry the strips in a fryer at 170 °C for 2 minutes, drain on kitchen paper, sprinkle with salt and allow to cool.

4 Cut the fresh figs into small pieces and sauté briefly in a little butter. Set aside.

5 Once the diced sweet potatoes are cooked, mix with cream and 40 g of butter. Season with salt and pepper. Arrange on the plate with the meat. Heat the sauce briefly, season to taste and add.

Garnish with sweet potato chips, fresh fig and cress.

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Chocolate half-discs with passion fruit Serves 4 • 130 g milk chocolate • 1 pack of "Crêpes dentelles" (Gavottes) • 150 ml passion fruit coulis • 1 sheet of gelatine • 100 g dark chocolate • 10 g butter • 100 ml + 500 ml EKABE crème fraiche (30 % fat) • 2 whole eggs + 1 egg white • 4 level tbsp. of powdered sugar • 200 g GALBANI mascarpone • 50 g sugar • Fresh passion fruit, 4 leaves of fresh mint, decorative chocolate balls and perhaps some gold leaf 1 Melt the milk chocolate in a water bath or slow cooker (3 minutes at 100 °C covered with cling film). Crumble the "crêpes dentelles" and combine with the milk chocolate. Spread on a plate and cut out 4 disks with a cookie cutter (ø 6 cm). Put the crunchy chocolate disks in the fridge to set.

2 Pour the passion fruit coulis into an ice cube tray and freeze.

3 For the chocolate mousse, soak the gelatine sheet in cold water for 5 minutes. In the meantime, melt the dark chocolate with

butter and 100 ml of Ekabe crème fraiche in a water bath or a slow cooker (3 minutes at 100 °C covered with cling film). Gently squeeze out excess moisture from the gelatine and combine with the melted chocolate mix.

4 Separate the egg whites from the yolks. Add the yolks and powdered sugar to the chocolate and mix. Beat the 3 egg whites until stiff, and gently fold into the chocolate. Pour some mousse into lightly greased (dome-shaped) moulds, add a cube of frozen passion fruit coulis into each one and fill up with mousse. Top each serving with a crunchy chocolate lid and leave to set in the freezer for at least 2 hours.

5 For the mascarpone cream, whip the Galbani mascarpone until creamy and smooth. Add a portion of the sugar and beat at full speed. Gradually add the Ekabe cream. As soon as the mixture begins to firm up, add the remaining sugar and then pour into a piping bag.

6 Unmould the chocolate domes and arrange on some dessert plates. Decorate with little squirts of mascarpone cream and serve with fresh passion fruit, a mint leaf, chocolate balls and some gold leaf (optional).

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Say Cheese!

Entertaining doesn't have to include a five-course meal! There is a wonderful way to indulge guests without having to slave for hours in the kitchen: almost every guest will appreciate being served an excellent assortment of cheeses. Serge Arnaert, chief buyer for Delhaize, tells us what one should buy for a good cheese assortment, and what to look for. Here are his tips for guaranteed success.

When in doubt, you can always rely on the cheese department at your local supermarket or delicatessen to put together a good assortment. If you put it together yourself, it’s best to stay with wellknown cheeses: these will suit everyone, even if – or perhaps because – they don’t have such potent flavours.

(red/orange), blue cheese, hard cheese, goat or sheep cheese, cream cheese (quark, soft goat cheese, soft sheep cheese).

If you want to come across as an expert, here are a few simple rules:

• Arrange the cheeses so that the mildest is to be sampled first and the strongest last (that means a soft cheese with mould rind first, then a soft cheese with washed rind, followed by a hard cheese, goat or sheep cheese, and a blue cheese last).

• Select cheese made from raw milk over pasteurized milk (do not eat these if you are pregnant!)

• You can dedicate your cheese night to a subject or a region, and serve corresponding beers or wines.

• Select cheese with a registered designation of origin (AOP or IGP), as these European labels guarantee an impeccable artisanal production.

• Write the names of the cheese varieties on small paper flags and stick them into the respective cheeses, so that your guests will know what they are sampling.

• Take the cheese out of the refrigerator at least 30 minutes before it is to be consumed.

• Accompanying foods for a cheese buffet can include unsalted butter, a variety of breads (baguette, brown or black bread, whole grain bread, spice cake, brioche, crackers, etc.), dried or fresh fruits, nuts, fruit pastes and chutneys, and seasonings.

• For a cheese platter, you’ll need at least 4 to 6 different varieties (just 2-3 for 2 people), in all about 200-250 grammes per person.

Soft cheese with mould rind (white), soft cheese with washed rind

• You’re not required to serve red wine – white wine (Gewürztraminer or Chardonnay, for example), beer, cider and champagne are all suitable for a cheese buffet.

• A local cheesemaker in your area is your best bet.

ONE MORE TIP FROM THE EXPERTS: For the holidays, Delhaize adds several varieties of cheese for raclettes and fondues to its already-extensive assortment. These special varieties include Mont d’Or, which is only available in the winter months (from late September until early March) and a few new cheeses: L’Etiaz, an artisan cheese from Switzerland; L’Abondance from Savoy; and the goat cheese Sainte Maure de Touraine, which normally comes wrapped in a grey rind.

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TAPAS

PARTY Tapas works for any occasion ...

A

s we discussed what kind of party menu we should present to our readers in this edition, we all had the same thing in mind, which is that it should be simple, tasty, and entertaining. Something that didn’t require hours slaving in the kitchen, missing the party’s best moments! It also needed to be food that fit any occasion, because New Year’s Eve may only be once a year, but reasons to throw a party can be endless.

Bertrand Duchamps from Atelier de Cuisine de Bertrand in Strassen had just the answer. You may remember his wonderful honey creations, or the series of recipes with beer in KACHEN!

This time Bertrand simply said, “tapas party!” – and we were all on board. Based freely on Bertrand’s motto “everyone pitch in and have fun cooking together”, we rounded up the KACHEN Team and a few good friends, and went to work. Preparing food together is more fun than doing it solo, and allows the hostess or host less work and more time to enjoy company!

You can see the results for yourself here along with the recipes! Rarely has a photo session turned out to be so much fun, and so delicious.

Thank you, Bertrand! www.atelier-de-cuisine.com

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PHOTOS RAMUNAS ASTRAUSKAS

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Vegetable tortillas with smoked trout Serves 8

20 minutes

For the rolls: • 1-2 carrot(s) • 1 cucumber • 4 corn tortillas • 200 g GALBANI mascarpone • 6 tsp fruit mustard (e.g. fig or raspberry mustard) • 125 g rocket • 125 g organic smoked trout For the dip: • 80 g Roquefort SOCIÉTÉ cheese • 150 g EKABE cream cheese (40% fat, dry weight) • almond milk • white pepper • chives and cornflowers for garnish

1 Grate the carrot(s) and slice the cucumber into about 40 thin round slices.

2 Evenly spread some Galbani mascarpone on the tortillas using the back of a spoon, and season generously with pepper. Squeeze a strip of mustard right across the middle. Arrange slices of cucumber along the mustard strip. Distribute the grated carrot, rocket and a few small pieces of trout on the lower half of the tortilla disk, leaving the upper half covered only with mascarpone.

Tightly roll up the tortillas, working from bottom to top.

3 To prepare the dip, squash the Roquefort Société with a fork and mix with the Ekabe cream cheese and white pepper. Add some almond milk to thin the consistency if necessary.

4 With a sharp knife, slice the tortilla rolls into bite-sized pieces and garnish with chives and dried cornflower blossoms. Serve with the Roquefort dip.

Useful tip: The tortilla rolls can be made 2-3 hours ahead. Just tightly wrap the rolled up tortillas in cling film and place in the refrigerator. Cut into 1 inch-wide rolls just before serving.

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Pumpkin cream soup with turmeric and crayfish

Serves 8

40 minutes

•7 00 g butternut squash • 2 shallots • coconut oil and olive oil • 150 ml white wine (Pinot Blanc from the Moselle region) • 500 ml water • 250 g cooked crayfish • walnut oil • 1 tsp turmeric powder • 1 tsp sweet paprika powder • 250 ml EKABE crème fraîche (30% fat) 25 cl (alternatively, in case of lactose intolerance: 250 ml almond milk) • seasoning salt • toasted flax seeds, pumpkin seed, and pumpkin seed oil for garnish 1 Dice the pumpkin into 1.5 cm cubes, skin on. Finely chop the shallots. Sweat the shallots in some coconut oil and olive oil in a large saucepan until translucent. Stir in the diced squash. After about 5 minutes, add the wine and simmer until the alcohol has evaporated. Then add the water, bring to a boil and simmer for about 20 minutes, until the squash is tender. 2 In the meantime, mix the crayfish with 2 tablespoons of walnut oil and seasoning salt and set aside. 3 Add the turmeric and paprika powder to the squash and mix with a hand-held blender until smooth. Stir in the Ekabe cream (or almond milk). Garnish with crayfish, toasted flax seeds, pumpkin seeds, paprika powder, and some walnut and pumpkin seed oil to serve.

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Green hummus with lobster Serves 8

25 minutes

• 2 Canadian lobsters (about 325 g each) • 1 tbsp butter • 1 tbsp. olive oil • seasoning salt • 250 g glass jar of boiled organic chickpeas • 100 g tahini (sesame paste) • juice of ½ lemon • 1 handful of mixed greens (cress, spinach and tarragon) • 50 g GALBANI mascarpone • black sesame seeds, pomegranate seeds and small basil leaves for garnish

1 Slice open the lobster to expose the meat. Cut the prettiest pieces into small medallions. Set aside the other edible parts.

Place the lobster medallions in a small pan with butter and olive oil, and add a little seasoning salt. Fry on low heat for about 5 minutes, then turn off the heat and set aside.

2 To prepare the chickpea hummus, simply place all remaining ingredients (i.e. the chickpeas, tahini, lemon juice, mixed greens and Galbani mascarpone) in a blender and mix until smooth. Also add the liquid from the chickpea jar and the leftover lobster meat. Season with salt and pepper, adding a little more lemon juice to taste. 3 Arrange the lobster medallions on the hummus. Garnish with black sesame seeds, pomegranate seeds and perhaps some small basil leaves.

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Bertrand's spaghetti with sardines, pine nuts and raisins Serves 8

30 minutes

• 5 tbsp pine nuts • 4 rusks • 1 tbsp salted butter • olive oil • 500 g spaghetti • 4 tbsp raisins • 2 tins of sardines with wild fennel in olive oil (Atelier de Bertrand) • Salt and freshly ground black pepper 1 Toast the pine nuts in the oven for about 8 minutes at 180 °C, without any oil. 2 Coarsely crush the rusks in a mortar. Put 1 tbsp of salted butter in a small saucepan with 1 tbsp of olive oil. Lightly

toast the coarse rusk crumbs, then set aside. 3 Cook the spaghetti in salted water according to the package instructions, until al dente. Before you drain the pasta, scoop out 1 cup of cooking water and set aside. Put the pasta back in the pot immediately after draining. Add the oil from the sardine cans and another generous glug of olive oil. Add the raisins, pine nuts and pepper.

To finish, add the sardines and the pasta cooking water to the spaghetti and toss gently to break up the sardines. Arrange on deep plates or in bowls and serve immediately.

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Indian style chicken with coriander, mint and ginger Serves 8 25 minutes + marinate for min. 1 hour (or overnight) • 500 g organic chicken breast • ½ red pepper • few baby spinach leaves For the marinade: • 1 lemon • 2 cloves of garlic • 1 tbsp freshly grated ginger • 3 tbsp. olive oil • 1 tbsp Panch-Phoran spice mix (fennel, cumin, black cumin, mustard seeds) (Atelier de Bertrand)• 1 tsp Madras curry powder • 1 tsp turmeric powder • seasoning salt For the dip: • 250 g EKABE cream cheese • 1-2 tbsp fresh mint • 2 tbsp freshly grated ginger • 2 cloves of garlic • Piment d’Espelette • seasoning salt

1 Rinse the chicken, pat dry and place in a shallow bowl or dish.

For the marinade, grate the zest of the lemon out squeeze the juice. Add the zest and juice to the raw fillets and combine with the crushed garlic, grated ginger and olive oil.

2 Briefly toast the Panch-Phoran spice mix in a pan without oil, then crush in a mortar and add to the fillets, along with the other spices. Massage into the fillets and cover with plastic wrap.

Marinate for at least 1 hour or even overnight in the fridge.

3 To prepare the dip, mix the Ekabe cream cheese with the chopped mint, ginger, crushed garlic, some Piment d'Espelette and seasoning salt.

4 Remove the fillets from the marinade and grill on a plancha with a little oil. Serve with fresh diced peppers and spinach leaves, with the cream cheese dip on the side.

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Seasonal fruit with ginger, tarragon and buckwheat Serves 8

20 minutes

• 3-4 tbsp buckwheat • 150 g apple • 150 g pear • ½ tbsp neutral oil • 150 g black grapes • 2 tangerines • 1 pomegranate • 1 passion fruit • 2 fresh figs • 4 tbsp ginger cordial (Atelier de Bertrand) • fresh tarragon 1 Toast the buckwheat in a non-stick frying pan for 10 minutes, without any oil. Make sure it doesn't burn. Set aside.

2 Dice the apple and pear and place in a bowl. Add a little neutral oil so that the fruit doesn't turn brown. Halve the grapes, peel and halve the tangerines, remove the pomegranate seeds from the fruit, spoon out the passion fruit flesh and seeds, and put everything in the bowl.

3 Finely chop the tarragon and add the the fruit along with the ginger cordial. Mix gently and dress in bowls with the fresh figs cut into eighths. Sprinkle with toasted buckwheat just before serving.

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Chocolate fondant with tangerine and salted caramel Serves 8

30 minutes

• 150 g 72% dark chocolate • 150 g salted butter • 3 organic eggs • 75 g Muscovado sugar with vanilla • 1 ½ tbsp buckwheat flour • 1-2 tangerines • 8 tbsp salted caramel • Fleur-de-sel 1 Break the chocolate into pieces and place in a small pan. Add the salted butter and slowly melt on low heat, sitting constantly. Then set aside. 2 Add 2 whole eggs and an extra yolk to a bowl. Add the sugar and whist until light and frothy.

Stir in the flour and then carefully combine the chocolate mix with the egg batter. Add the grated zest of one tangerine. 3 Beat the remaining egg white with a pinch of fleur-de-sel and fold into the batter. 4 Pour the batter into small oven-proof ramequins, decorate with 3 half tangerine segments and bake for about 10 minutes at 190 °C. Remove from the oven, let cool slightly and top each fondant with 1 tbsp of salted caramel.

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ST_LE_GO

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Dreaming of a perfect Christmas?

Everyone longs for the perfect Christmas celebration with family or friends. Unfortunately, all the demands of daily life often get in the way. The magic word: outsourcing!

C

hristmas. One word suffices to bring images to one’s mind.

Everyone’s are different, and yet almost all of us share the dream of escaping the daily routine and immersing ourselves in a warm, secure, and cosy parallel universe of candlelight and a burning log. The aroma of home-made, soul-nourishing foods.

Songs and stories. Sparkling ornaments on a ceiling-high Christmas tree that emits a very special scent of nature and festivity.

TEXT KATHRIN WERNO

So far, so good – that was the fantasy. Unfortunately there’s also the reality in which most of us are stuck. Christmas looms ahead, making our to-do lists ever longer: decorations, gifts, meal planning.

Between work and family, there’s not much room left for the wish to enjoy a little of the Advent season. Calm and reflection – such coveted things – are in all too short supply, and one finds oneself standing in the kitchen on Christmas Eve, stressed to the eyeballs.

The celebration can be moved to a restaurant, which may of course be wonderful, but there will always be one thing missing, and that’s

domesticity. A restaurant will never have the smells of home, the space to move about freely or the cosy retreats of couch and kitchen.

The best parties take place in one’s home – and that especially applies to Christmas.

How would you like to create a wonderful and magical Christmas, within your own four walls, for yourself and your loved ones – completely stress-free? Impossible? On the contrary! The magic word is outsourcing!

There are now services for every wish, where you can be the easygoing director of your own holiday film. You love to decorate, but don’t like all the cooking? Concentrate fully on what you like to do, and dazzle your guests with a dream dinner prepared by a chef! Or give the party planning over to professional agency and find your bliss in creating a buffet. The wonderful thing about outsourcing is that you can move the puzzle pieces around and tinker with it, until just the desired picture emerges. Happy tinkering!

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REPORT n

Idea treasure chest: Kachen has put together a few ideas and addresses for creating a personal Christmas wonderland.

LA BELLE ASSIETTE

JAZZ & BLUES IN THE BUS

French, Italian, or maybe Thai? Three-course classics or elaborate signature dinner, topped with a Yule log iced in buttercream? At www. labelleassiette.lu you can choose from almost 2,750 meal suggestions, prepared by renowned chefs right in your home. The “Chef à domicile” concept is currently experiencing a veritable boom and allows for a trouble-free celebration at home; after choosing your menu, a cooking team will come to your home with all the ingredients, cook them in your kitchen, serve at table like in a restaurant and leave your kitchen squeaky clean. Sounds good, doesn’t it? www.labelleassiette.lu

Jakob’s House and Demy Schandeler have recently started a new business together – a bus that can be let for private events, with a bar, music, and everything one needs for a stylish party. A different kind of Christmas? www.afterworkontour.lu

COOKING AND EATING WITH FRIENDS

Mevengreen is an internationally active event agency with a branch in Petingen. It manages corporate events, weddings and private parties with the possibility to order support as needed, “à la carte”. www.mevengreen.lu

Catering specialist Isabelle Gayral provides a special kind of Christmas menu with her business “Un toqué chez moi”. She has created a network of around 20 Luxembourg chefs and confectioners who can be called up to your home for culinary service, including a workshop. www.untoquechezmoi.lu

BOUCHERAT Walferdingen’s “Créateur d’évènements” also offers his “Clé en main” concept for private events – and draws from a wide range of services. www.boucherat.lu

MEVENGREEN

SPECIAL MEMORIES Private events specialist Angela Leroy also provides decorations and furnishings. www.specialmemories.lu

AS YOU LIKE IT ...

The French chef Sylvain Relativo covers all three options with his “Cuisine et passion” service: here one can order classic catering service, but also an evening with the chef à domicile and even cookery courses at home among friends. www.cuisine-et-passion.com

GREEN COOKERY WITH THE TRAVELLING CHEF “Healthy, mindful eating is a luxury!” is the Travelling Chef ’s motto. Luxembourg native Laura Franck has returned home after comprehensive training as a chef in France and has started her own business with her “Wanderkächin” concept. She too will come to her guests’ homes, but cooks with regional organic products. Laura Franck has contact with numerous farmers and knows how to cook in an energy-conserving and healthy way, with vegetables as the stars, and meat in supporting roles. www.wanderkaechin.lu

MADAME EST SERVIE ...

Delivery by a classic catering service is naturally one way to enjoy a stylish Christmas dinner at home, without personal effort. Luxemburg has many excellent caterers who can provide you with a buffet to suit your tastes, with or without table service.

A SELECTION OF GOOD ADDRESSES: Code-Cuisine, www.code-cuisine.lu, Tel.: 471 817 360 De Schnékert, www.schnekert.lu, Tel.: 2828 9009 Kaempff-Kohler, www.kaempff-kohler.lu, Tel.: 474 747 448 L’Atelier du Windsor, www.atelierwindsor.lu, Tel.: 263 993 Niessen, www.niessen.lu, Tel.: 998 103 Oberweis, www.oberweis.lu, Tel.: 403 140 1 Paul Eischen, www.pauleischen.lu, Tel.: 263 031 Steffen Traiteur, www.steffentraiteur.lu, Tel.: 399 650 300 2017 / 4 | KACHEN | 41

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Comfort Food food for the soul

“When I’m in trouble, eating is the only thing that comforts me.” Oscar Wilde has lots of company: in times of stress or when it’s cold and unpleasant outside, “comfort food” – dishes which awaken childhood memories and provide inner warmth and strength – can help.

Just the aroma of one’s favourite food as a child can trigger feelings of happiness in most people. One feels transported back to a safe and happy time. “Comfort food” is something very individual and emotional – it brings to mind visits to grandparents, travel, a first date ... for one it can be Grandmother‘s rice pudding with cinnamon and

sugar, while for another it might be Mother‘s noodle casserole or a giant piece of chocolate cake.

Edible bliss doesn’t come entirely without consequences, however: most culinary comforts are calorie bombs which are more burdensome to our bodies than they are beneficial. But if they are good for the soul, so what? Never mind the calories, satisfaction is what counts!

KACHEN presents its editors’ favourite comfort foods.

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RECIPES n

Grandma's Pasta Bake Which our editor Barbara Fischer-Fürwentsches' mother is still expected to make whenever her children and grandchildren come to visit.

Serves 4-6

15 minutes + 45 minutes in the oven

• 250 g fusilli pasta • 1 inch-thick slice of cooked ham or Kasseler roast leftovers, cut into dice (about 150 g) • 1 egg • ¼ litre milk • nutmeg, salt, pepper to taste • a pinch of starch • Parmesan cheese, grated • breadcrumbs • pats of butter 1 Cook the pasta al dente and rinse with cold water to prevent sticking. Grease an oven dish and layer the pasta with the ham cubes. 2 Beat the milk, egg and spices with the mixer and pour over the noodles. Sprinkle the top layer with Parmesan, breadcrumbs and little pats of butter. 3 Bake in the oven at 225 °C for approximately 30 minutes, until you get a nice crispy crust. 4 Serve with fresh home-made apple compote, preferably still lukewarm.

PHOTOS RAMUNAS ASTRAUSKAS

Useful tip: Use a flat, wide oven-proof dish for easier portioning of the delicious crust.

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Kasseler roast pork with sauerkraut and potato mash Our editor Barbara Fischer-Fürwentsches' childhood Sunday roast - and Monday pasta casserole made from the leftovers.

Serves 4-6

10 minutes + 1 hour cooking time

• 1 kg Kasseler cured and smoked pork loin (rib piece with the fat on) - for the juiciest roast, leave the bone in • some mustard • 1 onion • 1 tomato + tomato paste • 2 cloves of garlic • salt, pepper (go easy on the salt, as the meat is salted during the curing process) • a piece of brown bread or brown bread crust (to give the gravy a dark colour) • a floury potato • some cream

1 Rub the meat with mustard all over. 2 Heat a large oven-proof casserole dish on high, and sear the meat on all sides in lard or oil to seal. 3 Add the onion, tomato, tomato paste, garlic and bread.

4 Place in the preheated oven and roast for about 50 minutes at 200 °C without the lid on. 5 Remove the roast, wrap in aluminium foil and let stand. 6 Use the cooking juices to prepare a nice gravy: Boil with a little water, grate in a floury potato (to bind), purée with a blender or strain through a sieve, and finish with a touch of cream. 7 Ideally, serve with mashed potatoes and sauerkraut. 8 Any leftover roast meat can be used in a noodle casserole the next day.

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Feel-Good Foods for Winter: We asked our readers to post their favourite “comfort foods” for the cold winter months on KACHEN’s Facebook page – here is a selection of home-made, soulful treats: • Sauerkraut with hearty side dishes • Black pudding with mashed potatoes and applesauce (“Heaven and Earth”) • Fried or poached eggs on toast with tomato sauce and noodles • Bean or pea soup with mettwurst (“Bouneschlupp” or “Ierzebulli”) • Vegetable soup with potato fritters (“Gromperekichelcher”) • Barley soup with mettwurst • Lentil soup with Italian sausage

This is the dish that gets our editor Elisabeth Beckers through the dark winter days.

Serves 4

30 minutes + 1 hour in the oven

• 8 endives (medium-sized) • 8 slices cooked ham • 2 tbsp. butter • 2 tbsp. flour • 600 ml milk • salt • fresh nutmeg • 150 g Gouda, Emmenthaler or Gruyère 1 Wash and halve the endives lengthwise. Cut out a cone shape to remove the slightly bitter core, then put the two halves back together and wrap each endive in a slice of ham. Place in an oven-proof dish. 2 Preheat the oven to 180-200 °C. 3 To prepare the roux, melt the butter in a saucepan, add the flour and whisk until smooth. Gradually add the cold milk and bring to a boil, stirring constantly. After about 10-15 minutes, you should get a thick bechamel sauce. Season with salt and a little fresh grated nutmeg. 4 Pour the bechamel over the ham-wrapped endives and bake in the oven for about 1 hour. 15 minutes before the end, sprinkle the grated cheese on top of the endives and let melt. To finish, place the dish under a hot grill if desired to give the cheese a nice golden-brown colour. 5 Serve with boiled potatoes and a green salad.

RECIPE VICTOIRE BECKERS-KALLEN

You’ll find recipes for “Ierzebulli” and “Gromperekichelcher” at www.kachen.lu

Baked endive wrapped in ham

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"Schmull mat Äppelkompott" (semolina pudding with apple compote and meringue) Just the thought of this dish, the childhood comfort food her mother used to love making for her and her sister, makes editor-in-chief Bibi Wintersdorf feel all warm and fuzzy inside. When the spirits are low and the weather is gloomy, this sweet treat definitely hits the spot.

Serves 4

10 minutes

For the semolina pudding • 3 ½ cups of milk (or almond milk) • 1 cup of durum wheat semolina • 2 tbsp. sugar • 1 handful of raisins • 1 piece of butter • 1 egg yolk For the apple compote • 2-3 tart apples (Boskop or garden apples) • 1 tbsp. butter • 1-2 tbsp. sugar

For the apple compote Peel the apples and place them in a microwave-safe bowl with the sugar and butter. Cover and microwave on maximum power for 30 seconds until the apples are tender. Caution: Compote tends to boil over in the microwave, so that it's best to take it step by step. Obviously, you can also cook the compote in a pan on a stove the traditional way.

Useful tip: During the festive season, you can also flavour the apple compote with cinnamon and other Christmas spices.

For the meringue • 2 egg whites • 1 tbsp. sugar • 1 pinch of salt

For the meringue: Beat the egg whites with a pinch of salt and the sugar until stiff.

For the semolina pudding Briefly bring the milk to a boil in a saucepan. Remove from heat, stir in the semolina and sugar and simmer for a few minutes, stirring constantly, until the semolina begins to swell. Remove from heat, add the butter and raisins and stir. Once the semolina has cooled slightly, stir in the egg yolks.

To serve: Layer the apple compote on top of the semolina pudding in a fireproof dish and top with the meringue. Place under the grill for a few seconds until the little peaks on the meringue begin to brown (careful, depending on the oven, this can happen really fast!)

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ADVERTORIAL n

Chocolate Brings Happiness – And Not Just on Holidays!

The holiday season has been officially rung in, and Chocolats du Coeur proudly presents this year’s creations.

T

rue to its motto “chocolate brings happiness”, one can buy Chocolats du Coeur’s scrumptious creations directly at the factory in Bissen (Ateliers du Tricentenaire) or in “Bar à chocolat”, its lovely boutique in Walferdingen. The latter opened in July 2016 and has been immensely popular with chocolate lovers ever since. It also serves crepes, ice cream and homemade pastries.

A brand new treat is the pairing of select alcoholic beverages with pralines. Crémant, wine and port are selected and paired with pralines with the help of Maître Sommelier Pascal Carré.

The beverages can also be bought by the bottle, or as part of a customised gift basket.

Christmas Praline Bar 115 g (€ 4,50) Mix of chocolate / pralines

Chocolate fondue Serves 4

5 St. Nicks 80 g (€ 3,95) Assorted chocolates

Christmas Ornaments 40 g (€ 5,00) Assorted chocolates / pralines

15 minutes

• 200 g of your favourite chocolate • 200 ml whipped cream or whole milk • 1-2 tbsp. Baileys or Amaretto (optional) • For dipping: Fresh fruit, cubed white bread, dried fruits, biscuits and marshmallows 1 Break the chocolate into small pieces. 2 Put the cream or milk in a saucepan and heat slowly on the stove. Stir in the chocolate until completely melted. Finish with the Baileys or Amaretto. 3 Cut the fruit into bite-sized chunks and place in some small bowls. 4 Pour the chocolate-cream mixture into a ceramic fondue pot and keep warm on a tea candle or fondue burner. Alternatively, place in a bowl in a hot water bath to keep the mixture liquid, or melt the chocolate directly in a chocolate fondue set. Stir occasionally. 5 Dip the pieces of fruit, bread cubes, biscuits and marshmallows into the liquid chocolate at the table and enjoy!

Christmas Creation 350 g (€ 26,50) Mix of chocolate / pralines

Bar à chocolat Opening hours: Tue – Thu 10:30 a.m. – 6:30 p.m., Fri 10:00 a.m. – 6:30 p.m., Sat 10:00 a.m. – 5:30 p.m.

50, route de Diekirch - L-7220 Walferdingen Tel. +352 26 33 07 71 - www.chocolatsducoeur.lu 2017 / 4 | KACHEN | 47

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“No Waste”: Leftovers as Food Presentation!

With this last edition for 2017, we round out our “no waste” campaign with Chef Carlo SAUBER, who shows us how to use leftovers, vegetable peelings, and garnishes for our end-of-the-year festivities.

Crumbles and powdered seasoning:

Olives, mushrooms, pistachios, leftover cheese, and much more …

Pistachio breading: Give breadcrumbs a dash of flavour by adding pistachios or other nuts for breading foods to be deep-fried. They will not only be crispier, they will also have a more intense flavour.

Powdered mushroom seasoning: Mushroom powder enhances your risotto dishes and fillings, and brings out the taste of salad dressings and warm sauces. Powdered mushroom – a very tasteful seasoning!

Cheese crumbles: Grate all the leftover hard and semi hard cheeses to make crumbles. You’ll also need 50 g cheese, 25 g butter, 25 g ground pistachios and 25 g flour. Combine all ingredients, place on a parchment-lined baking sheet and roast in the oven at 190 °C (fan) for 15 minutes. The crumbles can be used as a crust for breaded white meat or fish, and will keep chilled in an airtight container for a month.

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Powdered olive: One tin of pitted black olives, drained. Spread the olives on a parchment-lined baking sheet and slowly dry them in the oven at a temperature of between 60 and 70 °C for 5 to 8 hours.

Afterwards, simply stir them until they crumble into a powder.

Store in an airtight container.

Cod Ballotine with powdered olive seasoning: Marinate saddle of cod in brine (50 g salt to 1 litre water) for 20 minutes. Afterwards roll the fish tightly in plastic foil and cook in a steam oven at 70 °C for 30 minutes. Remove the plastic foil and roll the Cod Ballotine in powdered black olive.

Pesto from carrot and beetroot leaves: Mix roasted hazelnuts with the leaves from beetroots and carrots, garlic, and olive oil. This pesto goes well with fresh vegetables: wash well and slowly cook with some butter in a covered pot at low heat. Season to taste with salt and pepper and garnish with a chervil leaf.

Photo : © Eric Steichen / RTL

NEWS We are pleased to welcome Anne FABER to our cooking studio in late 2017 and 2018. Her cookery course is based on the recipes found on her blog, “Anne’s Kitchen”.

Since 2013, Anne Faber has been enthralling Luxembourg’s culinary scene with her television appearances and her “Anne’s Kitchen” books. Known for her simple and uncomplicated cookery with recipes inspired from her travels, Anne Faber will bring you exotic taste sensations during her cookery course at Miele.

Under Anne’s direction you’ll prepare an entire meal which will be sampled on site.

www.miele.lu/sessions-de-cuisson Information and contact: Valérie MAIRESSE Tel.: 49 711-29 E-Mail: cookingstudio@miele.lu 2017 / 4 | KACHEN | 49

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WARMING WINTER SPICE On freezing cold and dreary winter days, there's nothing like a cosy aroma wafting through the house to make you feel all snug. Fragrances and flavours are scientifically proven to have a powerful effect on our state of mind.

Make the most of it and use our tips and tricks to turn your home into a winter wonderland!

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DO IT YOURSELF n

CINNAMON CANDLES 10 minutes + 24 hours drying time • Candles (only slightly bigger than a cinnamon stick) • Cinnamon sticks • Hot glue gun • Twine, string or ribbon 1 Using the hot glue gun, stick the cinnamon sticks to the candle. The glue will set relatively quickly, but you should let it dry for 24 hours before using the candle.

2 Tie with twine, string or ribbon. This is necessary because the glue may lose its strength as the candle burns. The heat releases the full aroma of the cinnamon sticks, but never leave a burning candle unattended.

DRIED ORANGE SLICES 5 minutes + 1 hour in the oven • fresh oranges • a sharp knife • baking paper

RECIPES & PHOTOS ELISABETH BECKERS

1 Preheat the oven to 180 °C, using the fan mode.

2 Cut the orange into 5 mm thick slices, removing any visible pips in the process.

3 Pat the slices dry with some kitchen roll.

4 Dry in the oven for 20 minutes on a tray lined with baking paper, checking from time to time to make sure that the slices are not burning. Turn over and leave in the oven for another 20 minutes. Reduce the oven temperature to 150 °C and dry for a further 20 minutes.

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COOKING UP HOME FRAGRANCES These combinations of fruits and spices smell nice and christmassy even when dry, but only boiling water releases the full aroma. Packed in jute sachets, gift pouches or storage jars, the dry ingredients make a lovely present which conjures up a cosy atmosphere with your loved ones in the blink of an eye.

You can create your own aromatic mix depending on what your happen to have at hand. Use only dry ingredients and your mix will keep for about 1 month. Some of our favourite combinations: •d ried apple slices, star anise, nutmeg and cardamom pods.

• fresh rosemary, candied ginger, dried orange slices and cloves • Fresh or dried cranberries, cinnamon sticks, dried lemon slices and fresh pine needles Here are the instructions for boiling your aromatic mix, which you can which you can write on a small piece of paper and attach to the gift.

1 Fill a pot with water to ¾ full, add the fruits and spices and bring to a boil.

2 Reduce the heat, down to a gentle simmer. After a few hours, turn off the stove.

3 Simply let stand overnight and bring to the boil again the next day, adding water as needed. That way, the mix will last about 2-3 days.

Useful tip: At home, you can also use fresh fruit and ginger root.

Citrus peel also smells wonderful!

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ADVERTORIAL n

Christmas at Oberweis

P

atisserie Oberweis has been an institution in Luxembourg’s culinary landscape for over a half century. They have the good reputation of having indulged the Grand Ducal Family with delicacies as fournisseur de la cour for nearly 20 years. In order to fulfil the high demands of both bourgeois and aristocratic customers during the Advent season in Luxemburg, the surrounding area, and this year even beyond, the family business is once again offering an irresistible selection of seasonal treats and delicacies. Here you’ll find popular classics like stollen, with or without marzipan, in all imaginable sizes. Naturally in keeping with the history and philosophy

of the House of Oberweis, even the most traditional goodies are given modern, exotic, or surprising notes. Typical Christmas aromas like anise and cinnamon might be blended with a pinch of cardamom.

But this long-standing Luxembourg business also appreciates regional ingredients. The much-loved Liefkuch, for example, is made with genuine Lëtzebuerger Hunneg. Along with confections, candied fruits, and panettone, now also popular in the Grand Duchy, Tom Oberweis has once again created a Christmas marmalade. What does it taste like this year? That’s something you should find out for yourself. We can only tell you that it’s delicious!

Special Christmas recommendations from Oberweis: Stollen balls: legendary Christmas stollen as a bite-size appetizer. Gingerbread: with a finely developed recipe, and original Luxembourg honey.

Panettone: the Italian pastry classic has also become a real holiday hit at the House of Oberweis. Christmas marmalade: every year, Tom Oberweis comes up with a new creation. A must-try!

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Pear

TIRAMISU CHARLOTTE

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STEP BY STEP

n

1 hour - Refrigeration time: at least 6 hours Baking time: 5 hours • 500 g sponge fingers for the base and sides • 1 cup Espresso For the pear filling: • 4 pears + 1 pear for decorating • ½ tsp vanilla powder • ½ tsp cinnamon • 1 tbsp brown sugar • 3 tbsp lemon juice For the cream: • 200 ml double cream • 1 sachet vanilla sugar • 2 tbsp sugar • 500 g GALBANI mascarpone • 200 g EKABE sour cream (30 % fat) • 100 g semisweet dark chocolate couverture For the paste: 1 Place a 24 cm springform baking tin with the bottom removed on a serving plate. Line the base with sponge fingers.Prepare the espresso and let cool.

1

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For the pear filling: 2 Wash, peel and core the pears, and cut into small pieces.

Combine the pears, vanilla, cinnamon, sugar and lemon juice in a small pan and bring to a simmer. Cook for about 5-6 minutes and then strain well. Spread the cooked pear mix onto the biscuit base.

For the cream: 3 Whip the double cream and vanilla sugar to soft peaks.

Carefully fold in the mascarpone and Ekabe sour cream.

Spread ⅓ of the cream on top of the pears. Arrange a layer of sponge fingers on top and soak with the cold espresso.

Spread another third of the cream on top of the biscuit layer and chill in the fridge for at least 6 hours. Also refrigerate the rest of the cream.

PHOTOS RAMUNAS ASTRAUSKAS

To decorate: 4 Preheat the oven to 50 °C Wash and dry the last pear and cut into thin slices. Arrange the slices over some kitchen roll and use another sheet to blot dry. Dehydrate the slices in the oven for at least 5 hours. Wedge the oven door open with a wooden spoon to allow the steam to escape. Once the pears are dry and cooled down, store in an airtight container.

5 Melt the couverture chocolate. Brush the sponge fingers with melted chocolate halfway up on both sides and let set on a piece of greaseproof paper.

6 Remove the cake ring from the cake. Cover the sides of the cake with the rest of the cream and then line them with the sponge fingers, arranging them vertically. Decorate the charlotte with the pear slices just before serving so ensure that they don't go soft.

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E X C L U S I V E LY F O R K A C H E N

CAKE-DESIGN

A shared passion

S

weet Factory emerged from the meeting of two passionate cake designers, Liberty and Christine.

Liberty actually studied law and had worked for a few years as a business consultant, before she decided in 2013 to give it all up and start her own cake design business, Sweet Lily. Christine’s story is similar: after studying economics and more than 20 years in the banking industry, she’d had enough, and likewise turned to her hobby, cake designing, with full enthusiasm.

Sweet Factory is naturally a member of the “Les Sucrés du Lux”.

RECIPE SWEET FACTORY PHOTOS RAMUNAS ASTRAUSKAS

The two met in 2016 and decided to join forces. They opened the Sweet Factory in the concept store Robin du LAC, where it’s still found today.

Sweet Factory wants one thing – to create unforgettable moments, whether it’s for a birthday, baby shower, baptism, communion, wedding, or other celebrations with family, friends, or coworkers.

Together with their two confectioners, Emanuella and Tatiana, Liberty and Christine will fulfil any confectionary wish you could possibly have, in any conceivable way, from sweet tables and specialities like carrot cake, red velvet cake and their outstanding pecan pie, to artistic, multi-tiered tortes and sugary creations. In the party shop one finds all accessories needed for a successful party.

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LES SUCRÉS DU LUX n

Christmas fruitcake Serves 12

2 hours + 2 hours baking time

• 1 kg mixed dried fruits (raisins, pineapples, cranberries, figs, dates...)

• 1 lemon • 1 orange • 150 ml + 2 tbsp. brandy • 250 g butter • 200 g brown sugar • 180 g flour • ½ tsp. baking powder • 100 g ground almonds • 100 g slivered almonds • 4 eggs • 1 tsp. vanilla extract • 2 tsp. Spice mix (white pepper, ginger, nutmeg, clove) • 1 tsp. cinnamon For the butter cream: • 500 g powdered sugar • 250 g butter • 2 tsp. vanilla extract • 1-2 tbsp. milk • Ready to roll icing 1 Place the dried fruits, juice and grated zest of 1 lemon and 1 orange, the brandy, butter and sugar in a large pot and bring to a boil.

Simmer for 5 minutes, then allow to cool for at least 30 minutes.

2 Preheat the oven to 150 °C and line a deep cake tin (ø 20 cm) with a double layer of baking paper.

3 Add the remaining ingredients to the fruit mixture and mix well.

Pour into the prepared cake tin and bake for 2 hours in the oven.

Remove the cake from the oven, prick a few holes into it with a skewer and drizzle with 2 tablespoons of brandy or sugar syrup.

4 For the butter cream, put the icing sugar, butter and vanilla extract in a blender and mix for at least 5 minutes. Add some milk to thin the consistency if necessary. With a spatula, spread a thin layer of buttercream all over the cake.

5 Put the cake in the fridge for 1 hour. Add a second, even layer of butter cream, then put the cake back in the fridge for at least 2 hours or overnight. Alternatively, place in the freezer for 30 minutes.

Dust a large work surface with powdered sugar. Roll out the fondant icing around 0.50-0.75 cm thick, and then cover the cake with it. Smooth the fondant and trim off any excess with a kitchen knife. Decorate to taste using different coloured fondants. For a 2- or 3-tiered cake, repeat the previous steps, making sure that the diameter of each new tier is at least 5 cm smaller than the previous one.

70 Route d'Esch L-1470 Luxembourg Tel.: +352 26 37 99 29 www.sweetfactory.lu

TIPS & TRICKS from

Yves Jehanne

Give your cream more character!

For a whipped cream that’s a cut above the rest, try the following trick. Mix your cream (35% FDM, naturally) with mascarpone or cream cheese! For the mascarpone version go for a 50/50 blend (i.e. half cream and half mascarpone) to give your cream more grip and an especially delicious flavour.

For the cream cheese version, 30 % suffices, i.e. make almost of a third of it cream cheese (like Philadelphia). Delicious and somewhat lighter!

Pancakes just like in Brittany !

For pancakes with an authentic Breton touch, simply take some lightly salted butter (beurre demi-sel) and let it brown in the pan to give it a nutty aroma. Melt another piece of butter

Chef-Patissier Steffen Traîteur

in a saucepan and whisk constantly as it changes colour. As soon as a nutty aroma fills your kitchen, remove the butter from the stove. A slight browning is sufficient. Then add it to the pancake batter. Bon appétit!

Cake icing - easy, quick, and scrumptious!

To make a delicious coating which spreads well and doesn’t crumble when cut for your children’s favourite cake or for dessert for guests, simply dunk the top half of the cake in melted white, dark, or milk chocolate that’s been mixed with 10 % oil (ideally grapeseed oil).

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BA K I N G in

WINTER simply, naturally, and with love

T

he days are getting shorter, and the nights frosty. This is the best time of the year to fill the kitchen with the enticing aroma of freshly-baked cakes and biscuits. Coming home is now a special pleasure, because popular TV chef Theresa Baumgärtner invites us into her private winter bakehouse to reveal her favourite recipes, offer decorative ideas for the winter season, and spark our imagination with stories about friendship, love of nature, and time for family and for oneself.

Made simply, naturally, and with love, the sweet and savoury delicacies of winter baking bring us through the cold months. Whether you’re in the country, on the coast, in the mountains or in the city, Theresa’s recipes are always from the heart and inspire novice and hobby bakers alike. Late autumn is when apples, pears and nuts are ripe and ready. There are sweet cakes and savoury tarts. Soon it will be time for fruitcakes and Christmas stollen. And when the first snow falls in the mountains, we know that Christmas will soon be here, along with kipferl, butter biscuits, and all the beloved holiday delicacies. In January we travel north to Stockholm, for Scandinavian lifestyle & baking for the soul. Winter can be so wonderful!

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RECIPES n

CONTEST We’re giving away 3 copies of “Backen in der Winterzeit”.

The first 3 submissions shall win a copy of the book.

Send an e-mail with the word “Theresa” to: gewinnen@kachen.lu The winners will be informed within 2 weeks after submission.

BACKEN IN DER WINTERZEIT - Brandstätter Verlag ISBN 978-3-7106-0098-2 - In German - 240 pages - 29,90 €

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King’s Cake Galette des Rois For one galette (ø 28 cm) • 250 g white spelt flour, Type 630 • 5 g sea salt • 150 g ice-cold butter • 150 g ice-cold water For the filling: • 165 g butter softened at room temperature • 115 g powdered raw cane sugar • 1 pinch of sea salt • 3 eggs • 150 g blanched ground almonds • 3 tsp. rum For the egg wash: • 1 egg yolk • 1 tbsp. milk • a little spelt flour for the work surface 1 Combine the flour and salt in a mixing bowl and grate the butter on top. Quickly rub the flour and butter into a crumble.

Add the water and quickly knead into a smooth dough ball Wrap in cling film and chill for an hour. 2 Roll out the dough 1 cm thick on a lightly floured work surface, so as to form a rectangle three times as long as it is wide., e.g. 15 x 45 cm. Fold the dough on itself from both sides to create three-layer square. Turn the dough 90 degrees, roll it out into a rectangle like the first time and then fold again. Wrap the dough in cling film and chill for an hour. Then roll it out again twice using the same method and chill for another hour. Roll out and repeat again, and then chill for one hour one last time. 3 In the meantime, whip the butter with the powdered sugar and salt until creamy. Whisk the eggs a little before stirring them in gradually. Last, stir the almonds and rum into the cream. 4 Preheat the oven to 180 °C (fan-assisted mode). Line a baking tray with greaseproof paper.

5 Divide the dough in half. Roll out half of the dough about 4 mm thick. Cut out a 28 cm Ø disk using a cake tin base of the same size as a template. Using a cake server, lift the dough onto the baking sheet. Evenly spread the filling on top, leaving a 3 cm margin. Roll out the second half of the dough according to the same instructions. Brush the edge of the base with water.

Place the other disk of dough on top like a lid and carefully pinch the edges together. To decorate, squeeze the edges with two fingers 5 cm apart, using a small knife to pinch them in right in between to create a scalloped edge. Prick the middle of the cake two or three times with a needle to allow the steam to escape during baking. Whisk the egg yolks with the milk to make an egg wash and use to brush the surface. Bake the cake for about 30 minutes until golden brown. Cool on a rack and serve fresh if possible.

TIPS If you're in a hurry: Take two butter puff pastry disks measuring Ø 28 cm out of the fridge. In France, the Galette des Rois is traditionally baked for Epiphany, with a little porcelain figure hidden in the filling. The person who finds it is named 'king' for the day and gets to wear a paper crown.

Gingerbread Pain d'épices For one loaf (32 x 11 x 7 cm) • 320 g honey • 120 g soft butter (room temperature) • 130 ml milk • grated zest of one untreated orange • 1 egg • 270 g spelt flour, Type 630 • ½ tsp. sea salt • 9 g cream of tartar • 1 heaped tsp. ground Ceylon cinnamon • ½ tsp. ground aniseed • ½ tsp. ground cardamom • ½ tsp. ground ginger • 1 pinch freshly grated nutmeg • 50 g candied ginger 1 Line the loaf tin with baking paper. Preheat the oven to 165 °C (fan-assisted mode). 2 Heat the honey, butter and milk in a small pot on low heat, stirring constantly. Pour the mixture into a mixing bowl. Add the orange peel. Whisk the egg and stir in.

Mix the flour well with the salt, baking powder and spices and stir in briefly. Pour the dough into the mould. Cut the candied ginger into small cubes and sprinkle onto the surface. 3 Bake the honey cake for about 30 minutes until golden brown. Prick with a toothpick to check if done in the middle. Allow the cake to cool on a wire rack. Wrap carefully and store in a cool place for a few days to allow the spice flavours to develop.

I always wait a few days before tucking into this wonderful pain d'épices to let all the different flavours unfold.

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L f

In the herb garden

VANILLA

Vanilla planifolia / Vanilla fragans

Vanilla is one of the world’s most expensive spices due to its production, as natural pollination occurs only in Mexico, home to the hummingbirds (and a particular kind of bee) which fulfil this “job”. Elsewhere, orchids which only bloom for one day must be manually pollinated during the morning hours, so that the vanilla pods develop.

These ripen in 4 to 5 months; after the harvest, the pods need several more months to ferment and dry.

Vanilla is a “tonic” for the brain; it lifts moods and has an invigorating effect, which is why it shouldn’t be consumed in the evening. Vanilla’s effect on sickle cell disease is still being researched, but it is known to have a positive influence on epilepsy patients. Studies have also shown that the organic compound vanillin inhibits the migration and growth of cancer cells.

Vanillin has an antioxidant effect similar to ascorbic acid, therefore it is a preservative. At 4 °C, vanillin inhibits the growth of microbes in vegetables and fruit.

TEXT MARTINA SCHMITT-JAMEK

A vanilla bean cut into pieces can add flavour to ½ kg of sugar or honey in 14 days. One can even use the same pod to repeat the process. It can also be used to flavour coffee, cocoa, or tea.

Vanilla is essential to many sweet dishes, it flavours milk, yoghurt, coffee, hot chocolate and much more. Fruit salads and marmalades require less sugar when vanilla is added. If a ¼ pod is cut and cooked, if should remain in the liquid for about 1 hour to let its full aroma enfold.

MUSTARD SEED

ANISE

Brassica alba / nigra / juncea

Pimpinella anisum

Light mustard seeds have a sweet-andsour taste which brings to mind honey and horseradish. Spicy Dijon mustard is made from black mustard seeds.

Brown mustard is a hybrid from China and India. Be careful to note the place of origin when purchasing, as mustard binds heavy metals.

The taste of anise most closely resembles that of licorice mixed with the aroma of wood and pepper.

It is often used in meat and seafood dishes, or in marinating salmon or dark meat. If you find caraway seed too intense for red beets, you can replace it with anise and get the same digestive effect, along with a refreshing taste. This is why anise is recommended for use in foods that are high in fat. If you enjoy experimenting, try adding anise to egg dishes or salad dressings.

Anise goes beautifully with oranges, peaches and plums, and is essential in many sweet pastries along with vanilla, honey, almonds, and chocolate.

Anise can be taken externally as well as internally. It helps with bladder and stomach pains, inhibits inflammation, stimulates digestion and the production of mother’s milk (however, pregnant women should only consume anise in small amounts).

It also protects the body from infections and helps the kidneys, as it has a slight diuretic effect. The amount of seeds which one normally uses when cooking is harmless, but the essential oil may trigger an allergic reaction. It is recommended that one first test for possible intolerance; this also applies to cosmetic preparations which contain anise.

The one-year-old plants germinate in the dark (covered with earth), prefer calciferous soil, and need sun and warmth. The flowers should be cut and hung up approx. 6 weeks after the start of the flowering period. The flowers will then mature and open, and their seeds will fall out.

The plants thrive in sunny and partially shady places with calciferous soil. The pods are harvested after they turn brown and before they open. The sprouts and green sections can be enjoyed in salads.

In Indian cuisine, roasted and popped (like popcorn) seeds are added to roasted vegetables and sauces for flavour.

Mustard seeds develop their typical spicy taste through an enzyme in connection with liquid (saliva, water, vinegar or wine) when they are chewed or ground.

This also triggers their antibacterial and fungicidal effects.

Mustard seeds stimulate the appetite and assist in digestion. They are detoxifying and antibiotic, especially for colds and bladder or urinary tract infections.

Mustard oil has a high smoke point and can therefore be subject to heat. It also protects the heart and regulates the immune system.

A poultice made from 4 tablespoons of mustard seed powder mixed with a little water helps muscle aches, rheumatoid arthritis, and gout (max. 10 min., avoid direct contact with skin!). A 20-minute bath in hot water with a packet of mustard seeds and tea made from 2 teaspoons of mustard seeds helps alleviate arthritis and swollen hands and feet (rub afterwards with mustard oil – test a small area for allergy beforehand).

w

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Looking for some festive inspiration? great times great company

Get into the C hristmas spirit with our catalogue.*

www.delhaize.lu KACHEN 13 ENGLISH.indd 63

4 | KACHEN | 63 *A vailable online or pick up2017a /copy in-store.

30/11/2017 14:27

Foodilicious stories from Luxembourg with NEFF

Angus de Luxembourg a niche market for connoisseurs

it’s all part of my job. And in the end I have an excellent product!” Nature conservation is also an important issue. “The entire area of our farm is Natura-2000 certified, which is why we were awarded the Naturschutz Fleesch Label.”

TEXT BARBARA FISCHER-FÜRWENTSCHES PHOTOS RAMUNAS ASTRAUSKAS

Hubert de Schorlemer raises Black Angus cattle– a modest breed with outstanding meat quality – on his farm, Grundhof, amidst the lush forest meadows and along the streams of the Mullerthal.

The animals spend the entire year outside and feed on what nature has to offer, supplemented by hay from the farm in winter if necessary.

Unlike conventional animal fattening, the male animals may spend up to 35 months in the pasture. The good feed, long life, and movement make for an especially lovely, marbled meat.

“I’m always moving about outdoors, just like my cattle”, laughs Hubert de Schorlemer. The day starts with a tour of the pastures to the scattered herds. Are there new calves? Do ear tags need to be applied?

Is the fence intact in all places? Does winter feed need to be brought in? This can take a few hours. Of course there’s also paperwork to finish and sales to be planned. “I couldn’t have a better occupation – so much freedom and independence, surrounded by the beauty of nature, and 64 | KACHEN | 4 / 2017

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Only four animals are slaughtered each week. “This is a niche market for connoisseurs“, says de Schorlemer. The fact that he can live from that is due to the sales concept. “Due to rising demand, we have founded a cooperative with 12 members who all adhere to the same philosophy.

Exclusive sales partner for our Angus du Luxembourg is Delhaize. Our animals are fully processed – it is not only the fillets and steaks that come into the shop, but also the less-fine – but still good – meats.

This brings us, as producers, a much higher slaughter price and gives consumers a wide selection of high-quality, regional meat products.”

Luxembourg cuisine in particular has a variety of recipes for using all parts of the cow.

Time is an essential factor not only in the raising of cattle, but also in the processing of the meat. “After slaughter, the meat matures for 21 days before it is sold. This comes at a price, but connoisseurs appreciate it.”

An avowed non-vegetarian, de Schorlemer prefers a simple rump steak, rare, cooked only in butter.

www.angus.lu

neff.lu 30/11/2017 14:27

COOKING PASSION SINCE 1877

Rump steak with Salsa Verde Serves 4 - 40 minutes

INGREDIENTS

PREPARATION

650-800 g rump steak, min. 5 cm thick 1 tbsp. capers 1 bunch of parsley ½ bunch of basil 2 small gherkins 1 tbsp. Dijon mustard 1-2 cloves of garlic ½ tsp. sweet Paprika powder ¼ tsp. turmeric powder 1 ½ tsp. white wine vinegar 60 ml olive oil A little clarified butter 4 sprigs of rosemary - Salt

Take the rump steak out of the fridge about 1 hour before frying.

Preheat the oven to 180 °C. To prepare the salsa verde, start by draining the capers. Add them to a food processor with the fresh herbs, gherkins, mustard, garlic, paprika and turmeric and blend well.

Transfer to a bowl, add vinegar and olive oil and stir.

Heat a little clarified butter in a grill pan. Blot the rump steak dry with some kitchen roll, season with salt, place in the pan and add all the rosemary sprigs. Sear for 3 minutes on each side, then finish in the oven for 10-15 minutes. Remove the meat from the oven, season with pepper and wrap in aluminium foil. Let stand for 10 minutes. The meat is best served pink to rare.

Slice the grilled rump steak and distribute on plates. Serve with salsa verde and a salad or oven-roasted winter vegetables on the side.

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Doppelseite - Brand ad2.indd KACHEN 13NEFF ENGLISH.indd 66 All Pages

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COOKING PASSION SINCE 1877

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SWEET AND SOUR

Citrus fruits in the winter

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FEATURE n

C

itrus fruits are THE winter pick-me-up. With few calories, hardly any fat, and a lot of fibre to aid digestion, citrus fruits are an important part of a healthy diet. And they are packed with Vitamin C to strengthen the immune system, which is why they are especially recommended in the winter months, whether peeled, juiced, or filleted. The aromatic peel of untreated fruits is also quite valuable.

TEXT ELISABETH BECKERS PHOTOS GROSBUSCH

Important! Vitamin C is extremely heat-sensitive. Fresh lemon juice, for example, should only be added to water that’s been allowed to cool to lukewarm temperature, and consumed immediately.

All citrus fruits are derived from three main species: pommelos, citrons, and mandarins. All other varieties are derived from crossbreeding. Citrus fruits belong to the world’s oldest fruits and originated in Asia. Plants were first brought to the Mediterranean region around 300 B.C., where they flourished in the warm climate.

The citrus fruits sold in our region have all been imported from southern climes. As the harvest stops the ripening process, they must be picked ripe and delivered to end consumers as swiftly as possible.

The Luxembourg company Grosbusch has been a main importer of fruit and vegetables since 1917. The company places high value on products and their producers, and thus have maintained long-term business relationships with partners all over the world.

Grosbusch's collaboration with the Beltràn family in Spain for the import of clemetines and oranges is now in its third generation. This close professional relationship has also led to a true friendship with the family. The Beltràn family’s citrus plantations are spread over its own 90 hectares as well as the 170 hectares of partner producers.

They have plans to expand the plantations in the future in order to meet rising demands.

Citrus fruits ripen in the winter. The first clementine varieties can be picked as early as late September; the latest varieties ripen in late April. The Beltràn family must wait until the end of October for oranges, but then the long harvest goes on until the end of May. They harvest a total of 16,000 tonnes of citrus fruit annually.

No more than 24 hours pass from the fruits being harvested from the trees until they are packed and ready to be shipped. The produce is brought to Luxembourg in refrigerated lorries to guarantee optimal freshness; road transport takes less of a toll on the environment than would transport as air cargo. A maximum of 48 hours pass between the fruit leaving Spain and its arrival in Luxembourg’s depots. This guarantees a fresh product and satisfied customers who can find the juicy fruit by Grosbusch in every local supermarket.

TIP: A citrus fruit’s freshness can be determined easily and quickly by the condition of its leaves, without having to peel the fruit!

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TEXT SUSANNE JASPERS

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FEATURE n

Pastis

The Earcutter Schnapps Pastis is considered the epitome of the Southern French way of life. This beloved aperitif, however, is actually a gentler variety of a terrifyingly notorious spirit.

A

village square in Provence, a couple of old men playing boule and a sip from a glass of Pernod or Ricard – because pastis is as French as baguettes and berets. In reality, however, the famous anise schnapps has neither a centuries-old tradition, nor is today’s pastis all that endemic. The latter is due to the fact that today the spirit is generally produced from star anise, a plant which is not the least bit French, but rather largely grows in South China and Vietnam. But that’s not all. The aperitif loved by the French is not only Asian, it’s actually an adulteration. The term “pastis” is an emulation of the French word “pastiche”, which in turn comes from the fact that farmers in Provence secretly brewed together improvised anise liqueurs, after their beloved anise distillation was officially forbidden in 1915.

DANGEROUS FAIRY-TALE CREATURES It was not only among peasants, but especially in the Bohemian era of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, that this exceedingly popular drink became known as the “Green Fairy”. This was because of its hallucinogenic effect, from which some imbibers may claim to see little green men – or women, in this case. This was mainly due to it being made with wormwood, which contained thujone – a substance which allegedly triggered delusions and hallucinations.

Prominent examples abound of the inspiring yet devastating effects of the Green Fairy. Henri Toulouse-Lautrec is said to have painted the majority of his works in a cloud of absinthe intoxication before dying, in 1901 at the age of just 37, from the consequences of 2017 / 4 | KACHEN | 71

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absinthe addiction. Absinthe has also been given as the reason why the already overemotional Vincent van Gogh cut off a piece of his own ear (although there are art historians who claim that Gauguin was the one who did it – albeit also in a Green Fairy cloud); Paul Verlaine even managed, while intoxicated, to shoot his lover, Arthur Rimbaud. Rimbaud, who came away with only slight injuries, was fortunate, because drinking schnapps is said to help with aim.

Beyond France’s borders, too, intellectual greats came under the influence of this terrifying spirit: Edgar Allan Poe, Oscar Wilde, Ernest Hemingway and Pablo Picasso, who even made a painting to a Pernod bottle. No one who could hold a pen or a brush seemed immune from the green temptation. But it was not only shootouts and mutilations among artists that ensured absinthe’s increasingly notorious reputation. It was also becoming apparent that physical

and psychological damage like schizophrenia, impotence, blindness and insanity could be traced back to excessive enjoyment of Absinthe.

This eventually led to its being banned in 1915 in numerous countries – and to the invention of pastis.

It was soon proven, however, that it wasn’t the thujone, but rather quite simply the high alcohol content, usually 70%, which was responsible for absinthe’s high casualty rate. In 1922 the French government therefore permitted the (previously covert) production of anise liqueurs, even if now thujone-free. At first their alcohol content was limited to 30%; in subsequent years however it rose to 40%, and later even to 45%. It’s therefore recommended that one sample even this more benign cousin of the Green Fairy only in moderate doses, diluted with water and on ice. Pastis tastes best that way, anyway.

AND WHO INVENTED IT? It’s not actually all that clear. Allegedly it was a man by the name of Pierre Ordinaire, a French doctor who fled revolutionary troops into Switzerland at the end of the 18th century, who invented a healing elixir from wordwood and anise. The recipe eventually landed into the hands of a certain Henri Louis Pernod, who came upon the lucrative idea of making schnapps instead of medicine. In 1805 he founded the company Pernod Fils in the French town of Pontarlier, and with it established the first absinthe distillery worldwide. At first the brew was met with only modest success. It wasn’t until absinthe was deployed in the Algerian War in the 1830s as a cure-all against fever, illness and above all against cowardice before the enemy, that the drink came into its own with the French Army’s triumphant return.

AND TODAY? GREEN FAIRY, OR ITS PALE YELLOW COUSIN? Today, anise lovers have a wide selection to choose from. The distilling of absinthe has been permitted across Europe since 1998 apart from the fact that in Spain, for example, a ban was never seen as necessary. In any event, the amount of thujone in absinthe may not exceed ten milligrammes per litre, out of safety reasons – after all, one can never know if there might be some truth to the old rumours. The Green Fairy still normally has a 50% alcohol content. For this reason, one should imbibe even modern absinthe with caution. Like pastis, it should definitely be diluted with water or, if one wants to be properly decadent in the style of Ernest Hemingway, with champagne. Whether it was the Green Fairy which compelled the American author to shoot himself, is not known.

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Cod fillet with Pastis PHOTOS RAMUNAS ASTRAUSKAS

Serves 4

0 minutes (including 40 minutes cooking time)

• Approximately 800 grams of cod fillet • 4 spring onions • ½ red bell pepper • ½ yellow bell pepper • 4 medium-sized potatoes (choose a waxy variety) • 2 tablespoons Dijon crème (Dijonnaise) • 200 ml EKABE cream (25% fat) • 2 cl Pastis • 3-4 tbsp olive oil • 1 squeeze of lemon • Salt and pepper • Butter for greasing

1 Wash the fish fillets, pat dry and season with salt and pepper.

2 Cut the potatoes into small pieces. Cut the peppers into thin strips. Slice the spring onions into thin rings. Place all the vegetables in a greased baking dish and drizzle with olive oil.

Bake for about 30 minutes at 200 °C. 3 In the meantime, combine the cream, Dijonnaise and pastis into a creamy sauce. Add a squeeze of lemon. 4 Remove the dish from the oven. Place the fish slices cut about 2 cm thick on top of the vegetables, pour the sauce over them and return to the oven for another 10 minutes.

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Cannelés with goat's cheese, Pastis, honey and rosemary 30 cannelés

20 minutes - Baking time 30 minutes

• 100 g flour • 8 cl sunflower oil • 3 whole eggs • 18 cl milk • 1 level tsp. baking powder • 200 g Président St-Maure goats cheese (1 log, 45% fat) • 3 tbsp. honey • 3 tbsp. Pastis • 2 tbsp. rosemary (fresh or dry) • 1 level tsp. salt • Silicone cannelé moulds 1 Preheat the oven to 175 °C. Put the flour, baking powder and eggs in a bowl and whisk together. Add oil and milk and mix well.

2 Cut the goats cheese into pieces and squash with a fork, then add to the batter. Carry on mixing, adding the honey, Pastis, rosemary and salt. To finish, briefly whiz the batter with a handheld blender to break up the goats cheese. 3 Fill ⅔ of the the silicone moulds with batter. Bake at 175 °C for about 25 minutes.

Allow to cool a little and serve warm as an aperitif.

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D'Uebst AN ÄREM SUPERMARCHÉ

natierlech selektionéiert VUM LËTZEBUERGER SPEZIALIST

Discover the new Grosbusch Brand from now on in your supermarkets. For more than 100 years, Grosbusch chooses the best fruits and vegetables from a large selection of varieties of conventional and organic products. We love to satisfy your taste buds with a best possible quality. www.grosbusch.lu 2017 / 4 | KACHEN | 75

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F

armhouse Recipes

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TYPICALLY LUXEMBOURGISH n

I

n cooperation with the Chamber of Agriculture, we present once again in this edition a typical Luxembourgian country recipe, this time from Berthe Elsen in Boevang-surAttert. The home-made dishes with which she indulges her family have been published in a cookery book, with a second in the works. She also assists her son Luc Elsen-Weyland on his farm, Zoemes Haff, where meat and milk are produced. Berthe Elsen is very committed to Luxembourgian milk production – “D‘fair Mëllech”, Luxembourg’s Fair Milk campaign, lies especially close to her heart.

Tierteg mat Gesolpertes

Mashed potato with sauerkraut and smoked meat Serves 6

30 minutes + 30 minutes in the oven

RECIPE BERTHE ELSEN-MELKERT PHOTOS RAMUNAS ASTRAUSKAS

• 500 g ready to use sauerkraut • 1 kg boiled potatoes • 1 large onion • 250 g smoked bacon • 2 egg yolks • butter • 200 ml warm milk or stock• breadcrumbs • salt • pepper and nutmeg 1 Put the sauerkraut in a colander and rinse well with water.

2 Peel the potatoes and place them in a large saucepan. Cover with cold water and add 1 teaspoon of salt. Boil until soft, for about 20 minutes, depending on the size of the potatoes.

3 Preheat the oven to 180 °C. 4 Dice the onion and the smoked bacon into small cubes. First, fry the bacon in an oil-free frying pan until crispy, then remove. In the same pan, slowly sauté the onion. 5 Mash the cooked potatoes and season with salt, pepper and a little nutmeg. Then add the sauerkraut, onion and bacon, warm milk or stock and 2 egg yolks. 6 Butter a fire-proof dish and coat with breadcrumbs. 7 Add the Tierteg mixture, distributing it evenly, and sprinkle with more breadcrumbs.

8 Add a few pats of butter on top and bake in the oven for about 30 minutes until golden brown.

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„Gesolpertes“ Cooking time: 2 hours • 1 kg raw smoked ham • 500 g of smoked bacon • 2-3 rosemary and thyme sprigs • 3-6 Frankfurter sausages and Mettwurst • Luxembourgish mustard 1 For best results, cook the meat in a slow-cooker. Put the smoked ham and bacon in a large, heat-resistant oven dish, distribute the whole herb sprigs on top and fill halfway up with water. 2 Braise in the slow-cooker at 96 °C for 2 hours, then remove from the water and carve into slices.

3 Serve the finished "Tierteg" with sautéed meat, hot sausages and Mettwurst, ideally with Luxembourgish mustard on the side.

CONTEST We are giving away 3 copies of “Kache wéi fréier - Meng 105 beschte Bauererezepter” by Berthe Elsen.

In Luxembourgish - 152 pages - €24.50 - ISBN: 978-99959-45-09-1 Answer the question “What is the name of the cookery book’s author?” and send the answer to gewinnen@kachen.lu via e-mail.

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naturally different A LARGE SELECTION OF REGIONAL PRODUCTS H e i d e r s c h e i d | M e r t z i g | O b e r p a l l e n | S te i n s e l | S t ra s s e n | U s e l d a n g e p a l l c e n t e r. l u KACHEN 13 ENGLISH.indd 79

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Luxembourgish Beef Produit du terroir A RECIPE BY MATHIEU VAN WETTEREN (Restaurant Apdikt, Steinfort)

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AGED RIB EYE BEEF STEAK

with butternut squash three ways, red cabbage purée, black trumpet mushrooms and potato chips Serves 4

Produit du terroir

Lëtzebuerger

1 hour

• 1 butternut squash (cut in half lengthwise) • 250 ml water • 150 g sugar • 500 g Luxembourger vinegar • olive oil • thyme • salt and pepper • 1 red cabbage • 1 Jonagold apple • 1 slice of bacon • 1 cinnamon stick • 2-3 cloves

A passion, a treat!

• 400 g black trumpet mushrooms • olive oil • 1 tbsp. butter • Salt and pepper • chives • 4 rib eye steaks (entrecote), dry aged for at least 6 weeks • olive oil • 1 tbsp. butter • 1 clove of garlic • thyme • salt and pepper For the butternut pickles: Cut one half of the butternut squash into thin slices of approx. 2 mm using a mandolin. Cut discs out of these slices with a cookie cutter and place in a flat, fire-proof dish.

Briefly bring the water to a boil with the sugar and vinegar, pour the liquid over the butternut disks and leave for at least one day.

For the butternut cylinders: Cut the second part of the butternut squash into slices about 2 cm thick, then cut out some cylinders with a round cookie cutter (2-3 cm diameter).

Place the cylinders in a frying pan with some olive oil, thyme, salt and pepper, barely cover with water and then simmer until all the water has evaporated.

Butternut mash: Place all butternut squash leftovers (from the pickles and cylinders) in a separate pan, cook as instructed above for the cylinders and then mash until smooth.

RECIPE MATHIEU VAN WETTEREN PHOTOS RAMUNAS ASTRAUSKAS

For the red cabbage purée: Finely chop the red cabbage and sauté with the finely chopped apple, cloves, cinnamon stick and bacon slice until the cabbage is cooked. Add a glass of water or apple juice for braising.

When the cabbage is cooked, remove the spices and bacon and then purée the cabbage with a hand-held blender. Pour into a pastry bag and set aside.

For the black trumpet mushrooms: Briefly wash the mushrooms, clean them and blot dry with some kitchen roll. Fry in a very hot pan with a little olive oil. Add a knob of butter, salt, pepper and sprinkle with some chives.

Original Luxembourgish quality beef guaranteed from „farm to fork“.

For the potato chips: Peel the potatoes and cut into 1 mm thick slices with a mandolin. If preferred, use a cookie cutter to cut out perfectly round slices. Spread the potato slices on a sheet of greaseproof paper, cover with a second sheet and bake at 140 °C for 45 minutes until crispy.

For the beef steak: Season the meat on both sides with salt and pepper and fry in olive oil in a very hot pan.

Cook to taste and then add the butter, thyme and clove of garlic to the pan. Let the meat stand for a moment before serving.

To serve: Fold the pickled butternut slices into funnels and arrange next to the steak along with the butternut cylinders and purée, the red cabbage purée and the mushrooms.

www.produitduterroir.lu

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RECIPE MARCEL BIVER PHOTO RAMUNAS ASTRAUSKAS

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TYPICALLY LUXEMBOURGISH n

Träipen BLOOD SAUSAGE

about 30 blood sausages time + overnight soaking time

80 minutes + 3 hours cooking

• 500 g heart • 2 kg pig's head with the rind, neatly dressed • 200 g white cabbage • 200 g bread • 600 g pork loin/unsmoked bacon • 200 g onions • 600 g pig's blood • 50 ml red wine vinegar • 70 g salt • 35 g white pepper • 9 g grated nutmeg • 15 g thyme • 15 g marjoram • 10 cinnamon • fresh pork intestines, thoroughly cleaned For the stock: • 3 onions • 1 leek • 1 head of garlic • 5 carrots • ½ celeriac • 1 bunch of parsley • some grated nutmeg • a few bay leaves • a few whole cloves • fresh thyme sprigs • salt and white pepper

8 Add all the fat with the pork loin/unsmoked bacon and the onions to the meat-cabbage-bread mixture and mix well. Make sure that the mixture is still warm.

9 Preheat the blood with red wine vinegar in a saucepan, add to the meat mixture and mix well. The consistency of the mixture quite should be thick. Season well with salt, pepper, nutmeg, thyme, marjoram and cinnamon.

10 Use a funnel to fill the fresh, slightly tempered pig's intestines with meat. Tie and twist the stuffed intestines into individual sausages and braise in the strained meat broth at maximum 80 °C for about 15 minutes. Do not allow the stock to boil as this would cause the sausages to split.

11 Remove the blood sausages from the broth and hang to drain and cool. The fresh 'Träipen' should be left to chill in the fridge at least overnight before cooking.

To prepare the raw sausages 1 Soak the heart overnight.

2 Wash and roughly chop the vegetables for the stock.

3 Boil the pig's head with the rind and heart together with the stock ingredients. Reduce the heat and simmer for 2-3 hours until the meat is done. It should fall off the bone easily.

4 Cut the cabbage into 8 segments, place in another saucepan and add some well-seasoned stock. Boil and simmer until the cabbage is very soft. This can take up to 1 hour.

To prepare the finished "Träipen" 12 Sear the blood sausages in a very hot pan with a little oil on both sides. Carefully lift the sausages with two forks, making sure you do not pierce them. It is not unusual for fresh blood sausages made with natural casings to burst.

12 Serve the fresh "Träipen" with bacon potatoes and fresh sauerkraut. Warm apple compote on the side and mustard also work well.

5 Then squash the bread and add to the broth with white cabbage. Allow to soften.

6 The ingredients now need to be pushed through the meat grinder. Start with the pork loin/unsmoked bacon. Fry the ground meat in a pan with a little oil and leave on low heat. Add 200 g of finely chopped onions and sweat until translucent.

7 Remove the pig's head, heart, cabbage and bread from the broth and drain. Strain the broth, pour it back into the pot and set aside. Push the still warm ingredients through the meat grinder, grinding the mix very finely.

Once again our guest chef is Marcel Biver.

Even though the trained chef is busy with his own insurance agency, he doesn’t hesitate for a second when it comes to preparing typical dishes from Luxembourg for KACHEN! 2017 / 4 | KACHEN | 83

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From the Resistance to Master Chef The Grand Duchy of Luxembourg is represented in the current Guide Michelin with no less than twelve starred restaurants. Even if exquisite cuisine is mostly a men’s domain today, Luxembourg’s place in the firmament was first created by an exceptionally talented woman, and an exceptionally courageous one at that.

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he first woman – not only in Luxemburg, but in the world – to win the famous Bocuse d’Or was Léa Linster in 1989 with her now-famous saddle of lamb with herb crust. Two years prior, her restaurant in Frisingen had been awarded its first Michelin star.

TEXT SUSANNE JASPERS

Léa Linster may be Luxembourg’s most prominent internationallyrecognised, starred female chef – but by no means the first. Because the first star for Luxembourg was also given to a woman: Hélène Hiertz. Born in 1911 in Heinerscheid, where her parents had been running a hotel and restaurant since before the First World War, Hiertz learnt the art of cookery from her mother after her father’s death in 1923. During the Second World War she not only ran the “Buffet de la Gare” in Kautenbach, she also secretly supplied food to draft resisters hiding in the forest. Her courageous help landed her in the soup, so to speak: she was betrayed to the Nazis and spent one and a half years in the Ravensbrück concentration camp.

But even that was not enough to beat Madame Hiertz. In 1945, freshly liberated from Ravensbrück, she opened her first hotel-restaurant in Wilwerwiltz. And somehow also found the time to find a husband. She and Christophe Colling married in Wilwerwiltz in 1947, and together they opened the Hotel Hiertz in Diekirch in 1949.

A STAR IS BORN Word began to spread of the hospitality and especially the quality of the food served at Hiertzens Hélène, at first in Luxembourg, and then beyond the borders as well. A number of years passed, however, until the establishment’s good reputation reached the ears of the inspectors of the all-powerful Michelin Guide, resulting in Madame Hiertz being awarded one of the hotly coveted stars in 1958 – not only as the first woman, but also for the very first restaurant in the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg.

What a wonderful ending to the story of the success of this exceptional chef! But she wasn’t finished just yet. Hélène Hiertz not only succeeded in holding on to her star. She continued to cooked so well that in 1970 Michelin even awarded her a second star.

In the years that followed, national and international celebrities streamed to the renowned chef and her designated successor Antonio Pretti, who had come to Madame Hiertz from South Tyrol at the age of 16. It was then Pretti who continued to run the establishment after Hélène Hiertz’s death in 1985, and who entered the new millennium with yet another Michelin star. Hotel Hiertz closed its doors several years ago, and today the building is being used for other purposes – and so the star-studded days of gastronomy in Diekirch came to an end.

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ADVERTORIAL n

Ice Wine & Vin de Paille

A special treat for the holidays

F

or some vintners, the period after the autumn grape harvest is a time of trepidation and hope. Fully ripened grapes have been left hanging in some places, because when the weather plays along, the so-called “noble rot” will develop through the fungus Botrytis Cinerea. The grapes’ water content sinks and their sugar content rises. If the outside temperatures then sink below -7 °C and the grapes freeze naturally, the nightly work begins. The grapes must be harvested during frosty temperatures and pressed immediately. The frozen water in the grapes is removed in the wine press, and what’s left is concentrated fruit juice. The result is ice wine, an exquisite rarity for special occasions.

“It’s a matter of luck – nature has to play along”, says Bernd Karl, technical director for Domanines Vinsmoselle. On 6 January 2017, it was time: at temperatures of -8.5 °C on the Göllebour in Machtum, the Riesling grapes could be harvested for the 2016 vintage of ice wine. “Our Rieslings are particularly suitable for this speciality. Through the concentration of the substances in the grapes, the wine takes on an unforgettable taste, between sweet and sour. With a must weight of 154 °Oechsle, we have an outstanding baseline for a very special wine.” 500 bottles (375 ml each) with an alcohol content of 8.5 % are available for sale.

Another speciality is the “Vin de Paille”. After the harvest, the grapes for this wine are dried on straw mats (hence the name) or on wooden frames with good ventilation for up to three months, so that their sugar content rises as a consequence of water evaporation. Only after that are the grapes pressed.

The result is a sweet wine with a long shelf life and an alcohol content of 12 % or more. “We use only the best grapes at the peak of ripeness, both Auxerrois and Gewürztraminer”, says the cellar master. “With the aromas of dried exotic fruits and the residual sweetness, this wine is the perfect accompaniment to Foie Gras, as an aromatic aperitif, or as an especially high-quality companion to a cheese platter.“ If you’re still searching for the right wine accompaniment to your holiday meal, you can sample these rarities on 9 and 10 December at the Festival des Crus at Domaines Vinsmoselle, in Grevenmacher. www.vinsmoselle.lu/de/veranstaltungen

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Saturday, 03 February 2018 at Casino 2OOO in Mondorf

8 COURSES, 13 WINES AND CRÉMANTS The Great Télévie Dinner by PRIMA, in collaboration with KACHEN Reserve your place for this festive dinner by VinsLux on behalf of RTL Télévie!

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en top wines and 3 top crémants, as well as splendid culinary creations prepared by Alain Pierron of Restaurant Les Roses and the kitchen team of Casino 2OOO: don’t miss this extraordinary dinner!

crémants described in the app will be served with the dinner’s eight courses on 03 February 2018 at Casino 2OOO. The evening is dedicated to RTL Télévie: during the dinner, rare Luxembourg wines will be auctioned: ice wines, Strohweine, Spätlesen ... all proceeds will go to RTL Télévie in behalf of cancer research.

Organiser for the dinner is wine expert and KACHEN staff writer Claude François. Each year Claude samples around a thousand Luxembourger wines and crémants which he then describes in his app, VinsLux. The Smartphone app is dedicated to Luxembourg wines, vintners, and Mosel localities; it is available in three languages and can be downloaded at no cost from the Apple (iPhone) and Google Play (Android) app stores! A selection of the best wines and

Details about the dinner can be found at the website www.prima.lu.

You may reserve your place exclusively in the prima.lu online shop (registration only; your bill will be sent in the mail along with more information). Note that space is limited, so make reservations now!

A pick-up service will be made available for the event by Voyages Emile Weber; the hotel at Casino 2OOO has rooms available at special prices for attendees.

FOTOS RAMUNAS ASTRAUSKAS

The VinsLux/Télévie Dinner takes place on Saturday, 03 February 2018 starting at 7:30 pm at Casino 2OOO. KACHEN is once again media partner for the event.

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WINE n

Noble drops wine & spirits Fantinel One & Only Prosecco

Crémant de Luxembourg Brut Rosé

Fantinel's “One & Only” single vineyard prosecco brut is made from grapes grown in Tauriano di Spilimbergo, in the Grave del Friuli region. The low yield per hectare and the high quality of the grapes are what make this product so exquisite. Floral notes blend with the aromas of ripe fruits and brioche.

This crémant’s fine, salmon-coloured effervescence suggests an invigorating, fruity elegance and entices with the delicate aromas of small, ripe berries.

€12 / bottle Available at the House of Taste (11, rue Louvigny) in Luxemburg City. www.houseoftaste.lu

€14.85 / 0.75 l Available for purchase from the vintner.

Domaine viticole Mathis Bastian www.mathisbastian.lu

CONTEST WE ARE GIVING AWAY A WINE-SET. The first submission shall win the 4 bottles.

Send an e-mail with the word “Noble drops” to: gewinnen@kachen.lu The winner will be informed within 2 weeks after submission.

Symbiose white wine

Bentley B13 Rum

The Symbiose wines from Kohll-Leuck are dry cuvée wines. The small yields give them a very high concentration.

This white wine joins the vinter’s rosé as a new addition to the Symbiose familie. A complex bouquet of fruity aromas makes this white barrique a perfect accompaniment to the holidays.

The amber-hued B13 Rum has a delicate sweetness and a long finish. An exceptionally long aging period of 13 years gives it a remarkable mature note and full aroma. €12.50 / 0.10 l bottle €49.00 / 0.50 l with wooden case €49.00 / 0.75 l without wooden case

€15.20 / 0.75 l Available for purchase from the vintner.

Domaine viticole Kohll-Leuck Ehnen www.kohll.lu

Available for purchase in various tobacco and spirits shops.

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VÖRDEEM, MIDDENINNE AND DORNACH

North German culinary culture in Luxembourg

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he Germans can do more than just Oktoberfest. For over five years now, the Friends of the Hanseatic-Northern German Culture in Luxembourg have been meeting twice each year in spring and autumn for a Fiensmecker dinner. The initiators are a genuine Friesian – Heiner Richters – and a Northern Light – Maximilian von Hochberg, director of the Hotel Kikuoka Club Mercure in Canach.

TEXT BARBARA FISCHER-FÜRWENTSCHES

„It's a popular topic, perhaps as a contrast to Southern German culture“, says Maximilian von Hochberg. “I make my staff and kitchen available, and the club does the rest.” As chance would have it, Michaela, the chef, also comes from East Frisia and knows well the specialities of northern Germany cuisine. For her it’s a real treat to prepare specialities from her homeland for a knowledgeable audience. Organiser Heiner Richters has around 150 addresses on his invitation list – from Cloppenburg to the Danish border, and from Mecklenburg-West Pomerania to the Dutch border. All share a love for northern cuisine: rough and bitter like the climate, but quite delicious.

One has to understand a little Plattdeutsch in order to read the menu: Vördeem (as appetizer) Beern, Bohn un Speck or a Kapitänsteller (with the requisite herring), Middeninne (as main entry) an East Frisian Palm (kale with Pinkel sausage) and Dornach (dessert), “ant” cake, Red Inge or Jan im Sack. And naturally there is original Flensburg beer and a Magenputzer to top off the evening. “Humor is just as important as good cooking”, says Heiner Richters. “We pack our region’s specialities into a flowery, fantasy-filled language.”

Thus, a Kieler Poller is roast pork with mustard in a bread roll, and a Schamröte is a meringue with raspberries. Nun Manto! Cheers! And of course great importance is placed on sustainability – restricted fishing times for North Sea crabs are taken into account and only types of North Sea fish are served which haven’t been overharvested, such as dab, a flatfish similar to plaice.

Non-Hanseatics, non-Friesians and non-Northern Lights are also cordially welcome if they enjoy North German culture. heiner.richters@pt.lu

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EXPAT RECIPE

Gigja Birgisdottir ICELAND

Oven-baked cod

with sweet potatoes, pistachios and butter sauce Serves 4

60 minutes

For the sweet potato mash: • 500-600 g sweet potatoes • 1-2 potatoes • ½ red chilli pepper • ½ lime • 1 tbsp. butter • salt and pepper For the butter sauce: • 3 tbsp. butter • 1 shallot • 1 clove of garlic • 1 tsp. red chilli pepper • 1 tbsp. chopped parsley • 2-3 tbsp. soy sauce For the cod with pistachios: • 600-800 g cod • some butter • ¼-½ red chilli pepper • 50 g pistachios • ½ 1 lemon • 1 tbsp. olive oil • 25 g fresh chopped parsley • Salt and pepper For the mashed sweet potatoes: Peel the potatoes and sweet potatoes and cut into even-sized pieces. Slice the chilli in half lengthwise and remove the seeds. Place the potatoes and sweet potatoes in a pan and add enough water to cover. Add the half chilli. Bring to a boil and then simmer for 15-20 minutes, until the potatoes are soft. Remove the half chilli and strain the potatoes.

Return to the pan and mash with the juice of the ½ lime and the butter. Season to taste, adding more lime juice and butter if necessary. Set aside and heat up just before serving.

For the butter sauce: Slowly melt the butter in a saucepan over low heat and let brown. This takes about 15 minutes. Skim the foam off the brown butter. Finely chop the shallot, garlic clove, chilli and parsley and place in a bowl. Mix with soy sauce and stir in the melted butter just before serving.

PHOTOS RAMUNAS ASTRAUSKAS

Gigja Birgisdottir is founder and owner of the well-known modelling agency Gia in Style. She is a certified image consultant from the London Image Institute and has a bachelor’s degree in business administration with emphasis on marketing from San Diego State University in California. Before running an image consulting company and modelling agency she worked for over 15 years in the Luxembourg bank sector.

For the cod with pistachios: Preheat the oven to 220 °C Divide the cod into 4 equal fillets and place in a buttered ovenproof dish. De-seed and finely chop the chilli. Coarsely chop the pistachios and add to a bowl. Combine with the zest of half a lemon, 3 tbsp. lemon juice, olive oil, parsley, chilli, salt and pepper and spread the mixture on the fish. Bake in the oven for 12-15 minutes until the fish is cooked. Distribute the warm sweet potato mash onto 4 plates. Place a cod fillet on top and serve drizzled with butter sauce.

In 1986 she was selected as Miss Iceland and went on to represent her country at international competitions for Miss World and Miss Scandinavia, where she was named Miss Press. The intensive training and experience in personal presentation, runway walk, and fashion modelling which she received during this time proved very beneficial to her later career.

She has always been an avid cook, and here presents us a country dish typical to the region.

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ADVERTORIAL n

KING CRAB WITH GREEN APPLE, SCALLOP CAKES AND LOBSTER Serves 6

40 minutes

• 200 g apple (Granny Smith) • 2 lemons • 250 g king crab meat (ready to eat, fresh from the fish shop) • 180 g + 200 g celeriac • 100 g olive oil mayonnaise • 10 g fresh coriander • 10 g shallots • salted pumpkin seeds • curry powder • olive oil • 6 lobsters (size 10/15) • 18 beetroot shoots • salt and pepper For the scallop cakes: • 2 eggs • 10 g sugar • 100 g flour • 50 g of ground almonds • 3 scallops • salt and pepper 1 Cut the apples into 2 mm thick slices and cut out 12 lovely disks.

Rub with lemon juice and set aside until assembly.

PHOTO RAMUNAS ASTRAUSKAS

2 Finely chop the leftover apple flesh, add to a bowl and mix with some lemon juice. Finely grate 180 g of celeriac, blanch in boiling water for 10 seconds, plunge in ice-water and then add to the chopped apple. Add the crab meat and mayonnaise and season with coriander and chopped shallots.

3 Finely chop the pumpkin seeds. To create a pretty presentation, pack the crab meat mixture into 6 equal sized stainless steel rings. Remove the rings and roll the crab cylinders in the chopped pumpkin seeds.

4 For the cakes, mix the eggs with the sugar and then add the flour and ground almonds. Finely dice the scallops and add to the batter. Season lightly with salt and pepper. Preheat the oven to 180 °C, pour the batter into some silicone moulds (3 x 3 cm) and bake for 15 minutes.

5 Evenly dice 200 g celeriac (1 cm x 1 cm) and cook in salted water with curry powder and a glug of olive oil for 15 minutes. Drain and season with salt and pepper.

6 Fry the lobster meat in a pan with a little olive oil for 1 minute.

7 Dress the plates with crab meat, scallop and lobster. Arrange the apple slices on the diced celeriac. Decorate with beetroot shoots.

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Delicacies fit for Royal Palates The name Oberweis has stood for the pinnacle of culinary excellence for more than 50 years 92 | KACHEN | 4 / 2017

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CULINARY DYNASTIES n

„

„

TEXT CLAUDE WOLF PHOTOS OBERWEIS, RAMUNAS ASTRAUSKAS

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AMBITIOUS ACROSS GENERATIONS hen Pit Oberweis opened his first pastry shop in LuxBrothers Jeff and Tom Oberweis entered the family business in 1989 embourg’s Limpertsberg district in 1964, the passionate and have remained true to its lofty ambitions. “We are always looking baker and confectioner was already looking beyond just to the future. We never stop refining our creations and tinkering with baking good breads and delicious cakes. The dedicated young entrenew aromas. For us, it’s not enough that the recipe for a new torte preneur began to forge contacts with distinguished representatives of might be a success with our customers; rather, we’ll his guild working beyond the country’s borders, for excontinue to work on developing and improving the ample with the French avant-garde confectioner GasWe are always product”, Tom Oberweis explains. ton Lenôtre, Chocolaterie Wittamer in Brussels, and looking to the future.

Konditorei Heinemann in Düsseldorf.

We never stop refining Naturally, this continuous innovation also requires our creations and innovative ingredients and a lot of experimentation.

“This exchange with international colleagues enabled For this, Jeff Oberweis leads a three-member team my father to continually come up with new creations, tinkering with new working on the development of culinary trends, and modernise them, and give them fresh inspiration”, aromas. is constantly on the lookout for new influences. This his son, Tom Oberweis, recalls. His father’s efforts in keeps Jeff Oberweis on the road as a kind of in-house food scout. He further developing and perfecting his art were rewarded in 1981 finds ideas and inspiration not only in exchange with Relais Dessert with his acceptance into the internationally renowned confectioners colleagues, but also through his world travels, always looking for association Relais Dessert International. Key criteria for admission exciting new aromas and flavours. into this elite body include finesse, quality, creativity and tradition.

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AN EYE ON THE LATEST DEVELOPMENTS For all the experimentation, for example with Japanese tea as an ingredient, today’s changing dietary habits are also taken into consideration. Lactose-intolerant patrons have long swooned over a non-dairy hot chocolate. For several weeks now, offerings include two vegan dishes (by special order only) along with the heartier meals.

Preferences for the use of regional products and an extremely critical eye cast on the countries of origin for exotic ingredients ensure that the business is also fulfilling its ecological and social responsibilities.

Naturally, this constant striving for perfection, coupled with anticipating trends and the latest developments, is not limited to the products themselves but also includes their presentation. The biggest example of a courageous step in this direction is the architectonically daring Nouvelle Maison Oberweis, with its artistic allusions to the

Roude Pëtz, which opened in 2013 across from the old premises in the Grand-Rue in Luxemburg City. This applies not only to such large-scale projects, but also to the daily business: Oberweis and its more than 350 employees are unceasingly working towards the optimisation of both the contents and their packaging, with a graphics department created just for this latter task. An especially successful project has been the “Must of Luxembourg” series, which presents sweet specialities from Luxembourg in a typically Luxembourgish and yet bold and modern design, which is popular not only with tourists seeking souvenirs.

FAR EAST APPRECIATION And speaking of tourists, the chocolate creations of Oberweis are enjoying increasing popularity in the Far East. “We have already exhibited four times at the Salon du Chocolat in Tokyo. The Japanese

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CULINARY DYNASTIES n

are crazy about chocolate. They buy vast quantities, especially for Valentine’s Day”, Tom Oberweis reports. But why wander to distant lands, when distant lands are coming to the counter in the flagship store in der Grand-Rue? “We are being recommended in numerous foreign travel guides, above all in Japan and China. Our designation as supplier to the Court makes a special impression on our Asian customers.”

creating the wedding cake for Prince Guillaume, Hereditary Grand Duke of Luxembourg and Princess Stéphanie. It’s no wonder that, for the 150th anniversary of the London Conference of 1867 in May of this year, the Foreign Office rang up the famous confectioner to help with the visit of a very special royal guest: Tom Oberweis not only served Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge a slice of Bamkuch, he also gave her a few tips and tricks for making it.

NOBLESSE OBLIGE Oberweis has been serving as official Fournisseur de la Cour since 1999 – a special honour given only to select businesses. Royal suppliers are expected not only to be absolutely honourable; their products undergo the highest demands on quality. Criteria which Oberweis has fulfilled to the fullest satisfaction of its royal clientele since 1999 – so well, that they were bestowed with the honour of

OBERWEIS Cloche d'Or - Luxembourg-Town - Luxembourg Station Kirchberg - Concorde www.oberweis.lu 2017 / 4 | KACHEN | 95

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Julien ELLES

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CHEF PORTRAIT n

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t’s not a restaurant that one stumbles into by chance, while passing by. In Rue d’Arlon in Strassen, somewhat hidden on the first floor over the stylish Smets clothing shop, is an equally stylish restaurant. One enters the elegant “TWO6TWO” (named after the number of its street address) through the store, or over the outside stairs to a side entrance. “Our guests have to know that we are here”, laughs Julien Elles, 43. He has been producing high-quality cookery since 2004, and since then word has got around.

assume that there is always something missing”. He now believes that a good piece of meat or fish, a well-prepared vegetable, a good sauce and a good dressing are the essentials sufficient for a good meal. This doesn’t mean “minimalist” cuisine: tiny portions are not welcome in Luxembourg.

Elles learned his trade at the hotel management school in Metz, but as his parents moved house often, he also attended hotel schools in Bordeaux and Biarritz. “I always wanted to work in a gourmet restaurant, because it is the highest level of cuisine”, he In 13 years of uninterrupted work, Elles has used creativity and recalls. During his journeyman years as a young chef he worked persistence to put “TWO6TWO” on the Grand Duchy’s gastronomical with Georges Victor Schmitt in Phalsbourg‘s “Au Soldat de l’An 2”, map. “It was a struggle”, he remembers. Originally it only served completed courses at the Lenôtre school, and cooked lunch – in concession to the opening hours of the shop in the “Hostellerie du Grünewald”. At 25 he became below, “but customers asked why we were not open in When you try head chef of a biodynamic restaurant that his sister the evenings.” And so a side entrance was built on the to cook avant had opened in Gérardmer (Vogesen). Michelin gave outside of the building, “and step by step we succeeded garde, you tend it two couvert (the crossed knife and fork symbol), in establishing a customer base.” Dining guides began to assume that but the family biodynamic didn’t function well as a to take note of this “not very visible” restaurant, and its there is always business. After an interim stop in St. Émilion he was reputation grew. something head chef for two years in a high-end brasserie on missing.

Cyprus, “but Cypriots weren’t ready to give out money Elles offers a three-course meal for €37, which the for that. They would rather eat well abroad”. It was an important Michelin Guide found to be “very tasteful” and “quite inexpensive”, time for him. “It opened my mind to the world. It is good to know and later considered it for a “Bib Gourmand”. One can spend more that people in other places may think completely differently and (up to seven courses for €90), but one need not. And the three-course have completely different customs.” meal is so good and so popular, that it is served at both lunch and dinner. “We even have guests who come three times a week for it. This Later, Elles and his wife Cathérine were faced with the question of meal makes up half of our revenue.” whether they should realise their plan to open a gourmet restaurant in a fashion shop. “A pizzeria or a sandwich shop at this location Elles calls this “market cookery”. The offering is based on what is didn’t seem fitting to me”, says Elles. And thus began an adventure available. And it’s also not easy, because good products are becoming which, in the meantime, has become a success story. Many customers increasingly more expensive. “You have to use your imagination to come from Luxembourg City, especially in the evenings – it’s only a make first-class meals from simple ingredients.” few minutes’ drive to Strassen when traffic is good, and parking is guaranteed. The restaurant holds up to 40 guests. “We have a loyal Elles says that his cuisine has changed over the years. “Now I try to clientele”, says Elles. He also feels at home here in Luxembourg after keep it as simple as possible.” He used to make quite complicated all these years. “I consider this my home.” dishes, because “when you try to cook avant garde, you tend to

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LOBSTER TARTARE

with pearl onions, radish, coconut & ginger jelly and ponzu-yuzu sauce Serves 4

50 minutes + 5 hours chilling time

• 12 extra fresh, medium-sized lobsters • 50 g fresh ginger • 250 ml coconut milk • 4 g agar-agar • 50 ml ponzu soy sauce • 25 ml yuzu juice • 120 ml sesame oil • 10 small, fresh pearl onions • 150 ml Mirin vinegar • 1 tsp. curry powder • 2 pieces of black, Red Meat or daikon radish • 1 lime • fresh coriander • Salt 1 Strip the lobster meat or buy it ready to cook. Place it in the freezer for 2-3 hours to firm it up and make it easier to cut. Cut into 0.5 cm dice using a sharp knife and store in the fridge until needed.

2 To make the coconut & ginger jelly, peel the ginger and chop finely. Put the chopped ginger in a saucepan with the coconut milk, a pinch of salt and the agar-agar. Bring to a vigorous boil, then turn off the heat and let stand covered for 10 minutes.

Strain the liquid and pour into a flat dish at least 2 cm deep.

Refrigerate for at least 2 hours until the jelly is firm, then cut into 1 cm cubes and set aside in the fridge.

3 For the ponzu-yuzu sauce, mix the ponzu soy sauce, yuzu juice and sesame oil with a whisk and chill.

4 Peel the pearl onions, keeping only the first two layers; slice the onions in half. Boil the Mirin vinegar with the curry powder in a small saucepan. Add the pearl onion skins and simmer for 1 minute. Turn off the stove and let rest for another 10 minutes, then drain and refrigerate.

5 Peel the radish and slice very thin. Place on a flat dish and salt lightly. Refrigerate until serving.

6 First, arrange the lobster tartare in a circle on some white plates. Garnish with radish slices, the pearl onions and coconut/ ginger jelly cubes. Sprinkle with grated lime zest, a few drops of sesame oil and coriander and serve immediately, with the Ponzu Yuzu sauce on the side.

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JONK CHEF n

Thomas Texier - Ristorante Favaro Thomas Texier already knew that he wanted to be a chef at the tender age of 10. Inspired by activities in school as a boy, he could imagine nothing more wonderful than indulging guests with his own creations. And so, at 15, he set out on this path with single-minded determination. His dream has come true in the meantime, and now Thomas, just 20, is permitted to watch over the shoulder of star-winning and Euro-Toques president Renato Favaro at his restaurant in Esch-Alzette, and assist as Chef de Partie. He was recently accepted into the ranks of “Jonk Chefs” of Euro-Toques, and one may expect to hear much more about this talented young man in the future.

RISTORANTE FAVARO - 19 Rue des Remparts, 4303 Esch-sur-Alzette - www.favaro-restaurant.lu

Scallops with cardamom milk, ginger carrots and pumpkin Serves 4

100 minutes + 1 hour resting time

• 12 scallops • Salt and pepper For the cardamom milk: • 500 ml whole milk • 50 g cardamom pods For the pepper crumble: • 100 g ground almonds • 100 g flour • 100 g butter • 40 g sugar • 20 g squid ink • 3.5 g ground Timut pepper For the crunchy topping: • 250 g grape-seed oil • 12 g squid ink • 50 g flour • 420 ml water For the pumpkin cream: • 1 small pumpkin • 1 shallot • 500 ml chicken stock For the ginger carrots: • 4 baby carrots, tops on • 100 ml chicken stock • 20 g butter • 10 g sugar • 20 g fresh ginger For the pumpkin rolls: • 1 small butternut squash • olive oil Clean the scallops and keep in the refrigerator in a damp cloth until needed.

For the pepper crumble: Mix all the ingredients together and set aside in the fridge for 1 hour.

Break up the crumble clumps on a baking tray lined with greaseproof paper and bake for 8 minutes at 180 °C. Toss the crumbs and bake for another 8 minutes.

PHOTOS RAMUNAS ASTRAUSKAS

For the crunchy black topping: Whisk all the ingredients together and set aside in the fridge for 1 hour. Bake the topping in a slightly oiled, very hot pan, then remove from heat and let cook for a little longer.

For the pumpkin cream: Peel the pumpkin and chop it roughly with the shallot. Put some olive oil in a saucepan and add the pumpkin with the shallot. Salt and sauté for 5 minutes. Add stock to halfway up and simmer gently for 30 minutes. Mix and thin with a little more stock if necessary to achieve the right texture.

For the cardamom milk: Toast the whole cardamom pods in a pan without oil. In the meantime, boil the milk in a saucepan. Turn off the stove, add the

cardamom pods and leave for 25 minutes. Pour the milk through a strainer and season with salt and pepper. Just before serving, froth the cardamom milk with a milk frother.

For the ginger carrots: Brush, but do not peel the carrots. Leave the carrot tops on. Bring salted water to a boil in a pot, add the carrots and simmer for 3 minutes. Drain. Just before serving, glaze the carrots in a pan with some stock, butter, sugar, finely grated ginger, salt and pepper.

For the pumpkin rolls: Peel the butternut squash and use a vegetable peeler to cut some thin ribbons of pumpkin flesh. Trim these into 2 x 10 cm strips. Brush the strips with olive oil, season with salt and pepper and roll them up.

Save any leftover squash for another dish.

Sear the scallops in a very hot pan with olive oil. Plate out some pumpkin cream and top with strained carrots and seared scallops, then decorate with a squash roll on top. Serve with frothed cardamom milk, pepper crumble and crunchy topping.

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Brasserie Schuman

Not only for theatregoers

PHOTOS RAMUNAS ASTRAUSKAS

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or Laurence Frank, it was clear from the start: “This is the perfect place for a new beginning.” About seven years ago, the native Luxembourger found herself standing in front of the recentlyvacated Restaurant des Grand Théâtre. She had just left the successful “Cat Club”, and her future was uncertain. Would this cafe, this empty space with its dark, heavy tables and chairs, bring her happiness? Frank applied, was awarded the contract, and went on to create an altogether new “Brasserie Schuman” right next to the theater. Everything changed.

And it was all good.

The theater world has its own rules which can also be carry over into a theatre brasserie. “We wanted a high-quality kitchen which also works quickly when people are in the theatre”, says Frank. This isn’t so easy, as the kitchen is distributed over two floors: the garde manger is on the lower level, the hot line above it. Theatre guests always come in droves during intermission and after the show – a logistical challenge for a restaurant with 80 seats. It can accommodate more for special occasions, like weddings. A few prominent politicians and entrepreneurs have had their wedding receptions here.

Since March 2011, this once rather staid establishment is now a chic, bright, modern, and welcoming meeting place on the Schuman Roundabout. For one, Frank succeeded in offering guests a sophisticated gourmet cuisine. “We can’t live from theatre patrons alone, we need other guests as well.” And Frank missed the “lounge ambience” of her previous place of employment, and so the Brasserie became a place where one can also sit for a spell, without having to immediately order a meal. It has tapas, for example, as well as cheese, ham, and other small portions.

Guests who come outside of theatre showtimes are important as well.

Business people like to meet here, especially for the €29 three-course Business Lunch (the two-course version costs €24). Otherwise, the appetizers range from between €16 and €24, while the ambitious menu’s main entrees, naturally including a tartare or a carpaccio de bœuf, vary between €24 and €35 (filet de bœuf luxembourgeois). For Frank it is important that 16 different wines are sold by the glass: “Many customers would rather drink one good glass of wine than two that are not so good”.

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Frank’s years of growing up on a farm taught her not only how important hard work is, but also the importance of quality. The Brasserie Schuman therefore uses only fresh products, she emphasises.

Even the chips are cut on the premises, and the entire pastry assortment is made there as well. This takes a lot of effort: 26 people currently work for Laurence Frank, including 8–9 in the kitchen.

And it’s difficult work: “We rarely get people from Luxembourg, although we pay a proper wage and our employees work only four and a half days a week.” There is a lot of fluctuation in the industry; “It gets on my nerves sometimes.” Her means of coping with stress is a bulldog named Lily, the real mistress of the brasserie, who can be seen in many pictures of the establishment. “My dog is very important to me, because my life is quite strenuous.” In the winter there is even a chalet at the door, “Chez Lily”, with room for another 50 people, where one can feast on cheese, raclette, and other warm delicacies.

Laurence Frank is seeing a new generation of guests coming to the restaurant, young people who, happily, are increasingly attending

theatre performances. “So the prices have to be adjusted a little bit for these young patrons.” That is also why it is important to make room for small snacks and more relaxed coffeehouse rules. “What’s important is that the guests feel comfortable”, says Frank. To this end, she wants to put in a larger and more comfortable bar. And she still dreams of the brasserie having a little “Aunt Emma shop” – a corner where products from Luxembourg are sold.

Every day it is becoming more and more difficult to run a restaurant.

About the constant pressure, Frank says, “You never rest. And at this level you can’t allow yourself to get careless”. But she sees the business as a good thing – although she often works from early morning until late into the night, the work brings her joy. “Either you love this job or you don’t do it.”

BRASSERIE SCHUMAN 1 Rond-Point Schuman - L-2525 Luxembourg Tel.: +352 24 61 85 44 - www.brasserieschuman.pro Saturday lunchtime and Sunday closed 2017 / 4 | KACHEN | 101

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ALVISSE PARC HOTEL «««« A big hotel with a small-hotel charm

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TEXT BARBARA FISCHER-FÜRWENTSCHES PHOTOS RAMUNAS ASTRAUSKAS

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was attracted to the retail trade rather than the hotel business. With t’s as busy as a beehive here on this perfectly normal weekday Möbel Alvisse he became one of the largest furniture retailers in in the Parc Hotel. An international congress has brought in the country. In late 2007 he then made the decision to enter into visitors from all over the world. Here exactly is where the Parc his father’s business. “At that point it urgently needed investment, Hotel’s strengths lie: the largest hotel in Luxembourg, it has 14 renovation, and restructuring”, remembers General Director seminar and conference rooms to accommodate up to 1,500 visitors.

Mireille Micoud, who began working alongside Jean And yet the Parc Hotel is no anonymous conference Claude Alvisse at that time. Selling the property was hotel. This family-run, four-star establishment places We can’t out of the question. Jean Claude Alvisse now runs great value in not only offering its guests state-of-theafford to provide both businesses, bringing in the skills and experience art conference technology, but also in providing an bad service – news gathered from his furniture business. atmosphere in which work can be fun and guests can of that would get find relaxation alongside their work-related activities.

The hotel not only underwent renovations, but also around quickly in expansion and reorganisation. The well-known The hotel’s beginnings hark back to Octave and Jannie Luxembourg discotheque was closed, and the conference, spa, and Alvisse, - the parents of the present owner, Jean Claude sports facilities were enhanced. All hotel and seminar Alvisse - who built “La Résidence” in a green setting guests have access to the indoor and outdoor pools, spa area, fitness next to a campground; today it houses 50 furnished studios for room, tennis court, and two bowling alleys. Outside paying guests long-term tenants who may also use the hotel infrastructure. The may also use these facilities. The hotel’s 325 rooms and studios, 14 campground was closed in 1974 and a new building, the current seminar rooms for 5 to 1,500 participants, and corresponding food PARC HOTEL, was erected on the premises. The name suits it well, services keep it filled during the week. “On the weekends we get a as it lies in the midst of a green oasis. Jean Claude Alvisse initially 2017 / 4 | KACHEN | 103

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different kind of clientele”, says Micoud. “This is when we draw guests from here in Luxembourg, especially for dining.” The restaurant “La Véranda” serves a daily menu with Luxembourg and French cuisine for lunches and dinners, and a wine list with select local and international labels. Theme dinners, for example at Halloween, and seasonal specialities from asparagus to venison are just as popular with Luxembourgers as are the Sunday brunches. The Parc Hotel is also a popular venue for weddings and family celebrations. Weekend tourists appreciate the hotel for its location and sports facilities.

“We can’t afford to provide bad service – news of that would get around quickly in Luxembourg”, says Micoud. Another advantage of a family-run hotel: “We can make decisions promptly and flexibly on the premises, unlike large hotel chains”.

“Guests have a great appreciation for our hotel’s being in a rural setting that’s close to the city, and for its family charm. We are constantly

investing in keeping standards high. Because of the proximity to decision-makers, we can also react quickly and flexibly to changes in the competitive environment.” The biggest challenge for the future is not just the competition, but also good personnel. “We offer ongoing additional training to our staff in order to guarantee a high level of service quality”, says Micoud.

ALVISSE PARC HÔTEL «««« 120 Route d'Echternach, 1453 Luxembourg Tel.: +352 43 56 43 0 www. parc-hotel.lu 2017 / 4 | KACHEN | 105

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Invitation to Sunday Brunch Cordiality at the Belgian border 106 | KACHEN | 4 / 2017

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TEXT ELISABETH BECKERS PHOTOS RAMUNAS ASTRAUSKAS

KITCHENDESIGN n

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abienne and Sami have been living in their new house in Belgium, very close to the border with Luxembourg, with their children and their cats, Felix and Croquette since June

2017. The house is on a large parcel of land, with a duck pond and a game animal enclosure. The entire house is state-of-the-art, including the lighting, a sound system that reaches every room in the house (even the bath), and the kitchen. The high-end, high-gloss lacquered

kitchen from Kichechef has all the standard appliances plus a steam oven and a Teppanyaki grill, a favourite of the master of the house.

Power outlets installed in 4-cm-thick black granite allow for fast and practical kitchen work at the large kitchen island. The water solidstainless-steel Eco Plus tap saves up to 50% of water use.

The spaciously designed house and its roomy kitchen offer lots of space for friends and family to gather. All are welcome any time. Sami 2017 / 4 | KACHEN | 107

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likes to be in the kitchen, and never passes up the chance to indulge family and guests with simple, home-made, delicious foods such as plancha-grilled shrimps, turkey legs with garlic, or home-made pizza.

Christmas will once again feature a stuffed capon – large enough to feed everyone, naturally.

But the kitchen isn’t just a meeting place for special occasions; the family also gathers here every Sunday for brunch. Cheese, a variety of breads, fruits, yoghurt...a proper feast! And of course, along with all this wonderful food, the family mainly enjoys spending time together.

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Déi “wäiss” Rumm kann een fortmaan. Et ass just vir den Encadrement geduecht. Um Drock gesäit déi net gutt aus.

KACHEN BLOG AWARDS 2017 ROUND-UP [Fonts used]

AVENIR NEXT DEMI BOLD (BLOG)

AVENIR NEXT REGULAR (AWARD + 2017) (Kléng Note: d’Schrëften an d’Icons an den Logoen sinn “expanded”.)

[Colors used] #d1242a #fafbfb

[Pattern] (see swatches) Winners, partners, and jury

The KACHEN Blog Awards 2017 were held on 25 October in Hotel Le Royal. This was the very first blog award event for Luxembourg, initiated and organised by KACHEN, Luxembourg’s food and lifestyle magazine together with Luxemburger Wort.

The jury prizes were given by a 9-member jury introduced here previously. Votes could be entered from April to September 2017 for the audience prizes – 3,300 votes were cast in all.

The winners of the KACHEN Blog Awards 2017, presented here on the following pages, will be working with us over the course of the coming year – you’ll soon be discovering more about them here in the magazine!

In the months ahead we will already be calling for submissions for the next Blog Awards; the awards ceremony will be held in autumn 2019! www.blogaward.lu

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COOKEREI (Salomé Jeko)

Coup de Cœur of Luxemburger Wort

Advertorial 2017

Format 1/1 page Business-Run

Ganz schön sportlich

Laufend gut aussehen BRAM beim 2. Business-Run 2016 Beim Business-Run am 22. September 2016 stehen alle Zeichen auf Erfolg: Über 2 500 Teilnehmer werden am kommenden Donnerstag bei dem sportlichen Event erwartet. Neben Banken, EU-Institutionen, vielen Firmen Luxemburgs und des Finanzplatzes Kirchberg beweisen dann auch die Mitarbeiter des Fashion-Anbieters BRAM Mannschaftsgeist und sportliches Talent.

In vielen Ländern Europas sind sie seit Jahren Erfolgsereignisse: Laufveranstaltungen, bei denen gute Laune und Gemeinschaftssinn genauso wichtig sind wie die Leistung. Auch der Luxemburger Business-Run, der in diesem Jahr zum zweiten Mal stattfindet, erfreut sich großer Beliebtheit. Ein Grund mehr für BRAM, die Veranstaltung erneut tatkräftig zu unterstützen: Zum einen spendiert das Modehaus jedem Teilnehmer einen RabattEinkaufscoupon für das exklusive Starterpaket. Zum anderen sind die Mitarbeiter selbst in dreiköpfigen Teams präsent.

Den Teamgedanken stärken „Wir freuen uns über den großen Erfolg auf der Rennstrecke im letzten Jahr“, so Peter Eberle, geschäftsführender Gesellschafter des größten Luxemburger Modehauses. „Neben der Förderung der Gesundheit durch den gemeinsamen Sport ist für mich wichtig, dass durch die Laufveranstaltung der Teamgedanke gestärkt wird. Motivierte und gut gelaunte Mitarbeiter sind schließlich neben unseren TopMarken das, was BRAM auszeichnet.“

1/1 page

(251 mm

x 376 mm)

Erste Adresse für Business-Outfits

A 1/1 page write-up in the Luxemburger Wort and the original printing plate from the newspaper.

Ob BOSS, Max Mara, Tiger of Sweden, Drykorn, Belstaff, Ted Baker, Essentiel Antwerp oder Strellson– als erste Adresse für Business-Outfits und modische Must-haves führt BRAM ein in Luxemburg und der Großregion einzigartiges Sortiment. Noch viel mehr aber sind es die Mitarbeiter, deren Engagement und Kompetenz BRAM auf über 10 000 qm eindrucksvoller, inspirierender Verkaufsfläche auszeichnen. „Weil wir ihren Teamgeist nachhaltig fördern möchten, ist die Teilnahme am Business-Run für uns eine echte Herzensangelegenheit“, freut sich der begeisterte Läufer Eberle. „Ich wünsche allen Beteiligten viel Spaß und Erfolg beim diesjährigen Event!“ Bezug zur Natur Für einen angesehenen Luxemburger Arbeitgeber wie BRAM sind aber nicht nur Teamgeist, Gesundheit und Fitness relevant – sondern auch der Bezug zur Natur. „In diesem Jahr führt der Lauf wieder über das attraktive Kirchberg-Plateau und anschließend durch den 20 Hektar großen Park vor der Coque“, erklärt Dr. Gabriele Castegnaro, Mitglied der BRAM Unternehmensleitung. „Das Laufen in einer lockeren und entspannten Atmosphäre im Freien ermöglicht den direkten und unverstellten Kontakt zu dem vielen Grün, das uns umgibt“, so Castegnaro weiter. Dazu passend stellt BRAM seine Business-Mode für den Herbst und Winter ganz unter das Motto „Sehnsucht Natur“: Fashion, die von den Farben und der Klarheit der Natur inspiriert ist.

Dr. Gabriele Castegnaro, Mitglied der BRAM Unternehmensleitung.

Mixing business with pleasure Selbstverständlich wünscht BRAM den Teilnehmern beim Zieleinlauf in die Arena nach sechs Kilometern erfolgreich absolvierter Rennstrecke und für die After-Run-Party viel Freude.

Insbesondere bei letzterer lassen sich gewiss neue Kontakte knüpfen und alte Freundschaften pflegen. „Mixing business with pleasure“: dafür steht BRAM seit Langem.

Auf die Frage, was für einen Platz seine Mitarbeiter beim letzten Business-Run belegten, antwortet auch Peter Eberle mit einem Augenzwinkern: „Unsere Teams waren in der Zeitwertung vielleicht nicht unter den Ersten. Aber hier ist jeder ein Gewinner – weil er im Freien aktiv wird, weil er etwas für seine Gesundheit tut und weil er zeigt, dass er auch außerhalb des Arbeitsalltags Interesse an der GeC. meinschaft hat.“

Das Bram Team beim Businessrun 2015.

Peter Eberle, geschäftsführender Gesellschafter des größten Luxemburger Modehauses.

(FOTOS: C.)

BRAM Shopping Center City Concorde – 80, route de Longwy – L-8060 Bertrange Tel.: 45 02 31 0 / www.bram.lu Advertorial: www.regie.lu

1/1 page (251 mm x 376 mm)

www.regie.lu

Bibi Wintersdorf, Guy Wolff (Luxemburger Wort), Anne Fourney (Jury)

LA RIVIÈRE ROSE (Sarah Laura Mignani) Special prize from main Food sponsor Cactus

A trip to Hervé Mons in Lyon, France, including travel expenses and 1 night accommodations for two, as well as a “Yämmi 2” allin-one cooking machine.

Karin Pütz (Cactus), Sarah Laura Mignani (La Rivière Rose), Cathy Leesch (Jury)

PLATEFUL NUTRITION (Vesela Savova Drews) Special prize from main Food & Lifestyle sponsor NEFF

A NEFF combination refrigeratorfreezer (KG7493B30) featuring matte-black, writable, magnetic glass doors.

Vesela Savova Drews (Plateful Nutrition), Fabio Sousa (NEFF), Myléna Runge (Jury)

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F4OD (Valentina Quaranta)

Audience prize in the Food category

A colourful set for 6 from Villeroy & Boch’s Artesano, Pasta Passion, and Coffee Passion product lines.

Jessika Rauch (Villeroy & Boch), Valentina Quaranta (F4OD)

NORASCHI (Nora Willems)

Audience prize in the Lifestyle category

A night for 2 at the Hotel Le Place d’Armes, including breakfast and dinner in the new Rôtisserie created by designer Tristan Auer.

Hubert Bonnier (Hotel Le Place d’Armes), Nora Willems (Noraschi), Elisabeth Beckers (KACHEN)

THE GREEN CREATOR (Bianca Ciric) Jury prize in the Food category

A WESUAL CLICK fully-automatic mobile photo studio for food and product photography.

Denis Matic (Wesual), Bianca Ciric (The Green Creator), Bibi Wintersdorf (KACHEN), France Clarinval (Jury)

KINLAKE (Linda Dieschbourg & David Mourato) Jury prize in the Lifestyle category

A weekend for two at Le Royal Hotels & Resorts Luxembourg for two nights including breakfast, dinner, Sunday buffet and admission to the spa.

Guy Wolff (Jury), Elsie Danjou (Hotel Le Royal), Bibi Wintersdorf (KACHEN), Daniel Fragoso und Adriana Costa for Kinlake

DE GRÉNGE LÉIW (Sven Mühlen) Coup de Cœur du Jury

A Miele GourmetStar steam cooker with MonoSteam steam-cooking technology.

Sven Mühlen (De Grénge Léiw), Karen Willekens (Miele), Carlo Sauber (Jury)

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BLOG AWARDS CANDIDATES MEET THE SPONSORS As part of the Blog Awards, KACHEN organised a series of events to provide the bloggers with an informal way to meet its Blog Award partners, and a glimpse into their diverse business fields. Here are four more partner events from September 2017, after those held with Cactus and Villeroy & Boch:

Hotel Le Royal treated the bloggers to a convivial tea time in Restaurant Amélys, and gave participants a tour of the hotel.

Miele Luxemburg held an interactive workshop on steam cooking, followed by a sampling of the prepared dishes.

Hotel Le Place d’Armes organised an evening dinner with interior designer Tristan Auer in the new Rôtisserie at Restaurant Le Plëss.

Domaines Vinsmoselle planned an after-work party in Wellenstein for the bloggers, with a visit to its wine cellar followed by a wine tasting.

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OPEN EVERY DAY: 12:00 NOON TO 11:00 P.M.

OPEN FROM MONDAY TO FRIDAY: 12:00 NOON TO 2:00 P.M. AND 7:00 P.M. TO 10:00 P.M.

Christmas with your family, New Year Eve amongst your friends...

All your year end parties are at Le Royal Hotel Parking free of charge during your meal Le Royal Hotels & Resorts Luxembourg I 12, Boulevard Royal I L-2449 Luxembourg I restauration-lux@leroyal.com Restaurant Amélys : T +352 24 16 16-737 I www.amelys.lu Restaurant La Pomme Cannelle : T +352 24 16 16-736 I www.pomme-cannelle.lu KACHEN 13 ENGLISH.indd 113

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HEALTH n

HEALTHY LIVING – WITH DIABETES More and more people across the globe suffer from diabetes. Although diabetes is so widespread, very few people recognize the initial signs, and knowledge of the consequences of diabetes to one’s health is also quite limited. The ALD (Association luxembourgeoise du diabète) represents the general interests of people with diabetes in Luxembourg, offers social and medical support, and provides information about the disease, its treatment, and early detection. Holidays can be a challenge for those suffering from diabetes as well as for their loved ones. Here are a few important tips which may be of help to all.

DIABETES AND HOLIDAYS: HOW ALCOHOL AFFECTS BLOOD SUGAR Alcohol is one of man’s oldest pleasures. Older studies were thought to show that moderate alcohol consumption could lower the risk of cardiovascular disease.

More recent studies now show that it’s more complicated than that.

Does drinking wine offer protection from cardiovascular disease and contribute positively to life expectation? One study examined what customers bought at a supermarket. Those who bought wine often also had olive oil, cheese, and more fruits and vegetables in their carts, while those who purchased beer more often also bought crisps, processed meats, and fast food products. Wine drinkers appear to eat more nutritious food in general, so that the positive health effects may not be solely from wine.

Alcohol abuse, on the other hand, is another issue altogether, and connected to a large number of serious health problems.

Thus, the negative aspects of alcohol for persons with diabetes are much more severe than for those without the disease.

HOW MUCH ALCOHOL CAN THE LIVER TOLERATE? Alcohol tolerance varies from person to person, and depends on the existence of other illness and one’s sex. Studies show that the toxicity levels for men lie at about 40 grammes of alcohol per day, and for women at around 20 grammes per day.

Daily alcohol limits for people with diabetes, according to the latest diabetes nutrition guidelines, are around 10 g for women and 20 g for men. That corresponds to one glass of wine (125 ml) or beer (250 ml) for women and 2 glasses for men.

TEXT SYLVIE PAQUET - MAISON DU DIABÈTE

FIRST AN INCREASE IN BLOOD SUGAR, THEN A DROP After drinking alcohol, blood sugar will often rise rapidly. The reason for this is the sugar found in alcoholic beverages. The body breaks down the alcohol again in the liver, but this doesn’t have an immediate effect on blood sugar levels, rather, it often takes several hours.

IMPORTANT TIPS FOR AVOIDING LOW BLOOD SUGAR: • Alcohol should always be consumed in combination with foods rich in carbohydrates.

• Choose drinks low in sugar, such as dry sparkling wine, dry wine, or beer; avoid cocktails, mixed drinks, and schnapps.

• Never inject insulin for carbohydrates in alcoholic beverages!

• Check your blood sugar level often, as it often sinks several hours later, especially when no food has been consumed.

ALCOHOL’S HARMFUL EFFECTS • Even those who regularly drink just a small amount of alcohol run the risk of fatty liver and even cirrhosis of the liver. This also increases the risk of dyslipidemia.

• Direct toxic effects from alcohol occur in the mouth, oesophagus, intestinal tract, and also in the form of a chronic pancreas inflammation.

• An excess of alcohol can raise blood sugar. If one also has dyslipidemia, this can often lead to hardening of the arteries (arteriosclerosis).

• It’s not uncommon for nerve damage to be traced back to chronic alcohol consumption. Those affected by this should therefore abstain from regular alcohol consumption along with other measure to lower blood sugar.

• Sexual disorders are often manifested in the form of erectile dysfunction in men and loss of libido (loss of sexual desire) in women – sometimes quite early in life.

HYPOGLYCAEMIA AFTER FOUR TO EIGHT HOURS Alcohol can boost low blood sugar. This is especially important for diabetics who need to inject insulin or take oral antidiabetics such as sulphonylureas. A low blood sugar event can often happen unnoticed at night, four to eight hours after having consumed alcohol in the evening.

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Gluten-free Holiday Menu

by LeneLife Lene Pedersen has been providing KACHEN with gluten-free recipes since its early days.

Due to their popularity with our readers, we have now put together a complete, gluten-free, vegan, lactose-free and refined sugar-free meal from LeneLife for the holidays. You can now find LeneLife products right downtown at Kaempff-Kohler!

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RECIPES n

Matcha iced tea with rum Serves 4

10 minutes + 1 hour chilling time

• 4 g matcha powder (Mariage-Frères) • 5 cl cold water • 3 tbsp. agave syrup • 1 l water, still or sparkling • 2 organic limes • 2 tbsp. finely chopped pistachios • 4 sprigs of mint • 8 cl rum (optional) • Ice cubes Combine the matcha powder with 5 cl cold water until fully dissolved. Add the agave syrup and 1 litre of water (still or sparkling, as preferred). Mix until everything is properly dissolved and set aside in the fridge.

To serve: Moisten the rims of the glasses with a lime wedge and dip in the finely chopped pistachios (poured on a small plate).

Add some ice, mint leaves and slices of lime to each glass. Add 2 cl of rum per glass and fill up with the chilled Matcha tea mix.

Beetroot salad with redcurrant vinaigrette, walnuts and grapes Serves 4

Aperol-Granita with Orange and Lime Serves 4

20 minutes (+ 4 hours in the fridge)

• 1 organic lime • 3 organic oranges • 125 ml Aperol • 50 g coconut sugar • 50 g xylitol • 20 g green pistachios • 3 sprigs of mint 1 Wash the lime and one of the oranges, grate the zest and squeeze the juice. Also squeeze the other two oranges. You'll need 400 ml citrus juice in total. 2 Combine the coconut sugar, xylitol and orange/lime zest with the juice and warm gently, stirring constantly until the sugar is completely dissolved. Let cool and add 100 ml Aperol. Add the mixture to a metal bowl, cover with cling film and place in the freezer for 4 hours to set. Stir every now and again to break up the ice crystals. 3 Finely chop the pistachio kernels. Wash the mint, pat dry and pick the leaves off the stalks.

Once ready, spoon the granita into previously chilled glasses, drizzle with the rest of the Aperol and decorate with the mint and pistachios.

Useful tip: To create a pretty rim, moisten the glass rim with a wedge of lime or orange and then dip in xylitol or chopped pistachio before filling.

30 minutes (+ 1 hour chilling time)

For the vinaigrette: • 2 tbsp. mustard (gluten-free, vegan) • Vanilla salt • 2 tbsp. redcurrant jelly • 2 tbsp. agave syrup • 2 tbsp. Balsamic vinegar • 4 tbsp. walnut oil For the salad: • 800 g beetroot (pre-cooked) • ½ bunch of parsley • 300 g white grapes (seedless if possible) • 60 g walnuts For the vinaigrette: Combine the mustard with the agave syrup, vanilla salt, pepper and redcurrant jelly and mix until smooth. Mix in the vinegar and then add the walnut oil drop by drop, stirring vigorously to create a smooth emulsion.

For the salad: 1 Peel the beetroot and grate coarsely. Mix well with the vinaigrette. Cover and set aside in the fridge for at least 60 minutes. 2 Chop the walnuts and toast in the pan without any oil. Let cool. 3 Wash the grapes and halve lengthwise. Set some grapes aside and mix the rest into the salad. 4 Chop the washed parsley and mix it into the salad together with the toasted walnuts. Decorate the salad with grapes and walnuts before serving.

Useful tip: You can make the vanilla salt yourself by infusing some fleur-desel with vanilla beans.

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Baked aubergines stuffed with dates, orange and quinoa Serves 4

45 minutes (baking time: 15 minutes)

• 100 g Quinoa • Dried herbs (rosemary, thyme) • 40 g sun-dried tomatoes in oil • 80 g dates (Medjool), pitted • 150 g yellow onion • 1 organic orange • 2 aubergines (500 g each) • olive oil • salt, pepper, nutmeg • 1 tsp. cinnamon • ½ tsp. cumin • ½ tsp. Cayenne pepper (or paprika) • 1 tsp. sweet paprika powder 1 Bring the water to the boil with the dried herbs, add the quinoa and cook for 9 minutes. Peel the onions and chop finely. Also chop the pitted dates and dried tomatoes. Wash and dry the orange.

Grate the zest, squeeze the juice and finely chop the flesh.

2 Bring a large pan of water to a boil with a little salt. Wash the aubergine and peel off strips of the skin lengthwise to create a striped pattern. Cut the aubergines into 4 pieces, and then

hollow out each piece, leaving a "base" at the bottom. Finely chop the scooped out flesh and blanch in boiling salted water for 1-2 minutes. Plunge into iced water, pat dry with kitchen roll and set aside.

3 Preheat the oven to 180 °C, using the fan mode. Sweat the onions in the oil until translucent. Add the blanched aubergine flesh and cook for 3-4 minutes, stirring constantly. Add the tomatoes and quinoa, the orange juice and bring to a simmer.

Combine the chopped dates with the orange pulp. Season with salt, pepper, cinnamon, cumin, nutmeg, paprika, Cayenne pepper and orange zest.

4 Grease an oven-proof dish with some oil. Fill the hollowed out aubergines with the stuffing, pressing down with a spoon. Preheat the oven to 180 °C and bake the aubergines for 10-15 minutes (on the middle rack).

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RECIPES n

Spicy chocolate mousse

with mango and passion fruit sorbet Serves 4

10 minutes + chill for 1 hour

Sorbet: • 1 frozen banana, finely diced • ½ mango • 2 passion fruits • ½ tsp. vanilla powder Chocolate mousse: • 3 avocado • 2 tbsp. cacao powder, 100% degreased • 3 tbsp. agave syrup • ½ tsp coriander powder • 1 pinch salt Decoration: passion fruit and dragon fruit Sorbet: Mix all ingredients in a food processor and place in the freezer for at least 3 hours.

Chocolate mousse: Pit and peel the avocados. Place all of the ingredients in a food processor and blend until smooth. Distribute the mousse into 4 glasses.

Cover and set aside in the fridge until ready to serve.

Decorate and serve: Take the sorbet out of the freezer 15-30 minutes before serving. Place one ball of sorbet on top of the chocolate mousse and decorate with dragon fruit slices and passion fruit pulp.

LeneLife @ Kaempff-Kohler 18, Place Guillaume L- 1648 Luxembourg

www.lenelife.com

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Mushroom Stroganoff

This is what I call vegetarian winter comfort food – perfect on a cold, grey evening, when you don’t want to spend a long time in the kitchen but need a proper, homecooked meal.

Serves 2

30 minutes

RECIPE & PHOTO ANNE FABER

• 1 onion • 1 garlic clove • 250g chestnut mushrooms • 1 tbsp olive oil • 2 tsp sweet paprika • 50ml white wine • 100ml cream • parsley, to serve For the polenta: • 100g quick-cook polenta • 350ml water • 1 ½ tsp vegetable stock powder • 20g butter • 80g Scamorza (smoked mozzarella) • salt and pepper 1 Peel and finely chop the onion. Peel and crush the garlic clove.

Trim and slice the mushrooms. 2 Heat the oil in a frying pan and fry the onion over a medium heat for 4 minutes until soft. Add the garlic and the paprika powder to the frying pan and fry for another minute. 3 Raise the heat and add the mushrooms with

a generous pinch of salt, cook until all the liquid released by the mushrooms has been absorbed. 4 Meanwhile, grate the cheese and set aside. 5 Add the white wine to the mushrooms and braise for two minutes. Add the cream and adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper. Reduce the heat and leave to simmer while preparing the polenta. 6 Put the polenta into a saucepan. Boil 350ml of water and mix with the vegetable stock powder, add to the polenta and cook over a medium heat for 3 minutes while stirring constantly. Stir in the scamorza and season with salt and pepper. 7 Distribute the polenta between two plates, top each with half the mushrooms. Roughly chop a bit of parsley and sprinkle over each portion.

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THE ICONIC KITCHEN EXPERIENCE

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TRX Yoga

TEXT MYRIAM VON KNOBELSDORFF PHOTO COURTESY OF VERO VEGAS

Enhance your body awareness!

TRX Yoga is trending. This combination of yoga and suspension training helps both beginners as well as advanced practitioners in learning and understanding different yoga poses, and in getting a stronger sense of awareness for one’s own body.

Difficult poses are made accessible through the use of a harness system which takes away the fear of possibly falling. It enables an optimal positioning of the body for safe training as well as for more challenging exercises like inversions, arm balancing, and backbends. The harness assists in integrating one’s own body weight into the exercise. This improves strength, balance, flexibility, and core stability and enhances the effectiveness of the training.

For experienced yogis, TRX trainers can bring more play to their yoga by challenging balance and improving flexibility. Yoga poses can be made more intensive through the harness system. Every TRX class provides training for the whole body, with warm-up and cool-down.

The class participants can control how much they want to challenge their bodies with every exercise – no matter their fitness level.

TRX workout with Vero Vegas in

HOUSE OF YOGA 184, Route d’Arlon, L-8010 Strassen Tel.: +352 691 780 254 www.houseofyoga.lu

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Health & Lifestyle Coaching We spent an entire year working together with House of Yoga, learning many interesting things about yoga, Pilates, and athletic trends in the process. Now House of Yoga is offering something new: private health & lifestyle coaching. Myriam von Knobelsdorff, yoga instructor and founder of House of Yoga, explains what this coaching involves and who can benefit from it. Further information can be found at her website, www.mvonk.me.

KACHEN: What is health and lifestyle coaching, actually?

MYRIAM: Private coaching helps every single one of us to recognise how to help ourselves and how to achieve our own life and health goals. A coaching shows the best ways and means to an individually attuned and happy life. The subject of eating and drinking, and finding the right diet, also plays a role.

KACHEN: Where did you complete your studies?

MYRIAM: I trained to be a certified health and lifestyle trainer at the Institute of Integrative Nutrition in New York. My health and lifestyle coaching takes a holistic approach. It primarily looks at general surroundings, such as one’s private and professional life, creativity, spirituality, home, and daily activities, and only then do we deal with nutrition.

KACHEN: Who can benefit from health & lifestyle coaching?

MYRIAM: A coaching can be helpful for difficulties with sleep or concentration, but also for fatigue and exhaustion. Many people also want to adopt a healthier lifestyle accompanied by weight loss. But it primarily concentrates on finding an inner balance and a healthy and balanced life.

Many people come to me to learn how to cope with stressful situations in their daily lives. I can assist people who want to change their lifestyles or who are struggling with anxiety and depression. The main focus is one’s own well-being. Now and then we need a little support in finding ourselves.

We can heal ourselves.

Anytime!

INTERVIEW ELISABETH BECKERS PHOTO TIARE HANALEI

Louise Hay

CONTEST for KACHEN Readers We’re giving away 10 x 1 yoga lesson and 2 x 1 TRX yoga class at House of Yoga plus 1 x 30-minute coaching session with Myriam.

Answer the following question: Where did Myriam learn to be a health and lifestyle trainer? Send your answer by e-mail with the word “Yoga”in the subject line to: gewinnen@kachen.lu Submission deadline is February 2, 2018.

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MORINGA OLEIFERA No Superfoods, just the Power of Nature

This “tree of life” was mentioned in the Vedas, ancient Indian texts which were written down 5,000 years ago. Kachen spoke with the general agent for “MoringaGarden” in Luxembourg.

KACHEN: Mr Miller, would you describe Moringa as a ‘superfood’?

Jean-Paul Miller: More and more people are beginning to think about their health – unfortunately, often only after they fall ill. The industry is now jumping onto this train, or course. There is a lot being written about superfoods and most people are overwhelmed from the broad spectrum of different offerings. Personally, I don’t like to use the word ‘superfood’ for moringa, because moringa has been around for thousands of years. It doesn’t need this hot-seller expression, which often enough is just deceptive packaging.

TEXT MARTINA SCHMITT-JAMEK

KACHEN: What makes moringa so special?

Jean-Paul Miller: Moringa can contain up to 90 substances, depending on where the plant is cultivated, on climate conditions, soil and air, that the body can utilise immediately. The advantage over synthetically produced agents is that these are living substances which can communicate directly with our bodies. If you are exposed to harmful environmental hazards, have come into contact with poisonous substances, are malnourished or over-nourished, this can lead to cell damage or symptoms of deficiency. Chemically produced products which are meant to fix this often lead to a lopsided overabundance, but natural products won‘t. Here is where nature’s intelligence takes hold, giving only that which is needed.

KACHEN: But does that apply to all plant-based products?

Jean-Paul Miller: Of course there are many different varieties of plants in the world which have fantastic active ingredients, but mostly too much of one thing. Often one substance needs another to be effective,

or else the overconsumption of one substance prevents other substances from being absorbed. A vitamin C cure, for example, is only good for a short while; otherwise it can lead to a Vitamin B1 deficiency. Moringa, however, covers a much larger area, from vitamins and minerals, proteins and dietary fibres to chlorophyll, the haemoglobin of plants, which assists in blood production. It is also rich in antioxidants and cancer-inhibiting glucosinolates.

KACHEN: That sounds like a miracle agent.

Jean-Paul Miller: I wouldn’t say that. Moringa can aid repair mechanisms, but if someone eats, say, only fast food, moringa can’t work magic. Nevertheless it can do extraordinary things. The seeds from a 1.2-metre-long pod have a kind of antiviral and antibacterial effect, so that a ground seed can transform 1 l of soiled water into drinking water in 10 minutes, and it even binds the dirt particles. The oil helps fight acne and dandruff, acts as a sunscreen, helps burns, and much more.

KACHEN: Moringa is also known as “horseradish tree” and has quite an intense flavour. How can one best use it without everything taking on that flavour?

Jean-Paul Miller: You don’t need much, about 3-5 g (1 tsp) per day is enough. As different substances are unlocked only after it’s heated, one should take ⅔ of the daily dosage warm, for example strewn over cooked noodles or added to a sauce. At Christmastime it also makes a wonderful dye for marzipan, so children can benefit from moringa while having fun with it.

More information about Moringa can be found at www.moringa.lu and on Facebook at facebook.com/moringalux

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KACHEN ON TOUR

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WELLNESS IN LUXEMBOURG

Beating the winter TEXT BARBARA FISCHER-FÜRWENTSCHES

The cold, wet season is upon us once again. It’s getting dark earlier, there are lots of germs about, and the winter blues is playing its gloomy melody.

Now is the time to do something good for yourself, your body, and your mind. An evening at the sauna rouses your animal spirit and brings relaxation, balance, and serenity with yourself and with the world. Even a brief time-out in a spa hotel can be invigorating.

L

uxembourg has a wide variety of attractive spa facilities. All across the country there are modern swimming pools with spas inviting you to experience moments of pure relaxation. Along with their whirlpools, diverse saunas, and solariums these spas also have impressive and unique architecture and modern designs. And the culinary offerings found in and around them will have something for everyone’s taste.

Luxembourg’s only thermal spa is located in Bad Mondorf and offers a complete cure, care, and regeneration programme – an oasis of tranquility and well-being. The thermal springs in Bad Mondorf are rich in mineral salts, ideal for relaxing tired muscles.

In Les Thermes in Strassen you’ll find ten different saunas with a variety of temperatures, humidity levels, and infusions. The new lava

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KACHEN ON TOUR n

infrared cabin, a genuine magic weapon against tension, provides a comfortably mild heat that will gently warm your body.

Up north in AquaNat'Our Hosingen, you can cool off after the sauna in a natural outdoor pool.

Centre Aquatique Krounebierg in Mersch has a large spa with wonderful views of the hilly landscape. A midnight sauna is held once a month during the winter months.

This is just a small selection from our editorial staff. You’ll find all swimming pools and spa centres along with their hours of operation

and special offers at www.visitluxembourg.com/de/erleben/sportfreizeit/schwimmen-wellness. Explore the wide variety of offerings near you.

BALSAM FOR BODY AND MIND Why travel great distances when there are so many opportunities for a winter break practically at your doorstep? Many Luxembourg hotels have splendid spa facilities and excellent gastronomy – here you can get away from the daily grind and find new energy to take on the cold, and get better acquainted with Luxembourg’s wonderful surroundings from a completely different perspective as well.

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KACHEN has compiled a small selection here to provide you with inspiration. Domaine La Fôret Wellness & Culinary Resort, in Remich, has a 700-m² spa which leaves nothing to be desired.

Chef Claude Wallerich will pamper you with light and harmonious Luxembourg and French cuisine, using ingredients from the region.

Further north you can relax in Le Clervaux Boutique & Design Hotel. After a winter walk through the magnificent countryside of the Ardennes, you’ll find everything you need for a spa holiday on 800 m², from a hammam, salt cave, and pool with waterfall to a whirlpool and fitness room. The affiliated beauty salon also has a number of ways to pamper you.

If you’d like to enjoy the healing thermal waters of the springs in Bad Mondorf for more than just a few hours, we recommend the Mondorf Parc Hotel, where guests have free access to the spa with its many saunas and hammams, just waiting to pamper you in all sorts of wonderful ways.

Many of Luxembourg’s spa hotels offer interesting packages for short stays in the winter months. It’s worth a little research – your body and mind will thank you.

BATHS Adventure & swimming pool „AquaNat’Our“, Hosingen • Syrdallschwemm, Niederanven • Les Thermes, Strassen • Domaine Thermal, Mondorf • Pidal, Walferdange • Piscine Krounebierg, Mersch • Centre de relaxation aquatique Badanstalt, Luxembourg • Centre National Sportif et Culturel d‘Coque, Kirchberg • Escher Schwemm Les bains du Parc, Esch-sur-Alzette • Piscine Kordall PiKo, Rodange • Réidener Schwemm, Redange-sur-Attert • Piscine „An der Schwemm“, Bettembourg • Aquasud, Oberkorn • Piscine de Colmar-Berg „NORDPOOL“, Colmar-Berg • Piscine de Bonnevoie, Luxembourg • Piscine en plein air de Dudelange, Dudelange • Piscine de Steinfort, Steinfort • Piscine de Schifflange, Schifflange • Piscine de Diekirch, Diekirch • Piscine de Larochette (Camping Birkelt), Larochette • Piscine couverte d‘Echternach, Echternach • Piscine de Dreiborn, Dreiborn • Piscine de Larochette (Camping Auf Kengert), Larochette • Piscine de Beaufort, Beaufort • Piscine chauffée de Vianden, Vianden • Piscine couverte de Clervaux, Clervaux • Piscine Kordall - PIKO, Pétange • Piscine Kaul, Wiltz • Piscine de Troisvierges, Troisvierges • Piscine de Wiltz, Wiltz • Piscine de Grevenmacher, Grevenmacher • Piscine de Remich, Remich

SPA

(sanus per aquam )

HERE YOU CAN RELAX - WELLNESS AND SPAHOTELS IN LUXEMBOURG Alvisse Parc Hotel****, Dommeldange • Hotel Le Royal*****, Luxembourg • Hotel Melia Luxembourg**** • Mercure Kikuoka Golf Club****, Canach • Domaine La Forêt Wellness & Culinary Resort****, Remich • Hotel SaintNicolas & Spa****, Remich • Hotel-Restaurant Ecluse***, Stadtbredimus • Mondorf Parc Hotel****, Mondorf-les-Bains • Hotel-Résidence Am Klouschter****, Mondorf-les-Bains • Grand Hotel ****, Echternach • Hotel Eden au Lac*****, Echternach • Romantik Hotel Bel-Air Sport & Wellness****, Echternach • Hotel Belle-Vue, Vianden • Hotel Petry****, Vianden • Le Clervaux Boutique & Design Hotel*****, Clervaux • Hotel Du Commerce***, Clervaux • Hotel Brimer, Grundhof Luxembourg • Hotel Koener***, Clervaux • The Seven Hotel**** Esch sur Alzette • Chateau d’Urspelt**** Urspelt • Hotel-Restaurant Dimmer****, Wallendorf-Pont • Leweck Sport Hotel****, Lipperscheid • Hotel Le Bon Repos Sports & Wellness****, Scheidgen • Hotel Martha****, Beringen • Hostellerie Val Fleuri****, Mersch • Légère Hotel Luxembourg****, Munsbach • Villa Welcome***, Mondorf-les-Bains • Hotel Du Moulin****, Bourscheid-Moulin • Cocoon Hotel La Rive****, Bourscheid-Plage • Hotel Des Nations***, Clervaux • Boutique & Design Hotel Le Clervaux*****, Clervaux • Hotel du Commerce***, Clervaux • Hotel International****, Clervaux • Hotel du Parc***, Diekirch • Gourmet & Relax Hotel De La Sure****, Esch-sur-Sûre • Hotel Victor Hugo Vianden***, Vianden • Hotel Wemperhardt****, Wemperhardt • Hotel Aux Anciennes Tanneries***, Wiltz • Hotel Parc-Belair****, Luxembourg • Doubletree By Hilton Luxembourg Sàrl****, Luxembourg • Hotel Le Place d‘Armes*****, Luxembourg • Hotel d‘Coque***, Luxembourg • Hotel Sofitel Luxembourg Europe*****, Luxembourg • Best Western Plus Grand Hotel Victor Hugo****, Luxembourg • Apart Hotel Italia, Luxembourg • Suite Novotel Luxembourg****, Luxembourg - Kirchberg • Hotel Meyer****, Beaufort • Hotel Le Bisdorff***, Berdorf • Hotel Perekop***, Berdorf • Hotel Scharff***, Berdorf • Hotel Parmentier***, Junglinster • Hotel Le Cigalon****, Mullerthal • Hotel de la Station***, Scheidgen • Kurz hinter der Grenze: Victor’s Residenz-Hotel Schloss Berg*****, Nennig Find all these references with clickable links at www.kachen.lu 2017 / 4 | KACHEN | 129

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Kachen on Tour with LuxairTours

MILAN

W

hen one thinks of Milan, food is not usually the very first thing to come to mind. After all, the city the home of the legendary Scala, the actual name of which is Teatro alla Scala – one of the most famous opera houses in the world, a visit to which promises a feast for the ears. But the Italians are known for enjoyment through all the senses. The composer Gioachino Rossini, five of whose works saw their world premieres in la Scala, is considered the most celebrated gourmet – and gourmand – that the country has ever produced. However the Tournedo, named for him, was not invented in this northern Italian city but rather in Paris. But Milan can offer local specialities that are just as delicious. The most famous of these is probably Piccata Milanese: fine, small breaded veal cutlets, often served in tomato sauce and perhaps the most delicious thing one can do with a cutlet, even if the Viennese don’t share this opinion.

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KACHEN ON TOUR n Alongside internationally renowned operatic spectacles and incomparably delicious veal dishes, Italy’s second-largest city offers yet another superlative. The Milan Fashion Week, occurring four times a year, has made Milan the fashion capital of Italy, if not the world, even if Parisians might wrinkle their noses in pique. To get a feeling for the worldly fashion flair of Milano, just stroll through the Quadrilatero della moda, the “fashion rectangle” between Montenapoleone and Via Senato, or amble through the famous Galeria Vittorio Emanuele II. Here you’ll find – Italianità oblige – numerous Italian designer labels like Armani and Gucci represented with their boutiques, but also Milanese luxury labels such as Prada and Versace. For the ultimate Milano experience, go shopping first – provided your wallet allows it – in the Galleria; then, wrapped in your splendid new acquisitions, walk a few steps over to la Scala to sample an appetizing Rossini opera followed by a Piccata Milanese. Try not to get tomato sauce on your new designer clothing.

And what comes to mind, when art and culture enthusiasts think of Milan, may involve food after all – Leonardo da Vinci’s unique fresco “The Last Supper” is also a Milan attraction.

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PECK

© Peck

An absolute must when visiting Milan is certainly the legendary Peck delicatessen and wine shop in Via Spadari near the cathedral, founded in 1883 by Franz Peck, a sausage maker from Prague. The eponymous restaurant has been considered the perfect place for a delicious light lunch since the 1950s, and not only by the elegant Milanese.

V

Peck, Via Spadari 9, I-20123 Milan, Tel.: +39 02 8023161; www.peck.it © Peck

Open Tuesday to Saturday 9:00 am to 8:00 pm, Sunday 10:00 am to 5:00 pm, Monday 3:00 pm to 8:00 pm.

© Ristorante Nabucco

For the perfect cap to the evening after a visit to Scala, Ristorante Nabucco, named for the Verdi opera, is popular with the locals and has a pretty outside terrace. Alongside Mediterranean and meat dishes, the menu has modern Italian classics and a selection of typical Milanese specialities.

© Nabucco

RISTORANTE NABUCCO

Ristorante Nabucco, Via Fiori Chiari 10, I-20121 Milan Tel.: +39 02 860663; info@nabucco.it, www.nabucco.it Open daily from 12:00 noon to 2:30 pm and 6:00 pm to 11:30 pm.

ENTER AND WIN Win a 2-night stay for 2 people in a double room at the 4 star Hotel Radisson Blu Milano.

Including 2 flight tickets Luxembourg - Milano (round trip) with LuxairTours.

The Radisson Blu Milano hotel features elegant design combining Italian and Indonesian flair. Located near a tram station, guests can reach the city centre without any hassle.

In the hotel restaurant "Leonardo" guests can enjoy Italian cuisine created with local ingredients. Over a cocktail or a glass of wine, an

exciting day of sightseeing can end beautifully.

The hotel has 250 well-appointed rooms equipped with a shower or bath/WC, hairdryer, telephone, TV, WLAN (inclusive) and air conditioning, as well as a wellness area with fitness room, heated indoor pool and sauna. Guests can enjoy a 24-hour room service.

Just answer the following question: in what region of Italy Milano is located?

Send your answer along with the word “Milan” in the subject field to gewinnen@kachen.lu.

Travel must be undertaken by june 31, 2018. Airline tickets and accommodations may vary depending on availability.

Submission deadline is february 2, 2018.

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70643-LU

Vakanz Summer Catalogue 2018 Live your holiday!

NEW DESTINATIONS

Brac CROATIA

Enfidha TUNISIA

INFORMATION AND BOOKINGS IN YOUR TRAVEL AGENCY, ON WWW.LUXAIRTOURS.LU OR BY PHONE: +352 2456-1

KACHEN 13 ENGLISH.indd 133 70643-LUXRT-Camp_Broch_Vakanz_Summer_2018-Annonce_KACHEN_210x270_LU_EN-PROD.indd 2

Reykjavik ICELAND

2017 / 4 | KACHEN | 133

30/11/2017 14:35 16/11/2017 12:15

Then make it Georgian

O

dessa is a magnificent city. It has monuments, museums and parks, the opera house, churches, old palaces and above all the famous stairs from the legendary film “Battleship Potemkin”, which Sergei Eisenstein filmed in this Ukrainian harbour city on the Black Sea in 1925. So many attractions can make one forget about hunger and thirst. But even in Odessa one has to eat and drink sometime. That’s when the problems begin.

PHOTO GEORGES HAUSEMER

There are pizzerias, snack counters, and other fast-food establishments on every corner of the city – forget them! However, even purveyors of traditional local cuisine only rarely offer culinary treats. Most of the not-very-comprehensive menus of allegedly typical Ukrainian restaurants don’t offer anything mouth-watering: vegetable soups, primarily borscht, varenyky (pockets of unleavened dough filled with cooked meat), or Kiev cutlets, breaded chicken fillets with an herb butter filling, are practically the most enticing items that simple and hearty Ukrainian cookery has to offer.

Fortunately, on the second day of our Odessa visit we stumbled upon Kinza, a Georgian restaurant in the pedestrian-friendly Deribasovskaya Street. A delightful treasure amidst all the mushy burgers, stringy kebabs, and pallid pancakes! With enthusiasm we feasted on eggplant rolls with walnut paste, pomegranate seeds and coriander leaves, happily slurped juicy khinkali dumplings and bit heartily on meat kebabs wrapped in paper-thin lavash bread, as well as Georgian wine

from Kacheti, also a discovery. And the service? Well, like in all former Iron Curtain countries, it captivates through a dry charm that leans toward general disinterest, without being outright unfriendly.

To our great delight we then discovered an exquisite Georgian establishment in Kiev, where we spent a few last days in the Ukraine. It’s called Chachapuri – after the local cheese-filled speciality –and brought all the finesse of Caucasian cookery together onto one menu. Only from guilty consciences toward the Ukrainians did we venture once or twice into a restaurant with traditional Ukrainian fare… and were promptly disappointed. Restaurant O’Panas, for example, although recommended by someone who allegedly knows Kiev, turned out to be a tourist trap of the worst kind. The soggy soup, the unambitiously grilled vegetables, cooked-to-death chicken meat and crêpes drenched in a sour-tasting cottage cheese, all tasted exceptionally uninspiring. In addition, the grumpy waiters and morose waitresses sauntered about in threadbare folkloric costumes which looked to have not been washed for some time. At the end of the evening, the staff seemed to be just as happy to see us go as we were.

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KACHEN ON TOUR n

GENUSSWERK-EIFEL:

Country Hotel, Restaurant and Cookery School for Connoisseurs and Gastronomes

P TEXT BARBARA FISCHER-FÜRWENTSCHES PHOTOS RAMUNAS ASTRAUSKAS

assion – this word describes Uschi und Wolfgang Wagner to a T: passion for organic farming, for exceptional products, for good, regional cookery, and good hospitality.

Wolfgang Wagner raises organic Limousin cattle on the SachsenWagner Farm in Geichlingen, not far from Vianden. They grow the feed needed for the animals, and produce a variety of oils and mustards in the farm’s oil mill, and fine schnapps and liqueurs in its distillery. Most of the ingredients for these products are also grown organically on the farm. For Uschi Wagner, pleasure and taste are of utmost importance. She oversees product sales in the farm’s speciality shop and sees to guests staying at their 5 five-star holiday flats.

The two of them actually have enough work to do, but their passion is motivating them to go further. In 2013 they purchased the Gaytalpark environmental adventure centre after it was abandoned by the public authorities and, with a great amount of commitment and love for detail, transformed it into the Genusswerk Eifel. Guests are treated to a relaxing time-out in one of 10 rooms, every one of which radiates harmony and warmth in even the smallest detail, the signature of the lady of the house. The restaurant, with its lovely view of the unspoilt natural surroundings, indulges weekend guests with a sophisticated regional and seasonal cuisine. All of the ingredients are fresh, and many are directly from the farm. “There are no seasoning mixes used in this kitchen”, says Uschi Wagner. Their speciality is beef steak that’s been aged in the farm’s “hot box” for four weeks, and then grilled in the Beefer at 800 °C – an unforgettable delight.

“We are not a conventional hotel and restaurant. We receive our guests as friends, so that they feel at home here with us. But with full service! No one must stand at a breakfast buffet, we serve you at your table. And on request, we’ll spoil you with an afternoon coffee and home-made cake.“ The icing on the cake is Genusswerk’s cookery school. Here, cooking enthusiasts prepare a three-course meal under the instruction of Uschi Wagner. Classes are the perfect special highlight for a birthday celebration or a company party, or even as a team-building measure.

Genusswerk regularly organises wine and gourmet events. The next event is on 31 January 2018 - when starred chef Ulrike Stoebe, Petra Zillien and Uschi Wagner conjure together a multi-course dinner. www.genusswerk-eifel.de

CONTEST

Win two spots for this cookery event im Genusswerk Eifel on 31/01/2018.

What is the particular speciality at Restaurant Genusswerk Eifel?

Send your answer to: gewinnen@kachen.lu Submission deadline is 15 January 2018 2017 / 4 | KACHEN | 135

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BOLLANTS IM PARK

Bliss for body and mind!

„

„

TEXT BIBI WINTERSDORF FOTOS BOLLANTS, RAMUNAS ASTRAUSKAS

T

in the spa area. “Following in the footsteps of my mother was indeed a here once was ...a young master butcher named Andres Dhonau challenge. The nice thing about it is that our parents have really let us from Bad Sobernheim, who had to take on responsibility for have free rein, but on the other hand, both of them are still quite active in his family at a young age and in doing so showed excellent the daily happenings here, so that we can always fall back on their advice business acumen. At 25, the young man fell severely ill. By chance and support”, says Janine Bolland. he came to the attention of Pastor Emmanuel Felke in Repelen, who worked as a healer and who was able to help Andres. In The siblings never had any doubt that this would be We are happy that gratitude, Andres Dhonau built the first Felke-Jungborn their chosen path. “We grew up with the hotel, helping many people come Kurhaus at the spot where the BollAnts stands today. here from Luxembourg, out everywhere. In the beginning there wasn’t much The rest is history. The best spa hotel in Rhineland-Pfalz, money to hire help, so we all had a lot of responsibilities, now run by the fourth generation of the same family, is because they are from service and reception to the spa. It was good celebrating its 110th anniversary. connoisseurs and bring training, and naturally it also brought us closer to the a great appreciation for business.”

In between there have been natural disasters, wars, and destruction, as well as dry spells. In 1980 a catastrophic what we do here. They Today the old Felke spa lodge, which had blossomed into 100-year flood threatened to end the business, but the are discerning, but at a romantic art deco property in the middle of the last founder’s grandson, Dr Axel Bolland, and his wife Elke the same time they are century, is a modern holistic health oasis. The art deco Anton decided against all odds to risk a fresh start and building is still the heart of this complex surrounded easy-going, and above to rebuild the kurhaus. by park land, but now the hotel is supplemented by all, loyal. harmoniously matched buildings, creating space for The plan succeeded. And not only that: son Jan and more rooms, the modern spa area, and three restaurants. There are daughter Janine have taken over the hotel management in the romantic mountain lodges and a manor with 19 additional rooms just meantime, continuing their parents’ life’s work and providing it with a few minutes away. a truly personal touch. Nicole Praß-Anton, Elke’s sister, assists them

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KACHEN ON TOUR n

“Our parents saw early on that the spa business alone had no future, and cleverly chose to go in the direction of a romantic hotel.” The Felke therapy is still today an inherent part of the BollAnts therapies, along with many other different therapies and approaches, from fasting to Ayurveda, which have since been added. Nearly 50 therapists are active in this area alone. There are 150 employees in all, seeing to the comfort of the guests.

Eight active family members are involved in the business, three of them full-time, each with their own area and responsibilities. It’s not always easy, as Janine Bolland admits: “Of course we also have discussions, but on a very constructive level. Ultimately we all want the same thing. What is important is that the direction is the right one, and always leads to our common goal.”

That common goal is to create a haven of rest and relaxation for guests who want to take one of the diverse therapies, receive medical treatment from Dr. Axel Bolland, or simply to relax. This mix of tradition and modern - the spectrum of therapies, including medical consultation - is what makes the variety of BollAnts offerings unique.

Jan Bolland is the creative mind behind the BollAnts style, as one can see from the countless decorations, the beautiful and partly antique

furniture, and the lovingly-designed arrangements throughout the hotel. “Interior Design is his passion”, says Janine Bolland. “He simply has a good eye for detail and loves going through the hotel to see where he can make changes or improvements. Of course we also listen to our guests and make changes as needed.” Further renovations in the hotel are anticipated in the near future. The so-called “pleasure workshop”, in which cookery courses are organised, will be followed by the expansion of the women’s spa and a spa cinema.

The siblings have also made their mark on the culinary side of the hotel, with three restaurants serving a fine, seasonal country cookery. The light, modern cuisine of chefs Jens Fischer and Philipp Helzle in the Restaurant Jungborn has been awarded one Michelin star. This, along with the spa, is naturally a very special magnet for guests. Janine Bolland adds, “We are happy that many people come here from Luxembourg, because they are connoisseurs and bring a great appreciation for what we do here.

They are discerning, but at the same time they are easy-going, and above all, loyal.”

If you’re up for adventure after several days in the hotel and spa, the surrounding countryside is there for the exploring. The Nahe Valley has much to offer, or one can walk or cycle to visit the nearby open2017 / 4 | KACHEN | 137

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air museum or the ruins of the Disibodenberg Monastery, where Hildegard of Bingen once lived.

BollAnts Spa im Park can hardly be described in words; BollAnts must be experienced. It has to be felt, and its hospitality, attentiveness, warmth and pleasure experienced and absorbed with all the senses.

Anyone who’s been to BollAnts will want to return, and every time will feel like coming home.

There is one moment, however, in the entire BollAnts experience which has no parallel, no matter how hard the competition tries –

the moment when you are relaxing in the mountain sauna with its panorama view over the Nahe Valley, and suddenly find yourself gazing out the window at a fully-grown Royal Stag. Such an experience is simply one of a kind. Greetings from St. Hubertus!

DAS BOLLANTS - SPA IM PARK Felkestraße 100 D - 55566 Bad Sobernheim Tel.: +49 6751 93390 www.bollants.de

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CONTEST We raffle 2 vouchers for 2 nights each in a Halenberg mini suite for 2 persons, including a back harmony massage, in the BollAnts - SPA im Park (redeemable during the week).

Answer the following question: "Where is the BollAnts - SPA im Park?"

Send the answer to: gewinnen@kachen.lu The deadline for entries is February 2, 2018.

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Harald Rüssel - Star Chef and Avid Hunter

F

or Harald Rüssel, this is a very special place. Rüssel's solitary and idyllic country manor, a former watermill, is situated in the forest on the Dhronbach in the vicinity of Naurath. It’s not far to Trier, nor to Luxembourg. For Rüssel, 51, it is a dream come true. Here is where he has spent the past 25 years developing a new country-style cuisine: modern and innovative, not folksy, but nevertheless down-to-earth and based on products from the surrounding area. His somewhat remote country manor succeeds, in comparison to other top restaurants, because the surroundings and the food are simply in a class by themselves.

Rüssel bought the manor in 1992 together with his wife Ruth, a trained sommelier. That same year, after a short renovation period, they opened their restaurant. The following year they were awarded their first Michelin star, while Gault-Millau gave them 16 out of 20 points. Since then it has long had 18 points at Gault-Millau, placing it in the top tier, and it still has the Michelin star.

One reason for the early accolades was probably because the young Harald Rüssel, from Stolberg near Aachen, had already made a name

for himself after ten years of being an apprentice and journeyman.

After an apprenticeship in a romantic hotel (“home cooking, but nothing exciting”), he was introduced to fine cuisine by Christof Lang, his mentor, in La Bécasse in Aachen. He then worked in “Bonne Auberge” for Jo und Philippe Rostang in Antibes at the threestar level, followed by Dieter Kaufmann at “Traube” in Grevenbroich and Dieter Müller at the legendary “Schweizer Stuben” (two stars, 19 points), before returning to Grevenbroich, this time as head chef and Kaufmann’s deputy chef.

“There was simply this desire to make something of my very own”, says Rüssel. He also had the Belgian chef Roger Souvereyns in the back of his mind. Souvereyns had opened the Scholteshof in Flanders, not far from Hasselt, and sets the tone for the great chefs in Belgium. “I always thought that I would go to work for myself at some point in my life. And then I wanted to have such a country estate. That was my dream“, Rüssel recalls. It worked – even if Rüssel still sometimes marvels over the “youthful folly”, with which he and his wife dove into the “old mill” adventure, and having to borrow

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FROM THE GREATER REGION n

money for it. “That would be unimaginable today. We simply did it, not knowing how things would turn out.”

In the course of a quarter century, the old millhouse has become a luxurious country inn and hotel. Such a house needs to be “warm and spacious”, says Rüssel, “and one has to be different from the others – small but special.” In the forest near Naurath one cannot hope for business lunches or walk-in dinner patrons. Here, guests come to dine and sleep in tranquility and pleasure amidst quiet surroundings. “We don’t have a spa, but we have wonderful nature right at our doorstep. We don’t have a lift, but we’re happy to carry our guests’ luggage up to their rooms”, says Rüssel. The hotel has 14 elegantly cosy rooms. And “there’s nothing ‘off the rack’ here.”

He designed the porcelain and knives himself. His Moselle Verjus du Perigord, a sour grape juice essential for sauces, is produced for him by a vintner. Last March he began producing his own gin, “Harrys Waldgin”, with juniper and eleven local herbs. Rüssel not only enjoys preparing and serving wild game, he is also an avid hunter.

His gourmet restaurant seats about 35, and the menu changes often.

About 80 percent of the ingredients come from the HunsrückMoselle-Eifel region, or at least from Germany. The four-course dinner with confit of cod and roe loin costs €105, those who wish

to try seven courses can expect to spend about €145. One can dine somewhat more cheaply in Restaurant Hasenpfeffer, which seats 70 guests: here, a venison loin for €34 Euro is the most expensive dish. The restaurant is also a popular venue for family celebrations, birthdays, and Christmas parties. Customised menus can be made on request.

“Here, it’s our goal to offer relaxed dining”, says Rüssel. He looks to the future without worry. His elder son finished a pastry chef apprenticeship at Oberweis in Luxembourg, and now works alongside the family in the manor. In Luxembourg one is prepared to pay for quality, something he‘s also noticed in the restaurant.

“Luxembourgers take more time to enjoy their meals.” Rüssel is satisfied. “It can continue just as it is now”, he says. Anyway, his wife and his three children are his own personal stars.

RÜSSELS LANDHAUS Büdlicherbrück 1 - 54426 Naurath/Wald Tel.: +49 6509 9140-0 - E-Mail: info@ruessels-landhaus.de www.landhaus-st-urban.de 2017 / 4 | KACHEN | 141

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100

[ reh ]

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SADDLE OF VENISON

cooked in foil with three kinds of pepper, served with plum compote and potato and savoy cabbage mash Serves 4

60 minutes

Plum compote • 250 g ripe mirabelle plums • 30 g butter • 50 g sugar • 100 ml grape juice • 1 tbsp. acacia honey • 1 pinch of vanilla extract • ½ tbsp. coriander seeds • 4 cardamom pods • 5 allspice berries • Grated zest of ½ untreated lemon • 20 ml white wine vinegar • 20 g corn starch • 1 sprig of rosemary • 2 cl plum brandy • Salt and freshly ground • black pepper

CONTEST

We’re giving away 3 bottles of Harald Rüssel’s exquisite home-brewed gin, “Harrys Waldgin”.

What is the name of Harald Rüssel’s restaurant in Naurath?

Send the correct answer to: gewinnen@kachen.lu Submission deadline is 2 February

Potato and savoy cabbage mash • 8 savoy cabbage leaves • 4 large potatoes • 75 g softened butter • 1 pinch ground cumin • 1 pinch ground nutmeg • 40 g fresh grated horseradish • 75 ml game stock • 25 g bacon greaves • Salt and freshly ground black pepper Saddle of venison • 4 neatly trimmed pieces of venison, 200 g each • 1 tsp. Madagascar pepper • 1 tsp. Cubeb pepper • 1 tsp. pink peppercorns • ½ tsp. acacia seeds • 50 g clarified butter • Salt 1 Stone the plums. Caramelise the butter and sugar in a saucepan and deglaze with grape juice. Add the honey, vanilla extract, spices, lemon rind and white wine vinegar. Reduce the whole thing to two thirds of the original volume, stir in the starch and bind to a velvety consistency. Strain and pour the hot liquid on the stoned plums. Pick the rosemary needles, chop finely and add to the plums. Pepper lightly and season to taste with a pinch of salt.

Finish with the plum brandy.

RECIPE HARALD RÜSSEL

2 For the potato and savoy cabbage mash, remove the savoy leaves from the stems, blanch in boiling water and plunge into ice water. Then cut the savoy cabbage into 1 cm lozenges. Cook the potatoes, peel while warm and mash. Work in the softened butter, season with salt, pepper, cumin and nutmeg and then add the fresh horseradish and stock (this keeps the mash nice and moist).

To finish, add the savoy cabbage and bacon greaves.

3 Generously season the venison with the crushed peppercorns and acacia seeds. Wrap in a layer of cling film and then some aluminium foil. Heat the water to 82 °C in a large, not too high pot and cook the venison in its foil wrap for about 8 minutes, until it reaches a core temperature of 58 °C. Let rest for about 5 minutes, remove the foil and cling film, brown in clarified butter and season well with salt. Cut lengthwise to serve.

CONTEST We’re giving away 3 copies of Harald Rüssel’s new book, “Wild”.

The first 3 entrants will win a copy of the book.

Send an e-mail with the heading “Wild” to: gewinnen@kachen.lu.

The winners will be contacted within 2 weeks after submission.

WILD - 200 new recipes naturally from the forest Neuer Umschau Buchverlag ISBN 978-3-86528-836-3 In German - 257 pages € 29.95

2017 / 4 | KACHEN | 143

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KAC H appe EN

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With this signature, I authorise Luxe, Taste & Style Publishing Sàrl – KACHEN magazine, to collect payments from my account by direct debit. At the same time I instruct my bank to honour the direct debits on my account by Luxe Taste & Style Publishing Sàrl – KACHEN magazine. I can request reimbursement of the amount taken by direct debit within eight weeks with effect from the date of the direct debit. The terms and conditions agreed with my bank apply to this. SEPA company direct debit mandate. Mandate reference : KACHEN Magazine – identification: LU84ZZZ000000000LU27237131 144 | KACHEN | 4 / 2017

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Bread and Butterpudding Bread gets better with age, they say So never throw even a crumb away

1. Cut the bread into very thin slices and butter them on both sides. 2. Heat the milk with the cream in a saucepan, but don’t let it boil! 3. Whisk the eggs with the sugar. 4. Whisk the

milk and cream mixture into the egg and sugar mix.

5. Arrange a layer of bread into an ovenproof dish. Peel and slice the apples, and arrange the apple slices on top of the bread. Repeat with more layers until the dish is full. 6. Now pour the cream mix over the apples and bread and let sit for 30 minutes. 7. Bake the bread and butter pudding in the oven for 45 minutes at 180 °C. 8. Let cool and enjoy!

The big cookbook for children With 12 great illustrated recipes

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07/11/2012

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14:47:09

Each step is depicted as drawings and photographs.

The written instructions are only there to help mum, dad, granny or grandad to check things over.

• • • • • • •

Stale bread 50 g butter 250 ml milk 250 ml single cream 5 eggs 150 g sugar 2 apples

In Luxembourgish and French for 16.- euros at KICHECHEF in Capellen or mail order at www.jangli.com

Jangli.cOm KACHEN 13 ENGLISH.indd 145

for 4 kids:

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RECIPES

SOUPS AND STARTERS

APPETISERS 117 Aperol Granita with Orange and Lime

74 Cannelés with goat's cheese, Pastis, honey and rosemary

117 Matcha iced tea with rum

117 Beetroot salad with redcurrant vinaigrette, walnuts and grapes

FISH AND SEAFOOD

VEGETARIAN 91 King crab with green apple, scallop cakes and lobster

30 Vegetable tortillas with smoked trout

118 Baked aubergines stuffed with dates, orange and quinoa

120 Mushroom Stroganoff with polenta

81 Aged rib eye beef steak with butternut squash three ways...

45 Baked endive wrapped in ham

35 Bertrand's spaghetti with sardines, pine nuts and raisins

49 Cod Ballotine with powdered olive seasoning

81 Black trumpet mushrooms and potato chips

43 Grandma's Pasta Bake

36 Indian style chicken with coriander, mint and ginger

145 “Botterschmierepudding”

38 Chocolate fondant with tangerine and salted caramel

47 Chocolate fondue

MEAT 99 Scallops with cardamom milk, ginger carrots and pumpkin 100

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CAKES AND DESSERTS 83 “Träipen” blood sausage

143 Venison cooked with three kinds of pepper in foil

24 Venison fillet with sweet potato purée and figs

60 "Pain d'épices" Gingerbread

55 Pear Tiramisu Charlotte

37 Seasonal fruit with ginger, tarragon and buckwheat

46 Semolina pudding with apple compote and meringue

119 Spicy chocolate mousse with mango and passion fruit sorbet

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32 Cream of Pumpkin Soup

33 Green hummus with lobster

22 Homemade slow cooked foie gras

Edition Luxe Taste & Style Publishing Sàrl 4a, rue de Consdorf L- 6230 Bech Editorial Dept. Tel (+325) 691 285 444 Publisher Bibi Wintersdorf Chief Editor Bibi Wintersdorf Editor Elisabeth Beckers Proof-reading Myriam Welschbillig

98 Lobster tartare with pearl onions, radish...

90 Oven-baked cod with sweet potatoes, pistachios and butter sauce

44 Kasseler roast pork with sauerkraut and potato mash

77 Mashed potato with sauerkraut and smoked meat

65 Rump steak with salsa verde

26 Chocolate half-discs with passion fruit

57 Christmas fruitcake

60 "Galette des Rois" King’s Cake

73 Cod fillet with Pastis

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All rights reserved. All information has been carefully reviewed.

We accept no liability for the accuracy of information included.

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The spring edition of

KACHEN will be published on

7. March 2018

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Ouvert du lundi au vendredi de 10h à 19h et le samedi de 9h à 18h 69, parc d’activités Mamer-Cap • L-8308 Capellen │ Tél.: 26 30 30 1

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