The Pro Chef, Issue 03 by The Pro Chef Middle East

MIDDLE EAST ISSUE 03 MAY 2012

GOING LOCAL

Local ingredients, local trends

GOING GLOBAL

The father of fusionâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s fridge

GOING FOR THE STARS Too many chefs in the kitchen?

Publication licensed by iMPZ, dubai technology and Media Free Zone authority

ISSUE 3 MAY 2012

EDITORIAL Are the region’s fine dining restaurants ready for the Michelin challenge? we have our doubts.

THE EGGS FACTOR What’s lurking in the home fridge of chef Peter Gordon, the New Zealand born father of fusion? It’s surely contains things to inspire him in his eclectic style.

OUT AND ABOUT After a rush of exhibitions with an F&B flavour, this year’s Hotel Show at the Dubai World Trade Centre offers a final chance for equipment suppliers to reach into the kitchen before the long Summer break.

EVENTS A flurry of food-related competitions and promotions should help chefs things of new produce and ingredients for their menus.

INGREDIENTS Time to be creative! We look at some of the typical ingredients of the region and suggest ways they could be incorporated into your dishes.

SOURCING Being fascinated by food, chefs are continually looking for new ingredients. Time to rethink cheese from America ans sourcing from Paris.

TRENDS What are F&B Managers seeing as the key trends in the market at the moment? Which hot ideas have peaked? What are the drivers? We start a regular series with two experts.

SERVICE Has the day of the classic kitchen whites passed? Vicky Hales of Emile Rassam talks through some of the new inititaives in the market, from both a technology and a style perspective.

FACE TO FACE With our continued focus on food safety and hygiene, we talk to Abdul Rashid, Regional Director of the Chartered Instirute of Environmental Health, before going on a trip around the culinary globe with celebrity chef Peter Gordon.

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IN ACTION One evening. Seven Michelin starred and celebrity chefs. The first non-European Stars, Food & Art extravaganza was a huge success at the Sofitel JBR. We interview chefs, we share recipes, we revel in the luxury!

ON THE PASSE A look at some of the great new dishes on Rivington Grill’s menu with chef Scott Stokes.

BAKING TECHNOLOGY The baker’s art consists above all in cleverly sequencing refrigerating and heating conditions. This, in fact, is exactly what we mean by the term ‘dough management’. Yeast and enzyme activity are carefully controlled and weighed in relation to one another to provide the optimal degree of proofing at the time of baking and thus to allow for the highest quality

PIMP MY PLATE The idea is simple: we take a favourite recipe and give it to a great chef. The challenge? Cook it as it’s written and then reinvent the dish to fine dining level. Our next victim is catering chef Marta Yanci. All she, as a Spaniard, has to do is reinvent the classic of the British Raj, Kedgeree.

VISION American artist Julie Green has had work included in 25 solo exhibitions in the US and worldwide. An Associate Professor at Oregon State University, she divides studio time between narrative painting and ‘The Last Supper’, a project illustrating final meal requests of US death row inmates.

BOOK REVIEW In a brave new world of social media and food bloggers, why are niche food magazines making a celebratory comeback? Dave Reeder flicks through a couple of the best.

TRAVEL The West Country of England is a food lover’s dream great produce, inspiring chefs and drop-dead gorgeous scenery. Looking for an escape from the heat of the kitchen? Go West!

THE LAST WORD “Chef, you’re killing me!” That can be literally true if the chef misprepares the dreaded fugu or puffer fish. But, for gourmets the world over, the fish is an object of intense desire…

? k c u r t s r a t gs n i l e e f e n Anyo

s nswer seem e popular a h t s? d te e a n li ir e em -head ors yet in th of celebrity ith mbination elin inspect h co ic , they say, w e ly M th r re t fo u su . o y d ts g a p n re ti ce e n in e o w co in p re tes loped , sole d rs with advoca f uae-deve ell-dressed o w r y e sl b la u m io u ic n to be ‘yes’, at susp easing m reflets to and an incr inevitable th ur leading outlets fro ts ’s n it ra , e u a n e st sc re ing of o nt fine din r the table such a vibra notes unde n . isn’t it? e o d k a id is h K g en akin , Zuma to u b o n will start m stars are giv to o , ossian at Michelin n th o t is p is a e r k e M l d il si te st n Peti a are to co usiasts fail ging criteri these enth s of the jud t il a impeccable ta h , e W rs d e r. se m fe ci o to dif to cust ff h the pre a g u st o e our cost, h ic lt sorry, i beg rv a . all know to ratio of se the food e , n w a ce s n a g! th , ie d b re n o m a for m d? amazin es as a stem. service. Foo such qualiti f the star sy , e o d th rt se a o in p cl y is is e y d k un untr lso a ils in this co so on are a e dining fa n service and fi hot. re so e t h o n w e terms, ell, mayb w r, e ? in general e ing a real ic ible! serv in develop d e ch u cr e the m in s r? a deco invest ill always b tion, this w as willing to ra re e a p o rs u e te th of uran in the rest rs and resta as they are until owne re u lt cu e . ic e l serv g scen professiona aire (clearly l fine dinin ierre gagn P l of the loca r e a e p h te ts s’ e le fl il ach of re consumma e early days al was the ci th e to sp it ck e a e b d th ink at’s at ma h team. th really. if i th d day), wh really? yes, ro and his Fo ce on a goo a n ce. e h n ri e e e ri n e n xp e e xp ti food andard e anager e st m n t li n e a two-star ra h u ic a me, M lism of rest and a subli professiona the door it great food n e e tw e ame above b n ce is n h s re al a fe h if X d chef often in re ther more just because ra t a t u th o s t k a e in th d to yone who en you nee and, for an lin touch, th e h ic M e th be guarantees would only lishments. arred estab thinking of us m o i’ ri s se ce r la fo p Michelin st didates e, most n n lo ca a l a d ti o n fo te e n po sidering th than a doze thing. con ame more n n ca one more ? it o h ’t w n ide, is gle stars, tty thin gu granted sin ? yeah, pre n o ti n e tt a Michelin

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the eggs factor

in a tiny bengali sweet store on brick lane, a lebanese deli on edgware road, the riverside Market in my home town of Whanganui, or one of the amazing markets in barcelona, Valencia or Marylebone. i loVe to shop. i’m not averse to supermarkets or large new york delis either - in fact for me the joy of eating is intertwined with the purchase of the meal. hence why i have quietly begun to build up a collection of products i’ve created from scratch, and a few that i’ll be working on with others in the future. “in my fridge as of right now there’s lots of snacking bits and bobs which sums up my life right now, catching up with work in the restaurants and not being home very often means lots of things to have on toast.”

What’s in the fridge? Each issue, we challenge a well-known chef to reveal the contents of their home fridge. What is lurking there? What secret food passions do they have? How many of the strange food items will they blame on their friends?

ew Zealand chef Peter gordon is often credited as the godfather of fusion cuisine as he pushes the boundaries of where one national cuisine starts and another stops. “Fusion can create the most stimulating meal you’ll ever eat,” he says. “it’s fun and it’s playful. it’s simply one of many cuisines and it happily sits amongst them like a magpie, borrowing from them all.” gordon is renowned for his unique dishes, influenced by extensive travels around the world. he has award-winning restaurants both in auckland (bellota and dine by Peter gordon, at the skycity grand hotel in auckland) and london (the Providores and tapa room, plus Kopapa). he’s written six cook books, the most recent being Fusion: a culinary Journey, and contributed to another dozen. he says: “as a chef i obviously love to cook and create, but i also like to shop for food in as many places as i can. i’m as likely to be found

In the fridge today: 1 loaf of organic bordinsky rye bread, from my local bakery e5 bakehouse in hackney 2 jars of preserves, quince and sweet cherries, made by my cake-baking friend oksan from my visit to istanbul in January a great big wedge of Pecorino cheese 1/2 log of ragstone goat’s cheese a cup of grated Parmesan 2 jars of bim’s Kitchen relishes (smoky baobab bbQ sauce and african chilli coconut relish - my favourite!), made by a colleague who i mentor, James adedeji. he sells to Fortnum and Mason, rick stein etc) 1 bottle of baobab Ketchup from bim’s Kitchen 1/2 jar bacon Jam from eat17 restaurant cafe in Walthamstow (postcode is e17). it was sent to me and it’s pretty delicious 1 packet Waitrose diced jamon 1 whole salami - a birthday present 1/2 jar clearspring brown rice miso paste 2 litre tubs of bonsoy soy milk - i’m no fan of milk 1 tub of little Melton mango yoghurt - absolutely gorgeous! 1/2 block anchor butter 5 tomatoes on the vine from the isle of Wight 1 bunch of british asparagus 4 organic eggs 1 bottle dom Perignon 1996 8 bottles of assorted white wines from nZ 1 bottle of chegworth Valley apple and rhubarb juice

Web addresses www.peter-gordon.net www.theprovidores.co.uk www.kopapa.co.uk e5bakehouse.com/breads www.bimskitchen.com www.eat17.co.uk

“FOR mE THE jOy OF EATING IS INTERTwINEd wITH THE puRCHASE OF THE mEAL.” 4

out and about

All on show The Hotel Show is the largest full spectrum hospitality supplies event for the MENA region and, this year, should deliver its most international show to date, with more than 45 countries, 13 international pavilions and over 420 leading suppliers and consultants participating in this key regional industry event. It runs at Dubai International Convention and Exhibition Centre from the 15-17th May.

ith home markets delivering little or no growth for many of the world’s hospitality sector suppliers, the fast growing Middle east and north africa region provides excellent business growth opportunities.

according to the February 2012 str global construction Pipeline report, more than 498 hotels, totalling 134,893 hotel rooms are forecast for completion in the Middle east by the year end, a clear indication of the market potential. that’s why this year’s hotel show

is geared up to be a busy time for both exhibitors and attendees. last year’s show enjoyed strong success with 83% of the exhibitors rating the show as the best place to meet and conduct business in the region, 92% rating it as a vital part of their sales and marketing strategy and

86% confirming expectations for business growth as a direct result of their participation at the show. companies from countries such as china, italy, France, germany, uK, Vietnam and the usa are confident of strong business opportunities at the show. now a

“A SIGNIFICANT PERCENTAGE OF THE VISITORS AT THE HOTEL SHOW ARE DECISION MAKERS, SO THE DIVERSITY, RANGE AND COMPETITIVENESS OF ExHIBITORS ARE CRITICAL FOR THE SUCCESS OF THE SHOW. WE ARE LOOKING FORWARD TO A RECORD YEAR.” FREDERIqUE MAURELL, EVENT DIRECTOR, THE HOTEL SHOW. well-established platform for all sectors of the hospitality industry to showcase and source products and services, the show is expected to welcome more than 15,000 industry professionals from more than 93 countries to the three day event in dubai. according to Frederique Maurell, the show’s event director, “the hotel show is now internationally recognised as one of the key supply and sourcing platforms for the region’s hospitality industry. this is a position that we continue to expand on through the showcasing of the broadest range of products, services and technologies for the hospitality sector. We are looking forward to a record year.” in addition to the unrivalled business opportunities, the show provides a platform for

recognising industry excellence, including this year’s inaugural Middle east hotel awards which reward design, product and service excellence in the regional hospitality industry. More than 59 submissions have already been received for eight award categories. the Middle east spa awards, the region’s premier spa awards, return for the third year and this year’s student design awards will focus on the hotel design of the Future. networking opportunities include the educational seminar Programme and industry association meetings held throughout the event and the hotel show golf tournament at al badia golf club on the 14th May. to register for the hotel show, simply visit www. thehotelshow.com/register.

About the show organised by dmg, the hotel show is now in its 13th year. its main knowledge partners for 2012 are euromonitor and Ventures Middle east. the hotel show has also partnered with the top three international interior design associations: the international interior design association and the association of Professional interior designers to oversee the award and conference programmes. confirmation of participation has been received from companies in germany, France, turkey, italy, spain, uK, greece, china, hong Kong, taiwan, cyprus and thailand.

Ordering made simple KP technologies & consulting is a digital marketing company that builds Web sites, mobile apps and social media platforms. at the show, it will be demonstrating its e-menu solution on the iPad 2. according to atif Khan, KP technologies and consulting’s Project Manager for KP technologies & consulting, “e-menu is a very simple technology. the current conventional paper menu is replaced with advanced technology and the existing menu is simply fed into the application, the result? a menu which is both more enhanced and user friendly. the menus become very dynamic yet interactive, with the optional addition of an ordering system.” as well as supporting all major international languages, e-menu can also have games, news feeds or other applications built in. high resolution graphics make any menu look more appealing and diners can easily search by various criteria such as particular cuisines or vegetarian dishes. to meet current interest in ingredients, these and more can easily be displayed next to any menu item. at the show, Khan expects to target “all the major local and international hotel F&b directors as well as individual restaurants owners and managers.”

“ONE KEY BENEFIT IS THE ABILITY TO MATCH ANY RESTAURANT’S LOOK AND FEEL WITH THE GRAPHIC DESIGN OF THE APPLICATION.” ALI KHAN, KP TECHNOLOGIES

events

Promoting food National food industry promotions are always around, but they do seem to be getting more visible these days. We highlight three that may give you some ideas for new dishes.

Bon appétit!

ot just aimed at chefs, soPeXa Middle east - the regional arm of the international marketing agency for food and lifestyle in France - has just run a major French food promotion campaign in partnership with carrefour MaF, in all the uae hypermarket stores. a large variety of French food products and beverages were highlighted in more than 20 carrefour participating outlets through a national promotional campaign with a dedicated leaflet including special offers, a French foods and beverages offer highlight, tasting sessions, live cooking demonstrations and an exclusive consumers’ contest. according to yassine rami, Managing director for soPeXa Middle east, “the aim of this promotional operation is to boost the French food products sales and spread awareness of our products among a large number of consumers through a major national campaign to emphasise on the diversity, quality and richness of the French food products - dairy products, waters, syrups, pasta, eggs, potatoes, etc” Participating brands were bonduelle, bonne Maman, cœur de lion, coraya, elle & Vire, labeyrie, lune de Miel, Maille, Panzani, Paysan breton, Perrier, Président, régilait, soigon, tartare, teisseire, tregon, Valbreso, Vittel and many others. both agriculture and the agrifood industry are huge assets of the French economy, making France one of the world’s leading producers and exporters of foods and beverages. French agrifood exports to the uae increased significantly in 2011 (January-november), with a €206m turnover and a 31% rise compared to the same period in 2010.

Uwe Micheel, President of the Emirates Culinary Guild and Director of Kitchens at Radisson Blu Hotel, Dubai Deira Creek on left, with Salvadore Silvestrino, Executive Chef Moevenpick Dubai.

Going green

he ingenuity and innovation of the region’s top chefs will be put to the test as they go head to head in the new taste of ireland green box competition, which is showcasing some of the finest irish products on the market. organised with the support of the emirates culinary guild, the competition follows a by-now standard format - a box of premium ingredients which will include a wide selection of irish foods, ranging from beef and seafood to oils, honey and dairy products, which must be used to create a inventive menu. a panel of expert judges will select the top 12 submissions with the shortlisted culinary teams being invited to showcase their menus at a gala dinner at the ibn battuta gate hotel on thursday, May 24th, which will be attended by a combination of irish and uae dignitaries, food industry opinion leaders, sponsors, members of the trade and consumer media and the general public. the winning team then gets a trip to ireland to meet the sponsoring producers. according to irish ambassador to the uae, he ciaran Madden, “ireland’s agri-food industry remains a key component of our modern economy and it is very important that we promote our extensive range of food products to the uae. our food industry accounts for some 8% of gdP and accounts for a major proportion of exports of irishowned enterprises, with its products sold in over 170 markets around the world.”

Apéritif à la française

oPeXa has also been busy organising this year’s apéritif à la française, to take place at atlantis, the Palm on June 11th, which will highlight the best and the latest French suppliers have to offer in an event exclusively dedicated to professionals of food service industries. last year’s event at ritzcarlton diFc welcomed more than 500 professionals. the first dubai event was held in 2001 in Madinat Jumeirah and for the next two years was held in a private luxury apartment in dubai Marina and then at a dubai art gallery. 2008 onwards saw it return to hotels with the Palace hotel, dubaï old town, intercontinental dubai Festival city and the sofitel Jumeirah beach.

Consumers are demanding healthier or more specialised products out of home.

Lipton offer a range of delicious speciality teas for your customers to brew to their required strength. Discover food solutions that cater to all your needs. T: +971 4 881 5552 E:mohammad.shanawani@unilever.com

Going local Time to expand your repertoire! We take a look at some of the ingredients that have made Middle Eastern cuisine so distinctive. Some you’ll know already, of course; others, a little less familiar, may inspire you to try new flavourings in your menus.

an may have taken his first faltering steps in east africa, but the Middle east is where we made the irresistible shift from gatherers to farmers, from nomads to city dwellers and from small groups to intrepid traders. that means that this region, for various reasons, has acted as both the cradle of global cooking and the initial catalyst to the food routes of the world. this is, after all, the region where wheat was first cultivated, where bread was first leavened, beer first brewed. how then do we identify specifically Middle eastern ingredients? after all, olives, honey, sesame seeds, chickpeas, mint and parsley are ubiquitous, though the use of these ingredients are regionally specific - sesame seeds turned into tahini to make hummus or baba ghanoush, chickpeas ground down to make falafel and so on. how do you untangle the web of influences when the region has been such a melting pot for at least two and a half millenia? during the Persian empire, the well-known mix of rice, poultry and fruit was

created and arabian fruits and nuts were spread out of the region by arab armies. then, during turkey’s ottoman empire, filo pastries and coffee became ubiquitous. Mongol invaders brought dumplings; trade with india delivered turmeric, garlic, cloves, pepper, allspice and cumin; trade with africa brought okra; and european traders brought culinaries treasures from the new World, especially the tomato. so let’s look instead at a number of representative tastes from the region and think how you can incorporate them into your own menus.

SUMAC What is it? a deep red or purple powder from the dried fruits of the sumac shrub. What’s it used for? it adds a lemony taste to salads, meat or as a garnish to, for example, hummus. it is also added to za’atar. What could you do with it? try adding it to guacamole or sprinkling it on a grilled aubergine risotto. cut potato wedges, coat them in egg white, chili and sumac, then bake in the oven till crisp. add some to a classic burrito mix. blend it into a

lemon and chili flake-based marinade for fresh olives. We also find it goes well with beetroot and makes an interesting addition to mayonnaise.

ZA’ATAR What is it? a herb/spice mix that combines some of the following dried ingredients: oregano, mint, marjoram, basil thyme and thyme, with sesame seeds, sumac and salt added. cumin, coriander or fennel seeds can also be added. What’s it used for? Mixed with olive oil, it’s spread on a dough base and baked to create manakeesh. you can also use it to season meat or eat with drained labneh as a breakfast dish. omanis make a herbal infusion with it. it’s high in anti-oxidants so should certainly find a place in your kitchen. What could you do with it? sprinkle it on salmon before grilling it. add it to dips or mix with sour cream and eat with a baked potato. it’s delicious with pasta fagioli or chickpea salad, especially with some added paprika! or try roasting veggies with a mix of za’atar and fresh chopped parsley, mixed with lemon juice.

CARDAMON What is it? an indian spice, related to the ginger family. small black

seeds are held in a triangular pod. What’s it used for? in the region, green cardamon powder is used as a spice for sweet dishes as well as traditional flavouring in coffee and tea. Pods are ground with coffee beans to produce a powder, which is boiled. What could you do with it? it’s used widely in indian cooking so you’ll find inspiration there. More unusually, scandinavians use it in baking. try making a marinade (cardamon, black pepper, honey and sherry) for baked chicken breasts. sprinkle dried cardamon on a citrus fruit salad, already drizzled with honey and lime juice. add a touch to meringues or any chocolate dessert. and try adding some to your favourite rhubarb recipe.

ingredients

SESAME What is it? a flowering plant whose seeds are used as a spice and which can also be pressed to create sesame oil. What’s it used for? Mixed with honey or sugar syrup, it ubiquitous in baklava and similar treats. the seeds are also pressed to create tahini, which is used in hummus. What could you do with it? sesame seeds have a natural affinity to bread - everything from your hamburger bun to a bagel. try adding sesame oil and chopped cashews to simply steamed asparagus. Marinade tuna with lemongrass, sesame seeds, black pepper and oil before searing it briefly. broil hard white fish (cod is ideal) that is coated with lemongrass and sesame seeds. Mix baby spinach and sliced strawberries for a delicious salad, served with a dressing containing sesame and nigella seeds.

vanilla ice cream. it makes a quick salad with rocket, walnuts and feta cheese. try a crumble of pears and pomegranate seeds, spiced with lemon juice, nutmeg and cinnamon. mainly durum, with only a small part of the bran removed. What’s it used for? the main ingredient in tabbouleh salad and kibbeh, it can also be used as a good substitute for couscous. What could you do with it? indians eat it as a cereal with milk and sugar. Mix with chickpeas, roasted peppers, cherry tomatoes and diced cucumber for an easy salad dressed with olive oil, fresh dill, balsamic vinegar and ground cumin. Make patties from onion, kidney beans, bulgur, walnuts and herbs for delicious veggie bulgurs (er, burgers). use bulgur instead of arborio rice to make a quick risotto with shrimp and corn.

PISTACHIO What is it? a nut from a desert tolerant tree. it is related both to the cashew and the sumac. What’s it used for? eaten as a snack, in ice cream or confectionery like baklava.

it’s the world’s most expensive spice - about 150 flowers provide 1gm of dry saffron threads. if it’s cheap, it’s not saffron. What’s it used for? used widely to colour and flavour rice dishes. What could you do with it? cornish saffron cake - like a saffronflavoured brioche with mixed fruit. add saffron to lamb stew, with pomegranate and chestnuts. garlic and saffron soup. saffron and rose water ice cream. Mix

BULGUR What is it? a parboiled and dried mix of wheat varieties,

POMEGRANATE What is it? a very ancient fruit, containing around 600 edible seeds encased in pulp. What’s it used for? heavily used in classical Persian cuisine, it’s also used as an astringent syrup in turkey for salad dressings or meat marinades. What could you do with it? learn how to deseed it. First: cut it open and then pull apart in a bowl of water - the inedible pulp floats and can be easily removed. Freezing first also makes it easier. spinney’s now sells pots of fresh seeds, thus avoiding the hassle. add to good

What could you do with it? though traditionally seen in sweet dishes, the pistachio copes well in more robust dishes. roast with almonds, grind and add to any cream-based curry sauce. use roasted nuts to garnish artichoke soup. Make a stuffing with apricots, raisins and pistachios. try pistachio butter as the base for hors d’ouvres - puree equal parts blanched pistachios and almonds, add 2/3rds of this volume of sugar and salt to taste.

SAFFRON What is it? the dried stigma of the saffron crocus. by weight,

grape seed and eVoo with crushed saffron to make delicate saffron oil - use like truffle oil. add to shrimp and asparagus risotto.

LABNEH What is it? a creamy, strained yoghurt that can be cooked at high temperatures. What’s it used for? commonly eaten for breakfast and as part of mezze. stored under olive oil, hard labneh is added to salads. What could you do with it? tzatziki or the delicious indian dessert shrikhand. use in place of greek yoghurt.

More cheese? Say the two words ‘American’ and ‘cheese’ to most people and the immediate image that comes to mind is a square that melts over the meat and under the salad element of a hamburger. And, certainly, ‘American cheese’ is a generic name for processed cheese of little flavour or individuality. However, across America, small producers and dairies have been riding a revolution in artisanal cheeses with all the taste and variety of old world favourites. Time for a rethink!

sourcing

rom humble beginnings, the united states has become the largest cheese-producing country in the world. the american dairy industry is now justifiably proud of the heritage, craftsmanship and quality of its cheese, which finds a ready market across the world. More than a quarter of the world’s cheese - over four million metric tons per year - is manufactured in the country and production continues to grow. With the largest milk supply in the world, an abundance of land and investments in research & development and technology, the us cheese industry is capable of unrestrained growth to meet customer demand. year-round milk production guarantees product availability at any time of the year. With its state-of-theart production facilities, the us cheese industry has increased production by more than one million metric tons over the past decade. yet perhaps the most surprising thing about the industry is that it produces over 400 different types of cheese, many of them unique to the us. based on 2010 import figures to the uae of foreign cheeses, america led comfortably the grated or powdered cheese category earning almost double its nearest competitor, France. in the blue-veined category, its imports were over eight times those of all other countries combined. it performed well in the fresh fermented cream cheese category and was only narrowly beaten by the uK in the medium-hard cheese market. With so many cheeses to choose from, some with short shelf lives only available for local markets, what are the broad categories of cheese made in america. these cheeses include: • Specialty cheese - limited production with natural flavour and texture profiles. can be made from any type of milk and could include flavourings such as herbs or fruit. • Artisan/Artisanal cheese - produced primarily by hand, in small batches, with particular attention paid to tradition. can be made from any type of milk and could include flavourings. • Farmstead cheese - made with milk from the farmer’s own herd, or flock, on the farm where the animals are raised. can be made from any type of milk and could include flavourings. • Fresh cheese - not aged or only slightly cured, with a high moisture content. usually mild and made from any kind of milk. always pasteurised in the us. examples include mascarpone, cream cheese and cottage cheese.

Aging room for “Grand Cru Gruyere Surchoix” at Emmi Roth USA (WI) • Soft-ripened cheese - ripened from the outside in, very soft and even runny at room temperature. often with a white, bloomy rind that may be flecked with red or brown. in the us they are generally produced from pasteurised milk. examples include brie and camembert styles. • Semi-soft cheese - have a smooth, generally, creamy interior with little or no rind. high in moisture content and can be very mild or very pungent in flavour. Made from both pasteurised and raw milk, depending on aging requirements and style. examples include many blue cheeses, fontina style and monterey jack. • Firm/hard cheese - taste profiles ranging from very mild to sharp and pungent, but generally have a texture profile that ranges from elastic to grateable. May be made from pasteurised or raw milk. examples include gouda styles, most cheddars, swiss styles and parmesan styles. • Blue cheese - have a distinctive blue/green veining, created when the penicillium roqueforti mould, added during the cheesemaking process, is exposed to air. range from fairly mild to assertive and pungent. can be any of the categories above, except for fresh cheese. May be made from both

pasteurised and raw milk. examples include italian (gorgonzola) and danish blue styles. • Pasta filata cheese - cooked and kneaded, or spun, these can range from very fresh to hard grating cheeses. examples include italian style mozzarella, provolone and scamorza. • Natural rind cheese - with rinds that self-form during the aging process, without added moulds, microflora or washing. Most made from raw milk. examples include tomme and stilton styles. • Washed rind cheese - surface-ripened by washing the cheese throughout the ripening/aging process with brine, beer, wine, brandy, or a mixture of ingredients. rinds can be bright orange to brown, with pungent flavour and aroma profiles but semi-soft or creamy interiors. May be made from both pasteurised and raw milk. examples include tomme style, triple-crème and semi-soft cheeses. • Processed cheese - cheese by-products made from a combination of natural cheese and added ingredients, such as stabilisers, emulsifiers and flavour enhancers. have a consistent and shelf-stable product aimed at a mass market consumption. examples include processed cheese spreads.

mOST mOdERN REFRIGERATORS wILL dRy OuT CHEESES OvER LONG pERIOdS OF TImE, SO STORE THEm ON THE BOTTOm LEvELS OR IN A SpECIAL CHEESE FRIdGE. 13

Know your style

he types of cheeses produced in the united states continue to grow and expand, fuelled by market demand and increased creativity of american cheesemakers. the numbers of new cheeses being offered, from specialty, artisanal and farmstead cheesemakers, have dramatically increased over the last decade, resulting in hundreds of cheeses now being available. cheeses produced in the united states may be made from cow, goat or sheep’s milk or a blend. Federal department of agriculture regulations require that any cheese aged fewer than 60 days be made from pasteurised milk; however, those cheeses aged beyond 60 days may be made from non-pasteurised or raw milk.

Monterey Dry Jack

A great US cheese plate a

s you will know, a great cheese plate should include a mix of fresh, aged, soft and hard cheeses. here is a selection of some of the most interesting american varieties, not all of which will be available in local markets but the selection should start your own discussions with your suppliers. you’ll have to add in some other fresh cheeses as these don’t travel. Semisoft cheeses bellwether Farms (california) does a wonderfully creamy crescenza, Franklin Peluso (california) makes an intriguing rice flour coated teleme and the Willamette Valley cheese company (oregon) does an intriguing version of danish havarti. Soft-ripened cheeses try sweet grass dairy (georgia) and its creamy green hill, or the lemony Pee Wee Pyramid from cypress grove chèvre (california) or the complex seastack from Mt townsend creamery (Washington). Surface-ripened cheeses From Vermont, the Vermont butter & cheese company’s bijou will turn into either a very creamy chevre or a hardened grateable one. in louisiana, the bittersweet Plantation dairy’s Fleur-de-lis shifts from firm to liquid over time. and, from oregon, Juniper grove Farm’s Pyramid is wonderfully earthy with a chalk aftertaste.

Semihard cheeses nutty and sharp from Washington, try bittersweet Plantation dairy’s Flagship reserve. sweet but nutty from oregon, tumalo Farms’ goat’s milk classico is worth seeking out. and for flavours of the alps but from Wisconsin, look for uplands cheese company’s Pleasant ridge reserve. Hard cheeses a true american parmesan, sarVecchio parmesan from sartori Foods (Wisconsin) is well balanced. sweet but with a bite, dry Jack from Vella cheese (california) is an award-winning classic. raw milk super aged gouda from the Winchester cheese company (california) is made in dutch farm style. Blue cheeses the complexity of rogue creamery’s rogue river blue (oregon) comes from raw cow’s milk aged in pear brandy soaked vine leaves. a good crumbly blue is big Woods blue from shepherd’s Way Farms (Minnesota). and for a spicier taste, try cayuga blue from lively run goat dairy (new york). Washed-rind cheeses With its cult following, Meadow creek dairy’s grayson (Virginia) is worth seeking out. hooligan from mother and son team at cato corner Farm (connecticut) is causing a stir. Whilst the caramel flavoured sarabande from dancing cow Farm (Vermont) deserves the final place on the board.

sourcing

Off to market Tony Colley is a perfect example of how Dubai enables change. As a chef and then a successful restauranteur with six outlets in Cairo, his life changed dramatically as the Arab Spring in Egypt transformed the social landscape. He lost everything and arrived in Dubai with virtually nothing. Six months later, he’s built a thriving business supplying top-end restaurants with quality produce from France. We ask him how he achieved the turnaround.

ony colley is Managing director of oakleaf european, running the newly opened Middle east office in dubai. oakleaf has been exporting around the world for more than ten years, delivering great quality on time. it was born in March 1995 just outside Paris at the world’s largest food market - rungis international. What it does is simple: it offers regional produce that is natural and of the highest quality to chefs who want the best and the freshest ingredients. it does not hold stock but instead buys and delivers fresh produce on order. For chefs, its service is like being at the market themselves - the buyers pick only the best and seek out specials and specialist produce as it becomes available at rungis. How hard has it been starting Oakleaf in Dubai? it’s been a bit mixed. on the one hand, many chefs knew of the company from time when they worked in europe and most of them understand the advantages of our method; on the other, customs can be a problem at times. We had two containers bound for burj al arab which got stuck and all the produce rotted. but overall chefs understand the value of bespoke buying when things are at their best in the market. So how does it work in practice? We have buyers constantly at rungis, with years of experience of produce between them. they talk to suppliers, tour the market, seek out the best on a continual basis. they then draw up a shopping list of items which they have actually tasted and smelt, this goes to our customers, they place their orders, the produce is bought for them and, 30 hours after the order, it arrives here in dubai. We do that twice a week. It’s pretty instant shopping, then. yes, our buyers take photographs on their

iPhones of all the produce so chefs can see exactly what it looks like. the quality is there, of course, but the look is important too. And all the produce comes from Rungis? oakleaf in europe does import from other places such as bangkok - that may come here too. i’m also looking at some locally produced produce such as cheese or smoked salmon, but the prime focus at present is building the core business. Has that been easy? it was hard at first getting a foot in the door of some of the big hotels. you know, they have their suppliers, they didn’t know me. but once they see what we can offer, then things changed. now chefs call me and they recommend our services to colleagues and other chefs, which is great. in time, i think we can duplicate this across the gcc. What types of produce are you offering? Fresh fruit, vegetables and herbs. cheeses. oils, vinegars and spices. We don’t handle meat or fish. Are there disadvantages to not holding stock? it can be a double-edged sword. clearly, freshness is a prime concern but sometimes chefs are desperate for some produce and it can be too expensive to bring in small quantities - it costs us $1,000 just to clear customs. so, should we refrigerate? it’s an on-going debate. How big is the operation here now? We’re serving 24 restaurants and have two trucks delivering our twice-weekly orders. typically, a customer spends around dhs 20,000 a month with us. however, what we’re seeing is that chefs suddenly get excited about different produce. one example are some amazing apples and pears from France that have been cultivated for over 700 years by the Vassont family and produce 50% more juice than most varieties. everything

we sell, we sell on flavour. if something isn’t top quality then we won’t buy it. We know what chefs want and we won’t supply a cheaper version. Any other things Oakleaf does in Europe that you don’t do here? basically, our operation here focuses on rungis. in the uK, for example, they use foragers and are able to supply mushrooms, herbs, edible flowers, wild leaves, samphire and seaweeds. an amazing resource for chefs! You sound as if you’re enjoying your work… i love it! the standard of cooking here is incredibly high, chefs know what they want, oakleaf has a perfected business model and my job is simply to inform. it’s all about passion, you know. And the future? Well, as i said, we’re looking to source from other markets and expand across the gcc. and i’m looking hard at the possibilities of opening a retail operation.

“IF SOmETHING ISN’T TOp quALITy THEN wE wON’T Buy IT. wE kNOw wHAT CHEFS wANT ANd wE wON’T SuppLy A CHEApER vERSION.” 15

trends

What’s going on? Each issue we ask F&B professionals their view of where the market is going. This time round, welcome Sadettin Kaya, Complex Executive Assistant Manager F&B, Westin Dubai Mina Seyahi and Rupesh Shetty, F&B Manager, Ibn Battuta Gate Hotel.

Sadettin Kaya

Rupesh Shetty

What do you see as the major food trends for the year? In terms of types of cuisine (eg Asian, South American..), key ingredients or ways of delivering food (eg small plates, casual dining, etc)?

‘Mum’s kitchen’. back to basics. grocery cuisines. big portions with a simple unsophisticated presentation. organic produce. and sharing dishes.

due to the trend of health consciousness, we have seen the rise of a demand for organic food and wines which we are now including in our menus and buffets. Japanese food has been a trendsetter in terms of contemporary presentation, quality and food so that it is a major feature in any international buffet like in our Mistral restaurant as well as our club lounge.

Are you noticing increased customer demand for more sustainable food? Increased traceability? Organic ingredients?

there is interest in sustainable food. it’s not huge at the moment, however consumers definitely appreciate the fact and its availability. there is a growing demand for organic products as consumers become more health conscious. also nutrition facts and the health benefits of products are attracting more and more interest from consumers. at the Westin, our guests enjoy our ‘superFoods’ programme, which is a Westin initiative to provide products with great health benefits. We can see that items containing ‘superfoods’ ingredients sell more compared to those not listed under this category. another key trend is having small portions in buffets but serving different varieties of food.

yes, since customers are more aware of sustainable food and that is why now suppliers are also getting to be sustainable.

How are customer spending patterns changing?

consumers are becoming more and more price conscious but this shouldn’t be taken as them looking for cheap products. the products that offers great value are the bestseller items even if they are more pricey than some other products. Value is king!

i think consumers are now more cautious on what they are spending – value added products are now in demand like our thali promotion which offers both the food and the drinks included in the offer.

Celebrity chefs, franchised outlets or homegrown restaurants - which will have the biggest impact this year?

i think franchised outlets for high end venues and homegrown venues for casual dining. We will see more celebrity chefs starring at gourmet events rather than opening more restaurants.

celebrity chefs because you still see the rise of so many restaurants with Michelin star chefs due to brand consciousness, however guests still go to the homegrown restaurants in 5-star hotels because of the value.

How are increased food safety regulations impacting costs and F&B procedures?

it is definitely not getting any easier. however, such practices are becoming more and more industry standard. is there an impact on the cost? absolutely. is there an effect on the final bill, i don’t believe so, or nothing significant. the industry is less profitable compared to the past as the competition is tougher and consumers are more aware of what to expect, thanks to the internet and social media, therefore venue owners are willing to cover those extra expenses from their own pockets.

no effect.

What ‘hot’ food trend is on its way out?

Modern tapas lounges.

the ‘hot’ food trend going out is too modern cuisine because people go back to what is essential and simple – that which is authentic.

From salads to sandwiches to casual lunches, the lighter dishes on your menu demand consistent texture and flavours.

Discover food solutions that cater to all your needs. T: +971 4 881 5552 E:mohammad.shanawani@unilever.com

service

Better performance in the kitchen Handmade - Designer - Stylish - Technology-led - Creative - Image-driven - Elegant - Exclusive Durable. These are not necessarily words you’d associate with a chef, but increasingly these are the qualities that chefs are demanding from their kitchen whites. Vicky Hales from uniform manufacturer Emile Rassam explains what today’s chefs are looking for and what is now important to them.

ore and more chefs are rejecting the classic white cotton jacket. Why is that? Why is it no longer enough? interestingly, many chefs now spend the same on their jackets as a business man does on his suits, something is changing fast in this industry. there must be something more to the jacket than meets the eye, so what is it? technology is at the forefront of the change, with performance fabrics making their debut. cotton is known to be one of the most breathable fabrics available, but imagine a combination of the immaculate crisp white egyptian cotton with a fabric that offered increased comfort! coolmax is probably most well know by sports men and women, but is now being widely used in the kitchen. From a simple back vent, or side panels to the complete back of the jacket, this endurance fabric is often described as the most sophisticated choice for the active consumer. its key benefit is that it helps its wearer to work in extreme conditions, so where better place to test this that in a kitchen where the chefs work daily under great pressure in great heat! so how does coolmax work? the fabric pulls moisture away from your skin, at the same time

absorbing and spreading moisture out across the fabric to enhance the evaporative drying rate. air then moves in to keep your body cool and dry. and the technology is fairly simple to understand - contrary to genenral belief, polyester can be cooler than cotton so the technology specially engineers polyester fibres to improve breathability. these fibres are not round, but slightly oblong in cross-section with grooves running lengthwise along the thread, either tetrachannel or hexachanneled in shape. the series of closely spaced channels creates a capillary type action that wicks moisture through the core and out to the wider area on the surface of the fabric which increases evaporation. all of which keeps the wearer cool in extreme heat or cool. in fact, 2008 research conducted by strategic insights showed that 69% of avid runners and 69% of avid golfers said that a garment with coolmax fabric is “much better” than a garment with another type of moisture management. For the avid runners, 57% of them said that coolmax fabric makes running shorts or pants “much more desirable” while 64% indicated the original wicking fabric would make running shirts “much more desirable”. For the golf group,

“kITCHEN uNIFORmS NEEd TO BE HANdLEd wITH CARE, AS yOu wOuLd ANy OTHER uNIFORm IN THE HOTEL OR RESTAuRANT. SO ALwAyS pRESS wITH STEAm, BECAuSE COTTON IS A NATuRAL FIBRE ANd wILL BECOmE dRy, SHINy ANd THE FIBRES wILL BREAk wITH ExCESSIvE dRy HEAT!” 18

“Thank you very much for the stunning chef’s jacket! I will wear it with pride!!! The material and finish is absolutely world class!!!” - Nick Flynn, Director of Culinary, Intercontinental Hotel Doha West Bay. “I don’t like the jacket, I love it! Totally enjoy everything about it. This is a great job.” - Nicolas De Visch, Executive Chef, Intercontinental Hotel Doha West Bay “Just a quick first feedback regarding the jacket you made me - I absolutely love it! I was wearing it for one day and it felt very good. I gave it to the laundry afterwards to wash it and it’s still the same. The material itself and the feeling of the material whilst wearing it doesn’t change and the fitting is still perfect as it was before...” - Christiane Trilck, Head Chef Pastry, Al Qasr & Dar Al Masyaf Hotel at Madinat Jumeirah. “Emile Rassam has tailored and designed my professional chef outfits with diligence and creativity. Every piece they designed for me has given me further confidence and added to my elegant professional presentation.” - Maroun Chedid, Lebanese Celebrity Chef

41% of avid golfers are likely to own golf shirts with coolmax fabric and 55% of this same group indicated that coolmax fabric makes golf shirts “much more desirable”. With technology taken care of, you’d be forgiven for thinking you now have the perfect recipe to keep a chef happy! but individually designed jackets play a key role in ensuring total comfort - just consider the number of hours the jacket is worn and the conditions in which it is worn! Most chefs have many years of experience and know the most comfortable height of the collar, the length of the sleeves and need their jackets to be custom made. bespoke design has always been important, but with so many show kitchens and the ever increasing visibility of chefs to their public, this aspect is now a very close second in importance to the overall feel and comfort of the jacket. the development of integrating the restaurant design into the kitchen is becoming paramount for the kitchen team, but still leaves the executive chefs to create their own signature jacket. so with so much emphasis on technology, design and image, what role does durability now play? should we underestimate this aspect of the jacket or is it still important? While it’s known that the classic white jacket will undoubtedly last longer and look better after extensive washing, what happens when a white jacket just doesn’t do the job and coloured jackets are required? all coloured garments are known to be more difficult to maintain and, if we only consider the loss of colour, this is a big concern! so what are the options when coloured jackets or trousers are required? here we have to apply the three point action plan: • Increase the par level to reduce the washing cycles and frequency. • Opt for a polyester/cotton mix. 100% cotton in this case will lose its colour almost immediately. • Always wash on reverse and at a lower temperature. but, above all, kitchen uniforms need to be handled with care, as you would any other uniform in the hotel or restaurant. so always press with steam, because cotton is a natural fibre and will become dry, shiny and the fibres will break with excessive dry heat! so, in conclusion, is there any one aspect that is more important than another? in short, no, as all are equally necessary to ensure the satisfaction of the chef!

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Face to face

Focusing on public health The Chartered Institute of Environmental Health (CIEH) is the world’s leading supplier of food safety training and food safety adviser to the 2012 Olympic Games. Seen as the professional voice for environmental health, it sets standards, accredits courses and qualifications for the education of members and other environmental health practitioners. It provides information, evidence and policy advice to local and national governments and environmental and public health practitioners in the public and private sectors. Director of CIEH Middle East, Abdul Rashid, discusses some of the issues. Give us a brief overview of CIEH Middle East. cieh has been active here for over five years - as a body, we’re now 25 years old - and we used to run things out of the uK. the Middle east office opened nine months back and we now offer accreditation and courses through over 50 centres across the region. Why Dubai? Well, dubai has traditionally been at the forefront of introducing regulatory requirements and there’s now a lot of compliance in the market, based largely on materials that cieh developed. there’s a massive potential here despite the Municipality being active on food safety since the 1990s. i think there was very good visionary thinking - if dubai was going to develop as a successful hub for tourists and busines travellers, then it needed to develop a hospitality infrastructure where there would be no issues with food safety. Visitors needed to have confidence, so dubai Municipality focused first on tourist hotels.

safety in place at all hours of operation, the cieh has developed a simple easy to use Pic Food safety management pack for managers and business owners. it’s designed to keep all records and information about food safety in one place, so when Municipality inspectors come to check if they are adhering with food safety law and regulations, it will be easy for the food business to show they are using a proper food safety management system. Are food safety and hygiene standards improving generally? yes, i think so. the issues are a challenge for any country, of course. What we’ll certainly see is a rise in the number of cases because of better reporting - remember that previously there were no formal records.

Are you surprised there aren’t Emirate-wide initiatives in this area? no, i think any local initiatives still add value to the emirates as a whole. the food industry is very large. dubai sees its focus for now on food service, abu dhabi more on food retail and so on.

Is the battle being fought? Part odf our problem is that people’s perception is often wrong. Most people think, if they have food poisoning, that the cause is the last meal. it’s a complex area, with lots of ifs and buts. and the question that few of us can answer is the key one: “What exactly did i eat over the last 72 hours?” however, it’s very unusual to have single cases. intolerance is a common issue, but problems can also derive from allergies or infection.

Clearly, there’s been a major step forward with the PIC system in place… With the dubai Municipality (dM) now issuing fines if food businesses don’t have a Pic of food

What is the biggest challenge? i think ensuring that we have a food safety culture in place. it’s really about training behaviour and, with numerous cultures working together, that

“IT’S REALLY ABOUT TRAINING BEHAVIOUR AND, WITH NUMEROUS CULTURES WORKING TOGETHER, THAT CAN BE A CHALLENGE AT TIMES.” - ABDUL RASHID, DIRECTOR, CIEH MIDDLE EAST

can be a challenge at times. however, it’s a key focus of the Municipality to ensure that basic principles are in place, whether people are fully trained professionals or not. so part of our job at cieh is to focus on local needs and create practical bespoke training, that’s probably not fixed classroom lessons. the industry as a whole has to be pragmatic in how it directs training. Of course, the work of CIEH covers more than just food safety. yes, exactly. We’re focused on public health in general. Just a few of the areas we cover are environmental protection, food safety and nutrition, diet and nutrition, food standards, health and safety, public health and climate change. some of our clients in the region are diversey gulf, bae systems, oman air catering, intercontinental hotels group and spinneys.

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Face to face

All the world’s a pantry New Zealand chef Peter Gordon is often credited as the godfather of fusion cuisine, the chef who pushes the boundaries of where one national cuisine starts and another stops. “Fusion can create the most stimulating meal you’ll ever eat,” he says. “It’s fun and it’s playful. It’s simply one of many cuisines and it happily sits amongst them like a magpie, borrowing from them all.” On a recent visit to Dubai, he explained to Dave Reeder how new ingredients continue to inspire him.

eter gordon has award-winning restaurants both in auckland (bellota and dine by Peter gordon) and london (the Providores and tapa room), as well as a second london restaurant, Kopapa. he travels extensively and, so far, has written six cookbooks. born in the new Zealand coastal town of Whanganui, he moved to Melbourne in 1981 and completed a four year cookery apprenticeship before cooking in Melbourne restaurants for five years. he then travelled for a year throughout asia - the greatest influence on his culinary style. in 1986, he returned to Wellington to set up the kitchen at the original the sugar club restaurant. after two and a half years, he made the move to london, where he gradually introduced his eclectic style of cuisine, now called fusion. in 1995, after working in several uK restaurants, he set up the kitchens of the sugar club in london’s notting hill and then in soho in 1998 before, finally, opening his own restaurants. and he remains unapologetic about fusion food, claiming that it’s as old as cooking. he may not have asked for the title of the ‘Father of Fusion’ but his uneerring ability to combine flavours and textures from around the world means that it’s a title he continues to live with. Does it frustrate you that so many chefs are nor rejecting the idea of fusion food? i don’t see why we shouldn’t use the beautiful characteristics of different cuisines into our food. i base my cuisine on the belief that ingredients from different cultures can work in harmony. My food is based on flavours, rather than historical bearing. it is how i picture the world, as a community. that is what my grandmother brought me up to believe. When i was a child in new Zealand, we gardened, fished and butchered our own produce.

So food was important for you from a young age? i made my first cookbook when i was four, with snippets from magazines! When i grew up, my family never ate out in restaurants so, moving to Melbourne, the whole restaurant experience was new to me but i soon knew i wanted to be a chef. then travelling through asia, i was like a kid in a toy shop, discovering all these different flavours. southeast asia is my biggest influence and my favourite cuisine is Malay/singaporean style. i love the balance of sweet and salty, the subtle herbs and the texture – think crunchy highlights – that sort of cuisine offers. Do you think your lack of formal training was a help or a hindrance to you? Well, when i started i really didn’t know anything. i thought spaghetti always came in a can! so, in Melbourne, i just went crazy and bought loads and loads of ingredients and produce. and then i just used to open the kitchen cupboard and mix things from all over. Does fame get in the way of what you try to achieve in the kitchen? i’d certainly like to do more tV and do what i can to get more female chefs on our screens. i mean, delia isn’t a chef, nigella isn’t a chef, rachel allen isn’t… i’d be interested in doing some sort of historical travelogue about food, without it becoming too voyeuristic. i was recently in Fiji for a food festival and there was flooding all over. that felt more important than us cooking and discussing food. I presume you also looked around at new ingredients? of course! there was an interesting river fruit and also rosella leaves. i cooked a risotto with lamb, ginger, turmeric and miso, then added some local leaves. i

“I dON’T BELIEvE THERE ARE RuLES. THE ONLy RuLES I FOLLOw IN THE kITCHEN ARE SAFETy RuLES!” - CHEF PETER GORDON 24

Face to face was firmly told that you can’t do that, but why not? after Fiji, i was in singapore teaching for a while. the street food’s fantastic, like the oyster omelette and i explored the whole Peranikan cuisine which mixes chinese and Malay styles and tastes. Talk us through how you develop new dishes. Well, there’s always a continuity on the menu - we’ll have a duck dish but maybe that will evolve with more Japanese flavours. all the major spices are always in my food, but i don’t, i can’t know every ingredient. i try to cook and source as seasonally as possible and sustainability is very important to me. not every dish works, of course, but in adhering to old classics we can still embrace change and innovation. My belief is that if we understabnd the classics then we can deviate - foie gras with mango? Why not? above all, trust your instincts. If you could sum up your approach in one sentence, what would that be? Flavours are not fixed historical pairings and, all over the world, chopping is chopping and pounding is pounding.

Peter Gordon on fusion cuisine “Food is as political a subject as many more seemingly controversial subjects. We like to think of it as a nurturing part of our day, one hopefully that we can enjoy as we partake in it. but food often plays an extraordinary role in shaping history. the growing british demand and desire for tea led to the opium wars in china with huge historical repercussions. the belief that nutmeg would ward off, or even cure the plague, led, in a very roundabout way, to the claiming of Manhattan for the british. historically, food has been a very regional product due to the difficulties of moving it around in a fresh and edible state. but in recent years, travel, freight and refrigeration have improved immensely and we are now able to sample things from exotic locations. “Whilst chefs in the Western world have happily been using dried herbs and spices from around the globe for centuries they haven’t, historically, been able to get fresh ingredients. something like green papaya for example is a new import to europe from asia, unlike dried saffron, ground ginger or black cardamom. spices therefore have always been considered a traditional ingredient, and when used in a dish of whichever provenance (let’s say a traditional english ginger loaf) the dish remains a classic. the minute we add something like lebanese pomegranate molasses to it – it become something else – a fusion version of a classic. When we add dates to it – it manages to remain classic since we’ve had dates in our repertoire for many years. add tamarind paste to it – fusion! “Fusion food takes, as it’s starting point, the belief that any ingredient, from any part of the world, has the potential to be cooked and eaten.”

Seared tuna on nori sauce with green mango and coconut salad (serves 4) • contains alcohol

deep-fried egg with lime chilli dressing, garam masala and crispy shallots (serves 4) Ingredients: 4 eggs 2 juicy limes 1 tbsp grated pale palm sugar ½ bird’s eye or red chilli, thinly sliced 1 tsp fish sauce 1 small piece ginger, finely julienned 1 tbsp garam masala small handful of fresh coriander leaves 1 spring onion, finely sliced 1 tbsp crispy shallots Method: 1 Boil the eggs for 4½ minutes. Refresh and peel then place in a bowl of cold water. 2 Finely grate the zest from half the lime. Add the palm sugar and chilli and mash it together. Squeeze the juice from the limes over this mixture (around 40–50 ml) and mix until the sugar has dissolved. Stir in the fish sauce and ginger and keep aside. 3 Heat 6cm of vegetable oil to 180˚C. Take the eggs from the water and pat dry. Carefully lower them into the oil and move them around a little to colour them evenly. Remove them from the oil, place on kitchen paper to absorb excess oil, then roll on a plate scattered with the garam masala. 4 Place the eggs on individual plates and scatter with the coriander and spring onion. Drizzle on the lime chilli dressing and finish with the crispy shallots.

Ingredients: 500g tuna loin 2 tbsp sesame oil 8 sheets nori 80ml mirin 80ml sake 4 tbsp soy sauce 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar ½ green mango ¼ fresh coconut 20 mint leaves 10 sprigs of coriander 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil 3 limes, quartered Method: 1 Cut the tuna into 5cm x 3cm batons (approximately). Rub with the sesame oil then sear in a hot pan on all sides, for one minute in total. Immediately plunge into a bowl of iced water and leave for five minutes, then drain and pat dry. 2 Toast four of the nori sheets over a medium open flame until they go dark green. Crumble the toasted nori into a bowl along with the untoasted sheets. 3 Bring the mirin, sake, soy and balsamic vinegar to a simmer in a medium-sized pan, then stir in the nori and cook for 20 seconds, stirring constantly. Blitz into a paste with a stick blender and leave to cool. 4 Peel and julienne the mango. Grate the coconut. Tear the mint leaves. Pick the leaves from the coriander, then cut the stalks into 1cm long pieces. Mix everything together. 5 Slice the tuna 5mm thick. Dollop the nori sauce onto your plates along with a mound of mango salad. Lay the sliced tuna on the sauce, sprinkle with flaky sea salt and drizzle with the olive oil. Serve with a lime wedge.

Helping you serve your menu classics with fabulous consistency.

Discover food solutions that cater to all your needs. T: +971 4 881 5552 E:mohammad.shanawani@unilever.com

in action

The stars come out

One evening. Seven Michelin starred or celebrity chefs. The first nonEuropean Stars, Food & Art extravaganza was a huge success at the Sofitel Dubai Jumeirah Beach and lived up to the hype. We interview chefs, we share recipes, we revel in the luxury!

he european originated stars, Food & art series of gala events were developed by dutch chef and author lise goeman borgesius-timmer and, for five years across europe, she has worked with French luxury hotel chain sofitel to roll out a series of gala dinners in aid of charity. extending the concept outside europe seemed a natural idea and last autumn, dubai was chosen as the first non-european destination and thomas Pendarovski, executive chef of

sofitel dubai Jumeirah beach, was charged with making it happen. being dubai, the event had to exceed anything the city had seen before and the choice of seven Michelin-starred or celebrity chefs ensured that. the choice was stellar, from ex-French laundry pastry chef claire clark to 3-star german star thomas bühner, 2-star italian chef giovanni d’amato to 2-star French chef christophe aribert, lebanon-based celebrity chef Joe barza to london-based celebrity chef cyrus todiwala and last, but by no

means least, 2-star French chef bernard bach. between them, they represent a range of style and include some of the greatest perfectionists in the culinary world - enough of a draw for over 100 tickets for the evening being sold at a jaw-dropping dhs 2,500 a seat, which included specially selected wines wiuth a tutored tasting from Jason turner and world-class opera. according to thomas, “We really didn’t have any challenges. the hotel was well organised and the kitchen team was well prepared. everyone

“THERE wAS LOTS OF LAuGHTER ANd mANy jOkES THROuGHOuT THE EvENING. IT wAS A pRIvILEGE TO wORk wITH A GREAT GROup OF TALENTEd CHEFS.” - CHEF THOMAS PENDAROVSKI, ExECUTIVE CHEF, SOFITEL DUBAI JUMEIRAH BEACH. 28

Smoked carpaccio of watermelon, parmesan cream, pine seeds, balsamico, wild herbs 1 watermelon without pits rose above and beyond the call of duty for sF&a. there was so much energy in the air, you could feel it with the entire hotel staff, who learned a lot from the event.” For the diners, the evening was mixed. the excitement of so many worldclass chefs and the amazing food was uppermost in people’s minds, but the precision of the chefs meant that courses took a long time to arrive. bühner’s watermelon sensation, for example, took 90 minutes to plate! all of which meant that the final courses were coming out of the kitchen way past 1am. thomas understands the concern. “i think the only real challenge was getting everyone in their seats. We knew that it was going to be a long night and, with ten courses, we wanted to have the timing correct. in fact, the only thing that i would change is reducing the amount of courses. at one point, i think the guests just wanted to relax and enjoy the evening and not worry about the next course.” that said, diners were blown away by the food and by the evident enjoyment of the chefs. ‘there was so much excitement from all the chefs. We worked together and gave each other a hand whenever someone needed something. there was lots of laughter and many jokes throughout the evening. it was a privilege to work with a great group of talented chefs.” With sofitel itself winning the auction for the signed chef’s whites, diners went home with a commemorative plate and smiles on their faces. dubai will have to go a long way to beat an evening like stars, Food & art at the sofitel dubai Jumeirah beach.

THOMAS BÜHNER La Vie (Osnabrück, Germany) - 3 Michelin stars

Bühner’s balanced aromatic cuisine comprises of classical Mediterranean and Asian elements. He combines haute cuisine classics with seasonal and regional ingredients, resulting in La Vie’s unique menu.

Keep the paring away from the watermelon and cut it in quarters and vacuum. Keep the melon out of the bag and store overnight for 12 hours at 80°c in the oven on a grate. the next morning cut the watermelon into 4 millimetre slices. Put some baking paper on a plate and lay the melon all over it, making sure that you make no vent holes when doing this. Freeze the carpaccio then, after freezing, cut the melon in 8x8 cm aquares, smoke them for ten seconds and put them back for freezing. Parmesan stock: 400g Parmesan 500g water 500g milk 3g sea salt

grate the parmesan and heat it with the milk and water to 80°c, keeping it at that temperature for 30 minutes. then make the Parmesan cream by mixing 45g of lecithin into the stock and slowly adding 200g of sunflower oil. add salt and xanthan to taste. to assemble the dish, lay a square of watermelon in the centre of the plate and sprinkle over finely chopped pine nuts and a little sea salt. use a spray bottle and make points with aged balsamic and good olive oil on the watermelon and then add wild herbs and flowers to garnish. Finally, place some Parmesan cream points.

potato foam with pumpkin curry ice cream • contains alcohol Potato foam: 300g pressed potato 100g butter 150g water from potato 150g cream

boil the potato gently and keep the water back. Peel and boil again with all the other ingredients. Mix carefully and filter finely. add salt to taste then fill an isi-syphon and keep it hot for service.

Pumpkin ice cream: sweat the onion, ginger and curry powder in the butter. deglaze 15g ginger with white wine and add the pumpkin and cream and boil. Mix 30g diced onion and filter. Whip the yolk and trimolin above boiling water. add the 30g butter pumpkin cream and crème fraîche to make a foamy texture. Keep 450g pumpkin it cool with ice and freeze in an ice machine in a Pacojet container. 500g cream Place hot potato foam in a small bowl and 70ml white wine add one teaspoon of the ice cream. 160g egg yolk 100g trimolin 150g crème fraîche salt and kashmiri curry powder to taste

Other chefs at SF&A

GIOVANNI D’AMATO Il Rigoletto (Reggiolo, Italy) 2 Michelin stars

Tomatoes ‘datterino’, burrata cheese lasagnetta, basil

JOE BARZA Chase (Beirut, Lebanon)

Akkawi cheese wrapped in fattoush salad

CYRUS TODIWALA Spice Namaste (London, UK)

Duck Tikka à la Mrs Matthew

in action

CHRISTOPHE ARIBERT Les Terrasses (Uriage les Bains, France) 2 Michelin stars

Pan-seared foie gras, strawberries, antésite and salad shoots Aribert was born in Grenoble and began his career at the Hotel Beau Rivage in Condrieu in 1991, after leaving hotel school. A few years later in 1993, he had his first taste of the kitchen at Les Terrasses in Uriage, where he would later return to become Executive Chef. He moved to Paris in 1995 and took up a position at Tour d’Argent before moving to Les Ambassadeurs at the Hôtel de Crillon, where he worked alongside Christian Constant from 1996-1997. In 1997, Aribert returned to Les Terrasses at the Grand Hotel, once frequented by the likes of Coco Chanel. He took over from Chef Philippe Buissou in 2004 and retained the two Michelin stars. He now creates imaginative and modern cuisine and takes great pleasure giving his own interpretation on the wealth of flavours from his native Vercors and its surrounding area. Authenticity, strictness, creativity and perfection are words that define the very personal work of Chef Aribert. He explains to us how his Stars, Food & Art dish evolved.

How did your dish come together? Well, i adore a mixture of salt and sweetness - you know, sucré-salé - with a mix of acidity in there. Foie gras carries that combination well, so i gradually came to the idea of the combination of strawberries and antésite. Which is what, exactly? it’s a concentrate made from licorice and aniseed, non-alcoholic, made in my region. anyway, i wanted different textures and tastes in the dish. Did you have to try many combinations? no, not really. i know what’s right and the evidence is what arrives on the plate. this is a natural dish and also something new in the combination of foie gras and fruit. You seem very rooted in the region of your birth. Do you think French cuisine sometimes needs to open up to a global pantry of tastes and prioduce? oh, i think that is happening. i certainly take inspiration from around the world - spices and chinese ingredients, for example. however, i also believe very strongly in being rooted in the local, being true to regional ingredients. so it’s a balance. Do you have favourite ingredients? i have a basic palette of about a dozen, which i use all the time, many of which are old favourites. so, for example, you’ll always find trout and pigeon on my menus, although the dishes may change. What happens is i take a favourite such as pigeon and then start thinking - suppose i use chocolate with it, for example. dishes aren’t always quick or simple to arrive you start, you restart, you look again at it. but my range of spices stay with me and, at the end of the day, i have fun! i’ve been at my kitchen at les terrasses fort ciming uop to 15 years and i am very happy there. Do you have a wider ambition? To become a celebrity chef, perhaps? no, i don’t care for that came. i just cannot do it.

“I kNOw wHAT’S RIGHT ANd THE EvIdENCE IS wHAT ARRIvES ON THE pLATE.” 31

What do you strive to achieve in your restaurant? local food that’s been adapted. it’s traditional, including the fact that the nearness of spain gives us a link there. above all, i don’t believe you can deliver a menu that is not seasonal. certainly, where we are, in the colder months, we retreat more and more to the traditional dishes - the rich, local dishes full of olives and herbs. How do you plan ahead for new dishes for the next season? For me, that’s very difficult. i can’t sit in February and plan dishes for July. My dishes and my creativity are functions of the seasons. We only have a small restaurant but it’s our aim to make it like a little house that you’re visiting, one that’s full of love and welcoming.

BERNARD BACH Le Puits Saint Jacques (Pujaudran, France) 2 Michelin stars

The son and grandson of restaurant owners, Bach knew from the age of 13 that he wanted to pursue a career as a chef. He trained under Alain Letort, previously at London’s Savoy Hotel, before heading to Paris where he worked in a string of Michelin starred restaurants including Chez les Anges and Aux Contes de Gascogne. In 1997 Bach was awarded his first Michelin star at Belvédère at Porto veccio and, two years later he returned to his home town of Pujaudran to take over Puits Saint Jacques restaurant. He retained the star held by his predecessor within the first year of his move and added a second to it in 2008. Bernard Bach’s cuisine is creative and cosmopolitan without compromising on authenticity.

How would you desribe the place? Well, we’re in the country. i guess compangne-chic? coming from a small village, to be honest i feel rather out of place in dubai! Tell us how you developed your dish for Stars, Food & Art. i began with two realisations: temperature would be an issue eating outside even in april in dubai and it would be a long menu for the diners. so i decided on something simple and fresh - scallops. having developed the dish, i really do now have a particular affection for it, in that it’s a simple idea with interesting textures. and i love the granularity that the lemon caviar brings to the dish. it’s fresh. it has acidity. i think the dish works. Would you be happy cooking somewhere like Dubai? no, i don’t think so. it’s an interesting place but for me it’s important for me that my cuisine grows out of the products from my region, like little ducks, pigeon, foie gras and so on. of course, i also take a wider view and use spices from abroad, but i am rooted in my terroir.

“COmING FROm A SmALL vILLAGE, TO BE HONEST I FEEL RATHER OuT OF pLACE IN duBAI!” Grilled scallops, saffron brioche crust, fennel foam, lemon caviar 2 medium scallops per person 5kg fennel 3l liquid cream 5 shaker For the brioche, use three terrines: 1kg flour 12 eggs 10g sugar 20g salt 50g baking powder 600g butter 3g saffron To decorate: 10 lemon combawa\500g lemon caviar 1 celeriac 1 celery 10 apples (Granny Smith) 5 chives 3l olive oil cook the fennel in boiling salted water until well cooked.drain and then boil for ten minutes in the cream, blend it all together and pass it through a conical mesh strainer before seasoning and flavouring. then put it in a syphon with two gas capsules. For the caviar lemon and saffron oil, cut open the lemons and remove the pips. Mix with the saffron and the olive oil. Make a mixture of small green apple cubes, celeriac cubes, sliced celery and chives, then season and mix with a little lemon oil. arrange on a dried bun-style crouton. Fry the scallops and place them on the fennel mousse in a deep plate. drizzle with lemon oil and place the toasted bun crouton.

in action So, since relocating back to London, what have you been up to? Phew! consulting for the pre-opening of the corinthian hotel in Westminster, with the cheese cellar on Valrhona chocolates, for hartwell house in buckinghamshire, for Pierre Koffman’s restaurant at the berkeley hotel, for nigel haworth at northcote Manor, for Philip howard at the square restaurant, london and for the company of cooks. What’s your passion? chocolate! When i was planning the dish for the evening, i wanted something light and fruity that took into account the other dishes but had chcolate as a focal point. actually, it’s a variant of a dish i did at the French laundry but that had a mint focus to it.

CLAIRE CLARKE Freelance pastry consultant Ex-The French Laundry, (California, USA) 3 Michelin stars

British pastry chef Claire Clark has worked in some of London’s most prestigious kitchens, including The Wolseley, Claridges, Ritz and The Bluebird amongst others. Originally intending to pursue a career in music, she switched to pastry arts and has had a stel;lar career for over a quarter of a century, from running a small restaurant to teaching at Le Cordon Bleu, to becoming the first pastry chef for the House of Commons. She has also won the distinction of becoming the first recipient of the Meilleur Ouvrier de la Grande-Bretagne (MOGB - Best Crafts Worker of Britain), the highest award to be given on the grounds of professional excellence. A highly distinguished time at both The French Laundry as Head Pastry Chef and Sandy Lane Hotel as Pastry Consultant led her to her present position - consulting for a wide variety of restaurants and other organisations, whilst she plans her first restaurant. Along the way, she also picked up an MBE for services to the industry. After six months in Barbados as Pastry Consultant at Sandy Lane, Claire returned to the UK in 2010 and recently opened the Pop Up Patisserie at Harvey Nichols.

Tell us about your pop-up restaurant? that was a couple of years ago at harvey nichols in Knightsbridge. it was a great experience - a very flamboyant afternoon tea but i was able to take it to new levels instead of just the food. it was also about the decor, the place settings and so on - the full look and feel. as a pastry chef, you’re really an alchemist. I’m intrigued about your switch from classical musician to pastry chef. Both have precision at the heart, of course. yes, that’s true, but my drive has been to go further. What’s possible? now i’m working a lot on making desserts and pastries without using the classical ingredients, mainly because of the danger of diabetes. i’m really trying hard to get quality, innovative results without gluten or sugar or even eggs. it’s not easy but really worth tackling. Where do you go next in your career? Well, i’m working to open my own restaurant, probably in london. is it naive to think you can make a living from a dessert-based restaurant? i hope not. i see it perhaps in Mayfair but the set-up costs are horrendous. however, i do have a vision of somewhere light and summery, where you can buy desserts and pastries to take away or sit and have light meals. i don’t see any other pastry chef working on a similar idea so i hope it works. it would need to go for glamour, for the high end. Maybe Dubai is the place… yes, they do love their bling here, don’t they! i’m not sure i’m right for the place, though - i’m edgy, urban and funky. and i love Marmite!

Coconut and mango creamaux with a coconut daquiose, confetti of fruits and a chocolate hoop Coconut mousse: 150g egg whites 300g caster sugar 90g water 1020g 35% UHT whipping cream 1125g coconut puree (cap fruit) 15g gelatine 225g qimiq (low fat cream from Ritter) heat 1/3rd puree and the qimiq. soak the gelatine in cold water. once the gelatine is soft, squeeze the excess water out and mix into the puree and qimiq, then add the rest of the puree and place in the fridge to set. soft whip your cream and reserve in the fridge Make an italian meringue, cook the sugar and water to 121 degrees and, as the sugar is cooking start to whisk your whites. take the puree mix out and break it down with a whisk then fold in the italian meringue and then fold the cream. Pipe as required Coconut daquiose: 600g egg whites 200g caster sugar 100g ground almonds 500g icing sugar 400g desiccated coconut

Fruit creamaux: 300g mango or passionfruit puree reduced to 180g 250g caster sugar 200g butter 300g whole eggs 1 mango or passion fruit

sieve the ground almonds and icing sugar, then add the coconut. Whisk your whites gradually and add the sugar, then rain in the dry ingredients. Pipe, using a number 4 nozzle, two straight lines next to each other and dust with icing sugar. cook 190 degrees in the deck oven until light golden brown.

reduce puree, whisk eggs and sugar together, pour the reduced puree over the top whisk. Pour back into the pan and cook out like a curd until it gets thick. allow to cool to 40 degrees before blizting in butter. Pipe with number 4 nozzel. Freeze and cut into 8cm tubes.

Who’s your grill friend? With a brother and father already busy in the food industry, Kentborn Scott Stokes decided to become a bartender, quickly moving up to assistant food and beverage manager and then front of house manager. However, it was food he was drawn to and he soon started to help out in the kitchen. Relocating to Dubai almost a decade ago, he joined Jumeirah as commis de cuisine in the Burj Al Arab and, after two years, was promoted to senior chef de partie at the hotel’s fine dining seafood restaurant Al Mahara. He joined the Jumeirah Group’s dedicated restaurant division, Jumeirah Restaurants, in October 2008 as chef de partie of Rivington Grill and he’s been there ever since. As he explained to Dave Reeder, his back to basics focus and love of fresh seasonal ingredients saw him promoted to head chef of Rivington Grill. 34

on the passe

“THE mIx OF dINERS dOES mEAN THAT SOmE BRITISH dISHES CAN BE HARd TO SHIFT - kIppERS, FOR ExAmpLE, wHICH wE dO wITH LEmON BuTTER ANd HORSERAdISH. BuT wE juST TuRN IT INTO A pATE FOR THE NExT dAy!”

How closely do the two Rivington restaurants in Dubai match the original in London? Well, surprisingly not too much. sure, there’s the same overall style but our menu is very different to london. they go for things on toast; we add a lot of salads, for example. of course, there are some things that we just can’t off the menu, like the fish ‘n’ chips or a steak or scallops or a sticky toffee pudding - if we took some of those off the menu, then there would be a riot! so what we do is tweak the core dishes, such as using different cheeses or toppings on the burger. and, of course, we have regular menu items every week such as a roast on saturdays. How much does the menu change? oh, all the time. every day. since we opened, we must have put thousands of dishes on the menu and we keep them all archived and share them around the other rivingtons. What i’m passionate about is seasonal produce and consistency of the quality of what we put out. You source from where? as much as possible, from the uK. all our fish comes from uK waters. our cheeses are

british. Where we can benefit, however, is the expertise and buying power of Jumeirah’s central purchasing department - they might get a great deal on new Zealand meat, for example, or source organic chickens from al ain. but we do have a lot of control. often, i’ll go and buy something i need for a new dish from the local supermarket and then they’ll get to work on finding the importer and organising a regular supply. How are new dishes developed here? completely as a team. the whole caprice team meets weekly and we try new dishes from the uK or present dishes that we’ve developed here in the kitchen. everyone can suggest new ideas but if we’re not confident a dish will pass the tasting, then it doesn’t leave the kitchen. to be honest, though, we know what we’re doing and there aren’t many failures. Describe the Rivington Grill style. Very minimalistic, very simple but cooked well using quality, seasonal ingredients. i don’t think our style will change. i’ve been cooking here in dubai since 2003 so i think by now i know what people want. When we first opened, we copied

the london menu but even if chefs use the same recipe, the dish is likely taste different! How many covers here and what’s the mix of residents and tourists? of course, we get a lot of footfall from dubai Mall, but the groups are about equal. We have a lot of regulars and a good number of emiratis. the mix of diners does mean that some british dishes can be hard to shift - kippers, for example, which we do with lemon butter and horseradish. but we just turn it into a paté for the next day! our plan really is to try things as specials - five a day, plus two desserts - and, if they prove popular, then they get promoted to the menu. Do people enjoy the open kitchen? oh yes, diners come and ask us questions and i always tell my brigade to make time for them. i’m perhaps the worst at doing it, but i do try and say goodbye to people as the leave and find out how their meal was. Anything you’d like to do but you can’t at present? Well, we don’t have a pork license.

on the passe

Eton mess Serves 8â&#x20AC;&#x201C;10 ingredients: For the meringue: 100ml egg white 150g caster sugar For the cream: 500ml whipping cream 2 1/2 and a half tbsp icing sugar 1 vanilla bean (scraped) For the sauce: 500g strawberries (frozen) 70g caster sugar

Smoked chicken, bacon and egg salad Serves one

to serve: Meringue sticks to garnish Fresh strawberries - two to three per person

Method: 1 To make the meringue, whisk the egg whites and caster sugar until there are hard peaks and the mix is fluffy. Bake at 100C for one hour and low fan if using a fan oven. 2 To make the cream, whip the cream, vanilla bean and icing sugar and store in the fridge until needed. 3 For the sauce, freeze the fresh strawberries overnight or use already frozen strawberries. In a saucepan, place the strawberries and simmer on a low heat. Once all the strawberries have secreted their juices, add the caster sugar. Simmer for a further five minutes then remove from heat. Blend in a blender until combined, then strain. 4 In a mixing bowl, place the whipped cream, meringue bits, strawberry sauce (not too much) and fresh strawberries. Combine the ingredients ensuring not to over-mix so the cream does not start to run. 5 Take a dessert glass and pour some of the sauce at the base. Add some fresh strawberries and place a scoop of the mixed cream and meringue into the glass filling half way up. Add some more sauce and finish with the remainder cream and meringue. Garnish with meringue sticks and some fresh strawberries. Serve immediately.

ingredients: 1 chicken breast handful red chicory handful white/yellow chicory handful of baby gem heart salad leaves pinch affilia cress or peashoots (available from specialist supplier) 1 soft boiled egg 1/2 tbsp veal bacon lardons 1/4 tsp of mixed sakura cress (available from specialist supplier) 2 red and yellow cherry tomatoes Maldon sea salt and fresh black pepper to season 15ml sunflower oil 25ml mimosa dressing 1 tsp pomery mustard 1 tsp honey 100g rice 40g castor sugar 1/2 tsp cinnamon bark 1/2 tsp jasmine tea 1 baking tray and a fitted rack for grilling over the top

Method: 1 Boil the egg for seven minutes over a high heat. Then pour the hot water out, remove the egg and put it into a bowl of ice-cold water and set aside. 2 Take the chicken breast and place on the grilling rack. Mix the rice, sugar, cinnamon and jasmine tea in a bowl then scatter over a baking tray and place on the stove. Let the rice and sugar mix start to smoulder and smoke then place the rack with the chicken breast on top of the baking tray on a medium high heat. After smoking the chicken for a few minutes, wrap the chicken breast in tin foil and leave on the rack over the tray for seven to eight minutes. Remove the chicken and finish in the oven at 174 degrees for four to five minutes, then rest. 3 To make the dressing, warm the honey in a pan and mix with the mustard to infuse then pour into the mimosa gradually whilst mixing. On a cutting board, slice the veal bacon into lardons and sautĂŠ until crisp, then keep in a warm place. 4 Cut the root from the chicory and baby gem leaves and separate the leaves. Place into a mixing bowl and dress with the mustard dressing and season if required. Slice the cherry tomatoes into halves or quarters and toss into the mixing bowl. Slice the smoked chicken breast into thin slices and put into the mixing bowl. 5 Build the salad by placing salad leaves, tomatoes and smoked chicken as you desire. Cut the soft boiled egg into two and add to your dish. Scatter over the warm bacon lardons, the affila cress and the sakuria cress onto the salad. Season the egg with a twist of black pepper and pinch of Maldon sea salt, plus a drizzle of mustard dressing before adding. Serve immediately.

From mono-climate to overall process The bakerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s art consists above all in cleverly sequencing refrigerating and heating conditions. This, in fact, is exactly what we mean by the term â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;dough managementâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;. Yeast and enzyme activity are carefully controlled and weighed in relation to one another to provide the optimal degree of proofing at the time of baking and thus to allow for the highest quality in the areas of volume, pore structure, colour, aroma and taste. What we offer here in the way of orientation is a rough and in no way comprehensive overview of the traditional methods bakers have most often applied to the baking of their dough. 38

baking technology Methods of dough management

time span from dough processing to baking 60 – 90 minutes

up to four hours

up to eight hours

up to 20 hours

up to 36 hours

up to 24 hours

up to three days

Many months

Practical implementation clearly, no single method will cover all of the baking goals you set for yourself. that’s why it is essential to decide which dough-management type - or which combination of them - is most appropriate for you and your enterprise and to base your choice on the specific goals you wish to achieve.

Longterm dough managemen/delayed proofing due to a reduction of storage temperature to -6°c, this method allows for an extension of the proofing time of up to 24 hours. at the same time the yeast activity is reduced to a minimum - without dropping below the energy-intensive freezing limit of approx -7°c. Moreover, because the enzyme activity is only slowed down but not completely halted, this is a temperature range that permits the production of delicious baked goods at a comparatively low level of energy consumption. due to the workable time intervals involved, this method is vey helpful in reducing pressure at peak times of the workday.

Strong on aroma: mIwE smartproof completely new is MiWe smartproof – a method combining an entire range of advantages. it simplifies logistics and provides with its high proofing time tolerances for exceedingly long time spans of up to 36 hours. along with its virtues of being a low-cost investment and requiring very little space, it provides for a significant quality increase in respect to taste, aroma and colour. it combines a relatively strict proofing curve (residing in the aroma-conducive area of around +5°c) with a stackable loading and unloading belt system that provides a very special logistical improvement. in summer, for example, when the ambient temperatures are high, dough pieces are then transported in these proofed goods carriers in a thermo box.

proofing interruption When the proofing process is interrupted, the temperature range from approx –7°c to –18°c causes a complete stop of yeast activity while enzyme activity nevertheless continues at low levels. While the planning interval is still limited in duration because of the continuing enzyme activity, unpackaged dough pieces can nevertheless be stored for as long as up to 72 hours. this makes possible a great variety of product offerings and a high degree of consistency in respect to baking results - even at low output levels. this method can also contribute to a significant reduction of the time necessary for change-overs in production.

Flash freezing every flash freezing method takes the baked goods to an even lower temperature of < –18°c, a level at which even enzyme activity comes to a virtual halt. this permits storage times amounting to weeks or, in some cases, months - even for pre-proofed packaged dough pieces. Flash freezing can be applied to dough pieces at very different stages of completion.

baking technology Flash freezing unproofed dough this method calls for the dough pieces to undergo flash freezing immediately after they have been worked and ideally with a flash freezer operating at a temperature of –40°c. such temperatures provide for the rapid freezing that will ensure that no harm will be done to the cellular structure of the dough. the long storage times offer many possibilities for optimizing and individualising a bakery’s normal course of operations. this method also means that dough pieces will be available at any time of day. of course, they will have to be thawed and proofed, a process that admittedly somewhat limits the quick accessibility of the baked good and which calls for personnel qualified to judge the proof stage of the product. but the bottom line is that this method can provide for a significant reduction of pressure during peak production times and increase product variety as well.

Freezing (proofed) this method requires the flash freezing of preproofed dough pieces that have just completed the proofing process. they are then later thawed and baked without further proofing in an oven equipped with a flash freezing programme. because the proofing remains an integral part of the production process, this method is especially recommended for baking stations that require flexible loading and unloading for high-turnover sales. Proofed, flash-frozen and packaged dough pieces can be stored over a period of weeks or, in some cases, even months. Flash-frozen dough pieces are easy to handle and the time it takes to be ready with oven-fresh products at the sales point is about as short as it gets. again, this method offers a wide variety of ways to optimise individually any business operation. it provides effective support for bakers who are intent on offering their customers a wide range of products piping hot from the oven.

Flash freezing (half-baked goods) this method is the fastest at providing oven-fresh baked goods at the point of sales, and it is therefore the ideal medium for responding flexibly to peak times in the branch stores or to customer deliveries. it involves baking the dough pieces and then flash freezing them. such a frozen dough piece requires a simple thawing and, more or less simultaneously, must be baked to completion. this is why you sometimes hear the word ‘regenerating’ in this connection. in their packaging, half-baked products can be stored over a number of weeks or, in some cases, even months.

article and photography kindly supplied by MiWe.

Reinventing the Raj

The idea is simple: we take an old recipe and give it to a great chef. The challenge? Cook it as it’s written to understand the heritage and then reinvent the dish to fine dining standards. Up for service this month is Chef Marta Yanci, who runs the catering service Marta’s Kitchen in Dubai. All she has to do is reinvent the classic dish of the British Raj, Kedgeree.

he origins of kedgeree are lost in some fold of the british raj’s time in india. Most food historians agree that it is originated with the indian dish khichri, which combines rice and lentils or rice and beans. then, in the way of such things, it was given some colonial twists and brought back to the uK by returning brits. however, somewhere alomng the way it acquired its signature elements of smoked haddock and boiled egg becoming, in the process, a breakfast dish in Victorian times when interest in india, led by Queen Victoria the empress, was at its height. along with many other breakfast dishes of the period, it used up left-over food from the evening before since refrigeration wasn’t widely available. bubble and squeak dates from the same period and also uses the same ‘use up leftovers’ as a recipe concept. although khichri appears in the literature from the mid-14th century, it’s 250 years later that the dish is first mentioned as being eaten with fish. this history is rejected by a number of scottish food historians, however. they claim that kedgeree was originally a scottish dish taken to india by troops and then readopted back to the

uK as part of the craze for anglo-indian dishes. as with most pot luck dishes, every family that has kedgeree in its repertoire no doubt has a different recipe. boiled rice, poached smoked haddock, onions, garlic, turmeric/curry powder, hard-boiled eggs and chopped herbs like parsley are pretty certain to be in most versions but in my family, for example, we add tabasco sauce, Worcestershire sauce, chopped chives and peas. however, it’s made, most enthusiasts agree it’s great hot or cold the next day… but how would an innovative young spanish chef approach the dish? Marta yanci comes from san sebastian in the basque area of spain, though she is keen to point out that she is proudly spanish, instead of basque. as a child, her parents loved food and she shared their passion. originally training as a lawyer, she spent student days with her boyfriend, now husband, travelling across europe, to eat. seven years ago they moved to dubai and, after a spell in the Moevenpick bur dubai, she became a professional chef, running the catering service Marta’s Kitchen for the last three years. “Food was always important to me but being a

Pimp my plate

Traditional kedgeree Serves 4 [Remember: As a dish of left-overs, feel free to adapt to what’s in the fridge!] Ingredients: 4 large eggs 175g rice 55g butter 2 large onions, finely sliced 450g smoked haddock 200ml milk 4 tsp curry powder or masala to taste 6 cardamom pods 2 bay leaves juice of ½ lemon 15g flat leaf parsley, finely chopped salt and pepper, to taste lemon wedges for garnish Method: 1 Boil the eggs till hard boiled, cool, peel and set aside. 2 Cook the rice and then cool, covered. 3 Melt the butter in a large pan or casserole, then cook the onions covered until soft. 4 Cover the fish with the milk and cook until the thickest part of the haddock is opaque, about six minutes. Then flake the fish, removing skin and bones. 5 Add the curry powder, cardamom and bay leaves to the onions, then cook for two minutes before

adding the rice. Stir until rice is a golden colour, then add the flaked haddock, half of the eggs (quartered) and lermon juice. Adjust seasoning and stir again, then add parsley. 6 Serve with remaining quartered eggs and (optionally) lemon wedges as decoration.

Haddock mousse and spiced nests over puffed rice wadi Ingredients: 4 quail eggs (hard boiled) fresh coriander 1 lime For the haddock mousse: 250g smoked haddock 200ml heavy cream 100ml milk juice of one lemon 1 shallot olive oil salt and pepper For the spiced tagliatelle: 15ml vegetable broth 1 tsp turmeric 1 tsp chili powder 1 tsp curry powder

1 spoonful cardamom seeds 2.6g agar agar For the spiced puffed rice: 100g sev mamara (pre-puffed rice) 1 tsp turmeric 1 tsp curry powder 1 tsp chili powder Method: 1 To prepare the haddock mousse, used a Pacojet. Sautée the shallot with some olive oil. Place it in the beaker with the rest of the ingredients. Place in the freezer for at least 24 hours. Then Pacotize before serving. 2 For the tagliatelle, bring the vegetable broth to a boil, add the spices and stir well. Now add the agar agar, stirring constantly until properly dissolved. Strain the soup and place in a large rectangular container until it settles. Then simply cut the tagliatelle with a knife. 3 To prepare the rice, heat some olive oil and add the spices, stirring constantly for a few seconds. Then incorporate the rice and let it cook, giving it a stir regularly, until it is crispy. Set aside and let it cool, then mix with some chopped coriander 4 To plate, simply roll the tagliatelle to form nests. Put a quail egg in the middle of each nest – you can add some black salt for colour. Add some small amounts of haddock mousse and sprinkle the rice all over the platter, as well as some lime wedges.

Pimp my plate

chef was not what was expected of people when i grew up. things are different now, but there was some pressure to have a real career. i did enjoy being a lawyer but food is what i truly love. My style i’d guess you say is a blend of the traditional with the addition of some crazy, innovative techniques. Well, innovative for the uae at least. i focus on very fresh ingredients and as much local produce as possible.” so how was the challenge? What was her impression of kedgeree? “am i allowed to say i didn’t like it at all? Just a very heavy dish. Most of the flavours i was familiar with, but not the combination and, of course, smoked haddock is not something we use in spain.” What was her approach to the reinvention, then? “i started by thinking that the combination of egg and fish needed a very traditional presentation. going to my spanish repertoire, the obvious thoughts were some sort of paella or caldosa rice with a broth, but then i realised it would look too much like the original in terms of presentation. a lot of what we do for clients are canapes or tapas, so then i went that route but the problem i came up against was finding an easy or workable way for all the ingredients to combine in a single bite. “ the breakthrough, when it came, allowed her to complete the dish very quickly. “i decided it should look like something it’s not and that idea just led me naturally to what i ended up with - the presentation isn’t so much an actual dish but more like scenery, yet the flavours are there from the original.” she felt very comfortable with the spices. “the mix of spicing is one of the things i love about dubai, but back home they’re much more conservative, probably just sticking to cumin, turmeric, saffron, paprika and parsley. When i cook for my family or friends in spain, i really have to cut back on the spicing for them! the spanish really aren’t that adventurous but i love trying all the flavours of dubai. so, although i hadn’t used that mix before, they were flavours i use quite frequently. and, of course, coriander and lime are naturals for me! in fact, although we do use some smoked fish, smoked haddock was new to me.” Marta’s Kitchen offers mainly canape-based and buffet style menus, so her decision to go a tapa route made a lot of sense. however, given her wide experience of eating in europe’s best restaurants, she was determined to add both textures and decomposition to show off her innovation and technique. “i needed to do something different with the rice, so i coated it in the spices and then puffed it. that gave a whole new look to the dish as well as creating great texture against the haddock foam and the spiced tagliatelli. i think the dish works well though perhaps it would be different if i’d be able to devote more time to it. it’s certainly a fun thing and something i could include in my menus in some form. you know, i started off thinking it was just a very heavy dish but the flavours do make a lot of sense together.”

Marta’s own kitchen like many chefs, when Marta’s cooking for her family, things tend to be fresh and simple. “We nearly always have home-made gazpacho to start a meal - it’s so refreshing and healthy. the secret is not to pick the best-looking vegetables - i always choose the locally grown, knobbly tomatoes and they have real taste. if your core ingredients are good, then you don’t really need to add to them - maybe just some bread to mop up the soup!”

“IT’S CERTAINLy A FuN THING ANd SOmETHING I COuLd INCLudE IN my mENuS IN SOmE FORm. yOu kNOw, I STARTEd OFF THINkING IT wAS juST A vERy HEAvy dISH BuT THE FLAvOuRS dO mAkE A LOT OF SENSE TOGETHER.” 44

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The Last Supper Born in Japan 51 years ago, artist Julie Green has had work included in 25 solo exhibitions in the US and worldwide. An Associate Professor at Oregon State University, she lives in the Willamette Valley with her husband, artist Clay Lohmann, and their one-eyed cat. She divides studio time between narrative painting and â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;The Last Supperâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;, a project illustrating final meal requests of US death row inmates. 46

Vision

Installation view of 357 plates in the 2009 exhibition Counter Intelligence, California State University, Los Angeles.

he last meal requests of us prisoners on death row have become an increasingly common source of inspiration for artists. however, few of the projects are as ambitious of Julie green’s - to date she has painted over 500 since the first in 2000 and is currently adding another one a week. she has vowed to continue until the death penalty is abolished in the us. “a last cigarette is permitted in some prisons,” she explains. “alcohol is prohibited in all. Most states limit final meal allowances to twenty dollars. Maryland and texas do not allow a meal selection. there is a great deal of red meat, a few lobsters, no sushi and no godiva chocolate. some requests provide clues about personality, race, and region.”

her project is a series of ceramic plates illustrating final meal requests, painted with cobalt blue mineral paint which is applied to prefired, pre-glazed porcelain and stoneware dishes. “i have always been focused on food,” she recalls. “as a kid, i won eating contests. these days i grow organic produce. years spent in oklahoma, which has the highest per capita rate of executions, turned my interest in food toward final meals.” to those who say she is trivialising or celebrating death, she puts up a vigorous defence. “When painting, i consider the heinous crimes committed, the victims, the inmates, the number of minorities on death row, and the margin for error in judicial process. i think about food, choice and whether inmates are able to

eat the food they order. i make art as a way of processing information.” What is certain is that the project throws up a number of anomalies. take texas, for example, home to a major cattle business and more state executions than any other us state. now here’s the weird thing: order steak for your last meal and you get hamburger. Most meals have a cost limit of $20. Do you see an endpoint for this series, such as an achieved number of plates? Or do you expect your interests gradually to move to other concerns? i plan to continue adding fifty more each year until capital punishment is abolished. since 2000, i have painted 500 plates.

2006 installation view with Julie Green at Living Arts, Tulsa, Oklahoma. Photo: Deborah Brackenbury

Were any of the prisoners aware of your plans? Or have any of their families reacted to your project? i havenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t heard from anyone on death row or their family members. several non-death row inmates have contacted me and expressed support of the project. i have met family members of victims who support the project. and numerous capital appellate attorneys are aware of the last supper. in 2013, all the texas plates will be on display at the academy of criminal Justice science annual conference in dallas. Is the project more political or conceptual for you? both. For me, final meals humanise death row. My motivation for the last supper is to encourage conversation about the death penalty. From my mentor, roger shimomura, i learned about socio-political art. From roger, i learned that art can be both visually compelling and thought-provoking. There seems something almost contradictory about immortalising the often very mundane food choices on porcelainâ&#x20AC;Ś Well, idea equals material. When starting a new idea, i do studies in a variety of materials. after deciding to make art about final meals, i tried embroidery on napkins, tempera painting and drawing, before learning the technique of

Oregon studio view 2012 Virginia seafood on the left is the 500th plate painted by Julie Green.

Vision

Georgia 26 June 2007 Four fried pork chops, collard greens with boiled okra, fried fatback, fried green tomatoes, cornbread, lemonade, one pint of strawberry ice cream and three glazed doughnuts.

Indiana 5 May 2007 Pizza and birthday cake shared with fifteen family and friends. Texas 7 January 2010 The last meal, served at 4pm was an assortment of fried foods, including three pieces of chicken, two pork chops, a cheeseburger, ten pieces of bacon, French fries, okra, green tomatoes and apple cobbler. china painting. When looking at the inmates’ humble choices, it is important to note that while rituals and traditions vary, most states limit final-meal allowances to $20. oklahoma allowed $20, but lowered it to $15. an oregon inmate’s final meal request closed with ‘i would appreciate the eggs hot’. and who wouldn’t? Do you feel that by focusing purely on the food and not the prisoners that you’re excluding them from their own life story or that the whole point is to highlight the paucity of choice and the lack of imagination or opportunity that may have led them to this moment? none of these, really. human life and the system of capital punishment are such large topics. too big. one must narrow in to make sense. Personal equals universal, the idea that something specific can speak to many. i don’t know the inmates, so i can’t focus on them. all we have is this record of a final meal. Do you ever think of extending the project beyond the USA? yes, it has crossed my mind. but the us, unfortunately, keeps me very busy. and when we end capital punishment, hopefully soon, i will be ready to work on lighter subject matter like narrative paintings (www.greenjulie.com/rp/index.html) and my smart Phone series (www. greenjulie.com/phones/index.htm).

Photograph of artist by deborah brackenbury. all other images by Julie green. all paintings are cobalt mineral paint on kiln-fired ceramic dinner plates. toni acock is technical advisor - she fires every plate.

Mississippi 23 July 1947, painted in 2011 Fried chicken and watermelon served to a 15-year old and a 16-year old boy.

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book review

Too cool for the kitchen As food lovers rush headlong towards cooking as lifestyle, with glossy books, sumptuous magazine, high production value TV shows and hi-tech blogs and apps, an intriguing counter movement is slowly under way. Deliberately lotech and with more than a nod to the past, a new wave of small press food magazines are aiming to change the game, Dave Reeder discovers. 51

agazines are dead! it’s such a common mantra these days that you’d almost be forgiven for believing it. after all, aren’t we all now bloggers or twitterers or instagrammarians? tomorrow’s food lovers are downloading apps from their favourite chefs or watching them on tV, surely? Who has time to sit and - gasp! - actually have to turn pages any more? life’s too short and we all want instant infobites. except that it’s just not true. according to audit firm abc, in the uK digital versions of magazines account for less than 1% of print numbers. and in america, the key demographic of 15-25 year olds are now purchasing more magazines than they did a year ago, despite their over-familiarity with digital content. the reality is that if you give people what they want, they’ll buy it. so where does that leave food writing? that is, intelligent food writing? Well, many will say that the explosion of food bloggers represents a flowering of good, new food writing and it’s certainly true that many food related blogs from around the world make fascinating and compulsive reading. however, the sheer numbers of blogs and the lack of any external content control mean that most are, at best, disappointing. and who, anyway, has time to sift through the hundreds and hundreds and then remember to bookmark the fun

ones and then check back periodically to see what the latest posts are? all of which leads us, a little circuituously, to a new phenomenon - the small press food magazine. these stress content and are deliberately low-key. they’re not widely distributed and, page for page, compete more with books than magazines in terms of price. but they can often be objects of great beauty as well as fascinating glimpses into what food lovers really want to write about, that they can’t get accepted by mainstream magazines. on a recent trip to london, i picked up a couple of the new breed (one american, one british) and wished i could find more. Welcome to the new food writing. Put a egg on it, out of brooklyn, is certainly irreverent, but in a good way. it’s a digest-sized art and literary magazine printed on green paper about food, cooking and the communal joys of eating with friends and family. it also features personal essays, photo essays of dinner parties, special art projects, illustrations, as well as practical cooking tips and recipes. started just over two years ago, it publishes every six months. the writing is personal and very indulgent - food indulgent, that is. More than anything, this is going to make you hungry! run by photographer sarah Forbes Keough, this zine

is very visual as you’d expect and the name is a play on the ubiquitous new york habit of putting eggs in every dish. For example, danny Meyer’s new place in the Financial district, north end grill – with chef Floyd cardoz – is going egg-crazy with an entire section on the menu dedicated only to eggs, pairing them with peekytoe crab, tuna tartare and caviar. Keogh likes eggs, however. “there’s the moment when you take the first bite of fried egg on a hamburger or a sandwich - and it kind of makes the yolk run over. it becomes like a sauce. and taking the first bite finishes the preparation.” the latest issue (5) gives some idea of the eclectic nature of the title. an extract from Pg Wodehouse on breakfast, a nostalgic look back at Mexican candy, a european immigrant’s love of american food, photos, sketches, food on road trips, fun with your food cupboard, recipes from the pantry and more. it’s quirky. it’s unlike any other food magazine you’ll read. it’s something you want to have by your chair not your cooker. it’s great! 52 pages. $7. Subscribe at putaeggonit.com the british Fire & Knives, however, is rather more serious, in the tradition of a small press fiction magazine. a quarterly, this collection of new writing about food gives established writers

THEy CAN OFTEN BE OBjECTS OF GREAT BEAuTy AS wELL AS FASCINATING GLImpSES INTO wHAT FOOd LOvERS REALLy wANT TO wRITE ABOuT, THAT THEy CAN’T GET ACCEpTEd By mAINSTREAm mAGAzINES. 52

book review

a place for work that would not be published elsewhere and a chance for new writers to write about their favourite subject. it was launched in november 2009 and is edited by tim hayward, the guardian‘s food blogger. his thinking was simple. “Mainstream food media have become immensely lifestyle. i knew loads of food writers who just couldn’t get longer form, intelligently written pieces commissioned anymore. i also knew, through social media, hundreds of food lovers who couldn’t find anything interesting to read anymore. Pulling it together - particularly using digital printing, a distributed zine-style production team and using social media to build audience - was pretty much a no-brainer. that’s as high a concept as i can give you.” he sees Fire & Knives as part of “a growing confidence in british food culture” as well as “a tend for creatives taking control of their medium and speaking directly to an audience they know”. in look and feel, it has much of the retro charm of the whole ‘Keep calm’ trope and a very simple, clean design though, in common with most of these new small press magazines, individual articles trend to have their own unique design, creating a patchwork of visual pieces as well as a medley of written voices. the current issue (10) looks back at food on hancock’s half hour, eating seal in canada, analysis of the ugli fruit, formal dining at oxbridge, food in the work of Patrick o’brian, life as a waiter, the english eccentric stanley ‘less lust from protein’ green, london’s food culture, ‘best before’, cooking in a bedsit, food foraging and much more. although lighthearted in places, this is a serious read for people really interested in food, food culture and food history. uniformly well written, the design is a delight and this is one to dip into and probably keep on your bedside table. i love it! 100 pages. £9.50. Subscribe at fireandknives.com

travel

Eat your way to Land’s End It used to be a bit of a gastronomic disaster area, with local produce making its way up to London but not often making the return trip, but as Dave Reeder discovered the English West Country is a now a constant delight for both traveller and food lover, with incredible produce and an explosion of quality restaurants. And, intriguingly, the further west you travel, the more you enter a foreign land where centuries’ old feuds over food are still a daily occurrence!

ince i moved there aged ten months, i’ve always considered myself a londoner, despite being born in bath. but childhood holidays were spent either in cornwall, where my father was born, or devon, where my parents’ best friends welcomed us for an annual holiday. For me, the West country represented an escape from the city and, looking back, an early introduction to the real taste of food. in cornwall, i collected cream heavy milk fresh from the cow from the local farmer and marvelled at the deep yellow of eggs gathered from the hedges around local farms. i went out for short fishing trips and got overexcited at how eagerly silver and iridescent mackerel almost leapt onto the line, before we ate them later simply grilled with boiled new potatoes. every day, we ate pasties and cake, gorged ourselves on ice cream and cake, before slinking back to london for a more austere diet. in devon, we ate cream teas, picnicked daily out on dartmoor with good local bread, cheeses, cold meats and pickles, enjoyed the local fish or shrimp and ate more

cream teas and fudge than were good for us. everything tasted fresher, flavours were bigger and food became important and vibrant, rather than the daily fuel that it represented back in the city. the good news? today, the food is even better! there’s been an explosion of high quality produce, artisanal producers and dedicated chefs right across the West country, making it the ideal choice for food lovers and chefs wanting a different taste of england and a kickstart to their creativity.. and, to make it even better, the scenery across the region is ever-changing and fascinating. the West country is traditionally seen as the four english counties of dorset, somerset, devon and cornwall. For reasons of space, we’re leaving dorset aside for now, allowing us to focus on the two great cities of bristol and bath, as well as the three counties that lead down to the furthest point west in england and an iconic spot, but regretfully not a place you’d want to head to for the food - land’s end.

Bristol - the starting point

lthough you can drive to bristol straight down the motorway from london heathrow in about an hour and a half, why not consider a different approach? i now fly air France via Paris to bristol itself, allowing an extra food stopover in Paris on the way back to dubai! unlike the hour or more grind of exiting heathrow and sorting out the hire car, at the small bristol airport you can be from plane to car in around 15 minutes. bristolâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s history and success stems from its origins as a port, at least a millenium ago. this is a city built on trade - pleasantly, as the developer of the british wine trade with France, spain and Portugal; less pleasantly, as the third point of the notorious slave trade triangle. but bristol is much more than its harbour, which represents one of the key areas to explore and eat

in. one of its most famous sons, engineer isambard Kingdom brunel, built the iconic clifton suspension bridge high above the avon gorge, not only providing one of the iconic images of the city, but also opening up the georgian enclave on the hill above the city, clifton. this peaceful backwater provides beautiful architecture and a great range of restaurants and bars, populated by bristolâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s artistic and stylish society. between the two, the university provides a more eclectic mix of buildings and food opportunities, a stew of funky bars, healthy eateries and the plain quirky. the last area to explore on a short visit is st nicholas Market, part of a pedestrianised shopping area. bristol is one of the most vibrant cities in the uK - it has a kind of california vibe as the kind of place where visionaries and misfits gravitate to. it has great history,

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travel easy transport, lots of green areas and a serious amount of non-traditional shops and food outlets. yes, your normal high street shops are here, but bristol is the place to go for something unusual and different. even better, there’s always something going on - festivals, special events, exhibitions, concerts… For the food lover, there’s a continual rush of food-focused days, markets, fairs, visits and more. in fact, bristol is so exciting that you may find yourself unwilling to venture further west however, that would be a mistake!

STAY HERE Avon Gorge Hotel Views of the Suspension Bridge with the delights of Clifton a short walk away. Hotel du Vin Boutique hotel close to the Waterfront area with, as you’d guess from the name, a great food and wine list. The Bristol Hotel In the heart of the Old City and close to the contemporary arts centre, the Arnolfini, this is a luxury choice.

EAT HERE Riverstation Simple and stylish dining overlooking the old docks. Pieminister Two outlets for award-winning pies using produce sourced from the region. Bristol Cider House Local food and, more importantly, a range of local, real ciders from Somerset.

SHOP HERE Bristol Farmer’s Market Every Wednesday, a great opportunity to taste local produce. There’s also a Slow Food Market on the first Sunday of each month. Averys Wine Merchants At the foot of the hip Park Street, traditional wine cellars show you a key side to Bristol’s past, plus a great range of bottles! The Better Food Company Superb ethically run, organic food store. A great place for advice, a snack or just to see the range of amazing local produce.

Bath - a step back in style

ometimes, you have to brave the crowds. to be honest, bath is a nightmare for anyone wanting peace and quiet but, as one of the world’s most beautiful cities, it’s worth putting up with the crush. to stand on Pulteney bridge and look down at the weir, to take the water in the Pump room, to wander round the roman baths or abbey or to look at street after street of honey-coloured georgian houses, bath is a pure delight. and i would say the same even if it wasn’t my birthplace! bath is a city of two halves - three really, but let’s discount the horrendously misguided bits of urban renewal in the centre (the concrete multi-storey car park, the bus station…) - roman bath and georgian bath. apart, they’re both stunning; together, they make up a World heritage site. originally developed by the romans two millenia ago as a spa, bath (or aquae sulis - the waters of sulis) still has britain’s only hot spring. the romans built a magnificent temple and bathing complex, much of which has been preserved. the georgians later made the spa fashionable again - think Jane austen - and lunch or afternoon tea in the magnificent 18th century Pump room is a must. Much of the centre of the city is easy to stroll around, enjoying the squares and crescents, poking around the side streets with interesting shops and so on. again, this

travel is a university city and there’s a relaxed feeling about the place, although it does feel more upmarket than most of bristol. the food? i thought you’d never ask! the place is bursting with small cafes and stylish restaurants, catering both to the students and media types who live here and also to the professional class and tourists looking for a treat. despite the conservatism of the city, there’s a left-leaning feel to bath, so organic and properlysourced ingredients are everywhere, as are quirky cafes offering foods from obscure countries. your best bet? Just explore!

STAY HERE The Bath Priory Luxury country house hotel that consistently wins awards, not just for its outstanding one Michelin star restaurant which recently placed as third best in the South-West in a Sunday Times list. The Royal Crescent Hotel The real Bath experience in a 18th century Grade 1 listed building, now a luxurious hotel and spa in the heart of the iconic sweep of the crescent. Tasburgh House Just outside the city, this friendly award-winning guest house has gardens that tumble down to the Kennet and Avon Canal, allowing an easy stroll into the city centre.

EAT HERE Casanis Intimate French bistro now listed in Michelin. Demuths If you think vegetarian food is boring, then prepare to have your mind changed by this restaurant’s gourmet fusion mix of dishes. The Hole in the Wall Oldest restaurant in Bath, using locally sourced ingredients for modern British cuisine.

SHOP HERE Mr Simms Olde Sweet Shoppe Find all your old favourite sweets here for a nostalgic step back in time! Bath Farmer’s Market Every Saturday, food from within 40 miles of the city sold by the producers. Guidhall Market 800 years old and still going strong! The 18th century transaction table is known as the Nail, hence the expression ‘pay on the nail’…

THERE’S A LEFT-LEANING FEEL TO BATH, SO ORGANIC ANd pROpERLySOuRCEd INGREdIENTS ARE EvERywHERE, AS ARE quIRky CAFES OFFERING FOOdS FROm OBSCuRE COuNTRIES.

Devon - it’s so creamy!

evon is the county in which you really sense a dividing line between the West country and the rest of england, further east. although the north and south coasts of this large country feel familiar, the high central moorland of dartmoor with its dramatic granite peaks and tors, its sense of living folklore (pixies are everywhere!) and a real change in dialect words tell you things are going to be different from now on! it starts gently enough - capital city exeter is like any other urban centre and university town, though the quiet area around the medieval cathedral is worth exploring. From here, you can take one of three routes - let’s start by turning north. the north devon coast is perhaps the least well-known part of the county. unlike the rather wilder north cornish coast, this is still sheltered in the bristol channel and so small towns like Minehead or ilfracombe offer a quiet escape from modern life and the exmoor national Park has a dark serenity that many find appealing. a trip out to lundy island in the bristol channel is well worth the effort - from here, there’s nothing but open water between you and america!

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drinks (ales, cider and wine) plus a great range of fruits and vegetables. and local farmers are branching out - don’t be surprised to find farms producing venison, ostrich and chillies!

STAY HERE The Dartmoor Inn A charming and elegant spot with just three rooms. However, its Lydford location means it’s ideal for exploring Dartmoor although its award-winning restaurant means you may not want to leave... The Cary Arms The steep cliffs of Babbacombe Bay surround this elegant hotel, with private terraces overlooking dolphin filled waters. Oh, plus great fish and seafood from nearby Brixham! The Royal Castle Hotel 17th century hotel right in the heart of Dartmouth, overlooking the harbour and River Dart.

EAT HERE

the route through the centre of the county takes you direct to cornwall, across the wild and sometimes savage dartmoor national Park. From the grim Victorian prison at Princeton to the treacherous bogs on the high moor, this is a place that can grip you for life. stunningly beautiful at all times of the year, only a small number of roads cross the moor, diverting into small, almost landlocked villages where time has stood still. For the real devon experience, cross the high moor and then dip down to find a full-on devon cream tea! the southern route takes on the so-called english riviera - the sweep of seaside town around tor bay that includes teignmouth, torquay and brixham (a great day fishing port). For too long, perhaps, unfairly derided as a land of displaced pensioners, it’s a beautiful area that, together with the south hams just back from the coast, will repay a search by the dedicated food explorer. one, especially, that has dartmouth in sight!

this beautiful small town on the river dart is one of the real treasures of the area and, as you’d expect, seafood of every variety and of exceptional quality is available here. Parking is a nightmare, but it’s worth it for the food, the history of the town (the last spot on english soil that the Pilgrim Fathers stood on) and boat trip up the river, including a visit to agatha christie’s home at greenway. and so on to Plymouth, last stop before cornwall. the reality for the hungry traveller is that it’s remarkably easy to eat well in this county with local restaurants more and more dedicating themselves to seeking out the best of local suppliers - the county’s lush green pastures, rich arable land and dramatic coastal waters providing great local produce. of particular note are local seafood (especially the south devon crab), meat from traditional devon breeds such as red devon cattle, pies and pastries, dairy products, local

STuNNINGLy BEAuTIFuL AT ALL TImES OF THE yEAR, ONLy A SmALL NumBER OF ROAdS CROSS THE mOOR, dIvERTING INTO SmALL, ALmOST LANdLOCkEd vILLAGES wHERE TImE HAS STOOd STILL. 60

Gidleigh Park The location - a few miles out of Chagford along tiny lanes - is impressive, but the food from star chef Michael Caines is stunning. Easily the best table in Devon, but your credit card will weep. The Elephant Seagulls circle outside Simon Hulstone’s charming one Michelin star restaurant on the harbour’s edge. Open April to October, with a year-long brasserie also a good choice. 22 Mill Street One chef in the kitchen and three services a day, so you’d expect food to take a bit of time to arrive. But well worth the wait in this charming restaurant in attractive Chagford.

SHOP HERE Markets and farm shops These are everywhere through the county, leaving no excuse not to buy and taste. Basterfield Beekeepers Not always open to the public, this family-run beekeeping business produces a variety of goods from free range hives in Colyton. Blacks Deli Local produce, home cooked treats and shelves of interesting finds in this tiny deli that has served the small village of Chagford for more than a decade. A model of a local delicatessen.

travel

FooD FIghT - RouND 1

ith a minimum fat content of 55%, you’d think that eaters of clotted cream would need to worry more about their health than their style of eating, but that just how food fights are! although clotted cream is produced in many areas, it’s really devonshire cream or cornish clotted cream (now with a eu Pdo order) that we’re talking about. devonshire is smoother; cornish a little grittier; both are delicious and are the staple of the West country classic, the cream tea which consists of scones, clotted cream and jam. and jam is the problem. in devon, it sits on top of the cream. however, as soon as you cross the tamar river into cornwall, it vanishes under the cream. does it matter? Well, let’s just say that proponents of either variety argue as if they were north and south Korea! Personally, i prefer the cornish way.

Cornwall - a foreign land

SoMERSET - DoN’T FoRgET IT somerset has a real identity crisis! the historic county vanished into the anonymous avon during local government reorganisation, but it lives on with ceremonial status! think of it as the part south of bristol, before you hit devon. Much of the county is unprepossessing and can be quickly passed through, but a good route south from bath avoids the motorway and passes through the charming and tiny cathedral city of Wells (try goodfellows, if you’re hungry) and the new age capital glastonbury, reputed final resting place of the holy grail (go vegan or vegetarian, if you’re hungry) and down across the somerset levels. these are basically flooded plains, supposedly the site of King arthur and his army - fascinating to see the ingenuity of centuries of drainage and water taming. not a good place for food, but bird watchers and anyone wanting traditional reed baskets are in for a treat. somerset gives us a number of great food items: apples, cider (over 400 varieties of cider apple are grown here) and cheddar cheese (do try the original) are the best known, but smoked eels, exmoor lamb and the unique whortleberry jam are worth seeking out.

ross the tamar river into cornwall (Kernow) and you enter a different land. in culture and landscape, this bears more relationship to brittany and Wales than england. it is believed that the roman conquest never reached this far, although cornwall has a long history of trade with the Mediterranean, exchanging tin for goods such as saffron from the Phoenicians. everywhere, you will see evidence of cornish nationalism, from the flag (black cross on a white background) to the use of the language, although this is largely a construct since the langauge became extinct as natively spoken and has been reassembled by academics and enthusiasts. traditional industries of tin and copper mining, as well as fishing (particularly for pilchards), have been replaced by tourism, much to the resentment of some who find themselves priced out of their own land. however, despite cornish pride, it seems

unlikely that demands for independence will ever gain enough momentum for change. cornwall has a strong culinary heritage. surrounded on three sides by the sea and fertile fishing grounds, cornwall naturally has fresh seafood readily available and that supply has attracted celebrity chefs: rick stein in Padstow (amusingly retitled Padstein by locals who preferred it when it was a quite little fishing port), Jamie oliver with his Fifteen restaurant in newquay and John torode’s seiners in Perranporth. one unusual local fish dish is stargazy pie, a fish-based pie in which the heads of the fish stick through the piecrust. it’s cooked as part of traditional celebrations for tom bawcock’s eve, but not generally eaten at other times. however, the best known cornish dish is undoubtedly the pasty - see Food Fight for details. apples, blackberries, plums and cherries grow well in the climate which,

SuRROuNdEd ON THREE SIdES By THE SEA ANd FERTILE FISHING GROuNdS, CORNwALL NATuRALLy HAS FRESH SEAFOOd REAdILy AvAILABLE. 61

travel (for faux King arthur history), Padstow, st ives (with its great artistic tradition) and newquay (where young surfers congregate). however, it is the south coast which i think offers most to the first time visitor: a combination of lush vegetation with deep water rivers and harbours, mixed with small fishing ports and several large towns means that the run from looe and Polperro, down through Fowey and st austell, Mevagissey (where i spent childhood holidays) to Falmouth and on, round the lizard, to Mousehole is staggeringly beautiful and a constant source of

great seafood and quiet hotels and inns to stay the night. the southern coast also has a host of large gardens from the lost gardens of heligan, all demonstrating the warming effect of the gulf stream. couple your stay in cornwall with one of the enthusiastically celebrated annual festivals - helston’s Furry dance or Padstow’s May day festivity - and you’ll realise that, for all the hardship the county/nation has endured over the centuries, it finds much to celebrate about itself, not least in its food.

STAY HERE The Metropole Views over Padstow and Rock in this classically comfortable Victorian hotel. Just stroll through the car park for a meal at Rick Stein’s... Falmouth Hotel A real sense of grandeur on this delightful coastal town. Also has a well respected restaurant.

though, is unsuitable for growing many arable crops. however, it is ideal for growing the rich grass required for dairy farming, leading to the production of cornwall’s other famous export, clotted cream. Worth seeking out are local cakes and desserts including saffron cake, cornish heavy cake, cornish fairings biscuits, figgy ‘obbin, scones and whortleberry pie. rather like devon, the county naturally divides itself into three key areas. the main road southwest passes through the central upland, which is relatively uninteresting for the tourist. going north, the coast is wild and exposed but with many towns of great beauty and interest: tintagel

Mount Haven Never heard of Marazion? Just imagine waking in the morning to see the stunning St Michael’s Mount just over the water. A very romantic spot!

EAT HERE Seafood Restaurant The heart of celebrity chef Rick Stein’s empire in Padstow, the food is consistently good even though the diners are increasingly boho poseurs from Hampstead-by-the-Sea (Rock), just over the estuary Harveys Wharf Great modern food overlooking the harbour at Falmouth - the real south coast experience! Ripley’s Restaurant Slap in the face for Rick Stein that his former head chef gained a Michelin star here, but the place is light, airy and delivers delicious food.

FooD FIghT - RouND 2

riginally designed as an all-in-one lunch for tin miners, the cornish pasty has become the iconic symbol of food in the county. and that’s where the trouble starts! Known locally as a tiddy oggy, the traditional pasty is filled with beef, potato, swede, onion and seasoning. it is baked and eat by hand, grasped by the crimped edge which is not eaten - its original purpose was to stop the miner’s hands tainting the food. traditionalists demand that not even carrot be added to the recipe, let alone the whole thing being completely debased by the endless varieties found in ‘traditional’ pasty shops. two course pasties (meat one end; fruit the other) were known in the past, but are no longer considered authentic in cornwall.

SHOP HERE Stein’s Deli Even if you don’t manage a table at the Seafood Restaurant, pick up some books and some tasty treats from the wonderful range on offer. Lynher Dairies Just outside Truro, this dairy produces one of Cornwall’s best foods: the semi-hard cheese Yarg, wrapped in nettles. Make sure you taste this! Halzephron Herb Farm With shops in both Truro and St Ives, the farm provides a wide range of herb-based products, including herbal remedies and treatments.

ThE SCILLY ISLES - DoN’T FoRgET ThEM Where? the scilly isles are an archipelago some 30 miles west of cornwall. Fresh air, clean seas and long sunny days are the islands’ main claim to fame and help to generate some delicious local produce - lobsters and crabs, fresh fish, local lamb, beef and vegetables, eggs, bread and butter, beer and wine, ice cream and jams.

don’T miss an issue! Issue 01 • May 2012 • www.cpidubai.com

Feature: The perfect storm: Why the time is right for budget hotels to move to centre stage Interview: Outcast Interiors: Why, when and how to go about a successful restaurant refurb Q&A: How many hotels can Dubai sustain? Industry experts, GMs and PRs debate the city’s maximum capacity

News and analysis for the Middle East’s hospitality professionals

Trends: 10 social media mistakes not to make; how to have an award winning spa, how the iPad is changing guest interaction Tenders: 19 exciting new projects across the MENA region

HOTEL

SAFETY FIRST! Hygiene in the kitchen

THE STARS ARE OUT Seven Michelin chefs in Dubai!

EVERYONE’S A CRITIC How useful are reviews?

HEALTH AND HYGIENE Getting the basics right

HESTON AND HULSTONE

In association with:

High flying chefs at work

HOLIDAYS AND HERITAGE The birth of fusion food?

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GLOBAL HOTEL INDEX: Asia Pacific 69.4% - Americas 63.7% - Europe 63.7% - Middle East/ Africa 65.1% (Average room occcpancy March 2012) 00 May Cover final.indd 1

The magazine for fine dining professionals in the uae Work as a head or execuTive chef? sous or PasTry chef? sommelier? resTauranT manaGer? or BanqueTinG or caTerinG manaGer? If so, register for your free monthly copy of The Pro Chef Middle East - the new magazine that unites fine dining professionals and aims to drive standards higher across the sector. Whether you want to increase your skills or product knowledge, promote yourself in a creative portfolio or be inspired by the vision and experience of a Michelin standard chef, this magazine is for you. Monthly issues are free if you fall under our conditions of controlled circulation. Pleae e-mail your name, job title and contact details to: marizel@cpidubai.com

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Monthly issues are free if you fall under our conditions of controlled circulation. Please e-mail your name, job title and contact details to: marizel@cpidubai.com

March 2012 BBC Good Food Middle East 101

the last word

Object of desire A fugu chef has your life in his hands. Literally. Blowfish (fugu is derived from ‘fuku’ or ‘to blow’) is mainly a winter delicacy in Japan unless you opt for inferior farm-raised blowfish. Rumour is that Anthony Bourdain, who ate fugu on his TV series ‘A Cook’s Tour’, was fed the safer farm-raised fish but, for many, the fact that a six-pound blowfish has enough poison to take out over 30 healthy adults is reason enough to seek out a small fugu restaurant in the back streets of Tokyo.

here are over 100 varieties of blowfish, also known as puffer fish, but not all are poisonous. however, those that are can be very, very deadly thanks to the poison tetrodotoxin which collects in the fish, especially in the liver and ovaries. on very small amounts, tetrodotoxin causes a pleasing numbing sensation, which is why gourmets are driven to eating fugu. however, eat too much and it gets nasty: dizziness, exhaustion, nausea, frozen muscles (from lips to fingers to heart and lungs), towards final paralysis and death, normally with consciousness there till the end. all it needs to kill you can fit on the head of a pin and there’s no known cure. of course, it’s not just the threat of death that drives people to eat the fish - after all, the Japanese alone eat over 10,000 tons of it each year because they believe that fugu, an extremely lean fish, has a

pure freshness. however, because of the very real danger, only specially licensed chefs are allowed to prepare and sell fugu, once they have passed a difficult exam which includes a written test and a full cleaning and preparation of a fish - in other words, remove the fillets and other edible parts from the toxic innards without a single drop of poison tainting them. When preparing fugu in their restaurants, fugu chefs must by law keep fish entrails in a locked box and these are incinerated by local authorities to ensure the poison doesn’t escape control. but accidents happen, normally to fishermen or enthusiastic amateur fugu chefs. Fugu is prepared in a variety of ways, notably fugu sashimi (fugu-sashi), fried fugu ribs (fugu kara-age), smoked fugu fins in sake (fugu hire-zake), hot fugu porridge (fugu-nabe) and fugu sperm sac (shira-ko), served two ways - raw and lightly grilled.

Is it safe?

Scientists at Nagasaki University claim to have created a nontoxic variety of fugu by restricting the fish’s diet. After raising over 4,800 non-toxic fish, they are pretty certain that the fish’s diet and digestive process actually produce the toxins. The non-toxic version is said to taste the same, but some sceptics say that the species being offered as non-toxic may be of a different species and that the toxicity has nothing to do with the diet of the fish.

IF yOuR LIpS ARE REALLy NumB, THEN NOBOdy CAN SAvE yOu. IF yOuR LIpS ARE REALLy NumB, THEN yOu ARE ALREAdy dEAd. 64

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