“C’est top”, says Benoît Carcenat when he is thrilled. He wowed everyone at the Excellence Gourmet Festival.

 

THE PREMIÈRE: CARCENAT ON THE RHINE.

A year ago, GaultMillau named him “Chef of the Year” (with 18 points; twelve months later, Michelin also recognized his talent and added a second star). Now came a premiere on the Rhine: Benoît Carcenat (large picture above) from the “Valrose” in Rougemont VD cooked for the first time at the “Excellence Gourmet Festival” on the Rhine. “Welcome to the small Swiss grand hotel on the water, where the crème de la crème of chefs cook”, said presenter Christa Rigozzi, welcoming the star. Large picture above: Carcenat in the “cockpit” of the “Excellence Princess”.

 

 

“I HAVE NEVER COOKED FOR SO MANY GUESTS.”

Carcenat and his boys had to get to work: at home in the “Valrose” there are around 30 foodies at the table; 120 expectant guests had arrived for his guest appearance on the “Excellence Princess”. “We’ve never cooked for so many before,” admitted Benoît, “a huge challenge. And under special conditions on a ship”. He was able to tackle the challenge calmly and calmly: “We closed the restaurant on Sunday especially to prepare the menu for this Monday evening”. He had brought his entire crew with him: 17 chefs and service staff! This was also a premiere, this time for Stefan Frei, CEO of Reisebüro Mittelthurgau and inventor of this gourmet festival. “The biggest guest team we’ve ever had here,” said host Stefan Frei, CEO of Reisebüro Mittelthurgau.

 

 

RAINBOW TROUT WITH COFFEE DASHI.

And then they whirled into action in the large ship’s kitchen. Some dishes from the current “Valrose” menu, some signature dishes that should never be missing. And a few surprises especially for the Excellence guests. Even the appetizers served to live music in the salon were a delight: the pain soufflé aux champignons. The layered dried meat with cheese. The hearty bouillon made from vegetable scraps (“We use as much as possible”) according to Benoît Carcenat. The first starter was a real sensation: A variety of Breton crab, picked apart under a crab jelly and as a filling in a baked doughnut, served with a cauliflower mousse with caviar. Followed by a beetroot carpaccio with Etivaz cheese and a heavenly white truffle sauce. Presenter Christa Rigozzi: “I could spoon up a whole bowl of this sauce.” Carcenat had brought the rainbow trout from Neirivue for the next course. He served it with Jerusalem artichoke shavings and a surprising coffee-dashi sauce. “The most difficult course of the evening,” said the chef.

 

 

DREAM DESSERT: ALL VANILLA!

Benoît Carcenat is a nature-loving chef who enjoys cooking with the produce of his region, but is also interested in spices and techniques from around the world. His main course was the best example of the marriage of both talents. He served venison that had been shot in the forests around Rougemont on a medallion of pumpkin, refined with a sauce of mild coconut milk and hot harissa spice. The desserts of his pâtissier Josselin Jacquet were also excellent, as he demonstrated his talent twice: first with a variation of plum with a delicate ice cream made from madeleines, or “melting rolls”, followed by his signature dessert La Vanille à la Vanille, which guests in Rougemont always order and which also delighted connoisseurs on the Rhine: crème, sorbet, jelly, oil and meringue with vanilla.

 

 

TOUR DE SUISSE OF WINE.

Of course, sommelier Mathieu Quetglas also traveled with the “Valrose” team. With great knowledge and a fine nose, he selected the right wine for each course. His wine pairing was a grandiose tour de Suisse, from Räuschling from Uhwiesen near the Rhine Falls to a fresh Viognier Pellegrin from Geneva to Merlot Tinello from Barbara Kopp of Crone Visini and a straightforward, restrained Malvoisie flétrie from Sandrine Caloz from Valais, which went perfectly with the vanilla dessert fireworks. “We’ve never had this on our gourmet ships before: a sommelier serving exclusively Swiss wines,” praised Stephan Frei, the festival’s inventor. Benoît Carcenat, the star of the evening, received the thunderous applause from the guests with a beaming smile and thanked the organizers: “The organization on board is perfect.”

 

www.mittelthurgau.ch

Text: Elsbeth Hobmeier I Photos: Fabian Häfeli

 

UBS-Fourhander at “Magdalena”, Rickenbach SZ: Dominik Hartmann’s new hairstyle was just one of the highlights.

TWO FITNESS BUDDIES.

“We speak the same culinary language,” says Patrick Mahler at one point during the event. But with a different accent, one might add: Mahler is head chef at “Focus Atelier”, Vitznau (18 points), where he focuses on the finest products from all over the world, often meat, fish and seafood. His companion on this evening at the “Magdalena” in Rickenbach SZ is host Dominik Hartmann (17 points), who cooks extremely locally. 100% vegetarian. But the two star chefs get on brilliantly. They often meet up for fitness training or go out together in Zurich. The occasion today on this rainy, cold November evening? An exclusive, heart-warming fourhander. UBS has invited around 40 guests who have won their places on the GaultMillau Channel.

DOMINIK’S “EMINEM HAIRSTYLE”.

The first highlight of the evening: for some, this is probably Dominik Hartmann’s new hairstyle: the cute little curls have been gone for a few hours – he now wears his hair short, platinum blonde, very Eminem-like. “My children haven’t seen me yet,” he says, “but my wife has already shown them a photo on her cell phone. I don’t think they’ll be scared!” The second highlight of the evening: the great snacks. These included a “steamed noodle” with snow crab and papaya salad. Or a crunchy radish with dabs of thyme and vegan cream cheese filling. The star chefs really do deliver a well-rounded start.

100% SWISS WINE.

UBS Wealth Advisor Marco Formoso also welcomes the guests with charm. It’s just as nice that the Magdalena hosts Adriana Hartmann and Marco Appert accompany the following dishes with Swiss wines throughout. The kingfish with pickled radish rondelles, hearty plum broth and grated black lime from Patrick Mahler is accompanied by a smart Riesling from Schlossgut Bachtobel (Ottenberg TG). A lively Gemischter Satz from Markus Ruch (Klettgau SH) is served with Dominik Hartmann’s flambéed millefeuille, made from a few wafer-thin layers of celery with deep-fried kombu seaweed, ginger dashi and coriander oil. Remarkable: the Magdalena team, including some vegetarians, have no inhibitions about serving meat and fish as an exception. Or as Adriana puts it: “At least no one has explicitly asked for a vacation.”

DISHES THAT RESONATE FOR AN INCREDIBLY LONG TIME.

Dominik Hartmann and Patrick Mahler make a name for themselves by producing incredible flavor bombs. This can be seen in the beautifully firm agnolotti with Jerusalem artichoke filling, nut butter foam and black truffle, as well as in the subsequent Norway lobster with sea buckthorn varnish, fermented pumpkin cubes, XO sauce and a dollop of caviar for an iodized note. Both dishes linger aromatically until the next course is on the table!

PROFESSOR PICHLER.

As always at Magdalena, the sweet finish comes from the brilliant patissier Jonathan Pichler. As usual, it crackles, melts and pops in your mouth. Cool, sweet and creamy notes combine on the palate. Acidity and astringency draw the mouth together. And with the next spoonful, it crackles again, but this time in a different way. The main flavors in today’s dessert: quince and green tea – a firework display with almost 20 different components. In other words: a typical dessert from “Professor Pichler”! He obviously has no problem speaking the culinary language of Mahler and Hartmann.

Text: Daniel Böniger

Photos: Digital Massarbeit

On Thursdays and Fridays, Stefan Heilemann also offers guests in a hurry a pretty good lunch deal.

 

CLASSIC AND TASTY

Most people who make a reservation with an outstanding chef like Stefan Heilemann at the “Widder” on Rennweg in Zurich take their time for this classically tasty cuisine, which the 2021 Chef of the Year cleverly interprets in a very unique way with elements and flavors from Thailand. If you’re not in a hurry, for example, order the turbot cooked whole but boneless and stuffed with Thai farce and scallops – one of Heilemann’s signature dishes and a tribute to his teacher Harald Wohlfahrt. What the talented chef learned from him at the legendary “Schwarzwaldstube” forms the rock-solid basis of his work.

 

 

PREFERABLY WITH A SPOON

Stefan Heilemann has long since found his own style and stands for a kind of soul food of the highest quality. This is easiest for him when it comes to shopping: only the best is good enough. Despite this, the dishes at “Widder” (The Living Circle) are pleasantly unpretentious and can usually be eaten with a spoon so that nothing of the excellent sauces is missed. For example, a mighty langostino (caliber 6/9), which is combined with an elegant escabèche and deep-fried chervil chips in an unpretentious and tasty way.

 

 

FOUR COURSES IN 60 MINUTES!

This dish is available either on the evening menu or, on Thursdays and Fridays, in the rather attractive lunch menu: amuse-bouche, three starters, main course, two desserts and petit fours for 160 francs. This takes around 90 minutes, but Stefan Heilemann assures us that “we can do it in 60 minutes for guests in a hurry”. The cold starters are then served together and the experienced kitchen team never keeps guests waiting long. “Cheaper, more compact, faster” is the lunchtime formula, says Heilemann. “But we don’t compromise on quality, we serve the same four-course menu as in the evening.” A highlight on the autumn menu is the saddle of venison from an Austrian hunt, which the chef combines with a spectacular Albufeira sauce with yellow Thai curry, a venison “sandwich” and pumpkin.

 

 

THE PLACE TO B

The Widder Restaurant run by Stefan Heilemann and Stefano Petta, the GaultMillau sommelier of the year, is one of the best addresses in Zurich (and Switzerland). In addition to the large menu, a la carte dishes are always available. Lunch is also served twice a week (Thursday and Friday) – either the large menu or the lunch formula (160 francs). GaultMillau rating: 18 points.

 

Text: David Schnapp

Photos: Thomas Buchwalder, Stefania Giorgi, Christopher Alexander Kuhn, Nik Hunger