That was great! The Carcenat Gala on the Rhine - 26 Nov 2023

 

“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

Mahler & Hartmann : Fourhander at Magdalena - 26 Nov 2023

 

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

“Widder”, Zurich: four courses in 60 minutes - 26 Nov 2023

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

On the road in Lavaux: lake, wines and nature - 21 Oct 2023

 

Guy Ravet drives along Lac Léman in a Mercedes-Benz GLC 300 e Coupé to meet winemakers, farmers and colleagues.

 

“IT’S CALLED LAC LÉMAN!”

“Lake Geneva” should not be said here, the visitor from German-speaking Switzerland realizes immediately after using the word carelessly. “It’s not called Lake Geneva, it’s called Lac Léman,” says Guy Ravet, with his usual sympathetic yet determined expression on his face. The star chef of the Grand Hotel du Lac in Vevey has invited us on a short tour around the eastern part of the identity-giving lake, meeting us at the beginning in the picturesque wine-growing village of Épesses for a first waypoint.

 

WINEMAKER ICON

Ravet rings the doorbell of Blaise Duboux, one of the great winemakers in Lavaux, whose estate has been named one of the best 150 wineries in Switzerland by GaultMillau 2023. “Professor Tournesol” – known to us as Professor Bienlein from “Tintin” – is what Ravet calls the likeable man in the winemaker look with short pants, all-terrain footwear and alert eyes. In the small building Duboux vinifies his organic wines, with Guy Ravet he checks the ripening stage of various Chardonnays and Chasselas, which rest in barrels made of Swiss oak. “The wine stays in the barrel for at least twelve months, after which it is bottled directly,” says the winemaker. “But I’m not interested in the wood flavor; I’m interested in wines rich in finesse,” he says, explaining his approach. To be sure, he says, there is a market for “bodybuilder wines,” as he calls products tending toward breadth and richness, and that’s perfectly fine. “It’s just not what I want,” Duboux says.

 

NATURAL WINE FROM THE GLASS AMPHORA.

The Frenchman also earns the affectionate description as a mad professor with his delight in experimentation. A moment ago, he was poking around with a new kind of bottle cap made of plastic and cork, but declared the experiment unsatisfactory. Now he pulls a kind of black stump from a mighty glass amphora that conceals another test run: In the so-called Wineglobe, a huge handmade glass vessel, is an unfiltered natural wine-Chasselas-which, in the hermetically sealed sphere of the glass, has achieved an astonishing clarity but too little flavor, as the exploratory winemaker notes: “My goal was to bring out the purest possible flavor of the terroir-sand, pebbles, rocks and little earth. But without oxygen, a very unusual flavor emerges that you wouldn’t expect from a wine.”

 

 

UP INTO THE HILLS

After the amazing experience in the cellar, the 17-point chef climbs into his Mercedes-Benz GLC 300 e with the elegant flowing shapes of a coupe. Silently, Épesses’ plug-in hybrid rolls out into the hills. “Thanks to the sufficiently large battery, I was able to drive effortlessly from my home in Vufflens-le-Château to here using only the electric drive,” Ravet says. Now the Unesco World Heritage-listed vineyards come into view. They seem to be laid around the steep hilly landscape like deep green bands of fabric around a soft organic shape.

 

WAGYU EMBRYOS FROM JAPAN

The next Lac-Léman original the chef wants us to meet is cattle farmer Mathieu Balsiger in St-Légier. The farmer is a friendly and impressive figure; he keeps 200 Limousin cows on his farm and in summer at 1000 meters on the alp near his estate. “I like the frugal character of these animals, and their not-too-lush size makes them well suited to the mountains,” Balsiger says. But ultimately, he says, he chose Limousin cattle for aesthetic reasons: “I like the reddish-brown color and the white ‘made-up’ eyes and mouths.” Nevertheless, Balsiger also made an attempt with Wagyu cattle and bought twelve embryos from Japan for about 100,000 francs. Only three of them, however, have grown into proud animals, recognizable by their jet-black, shiny coats.

 

TATAR AND BURGER

What will become of the Wagyu experiment is still unclear. Guy Ravet continues to use the lean Limousin meat for two dishes consistently made from different parts of the St-Légier animals for the Grand Hotel du Lac: “We cut tartare from the hoof and our burgers from fattier cuts. I like the idea that these two dishes can be made with meat from the immediate region. Most of the time, that’s not even possible because of the quantities required,” says the star chef.

 

IN THE FRONT ROW

Although Lac Léman, which lies far down in the valley, can also be seen from the farm, at the end of this drive through the surrounding hills we are sitting in the front row, so to speak. Matthieu Bruno’s restaurant in Chardonne is not called “to the beautiful view”, but you undoubtedly have it from the balcony of his “La-Hàut” (16 points). Bruno is on the board of the association Les Grandes Tables Suisses, which Guy Ravet presides over. As a gesture of friendship, Bruno serves his fellow chef dishes with carefully composed aesthetics. It can certainly be seen as a metaphor for much of what is created in and on the earth around Lavaux. Or for what is possible when man and nature complement each other congenially.

Text: David Schnapp | Photos: Gabriel Monnet