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EBONY ISSUE - n° 15 - 2018 - € 10 www.theoney d.com
The Art of Sailing Sanlorenzo SX8
QUART ERLY - P.I. 21/07 /2018 Intern ationa l € 10, Poste Italiane S.p.a. Chf 10,50 , UK £ 7,50 Spedizione in Abbon amento Postale
- 70% - LO/MI
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[ GOURMAND ]
CLAUDIO SADLER
I’m looking for an alchemy of tastes and colours He’s been a name to reckon with in Italian haute cuisine for more than 35 years. A veteran chef who loves new adventures, in summer 2018 he embarks for the Costa Smeralda by Marta Bernasconi
W
e meet the chef in his “manor” in Milan on the Navigli, in the Chic’n Quick Trattoria Moderna
bistro, not far from his Michelin-starred restaurant, the Sadler. Summer’s nearly here and he’s ready to set off for Porto Cervo, where he’ll stay until September. Not for a holiday, though. “I’m embarking on a new, exciting adventure. A new restaurant, the Sadler Porto Cervo is about to open in the historic Sottovento Club. I’m taking my cooking to an international location with a superb sea, a lovely region that offers wonderful products”. He’s extremely enthusiastic about this new development in his life - understandably so, as he takes a keen interest in Mediterranean cuisine. “Of course, the menu here is simpler than the one in my Michelin-starred restaurant. It’s still based on research, quality and innovation, but the dishes are light and are designed for people on holiday, inspired by the local Sardinian cuisine, plus an extensive, varied and interesting wine list”. And so a new chapter in the already eventful life of Claudio Sadler begins. The chef opened his first restaurant in Milan in the mid-1980s and has never looked back since, becoming involved in producing cookbooks, high-level banqueting and his role as president of the Le Soste restaurateurs association. He has many strings to his bow, but there are two fixed points in his life. “I am Milanese and I draw inspiration from regional cooking. I make it my own, so my cooking is modern, and I like evolving. But I also like clarity, simplicity, so I can’t stand the over-the-top complexity
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A portrait of the Milanese chef and the logo of his new restaurant in Costa Smeralda. Below, “Shellfish padellata, grilled aubergine and lime mayonnaise”. Right, his “Oyster with mojito sorbet”, the recipe described in the article
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[ GOURMAND ]
“To me, a dish is inspired by the ingredients and by imagining the colours. When I have a recipe in mind a take a sheet of paper and some crayons and draw, studying the colour combinations” For Sadler a plate should be like a frame that suits the canvas it surrounds. Here is how he served his “Tuna tataki, tzaziki salsa gel and Greek salad”
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some restaurants seem to revel in, the complicated menus that
for an-board lunch. He finally opts for a recipe that’s quick, fun
make guests feel ill-at-ease”. In contrast, Sadler uses his dishes
and chic - “Oysters with mojito sorbet”. A meal for ten requires
to strike up a harmonious dialogue with his diners. Explaining
ten oysters. The mojito sorbet is made by combining a litre of
how he generates this empathy, Sadler says, “To me, a dish is
mineral water in a high pan with 400 g sugar, 63 g glucose
inspired by the ingredients and by imagining the colours. When
powder, 96 g dextrose and 36 g of invert sugar. Beat everything
I have a recipe in mind I take a sheet of paper and some crayons
thoroughly with a whisk and remove from the heat when the
and draw, studying the colour combinations. Freshness, for
liquid reaches a boil and add 3 g of stabiliser. Eliminate lumps
example, is a crucial element in a tasty dish and it’s important to
with a hand-held liquidiser, then add a little mint, 130 ml lime
know that – the guests immediately receives a visual message”.
juice and make the sorbet in an ice cream maker with 200
Sadler also has clear ideas for his table settings. “I prefer to
g sorbet base. To serve, open the oysters, pour a little mojito
change them according to the dish, a plate should be like a
sorbet over them and garnish with grated lime peel. Two more
frame that suits the canvas it surrounds. I usually change the
recommendations – accompany with a Grand Cru Chardonnay
tableware in my restaurants every year”. With a new venue, his
Nicolas Feuillatte, and for the ideal location to enjoy them, on
third, recently opened in Sardinia, chef Sadler has a lot of ideas
board or on the beach - Porto Cervo, perhaps.