The Pro Chef Middle East - September Issue, 2014

MIDDLE EAST ISSUE 31 SEPTEMBER 2014

JUNK’D - FOOD FRIGHT FIESTA | SPOTLIGHT ON OMAN | LOST IN THE DESSERT | WASTE NOT...

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Contents

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18

44

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UP FRONT

FEATURES

CHEFS

LEISURE

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KITCHEN SKILLS Getting awfully smart with offal..

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FACE TO FAC E We get up and personal with the Executive Chef of Conrad Dubai, Terry Styles, as well as Story Lounge’s Head Chef, Angelica Espinosa.

ART Sugar is addictive poison. For acclaimed artist, sugar addict James Ostrer, this proved an ideal subject matter for his latest photographic study Wotsit All About.

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THE LAST WORD Truffle oil - wonder ingredient or marketing hype gone mad?

We look at the arguments and decide.

EDITORIAL What’s the most you think a hotel could charge for a 500ml bottle of S.Pellegrino? Given publicity in the regional press, maybe $10 or $15?

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EDITORIAL BOARD Our industry colleagues who help guide The Pro Chef Middle East.

OUT AND ABOUT Badoit chooses a local ambassador, Dilmah prepares for this year’s High Tea Challenge and there’s news of high-end Italian cuisine training.

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THE EGGS FACTOR Sri Lankan chef Shan Pussella has worked in kitchen for more than 20 decades. He is currently Chef de Cuisine of Urbano.

MARKET FOCUS Is waste management in the kitchen the next big thing? We believe so and talk through some options and initiatives.

MARKET FOCUS Consumers are hyper enthusiastic about either artisanal breads or confectionary mash-ups. We take a look at the hot trends.

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PIMP MY PLATE PA healthy Black Forest gateau?

It’s possible, says Conrad Dubai’s Sally Handoko.

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RECIPE CORNER Tempting Portuguese and Italian dishes from Picante and Prego’s.

COUNTRY FOCUS A brief look at Oman.

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UP FRONT / editor’s letter

How much, now?

What’s the most you think a hotel could charge for a 500ml bottle of S.Pellegrino? Given publicity in the regional press, maybe $10 or $15?

Well, five-star The Wellesley in London managed to demand over a staggering $40 - not once, or twice, but three times from the same customer! Real estate agent Edward Heaton had been entertaining clients in the hotel’s bar and asked for the cheque. When he received it, he was surprised to see the charge of $127 for three bottles of water, thanks to the hotel bar’s absurd minimum charge policy.

“For that price,” Heaton said, “ we probably could have had a nice glass of wine each or maybe even a bottle of champagne!”

The water, in fact, cost ‘just’ $9.30 but the bar’s minimum charge policy mandates that, after 4pm each day, customers must spend at least $42 respectively. Which came as a surprise to Heaton and he complained to the hotel, tweeting a photo of the receipt. The hotel tweeted back: “Thanks for letting us know. We will make sure our policy at the Crystal Bar is dazzlingly clear to all in future. All the best.”

Except it wasn’t clear. When Heaton and his two clients sat down in the bar, there was no menu and the waitress who took the order did not explain the ‘minimum spend’ policy. Heaton repeated this back to the hotel, who responded with a public statement: ‘Mr Heaton did not raise concern at the time of his visit but did send an e-mail of complaint the following week. In response, The Wellesley’s management team replied on the same day to offer its sincere apologies to Mr Heaton for an experience he deemed less than satisfactory.’

Heaton, who hadn’t wanted to make a fuss at the time because he was with clients, admitted that: “I have no issue if they have a minimum charge, but they need to make it clear. It is the lack of transparency that I have a problem with.”

The hotel had also added to the cheque a $12.50 service charge. Needless to say, The Wellesley should not expect a return visit from Heaton.

What is your outlet’s policy? Do you think a hotel should stick to its guns or make a concession in order to avoid bad publicity?

CHAIRMAN AND FOUNDER DOMINIC DE SOUSA CEO NADEEM HOOD COO GINA O’HARA ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER DAVE REEDER dave@cpidubai.com M: +971 55 105 3773 GROUP DIRECTOR OF EDITORIAL PAUL GODFREY GROUP MANAGING EDITOR MELANIE MINGAS melanie.mingas@cpimediagroup.com M: +971 56 758 7834 EDITOR DAVE REEDER SENIOR GRAPHIC DESIGNER, HOSPITALITY DIVISION CHRIS HOWLETT PHOTOGRAPHER, HOSPITALITY DIVISION ANAS CHERUR GROUP DIRECTOR OF SALES CAROL OWEN carol.owen@cpimediagroup.com M: +971 055 880 3817 SALES MANAGER RAVI SHANKAR ravi.shankar@cpimediagroup.com M: +971 56 7911328 PRODUCTION MANAGER, HOSPITALITY DIVISION JAMES THARIAN WEB DEVELOPER, HOSPITALITY DIVISION LOUIE ALMA DISTRIBUTION MANAGER ROCHELLE ALMEIDA SUBSCRIPTIONS www.cpievents.net/mag/magazine.php PRINTED BY Printwell Printing Press LLC, Dubai, UAE PUBLISHED BY

Head Office, PO Box 13700, Dubai, UAE Tel: +971 4 440 9100 Fax: +971 4 447 2409 A publication licensed by IMPZ © Copyright 2014 CPI, All rights reserved.

While the publishers have made every effort to ensure the accuracy of all information in this magazine, they will not be held responsible for any errors therein.

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9/2/14 10:37 AM

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UP FRONT / editorial board

Meet the board The Pro Chef Middle East is keen to serve its readership by addressing those areas of key interest, To help that task, we have invited a number of respected and experienced members of the F&B world to form an editorial board to help guide us into the future.

BOBBY KRISHNA TM PRINCIPAL FOOD STUDIES AND SURVEYS OFFICER FOOD CONTROL DEPARTMENT DUBAI MUNICIPALITY Indian-born Bobby Krishna brings a real passion to his job enforcing food hygiene and safety regulations to the F&B sector in Dubai.

MARC GICQUEL Regional Director of Food & Beverage, Arabian Peninsula Hilton Worldwide Born and educated in France, Marc Gicguel has wide experience of different parts of the F&B sector, from Disneyland Resort Paris to Jumeirah Restaurants and Nestle Professional before joining Hilton Worldwide.

CHRISTIAN GRADNITZER Corporate Director Culinary Jumeirah Group German-born Christian Gradnitzer moved a couple of years back from kitchens to management and is now a key element in Jumeirah RnB’s plan to establish Jumeirah Group as a leading operator of successful restaurants and bars globally.

MICHAEL KITTS Director of Culinary Arts and Executive Chef The Emirates Academy of Hospitality Management UK chef Michael Kitts’ career has combined distinguished work in kitchens, global competition success and a major focus on mentoring younger chefs, all of which make his currenty job an ideal fit.

UWE MICHEEL Director of Kitchens, Radisson Blu Dubai Deira Creek President, Emirates Culinary Guild German chef Uwe Micheel is a highly visible member of the regional F&B scene with two decades of experience in the Gulf and a key role in driving the success of UAE-based chefs at culinary competitions worldwide.

MARK PATTEN Senior Vice President, Food & Beverage Atlantis, The Palm Dubai In place at Atlantis since pre-opening in 2007, Australian native Mark Patten has had a highly successful and celebrated career across the world. He now oversees more than 400 chefs and numerous outlets at the resort.

SAMANTHA WOOD FooDiva A distinguished ex-Hilton PR executive, British-Cypriot Samantha Wood now combines food journalism, hospitality consulting and the highly acclaimed FooDiva food blog.

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UP FRONT / out and about

A sparkling new face As a complement in fine dining food and premium water, Badoit sparkling natural mineral water has partnered with successful restaurateur and chef, Izu Ani, as Brand Ambassador. The partnership will see collaboration to demonstrate the importance of complementing fine dining meals with Badoit in order to enhance a gastronomic experience.

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Nigerian-born but having lived in London, Paris, Spain and now Dubai, Izu Ani first established the highly-successful and upscale La Petite Maison and then La Serre Bistro & Boulangerie restaurants in Dubai, both based on Southern France dishes prepared with quality ingredients, style and skill.

Chef Ani's culinary journey began at London's Michelin-starred The Square restaurant where he honed his skills for four years. He then moved on to many well-known and highly-respected restaurants in Europe such as Michelin 3-star Auberge de L'Ill in Alsace and the Michelin 2-star La Baside Saint Antoine in the South of France. In Spain, Izu spent time at Arzak, Mugaritz and Akelarre where he discovered molecular gastronomy. He eventually returned to London and worked at Vanilla where he re-launched the menu and became wellrespected for his creations.

He was then offered a move to Dubai to open and run La Petite Maison which instantly became popular. After leaving La Petite Maison two years later, Chef Ani was offered the chance to create his own restaurant La Serre Bistro & Boulangerie - his dream restaurant.

"We are proud to be working with Chef Izu Ani, one of the most talented and celebrated chefs in the Middle East today,” said Renaud Marchand, Middle East Zone director for evian, Volvic & Badoit

Export of Danone - responsible for bringing Badoit to the region. “His passion and love for food is undeniable as seen in his meticulously prepared fine dining offerings. We are most of all excited to collaborate and support him in bringing out the flavours of his dishes with the use of Badoit."

On his appointment as a Badoit ambassador, Chef Ani said: "It is quite a pleasure to find an ally in Badoit that helps bring out the flavours of high quality fine ingredients used in my creations. As a chef who is passionate about what I do, I take pains in creating dishes to delight palettes that long for good, fine dining meals. Finding a perfect pairing that complements my creations is almost like finding an oasis in a desert. The natural and fine delicate bubbles of Badoit bring a richness and flavour out in my dishes and translate to a better gastronomic experience for food lovers.

Badoit’s distinct quality of preserving the taste of food is certainly a key factor that I consider.

Unknown to many, pairing is very important, which is why at La Serre we make sure our guests enjoy food the way it should be."

On the global stage, Badoit is selected by prestigious chefs all over the world to enhance their tables and their cuisines, most notably by Thierry Marx in Paris. Well-known sommeliers also extoll the qualities of itsd fine delicate bubbles.

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out and about / UP FRONT

Taking tea The second annual Dilmah Real High Tea Challenge will take place in Abu Dhabi on 16th September and Dubai on 18th September 2014. Open to culinary professionals the Challenge will witness the masters of the culinary trade test their metal. We look back at last year’s inaugural event.

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In April 2013, the three judges of the first Dilmah Real High Tea Challenge in the Middle East - WACS Judges Bernd Uber and Uwe Micheel and Tea Judge Dilhan C Fernando - tasted over 120 tea inspired high tea dishes and 75 cups and glasses of tea, tea cocktails and mocktails over two days of assessing contestants in the pioneering tea gastronomy initiative.

The Emirates Academy of Hospitality Management team won the Dubai Challenge, whilst the St Regis Saadiyat Island was victorious in Abu Dhabi. Both winning teams then visited Dilmah Tea Gardens in Sri Lanka.

Tea is the second most popular drink in the UAE, after water. The preference is mostly for traditional black tea and tea infused with mint is an aftermeal staple, mainly consumed for its ability to help digestion.

However, there is a current trend building towards green tea with its widely publicised health benefits and a new interest in flavoured tea.

The Dilmah Real High Tea Challenge is a contemporary approach to redefining the 21st century high tea by emphasising the importance of tea as a key part of gastronomy and to put the 'tea' back in high tea, giving it authenticity and enhancing the overall quality.

As well as a seven-day tour of Sri Lanka - the

THE BACKGROUND Dilmah pioneered the concept of a Real High Tea Competition in 2007 to challenge chefs to understand tea, its variety and the limitless possibilities in tea gastronomy and tea mixology.

Dilmah Tea Gastronomy is a tea culinary adventure carried out in cooperation with chefs and culinary associations around the world. Dilmah's culinary and tea events, held in partnership with WACS, have significantly improved the understanding among culinary professionals, the hospitality industry and tea aficionados giving them the opportunity to share the pleasure of tea in a unique way, by using tea as an ingredient or by matching tea with food.

home of Dilmah - which includes a chance to present their Real High Tea at Dilmah t-Lounge Colombo, winners will also travel back to Sri Lanka in May 2015 to compete in the Dilmah Real High Tea Global Challenge.

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UP FRONT / out and about

La cucina Italia As part of the second Italian Cuisine World Summit in the UAE, Director Rosario Scarpato is extending the reach of the celebration of Italian food and hospitality from hosted chefs in local restaurants to a focused series of training sessions for chefs, to spread the techniques of real Italian cuisine.

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Italian cuisine is one of the most successful business modules of the food service industry in the Emirates, the Middle East and around the world. Italian cuisine is a worldwide favourite of consumers looking for delicious, high quality and healthy food that can be easily adapted to any service environment from luxury hotels to bustling unpretentious outlets. However, its popularity and ubiquity means that, all too often, less than authentic Italian food is served up, damaging the brand.

One of the objectives of the Italian Cuisine World Summit globally is to raise the bar for Italian cuisine, bringing together the world’s best Italian chefs with diners and chefs in other countries for a week-long celebration of the best of Italy. This year’s second annual Summit in the UAE to be held in November will see the same focus, with leading Italian chefs being hosted by Dubai and Abu Dhabi’s best Italian restaurants.

However, Director Rosario Scarpato is also introducing a new dimension to the Summit with the introduction of the Certificate of Proficiency in Professional Italian Cooking, a scheme that is unique, intensive and specialised, designed for culinary professionals to develop skills in Italian cuisine in order to heighten widen career possibilities and increase employment

opportunities.

Open only for chefs, cooks and culinary professionals based in the UAE, it will run in two sessions from November 8-14th and 15-21st at The Emirates Academy of Hospitality Management, with each session running for 60 hours with 20 hours of tutored hands-on classes.

Key benefits for chefs will be the hands-on learning experience and in-depth knowledge of Italian culinary tenets and contemporary trends, as well as the learning and networking opportunities working alongside experienced Italian Master Chefs and chefs from Michelin-starred restaurants.

By the end of the course, participants will have learned about Italian food ingredients and the

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latest professional equipment, how to prepare a wide variety Italian dishes and assemble lucrative menus, Italian flavour strategies and healthy cooking methods, both traditional and modern, plus Italian baking and pastry principles and production techniques.

Subjects covered will be: t Ultimate antipasti and Italian finger foods: The evolution of traditional world famous Italian hors d'oeuvres inspired by the best PDO (Protected Denomination of Origin) ingredients: Grana Padano cheese, traditional Aceto Balsamico di Modena, Mozzarella di bufala, EVOO and more. t Dry durum wheat pasta, new shapes and classic sauces: A comprehensive exploration of the heart of Italian cuisine. t The white magic art of flour in fresh pasta and bread: The magic of hand-making fresh pasta with regional specialties from simple shapes such as gnocchi and ravioli to more contemporary shapes, with breads from focaccia and grissini to ciabatta. t Rice, risotto and polenta: From food for the poor to famous and fashionable and now best selling dishes all around the world. t Classic main course techniques: Frying in EVOO, meat and game stewing, fish and seafood casseroles. t The secrets of Italian gelato, sorbet and semifreddo: Basic and innovative ingredients, techniques and serving practices. t The Italian grill: Innovation meets tradition, the art of healthy and flavourful charcoal grilling the Italian way.

There are only ten available places on each course, at an allinclusive price of Dhs 11,500.

www.theprochefme.com/ awards/2014

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UP FRONT / the eggs factor

From Sri Lanka to Italy

Sri Lankan chef Shan Pussella has worked in kitchen for more than 20 decades, initially in his home country but then in the Middle East, ďŹ rst in Bahrain and now Dubai. He is currently Chef de Cuisine of Urbano.

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the eggs factor / UP FRONT

B

orn in Sri Lanka, Chef Pussella trained at the Gampola Zahira College and then worked at the Don Stanley Group in Colombo, followed by a Commis role at the Taj, also in Colombo. Two years later, he relocated to Bahrain as Chef de Partie and then Senior Chef de Partie in the Al Ghalia group of restaurants in Manama, which include Mezzaluna and Cafe Lilou.

At the start of 2004, he moved to Dubai as Sous Chef for the MH Alshaya Company, being

"I ALWAYS HAVE A SELECTION OF FRESH INGREDIENTS ESPECIALLY TOMATOES, MUSHROOMS, CHEESE AND FRESH HERBS."

promoted a year later to Assistant Production Manager supervising a team of 75 covering Le Pain Quotidienne, Starbucks, Dean & Deluca, PF Chang’s and Al Forno.

After almost six years in the role, he shifted to The Lime Tree Café and Kitchen as Executive Sous Chef, helping with the menu design, development and production, staff training and development, as well as maintaining food and safety standards.

In January 2012, he joined Jumeirah Restaurants and took on his role as Chef De Cuisine at Urbano, specialising in Italian cooking.

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What's in his fridingredients especially ection of fresh I always have a sel herbs s, cheese and fresh tomatoes, mushroom

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September July2014 2014/ /The ThePro ProChef ChefMiddle MiddleEast East

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FEATURES / waste management

Getting rid of the trash Every food outlet faces the same problem: how to reduce food waste.

However, it’s not as simple a task as it appears, not least because a culture of plenty and generosity in the region can demand over-ordering. We look at a number of solutions to tackle the issue.

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waste management / FEATURES

O

ne restaurant in Chicago hasn’t taken out the rubbish for almost two years.

Sounds impossible, doesn’t it, unless the owner is a serial horder? However, the explanation is simpler: there just hasn’t been anything to throw out.

Owner Justin Vrany wanted a ‘zero waste’ restaurant from the day he first opened his quickservice joint, Sandwich Me In. How he has reduced an average restaurant’s waste output from a single hour into just one reusable bag in big years? The bulk of that rubbish didn’t even come from the restaurant, but from customers carrying in items like plastic-lined paper Starbucks cups.

“If I can do this with a quick service restaurant,

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I hope I can help other restaurants do that, too,” Vraney explains.

To achieve his goal of zero waste, the restaurant runs on sustainable energy, food comes minimally packaged from local farms and just about everything, from food scraps to used frying oil, is either reused or repurposed. Vraney is a believer and practitioner in the environmentalist’s five Rs - reduce, reuse, recycle, reject and refuse. He won’t for exmaple, accept junk mail and excessive packaging, also instituting the same systems in his home. “I have kids,” he explains. “They’re not going to be able to live the way I lived. I want to see them live the same life that I had. I want to to take care of the things I love the most.”

Not that it’s been easy. Instead, for example, of pre-packaged stock, he makes his own from the bones of the chickens he uses. More importantly,

he has slashed the restaurant’s food costs since no food is wasted and many items intersect on the menu. "The crispy smoked skins of the chicken go onto the Cobb salad and the chicken bones make the broth for the chicken soup," Vraney explains.

Leftover vegetables from one day go into a burger the following day and food scraps are given to farmers to feed the chickens that produce eggs for the business.

But what about the wider issues. Of course, in the industry, plenty of food goes uneaten at the end of each day is is disposed of. Some are raw ingredients that were unused by the correct date, some are sauces or mise en place that cannot be carried forward to the next service and some are uneaten leftovers from customers.

In many countries, raw ingredients still perfectly good to eat will be picked up by food recovery programmes, which make sure it goes to those in need as long as the food is not spoiled or rotten.

Individual components of dishes are harder to recycle in this way as food that’s been cooked and

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FEATURES / waste management

sitting out for a while are either not acceptable to food recovery programmes or their reuse is not allowed under local food health regulation.

However, many see the value in passing on whole cooked dishes or soup.

Part of the problem, though, lies in a general public lack of awareness. A recent YouGovdone survey revealed that whilst the UAE is amongst the top food wasting countries, only about a third of residents see food wastage as a global environmental concern and almost 80% of households throw food away every week to make room for a new food purchases. The statistic worried Denisa Fainis, who works in IT. "Food wastage is an issue here and 95% of the UAE's food is imported. Technically, we cannot afford to waste it," she says. She wants to create a proper infrastructure to package and transport unused food to UAE labour camps and the plan has won the backing of Mondelçz International (formerly Kraft Foods) in its Philadelphia Creativity for a Cause campaign, beating out 350 other entries.

"Think about it, the glitz and glamour of this place would not be possible without a worker.�

Fainis explains. “I feel it's of paramount importance to help them out." She is now working on her business plan and will work closely alongside the hospitality sector to use left overs from hotels and package them to be delivered to workers' accommodations. Fainis said: "I can't wait to give birth to my concept."

Of course, the UAE is not alone in having a food waste problem. According to a 2012 study by the Natural Resources Defense Council, Americans throw away nearly half their food, amounting to $165b wasted every year. Fainis explains: "According to the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) and the World Resources Institute, approximately one third of all food produced worldwide, worth around $1t gets lost or wasted in food production and consumption systems."

Here in Dubai, some 40% of domestic waste that goes to landďŹ ll is uneaten food, partly due to the cultural belief that should always be enough food for everyone, whether eating at home or in a restaurant. Colin Clague, Qbara’s Executive Chef,

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waste management / FEATURES

Here in Dubai, some 40% of domestic waste that goes to landfill is uneaten food, partly due to the cultural belief that should always be enough food for everyone, whether eating at home or in a restaurant. says that “large parties always over order, despite our staff telling them that the sharing concept means they don’t need so much. The waste is tragic.”

And food redistribution schemes? Along with other chefs, Clague is hesitant. “It’s not as simple as people think, with regulations from the Municipality.” Michel Jost, Executive Chef of the Yas Viceroy agrees. “This is a disastrous approach with the potential to create more food poisoning.

The solution is in training and education - the municipalities should create mandatory classes for all food handlers, then get more strict with all restaurants and food outlets, so that there is no incentive to produce food for more than two days at any given time. This will automatically reduce waistage.” Darren Velvick, Chef/Patron of table 9, takes the middle path: “Sure, there should be some way to donate to the camps as long as long as the food has been handled correctly. It seems pointless to throw it away when someone else can benefit from it, but I still think we need to educate and encourage customers not to over indulge.”

One interesting initiative from the US is the PareUp app that aims to connect consumers to restaurants and food shops with excess food before food is thrown away, PareUp users are offered the extra food at a discounted price.

The thinking was simple: what if restaurants could profit off excess food by selling it instead of throwing it away? Wouldn’t consumers be interested in food sold at discounted prices?

And, in Denmark, René Redzepi is making Noma an even more sustainable restaurant, by implementing a zero-waste compost system that can reduce food waste by up to 90%. Developed in Australia, the Closed Loop zero-waste system

turns food waste into compost in just a day. The system goes hand-in-hand with Redzepi’s food philosophy of serving only local, foraged and sustainable foods, including ants and edible insects - a combination that put Noma to the number one spot in the World’s 50 Best Restaurants list.

Brazilian chef Alex Atala has also installed two machines and plans to use the system as part of a social enterprise.

An initiative by UFS (Unilever Food Solutions) is the Wise Up on Waste toolkit to help chefs and operators reduce waste by 20%. The kit features a step-by-step waste audit, menu ideas that utilise frequently wasted ingredients and simple techniques that make the kitchen more efficient and less wasteful. Although not yet rolled out in the Gulf, UFS as a whole is committed to reducing waste at every stage of the food service cycle from purchasing and storage, to food preparation in the kitchen, to encouraging guests to take home their leftovers.

In the two years since its launch, nearly 1,000 toolkits have been downloaded, potentially saving nearly 368 tonnes of food waste. In Turkey, for example, UFS partnered with the biggest local canteen operator to measure the impact of using UFS products to make bouillon, soup and potato puree compared to preparing from scratch using raw ingredients. The results generated 12 times less food waste, with creamy mushroom soup 40 times less kitchen waste was produced and for preparation of potato puree six times less energy was needed.

All just baby steps so far, perhaps. But sooner or later the industry as a whole is going to have to deal with global annual food waste of 1.6b tons that’s a lot of leftovers and a lot of wasted profit.

The chefs’ view We asked Michel Jost, Executive Chef of Yas Viceroy, and Darren Velvick, Chef/Patron of table 9, about the issues.

We’re looking at four kinds of food waste: raw ingredients that go uncooked, individual components of dishes (sauces, mise en place etc) that are cooked but go unserved, uneaten leftovers from customers and spoiled/out of date food. In terms of disposal, do you treat all these in the same way? Are you able to give a rough percentage breakdown of each type of waste?

Darren Velvick: We always run a tight ship at table 9. I think part of being a good chef is utilising ingredients, so my style is to use all the ingredients

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as much as possible and try not to waste anything.

If we cannot use a part of an ingredient, I ask our other restaurant if they can use it on a buffet.

Failing that we use it for staff.

Michel Jost: Food wastage - we have a recycling process for all oils and fat.

Has the widespread adoption of HACCP and tightening Municipality regulations had an impact on food waste management over the past few years?

Velvick: Nothing that has effected table 9 service

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FEATURES / waste management

as we do a la carte style.

Jost: HACCP and Municipality regulations help to reduce food waste as there is no option of overstock - food cycle is three days maximum.

Have waste levels increased with the evergrowing popularity of brunches, drunches and so on?

Velvick: I have chosen an a la carte style service so we don't have any waste from buffets, etc.

Jost: Buffets and brunches are potential a source of food waste, but can be managed with proper forecasting of guests, smaller dishes and and live stations. Gone are the days with lines of chaffing dishes. I would hope that older hotels have readjusted their offering.

Do you have a general waste management policy covering all your outlets? Do you have it collected as waste, collected for composting or compost it yourselves? What new procedures and staff training were required if it was either of the latter two?

Velvick: I would love to be able to compost our own waste, however we lack the facility to do so.

As far as I know, our waste is collected with our general waste.

Jost: Training goes into maximising sales from prepared mise en place, yield/portion control and training. Based on this assumption and a proper rotation of mise en place, wastage does not occur.

Wastage of oils/fat is in a recycling programme.

Compost is not always the best option due to geographical location and size of hotels. It is used mainly for marketing purpose by the few that use that option and it is used only for a small portion of the waste generated.

How realistic is it for most F&B operations to compost on-site and use this to grow either food or general vegetation to engance the property?

Velvick: It's funny as I was only discussing the other day how I would love to grow and serve our own ingredients here on site. I think it's realistic we just need someone to maintain the patch.

Jost: The UAE is not the right location for this process due to climate and very limited possibilities to use it but hotels that do that use it for marketing purposes mainly.

Do you see an opportunity for hotels in the same vicinity to share composting or waste management facilities?

Velvick: I can't see why we can't group together and share a waste management facility. I love anything eco-friendly and I hate waste.

Jost: Composting definitely not, but sharing of waste management facilities already exists. We have it on Yas Island, not only between hotels but as well with other industries/businesses as well as future residential neighbourhoods.

What is the biggest challenge you face in this

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area?

Velvick: The biggest challenge is we have a resident block on the side where I would like to do this. I'm sure they would complain about the smell coming from the compost! And, of course, our own in house guests have to be considered.

Jost: As the growth is so fast and none of us really know the extend of the whole UAE project, waste management systems need to be part of infrastructure projects, from the people at the core of the whole UAE project, not as an individual add-on. Most business owners are not considering waste management as a priority.

What practical steps (such as reducing portion sizes) can you take to reduce customer food waste?

Velvick: I just look at what comes back from people’s plates to see if we are serving too much or

if the portion size is too big.

Jost: It's about FIFO and proper training, nothing else. Reducing portions is a NO-NO. What initiatives have you seen in other countries that could be adopted here?

Velvick: This is just my idea but encourage the customer not to overfill their plates. For example, offer a donation for every empty plate to go towards labour camps instead of sending the waste food. That way it's safer for everyone.

Jost: In most European countries, waste management programmes are sponsored or implemented by the government and are part of the citizen's educational programme, supported by campaigns to get the whole population aligned.

There are many more programmes than we have here in UAE. It's a choice the UAE has to make and should want to do.

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Nominate now!

PRESENTING THE 2014

BBC GOOD FOOD ME AWARDS Known for celebrating the best foodie brands and experiences in the region, the fifth annual BBC Good Food Middle East awards is open for nominations until September 30.

THE CATEGORIES RESTAURANTS

FINE DINING J RESTAURANT OF THE YEAR - DUBAI* J RESTAURANT OF THE YEAR

- ABU DHABI* J BEST NEW RESTAURANT - DUBAI*

(Opened on or after January 2014) J BEST NEW RESTAURANT - ABU DHABI*

(Opened on or after January 2014) J RESTAURANT OF THE YEAR - DOHA

J CHEF OF THE YEAR* J BEST EUROPEAN RESTAURANT J BEST ASIAN RESTAURANT J BEST CONTEMPORARY BRITISH J BEST LATIN AMERICAN J BEST INDIAN J BEST MIDDLE EASTERN J BEST STEAKHOUSE

J BEST BRUNCH J BEST ITALIAN J BEST SEAFOOD J BEST EXPERIENTIAL

DINING VENUE J MOST SUSTAINABLE

RESTAURANT NEW

CASUAL DINING J BEST INTERNATIONAL J BEST INDIAN

J BEST ASIAN J BEST MIDDLE EASTERN

J BEST CAFÉ

J BEST FOOD BLOGGER

NEW

HOME COOKING

INGREDIENTS J FAVOURITE SUPERMARKET J FAVOURITE SPECIALITY FOOD

STORE/MARKET

J FAVOURITE BRAND FOR STORE

CUPBOARD ITEMS J FAVOURITE DAIRY BRAND

J FAVOURITE OLIVE OIL BRAND J FAVOURITE TEA BRAND J FAVOURITE COFFEE BRAND J FAVOURITE JUICE BRAND

J FAVOURITE SMALL KITCHEN

J FAVOURITE TABLEWARE

ACCESSORIES J FAVOURITE LARGE KITCHEN

APPLIANCE BRAND

APPLIANCE BRAND

STORE

Creating new benchmarks in the industry, the vote-based awards recognise the top restaurants and food-related brands and stores. Log on to bbcgoodfoodme.com/awards/2014 to get your favourite restaurants and food brands of the region, into the running. By nominating, you also stand a chance to win a very special prize – stay tuned for details!

HOW IT WORKS In the nomination phase, which runs from August 4 -September 30, we are calling consumers to nominate their favourites in each category online. After September 30, the top ten nominees in each category (with the highest votes) will be listed on our website. Between October 15 and November 27, consumers will then get to vote again for the winner, from that list. The winners will be revealed at our gala awards event in January 2015. * Winners for Restaurant of the Year (Dubai & Abu Dhabi), Best New Restaurant (Dubai & Abu Dhabi), Best sustainable restaurant and Chef of the Year will be chosen by an independent judging panel.

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FEATURES / market focus

Bread for success The F&B industry is at a crossroads. Just at the moment when consumers are hyper enthusiastic about either artisanal breads or confectionary mash-ups, an increasing number of hotels are doing away with in-house baking and turning to part-baked or finished goods. We take a look at the market with an overview of the hot trends and speak to some leading baking players.

G

lobally, some things are clear: last year, one third of all new bakery launches were sweet biscuits, the most popular on-pack claim was 'no additives' and the average price of baked goods rose, according to Innova Market Insights, who tracked more than 200,000 products across more than 70 countries.

Innova market analyst Ozden Kilic says it was particularly interesting to note that innovation had become more pan-European than in the past when the industry had been more segmented and localised. In fact, Europe now leads the global bakery innovation race, with the 'no additives/ preservatives' claim the most passive claim in bakery products. A 'passive' claim, the analyst explains, is any claim that related to ingredients that had been taken out for perceived health or safety concerns, rather than 'active' claims which relate to the addition of ingredients for health benefits.

The number one claim fitted in nicely to consumer sentiment around additives and preservatives. And Innova consumer research indicated that 39% of consumers have decreased their consumption of foods with additives or preservatives.

The second most-used claim was allergen related - positioning baked good products with allergy claims and organic was the third most popular, on-pack claim.

"In terms of growth from previous years, it's

interesting to note that organic and whole grain claims have increased, while gluten-free remains steady in terms of percentage of total bakery product launches," Kilic explains.

But what are the pastry trends to be aware of?

Master patissier Eric Lanlard believes that "Baking with chocolate is going to be bigger than ever.

People are going to be pushing the boundaries and not be afraid to try out more than chocolate cupcakes and sponges. Savoury baking has been on the rise for the last two years and it's set to get bigger as more and more people increase their baking skills by learning to make homemade pastry.‚" On the other hand chef Simon Rimmer, soon to open and outlet in Dubai Marina, feels a shift back to old school values: "We'll move away from cupcakes and move onto big family style cakes, with interesting flavours like green tea and smoked BBQ being used in the frostings. People will also start to use vegetables in the cakes like beets and courgettes. I think the sugar content of baking will drop a bit too."

Overall, however, the industry can expect to cope with the following, as well as the continuing shift to the mainstream of boutique health trends like gluten-free, fermentation and paleo: t Transparency and sourcing integrity More than ever, customers are questioning food origins and want transparency for a restaurant's

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market focus / FEATURES

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FEATURES / market focus

sourcing, with goods that reflect their own values.

In baking terms, that suggests a more artisanal product but there is simply not enough supply of sustainably produced, local ingredients to meet market demand, which makes it difficult to ensure consistency of ingredients. t Greening Healthy food is no longer niche market but the mainstream. t Food waste awareness Waste will become a dirty word in the restaurant industry this year. Expect a reduction in the size of compementary bread baskets and smaller baked goods to cut back on waste costs. t Alternative dining Supper clubs, pop-ups, quality prepared meals and boutique groceries all are rising in popularity and all offer interesting new markets for bakers and pastry chefs. t Mash-ups Forget the cronut - so last year! Already out there in the market are cookie-pies, cup-pies, pretzel croissants, crookies (croissant cookies) and who knows what else? t More of a hit Companies are now adding caffeine to foods to deliver a burst of energy - for example, 30mg of caffeine in a breakfast muffin. t Mix and match New flavour combinations will be all the rage Coconut passion fruit! Maple cinnamon! Blueberry and vanilla pancake! Blackcurrant and lemon sorrel! t Go with the grain Sprouted grain breads, wholegrain breads and even breads with added ancient grains are back and gaining in popularity. We’ll see more and more of these - delicious and healthy.

The supplier view We put the questions to a distinguished panel of key industry players: Ronnie Khajotia, CEO, Masterbaker Marketing; Antoine Pottier, Assistant Chef de Produit, Bridor, Groupe Le Duff; and Brian Ballinger, General Manager, Heidi Chef Solutions.

What are the key trends you’re seeing in the market for baked or semi-baked goods?

Ronnie Khajotia: Bakery and pastry is generally treated separately and for good reason. The space required for a good bakery which makes breads, Vienoisserie, biscuits and other baked goods is much larger than that required for a pastry making area. Both disciplines require a great deal of skill, however making good bread or croissants need a lot more time then pastry and cakes. Because of skill and space constraint, much frozen dough product space has been created.

However most properties will use a mix of both.

The best properties will bake most of the goods themselves. We cater to both requirements: the best ingredients and best bakery frozen products.

Antoine Pottier: Our clients are subject to many constraints and strong pressure but thanks to frozen bakery products, they can offer to their customers French bakery products. Bridor offers recipes created by our master bakers in collaboration with some of the greatest French names such as Lenôtre Paris and Frèdèric Lalos. Our products are easy to prepare to meet the needs of

the most prestigious establishments worldwide.

The bakery sector is very dynamic and provides more and more high quality products through technological improvement. In this spirit, a large range of fully baked products has been developed recently representing one of the most major driver of our market and target establishments that do not possess the appropriate equipment.

Brian Ballinger: There seems to be a desire in the market for artisanal baked and par baked products both in the bread, Viennoisserie and patisserie categories as well the emerging trends of health

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FEATURES / market focus

and wellbeing products such as gluten free.

Do new hotels with in-house bakeries, such as La Vida or SoďŹ tel Downtown, represent a revival of baking skills in the market?

Khajotia: The competition amongst properties has surely seen a revival of and greater of a wider variety of bread products. Our own suppliers send technical consultants, who are Master Bakers, several times a year. These consultants visit our customers to train the staff as well as demonstrate new products and recipes to produce new variants from old products. The fact that these consultants' visits are keenly awaited by our customers is an indication of such trends.

Pottier: For us, this represents a minor trend which concerns only some establishments.

Ballinger: There has always been a good basis of skill in the market when it comes to both bakery and pastry in the market, you just have to look for it and you will ďŹ nd it. Certain properties and concepts are just better at marketing.

What demands are you seeing for ingredients or prodaucts to suit healthier lifestyles? Or a more artisanal approach?

Khajotia: The trend to use more of the multicereal, whole meal and gluten free breads/ cakes is an indication of the trend to look towards healthy variants. Some properties have started asking for 'organic' products as well. Our own product range is recently enhanced by a Pro protein bread, Cal Vital and Mega Vital which are speciďŹ c developments for health centric customers.

Pottier: Big healthy trends are clean label, gluten free, low salt-sodium, products rich in ďŹ bre and those made from certiďŹ ed organic agriculture ingredients. At the same time, we have observed a return to the values of sharing with traditional and large rustic breads, steeped in generosity and terroir. Also a return to the value of quality which suits our commitments. All our products are manufactured in the respect of traditional French bakery principles: dough is slow-kneaded, gently and progressively rolled and allowed long rising times for intense, complex and 100% natural avours.

Ballinger: There is a big demand for health and wellbeing ingredients from good quality stone ground ours to the re emergence of the ancient grains such as spelt, amaranth and millet. With regards to the question of artisan baking there are bakers in this market who bake in a very traditional way and have speciďŹ c requirements in terms of what ingredients they want to use and where these are sourced and are baking very good quality products which consumers in the market are appreciating.

How critical is the education of chefs to the different behaviour of, for instance, ours in the Middle East’s climate?

Khajotia: It is very critical for chefs and bakers to understand the properties of our and how it affects their ďŹ nal products. Specialised suppliers

and ďŹ nal product. You need to have a good understanding of these issues if you are going to achieve a consistent product.

“We would like to see the trend towards a cleaning of our baked goods and pastries by getting rid of chemicals from the formulations. The clean label trend of Europe has yet to descend here. We feel that, as food professionals, we need to get to work towards greater use of clean label products and rid our food of the additives.�

3POOJF ,IBKPUJB like ourselves are always imparting knowledge and giving information about these issues.

Additionally, we import and distribute ours from Europe with different speciďŹ cations for different applications. The widespread use of these ours specialties indicates a keenness towards quality of ďŹ nished products. Our climate conditions should be borne in mind. Our stand has always been that there is no ‘ambient’ condition for storage of any bakery product. Our ‘ambient’ store is at 20- 22C, no higher. It is climatically controlled to preserve the quality of our products. We are looking at trend where chefs are trying to make most of the products from scratch recipe without additives and chemicals. This trend is very good for junior chefs as it teaches them the basics of baking. Consistent supply of raw material and consistent quality required for a scratch recipe is also a challenge to maintain the standards of ďŹ nished products.

Ballinger: Education is the cornerstone of any baker’s ability to work with ingredients in any climate and here in the Middle East this is especially important with the high temperatures and humidity levels which affect both the processing

Is it a problem that many junior members of a kitchen come from cultures lacking a European baking heritage?

Khajotia: Generally, most junior bakery personnel who come from the Indian sub continent and the Philippines are well trained in baking and pastry skills. However these skills need to be honed and improved continuously. Our own training for the past 24 years has been to send bakers, confectioners and pastry chefs to the training centres of our principals in Europe. This is our way of giving something back to the industry in which we have worked for many years.

Ballinger: It can be an issue, however I have worked with many bakers from across the globe who are hungry to learn new skills and produce outstanding products once they know how to and so I would ďŹ rmly say that European heritage is not the issue. Instead it’s the lack of understanding that stops the end result meeting customers' expectations.

What opportunities do you see in this sector for new products?

Khajotia: The trend towards organic and gluten free are the most visible health trends. The rest of them are in the ďŹ eld of ďŹ ne pastries and the use of basic ingredients. We would like to see the trend towards a cleaning of our baked goods and pastries by getting rid of chemicals from the formulations.

The clean label trend of Europe has yet to descend here. We feel that, as food professionals, we need to get to work towards greater use of clean label products and rid our food of the additives.

Pottier: For a long time now, we have observed a very strong demand for snacking products savoury, sweet and products ‘on the go’ - in the European market.

Ballinger: As the UAE catches up with the rest of the world in terms of baking we may see opportunities for more clean label ingredients and products as well as the growth in special dietary requirement products and ingredients.

What are your key challenges?

Khajotia: Everything is getting more competitive and price sensitivity is an issue which raises its head.

It is the survival of the ďŹ ttest and well organized suppliers and bakery professionals will emerge as the real winners in this market. Food safety and food security has always been a key concern of ours. Sowe have implemented HACCP protocols and have been certiďŹ ed many years ago to these standards; even when it was not mandatory.

Pottier: To ensure an excellent and consistent level of service quality. Our products have to be worthy of the ďŹ nest establishments.

Ballinger: You need to have good availability of product, competitive pricing and above all offer excellent service whether that is technical or after sales support.

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photo: Franck Hamel

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FEATURES / country focus

The Sultanate of swing For many of us, when we think of food in Oman our thoughts turn to the abundant seafood, much of which ends up for sale in Dubai’s bustling fish market. However, its long trading history means that its cuisine is a fusion of Gulf, African and Asian flavours. As tourism increases year on year, expect to hear more of this traditionally slower moving country and its chefs.

O

mani cuisine is a fusion of several staples of Asian foods, with local and African twists. Dishes are often rice-based with chicken, fish or lamb, together with a richer mixture of spices, herbs and marinades than Emirati cuisine. This reflects the centuries-long trading history of the Sultanate but there is still a strong regional flavour with different regions of Oman having distinct favourites. Soups are ubiquitous and the main meal is lunch with a lighter evening meal the norm.

Historically, the Omani diet consisted of little more than dates and camel’s milk, plus seafood along the coast. While some meats were historically eaten, this again was very rare. With the introduction of Islam in the 600s and 700s, the diet remained largely unchanged as little additional foods were available, apart from the disapperance of pork from the diet. However, significant changes occured over the last two centuries as a nomadic lifestyle started to vanish as the population moved to the cities - these coastal cities had long drawn influence and flavours from sea-borne traders and a significant migration from the Levant also saw major changes to the national cuisines. Today, much of Oman’s food is similar to Levantine food - garlic, onions, lemon and lime, grilled meats and fresh fruits and vegetables - with the addition of spices from trade with India.

Now rice is popular and is served with many dishes, although not with every meal. There are multiple varieties of bread, but the most common are thin breads, like lavash. There tends to be a meat in most dishes.

Unlike its neighbour the UAE, development in Oman has been slower although major projects are increasingly announced. That mean that the professional F&B market is nowhere near as frenzied as Dubai and restaurant offerings seemingly more old-fashioned, although some hotels like Six Seses Zighy Bay and The Chedi have pushed the envelope. And the cult of the celebrity chef is largely unknown - Australian chef Shannon Bennett tried to buck the trend by opening Vue at the Al Bustan Palace. Asked why he chose Muscat as his first restaurant outside of Australia, he replied: "Muscat takes my breath away with its natural beauty and culture, plus the fact that it has been protected by too much development. I describe Muscat as the desert meeting the sea, with spectacular consequences."

Despite his reputation, the restaurant has now closed caused in part, one suspects from reading

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country focus / FEATURES

reviews of Omani residents, to prices that would not rate a second glance in Dubai but were too rich for the Sultanate.

for diversification in the market.

Thiedin: They are more conservative.

With the rapid growth of Oman’s hospitality sector, would you expect to see an influx of celebrity chefs, given that Shannon Bennett already tried it but didn’t succeed in the long run?

Kotian: Yes, again in Muscat. Sohar is little further away from that as we are the only 5-star hotel so far although Radisson is opening next year in Sohar. I certainly look forward for a celebrity chef in my hotel to do promotions.

Thiedin: No.

We spoke to a couple of chefs about the state of the market: Shankar Kotian, Executive Chef, Crowne Plaza Sohar and Reiner Thiedin, Executive Chef, Millenium Resort Mussanah.

What are the key trends in the Omani F&B sector for the next 12 months?

Shankar Kotian: There is a gap to be filled with quality fine dining outlets in the region also we have some good openings of new F&B outlets with new innovative ideas and new hotels are coming up in the region. Recently a lot of Omani restaurants with local food have opened in Sohar and Muscat.

Reiner Thiedin: European vistors to return to Oman, plus the first sharia 5-star hotel to open in Muscat, the Grand Millenium.

Is there much demand for organic, sustainable, traceable ingredients?

Kotian: Yes I would rather say in Muscat, but the Sohar market is not yet ready for organic food because of the price factor. Recently I launched a steak house concept by changing the existing Mediterranean restaurant and so far I have very good feedback and response - I did a trial run for a year by doing a steak promotions.

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Maqbous There is a need for quality and value products in the market and new trends, new presentation and quality food (steaks, seafood etc) are very well appreciated by both locals and foreigners Thiedin: I see no demand How adventurous are diners in the Sultanate?

Kotian: In Muscat for the past year and a half, the demand for dining has been enormous and people are exploring the restaurants, specially Omanis with their families. There is a mdemand and it is increasing gradually in Sohar, where there is a need

What are the key issues of food sourcing?

Kotian: Challenging as most items are coming from Dubai. Recently we got a good food suppliers office established in Muscat, but in Sohar we are facing challenges - drivers come from Dubai, but they go directly to Muscat and then come back to sohar for delivery and there are no direct deliveries while passing the route from Dubai to Sohar.

Thiedin: New innovative products are sometimes hard to obtain.

What are your key objectives for your hotel’s F&B provision in the short to medium term?

Kotian: To introduce new promotions such as a daily new theme night - cuisines around the world, Thai menus, an elegant introduction to sushi and

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CHEFS / face to face

sashimi world. Bring in celebrity chefs. Maintain and upgrade our products with facilities and new menus, new ideas, new presentations and so on.

I want Crowne Plaza Sohar to become a dining destination and our guests can experience the difference when they dine here.

Thiedin: To retain regular clients through maintaining and increasing the quality of service and food. Plus new theme nights.

Is is hard to recruit and retain staff?

Kotian: Staff turnover in the Middle East has been a challenge for the past ten years and we all struggle to hire people with the right attitude. It’s also a problem in Oman, due to Omanisation and rules for recruitment. Sometimes it’s hard to ďŹ nd the right people, as they prefer UAE or Qatar as salaries are much better.

Thiedin: Like any other place.

“Almost two years ago I introduced an Omani food corner on my lunch buffets and got a good response from locals as well as foreigners. We also incorporate Omani food in room service and banquet menus, which are well appreciated by Omanis.�

Is Omani food available in hotels? Is there a demand for it?

Kotian: Almost two years ago I introduced an Omani food corner on my lunch buffets and got a good response from locals as well as foreigners.

We also incorporate Omani food in room service and banquet menus, which are well appreciated

by Omanis. I have hired a very good professional Omani chef to execute his country food, which he cooks from his heart and with love. We are building on the local avours. Presently there isn’t much fusion Omani cuisine, though there is only one ďŹ ne dining restaurant in Muscat. I’d like to encourage more courageous chefs to shed the light on the rich Omani traditional cuisine.

Thiedin: We have an Omani section or dish for each buffet and there is demand.

TRADITIONAL OMANI F&B t ,BCTB B MPDBM WBSJBOU PG NBDICPPT t )BSFFT XIFBU NJYFE XJUI NFBU t ,BIXB 0NBOJ DPGGFF NJYFE XJUI DBSEBNPN QPXEFS PGUFO TFSWFE XJUI EBUFT BOE 0NBOJ IBMXB t ,FCBC CBSCFDVFE HSJMMFE PS DVSSJFE NFBU DIJDLFO BOE CFFG XJUI WFHFUBCMFT t .BTIVBJ EJTI DPOTJTUJOH PG B XIPMF TQJU SPBTUFE LJOHmTI TFSWFE XJUI MFNPO SJDF t .BRCPVT B SJDF EJTI nBWPVSFE XJUI TBGGSPO BOE DPPLFE PWFS TQJDZ NFBU t .VRBMBC USJQF DPPLFE XJUI TQJDFT JODMVEJOH DJOOBNPO DBSEBNPN DMPWF CMBDL QFQQFS HJOHFS HBSMJD BOE OVUNFH t 4IVXB B NFBM FBUFO POMZ PO GFTUJWF PDDBTJPOT DPOTJTUJOH PG B XIPMF DPX PS HPBU SPBTUFE JO B TQFDJBM PWFO JO B QJU EVH JO UIF HSPVOE t 4BLIBOB B UIJDL TPVQ PG XIFBU EBUFT NPMBTTFT BOE NJML UZQJDBMMZ FBUFO EVSJOH 3BNBEBO t $PGGFF UIF OBUJPOBM CFWFSBHF XIJMF UFB JT ESVOL GPS IPTQJUBMJUZ

- Shankar Kotian

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FEATURES / meat skills

LAMB’S TONGUE - STEP BY STEP The tongue is prepared from the long cut tongue by the removal of the larynx and the tongue root.

Step 1 Soak the tongue in cold water for 12 hours, renewing the water two or three times.

Step 2 Trim it by removing the fat and dip in boiling water.

Offally easy Offal is a culinary term referring to the entrails and internal organs of an animal. The word does not refer to a particular list of organs, but includes most internal organs and does not include muscles or bones. The most valuable tissues include liver, brains, tripe, sweetbreads, heart, kidney and tail. Inedible tissues usually require further processing prior to consumption or manufacture and includes the stomach, digestive tract and the skin.

Step 3 Skin the tongue by making an incision in the skin at the base and on the top and pull the skin towards the tip.

LAMB’S BRAIN - STEP BY STEP The brain is removed from the outer skin but is left in its membrane. A brain consists of the two large cerebral hemispheres.

Step 1 Before cooking brains, soak them in a bowl of salted water for an hour to whiten the brains.

If several brains are being prepared at once, it may be necessary to change the soaking water a couple of times during the hour.

1

Step 2 Drain the brains then carefully remove as much of the skin and membrane as is possible.

2

Step 3 Simmer the brains in salted water for 15 minutes.

Handle the brains carefully throughout the cooking process, as the tissue is delicate and will break up. Brains are best left to cool and set a little before any further cooking is done.

3 SPONSORED BY

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meat skills / FEATURES

YOGHURT PUREE INGREDIENTS 150g Greek style yoghurt 1 tbsp honey pinch of cayenne pepper 1 clove of garlic, finely minced METHOD ∙ Combine all ingredients and place in squeezy bottle.

PERSIAN FETA MOUSSE INGREDIENTS 100g Persian feta 50g ricotta 2 sprigs thyme, picked and chopped salt and pepper METHOD

∙ Combine all ingredients in a blender and puree until smooth, then season. Place in a piping bag.

AUSTRALIAN LAMB BRAINS AND TONGUE SALAD - RECIPE BY MATHEW MACARTNEY, EXECUTIVE CHEF, CHATEAU YERING HISTORIC HOUSE HOTEL, VICTORIA, AUSTRALIA SERVES 6 LAMB BRAINS INGREDIENTS 6 Australian lamb's brains salt juice of half a lemon flour for dusting 1 egg, beaten 0.5 cup breadcrumbs 2 tbsp butter 2 tbsp olive oil 0.5 tsp chopped thyme METHOD ∙ Soak the brains in cold water for one hour to draw out blood. Rinse the brains and place in a pot and cover with cold water. Add a generous amount of salt and lemon juice. ∙ Bring to the boil then reduce the heat and simmer for four minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on kitchen paper and cut each brain into three even pieces. Season with a little salt, dust in flour, dip in the egg wash, then coat in thyme and breadcrumbs. ∙ Place a heavy-based pan over a medium heat and add butter. When the butter is bubbling, add the brains one at a time and cook until golden brown all over.

LAMB TONGUE INGREDIENTS 5 Australian lamb’s tongues, pre-brined

400ml water 250ml white wine (dry) 250ml white vinegar 0.5 tsp peppercorns 2 shallots, quartered 0.5 a carrot, roughly diced\

ASSEMBLING THE DISH INGREDIENTS 3 slices grilled lamb tongue, per serving 3 pieces crumbed fried lamb brains, per serving 2 cucumber flowers, per serving 20g sliced black olives or olive jam 2 wedges of heirloom tomatoes, per serving 2 slices of baby red onions, per serving extra virgin olive oil yoghurt puree pickled cucumber feta mix

METHOD

METHOD

∙ Place all ingredients in a large stainless steel pot and

∙ Place a small bundle of the pickled cucumber on the

bring to boil, then turn down to a simmer and cook for one to two hours until tongues are soft enough not to give any resistance to the tip of a knife. Cool, then thinly slice the tongue lengthways and quickly sear over a grill.

PICKLED CUCUMBERS INGREDIENTS 200ml white vinegar 20ml lime juice 100g caster sugar 0.25 tbsp coriander seed 0.25 tbsp fennel seed 0.25 bay leaf 0.25 tsp peppercorns 0.25 chilli, split 0.5tsp salt 12 baby cucumbers, thinly sliced lengthways METHOD

∙ Combine all ingredients except cucumbers in a stainless steel pot and bring to the boil. Remove from the heat and allow to cool. Pass liquid through a fine strainer set liquid aside and discard spices. ∙ Once the pickle mix is cold place the sliced cucumber in the liquid for ten minutes then remove and drain well. Reserve pickle mix for another day - it will last for months.

base of the plate, place tomato wedges on top, pipe two dollops of fetta mousse between the tomatoes and two pieces of onion on top of the tomato. ∙ Place the tongue and brains on top of the salad. ∙ Garnish the plate with a couple of artistic swipes of olive jam and the yoghurt puree and drizzle with a little olive oil. Place the flowers on top of the tongue.

MEAT & LIVESTOCK AUSTRALIA Meat & Livestock Australia (MLA) is a producer-owned company whose mission is to deliver world-class services and solutions in partnership with industry and government. Promoting the quality, safety and nutritional value of Australian red meat both domestically and internationally, on behalf of the meat and livestock industry, MLA manages and operates a portfolio of marketing activities aimed at maintaining and increasing demand for Australian meat and livestock. MLA in the Middle East North African region works with retailers, foodservice operators, importers, manufacturers and Australian exporters to maintain and increase the demand for halal red meat and livestock to the region.

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CHEFS / face to face

Opening up For chef Terry Styles, Executive Chef at Conrad Dubai, feeding his brigade well is as important as feeding his guests - he insists that the staff canteen serves balanced meals. This attention to detail is typical of a chef who has been part of the opening team of ďŹ ve Dubai hotels.

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ownsville in Northern Queensland is, by all accounts, a pretty normal Australian town, not known when Chef Terry Styles was growing up as much of a home for great food. Meals were family occasions, supplemented by homegrown produce and followed old style British cuisine of roasts and three veg.

What he does remember with fondness, however, is food “that tasted of food” and that memory drives his insistence on quality as the Executive Chef of Conrad Dubai, with an F&B headcount of 160. For relaxation he enjoys go-karting and motor racing, although a bad accident more than a decade ago saw his right side paralysed for a while. It doesn’t appear to have slowed him down - in fact, he’s spent most of his time since arriving in Dubai as part of the opening team for hotel after hotel.

When you interested in food as a child?

It was really about family more than anything else. Big roast meals and long Sunday lunches. My grandfather grew vegetables and we used to roam pretty much free there, feeding chickens and so on. I remember being very excited about my grandmother’s baking and I think that’s where my interest in food came from. My uncle had always wanted to be a chef but it wasn’t seen as much of a career then. My father was in the entertainment business and ran a small cinema for over 35 years.

How did you get into F&B? Age 12, I did some part time dish washing to make a bit of money and then decided to take up an apprentice scheme when I was 16.

Was that an escape from school?

No, school was fine. I was very fond of languages and even learned Japanese. Of course, it took some convincing to make my parents understand that I wasn’t going to be some drop-out, but I was really fixed on the idea after we had a Xmas buffet lunch at the Sheraton in Darwin. I was amazed at all the different food and just wanted to know how it all came together. Up until then, we hadn’t really eaten out so it was quite a change from home cooking, though on holidays at the sea we’d eat a lot of fresh seafood - I even worked for a bit on a prawn trawler!

Anyway, when I started the pay was dreadful - now much more than Dhs 325 a week. I rode a bike everywhere and got given all the tough jobs, because of my physique.

Was Australia the same as the UK then with vicious head chefs?

Oh yes, one time I was sellotaped head to toe, put in a wheelie-bin and pushed off the loading dock! But the harder it was, the more I wanted to do it. So I spent time

at the Townsville Tafe College and worked hard. Despite my early inspiration from my grandmother, I discovered that pastry is my weakness so I focused on cold kitchen.

My first real kitchen experience was in the Sydney Wentworth - the Executive Chef became my role model - but at the same time I was also doing other jobs like serving in a restaurant, partly for the cash and partly to keep learning. You know, I had made a promise to my family to make the most of my career and I was determined to do it.

Was the Sydney Wentworth a big operation?

Yes, a 400 room hotel, now the Sofitel Sydney Wentworth. I was there from 1995-7 and it was a big shock for me to be in the big city and work somewhere so large. I was 17 before I was away from home for the first time, doing some work in Alice Springs.

Anyway, I worked my way up to Chef de Cuisine, handling banquets and events.

Did you take advantage of the big city to eat out and try different cuisines?

Yes, but I didn’t have much spare time or money. My favourite was probably an Asian joint, Barbeque King - melamine tables and all that but the quality of the food and the service was great. Sadly, I think overall that service in the hospitality and tourism sectors is going backwards - it seems such an effort to serve someone these days. We still have a lot to learn. Anyway, next I moved to the Brisbane Hilton and worked for a great female head chef, who was a real perfectionist but gave me great encouragement. It was here that I really started to understand other cuisines, which was an eye opener for me. I think there are a lot of Asian influences in my cooking - I love Asian food and its freshness. Hong Kong for me has everything, mostly the street food.

So how did you end up in Dubai?

I was invited to be part of the opening team of Rydges Plaza. At that stage I’d heard of the UAE because I had a friend who was an Emirates hostess but I guess that because it was the ‘Middle East’ I sort of thought they’d be lots of war and troubles. Coming to Dubai was my first time in a foreign country and my initial plan to was to help with the set up and then go back to Australia. But they made me Executive Sous Chef and asked me to stay. By then, I’d really begun to understand the culture so I took the opportunity to join Jumeirah and learned so much from the management. I started as Executive Chef of Jumeirah Beach Resort and Club and then transfered to Madinat Jumeirah as part of the pre-opening team of the Souk and Al Qasr as Executive Sous Chef. Senior management were just so inspiring - Gerald

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CHEFS / face to face

Lawless driving quality and service, the GM of Emirates Towers such an inspiration. It was a real breath of fresh air and taught me to be organised.

At that stage, what was produce sourcing like in Dubai?

When I first arrived? Very different. I remember doing a special meal for an Australian business group and not knowing how to find Moreton Bay Bugs until I spotted cigali. Then people like Fresh Express started and things changed. In fact, I think I was the first chef to bring in specialised Australian produce that people hadn’t seen before.

With interesting produce from Australia, why have we not seen Australian restaurants here apart from maybe sports bars?

Because Australia doesn’t really have a cuisine of its own. We used to be historical English and now we’re multicultural with a little bit for everyone. I don’t think people understand our food culture.

Like a lot of people in Dubai, you must have had mixed feelings about Madinat replacing the Jumeirah Beach Club.

Yes, it was a special place but I’d never seen anywhere like the new Madinat - a resort within a resort. As you can imagine from the size, there was a lot of running about but in a sense it took me back to my family’s history with the number of celebrities and high profile people we were catering for. Staff development there was key and I really learned that you need to support your staff’s passion to get the best from them and help them develop. Anyway, I needed to move on because I had taken that step down to Executive Sous Chef and there was a great chance to be part of the opening team of Raffles Dubai, as Acting Executive

Chef. I basically opened it but it was a real challenge - restaurants without kitchens because the Executive Chef had left. The only chance of making it work was to put best practices into place in order to open successfully and on time.

The good thing is that we let people express their originality and be their own person and chef. But it was a major challenge, not least for my family - opening day was my birthday. Unfortunately, despite getting the hotel’s F&B ready for opening, I wasn’t given the Executive Chef title and so I joined the opening team for Atlantis, again as Executive Sous Chef. Again, during my two years there, I learned so much, especially from Mark Patten but it was a major undertaking - I lived in the hotel for a year before it opened! And more celebrities - Catherine Zeta Jones, Robert de Niro, Paris Hilton and so on, as well as the visionary Sol Kerzner.

Given that the celebrity chef focus of Atlantis has largely vanished now, was it a misjudgment to open with five celebrity outlets?

It made an impact. I think Locatelli caught the mood right and so continues to be successful there.

Nobody could have foreseen the unfortunate death of Sanatamaria. Nobu? It’s a great name.

Rostang? Maybe not well known enough. Look, celebrity chefs will continue to be part of Dubai here in the Conrad we have Marco Pierre White’s name. Does it guarantee quality? We have a great chef here who makes sure of that, but Marco’s name has a value of course.

After two years at Atlantis, you left Dubai, didn’t you?

Yes, I spent just over a year in the Philippines as Executive Chef in charge of the pre-opening team

for Mövenpick Cebu. If you’re talking sourcing, well it was hard there! Then I came back for the same role for Mövenpick Dubai before, in July 2012, becoming Executive Chef for Conrad Dubai, with a great role overseeing operating management, designing and conceiving concepts, recruiting, revenue management, HACCP, the whole lot! I want to be the best I can be, as well as giving as much as I can to the junior guys. I decided when we opened Conrad Dubai that I didn’t want to lose anyone for six months or even two years and we’ve done pretty well on that.

Do you still get behind the stove?

Of course, it’s very important to keep using your skills if you don’t weant to lose touch. This job has been an interesting challenge but it’s been pretty much smooth sailing. Above all I want to keep investing in people which makes them more loyal.

What do you do when not at work?

I’m a fan of motor racing and karting, though I had a bad accident 11 years ago that left my right side paralysed for a while. Do I eat out much? No really, though I’m a great fan of Yuan where they get the food and service details right. In fact, a lot of independent outlets do things very well.

Trends?

I’m sure we’ll see more of a focus on less popular cuts - we should be using as much as we can of a slaughtered animal. Chefs and owners need to think differently about concepts - be different, get your hands dirty. Competition is hard but I believe we’ll only be squeezed by quality not quantity. I also think we’ll see more convenience food coming in. For example, how many hotels will be able to commit to an in-house bakery in a few years.

“Australia doesn’t really have a cuisine of its own. We used to be sort of English and now we’re multicultural with a little bit for everyone. I don’t think people understand our food culture.”

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Due to popular demand, we have extended “The Pink Brigade” initiative!

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Cost of 1 Jacket - AED 100 Includes Julius jacket, Pink Ribbon logo, full name, position and delivery.

Please email lily.hymes@ihg.com for an order form and return by 15 September 2014 (advance payment is required and limited stocks are available).

Jackets will be delivered by 15 October 2014.

CHEFS / face to face

The food of Peru is amongst the hottest in most of the world’s food capitals but, for once, Dubai is lagging behind with just three outlets offering the cuisine.

We speak to Angelica Espinosa, Head Chef of Story Rooftop Lounge, about her journey from her native Colombia to serving Peruvian street food in the Emirates.

R

aised as an only child in the mountains some two hours from Bogota, Colombian chef Angelica Espinosa had a difficult relationship with food as she grew up.

“Basically,” she recalls, “I didn’t eat anything but fruit, crumbs and yoghurt. I was so picky!” The food of Colombia is rich and carb heavy, with an emphasis on soups, rice and other carbohydrates such as plantains and potatoes. Espinosa found most of the diet unappealing: “For instance, a typical meal would be a thin piece of fried steak on bread!”

Despite being taken by her father to market to see where food came from, she only recalls carrying home eggs in a basket and being disinterested in the produce as soon as it was cooked. Unlike many children who grow up to be chefs, she didn’t help out in the kitchen. Then, when she went to university in Bogota and lived with her grandmother, things changed.

How did you become a chef?

I had no plans for that - as I said, I had no interest in food as a child. My career was in sales for insurance companies and banks, dealing internationally and trading. I loved all that. Then when I went to stay with my grandmother, things changed for me. Before, I was dreadful - in fact, if I had a child who behaved so badly about food as I did, then I’d slap it all the time! When I moved away from home, I’d spend two hours staring at a plate of food without eating, I just didn’t like it.

I hated junk food as well - I was 17 before I even tried a pizza and I was put off by all that runny cheese. Finally, I said to myself, ‘Look, you have to eat or you’ll die!’ So, luckily, my grandma had worked in France and she cooked French dishes.

Initially, I couldn’t even taste them with all that butter and cream as I hated dairy but, finally, I tried it and found I quite liked it. Then I was living on my own and I couldn’t afford decent restaurants.

All the cheap ones served dishes like chicken and salad, with rice, pasta, potatoes and plantain - I’d just eat the chicken and salad.

What is Colombian food like?

Really very simple and not spicy at all. We do a lot of slow cooking with a base of ‘hogao’, which is just garlic, onion and tomato. Anyway, as I said, I was living on my own and I needed to eat so I

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decided to start cooking but I had no idea - I didn’t even know how to buy food! So I turned to books and TV for inspiration and I found I loved the journey of discovery. I was cooking all the time, even if I wasn’t always eating it. Finally, after two years, I faced up to reality - my work was suffering because I was obsessed with food, in my room watching TV food shows and forgetting about meetings. Something had to change, so I decided two things: I was going to work in a kitchen and I was going to work with Jamie.

Jamie Oliver?

Yes, his TV programmes were shown in Colombia.

I knew all about the Fifteen Foundation from TV so I found the Web site, wrote a long letter and tracked down Jamie on Facebook. I texted anyone I could find connected to Fifteen and after a couple of weeks someone said I should come and maybe start as a waitress. Then I realised I needed to speak much better English than I did, so I took and English course for a year. Then, of course, I came to terms with the fact that I had no kitchen experience so I wrote to a very well-known chef in

Colombia, Harry Sasson, asking if I could work for him, even for no money. He said yes and I spent six months with him.

Was your first exposure to a professional kitchen a shock?

Yes! I arrived, first time in a chef’s jacket and given a whole box of garlic to prep. But I learned a lot and then moved to London. That year at Fifteen was the best experience of my life, even though I was alone in the city with not very good English skills. In fact, they didn’t have any vacancies on the Fifteen Apprentice scheme so again I worked for free. At the end, I went to my senior trainer and said I wanted to stay, but visa only allowed me to work 20 hours a week which is no good for restaurant work.

So what did you do?

I went for an interview for a position in an Argentinian restaurant only to discover the job was in Dubai. I thought, no way! But I thought about it and joined the Gaucho team here working on cold kitchen, starters and pastry. But Gaucho’s all

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“There’s a general problem in that people don’t understand the food, just don’t have enough food knowledge. I could do so much more, but delivering real authenticity in Dubai is quite hard.” about the steak and I didn’t really fit then, one day walking around DIFC, I saw Wheeler’s and, knowing Marco’s name, went for a job there but again it didn’t really work out. Luckily, I heard about someone who was helping work out the Peruvian menu for Story and I got the job.

A Colombian chef cooking Peruvian food for a lounge crowd. How is that?

It’s a good place but there’s a general problem in that people don’t understand the food, just don’t have enough food knowledge. I could do so much more, but delivering real authenticity in Dubai is quite hard - that, I think, is a general illness here.

Again, you can get good Peruvian food at The Act but people go there for the party not the food.

Any problems sourcing Peruvian ingredients?

No, that’s fine. The biggest challenge for my is my brigade, who are mostly Indian and have no experience of this kind of food. I want chefs with me who love to come to work, who want to play and experiment and so on, but people all too often just work like machines. That’s frustrating.

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day ur - we

CHEFS / pimp my plate

The lighter touch Think of an indulgent dessert and it would be hard to beat Black Forest gateau. Chocolate! Cream! Kirsch!

So, in a slight pimp twist, we asked Sally Handoko, Pastry Chef at Conrad Dubai, to come up with a healthier version. She did and it was delicious!

I

ndonesian pastry chef Sally Handoko started her career in the Four Seasons in her native country and edged into the pastry kitchen.

She liked it so much that she decided to make that her career instead of her original intention, which had been something to do with nutrition.

"I love it because it's very hands-on and every day is different,” she says, also relishing the precision required to ensure every dish comes out correctly.

After two years at Four Seasons, she moved to Dubai in an R&D role for JW Marriott. Two years later, she shifted to the Fairmont for five years befofe her current position with Conrad Dubai. As she says, “Don't think that being a pastry chef is a cakewalk - I usually work a 60 to 70 hour week so you really have to love what you're doing to be a pastry chef." She also spends her own time creating new items and continuing her skill development.

Despite the position of pastry chefs in the kitchen hierachy - "Pastry chefs were some of the first to be fired from restaurants due to the economy” she’s committed to her role, looking to develop as an instructor so she can share her knowledge to inspire the next round of professionals in the field.

“Push yourself in your work to do what you're afraid of doing because that's how you learn,” she insists. “You can't give up if you love the field.”

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pimp my plate / CHEFS

VEGAN BLACK FOREST GATEAU CHOCOLATE SPONGE INGREDIENTS 200g gluten free flour 150g sugar 20g cocoa powder 5g baking soda 3g salt 100ml vegetable oil 5ml vanilla essence 5ml lemon juice 120ml water METHOD ∙ Preheat oven to 170C. ∙ In an 8-inch diameter ring mold, mix the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt with a fork. Add the water, vanilla extract, vegetable oil and Lemon juice. Mix the ingredients together. ∙ Bake for 30 minutes then cool on a rack.

SOUR CHERRY COMPOTE INGREDIENTS 200g cherries 125g sugar 100ml orange juice 3 tsp almond essence 3 tsp water METHOD

∙ Combine water, sugar and orange juice in a heavy medium saucepan, add the almond essence. Bring to the boil over high heat, stirring until sugar dissolves.

Boil until thin syrup forms, about seven minutes, then reduce heat to medium. ∙ Add the cherries and simmer for about five minutes, until the cherries are slightly more broken down. ∙ Cool the compote, then cover and chill until cold.

TOFU CHOCOLATE MOUSSE INGREDIENTS 270g tofu 120g dark chocolate 30g cocoa powder 60ml water 20ml soy milk 110g sugar lemon zest (pinch) 1 banana

1 - The mise en place.

2 - Preparing the cherry compote.

3 - Adding dark chocolate to the tofu mix.

4 - Starting to assemble the sponge.

METHOD

∙ Puree tofu in a food processor, scraping down the sides as needed, until completely smooth. Add the cocoa powder, lemon zest, soy milk, banana to the mixture and process until smooth. ∙ Melt the dark chocolate and add to the tofu mixture in the food processor until smooth and completely combined, scraping down the sides as needed.

TOFU WHITE CHOCOLATE MOUSSE INGREDIENTS 1 banana

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5 - A layer of cherry compote.

6 - Adding the next sponge layer.

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CHEFS / pimp my plate

300g white chocolate 100ml soy milk 100g tofu METHOD

∙ Puree tofu in a food processor until completely smooth. Add the banana to the mixture and process until smooth. ∙ Melt the white chocolate, add the soy milk then add to the tofu mixture in the food processor until smooth and completely combined.

RICE PAPER CHOCOLATE INGREDIENTS 250ml water 30g rice flour 30g cocoa powder 50g sugar 10g vanilla METHOD ∙ Combine all the ingredients, bring to a boil and blend. Spread the mixture to 5cm wide and 40cm long, then bake at 80C for 13 minutes. ∙ Once dry, place round a 10cm ring, giving it a wrinkled shape. ∙ Finish the cooking at 50C and seal the ends with a water drop. ∙ Leave in a dry place overnight.

7 - Next, the white tofu mix.

TO ASSEMBLE THE CAKE ∙ Place the chocolate sponge and drench with syrup, which is made by mixing water and sugar and bringing to a boil, then removing from the stove. ∙ Spread tofu chocolate mousse onto chocolate sponge leaving a space between it and spread sour cherry compote in between the spaces. ∙ Place other chocolate sponge and drench liberally with syrup. Repeat again but this time with tofu

8 - Construction complete!

white chocolate mousse.

∙ Blast chill for 30 minutes to one hour or put in the freezer for three hours.

∙ Cover the cake with white chocolate mousse and cover the sides with chocolate rice paper, then spread the cherry compote on top of the cake.

CLASSIC BLACK FOREST GATEAU INGREDIENTS 210g all-purpose flour 57g unsweetened cocoa powder 1.5 tsp baking soda 1 tsp salt 102g shortening 300g white sugar 2 eggs 1 tsp vanilla extract 350 ml buttermilk 115ml kirschwasser 115g butter 420g confectioners’ sugar salt 1 tsp strong brewed coffee 2 cans cherries, pitted and drained 475 ml heavy whipping cream 0.5 tsp vanilla extract 1 tbsp kirschwasser 1 square semisweet chocolate METHOD ∙ Preheat oven to 175C. ∙ Coat the bottoms of two 20cm round pans with parchment paper. ∙ Sieve together flour, cocoa, baking soda and one teaspoon salt. Reserve it. Soften shortening and sugar until fluffy, then whip in eggs and vanilla. Puree the flour mixture, alternating with buttermilk, until combined. Pour into the pans and bake at 175C for 35 to 40 minutes, or until a toothpick injected into

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the cake comes out clean. Let cool completely, then detach paper from the cakes. ∙ Slice each layer in half, flat, creating four layers in total and sprinkle the layers with the half cup of kirschwasser. ∙ In a medium bowl, blend the butter until it is light and fluffy. Combine confectioners sugar, a touch of salt and coffee, then whip until velvety. If required, let down the mixture with a little cherry juice or milk. ∙ Spread first layer of cake with a third of the filling.

Top the cake all around the sides in a circle with a third of the cherries. Do this with the remaining layers. ∙ In another mixing bowl, whisk the cream to stiff peaks. Beat in vanilla and one tablespoon kirschwasser, then spread frosting at the top and sides of cake. ∙ Finally, decorate the cake with chocolate curls.

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CHEFS / recipe corner

PAN-FRIED FILLET OF MACKEREL, TOASTED BREAD TOPPED WITH BELL PEPPERS, TOMATO, RED ONION DRESSED WITH GARLIC AND OLIVE INGREDIENTS 120g mackerel 60g Portuguese bread 10ml Portuguese olive oil 4ml vinegar 2g oregano 10g capsicum red 10g capsicum yellow 10g capsicum green 10g red onion 6g cucumber 1g garlic 2g Portuguese sea salt

Chef Gonçalo Queiroz The second Portuguese chef at Picante, Four Points by Sheraton Bur Dubai, Chef Queiroz is bringing a more fine dining style to Dubai’s only Portuguese restaurant. Hailing from Alentejo, he worked for Chef Luis Mourao at a number of 4- and 5-star hotels in Evora before taking part in a TV cometition to find the best chef in Portugal. He also spent a year as Sous Chef under Chef Miguel Laffan at L’and Vineyards Resorts.

Pan-fried fillet of mackerel, toasted bread topped with bell peppers, tomato, red onion dressed with garlic and olive

METHOD ∙ Cut and clean the mackerel fish and debone. ∙ Season the mackerel with sea salt and olive oil and place in oven at 200C for ten minutes. ∙ Cut the bread, dress with olive oil and grill. ∙ Chop the capsicums in a brunoise with chopped onion and garlic. Season with salt, olive oil and vinegar. ∙ With a peeler, make three slices of cucumber.

FRESH PORTOBELLO, OYSTER, CEPES AND BUTTON MUSHROOMS, SAUTEED WITH GARLIC AND OLIVE OIL AND POACHED EGG INGREDIENTS 20g portobello mushroom 10g cepes mushroom 20g button mushroom 10g onion 3g garlic 1 egg 4g coriander 20ml Portuguese olive oil 5g Portuguese sea salt 3g black pepper METHOD ∙ Chop onion and garlic and put in a pan with olive oil. ∙ Cut all the mushrooms and add in the pan. ∙ Season the mushrooms with salt and black pepper. ∙ In another pan put water, salt and vinegar to poach the egg. ∙ Add coriander to the mushrooms and plate.

COD FILLET POACHED IN OLIVE OIL, MIXED TOGETHER WITH SCRAMBLED EGG, PARSLEY AND CRISPY POTATOES ‘A BRAS’ STYLE, CHERRY TOMATO AND BLACK OLIVES INGREDIENTS 100g cod (from Portugal)

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recipe corner / CHEFS

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40-43 RECIPE - PICANTE & PREGO'S.indd 41

Fresh portobello, oyster, cepes and button mushrooms, sauteed with garlic and olive oil and poached egg

Cod fillet poached in olive oil, mixed together with scrambled egg, parsley and crispy potatoes ‘a Bras’ style, cherry tomato and black olives

Pan-fried lamb fillet, roasted pumpkin, asparagus scented with fresh coriander, jus

Caramel mousse

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UP FRONT / out and about

80g potatoes 10ml Portuguese olive oil 3 eggs 15g onion 3g garlic 10g parsley 1 baby tomato 30g dry black olives METHOD ∙ Peel and cut the potatoes in julienne, then keep them in water. Deep fry them till crispy, then keep aside. ∙ Cut the cod and remove the fish bones. Boil half of the loin in water and remove the meat. ∙ In a pan, put chopped onion and garlic. Add the boiled cod, the potatoes and beaten eggs. ∙ Season with salt, black pepper and chopped parsley.

PAN-FRIED LAMB FILLET, ROASTED PUMPKIN, ASPARAGUS SCENTED WITH FRESH CORIANDER, JUS INGREDIENTS 200g lamb leg 10g carrot 10g leek 5g red onion 5g garlic 1g rosemary 5g honey 1g saffron

40g pumpkin 15g asparagus 10g salt 5g pepper METHOD ∙ Chop all the vegetables (except the pumpkin and asparagus) and marinate the lamb leg with salt, pepper, honey, saffron and rosemary for 24 hours.

The next day, put the leg in the oven at 160C for two hours, tyhen increase to 200C for 40 minutes. ∙ Once the leg is cool, remove the meat from the bone and set aside. ∙ Blend all the vegetables used in the marinade, put in the lamb and roll with film. ∙ Peel the pumpkin and cut it, season with salt, black pepper and olive oil. Put in the oven at 200C for ten minutes. ∙ Peel the asparagus and boil. Peel the onion and boil.

Keep aside. ∙ For plating, cut the lamb, remove the film and put it in the oven at 200C for five minutes. Display the roasted pumpkin, the asparagus and onion, using the lamb jus for dressing.

CARAMEL MOUSSE INGREDIENTS 1 can condensed milk 2 eggs 5g almonds

METHOD ∙ Boil the condensed milk for 45 minutes, then keep it in ice. ∙ Add two egg yolks then addtwo beaten egg whites. ∙ Keep in the chiller for ten minutes then serve in a cocktail glass.

COFFEE MOUSSE AND TRADITIONAL EGG CUSTARD INGREDIENTS 40ml whipping cream 5ml coffee 60g pastry shell 40g flour 20ml cream cinamon stick 1 egg yolk 10g sugar METHOD ∙ Blend the coffee with water to create a foam. Remove the foam and add to whipping cream. Plate in a coffee cup. ∙ Beat the egg yolk with the sugar, heat in a double boiler, add cream until it thickens. Keep aside. ∙ When this preparation is cold, add it in the pastry shell and put in the oven at 255C for ten minutes.

Coffee mousse and traditional egg custard

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out and about / UP FRONT

25g crushed ice 1 ½g salt 3ml extra virgin olive oil ½g yeast PIZZA SAUCE INGREDIENTS 250g tinned tomatoes A pinch of salt 1 tsp extra virgin olive oil TOPPING INGREDIENTS 4 pieces buffalo mozzarella 20g fresh basil leaves 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

∙ Mix together the water, ice and salt with the oil

Chef Daniele Capobianco Learn how to make an authentic Italian pizza from scratch with this step-by-step guide from Daniele Capobianco, Specialty Outlet Chef at Prego's, Media Rotana.

Italian Daniele Capobianco began working in kitchens at the age of 12. He went to the Assisi Culinary Institute to further pursue his passion and then worked in India, Holland, Denmark and Oman, before moving to Dubai in 2010. He joined Prego's as Specialty Outlet Chef in 2013.

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MARGHERITA PIZZA PIZZA INGREDIENTS 100g flour 25ml water

on medium speed for five mins. Add the flour and continue mixing for another ten mins. Slowly add the yeast, breaking it with the palm of your hands, and mix for another five minutes. Increase the speed to high for ten minutes and then take out the dough once it has elasticity and is completely smooth. ∙ Form a round ball shape with the dough, place in a tray, cover with cling film and set aside for two hours at room temperature or refrigerate for 24 hrs at 4-5C. ∙ Blend together the pizza sauce ingredients. ∙ Sprinkle a little flour on the dough ball and press down with the palm of your hands, on a flat surface.

Using your hands, or a rolling pin, roll the dough out to a circle. Spread the tomato sauce on top and roughly break the mozzarella and place all over. Cook for seven minutes at 200C. ∙ Before serving, drizzle the oil all over and top with basil leaves.

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LEISURE / travel

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The Pro Chef Middle East / September 2014

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travel / LEISURE

Just desserts Sugar is addictive poison. The average Briton consumes 238 teaspoons of sugar each week, both in its raw form and as additives. A quarter of Britons are obese and half are overweight. For acclaimed UK artist, sugar addict James Ostrer, this proved an ideal subject matter for his latest photographic study Wotsit All About in which people are covered in sweets and junk food, display at London’s Gazelli House

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he year was 2009 and artist James Ostrer began his fascination with the idea of sugar as subject matter when Tony the Tiger, the Kelloggs mascot, was banned from TV advertising - “These caricatures are telling me how I should live. To me they look like - this sounds a bit harsh - but if someone had poured acid over Tony the Tiger. It’s like they’re melting.”

Ostrer was a committed confectionary enthusiast

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and began to develop the theme of confectionary and junk food as a suitable subject for art. “Our ancestors would have had to be stung by a load of bees to get the taste of sweetness but all we have to do is grab something from the nearest shop. It’s not special any more,” he points out, positioning this work as his caveman paintings about his relationship to food. Above all, he wanted to address the reality of big business

and powerful brands seducing us to consume more sticky and unhealthy ‘treats’. So he planned his distorted sugar icons out of every kind of convenience food, bought in bulk. In his studio, he organised the boxes of sweets, buns, crisps and pastries as a painter would a palette, adding dyes and artificial colouring to cream cheese so that the messy creative process could begin. His models are positioned on a plinth and smeared with layers of

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LEISURE / travel

cream cheese and then decorated with junk food.

Although the artist had fun playing with the food, it was clearly less easy for the models, who had to wear goggles under their fake eyes and were temporarily rendered blind, dumb and paralysed during the shoot. One of the models asked him to use a particular sweet that she’d once had an evey negative relationship with. After the session, she cried for an hour. “Engulfed in the smell of those sweets,” Ostrer says, “she realised how much she’d moved forward.”

Hisd relationship with junk food began when his parents divorced. Every weekend, his father would collect the children to spend time in McDonald’s - “a place of relaxation and fun” for the child.

Now, he explains,”when I feel distressed, I will go straight for this kind of food”. The work is a mix between a personal addiction reappraisal and a political statement about the role of Big Food in today’s society. “50% of the time,” he says, “you feel awful about what we do to the world, how we get our food so cheap; then the other half is ‘Yeah, I’m having a great time, look at me under the blue sky driving a nice car.’”

“These are scientifically produced items developed to attract us without any nutritional value.”

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travel / LEISURE

THE ARTIST James Ostrer had his work hung in the National Portrait Gallery to great acclaim for the 2010 Taylor Wessing Prize, when his image was nominated as curator's choice.

He was also chosen to join a number of artists and designers to create a unique, interactive, multimedia art exhibit for a campaign against sex trafďŹ cking, which launched in London's Trafalgar Square in 2007.

Additional projects have included The Romance of Perfection with photographs of principal ballerina Maria Kochetkova and The Beast in Beauty, which explores the backstage addictions and fetishistic desires that surround the ballet community. His In the Mattress series explores themes such as gluttony, sexual compulsion and addiction, drawing on personal experience.

James Ostrer

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LEISURE / last word

Digging deeper Add a touch of truffle to a dish or a menu and the product's prestige and perceived value grabs a diner's intention. However, there is a world of difference between a quality black truffle from a Tuscan forest and truffle oil, all too often a fake product with little value.

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ruffles are the real deal. In a world where produce is put through the marketing spin, the truffle is an original: impossible to mass produce, identified by trained dogs or other animals and then dug up individually to be sold via a market of gatherers, suppliers and dealers that has the impression of an unchanging closed community.

Compare that to almost any other fruit or vegetable that can be bought during any season the fresh truffle season is just a short season and, weight for weight, the most expensive food in the world. And that creates a perfect food storm as desire for an always present supply and hunger for an artisinal - read, expensive - produce created the slippery slope of truffle oil.

Originally, a way of using up small, otherwise unsellable portions of truffles, the truffle oil industry has now evolved to the stage that the chances of finding real truffle in a bottle of truffle oil are slim. Instead, you'll get olive oil mixed with 2,4-dithiapentane, a compound that makes up part of the smell of truffles - in other words, oil

plus 'truffle' smell. And chefs, driven by the belief that truffles are so amazing, continue to fall for the confidence trick. Equally, partly because of the price differential, they continue to believe that truffles from France and Italy and inherently better than those from the USA or China. That belief is also being driven by the dramatic decline in truffle production - in France, for example, the impact of two world wars, urbanisation, deforestation and global warming reducing mositure has meant that black truffle production in France has declined from about 1,320 tons in 1910 to 32 tons today.

Of course, Italians have been infusing olive oils with real truffles from a long time - Urbani Truffles, for example, sells truffle oil claimed to be made from real truffles. However, in the 1980s, large companies began to mass produce truffle oil artificially. Nothing wrong with that, if they own up to the practice, but truffle oil has always traded on the prestige of real truffles and the use of phrases like 'Product of Italy' or '100% Natural' suggest the use of real truffles. No matter, people fell for it and chefs used it liberally, even at The French Laundry.

Truffle oil promises the allure of truffles plus the convenience of mass production. The rare and exciting becomes the everyday.

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