A celebration for German gourmands

|
21 Sep 2014
|
< 1 min read
One of Germany’s most prominent gourmet food festivals has started off with a culinary bang at the opening gala near Hamburg. Arne Zons reports

On Sunday, the 28th season of the Schleswig-Holstein Gourmet Festival has started off with a bang at the opening gala at Vitalia Seehotel by the big Segeberger Lake. Almost 170 guests sampled food of such clinary heroes as 2-Michelin-star chefJörg Sackmann from the gourmet temple in Baiersbronn, Michelin-star chef Maria Groß from restaurant Clara, Kaisersaal Erfurt, Michelin-star chefPaul Ivić from Vienna’s TIAN, and the Dane Jesper Koch.

Each guest chef was responsible for one course and presented:

Jesper Koch:Pike with dill, topinambur, crab and apple

Paul Ivic:Spinach marubini with truffle, lemon and verbena nage

Maria Groß:Trout with sour cream and poppy seed

Jörg Sackmann:Veal filet and sweetbread with citrus fruits, liquorice and artichoke

The apparent highlightwith many guests was Paul Ivic’s vegetarian spinach ravioli with goat’s cheese espuma, which, according to Ivic, had three times the material cost as a meat dish, simply due to get the fullness of flavour. Sackmann’s use of liquorice with theveal filet proved to be slighly controversial, an ingredient that was inspired by Sackmann’s son, who is just starting his own culinary career.

After the four mains, each chef took to their own dessert station at the”dessert party” where guests were able to have individual words with the culinary greats.

In the coming months until March 2015, 19 guest chefs, including two women, three Danes and two Austrians, will showcase their cuisinesin 15 properties throughout Schleswig-Holstein in northernGermany.”The focus will be the excellent quality of regional products from Schleswig-Holstein, while each of our guest chefs in their own way andunique style and technique, will showcasetheir love of the profession and respect for the food,”says Klaus-Peter Willhöft, president of the Kooperation Gastliches Wikingland e.V.

Images ©Ann-Christin Baßin