The Queen's Royal Menu for Barack and Michelle Obama's British State Dinner

The United States President and First Lady, Barack and Michelle Obama, were recently entertained at a rare royal state dinner by England’s Queen Elizabeth II.  At such historic events, no detail is overlooked. 

With 162 plus vip guests looking forward to being seated in the grand banquet hall, each place setting is always measured out with a ruler. (A missed inch here or there can result in a shortage of space at the end of the 168 foot table, meaning an entire lengthy table reset. Ouch!)

Treasured golden candelabras and engraved antique glasses are polished and shined under the direction of the Assistant Yeoman of the Royal Glass and China Pantry. Finally, at exactly 5PM the Queen herself traditionally enters the historic Hall to review the preparation (which is only proper as she is the host of the evening’s festivities).

Accompanied by the Master of the Queen’s Household and his supportive staff, Her Majesty always seems to find a missed detail – a candle slightly askew, a microphone waiting to squeal when turned on.  All are corrected by the palace’s highly trained staff, each with floor-saving dusters worn over their shoes.   

Down in the Great Kitchen, the Royal Chef directs a staff of 23 chefs and nine kitchen porters. Mobile hot food trolleys (carts) are used to transport all the food they have prepared for guests from the lower kitchen to the Great Hall above. Once transported to the upper floor, the prepared courses are laid out and garnished by the supportive chefs, who are waiting in the prep rooms that adjoin the Banquet Hall.  

Each group of nine guests along the formal banquet table is served by an under butler, a wine butler, a footman and a page – not a bad staffing level!

Service begins and pauses, quite literally, with staff signals from a discreetly placed series of red and green lights. Additionally, the floor staff is trained to respond to an array of subtle hand signals that relay each guest’s instant needs.

And the menu served? One truly worthy of such a memorable event!

THE CUISINE

Paupiette de Sole et Cresson Sauce Nantua (Roulade of Sole and Watercress Accented with a Nantua Seafood Sauce)

 Agneau de la Nouvelle Saison de Windsor au Basilic (New Season Lamb Herbed with Windsor Basil)

Courgettes et Radis Sautées (Sauteed Zucchinis and Radishes)

Panaché d'Haricots Verts (Panache Mix of Green Beans)

Pommes Boulangère (Baked Apples)

Salade (Fresh Greens Salad)

Charlotte à la Vanille et Cerises Griottes (Vanilla Charlotte Garnished with Sour Cherries)

Fruits de Dessert (Dessert Fruits)

THE WINES
Ridgeview Cuvée Merret Fitzrovia Rosé 2004
Chablis Grand Cru Les Clos 2004 (Domaine William Fèvre)
Echézeaux Grand Cru 1990 (Domaine de la Romanée-Conti)
Veuve Clicquot Ponsardin, Vintage Rich 2002
Royal Vintage Port 1963!

Your Culinary World copyright Ana Kinkaid/Peter Schlagel 2011

Queen's Menu for Royal Wedding Reception Just Held at Buckingham Palace

After William and Catherine said their vows in a moving Westminster ceremony, they have joined Queen Elizabeth and 650 select guests to enjoy a marvelous wedding reception at Buckingham Palace.    

Royal Chef Mark Flanagan and his supportive team of 21 chefs have worked carefully for days prepping and then adding the final touches to over 10,000 canapes – truly a task only for the skilled.

And now, with fanfare, is the menu they have created:

• Cornish Crab Salad on Lemon Blini
• Pressed Duck Terrine with Fruit Chutney
• Roulade of Goats Cheese with Caramelised Walnuts
• Assortment of Palmiers and Cheese Straws
• Scottish Smoked Salmon Rose on Beetroot Blini
• Miniature Watercress and Asparagus Tart
• Poached Asparagus Spears with Hollandaise Sauce for Dipping
• Quails Eggs with Celery Salt
• Scottish Langoustines with Lemon Mayonnaise 
• Pressed Confit of Pork Belly with Crayfish and Crackling
  
• Wild Mushroom and Celeriac Chausson
• Bubble and Squeak with Confit Shoulder of Lamb
• Grain Mustard and honey-glazed Chipolatas
• Smoked Haddock Fishcake with Pea Guacamole
• Miniature Yorkshire Pudding with Roast Fillet of Beef and Horseradish Mousse
• Gateau Opera
• Blood Orange Pate de Fruit
• Raspberry Financier
• Rhubarb Crème Brulee Tartlet
• Passion Fruit Praline
• White and Dark Chocolate Ganache Truffle
• Milk Chocolate Praline with Nuts

What stunning display of talent and creativity. And the champagne to be enjoyed? Why Pol Roger, of course - Winston Churchill's favorite!

Here's to love and a great evening of fun and happy memories for all attending. (But please, will someone there see that Chef and his shaff enjoy a glass of bubbly as well. Well done gentlemen!)

Your Culinary World copyright Ana Kinkaid/Peter Schlagel 2011

Let’s Raise a Cocktail Glass to Toast Kate and William's Royal Wedding

Members of the hospitality industry around the world will pause tomorrow and raise a glass to wish Prince William and his beautiful English rose princess, Kate Middleton all the very best. But why not do it with one of two cocktails whose ingredients uniquely honor this remarkable couple.

The English Rose Cocktail was specially created by Anthony Caporale, the first U.S. brand ambassador for Drambuie, to commemorate England’s newest member of the royal family.

Drambuie is, of course, an excellent choice because it was originally blended for Prince Charles Edward Stuart of Scotland over 260 years ago from a unique combination of aged Scottish whiskies, heather honey, herbs and spices. Indeed, its name when translated means “the drink that satisfies”.

What better invitation can there be for a great cocktail?

The English Rose Cocktail

In a Champagne flute, add:

•       1 Sugar Cube
•       3 Drops Orange Bitters
•       1 oz. Drambuie

Slowly top with:

•       4 oz. Chilled Champagne
•       Splash of Campari
•       3 Drops Rosewater

Garnish with a thinly-sliced strawberry, fanned and floated on the top.

But the fun shouldn’t stop there. Charlotte Voisy, the famed female mixologist for William Grant & Sons USA, has also created a new cocktail that captures the love of London for their newest princess – The Rosie Lee, which is a cockney term for “tea” but this time with a bounce. Thanks to the addition of Hendrick Gin, this cocktail also has a delightful floral flavor, making it perfect for any wedding.

The Rosie Lee Cocktail

Combine and shake together:

• 1 ½ oz. Hendrick’s Gin
• ½ oz. Monin Rose Syrup
• 1 oz. Lychee Fruit Juice
• ½ oz. Freshly Squeezed Lemon Juice
• 1 Brief Dash Angostura Bitters
• Lemon, Cut Paper Thin

Strain into an English bone china teacup or elegant cocktail glass.

Then garnish with a very thin lemon slice.

Either way, both are great – just like these two young people to whom we wish the very best – now and always!

Your Culinary World copyright Ana Kinkaid/Peter Schlagel 2011

Legandary Chef Anton Mosimann to Create a Royal Champagne Wedding Dinner for Kate and William

When it's a royal wedding, only the best will do, especially when it's combined with a regard for both innovation AND tradition. And no one but no one can create that blend better than Chef Anton Mosimann.

Born in Switzerland, Chef Mosimann first ventured into the kitchen at the age of six when he first assisted his parents in a Nidau based restaurant. By the time he was 15 he was apprenticed to another regional restaurant in the Hotel Baeren in Twann. He would go on to receive his chef de cuisine diploma at the early age of 25!

Soon thereafter he was working in restaurants ranging from Rome’s Cavalieri to Montreal’s Queen Elizabeth Hotel and from the Swiss Pavilion at Japan’s Expo 70 to Belgium’s Villa Lorraine. Each position offered him a fresh opportunity to discover new ingredients and techniques.    

Using his new insights the young chef won a gold medal in the culinary competition in Lucerne in 1973. This achievement brought him to the attention of Adelrich Furrer, who recommended him Eugene Kaufeler, the famed chef of London’s grand Dorchester Hotel. 

Several interviews later Mosimann found himself the Head Chef of the legendary Dorchester Hotel at remarkable age 28! But several problems lay ahead for this young and very talented chef.

On arrival the Swiss chef discovered that the cuisine of the Dorchester was classic but dated and many among the staff of over 100 employees wondered at the wisdom of appointing such a young chef to a position of high responsibility.

Slowly but surely he won them over, centering all culinary changes around “La Nouvelle Cuisine”. Each dish was to be prepared from only the freshest food and never preped in advance. 

The goal of each assisting chef was to preserve the original taste of the ingredients involved – a chicken should taste like a chicken and not be buried under heavy sauces.

Mosimann also believed that the diner should not be limited to the cuisine of a single nation. Under his direction, French trained chefs learned to appreciate and prepare classic Japanese dishes and visa a versa. With a clarity of flavors and an embrace of diversity, Mosimann chose to reduce portion sizes and also favored a more leisurely paced dining experience.

The result? The first Michelin stars awarded outside of France! But the honors didn’t stop there. Mosimann would go on to receive the esteemed Order of the British Empire from the Queen of England in 2004 as well as to become a favorite of both Prince Charles and many other royals and celebrities who also appreciated his fresh and healthy approach to matters traditional.

Today Chef Mosimann holds court at his own private dining club Mosimann’s. But on the evening of April 29^th, he and his staff will be busy creating the evening wedding dinner being hosted by Prince Charles for Kate and William.

It will be memorable and the champagne to be served is rumored to possibly be Pol Roger, the bubbly favored by another London legend, Winston Churchill.

What a night to remember! Good Luck Kate and William!

Your Culinary World copyright Ana Kinkaid/Peter Schlagel 2011

Time and Talent Win Anne-Sophie Pic Title as World’s Greatest Female Chef

In a world composed largely of male colleagues, Anne-Sophie Pic has just been recognized by S. Pellegrino’s 50 Best Restaurant Awards as the best female chef in the world. And it’s an honor totally deserved. Not only does Pic come from a great culinary family but she also holds three Michelin stars in her own right – and is the only the fourth woman in history to do so.

Based in Valence (known to seasoned travelers as the southern door of France), she placed ahead of two other very talented female chefs – Spain’s Elena Arzak and Italy’s Nadia Santini. And though Arzak favors the cuisine of Iberia’s Basque region and Santini focuses on the flavors of the sea, Pic reaches back to the clear simplicity of Careme and Escoffier, the legendary masters of classic French cuisine.

Motivated by their heritage, Pic’s creations focus on enhancing the natural flavors of her ingredients, not smothering them with heavy sauces or over dominate ingredients. As a result, her menu most often highlights the use of regional vegetables and fresh fish.

Yet despite her family’s culinary legacy and France’s great heritage of cuisine, Pic did not start her career in the traditional manner of the industry.  It was her brother, Alain Pic, who initially was chosen to continue the culinary dynasty began by her grandfather Andre Pic when he was Michelin rated in 1945. That valued ranking was continued by her own dear father Jacques Pic.

Anne-Sophie chose instead to study at Paris’ famed Higher Institute of Management and then moved to New York City where she worked in marketing for the prestigious firms of Moet & Chandon and Cartier. Her positions there enabled her to travel and thus she met her husband (and future business partner) David Sinapian.         

Still something called her home. She missed the sounds and flavors of France and so in 1992 she decided to return to Valence and apprentice with her father. Everyone who watched them work together noticed the flow, the unspoken ease that existed between them as the famed father taught his daughter one after another the skills of a master chef.

Then abruptly Jacques Pic died of a heart attack. The famed three star restaurant was without a directing head chef.  Anne-Sophie, young and less experienced than some of her staff, stepped into the void and continued the heritage of her family. By 2007 she had regained the Michelin star that traditionally is removed at the death of a great chef and went on to write the truly collectable memoir, Au Nom du Pere, about her beloved father, the history of the Pic family and her amazing life journey that led to discovering her true vocation - cuisine.

That discovery included not only the lessons learned in the kitchen but also the many marketing skills she mastered away from the heat of the stove.  Working together with her insightful husband, the decor of the esteemed Pic Restaurant has been updated, a culinary school launched and a profitable line of extensional products developed and marketed online.

Truly this is a renaissance woman and one to be counted among the greatest of the industry.  If you doubt that, just journey to Valence, enter the subtle elegance of Restaurant Pic and dine on the classic cuisine offered there such as pan roasted Bresse chicken supreme accented with a yellow lemon marmalade, steamed young chards or a farm fresh pigeon poached with a slightly smoked broth. Then consider their unforgettable warm Grand Marnier soufflé served with orange supremes or choose instead an air-light rice pudding. 

Mere words cannot truly express the flavors, the experience. All created by one remarkable woman – one worthy of the heritage of both the cuisine grand-mere (those unnamed country-kitchen grandmothers who inspired so many great chefs to become cooks) and haute cuisine, such as Anne-Sophie’s own renowned grandfather and father created. What can one say but merci, merci, merci Anne-Sophie!  

Your Culinary World copyright Ana Kinkaid/Peter Schlagel 2011