If the author had an annual family income of a good half a million euros, he would not bore his guests with dishes that have long appeared on the menus of middle-class, more middle-priced restaurants. And certainly not with two bottles of Veuve Clicquot (a shabby 0.15 liters per guest), the dumpy mass-produced product that nonetheless still has cult status among German chic imickis. But there is a much more beautiful widow, namely the widow Fourny, who creates the best independent champagne: the elegant, minerally clear Vve. Fourny & Fils, which, by the way, costs the same as the stale Clicquot.
For this reason alone, people watched in disbelief as a woman, who was assumed to use an indulgent work like “Babettes Fest” as a source of inspiration, lost her highly paid job because of a mediocre meal, the value of which was probably less than 150 euros. Next time, instead of bothering the caterer, she should cook it herself.
With the help of David Chang’s and Priya Krishna’s “Cooking at Home”, the absolute best and most original cookbook for beginners and stressed quick cookers, the ex-director would also satisfy demanding guests. Because what you read indicates that the menu, consisting of Peruvian-style winter cod, braised lamb shank, mango mousse, pear tart and confit of plums, sounds très chic, but is rated as moderately difficult on the relevant websites.
If only she had done it like Blixa Geld, who once in an interview when asked whether he had invited his friends to a three-star restaurant for his 50th birthday, replied: “Even better – I have a three-star hired a chef who cooked for us at my house.”
Since “Peruvian style” most likely means a ceviche, we refer to the variants already presented here, but even if it sounds simpler, we strongly recommend a sea bass or a monkfish as a basis instead of the Skreis, which is actually much too tender for ceviche .
Cooking point: 64 degrees pink, 68 through
As a main course, we don’t stew a leg, but a shoulder of lamb. We serve this with finely shaved and briefly caramelized fennel and a torta del casar pear sauce. A quarter liter each of lamb stock and Riesling (Jakob Schneider 2021 Melaphyr from the Nahe), 6 cl Noilly Prat and a glass of pear schnapps are required.
The salted lamb shoulder is seared not too vigorously and then set aside. The roast set is loosened with diced shallots and two finely chopped garlic cloves, then the whole thing is deglazed with Noilly, Schnaps and Riesling. Then the lamb stock is added and everything is boiled down a bit. Then the lamb goes back into the casserole together with a few leaves of sage, two allspice corns and half a teaspoon of white pepper (Japanese sancho is better) and goes into the oven preheated to 130 degrees. A roasting thermometer helps immensely, so after about three hours you will hit the desired cooking point perfectly (64 degrees pink, 68 through).
Towards the end, pour the sauce into a casserole and stir in 50 grams of Spanish torta del casar (gorgonzola if necessary) until it thickens nicely. Finally add one or two thinly sliced pears. Mashed potatoes, polenta or pappardelle work as a side dish.
More texts by Gunter Blank
Finally, for dessert we serve a Riesling cream. For four people, whisk four egg yolks with a quarter liter of Riesling, the zest of an organic lemon, 20 grams of sugar and a tablespoon of fruit brandy in a stainless steel pot. Heat the whole thing in a water bath until the cream thickens. Allow to cool and just before serving, beat the egg whites until stiff and fold in. In addition, either the Riesling from Jakob Schneider or – it’s New Year’s Eve – more from the widow.