) was the longest bridge in St. Petersburg. The length of the bridge without shore...
S.P.: Yes it gets worse. The main problem is the general amorphousness. It seems like no one needs anything right now. People get jobs who do not strive to learn, develop, or achieve anything, but simply go with the flow.
V.D.: Since Soviet times, it has developed that culinary schools are attended by those who were unable to enter more prestigious educational institutions. Anyone who doesn’t love his profession toils in the kitchen, waits for the work day to end, and does not strive to learn new things. Workers prefer to perform simple operations, and their motivation comes down only to earnings. Such chefs have nothing to do in restaurants with original cuisine. There are not enough people whose eyes sparkle, who have ambitions and a desire to develop.
Victor Devyatko
S.P.: A common situation in a Russian restaurant: for every actually working employee there is at least one slacker or incompetent, with whom, at best, you have to put up with. At Bjorn, we decided as a matter of principle not to hire such “ballast”. It turned out that it is extremely difficult to assemble a team in which everyone works intensively.
V.D.: Some successful projects found themselves on the verge of closure simply because they simply could not find suitable personnel. Dealing with employees is difficult for anyone who takes responsibility for their work. For example, the team of chefs for the restaurant “Cafe Pushkin” took almost two years to form.
A restaurant with a well-thought-out concept and a competent team can operate for many years! But there are very few of them in Moscow. Now it’s not restaurants that are popular, but restaurant projects - the difference is huge. They opened with a bang, worked for a couple of years, and earned money. The fashion passed, there were fewer guests, they closed, they opened another one - this is how many people work.
Isn't it the fault of the restaurateurs themselves in the state of affairs with personnel?
V.D.: Partly yes. For example, passions are now running high on Facebook - a large restaurant holding has been delaying salaries for the second month, from managers and chefs to dishwashers. Often establishments do not fulfill their obligations to employees and do not provide normal working conditions. In such a situation it is difficult to demand anything. At Bjorn, the salary is higher than the market average, payments are made on the same day - in exchange for knowledge and the desire to learn new things.
How to change the situation?
V.D.: I see a solution in tightening the requirements for the level of professionalism of chefs on the part of employers. If there are strict standards everywhere, you will have to comply, work on yourself, otherwise you will not get a job.
S.P.: I don't agree. You cannot force anyone. The initiative, the desire to work and grow must come from the chef himself.
Stanislav Pesotsky
V.D.: It is necessary to popularize the profession, perhaps with the participation of the state. In Soviet times, by the way, the corresponding mechanism worked like a clock. Remember the films about tractor drivers, assemblers, pilots... Can we name at least one domestic film about the profession of a cook that is equal in impact to, for example, the film “Tractor Drivers”? But propaganda alone is not enough; the education system must be changed.
What kind of specialists does the restaurant business lack?
V.D.: There is a shortage of absolutely everyone, from simple cooks to managers. There is a problem with waiters in general - in Russia this is not a profession, it never has been and, apparently, never will be. This work is always perceived as temporary, forced. If you are over 30 years old and you are a waiter, they look at you askance. In Europe, waiters over 40 do not surprise anyone, but here everything is different.
S.P.: The restaurant has no minor employees. The reputation of a place even depends on the dishwasher.
What is the level of education in Russia as a whole?
S.P.: The quality of education is poor. Graduates don’t know basic things, but worst of all, they want absolutely nothing.
V.D.: Once we agreed with a representative of one college that they would send promising students for an internship. A few days later it turned out that there was no one to choose from among dozens of students.
Plans are currently being discussed to create a culinary school at the Higher School of Economics. I'm sure it will turn out something worthwhile.
Is the Russian Chefs Guild doing anything in this regard?
V.D.: I have great respect, but the Guild today is more like a professional club than a really functioning organization.
S.P.: I don’t know anything at all about the Guild, except that it has an asparagus emblem.
Are there any good cooking courses in Russia?
How do you evaluate the possibilities of online learning?
S.P.: Skeptical. Our profession cannot be taught remotely.
V.D.: A cook is like a surgeon; he needs a lot of practice.
Does a chef need foreign internships? How many restaurants pay for such trips?
S.P.: Yes, of course we do! True, not all chefs have enough money for such trips and not every restaurateur is ready to bear the costs themselves. Although this is an investment in your employees, that is, in the most important element of the business. And internships don’t cost crazy amounts of money.
V.D.: Restaurateurs are apparently afraid that the chef, for whose training serious money was paid, may subsequently leave for competitors. But, for example, Vladimir Mukhin has not gone anywhere and continues to participate in international competitions under the White Rabbit Family flag.
What qualities do you require from applicants?
S.P.: Last summer, the situation was such that the staff of cooks in the kitchen was only half full. The load was critical. We worked seven days a week - and this was with the restaurant being fully booked almost every day!
Superheroes of Bjorn Restaurant
V.D.: I think that professional pride and reliability helped to survive. Any normal person would have said long ago - “Fuck it all!” My wife is waiting at home, there’s a lot to do.” But they held out because a team was created in which the feeling of comradeship is not an empty phrase.
S.P.: We need people for whom cooking and gastronomy is not just a job, but the main interest in life. These people don’t go to work for money, although Bjorn has very good salaries. If you devote your soul to your business, constantly develop and strive to get out of your comfort zone, then your income grows by itself. Anyone who just wants money will never earn it. This applies to any profession. Be at least a janitor, if you work better than everyone else, everything will be fine with you. It is difficult for most to realize that this is so.
I don't like it when applicants want to get into Bjorn to boost their ego or tick off their resume. “I worked in a top restaurant,” “I worked with the best young chef in Russia.” In my opinion, this is the wrong motivation.
What kind of training do new employees at your restaurant receive? How long does the preparation take?
S.P.: We require certain basic knowledge. Naturally, we don’t expect a person to be able to do what we do; this is unrealistic. There is no specific program, everything is individual. If a person actively and successfully studies and joins the team, in two or three months he becomes a superhero! I say this absolutely without irony. Each of my line cooks can easily become a sous-chef in any other restaurant, but many sous-chefs who come to us as simple cooks often don’t make it.
Which mistakes do you forgive and which do you not?
S.P.: We all mess up from time to time, that's normal. If something happens, we raise our hand and admit it. But I don’t forgive irresponsibility.
Who makes the decisions about who stays on the team?
S.P.: We take into account the opinion of each team member. It is never my personal decision. And I don’t remember such a thing that my assessment did not coincide with the guys’ decision.
An effective team rejects those who work “to get rid of it.” Our waiters themselves, without the participation of the manager, kick out trainees who are late. If a person lets everyone down even on probation, why is he needed on the team? It will just drown everyone.
What are your expectations from the Independent Qualifications Assessment Act - what will it bring to workers and employers in the food service industry?
V.D.: Without significant changes in the personnel training system, that is, what should actually lead to improved qualifications, you can spend as much time assessing it as you like. Well, we get the result - low qualifications. It is still unclear where to improve it, who will provide the new necessary knowledge and develop the necessary skills.
S.P.: It will bring money to someone, but nothing good to us. Laws that make life easier have not been adopted for a long time.
Slow Food ideas are becoming increasingly popular in Russia, largely thanks to chefs who are members of the Chefs Alliance.
We talked with one of them - Stanislav Pesotsky, chef of the Moscow restaurant of northern cuisine Bjorn, the best young chef of Russia 2016 - about local products, Nordic principles of work and where to look for responsible suppliers.
The philosophy and ideology of your restaurant is the freshest, local, seasonal. Where do you get your groceries?
This question is very capacious and complex. There are catastrophically few conscientious suppliers who are ready to fulfill all the requirements that we place on them.
We do not have a priority in terms of working with any specific supplier; the starting point is the product itself. Regardless of what they tell me about it - how it was processed, how it was grown, and so on.
I can tell the difference between what is good and what is bad thanks to my experience, including experience working abroad with high quality products.
For example, fish. If it is frozen or, conversely, instead of minus 18°C, as expected, it was stored at minus 5–8°C, then it is simply impossible to eat. This is felt, and we refuse such suppliers.
If we talk about large production, they are generally not able to produce the quality that we need. I would call these biomass plants. We try to work with exclusively original suppliers, we try to get the fish chilled if the economy and the scale of supply allow us.
If not, then we take the one that is immediately subjected to shock freezing on the ship. This is a whole fish, not a semi-finished product. We have a northern direction, and the main fish comes from there, mainly from Murmansk.
What about vegetables? Is there a supplier you source from, for example, for the root vegetables for this amazing salad?
We find some products at the market, others from suppliers who specialize in vegetables and fruits, with an emphasis on local products.
By the way, root vegetables are at the forefront of our menu during the cold seasons. Now spring has come, we are updating the menu, and I’m afraid this wonderful salad will no longer be available in two weeks, the root vegetable season is coming to an end.
If you are asking if there are farmers who grow vegetables especially for us, then there are none. Unfortunately, our work format (90 seats in a full hall) excludes this possibility.
In addition, if we talk about the competence of modern farmers, it is only just beginning to emerge as such. We live in a country in which people are not used to working and are not used to being responsible - no matter what they undertake.
Therefore, to be honest, I have never met conscientious farmers who are ready to work at such speeds and with similar quality standards. I've heard about them, they probably exist, but within our conditions, I'm afraid it's simply technically impossible.
What can we get from local producers today? This, for example, is deer - we transport it from Krasnoyarsk, moss - from the Vladimir region. We, of course, try to use such spot things, “craft”, as much as our capabilities allow us.
You have to find something yourself. Spruce branches, for example. Or the stones on which we serve food are natural flagstone. I personally selected it, then it was polished by the restaurant. Now the birch sap is gone - we collected it and prepared birch ice cream. Ramson will appear soon - I hope to reach the Vladimir region and collect it there.
But there are examples when some items on a restaurant menu are provided by local farmers.
Yes, there is LavkaLavka, “Mark and Lev”, which work in the direction we are talking about, but this is a slightly different style and format of doing business in general.
We have 35 items on the menu, and I have to be responsible for them. So that it doesn’t turn out that a guest comes and doesn’t get what he wanted, because the so-called “Uncle Vasya” couldn’t deliver the product to us on time. This is definitely something to think about.
Cooperation with small suppliers is possible, but not within the framework of daily work “here and now, 7 days a week,” but as part of some tasting sets, a farm dinner, or some event organized by the Alliance. These are small steps towards development.
In my opinion, it’s better to do a little less than you can afford, but with better quality, and take real responsibility for it. And talking about something that doesn’t really exist is not about us. Business must be conducted exclusively honestly.
You have a lot of dishes that you burn. A tribute to northern tradition?
The philosophy of Scandinavian cuisine is built on very simple products and very simple techniques for preparing them. Our ancestors, when they still lived in caves, used fire for this.
Over time, many gadgets for processing products, including thermal ones, appeared; processing with live fire faded into the background. But meat cooked over an open fire “sounds” completely different in terms of taste.
Yes, we love to burn, it's true. Because it is tasty, because it is natural, in our opinion, because it corresponds to all our ideas about what we do.
You have bread baked on an open fire. It is not fried, but burnt. The fried bread will taste completely different. You have root vegetables that were prepared in a strange way: they were burned over high heat to add a little taste and, as it were, to “seal” the product, and then compressed under high pressure. We try to extract as delicately as possible what we can get from the product, thereby showing our respect for it.
Careful and rational treatment of products with maximum waste reduction in your restaurant also came from the North.
For Nordic, within which we work, this is one of the basic principles. Before you leave the house in the morning, you brush your teeth. It’s the same with us: before we finish preparing a dish, we must make sure that we have gotten everything we could from the ingredients.
This is economically justified - the waste percentage is close to zero. And the chefs' skills improve, because with this approach there are subtleties that need to be taken into account.
For example, we use the green part of the leek, which is usually thrown away, to make oil. Cut off the chicken skin, fry it with spices, turn it into crispy crumbs and sprinkle it over the cooked chicken fillet. Decorate the vegetable salad with burnt powder made from vegetable peelings.
I can continue this list for a long time. I don’t use something for show and we don’t do it because it’s fashionable. This is how it has always been and will always be at the Bjorn restaurant.
Caring for nature and correct attitude towards products is not blasphemy over consumption, but harmony and balance. It is these simple principles that dictate the things that I have voiced to you.
There is one idea that I still haven't implemented. I would like to record all food waste throughout the day and sort it into different boxes, collecting everything completely. And then invite each employee to express themselves and make something from what they have collected.
In this way, we can give chefs the opportunity to develop professionally and use the product as a whole. We'll see that someone has created a masterpiece out of potato peelings, and we'll put it on the menu on a permanent basis.
But, unfortunately, the pace at which we are doing business does not allow us to do everything that we would like to implement.
"Last year's" apple
Anton Abrezov, chef of the Gräs restaurant in St. Petersburg, also a member of the Alliance of Chefs, adheres to the same ideology.
We went to St. Petersburg and cooked with Anton. Great guys there. True, their organization of some processes is more conducive to doing what we are talking about.
Do you have any other plans in this direction?
We communicate a lot on similar topics with the owner of our business. Currently, plans for the coming year are to draw up an internal environmental program for the Bjorn restaurant.
It will include a huge number of items. For example, use lighting only where it is really needed, reduce the amount of plastic used as consumables, sort garbage and take food waste to places where vegetables are grown to be processed into fertilizer. Including establishing interaction with local manufacturers.
Which local manufacturers will you work more closely with?
With those that exist. That “Uncle Vasya” with whom we need to get to know and build mutually beneficial relationships.
So you still plan to get to know him?
You didn't understand me quite correctly, or I didn't express myself quite correctly. The point is not that we don’t want it, but that there is no one to do it with. Who do you imagine will look for them?
One of the Chefs' Alliance's ideas is to create a register of responsible local suppliers that can be recommended. And bosses can share contacts within this registry. The larger the list, the better.
Yes, personal acquaintance and communication with existing manufacturers plays a role here. Some restaurants even have people specially sourcing herbs for them.
The guys who brew beer contacted us. They have a microscopic enterprise, but the product is insanely high quality. Due to the fact that everything is done with our own hands and done honestly, the actual cost of this beer is several times higher than what we can buy in barrels.
Most establishments reject them, and we negotiate with them. I think this beer will appear on the menu of our restaurant. We are always open to dialogue.
The Alliance of Chefs, which was launched in Russia, what can it give to Russian chefs, how can it influence Russian cuisine?
If people do something together, the energy potential increases. Rene Redzepi said: “If you want to go fast, go alone, if you want to go far, go together.” What we do is gaining more and more powerful potential, spreading more intensively.
The approach is to think not only about money, but also about more important things, about what will happen tomorrow. Right now it exists only at a rudimentary level. It was important to start - and this has already happened. Now we need to continue what we are doing. Further more.
Thanks for the interview!
The best young chef of Russia according to the Silver Triangle 2016 competition - Stanislav Pesotsky , chef of a northern cuisine restaurant Bjorn. Interview, without wasting any time, met with the champion and found out how the competition went, what path he took to his professional calling and what to expect now from the best young chef.
You've been holding the title of best young chef in Russia for almost a week now - how does it feel?
Mixed. Inside myself and the restaurant, nothing has changed: they remained meticulous in terms of work. Much more information began to arrive from outside: new proposals, requests from journalists, and so on. It's nice. But I still have my own patterns for measuring success.
Let's remind the readers once again what dishes you entered into the competition with?
I cooked two dishes. Gravlax, which I transformed to fit the competition format, made it more elegant and complex: in the form of a snowball with cranberries and vodka jelly. The second is beef rib with onion, pickled apple and barley malt syrup. The idea of the dish is to make everything from onions, showing how interesting this product can be.
Young boss - until when?
How are participants selected? Why did you decide to participate in the competition?
Professional chefs are aware of the existence of the Silver Triangle competition. Responsible for the selection of participants and selection of finalists is Igor Gubernsky. Special thanks to him for what he does. Igor travels, looks, tries, chooses. Initially there are a lot of people willing, then the list narrows to about 6 people, leaving three at the finish line. At the Triangle you must show your potential and the techniques you possess. Competitive dishes are not food for every day. They are more difficult in terms of taste, visualization and understanding. I was also faced with the task of fitting my style into the framework of the competition. And I'm pleased with the result.
How much time do they give to develop a menu?
I had 2 weeks.
What is the atmosphere like in the kitchen when all three participants are side by side?
Me, Evgeny Vikentiev, Oleg Kusov - we are professional guys. Everything was quite friendly, without shouting or any panic. Everyone was busy and focused on the result - victory! When I served the main course, I felt absolute peace inside.
Why do you think your dishes won?
Perhaps I need to say thank you to my perfectionism and obsession with details, which sometimes reaches the point of paranoia. Not everyone is ready to be strict with themselves, and this is a very important feeling. As soon as the thought occurs to a person that he is incredibly cool, at that very second he becomes a dead man.
Will these dishes be on the menu?
In the form in which they were submitted to the jury at the competition, no. For many they will be difficult to understand. In Russia they love more understandable food and rich flavors. Therefore, I will adapt the ideas of these dishes to the Bjorn concept. Most likely, they will appear in the winter version of the menu.
By the way, what do you think about the fact that, according to journalists, Oleg Kusov was in the lead?
Calmly. I spend a lot of time making sure that every dish has an idea. Unlike ordinary restaurant guests, restaurant reviewers and critics are gastronomically more prepared and can read a lot of information from a plate. But professional chefs read even more. Taste, visualization, idea - more often than not, it is the cook who is able to correctly calculate everything that you put into the dish. It's about the range of perception. Therefore, the recognition of professional colleagues is especially valuable to me.
Let's rewind a little to the past. Why chef?
I am a creative person. I write music. For example, he released three albums without knowing a single note. At first I studied in Kyiv, at two institutes at the same time: I studied restaurant business and service and English (translator). Then I went to the States, where I had my first experience working in the kitchen.
Where exactly did you work?
These were casinos: first Mohegan Sun Casino, then Foxwoods, between New York and Boston, on the site of huge Indian reservations. There were many restaurants there. I didn't know how to do anything when I arrived. But the constant desire to do better than the last time helped me quickly grow and move forward.
Do I understand correctly that you taught yourself how to cook?
Nobody taught me how to cook professionally. From a technical point of view, I draw skills from everywhere: the Internet, literature, communication with colleagues. In terms of ideas, I have a notebook divided into folders where I write down thoughts and ideas. For example, in the menu section I add what I find interesting: salted plum, pumpkin puree with coffee, soaked spiced apple, malt dessert, oysters with sorrel, cod scallops, deer bone soup.
What happened after America?
I returned to Ukraine. I got a job in a five-star hotel, passed three interviews in English, worked for two days and realized that there was nothing for me to do in this country. In 2010 he came to Moscow. By the way, my future wife insisted on this. First I ended up at the Oblaka restaurant, where I spent three years from cook to sous-chef. The next project was the Extra Virgin restaurant. Then I found out that Bjorn was looking for a new chef.
How does the local restaurant industry differ from the Russian one?
Management. There is no better country to work in than America. They respect you there, they don’t look at where you’re from. Everything is determined by the quality of the work you do.
What's going on at Bjorn now?
When I came to the restaurant a year ago, it was on the verge of closing. Having completely changed the team of chefs and the menu, I began working with the staff not only in the kitchen, but also in the hall. Now the restaurant is operating steadily and is gaining momentum every month. I am very happy, but there are still not enough ideological colleagues like me, ruthless towards themselves, nearby, in the kitchen. I try to work with people for whom it is important what and how they do.
When did you feel drawn to a new nordic style kitchen?
This philosophy has always been close to me. Nordic is respect for nature and products. I like simple, straightforward food. At the same time, I try to put an idea into every dish. Take, for example, an appetizer of halibut caviar, smoked sour cream and onion puree. It is served on a homemade plate that resembles the seabed. Halibut caviar has a natural, bright sea salty taste. Next to it are sour smoked sour cream, sweet onion puree and a few thyme leaves. The result is a perfect balance. Or let’s take smelt, which in nature moves in schools. I tried to capture the fish in motion. When serving, we place it in a flock on a stone, and instead of salt we use crushed seaweed. Next to it is a sauce based on burnt butter and whey from the same butter. Or our deer tartare. The deer lives in the forest, eats moss, and cranberries grow there - all this in one dish, which is served in the bones of the same deer. We practically never throw away products; we use the most unpopular ones. Bran, moss, spruce branches, hay are very cool natural products that are often left “overboard”.
Do you hug birch trees?
I'm going to the forest. Keep quiet. The city is very exhausting.
Do you still look up to someone professionally?
Professionally, there are no specific idols. There are many talented people, and everyone has something to learn. There are a lot of respected people, and not even in the culinary world. Pyotr Mamonov, for example. Or Andrey Lysikov. Everything they do absolutely resonates with who I am.
Best young chef - good, but what goals do you set for yourself in the future?
I had certain plans and goals even before winning the competition. Ahead is a trip to Sweden, an internship at the Vollmers restaurant (one Michelin star) and visits to the most interesting establishments. The Swedes are cool guys with their own style. I will definitely make a set or a special menu based on the results. I'm planning another update to the Bjorn main menu at the beginning of the year. I know exactly where I'm going.
Since 2011, the annual Silver Triangle competition has identified the most talented young people who have chosen the profession of a cook. The winners of the competition and holders of the title “Best Young Chef of Russia” over the years were: Dmitry Zotov, Vladimir Mukhin, Anatoly Kazakov, Sergey Berezutsky and Georgy Troyan.
On November 14, 2016, young chefs from Russian restaurants competed in a head-to-head creative competition: Evgeniy Vikentiev (chef Hamlet and Jacks And "Wine cabinet", St. Petersburg), Stas Pesotsky (chef Bjorn, Moscow) and Oleg Kusov (chef Delicatessen, Moscow).
The title of the best young chef was determined in the format of an anonymous tasting of dishes prepared by three finalists. Each cook prepared one appetizer and one main course. The presented competitive dishes were evaluated by a professional jury of chefs: Ivan and Sergey Berezutsky (Twins, Wine and Crab), Anatoly Kazakov (Selfie), Mirko Dzago (Cheese), Dmitry Zotov (Madame Wong, Haggis, Zotman), David Emmerle ( brand chef of Four Seasons Hotel Moscow), Georgy Troyan (“Northerners”), Nino Graziano (Semifreddo), Regis Trigel (Sixty), Luigi Magni (Uilliam's, Pinch), Vladimir Mukhin (White Rabbit) and Max Must (general manager of the Four Seasons Hotel Moscow). None of the jury knew which chef’s dish he was evaluating. Each participant in the finals performed simply by number, and each dish was evaluated on a ten-point scale. As a result, the winner was determined by the highest number of points scored from all members of the jury.
Dishes participating in the competition:
Evgeny Vikentyev:
. Scallop, "Dashi" of crayfish and smelt, pike caviar
. Beef tongue, pickled pumpkin, burnt pumpkin cream, dried strawberries
Oleg Kusov:
. Smoked saury with turnips, mango and spelled
. Baked onions and fennel marinated in beer vinegar with spinach sauce and pear
Stanislav Pesotsky:
. Lightly salted salmon, vodka, cranberry, horseradish
. Beef rib, onion, soaked apple, barley malt syrup
Stanislav Pesotsky was recognized as the winner: “I received my main culinary experience in the USA, lived and worked for 3 years in Boston and New York. Then I became interested in the Scandinavian style, northern cuisine, in which the basis is naturalness, seasonality, natural taste and healthiness. I try to implement the principles of Scandinavian restraint and environmental friendliness in dishes from Russian products, combining Russian tastes and the principles of Nordic Cuisine. I'm very happy about my victory. The example of Vladimir Mukhin, Georgy Troyan, and the Berezutsky brothers greatly inspires me and motivates me to do the maximum or even more to become one of those chefs who will transform Russian cuisine into modern, fashionable and in demand throughout the world. The style of cuisine that I presented at the competition can already be tried by everyone at the Bjorn restaurant.”
The popularity of Scandinavian cuisine is gaining momentum. This is explained by the unprecedented interest in the countries of the north (Denmark, Sweden, Norway and Finland), and at the same time by our closeness in spirit, and perhaps also by the fact that we are simply tired of Italian and French restaurants and want to try something new. Elle decided to understand the peculiarities of Nordic cuisine and asked chefs of Nordic restaurants about all the intricacies. Recipes are included.
Chef Bjorn Stanislav Pesotsky:
Like the Scandinavians, we try to treat products with care. When I buy a deer carcass, I use different parts of it in preparing the appropriate dishes: I bake the fillet or lightly fry it on the grill, the ham makes excellent meatballs. In the next version of the menu I'm going to use bones in the serving. You've probably noticed that when we buy this or that product, we throw away a certain percentage of it, cut something off, and so on. We try to use everything. We make puree from cauliflower stalks, and use the inflorescences as a separate side dish for veal cheeks. We burn vegetable peelings with fire until they turn into charcoal and use them as decoration imitating a fire for the “Burnt Apple” dessert. Salmon skin makes very tasty airy chips!
Scandinavian cuisine is largely determined by climatic conditions. Most of the year it is quite cold in the Scandinavian countries, and therefore the choice of local products is limited. The main technology of New Nordic food preparation is a minimum of spices and minimal heat treatment, thanks to which we try to preserve the taste of the products as much as possible. In each dish, the natural taste of the main, key component is brought to the fore.
I would also note moderation among the features of Scandinavian cuisine. When developing my menu for the Bjorn restaurant, I tried to make each dish not only balanced in taste, but also optimal in terms of serving size. We should eat exactly as much as our body needs in order to feel good and spend energy correctly. This also expresses concern for nature and people, in this case our guests.”
- Difficulty Difficult
- Type Second course
- Time 1 hour
- Person 1
Ingredients
- Ingredients for 1 serving:
- Pickled barrel herring - 1 pc.
- Water - 1 l
- Table vinegar - 150 ml
- Granulated sugar - 250 g
- Farmer's sour cream - 50 g
- Farmer's cottage cheese - 50 g
- Rye bread or Borodino bread - 1 piece
- Garlic - 1 clove
- Parsley - 1 bunch
- Dill - 1 bunch
- Thyme - 2 sprigs
- Radish - 1 pc.
- Salt, pepper - to taste
Preparation
- We cut the barrel herring: separate the fillet from the bones, cut into triangles of any shape. For the marinade, mix 1 liter of water with 150 g of table vinegar and 250 g of sugar.
- The proportions of sugar and vinegar can be changed depending on your own preferences. At the same stage, you can turn on your imagination and add various spices and ingredients to the marinade, for example fir branches, wild berries, and so on. Place the chopped herring in the marinade and leave overnight.
- After the herring has been marinated, prepare the creamy homemade cheese. Mix farm cottage cheese and sour cream, add chopped garlic and chopped herbs to taste: dill, parsley, thyme.
- Salt and pepper to taste. As with the marinade, the proportions of sour cream and cottage cheese can be changed to your own taste.
- Prepare rye bread crumbs: grate a piece of bread or grind it in a blender and fry in a frying pan over high heat without oil for a couple of minutes until crispy, add salt to taste.
- Roll pieces of pickled herring in finely chopped parsley.
- Next, we assemble our dish: spread homemade cream cheese on a plate, sprinkle with bread crumbs, place pieces of herring in parsley on top, sprinkle with chopped herbs on top and decorate with thinly sliced radishes.
MØS Chef Andrey Korobyak:
“The menu of our new project reflects the gastronomic traditions of Estonia, Sweden, Norway and our beloved Denmark, where the idea of opening a Scandinavian restaurant in Moscow was born. Our restaurant is a “Nordic for every day” - a rethought, author’s view of the cuisine of Northern Europe, adapted to the Russian mentality. In addition to the kitchen itself, a point of special pride is the unique handmade Würtz tableware, created by the team of father and son ceramics studio Aage and Kasper Würtz. Located in the small provincial Danish town of Horsens, the Würtz studio is well known to restaurateurs, gourmets and fans of Scandinavian cuisine around the world - from Noma, Geranium and Aamanns in Copenhagen, Denmark to Törst and Luksus in Brooklyn, America. The tableware, which is entirely handcrafted and meets the most modern technological requirements, bears part of the national Danish culture and craft traditions of the 17th-20th centuries. The quality and authenticity of ceramic and porcelain products under the K.H.Würtz brand are guaranteed by the personal signatures of the craftsmen on each and every item.”
- Difficulty Difficult
- Type Second course
- Time 1 hour
- Person 1
Ingredients
- Salmon fillet with skin - 1 kg
- Dill greens - a large bunch
- Coarse sea salt - 2 tbsp. l.
- Sugar - 1 tbsp. l.
- Allspice peas - 5-7 pcs.
- Freshly ground white pepper
Preparation
- Remove scales from salmon, rinse with cold water and dry well with paper towels. Cut the fillet crosswise into two equal parts.
- Wash the dill, dry well on a paper towel and chop coarsely.
- Crush the allspice peas in a mortar (if you don’t have a mortar, you can crush the pepper with the flat side of a wide knife blade). Mix allspice with salt, sugar and freshly ground white pepper.
- Spread cling film on the table, sprinkle with a little spicy-salty mixture and place one half of the salmon, skin side down. Sprinkle both sides of the fish fillet with the spicy-salty mixture. Place chopped dill on one fillet.
- Top with the second fish fillet (skin side up) and sprinkle with the remaining spice mixture. Wrap the salmon in cling film and place in a container.
- Leave the fish for 2 hours at room temperature. Then press down with light pressure (for example, a cutting board) and put it in the refrigerator for 1-2 days. The fish should be turned over occasionally.
- Salmon with skin is marinated for 1-2 days, without skin - about 8 hours. Salmon cut into thin slices will marinate the fastest. This will take 30-40 minutes.
- Remove the finished salmon gravlax from the cling film and carefully remove the dill and spices from the fish fillet with a knife. Pat the fillets dry with paper towels and cut into thin slices. Serve with boiled potatoes or as an independent snack with mustard or homemade cottage cheese.
“Nordic and new Nordic cuisine are products from the forest and rivers: venison, fish, berries. The presented cuisine is as simple as possible, which gives me the opportunity to work with a minimum amount of ingredients, making them into complete dishes. If you have a product with a pure and rich taste in your hands, then you would have to be crazy to add chili pepper to it. The three most important things for me are taste, taste and taste! I have respect for the products. I like food that retains its own flavor from the ingredients. By the way, similar techniques are used in traditional Scandinavian cuisine. For example, how do you cook carrots? Probably boiling in water? But boiling water completely deprives the carrots of their taste, so I cook the carrots in carrot juice. And I cook asparagus in asparagus juice. And the most used unit in my kitchen is a juicer.”1 hour
Ingredients
- Ingredients for the sauce:
- Venison broth - 500 g
- Red table wine - 400 g
- Port - 50 g
- Madeira wine - 50 g
- Wine vinegar - 10 g
- Onions - 50 g
- Carrots - 50 g
- Celery - 50 g
- Champignons - 50 g
- Celery root - 50 g
- Leek - 50 g
- Rosemary
- Thyme
- Tarragon
- Parsley
- Juniper
- Black pepper
- Bay leaf
Venison and puree:
- Venison tenderloin - 600 g
- Celery root - 300 g
- Celery juice - 200 g
- Liqueur "Tar" - 10 g
- Oil - 10 g
- Brown butter - 10 g (butter must be melted at a temperature of 157 degrees, boiling takes 10 minutes, after which the entire mixture must be strained)
- Freshly squeezed lemon juice
Preparation
- Sauce: without using oil, fry finely chopped carrots, celery root, onions and champignons.
- After sautéing, transfer the vegetables into a saucepan, then pour in the venison broth and add the following ingredients: table red wine, Madeira, tarragon, parsley, bay leaf, thyme, black pepper, juniper and Tar liqueur. Cook for 30 minutes at 150 degrees. Next, you need to strain the resulting broth, add salt and cook for another 5 minutes.
- Celery puree: boil finely chopped celery in its own juice until fully cooked. Make a puree from the resulting product, add lemon juice, brown butter and salt (to taste).
- Venison: Fry the venison in brown butter until half cooked, wrap each steak in foil for 10 minutes.
