Chefs’ Meetup at Hotel FrederiksmindeEight Stars of the Danish Culinary World
Sponsored by Visit Denmark
Sponsored by Visit Denmark
After our lunch at Rønnede Kro we headed straight to hotel Frederiksminde. This night, we were to experience a grand event. A chef meetup with eight of the most talented and influential chefs of the Danish culinary world. Each of them would present one dish each, making up a complete meal of starters, main courses, and desserts. Driving through the main street of Prestø, with a most wonderful display of old Danish housed on each side, the hotel and its garden awaited us in the far end.
The building was part of an old monastery
We arrived no later than half an hour after the meal at the tavern was consumed, yet the first thing we were offered upon entering was more food! Still a bit full, yet it’s hard to decline anything you are served at a place like this, especially coffee and cake. In all its simplicity, the blueberry crumble served in ceramics by Würtz is one of the most beautiful looking desserts I’ve had. If this represented the standard at hotel Frederiksminde it is understandable that they are ranked 11th in the White Guide.
Blueberry crumble with crème fraîche and black currant powder. Amazing ceramics by WürtzRoom no. 4 at Hotel Frederiksminde. Ask for itThe hotel decorations perfectly match the new Rescue Juice Champagne edition
Luckily it was still a few hours until the dinner would commence, so we had time to explore the hotel and surrounding areas. Named in memory of King Frederik, the property is located next to Prestø Fjord in the southern part of Zealand in Denmark. Just like Rønnede Kro it has been renovated and brought back to the original style of the early 1900s. This building used to be part of an old monastery, and the aura of something old and majestic is still present in the walls. You can see more pictures of the hotel in Julie’s blogpost.
A local Dane enjoying his beerThe chefs enjoy a glass of wine and discuss the upcoming event
The event that awaited us sounded utterly spectacular. In just one night we would experience the cooking of Lars Eiskjær of Restaurant ET, Thorsten Schmidt of Malling & Schmidt, Daniel Kruse of Stammershalle Badehotel, the crown prince of Århus – Mads Battefeld of Henne Kirkeby Kro, Brian Mark Hansen of Søllerød Kro, Mark Lundgaard of Kong Hans Kælder, David Johansen of Kokkeriet and Jonas Mikkelsen, from Hotel Frederiksminde. There’s actually an upcoming dinner at restaurant Kontrast in Oslo, which is based on the same concept. I’ve secured myself a table, so watch out for a feature on that later.
Tables in the banquet hall set for dinner
Eight head chefs and at least twice as many assistants took part. It was great to see how this team worked together apparently without a hierarchy in the ranks. Watching from the dining hall, the herd of chefs and waiters roaming about on the platform above almost seemed to outnumber the guests at one point. Yet everything appeared to be running silky smooth and all of them seemed to know what to do. The dinner started off with a set of snacks, moved on to the eight separate servings and ended with coffee and petit four. I will let the pictures and captions tell the rest of the story. If you want to read different perspectives and see the official pictures taken at the event, you can check Julie’s Matblogg and Bord for to.
The chefs preparing the snacks that will start the showBaked turnip, gherkin and sauce tatarSpring onions and ramson mayoBread crums with smoked mayoMeanwhile in the dining hall; there is something exciting happening on the InternetCabbage, oyster and crème fraîcheCrispy chicken skin and a cep creamTartare of red deer with sour cream underneath and red beets and red wood sorrel on top. Served on the antlers of the red deerThe chef lineup. Left to righ: 1) Lars Eiskjær, Restaurant ET 2) Thorsten Schmidt, Malling & Schmidt 3) Daniel Kruse, Stammershalle Badehotel 4) Mads Battefeld, Henne Kirkeby Kro 5) Brian Mark Hansen, Søllerød Kro 6) Mark Lundgaard, Kong Hans Kælder 7) David Johansen, Kokkeriet 8) Jonas Mikkelsen, Hotel FrederiksmindeDusting the crumbs off with a painter’s brushTatar of lobster with almonds, lemon, unripe peaches and olives. The dish from Brian Mark Hansen of Søllerød Kro. A remarkably delicate dish, not the best tasting, but impressive to watch how the chefs made it.All the chefs worked together to prepare each dish. On the right is the Bradley Cooper of the Danish culinary world; Mr. Andreas Bagh of Kong Hans KælderDanish sushi; salmon, otoro tuna belly, smoked eel and a wasabi substitute of cabbage, corn and seaweed. Very clean dish, and very tasty!Thorsten Schmidt of Malling & Schmidt is a very experimental chef. Among his merrits is making food for astronauts. For the sushi he had developed a Danish soy sauce made of barley and rye, mixed with an oyster sauce of local ingredients. Softer to the palate than a regular soy sauce and very tasty.Cod with chicken wing, truffle and Jerusalem artichoke shavings on top, in a clam butter sauce with caper leaves. Restaurant ET in Århus is a classic French brasserie. Chef Lars Eiskjær focused on the big flavors rather than the presentation, but I found it rather nice looking as well.Poached lobster with cep and an olive oil blanquette. The blanquette was like a Hollandaise without the butter flavor. Made by Mark Lundgaard of Kong Hans KælderVeal sweetbread with Danish truffles from Møn and a fermented corn sauce. Gnalling ost from Arla Unika shaved on top. One of my favorite servings this night, presented by hotel Frederiksminde’s own chef Jonas MikkelsenFried pork with black currants BBQ sauce and gemüse. David Johansen of Kokkeriet made my second most favorite dish of the night. Fat and acidity in a game of lovely contrast!Daniel Kruse of Stammershalle Badehotel putting the final touches to his dish. Kruse is known as the King of dessertsPoached pear, salty caramel, lemon and thyme ice cream, lemon snow and meringue & wood sorrel. This dish brought forth childhood memories, but it had too many elements fighting for attention in my opinion.Mads Battefeld of Henne Kirkeby Kro demonstrates to the other chefs how to plate his dishAn Indian kulfi is like a creamy ice cream, flavored with cardamom and saffron in this case.Mads specifically instructed the other chefs to make the ice cream scoops ugly; “den skal være grim”.The skin of the rosehip was the final topping to Mads’ dishBurnt pineapple, salty butter caramel, Indian kulfi with cardamom and saffron and rosehip skin. One of the most unique dishes with remarkable flavors unlike anything I’ve tried lately. The only reference point I have is the “Tipsy Cake” at restaurant Dinner by Heston Blumenthal in London, which also has a burnt pineapple and caramel flavorHorseradish and lemon biscuit petit fourMarshmallow on a stick petit fourThe chefs debrief and finally get to eat something
What do you think about special events like this? Would you like to see more reports from such dinners on my site? Please leave a comment below.
Disclaimer
This was part of a sponsored trip with Visit Denmark. The sponsor had no influence on the content of this article. I received no monetary payment. The post contains an affiliate link to booking.com.
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