Mediterranean chefs delight the guests of the legendary Hotel Excelsior in Dubrovnik
Last week the kitchen of Dubrovnik’s legendary Hotel Excelsior combined the flavours of Sicily, Mexico, France and southern Dalmatia for the guests from different parts of the world. This was made possible by Taste the Mediterranean, that organised two exclusive four hands dinners by renowned chefs at the restaurant Salin the second year in a row.
Last week the kitchen of Dubrovnik’s legendary Hotel Excelsior combined the flavours of Sicily, Mexico, France and southern Dalmatia for the guests from different parts of the world. This was made possible by Taste the Mediterranean, that organised two exclusive four hands dinners by renowned chefs at the restaurant Salin the second year in a row.
Lemon risotto and Adriatic sea bass
On Thursday, October 2, the first dinner was prepared by Carmelo Carnevale – chef of the restaurant Lizzie ‘s Cucina and the Caffè Amore in London and Mate Matić – executive chef of the restaurant Vapor in Dubrovnik’s Bellevue Hotel. Chef Carnevale, the president of ICC (the Italian Culinary Consortium) and ambassador of the Sicilian culture and cuisine, contributed to the menu with the dishes dedicated to his native Sicily. Octopus and smoked eggplant mousse with almonds and fresh ricotta cheese, umami risotto with lemon, gorgonzola and Etna Spumante (sparkling wine), as well as slow-cooked lamb chop with sweet and sour caponata and pistachio crumble – delighted the guests. Chef Matić received praise for his culinary creations: burrata and beetroot with blue crab, caviar and fish cracker, ikejime sea bass with cauliflower, olive oil foam on leccino puree, caviar, peas and Jerusalem artichoke juice. He also made the dessert – a reinterpretation of a cheese plate that consisted of baked cottage cheese and ricotta mousse, almond and honey espuma, dried fig gel and sesame crackers. The richness of the flavours of the dessert was rounded off by Tomić’s prošek (sweet wine) Petar Hectorovich. The dinner also included wines from Croatian wineries Peršurić, Saints Hills, Šain – Marelić, Cebalo and Crvik.
French cuisine with a touch of Mexico and the flavours of the Konavle region
The second dinner, on Friday, October 3, was prepared by Beatriz Gonzalez – chef and co-owner of the Parisian restaurants Coretta, Neva Cuisine and Taco Mesa, and hosted by Petar Obad – executive chef of the restaurants in the Hotel Excelsior. The creative Mexican chef highlighted the culinary inspiration of her native country in the very first bite of the dinner: tuna gordita glazed with guava and soy sauce. Then she enriched the lightly smoked eel with butternut squash, grapefruit and sesame seasoning, presenting a beautiful dish full of colours, while her main course – powerful veal sweetbreads glazed with tamarind was served with cocoa celery, watercress and veal jus with lemongrass. Chef Obad prepared the arancini with the onions from the region of Konavle, mushrooms and Škripavac cheese paper, the tortellini stuffed with beef heart and served with kale chips in a warm mint sauce, raspberries and a grape must (varenik). For the main fish dish he chose the octopus, serving a grilled tentacle with blue potato cream, orange and tapioca cracker. To end the dinner, chef Gonzalez started with a pre dessert called Trou normand, a light espuma with cold fruit, that cleaned the palates from the previous flavours. An elegant introduction to an even more sophisticated dessert: a cocoa symphony of roasted vanilla from Papantla, Mexican vanilla mousse, cocoa ice cream, fluffy chocolate biscuit and caramelized pecans. The taste of this impressive combination will stay for long in the memory of the guests. The dishes at the dinner were accompanied by wines from the wineries Peršurić, Karaman, Saints Hills, Korta Katarina, Crvik, Plenković and Tomić.
It matters where and with whom you share good food
Both dinners- each of them with its own style and authentic story – were an excellent example of how to prepare a sumptuous Mediterranean feast from the excellent local ingredients and wines, abundant in the Dubrovnik area. Performed by creative chefs, they pushed the boundaries of gastronomy. The host chefs – Mate Matić and Petar Obad – described the visit of Beatriz Gonzalez and Carmelo Carnevale as “a fantastic experience, a great collaboration and a valuable exchange of knowledge”. Chef Carnevale said: “Good food isn’t only just about the taste. It’s about where and with whom you eat it. I had a great moment, a wonderful occasion to share my passion for Sicily with a wonderful company in this amazing location. All this together made this successful event a truly special experience.”
Chef Gonzalez was also enthusiastic about the dinner at the Hotel Excelsior: “I am happy to have had the opportunity to discover the beautiful city of Dubrovnik and work in the kitchen with the Croatian team and Chef Petar. I also discovered the great Croatian wines and the other products that added an extraordinary dimension to our culinary experience. The elegant atmosphere of the hotel perfectly highlighted the authentic Mediterranean flavours, and the energy of our teams allowed us to offer a refined menu that enchanted our guests. I am convinced that this collaboration will continue to inspire our shared passion for the Mediterranean gastronomy.”
