I adore the spring. I wander neighbourhood markets, always slightly in awe, and am rewarded by a thousand shades of green before my eyes.
Fresh and delicate food and at night you can sleep peacefully and dream.
I also sleep and dream serenely.
Just last night, in a dream, a strange but colourful Easter egg appeared to me.
I awoke and felt that I had to cook something.
It always happens to me. That is how a new dish is born. It starts with an emotion, never the fruits of studying, doodling or sketching but rather an urgency or necessity.
I begin with no idea of what I will create, but I'm sure a dish will come out in the end. My creation will be final and complete - I don't try to fine-tune it, as any doubt can spoil it. You need to find courage in imperfection to protect a newborn creation. I leave the impossible task of perfecting it to the efforts of my successors.
In the fireplace burns a small fire. I would like to roast a small lamb over the embers of the fire, wrapped gently in rosemary, bay leaves, thyme and orange peel – I love the fragrant warmth against my face.
At the market I was fascinated by fresh peas full of infinite sweetness, delightful yet slightly bitter plump fava beans and wild asparagus harvested in the fields by beautiful ladies familiar with the land. I will cook it with garlic and oil in a pan.
Then a flashback: this is what my dream told me last night.
I remember seeing small chocolate eggs beside a small Easter dove (colombe), very sad because she hated the idea of becoming a superfluous sacrifice, an unwanted ending to a hearty meal.
So, I decided that after the lamb, I would make Colombe ice cream made from a mixture of eggs, sugar, milk and fresh cream. I crumbled the Colombe into small pieces, added them to the custard and poured the mixture into an ice cream maker to thicken.
I broke the chocolate eggs and slowly melted them using a Bain-Marie.
On the plate: ice cream, wild strawberries, crumbled meringue and a warm chocolate ribbon.
Spring is a dream.
The name Bernardo Buontalenti might not mean much to those outside of Florence, but it should. A prestigious Florentine architect and artist favoured by the Medici, he is also widely credited with inventing gelato. This frozen delight is now as synonymous with Italy as pizza and is deeply intertwined with Florence’s heritage. Take a tour of the city’s most celebrated gelaterias, curated by the expert concierge team at Hotel Savoy.
Maestro Salvatore Calabrese and Federico Pavan, Director of Mixology at Brown’s Hotel, discuss the creative process behind Happily Ever After, the Donovan Bar’s new fairytale-inspired cocktail menu, launching on 28th May.
After two decades of success with his innovative take on Japanese cuisine, international restaurateur Rainer Becker is bringing Zuma to Germany for the first time with a hotly anticipated summer pop-up at The Charles Hotel. Becker, who honed his skills at Michelin-starred restaurants in Germany before falling in love with Japanese food in Tokyo, returns to his native country 22 years after launching the first Zuma in London.
