Those who follow us know, last June 15th we had the honor and pleasure of creating a four-handed dinner.
The event was held at the Borgia restaurant in Milan and the creators and executors of the dishes on the menu were Chef Giacomo Lovato - together with his team - and our Marcello .
"For every dish, its dessert" : this is the title of our evening.
A menu designed as a conversation between cooking and pastry making ; a question-and-response type dialogue to tell diners how it is possible to trespass and travel in a zig-zag between the savory and sweet flavours , rather than sailing placidly in a straight line.
Here's the menu:
Welcome to the kitchen
Giacomo Lovato
Amberjack sashimi, watercress ceviche, toasted sesame, radishes in raspberry vinegar and nasturtium
Giacomo Lovato
with radish and raspberry sorbet
Marcello Rapisardi
Sea herb risotto, chervil emulsion
and burnt lemon
Giacomo Lovato
with lemon sponge, herb pesto and herb powder
Marcello Rapisardi
Trumpet courgette in escabeche, yogurt sauce and mint
and courgette flowers
Giacomo Lovato
Red spotted sirloin, goat cheese cream, acidulous sauce, marinated camone tomato and chard
Giacomo Lovato
with cocoa bean wafer
Marcello Rapisardi
Gorgonzola, saba and black cherry ice cream
Marcello Rapisardi
Mango and coconut ceviche
Marcello Rapisardi
Hazelnut, lemon and dandelion
Marcello Rapisardi
Small bakery
Marcello Rapisardi
Why do you have a four-handed dinner?
There are various reasons for creating this type of collaboration which - when they are well structured - go far beyond the mere exercise of culinary style.
First of all, these ideas usually arise because there is affinity between the chefs: they have worked together before, they know each other, they respect each other and they believe that it can be mutually constructive to work together for a particular reason.
Then there is the idea , which becomes the theme of the evening : an ingredient, the interpretation of a territory, the expression of a season... imagination helps the bold and -
fortunately - neither one nor the other is usually in short supply in the kitchen.
From the general idea, a tasting menu is built in which the dishes signed by the two chefs alternate; then the recipes and the entire planning and logistics part are developed (especially if you have to travel).
Last, but not least, the dishes on the menu are explained to the kitchen and dining room staff . The former will be physically involved in the preparations, but the latter will have the delicate and fundamental task of making the customer perceive and understand the essence of all the work . Still on the dining room side, the sommelier will take care of devising ad hoc combinations and the maitre d' and his team will take care - among other things - of defining the mise en place (i.e. which cutlery to place alongside each dish). It seems silly, but it is essential to have a correct mise en place .
We are very proud to have participated in this event and, so as not to appear biased, we invite you to read this article by Davide Bertellini on Passione Gour met to get other opinions on the matter.