Priyemsky’s Blog

Last Thursday I served, for the second time, my debut gastronomic set. The Novelty has been judged by the director of Slow Food Kiev chapter, press, some of our regular guests and friends. The biggest compliment for me was when I saw empty plates! Thank you! Each set is an enticing adventure for guests and chef alike. Creation of new flavors and dishes is an art in itself, an enthralling process, at times full of frustration, but joyous overall. Sometimes inspiration comes out of the blue. That’s exactly what happened, for example, with the starter from my first gastronomic set – couscous with pike caviar, served with sour cream and cucumber snow. One-day pike caviar was brought for degustation from a local farm. Same day I was serving couscous, a side dish intended for a completely different dish. When I looked at couscous I noticed how similar it is to caviar that I tasted just couple hours ago: similar in size, almost identical color, but so different in texture and consistency. A light bulb went on in my head: what if I combine them in one dish. I was so excited; I literally ran to the kitchen and started mixing caviar left overs after the degustation and couscous. I was very pleased after I took a spoon full of the mix – the saltiness and fishiness of the caviar was well balanced by the mild wheat flavor of couscous. The only problem- the mix lacked lightness and pizzazz. This issue was easily fixed by the sour cream and cucumber snow. Many guests were intrigued by the way the sauce was served and wanted to know how it was made. It’s rather easy to make it at home, but only if you know all of the steps of the process. Next week in my post, I’ll show you how to make the edible snow, so that everyone can impress their loved ones and friends. Stay tuned!

Many gourmets abroad already know what gastronomic sets are, constantly looking for and forward to them. For us, the post-Soviet people, the sets have not yet come into common use, being a mystery for many. What is a set? A set is an opportunity for a chef to escape from the routine of daily menu. It is the realization of his creative potential, opportunity to offer guests something new, interesting and, of course, memorably delicious. Basically, restaurant menus offer a variety of delicious dishes, for which guests repeatedly come back to the restaurant. But without an opportunity for updating the menu weekly, a chef can offer visitors to go on a gastronomic expedition and discover new flavors and combinations with the help of sets. Sets may be seasonal, when abundance of products gives inspiration. For example, in the set I am presenting tomorrow one of the ingredients is morels. This seasonal product can be found in markets for just two weeks a year. Morels for our restaurant are bought on a farm near Kiev, which provides unique freshness of mushrooms. And it is important not only to buy them in season, but also to preserve and then cook them properly. But that’s worth the effort. In addition, sets can be inspired by a specific topic. This approach is implemented by one of the most famous and prominent representatives of Heston Blumenthal molecular gastronomy. He calls his sets ‘feasts’. In his arsenal, there are sets on the following topics: the Victorian era, underwater world, the 1970s, the Titanic, as well as Heston’s favorite topic – tales. Here is a link to one of his feasts: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HmvvzzpC2pU. Continue to explore the culinary world, because there is a plenty of unknown and interesting stuff there! We will certainly help you. Every Thursday I introduce a gastronomic set, which is updated every two weeks. Seats are limited! Please, reserve tables for the next set, which will be presented on May 29. See you at Odessa!

With the spring warmth there comes the mushroom season. I open it at the “Odessa” restaurant with morels. Though these mushrooms look a bit eerily, gourmets appreciate their delicate flavor and unique aroma very much. Morel dishes occupy a special place in the European cuisine. These mushrooms are common in our country. Now mushroom pickers actively offer them to customers in the markets. There is a plenty of morel recipes. One can fry, prepare them for a delicious soup, or make mushroom sauce from them. At the "Odessa" restaurant, you will have a unique opportunity to try morels with veal roast beef and eggplants in a special tasting set, which we are going to present you in late May. Meanwhile, you can make a morel dish yourself. For example, you can prepare a ragout with morels and peas (http://www.saveur.com/article/Recipes/Ragout-of-Peas-and-Morels) or spaghetti with morels and asparagus (http://www.saveur.com/article/Recipes/Morel-and-Asparagus-Spaghetti). The combination of morels with asparagus is considered classic in the world of gastronomy. But remember: peeling morels is a specific pleasure! Mushrooms should be thoroughly washed from the sand and soil, the inside and outside of the caps carefully inspected and all snails and insects “kicked out”. Then leave morels in water for an hour, stirring them occasionally to make the remaining creatures disappear and the sand settle to the bottom. Repeat this procedure until there is no sediment at the bottom. After that it is necessary to boil mushrooms preferably two times (this broth will not be used!) for 20 minutes. And finally, our delicacy is ready-to-cook. Experiment with serving and tastes! Do not miss the season of morels – the first spring mushrooms! We look forward to seeing you at the “Odessa” restaurant!