Hello all,
The sky is blue, the sun is bright, people are wearing shorts and T-shirts. I believe those days are rare in northern Germany.
It was the perfect setting for the launch of the brand new super yacht Excellence V.
Enjoy the video:
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All posts for the month May, 2012
Dear friends and followers,
the last few days have been pretty busy for us. Which I mean our awesome crew of 14 and captain. Excellence V is about to get into the Weser River near Bremen, Germany!!! It has been a long and anticipated wait. I guess it’s like delivering a baby, but when the girl is out, it’s just beautiful and overwhelming. There will still be a few days until we can really call her ours, so I’m just teasing you with some pictures of the almost finished galley.
First I want to thank my boss, allowing me to give some  input in the galley design. Also I would like to thank the team of Abeking & Rasmussen and Rodiek for a great job installing all this professional equipment. But let’s not praise to high yet, there are still a few scratches đ
The guys of Abeking & Rasmussen and Rodiek
View from my station
The heat lamps got changed, now I have extra cupboard space!
Don’t worry, it will be polished and set up for cooking soon!
Those huge windows… I’ll be able to see the bottom of the ocean, and the beach clubs in St. Tropez!
As you can tell, I’m super exited. Soon I’ll be filling my fridges and dry stores, making stocks, pastries, ice cream, sorbets etc etc. And great plated dishes of course. Stay tuned!
The chief stewardess calls me over the radio: “Do you have more mini BLT’s?” This is not the first time I’ve heard this question after serving those delicious canapĂ©s. “Of course we made some extra!”, I’m replying. “Ready to go.”
Before dinner we always serve a selection of hors d’oeuvres to our guests. While they are gathering before dinner, champagne is poured and cocktails are mixed. Â My sous chef and I come up with lots of fancy ideas, using foie gras, caviar, smoked salmon etc. But sometimes it’s nice to surprise the guests with something simple. Who doesn’t like a BLT?
It’s important that canapĂ©s can be eaten easily. Nobody gets embarrassed by biting big chunks and the expensive carpet stays clean as well. This is a perfect example of an one bite dish. It has crunch, creaminess and uncomplicated flavors. I’m using a Japanese mayonnaise, called Kewpie to fill the tomatoes. Kewpie is made with rice vinegar instead of distilled vinegar and has a smooth, creamy texture. You can find it in most Asia supermarkets.
Ingredients:
- 24 medium Cherry Tomatoes, rinsed
- 4 slices Applewood Smoked Bacon, thick cut
- 3 slices Sandwich bread, white
- 40 grams Unsalted Butter, melted
- 1 Heart of Romaine Lettuce, washed and tapped dry
- Kewpie Mayonnaise
Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350Âș F / 180Âș C
Cut off the top of the cherry tomatoes, just enough to be able to scoop out the seeds and membrane. If the tomatoes have an uneven bottom, trim slightly to have them stand even. Be careful not to cut off to much. With a melon ball scooper (parisienne spoon), remove the seeds and the membrane. Turn the tomatoes upside down on paper towels to drain the juices.
Place the bacon on a sheet pan with some baking paper. Bake in the oven until most of the fat has rendered. Place on paper towels to absorb the fat. Cut in strips small enough to place in the tomatoes later. Return in the oven until the bacon turns crisp. Set aside.
Cut the sandwich bread in rectangle crĂŽutons, small enough to place in the tomatoes later. Toss with the melted butter and toast in the oven until crisp. Set aside.
Trim the heart of lettuce leafs into small stripes.
When all the mise en place is ready, pipe some of the Kewpie in the tomatoes. Fill with the bacon, crĂŽuton and lettuce leafs. Serve immediately.
Makes 24 mini BLT’s
First I want to thank you all for the warm welcome and amicable comments. It’s amazing how one can connect online nowadays and have the possibilities to share a passion.
Well, my brand spanking new galley (kitchen for the non sailors here :)) still has to go trough the final inspection in a couple of weeks. Before that happens , I’m not permitted to install any appliances, tools or systems to store food. Fortunately this gives me more time to source all kinds of gadgets and speciality food we’ll be playing around with later.
A couple of weeks ago I did receive my major delivery from Super Yacht Spares. You know that in the yachting industry not many Christmases are spend at home. Yet receiving lots of gifts. But when those palettes arrived, I was definitely jumping from excitement like a little boy on the merry day.
Shipment has arrived, 2 of 3 palettes
The Abeking & Rasmussen shipyard in Bremen, Germany provided us with plenty of room to store our inventory before we can move it to the yacht. It’s amazing how many ladles, pots, trays, sieves etc. are needed until you can say a professional equipped galley is complete. Don’t get me wrong, I can still cook great food in a tiny apartment kitchen. But when you have the option, you get everything you want, right? Our clientele is used to dine in superbe and gastronomic restaurants all over the world. I believe we have to deliver to that standard, even exceed them. And to do that I need all the equipment that helps me to bring out the best possible quality of the food served.
I’m especially exited about this huge sous vide machine and immersion circulator. On the old Excellence III I was trying to seal food with a house hold food saver. It works, but it can be very frustrating. And to hold a water bath at an exact temperature over a long period of time on a stove top is almost impossible. For all who don’t know sous vide cooking, it’s a technique invented from the convenience food industry in the mid 60’s. Food is gently poached in a sealed plastic bag under vacuum to infuse more flavors or / and preserve all of its juices and texture.
Proper size sous vide machine
Immersion circulator
Very proud I am about this amazing Swiss product, the Pacojet. It’s being used in the top restaurants of the world. I can best describe the Pacojet as a high tech ice cream machine. Likewise it makes great mousses, sauces and fillings. Since the last 4 years I’ve been making all ice cream and sorbets myself, thanks to the easy process of this machine. You simply make a recipe of choice, freeze it in a beaker for 24 hours and then spin it trough the pacojet. The result is a silky, smooth and airy texture.
Pacojet â€
Oh oh, I’m getting a bit to technical now. As you can see, I can’t wait to really start cooking đ I’ll post some of older recipes soon, which can be made at home without fancy equipment!
By the way, batterie de cuisine is the professional French term for all non stationary kitchen tools.
Thanks for looking and see you soon.
Remo
Luxury Yacht Cuisine 