Cuisine on the waves, and an Italian aperitivo
Stepping aboard a cruise liner, Aperol Spritz and events, dear boy, events
Stepping onboard the Star Legend cruise yacht in London earlier this month with a chatty group of fellow Guild of Food Writers, I wondered what was in store. What I found was a gold-coloured, double-helix staircase, brightly lit corridors decanting us to different parts of the vessel, and a smiley, attentive crew. I realised that I had entered a parallel universe, one of glitz, Michelin-starred food, cocktails bars open far early than mine at home and lots of choice, but with that conscientious crew helping minimise anxiety for any relaxing holidaymaker, by thoughtful guidance and gentle suggestion.
I headed to Tower Millenium Pier in the iconic London Bridge and the imposing Tower of London for a lunch set as part of a campaign by US-based Windstar Cruises to supercharge the number of Brits booking a cruise on one of their six yachts and sailing yachts.
Australia ranks second to the US for paying customers, with the UK taking third spot.
So, will the British be tempted by the food offering from Windstar? However, smaller lines such as Windstar offer a more nuanced approach with a luxury offer, which includes working closely with the James Beard Foundation, and award-winning chefs to create menus catering for various restaurants available to holidaymakers. Onshore market tours are offered by chefs, and menus often reflect local cuisines.
Restaurants onboard the Star Legend include Amphora, the main dining room on the vessel, which is generally open for dinner only, while Cuardro 44 by Anthony Sasso riffs on Spanish cuisine. Sasso is a veteran of the Michelin-starred restaurant Casa Mono in New York City and a James Beard award winner.
Examples of dishes offered include tapas such as Pulpo Gallego (charred Portuguese octopus, sweet and sour Yukon gold potatoes, pimentón pickled celery and piparras small thin sweet and sour pickled medium-hot chilli peppers from Navarra, northern Spain), and Paella Croquetas (seafood rice balls, nori panko crust and chorizo aioli). Options for the larger Platos Grandos included Port Belly from Spain's Extremadura region (with grilled leeks and pearl onions, jamón bacon bits, and a citrus jus) and a cod from the Basque Country (olive oil poached bacalao, pil pil salsa, confit potatoes, artichoke hearts, manilla clams).
My lunch choices in the Amphora restaurant:
Chef Anthony's Sasso; Pulpo Gallego (charred Portuguese octopus, sweet and sour Yukon gold potatoes, pimentón pickled celery and piparras small thin sweet and sour pickled medium-hot chilli peppers from Navarra, northern Spain).
Chef Irene Li of Mei Mei and Prepshift (Boston, USA): Coconut Dashi Clam Chowder with kombu and fresh ginger).
Chef Jennifer Jasinki of Rioja, Bistro Vendome, Stoic & Genuine, and Utlreia (Denver, USA): Pan-seared scallops, Thai green curry sauce, Asian mango slaw).
Lemon Cheesecake with macerated strawberries (this vegan dish was made with dates, lemon juice and cashew nuts).
Wines
Domaine Lebur Pouilly-Fumé, from the Loire Valley, France – fresh citrus and smoky undertones.
Oberon Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley, California, USA – rich, deep, silky with more than a hint of forest fruits.
Feeding over 400 passengers and crew three main meals daily across several restaurants, cafes, bars and room service is an incredible feat of logistics cost management and having a deep knowledge of how people choose what to eat when on board a cruise liner.
Star Legend has two sisters vessels in the fleet, Star Breeze and Star Pride Work. They were 'stretched' in 2020 by chopping them in half and adding an extra 25 metres in the mid-section to offer 50 additional suites bringing the capacity of each ship to 312 passengers, known as pax in the industry. (Watch a short video about the process here.)
Capacity on each vessel will be raised to carry 312 passengers with an additional 50 suites.
After lunch and tour, the vessel set course for the Norwegian fjords. While cruising holidays is not for everyone, they offer a unique way of seeing the world. Photos of vast liners dominating skylines in destinations such as Venice, Italy; Amsterdam, the Netherlands; and St Maarten in the Caribbean Sea have created many local issues, including distorting skylines and local economies, resulting in bad press for the industry.
For me, I would like to travel on a cruise liner, perhaps as a lecturer/ chef. Taking a golden staircase to a Michelin-starred restaurant after an early morning visit to a farmers' market, followed by an onboard swim before relaxing with the latest Maggie O'Farrell book, before a talk about Amalfi lemons does sound rather fun.
I visited Star Legend as a guest of Windstar Cruises.
www.windstarcruises.com
Aperol Spritz in a certain ratio
Making the perfect Aperol Spritz cocktail has many similiarities with baking. They can both be distilled to simple mathematical formula, or ratios. Indeed, on my cookbook shelves, I have book called ‘Ratio’, by the American author Michael Ruhlman who aims to unchain home cooks from recipes and using the kitchen basis of water, flour, butter and oils, milk and cream, and eggs can be simplified. As The Culinary Pro notes, ‘examples of ratios by weight include a roux (equal parts fat and flour) or a bread dough (flour and water), by volume they include a simple syrup (equal parts water and sugar) or a rice pilaf (2 parts liquid to 1 part rice), or by count when preparing a hollandaise sauce (6 egg yolks for every 1 lb. of butter)’.
Aperol Spritz offers an aromatic citrusy taste with bittersweet orange flavour with herbal and woody notes coming from a well balanced the Aperol and a subtle blush of sweet floral notes, and delicate bubbles of the Prosecco.
So here’s a popular ratio for a glass of the iconic Italian aperitivo Aperol Spritz.
3 parts Prosecco: 2 parts Aperol: 1 part soda water.
75ml of Prosecco
50ml of Aperol
25ml of soda (sparkling water)
Slice of orange
Fill a large wine glass with ice.
Add 75ml of Prosecco.
Add 50ml Aperol.
Top up with 25ml of soda.
Garnish with a slice of orange.
Enjoy your drink with some crositini (small slices of toasted bread, topped with tapanade, cured meats or soft cheese; bread sticks; polpette, Italian style-miniature meatballs, or a charcuterie board of cheese, prosciutto, figs and dips.
BRUCE & THE LEMON GROVE’S EVENTS DIARY
Hosting & Cooking on the Demonstration Stage at:
TONBRIDGE FOOD FESTIVAL & FARMERS’ MARKETS
Saturday 2nd & Sunday 3rd September. 11am - 6pm.
Tonbridge Racecourse Sportsground.
A celebration of local, national and international street food with stalls selling delicious foods from places such as India, Venezuela, Jamaica and of course, Kent, England. I’ll be on stage the whole time, chatting to chefs, stallholders, producers and creators and cooking various dishes and offering tasting samples.
Click HERE for more tasty information.
Tonbridge Farmers Market (every second Sunday of the month, 9.30 - 1.30)
Next market in Tonbridge, Kent is on Sunday September 10.
Aylesford Farmers Market (every third Sunday of the month, 9.30 - 1.30)
Next market in Aylesford, Kent is on Sunday September 17.
I'll be sharing recipe ideas using food from the farmers market and interviewing many great local growers and producers making wine, bread, jams, marmalade, and much more. Follow Tonbridge Farmers Market for updates.
CREATIVE WRITING INSPIRED BY NATURE
Tunbridge Wells, Kent. September 7 & 14 . 10.30am - 12.30am.
In this course you will learn how to write about nature, food, wildlife, plants and harness the magic of the changing seasons. Everything will start with observations, discussions and how to translate your thoughts into a compelling piece of writing. Click this link for more information and to book your place.
WORLD CHARCUTERIE AWARDS & SPECIALTY FINE FOOD FAIR
Olympia, London. September 11 & 12
I‘ll be manning the stand for the World Charcuterie Awards at the Specialty Fine Food Fair. Come and say hello and get some samples of prosciutto, salami or venison bresaola. Event details, here. Click World Charcuterie Awards for more information.
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Bruce McMichael
Writer, Podcaster, Educator
Website: www.thelemongrove.net
Twitter/X: @lemonbites
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