Have you ever wanted to dine at some of the finest hotels around the world but it’s a bit out of budget?
Now, you can bring some five-star glamour into your kitchen with these exquisite recipes from top chefs at the Dorchester Collection.
From a panzanella that’s perfect for long summer evenings straight out of the kitchens of The Beverly Hills Hotel, to an indulgent brown butter risotto with red prawn tartare from the Hotel Principe di Savoia in Italy, each dish offers a taste of opulence without leaving home.
Californian panzanella with white balsamic vinaigrette
Curated by Ashley James, culinary director at The Beverly Hills Hotel, this Californian panzanella is the perfect light dish for those long summer evenings. Fresh and delicious, the salad is packed full of flavour, from the medley of fruit and vegetables to the creaminess of the burrata and crunchiness of the focaccia croutons.
Recipe by: Ashley James, culinary director at The Beverly Hills Hotel
Serves: 4
Ingredients:
For the salad:
4 pieces of 50g Burrata cheese
30g shaved ricotta salata
80g wild rocket
80g watermelon, cut into 1.5cm cubes
80g cantaloupe melon, cut into 1.5cm cubes
80g heirloom cherry tomatoes, cut into halves
60g Persian baby cucumbers, cut into 20mm slices
40g pickled red onions
80g Focaccia bread, cut into 1.5cm cubes
50ml extra virgin olive oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
For the vinaigrette:
50ml Californian extra virgin olive oil
50ml grape seed oil
40ml white balsamic vinegar
1 tsp Dijon mustard
10g finely chopped shallots
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Method:
For the croutons:
- Preheat an oven to 175C.
- In a bowl, place the croutons, season well with salt and freshly ground black pepper, add the olive oil, and gently toss until all of the bread is coated in oil.
- Place the croutons on a parchment-lined baking sheet in the oven for about 10-12 minutes until golden brown and crunchy.
For the vinaigrette:
- In a bowl, add the white balsamic vinegar, followed by salt and pepper.
- Add the Dijon mustard and chopped shallots.
- Whisk in the two oils until a light emulsification is obtained.
For the salad:
- In a large bowl, add the rocket, tomatoes, cucumber, melons, croutons, salt, and pepper to taste, followed by the vinaigrette.
- Lightly toss the salad, being cautious not to bruise the ingredients.
- Divide the salad between 4 serving plates or bowls of your choice.
- Place the burrata cheese in the center of the plate on top of the salad.
- Sprinkle some of the ricotta salata around the salad and garnish with the pickled red onion.
- Season the burrata cheese with a little salt and freshly ground black pepper, followed by a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil.
Salmon, wilted spinach, orange-carrot emulsion with smoked trout roe
For a dish that is guaranteed to impress even the toughest of critics at a dinner party this summer, this recipe by Hotel Bel-Air’s culinary director, Joe Garcia, is an excellent choice. The salmon is a healthy but delicious option, and its flavours of both California and the Mediterranean make this perfect for the spring and summer season.
Recipe by: Joe Garcia, culinary director at Hotel Bel-Air
Serves: 2
Ingredients:
For the salmon:
2 each, 6oz skinless fillets of salmon
For the sauce:
250g fresh carrot juice (pulp-free)
250g fresh orange juice (pulp-free)
75g high-quality butter (cut into small cubes)
15g Sherry vinegar
Yuzu or lime juice to taste
35g smoked trout roe
For the spinach:
20g clarified butter
500g baby spinach leaves
Method:
For the sauce:
- In a sauce pot, combine the orange and carrot juice and reduce rapidly by two-thirds. Use caution with an open flame stove to prevent caramelization and burning on the sides of the pot.
- Once reduced, whisk in the butter slowly to create an emulsion, ensuring the sauce doesn’t “break.”
- Season with Sherry vinegar, yuzu or lime juice, and salt to taste. Set aside in a warm place, covered with a lid or plastic wrap.
For the spinach:
- Melt the clarified butter in a pan over medium heat. Add the spinach and quickly toss to wilt.
- Once wilted, drain the spinach in a colander and allow to come to room temperature.
- When cool enough to touch, gently wring the spinach through a clean kitchen towel to remove excess water.
- Place the spinach on a cutting board and chop into smaller pieces. Reserve until ready to use.
For the salmon:
- Pat the salmon dry with a paper towel and season evenly with salt.
- Add cooking oil to a pan, enough to barely cover the bottom, and heat to medium.
- Add the salmon to the pan and gently baste with hot oil using a spoon. Place the pan in a 350F oven.
- After about 3 minutes, baste the salmon again. Continue cooking in the oven for another 3 minutes or until the desired doneness is reached.
- Cooking to medium is recommended for a juicy texture.
To serve:
- Reheat the spinach in a pan with a small amount of clarified butter. Adjust seasoning as needed and place in the center of a hot bowl.
- Add the smoked trout roe to the warm sauce and spoon around the spinach in the bowl.
- Once the salmon reaches the preferred temperature, remove from the oven and place on a paper towel to dab off excess fat.
- Place the salmon on top of the spinach and serve immediately. Enjoy!
Courgette fraîcheur
Nicola Canuti, executive chef at Hotel Byblos, will bring the light and fresh tastes of the Mediterranean to your kitchen this summer. Perfect as an accompaniment to a larger spread, or delicious on its own, this cucumber salad is a simple yet effective dish that is sure to be a crowd-pleaser.
Recipe by: Nicola Canuta, executive chef at Hotel Byblos
Ingredients:
Cucumber
Fresh peas
Taggiasche olives
Olive oil
Barolo red wine vinegar
Tzatziki (prepared traditionally or store-bought)
Dill
Fennel
Mint
Sorrel
Pea shoots
Coriander
Pickled onions
Buckwheat bread
Method:
- Prepare the tzatziki following a traditional recipe or use store-bought for convenience. Spread it across the bottom of your plate.
- In a separate bowl, combine sliced cucumbers, fresh peas, sliced Taggiasche olives, olive oil, and Barolo red wine vinegar. Mix well.
- Add the cucumber mixture on top of the tzatziki.
- Garnish with a mixture of herbs (dill, fennel, mint, sorrel, pea shoots, and coriander), pickled onions, and additional olives.
- Serve with a crispy buckwheat bread loaf.
Mediterranean vegetables with ‘half-salted’ pork shank
Curated by Christophe Cussac, executive chef at Hotel Metropole Monte-Carlo’s two-Michelin-starred Les Ambassadeurs by Christophe Cussac, these stuffed Mediterranean vegetables will be a colourful and delicious addition to a summer dinner table.
Recipe by: Christophe Cussac, executive chef at Hotel Metropole Monte-Carlo’s Les Ambassadeurs
Serves: 6
Ingredients:
For the stuffing:
100g half-salted pork shank (cooked)
2 carrots
2 large white onions
2 red peppers
2 chards
2 cloves of garlic
2 zucchini
1 bunch of basil
10g rice
1 egg
100g parmesan cheese
Olive oil
100g veal juice
For the vegetables:
6 zucchini
6 onions
6 tomatoes
Variety of salad leaves
Sherry dressing
1 strand of chervil
1 sprig of chives
1 strand of coriander
1 strand of parsley
1 strand of dill
Method:
For the stuffing:
- Trim the carrots, chard whites, peppers, and zucchini into fine brunoise.
- Chop the onion, garlic, chard greens, and basil.
- Sweat the onion and garlic in olive oil in a saucepan.
- Add the brunoised vegetables to the saucepan.
- Once cooked, pour in the veal juice and add the parmesan, egg, and shredded pork shank. Cook until the ingredients are bonded together.
- Set aside to cool.
For the vegetables:
- Cut the vegetables at three-quarters of their height and hollow them out.
- Hollow out the cap of the zucchini.
- Cook the onions and zucchini for about 15 minutes.
- Stuff all the vegetables with the prepared stuffing.
- Attach the onion caps with wooden picks.
- Stuff the tomatoes, zucchini, and onions.
- Bake in the oven at 180°C for about 20 minutes, adjusting time based on the size of the vegetables.
- Serve the stuffed vegetables with a variety of salad leaves dressed with sherry dressing, and garnish with chervil, chives, coriander, parsley, and dill.
Brown butter risotto with lemon and red prawn tartare
For a taste of Italy this summer, try this recipe by Matteo Gabrielli, executive chef at Hotel Principe di Savoia’s Acanto Restaurant. A rich brown butter risotto paired with the freshness of lemon and lightness of the red prawn tartare makes this dish perfect for those cooler summer evenings.
Recipe by: Matteo Gabrielli, chef at Hotel Principe di Savoia’s Acanto Restaurant
Serves: 2
Ingredients:
100g carnaroli rice
70g fresh butter
20g white wine
10g chives
500ml chicken broth
1 lemon
10 small red prawns
Chervil leaves
Method:
- Prepare the brown butter: Melt the butter over high heat in a small saucepan. When the butter is melted, lower the heat and continue cooking until it turns light brown.
- Toast the rice: Put the rice with a little oil in another pan and toast the rice over a high flame.
- Cook the risotto: Deglaze the rice with white wine. Continue cooking for 20 minutes, adding the chicken broth a little at a time and stirring continuously.
- Finish the risotto: Once cooked, mix the risotto with finely chopped chives and grated lemon zest. Stir vigorously to obtain a creamy consistency.
- Prepare the prawn tartare: Clean the red prawns by removing the head and outer carapace. Cut the prawns into 3 parts along the length to obtain thin slices. Season with salt, oil, and pepper.
- Plate the dish: Serve the risotto on a flat plate. Arrange the prawn slices on top of the risotto. Garnish with chervil leaves.
Fish tartare
Curated for the menu of MarBella’s brand-new Mediterranean restaurant, Kuzina, this fish tartare is a fresh and zesty dish that is excellent as a starter at a dinner party this summer, or perfect as a lighter choice for a main dish. The simple ingredients used in this recipe allow the sea bream to shine, whilst also making this dish accessible and easy to prepare.
Recipe from: MarBella
Ingredients:
500g sea bream fillet
20g ginger
60ml lime juice
Lime zest
10g fresh chili
20g salt
10g white pepper
10g fresh coriander
Method:
- Prepare the fish: Cut the sea bream fillet into cubes.
- Marinate: In a bowl, combine the fish cubes with ginger, lime juice, lime zest, fresh chili, salt, white pepper, and fresh coriander. Mix well to ensure all the ingredients are evenly distributed.
- Assemble and serve: Assemble the marinated fish in a round mold. Serve immediately.