Page 78 - Taste_and_Travel_International

DINING LUXEMBOURG WITH LOVE

of green in the summer afternoon sun. The 30-year-old kitchen
has been modernized but she says the quality of the food is the
same as in her parents’ time.
Winning the Bocuse d’Or — the equivalent of an Olympic gold
medal in the world of gastronomy — in 1989, and a Michelin star in
1987 were the two the high points of her career.
“I made the lamb and the lamb made me,” she laughs, referring
to the Lamb Bocuse D’Or, the centrepiece of the award-winning
menu she still serves in this restaurant.
As guests sit down to dinner, sommelier Jonathan Martinez
LUXEMBOURG
helps them choose from the 800 wines in stock in the cellar. He
pours a glass of 2015 Pinot Noir Wellestein Foulschette from the
estate of Léa’s friends Aounk and Mathis Bastian. With its deep
ruby red colour and fruity taste, it’s a perfect partner for the
))%Ũ rosemary-spiced, potato-encrusted Lamb Bocuse D’Or.
it LÉA LINSTER The next day, intrigued by the fact that so much of
Luxembourg’s food and wine come from the bounty of the land, I
make my way to Remich, a tiny village in the Moselle River valley,
MAKES APPROX. 24 CAKES
to see the winery that produced the Pinot Noir.
Léa Linster’s Anouk Bastian greets me at the door of her wine tasting centre.
Madeleines “Moien,” (hello) she says in her native Luxembourgish. The tall,
blonde, multi-lingual one-time barrister is the chatelaine of
Domain Mathis Bastian, the wine estate that has been in her
ü Ũ* % -Ũ" ,Ũ ' & #( -Ũ#(Ũ!# .Ũ )2 -Ũ ),Ũ" ,Ũ
family’s hands for five generations. As elegant and effervescent as
/-.)' ,-VŨ /.Ũ." 3Ũ , Ũ -.Ũ . (Ũ." Ũ 3Ũ." 3Ũ , Ũ a crémant, Luxembourg’s version of champagne, she takes me
' UŨ & #( Ũ')/& -Ũ (Ũ Ũ )/!".Ũ ,)'Ũ"#!"Ũ ( Ũ through the lush green vineyard, explaining that she and her
%#. " (Ũ-.), -VŨ ( Ũ &-)Ũ ,)'Ũ Ũ ."Ũ ( Ũ 3)( Ũ father Mathis, who run the operation, believe in cultivating grapes
( Ũ #( (Ũ " -.UŨ )/Ũ1#&&Ũ( Ũ.)Ũ-. ,.Ũ." Ũ, #* Ũ)( Ũ with minimal intervention and perfectly in harmony with nature.
She holds up a cluster of grapes, glowing like translucent green
3Ũ#(Ũ 0 ( U
jewels on the vine, explaining that between the rows of vines they
plant a variety of herbs including white and red clover, thyme and
Butter 200 g Finely Ground Softened Butter sage to replenish the earth with minerals and nourish the grapes.
Almonds 100 g to grease the
Icing Sugar moulds This natural fertilizer, the brilliant Mediterranean-type sunshine,
250 g, sifted All-Purpose moderately warm summer temperatures and chalky, clayey
Flour 75 g, sifted
Egg Whites 8 limestone soil combine to produce ideal conditions for high quality
grapes.
1 BROWN the butter in a small pan on medium heat until Later, we visit the wine-tasting centre of the Domaine, a
it has a light hazelnut fragrance, then remove the pan mansion with a pale peach and blue exterior. A glass sculpture in
from heat and immediately pour the butter through a the shape of an orange with delicately etched segments
fine sieve into a bowl. Allow to cool. dominates the tasting room. Reflecting the natural light that pours
in like liquid gold, it creates a delicately luminous backdrop for the
2 BEAT the icing sugar lightly with the egg whites until “ceremony” of wine tasting.
smooth. Mix the ground almonds and flour, then add Anouk pours several wines for me to taste, and chats about her
them to the sugar and egg white mixture. Pour in the brief foray into law before joining her family business. “I came
warm browned butter and mix well. Let the batter sit back to my beloved wine region nearly 20 years ago,” she says,
overnight in the refrigerator covered with a plastic wrap. adding that this was her passion and true calling.

3 TO complete, preheat the oven to 200°C. As I wave “addi” (goodbye) and leave for my next Luxembourg
adventure — a gourmet lunch and river cruise on the Moselle river
4 BUTTER the madeleine moulds. Fill each one with that flows through the heart of the wine region — I reflect on the
nearly one tablespoon of batter until it is ¾ full. Bake for recipe for Luxembourg’s gastronomic excellence.
8-10 minutes until golden brown. Remove from the oven, It’s a blend of fresh, locally sourced ingredients, the care and
cool for a minute, and remove from the mould while still nurture of plants and animals, and the creativity, artistry and
hot. Cool on a rack.
passion of people like Léa Linster and Anouk Bastien.
5 SERVE as a dessert or coffee time treat. Together, they represent the epitome of gracious living — the
historical legacy of the country.

76 TASTE;5TRAVEL INTERNATIONAL5 JANUARY–MARCH 2018