The creative juices have been flowing in the kitchens at Mövenpick Hotels & Resorts where the hospitality firm’s director of food and beverage for Europe has achieved a gastronomic feat – the reinvention of traditional Swiss dishes.
Thomas Hollenstein has married tradition with the culinary innovation for which Mövenpick is famous, taking Swiss recipes that reflect the brand’s heritage and reimagining them to appeal to the modern palates – local cuisine with global appeal.
The result is a new array of ‘Signature Dishes’ that this month will become a permanent fixture on restaurant and in-room dining menus at every Mövenpick hotel and resort globally.
Bringing local Swiss flavors with a unique twist, the new dishes range from beef tartare with toasted brioche to a light carrot cake that is gluten free.
“We made the recipes for these dishes lighter and fresher, but at the same time, retained the ingredients and flavors that have made them so popular for decades,” he said.
The four signature dishes are:
Beef tartare: The 2017 take on this dish offers mild, medium or ‘fiery’ options and introduces brioche toast and butter.
Riz Casimir: Curry and tropical fruit flavors suggest an exotic origin, yet Riz Casimir was first invented in the Mövenpick kitchen by the company’s founder, the legendary Ueli Prager, and has been served in its restaurants since 1952. The latest version complements delicate veal slices with a mild curry sauce and Jasmine rice.
Zürich-style veal: This quintessential Swiss dish has been updated to combine veal with a cream and mushroom sauce, served with a traditional crispy rösti.
Carrot cake: A modern take on the traditional Swiss ‘Rüebeli Chueche,’ this contemporary gluten-free carrot cake is light to bite and comes topped with a smooth cream cheese frosting.
These new core classics will be featured on restaurant and in-room dining menus at all Mövenpick properties, but each hotel and resort will also be given the option to choose from additional Signature Dishes, selecting those that best suit the tastes of their specific restaurant guests.
Mövenpick’s other reinventions include Tomato Soup, Caesar Salad, Club Sandwich, Gruyère Burger, Rosti Bufala Mozzarella e Pomodoro, Wienerschnitzel, Black Angus Entrecôte Café de Paris and Mövenpick Birchermüseli.