Luxury lockdown: cooking at home with two-Michelin-star chef Sidney Schutte
During the brutally strict lockdown, restaurants and even hotel restaurants are closed, so there’s only one thing to do: play restaurant at home. And we don’t mean cooking yourself. No, just order from your favorite places and let yourself be completely pampered for once. That way, you help yourself and the hospitality industry through these dark days. Today: Waldorf Astoria – cooking with Sidney.
A straightforward puzzle
A magnificent man in full regalia is standing at my door, carrying a large Waldorf Astoria bag. Inside are three shiny black boxes with gold interiors, filled with containers and piping bags, clearly labeled with their contents. One box per course, so this is going to be a straightforward puzzle. On top of the boxes is a booklet called ‘Cooking with Sidney’, the chef so famous he doesn’t need a surname.
Two-Michelin-star chef
He once cooked for three-Michelin-star restaurant De Librije and two-Michelin-star restaurant Amber in Hong Kong, and launched De Librije’s culinary sister at the Waldorf, which has been known as restaurant Spectrum for several years now. It has also held two Michelin stars since 2015. So we couldn’t wish for a better cooking teacher. The cooking lesson consists of three videos accessible via a QR code, in which the top chef clearly explains how each dish is assembled. Everything is also written out clearly, in case the video and the wine go by too quickly.
Scallop
We start with a scallop. The container holds a decidedly adult amount of scallops, which need to be lightly seared with codium (a type of seaweed with a truffle flavor) and shallots. I immediately go wrong by using far too much olive oil and am promptly reprimanded by chefs who see me fumbling on social media. Searing is not deep-frying, I note like a diligent schoolgirl. On the supplied shell, I build the dish with a Jerusalem artichoke salad, tapioca crackers and crispy fried kale. The result is a combination of soft and crunchy, with a refined interplay of flavors. Ta-daa! Kale and truffle. I can’t believe I never thought of that myself. Proud and full of confidence, I open the second box.
Pigeon jus
Inside are two pigeon breasts that I have to fry on wafer-thin slices of sourdough bread. They can finish cooking in a preheated oven, but since I don’t have an oven, I let them cook in a covered pan. Cooking is improvisation, even at star level. I also fry the Brussels sprouts with shallots and cured pork belly. This forms the familiar bed on which the pigeon breast rests, covered with crispy Brussels sprout leaves and a few dots of macadamia-yuzu cream from a piping bag. I say ‘pigeon jus’ incantatorily as I quasi-casually drizzle this warmed sauce over the main course. The flavors and textures are truly brilliant.
Chocolate Christmas tree
The dessert is an artistic construction kit: a chocolate bonbon that must be stuck to the plate with a dab of pistachio cream as the base of the Christmas tree, topped with a tower of green stars made from pistachio and white chocolate in various sizes. The first star breaks immediately in my construction-worker hands, so I have to cheat a little. I place a chocolate star on the tree and use tweezers to glue colorful mini Christmas baubles into it. Operation becomes culinary. Finally, I make powdered sugar snow. Without a sieve, it turns into an avalanche, but the result looks incredible. I’m ready for the graduation ceremony.
Indelible impression
And? What’s the verdict? The beautifully packaged boxes are true gifts. Thanks to the clear instructions and excellent preparation, making the dishes is a joy. All three look exceptionally special, and the flavors are incredible. Cooking lesson is a grand term, because the Spectrum team did most of the work, but it’s fun to experience how these kinds of dishes are constructed and to see that you can conjure up a star-worthy dinner in a simple amateur kitchen. The three-course menu costs just 70 euros per person, which is ridiculously little, because the packaging alone must cost a fortune and the portions are generous. If you want to make an indelible impression on your loved one or critical aunt around the holidays, this is the secret recipe. ‘Cooking with Sidney’ can be ordered via www.luxuryathome.amsterdam. Do it, because you won’t regret it.
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