H&S Chef Of The Month: Meet Chef Jan Hartwig From Germany
H&S Chef Of The Month
Chef Jan Hartwig
Nationality: German
ATELIER
Interview With H&S Magazine
Who Is Jan Hartwig?
“I am the Chef de Cuisine of the restaurant Atelier (3 Michelin stars, 19 Gault & Millau points, 10+ Gusto pans) at Hotel Bayerischer Hof in Munich since May 2014. Following my initial culinary training at Dannenfeld, Braunschweig, I passed through further essential career stages working under the tutelage of Christian Jürgens at Kastell, Wernberg-Köblitz and GästeHaus Erfort, Saarbrücken. Between 2007 and 2014 I worked at Aqua, at the Ritz-Carlton in Wolfsburg, together with Sven Elverfeld (3 Michelin stars and 19,5 Gault Millau points).”
Type Of Cuisine?
“I want to take the guest on a journey of experience that they can remember afterwards. A visit to my restaurant should remain in the memory. How often do you go out to eat and a few days later you can’t remember what you ate? I want to create dishes that stay in the mind and are understandable. I want to satisfy and serve a culinary intellect and prepare an impeccable product excellently. I also want to inspire the guest and make them happy. I am also very concerned about animal welfare, sustainability and the footprints I leave in the world with my work, both for the guest and for the environment.
The focus is on regional and seasonal products for my light and creative cuisine. Regionalism and sustainability are important to me in the selection of ingredients. On the proven foundation of haute cuisine, I conjure contemporary and modern creations, but always without unnecessary extras, the recognition of the product is my foremost objective. In addition, the taste and the culinary experience are in the foreground and as the guest should have fun during dinner.”
What Inspired You To Become A Chef?
“My father is a trained chef and since I can remember, cooking accompanied my childhood. At least one time a day we used to enjoy a hot self-made dish. But it wasn’t just the culinary part that excited me – I loved sitting together with my family and chatting around the table over a good meal.”
What Is The Biggest Challenge You Have Faced In The Culinary Industry?
“The biggest challenge in my career so far is the global corona pandemic, I think everyone knows why. I hope we all get through it safely because the pandemic will cost a lot of people their livelihoods, and no one ever expected this bad.”
What’s Your Biggest Achievement In The Culinary Industry?
“Getting the third star was an incredible feeling! I really enjoy going to work, because I want to develop myself and for me, it is fun going to work. I want everybody to be satisfied.
Innegrit Volkhardt (General manager of Hotel Bayerischer Hof), my Atelier team, the guests but primarily I have to be satisfied with myself. The third star not only brings success, it also involves more responsibility and stress. The higher you raise, the deeper you can fall. Also, the pressure grows, as the guests are very critical and expect a lot. We did not only get three stars, we have to keep and win them every night.”
When It Comes To Cooking What Is More Important To You The Technique, The Ingredients Or The Creativity?
“All aspects are significant. I always choose one protagonist to form the idea of a dish so I put ingredients first, then creativity and afterwards technique.”
Recipe Of The Week: Gamba Carabinero
Carrot, Pineapple, Green Pepper & Lemongrass Stock
Gamba Carabinero by Chef Jan Hartwig
Ingredients:
• 4 Gambas (Scarlett prawns)
• Saltwater
• Bamboo basket (min. 25cm diameter)
• 4 skewer
• 1 slice of galangal
• 1 stick of roughly cut lemongrass
• 3 Kaffir lime leaves
Preparation:
Peel the prawns down to the last tail segment and remove the intestines. Soak in the saltwater for 7 minutes and then rinse briefly under running water. Dab them dry and place them on the skewers. Bring a pot with some water, galangal, lemongrass and lime leaves to the boil and insert the bamboo basket. Place the prawns in the basket, close it with the lid and remove it from the cooker. Steam the prawns for 3-4 minutes until they’re glassy.
Sweet Pepper – Pineapple Salad
Ingredients:
• 1 tablespoon green pepper (cut into cubes)
• 1 tablespoon pineapple (cut into cubes)
• 1 teaspoon sliced coriander stems
• 1 teaspoon fine rings of young spring leek
• 1 teaspoon Wasabi Sesame
• 1 teaspoon puffed rice balls
• Chives
• Coriander cress
Preparation:
Mix all the ingredients and spread them on the steamed prawns.
Carrot Mousseline
Ingredients:
• 150g peeled carrots
• 500ml freshly squeezed carrot juice
• Salt
• Cayenne
• 2 tablespoons lime oil
• Some butter
• Finely grated ginger
Preparation:
Coarsely chop the carrots and sauté in the butter. Cook it in the carrot juice until the juice is almost completely cooked. Purée it with the lime oil and grated ginger in a Thermomix. Flavour with salt and cayenne.
Lemongrass Stock
Ingredients:
• 50ml poultry stock
• 50ml fish stock
• 50ml crustacean stock
• Juice of one lime
• 1 tablespoon Thai fish sauce
• Green tabasco
• 4 sprigs of coriander
• 5 sprigs of Thai basil
• 10g green Thai pepper
• 20g pineapple
• 1 quartered tomato
• 5 sticks of roughly cut lemongrass
• 5 Kaffir lime leaves
• some xanthan gum to bind
Preparation:
Bring all the ingredients to the boil and leave it to stand for 30 minutes. Strain and bind it lightly with xanthan gum.
Flavour it again with lime juice, fish sauce and green tabasco. The brew should be spicy-sour.
Serve:
Place the prawns in the middle of a deep plate and sprinkle the carrot mousseline parallel to it. Decorate with flowers and pour on the stock.
Chef Jan Hartwig
