Luma Pork Belly In Vin Jaune by Chef Jan Hartwig, H&S Chef Of The Month
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: Luma Pork Belly In Vin Jaune
Endive, Polenta, Puntarelle, Piment d’Espelette & Cockles
Pork Belly by Chef Jan Hartwig
Ingredients:
• 500g luma pork belly
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 pressed garlic clove
• 1 thyme branch
• 100g clarified butter
• 1 L brine (10%)
Preparation:
Soak the pork belly in the brine for 4 hours. Then take it out, rinse with clear water, dab dry and vacuum-seal with the remaining ingredients. Cook in the combi-steamer at 85°c steam for approximately 5.5 hours. Let the pork belly cool down then cut into pieces.
Puntarelle
Ingredients:
• 30x puntarelle
Vinaigrette:
• 1 tbsp of Don Bocarte anchovy oil
• 1 tbsp anchovy extract
Preparation:
Soak the puntarelle for a minute in the vinaigrette.
Polenta
Ingredients:
• 75g polenta
• 5g salt
• 150ml milk
• 150ml cream
• Juice of a lemon
• Juice of a lime
• Tabasco sauce
• Cayenne
Preparation:
Cook all ingredients in the Thermomix at 100°C for 25 minutes on level 3.5, stirring constantly. Afterwards, pour the hot mixture into a silicone mould, let it cool down and heat it up again if necessary.
Piment d’Espelette Cream
Ingredients:
• 1kg red bell peppers
• 2 shallot cut into rings
• Olive oil
• Salt
• Pepper
• Piment d’Espelette
• Piment d’Espelette vinegar
Preparation:
Grill the peppers over birch wood then peel them. Remove seeds and stems and discard. In a saucepan, sauté the shallots in some olive oil and add the peppers. Cook until soft and mix in a Thermomix. Season to taste with spices and vinegar. If necessary, boil down a little to thicken the consistency.
Chicory (Endive) Puree
Ingredients:
• 5 pieces of chicory
• 20g sugar
• 2 tbsp of white wine
• Salt
• Pepper
• 20ml cream
• some cold butter
Preparation:
Cut the yellow part of the chicory into small pieces and soak in lukewarm water for 20 minutes to extract the bitter substances. Then strain the chicory and pat dry. Caramelize the sugar in a pot. Add the chicory and deglaze with white wine. Stir while doing so and remove the caramel from the bottom of the pot. When the wine is about to reach the boiling point, add cream and cook the chicory covered until soft. Strain the mixture and add some cold
butter. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Vin Jaune Sauce
Ingredients:
• 300ml Vin Jaune
• 25ml double cream
• some cold butter
• 200ml chicken stock
• Juice of a lemon
• 30g White Mirepoix
• Salt
• Pepper
Preparation:
Sauté Mirepoix in a little butter and deglaze with Vin Jaune. Reduce to a third and top up with broth and double cream. Reduce to half and strain. Mix in Thermomix and season to taste with salt, pepper and lemon juice.
Cockles
Ingredients:
• 300g cockles
• 10ml Pastis
• 20ml Noilly Prat
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• Juice of a lemon
Preparation:
Fry the mussels briefly in hot oil and deglaze with the alcohol. Swirl until the mussels open. Now put them on a baking tray and let them cool down briefly. Remove the mussels from their shells and store them in the drained cooking juices.
Other Ingredients:
• Sweet Pepper from Koppert Kress
Serve:
Make a ring of Piment d’Espelette cream and arrange the remaining ingredients in the centre of the plate. Finish with vin jaune sauce and sweet pepper leaves.
Chef Jan Hartwig
