20 years La Réserve
A star-studded dinner

To celebrate La Réserve Genève’s 20th anniversary, the establishment’s executive chef Benjamin Brial and pastry chef Pierre-Alain Rouchon combined their talents with those of three other La Réserve chefs – Jérôme Banctel from Paris, Eric Canino from Ramatuelle and Marco Ortolani from Zurich – in concocting an exceptional dinner. We bring you a behind-the-scenes look as well as recipes from this unique moment in gourmet history studded with stars on guests’ plates as well as in all eyes…

Discover Jérôme Banctel recipe from La Réserve Paris here:

Sand carrots with ginger

Ingredients – for 4 people:

Sand carrots: 1 per person
Carrot tops: 1 per person

For the carrot kimchi:
Carrot juice: 1 liter
Loose carrots: approx. 200 g
Pasar Thailand spring onion: ½ bunch
Lime: 1
Green shiso: 4 leaves

For the sauce:
Carrot juice: 4 liters
Starch: 30 g
Grape seed oil: 200 g
Chopped chives: to taste

For the marinade:
Ginger: 2 roots (50g)
Red onions: 1
Water: 400 g
White vinegar: 650 g

For the carrot purée:
Carrots: 1 kg
Water: 1.5 liters
Ginger: 20 g
Salt: to taste
Butter: 40 g

Start with the kimchi. Cut the carrots into julienne strips. Place the carrots, lime juice, chopped Thai spring onion and shiso leaves in a 1 liter jar. Pour the carrot juice over the ingredients until they are completely submerged. You can add a weight to prevent the carrots rising to the surface. Close the jar, shake gently to mix, then leave to stand at room temperature for five days before refrigerating.

To make the sauce, freeze the 4 liters of carrot juice in an ice cube tray, then chill in the fridge for three days. Reduce the decanted liquid by 3/4. Thicken the juice with the corn flour, then whisk with the grapeseed oil.

To make the marinade, finely chop the ginger and rinse. Bring the water and white vinegar to the boil. Pour over the ginger and chopped red onions. Leave to cool, then refrigerate. Once completely cold, strain the marinade through a fine sieve to obtain a clear liquid.

Preheat the oven to 125°C. Peel the sand carrots and cut into 11 cm pieces. Boil the carrots for ten minutes.
Peel the carrot tops and use a mandolin to make fine shavings.

To make the purée, cook the carrots in half the butter after peeling them and cutting off the ends. Once glazed, blend the carrots with the salt, ginger and remaining butter. Pass the purée through a sieve to obtain a smooth texture.

To plate:

Arrange a knob of purée in the center of a plate and place a carrot on top. Pour the carrot sauce and marinade over the side and add chopped chives. Garnish with carrot shavings and kimchi.

The other La Réserve chefs

Click here to discover Eric Canino’s recipe from La Réserve Ramatuelle
Click here to discover Marco Ortolani’s recipe from La Réserve Eden au Lac Zurich
Click here to discover Benjamin Brial’s recipe from La Réserve Genève
Click here to discover Pierre-Alain Rouchon’s recipe from La Réserve Genève

This article is an excerpt from La Réserve Magazine N°30 by Michel Reybier Hospitality, which you can consult online here.