Award for young culinary talents at Belvedere

On March 4-5, the 9th edition of one of the most prestigious culinary contest in Poland – "L'art de la cuisine Martell" – The National Contest for Young Culinary Talents – took place at the Hotel Castle Ryn.

As many as 37 two-person teams from the best restaurants throughout the country applied to take part in this year's edition, out of which the jury chose the final 16. The challenge in this year's contest was preparing, in only one hour, a dish out of veal, dried fruit and mushrooms, that goes best with the Martell cognac.

Contestants were judged by two jury teams – the first was the Tasting Jury, including VIPs from the spheres of diplomacy, the stage and screen, and the Technical Jury, comprising chefs and the foremost culinary authorities in Poland.

During this prestigious contests, the Tasting Jury singled out our team – Tomasz Szczypiński and Maciej Prot – for a bold combination of the Polish and French cuisines. Our young cooks impressed the palates of the connoisseurs with veal cutlets with a Foie Gras cake and a porcini mousse.

Orły 2011 at Belvedere

On March 2, Belvedere restaurant was the venue of the official meeting with the nominees to the "Polish Oscars" – the Polish Film Academy awards – Orły 2011 (Eagle 2011). The event was attended by outstanding artist of the Polish cinema. We had the pleasure to welcome such artists as Jerzy Skolimowski, Ewa Piaskowska, Andrzej Chyra, Urszula Grabowska, Jacek Borcuch, Jan Kidawa-Błoński, Olga Frycz, Arkadiusz Jakubik and Magdalena Cielecka.
The Minister of Culture and National Heritage Bogdan Zdrojewski gave the nominees invitations to the Polish Film Academy as well as commemorative diplomas. The life achievement Orzeł award was given to Tadeusz Chmielewski – producer, director and scriptwriter of such movies as "How I Unleashed World War II" and "I don't like Mondays" or "U Pana Boga za piecem".

Special dinner with Karen Berg & Donna Karan

On March the 3, the Business Gym Global Foundation welcomed two exceptional women at the Grand Theater in Warsaw - Karen Berg (the leading female kabbalist of our generation) and Donna Karan (the world renowned fashion designer). Marcin Prokop conducted an inspiring interview with the ladies. Karen Berg, as the head of The Kabbalah Center, gives lectures around the word, offering wisdom, guidance and support to all in need of it and, together with the Success for Kids Foundation, conducts an educational program for small children. She explained to the participants the importance of developing awareness in the uncertain times of today. Donna Karan shared her story, talking about the path she took and the self-development she had to undergo to become a successful person.

By buying a ticket to the event, the Polish celebrities, artists, media personalities and people from the spheres of business and politics supported the Business Gym Global Foundation, the main goal of which is a return to core values in business and uniting people into a global network of entrepreneurs and business leaders.

After an exquisite dinner served by Belvedere Catering by Design at the stage of the Theater, the evening ended with a recital by Kayah & Royal Quartet.

Arpil at the Royal Łazienki

In April, the Royal Łazienki will blossom with artistic activity and educational programs.

April 2 (10.00 am - 6.00 pm), the Old Orangery – a charity concert for the victims of the natural disasters in Japan – "A thousand cranes". Polish Japanese artist will perform – the students and graduates of the Fryderyk Chopin University of Music as well as students and professors of the State Music School Complex no. 1 in Warsaw.

April 16 (10.00 am - 2.00 pm) in celebration of this year's Earth Days, the Royal Łazienki invite you to the Hermitage to attend the "Museum of Recycling" event. During the event, recycling art performers (Izabela Jędrulak-Mocur and educators from Primavera PR&Events) will demonstrate to the participants that there are no things that cannot be reused and that we can give every object, even a seemingly useless one, a new life.

April 2, 9 and 16 (1.00 pm – 3.00 pm) – very interesting workshops for adults, as part of the "18th century from 18 upwards" cycle. The topics in April are: "Space as a text of culture", "Social whirlwind of the 18th century" – that is how life was like in Warsaw under King Stanisław August Poniatowski – and "Intimate Life in the Age of Enlightenment".
Each Sunday, the Royal Łazienki Museum invites you to attend the already traditional Chopin Concerts (Palace on the Water, 12.00) and Poetry Salons (the Old Orangery, 12.00).

More at:
www.lazienki-krolewskie.pl

The sommelier recommends

The Ruinart Blanc de Blancs champagne

Ruinart is the oldest champagne house in the world. Its history is a story of passion, fulfilled over generations. Ruinart Blanc de Blancs is a classic for the connoisseurs of the genre. This champagne is perceived as prestige itself. Its sensual taste and refinement made it a favorite among visionaries and artists. Its history has been running continuously for almost 300 years.
Made from only Chardonnay grapes, it can be distinguished by a luminous, subtly golden color and delicate bubbles rising to the surface in a continuously straight line. Ruinart Blanc de Blancs combines the tones of fresh fruit, mainly citrus, with the aroma of flowers and nuts. Its irreplaceable as an aperitif on spring and summer afternoons. It is an ideal combination with frutti di mare such as oysters and shrimp, grilled sole and sashimi.

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Till the end of April, take part in out SPRING PROMOTION FOR CONNOISSEURS – A glass of Ruinart Blanc de Blancs champagne together with a shrimp quartet, for a special price of 120 pln.

Recipe of the Month

Shrimp duo

Serves 4:
20 Black Tiger Shrimp
1 packet of tempura flour
1 avocado
1 fresh chili pepper
1 bunch of fresh coriander
1 lime
4 tomatoes
1 bunch of dill
1 bunch of parsley
4 tsp of olive oil
1 spoon of butter
Salt, freshly ground black pepper

Preparation:
Slice avocado in half, take out the pit, carve out the avocado flesh and cut it into cubes. Add finely chopped pepper to the flesh, along with chopped coriander and grated lime zest. Season with lime juice, salt and pepper.

Blanch tomatoes, remove skin and cut out the cores. Cut the tomato flesh into cubes, add chopped parsley, dill and olive oil, salt and pepper.
Fry half of the shrimp on olive oil. At the end of frying, add a knob of butter, season with salt and freshly ground pepper.
Add water to tempura flour (to make a fairly thick batter) and put in the remaining shrimp one by one. Deep-fry until they're crunchy.

Place the fried shrimp on the tomatoes and the deep-fried shrimp on the avocado salad.