The Kitchen ofJOACHIM KOERPER

Producer: Restaurante ElevenPictures: Nuno CorreiaText editor: Duarte Calvo

Design: BY

Copyright 2005

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any means, without permission in writing from the publisher.

Edition: 2000 copiesDeposit copy no.: 234752/05ISBN: 989-20-0089-7

Printed and bound by Printer Portuguesa

NUNO CORREIAPhotographs

Nuno Correia is photography editor of Evases and Volta ao Mundo,

the two main travel and leisure magazines in Portugal.

DUARTE CALVOText

Duarte Calvo is an illustrious Portuguese reporter, specialised in gastronomy and leisure.

He is the author of the chronicle Boa Vida in Dirio de Notcias daily newspaper (the

most popular column on lifestyle in the Portuguese press).

He has several years of experience in this sector.

CONTENTS

AcknowledgementsForewordIntroductionThe life of a chefMoving south (Girasol)Journeys and friends in cuisine Encounter with Portugal (Quinta das Lgrimas)Setting up the restaurant (Eleven)Recipes from Girasol Recipes from Quinta das Lgrimas Recipes from Eleven

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ACKNOWLEDGMENTESby Joachim Koerper

This book is about myself, although it was

only made possible with the help of many

people. I would have never accomplished such feat on my own and on my own initiative. These are the names of some of the people who have supported me. First Jos Miguel Jdice, who brought me to Portugal and offered me this new opportunity to turn a new page in my career and life, and his son, Miguel, whom we owe this book. Miguel was the first to have the idea of publishing this book, and did everything within his power to make this possible; he unwarily committed himself to overcoming all obstacles to fulfil the dream. Thanks to his enterprising nature, I am certain that Miguel Jdice will always encourage me to give out the best in me. He is an excellent entrepreneur, as well as an outstanding individual. Furthermore, we were born on the same day...I wish to also express my appreciation to Mrio Morais, general-director of Quinta das Lgrimas group, for the unconditional support he has given

to me since I came to Portugal to work, in 1999. Besides his magnificent sense of organisation and management skills, Mrio knows how to convey enthusiasm and friendship to all who work with him. To my ten partners in Eleven, I thank you for your understanding and trust in this extensive and beautiful project. With the help of Albano Loureno, executive chef of Quinta das Lgrimas, I have discovered Portugal and its products on memorable occasions. He too contributed generously to the accomplishment of this project. He is a good professional and a good friend. Cyril Devilliers, my right arm at Eleven, has been crucial to the success of this project. Just watching him work gives me peace of mind. He turns my ideas into dishes, almost without any explanations. He is a young leader with a bright future. To Jordi Estev, sous chef at Girasol, and to Arafat el Kanaki and Jos Francisco Manrique, the two pastry chefs at Girasol, a special thank you for the support you have always given me throughout these

years. They are three extraordinary professionals, the best any restaurant can have. To Juan Luis Forcada, Ramon Beneyto, Werner Staub, Guillermo Gimenez and Angel Garcia Puertas. They all know my feelings for each one. Nuno Correia was the books photographer. I have met many photographers in my life, but never one with so much feeling for cooking. When I saw the first pictures he took of my dishes, with such touching perfection, I knew that he was the right person for the job. Duarte Calvo - a gifted writer - managed to put into words everything I seek to convey through my dishes. He is one of the few of the so-called gastronomic critics who really know.

Joachim Koerper

FOREWORDby Miguel Jdice

Joachim Koerpers life changed forever

the moment he came to Lisbon for the first

time to visit the place where the restaurant

Eleven would be set up. When he saw the river Tagus from the top of Eduardo VII park, a big smile lit up his face, and his eyes shone like the eyes of a child who has just received its first bicycle. From that moment, Lisbon remained inside him forever. It sunk in him and he did not even find it odd at the beginning, unlike what Pessoa said of that famous brown drink. The good giant shivered at the sight of Lisbons breath-taking beauty. As in the story of the fox and the little prince, the city captivated Joachim from that instant. In exchange, all Joachim wants is to enchant its people and its visitors with his cooking. The affection, authenticity and passion he puts into his dishes guarantee his success in his third life, after the ones he had in Germany, his place of birth, and Spain, the adoption country.In an instant Joachim fell in love with Portugal and its products, by taking on board our attitude towards life, our liking for sprees, our hospitality, our nostalgia. He learnt and blended in his art our seasoning, the flavours we appreciate most, the diversity of our fish, the character of our wine, the essential seasoning in all of our dishes. Our markets are like theme parks for him. He feels like a child on a giant slide. See how he looks Portuguese as he barters for a turbot or speaks with the ladies at the fish counter. He has used our ingredients to reinvent his cooking in Portugal, conveying to his dishes his unique personality and the Portuguese soul. In doing so he has revealed his love for Portugal and for its traditions. We adopted him and we feel proud for having him with us. We must also be proud of the image of us that he reflects. Every time he leaves Portugal to take part in a gastronomic

event anywhere in the world, Joachim Koerper takes us with him. He is an ambassador of our country and our culture. And that is priceless. Joachim Koerpers heart is in cooking. His dishes are always sensorial, aesthetic, irresistible, seductive and sometimes inebriating. His cooking is the mirror of his soul, it is his way of living life, befriending people, flirting, captivating and training disciples. The way in which he teaches others what he knows, helping them to grow wings with and through his cooking, is a sign of altruism and sharing. His teachings will certainly help us improve our cuisine, as todays apprentices are tomorrows chefs. Only passion, true love for the art of cooking and the pleasure it can bring to those who know how to appreciate it can prevent a chef from shedding a tear over the ephemeral existence often not more than one minute - of dishes which took many hours creating. The immediate, brief, almost sinfully short pleasure we feel when delighting in a dish which was prepared by a great chef contrasts with the hours (sometimes days) it took to prepare it: cutting and marinating, stocks and final preparation, including the creative work involved in designing such dishes. Joachim Koerper is not tormented by seeing a dish which took hours to prepare disappear in seconds. Rather he feels genuine pleasure, with a stroke of pride, in affording such glorious, albeit brief, moments. More than a tribute paid to a career, which is totally deserved, this book is the motto of Joachim Koerpers future in Portugal. It is like an official welcome to him from all who wish him well and who enjoy good food. May this book also help unveil what lies behind his cooking, so that we may find his dishes on our tables, either in Eleven or in our homes. As one of Elevens eleven owners, Joachim rose to

the biggest challenge in his life. It is not easy for a foreigner to survive in our country, whose doors are so often closed to outsiders. In this sense Joachim is more Portuguese than many of us, as he already feels the nostalgia in his heart, he suffers when Benfica plays, and he is a connoisseur of our most genuine gastronomic traditions. I hope his success is our success as well. I will be here to see.

Ingredients for a Joachim Koerper:100 kg goodness1 childs smile300 g heart of gold2 open arms 1 chest full of life1.4 kg gastronomic brains1 sharp tonguePinch of ego

Marinate these ingredients in a broth of friendliness combined with two tablespoons of joy powder and adventure extract. Season lightly with kindness and serve with a good wine.

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INTRODUCTIONby Duarte Calvo

DestineD vocation

There are people who know from a very early age

that they are destined for a specific profession. Some call it vocation, others destiny, and they seek to find specific explanations for so much assertion in a choice. However, how can we rationally explain that someone who does not come from a family of cooks, or who was never in any way connected to the restaurant business, knew as a young teenager the profession he would hold throughout his life? Since the first dish he prepared for his family in Saarbrcken at the age of eight - fried eggs, which became a home classic-, until todays much praised creations at Eleven in Lisbon, at the age of 52, Joachim Koerper is certain that he was born for cooking. Or rather, he only hesitated on the first day of work in the kitchen of the small Falken hotel on Lake Konstanz (on the boarder between Switzerland, Germany and Austria), where he made his dbut. He was 15 years

old, living 600 km away from home, but already on the second day he had decided not to leave. He ended up staying for three years to learn and to meet the goal he had set for himself. Who like myself has only just met him will have no problem finding in him the same conviction and objectivity of nature. He is the type of person who puts work in first place, both his and of other people, as he knows this is the only way to achieve anything in life. Shy, serious, reserved, practical all of these words fit like a glove on the German chef, who chose the Iberian world to live in and to achieve vocational fulfilment. But Joachim Koerper is also talkative, joyful, reflexive about his profession, relaxed, whilst drinking a cava with his friends or fellow-workers, enthusiastically discussing a white truffle or a new lobster or red mullet recipe. It all depends on the occasion and the state of mind. It was not easy for me to understand him. I suppose I had to overcome the natural suspicion that practical men nurture of men who live off the abstract word. And

even after so many talks we have had, many around the table and others during our journeys to Coimbra and Moraira, I confess I am still not sure I understand Joachim Koerper. Specially because it is clear that he does not particularly enjoy speaking about himself, which is actually a nice change in a world with so may swollen egosHowever, from a certain point onwards I stopped trying to understand him, or at least totally. (But is it ever possible to fully understand even those who are closest to us?) I thought that perhaps the book could be what he wanted to reveal of himself, plus what I could see, hear and, especially, taste.

Prawns and shrimpEach sea has its story. The Mediterranean in Moraira

has prawns. This is where Joachim Koerper discovered

this sea animal, which lives in the deep sea separating

Denia from Ibiza and feeds on plankton. Such juicy

heads, a much appreciated dainty, firm flesh, slightly

cooked, either grilled or boiled, and served cold (never

below 0C). Yet prawns have a down side to them. They

are rare and expensive and are becoming increasingly

rare and expensive. The price of prawns from Denia

can rise as high as 160 euros per kilo. Therefore, fresh

shrimp became such an interesting option for the chef.

Besides in Portugal they are easily found. One day

Albano Loureno took us to Olho and we bought very

fresh shrimp, which had just been caught and cooked

in a little stand on the street. We sat on the terrace

next to it, ordered a magnificent bottle of Portuguese

Alvarinho and we ate a meal worthy of kings. We were

the happiest men in the world. Quality fresh products,

the place, the company are what good meals are made

of the chef assured us, and told us a story which

confirms the wealth of Portuguese seas.

The two are different and such differences are visible

in the way they are cooked. Whereas prawns go well

with typical Mediterranean products, like basil, tomato

and orange (sometimes confit with tarragon) or even

black pork cured ham, shrimp goes best with tropical

fruit, ginger or curry.

Prawns and shrimp, from the Mediterranean, North

Atlantic or South Atlantic. Each sea with its unique

taste.

taste anD no inDulgence

I never put a dish I do not like on my

menus. This sentence, pronounced calmly,

without any dramatic accent, is the key to

better understanding Joachim Koerpers

relation to life and his work. Experienced in the hard world of cooking and perfectly aware that a restaurant is, first and foremost, a business that must work out and respond to customers eclectic (and sometimes unrefined) taste, Joachim is a person of irreproachable ethics and a leading European cook. He has never yielded to fashions throughout his career, now nearing 40 years. As I am not a fashion freak I am always in fashion he stated with an unexpectedly cunning smileSuch assertiveness is manifest in his conduct: a professional who never shows off, and treats his fellow-workers with authoritative affection. It is clear that he enjoys the practical side of his work: personally inspecting the quality and cost of products, checking how the dishes turn out, inquiring about customer turnout, checking claims, researching new recipes for the following season, analysing team response.However, I believe products are his favourite. I still remember how, at a table in Girasol, he circumspectly observed my reaction to his splendid veal hamstring (cooked for 24 hours) with potato pure and curcuma, and caramelised legumes with ginger. This dish is a perfect tribute to modern cuisine (namely vacuum cooking) and to quality products. It is an exaltation of flavours, aromas and texture on a layer of meat, which I will never forget for as long as I live.

And I recall when, exalted in pride, which seldom happens (This is what I call cooking!), when he presented me with another of Girasols classics; bass fillets and artichoke in caviar sauce. It is like a recipe is worth a thousand words; as if this delicious delicacy and balance of elements in a dish summarises the whole professional journey of a chef.

ProDucts first

Joachim Koerpers face lights up when he speaks of food products. Perhaps it is the memory of the first fresh artichoke he saw in his life, at the renowned Hotel Kempinski, in Berlin, where he went to work and learn at the age of 18, or of the Mediterranean prawns in Denia. Or of the first time he visited the fresh product market in Figueira da Foz and was delighted with the variety and quality of Atlantic fish (which was the guarantee of good cooking in Quinta das Lgrimas, Coimbra), or of the regional maize bread. Or today, at Eleven, with our lobster or Iberian black pork from Alentejo. Food products are sacred in his kitchen. Any transformation not respecting the original flavours, any combination concealing in place of enhancing them is immediately rejected. In my view, Koerpers cooking is modern classic in style. In other words, he avoids the techniques and methods which, in his viewpoint, affect our memory of flavour appropriation and other features of foodstuffs (including the way in which they are served on the plate). In turn he welcomes everything that brings new opportunities for products to express themselves, as is the case of vacuum cooking. On the other hand, although Joachim Koerper is

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a man of the world, collecting professional and personal experiences in distant countries, we see that his cooking was not dazzled by globalisation. He remains loyal to the Madras curry which he orders from London, and to some ginger or tropical fruit, under clearly European influence. His dishes are outspokenly of Mediterranean inspiration, yet traditionally open to the world, as this country has been throughout history and where the Portuguese people feel most comfortable. Koerper also seems to be a very open minded person. After all he is a man from the North, who was bewitched by the South. His astounding creativity enables him to supply his restaurants with different recipes after every season. He allows himself to be guided by the principle of only serving what he likes, without turning a blind eye to his customers, who are asked to test his new dishes. He calmly accepts all criticism as lessons he draws from the irreplaceable final moment of the laborious cooking creativity; this is the moment when the dish is served to be put to the test.In brief, this is not cooking which is put at the service of its creator, as it only acquires meaning when it is understood and appreciated by the restaurants customers.

a DissatisfieD chef

This book was written in a period of transition in Joachim Koerpers life. 15 years had passed since the beginning. He had already received two Michelin stars and many distinctions, which had placed his Girasol, in Moraira (Alicante), amongst the ten best restaurants in Spain and in the restricted Relais & Chteaux group, when he closed this chapter in his career. He left immediately for Lisbon and Eleven. Today he combines his work at Eleven with the advisory services he provides to Arcadas da Capela, in Quinta das Lgrimas (one star Michelin), in cooperation with his friend Albano Loureno, and to three other restaurants in Spain, including Posada de la Casa del Abad, in Palencia (one star Michelin).Koerper adopted Eleven as his, as one of the 11 owners of the restaurant. His decision arose largely from his enchantment with Lisbon, as well as from the cosmopolitanism of a European capital and from the certainty that his cooking can make a significant difference in the current gastronomic panorama, which remains all too conservative. At 52 years of age, Koerper is clearly unsatisfied. In spite of all of the prizes he has been awarded

throughout his career, which he began at an early age, he longs for more. Customers in Lisbon are a challenge for him. Besides the success of his restaurant in Lisbon, he wants to get to know them better, he wants to test with them the experience and expertise he has collected along the past four decades. He dreams of Eleven becoming an icon in Portugal and Europe. All of us who are the targets of his talent, we wish him success.

curryCurry, Indian curry from Madras which he gets from London - is one of the few exotic products Joachim Koerper

uses in his cooking, which is clearly Mediterranean in style, with a few interpretations of European classicism.

However, the presence of curry is very subtle and never stands out in a recipe. Rather it is delicately insinuating in

white fish, shell-fish or vegetables, and it is more appealing to the nose than the mouth. Although the Portuguese

people have become so accustomed to it, as it is used quite commonly even in the less refined restaurants and in

every-day cooking, our taste buds are surprised by his way of enhancing the elegant power of curry.

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BIOGRAPHYThe life of a chef

first stePs

Joachim Koerper was born on Christmas day

in 1952, in the small village of Ohmbach, in

Pfalz (a rural area surrounded by forest). At the age of seven the family moved to Saarbrcken, a medium-sized city near the French border. His father worked in the financial sector, including foreign exchange offices. Nobody in his family had any connection whatsoever to cooking or restaurants. In fact none of his three brothers took up the same profession. Yet, curiously, Joachim Koerper recalls that from a very early age he quite enjoyed the

kitchen environment in his family home, to such an extent that he began participating actively in these affairs. The first dish he prepared, when he was eight, was fried eggs. He served them to his family and it was a success. From that moment onwards he prepared fried eggs and other dishes for the family and in exchange he earned from his father enough money to go to the movies twice a week. This was a luxury that he could not do without. It was also at this age that he began going to good restaurants, in particular whilst on vacation in France with his family.

eggsJoachim Koerpers first gastronomic experience

involved eggs, which he cooked and served to his

family when he was only eight years old. For the

years following, in particular during the family

breakfasts, his fried eggs earned him his first

salary as a cook, which he so proudly spent on a

movie ticket twice a week. Yet eggs really turned

into a love story in Koerpers life, and practically

since the beginning of his first career year they have

become a part of the menus he creates. Eggs en

cocotte, or eggs with caviar, truffles, the classical

cured ham or sprinkled with finely chopped shallot

or fresh chives. No matter, eggs are amongst the

German chefs good memories. Eggs, delicate and

versatile, which can be used in cooking in so many

manners and convey and enhance the flavour of

other accompanying food, such as truffles; this is

why Joachim Koerper still promises to continue

putting this simple albeit complex and fascinating

product on a pedestal.

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Professional beginning

Joachim Koerper does not remember ever wanting to be anything else besides chef. Although slightly suspicious of this calling, his parents never combated it:They thought that at least it would be easy to find a job and it was better to know what I wanted than to be lost in indecision so he tells us. And they did plenty to help him. At the age of 15 they allowed

him to go on his own to a small hotel on the banks of Lake Konstanz, on the border between Germany, Switzerland and Austria. This place was located 600 km away from Saarbrcken, where there was no place for him to start a career which fascinated him so. On the first day the work frightened me and I wanted to go back home, but then I began enjoying what I was doing and I ended up staying for three years he recalls. During this time he learnt the

fundaments of cooking, by preparing simple dishes with regional products.At the age of 18, he seized the opportunity to work in the kitchen of a big metropolitan hotel in Berlin, the Kempinski. These were three years of intense learning, not only cooking but also everything that a big city has to offer. On the other hand, working in a hotel kitchen gave him the opportunity to discover a series of new products which at the time

Bernard Pacaud, Joachim Koerper

Joachim Koerper, Werner Staub, Cecilia Bartoli, Alexander Pereira, in the Zurich Opera

were not as disseminated.I still recall how surprised I was to see a fresh artichoke for the first time says Joachim Koerper, who first occupied a lower rank in the hotel kitchen brigade and made his way up. Big buffets were in fashion at the time and there was always a lot to do. It was hard, but just the fact that I was living in a big city made it all worth while.

lessons learnt anD first Distinctions

At that time he discovered another feature of the profession of his choice: frequent travelling. He moved to Switzerland, where he worked in many prestigious hotels with experienced professionals, including Ernesto Schlegel (Hotel Schweizerhof, in Berne), who was an illustrious chef and was sought by celebrities like politicians, businessmen and Hollywood actors. Another advantage of living in Switzerland was that its low season was in Summer, giving Koerper the opportunity to take up seasonal jobs in hotels in Greece, Italy and Sardinia, where he discovered other products and new ways of cooking. This was like a forecast of the role that the Mediterranean region would play in his life years later.The young chef began acquiring confidence and started occupying higher positions, namely pantry

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chef and station chef:I then realised there were certain things I could do better than other people. In an Austrian hotel in Lech am Aarlberg, where I had moved to, I specialised in cold dishes for buffets. They encouraged me to take part in a gastronomic exhibition and I won the gold medal.This was the first award he received and it was soon to be followed by two other important prizes, namely a gold medal in the cold dishes category at the Culinary Olympics in 1974, held in Frankfurt, and at the same event in 1978, also in Frankfurt,

which at the time always hosted one of the most popular events of the kind. Continuing his journey through hotels, he went on to working once again as garde-manger in a hotel in Lugano (Hotel Olivella au Lac), in the Italian part of Switzerland. From this moment onwards Mediterranean products became a part of his cooking. This was when he discovered products like olive-oil and white truffles, and the Italian chefs showed him new forms of cooking and appreciating food.

Joachim Koerper, Franz Beckenbauer, Marek Wildenhain, in Kitzbuehl

trufflesWhite truffles were amongst the first products to

have revealed to Joachim Koerper the subtleties

of flavours and aromas of the south. He discovered

them when he was working at a hotel in Lugano,

in the Italian side of Switzerland. Ever since not a

year goes by without Koerper paying tribute to them

through new recipes. In Girasol and now in Eleven he

even developed a special menu dedicated to truffles.

There is however a down side to white truffles: they

are only available in the last three months of the year

and they cannot be preserved, for example through

deep freezing. Black truffles, on the other hand,

allow freezing without loosing any properties. Some

even believe freezing enhances such properties.

One way or the other - either white truffles when

in season or black truffles all year round - Koerper

indulges in including them in all kinds of dishes,

combining them with eggs, salads, pasta, shell-fish,

fish, bird meat, red meat and even desserts. When

he went to live in Spain, the German chef discovered

that in a mountainous region between Valencia and

Catalonia there are plenty of black truffles. So he

began ordering them from this place. According

to him, they are cheaper than their renowned

equivalents from Prigord and he guarantees many

French people buy black truffles here.

Demetrio, a truffle picker, who also happens to be

his friend, has for many years been in charge of

supplying him with these black diamonds, which

enrich his creations the whole year round. Now he

will be shipping them to Lisbon, always with the

same quality guarantee.

DeveloPing a style of his own

This professional journey between Swiss and Austrian hotels was interrupted when Joachim Koerper was invited to return to Lake Konstanz, on the Swiss side, to manage the kitchen of a cardiology clinic. He remained there for three years. He recalls the time he spent there with nostalgia,

either because the workload was less heavy and he worked normal hours (at nine oclock in the evening he was already home), unlike in the hotels, or because he dedicated his free time to improving his knowledge of the gastronomic trends at the time. A small restaurant in the vicinities, specialised in cuisine dauteur, which is more creative, where a friend of his worked as matre dhotel, ended up influencing his cooking style significantly.

2 2

I came to the conclusion that everything I had done until then was worthless he recalls.At the end of the three years, for the fist time in his life, he was given the opportunity to manage a kitchen at the Hotel Albana, in Saint Moritz. He was 30 years old at the time and had already worked for 15 years in the sector. He started developing his own style, but he still yearned to learn more. He spent short periods in three-star Michelin restaurants, training with chefs who were famous at the time, including Roger Verg (Moulin de

Mougins, in Cannes), Gerard Boyer (Les Crayres, in Reims), Guy Savoy (Guy Savoy, in Paris) and Bernard Pacaud (LAmbroisie, in Paris).

alicante

In 1986, he attended a gastronomic week in Valencia and he took the opportunity to visit the restaurant Girasol, in Moraira, near Alicante, whose owners were German. He fell in love with the restaurant

Moraira-Alicante

26 27

and the place. Three years later Koerper found out that the owner of the restaurant was looking for a buyer and in November 1989 he bought the business and moved to Spain. He did not even know how to speak the language, but he was fascinated with the Mediterranean, the sun, the atmosphere, as many German tourists visited this region.He renovated the premises completely and began to discover Spanish gastronomy, from saffron to black pork cured ham, not to forget the tapas and, in particular, everything that comes from the sea. In 1991 the compensation for his efforts came in the

form of a Michelin star and in 1994 he was awarded a second star. Girasol was rated by several specialists as one of the top ten restaurants in Spain.

Portugal

In 1996 he became a member of the illustrious Relais & Chteaux chain and through it he discovered that the Jdice family was looking for an advisor for Quinta das Lgrimas. He had only been in Portugal once, on a very short trip to Almancil,

2 2

but in 1999 he began working in Coimbra, where he discovered Portuguese products. From then onwards he began travelling to Portugal eight times a year and he grew to know and love the country. On 11 November 2004, Joachim Koerper and 10 other partners founded Eleven, in Lisbon, and he

took the lead in the kitchen. In September 2005 he decided to close Girasol and to dedicate himself entirely to his restaurant in Lisbon. In parallel he continued as advisor to Quinta das Lgrimas, which in 2004, with Albano Loureno as its executive chef, was awarded a Michelin star, alongside three other

restaurants in Spain, one in Palencia, the Posada de lAbad, another in Valencia, the Mas Canicatti, and one in Tarragona, the Mas Passamaner.

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MOVING SOUTHAlicante, Girasol

When as a teenager Joachim Koerper chose

to become a chef, he could not have imagined

that at the height of his career he would

have the blue of the Mediterranean as his

backdrop. Indeed, in Moraira, a sea resort half-way between Alicante and Valencia, the German chef developed his own style and achieved European acknowledgement. His restaurant, Girasol, was a reference in world gastronomy. This fascination for the south grew steadily along Joachim Koerpers life. First during his summer stays in Greece, Italy and Sardinia, when he was working in Swiss and Austrian hotels. Later he discovered the Mediterranean flavours when he worked at a hotel in Lugano, the Italian part of Switzerland.However, the turning point occurred in 1989, when he heard that Girasol was on sale and he decided to purchase it.Three years earlier I had taken part in a gastronomic week in Valencia and I had visited the restaurant, whose owner was also German. I really liked the place and its location (facing the sea), but I never imagined that one day I would stay there. The fact is my life was stationed very far away from this place, but when I found out that Girasol was on sale, a little voice inside of me said I had to buy it. In just a couple of days my whole life changed he recalls.

Desenhando mais um prato

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36 3736 37

At the age of 36 Koerper moved to the south, which was so appealing to him. At the time he was married to a Spanish lady, Victoria Martinez, who helped serve at the restaurant.It was thanks to her that Girasol and myself achieved success so quickly so he states. Nonetheless it was a very risky beginning, because the building needed refurbishment. However, the place was overflowing with what had always fascinated him most, that is to say the products. This was once again a period of discovery, beginning with everything that came from the surrounding sea: red mullets, bass, ray, turbot, Atlantic John Dory, prawns. Or from the sea of Galiza, where he got his lobster from everyday. For 15 years he dedicated a special menu to this sea animal at Girasol.Olive oil, tomato, green peppers, oranges from Valencia, lamb, veal, guinea fowl from Ampurdn and other local products were now combined with foie gras and caviar, as well white Italian truffles or black truffles from the mountains separating

red mulletsWhilst training at the legendary Moulin de Mougins,

in Cannes, with the famous chef Roger Verg,

Joachim Koerper was introduced to red mullets.

From then onwards he could not stop thinking about

this red-skinned fish. When he moved to Moraira he

gave free range to his passion, as the red mullets

which hide in the rocks off of the Mediterranean

coast are the main asset of this sea. The red mullet,

as prepared by Joachim Koerper, must always be

very fresh (and never frozen); it is served boneless

and with crispy skin, in other words, it is cooked on

the moment and for a very short time. Koerper says

he is very grateful to this product, not only because

it has helped him shine in the kitchen, but also

because it goes well with almost everything, from

the classic sauce made from fish liver, potatoes and

lemon, to tomato, aubergine, pesto, mushrooms or

noodles. At Eleven, the red mullets now come from

the Atlantic, and he promises to continue living his

passion for this fish with a unique taste.

3 3

tomatoThis is one of the products Joachim Koerper has a fetish for. To such an extent that he signs each dish with a dice

of tomato and fennel - with fish, or tomato -and chervil - with meat. Tomato is also one of the products Koerper

inevitably links to the south European countries, in all of its qualities and culinary uses. From the signature

concass to the sauces, confit and sun dried tomatoes, pear-tomatoes and Sicilian tomatoes, they have all become

indispensable to the German chefs cooking. He appreciates their good acidity and gentle sweetness, how well

they connect with all kinds of ingredients, their colour which garnishes the dishes beautifully, the balance they can

convey to more daring recipes. Needless to say that we totally agree with his fascination for one of the products

most present in Portuguese cooking. We will be here waiting for new uses that Joachim Koerpers creativity and

technique is willing to lend them.

Valencia from Catalonia (this is where the French from Prigord also get them he assures us), or with mushrooms, which in Spain are surprisingly of very high quality and variety.Joachim Koerper was living just above the restaurant and twice a week he would go to Valencia to buy supplies or certain fish species, at the small market in Moraira. He developed a relation of complicity with his suppliers from Spain and the south of France. Joachim Koerper, who would even drive for hundreds of kilometres in search of the right cheese (one of his personal fantasies, he confesses), started developing very solid cooking, arising from his classical training yet combined with his permanent sense of creativity, whose only limit is the respect for the products. Girasols new owner became very popular and he soon started receiving awards. In spite of the relatively small kitchen and the almost family-sized dining room, in 1991 the restaurant was awarded one Michelin star. Besides the fact that this award resulted in a rise in customers (by around 30%, minimum), it was also a sign that Koerpers venture in the South was bearing fruit.Three years later, his kitchen had still not been renovated and the dining room remained practically unaltered. Still he was awarded the second star, which consolidated his path and thrust the 42-year old German into the limelight at European level and even worldwide. He received many invitations to participate in gastronomic events in several parts of the world, alongside names like Santi Santamaria,

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caviarUnlike most people, Joachim Koerper was not

particularly fascinated with caviar. However, as

he grew to know it in the places he worked he

discovered its potential, particularly in combination

with other products and less on its own.

Sevruga became one of his favourite sauce

ingredients, in particular with fish dishes. Bass with

artichoke in caviar sauce is a good example, and it

was one of the first dishes he developed for Girasol.

It was such a success that he has not removed

it from the menu ever since. At this moment,

Koerper prefers Iranian to Russian caviar, as it is of

higher quality. He also appreciates other fish roes,

including haring. Caviar was also the protagonist

in a story which is very revealing of his attitude in

the kitchen and in the restaurant sector in general.

Once he decided to combine caviar in a sauce with

rabbits best end. Although strange, the recipe

actually pleased him. Only his customers, whom he

uses to test his new dishes, were not in agreement.

Consequence? It was never added to his menu. In

the Koerpers view a restaurant is not the place for

a chef to display his or her personal taste, although

he is incapable of serving anything he does not like.

When it is not to the customers liking, it is no use

insisting. Even if the creators feelings are hurt.

Joel Robuchon, Thomas Keller, Bernard Pacaud, Georges Blanc, Alain Ducasse, Paul Bocuse and other illustrious chefs, some of whom are currently his friends. By joining the Traditions & Qualit chain and especially Relais & Chteaux (Girasol was one of the few restaurants not linked to a hotel to have become a member) Koerper extended his prestige in haute cuisine even further. He was invited as an advisor to restaurants in Spain and Portugal, including Quinta das Lgrimas. As the restaurant in Moraira was a seasonal business, in the winter months it did not have many customers due to reduced tourist activity, this gave him the freedom to discover different forms of cooking and products in other regions.However, Girasol remained Joachim Koerpers base. He decided to renovate the place, by improving and enlarging the kitchen, setting up a modern wine cellar and increasing dining room service capacity. Was he aiming for the third Michelin star? Our chef answers: I had already come to the point where this was really the only thing left to achieve. I believe I came very close to getting it at some point, but the third star never came and I honestly do not known why. Michelin has its own criteria and they are not always perceivable to us, although I cannot complain, because I owe my reputation largely to Michelin. With or without the third star, Girasol

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orangeAs Moraira was located close to Valencia, Joachim Koerper inevitably grew to know the regions famous oranges.

Once again respect for products includes the respect for seasonality and oranges are only served from November

to May. They must never be frozen nor industrially preserved in any other way, in the attempt to deceive natures

cycles. Blood oranges, and other varieties, were amongst those which fascinated him the most. Koerper cherishes

in particular the acidity and the aromas that the orange can convey to all kinds of foodstuff, including his favourites,

lobster and red mullet; in different ways flavouring sauces, colouring salads and refreshing sorbets. Although he

no longer lives next to the orange tree orchards in Valencia, Koerper promises to remain loyal to oranges in Lisbon,

in this case to Portuguese oranges. But as always only when they are in season.

continued in its path and also became a school for several young chefs who, after training a couple of years with Koerper, become themselves managers of their own restaurants and were awarded Michelin stars and other prizes. His new wine cellar became a reference throughout Spain. It included the complete collection of Vega Siclia nico or Pesquera, two of the most celebrated red wines in the country, as well as some of the most renowned wines of the New World and exceptional Port wines like the vintage Quinta do Noval Nacional 1963 and Taylors 1994, or even Niepoorts vintage of 1900, besides other gems. Not to forget the cavas from Catalonia, one of his obsessions.

However, in 2003 Joachim Koerper faced a new challenge in his life: he became the master chef and one of the 11 owners of a new restaurant in Lisbon, alongside the Jdice family, with whom he had been working at Quinta das Lgrimas since 1999. The opportunity to participate in the development of a new project in a European capital, where his cooking could shine in a modern and sophisticated environment with a breathtaking view of the city, made him accept the invitation. Also at a personal level, the beauty and atmosphere of Lisbon, and the friendly manner in which the Portuguese people treat foreigners helped him decide to take charge of Elevens kitchen. The restaurant was inaugurated on November, 11th 2004.

At first Koerper considered sharing his dedication between Girasol and Eleven, since activity in Girasol was seasonal and the strongest period in Moraira is Summer and in Lisbon it is Winter. Yet he soon realised he should rather focus effort and time on the Lisbon restaurant, whose opening had been a grand success. So he completed his work in Moraira. The time had come to make a difficult decision and Joachim Koerper made it. In mid September of 2005 Girasol served it last meals.anos com Koerper, assumem a chefia dos prprios restaurantes e conseguem tambm eles obter estrelas Michelin e outras distines.Nobody wanted such a successful restaurant to close down, but when this means beginning new

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projects, as in the case of the German chef, not as many tears are shed. His professional and personal experience, most of his culinary heritage and even some suppliers (for example of truffles) or his fabulous wine cellar were passed on to Eleven. On the other hand, in spite of the fact that cuisine is ephemeral, customers and employees are always left with the memory of exhilarating meals, pleasant and joyful moments, enriching our personal heritage.

For the 15 years that Joachim Koerper steered Girasol, he fulfilled the most noble mission of all chefs by offering unforgettable emotions to his customers.

TRAVELS AND FRIENDSHIPin the Cooking World

A chef should never lie in the shadow of his or

her success. Joachim Koerper strongly believes in this. So, travelling, which he enjoys, also enables him to visit other restaurants, other chefs, other countries, other cultures. There were times when I had lunch and dinner on the same day in different three-star Michelin restaurants, and I went on like this for several days the chef explains. The idea is not to copy, but rather to see how the other chefs put their ideas into cooking, to observe their techniques, to compare them to ours, to observe which products

they use and how they use them. In one word, to learn every time.Besides having travelled to different countries in the early years of his career, when he was already working at Girasol, Koerper took part in several culinary events which took him to all parts of the world. For example, at a Relais & Chteaux congress in Los Angeles, in the mythical hotel Biltmore (where the Oscar ceremonies were held in the 30s), the total number of chefs preparing the fund-raising dinner amounted to 90 Michelin stars. The event was

broadcasted live on national television he recalls. Thomas Keller, Santi Santamaria, Alain Ducasse and Patrick OConnell were some of the illustrious chefs who worked with Koerper in Los Angeles.In 2004, during the largest Picasso exhibition in Latin America, which was on show in So Paulo, Brazil, Joachim Koerper was invited to prepare the Gala Ball dinner for over 400 illustrious guests. In spite of the fact that he does not have the same nationality as the renowned Spanish painter.Another remarkable event was the Gastronomic

Joackim Koerper, Thomas Keller, Patrick O Connell, Alain Ducasse, Santi Santamaria, in Bordus

Week at the famous hotel Raffless, in Singapore. This was a memorable occasion for both the place where it was held and the whole organisation. He worked alongside a chef from Milan, Carlo Cracci, and the French brothers, Pourcel e Alain Passedat. Amongst the any chefs he worked alongside in dozens of gastronomic events, there are some individuals with whom he developed a special relation, namely the chef from Catalonia, Santi Santamaria (three star Michelin, at the Can Fabes), and the French chef, Joel Robuchon, whom many have called the chef of the century. He has a holiday house near Moraira and he went often to Girasol. Or even the French chef Bernard Pacaud, who allowed Koerper to visit his kitchen at the

Karl Obauer, Joachim Koerper, Hans Haas, Rudi Obauer

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Joel Robuchon, Joachim Koerper

three-star LAmbroisie, in Paris, and used to send his daughter on vacation to Moraira. I identify myself totally with these three cooks. Besides being a wonderful person, Santi Santamaria has a style which I appreciate the most in Spain, an authentic style. He is a good friend. I admire Joel Robuchon for being a perfectionist, and Bernard Pacaud for his profound knowledge of products. He showed me how to identify a good product and how one can make three-star dishes with it.Travelling and friends are closely related to Koerpers cooking style, as is the search for good products, which are often discovered through friendship and affinity with other chefs and suppliers. If one day I cannot find those products anymore, I might as well close the doors Koerper assures us.

Roger Verg, Georges Blanc, Bernard Loiseau e Joachim Koerper, in South Africa

AN ENCOUNTER WITH PORTUGAL

Quinta das Lgrimas

Joachim Koerper was introduced to Portugal

through Coimbra. Until 1999, a visit to a restaurant in Almancil, whose owner was German, was the chef s only experience in Portugal. At the time he was living in Moraira (Alicante). That same year the Jdice family was looking for a chef who could turn the restaurant Arcadas da Capela, at Quinta das Lgrimas (which had been in the family since 1730), into a gastronomic reference. They hoped to see the restaurant rise to the quality of the hotel, accommodated in a beautiful 19th century palace in Coimbra, surrounded by gardens. The hotel was already a member of the distinguished Relais & Chteaux chain. It was precisely through Relais & Chteaux, of which the restaurant Girasol was also member, that the Jdice family met Joachim Koerper, and both sides took a liking to each other. This relationship has lasted to this day. It became stronger with Eleven, which opened in 2004 in Lisbon, and it is clearly more than just professional.

However, in spite of their friendship, Joachim Koerper could hardly be an advisor to Quinta das Lgrimas had he not been given the chance to develop his own style, in which products are crucial. One visit to the market in Figueira da Foz was enough to put the chef at rest. I had always loved Mediterranean fish, specially the species living among rocks, such as red mullets. But the first time I saw the fish from the Portuguese Atlantic coast they were selling in Figueira da Foz I was really surprised by the quality and diversity he recalls.

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Albano Loureno (Chefe da Quinta das Lgrimas), Joachim Koerper

breadFrom the dark rye bread from the north to the light wheat bread from the south, including bread with different

cereal blends, or with dried or crystallised fruit, bread is another simple foodstuff which Joachim Koerper values in

his cooking. Only recently did he discover maize bread (broa de milho), a well as migas made with broa. Portuguese

bread is in general very much appreciated by our chef. However, although he cherishes traditional recipes, he believes

not everything has been invented. The oldest culinary product in the world is so versatile and generous that it is

waiting for someone to discover new ingredients, new combinations, new ways of being baking.

From the noblest species, like bass, to the more popular ones, such as sardines, mackerels and ray, he loved them all and he began concocting ways of using them. Yet a restaurant does not live on fish alone and other good surprises were awaiting him in Coimbra and in the Beiras region, such as the quality sausages (different varieties), vegetables and bread. In fact, some time later, when Albano Loureno left So Gabriel restaurant, in the Algarve (one star Michelin), to become the executive chef of Arcadas da Capela, Joachim Koerper improved his knowledge of the region and its products. Albano Loureno is originally from this region, Gndara (Mira) to be more specific, and he has always remained close to his roots.

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I believe one of the best meals I ate in my whole life was the cozido that Albanos mother, D. Ilda, cooked for us in a pot in the fireplace. The meat, the sausages, the carrots, the cabbage, the potatoes and the broa de milho which they had baked themselves. Not only was the food extraordinary, as was the familys hospitality and joy. They made me feel like one of them the German chef tells us. This special relationship which the executive chef

and the advisor nurture (Albano says Joachim is like his older brother) has been one of the keys to the success of Arcadas da Capela, crowned in 2004 with a very anticipated - and rare in Portugal - Michelin star, and systematically mentioned in the gastronomic guides, namely the Repsol guide (by the Portuguese Academy of Gastronomy) as one of the best restaurants in the country.

Joachim Koerper, Albano Loureno, Paula Loureno

Domingos Morais, Mrio Morais (Director Geral do Grupo da Quinta das Lgrimas), Joachim Koerper

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Besides contacting regularly by telephone with Albano Loureno, Joachim Koerper also travels on average once a month to Coimbra. Every season he works on a new menu with the executive chef. Albano and myself try to work with the regional products, as far as possible. However, we obviously do not want to make regional dishes. Our recipes were developed by ourselves, and they are the product of our technique, our imagination and our experience he says.

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The suppliers of Quinta das Lgrimas include Quinta da Conraria, which is an educational and social project, focused on mentally disabled children. However, children from the local schools also visit it. The aim is to teach children the cultural and ecological importance of agriculture. Vegetables, fruit, herbs, eggs and cheese are carefully

lambThis is another product that Joachim Koerper

only discovered much later in his professional life.

Indeed his first memory of lamb in Germany was

the Irish stew, which is made with old animals,

it is filled with fat and it does not have a very

appetising smell

He discovered lamb in a key moment in his career,

when he was training with the legendary Roger

Verg, at the three star Moulin de Mougins, in

Cannes.

Roger Verg always used lamb from Pressal,

which feed in Brittanys pastures, on the Atlantic

shore. It had a set place in his menus and from then

onwards not a day goes by that I do not have lamb

in my restaurants says the chef, whose trademark

is the 7-minute oven roast carr, left to rest in the

Hold-o-Mat at 6 C, and cooked until pink on the

inside.

In Portugal, Koerper delights in Alentejo lamb from

Montemor, which is naturally on Elevens menus,

included in some of the most successful dishes. We

also find it in Quinta das Lgrimas, although there it

loses out to goat, another of Koerpers new passions

and a classic of the restaurant. It is cooked in the

oven in thyme sauce at low temperature and it

accompanies roast potatoes and vegetables

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selected and sent to the kitchen by Albano Loureno, after the enthusiastic approval of Joachim Koerper.It is interesting to watch how this chef, who was born in Germany, lived in Spain for 15 years after having travelled around most part of Central Europe, moves around in Quinta das Lgrimas. How he enjoys the beauty and peacefulness of this place, which in the 16th century witnessed the tragic love of Dom Pedro, the prince (to be king), and Ins de Castro, a noble lady from Galicia, originating one of the most popular Portuguese legends of all times. The story was immortalized by Cames in Lusadas and it inspired many other Portuguese as well as foreign authors, like Voltaire, Stendhal, Victor Hugo and Ezra Pound.

cheeseAnyone who goes to one of Joachim Koerpers

restaurants will certainly find an exquisite cheese

tray. The German chef is capable of travelling to

Paris just to buy cheese and he travels hundreds

of kilometres in Portugal and Spain to find the best

cheese suppliers, in particular raw milk cheese,

which is becoming increasingly rare. When I go

to Paris or London, for example, I always take an

empty bag with me, which I bring back filled with

cheese he tells us.

Who would imagine that Koerpers first memory of

cheese was somewhat traumatic? In Germany he

used to eat Limburger cheese at his grandparents

home, which in spite of the quality has a smell too

intense for such a young nose, inexperienced in

such strong odours...

It was only when I began working that I found

out that there are different sorts of cheese filled

with subtleness and I never left them again.

In Portugal, the German chef was marvelled by

Azeito cheese and the cheese from the island of

So Jorge.

The first time I came I stopped in Setbal to visit a

biological herb plantation and they gave me Azeito

cheese to taste. It was love at first sight. This is

one of the best Portuguese products I know.

In the kitchen, cheese is also an irreplaceable

partner. He uses it in certain dishes like lamb carr

wrapped in fresh goat cheese crust (from Cartaxo)

or potato gratin with Serra cheese. Either at the

end of a meal, with his favourite bread (specially

the one with dried fruit) and a glass of Port vintage,

or in the dishes he invented, Joachim Koerper does

not survive without cheese.

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Apparently this magical place, which to this day fascinates all of its visitors, has bewitched another artist.

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SETTING UP THE RESTAURANT

Eleven

When Joachim Koerper visited the site

where Eleven was being built, he realised

he had to be a part of the project. In which other European capital would he have the chance of cooking in a restaurant located in the city centre, with a magnificent view of the river Tagus and Lisbon, surrounded by a charming garden, beautifully decorated, supported by a team of young professionals?It took three years for Eleven to be established. It opened on the 11th day of the 11th month (November), in 2004, and it has 11 owners, including Joachim Koerper. This is why it is called Eleven. The two digits also represent the two columns located

next to the restaurant, at the top of Eduardo VII park, one of the most visible places in the city.I had already been in Lisbon a couple of times, although my trips to Portugal were more directed to Quinta das Lgrimas, in Coimbra. I think that the fact that I really liked Lisbon and that I felt at home here must have influenced my decision to stay. Besides the Portuguese people treat us foreigners gently and they make us feel welcome. says the German chef. Elevens first year was a great success. To such an extent that its managers practically did not have any time to stop and think about the improvements which could be made, as with any restaurant during

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its set up period. Joachim Koerper, who in the beginning was divided between his beloved Girasol, in Moraira (Alicante) and his new home in Lisbon, understood that Eleven was a more suitable place for him to turn a new page in his life and career. Miguel Jdice is the restaurant manager. He is the son of Jos Miguel Jdice, an old friend of Joachim Koerper from Quinta das Lgrimas, who is one of Elevens owners and invited him to manage the kitchen of the Lisbon restaurant. Other people whom he met in Quinta das Lgrimas, like the hotel manager Mrio Morais, also helped put the project together. I realised Miguel and Mrio, who are people I trust and love, would give me all of the support I needed to deal with issues outside of my field, like marketing and public relations, including organising events and financial management. I was left with time to focus on cooking, which is what really interests me.Eleven soon became a favourite hangout for

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politicians, businessmen, liberal professionals and other illustrious men and women of Lisbon society. Besides Koerpers cooking, they are attracted by the beauty and comfort of the modern building, which was designed by another of the 11 owners, architect Joo Correia. Cristina Santos and Silva and Ana Menezes Cardoso were the interior designers. The building is located in the middle of Amlia Rodrigues park, which was designed by one of the biggest names in Portuguese landscape architecture, Gonalo Ribeiro Telles. In the glass dining rooms, a number of photos by Jorge Cruz stand out. Entire Lisbon is commenting on Joana Vasconceloss enormous heart made with over three thousand plastic spoons, hanging from the entrance hall ceiling. In spite of the successful first year, Joachim Koerper has bigger dreams for Eleven. A good restaurant does not appear over night. At Eleven we are not only on the right track, but we also have the necessary conditions to go far, which Girasol did not have. Naturally the chef is pleased that the restaurant came immediately in fashion and realises what this means for the project in financial terms. However, his experience also tells him that it is necessary to consolidate the strengths and to correct the weaknesses. This was such a crazy first year, we had so many people to serve everyday that we did

not have the time to train our employees as I would have liked to. Besides Lisbon is a big cosmopolitan city; the customers are very demanding and the press is always on the look out. This is the first time in my career that I am faced with such a situation. There is enormous pressure, but I think we are doing well. However, some improvements are needed, it couldnt be any other way he acknowledges.The illustrious owners of Eleven are one of the reasons why the restaurant caught the public eye and of the mass media. Besides Joachim Koerper, architect Joo Correia and Jos Miguel Jdice, one of the countrys most renowned lawyers and former president of the Portuguese Bar Association, Elevens partners also include entrepreneurs like Amrico Amorim, Steffano Saviotti, Nabil Aouad, Jos Marques da Silva, Hiplito Pires and Tiago Cmara Pestana, as well as the banker Joo Rendeiro and the business man and wine producer Jos Bento dos Santos, who is also vice-president of

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Miguel Jdice, Joachim Koerper

the Portuguese Gastronomy Academy.These people, who already knew each other or some of whom were even friends, have in common the fact that they are gourmets and they wanted to endow Lisbon with a five-star restaurant on a European level. At the very beginning, Lisbon municipality granted Joo Correia the property. Then Jos Miguel Jdice and his son Miguel, who had specialised in hotel management by Cornell University, in the United States, wanted to expand their business to Lisbon, and they already had in mind finding a restaurant worthy of Joachim Koerpers talent and prestige. They were the link between the restaurants eleven owners.The groups efforts were turned into a restaurant,

which is divided into a ground-floor which seats 60 people, a reserved space in the upper floor that seats another 60 people and a terrace that takes up to 70 people. The two latter spaces, which offer an even more spectacular view, have been used for all sorts of events, including private and corporate parties, new product launches, wine tasting and other events.With such a big investment, one cannot afford to not provide such services. Haute cuisine is very expensive, due to the wages good professionals are paid and the cost of good products Joachim Koerper underlines. Elevens dishes are always signed by the chef - a dice of tomato with fennel (if fish), or with chervil (if meat). But is it the same cuisine as in Girasol,

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the restaurant that made him famous Europe-wide? Or by moving to Lisbon, with all of the changes in his life it implied, did Koerper change his style? Everything seems to indicate that there is always some evolution in continuity. Besides Lisbon is on the Atlantic and not on the Mediterranean coast, although cooking in the south of Europe is quite alike. As his cooking is very much based on the products, logically there are differences. The red mullet on our coast is different to the Mediterranean red mullet, but Koerper insists on highlighting its qualities, including the crispy skin. Therefore he has reinvented it, for example, with magnificent home-made noodles (another of his trademarks), in the pesto sauce he brings from Italy, or with tomato coulis to enhance its meridian character. You may ask, is that Portuguese, Spanish or Italian? Perhaps you should ask, is that Koerper? And the answer is clearly yes. As is pure Koerper the American lobster on all of the menus, always cooked for just the right amount of time, seeking the company of vegetables and herbs which enhance its flavour, from mild Madras curry to tarragon, from artichokes to lemon. In Portugal we have the product in quantity and quality and we can imagine how he dreams of offering lobster menus again like he did daily for 15 years at Girasol. Are our customers in Lisbon ready to rise to the

american lobsterEven before he moved to Spain, he had already prepared many lobster dishes. However, ever since he opened Girasol, in 1,

Joachim Koerper had a lobster menu everyday, which he changed four times a year. This gives us an idea of his love for this shell-

fish, which came in daily from Galiza, still alive. Now and again, when there was a lack of American lobster from Galiza, he would

order it from Canada or the United States, although the quality is said to be inferior. But it always arrived alive, never frozen. As he is

not a connoisseur of shellfish, and as he is well aware that American lobster would make a menu too pricy, once again he opted for

the European lobster, as in the German chefs imagination it could be prepared (like cod) in one thousand and one different ways;

in salads, soup, starters or main courses.

For the time being it has never come up in desserts, but who knows one day... He quite enjoys its strong taste, yet without the

aggressiveness that in his view other shellfish have. He always cooks it at C maximum to not disturb the delicate flesh and

he never serves it in the shell, not even the tasty paws. As Portugal shares the same sea as Galiza, Koerper promises to continue

serving his lobster dishes in Eleven, where actually they have already turned up with great success.

challenge?Portuguese seafood is well represented in Eleven: from sardines to bass, from cockles to langoustines. Sometimes in weird combinations, like white fish with sausages, or in exotic combinations, like langoustine and potato crisps, green risotto or soy beans. Why not add to our one thousand and one

cod recipes a daring combination with foie gras sauce? Dishes like these tell us that Joachim Koerper, the 52-year old German chef with a close to 40-year career, is not accommodated and he invites us to discover him just as he is, with his techniques, his experience, his endless creativity. His cooking is

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Cyril em aco

foie grasEIn terrines, but especially with very fresh thin steaks, foie gras is an indispensable ingredient in any of Joachim

Koerpers menus, particularly since the liking for it is growing. He likes to supervise the whole preparation process:

the foie gras is soaked in milk to remove excess blood, cut open and cleaned, seasoned with salt, sugar, pepper,

nutmeg, a few drops of Port wine... Then it is cooked very slowly (Koerper never vacuum cooks foie gras) to prevent it

from losing flavour and texture, maintaining the temperature in the middle low in order to not overcook it.

Figs, apricots, cherries, apples. Combining it with fruit, which lends the foie gras just the right amount of acidity, is

most popular. As for the bird that supplies the liver, or its place of origin? Ducks or geese, French, Spanish or Israel,

it really does not matter to him, because he boasts that he can see the quality of a product and that is what is

important.

strongly embedded in the classical style, but he never denies modernity, which he includes in his own style that he has spent many years building through his professional and life experiences.The meat dishes, often vacuum cooked, are a clear manifestation of how he uses the best things our era has to offer, based on the logic of enhancing flavours

and textures, and seeking the right cooking time for pigeon or doe, steer or lamb, or even affording double cooking black pork or duck in the same recipe. Even the ones who do not appreciate Koerpers cooking will surely do him justice by not identifying in his recipes insensible show-off or the attempt to

The Elevenss Dream Team...

cause easy impression by surrendering to fashion. With each dish there is a meaning, a protagonist and the people who helped it to shine, an emotion we wish to convey, an enormous honesty. Will we be capable of understanding? After one year of novelty, will Eleven be able to assert itself? Will we be capable, once and for all, of overcoming in gastronomy our unresolved dilemma of tradition versus modernity, as it seems to be happening?If it depends on him, the answer is yes. As Joachim Koerper is determined to unveil himself and his cooking to us. He sees Lisbon as a challenge he

MushroomsThe people who appreciate truffles seldom have

the same feelings for their cousin mushrooms,

although there are many varieties of this fungus. It

is the same with Joachim Koerper. In his view, ceps

are the king of mushrooms, although morel and

chanterelle are also among his favourites. Once

again, culinary versatility is one of the qualities

that is most appealing to this practical man. He

uses mushrooms in almost everything and in the

most diversified manners. However, he confesses

that he prefers the simplest form of preparing

them, with a little garlic and sauted in butter, which

helps enhance all of its qualities.

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wants to meet, a place where he wants to work, without playing a messianic role, which does not even befit him.More than a restaurant, it is foreseeable that in the

next few years Eleven will be a gauge of change in our taste and behaviour. Simultaneously, it will be the stage on which a cook, at the height of his maturity and expertise, will exhibit his art.

fruit from brazilThere are products which help us discover a country. When he was an advisor to the Silversea cruise line, Joachim

Koerper docked at Santos, on the Brazilian coast. He went to the market and he was stunned by the quality and the

variety of fruit on sale. Ever since, his passion for Brazil has grown. This country has three main raw-materials:

fruit, meat and women he says quite jokingly, but rather honestly.

Later he spent a week at the Mridien in Rio de Janeiro, on a gastronomic event. His granadilla souffl, served inside

the fruit shell, received so much praise that Brazilian fruit became part of his cooking, although his cooking is very

much centred on the Mediterranean.

Besides passion fruit, he uses paw paw, pineapple, mango, all varieties of banana (ever since I was a child I liked

bananas, but only in Brazil did I discover so many varieties says Koerper) in his desserts, or even in salt dishes

to convey an exotic touch to a shellfish recipe or to surprise people with a combination of hot foie gras steak in

granadilla sauce.

However, Joachim Koerper believes Brazil unveils many other charms to frequent visitors. Specially So Paulo,

where he guarantees from the top of his experience we find the best Italian restaurants in the world, where I ate

the best pizza in my life, as well as extraordinary Japanese food, excellent French cuisine, the best I have ever eaten

outside of France, not to mention the BBQs and the fabulous meat.

Then there is the last element of Koerpers Brazilian trilogy: women. The truth is So Paulo and its restaurants were

so appealing to me because I have enjoyed them in the company of Carmen, a Brazilian lady who brought light into

my life.

Carmen Arantes, Joachim Koerper

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THE JOY OF WINE

From the fruity white wines, like riesling and gewurztraminer, including eiswein, from his country of birth, to the red full-bodied wines from Ribera del Duero or from the Portuguese side of the river Douro, as well as the cavas from Peneds, wine is one of Joachim Koerpers most solid gastronomic references. This connection became stronger when he moved to the Iberian world, to such an extent that Girasols cellar became one of the most famous wine cellars in the whole of Spain. It contained gems from all parts of the world, including Portugal, some of the countrys new wines and some vintage ports. All of these wines, collected throughout many decades, are now put at the disposal of Elevens customers. I have been a wine lover for 30 years. When I was living in Switzerland, twice a year I would go to Bourgogne to buy wine. Ever since, my taste for

Jos Bento dos Santos, Joachim Koerper

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Joachim Koerper, Jos Miguel Jdice

wine has grown. In Spain, I was one of the few people to own the full collection of two of the most famous Ribera del Duero of all times: Vega Siclia nico and Pesquera. However, Portuguese Douro wine is equally good the chef tells us. In 2002 his restaurant was awarded the prize Bodega del Ano and Best Restaurant in Spain, by the prestigious Gourmettour guide, and in 2004 he was awarded the prize for Best Dining Room Customer Service. It is high quality wines like these that he took with him to Eleven. Wines from all parts of the world, which make any meal unforgettable. As important as the exaltation of a dish, wine is in the chef s view a synonym of socialising, spending good moments at a table with friends. I cannot imagine food without wine, nor wine without food. A wine can help enhance a dish,

Joachim Koerper, Tiago Cmara Pestana

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but sometimes it is the other way around he says. This permanent link often comes to life when a specific wine helps him imagine recipes which could go well with it, or almost automatically when he seeks the best wine to go with the dishes he creates. One good example of how wine is looked at in gastronomy was the lunch served at Quinta

do Monte dOiro, in Alenquer. This estate is owned by one of Elevens partners, Jos Bento dos Santos, an excellent gourmet who also produces nationally and even internationally renowned wines. Jos Miguel Jdice, Joo Correia, Steffano Saviotti and Tiago Cmara Pestana were four of Elevens owners who took part in the magnificent lunch dedicated

Joachim Koerper, Maria Joo and Steffano Saviotti

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to the wines of Bento dos Santos, which was designed by Koerper and prepared by members of his team. Making the most of a kitchen which most restaurants would envy, Koerper served fabulous dishes. The lunch was composed of the products which he has spent his whole life selecting. First, chestnut, cep and white truffle soup, followed by American lobster ravioli with crustacean froth, lime and fennel olive oil, and then a life-long reference, fried eggs with black truffle and black pork cured ham. To top it off, his beloved cheeses (including Azeito, his favourite Portuguese cheese) and apple tart sprinkled with olive oil and the unexpected fleur de sel from the Algarve, lending it a joyful touch.Joachim Koerper and his friends were delighted. What better example do we need of what wine and food can do for all of us?

black porkUsed to the sweet smoked German ham which he appreciates to this day, one of the first Spanish products to catch

Joachim Koerpers eye was cured black pork ham wrapped in a fat coat. Now in Portugal, he has transferred his

fascination onto Alentejo breed black pork. This does not apply solely to the cured ham. The different meat varieties

and the multiple types of sausage it produces have conquered the German chef, for whom they have become

indispensable in Eleven and for his unexpected creations, like pork leg carpaccio (the same meat cooked twice for

the same dish), combined with fish in the form of sausage. This is a connection he promises to keep, thus attesting

that in cuisine there is always room for unveiling new sides to old products.

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GIRASOL

INGREDIENTS

300 g fresh dressed tuna 1chicory2 quail eggs2 anchovy fillets 1 ratte potato 20 g Kenya beans4 black olives, the stone removedOlive oil SaltFleur de sel4 cl home-made vinaigrette

FOR THE SAUCE

2 cl balsamic vinegar 20 g mayonnaise20 g yoghurt1 cl milk10 g cooked tunaSaltPepper

FOR THE VINAIGRETTE

25 cl balsamic vinegar25 cl raspberry vinegar25 cl Sherry vinegar40 cl chicken stock 150 cl sunflower oil 50 cl extra virgin olive oil 20 g mustardSugarSalt

PREPARATION OF VINAIGRETTE

Emulsify all of the ingredients.

PREPARATION

Cut 240 g tuna into 5 cm-wide steaks. Wrap the steaks in cling paper and refrigerate. Cut other ingredients into brunoise and saute in olive oil. Boil the potatoes, allow to cool and peel. Cut in 2 mm thin slices.Cook the beans al dente in boiling water with salt to taste. Allow to cool in ice water to preserve colour. Cut into 1/2 cm-long sticks, and keep aside. Boil the quail eggs for 3 minutes. Allow to cool; cut in half and keep aside.Cut the olives into thin slices and keep aside. Wash the chicory leaves and reserve inner leaves (heart).For the sauce, pure the rest of the ingredients in a blender and season to taste.

TO SERVE

Line the dish with a little sauce. Slice the tuna as thin as possible with a ham cutter and arrange the slices neatly on the plate. Season the chicory with vinaigrette and add the potato, the quail eggs, the Kenya beans, the anchovy (fillets cut in half ) and the olives. Place in the centre of the plate. Season with olive oil and fleur de sel.

TUNA CARPACCIO Nice-styleserves 4

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PREPARATION

Remove the langoustines from their shells (clean them of their intestine). Place the langoustines between two sheets of parchment paper and beat firmly with a rolling pin to flatten. Cut 4 pineapple slices as thinly as possible, place on a silpat sheet, sprinkle with icing sugar and place in the oven at 80C to dry, for 12 to 16 hours, until they become crispy. Prepare the rest into brunoise (2 cm cubes).Peel the red pepper and cut into brunoise, allow to sweat in olive oil and keep aside. When it is cold, blend in with the pineapple and vanilla seeds.For the vinaigrette, finely chop the lemon grass and sweat in 1cl olive oil and curry. Allow to cool, add the remaining olive oil and sieve. Dissolve a little salt and pepper in the balsamic vinegar and add the olive oil.Wash the chicory and use the yellow inner leaves. Season the chopped shallot and chives with homemade vinaigrette.

TO SERVE

Arrange on a plate 4 langoustines so that the cover the bottom. In the centre place the chicory bouquet with 3 pineapple quenelles and green pepper around it.Season with lemon grass, curry vinaigrette and fleur de sel to taste. Garnish with the crispy pineapple.

INGREDIENTS

16 langoustines, weighing 80 g each1/2 pineapple1/2 red pepper 1chicory1 vanilla pod1 shallot3 sprigs chive4 cl homemade vinaigrette (see p. 114)

VINAIGRETTE

1 sprig lemon grassPinch of Madras curry1 cl white balsamic vinegar7 cl lemon-flavoured olive oil

LANGOUSTINE CARPACCIOwith pineapple and vanilla-flavoured pepper, curry vinaigrette and lemon grassserves 4

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PREPARATION OF THE COURT-BOUILLON

Blend the ingredients for the court-bouillon and bring it to a boil for 30 minutes.

PREPARATION OF THE TOMATO CONFIT

Peel and seed the tomatoes and cut into four petals. Lay the tomato halves on a sheet of parchment paper and season with olive oil, salt, pepper, thyme and garlic. Place in the oven at 70C for 1h30m.

PREPARATION

Cook the lobster in the court-bouillon at 80C for around 5 minutes. Remove from the court-bouillon, remove the shell, cut the tail in half and remove the intestine. Slice half of the tail into 4 or 5 pieces and reserve one claw per person.Allow 4 slices of cured ham to dry in the oven at 180C, flattened between two flat surfaces covered in parchment paper.Dice the orange sections and marinate in a little olive oil and tarragon. Blend in with the diced petals of tomato confit.Wash the lettuce leaves and season with the homemade vinaigrette, the chopped shallot, the chive and the cured ham (the last slice) cut julianne-style.Brush the American lobster with olive oil and heat in a salamander grill.

TO SERVE

Place the lettuce in the centre of the dish together with the crispy cured ham. Next to it place two tomato and orange quenelles, the lobster tail and one claw. Season with the orange vinaigrette, a touch of olive oil and fleur de sel.

INGREDIENTS

2 blue lobsters, weighing 500 g each3 l court-bouillon5 thin slices black pork dried ham1 chicory2 tomatoes1 sprig tarragon1 shallot1 sprig thyme3 sprigs chive1 garlic cloveSugarJuice of 4 oranges100 cl virgin olive oilSaltPepperFleur de sel4 cl homemade vinaigrette (see p. 114)

FOR THE COURT-BOUILLON

4 l water1 carrot1 onion1 leek1 sprig thyme1 bay leaf10 g black pepperSalt

FOR THE TOMATO CONFIT

800 g tomatoSugarThyme1 garlic clove Olive oilSalt

BLUE LOBSTER SALAD with tomato confit, orange, tarragon and black pork dried hamserves 4

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PREPARATION

Slice the scallops into 2mm-thin slices and set aside. Pure the foie gras with vinegar. Set aside. Wash the chicory and reserve only the yellow leaves of the heart. Add the chopped shallots, chive and homemade vinaigrette. Chop the truffle finely and marinate half in olive oil. Reserve the remaining truffle.

TO SERVE

Arrange the scallop slices in rosaceous shape on a bed of foie gras pure. Place a chicory bouquet on top of the scallops and sprinkle with finely chopped truffle. Season with truffle olive oil and fleur de sel.

INGREDIENTS

12 scallops1 cl Sherry vinegar 30 g foie gras1 chicory1 shallot5 sprigs chives10 g black truffleBlack truffle olive oil2 cl homemade vinaigrette (see p. 114)Fleur de sel

SCALLOP CARPACCIO with black truffleserves 4

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INGREDIENTS

2 veal tails1 bottle of red Ribera del Duero wine200 g salmon skin and bones removed200 g bass skin and bones removed1 shallot2 sprigs chiveJuice of one lemon1 carrot1 green leaves of the leek3 gelatine leaves40 g Iranian caviar Olive oil

FOR THE VINAIGRETTE

Juice of two grapefruits 60 cl olive oil5 g sugar

QUICHE

200 g puff pastry50 cl sour cream5 cl milk1 egg1 egg-yolk1 red pepper1 green pepper1 onion1 courgette1 aubergine2 sprigs chiveSalt

PREPARATION

Saute the veal tails in olive oil, then add half of an onion, carrot, the green leaves of the leek in mirepoix, sweat for two minutes and deglaze with red wine. Bring it to boil in the wine and cook in the oven at 80C, for approximately 8 hours. Remove from the oven and shred the meat. Place on a tray and flatten. Pour the wine in a colander, reserve 1/4 litre to dissolve gelatine, which had been previously soaked in cold water. Pour over meat and allow to cool.For the quiche, roll the dough out and line the pie pan. Cut the vegetables into brunoise (1/2 onion, aubergine, green peppers and courgette). Sautee the vegetables separately in olive oil and pour them into a strainer. Place them on top of the remaining mixed ingredients. Allow to cook in oven at 180 C. Finish cooking in the salamander grill.Chop the fish and season with lemon juice, diced shallot, olive oil and chopped chives. Shape the veal tail into a rectangle, 3 cm long and 2 cm wide.For the vinaigrette, boil sugar to caramel and add grapefruit juice to deglaze. Reduce to syrup, allow to cool and emulsify with olive oil.

TO SERVE

Place on each plate two rectangles of veal tail, one slice of quiche, 5 g caviar, one salmon quenelle and one bass quenelle. Place a little vinaigrette in the centre of the plate and sprinkle with olive oil.

SALMON AND BASS TARTARon veal tail and Iranian caviar serves 4

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INGREDIENTS

8 medium-sized sardines6 ripe tomatoes200 g fresh cheese1 courgette2 aubergines1 shallot4 sweet basil leaves2 sprigs chive1 sprig tarragon100 g mixed salad25 cl chicken stock 6 gelatine leaves (soaked in cold water)200 g chourio5 cl sour cream5 cl tarragon-flavoured vinaigrette20 cl white balsamic vinegar Olive oilSaltFleur de selHomemade vinaigrette (see 114)

SARDINE TERRINEwith fresh cheese and tomato, aubergine cannelloni and Iberian chourio (sausage)

PREPARATION

Pure the tomato and sieve through a cloth to drain the water. Heat enough tomato water to dissolve the gelatine leaves and sprinkle onto a triangular-shaped terrine lined with food wrap film. Refrigerate.Cut the courgette and the aubergine lengthwise into 2 mm slices, sprinkle with olive oil and grill. Refrigerate. Cut the other aubergine in half, prick it with a fork, sprinkle with olive oil and roast in the oven at 180C for around 20 minutes.Extract the caviar (pulp), pure with the sweet basil and season with salt and olive oil. Place on top of the tomato gelatine a layer of grilled courgette and aubergine. Grind the fresh cheese and heat the sour cream to dissolve one sheet of gelatine. Check salt seasoning , add the chopped tarragon leaves and sprinkle on top of grilled vegetables. Refrigerate.When hardened, place another layer of grilled courgette and aubergine. Remove the skin and bones of the sardine and cut in halves. Marinate in lemon juice and tarragon vinegar for 10 minutes.Place over the last layer of grilled vegetables. Heat the chicken stock and dissolve in it 3 gelatine leaves. Allow to cool and when it is only slightly warm pour it gently into the terrine. Cover with the cling film and press down. Refrigerate.Peel the chourio, chop and saute in olive oil. Filter the olive oil and dry the chourio in the oven. Allow to cool and grind it to dust consistency. Boil the balsamic vinegar into a caramel and cut with the chourio-flavoured oil. Spread the caviar on to the grilled aubergine slices and roll them up like cannelloni. Season the lettuce with the vinaigrette, chopped shallot and chives.

TO SERVE

Sprinkle a serving plate with the ground chourio and place a lettuce bouquet in the middle. On the one side arrange the aubergine cannelloni and on the other a slice of terrine. Sprinkle with chourio-flavoured and balsamic olive oil, and a little fleur de sel.

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INGREDIENTS

1 foie gras between 350 and 450 g80 g crisphead lettuce2 green applesIcing sugar4 cl homemade vinaigrette (see p. 114)

FOR THE SAUCE

20 cl duck stock1 green apple1 granadilla40 g butter

FOR THE DUCK STOCK

Duck carcass 1 onion1 carrot1 leek (green leaves)1 bay leaf1 sprig thyme

THIN STEAKS OF FOIE GRAS FROM LAMPURDANin apple and granadilla sauce serves 4

PREPARATION

Roast the duck carcass in the oven until golden brown. Dice the garnish and sweat in half of the butter. Add the carcass and cover in water. Simmer into a syrup. Pass through a colander. Dice the apple and pure it in the blender. Spoon the granadilla pulp, add the apple pure and take to a boil until reduced to half. Add the duck stock and cook for 5 minutes, pour into the colander and add the other half of the butter. Check salt seasoning.Peel the apple and cut into 2 cm thick slices. Cut the liver into thin steaks, around 3 cm wide, and saute in a very hot skillet, together with the apple slices sprinkled with a little icing sugar. Peel the other apple and cut in julianne-style (1 mm wide by 3 cm long). Season the lettuce with the vinaigrette, add the chopped shallot, chive and the apple julianne.

TO SERVE

Arrange on a plate first the apple slices, then the liver steaks on top and sprinkle with fleur de sel. Finish garnishing with lettuce and the apple julianne, and spoon the sauce on to the plate.

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INGREDIENTS

2 American lobsters, weighing 500 g each1 courgette1 aubergine1 onion1 red pepper1 yellow pepper2 tomatoes1 sprig thyme4 leaves sweet basil1/4 l sunflower oil3 l court-bouillon (see p. 118)Olive oilSaltFleur de sel

FOR THE SAUCE

1 sprig lemon grass5 g Madras curry75 cl fumet25 cl sour cream2 shallots25 cl white wine1 garlic clove

PREPARATION

Boil the lobster in the court-bouillon at 80C for 4 minutes and allow to cool. For the ratatouille, chop the vegetables into brunoise and keep aside.Sweat the onion and the chopped garlic in olive oil. Peel and seed the tomatoes and combine with the thyme leaves. Allow to simmer. Sweat the vegetables in olive oil separately. Next, mix the vegetables and the tomato and allow to cook for 5 minutes.Take the lobster out of the shell, cut the tail and remove the intestine. Cut half of the tail into slices and keep aside.For the sauce, chop the shallots and the lemon grass. Deglaze with white wine and reduce until dry. Add the fumet. Reduce to half and add the cream and curry. Allow to boil for one minute, remove from the burner, cover the saucepan with cling film and allow to rest for 10 minutes.Pour into a sieve and check seasoning. Brush the American lobster with olive oil and warm up in the salamander grill.Fry the basil leaves in the oil at 140C.

TO SERVE

Line the centre of the dish with the vegetable ratatouille. Arrange half of the lobster tail in the shape of a rose. Spoon the sauce around the ratatouille. Garnish with a wal