ÉTOILE - Atelier des Gourmands

Join our next ✨ Persian Cooking Class ✨ this week, and discover the authentic flavors of Persian Cuisine!

Besides great mountains🌄⛰, vast deserts 🏜, and breathtaking architecture, Iran offers one of the oldest and most distinct cuisines in the world. Heavily influenced by the rich cuisines of its neighbors (including Central Asian cuisine, Russian cuisine, Turkish cuisine, Mesopotamian cuisine, Levantine cuisine as well as Greek cuisine), typical Iranian main dishes are often combinations of rice with meat, vegetables, and nuts. Indian and Pakistani cuisine have also had a significant impact on Persian dishes through various historical Persianate sultanates that flourished during Muslim rule on the Indian subcontinent.

Using ingredients like dates, figs, pomegranate molasses, dried lime, and a great variety of herbs as well as spices, Persian cuisine manages to serve savory-sweet dishes that combine heartwarming comfort food with oriental haute-cuisine.

snacks & welcome tea 🍵
*
spinach and yoghurt dip 🥤
"bejewelled" rice 🍚🍚
chicken 🍗, walnut and pomegranate stew
aubergine with roasted garlic
shirazi salad 🥗
*
Persian ice cream with pistachios 🍨, rose water and saffron 🌹
*
selection of beverages and wine. 🍷🥂

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Book your seat now 😉

Happy Easter! 🐣🐰🥚🥰

HIRING! 🥳

We are looking for motivated kitchen assistants to support us with various culinary experiences (cooking classes, supper clubs, birthday parties, tastings etc.) in Zurich. You would help our chefs prepare for the events, assist students/clients, do some dishes, set the table etc. If you know the culinary scene in Zurich very well and love talking about food, we are also regularly looking for guides for our food tours.

No previous experience needed, what is important is that you are willing to learn. We are looking for people who are proactive, efficient, customer-friendly and fast. Ideally, you love being a host and feeding people. Knowledge of German is a benefit but not necessary as our team as well as our clients are very international.

This is a freelance job as it depends on the amount of events that we run. We will reach out to you whenever we have job opportunities, and you can then decide which ones you want to accept.

Are you interested? Pls send an email to [email protected] with a few lines why you would be the perfect addition to our team. We cannot wait to meet you! 🤩

Do you love Latin flavors as much as we do? 🥳

Peruvian cuisine has been described as one of the world's most important cuisines and a prime example of fusion cuisine, due to its multicultural historic roots. Immigrants from Europe (Spanish, Italians and Germans), Asia (Japanese and Chinese) as well as Africa all left their mark; without the familiar ingredients from their home countries, the immigrants started to use local ingredients and gradually modified their traditional cuisines. The indigenous population, including the Inca, also influenced local practices and the choice of ingredients in Peru.

Explore the authentic flavors, history, and techniques of Peruvian cuisine in this delicious cooking class!

snacks & welcome drink
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ceviche with "leche de tigre"
salmin tiradito with passionfruit
mushroom salad with ají amarillo

***
corn and basil ice cream

Book now! Link in bio. 😊

Ready for a full-flavor experience of Argentinian cuisine? 😊

Argentine cuisine can be described as a blend of cultures: The Spanish brought Mediterranean influences during the colonial period, and Italian immigrants then introduced their "dolce vita" during the 19th and 20th centuries. As Argentina is the country with the second most immigrants in the world (after the United States), the various immigratory waves left a large imprint on Argentine cuisine.

Argentine people are famous for their hospitality and their love of eating. Social gatherings normally revolve around sharing a meal, highlights often include asado (Argentine barbecue) or pasta.

Join Chef Martín for a delicious introduction of his home country... and maybe even a small tango session?

snacks & welcome drink
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empanadas with roasted vegetables and garlic cream
home-made chimichurri sauce
pastel de papa (Argentinean shepherd's pie)
humita en olla (creamy corn from the Northwest of Argentina)

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yerba mate ice cream

Join our ✨NEW COOKING CLASS✨ and enjoy a sensory expedition through the amazing flavors of Arabic cuisine!

At the crossroad between Asia, the Caucasus, North Africa, and Europe, the Middle East has always been a hub for all kinds of culinary exchanges. During the first Persian Empire, rice, poultry as well as fruits were incorporated into the local diet, which became the foundation for modern Middle Eastern food. Spices arrived from the Orient, and figs, dates, as well as nuts, were brought by merchants to conquered lands. The region was also influenced by dumplings from Mongol invaders, tomatoes from the New World, okra from Africa, and spices from the Spice Islands.

snacks & welcome drink
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chelo kebabs
chicken mince kebabs threaded on skewers and grilled

berry pulav
basmati rice infused with saffron and garnished with chopped cranberries as well as crispy fried onions

fatoush salad
green leafy salad with cucumbers and tomatoes, garnished with crispy Arabic bread pieces

three types of dips:
hummus, baba ganoush (dip made of grilled aubergines, tahini & garlic), and muhammara (hearty walnut & roasted red pepper dip)
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mahalabia
popular Lebanese dessert made with rose water-infused milk and cardamom garnished with chopped pistachios
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drink pairing

Book your seat now (link in bio)! 😉

Join our Indian Feast this May! Unravel the secrets to cooking with spices in our NEW COOKING CLASS. 🤗 🎉🎉

Indian cuisine reflects 8000 years of culinary history, representing the diversity of flavors as well as regional cuisines of various groups and cultures on the Indian subcontinent.

Indian “cuisines” vary substantially from each other and use locally available spices, herbs, vegetables, and fruits. Some of the vegetables such as potatoes, tomatoes, chilies, cauliflower, carrots, and peas were introduced by the Dutch, the Portuguese and the British but are now staples in contemporary Indian cooking. Tomato arrived in India through a circuitous route – from South America to southern Europe, then to England, and finally to India in the 16th century (courtesy of the British).

snacks & welcome drink
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chicken tikka masala
vegetable biryani (fluffy layered rice dish with spices and vegetables)
dal tadka (fragrant and creamy lentil dish)
spinach paneer
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Indian vermicelli pudding with saffron and cardamom
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drink pairing

Indian feast is coming soon, make sure to book your seat (Link in bio)! 😊

Traditional shakshuka originally came from North Africa, but it is also quite popular in the Middle East. You'll find variations of it in Palestine, Israel, Egypt as well as many other places.

Follow this recipe if you want to make your own shakshuka ;)

Ingredients
* 4 tbsp olive oil
* 1 tsp cumin seeds
* pinch chilli flakes
* 2 bay leaves
* 2 large red onions, roughly chopped
* 2 x 400g tins chopped tomatoes
* 500g broad beans, skinned
* 4 large free-range eggs
* large handful fresh flatleaf parsley, roughly chopped
* 180g labneh or thick greek yogurt
* flatbreads to serve

Instructions
* For the tomato sauce, put the oil, cumin seeds, chilli flakes as well as bay leaves in a frying pan with a lid over a low heat, and cook gently for a few minutes. Add the onions and a pinch of sea salt, then cook gently for at least 15 minutes until the onions are soft and pale pink. Add the tomatoes, put the lid on the pan and leave to simmer gently for about an hour, stirring occasionally. Add a little water if the sauce gets too thick. Discard the bay leaves.

* When the sauce is almost done, steam the broad beans for 3-4 minutes until just tender, then refresh in cold water and set aside.

* Make 4 indentations in the tomato sauce and crack an egg into each. Simmer gently, uncovered, for 5-10 minutes until the whites start to turn opaque, then cover and simmer for a few more minutes until the whites are cooked through but the yolks are still runny.

* Serve each person an egg and its sauce, scattered with broad beans, artichoke hearts and parsley. Dot each plate with labneh or yogurt and serve with flatbread.

Penda or peda is the most simple and humble avatar of an Indian mithai (sweets), believed to have originated from Mathura in Uttar Pradesh. Made with only mawa and sugar, the desi mawa peda are a class apart both in taste as well as texture. Mawa, the hero ingredient of this preparation, originally comes from Saurashtra as the quality of milk there is extremely good.

To make peda, in a first step, mawa has to be roasted in sugar syrup until it reaches the desired texture. It is further mixed by hand until it cools down before it is shaped and stamped. Peda are ideal travel companions, as they are made to last long (15 days minimum). 🤤

Have you tried mawa peda before?

This delicious homemade seafood chowder recipe is fancy enough to impress, but quick and easy enough to be on the table in 45 minutes.

And even better, it’s perfect for this winter time!

Ingredients
* 30g butter
* 110g baby leeks, chopped
* 2 carrots, finely chopped
* 2 sticks celery, finely chopped
* 2 medium potatoes, peeled and cut into small chunks
* 1 tbsp plain flour
* 2 bay leaves
* 175ml dry white wine, plus an extra splash
* 500ml fish stock
* 150ml whole milk
* 200ml double cream
* 2 fillets (roughly 200g) sustainably sourced white fish
* 12 sustainably sourced raw king prawns
* 180g pack sustainably sourced scallops
* small handful flatleaf parsley, leaves picked and chopped
* ½ lemon for squeezing

For the croûtons
* oil for frying
* 2 slices sourdough bread, cut into chunky croûtons
* ½ tsp dried marjoram or oregano

Steps
* Melt the butter in a large deep saucepan (with a lid), add the veg and fry for 10 minutes until softened. Stir in the flour, bay leaves and wine, followed by the stock, milk and cream. Cover and simmer for 10-15 minutes until the potatoes are tender.
* Meanwhile, heat the oil for the croûtons in a frying pan, then add the sourdough chunks, dried herbs and seasoning. Cook for a few minutes until crisp and golden brown. Set aside.
* Add the fish and seafood to the stock, then turn down the heat and poach for 5-6 minutes or until cooked through. Remove the bay leaves, then stir in the parsley and a squeeze of lemon. Check the seasoning. Serve with the croûtons, extra chopped parsley and plenty of black pepper.

What would be more perfect than a hot cup of apple cider in this snowy weather? ❄️❄️❄️

Here’s the recipes if you want to make it your own! ☺️

Ingredients for 6 servings
* 4 granny smith apples, sliced
* 4 red delicious apples, sliced
* 1 orange, sliced
* 1 ½ tablespoons whole allspice
* 1 ½ tablespoons whole clove
* 3 cinnamon sticks
* 8 cups water (1.9 L)

Preparation
* Place fruit and spices into a slow cooker.
* Add 8 cups of water.
* Cook on high heat for 3-4 hours.
* Uncover the slow cooker, and mash the softened fruit with a potato masher.
* Cover again and cook on low for 1-2 hours.
* Strain out fruit and spices from the slow cooker into a cheesecloth in a bowl.
* Wait about 20-30 minutes for the cheesecloth to cool. Squeeze out cider from cheesecloth into the bowl. Pour the cider back into the slow cooker.
* Serve warm.
* Enjoy!

How about a vegetarian dish for New Year's Eve? This sticky hasselback pumpkin recipe is the perfect comfort food for cold winter nights!

Ingredients
- 1 (1.6kg) small butternut pumpkin
- 25g butter, melted
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 2 tbsp golden syrup
- 1 tsp paprika
- 2 tsp fresh thyme leaves, plus extra sprigs to serve
- 1/4 cup pecans, toasted, roughly chopped

Instruction
* Preheat oven to 200C/180C, line 2 baking trays with baking paper.

* 
Peel pumpkin. Cut in half lengthways, scoop out seeds and discard.

* 
Place one pumpkin half, cut-side down, on a chopping board. Place a chopstick along each long side of pumpkin. Slice pumpkin thinly, cutting through to chopsticks to prevent cutting all the way through. Transfer to 1 prepared tray. Repeat with remaining pumpkin half.

* Combine butter, sugar, syrup, paprika and ½ of the thyme in a small saucepan over medium heat. Cook, stirring, for 2 minutes or until sugar has dissolved. Brush pumpkin with 1/2 of the sugar mixture. Roast, brushing twice more with remaining sugar mixture, for 40 to 45 minutes or until golden and tender. Serve sprinkled with remaining thyme and extra sprigs, as well as pecans.