15th of April 2023 and our first event is only hours away. Our Liechtenstein guest chef Konstanze Hanke flew in 2 days ago and has been preparing for our Gourmet Evening ever since.
The menu has been finalised and 6 delicious courses are well on their way. Glasses have been polished, the dining table has been decorated and shortly before 7pm all the final touches have been added. The Champagne to welcome our guests is on ice and both chef and I are getting a bit nervous. The bold endeavour of taking on top restaurants in the small setting of a Melrose Boutique B&B is daunting...but now the show begins and no time to hesitate.
The gourmet dinner starts with a cucumber salmon terrine and it tastes unbelievably. The graved egg stuns our visitors and hipp, hipp, hurray - the first course goes down a treat. The waffles with goats cheese are a sensual feast for eyes and tummy and surprise even the well seasoned gourmets. A deliciously light tarragon pea soup with beetroot gnocchi and seared scallops are applauded by everybody and set the bar for the next course - the signature dish of our guest chef that won her one of her weekly challenges at the German TV MasterChef series "Küchenschlacht": Porccini Ravioli with oven tomatoes on Rucola - a dish I would love to eat every day!
The "main course" of Monkfish wrapped in Tyrolean bacon on chargrilled peppers with Gin Tonic Foam tops all expectations - a creation made in heaven. Our visitors are absolutely delighted. A little space left for dessert? Of course, the Rosemary Crème Brûlée with Mojito Gelee is the crowning finish of this exceptional gourmet dinner at our B&B.
As our guest Alistair put it: "A gourmet experience that can well stand up to all the top restaurants we normally go it - so worth it and what a wonderful evening".
Many, many thanks to our guest chef Konstanze who joined our guests after dessert and gave some insight into her recipes and their creation.
We met the gourmet challenge we set ourselves and are absolutely over the moon that this bold undertaking went so incredibly well. Our guests loved it, we loved to welcome them and enjoyed every minute of it.
Our lovely guest chef Konstanze Hanke agreed to come back to our wee Melrose Bed and Breakfast next year to indulge our guests with her newest creations. Watch this space and check out our events - the April 2024 Bowden House Gourmet Weekend will be a date to save. We hope to welcome you to our next foodie feast.
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