Mövenpick Resort Kuredhivaru Maldives brings international guests and local residents flavours of the Mediterranean with the launch of its latest global menu – ‘Pesto, Pistou’.
Marking another gastronomic triumph for a brand synonymous with culinary excellence for more than 70 years, the expert chefs at Mövenpick have perfected a new and innovative range of pesto’s (Italian) and pistous (French) to create seven experimental dishes, available at Latitude 5.5 throughout October 2019.
Chef Deden Permana, who heads the culinary team at Mövenpick Resort Kuredhivaru Maldives, will lead the kitchen in preparing the Pesto, Pistou based dishes. These two classic European sauces are both based on the aromatic herb, basil, which is harvested in late summer. Savoury favourites will include seared Ahi Tuna with olive, and eggplant pesto and seafood soup with tarragon pistou. For dessert, a sweet treat with a real difference – Bundt cake with chocolate-mint pesto, served alongside a frothy Mövenpick Espresso.
“We are excited to work with these luscious basil-based sauces, introducing them to guests in ways they have not likely experienced before,” said Chef Deden, Executive Sous Chef, Mövenpick Resort Kuredhivaru Maldives. “The seasonality of using pesto and pistou is important to us, as basil is traditionally harvested in late summer and preserved into these rich, oil-based sauces that are full of colour, flavour, and healthy omega-3s – perfect for brightening up our cuisine, and our spirits, amid the cooling weather.”
Maciej Gruszecki, General Manager, added: “While our guests and our local fans love to return for their favourite classic Mövenpick dishes, we always seek to surprise and delight with innovative seasonal offerings, or special food-related events. We are certain that our Pesto, Pistou menu will excite the palates of even the most experimental foodies while providing a fitting send-off to summer with a tribute to the flavours that conjure up the Mediterranean sun and sea.”
Pesto and pistou are two versions of a flavourful sauce based on basil, olive oil and cheese. Italian pesto, which originates in Genoa, the capital city of Liguria, Italy, is blended from garlic, basil, pine nuts, grated pecorino cheese (or sometimes parmesan) and olive oil while its French cousin, pistou, is a Provençal cold sauce with similar ingredients, but without the pine nuts and with or without cheese.
Mövenpick’s versions add new surprising ingredients to the blend while preserving the essence of both Mediterranean speciality sauces to create seven pesto, pistou-inspired dishes:
