The International Photography Awards (IPA)^[1] conducts an annual competition for professional, non-professional, and student photographers on a global scale, creating one of the most ambitious and comprehensive competitions in the photography world.

In the gallery at the top of the page you will find a selection of food-inspired pictures from the Professional’s category, grouped in five sections: Advertising, Editorial, Fine Art, Nature, People.

Advertising, Food

Personal Project by Serena Carminati - 1st Place
Culinary Architectures by Isabelle Zezima - 2nd Place

Editorial, Other

The Mundari - Cattle of Kings by Tariq Zaidi - 1st Place

Fine Art, Collage

Phantasmagorical by Patrizia Piga - 2nd Place

Fine Art, Portrait

The Black Collection by Randal Ford - 1st Place

Nature, Underwater

Weightlessness by Yosuke Kashiwakura - 3rd Place

Nature, Wildlife

The Colorful Life of Leafcutter Ants by Bence Mate - 1st Place

People, Lifestyle

Gauchos by Karolina Wojtasik - 3rd Place

References

1. ^{^} International Photography Awards (IPA) (www.photoawards.com)

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11 December 2016^[3][4]

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This week at FDL we enjoyed a culinary tour of the Italian town of Cortina, studied the science of milk fermentation and brought you news of world famous chefs.

By FDL on December 11, 2016

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References

1. ^{^} Login (www.finedininglovers.com)
2. ^{^} Register (www.finedininglovers.com)
3. ^{^} Home (www.finedininglovers.com)
4. ^{^} Stories (www.finedininglovers.com)
5. ^{^} Facebook (www.facebook.com)
6. ^{^} Twitter (twitter.com)
7. ^{^} AddThis (www.finedininglovers.com)

Lapland is the ideal destination for Christmas^[1]. Whilst children will be thrilled to wander through Father Christmas’ village, adults will be equally delighted by the surrounding magic, the vast snow-covered landscapes, dog-sled excursions and of course the local cuisine.

Fine Dining Lovers will tell you all about the Lapland best food and typical dishes to look for; they are similar to Finnish specialities.

LAPPISH GASTRONOMY: INLAND

Although some may find it disturbing, Lapps love reindeer and moose meat! Smoked, tartare, roasted, in stews or as cured sausages, this meat is the equivalent of our beef and is an integral part of Lappish culture. Traditionally it is served with potatoes, a vegetable you’ll often find on your plate here to go with meat and fish.

As Lapland is mostly wild, you’ll need directions to find a good restaurant. If you’re around Saariselka, stop at Laanilan kievari, a cosy restaurant/chalet where you will savour tasty game by the fire before relaxing in the house sauna.

Laanilan kievari
Rovaniementie 3410
Saariselka, Finland
Website^[2]

In the area of Rovaniementie, you’ll want to pick the Nili, which serves an excellent reindeer stew as well as bear meat! You can also taste a bilberry dessert, bilberry being the most common berry in Lapland, generally served in tartlets, mousses, cakes or crêpes stuffed with jam.

After this hearty meal, you’ll certainly enjoy a little local digestif, such as Salmiakki Koskenkorva, a blend of vodka, glucose syrup and liquorice extract.

Restaurant Nili
Valtakatu 20
Rovaniemi, Finland
Webside^[3]

LAPPISH GASTRONOMY: SEASIDE

You can’t leave Lapland without having tried the famous local salmon, which here is to fish what reindeer is to meat: essential. It is smoked, grilled or served as tartare, but it can also be found as kalakukko, a fish pâté en croûte. Herring is also prominently featured on Lappish restaurant menus and is generally enjoyed as an appetiser with a fine rye bread.

For quality fish cooked with care, head for Pirko Pirtti. This restaurant, lost in the vast snowy plains, welcomes you in a charming and comfy setting that you won’t want to leave. If you’re there in the evening, you may have a chance to glimpse the aurora borealis.

Restaurant Pirkon Pirtti
Honkapolku 2, Saariselka
Finland
Website^[4]

WHERE TO FIND A TYPICAL CHRISTMAS DINNER

Lapland is undeniably the best place to enjoy a fine Christmas dinner. Lappish restaurants even start serving these typical meals in November so as to satisfy as many tourists as possible.

As in France, the Christmas table in Lapland is a lavish one, and guests generally feeling they have eaten their fill. Lapps are in the habit of eating: a mushroom salad (sienisalaatti), marinated herring (lasimestarin silli) or salted raw salmon (graavilohi) as their appetizer.

They then continue with a Christmas ham (joulukinkku) served with various puréed vegetables and roast reindeer (poronpaisti). The meal traditionally ends with a Karelian tartlet (karjalanpiirakat), a prune mousse (luumurahka) or cinnamon rice pudding (riisipuuro). Finally, champagne is generally replaced by a fine beer.

Your trip will certainly include a tour to Rovaniemi, the Village of Father Christmas. After you’ve put in your Christmas gift order and take a reindeer sleigh ride, stop at Kotahovi. There you’ll find typical Lappish food in a warm ambience, seated around a cheery wood fire.

Lapland Restaurant Kotahovi
Joulumaantie 13
Rovaniemi, Finland
Website^[5]

References

1. ^{^} Christmas (www.finedininglovers.com)
2. ^{^} Website (www.laanilankievari.fi)
3. ^{^} Webside (www.nili.fi)
4. ^{^} Website (www.pirkonpirtti.fi)
5. ^{^} Website (www.laplandrestaurant.fi)

Korean cuisine^[1] and produce has been one of the global success stories of recent years, with kimchi^[2] popping up on menus from London to Sydney and everywhere in between. However, the country’s culinary impact is far more influential than one ingredient or Korean barbecue.

Chefs of Korean heritage, including David Chang^[3] of Momofuku and Corey Lee ^[4]of Benu, may have led the way internationally, but back in Seoul there’s a vibrant and dynamic landscape that continues to grow in prestige and influence. Here are five unmissable spots in the capital:

Ranked #22 in Asia’s 50 Best Restaurant 2016 list^[5], Jungsik^[6] takes its name from chef Jung Sikdang whose ‘New Korean’ cuisine melds local ingredients with Western technique and plating. He opened back in 2009 and has since made a brave foray into the New York dining scene – understandably given he is a Culinary Institute of America alumnus – and also opened a more relaxed bistro in the Korean capital. In Jungsik’s sleek, contemporary setting, diners enjoy distinctive and innovative dishes, deconstructing classic ingredients, such as truffle egg with white kimchi or extraordinary slow-cooked octopus.

Jungsik
11 Seolleungro, 158 Gil, Gangnam-gu, Seoul
Tel. +82 2 517 4654, Website^[7]

Mingles^[8] is consistently talked about as one of the city’s very finest restaurants, with 33-year-old chef Mingoo Kang recently named as #2 in the city’s unofficial dining bible, the influential and respected Koreat listing^[9]. He has worked with names including Martin Berastagui and Nobu before opening his contemporary take on Korean cuisine two years ago. Fermentation is everywhere, in sauces and vinegars like ‘cho’ and ‘jang’ that sit perfectly with local beef tenderloin, while charred lamb with ‘doen-jang’ vegetable ash is brilliant.

Mingles
Gangnam-gu, Nonhyun-dong 94-9, 1st floor, Seoul
Tel. +82 2 515 7306, Website^[10]

One of Seoul’s foreign chefs who has quickly gained a reputation for innovation and excellence is Stefano di Salvo at the city’s elegant J W Marriott hotel. Over 10 years in Seoul, the Turin native has embraced Korean flavours, ingredients and techniques. Now he has made Tavolo 24^[11] a firm favourite for its diverse range of classics. He’s unafraid to serve both Italian and global dishes alongside his award-winning Korean dishes, meaning his cuisine has become a go-to for many high-end corporate clients, especially European fashion houses during the city’s fashion week.

Tavolo 24
279, Cheonggyecheon-ro, Jongno-gu, Seoul
Tel. +82 2-2276-3320, Website^[12]

A clear design motif runs through the dining room in one of the city’s most picturesque and unexpected dining locations at Congdu, located in a traditional Korean building once used by the grandmother of the last Chosun king. Owner Vivian Han was arguably the first to truly launch the new Korean wave of cuisine when she opened. Breaking the mould by taking a whole new direction, she quickly found success as a pioneer for whom presentation is critical, with local ceramics and art playing a critical part in the dining experience. Famous dishes include the 48-hour roasted black pork from Jeju.

Congdu
116-1, Deoksugung-gil, Jung-gu, Seoul
Tel. +82 2-722-7002 

Many restaurants talk about heritage, but none embody it as much as Hanilkwan^[13]. This venerable institution located in Seoul’s Chongno distric has been welcoming diners since 1939. Three generations of women have led the restaurant, while one current employee has been working there an astonishing 48 years. They have prepared Korean classics for clients including Seoul’s 'Blue House' – Korea’s White House – for decades. Mul Naegmyon is a summer favourite of cold soup with buckwheat noodles, originally a North Korean dish, while their Bulgogi marinated and grilled beef is rightly famous.

Hanilkwan
619-4, Sinsa-Dong, Gangnam-Gu, Seoul
Website^[14]

Follow Fine Dining Lovers on Facebook^[15]

References

1. ^{^} Korean cuisine (www.finedininglovers.com)
2. ^{^} kimchi (www.finedininglovers.com)
3. ^{^} David Chang (www.finedininglovers.com)
4. ^{^} Corey Lee (www.finedininglovers.com)
5. ^{^} Ranked #22 in Asia’s 50 Best Restaurant 2016 list (www.finedininglovers.com)
6. ^{^} Jungsik (www.jungsik.kr)
7. ^{^} Website (www.jungsik.kr)
8. ^{^} Mingles (www.restaurant-mingles.com)
9. ^{^} Koreat listing (www.kor-eat.com)
10. ^{^} Website (www.restaurant-mingles.com)
11. ^{^} Tavolo 24 (www.marriott.com)
12. ^{^} Website (www.marriott.com)
13. ^{^} Hanilkwan (www.hanilkwan.co.kr)
14. ^{^} Website (www.hanilkwan.co.kr)
15. ^{^} Follow Fine Dining Lovers on Facebook (www.facebook.com)

Sauces^[1] are one of the most mysterious aspects of cooking. Fundamentally, they are believed to be simple preparations but, when we actually taste a good sauce, we find it difficult to reproduce. This mainly happens because few people know how to go about making a proper reduction.

What does reduction mean?

Reduction is in fact the process of thickening a watery liquid using heat. On one hand, the existing water evaporates and, as a result, the liquid becomes denser and, on the other hand, there are compounds which, when heated, tend to solidify. The basic concept, however, is always the same: we have some pan juices, maybe those of roast veal (can you imagine a more mouth-watering flavour?), and we have to make them into a sauce or gravy. How should we go about it?

How to make a delicious sauce using reduction

Cooking is the first step: remove the cooked meat and place the pan on a high flame. As soon as the liquid starts to bubble, it has to be stirred constantly with a wooden spoon. The principle is simple: the water will evaporate, concentrating the existing fats and proteins to create a delicious sauce. A dash of alcohol during the cooking process, whether wine or a dry liquor, adds the aromatic residue that "sticks" to the bottom of the pan. This method is generally more than effective for most purposes, but is frowned upon in the most prestigious kitchens owing to a subtle, yet significant, defect: the heat tends to undermine the original aromas. Aroma and flavour, in brief, are spoilt by being further subjected to a high temperature. Hence the reasoning behind the use of cryo-concentration.

This cooking technique is based on the fact that water freezes at 0°C. So, by taking liquids with which water does not mix well – such as pan juices rich in fats (fats and water tend to remain separated) to 0°C, only the water will freeze and turn into ice crystals.

Once these are removed, the water is eliminated without any need for heat. As a result, the liquid is "reduced" leaving all of its aromas intact. In actual fact, in the case of cryo-concentration, the temperature must be some degrees lower than zero because if the liquid is not composed of water alone, the freezing point will be lower. This aspect, however, is taken care of by the Freeze Dryer, a special machine (costing about $3000) which will vacuum pack the liquid once it is frozen in a special bag. The final product is, to all effects and purposes, a reduction, but in a solid form and ready to be used for making a delicious sauce, possibly with the addition of melted butter.

How to make brown (and dark) roux

Finally, we may decide to go for a “roux,” a more traditional method. As we learnt speaking about the so-called mother sauces of French cuisine^[2], it's the base of bechamel and involves melting butter and adding a sprinkling of flour gradually, while mixing constantly and patiently.

After four to five minutes, a thick mixture is created with a neutral flavour, for adding to a liquid to turn into a sauce. If we extend the cooking time to seven to eight minutes, the “roux” will change colour (owing to the Maillard reaction between the sugar and proteins contained in the flour^[3]). What you have now is a “brown roux,” which has a more pronounced flavour, but tends to thicken less.

If it is cooked up to 15 minutes the mixture will become very dark, in fact it is now called a “Dark Roux”: it has a very pronounced caramelised flavour, but not much thickening power. According to the liquid you wish to thicken and bearing in mind its consistency and flavour, you may combine it with the most suitable roux to produce a hot sauce ready to accompany meat or even a simple slice of toasted bread.

Go on, let your imagination run wild with your cooking pan juices.

Follow Fine Dining Lovers on Facebook^[4]

References

1. ^{^} Sauces (www.finedininglovers.com)
2. ^{^} mother sauces of French cuisine (www.finedininglovers.com)
3. ^{^} Maillard reaction between the sugar and proteins contained in the flour (www.finedininglovers.com)
4. ^{^} Follow Fine Dining Lovers on Facebook (www.facebook.com)