The scone & tea bread course of The Art Tea at Dublin's Merrion Hotel.
On my trip to Ireland last fall, in Dublin I enjoyed the treat of a newly designed high tea "The Art Tea" at The Merrion Hotel. The Merrion, a five-star hotel just up the block from Ireland's National Gallery, has updated the usual high tea fare (scones and clotted cream) found in every hotel on the Emerald Isle. Using their collection of 100 original artworks hanging about the hotel as their muse, Executive Chef Ed Cooney and Pastry Chef Paul Kelley fashioned the food using colors, shapes and patterns found in twelve of the paintings. In the tier of scones and cakes above, for example, the color block modern painter Sean Scully's abstract work was the boldly colored inspiration for the Battenberg sponge cakes (above). Dip into pots of lemon curd, raspberry preserves and Glenillen crème fraiche for drizzling over plain and Scully neon pink/blue/yellow Battenberg-style tea breads edged with marzipan. Mini Irish Porter cake and currant scones round out this course, served on an elegant silver tiered cake stand.
The Art Tea pastries showcases the most direct design and color references to the hotel's collection.
Executive Chef Ed Cooney and Pastry Chef Paul Kelley creatively cut loose, choosing twelve paintings for their inspiring color and design elements. The colorful “Lime Sponge, Orange Chiboust & Lemon Curd Jelly” was inspired by “Self-Portrait 1912” by Saurin Elizabeth Leech, and references the brilliant orange scarf, the lime sponge for the blouse and red dots as the beads. The “Hazelnut Gateau with a Coffee Bavarois” (above, far left) is very sculptural and inspired by “Farm Buildings” by Stephen McKenna. Clever bent silver forks mini-tabletop easels hold reproductions of the artwork
that inspired the food.
Pastry chef poses with a sampling of The Art Tea's tray of pastries.
Longing to update the traditional tea served at The Merrion for 11 years, Chef Cooney had pondered a theme idea. “It had to be a world class original dining experience and relate to The Merrion. “His aha moment happened one morning when he was walking past some of the modern paintings, that make up the hotels' collection of 100 original works. ART! Making the food and art connection in a sophisticated and tasty way proved to be a year–long process of testing and research for both he and his “technical genius” Pastry Chef Paul Kelley. “It would have been too obvious to simply reproduce images of the paintings on pastries, states Chef Cooney. Each item had to reflect the influence of the painting that inspired it and allow our guests to make their own connections between the food and the art. “Our goal was to make the tea be a talking point for the art collection,” added General Manager, Peter McCann.
Take a peek at my Globe and Mail story on this delicious treat.
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/life/travel/high-art-meets-high-tea-in-dublin/article1560145/
The hotel sourced clever mini-easels fashioned out of silver plated forks with curled up tines to hold mini-reproductions of the artwork which inspired the pastries I devoured.
The beautiful restored Georgian drawing rooms that the Art tea is served in, is a oasis of peace in this bustling city. Sinking down into some well stuffed 18th century Manor Hose-style chairs in rooms overlooking gardens, you really feel transported to a country estate. Cue in the barking hounds.
Click on the link below to see some of the extraordinary collection hung in this luxe hotel.
--Monica Forrestall
