Photo of
December 1, 2014
Cara Stadler, Craig Sandle and Chris Galvin go to work on an egg.
Cara Stadler, Craig Sandle and Chris Galvin go to work on an egg.

Surely the ultimate accolade for any chef is to invent a dish that becomes famous around the world?

The chefs at the Waldorf Astoria in New York have come up with a fair few. Eggs Benedict, Thousand Island dressing and the Waldorf salad are all thought to have originated in the kitchens at the Park Avenue hotel.

Over the last few weeks, Waldorf Astoria and the James Beard Foundation (JBF) have teamed up to try and create new recipes which will stand the test of time and become popular all over the globe.

Called the Taste of Waldorf Astoria, the program has been pairing up and coming JBF chefs with Michelin-starred Waldorf Astoria chefs in Rome, Berlin, Shanghai, La Quinta, California and Waldorf Astoria Edinburgh – The Caledonian.

For inspiration, each JBF chef has spent a week visiting local markets and producers with the Waldorf Astoria chefs. At the end of the week, each chef pairing has come up with a new recipe which they hope has got what it takes to become the next eggs Benedict.

In February, each participating chef will bring their knives to Waldorf Astoria New York to present their recipes to a judging panel. The winning Taste of Waldorf will be included on the menus of Waldorf Astoria’s 29 hotels and resorts worldwide.

Venison Scotch egg

At The Pompadour by Galvin in Edinburgh, Chinese Californian chef Cara Stadler teamed up with UK chefs Chris Galvin, Jeff Galvin and Craig Sandle. The brief was not easy. The dish had to be one which could work in all of the Waldorf Astoria’s around the world. The ingredients had to be readily available and the recipe had to have a wide appeal.

Together, the chefs came up with the Waldorf venison Scotch egg made with a duck egg and paired with a celeriac remoulade, pickled walnuts and a whisky and heather honey vinaigrette. The venison came from both red and roe deer.

Having eaten it at a memorable lunch in The Pompadour, the 5pm Dining blog can confirm that it is delicious.

Will it be the next Waldorf salad? Can it compete with eggs Benedict? All will be revealed come February. Watch this space.

Cara's venison Scotch egg.
The Waldorf venison Scotch egg.