My visit in the Black Forest

June 23rd 2013

Sunday afternoon, a few cherries left, a chocolate tablet and a siphon...


A few more ingredients are required. Also notice the folded baking paper which will be used to shape the mousse.

Let's first quickly make some nougatine for the crispiness.

A bit of sugar in a pan.

Add a bit of butter and a pinch salt

Let it get some color.

Pour the caramel on almonds and shape it the way you like (or the way you can I should say) while it is still warm.

Tadaa! Nougatine in 4 minutes.

Now the mousse. Let the chocolate melt.

Let's make a ganache with panache!

Add sour cream, rum (actually it should be kirsch). Keep a low fire, chocolate should not boil or burn.

When smooth, pour in the siphon with 2 gas cartridges. 

Release the mousse in the baking paper mold, insert cherries inside. And refrigerate as quickly as possible so that the mousse stays solid.

In the meanwhile, we will have made some chocolate shavings, dipped a few cherries in the ganache, toasted some biscuit crumbles. After an hour or so, the mousse is solid enough and all elements can be put together.

A very personal view of a Black Forest dessert

Brittany Blue Lobster

June 22nd 2013

It is the best season for Brittany lobster. They have a lot of coral and prices are the lowest of the year. I am not going to discuss the difference in taste between a real Brittany lobster (Homarus Gammarus) with its american cousin (Homarus Americanus). Let's just say that blue is a tastier color. :)

Let's quickly execute the lobster. The killing is simpler (and quieter) than a corrida. A big sharp knife on the back of the head allows you to draw the blade to the tail and split the lobster in half. After the execution, you end up with two lobster halves waving at each other. Let's not get moved by this expression of nature. Let's just assume at this stage that the injury has been lethal and that we can proceed with the recipe. Add shallot, butter, put under the grill until the shell turns red.

You can keep the coral, the green thing (dark green not gray) in the head, it will turn red when cooked. You can cook it with butter and "Vin Jaune".

You can keep the claws for a later meal. Here with a "Duck Breast and Foie gras" pie from "Pain de Sucre" (watch out for a later post).

Michel and Sébastien Bras - Maison Bras

July 12, 2011


It's a long way to get there. Michel Bras landed his restaurant on top of the hill above the little town of Laguiole (it's pronounced 'Lah-yol'). The rooms oversee the meadows where the majestic Aubrac cows are raised.

Michel (the father, now retired) and Sébastien (the son) have been working together for a long time. Nowadays cuisine owes a lot to Michel Bras. His simple locally-sourced dishes have inspired a great number of chefs to date. I even think he might have been inspirational for the now fashionable (and often talented) Nordic chefs who focus on regional products with a restrained preparation.

Who remembers that Michel invented the chocolate coulant with a running center? It is one of those ubiquitous recipes that we have thought it is timeless. This creation is yet a calculated design of 1981.

It is the same for the famous "Gargouillou", this dish of young vegetables. Sure, many just ignore the unconventional name and have forgotten where it comes from, but every foodie have encountered so many cheap imitations. At the Bras', a collection of about 20 to 30 young vegetables, flowers and seeds are put together in a beautiful and fragrant bunch. This preparation is so much associated to Michel Bras that when the son Sébastien took over, the question arose: "should he take the Gargouillou off the menu in an attempt to kill the father or shall he keep it and manage to establish an identity on his own?"

It is said that Sébastien has pondered his decision for a long time and even took counsel from Michel Troisgros, who had to deal with the exact same issue with his father's illustrious sorrel salmon. After a long reflexion, Sébastien took a different decision than his friend Michel Troisgros, and kept the Gargouillou on the menu. The key factor in this decision was he fact that both father and son realized that they only partially owned the recipe as it was a gift of the Nature and the Season. No two Gargouillous are the same. It is made with the daily pick. So there's no risk for Sébastien to replicate exactly the dish of his father.

Porcini mushroom tart

Le Gargouillou
young vegetable medley, seeds, herbs, hazelnut milk

Seared Turbot

Foie Gras, onion jam, squash, dill

Roasted pear, bacon, valerian and pepper

Green peas, green pea sprouts, truffle cream

Lamb saddle,
roasted on the bone, blond peas puree with lemon and olive oil,
basils

Traditional Aligot

Revisited leaking cake
(after the famous original chocolate cake from 1981)
Red berries, elderflower icecream

Roasted peach, glazed with vinegar, cherry toast

The Maison Bras leaves a strange feeling, as if everything has always been so obvious and simple. But if that is the case, how come we can't get that perfection elsewhere?

Maison Bras
Le Puech de Suquet
Route de l'Aubrac,
12210 Laguiole
France
+33 5 65 51 18 20

Don't get sick, hospital food is rough

July 2010.

Beware of too much good food. 

Don't forget to manage some breaks, to exercise and to drink a lot (of water!). Otherwise you might end up with some complication.

Three years ago in Frankfurt I had to rush to a hospital where I was diagnosed with a kidney stone. After over 48 hours of fasting, I reluctantly had to surrender to this :

No comment.

Eric Pras - Maison Lameloise

November 12, 2011


I was aware that Jacques Lameloise had been slowly transitioning his restaurant to Eric Pras, but wow what a divine surprise to discover the complete change his style. Not that I was despising, Jacques' generous traditional cuisine (hm, I remember fondly of some of his classics like the ox-tail parmentier covered with truffle slices), but it was a shock in a very positive way to see those dishes coming in as part of a moderately-priced lunch menu.
Eris Pras rejuvenated the place and kept the amazing wine list of affordable Burgundy grand crus (my own personal theory is that half - if not more - of the guests are wine makers, not too surprising given the location).

Snail mille-feuille, mushrooms, fennel, hazelnut, garlic foam

Oysters, apple jelly

Cod fish, pumpkin, squid veil, chestnuts, sea urchins

Guinea fowl breasts, parsley root

Guine fowl thighs 'confit'

I had come back to have a taste of Jacques Lameloise's cuisine. After this meal, I am now after Eric Pras'. It shows a perfect example of a successful handover in a respected institution. Jacques Lameloise must be proud and can fully enjoy his retirement; he knows that his house is in very good hands.

Maison Lameloise
36 Place d'Armes

71150 Chagny

France
+33 3 85 87 65 65

Sven Chartier - Saturne

April 19, 2012

The acclaimed young chef Sven Chartier has worked with Alain Passard and Arnaud Daguin (see previous article about his pigeon-boning technique). At his restaurant Saturne, Sven Chartier produces a beautiful cuisine in the mood of the times.

I felt somehow frustrated that I couldn't choose from a menu. I am not sure how to explain why (because every thing was very good that night). It might have been related to the price tag which didn't feel in relation to the number of courses or the perception of exceptionality of the ingredients.

Anyhow the crowd shows that the Chef must be doing something right.

Restaurant Saturne

17, rue Notre-Dame des Victoires

75002 Paris

+33 1.42.60.31.90