Shelly-Ann Thompson, Freelance Writer
Patrons at 'A Taste of France' sample dishes prepared by Chef Philippe Moulin of Cordon Bleu Mexico on Sunday at The Hilton Kingston hotel. - PHOTOS BY WINSTON SILL/FREELANCE PHOTOGRAPHER
'A Touch of France 2006' dominated last weekend's calendar of activities and everything French, from fashion to business and commerce, as well as food and wines, filled the three-day programme. Food visited 'A Taste of France' on Sunday, March 19, and witnessed the expertise of Chef Philippe Moulin. He took guests through a culinary experience that included some savoury French dishes. Here are some pictorial highlights and recipes for you to try.
RECIPES FOR Potato Blini, Chilli Marinated Salmon with Light Herb Cream; and Ganache -filled Poached Pear with a Sabayon Gratin, were handed out to
the audience at 'A Taste of France' held during the 'A Touch of France' expo.
Chef Philippe Moulin of Cordon Bleu Mexico, on Sunday at the Hilton Kingston hotel, skilfully showed how to prepare the dishes moving to and fro from oven to stove top.
It was indeed a mouth-watering
experience to watch as Chef Moulin poured hot cream onto potatoes and squirted dark chocolate and whipped cream onto pears, utilising almost every cooking tool including a whisk.
"When whisking, do a number eight (motion) not around or circular. This makes the batter smoother and easier to get rid of the air bubbles," said Chef Moulin who has worked for different restaurants, Relais and Châteaux, as well as hotels in France.
At the end of his spectacular
presentation, the close to 100 seated guests and those standing cheered and and gasped loud "Ahhs!" to see him slice through a potato while the dark creamy chocolate gushed out.
Everyone quickly formed a queue, taking turns in sampling the dishes. "The chocolate was lovely, its rich taste just melts in my mouth," said one woman, while a man on his second
sampling twirled the salmon in the chocolate.
'A Taste of France' during the expo is always an anticipated event and is often presented by a Cordon Bleu chef.
Ganache-Filled Poached Pear with a Sabayon Gratin
4 pears
11/2 lemons
250 g sugar
500 ml water
1/2 vanilla bean (pod)
Ganache
300 ml whipping cream
400 g dark chocolate
Cognac
50 g 'biscuit' sponge disc
(cut into 4 discs)
Sabayon
3 egg yolks
40 g sugar
125 ml white wine
Pear liqueur
vanilla
Powdered sugar (for garnish)
METHOD
1. Preheat the oven to 180°C.
Poached pears:
1. Peel and rub pears with
lemon juice.
2. Prepare a sugar syrup with the sugar, water, vanilla and add remaining lemon juice.
3. Poach the pears in the syrup for approximately 15 minutes. Cool in the syrup, drain.
Ganache:
1. Bring the cream to the boil, pour onto the chocolate that has been melted over a bain-marie.
2. Stir the mixture with the
cognac until a smooth and glossy
texture is achieved.
3. Fill the poached pears with cooled ganache and seal the bottom with a
'biscuit' sponge disc. Transfer pears
to a baking dish.
Sabayon:
1. Whisk together the egg yolks, sugar, white wine, pear liquor and
vanilla in a bowl over a bain-marie.
2. Whisk over low heat until warm, light and creamy.
To serve: Coat the pears with
sabayon and brown in the preheated oven. Sprinkle with powdered sugar
and serve immediately.
Serves 4.
Potato Blini, Chilli Marinated Salmon with Light Herb Cream
Chilli Marinated Salmon
250 g fresh salmon
200 g salt
120 g sugar
12 g pepper
dried chilli
Potato blini
400 g potatoes
2 egg yolks
50 g flour
Nutmeg to taste
Salt and pepper to taste
50 ml hot cream
2 egg whites
Butter
Vinaigrette
50 ml olive oil
10 ml lemon juice
salt, freshly-ground pepper
Light herb cream
100 ml cream
juice of 1 lemon
salt, freshly-ground pepper
50 g chopped herbs
Dill for garnish
METHOD
Chilli marinated salmon:
1. Marinate the salmon with the salt, sugar, pepper and dried chilli for approximately 12 hours.
2. Before serving, rinse and pat dry. Cut into very thin slices.
Potato blini:
1. Cook the potatoes in their jackets.
2. Peel and purée the potatoes, add the egg yolks, flour, nutmeg, salt, pepper and hot cream to form a smooth batter.
3. Whip the egg whites to stiff peaks with a pinch of salt.
4. Gently fold into the potato and egg mixture. Cook the blinis in a pan with butter.
Vinaigrette:
Make a vinaigrette with the olive oil, lemon juice, salt and pepper.
Light herb cream:
1. Whisk the cream, add the lemon juice, season with salt and pepper.
2. Fold in the chopped herbs
(preferably chives).
To serve: Place a warm blini on a plate, top with thin slices of Chilli
Marinated Salmon and Light Herb Cream. Finish with a drizzle of
vinaigrette. Garnish with dill.
