Recap of Summer

It is almost surreal as how fast time flies!

I just realised that I haven't been updating my blog for almost 8 weeks.

8 weeks spent juggling between entertaining my kids, traveling back and forward to Bangkok and Singapore, researching new suppliers, new ingredients, founding new employees, dealing with management crisis, paying wages, delaying payment to suppliers, torturing Gerard mentally, replying to rude customers, developing our wine business, cooking, ignoring phone calls from energy company trying to make me save money, browsing the net for a bit of porn, creating menus for Christmas, forgetting my mobile phone in my Bangkok bedside table,.... etc

I guess that is the usual life of running a business!

The most annoying thing during the last 8 weeks was to have my computer stolen.

Everything is gone!

My family pictures (especially the ones from Arthur & Anais birth)- all my recipes & menus - the Flowers, Petals & Herbs book I wrote while at Roussillon- the collection of gay porn that took me ages to download-The budgets & forecasts for all my restaurants. Really annoying.

Also the reason why I did not write anything on my blog is that I did not have any money spare to buy a new PC- I paid the wages first- which I thought was a better thing to do!

The restaurant has been quite packed for the entire months of July & August, so I thought that I could indulge in a new bottom of the range PC world' slow and under equipped Compaq.

I am going to make the most of it!

Need to go back to the kitchen now- the whole pig has just arrived and needs to be butchered.

Next time I'll talk to you about the Tsunami of restaurant reviews we have had this summer...

back in Bangkok

I have been rather quite lately,did not get any time to update my blog for more than 2 weeks now! The restaurant has been running to almost full capacity for the last 2 months and other than cooking and sleeping- I can't find time to do anything else. Arthur school term has just finished and it was time for the entire family to go and spend some time in Singapore and Thailand. We left last week end, first Singapore and now Bangkok, where Clive and the children are going to spend the next month. I am back in London this week end- too much work in next week.3000 guests over 5 days in Belgrave Square for the history of Food is surely going to keep us very busy. We have created an amazing little starter for this event. It is called the Rocher a l'Or It looks a bit like a Ferrero Rocher but we have replaced the chocolate by foie Gras and the nutella by a reduction of Semi liquid Port Jelly. It is then rolled in caramelised crushed almond and topped with gold leaves. The show is set in an old Ambassador residence and I thought that it would be a nice touch to have a bit of Delicious Naff Food! I am planning a trip to the Meat market tonight with Tee. hoping to take some pictures of the amazing stuff happening there. Believe me , it is quite amazing! Cannot say more just as yet.if I don't get chopped up by furious open air butchers, I shall be able to share my horrors on this blog. Now is time for a delicious lunch of braised pork chin with very sharp orange vinegar followed by the most succulent mango one could find....

Days away

Alexis Gauthier takes over Lindsay House - 24/06/2010 - Caterer Search

Alexis Gauthier takes over Lindsay House - 24/06/2010 - Caterer Search

Today’s Vegetable Menu

 

GOÛT DU JOUR

 

 

Green Asparagus

Sautéed Mousserons Mushrooms

 

The asparagus are quickly pan-fried in olive oil without coloration with salt. Then we add ½ a glass of water and cover.

They cook for 4 minutes.

When the lid is removed the entire liquid has disappear back into the asparagus.

The asparagus are bright green and look shiny and tender.

In another pan, we turn the butter brown and quickly pan fry the mousserron mushrooms.

It is vital that the pan is large enough so the mushrooms concentrate their taste within the brown butter.

Otherwise, the mousserron release their water and the whole thing turns bitter.

We plate the asparagus and put the mushrooms over it.

Easy & simple but delicious.

 

*

Light Green Pea Velouté

Soya marinated Tofu

 

Peas are prepared everyday- we keep the pods.

Peas are quickly washed and pan fry with nothing more than olive oil, salt and water.

We cook them for 3 minutes- that's all.

We add some ice cube and blend very quickly.

Meanwhile we boil the pods for 10 minutes. Then we blend them and add the pod'jus to the pea.

We taste the soup and keep in fridge for at least 3 hours on ice. It must be very very cold.

We always buy the softest Japanes Tofu- we slice it and marinate it with fresh gratted ginger, lime jus and skin, sweet soya sauce, fleur de sel and olive oil.

We sometimes add a spoon of caster sugar- not always- depends of my mood. (Humm...., the Michelin inspector may not like that- maybe I should not write that!)

Then we cut the tofu in thick cubes and put it at the bottom of the soup plate.

We pour the soup over the tofu infront of our guest.

The sweet pea mixed with the soft texture of the tofu is quite special. Then comes the bite from the ginger and lime.

Perfect with peas.

 

*

Bloody Mondays-

This is how to treat an asparagus supplier on Monday.

Another Monday- another annoying day for supply.

Why can't we find anything of good qualities on Monday?

First, I went to Covent Garden Market to buy some flowers for the restaurant. I reached the market around 6am; despite the early hours, I did not see anything worth buying. The vegetation were so old- I was embarrassed to even look at them.

The fresh cut flowers were all half baked. No small tight Lillis; no bright and closed red roses; the eucalyptus branches I bought last week were all gone- the only things left were not worth adding to a compost.

So I spent a small £20 and embarrassed myself in front of the restaurant staff with some really bad cut flowers. I need to go back this week-annoying!

Then in the kitchen, I noticed that our Asparagus suppliers sent us the thinnest asparagus he could find! At our last meeting, he told me that we were VIP customers and we shall always get the fattest and tender asparagus- rubbish!!!! Only VIP when it comes to charging us!

Fish was crap; meat was just OK; fruits were just alright... not good enough for what we are trying to do here.

The problem is that we can't hide ourselves behind bad ingredients. If the ingredient is not first class, our food looks crap- really crap- and tastes old. Shall we close on Mondays?

I know that tomorrow, all of our suppliers will have plenty of great stuff- freshly picked the day before.

Food on Monday is freshly picked from Friday (if you are lucky!).Crap!

Late Spring....

It is such an exciting time of the year for me in terms of ingredients.

Spring is probably my most inspiring season.

Last week, for example, I had the sweetest beetroots of the year so far. We peel them, we quickly pan fry them in olive oil and cook them with water for almost 7 minutes.

I am always very tempted to serve them just like that- perfectly cooked with nothing more than their own taste- but you have to be very brave to do that. I am not convinced that our customers will feel excited by the view of a plate filled with beetroot.

So we "play" a bit with them= some red chard leaves tossed with an aged Balsamic dressing- maybe some deep fried tofu & artichokes to give a crunchy contrast to the dish....

I am hoping that broad beans will be better this week than last. They tend to be slightly flourish and hard to cook lately.

Radishes are perfect at the moment, so we serve them as soon as guest seat down with some basil relish, butter and salt.

Asparagus were really up and down this week- some big , some too thin. We are seeing the end of the season and I doubt that we will have some from tomorrow. It is quite sad to see the end of an ingredient- I have to wait for another 10 months for some good green asparagus now!

Strawberries were delicious this week (from Secretts farm). Carlos has created and exceptional dessert with them.

A base of very fragile chocolate biscuit Breton topped with a light sweet wine jelly.

Then he puts the strawberries (room temperature) and a light coconut cream/mousse.

To finish the dish, he adds a little translucent crust over it.

When he first told me about this dish, I told him that he was " hors sujet". I didn't want him to play around too much with the strawberries. Most of all I didn't want to see a dollop of coconut cream in my pudding.

Despite my comments, he developed the pudding and asked me to try it.

And then..... i thought to myself- what a wanker I can be.!

I was so wrong. His composition was perfect. in terms of taste nothing took over the subtle taste of the strawberries. The ingredients are just complementing the deep flavour of the red fruit.

Texture wise, it is perfect. The balance crunchy, tender, soft and crispy is very clear across the dish. Nothing is too hard or too soft. The simple weight of the spoon breaks everything without effort. I was blown away. Well done Carlos.

Also, his Campari granité with grapefruits and lime juice was out of this world!