A man full of wisdom in his turf yet always
believed in the simplicity of the dish.
Chef Guy Gateau is shaping the dough to an apple pie crust.
By Marione Borela Lineses
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s the weather became cool and crisp at this time of year, it was also a beautiful day to build up new cooking skills, thanks to The Food Life Festival, a recent three-day culinary event which featured cooking classes from the Executive Chefs of The Ritz-Carlton Hotels.
The spotlight was turned on three masters, chef Guy Gateau from The Ritz-Carlton Bahrain & Spa, chef Joergen Sodeman from The Ritz-Carlton, Oman, and chef Stephen Espouy from Sharq Village & Spa.
Fortunately we made it on the last day, and got to know French-born Guy Gateau. With over three decades of incredible international career, like stints at Michelin-starred restaurants -- the Restaurant Alain Chapel and the Laurent; as well as the The Ritz-Carlton in New York, John F Kennedy Center and Potomac in Washington, DC, plus a Master in Sous Vide Cooking with Georges Pralus, (the founder of the technique); and being a culinary instructor at Universite du Vin in Suze la Rousse, France as well as the Institut Paul Bocuse in Lyon; Guy Gateau comes as one of the most respected and talented masters with his own culinary style, picking up from each culture he had immersed in. “My main focus is to respect the quality of the product, above all,” he says.
Inside the kitchen of the elegant Al Dana Restaurant at Sharq Village and Spa, he demonstrated how to make three traditional French dishes, namely pomegranate hot chicken liver cake and chunky lobster sauce, baby lamb stew “Navarin aux Pommes” with mini makdous and for dessert was the classic favourite, the chef apple pie.
Preparing three dishes from scratch at a limited time was not a trivial task, yet he made it look seamless with his no-nonsense style of teaching, discussing food origins and culinary methods in the process. Everyone was glued and eager to sharpen their skills.
The cookery class started off with the appetiser: the chicken liver cake, a superfood that is a cram full of vitamins, zinc and iron content; and the thought of making a cake from it was overwhelming for my seemingly incomprehensible little or no culinary training at all. On a side note, this dish is native to Lyon, a city in east-central France. (Aside from being famed as the gastronomic capital in the country, Lyon is also known for its historical and architectural sites.)
Chef Guy combined the chunks of liver, marrow and other ingredients such as egg yolks, cream and milk and blended them until homogenous. Before he set this aside, he made us smell the blend, which possessed a rather milky aroma with a hint of liver tang and spices in it.
The main course was Navarin or baby lamb. Guy spoke of how he preferred the slow-cooking method, where the natural juice from the meats and vegetables are retained, which was a mandatory for this dish. After garnishing the lamb with spices and herbs, he whisked some olive oil and then butter onto the heated pan. He casually told us that the presence of butter will help tell the temperature, because if it’s too hot, it will turn brown. “And while you can still hear the frying sound, that’s the right temperature to put the meat.” He added. This recipe is particularly approachable to do.
As the slow-cooking process ensued, the culinary aromatics that spread across the kitchen left us hungry. Guy, on the other hand, carried on to squashing a handful of unpeeled garlic and peeled the baby potatoes to mix into the pan. The potatoes were added to pump the juices of the meats to deliver more flavour.
He proceeded to rolling and kneading the short bread dough, in preparation for the traditional dessert. Everyone was all eyes and ears, and at the same time, waited with appetence for the results.
It would be a good option to try these recipes al fresco with the sea-side breeze, but we were just too excited and remained inside for a sample. The dishes were beautifully plated and served, and we were smitten with each bite.
The flavourful flan-textured liver cake, the tenderness and juiciness of the hearty lamb stew and the perfect homemade goodness of the pie are all a home-run. Every well-crafted recipe might just be a good addition this festive holiday. From then on his remark stayed on my mind, that good food is never complicated. So go ahead, pin these recipes to your fridge.
Pomegranate hot
chicken liver cake and chunky lobster sauce
Ingredients
400g chicken liver
¾ litre milk
¾ litre heavy cream
30 yolks
6 whole eggs
60g marrow beef
Salt
White pepper
Paprika
3 garlic cloves
Nutmeg
Pomegranate and balsamic reduction
Lobster sauce
Lobster meat
Heavy cream
Truffles
Method
Mix in the blender: chicken liver, marrow, garlic, clove, spices and seasonings. Add the eggs and the milk/cream, strain, let it rest for a couple of hours, remove the foam and pour it buttered raw equipment.
Bake in water bath at 80o for 1.5 hour. Pour the sauce; fill the lobster and sautee quickly with chopped shallots and condiments. Add cream. Boil 7 minutes and remove the lobsters and strained the sauce.
Remove the meat from the shell and reserve on the plate. Cut in cubes. Chop the truffles and add to the lobster meat. Cover with the reduced cream sauce.
Unmould the liver cane with the centre of the plate. Place the lobster meat around with sauce over. Place a few drop of pomegranate glaze of seed on top.
Baby lamb stew
Ingredients
2.5kg French baby lamb, the rack bone in and shoulder, 300g/ person
1kg rate potato or any hard potato (120g per person)
3 each shallots
2 each leaves laurel
300g butter
Lamb stock, if not available, use only water
Salt for seasoning (sea salt preferably)
Crusted black pepper
Fresh tarragon
Chives
Makdous roasted and added on top of the stew
4ml olive oil
2 twigs of rosemary chopped and mix with seasoning to roast the meat
4 heads of garlic
Method
Soak the cube lamb in labneh for 24 hours. Drain and dry. Season the meat and saute the meat in butter, add the few garlic gloves unpeeled.
When the meat is well coloured, in olive oil and butter, add the onion and small potatoes. ‘De glaze’ with lamb stock, water is just as fine, little by little, the meat must always be ‘roasting’ and not steaming. If you put too much water at one time, it will stop the roasting process. Once cooked, sprinkle with fresh chopped tarragon and finish with fresh butter. Reheat the makdous in a hot dry pan until coloured. Place on top of the stew.
Chef apple pie
Ingredients
800g short dough crust
5no pears
3no apples
50g butter
Nutmeg/cinnamon
80g brown sugar
5ml heavy cream
200g almond powder
200g granulated sugar
1no Vanilla stick
Method
Roll out the dough on a sheet pan. Mix sugar and almond in equal quantity with cream, into a soft creamy texture. Peel the apples, place the mix in a layer at the bottom of the tart. Slice the apple and then the pears, arrange them on top. Place throughout the top some pieces of fresh butter sprinkle the leftover almond mix and extra sugar.
Everything has to be golden brown, it can be served with ice cream. Bake at 220degree C for 45 minutes or until golden brown.
