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Chef Lea Linster is one of the top female chefs who have carved a name for herself in the culinary world.  She is the head chef of her restaurant, Restaurant Lea Linster, which is located in Luxemburg.  Aside from being recognized as among the best chefs in the world, she is also recognized worldwide as the first lady chef who took home the huge prize of the 1989 Bocuse d’Or international competition.  She has indeed proven to the male-dominated culinary world that female chefs also deserve the title of top chefs.  Right now, she still holds the title as the only lady chef who ever won first prize at the much-coveted Bocuse d’Or international competition.

Chef Linster, born in Luxemburg on the 27th of April 1955, got her love and passion for cooking from her father, who was the head chef and pasty chef of their family-owned inn/restaurant.  You could say that she grew up surrounded by the aroma of fresh ingredients and the tantalizing and mouth-watering aroma of food cooking.

Having had an interest and passion for cooking, she became an apprentice to some of the best culinary houses in the country to hone her culinary skills.  She even trained under one of the best chefs in the world, Chef Fredy Girardet.  However, she had to return home to her hometown in Luxemburg, Frisange, when her father got ill and subsequently passed away.  In 1982, she finally decided to open her own restaurant in Frisange and called in Lea Linster.  Half a decade later, in 1987, her restaurant earned its first Michelin star.

Another turning point in her career was when she decided to join the Bocuse d’Or competition in 1989.  She demonstrated her technical skills during the competition, so it came not as a surprise that she took home the much-coveted prizewinner trophy of the 1989’s Bocuse d’Or.  It was a male-dominated competition, and to be the first and only lady chef to ever win the title was a very big honor indeed.

In 1991, four years after earning her first Michelin star and two years after winning the Bocuse d’Or title, she decided to open another restaurant.  She named it Lëtzebuerger Kaschthaus, and its primary goal was to showcase the Luxembourgian cuisine.  Aside from owning and managing two restaurants, she also purchased a vineyard located in Remich and produced her very own wine, which she called Elbling.

Her restaurants and her vineyard are not the only things that keep her busy though.  She has also contributed greatly to the culinary world when she wrote several cookbooks.  Her cookbooks showcased recipes from her restaurants as well as special Luxembourgian dishes.  Aside from this, she is also a writer for a gastronomical column.

Chef Linster’s cuisine is greatly influenced by the traditional and classical French cuisine.  Her cuisine is best known for its lightness and freshness.  She believes that fresh food products are what will make a good dish an excellent one, and that serving them fresh and unspoiled by heavy sauces and taste enhancers are the only way to serve them to her customers.  Chef Linster also emphasizes the importance of local and seasonal ingredients, and you will definitely see her culinary philosophy through her dishes.

This year, Chef Linster has once again graced the Bocuse d’Or with her culinary talents as she, together with other celebrity lady chefs, headed the gala dinner preparations.

Chef Lea Linster’s Bouneschlupp

Ingredients:

Stew:

• 1 kg green beans, not too thin
• 200 g celery root (celeriac)
• 3 medium potatoes
• 2 medium onions
• 1 small leek
• Sea salt
• 50 g butter
• 2 tablespoons flour
• Freshly ground pepper
• 150 g crème fraîche or sour cream

Garnish:

• 400 g smoked bacon in one piece
• 4 pork sausages

Procedure:

Stew:

1. String the beans and cut them into pieces 1-2 cm long. Peel and cube the celery root and the potatoes. Soak the potatoes in cold water. Peel and dice the onions. Slice the leek into 1-cm pieces.
2. Put all of the vegetables except the potatoes in a pot, cover with 2 liters water, salt lightly and cook over medium heat 15 to 20 minutes. Drain the potatoes, add them to the stew. Continue cooking until the potatoes are tender.
3. Melt the butter in a pan and add the flour. With a whisk, vigorously stir over high heat to obtain a white roux. Gradually add a little of the stew broth while whisking constantly. Add as much broth as necessary to make a creamy sauce. Let cook a few minutes over low heat. Pass the sauce through a sieve into the stew and combine well with the vegetables.
4. Bring stew to a boil. Remove from heat. Season with salt and pepper. Garnish with a tablespoon of crème fraîche or sour cream. Garnish with cooked sausages and bacon.

Image Credit: hello.news352.lu

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An excellent restaurateur and an excellent chef, Chef Pierre Gagnaire is one of the top French chefs who have defined what fine dining really means.  He, together with his brother, Jean, elevated their parents’ humble and quaint restaurant to one of the must-go-to restaurants in the world.  Through them, the restaurant has earned numerous awards and recognitions from different award-giving bodies.  Chef Gagnaire has long retired from directly overseeing and managing the kitchen of La Maison Troisgros, and his son, Chef Michel Troisgros, an equally talented chef, is now the one who heads the kitchen of the family restaurant.  You could say that he is following on the footsteps of his father as he earned his own three Michelin stars and a spot in the S. Pellegrino list.

Chef Gagnaire was born in Chalon-sur-Saone on the 2nd of December 1926.  He grew up surrounded by the aroma of food cooking and the hustle and bustle of a busy restaurant kitchen as their parents, Jean-Baptiste and Marie, manage and run the kitchen of Café des Negociants, situated at that time in Chalon-sur-Saone.

In 1930, when Chef Gagnaire was only about four years old, the whole family relocated to Roanne.  It was there that they opened Hotel-Restaurant des Platanes which caters mostly to the middle class.  Their parents had no formal culinary education, and what they serve to their clients are dishes that they have learned through their own parents and from their own experience.  Because the couple relies on the business to take care of the family’s finances, they have instilled in their children the love and passion for cooking and the need to maintain a very excellent standard when it comes to the business.

The restaurant soon grew popular that, in 1935, they changed its name to Hotel Moderne.  Because the brothers are expected to take control of the kitchen when their parents retire, Chef Gagnaire and his brother, Jean, began their apprenticeship and training at some of the top restaurants in the country.  Chef Gagnaire went to Normandy where he found work and apprenticed in Etretat’s Hotel du Golf.  He also went to the Basque Country and worked in the kitchens of Saint Jean de Luz.  On the other hand, Jean found work in Paris.

Later on, both brothers worked in Paris in the kitchens of Lucas CArtion where they got to work and train under the tutelage of the famous French chef, Chef Gaston Richard.  They also found landed a position in Vienne’s La Pyramide and worked under Chef Paul Mercier as well as Chef Fernand Point.  Aside from this, they also landed jobs at the Maxim’s as well as at the Hotel de Crillon.  It was also while they were in the city that they met Chef Paul Bocuse and created a lasting bond and relationship with the famous French chef.

In 1954, they went back to Roanne to take control over the kitchens of their family-owned restaurant, Hotel Moderne, when their father gave them the keys to the business.  Chef Gagnaire was the head chef, while Jean was the master saucier.  Their father was still very much active in the restaurant as he became the official maitre d’hotel as well as sommelier.  By the next year, the restaurant received its first Michelin star, and three years later, in 1957, they then changed the name to Les Freres Troisgros.

Through the efforts of the brothers, Les Freres Troisgros’ reputation soon grew.  Their extraordinary French cuisine became known for their sophistication and perfection that it became highly in-demand not only among the middle class but the upper class as well.  In 1654, Michelin Guide gave them their second star and the third star in 1968.  Aside from this, the restaurant also received recognition from Gault Millau in 1972 as the Best Restaurant in the World.

Meanwhile, Chef Gagnaire’s son, Michel, was starting his own journey to being a chef.  He went to Grenoble where he furthered his culinary skill from the year 1974 to the year 1982.  He also went across the globe to learn from great chefs such as Chefs Michel Guerard and Fredy Girardet.  Clearly, he was going to follow in the footsteps of his father.

Jean’s death in 1983 prompted Chef Gagnaire to call his son home to help him manage the family business.  So, after ten years of traveling and becoming an apprentice to some of the best chefs in the world, Michel went home to Roanne to help Chef Gagnaire run Les Freres Troisgos, with his wife taking a very active role in decorating and renovating the restaurant to suit the present times.  The father and son tandem has also redefined their cuisine, taking it to a whole new level of elegance and excellence.

In 1998, Chef Gagnaire finally relinquished the kitchen reign over to his son.  What used to be known as Les Freres Troisgros is now known as La Maison Troisgros, and under his son’s guidance, it became even more popular.

Chef Pierre Gagnaire’s Salmon with Sorrel

Ingredients:

• 2 pounds salmon
• 1 tablespoon peanut oil, for pounding
• 2 cups Pierre’s Fish Stock
• 2 medium shallots, finely chopped
• 1/3 cup dry white wine, preferably Sancerre
• 3 tablespoons dry vermouth
• 1 1/4 cups crème fraiche
• 4 ounces sorrel leaves (about 1 quart tightly packed), washed, stemmed, and large leaves torn into two or three pieces
• 4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
• Freshly squeezed lemon juice
• Coarse salt and freshly ground white pepper

Procedures:

1.   Choose the thickest center section of the fish. Using a flexible boning knife, cut apart the two fillets, and carefully remove skin.

2.   With pliers, pull out the tiny bones hiding in the center of the flesh. They can be found by running fingers against the grain of the fish. Divide the fillets in half horizontally to make four pieces weighing about 6 ounces each.

3.   Lightly oil two pieces of parchment paper with peanut oil. Lay one piece of parchment on a flat surface. Place fish on parchment. Top with second piece of parchment. With a wooden mallet or the side of a cleaver, gently flatten so each fillet is of equal thickness.

4.   In a medium saucepan, combine fish stock and shallots. Bring to a boil, and cook until reduced to a glaze, 10 to 15 minutes. Add wine and vermouth, and continue to cook until bright and syrupy, about 3 minutes. Add crème fraiche, and boil until slightly thickened, about 2 minutes. Pass through a fine mesh sieve into a clean pan.

5.   Add sorrel, and cook for 25 seconds. Remove from heat. Add butter a little at a time, swirling or stirring with a wooden spoon until completely incorporated (be sure not to break up sorrel leaves). Season with lemon juice, salt, and pepper.

6.   Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Season salmon on one side (the less presentable side) with salt and pepper. Place in pan, seasoned side up. Cook 25 seconds, turn, and cook 15 seconds more. The salmon must be undercooked to preserve its tenderness (it will continue to cook in the finished sauce).

7.   Distribute sauce among four large plates. Place salmon, seasoned side down, on plates. Season with salt. Serve immediately.

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Chef Sergi Arola is the head chef as well as the owner of the world famous restaurant, La Broche, in Madrid, Spain.  This tattooed chef with matching earrings and a deep love for leather jackets and rock music to boot is a true Ferran Adria as well as Pierre Gagnaire disciple.  The culinary principles and techniques that he learned from these great master chefs truly show in his cuisine, thus, the two Michelin stars that he currently has under his belt.

Born in Roses on May 1968, he acknowledges that his childhood has had a lot to do with his interest in cooking.  In fact, he credits his passion for food and cooking to his grandfather who also had a passion for food.  At the tender age of 12 years old, he began experimenting with local ingredients as well as seasonal food products, whipping up dishes for his grandfather.

Another passion of Chef Arola’s is music.  In fact, he was on his way to starting his music career and stardom when he got together with the other band members of the Los Canguro.  However, he knew that a rock musician career was a difficult one, so in 1988, he decided to enroll at one of the culinary institutes in Barcelona.

After he graduated at the culinary school, he then stayed in the city to look for a job, and he found work in the kitchens of La Jijoneca.  It was also during the early 1990s that he met the world-famous Chef Pierre Gagnaire in Paris who taught him some of his own culinary techniques and principles.

It was pure luck that a friend of Chef Ferran Adria, Carles Abellan, got in touch with him to offer him an opportunity of a lifetime – to work with one of the best chefs not only in Spain but in the whole world as well, Chef Adria.  Of course, it was an opportunity that should not be missed, so with excitement and anticipation, he entered El Taller, a culinary research center that the great Chef Adria runs.  There, Chef Arola got to learn about the techniques and principles of the master chef.

Two years after, he left Barcelona to move to Madrid and hone his culinary skills there.  This was in 1997.  In 2000, he finally decided to launch his own restaurant and call it La Broche.  His minimalist restaurant can be found in the Hotel Miguel Angel’s mezzanine level.  With such a very good location at the heart of Madrid, Spain’s capital city, his restaurant soon began earning worldwide attention.  His post-modern cuisine that showcase a perfect blending of contrasting flavors as well as textures, not to mention temperatures, have captivated the gourmet culinary world that, pretty soon, it became a must-go-to restaurant whenever one visits the country.  In no time at all, Chef Arola received two stars from the Michelin Guide.

Aside from La Broche, Chef Arola also launched Arola, his eponymous restaurant that can be found in Barcelona’s trendy and chic Hotel Arts.  In contrast with La Broche though that offers high-concept and very sophisticated cuisine, the cuisine served in his second venture are more “down to earth.”  He serves traditional tapas here as well as classic Mediterranean cuisine.

These are not the only things though that keep him busy as he has already published his own cookbook titled Cooking is Fun in 2004.  The cookbook showcases some of his famous signature recipes served at La Broche.  It also features detailed instructions of his culinary techniques.

Chef Arola’s cuisine stays true to the principles of both of his greatest mentors, Chefs Adria and Gagnaire, and all his efforts are paying off as he is enjoying an excellent reputation right now as one of the top chefs in the world.

Chef Sergi Arola’s Warm Lobster Soup with Coastal Fish and Mollusks

Ingredients:

Seafood Platter:

• 60 grams lobster meat
• 20 grams clams
• 10 grams cockles
• 50 grams fresh king prawns
• 10 grams goose barnacles
• 25 grams mussels
• 30 grams sea bass
• 50 grams scorpion fish

Soup:

• 1 lobster head
• 100 grams frozen king prawns
• 1 red onion
• 3 cloves garlic
• 1 Tablespoon paprika
• 200 milliliters Pernod

Saffron Agar:

• 50 milliliters water
• 1 thin slice of garlic
• 3 saffron threads
• 0.3 agar-agar per litre

King Prawn Agar:

• 1 king prawn head
• 50 milliliters water
• 0.3 agar-agar per litre

Picada:

• 10 grams hazelnuts, fried
• 10 grams almonds, fried
• 10 pieces bread, fried
• 20 parsley leaves, fried
• 100 milliliters olive oil

Crisps:

• 2 cloves garlic
• 1 piece sliced white bread
• 1 ripe tomato
• 8 parsley leaves

Procedure:

For Seafood Platter: Blanch the mollusks, rinse and reserve in a cool place. Clean the fish and cut into portions. Cut the lobster into medallions. Just before serving, sear them on the griddle and finish off in the oven or in a salamander.

For Soup: Chop the onions and soften them slowly. Add the paprika and Pernod and reduce. Add the lobster head and reduce to half the volume, and then strain.

For Saffron Agar: Sauté the garlic and place it with the lightly toasted saffron in the water, bring to a boil and crush. Allow to cool and strain. Pour into a sauce bottle and keep cool. Add the agar-agar, bring to a boil and allow to set. Mash in a Thermomix and strain.

For King Prawn Agar: Sauté the prawn heads, add the water and cook for 20 minutes. Crush and strain. Add the agar-agar, bring to a boil and allow to set. Mash in the Thermomix, strain and transfer to a sauce bottle.

For Picada: Mash all the ingredients in a Thermomix along with the olive oil.

For Crisps: Fry the sliced garlic in a little olive oil, adding it while the oil is still cold. Fry the parsley leaves. Cut the bread into small squares and fry. Slice the tomato finely, taking care to keep whole pieces and dry in a food dehydrator.

To Assemble and Serve: Sear all the mollusks on one side of the griddle and seal the skin of the pieces of fish. Place them around the plate, and alternate drops of the saffron emulsion and the king prawn emulsion. Finish off by adding the picada and parsley crisps, garlic crisps, and mini pieces of toast.

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Chef Guy Savoy is the owner as well as the head chef Paris’ and Las Vegas’ Guy Savoy Restaurant, an eponymous restaurant made famous by the talented chef’s culinary skills.  Right now, his restaurant in Paris boasts of three Michelin stars, while his Las Vegas restaurant has two Michelin stars.  Both of his restaurants have been included as among the top restaurants not only in their respective countries but in the whole world as well.  They have each also earned numerous awards and recognitions.  Aside from these restaurants though, Chef Savoy also owns four other restaurants, albeit smaller, and they can be found in Paris as well as Singapore.

Chef Savoy was born in Nevers on the 24th of July 1953; however, he grew up in Bourgoin-Jallieu when his parents decided to move to this part of Isere.  His father worked as a gardener, and his mother manages a barroom, which she later converted to a restaurant.

By the age of 15 years old, he has always known that all he wanted to be was to become a great chef, so in 1968, he started his journey towards being one.  He first started out as an apprentice and worked under Louis Marchand, a known chocolate maker.  After this, he then went on to train under the tutelage of the famous Troisgros brothers and honed his culinary skills at the Chez Lassere as well as the Lion d’Or.  He also worked at the Oasis, which can be found in La Napoule.

After his apprenticeship and training with the Troisgros brothers, he found work at the La Barriere de Clichy.  It was Claude Verge who offered him the job, and he stayed at the restaurant until 1979.

The next year, he finally decided to open his own restaurant and named it after himself, Guy Savoy.  He opened it in Rue Duret, Paris.  Opening his own restaurant proved to be a very good decision because it was only a matter of a year before he finally received his first Michelin star.  Chef Savoy earned his second star in 1985.

In 1987, Chef Savoy decided to move his eponymous Restaurant Guy Savoy to Rue Troyon to accommodate the increasing number of diners.  Six years later, in 1994, he opened his second restaurant, Les Bouquinistes.

A video documentary titled “Quatre Saisons Pour Un Festin” produced by Jean Paul Jaud made him all the more popular as it showed that he could make excellent dishes from the ingredients found on the farms of his providers.  It was also the next year, 2000, that he received the Legion d’Honneur medal from the Agriculture Minister.

By 2002, Chef Savoy received his third Michelin star for his restaurant, and he was also named as the Chef of the Year by his colleagues in the industry.  His increasing rise to fame and popularity has allowed him to launch a number of smaller satellites – Atelier maitre Albert and Le Chiberta.  The latter satellite restaurant also earned one Michelin star.

By the mid 2000s, he once again decided to launch a new restaurant, this time in the Las Vegas, United States.  He placed his son, Franck, in charge of the eponymous American branch, Guy Savoy Restaurant.  Mid 2010, Chef Savoy opened another Guy Savoy Restaurant, and he launched it this time in Singapore.

His restaurants earned him numerous awards and praises from different award-giving bodies.  He has three Michelin stars and 19 Gault Millau points under his belt, and he also earned four Bottin Gourmand stars as well as three Pudlowski Guide plates.  He also earned AAA from the 5-Diamond Award.

Chef Guy Savoy’s Roast Guinea Fowl with Pumpkin Gratin

Ingredients:

• 1 Guinea Fowl, 1.4 kg (3 lb.), cleaned and trussed
• 1 kg (2 1/4 lb.) European Pumpkin
• 80 g (1/3 cup) butter
• 1 tbsp. grapeseed oil
• 200 ml (3/4 cup) cream
• 50 g (2 oz.) parmesan
• Coarse salt, fine salt, freshly ground pepper

Procedure:

1.   Remove the rind, filaments and seeds from the pumpkin, cut into thin strips and cook for 30 minutes over low heat with 30 g (2 tbsp.) butter and a little coarse salt, until the water from the pumpkin has completely evaporated.

2.   Season the guinea fowl inside and out, grease it with 50 g of butter and a tablespoon of grapeseed oil and roast it for 45 minutes in a preheated 200° C (400° F) oven.

3.   Blend the cream into the cooked pumpkin, add the grated Parmesan and season with pepper.

4.   Remove the guinea fowl from the oven and let rest 15 minutes.

5.   Spread the pumpkin purée in a baking dish and place in a 180° C (350° F) oven at for 15 to 20 minutes until browned on top. Degrease the cooking juices from the guinea fowl. Cut up the fowl and place a portion on each plate, moistened with the juice and accompanied by the pumpkin gratin.

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