Chef Daniel Boulud – Pushing Daniel Restaurant to the Top

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Chef Daniel Boulud has so much to thank for right now as his restaurant in New York has just been named as this year’s 8th best restaurant in the world. This was not a small feat for Daniel and the people behind it, considering that it was a massive climb of 33 spots up the list of the top 50.

Chef Boulud was born on the 25th of March 1955 in Lyon, France, and he grew up on a farm, surrounded by nature and all that it can offer as well as the smell of home-cooked meals prepared by the women in his family. This and the fact that their meals consist of only the freshest produce and local ingredients gave him the passion for food and served as his inspiration to pursue a career in the culinary world. In fact, his earliest culinary achievement came when he was only 15 years old. He joined one of the country’s prestigious culinary competitions and became a finalist of the Best Culinary Apprentice.

After this push, he became an apprentice to some of the country’s top chefs, and he worked with some of the greatest chefs such as Michel Guerard and Georges Blanc. Chef Boulud then went to Copenhagen where he stayed for two years, working as a chef in some of its finest restaurants.

After his two years’ stay in Copenhagen, he moved to Washington, D.C. where he became the private chef for the European Commission, after which he launched Polo Lounge and Le Regence of The Westbury Hotel and Hotel Plaza Athenee respectively. Chef Boulud also worked as the executive chef of Le Cirque from the mid 1980s to early 1990s, and under his leadership, the restaurant flourished and was recognized as the most acclaimed restaurant in the United States.

It was in 1993 that Chef Boulud established Daniel in the Upper Eastside of Manhattan, and not long after, Daniel became known in the culinary world, all thanks to his culinary skills and his creative presentation of his dishes. In the late 1990s, he relocated Daniel to Park Avenue and 65th Street, giving it a new name, Café Boulud, and a new theme which was inspired by the Venetian Renaissance period.

Since the early 2000s, he began launching new restaurants across the United States and in some countries. Aside from this, he also began investing in other business ventures. He created his own company that specializes in professional and very high-quality cookware and kitchenware, including kitchen textile like aprons and kitchen mittens.

Being a popular and world-renewed chef, Chef Boulud was invited to write in famous culinary publications as well as become a guest of numerous radio and television shows. He has also published several cookbooks that have received their fair share of praises and great compliments.

Today, Chef Boulud is recognized as one of the best chefs in the world who has had received numerous awards and recognitions for his culinary skill. His restaurant, Daniel, is his most awarded restaurant to date.

Chef Daniel Boulud’s Crisp Paupiette of Sea Bass in a Barolo Sauce

Ingredients:

For the Paupiette of Sea Bass:

Four 7-ounce sea bass fillets, skinless, bones set aside for the sauce
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
3 sprigs fresh thyme: 1 sprig, leaves only, chopped, and 2 sprigs halved for garnish
2 very large baking potatoes, peeled
3 tablespoons unsalted butter

For the Leeks:

2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 leeks, white part only, thinly sliced
Salt and freshly ground pepper

For the Sauce:

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 cup shallots, peeled and chopped
1/2 cup white mushrooms, caps only, sliced
1/2 sprig fresh thyme
1 cup unsalted chicken stock
1 bottle (750 ml) of Barolo wine or other good red cooking wine
1 tablespoon heavy cream
8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter
Pinch of sugar
Salt and freshly ground pepper
1 tablespoon minced chives

Directions:

For the Paupiette of Sea Bass:

Make each fillet as rectangular as possible (about 5- by 2-inches) by trimming off uneven edges with a sharp knife. Salt and pepper the fillets and sprinkle them with 2 teaspoon of the chopped thyme. Using a knife, shape each potato lengthwise by cutting off the rounded outer flesh to form 4 rectangular slices (do not cut off the tips of the potatoes). Cut each potato lengthwise into very thin, long slices with a vegetable slicer or mandoline. Each potato should yield about 16 slices (8 slices are needed to wrap a fish fillet). Do not rinse the potato slices as their starch will help the wrapped slices stick together. Toss the potato slices in 1 tablespoon of the butter, melted, and a pinch of salt.
Place a 10-inch-square piece of parchment paper on the counter. Choose 8 potato slices of approximately the same length. Place a fillet of fish horizontally at the top of the parchment paper so you can match the length of the potato wrap to the length of the fish. Place the first slice of potato perpendicular to the fish starting on the left side. Place a second slice of overlapping the first one about 3/8 inch from the left edge. Continue overlapping the potato slices until you have covered an area equal to the length of the fillet of fish. Center the fish horizontally in the middle of the potato wrap and fold the edges of the potatoes over the fish to enclose it entirely. Repeat the same process for the remaining fillets and refrigerate.

For the Leeks:

Melt the butter in a pan over medium heat.
Add the leeks and sweat until soft, about 4 minutes.
Season to taste with salt and pepper. Keep warm on the side.

For the Sauce:

Heat the oil in a pot over high heat. Add the reserved sea bass bones, the shallots, mushrooms, and thyme sprig and roast for 8 to 10 minutes while stirring often.
Add the chicken stock, bring to a boil, and cook until completely reduced.
Add the Barolo wine, bring to a boil, and reduce by half.
Remove and discard the fish bones with a mesh skimmer.
Reduce the sauce to 2 tablespoons.
Add the heavy cream, stir, and bring to a boil over low heat.
Whisk in the butter, sugar, and salt and pepper to taste.
Strain the sauce with a fine mesh strainer and keep warm on the side. (If the sauce is too thick, add a little water to thin it.)

To Cook the Paupiette of Sea Bass:

Preheat the oven to 425°F. Melt the remaining 2 tablespoons butter in a large nonstick pan over high heat.
Add the paupiettes of sea bass and sauté until golden brown, about 3 to 5 minutes on each side. If the fish is very thick, finish cooking in the oven for 4 to 5 minutes.

Presentation: Place a bed of leeks in the middle of 4 warm plates and ladle the sauce around the leeks (about 2 tablespoons per plate). Place a paupiette of sea bass on top of the leeks and garnish with 1/2 sprig of thyme. Sprinkle the plate with minced chives.

To Drink: 1996 Phélan Ségur

Makes 4 Servings

Image Credit: nymag.com

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