Chef Geert Van Hecke – An Extremely Talented Chef

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2010 is a very good year, indeed, for Head Chef Geert Van Hecke and his team behind De Karmeliet as their restaurant moved up from the 95th spot to the 57th. This is a very big achievement for this Flemish chef, and with his culinary skill, there are more that we can expect from this extremely talented chef.

Chef Van Hecke was born in Pittem, West Falnders on the 20th of July 1956. At the age of only 12 years old, he has already perfected the art of bread making, and it is through baking that he has discovered his passion for food. He found the usual commotion in the kitchen and the art of cooking exciting, so he decided to pursue a career as a chef.

He attended his apprenticeship and underwent training at the School of Hotel Management in Coxyde. After his apprenticeship, he then went on to work at the Villa Lorraine in Brussels, and he stayed there from 1977 to 1978. After his one-year stint in Brussels, he then moved to Mionnay where he worked for two years at the Alain Chapel restaurant. Chef Chapel, a famous French chef, became his primary teacher, and, in fact, this late chef has made a great impact in his culinary career and has greatly helped him in developing his own culinary personality. After his training under Chef Chapel, he then went back to Belgium where he found work at the Le Cavache d’or in Brrussels.

It was in 1983 that he finally decided to open his own restaurant. He found Bruges the perfect place for his restaurant, and pretty soon, his restaurant on the Jerusalem Street was attracting the attention of food gourmands as well as food critics. In 1985, Michelin awarded him his first star; on 1989, his second star; and on 1996, his third star. His earning his third star in the mid 1990s made him the first Flemish chef to have been given three stars by this prestigious body.

Because of the attention that his restaurant was getting and the demand for his cuisine increasing, he finally decided to move his restaurant to another place to accommodate the increasing number of clienteles. This move took place in the year 1992, only a few years after he received his second Michelin star.

Chef Van Hecke is known for his skill in creating an international cuisine using native and seasonal local produce, and instead of serving thumb-size dishes that other chefs do, Chef Van Hecke is known for his generous portions. In fact, it cam be said that his dishes has the elegance of the French cuisine yet the quantity of a Flemish serving. He says that if you want your diner to be happy and you want them to appreciate your dishes, you have to be generous on the portions. This allows them ample time to appreciate all the exquisite flavors and the different textures that the dish has.

Right now, his De Karmeliet is considered as one of the country’s fine-dining hotspots and is also recognized as a must-visit when you are in this side of the world.

Chef Geert Van Hecke Squid Filled with Rabbit Rillette and Plum Fritters

Ingredients:

6 rabbit shoulders
8 arrow squid
100 g foie gras
2 cloves of garlic
black pepper (cracked)
150 g almond bread
2 onions (Rose de Roscoff)
50 g butter
1 dl dark beer
1 l poultry stock
6 plums (Agen)
olive oil
mild white wine vinegar

Directions:

1. Sprinkle salt, pepper and choppecd garlic on the rabbit and leave overnight in the refrigirator with a weight on top.

2. Rinse off and cover in lard for 2 hours, de-bone, mix with the foie gras and season with salt and pepper.

3. Wash the squid and fill with the meat.

4. Soak the almond bread in the beer, then mix, boiling the rest of the beer with the chopped shallots and 2 cloves of garlic.

5. Add the poultry stock and a little grated ginger, then mix the sauce with half of the gingerbread, pass through a sieve, and glaze with butter.

6. Cut the onion into rings, fry in butter, season and add a few drops of mild white vinegar.

7. Mix the other half of the almond bread with a tablespoon of flour, some milk and beer, cut the plums in half, dip them in the batter and fry.

8. Fry the squid in olive oil for 1/2 a minute on each side, season, then serve on a bed of onion, with the fritters on the side, surrounded by souce, and garnish with chives.

Can be served with green vegetables or mashed potatoes.

Image Credit: keukens.be

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