Chef Joel Robuchon – Refusing to Rest on His Laurels

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Joel Robuchon is one of the world’s renowned chefs. He is also a celebrated restaurateur. He is actually back from his retirement. Well, a great chef can never truly rest his cap. He will always want to go back behind the stove and this chef does not just aspire to conquer a certain corner of the world – he wants to conquer the whole world. So far, he has been quite successful in his endeavor.

He has always been praised for how he can magically intensify flavors, textures and tastes. He is not a fan of combining ingredients and flavors. Instead, he focuses on certain flavors and he endeavors to ensure that these flavors are emphasized or accentuated. Not surprisingly, he has captured the fancy of the culinary world.

Entering the World of Gastronomy

He started his career as a chef at the Hotel Concorde La Fayette in Paris. He was then only 28 years old and he had the responsibility to provide food to hundreds of customers. He had to cook over a thousand meals a day. This may seem exciting to someone who prefers the thrill of a pounding heart and weary back, but Chef Robuchon wanted something different. He wanted something intimate or smaller. He did not care about the quantity of food he was cooking. He wanted to focus on creating masterpieces. He eventually resigned his position and opened his own restaurant, Jamin.

Impressing the world with his cooking, he got his third Michelin star. He also got what he wanted – a smaller venue. Unfortunately, he needed to open a bigger restaurant. What can he do? He was just way too popular and people were coming in droves to taste his cooking. But then again, the bigger restaurant eventually stifled him and his creativity. He was not able to sustain it. He was not just happy with it and so, he had to close it.

And Conquering It!

After several years, he again opened another restaurant. This time, however, he opened it in Paris and he made sure that it was just the right size. This was the first Atelier. What made this restaurant different from other restaurants is its owner’s obvious defiance against traditional fine dining. There is no wall between the kitchen and the dining space. The whole thing shows a flowing space. Indeed, he broke some rules with this design. Now, Chef Robuchon has eight restaurants scattered all over the globe. He has one in Paris and New York. He has also established restaurants in Las Vegas, Hong Kong, Macao, Londres, Tokyo and Monaco. He has captured the culinary world and he does not intend to rest on his laurels anytime soon.

Joel Robuchon’s Potato Puree Recipe

Ingredients:

2 pounds baking potatoes, such as Idaho Russets

3/4 to 1 1/4 cups whole milk

About 16 tablespoons, 1 cup, unsalted butter, chilled, cut into pieces

Sea salt to taste

Procedure:

Scrub the potatoes, but do not peel them. Place the potatoes in a large pot, add salted water, 1 tablespoon salt per quart of water, to cover by at least 1 inch. Simmer, uncovered, over moderate heat until a knife inserted into a potato comes away easily, 20 to 30 minutes.

Drain the potatoes as soon as they are cooked. If they are allowed to cool in the water, the potatoes will end up tasting reheated.

Meanwhile, in a large saucepan, bring the milk just to a boil over high heat. Set aside.

As soon as the potatoes are cool enough to handle, peel them. Pass the potatoes through the finest grid of a food mill into a large heavy-bottomed saucepan set over low heat. With a wooden spatula, stir the potatoes vigorously to dry them, 4 to 5 minutes. Now begin adding about 12 tablespoons of the butter, little by little, stirring vigorously until each batch of butter is thoroughly incorporated; the mixture should be fluffy and light. Then slowly add about three fourths of the hot milk in a thin stream, stirring vigorously until the milk is thoroughly incorporated.

Pass the mixture through a flat fine mesh, drum, sieve, into another heavy bottomed saucepan. Stir vigorously, and if the puree seems a bit heavy and stiff, add additional butter and milk, stirring all the while. Note: few of us have a real French flat bottomed screen for scraping potato puree. Simply use any mesh sieve you have in the kitchen and press down on the potato puree as you push it through the sieve. This second step of pureeing is the true secret behind Chef Robuchon’s recipe.

Taste for seasoning. The puree may be made up to 1 hour in advance. Place in the top of a double boiler, uncovered, over simmering water. Stir occasionally to keep smooth.

Image Credit: NY Mag

Recipe via Media Drome

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