Chef Mauro Colagreco – On Authentic French Cooking with a Very Modern Twist

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It may have been a big drop down from the San Pellegrino list, from the 35th position down to the 83rd, but nevertheless, Mirazur is still one of the finest French restaurants in the whole of France where you can get your fill of authentic French cooking with a very modern twist. This remarkable cuisine is being credited to one of the most brilliant chefs in the world, Chef Mauro Colagreco.

Chef Colagreco was born on 1978 in Rio de la Plata, Argentina. His upbringing has greatly influenced his career choice, especially since he was brought up in a family who not only knows how to respect and appreciate the fresh produce of the land but to also create scrumptious meals out of it. But the one person that truly sparked his culinary interest and became his inspiration to become a chef was his beloved grandmother, Amalia Blanco.

Although he first took up economic studies in college, it soon became obvious to him that his interest lies in the culinary world, and so, in the year 1998, he went to Buenos Aires and enrolled himself in a hotel school. But the time that he spent in the hotel school was not enough, so after two years, he then traveled to France to further his culinary training and education and went to La Rochelle where he studied at the Lycee Hotelier.

For his apprenticeship, he went to Saulieu in 2002 where he worked as the demi-chef de partie of Le Cote d’Or under the tutelage of the region’s most talented chef, Chef Bernard Loiseau. Here, he learned what it will take to be a chef, the attention that one has to give to even the minutest detail, and the determination to succeed at the craft. Chef Colagreco stayed at this three-Michelin star restaurant for about one and a half years; however, when Chef Loiseau died on the early part of 2003, he decided to move to Paris to further his culinary training. There, he worked as the sous chef of Chef Alain Passard’s L’Aperge for one and a half years. Under Chef Passard, he learned the importance of being creative when it comes to his dishes. He understood that perfecting a cuisine needs not only skill but also imagination and knowledge of his own culinary personality.

After his stay in L’Aperge, he then went on to work for Chef Alain Ducasse where he became the demi-chef de partie of the great chef’s Plaza Athenee. At this restaurant, he learned the art of perfecting and refining his culinary skills. After his stay at the Plaza Athenee, he then worked as the Grand Vefour’s chef tournant where he got to work with another great chef, Chef Guy Martin. It was here that he learned how to be assertive and how to develop his leadership skills.

He felt more than ready to open his own restaurant, but it was only in 2006 that his dream came into fruition when Mirazur opened its doors to the public. The cuisine that he created soon gained praises, and it was not long after that even the country’s most esteemed food critic, Francois Simon, gave it a good review. Gault Millau also gave Mirazur a good review; the Michelin guide gave him his first Michelin star in 2007; his restaurant was included in the San Pellegrino top 100 restaurants, among other awards and recognitions.

Right now, aside from being active in the kitchens of Mirazur, Chef Colagreco also works as a consultant.

Chef Mauro Colagreco’s Green Asparagus, Menton Citrus Fruit Yoghurt Sauce and Chickweed

Ingredients:

12 green asparagus spears
2 purple Albenga asparagus spears
3 Menton lemons
25 gr honey (2 tablespoons)
1 pink pomelo
1 orange
1 green apple
1 natural yoghurt
1 vanilla pod
1 pearl onion
4 sprigs of mint
Olive oil
Hand harvested salt
Chickweed (Chickweed is a wild herb that can be replaced with lambs’ lettuce).

Directions:

Lemon vinaigrette:

Place the juice of two lemons, the honey and the scraped vanilla pod into a saucepan.
Reduce by two-thirds over a low heat.
Cool quickly and work in the olive oil to form a vinaigrette.

Menton lemon sauce:

Finely chop the lemon, orange and pomelo zest.
In a bowl, combine the yoghurt with the chopped zests. Loosen with a little lemon juice and season with salt.

Cooking the asparagus:

Peel the asparagus. Remove the entire hard section. Blanch in boiling salted water for 30 seconds. The asparagus must still be quite al dente. Quickly cool in a basin of iced water.

Decoration:

Prepare a few mint and chickweed leaves.
Very finely chop the pearl onion.
Set aside a few slivers of lemon zest
Use a mandolin or a potato peeler to make slivers of purple asparagus.
Cut the green apple into very fine slices.
Take four sections of pink pomelo and cut each into three pieces.

Plating up:

Place a spoonful of yoghurt sauce into the centre of a round plate. Pile up the asparagus cut into three to create height.
Add three slices of apple, sprinkle with chopped pearl onion, a few slivers of Menton lemon zest and three pieces of pomelo flesh.
Top with the slivers of raw asparagus and herbs.
Season the olive oil and hand harvested salt.
Add a line of lemon vinaigrette round the plate.
Serve immediately.

Servings: Serves 4.

Image Credit: ladepeche.fr

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