Chef Pascal Barbot – Redefined the Traditional French Cuisine

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L’Astrance may be just another French restaurant in France, but its owner and head chef, Chef Pascal Barbot gave it something different to make it stand out from the many French restaurants that dot the country and the whole world, for that matter. Chef Barbot redefined what the culinary world knew of the traditional French cuisine. He steered away from creams and salts and butters and substituted them with local and fresh ingredients to bring out their natural flavors. Because of his skill and training, it is no wonder then that his restaurant got into the top 100 best restaurants of the world.

At the age of 7 years old, Chef Barbot already knew the career he wanted to pursue, and that is to become a chef. He grew up in a little town in France called Auvergne, and his family had a garden where he helped his father harvest the produce. Because cooking is a central part of their family’s tradition, he grew up surrounded with fresh, local, and seasonal produce and home-cooked meals. His home was his first training ground where he helped his mother prepare their meals.

Chef Barbot was also fascinated with traveling, and as a young cook, he traveled all over the country. His studies took him across Europe where he got to work for some of the most respected and influential restaurants like Maxim’s which can be found in Paris and Troisgros which is situated in Rome. He has also worked in London’s Les Saveurs before he came to L’Aperge where his mentor, Chef Alain Passard, taught him his techniques and cooking style. One very important thing that Chef Passard taught him that has made a big impact on his culinary career is to give respect to the product however basic it may be.

Chef Barbot worked with Chef Passard for about five years, and it was during those years that he got to meet Christophe Rohat. Their friendship led to a partnership, and in July 2000, they launched L’Astrance. The opening of L’Astrance was considered as a major culinary affair at that time, and it was well-attended by some of the big names in the culinary world. Their efforts proved to be very worthwhile as they received their first Michelin star one year after they first opened L’Astrance, the second of which they received in 2005.

In the succeeding years, Chef Barbot’s skill gave L’Astrance its third Michelin star and a spot in S. Pellegrino’s top 50 best restaurants of the world. This year, 2010, saw them at the 16th place, a very big accomplishment indeed.

Chef Barbot’s cuisine is known for its minimalist approach to traditional French cuisine, doing away with creams and butter but making use of fresh and seasonal ingredients to highlight the real and intricate flavors of his ingredients. His cuisine truly is a reflection of his humble background and exemplary culinary training.

Chef Pascal Barbot’s Scallops and Baby Spinach with Curried Yogurt Sauce

Ingredients:

2 Tablespoons clarified butter
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon powdered mustard
1 teaspoon fenugreek seed
2 cloves of garlic
1 centimeter of turmeric root
1 centimeter fresh ginger root
1 teaspoon cried curry leaves
2 Tablespoons curry powder
2 sweet onions, thinly sliced
40 ounces plain, whole milk yogurt
10 grams light brown sugar
Fleur de sel
20 grams butter

Scallops:

2 Tablespoons butter
20 large scallops
1 bunch baby spinach

Directions:

For the Yogurt Sauce: Melt the clarified butter in a saucepan. Add the cumin, mustard, and fenugreek seed; stirring to combine. Cook until fragrant, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic, grated turmeric, grated ginger, curry leaves, curry powder and sliced onions. Add 32 ounces of yogurt and brown sugar; season with fleur de sel. Cook over medium heat until intensely fragrant, about 20 minutes. Pass the yogurt mixture through a chinoise. Stir in the remaining yogurt and 20 grams of butter.

For Scallops: Heat 1 Tablespoon butter in large sauce pan. Saute scallops 1 minutes per side until lightly seared. Set aside. Add 1 Tablespoon butter and sauté spinach until cooked.

To Serve: Place scallops on top of baby spinach and pour curried yogurt sauce on top.

Yield: 4 Servings.

Wine Pairing: A white wine with lots of green fruit flavors and mild acidity like P. De Villaine Bouzeron 2003

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