Chef Philippe Groult – Behind L’Atelier de Joel Robuchon’s Success

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You would often hear people complain about world-class restaurants that fail to meet their expectations. Often, you would have your own reservations about certain establishments like L’Atelier de Joel Robuchon. You have probably experienced dining at the other Joel Robuchon restaurants. There are a couple of disappointing establishments. L’Table de Joel Robuchon in Paris, for one, may fail miserably when it comes to offering good food. The unfriendly staff and expensive meal may turn you off. Robuchon de Galera in Macau fails to impress as well, so you may have some doubts. This is not the case with head chef’s Philippe Groult’s food served at L’Atelier de Joel Robuchon.

This restaurant offers relatively affordable food at affordable prices, so you will definitely enjoy your meal without squeezing your wallet dry. The staff, including the chef, is friendly and attentive. Of course, you can still expect the French-snobby treatment.

Chef Philippe Groult’s food is fairly interesting as it should be considering that the restaurant has managed to grab the 55^th spot in El Pellegrino World’s 50 Best Restaurants list. Dishes are unusually presented. Their scallops for example are pan-fried and these are served with bacon and asparagus. The whole thing is quite delicious and savory. It’s exactly the dish you would expect from a first-class chef like Groult.

Philippe Groult has been in the culinary industry for a significant period of time. He is not new to Joel Robuchon’s restaurant. He worked at Jamin for 3 years, from 1981 to 1984. Even at a young age, he already showed remarkable culinary gifts. He won the Meilleur Ouvrier de France (MOF) award at the age of 28. This is the same award that was won by Robuchon himself. This prize was also given to Claude Le Tohic, the head of Las Vegas’ Robuchon Restaurant.

Before he worked at L’Atelier de Joel Robuchon, Chef Groult also opened and operated his own restaurant, L’Amphycles. He earned two Michelin stars for this restaurant. It is not actually surprising that he will soon head the kitchen of L’Atelier or that he will have the complete trust of Robuchon himself. The world-renowned chef does not mince words when it comes to praising Chef Groult. He completely trusts the latter’s talent and skill. He trusts the latter to present the true flavor of French cuisine. He believes that Chef Groult possesses all the skills necessary to take L’Atelier to the top.

Chef Philippe Groult’s Spider Crab with Caviar Recipe

Total time: 30 to 60 minutes

Ingredients for 4 servings

Court-bouillon

1 carrot, peeled and chopped

1 onion, peeled and chopped

Zest of 1/2 lime and 1/2 lemon

1/2 tsp. fresh ginger

1 bouquet of thyme

2 bay leaves

1 tsp. black peppercorns

1 liter (4 cups) white wine

500 ml (2 cups) spirit vinegar

Other ingredients

4 male Spider crabs, 500 g /1 lb. each

4 female spider crabs, 1 kg (2 lb.) each

4 male spider crabs, 1 kg (2 lb.) each

300 g (10 oz.) fresh green seaweed, washed well

200 g (7 oz.) Caviar

1 tbsp. chopped chives

Ingredients for the cream

100 ml (6 tbsp.) extra-virgin olive oil

Strained juice of 1 lemon

100 g (3 1/2 oz.) chopped French shallot

50 g (2 oz.) flat leaf parsley sprigs

Fine sea salt and freshly ground pepper

Method

Preparing the court-bouillon and cooking the crabs

Bring 7 liters (7 qt.) water to a boil; add the carrot, onion, lemon zest, ginger, thyme, bay leaf and peppercorns;

Boil for 3 minutes, then add the white wine and vinegar; return to the boil; reduce the heat and simmer gently for 10 minutes;

Bring back to a boil over high heat. Immerse 4 male spider crabs head first into the court-bouillon and cook for 12 minutes from the time they go into the water; remove and drain;

Skim the court-bouillon; repeat the process with the 4 females, then the other 4 males; set aside;

Prepare a large bowl of ice water; bring the court-bouillon to a boil over high heat and blanch the seaweed for 30 seconds, just until it it changes color;

Drain and refresh immediately in ice water; drain again and set aside.

Preparing the crabs

Prepare 2 bowls, one for the crabmeat, the other for the liquid and coral;

Shell the 4 small males. Their shells will be used for presentation, so it’s not necessary to remove the meat from the claws;

Cut all around the head and remove the upper part of the shell;

Reserve the liquid and coral from the head. On the lower part of each crab, pull on the shell and remove the meat; rinse the shells under cold water and set aside; shell the remaining 8 crabs in the same way;

Using a spoon, remove the eggs under the belly of the females and reserve it;

Delicately break the claws with a hammer or nutcracker; remove the meat with a shellfish fork; reserve the creamy liquid and coral from the head; discard the shells;

Preparing the cream

In a bowl, whisk the creamy liquid, coral and half the eggs to a fairly smooth texture;

Whisk in 5 tbsp. olive oil, adding it in a thin stream;

Add the lemon juice; season with salt and pepper; add the shallot and flat leaf parsley; set aside;

Be sure there are no pieces of shell in the crabmeat by sticking a skewer here and there; add half the meat to the cream; correct the seasoning and set aside;

Place the caviar in a bowl and add the remaining olive oil as well as half the chives; mix gently and set aside.

Finishing

To serve, lay out the seaweed on 4 large serving plates;

Place the empty shells in the center; spoon the crab cream into the middle and place the remaining crabmeat on top;

Garnish with the caviar and the rest of the chives; serve immediately.

Image Credit via Barnachon

Image Credit and Recipe via Food Gourmet

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