Chef Rachel Humphrey – First Female Head Chef of Le Gavroche

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The kitchens of Chef Michel Roux’s Le Gavroche in London has always been dominated by male chefs, and it was just last 2008 that the chef patron of Le Gavroche named its first female head chef, Chef Rachel Humphrey. This automatically made her, of course, as the very first lady head chef of the illustrious Le Gavroche and gave her 40 plus years of history to live up to.

Chef Humphrey, as a child, has always found cooking fascinating. She would often watch her mother and her grandmother prepare their home-cooked meals and enjoy the food preparation. At the age of eight years old, she made her very first dish, a strawberry millefeuille, and she would also often cook for Annaley, her older sister. It was when she was cooking that she finally found her true calling, to become a chef.

She took up home economics in school, and after she graduated in 1996, she sent out application letters to some of the best restaurant in the country. It was pure luck that she was accepted to become an apprentice at Le Gavroche, a two-Michelin star French restaurant, and work under the famous English-French chef, Chef Michel Roux. She was to work for two years as an apprentice.

From an apprentice, she became Le Gavroche’s first commis in the year 1998; however, the timid Chef Humphrey surprised her coworkers when she decided to leave the restaurant for a three-year stint as a chef in the catering corps of the Royal Airforce. While she was serving the RAF, she grew more confident in her culinary abilities as she created dishes worth a Michelin star and fed their troops. It was also during her time with the RAF that she earned best junior chef awards.

When her service was through, she went back to Le Gavroche, and in 2003, she was appointed as the chef de partie. Her next promotion was in 2004 when she became the sous chef of Le Gavroche. Under the tutelage and encouragement of Chef Patron Michel Roux and Head Chef Nicholas Lariden, she began creating her own culinary personality, and when Chef Lariden finally decided to leave the restaurant to open a new restaurant, it was not hard for the chef patron to appoint her as the head chef in 2008.

In an interview, Chef Humphrey admits that working in a male-dominated industry can be a bit hard, especially since the kitchen atmosphere can become quite aggressive. However, she learned that the best way to earn the respect of her colleagues is not to give them anything that they can use against her, and during her time in the kitchen of Le Gavroche, she not only earned the respect of her male colleagues but she has also earned their admiration for her culinary skill.

Her chef patron as well as mentor only has praises for her as she now becomes the head chef of his kitchen. Right now, Chef Humphrey is infusing her own culinary personality into the cuisine of Le Gavroche, making sure that they are up to the standards of this iconic restaurant.

Chef Rachel Humphrey’s Floating Islands with Rhubarb Compote

Ingredients:

For the Rhubarb Compote:

500 sweet white wine, (e.g. Sauternes)
150 caster sugar
2 vanilla pods, halved lengthways
8 sticks rhubarb, trimmed and sliced into 4cm chunks

For the Crème Anglaise:

500ml milk
1 vanilla pod, halved lengthways
6 egg yolks
120g caster sugar

For the Meringues:

6 egg whites
340g caster sugar
300g caster sugar, for caramel and liquid poaching

Directions:

For the Rhubarb:

Bring the wine to the boil with the sugar and vanilla pods, add the rhubarb and partially cover with a lid. Bring to the boil and simmer until the rhubarb is soft but still holds its shapes – 3-5 minutes, depending on the thickness of the rhubarb. Remove from the heat, leave to cool, then drain in a colander, saving the juice for a refreshing cordial drink.

For the Crème Anglaise:

Bring the milk to the boil with the vanilla pod. Remove the pan from the heat, cover and leave to infuse for 10 minutes.
Beat the egg yolks with the sugar until thick and creamy. Bring the milk back to the boil and pour on to the yolk mixture, whisking continuously. Pour the mixture back into the saucepan and cook over low heat, stirring continuously with a spatula, until the custard thickens slightly and coats the back of a spoon. Set aside to cool.

For the Meringues:

Beat the egg whites with a whisk until frothy, then add 340g caster sugar. Continue to whisk until firm and glossy.
Bring a large saucepan of water with 2 tbsp of the remaining caster sugar to the boil. Using a big kitchen spoon dipped in cold water, scoop out a big island of meringue and plunge the spoon into simmering sweetened water. The island should come off the spoon and poach in this liquid. Carry on doing this until all the eggs whites are used, not forgetting to flip the islands over after 3-4 minutes to cook on both sides.
Once cooked, gently take the islands out of the liquid with a slotted spoon. Place on a rack to cool and drain.
Heat the remaining sugar in a heavy pan until liquid and golden. When the meringues are cold, pour the freshly made caramel over the top.

To serve: Place a large spoonful compote in each bowl, followed by some crème anglaise, and finally the caramel-coated floating islands.

Cook’s Tip: Try serving this dish in glass ice cream bowls so you can see the layers.

Image Credit: dailymail.co.uk

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