Chef Tetsuya Wakuda –Combining French and Japanese Cooking Effortlessly

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Chef Tetsuya Wakuda is known as a humble and genial culinary visionary. He is often quoted to have said, “I made a lot of things up along the way, and luckily for me, people like the way it tasted.” This, however, hardly explains how Chef Tetsuya rose into fame. Nowadays, he sets the pace when it comes to outrageous yet delightful cooking.

The Beginning

Chef Tetsuya grew up in the industrial city of Hamamatsu. At the age of 22, Chef Tetsuya left Hamamatsu and went to Sydney, Australia. He found the country completely fascinating. He knew very little English, but he knew what he wanted. Fairly soon enough, he landed a job at Kinsela’s where he worked as a sushi chef and learned cooking under the tutelage of Chef Tony Bilson. It was easy for him to learn, however, because he already possessed an innate love for food and cooking. He had no formal training, but he easily took on the task and learned the basic French culinary techniques. These techniques largely influence his style of cooking to this day.

Setting Up Tetsuya’s

By the turn of the year, he started his own restaurant, Ultimo’s. This place proved to be a good training ground for a would-be restaurateur. Thereafter, he opened the original and smaller Tetsuya’s. He finally has the chance to introduce his own unique techniques, recipes, and culinary style. He offers distinctive and zingy Japanese dishes. He prefers to use fresh ingredients that offer clean but delicious taste and texture. He combines both Japanese and French techniques in order to create dishes that literally draw in crowds by droves.

By 2000, he got the Seagram’s building and then set up a bigger, contemporary and even more impressive Tetsuya’s. It is modernistic in appearance but it offers the quaintness of Japanese hospitality. Diners can enjoy their foods while looking out onto a genuine Japanese garden.

When eating at Tetsuya’s, diners are offered 15 varied courses. The choices are practically exhilarating. There is a team of 21 chefs who work together using first class gadgets in order to prepare these dishes. Everything that is inside the kitchen is to Chef Tetsuya Wakuda’s specifications and instructions. Very particular with the details, he is completely hands-on. It is not surprising that this is considered as one of the best – if not the best – restaurants in Sydney. In fact, it was even considered to be the best restaurant in the whole country. Chef Tetsuya Wakuda, himself, is considered to be one of the most influential chefs in the country. He is also listed as one of the top chefs in the world and he does not intend to stop surprising the world anytime soon.

Tetsuya Wakuda’s Granny Smith Apple Sorbet with Sauternes Jelly

Yield: 8 Servings

Ingredients:

* Sorbet: 8 Large Granny Smith apples, quartered and cored, skins on

* 150 milliliters sugar syrup

* 1 Tablespoon lemon juice

* Sauternes Jelly: 3½ sheets gelatin

* 750 milliliters Sauternes

Method:

For Sorbet:

Place the apple quarters in a food processor and blend until smooth. Strain the apple juice through a fine-meshed sieve. Measure to make sure you have around 600 milliliters of juice. Mix juice together with the sugar syrup and lemon juice. Taste for sweetness, adding syrup if necessary. Pour the liquid into an ice cream maker and follow the manufacturer’s instructions.

For Sauternes Jelly:

Soak the gelatin in some cold water to soften. In a large saucepan, slowly bring the Sauternes to a boil to burn off the alcohol. Set aside and let cool a little. Squeeze out the excess water from the gelatin and stir into the Sauternes until dissolved. Pour the mixture through a fine-meshed sieve. Cover and refrigerate until set, about 3 hours.

To Assemble and Serve:

Break up the jelly and place in the base of a small shot glass. Top with the sorbet and serve immediately.

Wine Pairing:

There are no wine suggestions because this is a palate cleanser.

Image Credit: Stuff

Recipe via Star Chefs

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