Chef Thomas Keller – One Of The Most Celebrated Chefs In The World
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Thomas Keller is one of the most celebrated chefs in the world. His restaurants have always found their way into the list of the most prestigious award-giving bodies of the culinary world. In fact, The French Laundy is at the 32nd spot right now, although it slipped down 20 spots from last year.
Born on the 14th of October 1955, this American chef has had a very interesting and exciting culinary career as he carved a name for himself in his industry. As a youngster, he has always helped out in his mother’s restaurant in Palm Beach, and this experience is what pushed him to follow a culinary career. He became an apprentice in several restaurants across the East Coast, and to further his training, he went to France in the early 1980s. In France, he worked at some of the finest restaurants of the country, some of which includes Guy Savoy as well as Taillevent. After his training in Europe, he then went back to the United States where he worked in New York’s Restaurant Raphael.
It was in 1986 that he decided to launch his own restaurant in New York. Rakel, his first venture in the restaurant business, was a hit. He received numerous praises from some of the best critics in the country, and his restaurant also received its loyal patrons. His refined French cuisine became the talk of the town, and gourmands made his restaurant a must-visit whenever they were in the city. However, when the stock market suffered, so did his restaurant, but Chef Keller did not want to concede to the hard times and lower down the quality of his cuisine and serve bistro fare. He refused to compromise his culinary talent and skills just to keep his restaurant above the water, so five years after he opened Rakel, he moved to California to become the head chef of Los Angeles’ Checkers Hotel. He also became a consultant to several restaurants.
In 1992, he saw an old building in Yountville, California, which he fell in love with. This was an old French steam laundry that was erected in the 1890s. Chef Keller bought the restaurant, renovated it, and finally opened its doors to the public in 1994, and the French Laundry, just like Rakel, also became a major success. He launched Bouchon in 1998, and five years after Bouchon, he opened Bouchon Bakery. Right now, Chef Keller has eight restaurants, and he also owns two bakeries. This great chef/restaurateur is also a cookbook writer, and all throughout his culinary career, he has won numerous awards and titles. His restaurants have been included in some of the most prestigious lists, including S. Pellegrino, Gayot, Time, among others. They have also earned their Michelin stars, proof of his exemplary culinary skill. In fact, he is recognized as the only chef born in the United States to have earned three Michelin stars, a very big accomplishment indeed.
Chef Thomas Keller’s Simple Roast Chicken
Ingredients:
- One 2- to 3-pound farm-raised chicken
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper2 teaspoons minced thyme (optional)
- Unsalted butter
- Dijon mustard
Directions:
- Preheat the oven to 450°F. Rinse the chicken, then dry it very well with paper towels, inside and out. The less it steams, the drier the heat, the better.
- Salt and pepper the cavity, then truss the bird. Trussing is not difficult, and if you roast chicken often, it’s a good technique to feel comfortable with. When you truss a bird, the wings and legs stay close to the body; the ends of the drumsticks cover the top of the breast and keep it from drying out. Trussing helps the chicken to cook evenly, and it also makes for a more beautiful roasted bird.
- Now, salt the chicken—I like to rain the salt over the bird so that it has a nice uniform coating that will result in a crisp, salty, flavorful skin (about 1 tablespoon). When it’s cooked, you should still be able to make out the salt baked onto the crisp skin. Season to taste with pepper.
- Place the chicken in a sauté pan or roasting pan and, when the oven is up to temperature, put the chicken in the oven. I leave it alone—I don’t baste it, I don’t add butter; you can if you wish, but I feel this creates steam, which I don’t want. Roast it until it’s done, 50 to 60 minutes. Remove it from the oven and add the thyme, if using, to the pan. Baste the chicken with the juices and thyme and let it rest for 15 minutes on a cutting board.
- Remove the twine. Separate the middle wing joint and eat that immediately. Remove the legs and thighs. I like to take off the backbone and eat one of the oysters, the two succulent morsels of meat embedded here, and give the other to the person I’m cooking with. But I take the chicken butt for myself. I could never understand why my brothers always fought over that triangular tip—until one day I got the crispy, juicy fat myself. These are the cook’s rewards. Cut the breast down the middle and serve it on the bone, with one wing joint still attached to each. The preparation is not meant to be superelegant. Slather the meat with fresh butter. Serve with mustard on the side and, if you wish, a simple green salad. You’ll start using a knife and fork, but finish with your fingers, because it’s so good.
Yield: Makes 2 to 4 servings
Image Credit: details.com
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