Too many chef books? Those who are convinced can count on the compilations by Hélène Luzin. The culinary author and consultant, to whom we owe 50 dishes from great chefs that you must have tasted once in your life (Editions de La Martinière, 2019) and 50 cakes from great pastry chefs that you must have tasted once in your life (Editions de La Martinière, 2021), does it again today with 50 emerging gastronomic chefs you must have met once in your life (Editions de La Martinière, 344 pages, 39.90 euros). In this third volume, Hélène Luzin focuses on the young generation of French chefs, always with the same formula: a chef, a recipe, all introduced by an interview.
Throughout the pages, it is clear that what makes this rich “relieves” is the eclecticism of the profiles encountered. As Arnaud Donckele points out in the preface, these “rising stars” are in the process of deploying “a new culinary score where diversity reigns, whether cultural, aesthetic or taste”. It’s a shame that this beautiful gallery of portraits ignores parity (only 6 women out of the 50 chefs). We will also regret the lack of vegetarian recipes, even if there are a handful, of which here are three nice examples.
Eggplant millefeuille with raspberry and black garlic, by Lucie Boursier-Mougenot
Ingredients for 4 persons
Soft eggplant:
- 4 eggplants
- Olive oil
- Salt
Eggplant chips:
- 1 eggplant
- 150g olive oil
- Salt
Smoked bufala mozzarella:
- 250 g smoked bufala mozzarella
Black garlic condiment:
- 1 head of black garlic
- 100 g of lukewarm water
- 15 g of sherry vinegar
- 50g olive oil
- Salt and pepper
Raspberry vinaigrette:
- 100 g fresh raspberries
- 50g olive oil
- 15 g of sherry vinegar
- Salt and pepper
Training:
- 150 g fresh raspberries
- 1 bunch purple or green basil
- Salt and pepper
Step 1: soft eggplant
Cut the eggplants in half, add salt to the slices and cook in heavy olive oil until golden brown and soft, about 10 minutes. Drain and reserve on absorbent paper.
Step 2: eggplant chips
From the remaining eggplant, cut around ten thin slices, 3 millimeters thick, using a slicer or mandolin. Brush the slices with olive oil and salt.
Step 3: smoked bufala mozzarella
Cut around ten thin slices of smoked mozzarella.
Step 4: black garlic condiment
Mix the peeled head of black garlic, reserve the skins for another use (broth or juice). Add the lukewarm water, sherry vinegar, olive oil, salt and pepper. Blend in a food processor until smooth.
You have 64.2% of this article left to read. The rest is reserved for subscribers.