This time around, Epitourists drew inspiration from Thomas Keller's MasterClasses. The chef has three distinct classes: Vegetables, Pasta and Eggs (I); Meats, Stocks, and Sauces (II); Seafood, Sous Vide, and Desserts (III). He generously shares insights garnered from decades of experience.
His MasterClass is a joy to watch.
Chef Keller’s name is synonymous with quality and high standards. The chef and proprietor of The French Laundry, in Napa Valley, and Per Se, in New York, among other restaurants, he is the first and only American-born chef to hold multiple three-star ratings from the prestigious Michelin Guide, as well as the first American male chef to be designated a Chevalier of the French Legion of Honour, the highest decoration in France.
Keller had assigned a salt tasting for homework. We grabbed various salts from our cupboards.... sea salt, Himalayan, Maldon, fleur de sel, and iodized. Diane had also prepped some cumin sea salt, stealing notes from Alice Waters' MasterClass: it's just two tablespoons of sea salt and one tablespoon of cumin (toast the cumin seeds lightly in a cast iron pan and then when they're cool, grind them together with a bit of salt).
We noted that the finer grinds of salt were easily absorbed into the vegetable. The finishing salt, Maldon, added extra crunch and visual interest. Some of us found it hard to discern the different tastes, but the textures were unmistakable. In future we will have to try a full variety, including black volcanic salt, sel gris, or Hawaiian red.
Chef Keller enjoys a simple breakfast of two hard boiled eggs almost every morning, bites of protein to start the day, so Diane incorporated some on the vegetable plate of roasted beets, boiled asparagus, and pickled veg.
Diane said she may never buy pickles again, as it was so much fun to layer the different vegetables' colours and shapes into jars. Such a pretty result! The brine was simple: 200 grams sugar; 400 grams water; 200 grams white wine vinegar; thyme sprigs; mustard seeds.
The first attempt of Gnocchi. Potato gnocchi (TKI. Lesson 33), took place a few days before the Epi Zoom lunch. That evening, it was served with a simple pomodoro sauce, but the results were not thrilling. The remainder of the batch froze well and promised to thaw quickly.
Two aged cheddars and a creamy full moon.
Chef Keller’s name is synonymous with quality and high standards. The chef and proprietor of The French Laundry, in Napa Valley, and Per Se, in New York, among other restaurants, he is the first and only American-born chef to hold multiple three-star ratings from the prestigious Michelin Guide, as well as the first American male chef to be designated a Chevalier of the French Legion of Honour, the highest decoration in France.
Yet there’s nothing pretentious about him despite having the bragging rights. There’s an old-fashioned civility and calm about the man that makes him an effective and favoured teacher. You learn there are no gimmicks - it’s all technique diligently executed. You become convinced that with practice and patience you too can do it in your own modest kitchen.
At one point, when the chef's parmesan crisp broke, he set it aside without a word and reached out for a perfect one that had been prepared ahead of time. He gently laid the thin tuile atop of the dish he had just plated. There’s no doubt this segment could have been edited out but instead, this great chef made a “teaching moment.” Yes, the perfect parmesan crisp was beautiful. He removes it and replaces it with pieces of the broken one. And they too are beautiful. Why did the crisp break? Because he allowed it to cool too much. Proof that even the experienced Michelin starred chef can make mistakes.
After enjoying his MasterClasses, we prepared our courses for each other and then packaged them into individual take-aways to enjoy, Covid-style, at an afternoon Zoom lunch. We had the opportunity to share the food, as well as a few 'ah-ha' moments from lessons learned.
Menu
Salt tasting
Salad plate of roasted beets, asparagus, pickles and hardboiled egg
Potato Gnocchi
Chocolate pot de creme
Cheese plate
***
Salt Tasting
We noted that the finer grinds of salt were easily absorbed into the vegetable. The finishing salt, Maldon, added extra crunch and visual interest. Some of us found it hard to discern the different tastes, but the textures were unmistakable. In future we will have to try a full variety, including black volcanic salt, sel gris, or Hawaiian red.
Diane: Salad Plate
Chef Keller enjoys a simple breakfast of two hard boiled eggs almost every morning, bites of protein to start the day, so Diane incorporated some on the vegetable plate of roasted beets, boiled asparagus, and pickled veg.
Seemingly simple, the vegetables did take time to prepare using Keller's techniques, but the effort was well worth the prize. Amazing colour, fresh taste, great texture.
This Epi was totally inspired by the care Keller took in his demonstrations as he prepared vegetables: raw, roast, boil, glaze, braise, puree, pickle.... Such endless variety.
Caroline: Potato Gnocchi
Caroline summed up MasterClass I, II and III into one word: delightful. She observed his passion for l’art culinaire is palpable, inclusive (always uses “WE” never “I”), and authentic (admits he too makes mistakes).
The first attempt of Gnocchi. Potato gnocchi (TKI. Lesson 33), took place a few days before the Epi Zoom lunch. That evening, it was served with a simple pomodoro sauce, but the results were not thrilling. The remainder of the batch froze well and promised to thaw quickly.
For the second attempt, Caroline found a more interesting TK recipe to share with the Epis: Gnocchi with Mushroom and Butternut squash. This was a game changer. The ingredients appeal to the taste buds. “Butter! Give me butter! Always butter!” says Fernand Point, French Chef.
We enjoyed our TK lunch on a very cold and rainy Sunday. Served in a deep bowl and eaten with a spoon (a small one to make the pleasure last longer), the buttery, pillowy dumplings offered much comfort on such a day.
This course may indeed transform itself into an adventure as we anchor our boats in the calm on a summer's day. For our future inspiration, Caroline had tucked gnocchi paddles into the take-away packages. She made these for us from scratch so we could practise our rolling techniques.
Kaarina: Chocolate Pot de creme
Being Easter time Kaarina thought it would be fun to make the chocolate pot de creme Chef Keller demonstrates in his third MasterClass series. With such basic ingredients - chocolate, egg whites, cream, a bit of sugar - the quality of the chocolate becomes paramount. Chef Keller prefers dark Nicaraguan chocolate but he gives us leave to use whatever chocolate we like best. Kaarina went for a dark 70% Belgian chocolate.
Pot de creme is typically baked in the oven. Chef Keller makes his on the stovetop, and uses an immersion blender to give the custard a lighter mousse-like consistency, pours it into individual serving pots and refrigerates them for four hours before serving them topped with Chantilly creme and chocolate shavings. Using a bit more vanilla in the cream than Kaarina normally would, elevated the whipped cream topping to another level of deliciousness.
Kaarina found her demi-tasse with a pretty wreath of flowers around the rim were a perfect substitute for official pots de creme. The little cups were passed down from a great aunt who once a long, long time ago served as a maid in a fancy house in Leningrad.
Cheese Plate
Diane and Kaarina both chose two-year-old cheddars so we had a chance to compare. The Empire cheddar made just outside Campbellford, Ontario was smooth but still managed strong flavour, the President's Choice brand had a sharper edge and saltier taste.
Caroline’s choice was Le Pleine Lune - a Quebec cheese with an English translation of Full Moon. Rolled in vegetable ash, creamy and with a tartish edge. Delicious!
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