Receta 25 for 25: A Fine Kettle of Fish
It took me all my life to learn how to salt a tomato
Chef Eric Ripert
T.S Eliot may have thought
that April was the cruelest month, but I’m guessing he never visited New York
City in February. Short dreary days; snow and slush at every step; a damp
that can seep into your bones and settle in to stay until the spring thaw.
But there are ways to make
even a New York February weekend transcend the elements. Take one opera,
two stellar restaurants, three days and four fabulous friends, stir, season
liberally with laugher and healthy helping of libations and you have it: our
next adventure in our quest to eat at the top 25 World’s Best restaurants (you can read about that here).
New York is
that miracle of a place – so many not just good but really great restaurants
that your head can spin trying to decide where to eat. Luckily our options
were pre-determined: of all those restaurants, Michelin stars, Zagat rankings
and NYT four star reviews notwithstanding, only two were on the “list”: Eleven
Madison Park and Le Bernardin.
The weekend was going to be
hectic. I was flying in from Shanghai on Thursday night, and meeting up with
Richard, Silvia and Jeff at the hotel. We’d grab a late dinner
somewhere. Lunch at Le Bernardin on Friday, Carmen at the Met on
Friday night, Eleven Madison on Saturday night. In between, squeezing as
much out of New York as we could, weather and energy permitting.
Friday dawned brisk and
crisp. Coffee for breakfast and barely much more…we wanted to be ready to
savour our lunch at Le Bernardin. A luxury indeed: the whole afternoon
ahead of us, a rare treat to have a gourmet meal on a weekday.
The restaurant is tucked
away on 51st Street between 6th and 7th, the sign subtle, easy to walk by and
miss. Once inside, however, the atmosphere could not be more welcoming.
Le Bernardin is a soothing, beautiful clubby space with old school glamour and
sophisticated details. Gleaming wood in a rich coffered ceiling, a
silvery wall lit from below that has the shimmery effect of gently lapping
waves, artfully arranged cherry blossoms towering over delicate orchids, all
exuding a Zen-like calm and a measured cadence. Chef Eric Ripert, he of the
silver hair and dazzling smile, has been at the helm of Le Bernardin since the
age of 28. Within a year, the New York Times gave the restaurant four stars, an
honour it has maintained in the 20 years since, repeating the feat four times.
A man of seemingly singular focus, Monsieur Ripert is that rare celebrity chef
– one who is still cooking in the kitchen. He's also a Buddhist, and perhaps it is that which seems
to create an air of complete serenity at Le Bernardin. We opt for the eight course
Chef’s Tasting menu. As with Arpege, the singular focus on a family of
ingredients creates a special kind of mastery. Here, seafood is the star.
Subtlety shapes every dish, delicate flesh translucent and raw, or perfectly
cooked with a restrained sauce that lets the sea shine through.
And so begins the meal.
A crudo
of bay scallops and sea urchin done ceviche style with a Granny Smith apple
and Meyer lemon vinaigrette
Warm king fish sashimi, generously topped with
Osetra caviar and
finished with a light mariniere broth
Sautéed langoustine, topped with a perfect shave of black truffle and sprinkled
chanterelle mushrooms, unexpectedly paired with an aged balsamic
vinaigrette
White tuna and Kobe beef, with fresh kimchi, Asian pear and a soy-lemon emulsion
As the meal progresses, we notice a
prevailing theme of earth and sea; whether in the use of the black truffle or
chanterelles, the umami flavours complement but never overshadow their oceanic
plate mates.
With the arrival of each
dish, there is a reverent pause and then a collective groan of approval from
the four of us. Around us the restaurant is full, the steady hum and laughter
of diners well satisfied. So deeply are we into the meal and our lively
conversation that Richard’s sudden refrain “There he is” “There he is”
“THERE HE IS”, said in an increasingly loud and urgent whisper, take the three
of us a few minutes to register. And indeed, there he is, the Chef
himself, making his way quietly to the captain’s station, and then, impossibly,
towards our table, stopping for a brief gracious moment to say hello.
Our friend Silvia is never
at a loss for words. But as Chef Ripert quietly shook our hands, and we
thanked him for a wonderful meal, she could only nod silently in assent.
At such times the moment crystallises and becomes perfect, a memory captured
that is fleeting but never forgotten. Words become irrelevant when the gift of
a great food experience is this good.
It seems only fitting that the final dessert is distinctly Canadian in
character: a maple candy cap cremeux with huckleberry confit.
The
captain approaches our table, asking if perhaps we would like to see the
kitchen? Bien sur! Lunch service has wound down and the
kitchen team is busy preparing for the evening's onslaught, each stainless
steel surface wiped clean and gleaming. Although Chef Ripert is not in
the kitchen, that same air of watchful calmness prevails and we can imagine
that even at the height of service, there are no raised voices or crashing
plates.
If we had to sum up this, our second in a list of 25 world class meals, all
of us agree that there are three words that spring to mind to describe it:
subtle, sophisticated and refined, executed with an intense concentration and
precision. I'm thinking it's the same precision that led Chef Ripert to
learn how to salt that tomato perfectly.
Two down, 23 to go. If Arpege and Le Bernardin were numbers 25 and 23
on the list respectively, how great could good get?
Stay tuned for more...
Elizabeth and Richard
Next up: A Big Apple showstopper
Eric Ripert's Fish Fumet (Fish Stock)
from the Le Bernardin Cookbook
Makes 3 cups
I suspect a whole ocean of fish fumet has flowed through the kitchen at
Le Bernardin. This recipe, like everything at Le Bernardin, is
simple and delicious.
2 lbs. heads and bones from black bass, red snapper or halibut
2 tbsp corn oil
1 medium onion, peeled and very thinly sliced
1 leek, very thinly sliced
15 white peppercorns
½ tsp fine sea salt 1 sprig fresh Italian parsley
1 bay leaf
1 c dry white wine
3 c water
1. Remove the gills and the
eyes from the fish heads or have your fishmonger do this for you.. Cut the
heads and bones across into 4-inch pieces. In a shallow pan filled with cold
water, add the heads and bones. Cover, and let stand for 1 hour, changing the
water twice.
2. In a large stockpot set over
medium heat, add corn oil, onions, fennel, leeks, peppercorns, salt, parsley,
and bay leaf. Reduce the heat to medium low, and cook until the vegetables are
soft but not browned, about 4 minutes.
3. Transfer heads and bones from
water to the stockpot; discard water. Stir periodically until bones and flesh
around bones turn from translucent to white, about 12 minutes.
4. Add the wine and 3 cups of
water; bring to a boil over high heat. Boil fumet 10 minutes, skimming off the
foam as it rises to the top. Remove from heat; let rest for 10 minutes.
5. Strain the fumet through a
fine-mesh sieve or chinois, pressing firmly on the solids to extract as much of
the flavourful liquid as possible. If you have more than 3 cups of fumet, place
the liquid in a clean saucepan over high heat, and boil until it reduces to 3
cups. Store, tightly covered, in the refrigerator up to 3 days, or in the
freezer up to 2 months.