Warmer weather calls for light and refreshing meals. Four of top chefs—Kevin Ramasawmy from Bar George, Olivier Vigneault from Jatoba, João Dias from Ferreira Café and Patrick Bermand from Restaurant Patrick Bermand— will be sharing their secrets behind some of their delicious recipes that you can try at home. Treat yourself or your friends with a home-cooked meal. Bon appétit and have a wonderful summer!

BG tartare

Chef Kevin Ramasawmy’s recipe  |  Restaurant Bar George

Serves six

Dressing

• 1 Tbsp (15 ml) gherkin, chopped
• 1 Tbsp (15 ml) capers, chopped
• 2 Tbsp (30 ml) Dijon
• 1 Tbsp (15 ml) Worcestershire sauce
• 1 tsp Tabasco
• Salt and black pepper to taste
• 3 Tbsp (45 ml) olive oil

Beef

• 14 oz (400 g) beef tenderloin or top round
• 1 shallot, finely chopped
• 1 egg yolk
• 3 Tbsp of a mix of flat parsley, dill and tarragon, chopped

Oyster mayo

• 3 fresh oysters
• 2 Tbsp Dijon
• 1 Tbsp white vinegar or lemon juice
• 100 ml vegetable oil
• 50 ml rapeseed oil

FOR THE OYSTER MAYO

Put the oysters, mustard and lemon juice or vinegar in a small jar and blend with a hand mixer, adding the oil slowly like a classic mayonnaise.

PREPARATION

1. In a bowl, combine all the dressing ingredients. Season with salt and pepper. Set aside.
2. Use a knife to finely chop the beef.
3. In a bowl over ice (very important to keep it ice cold at all times), combine the dressing, beef, shallots, egg yolk and herbs. Adjust the seasoning.
4. Serve cold with crackers or toasted bread with some dots of oyster mayo. For an elegant presentation, use a cookie cutter or a clean tin can open at both ends. Garnish with capers and baby radishes, if desired.

Beef Tataki

Chef Olivier Vigneault’s recipe  |  Restaurant Jatoba

Tataki

• 500 g AAA filet mignon
• 250 ml sesame oil
• 1 pack enoki mushrooms
• 1/4 cup black quinoa
• 1 bunch green onions
• Truffled dwarf peaches
• 125 ml Nanami Togarashi or Cajun spices

Mini Green Bean Salad

• 200 g extra fine green beans, cut diagonally
• 1 Tbsp French shallots, chopped
• 2 Tbsp chives
• A dash of olive oil
• 2 Tbsp ice wine vinegar

Sauce

• 165 ml soy sauce
• 300 ml water
• 5 Tbsp sugar
• 12 g bonito flakes

PREPARATION

1. Blanch quinoa for 18 to 20 minutes. Spread on a baking sheet then dehydrate in the oven at 200°F for 6 to 8 hours. Fry in smoking oil.
2. Coat filet mignon in Nanami Togarashi or Cajun spices. Sear in smoking sesame oil for 1 to 2 minutes on each side, then refrigerate.
3. Blanch extra fine green beans in boiling water. Salt, then cool. Slice thinly, season with fleur de sel, pepper, shallots, chives, olive oil and ice wine vinegar.
4. Bring soy sauce, water and sugar to a boil for 1 minute, then infuse bonito flakes. Strain, then refrigerate. Slice filet very thinly, then serve.

PLATING

1. Place 6 thin tataki slices at the bottom of the plate.
2. Place 2 teaspoons of cooked quinoa at the extreme left of the tataki slices, in a straight line.
3. Place 3 teaspoons of the mini green bean salad on the right side of the tataki, in a straight line.
4. Top with two bouquets of the enoki mushrooms and four segments of the truffled dwarf peaches. Between each enoki bouquet, place the French shallots, forming a small peak. Lastly, pour a few tablespoons of sauce along the salad.

Grilled sardines with roasted peppers and fleur de sel

Chef João Dias’s recipe  |  Restaurant Ferreira Café

Serves four

INGREDIENTS

• 8 sardines, cleaned and cut into fillets
• 1 roasted red pepper (preferably on charcoal)
• 1/4 cup black olives, pitted
• 8 thin slices of corn bread
• 8 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 Tbsp red wine vinegar
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 1 tsp cilantro sprouts
• 1 bunch of chives
• Fleur de sel
• Sea salt
• Lettuce for garnish

PREPARATION

1. Dry olives and corn bread in oven at minimum temperature overnight. Once dry, lightly crush in a mortar and set aside.
2. Bring a pan of water to boil and simmer. Add chives for 1 minute then cool in ice water.
3. Drain the chives and place in a blender with 3 Tbsp olive oil and fleur de sel. Mix until creamy and set aside.
4. Remove the skin and seeds of the roasted pepper and cut half into thin slices. Season with olive oil, sea salt, oregano and vinegar. Set aside.
5. Put the other half of the roasted pepper in the blender with 3 Tbsp olive oil and sea salt. Blend until creamy.
6. Heat oven to 350°F and place sardine fillets on a layer of fleur de sel in a baking dish.
7. Bake sardine for 5 minutes.
8. Place the sardine in a beautiful dish and decorate with lettuce and creamed peppers, the corn bread and olive mixture, creamed chives and coriander sprouts.

Salt-Baked Red Snapper

Patrick Bermand’s recipe  |  Restaurant Patrick Bermand

INGREDIENTS

• 1 700 g red snapper, fresh and gutted
• 500 g coarse salt
• 4 egg whites
• 1/2 lemon
• 1 spring of fresh thyme
• 1 bay leaf (optional)
• Freshly ground salt and pepper

PREPARATION

• Pour the coarse salt and in a container and incorporate the egg whites. Mix roughly, using your hands.
• Place the whole red snapper in a baking dish after having scrubbed the inside of the fish with lemon, and stuffed it with the herbs.
• Cover the fish with the salt and egg white mixture, from head to tail, uniformly and equally.
• Bake in the oven at 400°F for 25 minutes.
• Remove the fish from the oven and let it cool for 10 minutes.
• The coarse salt and egg whites will have formed a crispy shell over the fish. Take a clean dishcloth and place it on the fish, then, using a large spoon, tap the crust, without piercing the shell.
• Take off skin and delicately remove the fish fillets, discarding the fishbone.

Text: Diane Stehle

Nestled within the walls of Montréal’s Le Mount Stephen luxury hotel, Bar George celebrates the site’s rich history with delicious, U.K. inspired food. Head Chef Kevin Ramasawmy’s passion and unconventional career path have been fuelled by his exceptional talent and engaging personality. The chef opens up about his journey from the island of Mauritius to downtown Montréal.

Your father worked in a hotel-restaurant in Mauritius, where you’re originally from. How did this influence your career choice?

I often went to work with my father. I loved to watch the chefs in the kitchen. I was impressed by their hats and their team spirit. I wanted to do this work from a young age, but at 12 I trained to become a mechanic. I quickly realized that it wasn’t for me! Two years later, I started working on the floor in a beachside bar. The owner opened a nightclub and at 17, I became the youngest manager of that type of establishment on the island.

Tell me how you met Anthony Walsh, Corporate Executive Chef of Oliver & Bonacini restaurants, including Bar George.

After meeting my wife, Caroline, and settling in Montréal in 2004, I slowly worked my way up in different restaurants until I landed a Garde Manger position with Chef Jeff Stirrup. Afterwards, I moved to Toronto in 2011, where I made a life-changing connection: I met Chef Anthony Walsh, at Canoe, one of the best restaurants in Canada at the time. We quickly became friends and I consider him to be a true mentor. Life eventually led us down separate paths, but one day, when I was working in Montréal at Maison Boulud, we ran into each other. He had opened a restaurant in Toronto, and I went to help him. Since 2017, we’ve been together at Bar George.

You’ve also worked with Chef Daniel Boulud. What role has he played in your career?

Daniel Boulud has had a huge influence on my career. I worked at his New York restaurant, Daniel, and at Maison Boulud, here in Montréal, for several years. He taught me to make ambitious haute cuisine, and he shared his unique skill set with me. I remember, when I first went to New York, how impressed I was with his passion and expertise. Seeing him at work is what really made me want to become a chef. On top of that, he believed in me.

How would you describe the food at Bar George?

We wanted to pay tribute to Baron George Stephen, who lived in this heritage home. Chef Walsh and I went on a five-day tour of England to get inspired by British cuisine. I can tell you that in those five days we ate enough to last a month! We came back bursting with ideas. These ideas, combined with my approach to vegetables and my interest in local producers, resulted in our current menu. I would say that the food at Bar George is U.K. inspired, and that it’s fresh and inviting. There’s something for everyone. You can opt for something light or to treat yourself to beef Wellington.

What are the restaurant’s signature dishes?

Everyone comes for our beef Wellington—I couldn’t take it off the menu. Our black cod is also a favourite. That dish was inspired by my wife and my mother. It has curry flavours reminiscent of my mother’s cooking and of Mauritius, but it also has a delicious clam sauce that I named “sauce à la Caroline” after my wife! All of our dishes are loaded with vegetables. As for desserts, the whisky pudding is really popular. The baked Alaska is a showstopper; it’s a dessert for two with cognac that we flambé at the table.

Why did you want to become a chef? What does it mean to you?

I think I was born with a passion for cooking. I like that every day I’m rewarded with the satisfaction and pleasure of seeing happy clients. But more than anything, I love the family feeling of the kitchen crew. There are about 30 people working in the Bar George kitchen. We’re an incredible team!

www.bargeorge.ca

Text: Diane Stehle

Summer is almost here, which means it will soon be time to enjoy a refreshing glass of rosé. LUXE has teamed up with the SAQ to create this list of the best rosés to enjoy with friends or family this summer. Cheers!

SPARKLING ROSÉ

Domaine Bergeville Le Rosé Brut 2017

France, 750 ml

SAQ CODE: 13374597

PRICE: $27.85

Raspberry pink in colour, this sparkling wine’s intense bubbles are fine and persistent. Savour a medium nose of red berry flavours along with subtle hints of strawberry, brioche and barley sugar. On the palate, its broad texture precedes a medium finish.

ROSÉ CHAMPAGNE

Forget Brimont Premier Cru

France, 750 ml

SAQ CODE: 10845883

PRICE: $54.50

This salmon-pink champagne features floral, red berry and white fruit scents, with irresistible hints of strawberry, apple and almond. Discover its broad texture and persistent finish.

ROSÉ WINES

Bastide de la Ciselette Bandol 2017

France, 750 ml
SAQ CODE: 13184056

PRICE: $26.15

This rosé features the Bandol AOC’s typical grape variety, Mourvèdre, and boasts delicate, round and salty flavours right to the finish. Let this wine transport you to the Bandol region as you savour its red, white and passion fruit aromas.

Vieux Château d’Astros 2018

France, 750 ml

SAQ CODE: 10790843

PRICE: $18.35

The nose opens on a touch of citrus. A hint of kaffir lime leaves and a touch of grapefruit lend this wine its exotic feel. A refreshing mouth, reminiscent of ginger and bitter orange.

Miraval Côtes de Provence 2017

France, 750 ml

SAQ CODE: 12296988

PRICE: $22.20

This rosé will delight you with its delicate pink hues, fruity aromas and refreshing acidity—not to mention its famous owners, movie stars Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt!

Domaine De La Mordorée La Dame Rousse 2017

France, 750 ml

SAQ CODE: 12376881

PRICE: $31.25

Discover this dry rosé’s assertive notes of strawberry, raspberry, rhubarb and white pepper. On the palate, its broad texture precedes a long finish. The perfect glass of wine to enjoy on a patio this summer.

Text: Diane Stehle