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!

 

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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.

 

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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.

 

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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.

 

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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