Carrot mousse

[Jonathan Day]

In an offline conversation, Robert Brown described, in lyrical terms, a carrot mousse that he had enjoyed at Restaurant Alain Chapel.

Guy, could you tell us more about this, and how it was made? Is this something that can be produced at home?

[guygateau]

The carrot story…

This is close to what happened to Robert in Mionnay.

Once upon the time, I had a restaurant in VICHY, France. It was called “Le Relais des Parcs” located in the Grand Casino.

Vichy was the capital of France during the German occupation (1940/1945) So, some not so great souvenirs are attached to the name, but it is a great little town. Situated in the center of France, it is a city-- in a country setting. Rolling hills, grazing cattle, forests and creeks. I haven’t been back there for some time but the local market is remarkably authentic as concerns the quality of the produce. There are small vegetable producers, fantastic herbs, plenty of wild mushrooms, and in springtime, wild salmon are caught from the River Allier. You can see them jumping the “echelle” (some passages which were made for them on the side of the river so they can pass the cascades, this just in the middle of the town).

I cannot resist telling you that this where the salmon are the best, because when they leave the Atlantic ocean, some 650 miles away, they are fat, and if caught at this point, would not be very good. When they arrive in Vichy they have lost all the fat but haven’t yet started to lose weight, the right moment to catch them.

In fact, the Troisgros brothers and father became famous with the “Saumon à l’oseille”. (Salmon escallop with a sorrel sauce). Sorrel (Green flat leaf resembling spinach but more delicate with a distinctive acidic taste, goes well with fish and white meat) is very prolific around Vichy and Roanne, with enough acidity to decompose all the small bones in fish.

Back to the carrots. This prolific land, which reminds me of Virginia, produces succulent carrots and the town of Vichy is well known for its thermal cures because of its very specific springs. The two best known spring bottled waters being, “Vichy Celestins” and “Vichy St Yorre”. The town has been made famous for the “Carottes à la Vichy” which is a carrot (which are here plentiful) cooked in water and served for all our curists who came here easer to lose weight or to ease their tired livers…

Carrots Vichy were not on my menu. But at lunchtime one day, I had the pleasure of welcoming an older gentleman in my restaurant, who wanted a quiet seat. After looking at the menu, he made a comment that he was surprised not to find “Carrots Vichy” on the menu, and that he has heard so much about this dish, that he was curious to find out what was so special. I told him that if he could come back the following I would be pleased to accommodate his wish. The day after, I went to the market early and bought the best carrots I could possibly find. The type of carrots that are like candied strawberries, if you start eating them, you can’t stop.

At lunchtime, the old gentleman was there and asked for one last favor, he wanted a puree rather than just the plain, sliced Carrots Vichy. I proceeded to prepare that dish for him. First cleaning the carrots by just rubbing the skin with a clean cloth and rinsing them quickly under running water.

Then I cooked them in a copper pan, barely covered with the spring water from the Celestins spring which was in the park across from the restaurant. It was essential to constantly check them for doneness. Once the water was gone, if they still needed a few minutes more of cooking time, I would add a couple tablespoons of the water recovered from the pan and so on, until they were just right. For for the sliced Carrots Vichy or served whole, it would alright to serve it a little firm, not even “aldente” but firm, but now for the puree I needed a soft carrot but not over cooked.

Ready to go through a sieve made of silk, then to gently recuperate the puree, warm it up mixing it with a nut of spring butter from a small dairyman (resisting already at this time, against all odds, to continue to produce a fabulous butter made mechanically but in small batches) and a cream that reminded me of the cream we were using at Chapel’s. When I reached the right texture and consistency, mixing it with a wooden spoon, no salt of course (the salt was in the water) just a dab of superb thick “crème fraîche” and a sprinkle of fresh ground white pepper.

I was not really waiting for any praise, but I was summoned into the dining room. The old gentleman told me that of all the carrots and puree of carrots that he had eaten in his entire life, these were certainly the greatest of all. Needless to say, I was very pleased.

He introduced himself as being M. James De Coquet, famous food writer and food critic from the newspaper “Le Figaro”. He wrote a nice article in his next column…The chef was proud and compensate for his efforts with the unsolicited publicity it earned.

I think a story like this one is a pertinent one due to the topic and discussion centering around the premise that it is indeed the product which makes the difference.

[Jonathan Day]

Thank you for a marvellous story!

I would like to contrast your approach with the one taken by Raymond Oliver, in his La Cuisine. I have a lot of respect for M. Oliver, who was formerly chef at Le Grand Véfour, but the differences suggest why some of the dishes people tasted at Chapel were so unforgettable.

In discussing purée de carottes à la crème he says to peel the carrots, cook them in boiling salted water until tender, mash them "as you would potatoes", then cook the purée, stirring over low heat until the moisture has evaporated; then butter, salt, pepper and crème fraîche are added.

So this leads me to a few questions:

1) Why simply rub the carrots, why not peel them?

2) Why cook the carrots in a small amount of water, only adding more when the existing water has evaporated?

3) Does it make that much difference that they were rubbed through a sieve rather than mashed, or, as we would today, put through a robot-coupe?

Of course I am sure that superb carrots, butter, cream -- and cooking water -- made a big difference!

[vmilor]

Guy, have you ever considered to write short stories? I am not kidding.

May I also ask you something? In the famous Turkish dish, the Circassian chicken(a classic like caneton with white peaches or orange sauce), the tarator sauce from walnuts used to be prepared by using mortar and pestle. Now that there are robots, nobody is taking the trouble and the quality went down.

Same thing with Italian pesto. Only in Ca Peo in Liguria they do it the old way and it is different. Basil is good in Liguria but food processors are not giving the same satisfaction.

So when I read your article I was puzzled that food processor was so easily integrated in the arsenal of nouvelle chefs. I understand that saving time meant that chefs would concentrate more on creating dishes but I was surprised that tradeoffs were not weighed against one another.

[phaelon56]

Must the sieve used in this process be made of silk? Would a very fine stainless steel sieve achieve comparable results?

[guygateau]

This is to answer Owen, Phaelon 56

The "Tamis de soie" (silk sieve in French) was a classic tool. I think that a fine mesh like the one for a StainlessSteel strainer (chinois) would be too fine and retain too much of the pulp needed for the puree. The tamis de soie is the last grading in size one can find to pass solids and the SS strainer is used for liquid to retain the maximum of particules for limpidity.

[guygateau]

So this leads me to a few questions:

1) Why simply rub the carrots, why not peel them?

You peel a large,older carrot. The ones I am talking are not babies but smaller, tender and the woody part in the middle hasn't had time to develop. Vitamines and part of a stronger taste is in the peel- so we need tp preserve this.

2) Why cook the carrots in a small amount of water, only adding more when the existing water has evaporated?

Again, this is done to not wash away anything from the ingredient. To concentrate the taste. Basically no need to strain and dry.

3) Does it make that much difference that they were rubbed through a sieve rather than mashed, or, as we would today, put through a robot-coupe?

If you don't put it through this process, it is always possible to have a larger part of the carrot mixed with the rest and that different texture would change the general impression and taste. I fyou use a robot-coupe you may experience a runnier mixture, so you would still have to use the sieve afterwards.

Furthermore the tamis de soie is the perfect hole size for a delicate puree, and the consistency therefore is ideal.

[robyn]

Guy, have you ever considered to write short stories? I am not kidding.

 

May I also ask you something?  In the famous Turkish dish, the Circassian chicken(a classic like caneton with white peaches or orange sauce), the tarator sauce from walnuts used to be prepared by using mortar and pestle.  Now that there are robots,  nobody is taking the trouble and the quality went down.

Same thing with Italian pesto.  Only in Ca Peo in Liguria they do it the old way and it is different.  Basil is good in Liguria but food processors are not giving the same satisfaction.

So when I read your article I was puzzled that food processor was so easily integrated in the arsenal of nouvelle chefs.  I understand that saving time meant that chefs would concentrate more on creating dishes but I was surprised that tradeoffs were not weighed against one another.

I'm not so sure I agree with you about pesto in the food processor as opposed to the mortar and pestle. I've made it at home - both ways - and I think the difference (if there is one) is very small. Perhaps I'm just not a good enough cook for it to make a big difference.

On the other hand - there are definitely things that should never see the inside of a food processor (like mashed potatoes - which wind up like glue).

By the way - I like the way Guy writes too. That's why I'm reading everything he's writing . Robyn

[commander]

Robyn wrote:

"I'm not so sure I agree with you about pesto in the food processor as opposed to the mortar and pestle. I've made it at home - both ways - and I think the difference (if there is one) is very small. Perhaps I'm just not a good enough cook for it to make a big difference."

"On the other hand - there are definitely things that should never see the inside of a food processor (like mashed potatoes - which wind up like glue)."

I rarely use a food processor because the blades bruise the ingredient before they cut. It releases a lot of liquid which in some preparations I think should be released into the pan by cooking rather than by impact. Maybe I like using the knife too much. For sure, then, I agree that potatoes don't belong in a food processor because the bruising turns them into glue. I really dislike overtooled mashed potatoes so I use the squiggly potato masher I found in a store in Connecticut, and I don't mash much, maybe two or three plunges with the instrument. In my opinion, overtooling the mashed potatoes destroys the taste of the potato for the sake of putting something fluffy looking on the plate. I add a little butter, a dash of cream, and white pepper to the potatoes before addressing them with the masher and I find that the articulation of these ingredients is better preserved with the minimum of tooling. The hardest part of preparing mashed potatoes, to me anyway, is monitoring the simmering of the potatoes so as to not overcook them before draining the water and mashing them.

My larger point is that we should be aware of the physics and mechanics of the equipment we use in the kitchen. I've examined the blades of my little food processor now and then and wonder whether they should be sharpened so that they cut more and bruise less. I have yet to do it, but I wonder if by not doing it and by taking the considerations above into account, I am wasting time with the knife that could be saved by using the food processor. As one who enjoys cooking and eating beef steak, I determined that there is a decided and clear difference in the flavor between cutting it with a serrated knife and a sharp smooth bladed knife. Some serrated knives bruise the meat and drains the juice from it before you can get it into your mouth. I conclude from this insight that studying the tools we use to prepare food is worthwhile.

I think however that for something like pesto, it may not make much difference because the bruising action of the food processor blades is not unlike the bruising of morter and pestle. It just happens much faster in a food processor and that could be a benefit. What matters, of course, is the dish on the plate at the moment of service. And Robyn, you are enough of a good cook to wonder if there is a difference.

[MiguelCardoso]

Chef Gateau: that carrot mousse story made me cry with emotion. This is easily done with me, but not about food cooked by a stranger for another stranger. It's a wonderful story and the care you put into preparing the carrot mousse your customer asked for is a perfect example of Heidegger's concept of cura: the loving attention to God's gifts which represents the best of humanity. Well done!

[guygateau]

Thank you Miguel.

Commander, I am proud of you. Excellent. Right on. Make Pesto in a "Pestel" and a basil sauce in a food processor...

Always have sharp clean tools & knives is the sign of a good "worker"

[guygateau]

Thank you Miguel.

Commander, I am proud of you. Excellent. Right on. Make Pesto in a "Pestel" and a basil sauce in a food processor...

Always have sharp clean tools & knives is the sign of a good "worker"

[robyn]

I rarely use a food processor because the blades bruise the ingredient before they cut.  It releases a lot of liquid which in some preparations I think should be released into the pan by cooking rather than by impact.  Maybe I like using the knife too much.  For sure, then, I agree that potatoes don't belong in a food processor because the bruising turns them into glue.  I really dislike overtooled mashed potatoes so I use the squiggly potato masher I found in a store in Connecticut, and I don't mash much, maybe two or three plunges with the instrument.  In my opinion, overtooling the mashed potatoes destroys the taste of the potato for the sake of putting something fluffy looking on the plate.  I add a little butter, a dash of cream, and white pepper to the potatoes before addressing them with the masher and I find that the articulation of these ingredients is better preserved with the minimum of tooling.  The hardest part of preparing mashed potatoes, to me anyway, is monitoring the simmering of the potatoes so as to not overcook them before draining the water and mashing them.

My larger point is that we should be aware of the physics and mechanics of the equipment we use in the kitchen.  I've examined the blades of my little food processor now and then and wonder whether they should be sharpened so that they cut more and bruise less.  I have yet to do it, but I wonder if by not doing it and by taking the considerations above into account, I am wasting time with the knife that could be saved by using the food processor.  As one who enjoys cooking and eating beef steak, I determined that there is a decided and clear difference in the flavor between cutting it with a serrated knife and a sharp smooth bladed knife.  Some serrated knives bruise the meat and drains the juice from it before you can get it into your mouth.  I conclude from this insight that studying the tools we use to prepare food is worthwhile. 

I think however that for something like pesto, it may not make much difference because the bruising action of the food processor blades is not unlike the bruising of morter and pestle.  It just happens much faster in a food processor and that could be a benefit.  What matters, of course, is the dish on the plate at the moment of service.  And Robyn, you are enough of a good cook to wonder if there is a difference.

I had a squiggly potato masher - but I found it hard to use. So I got a potato ricer at Williams Sonoma. Basically does the same thing with less force. Better tool for a weakling like me . By the way - there's one reason to do potatoes like this you might not have thought of. If your potatoes have lumps - everyone will know they're not instant!

I agree about paying attention to tools. For example - I've found that things that don't do well in the food processor can sometimes do well in the blender. Perhaps it's because the blade is much smaller and in contact with the food for a much shorter period of time. So it's easier to wind up with a "chunky" result - as opposed to a puree. And if they don't do well in the blender - then I give them to my husband (he's the prep chef in our house - he's much better with knives than I am). I think it always makes sense to experiment - and to see what makes sense from a time spent/benefit point of view. Robyn

[robyn]

Thank you Miguel.

Commander, I am proud of you.  Excellent.  Right on.  Make Pesto in a "Pestel" and a basil sauce in a food processor...

Always have sharp clean tools & knives is the sign of a good "worker"

Guy - I told Commander that I at least thought in terms of time spent in the kitchen versus the results (cost/benefit). But I was speaking one home chef to another. I love homemade pesto - so I grow my own basil. But I make the stuff in big batches during the summer - and store it in the refrigerator for weeks/months. I don't have the time to make a fresh batch tonight - and a fresh batch 5 days from now - etc.

I do however expect more from a high end restaurant. I expect to get a meal that I never could or would make for myself. Due to limitations of time - talent - access to ingredients - etc. Or - even if I could possibly make the dish - I wouldn't want to do so - since it would mean spending an entire evening in the kitchen while my dinner guests were in the dining room (which is why I like to make a lot of things that can be made in advance).

And although I do get experiences like that in high end restaurants these days (high end being defined simply as expensive) from time to time - I find that they're getting harder and harder to come by. Am I just getting old - and remembering the old days as better than they were - or are things different in a lot of high end restaurants these days in your opinion? If things are different - what do you think the differences are? Robyn