Recently in Eric Ripert Category
Eric Ripert has graced Secret Sauce with a new simple recipe, Salmon with Warm Lentil Salad.
Chef Ripert currently has three recipes here for you to try at home, matching his recently announced three-star 2008 Michelin Guide rating for New York's famed Le Bernardin for the third consecutive year, one of three mere restaurants meriting this highest rating.
Why does this top chef enjoy this recipe so much? "I love the combination of salmon and lentils. It is very satisfying. I think this recipe is a great choice for when you want to cook something simple yet flavorful. Note that you can prepare the lentils ahead so final preparation is very easy. No need to soak the lentils, contrary to popular belief. Other fish you could substitute and serve with the lentil salad is cod, and chicken is great with it as well."
Here's how to recreate this multi award-winning chef's dish at home tonight:
Note: A small piece of cheesecloth and string are required to make this recipe.
Procedure:
- For the lentil salad, place the lentils, carrot, onion, celery, bacon (if using), and 6 cups water over high heat. Meanwhile, tie the parsley stems, thyme branches, bay leaf and peppercorns in a piece of cheesecloth and add it to the pot.
- Bring to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer, skimming off the foam as it rises, until lentils are tender, about 23-30 minutes.
- Strain the lentils; add extra virgin olive oil and sherry vinegar and stir to combine.
- Season with salt and pepper.
- For the salmon, put 1 ounce of water in a pot (just enough to cover the surface), add some salt and put over medium heat
- Season the salmon fillets and place in the pot
- Allow to cook at barely a simmer until the salmon is just warm to the touch
- To serve, warm the lentils in a pan.
- Add the apples and mint to the lentils and stir to combine.
- Spoon the lentils the center of 4 dinner plates.
- Remove salmon from pot and place one fillet over the lentils on each plate.
- Serve immediately.
Serves 4.
 | The best way to determine if your fish is cooked properly is to insert a metal skewer. Chefs actually touch the skewer to their upper lip to test the temperature. |
Cooking Class with Eric Ripert:
Eric Ripert has had one impressive culinary career. Along the way, he's learned some invaluable tips every home chef should know.
Here's just a few:
Lesson 1: The best tip I can give to a home chef is to use the very best ingredients available. Use organic whenever possible. And, always insist on fresh. Cooking and eating is all about enjoyment. You can’t do that if you’re not working with the best ingredients.
Lesson 2: When choosing fish at the market, always ask to smell it. Fresh fish is never fishy; it smells like the ocean. If you are buying a whole fish, make sure that the eyes are bright and clear–not glassy or cloudy, and that the gills are bright red. Also, the body of the fish should be slick and not appear dry.
Lesson 3: When you are ready to cook your fish, be sure to season it on both sides, not just one.
Lesson 4: When preparing fish, never use tongs. A flexible fish spatula–thin and tapered, with long slits, lets you turn the fish without tearing it. If you’re a beginner, use a nonstick pan and plastic spatula.
To learn more about Chef Eric Ripert, read his full bio here.
Visit Chef Eric Ripert on the web @ le-bernardin.com.
Eric Ripert Secret Sauce Rewind
September 27, 2007
Secret Sauce veteran Eric Ripert, Executive Chef & Co-Owner of Manhattan's famed Le Bernardin, has firmly established himself as one of the nation’s top chefs—so much so, he was a featured guest judge on this week's penultimate episode of the hit Bravo TV series Top Chef.
Inspired by his appearance, Chef Ripert has given us another delicious recipe we don't need to be on a cooking show to create and enjoy, Grilled Trout with Sauce Vierge and Potato and Leek.
As for who gets the boot at judges' table next week? Mum's the word, cause he's not telling! (And, believe me, we tried!)
Procedure:
- Preheat grill to medium-high heat. Season both sides of the trout with salt, pepper and herbes de Provençe. Generously brush each trout with extra virgin olive oil and marinate for a few minutes.
- For the potatoes and leeks, heat a sauté pan on medium heat and add olive oil and butter. Add the sliced potatoes and leeks and season with salt and pepper. Cook the potatoes and leeks, stirring often, until golden brown; finish with whole grain mustard and toss to coat evenly.
- While the potatoes and leeks are cooking, make the sauce vierge by combining ½ cup extra virgin olive oil with the capers, shallot, garlic, chives, basil and lemon juice. Season to with salt and pepper.
- Grill the trout, skin side down, for 3 minutes. Turn the trout and grill on the other side for 3 minutes, until the fish is just cooked through and opaque.
- To serve, spoon the potato and leek mixture onto the center of the plate. Place the trout on top and spoon the sauce vierge over each trout.
Serves 4.
About the Chef:
In 1995, at just 29-years old, Ripert earned his first four-star rating from The New York Times. Two years later, GQ named Le Bernardin the best restaurant in America.
In 1998, the James Beard Foundation named Le Bernardin “Outstanding Restaurant of the Year” and Eric Ripert “Top Chef in New York City,” and in 1999 they received the “Outstanding Service Award.”
In 2003, the Beard Foundation named Ripert “Outstanding Chef in the United States” and in January 2005, Bon Appetit declared Ripert’s Butter-Poached Lobster with Tarragon and Champagne its “Dish of the Year.” Later that year, for the fourth-consecutive time, Le Bernardin earned The New York Times’ highest rating of four stars, becoming the only venue to maintain this superior status for this length of time, without ever dropping a star.
Le Bernardin earned the top, three-star honor in the Michelin Guide’s 2005 New York debut and has been praised by Zagat reviewers as serving the “Best Food” in New York City for the past six consecutive years.
In mid-October, Chef Ripert's new Washington, D.C. bistro, "West End," will have it's debut in the Ritz-Carlton (at 22nd & M Streets). Another Ritz restaurant is in the works in Philadelphia.
He has published two cookbooks, including A Return to Cooking (2002), selected by Newsweek as one of their best gift books of the season.
Visit Chef Eric Ripert on the web @ le-bernardin.com.
Eric Ripert Secret Sauce Rewind
August 1, 2007
Eric Ripert, Executive Chef & Co-Owner of Le Bernardin, has firmly established himself as one of New York City’s—and the nation’s—top chefs. He has published two cookbooks, including A Return to Cooking (2002), selected by Newsweek as one of their best gift books of the season.
Warm Peekytoe-Maryland Lump "Crab Cake", says Chef Ripert, ". . .was inspired by a traditional East Coast favorite, but I decided to have fun and play with the idea and include traditional French ingredients such as crème fraîche and Dijon mustard."
Try this top chef's favorite at home tonight. Here's how:
Procedure:
- To make the Dijon mustard emulsion, gently heat the crème fraîche in a small pot. Whisk in the Dijon mustard and season to taste with salt and pepper. Reserve on the side.
- For the "crab cake," first make a beurre monté by bringing the water to a boil and whisking in the butter.
- Whisk in the crème fraîche and chives.
- Season to taste with lemon juice, salt, pepper and Espelette.
- Keep the sauce on the side to heat the crabmeat in when ready to serve.
- To prepare the cauliflower, remove the florets (with a little bit of stem) from the ½ head of cauliflower, trying to keep the florets in larger pieces.
- Carefully slice, almost shave, the florets very thin on a Japanese mandolin; the slices should be less than 1/8-inch thick (16-20 slices are needed total).
- When ready to serve, warm the crab-heating sauce.
- Add the crab meat and gently heat it in the sauce; season to taste.
- Reheat the mustard emulsion.
- Carefully arrange the crab in the center of each small bowl, Peekytoe on the bottom and lump on the top.
- Garnish each "crab cake" with 4-5 cauliflower shavings, layering them around and against the crab and placing one on top of each "crab cake."
- Place two micro celery sprouts on top of each cauliflower shaving; sprinkle a little Maldon sea salt on top. Serve the Dijon mustard emulsion on the side and pour around the crab tableside.
Serves 4.
About the Chef:
Eric Ripert is grateful for his early exposure to two cuisines—he was born in Antibes, France, then moved as a young child to Andorra, just over the Spanish border.
In 1995, at just 29-years old, Ripert earned his first four-star rating from The New York Times. Two year later, GQ named Le Bernardin the best restaurant in America.
In 1998, the James Beard Foundation named Le Bernardin “Outstanding Restaurant of the Year” and Eric Ripert “Top Chef in New York City,” and in 1999 they received the “Outstanding Service Award.”
In 2003, the Beard Foundation named Ripert “Outstanding Chef in the United States” and in January 2005, Bon Appetit declared Ripert’s Butter-Poached Lobster with Tarragon and Champagne its “Dish of the Year.” Later that year, for the fourth-consecutive time, Le Bernardin earned The New York Times’ highest rating of four stars, becoming the only venue to maintain this superior status for this length of time, without ever dropping a star.
Le Bernardin earned the top, three-star honor in the Michelin Guide’s 2005 New York debut and has been praised by Zagat reviewers as serving the “Best Food” in New York City for the past six consecutive years.
Visit Chef Eric Ripert on the web @ le-bernardin.com.
