Coastal Cooking with Chef Michael Hutchings

From the Archives

This is part of the ongoing series of recipes offered from the archives of Le Gavroche, London. Le Gavroche was the first U.K. restaurant to achieve a three star Michelin rating. This blog features a variety of preparation for duck, wild and domestic. The recipes are primarily in French so get out your translating app or old fashioned dictionary! I was given the entire kitchen recipe portfolio by chef Albert Roux. They have been in my library since 1981 and I thought sharing them might inspire others to give the classics a try.

Bon Appétite, Chef Michael Hutchings

 

Those Other Fowl-Classics

One of the great markets in the world is Harrods in London. During the fall-winter time frame they carry games from the fields and forests of Great Britain. Working at Le Gavroche restaurant in London, I was first introduced to game birds taken from the wilds. There was always one caveat when you enjoy games, watch out for the buckshot.

We had pheasant, grouse, duck, rabbit and venison on the menu. The birds came in feather so we had to pluck, eviscerate, bard and truss the birds. The mammals were skinned and broken down into the prime cuts. One large caution always was to avoid overcooking as game meats are lean.

Here is a great recipe for pheasant. It would also work for most game birds and rabbit.

Supreme of Pheasant Smitane Under Glass

Pheasant                                1 each, plucked, eviscerated, head and feet off

Celery                                     2 stalk, diced ½ inch

Onions                                   1 each, diced ½ inch                         

Carrots                                   2 each, diced ½ inch

Thyme                                    2 sprig

Garlic                                      2 cloves, crushed                       

Butter                                     ¼ pound

Pheasant stock                      2 cups, reduced

or chicken stock

Sour Cream                            ¾ cup or creme fraiche

Onion                                        ½ cup, chopped fine

Butter, unsalted                      1 as needed

Salt and Pepper                       1 to taste

Belgian endive                          6 each, trimmed

Butter                                          2 ounces

Chicken Stock                             1 cup

Salt and Pepper                          1 cup

Romanesco                                  6 ounces, trimmed, blanched                                   

Fleurons                                       2 each

White Wine                                 ¼ cup

Tie up the pheasant using kitchen twine. Season with salt and pepper. Brown all sides in butter in a roasting pot. Add the celery, onion, carrots, thyme and place in a 400 degree F. oven. Roast for 35-45 minutes until the juices run clear from a thigh when pierced with a knife. Otherwise, use a meat thermometer and insert into the thigh. It is done at 155 degrees F. Keep warm. It is best to turn the bird upside down to have the juices flow back to the breast meat.

Place a small amount of butter in a 1 quart sauce pan over moderate heat. Add the chopped onions and cook until soft without coloring. Add the white wine and pheasant stock then reduce by half. Add the sour cream and reduce over medium heat until thick. Adjust salt and white pepper seasoning.

Place butter in a sauté pan over medium high heat. Add the trimmed Belgian endive and season with salt and pepper. Brown on all sides. Add chicken stock, cover with a lid or piece of parchment paper. Reduce heat and braise slowly until tender, about 15 minutes.

Fleurons: These are made from puff pastry cut into crescent moon shapes about 3 inches long. They are brushed with an egg wash and baked until browned and crisp.

To present the pheasant, remove the string from the bird,  place on a serving platter, reheat the endive, heat the romanesco in butter (and season). Arrange all around the pheasant. Top with a glass dome if you are using one and present to the guests. Carve table side for an elegant service.

  

 

A Few Chicken Recipes from the Archives

Following are a few chicken recipes from the deep archives of Le Gavroche restaurant, London. The archive that I have been posting are sourced from the classics such as Caréme, Dubois, Escoffier and Larousse as well as the private kitchens of sophisticated households like the Rothschilds. French is the operative language. If this is not your wheelhouse, do what I did. With French dictionary in hand, translate from the French. Or, is there an app for that now?

Enjoy, Chef Michael Hutchings

 

 

From the Archives of Le Gavroche, London

Early in my career I worked at the famed Le Gavroche restaurant in London, circa 1978-81. Chef/Owner Albert Roux tapped me for a restaurant partnership in America. In preparation for that arrangement, I went through a very thorough and rigorous training program. When time came for me to return to America, I was presented with three large binders from the recipe archives of chef Albert.

The dishes represent a wide repertoire of dishes prepared by both chefs Albert and his brother Michel. Mostly in culinary French, I am delighted to share these archives with my fellow chefs and gourmands. Many of the dishes are from the Grand Cuisine in the style of Careme, Escoffier, Duboise and that ilk. Included are some of the dishes they prepared while in private service to the Rothschilds and Queen Mum of Great Britain.

Here are a few recipes for Quail. It is not a bird we see much these days on menus.

Bon Appétite, Chef Michael Hutchings

 

 

Chef Albert Roux 1936-2021

Chef Albert H. Roux

 

Words cannot express my sadness at the passing of your father. He was a tremendous influence in my career and life. What an impactful and powerful man. I see the word mentor much attributed to his legacy. How many Roux restaurant babies are there? The babies are restaurants that were joint ventures with chefs he trained. And how many culinarians around the world are practicing the culinary arts espoused by Chef Albert? What a legacy and impactful man. I am very lucky and thankful to have been associated with him.

 

 

Le Gavroche was great to work an environment with high standards.He was always at the pass, the last stop before food went to the dining room, for dinner, inspecting every plate, often screaming for “le lift,” (the food elevator) which occasionally gut stuck in which case, the dishes went up a la main (by hand). Great memories, like it was just last week.

 

Two months after I started at Le Gavroche, Chef Albert asked myself, wife and 1 year old daughter over to his home for dinner. Monique, his first wife, was also there. I thought it was a kind gesture to welcome me to the kitchen. After dinner, Chef tipped his hand and said he was pleased with my work and suggested we open a restaurant in America. The plan was for me to spend three years at Le Gavroche and then return to America to form the partnership. I was promoted to sous chef as well. It was an offer I could not refuse. I had hoped to open a restaurant on my own but this was a dream come true.

 

 

After my time training at Le Gavroche, Albert sent me to mainland Europe to study and observe at several three starred Michelin restaurants, Alain Chapel, Troisgros and Le Pré Catalan. While at the restaurant Le Pré Catelan in Paris, I went on a buying excursion to Burgundy with the wine steward. I asked Albert about the best approach to understanding wine. His advise, “Drink it, my boy, drink it.”

I recall the first time I reported to work at Le Gavroche, then on Lower Sloane street in London. The kitchen was in the basement, it was small compared to the kitchens I had worked in prior and very crowded, There were some 14 on the crew. They were so close that if you put your hands to your side you might end up in someone’s pocket.

 

My first job I was given was to “peel grapes” for a duck special. I thought the chef Jean-Louis was kidding. Dutifully I peeled away. Next I was asked to clean a pile of rather crusty mussels used in a dish called Moules Mouclade d’Aunis. It’s a lovely dish with a creamy curry sauce.

 

I had different expectations and had a doubt if I would stay the course. The next day, Chef Albert was in the kitchen. He called me over to assist in preparing a Terrine de Rouget, a sort of fish pate. We went through the preparation of the dish. It was a layering of a fish mousseline, red mullet fillet served with a sauce based on the liver from the fish. It was a revelation. On reflection, I was convinced I was in the right place.

 

On one occasion I was asked to propose and prepare a special for the evening. I chose to prepare a wild grouse dish called a Salmi de Grouse. It took the better part of four hours to prepare ten portions. We sold none that evening and I was disappointed. I mentioned this to chef Albert and his only comment was, “Are you happy with the dish?”

 

True to his word, we opened a joint venture together. It was a long convoluted journey that took some three years to find the location and do all the needed things to open up. 

We looked at locations in Wayzata, MN as well as Carmel, CA, Napa CA and at the Pierre Hotel in NY. The latter was in 1981 and a recession happened at the time and the restaurant venture was cancelled. 

 

Chef Albert made a number of visits to promote the business of Michael’s Waterside by having gala dinners, cooking demonstrations and the like. His master classes were a great hit. Albert secured the financing and sent over key staff members.

 

I asked chef Albert what should be a guiding principle of a great restaurant. He replied that at deluxe restaurants the cuisine exhibits the special talents of the chef. Not just simple food roasted, boiled and fried but special skills using ingredients not commonly found in the market or using ordinary ingredients in a manner that is a revelation.

 

To this day I prepare some of the classics from the original Le Gavroche. His Soufflé Suissesse (a creamy twice-baked gruyere cheese soufflé), The Caneton Juliette (duckling with an orange sauce) and Sablé aux Fraise (a layering of berries in a light shortbread dough).

 

Chef Albert Roux was a fabulous chef and an extraordinary visionary. He could have easily written a book on business besides the numerous cook books. He transformed dining in England and around the world through the thousands that trained with him over the decades.

 

Rest in peace Mon Chef

Cookin' Up Miracles

 

 

 

 

During my restaurant days at Michael’s Waterside, we were often asked to contribute recipes for charitable causes. In 1991 we were approached by an organization called Cookin’ Up Miracles. The parent organization called Children’s Miracle Network produces a telethon to raise funds to support children’s medical needs. They made a cookbook from recipes collected from restaurants all over the country. We were in good company with restaurants such as Michel Richard’s Citrus, the 21 Club in New York,w and celebrities such as Bob Hope.

 

I has happy to provide a recipe for Pork Escalope. The recipe would work well for chicken breast, veal escalope, and thinly sliced salmon. Just be sure to use thinly cut portions for a quick cook. I use a meat tenderizer to flatten and tenderize the pork or veal. Chicken need only be lightly pounded until about ¼ inch thick. The salmon need only be sliced then pond lightly to even out the thickness.

 

Serve with a bottle of nice chardonnay wine.

 

Tastefully

 

Chef Michael Hutchings

 

 

 

 

 

Master Class with Chef Albert Roux

 

First, a little history lesson. In 1984, with the backing and support of the Roux Brothers, Albert and Michel, I founded a restaurant called Michael's Waterside Inn. It took the name from their Michelin starred restaurant the Waterside Inn, located in Brea on Thames. I had worked at the flagship restaurant Le Gavroche for three years from 1978 to 1981.

Chef Albert would periodically fly out from London to review operations at Michael's Waterside and do promotional events. The above menu was from a master class that Chef Albert conducted assisted by myself. The recipes were from their book, New Classic Cuisine. While I was working as a sous chef of Le Gavroche, we helped write the book. Chef Albert would ask for one of the menu recipes to be formalized.

All of these recipes play well even today. They are classics.

Tastefully, Chef Michael Hutchings

 

 

Passing of a Culinary Icon, Chef Michel Roux

Photo Wikipedia

It is with a heavy heart that I read of the passing of Chef Michel Roux of the famous Roux Brothers restaurant empire. Chef Michel was 78. I met Michel and spent time in his Waterside Inn kitchen in 1978-1981 while I was training at Le Gavroche in London with his brother, chef Albert Roux. He was a chef's chef, a great businessman and a culinary icon that help revolutionize fine dining in Great Britain. His skill as a pastry chef was legendary. His collection of cookbooks that he authored is a gift to any serious culinarian.

At one point in 1981, I met up with Chef Michel at the Pierre Hotel in New York. We were meeting with the Four Seasons Hotel group with the idea of opening a fine dining restaurant in the Hotel Pierre. We had the grand tour of all the best vendors in the city and made a trip to Montreal, Canada to meet with Mr. Sharp, head of the Four Seasons Hotels. We designed the kitchen in a matter of hours and Michel negotiated the terms of the business deal. Unfortunately, the project did not move forward due to a recession the occurred at that time.

 

Chef Michael will be greatly missed and it is a great loss to the food world.

 

Chef Michael Hutchings

From Wikipedia

Michel Roux, OBE ([mi.ʃɛl ʁu]; 19 April 1941 – 11 March 2020), also known as Michel Roux Snr., was a French chef and restaurateur working in Britain. Along with his brother Albert, he opened Le Gavroche, later to become the first three Michelin starred restaurant in Britain, and The Waterside Inn, which was the first restaurant outside France to hold three stars for 25 years.

Roux followed his brother into becoming a pastry chef, and again to England in order to open their first restaurant. Together they have been described as the "godfathers of modern restaurant cuisine in the UK", and Roux was inducted into several French orders and received two-lifetime achievement awards from different publications. He was decorated during a period of National Service for France during the 1960s.

He founded the Roux Brothers Scholarship along with Albert in 1984 and worked as a consultant for companies such as British Airways and Celebrity Cruises over the years. After he and his brother split the business in 1986, Roux took the Waterside Inn, which he handed over to his son, Alain, in 2002. He remained an active food writer and appeared on television shows such as Saturday Kitchen, MasterChef and the Roux family-centric series The Roux Legacy, and on the Woman's Hour program on BBC Radio 4.^[1]

The Rouxs, Alain, Michel, Albert and Michel Jr.

The Santa Barbara Chef Cooking Show Now on Amazon Prime and Vimeo

Now, Available on Amazon Prime and Vimeo

I have produced over 145 cooking videos over the last few years. The theme throughout has been my take on modern and classic California-French approach to cooking. Local ingredients play a large role in the dishes I offer. Filmed in the original silent picture studio, Flying A Studios, Santa Barbara is the backdrop for the show. Now, my cooking show is now available worldwide on Amazon Prime and Vimeo. Here is a link to The Santa Barbara Chef on Amazon Prime and Vimeo, The Santa Barbara Chef on Vimeo.  See my blog for more. 

You can stream Season 1 of The Santa Barbara Chef on Amazon Prime Video (free with Prime membership)! Enjoy recipes, cooking tips, and more from renowned Chef Michael Hutchings! We welcome you to the kitchen and hope you will consider giving us a 5-star review! #TheSantaBabaraChef

 

Following is the announcement for the original airing of the show on Santa Barbara's local cable, from our Facebook page.

"Tune in to see mouthwatering episodes of The Santa Barbara Chef! This delicious new show is hosted by the one and only Chef Michael Hutchings!

Chef Michael is a culinary legend who has served as Executive Chef of Club 33 at Disneyland, worked alongside Julia Child and brought prestige and accolades to his previous appearances on television. In 1984, he opened Michael's Waterside restaurant in partnership with Albert Roux of Le Gavroche in London.

Now, Chef Michael has partnered with William, Gary & Harlene Conlin of Hellcat Productions/YTS Films to truly up the game, creating a luxury cooking show with gourmet recipes that viewers can easily make at home."

Cooking on The American Riviera.

Tastefully, Chef Michael Hutchings

In Studio

 

 

 

Photos by Will Conlin of YTS Films and Hellcat Productions

Pages from History - Almost

Pages from history? OK, not ancient history but my early culinary stirrings. When I started work at Le Gavroche, London, England, in September of 1978, I made it a priority project to hand copy all of the recipe portfolios in the kitchen. I did this because I was unsure that I would stay on the job. Initially, I was disappointed with the kitchen itself. It was small, cramped, had old equipment. The fridge iced up every night, it was in a basement, some 16 cooks worked in a space only big enough for half of that number. Some of my first tasks were peeling grapes, cleaning very dirty mussels, plucking beans and other tedious tasks. Later, I was promoted to sous chef and ended up three years as part of the brigade, but that is another story.

 

   Entrcôte Fines Herbs

Saute a seasoned  NY steak in rendered kidney fat. Remove from pan. Drain off fat, add chopped shallots, red wine, veal stock, cream. Reduce, Add mixes herbs (Fines herbs) and finish the sauce with a little butter. Pour over meat. Serve.

 

Rognon de Veau aux Trois Môutarde

Trim fat and sinew from kidneys, Cut into 1-inch pieces following the natural shape. Saute, leaving pink, Season after cooking has begun. Remove from pan. Add fresh butter, shallots, white wine, veal stock, cream. Fish by adding back the kidneys and a little mixed mustards (Dijon, Tarragon, Meaux grain mustard).

Caille Poché

Bone the quail from the back, leaving it in one piece. Make a jus with the bones, port, brandy, veal stock. Stuff the birds with a mousse of becasse (woodcock) and chicken with diced foie gras and truffles. Tie up. Sear the quail in oil, season. Finish by poaching in the quail stock. Reduce cooking juice to make a sauce, Finish with butter. Garnish with Pommes Annette (Darohin(, artichoke bottoms with grapes and hollandaise. Duchesse potatoes.

 

Clarification for Chicken Consommée

Prepare rich chicken stock. Combine very finely minced celery, leek, carrot, tarragon, lean been and chicken and egg white. Mix with the chicken stock. Bring to a slow simmer and allow to barely boil. Cook until the broth is clear. Carefully ladle off the broth and strain through a rinsed cheesecloth. Any fat can be removed with a paper napkin touch on the surface. Chill. 

 

Aspic

Prepare a rich broth using beef shin bones, knuckles, pigs' feet. Do as you would a white veal stock. Add celery, leeks, onions, garlic, bay leaves, and peppercorns. Clarify as you would a consummée.

Grouse

Feather and Gut the Grouse. Remove any visible buckshot. Tie, season and roast the bird with a few mirepoix vegetables, leaving on the medium-rare side. Serve with three sauces, soubise, polonaise and a port deglazed jus. Sides are roasted root vegetables and Duchesse potatoes.

 

Compliment to the Chef

We have participated many times over the years at the Wine and Food Festival held at the Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History. Over 1000 wine enthusiasts attend the event and sample wines from the best of the Central Coast wineries. This year I offered two dishes, Bay Scallops on a Corn Chowder Sauce and Bite-Sized Choux Puffs Filled with a Chicken Liver Pâté. I was surprised and pleased with the reception of the chicken liver dish as I had never offered that at a food event. Sometimes pushing the usual bounds has its benefits.

We received a wonderful thank you from Luke Swetland, the CEO of the Museum. Luke has also appeared on my cooking show, The Inn Crowd. I am delighted to be associated with the museum and natural history has always been a subject of my interest.

Back in my early teens, I use to visit my Great Uncle John Hutchings. My uncle John was a postman by day and an amateur natural historian in his time off. I use to hang around his farm and wonder at all the rocks, stuffed animals, nest and such. Some years later, he opened a museum to house his collection. His collection of the local bird species is so comprehensive that the Smithsonian Museum wanted to acquire it. He decided to keep it at his museum. Over the years, many people donated specimens from all over the world.