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They are magicians and wizards of the culinary business, who amazed millions of people with their art. Today, on World Chef Day, we have gathered the stars who have made a real culinary revolution in the world and have presented us with the masterpieces of their work.
Gordon Ramsay
He is the national pride of Scotland. A culinary genius, a magician who prepares unique and unrepeatable dishes, Gordon Ramsay was born in the small town of Johnstone. The future gastronomy star never even dreamed of a career as a chef. All his thoughts were related to football. At 18, Gordon was even invited to the Rangers club. But an accident – a meniscus injury – thwarted the ambitious guy’s far-reaching plans. It may sound seditious, but what happened played a huge role in the fate of Gordon Ramsay. He enters college where he gets his first hotel and restaurant management skills during his studies. And unexpectedly for himself, Gordon is fond of cooking. The art of working miracles in the kitchen, creating real masterpieces, so captivated the young man that he decided to become an unsurpassed master in this matter. Note that the character of Gordon Ramsay, like any Scotsman, was not easy. Already in his youth, he was known as a hot-tempered and stubborn person.
It is surprising that, possessing such qualities, Gordon got along well in his new place of work in the prestigious Harvey’s restaurant, which was run by Marco Piero. Three years of hard study were not in vain: he learned the science of haute cuisine from the best British and French chefs. And to feel more confident, consolidate knowledge, Gordon Ramsay worked on a private yacht. Even then, the rich and capricious audience for all sorts of culinary delights spoke of him respectfully and respectfully.
Ramsay’s real success came in 1998 when he opened his first own restaurant, Gordon Ramsay at Royal Hospital Road. It won’t be long before Gordon’s brainchild will receive three Michelin stars. The fame of the only British chef to receive such honors is always haunted by a scandalous aftertaste. For example, a stubborn Scotsman took the entire team of cooks away from their former place of work. True, the case was soon hushed up. And the story of six bankers who dined at Gordon Ramsay’s Petrus wine restaurant worth 44 pounds sterling will become the main topic of the British press and add even more fame to him.
Today Ramsay is a recognized guru of the world culinary arts, owner of an empire of restaurants, writer and host of many TV shows. He is the main “inquisitor” of the popular program “Hell’s Kitchen”, in which for more than one season he “tortures” young chefs who are starting their journey. The culinary credo of the star of gastronomy is the ability to inexpensively, tasty and quickly prepare any dish.
Star Chef’s Recipe – Classic Wellington Beef
Gordon, figuratively speaking, does not digest people’s addiction to vegetarian food. And as a counterargument to such an attitude towards food is his famous recipe – classic Wellington beef.
Ingredients
For its preparation, we take 750 g of beef tenderloin,
400 g champignons,
7 slices of Parma ham
500 g puff pastry (sheets),
2 tablespoons English mustard
2 egg yolks,
10 g flour per dusting,
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 pinches of sea salt
5 g ground pepper.
Grind the mushrooms in a food processor. Put the resulting puree on a hot skillet and fry for 10 minutes. Let’s not forget to constantly stir the mass. Heat some olive oil. Then comes the turn of the beef. We season it with salt and pepper. Then fry each side for half a minute. We remove the beef from the heat. We pause for a short time so that it cools down. And then generously coat it with mustard. We lay out the cling film, on which we overlap the slices of ham. Then spread a layer of mushroom puree on top in such a way as to place the meat in the middle.
Carefully “pack” the ham around the beef, wrap the finished roll in foil – and refrigerate for about 15 minutes. We lay out a rectangle 3-4 mm thick from the dough, after sprinkling the table with flour. Then we remove the film from the roll, put it in the middle of our rectangle. Grease the dough around the perimeter with egg yolk. Then we wrap the roll in the dough, remove the excess with a knife. Put the resulting product on a baking sheet with the seam down, grease it with egg yolk – and in the refrigerator for 15 minutes.
At the end of our culinary action, preheat the oven to 200 ° C. We carefully take the roll out of the refrigerator, make small cuts on its “body” and grease it with egg yolk. First, the roll is baked for 20 minutes, then the oven temperature is reduced to 180 ° C. And within 15 minutes we bring the dish to the desired condition. We take the meat out of the oven, let it cool for about 10 minutes. And that’s all, a culinary miracle can be cut and served.
This good-natured fellow with a British sense of humor was born in the village of Claveringe – the very hinterland of England. Since childhood, he has been tinkering in the kitchen of the pub “Cricketists”, which was owned by his parents. Already at the age of 11, Jamie Oliver was not inferior in skill to experienced chefs. The young prodigy surprised everyone with an unusual approach to cooking, bringing his own culinary charm to them.
It is not surprising that as a very young man he got a job as a pastry chef in a restaurant. As Jamie admits, Italian cuisine with its famous sweet “secrets” played a big role in his creative career. Conquered Oliver and French gastronomy, which has always been inherent in innovation.
The talent and incredible efficiency of the young chef, who charmingly talks about his craft, did not go unnoticed. In 1999, he made his television debut with his own show, The Naked Chef. And the long-awaited glory falls on the shoulders of a village boy from the English countryside.
He is invited to cook dinner for British Prime Minister Tony Blair. Fame and popularity did not spoil Jamie Oliver in the least. On the contrary, he cleverly combined cooking with politics. For example, Jamie advocated healthy eating for British schoolchildren and launched a “Feed Me Better” campaign in the country. And in 2002, Oliver opened a charity restaurant “Fifteen”, where he invited young people to work, who had no idea of the art of cooking. All newcomers were from difficult families, some of them even had a criminal record.
Note that cookbooks written by Oliver are published in millions of copies. We can say that everything burns in the hands of a fun and witty culinary genius. He still, with his characteristic charm, conducts television programs about healthy and tasty food, willingly shares the secrets of cooking many of his favorite dishes.
Star Chef’s Recipe – Happiness Pasta
Pasta “Happiness” it is quite within the power of the culinary talents of every housewife.
Ingredients
(For 4 people)
2 eggplants,
2 fresh chili peppers
40 g pine nuts,
2 cloves of garlic,
a bunch of basil,
1 tablespoon olive oil
800 g small tomatoes,
300 g dry whole grain fusilli pasta,
200 g ricotta cheese
10 g parmesan cheese.
Put the halved eggplants in a double boiler with chili peppers. Season to taste and cook for about 25 minutes, until vegetables are tender. Then we take out the eggplants, and put the peppers in a separate dish, covering it with cling film. Then fry the lightly chopped pine nuts in a pan over medium heat. By the way, don’t forget to leave a little for decoration.
Then we clean the garlic and chop it finely. Then we chop the basil stalks. Put the prepared products in a pan along with chopped nuts, add a tablespoon of olive oil and fry. Knead the tomatoes in the palms, put them in the pan, add the remaining juice in the jars there. Then add black pepper and sea salt, mix everything. Bring the resulting mass in a pan to a boil. However, we do not stop at this: we extinguish it for half an hour so that the volume of the liquid is approximately halved. Add the sliced eggplants 10 minutes before cooking.
Dip the fusilli paste in boiling salted water. They brought her to full readiness. Then carefully pour the water into a mug, discard the paste in a colander. Then finely chop the chili pepper, add to the sauce. Put the basil leaves here, leaving a small part for decoration. Add salt and pepper to taste. Put the pasta and ricotta cheese in the sauce. You can add water from the mug as needed. Then we mix everything, beautifully lay out our share of “Happiness” on the plates and decorate with pine nuts, basil leaves and grated Parmesan.
It seems that in every piece of sushi he cooks lies the soul of this great maestro of culinary. Nobuyuki Matsuhisa is an unsurpassed master of his craft, the creator of dishes with an unusual taste and aroma. He was born in the Japanese city of Saitama into a large family. Fate did not spoil Nobu, he had to achieve everything with his own work. After graduation, he works in a Tokyo restaurant “Matsue Sushi”, where for seven years he learns the secrets of cooking a national dish. And soon he was offered to open Japanese cuisine in Lima. And Nobu leaves for Peru. Local culinary customs did not allow them to fully engage in their favorite work – cooking real sushi. But this circumstance did not bother Masuhisa at all: the Peruvian cuisine enriched him with new knowledge, which he will use with success in the future.
But the path to world fame for Nobu was very thorny and difficult. The desire to open his own restaurant in Alaska ended with a fire destroying the establishment after several days of work. But, like a true samurai, Matsuhisa did not sprinkle ashes on his head and fall into despair. He persistently walked towards the goal, paying off debts, gaining experience and skill. If Newton, in order to become a genius, had to put his head under a fallen apple, then for Nobu an unusual culinary recipe served as a jump to the Olympus of glory.
Star Chef’s Recipe – Coal Fish»
“It happened in 1987. I went to the fish market and found frozen black cod, – said Nobu in an interview. – None of the chefs used it. She was simply ignored. It cost 25 cents a pound. I cut it into thin slices and marinated in miso for three days. I created my own flavor, mixed miso with mirin and sweet sake and put the fish under a hot pan to caramelize. ” It happened so coal fish Is a favorite treat of Hollywood star Robert De Niro. Soon, the famous actor offered to open a similar restaurant in New York.
Today Nobu Matsuhisa is one of the most renowned chefs in the world. His restaurant chain operates in the United States and Europe, but he still dominates the kitchen, coming up with new and original dishes. And Nobu makes no secret of his skill. He believes: the proposed culinary recipe should contain “kokoro”, translated from Japanese – the heart and soul of the cook.
Julia Child is a recognized legend in the world of culinary. She was born in California, where she graduated from high school, college and received her Bachelor of Arts degree. The paths of fate are inscrutable: it so happened that one day Julia got into the service of American intelligence. Newly made Mata Hari cooked recipes here that are very far from culinary. For example, Julia invented a mixture that repels sharks, which interfered with the mining of sea waters from German submarines.
In the life of every person there are some mystical events that determine his future destiny. Paris and halibut played a decisive role in the choice of a profession in Julia’s life. The fried halibut with unusual spices, served to her with her husband in the Parisian restaurant “Crown”, was so tasty that the former scout was on fire to become a chef who would almost make a revolution in cooking. Conceived – done.
An assertive American girl enters Le Cordon Bleu to learn the secrets of French cuisine to perfection. True, it turned out the second time, and the teachers hastily considered that she did not catch stars from the sky and that Julia was unlikely to become an intelligent cook.
Child was indifferent to the displeasure of the teachers. Moreover, she, together with her friends, opens a Gourmet School in Paris. This event became a landmark for the world of culinary: a woman appeared in its ranks, who was destined to leave a bright mark in the history of gastronomy.
Julia Child’s cookbook “Mastering the Art of French Cuisine” shocked all housewives in America. They suddenly saw and felt how rich the world of cooking is, in which, instead of the usual and pretty boring dishes, you can create outlandish delicacies. And the television show “The French Chef” with Julia has become a real masterpiece, the science of cuisine.
“Crabs, oysters, some duck dish, asparagus, a chocolate dessert and a bottle of wine with every dish”… This is how Julia Child wanted to dine on her last day in her life. This witty and talented woman knew how to add her own creative flavor to each culinary product, which added an unusual taste and aroma to the resulting dish. And, it would seem, what is tricky here: to boil an ordinary chicken egg. However, even in this simple matter, Julia was meticulous. The white is perfectly white, the yolk is firm, and there are no spots in between. These were the requirements of her recipe.
This Frenchman is considered an unsurpassed classic of European cuisine. And Alain Ducasse began his brilliant career by washing dishes in one of the cafes. For this unpretentious task, he learned the basics of national cooking with an inquiring mind. Alain was born in the south of France, in an ordinary peasant family, and he still reverently remembers his youth: “The taste of fresh vegetables, only picked to the table: tomatoes, cucumbers, zucchini, onions, lettuce – this is the taste of my childhood.”
Real fame came to Alena at the age of 33. And during this time, he diligently studied the craft from the best pastry chefs and culinary specialists in France. Ducasse’s energy, hard work and extraordinary talent led to the expected result.
The legendary restaurant Le Louis XV at the Hôtel de Paris in Monegasque, run by Alain, has received three Michelin stars. We add that it was the French kitchen wizard who prepared the wedding dinner for Prince Albert II of Monaco and Charlene Wittstock.
Today, Ducasse’s vast gastronomic empire, Alain Ducasse Enteprise, is a superbly streamlined production facility that has everything from a Parisian bistro to a chocolate workshop. But the culinary maestro is still in creative search. He rummages through the archives, looking for old recipes in order to surprise the most refined gourmets with another original dish.
Star Chef’s Recipe – Madeleine Cookies
Alain Ducasse is a famous sweet tooth, the creator of many popular delicacies. One of them – Madeleine cookies, which is very easy and quick to prepare in your own kitchen.
Ingredients
8 eggs
10 g baking powder
275 d Sahara
4 egg yolks,
300 g of butter,
250 g sifted flour
8 g salt.
Then, incited by the spirit of the invisible Ducasse, we proceed to bake the cookies.
Beat the yolks, sugar and eggs in a deep plate. In another bowl, mix salt, baking powder and flour. Melt the butter.
Pour a mixture of flour with other ingredients into the first bowl. Then mix everything until smooth and add oil. Then mix again and set aside the dough for 12 hours.
If you have shell-shaped molds, that’s great! We oil them, sprinkle them with flour.
Further, in the course of work, fill the molds with dough, without trying to load the miniature container to the top.
We put the molds in the oven, preheated to 210 degrees ahead of time, and bake for 3 minutes. Then we reduce the temperature to 190 degrees and carefully look at the state of the cookies.
As soon as it turns golden, immediately take it out of the oven.
According to Rachel Rae, celebrated food magazine publisher, she was brought up in the finest family culinary traditions. She still remembers her grandfather’s vegetable soup with broth of beans and herbs with garlic.
Rachel considers moving to New York to be a turning point in her life. Here she works as the manager of the fresh food department in a supermarket. A modest but useful position makes her an excellent connoisseur of the peculiarities of gastronomy. And once, in the process of work, an idea dawned on her – to arrange on the spot the lessons of the 30 Minute Meals master class – “Food in 30 minutes”. The innovation caused a stir among buyers, and the owners of the supermarket chain were simply delighted with the ingenious initiative of Rachel Ray.
The famous writer of culinary novels, successful businesswoman Rachel admits that all her new gastronomic ideas are discussed with her family. But she always remains true to the Sicilian traditions, considering herself half Italian. Therefore, in the recipes she offers, fresh herbs, garlic and chicken broth are constantly present.
Star Chef’s Recipe – Asian Island Salad
Rachel Ray’s Asian Island salad can be prepared quickly and easily, delighting your home-made original dish.
Ingredients
¼ glasses of pineapple juice,
1 tablespoon of soy sauce
1 cube or 1 teaspoon of cane sugar
1 tablespoon sesame oil
1 garlic clove, finely chopped
250 g chicken breast (from grilled chicken),
1 salad or Chinese cabbage
1 red bell pepper,
¼ red onions.
In a small saucepan, mix cane sugar with pineapple juice, add soy sauce, garlic and sesame oil.
Bring the mixture to a full boil, let it cool down. Thus, we have got a gas station.
Then fry the chicken breast in a pan, generously, but periodically filling it with dressing.
Cut the bell pepper and red onion into strips, tear the salad with feigned fury into pieces.
In the final, in a shallow but beautiful dish, carefully put the chicken, pepper, and onion cut into pieces. And we fill everything with sauce.
His love for cooking was instilled in him by his mother, who cooked the royal omelet on the weekends. And, according to the Hollywood culinary magician Wolfgang Puck, it was a real work, unsurpassed in taste and aroma.
Probably, even then, a 14-year-old Austrian boy dreamed of becoming a great chef. Therefore, he went to France to study the local cuisine spoiled by delights. Years of theory and practice will pass when Wolfgang will again think to change his life. To this end, he will travel to the United States, not suspecting that this particular country will become the site of his culinary triumph. Here, in his own restaurant, he will create his famous pizza recipe with an original filling – smoked salmon and caviar. And the doors to fame will be opened by Wolfgang Pak’s first book on French cuisine, in which he creatively combines European and American culinary traditions.
By the way, Wolfgang makes no secret of his skill. According to him, the main culinary composition in the dishes is made up of spices. For example, basil with rosemary will enhance the taste of meat and potatoes, and thyme and mint go well with cold drinks. Perhaps irrepressible creative imagination and the ability to create real gastronomic masterpieces have become the hallmark of every Oscar ceremony, at which he is the official chef of the Governor’s Ball.
Star Chef’s Recipe – Goat Cheese Toast
I must say that many of Wolfgang Puck’s ingenious recipes are simple. Take, for example, making his famous toast and goat cheese.
Ingredients
6 slices of baguette
some olive oil
XNUMX/XNUMX cup fresh softened goat cheese
a tablespoon of chopped parsley
a tablespoon of chopped green onions,
a teaspoon of chopped thyme,
salt and ground pepper to taste
a clove of garlic, cut in half
a tablespoon of chopped basil.
Preheat the oven to 180 degrees and grease the bread with olive oil.
Bake it for 7 minutes until crisp.
In a bowl, mix the goat cheese with parsley, green onions and thyme, season with salt and pepper.
Rub the toast with garlic, spread the goat cheese on it and decorate with chopped basil leaves.
It is better to serve the toast warm: it will be tastier this way.