0:00:04 > 0:00:09Only an elite group of chefs holds two Michelin stars.
0:00:09 > 0:00:12Michel Roux Junior is one of them.
0:00:12 > 0:00:15Two Saint Jacques au passe now.
0:00:15 > 0:00:20He has given us a taste of how to create the great classics.
0:00:22 > 0:00:24Tonight is the masterclass.
0:00:24 > 0:00:26Perfect.
0:00:35 > 0:00:40Michel Roux Junior was born into a culinary dynasty
0:00:40 > 0:00:44and continues his family's tradition of excellence.
0:00:44 > 0:00:48I've worked for Chef Michel for over three years now.
0:00:48 > 0:00:50You can just see in his face
0:00:50 > 0:00:56and his emotion that he is so passionate about what he does and how he executes dishes.
0:00:56 > 0:01:03Just watching him work is fantastic. It's effortless and just flows like clockwork.
0:01:03 > 0:01:08He can multitask no problem. Even for a male!
0:01:10 > 0:01:17The first dish I'm going to do is a consomme de boeuf a la royale.
0:01:17 > 0:01:21A beef consomme served with a royale, which is a custard.
0:01:23 > 0:01:29This particular consomme I once saw served at the Elysee Palace for a special banquet.
0:01:29 > 0:01:34The consomme royale, it is stunningly superb.
0:01:35 > 0:01:40I still don't think any chef could top it like Chef Michel does.
0:01:42 > 0:01:47This is extravagance. It's a consomme taken to the ultimate level.
0:01:52 > 0:01:58First of all we have to make the garnish. This is obviously a savoury custard, not a sweet custard.
0:01:58 > 0:02:00Single cream, egg yolk.
0:02:02 > 0:02:04Seasoning - salt, white pepper.
0:02:07 > 0:02:12Then we just pour this custard into the Dariole moulds.
0:02:13 > 0:02:17We then put a little bit of water in here.
0:02:17 > 0:02:24The Dariole moulds get covered in aluminium foil and go in a medium oven, around 120 degrees centigrade.
0:02:27 > 0:02:34So we've got our stock. The next job is to intensify the flavours using chopped vegetables and the beef.
0:02:34 > 0:02:37Carrot, shallot, celery,
0:02:37 > 0:02:40beetroot, tomato
0:02:40 > 0:02:43and mushrooms.
0:02:43 > 0:02:46Now for the beef.
0:02:50 > 0:02:55All the chopped vegetables, chopped beef in the bowl.
0:02:55 > 0:03:00And we're going to add some egg white. Just a little bit.
0:03:00 > 0:03:02And mix it all up.
0:03:02 > 0:03:06A consomme is always a clear soup.
0:03:06 > 0:03:11To make the soup clear, you have to clarify it - remove the impurities.
0:03:11 > 0:03:18The protein cooking from the raw beef and the egg white catches all the impurities in the stock
0:03:18 > 0:03:24and they make a thick cake on the top. See the cake is starting to form?
0:03:24 > 0:03:27Just coming up to simmer. It's all setting.
0:03:31 > 0:03:37Now I'm going to flavour the consomme with a bit of Madeira to add sweetness and colour to it.
0:03:37 > 0:03:45And a little bit of salt. It has to carry on cooking very, very gently.
0:03:48 > 0:03:54The second garnish that I want with the consomme is little balls of vegetable.
0:03:57 > 0:04:02These are going to look like little pearls in our consomme.
0:04:06 > 0:04:10- You look fed up. - No, no, I'm watching and learning.
0:04:10 > 0:04:17- Maybe I can pull something off like that.- You've done consomme here before.- Not like that.
0:04:17 > 0:04:21Right. The consomme has been simmering for about 15, 20 minutes
0:04:21 > 0:04:25and you can see this top here of set egg white.
0:04:25 > 0:04:32It's lifted all the impurities out of the consomme. 15 minutes ago that was cloudy. Now crystal clear.
0:04:32 > 0:04:39We now need to gently pass the consomme through a fine muslin cloth.
0:04:50 > 0:04:51Mmm.
0:04:51 > 0:04:54Crystal clear.
0:04:54 > 0:05:02The little custards have been resting now and they should be quite manageable and easy to get out.
0:05:02 > 0:05:04There they are.
0:05:04 > 0:05:11Now I'm just going to decorate the custard with a bit of pure, edible gold leaf.
0:05:12 > 0:05:19It's very extravagant, but this is what's going to make it royal.
0:05:19 > 0:05:24This gold leaf doesn't really have a taste, but it's beautiful
0:05:24 > 0:05:27and some say it's an aphrodisiac.
0:05:31 > 0:05:35Ideally, I want this to be... That's it.
0:05:44 > 0:05:49We're nearly there. Got a lovely, generous spoonful of caviar on top.
0:05:54 > 0:05:57And, finally, the consomme.
0:06:10 > 0:06:11Mmmm.
0:06:11 > 0:06:15Beautiful, crystal clear consomme with the vegetables
0:06:15 > 0:06:18and gold-covered custard.
0:06:18 > 0:06:21Consomme de boeuf a la royale.
0:06:21 > 0:06:24Beef consomme fit for a king!
0:06:35 > 0:06:41This is a particular favourite of mine. I remember cooking this for my daughter's christening,
0:06:41 > 0:06:47many years ago. The classic recipe is calamars farcis au riz sauvage.
0:06:47 > 0:06:50Calamari or squid stuffed with wild rice.
0:06:51 > 0:06:53It's not easy to get right
0:06:53 > 0:06:56or to elevate it to fine dining.
0:07:01 > 0:07:05The first job is to drain this wild rice and cook it like a pilaf rice,
0:07:05 > 0:07:10with chopped onion, but I'm going to add peppers to that and saffron.
0:07:13 > 0:07:19And then we're going to add our lobster stock. The stock has already been warmed through.
0:07:19 > 0:07:23This comes up to a boil as quickly as we can, lid on,
0:07:23 > 0:07:26and into the oven.
0:07:29 > 0:07:31There we go. Next job...
0:07:31 > 0:07:34We're going to steam the mussels.
0:07:34 > 0:07:37Steam them in a little bit of dry white wine.
0:07:42 > 0:07:47They're cooked. Put them on the side.
0:07:47 > 0:07:51The rice has been in the oven 20-25 minutes
0:07:51 > 0:07:54and has absorbed all that liquid.
0:07:54 > 0:08:01To the wild rice we add the egg yolk to bind it, to help set this rice in the squid.
0:08:02 > 0:08:07It's vital that it's like this and not too wet.
0:08:07 > 0:08:09If it's too wet, it won't hold.
0:08:12 > 0:08:18Now we take the squid and we're going to fill it with the wild rice, but you have to be patient
0:08:18 > 0:08:23and push it in without damaging the squid, without making any holes.
0:08:23 > 0:08:26And then...sealed
0:08:27 > 0:08:33with this little wooden stick. There we go.
0:08:33 > 0:08:36That is ready to poach now in the lobster and mussel stock.
0:08:38 > 0:08:39And...
0:08:40 > 0:08:46our lovely squid goes in there. It's going to take no more than about 10 minutes.
0:08:46 > 0:08:53This is the head of the squid, the lovely tentacles. I've removed the beak because it's inedible.
0:08:53 > 0:08:59Fry these little tentacles here. They spit. That's the idea.
0:09:00 > 0:09:04And whilst they're cooking, I want to take out the squid.
0:09:04 > 0:09:11And leave that to drain and rest and just firm up that lovely egg yolk and rice before I cut it.
0:09:11 > 0:09:16The final garnish for this dish - the mussels.
0:09:16 > 0:09:21Just toss them in a little bit of garlic butter.
0:09:21 > 0:09:25We are now ready. The moment of truth - cutting the squid.
0:09:25 > 0:09:27I'm shaking. It's that time.
0:09:42 > 0:09:46Mm, that looks good. It's holding.
0:09:49 > 0:09:54Still holding! And one more slice.
0:09:54 > 0:09:57This one's the most delicate slice.
0:10:03 > 0:10:05That looks very good. Very pleased.
0:10:05 > 0:10:09OK. Time to plate up.
0:10:24 > 0:10:26Tentacles...
0:10:26 > 0:10:28Our mussels.
0:10:32 > 0:10:37And, finally, a few drops of the sauce.
0:10:43 > 0:10:47And that, for me, sings of the Mediterranean.
0:10:47 > 0:10:49It's got class.
0:10:51 > 0:10:56This takes me back a few years and pulls strings of my heart.
0:11:09 > 0:11:16This classic dish is one of my all-time favourites. It's poulet de Bresse en vessie.
0:11:16 > 0:11:20Bresse chicken, the king of all chickens, cooked in a pig's bladder.
0:11:25 > 0:11:32Cooking in a pig's bladder has been going on for centuries. Modern chefs use water baths and vacuum pouches.
0:11:32 > 0:11:35It's nothing new.
0:11:38 > 0:11:42For this I'm going to use a poulet de Bresse, which is north of Lyon.
0:11:42 > 0:11:48It's a very famous area for its poultry. They are glorious chickens, but not cheap.
0:11:48 > 0:11:51They are very expensive.
0:11:51 > 0:11:57The chicken cooked in pig's bladder is another classic to the restaurant.
0:11:57 > 0:12:03It's one of those iconic dishes that's spectacular when it's served.
0:12:03 > 0:12:08The lovely poulet, topped with truffles and rich Madeira sauce.
0:12:08 > 0:12:10What more could you ask for?
0:12:13 > 0:12:20Pigs' bladders are sold dried like this. It needs to soak for a couple of hours to make it supple
0:12:20 > 0:12:26and pliable. It doesn't... It doesn't smell bad. It just smells a bit piggy.
0:12:26 > 0:12:30This is going to impair a lovely taste to whatever we cook.
0:12:30 > 0:12:34First of all you take the wings, head and feet off.
0:12:39 > 0:12:43And then we proceed to take the giblets out.
0:12:43 > 0:12:48We then run our knife each side of the wishbone to remove that.
0:12:48 > 0:12:53It makes it easier to carve afterwards. There we go.
0:12:53 > 0:12:57Next step, we want to put some truffles under the skin.
0:12:57 > 0:13:02Very, very gently run your finger underneath the skin,
0:13:02 > 0:13:09but being very, very careful not to break that skin. A few drops of olive oil on the truffle.
0:13:09 > 0:13:17That will help to slide these slices of beautiful mushroom under the skin.
0:13:21 > 0:13:27In French we call this poulet demi deuil - a chicken in mourning - because you can see the black.
0:13:27 > 0:13:34We have strange ways of describing food in France, but I think it's very appropriate.
0:13:34 > 0:13:37Then we move on to our bladder.
0:13:37 > 0:13:39Turn it...
0:13:39 > 0:13:44a little bit like this. Open it up.
0:13:44 > 0:13:47The chicken
0:13:47 > 0:13:48sits...
0:13:48 > 0:13:50inside.
0:13:52 > 0:13:57We now need to add white chicken stock.
0:13:57 > 0:14:00A little bit of truffle juice.
0:14:01 > 0:14:04Now...a bit of Madeira.
0:14:05 > 0:14:09What I do now is knot this.
0:14:11 > 0:14:15To make doubly sure, we get a bit of string around there
0:14:15 > 0:14:20because the last thing we want is for any of that steam to escape.
0:14:20 > 0:14:25The chicken now needs to go into simmering water for 75 minutes,
0:14:25 > 0:14:28just gently steaming in its own lovely little bag.
0:14:33 > 0:14:35Wonderful.
0:14:36 > 0:14:42Every now and then, just give it a little turn, so that we're getting the chicken to cook on both sides.
0:14:42 > 0:14:47But it's very important that it should be just, just ticking over
0:14:47 > 0:14:50As the chicken is poaching, I'll make the sauce
0:14:50 > 0:14:55which is a sauce made with the wings the feet and the neck that we've kept.
0:14:55 > 0:14:57A few shallots...
0:14:57 > 0:15:02The shallots have got just a little bit of colour, more truffle juice...
0:15:05 > 0:15:07More Madeira.
0:15:10 > 0:15:14Madeira and truffle juice, just, hmm, a perfect, perfect match!
0:15:14 > 0:15:19The Madeira and truffle juice has reduced down. Now we put some chicken stock...
0:15:22 > 0:15:26We then strain that out
0:15:26 > 0:15:28and we're going to get all the flavours.
0:15:28 > 0:15:32So we have the cooking juice, the basis of our sauce here.
0:15:32 > 0:15:38Now I'm going to add the cream and boil it down until it's that required thickness.
0:15:38 > 0:15:43The sauce is almost ready. It just needs to come up to the boil and reduce down a bit.
0:15:43 > 0:15:46The chicken has been cooking for an hour and 15.
0:15:50 > 0:15:52It hasn't leaked.
0:15:52 > 0:15:54You can see all the liquid in there.
0:15:54 > 0:15:59In the restaurant, it would come out to the diner like this,
0:15:59 > 0:16:04presented to the customer as is. I think it looks beautiful.
0:16:04 > 0:16:08A skilled maitre d' would whip it open, reveal the chicken.
0:16:08 > 0:16:11The wonderful smells and aromas fill the restaurant.
0:16:11 > 0:16:15All the guests of the restaurant have got a whiff of this
0:16:15 > 0:16:21and they go round and look and they think, "Wow, what is he eating? I want to order that."
0:16:21 > 0:16:24That's the effect this dish has on the customer.
0:16:26 > 0:16:29Here we go.
0:16:32 > 0:16:34We reveal the chicken.
0:16:35 > 0:16:38The smell is just unbelievable, unbelievable.
0:16:46 > 0:16:48I always serve this in a deep bowl.
0:16:49 > 0:16:53You need plenty of sauce, plenty of juice.
0:16:56 > 0:16:58The drumstick...
0:17:06 > 0:17:10And finally, this lovely cream sauce just a few drops.
0:17:16 > 0:17:19It really doesn't get much better than this.
0:17:20 > 0:17:22This dish is immense.
0:17:22 > 0:17:26For me, this is simplicity. It's what I was brought up on.
0:17:26 > 0:17:28It's great, classic cuisine.
0:17:40 > 0:17:46I'll now cook a pied de cochon farci aux morilles - pig's trotter stuffed with morels and sweetbreads.
0:17:53 > 0:17:57Pig's trotters need long, slow cooking to render down that collagen
0:17:57 > 0:18:00and the skin to make it tender.
0:18:02 > 0:18:05This is delicious. It's a true delicacy.
0:18:05 > 0:18:07Not for the faint-hearted.
0:18:15 > 0:18:21Here we have the pig's trotter, so we are literally going to take the bone out, but leave it whole.
0:18:23 > 0:18:29I first came across this dish many years ago, cooking for a great chef called Pierre Koffmann.
0:18:31 > 0:18:35He could bone out a pig's trotter in under a minute.
0:18:37 > 0:18:40To bone out a pig's trotter without piercing the skin,
0:18:40 > 0:18:44it's a very good demonstration of the chef's butchery skills.
0:18:44 > 0:18:47You see chef Michel,
0:18:47 > 0:18:50he's so precise and accurate,
0:18:50 > 0:18:54managing to not nick even the slightest bit of skin.
0:19:00 > 0:19:04So we have a lovely, clean trotter.
0:19:04 > 0:19:10The next job is to prepare a mirepoix. "Mirepoix" means an aromatic vegetable garnish
0:19:10 > 0:19:14to cook or braise the pig's trotter on.
0:19:14 > 0:19:17And now for the port.
0:19:18 > 0:19:22And now stock goes on top.
0:19:22 > 0:19:26It comes to the boil, put a lid on and into a medium heat oven
0:19:26 > 0:19:29for about an hour and a half, sometimes two.
0:19:29 > 0:19:35Now that the pig's trotter is in the oven cooking, I can make the chicken mousse for the stuffing.
0:19:35 > 0:19:38Take your chicken supreme, remove the skin.
0:19:39 > 0:19:44And it then gets blitzed with a little bit of egg white.
0:19:54 > 0:19:58So now we have to press this chicken paste through a fine sieve,
0:19:58 > 0:20:03so there are no more impurities and no sinew or pieces of bone.
0:20:10 > 0:20:12That's it.
0:20:17 > 0:20:23I've put this chicken puree in a bowl over ice to keep it nice and cold,
0:20:23 > 0:20:26so we can beat in the double cream.
0:20:29 > 0:20:33Beat that in gently, so there are no lumps.
0:20:33 > 0:20:37This mousse has to be light and airy,
0:20:37 > 0:20:42but strong enough to bind all the ingredients together to go into the pig's trotter.
0:20:48 > 0:20:51That's it.
0:20:51 > 0:20:56I'll wrap up this chicken mousse and keep it cold and prepare the rest of the stuffing.
0:20:56 > 0:21:00The stuffing is made up of sweetbreads, fresh butter...
0:21:02 > 0:21:04..shallots
0:21:04 > 0:21:08and a few dried morels.
0:21:09 > 0:21:12Hmm, that smells beautiful!
0:21:12 > 0:21:18I remember as a kid eating sweetbreads and it was one of my favourite dishes that my mum cooked
0:21:18 > 0:21:25braised sweetbreads with saffron. She used to make fresh pasta with that and a cream sauce. Delicious!
0:21:26 > 0:21:28That's it.
0:21:31 > 0:21:33This is piping hot
0:21:33 > 0:21:38and you can't mix that into the cold mousse or it will spli the mousse completely.
0:21:38 > 0:21:41Once it's ice-cold, fold it in together.
0:21:46 > 0:21:48Good.
0:21:49 > 0:21:51Our pig's trotter should be cooked.
0:21:51 > 0:21:57You take it out the oven and you can immediately smell that lovely pork and port wine.
0:21:57 > 0:21:59It smells beautiful.
0:21:59 > 0:22:05And it's easy to push the point of a knife through, so it's tender, it's fully cooked.
0:22:07 > 0:22:11Now we can stuff our trotter.
0:22:11 > 0:22:16As you can see, we open it up and fill that cavity with the stuffing
0:22:16 > 0:22:19and roll it up to its original shape...
0:22:22 > 0:22:25..making sure it's nice and tight.
0:22:27 > 0:22:30And in it goes to the steamer
0:22:30 > 0:22:32for about 20 minutes,
0:22:32 > 0:22:36just enough time to cook that stuffing through.
0:22:36 > 0:22:41With the pig's trotter, you have to take care because obviously it's stuffed,
0:22:41 > 0:22:45so you need to make sure that that's not overcooked,
0:22:45 > 0:22:49but the pig's trotter is very tender.
0:22:49 > 0:22:53If you get served a tough pig's trotter, you're chasing it all around the plate.
0:23:06 > 0:23:08Oh, yes!
0:23:09 > 0:23:13That is the perfect pig's trotter, absolutely beautiful,
0:23:13 > 0:23:17back to its original shape, except it's fully cooked,
0:23:17 > 0:23:22lovely and tender on the outside and stuffed with delicious morels and sweetbreads.
0:23:25 > 0:23:29All it needs now is a big dollop of creamy mashed potato.
0:23:31 > 0:23:33And a tiny drizzle
0:23:33 > 0:23:36of this lovely, sweet, sticky sauce.
0:23:45 > 0:23:48To me, this is what comfort food is all about.
0:23:50 > 0:23:53It's sticky, it's sweet, it's delicious.
0:23:56 > 0:23:58A great classic,
0:23:58 > 0:24:01a lot of work, but well worth it.
0:24:14 > 0:24:20This dish would have to be one of those that sits at the top of my list in favourite dishes.
0:24:24 > 0:24:27The bitter chocolate and raspberry tart.
0:24:27 > 0:24:33Chocolate is indulgent and special. It has to tick all the boxes of a great dessert,
0:24:33 > 0:24:38the ultimate pleasure, and it has to look beautiful. It has to scream out, "Eat me!"
0:24:42 > 0:24:45The first job is the sweet pastry - sifted flour,
0:24:45 > 0:24:49the soft butter in the centre along with the sugar.
0:24:50 > 0:24:52The egg yolk...
0:24:53 > 0:24:56A tiny pinch of salt.
0:24:56 > 0:24:58Now we start to bring in the flour,
0:24:58 > 0:25:01using the fingertips, a delicate touch.
0:25:03 > 0:25:09So once you have achieved this kind of a sandy texture,
0:25:09 > 0:25:13now you take the palm of your hand and you're pushing away.
0:25:13 > 0:25:17This is not kneading, but it's bringing the dough together.
0:25:19 > 0:25:22I did my apprenticeship at the age of 16,
0:25:22 > 0:25:26learning how to make beautiful pastries in a shop in Paris.
0:25:26 > 0:25:29It takes years of experience.
0:25:29 > 0:25:32That's it, that's the consistency we want.
0:25:32 > 0:25:36It's wrapped in clingfilm, so that it doesn't dry out.
0:25:36 > 0:25:38That goes in the fridge quickly.
0:25:39 > 0:25:45Now we need to get the ganache on, so the liquid glucose goes into the pan
0:25:45 > 0:25:48with the cream, brought up to the boil.
0:25:49 > 0:25:52Take the pan off the heat.
0:25:52 > 0:25:55We incorporate the bitter chocolate and the butter.
0:25:55 > 0:26:00This makes a really beautiful, rich, shiny ganache,
0:26:00 > 0:26:04so we can leave that there and come back to it later.
0:26:04 > 0:26:0920 minutes later, the sweet paste should be set and ready to roll.
0:26:09 > 0:26:13The pastry should be about two millimetres thick.
0:26:18 > 0:26:24So now I'm going to put this in the oven to bake at 180 degrees centigrade for about 15, 20 minutes.
0:26:24 > 0:26:26It has to be fully cooked.
0:26:29 > 0:26:34Now the base is cool and we can put our raspberries in here.
0:26:36 > 0:26:39The chocolate ganache...
0:26:48 > 0:26:50Hmm!
0:26:53 > 0:26:56Just shake it a bit. That's it.
0:26:56 > 0:27:01Now quickly into the blast-chiller or the fridge to set. I don't want it solid.
0:27:01 > 0:27:04When I cut into it, it has to be soft.
0:27:05 > 0:27:09This is a dessert. It has to be beautiful and fun.
0:27:18 > 0:27:20Now...
0:27:20 > 0:27:21Hmm!
0:27:21 > 0:27:24That's great.
0:27:24 > 0:27:27You can see the raspberries, that lovely chocolate ganache.
0:27:27 > 0:27:31And the pastry is not too thick, but cooked all the way through.
0:27:40 > 0:27:44Little bit of coulis - I think it works really well.
0:27:44 > 0:27:48Nice colour. Now for the chocolate decorations.
0:27:51 > 0:27:53There we go.
0:27:53 > 0:27:57It's extravagant, it's fun, but above all, it's delicious.
0:28:05 > 0:28:10All these classics are a very important part of my life.
0:28:17 > 0:28:20That's why it's such a joy to cook them.
0:28:42 > 0:28:46Subtitles by Subtext for Red Bee Media Ltd 2011
0:28:46 > 0:28:49Email subtitling@bbc.co.uk