0:00:05 > 0:00:10Only an elite group of chefs holds two Michelin stars.
0:00:10 > 0:00:12Michel Roux Jr is one of them.
0:00:12 > 0:00:14One lamb, two fish gone.
0:00:14 > 0:00:17THEY CHEER
0:00:17 > 0:00:21He has given us a taste of how to create the great classics.
0:00:22 > 0:00:24Tonight is the masterclass.
0:00:44 > 0:00:45I was destined to be a chef.
0:00:47 > 0:00:51My mother went into labour whilst helping my father do the cooking.
0:00:51 > 0:00:52I was almost born in a kitchen.
0:00:59 > 0:01:02It wasn't just my father doing the cooking at home,
0:01:02 > 0:01:05my mother is a fantastic chef in her own right.
0:01:05 > 0:01:09My understanding of the classics really stems from my childhood.
0:01:13 > 0:01:17This classic is a pate de poisson, a fish pate or fish terrine.
0:01:20 > 0:01:22We are used to seeing on menus terrines
0:01:22 > 0:01:25and pates made out of pork or liver,
0:01:25 > 0:01:29but this one is made out of fish, actually out of whiting and of sole.
0:01:29 > 0:01:32You can use most fish to make a fish terrine,
0:01:32 > 0:01:35but best not to use an oily fish such as mackerel or sardine,
0:01:35 > 0:01:40because the oil will mean that the fish pate isn't holding properly, it'll split.
0:01:44 > 0:01:46First job is to prepare our fish.
0:01:46 > 0:01:49So we have a very big Dover sole here,
0:01:49 > 0:01:51which I am going to take the fillets off.
0:02:02 > 0:02:04Next step - to make the mousse.
0:02:04 > 0:02:07So I've got my whiting fillets. I need three egg whites,
0:02:07 > 0:02:09and we're going to puree that up.
0:02:13 > 0:02:15It's very important not to over-blend this,
0:02:15 > 0:02:17because otherwise you're going to heat up the fish
0:02:17 > 0:02:20and may even cook it, so it's just to a puree.
0:02:22 > 0:02:25Now...comes the hard work.
0:02:30 > 0:02:33There are not many restaurants that put fish terrines on the menu
0:02:33 > 0:02:37because the simple fact that it is so labour-intensive.
0:02:37 > 0:02:39I think it's a skill that's dying out.
0:02:41 > 0:02:44Now that all the fish has been passed through the sieve,
0:02:44 > 0:02:45we're going to make the mousse.
0:02:45 > 0:02:49The cream is going to give it texture and it'll make it nice and light.
0:02:57 > 0:02:59A touch more cream and we're there.
0:02:59 > 0:03:03In French, the measure "a touch more cream" is about half a litre.
0:03:06 > 0:03:08That is the right consistency.
0:03:08 > 0:03:11Very smooth, but it's got that elastic hold to it.
0:03:11 > 0:03:13So the proteins are still working.
0:03:13 > 0:03:16So now I'm going to divide the mousse in two
0:03:16 > 0:03:18and I'm going to keep one half white,
0:03:18 > 0:03:21and the other one I'm going to make green.
0:03:21 > 0:03:25So, I'm going to be colouring the mousse with some chlorophyll,
0:03:25 > 0:03:28some natural, green food colouring.
0:03:28 > 0:03:31I'm using curly parsley and watercress.
0:03:31 > 0:03:33I'm going to add a little bit of water to this,
0:03:33 > 0:03:37just enough to moisten it, and then blitz it up, puree it up.
0:03:51 > 0:03:53So, we've now got our green water.
0:03:53 > 0:03:56The idea is to bring it up to about 86 degrees
0:03:56 > 0:03:59and the chlorophyll will naturally rise to the top
0:03:59 > 0:04:01and you need to catch it then.
0:04:02 > 0:04:05This is a skill I learned with my father and uncle.
0:04:05 > 0:04:07And I doubt very much
0:04:07 > 0:04:12if there are any chefs out there, or very few chefs, that still do this.
0:04:12 > 0:04:16It's so much easier just to buy a bottle of green food colouring,
0:04:16 > 0:04:19but this is natural and it has wonderful, wonderful flavour.
0:04:19 > 0:04:22Very carefully...
0:04:22 > 0:04:25ladling it out and getting it to drain.
0:04:26 > 0:04:30As you can see, it's lovely and smooth, dry,
0:04:30 > 0:04:31full of flavour.
0:04:31 > 0:04:36And that's going to give that lovely, vibrant green colour to the mousse.
0:04:56 > 0:04:58Now there's a good layer of butter on this terrine,
0:04:58 > 0:05:01and we're going to line it with spinach.
0:05:01 > 0:05:04And we're just going to dip it into boiling water.
0:05:04 > 0:05:06First of all to make it more pliable,
0:05:06 > 0:05:09and secondly, it retains its colour.
0:05:12 > 0:05:16The aim is to have the terrine completely lined with this spinach
0:05:16 > 0:05:18and that there are no gaps.
0:05:25 > 0:05:27That's it, a beautifully-lined terrine.
0:05:47 > 0:05:51Finally, we just need to cover it with the spinach
0:05:51 > 0:05:54and make sure it is totally encased.
0:05:59 > 0:06:01We cover it with foil
0:06:01 > 0:06:07and pour some hot water into the roasting dish
0:06:07 > 0:06:11to start the cooking process, and it goes into the oven.
0:06:11 > 0:06:13Medium heat, not too hot.
0:06:13 > 0:06:16If it's too hot, the mousse is going to puff up like a souffle
0:06:16 > 0:06:18and then collapse.
0:06:18 > 0:06:22So it needs to cook slowly and gently for about two hours,
0:06:22 > 0:06:26and then put in the fridge to set for about six to eight hours.
0:06:26 > 0:06:29Because otherwise you would never be able to cut it.
0:06:38 > 0:06:40That's nice.
0:06:44 > 0:06:47That's lovely. The mousse is really smooth.
0:06:47 > 0:06:50The roulade is there, different colours.
0:06:50 > 0:06:52Very nice.
0:07:10 > 0:07:13There you have it. Pate de poisson. Fish terrine.
0:07:20 > 0:07:26An absolutely glorious dish, one that just screams out "eat me!"
0:07:26 > 0:07:29A lot of hard work, but a true reward.
0:07:39 > 0:07:42This dish is a Oeuf Froid Careme.
0:07:42 > 0:07:45It's a Roux classic.
0:07:45 > 0:07:49An artichoke heart filled with smoked salmon, a perfect poached egg,
0:07:49 > 0:07:51covered with another slice of smoked salmon
0:07:51 > 0:07:55but I'm also serving it with freshly-made blinis.
0:07:57 > 0:08:01This recipe was created by Antoine Careme himself,
0:08:01 > 0:08:03a famous chef of the 1800s.
0:08:05 > 0:08:09I love cooking it, but above all, I love eating it.
0:08:12 > 0:08:16The first job, most important, is to make the blinis.
0:08:16 > 0:08:21The yeast needs time to rise and to work its magic.
0:08:21 > 0:08:23So we need milk, just warm.
0:08:23 > 0:08:28If it's too hot, it will kill the yeast. And a little bit of flour.
0:08:32 > 0:08:37Put this here in a warm place to rise for about 20 minutes.
0:08:37 > 0:08:41Turning vegetables is about giving a beautiful shape to the vegetable
0:08:41 > 0:08:46and in this instance, artichokes - I want a nice round artichoke heart.
0:08:47 > 0:08:51Remove a few of the exterior leaves
0:08:51 > 0:08:53to make it easier to turn.
0:08:53 > 0:08:55We then...
0:08:55 > 0:09:00peel off or turn the hard exterior
0:09:00 > 0:09:03to reveal a beautiful heart.
0:09:03 > 0:09:07I have cooked this dish many a time for banquets.
0:09:07 > 0:09:12I remember one particular banquet I had to turn 1,000 artichokes,
0:09:12 > 0:09:14and every one had to be perfect.
0:09:15 > 0:09:18This should take about 15 minutes to cook.
0:09:21 > 0:09:23So, next, the mayonnaise.
0:09:23 > 0:09:27So, Dijon mustard. Egg yolk.
0:09:27 > 0:09:28A squeeze of lemon.
0:09:28 > 0:09:31Seasoning. And the veg oil.
0:09:34 > 0:09:39And I like to add just a drop of chilli, of bite to it.
0:09:39 > 0:09:44And, just to make it very rich and special, a spoonful of cream.
0:09:46 > 0:09:47Now for the smoked salmon.
0:09:47 > 0:09:50For the seasoning, some of the mayonnaise.
0:09:51 > 0:09:55But just enough to bind it all together.
0:09:55 > 0:09:58And a perfectly chopped chive.
0:09:59 > 0:10:02I'm also going to add a little bit of truffle.
0:10:02 > 0:10:05This is an extravagance, but it's worthy of the dish.
0:10:07 > 0:10:10Careme cooked this dish for royalty.
0:10:10 > 0:10:13So it has to be something special.
0:10:14 > 0:10:17Now, a little drop of brandy,
0:10:17 > 0:10:22just that little bit extra to give a kick, give a bite to this dish.
0:10:29 > 0:10:31Next step is to poach the eggs.
0:10:31 > 0:10:34The real way is in water with a drop of vinegar.
0:10:34 > 0:10:37The shape of the poached egg is very important.
0:10:37 > 0:10:40It has to have that lovely rounded edge to it.
0:10:51 > 0:10:55The yolk is still runny and the whites has set
0:10:55 > 0:10:58and immediately into iced water.
0:10:59 > 0:11:03Next job is to add the remaining ingredients to the blinis.
0:11:03 > 0:11:06You can tell it's ready, mainly from the smell
0:11:06 > 0:11:08and there are a few little bubbles there.
0:11:08 > 0:11:09Flour.
0:11:11 > 0:11:14We put the egg yolks into the batter mix.
0:11:15 > 0:11:20And the egg whites, we are going to whisk up
0:11:20 > 0:11:22and fold in the very last second.
0:11:23 > 0:11:27That is going to give us a blini that is incredibly light.
0:11:31 > 0:11:33There we go.
0:11:33 > 0:11:35Now we need to cook them.
0:11:41 > 0:11:42It's a matter of seconds.
0:11:44 > 0:11:49You can see those beautiful bubbles, which means it's light and airy.
0:11:49 > 0:11:52The final step is to finish the artichoke.
0:11:52 > 0:11:57For that, we need to remove these leaves here,
0:11:57 > 0:11:59which are totally inedible,
0:11:59 > 0:12:04to reveal what is the choke, which is not nice to eat.
0:12:09 > 0:12:10There we go.
0:12:10 > 0:12:13A perfect shape, perfectly cooked.
0:12:38 > 0:12:42There we have it, the Oeuf Froid Careme.
0:12:42 > 0:12:46A 150 years old recipe.
0:12:46 > 0:12:49But still fit for a king.
0:12:58 > 0:13:01As a chef, I hate wastage and I do feel very strongly
0:13:01 > 0:13:04that every part of the animal should be used
0:13:04 > 0:13:08and that's why my next recipe is monkfish liver,
0:13:08 > 0:13:11which, sadly, very often is thrown away.
0:13:13 > 0:13:15Monkfish liver is extremely versatile.
0:13:15 > 0:13:21It's used in an array of different styles of cooking - hot or cold.
0:13:22 > 0:13:28The three elements to this dish are a hot pan-seared monkfish liver,
0:13:28 > 0:13:31ballantine and a pate.
0:13:32 > 0:13:37Fish liver certainly isn't fashionable but in France and Spain,
0:13:37 > 0:13:39it is revered, it is a delicacy.
0:13:44 > 0:13:46First job is to make the ballantine.
0:13:46 > 0:13:48We do that first because it needs to chill down,
0:13:48 > 0:13:52otherwise you won't be able to cut it properly.
0:13:52 > 0:13:57Remove the sinews and the little veins that run through it.
0:13:57 > 0:13:59Add a little bit of nutmeg.
0:13:59 > 0:14:02Next step, we're going to shape our ballotines.
0:14:06 > 0:14:10Just adding a little piece of string there to make sure it is
0:14:10 > 0:14:13really, really tight, because I want the ballotine to hold together.
0:14:13 > 0:14:15There we go.
0:14:16 > 0:14:21And it should take about eight minutes to cook.
0:14:21 > 0:14:25Next step is the monkfish liver pate. We need shallots.
0:14:26 > 0:14:31The shallots go into a pan and onto the heat.
0:14:31 > 0:14:33Fish liver goes in.
0:14:34 > 0:14:35Mmm!
0:14:38 > 0:14:42A liver pate that tastes of the sea. Quite, quite extraordinary.
0:14:42 > 0:14:44I first came across monkfish liver
0:14:44 > 0:14:47when I was working at Alain Chapel in Lyon,
0:14:47 > 0:14:49and he used to just pan-fry it
0:14:49 > 0:14:52and serve it with a red wine reduction sauce.
0:14:52 > 0:14:57And it was truly great. A dish that used to outsell all the others.
0:14:57 > 0:15:00But it was a revelation for me, having never seen it before.
0:15:01 > 0:15:03Puree it up. Nice and smooth.
0:15:07 > 0:15:08That's it.
0:15:08 > 0:15:10The monkfish liver pate is quite liquid,
0:15:10 > 0:15:14so it needs to go into the blast chiller to set.
0:15:14 > 0:15:17With that, we can put the ballotine, which is now cooked.
0:15:24 > 0:15:27The ballotine, I'm going to serve with a little leek salad.
0:15:37 > 0:15:41Whilst I've got the leek, I'll prepare some juliennes to deep-fry.
0:15:43 > 0:15:47If the oil is too hot, the leek will burn before it has time to cook.
0:15:47 > 0:15:51So it's nice and green, it's kept its colour, it's nice and crispy.
0:15:51 > 0:15:52It looks beautiful.
0:15:54 > 0:15:56So now I need to get the chutney ready.
0:15:56 > 0:15:58The chutney is the garnish for the liver pate.
0:16:07 > 0:16:12Important to get the right balance of sweet, sour and salty.
0:16:15 > 0:16:17For the pan-seared monkfish liver,
0:16:17 > 0:16:21I want to serve a sweet-and-sour red wine sauce.
0:16:24 > 0:16:28We boil that down until it becomes a really sticky sauce consistency.
0:16:28 > 0:16:31Our red wine reduction sauce is ready.
0:16:31 > 0:16:35It's very important to get it just when it's silky and syrupy.
0:16:35 > 0:16:38If you take it any further than this, it'll go bitter.
0:16:38 > 0:16:43Final step is to get our little slice of liver, and into the pan.
0:16:45 > 0:16:48It should be cooked medium-rare.
0:16:48 > 0:16:51Just by feeling it, we can see it's got a spongy texture,
0:16:51 > 0:16:53and that's just about done. There.
0:16:56 > 0:16:58Now, all that's left is to dress the plate.
0:17:21 > 0:17:25And here we have it - my trio of monkfish liver.
0:17:26 > 0:17:29Pan-seared...
0:17:29 > 0:17:31ballotine...
0:17:31 > 0:17:32and a pate.
0:17:47 > 0:17:50This dish is riz de veau braise au safran -
0:17:50 > 0:17:53"sweetbreads braised in saffron".
0:17:58 > 0:18:03This particular recipe is an all-time favourite of mine and my sister.
0:18:03 > 0:18:07We loved as kids when Mum was cooking it. It was a real treat.
0:18:07 > 0:18:11We could smell this bubbling away as we came back from school.
0:18:11 > 0:18:14It was really the most glorious occasion.
0:18:16 > 0:18:19Even now, I still request my mum to cook this dish for us,
0:18:19 > 0:18:22because it is so special and it means so much.
0:18:22 > 0:18:24It's going back down memory lane,
0:18:24 > 0:18:28and those flavours and senses are so warm.
0:18:31 > 0:18:36First step is to take the sweetbreads and to blanch them.
0:18:36 > 0:18:40So, put them into cold water, squeeze of lemon juice, seasoning,
0:18:40 > 0:18:44and bring it up to a simmer for about seven minutes.
0:18:44 > 0:18:47I'm going to serve the sweetbreads with some fresh pasta.
0:18:59 > 0:19:01So here we have it.
0:19:01 > 0:19:05You can see it's stretchy, make it into a lovely ball,
0:19:05 > 0:19:07wrap in clingfilm
0:19:07 > 0:19:10and put in the fridge for about ten to 15 minutes just to rest.
0:19:15 > 0:19:19My mother's cooking was steeped in the classics -
0:19:19 > 0:19:21in French, great, traditional food,
0:19:21 > 0:19:25and that's where I learnt the basics of French cuisine.
0:19:27 > 0:19:29Now we need to braise the sweetbreads
0:19:29 > 0:19:33and make the beautiful saffron sauce to go with it.
0:19:40 > 0:19:44I've given them a crunchy exterior, and they're soft and tender inside.
0:19:47 > 0:19:49Once we've got this lovely golden colour,
0:19:49 > 0:19:51we take them out of the pan
0:19:51 > 0:19:54and we're going to make the sauce in the same pan.
0:19:54 > 0:19:57Shallots and carrots.
0:19:57 > 0:20:00And a little bit of fresh butter.
0:20:08 > 0:20:13Once the shallots and carrots have sweated down so they've gone soft,
0:20:13 > 0:20:16we add a very generous pinch of saffron.
0:20:16 > 0:20:21This beautiful, fragrant and very, very expensive spice.
0:20:21 > 0:20:26Deglaze. Generous amount of this sweet white wine.
0:20:26 > 0:20:29So that's now a lovely golden colour.
0:20:29 > 0:20:32The saffron has done its job and coloured the base of the sauce.
0:20:32 > 0:20:36And I like to leave all that in the sauce. And Mum used to as well.
0:20:36 > 0:20:39It wasn't fancy, we didn't used to press the sauce through a fine sieve.
0:20:39 > 0:20:44This is homely cooking, but with expensive ingredients, for a treat.
0:20:44 > 0:20:47We need to add a little bit of chicken stock to this.
0:20:47 > 0:20:51That has to be reduced down again and that intensifies the flavours,
0:20:51 > 0:20:54and then at the end, just a dash of cream.
0:20:57 > 0:21:00The sauce is simmering away, and now,
0:21:00 > 0:21:04put sweetbreads back in there just to braise in that sauce
0:21:04 > 0:21:07and get them nice and coated in the rich, creamy saffron.
0:21:14 > 0:21:17Mm, gosh, that smells good.
0:21:19 > 0:21:22The pasta dough has rested now, so we're going to roll it out.
0:21:28 > 0:21:31Lovely. That's nice.
0:21:39 > 0:21:40There we have it.
0:21:40 > 0:21:42It's so easy with the machine,
0:21:42 > 0:21:46but I remember Mum doing it all by hand, including the cutting.
0:21:46 > 0:21:49That's going to go into boiling water.
0:21:49 > 0:21:52For the garnish, I'm going to be using some baby turnips
0:21:52 > 0:21:54and some green and yellow courgettes.
0:21:54 > 0:21:58I hope my mum would approve, because she only used to give us pasta.
0:21:58 > 0:22:04I think a few vegetables with this will maybe enhance this dish.
0:22:10 > 0:22:12Sweetbreads are piping hot,
0:22:12 > 0:22:15the sauce has gone down to a lovely consistency.
0:22:15 > 0:22:20At home, it was put in a big bowl with the steaming pasta and sauce,
0:22:20 > 0:22:21and that was it.
0:22:21 > 0:22:25I'm going to make it look a little bit more sophisticated than that.
0:22:25 > 0:22:28I'm sure Mum wouldn't mind.
0:22:44 > 0:22:48I'm salivating just dressing this up. Mmm!
0:23:05 > 0:23:06And there we have it.
0:23:06 > 0:23:10Braised sweetbreads, just like my mum used to make.
0:23:38 > 0:23:41This is such a simple recipe - beignets a la creme.
0:23:44 > 0:23:48These fritters are basically a cream that have been deep-fried.
0:23:48 > 0:23:51So they have a crispy exterior
0:23:51 > 0:23:54and a lovely, unctuous, creamy, soft centre.
0:23:54 > 0:23:58We see beignets and fritters in all the great patisseries in France,
0:23:58 > 0:24:00especially up in the mountains on the ski-slopes.
0:24:00 > 0:24:03They're a wonderful treat to come back to.
0:24:03 > 0:24:07But only the best ones, and not greasy and heavy,
0:24:07 > 0:24:12and only the best ones, I think, have got that soft, creamy centre.
0:24:16 > 0:24:19First job to do is the creme patissiere
0:24:19 > 0:24:23because that needs time not only to cook, but to set.
0:24:23 > 0:24:27So first off, the milk on to boil with your choice of flavouring.
0:24:27 > 0:24:31For me, I love the flavour of vanilla.
0:24:31 > 0:24:35Next step, a classic creme patissiere.
0:24:35 > 0:24:39Egg yolks and a whole egg.
0:24:39 > 0:24:43Mixed with sugar then the flour.
0:24:47 > 0:24:49We're then going to put the milk on top of this.
0:24:49 > 0:24:51The boiling milk.
0:24:59 > 0:25:02It's very important that this has got to boil
0:25:02 > 0:25:03and you must mix it thoroughly,
0:25:03 > 0:25:06otherwise it will never get to the right consistency.
0:25:14 > 0:25:16That's what we're looking for.
0:25:16 > 0:25:20It's a very thick creme patissiere,
0:25:20 > 0:25:23so now we have to work very quickly before it sets.
0:25:28 > 0:25:33This must go into a blast chiller so as to set before we cut it.
0:25:38 > 0:25:41Next step, the tempura batter.
0:25:41 > 0:25:45Flour, cornflour and a little bit of baking powder
0:25:45 > 0:25:48just to give it that extra lift.
0:25:51 > 0:25:55This tempura batter is what's going to encase our cream
0:25:55 > 0:25:58and give it that lovely, crisp exterior.
0:25:58 > 0:26:01Now, we have to hope that our cream has set on time.
0:26:08 > 0:26:13This is set. It's cold, it should come out quite easily.
0:26:16 > 0:26:21We want to cut them into the shapes before the cream melts.
0:26:23 > 0:26:25Now we need to deep-fry them.
0:26:32 > 0:26:34We want them to be nice and crispy on the outside,
0:26:34 > 0:26:39and a touch of colour but not too much.
0:26:39 > 0:26:44They should only take a matter of 30 seconds to a minute, and no more.
0:26:46 > 0:26:48That's crispy.
0:26:50 > 0:26:54Mmm, perfect. There we go.
0:27:21 > 0:27:25Here we have it, beignets a la creme. Cream fritters.
0:27:25 > 0:27:27Beautiful and refined.
0:27:39 > 0:27:41The classics are there for a reason,
0:27:41 > 0:27:43because they've stood the test of time.
0:27:46 > 0:27:50They are beautiful. They are the essence of gastronomy.
0:28:01 > 0:28:04Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd