Summer Greens Raymond Blanc's Kitchen Secrets

Raymond Blanc is opening the doors of his kitchen for a journey of discovery.

Cooking is about curiosity. And if I can inspire you to be curious, I'll be a very happy man.

-Divulging the secrets of his simplest...

-Perfectly cooked.

..and most dazzling dishes.

-Glorious food.

-Be inspired by his passion.

Food is so much more than cooking and eating. It's about living life!

Share the secrets of his success.

The wonderful thing having cooking secrets is the ability to share them with you.

Tonight on Kitchen Secrets, Raymond takes inspiration from his kitchen garden,

with flavour-packed dishes that celebrate the freshest summer greens.

From a simple, yet vibrant vegetable soup, bursting with basil...

The pistou is one of the greatest soups you can make at home.

To a crisp chicory and walnut salad, tossed in tangy Roquefort dressing.

It's got serious character!

An impressive dinner party dish of salmon is given a classical twist,

with wilted sorrel and a zesty lemon sauce.

This salmon is going to love it.

And to finish, a stunning spinach ravioli, encasing a rich egg centre.

In his Oxfordshire kitchen, Raymond and his team are preparing for the day.

Here you are, Chef.

Oh, that's fantastic. Look at that. Absolutely fabulous.

All these recipes that I'm going to show you are very much inspired by the garden.

And it's these wonderful ingredients which will show you how simple it is to make a great dish.

-There is something missing here.

-Chef?

-I can give you a clue, Adam.

-Yeah?

-It's very French.

-The garlic?

-Absolument.

And I know you have a little bit of a problem with France,

the republican values of France and the gastronomy of France.

So why did you forget the garlic, Adam?

Lovely. Vive la France!

Not yet. Not yet.

Basil is the star of Raymond's first recipe. Pistou soup.

Lightly cooked garden vegetables,

drenched with an aromatic basil sauce,

topped with melting Parmesan and croutons.

Pistou soup is a big controversy still today after 700 years,

because Italians are claiming it for themselves

and the French are claiming it as well for themselves.

And after 700 years they still fighting it out - where does it come from?

I don't care, really.

Pistou is one of the greatest soups we can make at home.

My maman would go in the garden, and whenever it would be in the garden she would do a soup with it.

So you can put whatever you want to.

To begin, Raymond chops onions and fennel.

Quite chunky as well, so I love the textures of that soup.

Followed by runner beans.

They're just packed with flavours. They are absolutely wonderful.

Courgettes and carrots.

The chopped vegetables are added to hot olive oil.

So we are going to sweeten them for a few minutes.

A pinch of salt, very little.

A dash of black pepper. What we are doing here, right, is sweetening, which is a wonderful English word,

which means converting effectively the starch into sugar, into flavour.

So that stage is very important, because it will give more flavour to your soup.

In the French language we don't have such a lovely word.

It doesn't exist. Sweetening your onions, sweetening your vegetables. I think it's beautiful.

When Raymond's vegetables are sweetened, he adds liquid.

You pour in the boiling water.

To give the soup a clean, natural flavour, he uses water instead of stock.

My kitchen, to do soups, and a lot of the preparation actually, I use water, just plain water, OK,

because all the flavours are packed in my vegetable.

And a fast boil, galloping boil, OK,

for about four to five minutes maximum, so you keep

all these wonderful flavours, colours, textures and nutrients.

Next, Raymond makes a nut-free pesto, starting with a generous handful of basil.

A little secret, OK? More often when you are being given a recipe with pesto, it's always raw basilic.

But when you puree it, it oxidises very quickly and discolours.

So in order to fixate the colour, I blanch it in plenty of boiling water.

Voila.

The basil is plunged into boiling water for just five seconds before being refreshed.

That will stop the cooking completely.

See, you get that wonderful colour.

This way or that way?

I'm not very technical, OK? It shows again.

So in that pesto you have the basilic, the garlic,

loads of Parmesan as well, and olive oil. Your bowl of health.

To the basil and garlic, Raymond adds 100ml of extra virgin olive oil.

-Adam, could I have the Parmesan, please?

-Oui, Chef!

And 30g of Parmesan.

You will not need the pepper, because the garlic is here.

Just a bit of salt. So now our pesto is ready.

So I've got my beautiful, plump tomato. It's a Marmande, very nice.

We're going to keep everything.

All the pips, all the juices, everything.

Mmm!

At the last moment, Raymond adds the tomatoes to the pan.

That cooks for one minute.

Enough time to heat through without losing their clean, fresh flavour.

Then of course now you add your pesto.

And you stir that.

We have a real cook here. A serious cook.

Today, Emma Thompson is in the kitchen for a cooking lesson.

Just in time for a taste!

Mmm.

It is so fresh and so clean.

-It's so good, that.

-That's as good as any three-star Michelin meal.

-So beautiful.

-You've got the beauty of the garden, the purities, the nobility of the flavours,

colours and nutrients.

-Don't you feel it?

-You kind of eat it and you feel...

Not only are you enjoying it, but you're also feeling better immediately.

As though you're sort of "I'm really hungry."

Shall we say "vive la France"?

-Or l'Italie?

-Vive la France! Vive la France, yeah!

Adam is not here. Good.

Finding the best ingredients to enhance his fresh produce is one of Raymond's passions.

Today he's in Worcestershire, on the hunt for a new oil to use in dressings.

Charlie Beldam and Lawrence Millett-Satow created Cotswold Gold rape seed oil a year ago,

recently winning a Great Taste Award.

So this is the jet black seed. All very small.

-Yeah.

-And this is what we crush to get the beautiful golden oil.

It's really amazing, the richness of these little seeds, you know, how beautiful they are

and what wonderful flavour they have,

and we grow them in our country.

The crop is transformed into golden oil when the seeds are crushed, using a method called cold pressing.

The rape seed that we have seen,

the black jet seed, comes down into this hopper,

and then screwed through so that the oil is then pressed against a metal plate.

We have the oil that is then crushed and filtered out into this line.

Very simple, like any olive oil press or linseed oil.

The same process you would use in olive oil or other oils.

The waste comes out here in the form of a pellet.

Beautiful colour.

That's yellow inside the seed and that's where the oil comes from.

Although ordinary rape seed oil is commonly used for cooking,

cold-pressed virgin oil has only recently become widely available.

To put their oil to the test, the boys are making two mayonnaises for Raymond.

One with rape seed and one with the more traditional olive oil.

Too often, what's happening in the olive oil,

the acidity of the oil is not allowing the emulsion.

And the more extra virgin the oil is, the more difficult it is to create an emulsion.

Because rape seed oil is less acidic, it emulsifies more easily.

Look what's happening! It's amazing!

It's much firmer than the olive oil.

Much firmer!

That's very kind of you, Raymond.

-What do you think?

-The olive oil hangs around your palate. You can feel the oil.

Of course, because it's got that very specific flavour.

-And the rape seed oil?

-The rape seed oil,

it doesn't hang around. It disappears off the palate very quickly.

You get that slightly nutty undertone that comes through in the end.

Personally, I love my olive oil, OK?

But I've done all the tests to find the best oil for mayonnaise

and I found rape seed oil, for me, is the best.

It's got a lovely little flavour.

To me it's great local story.

-Thank you very much.

-Merci, Charlie. Merci, Lawrence.

Raymond's next dish calls for some late season leaves, which Jo is gathering from the garden.

Wow! That is serious salad, OK?

I feel absolutely dwarfed by this big salad.

I feel like a very small Frenchman.

In this elegant salad, Raymond celebrates an unsung hero of the garden.

Crunchy chicory is partnered with fresh pears, walnuts and croutons,

all coated with a rich velvety Roquefort dressing.

It's actually an incredible flavour.

Very acidic. Salty, acid, sour, creamy.

It's got serious character!

So, what you need to do, keep a little bit of the cheese.

Adam, please! Can you put that in the fridge, please?

-Actually, put it in the deep freeze, OK, so it's a bit more...

-Oui, Chef.

-It will not freeze, it will harden.

And you can crumble it more easily, especially when you have warm hands.

It's a secret.

Then what we do is to cream a bit more cheese, because with this I want to do a dressing.

Tres bien.

I'm going to put a bit of warm water, OK?

Warm water helps loosen the Roquefort and gives the dressing a silky consistency.

And a dash of vinegar.

Raymond adds extra virgin olive oil to the vinegar,

which is emulsified, making the mixture creamy.

Rape seed oil would work too.

It would give the dressing a nutty flavour.

No salt whatsoever, because we've got plenty in the cheese itself.

Now, we're going to prepare the fruit.

It's not over-ripe either.

The pears are cored and sliced.

Tres bien. That's plenty, actually.

I'll eat the other piece.

Next, chicory.

What I love about this, its bitterness, crunchiness, and that amazing texture.

Soft salad will wilt very easily with the vinegar.

So they're hardy. We can prepare them in advance as well.

Then you take some other nice variety. Adds a bit of colour.

The chicory leaves are layered on top of the Roquefort dressing.

We are going to add our pears.

When you buy walnuts, break them between your hand and smell it.

The old walnuts, or the ones badly kept, will have a rancid flavour, smell.

That one has, of course, a very fresh, walnutty, beautiful flavour.

A bit of celery.

That's plenty.

And just stir.

Voila, everything.

To finish, a grind of black pepper...

A few chopped chives as well.

A handful of warm croutons.

Adam, please!

-Bring me the Roquefort, please?

-Sorry?

-Roquefort.

-Yes, Chef.

So you won't need all that.

And a sprinkling of Roquefort.

Just crumble it here.

Oh, let's do it all. Let's be generous.

I think of this dish, the image that I think, piggy as well.

So wonderful with bacon. Or also I think of prunes, I don't know why.

But, some lovely Agen dried prune.

I think... I think too much.

A simple but richly satisfying salad.

That's for you, Jo.

The chicory has a lovely crunch to it, and the celery.

So, out of ten, how much would you give it?

-It really is...

-You don't like numbers.

-..top marks.

-Fantastic.

-You're a very generous girl.

Out in the garden, Raymond's fiancee, Natalia, has come for a visit.

A qualified doctor and nutritionist, Natalia hasn't done much gardening since leaving her native Russia.

-Do I have to dig it?

-Yes, I think probably.

-Yes, you've got some nice boots here which will be...

-Thank you!

So, first you press...

My new gardener, Natalia.

Voila. No, no, shake them first.

Look at that beautiful earth, OK?

But don't beat them up either, OK? Voila.

I think probably, that's the first time she sees vegetables.

Don't forget I spent my teenage years on the collective farming,

helping the country pick up the turnips.

-Also, you have to peel them afterwards.

-Really?

Of course, and slice them and chop them, wash them first, of course.

-Adam!

-Oui, Chef?

-Can you help me with the salmon, please?

Salmon, yeah.

The bright lemon notes of the herb sorrel

bring Raymond's next recipe to life,

an elegant pairing of poached salmon served on a bed of sorrel

with a zesty lemon sabayon.

So, that is the sorrel. It is obviously extremely acidic.

If you eat it like that, and I'm going to do it now...

Woah! You feel a little kick. You really...ooh!

It goes right through your nose, your eyes, everywhere, your hairs are standing up.

Mmm, very sharp.

The sorrel will be cooked at the very last moment.

-First, Raymond prepares the salmon steaks.

-And look at the colour.

It's beautifully pink. It's not deep.

There is no food colouring into it.

It's really beautifully moist.

Nice layers of fat here inside the salmon. Just perfect.

I know I'm going to do a great dish.

To poach the salmon, Raymond is using a classic French vegetable stock, court bouillon.

So, court bouillon is a very French technique.

It's a flavouring stock, OK? We're going to give flavour to that fish.

Finely sliced leeks, onions, celery and carrot will flavour the stock.

I'm going to use these vegetables to eat as well, it's not just for garnish.

Of all these vegetables, we're going to impart their whole flavour and character in that salmon.

A bouquet garni of bay leaf, thyme and parsley stalks will give the stock another layer of flavour.

-Adam, could I have a nice bunch of parsley, please?

-Yes, Chef!

For acidity, some lemon.

Raymond takes care to slice it finely.

If you put big slices, it will make that stock very bitter and too lemony.

Next, a few whole peppercorns.

Now we're going to place it into a sauteuse.

I will put my lemon as well, in here.

The vegetables are covered with water and 100ml of white wine.

It's the first time, actually, you don't need to boil the wine,

because what you want is a bit of acidity.

Voila.

A pinch of salt, and the stock is brought to a simmer.

That's lovely.

Next, Raymond moves on to the lemon sabayon,

a light alternative to a rich hollandaise.

He adds water to three egg yolks.

This is about 50-60 grams of water and that's so important.

By adding the water, it's a two-step thing. It's really exciting.

Look, it's happening already! Wow, it's foaming!

OK. Already it's doubled its volume!

I find that completely exciting.

Raymond continues whisking the egg yolks over a pan of simmering water

to reduce the chance of the sauce splitting.

What I'm doing is getting billions of bubbles of air

into this partly cooked egg yolk, creating a wonderful foam.

And the more I whisk, the more bubbles of air,

the lighter the sauce will be, the more melting it will be.

Adam, can you please give me the lemon juice? Adam, please?

It's ready when it reaches the consistency of lightly whipped cream.

So we've got our sabayon ready.

Look, that's lovely. Voila. That one will do.

-Ah!

-HE LAUGHS

OK, c'est la vie. OK, so pour your butter, melted butter -

not hot, not brown, not foaming, just melted.

Voila. And that's all that I need.

And, believe me, you wait!

And look how light it is.

So I'm removing my blob!

Tres bien. Go away.

To brighten the flavour, a squeeze of lemon and a dash of cayenne pepper.

When you use cayenne pepper, don't do that,

because that will clump. So do...

voila, from the top.

And not too much. You can always add, you cannot take away.

I know it sounds silly.

Voila.

That is lovely. It is airy.

And that beautiful, noble salmon is going to love that sauce.

The sabayon is kept warm on a pan of hot water.

Next, the salmon.

Raymond places it in the simmering stock for four minutes,

removes the pan from the heat and lets it stand for a further four minutes.

So I've turned off the heat, and that is very important.

You must first never boil any fish.

It must be staying at a temperature about 80 degrees maximum.

Let the heat come in very, very, very slowly at the heart of it.

And that will take only four minutes.

While the salmon poaches, Raymond moves onto the sorrel.

So, sorrel. We've talked about it. It's acidic,

it's sharp, it's unfriendly to eat raw, that's why we cook it, OK?

So, we're going to put a bit of butter, OK?

You're going to have a dramatic change of colour here, because the chlorophyll

will be destroyed by its own acidity, OK,

and it will go a dull green. But we don't mind about that, because we're thinking about flavour.

Now, Raymond can bring the dish together.

He serves the tender salmon on a bed of wilted sorrel.

The top.

With softened vegetables...

..and a generous dollop of sabayon.

And your dish is ready.

Bon appetit.

Do you want to eat? Take that. Help yourself.

-Mmm. I like the way you can taste the flavours of the vegetables in the fish.

-Mm-hm.

-And I like the textures of the vegetables.

-That's it?

-Well, I want to eat some more!

-OK, go for it!

The sorrel is made for the salmon.

It is classically beautiful.

That mean it defies time, it defies trend.

That relationship between that salmon and that sorrel still lives on. It's lovely.

-So, long live sorrel?

-Long live sorrel.

-Vive la France? Maybe not. Maybe not.

-Oui.

-Yes. All right!

Specialist grower Richard Vine has been cultivating micro herbs for 20 years.

They can be found in farm shops and online, and Raymond loves to use them in his dishes.

All these micros are standard things grown very, very small,

-when the flavour is so fresh.

-What do we have here?

This is baby coriander.

-Goodness me!

-Mmm.

-One shoot. Wah!

What I love about these, it's a micro world of micro herbs.

They are absolutely delicious. I'm going to use that one definitely, sage.

Even micro, they still have... They are packed with power.

This is winter savory and it is explosive.

It's absolutely gorgeous.

Very much a flavour like thyme and, like Richard says, really packed with flavour.

Oh, look at that!

One of my favourites - little baby cucumbers.

Imagine on a little dish.

I'm going to cry. I get very emotional.

I think most women are going to get very emotional when they see your micro cucumbers.

-This is true.

-Yeah, they're lovely.

Richard's micro herbs will add the finishing touches to Raymond's final dish.

A beautiful quail's egg ravioli.

A single poached egg encased in spinach and Parmesan wrapped in silky pasta.

The dish is drizzled with beurre blanc,

topped with wild mushrooms, deep fried sage leaves and micro herbs.

I've done my pasta. 250g of very strong flour,

two whole eggs, one egg yolk, a pinch of salt,

one tablespoon of water to give the stretch to the pasta.

It's been rested half an hour in the fridge,

or up to two hours if you want to.

Then... Oh, my God, that's the small, horrible one you've given me again.

Raymond rolls the pasta until it becomes almost transparent.

-You notice the pasta...

-CLINKING

It's a good design, isn't it?

It's like an old, battered car.

Adam, please could I have a tray, please?

As you can see, already you can see my hands behind.

I can see it from here anyway.

The pasta is covered and chilled.

Merci, Adam. In the fridge.

Tres bien. So, now we're going to prepare the filling for the ravioli.

To finely chopped cooked spinach, Raymond adds 20 grams of grated Parmesan.

He fills moulds with the spinach and Parmesan mixture.

What I'm going to do now is little nests.

I'm going to press right inside, create a hollow,

which is going to hold the quail egg later.

Tres bien. So, you've got your little nest here.

While the spinach mix chills, Raymond prepares his star ingredient.

We are going to fill in the middle of the ravioli a beautiful quail egg,

and, if you wish, a hen's egg. You decide.

The eggs go into gently boiling water and a dash of vinegar.

You need that vinegar to firm up the egg white around the yolk

so it's tight together,

unless your egg white has just been come out from the hen.

And it's pretty rare to get them like that.

The hens' eggs are poached for one and a half minutes.

The quails' eggs take 30 seconds.

So, we're going to place delicately...

our eggs.

Put them in the little moulds, the little nests voila.

Raymond tops the egg and spinach parcels with freshly shaved Parmesan.

Or black truffle.

If you're lucky to have a nice truffle at home.

Next, Raymond moves on to the ravioli.

Like that. Tres bien.

You can stretch it a little bit.

But no holes, because the water will log itself inside and your ravioli will be completely ruined.

He presses the pasta together without using egg or water to bind.

You just... And you push.

You're sticking the two ravioli sheets together.

Make sure you push the air out. You don't want any air here.

Then use an appropriate cutter.

With the ravioli assembled, Raymond moves on to make a light sauce, a beurre blanc.

To a hot pan of shallots and reduced vinegar he adds water, cold butter...

By putting in cold butter you can create an emulsion.

..and chopped tomato.

So, my water is boiling.

Raymond drops the ravioli into boiling water.

Four to five minutes depending on their size will cook the eggs perfectly.

Oeuf de poule five minutes.

The quail eggs, oeuf de caille, four minutes.

C'est tellement facile. It's much easier.

I think everyone should speak French. That would be much easier!

Tres bien, the quail eggs are ready here.

To serve, Raymond drizzles the buerre blanc around the ravioli,

adds chicken jus and a scattering of sauteed wild mushrooms.

Crushed hazelnuts add another layer of taste and texture.

And the finishing touch... some deep-fried sage leaves.

They're very mild now, very crusty.

Really delicious.

And the micro herbs.

-Richard, you're going to be my judge now, OK?

-Well, OK.

Look.

-Oh, my word.

-Look at that.

-I will add a bit more Parmesan.

-Mmm.

A bit more hoomph. Do you agree?

-Yeah, but you still taste it coming through.

-Yeah. Mm-hm.

You taste the egg, spinach, just little bounces of flavour right the way through.

Really, really lovely.

-One out of 10, how much?

-11.

Best score I've ever had, 11 out of ten.