Chef Xavier Btesh at The Maya Kitchen

French cuisines made easy to prepare for the Filipino Kitchen by Chef Xavier Btesh at The Maya Kitchen held last July 22, 2017 at The Maya Kitchen Culinary Arts Center.

Sharing here the recipe of Chef Xavier Btesh: 

Marseille Seafood Soup

4 pieces tomatoes

3 mugs fish broth

1 mug fish fillet, sliced into chunks

1 mug seafood (you can use shrimps, clam, squid or whatever you prefer)

1 teaspoon Pernod alcohol (you can use a teacup of diced fennel as a substitute, but unfortunately no local alcohols has the same taste)

1 piece small onion, sliced

1/3 teaspoon saffron powder

Choose a combination of your favorite kinds of seafood and fish.  Just make sure to remove the bones, skin and shells.  Peel tomatoes.  Slice them into four wedges.

In a large pot heat your broth and bring to a boil.

Set a handful of seafood aside.

Add tomatoes, fish chunks and the rest of your ingredients to your broth.  Reduce heat to low and cook for 30 minutes without covering your pot to allow your liquid to reduce.  After 30 minutes, remove from heat, and pour the soup into the blender (you might have to this a few times depending the amount of soup).  Blend well on full power dntil soup is smooth.  Pour soup back into the pot through a fine strainer.    Use a wooden spoon to help press the soup through the strainer, allowing all the liquids through.  Set the fleshy residue that is left in the strainer aside.  Add the rest of your seafood into the soup, along with the Pernod, and pepper to taste.  Stir and allow to simmer for 15 minutes.  Serve hot.

Salad Nicoise

2 pieces peeled tomatoes

1 picce spring onion, thinly chopped

Half a red bell pepper

Half green bell pepper

5 pieces small red reddish, thinly sliced

10 pieces green French beans

5 pieces black pitted olives, sliced

1 piece hard-boiled egg cut into quarters

 1 espresso cup olive oil

½ espresso cup red wine vinegar

Half a can canned tuna in water or 5 marinated anchovy fillets salt & pepper.

Remove the edges of your French beans.  Steam beans in a bamboo basket or a strainer over apot of boiling water for about ten minutes (or until they are aldente).  Set aside to cool.

Take the rest of your vegetables and rinse under clear water.  Remove any wilted parts and core and seed the bell peppers.  Dice your bell peppers, peel and slice your tomatoes, slice the egg into four quarters and cut your green beans into 1.5 inch lengths.  Drain the tuna or the anchovies.

In a large bowl, place 2 pinches of salt and a pinch of black pepper.  Add the sliced spring onions, green beans, bell peppers, radish and tomatoes.  Then add your drained anchovies or drained tuna and top with the sliced olives.  Pour the olive oil and the red wine vinegar cover your salad, cover with cling film, and leave in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.  Just before serving, toss well and garnish with hard-boiled egg sliced.

Authentic Pasta Carbonara

Half of a handful of Linguini (about 80 to 120 grams)

1 piece egg yolk

1 espresso cup Parmesan cheese, grated

1 teaspoon ground black pepper

½ espresso cup boiling pasta water

1 pinch salt

1 dash olive oil

Cook your linguini.  Set aside some pasta water and strain.  Pour a dash of olive oil on your noodles and toss.  Place pasta water, egg yolk, cheese and the pepper in a bowl and quickly whisk with an eggbeater.  Poor sauce on hot pasta, toss and serve immediately.

Boeuf Bourguignon

 2 mugs beef chunks

1 piece onion, thinly sliced

1 piece garlic clove, peeled

1 teaspoon tomato paste

4 pieces button mushrooms or;

2 pieces small Portabello mushrooms

 2 pieces carrors, peeled and sliced

1 espresso cup bacon chunks

1 ½ mugs beef broth

2 teaspoons white flour

1 teaspoon dried thyme

1 pinch clove powder

2 mugs good red wine

Salt and pepper to tasteand bacon.  When onions

½ espresso cuo butter, melted

Set a frying pan on medium-high heat.  Place in half your butter, and saute your onions turn translucent, transfer onion and bacon to a cast iron pan on high heat along with the rest of the butter.  Add the chunks of the meat and toss well.  Sprinkle flour, and stir, making sure to scrape the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon.  Add the beef broth, wine, and all the other ingredients except the mushrooms.  Mix well. Reduce to very low heat and cook for three hours, stirring every once in a while so that your ingredients wont stick to the bottom of the pan.  After 2 ½ hours, add your mushrooms.  If the sauce reduces too much, add a bit of wine or broth.  After 3 hours, your iconic French Stew will be ready.  Serve it with boiled potatoes or rice.  

Milanese Risotto

2 espresso cups risotto rice

2 teaspoons olive oil

1 espresso cup white dry wine

Half a small onion, peeled and chopped

1 ½ mugs hot chicken broth

1 espresso cup mascarpone Italian cream

1 espresso cup parmesan cheese, grated

½ teaspoon saffron

Salt and pepper

In a second large pan, heat olive oil on medium-high setting until it smokes.  Add onions and saute until translucent.  Pour in rice and toss well for 3 minutes.  Rice should be well coated in oil.  Add your saffron and white wine.  Toss for 4  to 5 minutes giving the rice time to absorb wine.  Use a ladle to slowly pour a bit of broth into the risotto base.  Stir and repeat each time the liquid is absorbed.  After about 15 to 20 minutes, the rice should be almost cooked.  The only way to know for sure to taste it should not be aldente but soft.  If not, add a bit more broth.  Add a pinch of salt and pepper per person.  Once the rice is cooked and tender, reduce the heat to a minimum.  Add your cheese and mascarpone cream.  Mix until the cream and cheese have melted.  Serve immediately.

Chocolate Mousse

5 pieces eggs

220 grams dark chocolate, broken into small pieces

1 espresso cup melted butter

1 espresso cup sugar

1 pinch salt

Separate your eggs and set aside.

Melt yor butter in the microwave oven (make sure to use  a microwave-safe cup).  Place your chocolate  pieces and a tablespoon of water in a microwave-safe bowl and melt for 2 minutes, mix chocolate and melt again for 1 minute.  Mix so that it makes a nice paste.  Mix in butter and set aside.

Using an electric mixer, whip the egg whites with a pinch of salt until they are really stiff.  Beat your egg yolks, adding in sugar and your chocolate mixture.  Mix well.  Gently pour your chocolate batter into the stiff whites.  Once the egg whites are completely incorporated, pour into a serving bowl and cover with aluminum foil.  Leave in the refrigerator for at least 3 hours.