As a Francophile, everything
French is a delight to me. What more if it is French cuisine? Thinking of those
rich stews, cheeses, fancy wines and a list of menu you can hardly pronounce
but still want to try. French cooking might appear complex to us but during the
Maya
Kitchen Culinary Elite Series I attended, French and Mediterranean
cuisine extraordinaire, Chef Xavier
Btesh, proves otherwise.
Did you know that French cooking,
its basic, can easily be done in the Filipino home as revealed by Chef Xavier?
During his Maya Kitchen Culinary Elite
session, Chef Xavier shared how French dishes have a lot of similarities with
Filipino food. In the same way that we have “adobo,” the French have their own
version as well. Just switch the vinegar with wine and there you’ll have a
French chicken stew.
Staying in the country for over five
years now and falling in love with the country and the people who have welcomed
him with open arms, he pays tribute by sharing valuable knowledge and his
cooking legacy with his newest cookbook, French
Kusina. With this new book, Chef Xavier teaches you how to infuse French
techniques and styles into dishes that you can easily create at home using
local ingredients.
For the Culinary Elite Series, Chef Xavier demonstrates various
French-style dishes from his cookbook. He
starts with the traditional Marseille Seafood Soup, and the hearty Salad Nicoise. Beef Bourguinon, Milanese
Risotto, San Remo Pasta Carbonara make up the main dishes and a dessert of Chocolate Mousse completes the menu.
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Chef Xavier Btesh likened
the process of making Beef Bourguinon to making adobo—basically stewing the meat in a flavorful sauce.
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| Simple but classic: the Salad Nicoise |
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| The delicious Milanese Risotto. Chef Xavier Btesh may have been born and raised in Paris, but he is half Italian, which is why he knows the cuisine very well. |
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| A deliciously dense serving of Chocolate Mousse to finish off the meal. |
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| An authentic carbonara doesn’t have cream—it only uses eggs, parmesan cheese and salt and pepper! |
These are recipes which also
allow you to add your own personal flavors to each dish. “I think recipes
should be whatever floats your boat,” he says. “Food is craftwork that you
share and pass-on; and each of us can do it his own way.”
Whether you’re a chef, a foodie
or a home cook, Chef Xavier will always tell you to “cook with your heart,” and
think about the people you are cooking for. “Don’t mix too much stuff to begin
with, because the more you mix, the trickier it gets to play with flavors and
ingredients. Keep it simple,” he says. “And don’t be scared. I truly, truly
believe there is no bad chef.”
We have a learned a lot from Chef
Xavier during the Maya Kitchen Culinary
Elite Series. We now know that French cooking isn’t really that complicated
and we can tweak it with our personal touch. Moreover, with his tips and our
motivation we can cook like an expert that Chef Xavier is.
For more
information on this and on other course offerings, log on to www.themayakitchen.com, email contactus@themayakitchen.com, or visit The Maya Kitchen Culinary Center every
Tuesday to Saturday at 8F Liberty Building, 835 A. Arnaiz Avenue (Pasay Road),
Makati City. You may also call us 8921185 or 892-5011 local 108 or +63929 679
6102.
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