Aubrac culinary legend Sébastien Bras tells the story behind one of the most influential restaurants in the world, situated in the picturesque Aubrac region of France. In this long-awaited volume, the son of legendary French chef Michel Bras invites us through the doors of Le Suquet, his two Michelin star restaurant with dramatic views over the breath-taking countryside.
Through never-before-published recipes and specially commissioned photography, Sébastien tells the story of his family, where cooking is not only passed from generation to generation but is constantly reinvented and imagined.
Grounded and shaped by the terroir of his home in Aubrac, Bras' cuisine is internationally recognised as one of the most influential in the world, particularly for having raised vegetables and herbs to an art form.
Featuring 40 iconic recipes along with sumptuous and evocative images of the restaurant and surrounding landscape, Bras: The Tastes of Aubrac opens the Bras family album, showcasing the amazing story of a culinary tradition passing through generations of world-class chefs.
We present a Michelin-starred cooking challenge to Connexion readers, with this detailed but achievable recipe.
White soup with aged free-range bacon, roasted shallot and grilled hazelnuts
Ingredients
(for each step of the recipe method)
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White soup
200g Institut de Beauvais potatoes, peeled and cut into large cubes
1 litre vegetable stock (broth)
60g peeled and sliced carrot
60g peeled and chopped onion
60g leek, white part only, finely chopped
150g ham hock, cut into large cubes
100g butter
100g whipping cream
Clarified butter
250g butter
Potato spirals
4 large Institut de Beauvais potatoes
‘Institut de Beauvais’ is one of the oldest potato varieties. Its high starch content makes it particularly suitable for soups and purées and its very white flesh is perfect for this recipe. It has a lot of eyes, however, which makes it rather tedious to prepare.
1. White soup. Wash the potato cubes. In a cooking pot over a medium heat, place the vegetable stock (broth), potatoes, carrot, onion, leek and ham hock. Cook for 30 minutes. Remove the aromatic garnish (carrot, onion, leek, ham hock). Add the butter and cream, then blend everything, in a mixer or using an immersion blender.
If necessary, add a little vegetable stock to thin it: the dry-matter content of the potatoes may vary depending on when they were harvested and how long they were stored. The consistency of the soup should be that of liquid cream.
Clarified butterIvanna Pavliuk/Shutterstock
2. Clarified butter. Melt the butter in a bowl in a bain-marie. When the butter has melted, leave it to rest for 10 minutes. The watery part of the butter (casein and whey) will settle at the bottom. Keep only the top part, which is transparent. You should be left with around 200g of clarified butter.
3. Potato spirals. Peel and wash the potatoes. Using a suitable machine, peel the potatoes into thin strips and put them in cold water. Bring a large saucepan of salted water to the boil and blanch the strips for 45 seconds, then immediately cool them under cold water. Drain on paper towels. Preheat the oven to fan-assisted 110°C (225°F).
Arrange the potato strips on a sheet of greaseproof (wax) paper, forming a rectangle of 50 × 20 cm (20 × 8 in). Brush with clarified butter and cover with a second sheet of greaseproof paper. Using a sharp knife, cut 4 long rectangles of 5 × 20 cm (2 × 8 in). Insert these rectangles into a spiral-shaped stainless-steel mould. Bake for 2 hours. Check the colouring – they should not be too dark – and adjust the time and temperature if necessary.
Unmould, remove the greaseproof paper and leave to cool. Set aside in a very dry place.
4. Bacon mousse. Cut the bacon into 3 mm (1/8 in) thick slices. In a frying pan (skillet), cook it slowly, until lightly golden. In a saucepan, heat the cream over a low heat. Blend the bacon and cream. Strain, season with salt if needed, then pour into a small siphon fitted with a gas cartridge. Refrigerate.
Sébastien BrasPhaidon
5. Just before serving. Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F). Roast the shallots in foil with a drizzle of olive oil for about 30 minutes.
Pour the hot soup into a hot soup dish. Place 1 potato spiral in the centre and fill with the bacon mousse to one third of the height of the potato spiral. Add half a roasted shallot and sprinkle with roasted and chopped hazelnuts. Add some spring onion (scallion) leaves. Serve immediately.
Note: Clarified butter keeps better and withstands a higher cooking temperature than butter.
