Chef Pierre-Franck Salamon shares his secrets

Internationally acclaimed French chef Pierre-Franck Salamon recently visited South Africa and as part of the trip, went to Capital Hotel School in Pretoria where he taught students tips and tricks on being a leading chef.

Coming from a family of cooks, Salamon has worked in some famous Michelin 3-star restaurants and was the former chief executive of the Pierre Gagnaire 2-star restaurant in Courchevel, France. He is the winner of several culinary competitions, including the 1999 Taittinger International.

Salamon owns the Pirate restaurant, a fancy brasserie specialising in shellfish and seafood at Ferney-Voltaire in France.

Hospitality industry

Myths: The only jobs available in the hospitality industry are waiters or cooks; part-time jobs; and the industry has limited growth potential.

Facts: The hospitality industry is the world’s largest industry and employer. Today, it is much more than hotel and restaurant businesses; it includes cruise ships, arenas and entertainment centres, casinos, golf and other club management, event planning, catering, bed and breakfast options, resorts and many more.

Recipe: Cream peas, sesame lacquered chicken wing, foie gras chantilly crunch

Cream peas, sesame lacquered chicken wing, foie gras chantilly crunch.

Ingredients

Cream peas
4 iceberg lettuce
1kg split peas or 2.8kg fresh peas
2.8kg strawberries
150g onions thinly sliced
1 clove of garlic crushed
200g butter
2l chicken stock (powdered)
600g cream
Salt and pepper

Chantilly foie gras
1 whipped cream maker/dispense 1l
300g small cubes of foie gras
300g cream
100ml chicken stock powder
100ml porto
Salt and pepper
Spice, spiced bread powder

Garnish
10 snow peas/snap peas
20 chicken wings
100g pea shoots
150g soya sauce
100g sesame oil
50g sesame wasabi
5 filo pastry
100g brown butter

Method

Cream peas
1. Sweat the onions in butter with the lettuce.

2. Prepare the chicken stock, bring to boil.

3. Add the peas and garlic, cook for 30 minutes.

4. Puree in the food processor and pass through a sieve.

5. Cook with the cream for 2 minutes and season.

Foie gras chantilly
1. Bring the port, chicken stock and seasoning to the boil.

2. Add cubes of foie gras.

3. Boil for 2 minutes, and then pass through fine sieve.

4. Put into cream siphon with 2 cartridges that is settled in ice water bath and reserve for service and plating.

Completion and assembly
1. Seal the chicken wings off in cream peas and deglaze with soya sauce.

2.Add a drop of water and place the lid on the pan. Cook till tender and then pull the flesh off the bones. Reserve.

3. Meanwhile, cut the snap peas into julienne, mix sesame oil and seasoning. Toss this for one minute in a hot pan for 1 minute with the chicken, so that you retain the crispness of the mange tout.

4. Cut the filo into rectangles and interleaf with melted butter. Fold over metal cornetts (pastry horns) and bake till golden brown at 180C for about 7 minutes.

5. Finally, spoon the creamed peas in the base of the plate and balance the filled phyllo cornetts off-centre against the soy lacquered chicken.

6. Garnish with the pea shoots, sesame wasabi and a drop of sesame oil.

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