The Greatest Chef of All Time

As you might have followed, from time to time I try to publish some culinary posts which is another passion and hobby of mine. I was getting prepared for the next jazz notes on "Free Jazz" but I noticed that so many jazz notes one after the other would be a bit overloading for everyone so I decided to throw in a more relaxed and tasty post.

In this post I would like to introduce a grand master culinary character and  probably the greatest chef of all time to you: Auguste Escoffier.

One can argue why I did not choose Marie-Antoine Carême, who is often considered as the father of the modern grand cuisine; simply because I like the works of Escoffier better. Anyhow it is a fact that Escoffier had followed the footsteps of Carême but in my opinion he has achieved to create a more contemporary and a simpler culinary style than his predecessor. One other significance of Escoffier is that he always preferred to work in restaurants and hotels whereas Carême had chosen to be closer to royals and aristocrats. Maybe that's why I appreciate Escoffier more...

Escoffier

Escoffier was born in 1846 in Villeneuve-Loubet, a town near Nice in France. His father was a blacksmith and a tobacco trader. Young Auguste was strong, witty and smart with an amazing talent in painting. However with his family's desire to direct him to some sort of craft/trade and maybe more importantly his grandmother's impact on little Auguste after witnessing her cooking skills led him to start his working life in a restaurant owned by his uncle when he was only 13 (Le Restaurant Français in Nice). He worked there almost 6 years and experienced a highly disciplined and tough apprenticeship. His uncle never treated his nephew differently than his other staff and that's why he made a huge progress within these six years and learned all the fine details of the culinary world.

In 1865, he met the owner of the famous Paris restaurant "Le Petit Moulin Rouge" who was visiting Nice and was immediately hired to become the restaurant's new "apprentice roast chef". He traveled to Paris for the new job but unfortunately could not stay there for long due to being called to the army service. He spent seven years in the army because of the Franco-Prussian war, mostly as an army chef. During these challenging years in the army, he managed to solve the problem of food preservation by canning certain foods in order to be consumed on the battlefield. During the same time, while observing the chain of command in the army, he thought of a similar system to be implemented in the culinary service world called the "Brigade System" which is a structured system that delegates special tasks to different specialized people in the establishment (chef, sous-chef, commis, rotisseur, patissier etc...). This system is still very much used in restaurants. He is also the inventor of the bouillon cube that is widely used in home kitchens all around the world.

As you can see he changed a lot of things about the culinary life that are still viable today, from the attire of the kitchen staff to the sauces used in cooking (if interested more check his 5 mother sauces online).

Marche Heroique by Saint-Saens composed as an homage to a friend died in the Franco-Prussian War

After the war, Escoffier came back to "Le Petit Moulin Rouge" where he worked until 1878. He opened his own restaurant "Le Faisan D'Or" in Cannes in the same year. Not even completing a year in his own establishment, he was again called back to Paris as the head chef of "Masion Chevet" which was one of the highlights of the Parisian political figures and jet set. At the same time he also consulted the kitchens of the mayor of Paris.

In 1880 he got married to Delphine Dafhis, the daughter of a famous French publisher. She has helped Escoffier with his many books he has written between 1886 and his death.

"Fleurs en Cire" by Escoffier

The couple moved to Monte Carlo in 1884. Escoffier was now employed by César Ritz to manage the kitchens of the "Grand Hotel". Until 1890 he spent half a year there in Monte Carlo and half a year in the Swiss branch of the Grand Hotel National in Lucerne. During these 6 years, Escoffier became  close friends with Ritz who had started his career as a bellboy in this hotel and who had finally promoted as the hotel manager. Historians agree that their collaboration has shaped the modern hospitality industry.

1890 was a milestone in the careers of Escoffier and Ritz as they were called to manage the "Savoy Hotel" in London, maybe the first modern luxury hotel in the world. Both were working hard and at the same time training new enthusiastic apprentices who later became celebrity chefs and hoteliers all around the world. In Savoy, Escoffier did not only work in the kitchens creating beautiful and tasty dishes, but he also revolutionized the restaurant management concept, kitchen techniques, food hygiene and even the eating habits of the society.

Savoy Hotel London

On top of all these successes, Escoffier had created many signature dishes with names coming mostly from his famous clients.

• Pêche Melba: Inspired from Nelly Melba, Australian singer who had spent almost 2 years in the Savoy Hotel. Escoffier confessed later that he had visualized Nelly Melba on stage when creating this still famous desert.
• Tournedos Rossini: In honor of Rossini (there is a dispute whether this dish was created by Carême or Escoffier)
• Salade Rejane: In honor of Gabrielle Réjane, a French actress.
• Bombe Nero: after Roman emperor Nero
• Melba Toast: again after Nelly Melba when she was sick and asked something light to eat
• Chaud-Froid Jeanette: In memory of the ship crew that died in a polar expedition
• Fraises à la Sarah Bernhardt: strawberries in honor of Sarah Bernhardt

Inspired from Nelly Melba

In honor of Sarah Bernhardt

Interestingly, Escoffier and Ritz were fired from the Savoy with serious accusations of fraud and corruption. After settling with the owners of the hotel, they moved to Paris and opened the "Ritz Hotel" in 1898. It was the most modern hotel of the period. There was electricity in all rooms. The hotel had 4000 bottles of valuable wines in its own cellar and another 180.000 bottles in a close-by cellar/warehouse. 

Ritz in Paris

One year later two partners opened the "Carlton" hotel in London and many more "Ritz" hotels in the big cities of the world. They worked together until 1901 when Ritz started to suffer from health problems. 

In 1903, Escoffier finished his great book called the "Le Guide Culinaire". The book consists of almost 5000 recipes and culinary techniques and even today it is considered as a reference book for chefs.

Le Guide Culinaire by Escoffier

He participated in the first voyage of the SS Imperator from Hamburg to New York as the master chef. He met Kaiser Wilhelm II on the ship and legend has it that he told Escoffier: "I may be the Emperor of Germany, but you are the Emperor of Chefs"...

In 1919 he retired from the "Carlton" and moved back to Monte Carlo to live with his wife. In 1920, he was decorated with "Legion d'Honeur" and he was the first chef in history to receive the medal.

Another very important contribution by Escoffier to the culinary world is the creation of the "Degustation (Tasting) Menus".  He desired to show his talent by offering various dishes (typically 10-12 different plates) to his guests. Such menus are great for the diners as they provide an opportunity to taste almost all the signature dishes of the restaurant however on the other hand they are very challenging for the chefs to prepare. As opposed to contrary belief, the "tasting menus" (as we know today) do not date back to middle ages. It is true that around 10-12 different dishes were offered to guests but the format (especially elegance and planning) was nothing like the modern times.

Today food historians agree that the "Degustation Menus" as we have them today are created by Escoffier between the years of 1880 and 1910. 

Maybe the most famous "Tasting Menu" Escoffier had prepared was for King George V and his 12 guests in 1908. Here are some highlights from that menu:

• Half a melon filled with Beluga Caviar
• Tortoise and chicken soup
• Whole chicken stuffed with rice and truffles
• Roasted Welsh lamb with peas
• Lemon and ginger sorbet to freshen up the palette
• Trout with herbs
• Duck with port reduction
• Pink grapefruit sorbet to freshen up the palette
• Artichokes with mustard sauce
• Salad with mint sauce
• Pêche Melba, petit fours and fruits as deserts

As you can notice the "tasting menu" created by Escoffier is not too different that what we have today, well maybe and hopefully the sizes are a bit smaller for us.

In 1928 he helped with the foundation of "World Association of World Chefs" and became its first president.

He died in 1935, two weeks after his wife.
Escoffier is still remembered today as the most important figure of the culinary stage.

Let's conclude with a recipe well associated with Escoffier: "Pêche Melba"...(Sorry but you need to wait until peach season)

First ingredients (4 servings):

• 4 ripe peaches
• 1/2 kg raspberries
• 1/2 lt water
• 250 gr sugar
• 100 gr powdered sugar
• 1 stick vanilla bean
• 1/2 kg vanilla ice cream

Put the peaches into boiling water for 30 seconds, immediately remove and place in iced water. In a pan boil the water, sugar and the vanilla bean (only whats inside the stalk). When cold enough, cut the peaches in half, remove the stones and peel. Put them in the pan with boiling water, sugar and vanilla  for 7-8 minutes. Remove before the peaches get too soft and leave to cool. In a sieve, mash the raspberries with powdered sugar in order to make a sauce. 

In the meantime make a swan by sculpting a big form of ice, just kidding. But that was the original...

Put the ice cream into pre-cooled plates and place the peaches onto the ice cream. As a final touch, decorate the plate with the raspberry sauce and serve immediately.

Bon Appétit!