Category Archives: Culinary

A foodie's Christmas wish list – Staub cookware

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If you’re looking for the perfect present for the foodie in your life, look out for top quality, quirky Staub cookware.

Staub cocotte

Staub cocotte

Bruno Le Gac, our Corporate Executive Chef, gives us the lowdown on the pick of the crop from their latest range.

Cast iron cocottes from brand Staub are great and absolutely beautiful. They exist in plenty of cool colours and can be used for anything you want.

  • Mini cocottes to serve individual garnishes or sauces, soufflés or desserts. Gorgeous!
  • Large cocottes to cook your traditional family stew or basically anything you want. Get it in white for a modern twist or in titanium grey for a ‘techno’ look!
Pumpkin cocotte from Staub cookware

Pumpkin cocotte from Staub cookware

  • The cow cocotte. Braised beef brisket with sweet chili, capsicum and rosemary. Served with polenta.
  • The heart cocotte. For a special romantic dinner. The good thing with cast iron is that you just slide the cocotte in a gentle oven and food cooks by itself.
  • The pumpkin cocotte. Ideal for a ginger-flavoured pumpkin soup with garlic croutons.
  • The rooster cocotte. Great to serve a whole chicken basted with herbs with an onion jus.

Looking for inspiration?

If you’re in the mood for cooking, check out our Constance recipes - we post a delicious recipe from the heart of the kitchens every Friday. And don’t miss our video showing you how to make puri bread.

 

A foodie’s Christmas wish list – Staub cookware

Posted on by

If you’re looking for the perfect present for the foodie in your life, look out for top quality, quirky Staub cookware.

Staub cocotte

Staub cocotte

Bruno Le Gac, our Corporate Executive Chef, gives us the lowdown on the pick of the crop from their latest range.

Cast iron cocottes from brand Staub are great and absolutely beautiful. They exist in plenty of cool colours and can be used for anything you want.

  • Mini cocottes to serve individual garnishes or sauces, soufflés or desserts. Gorgeous!
  • Large cocottes to cook your traditional family stew or basically anything you want. Get it in white for a modern twist or in titanium grey for a ‘techno’ look!
Pumpkin cocotte from Staub cookware

Pumpkin cocotte from Staub cookware

  • The cow cocotte. Braised beef brisket with sweet chili, capsicum and rosemary. Served with polenta.
  • The heart cocotte. For a special romantic dinner. The good thing with cast iron is that you just slide the cocotte in a gentle oven and food cooks by itself.
  • The pumpkin cocotte. Ideal for a ginger-flavoured pumpkin soup with garlic croutons.
  • The rooster cocotte. Great to serve a whole chicken basted with herbs with an onion jus.

Looking for inspiration?

If you’re in the mood for cooking, check out our Constance recipes - we post a delicious recipe from the heart of the kitchens every Friday. And don’t miss our video showing you how to make puri bread.

 

Recipe: Chicken or beef stir fry with noodles

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Chicken or beef stiry fry with noodles

Chicken or beef stiry fry with noodles

If you’re too busy partying this festive season to spend much time cooking, try this quick and tasty noodle dish from Constance Moofushi.

  • 400g rump steak or chicken
  • 1 bunch spring onions
  • 1/4 red, 1/4 yellow and 1/4 green bell pepper
  • 100g carrots
  • 50g Chinese cabbage
  • 50g bok choy
  • 3 tbsp dry sherry
  • 3 tbsp dark soy sauce
  • 2 tbsp sesame seeds
  • 1 tbsp olive oil (not virgin or extra virgin varieties)
  • 500g fresh noodles

1. Cut the beef/chicken into thin strips, removing as much fat as possible during cutting.
2. Wash, drain and chop the spring onions. Slice the peppers. Julienne the carrots, and slice the Chinese cabbage. In a small bowl, combine the sherry and dark soy sauce and set aside.
3. Using a dry wok, heat the sesame seeds on medium heat, shaking the pan occasionally. Set aside.
4. Heat the olive oil in a wok over medium-high heat. Add the beef/chicken and brown until it is nearly cooked through (4 minutes max).
5. Add the spring onions, pepper, carrot, cabbage and bok choy into the pan. Stir fry for 1 minute. Add the sherry and soy sauce mixture and cook 2 minutes until the sauce has darkened.
6. Remove the wok from the heat and add the sesame seeds. Let the food stand in the wok while you are cooking the noodles.
7. Cook the noodles in 1 tsp of oil in a separate wok or non-stick pan for 2 minutes.
8. Eat straight away.

And don’t miss our post on the Top 5 most popular recipes on the Constance blog.

Pre-selections for Bernard Loiseau Culinary Festival 2012

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Island chefs in the kitchen at Bernard Loiseau Culinary Festival 2011

Island chefs in the kitchen at Bernard Loiseau Culinary Festival 2011

With just 4 months to go until the Bernard Loiseau Culinary Festival gets underway next March, chefs across our Constance resorts have been taking part in the final pre-selection event.

We can already tell that next year’s will be an exceptional festival, with one candidate taking part from each of our resorts.

In November, all candidates were tasked with preparing a starter and a main course, all using the same ingredients.

For the appetiser

  • Shrimps 21/25
  • Tomato
  • Olive oil
  • Bell pepper
  • Lemongrass

For the main course

  • Fillet of fresh red snapper
  • Sweet potato
  • Coconut milk
  • Ginger
  • Lemon

How the judging works

Members of the jury at Bernard Loiseau Culinary Festival 2011

Members of the jury at Bernard Loiseau Culinary Festival 2011

We created a panel of 4 jury members for the tasting and one ‘technical’ jury member in the kitchen for each of our resorts. The rules and regulations, the timing, and the ingredients were the same.

The task was for each candidate to express his technique and creativity, and aim to impress the jury members.

Judging criteria

Jerôme Manifacier & Ashley Ramasawmy

Jerôme Manifacier & Ashley Ramasawmy at 2011 festival

Criteria for the kitchen jury:

  • Hygiene (Grooming, work flow, cleanliness, respect of hygiene standards) – out of 20 points
  • Respect of culinary techniques – out of 20 points
  • Organisation – out of 20 points
  • Fair-play attitude – out of 20 points
  • Timing – out of 20 points

 Criteria for the tasting panel:

  • Presentation, smell, colour, attractiveness of the dish - out of 5 points
  • Best use of produce - out of 5 points
  • Texture, right degree of cooking, temperature – out of 10 points
  • Creativity, originality - out of 10 points
  • Taste - out of 20 points

As the day got underway, there was much excitement and enthusiasm in our kitchens. The result was impressive, as you can see from the photos.

What happens next

All candidates are now anxiously awaiting the results.

Once each hotel knows who will be representing them at the festival, intensive training will start in order to be ready for the big day in March.

Watch this space for more information. And don’t miss our previous articles on:

Hublot watches inspire culinary creativity at Blue Penny Café

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Hublot watches
Hublot and Constance – elegance comes naturally

In November, exclusive Swiss watchmaker Hublot and celebrity restaurant Blue Penny Café at Constance Belle Mare Plage combined their talents to create a prestigious event. 

Invited guests had the pleasure to discover the latest creations of the prestigious Swiss group and try on the fantastic watches made by the Hublot craftsmen.

Blue Penny Café chef Frederic Goisset, executive chef Dominique Grel and food and beverage Frederic Gille created an incredible menu with wine pairing, linking the worlds of ‘haute cuisine’ and ‘haute horlogerie’.

Creative appetisers

Big bang Tutti Frutti and canapes

Big bang Tutti Frutti and canapes

During the opening cocktail, exclusively created appetisers were presented in jewelry showcases, along with a Hublot watch:

  • Caviar (an oyster in green apple jelly, with a cream of wasabi, caviar and shiso)
  • Big bang Tutti frutti (Foie gras and agar of organic vegetable, spiced crumble)
  •  Vendôme (bread crouton, shrimp tartar, coconut jelly, red capsicum tapenade)
  • Yacht club Monaco (Scallop mousse, heart of palmtree, scallop carpaccio) 

The menu 

The dinner was splendid… with names evoking Hublot watches.

Team at Blue Penny Cafe evening with Hublot watches

Great team work between kitchen, service and sommellerie

  • GMT A canneloni of tomato and local crab, spiced syrup.
    Served with Domaine des Dieux, Sauvignon Blanc 2009, South Africa

 ***

  • Vibration: Duck foie gras preserved with Port jelly, ginger-flavoured pineapple chutney, young sprouts.
    Served with Alsace, Pinot Gris ‘Cuvée Albert’, Albert Mann 2009, France

***

  • Submarine: Back of pan-seared codfish lemon and shellfish condiment with smoked herring row.
    Served with Châteauneuf du Pape “La Crau” – Domaine du vieux télégraphe 2005, France

***

Hublot watch and appetiser

Haute cuisine meets haute horlogerie

  • Amplitude: Lamb fillet in a crust of mild chili, the chop in a spicy kofta, pimientodel piquillo stuffed with potato chutney, a jus flavoured with Pata Negra ham.
    Served with Vriesenhof Pinot Noir 2003, South Africa

***

  • Carat: Creamy poppy and raspberry dessert, raspberry sherbet.
    Served with Rhum Nation Demerarra 31 years old  

Before dessert, guests were served the most exclusive cheeses in Switzerland including an incredible Gruyère made by Hublot CEO Mr Biver, that he wished to share with guests at  this remarkable evening.

The event was a wonderful occasion for invited guests to discover or re-discover Blue Penny Café, the temple of food and wine in Mauritius.

Recipe: Sliced fillet of fish served raw with passionfruit marinade

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Looking for a tasty appetiser to add a bit of pazazz to a festive dinner? Try this delicious and easy to make fish dish to bring a taste of the Maldives to your home this Christmas.

Fresh fish
Fresh fish

Serves 4

Ingredients:

  • 500g clean fillet of fresh white fish (firm flesh)
  • 1 soup spoon of fresh passionfruit per person (scoop out the pulp and seeds from the shell)
  • 20cl good extra virgin olive oil
  • juice of 1 small lime
  • chopped herbs to taste (mint, basil, flat parsley, coriander, chives)
  • small onion or shallot, thinly chopped
  • salt flakes and freshly ground pepper
  • chopped chilli to taste

1. Brush four flat plates with olive oil. Sprinkle with salt.
2. Cut the fish fillet into slices of approximately 3mm thick (don’t slice it too thinly so you can enjoy texture of fish). Lay the slices evenly on the 4 plates as you go.
3. Leave the plates in the fridge, and then prepare the dressing.
4. In a bowl, place the passionfruit pulp and seeds. Add lemon juice and onion to taste.
5. Season with salt and pepper.
6. Mix together with a whisk, and add the olive oil slowly to the mix.
7. Check seasoning.
8. Add the fresh herbs to the marinade.
9. Spread the marinade evenly on the fish and leave it to marinate for 10 minutes at room temperature.
10. You can finish the dish with your choice of toppings such as small croutons, pomegranate, fresh tomato, toasted pine nuts, rocket, lambs lettuce… Enjoy!