Related News
Home
» City specials
» Hangzhou
Chef's credo: The simpler, the better
By Gao Ceng |
June 21, 2012, Thursday
|
Print Edition
Print Edition
UNLIKE chefs who easily summarize their personal style and signature dishes, Trevor Macleod, chef de cuisine at Cathay Western restaurant in the Fairmont Peace Hotel, says he can't and won't put his style into a nutshell.
For the 28-year-old Canadian, his culinary approach is constantly evolving; there's nothing fixed or categorical.
"I don't follow the same rule each time," MacLeod says, adding that a professional chef tries to make every dish perfect and is not satisfied with several so-called signature dishes.
But his credo is fixed: the simpler, the better.
Many of his dishes are characterized by presentation along a diagonal line on the plate, whether a visible drizzle of sauce or an invisible line created by the pleasing arrangement of foods.
In a beef dish, he drips dark sauce in a diagonal line; along it he places alternating strips of orange carrot, green peas, yellow potato, blue cheese and dark beef. They are arranged from light to dark, creating an appealing color contrast.
In addition to presentation, the chef prefers simplicity in flavor.
"I don't like too-complicated ingredients. Usually, a dish is given no more than three major flavors, which I think is enough," the chef says. He likes simple combinations, such as beetroot with goat cheese and lobster with white wine.
A chef's main task is not adding ingredients with more flavors, but bringing out the natural taste and highlighting the beauty of ingredients.
Stone fruits, such as cherries, peaches, apricots and plums, are among his favorite ingredients for their versatility. Not only are they popular in desserts, but they also can be made into chutneys and other sauces and used as main ingredients and appetizers.
Cherry sauce goes well with lamb dish while poached peaches is a classical pairing for foie gras, cutting through its richness, the chef explained. He is now trying to adapt local fruits such as dragon fruit into the restaurant's new summer menu.
Childhood
The chef's respect for ingredients and his love of fruit is partly influenced by his childhood in Ottawa, Canada.
"I started cooking when I was three with my grandmother," Macleod says, adding that her apple pie is still his favorite.
In summer he stayed on a farm with his grandparents where his grandfather was an expert in gardening and sourcing quality produce.
"He taught me how to pick fresh fruit and corn, dig potatoes, how to recognize high-quality produce and eat the right food in the right season," he says.
Since he arrived in Shanghai this April, MacLeod has been busy almost all the time, refreshing the menu and training kitchen staff. Frequent diners at Cathay Western restaurant will notice slight changes is in the menu every few weeks. Many changes are based on diners' feedback.
A professional chef is not someone who spends 24 hours in the kitchen but someone who is close to his customers, learning what they like and don't like.
Some dishes that aren't popular will be removed from the menu and when there's good feedback, the chef adds more dishes with the same ingredients.
What the chef prefers is not necessarily what the customers like, he says. Although Macleod personally loves the lamb dishes, he finds that beef is much more popular on the menu in Shanghai. Thus, he plans to launch three different beef tenderloin dishes very soon.
He finds inspiration all around him, from a sandwich in a small cafe to new ingredients discovered in a food market.
He has worked in Vancouver, British Columbia; Banff in Alberta, Canada; Abu Dabi and now Shanghai.
Universal language
Since he only speaks English, the chef communicates with kitchen staff with easily understood hand signals for cutting, chopping, tasting and no-that's-not-right.
His staff are predominantly Shanghainese and chef Macleod praises their skill in preparing Western cuisine.
"They are precise, with good skills and knowledge of European techniques. More importantly, they show something unique. Like this city itself, they both embrace modern concepts and preserve and showcase the classics," he says.
Blue Crab Cake
Ingredients:
Blue crab meat 800g; red onion (minced), 1 small; egg, 1; mayonnaise, 125ml; Dijon mustard, 2 tbsp; lemon juice, 2 tbsp; bread crumbs, 100ml; parsley (chopped), 5g; chives (minced), 5g; salt and pepper (to taste)
Steps:
1. Pick through the crab meat to ensure it's free of shell and cartilage.
2. Mix all the ingredients together, adding the bread crumbs last to adjust the consistency. Season with salt and pepper.
3. Mold the crab mix into rounds using a round cookie cutter. Refrigerate until ready to serve.
Cucumber and Grapefruit Salad
Grapefruit:
Grapefruit (segmented), 2; water, 200ml; lemon juice, 100ml; sugar, 250g; star anise, 3
Cucumber:
English cucumber (seeded and cut into ribbons), 2; white wine vinegar, 100ml; water, 100ml; sugar, 100g; ginger (sliced), 10g; fresh dill, 2 sprigs
Steps:
1. Bring water, lemon juice, anise and sugar to a boil, pour hot liquid over grapefruit segments and let macerate in fridge overnight.
2. In a pot bring vinegar, water, sugar and ginger to a boil then cool to room temp.
Pour cooled liquid over the cucumber ribbons 30 min before serving.
To assemble
Seared crab cake, 6 pieces; marinated cucumber; macerated grapefruit; frisse lettuce, 1/2 head; arugula greens, 1 bunch; radish (sliced thin), 3; salt and pepper (to taste)
Steps:
1. Pan-fry crab cake in a small amount of oil until it's golden and crisp on both sides.
2. Spoon a line of mayonnaise on the plate and place the crab cake on top.
3. Drain liquid from cucumber and grapefruit, toss in a bowl with frisse and arugula, season with salt and pepper.
4. Place salad on top of crab cake and garnish with slices of radish.
For the 28-year-old Canadian, his culinary approach is constantly evolving; there's nothing fixed or categorical.
"I don't follow the same rule each time," MacLeod says, adding that a professional chef tries to make every dish perfect and is not satisfied with several so-called signature dishes.
But his credo is fixed: the simpler, the better.
Many of his dishes are characterized by presentation along a diagonal line on the plate, whether a visible drizzle of sauce or an invisible line created by the pleasing arrangement of foods.
In a beef dish, he drips dark sauce in a diagonal line; along it he places alternating strips of orange carrot, green peas, yellow potato, blue cheese and dark beef. They are arranged from light to dark, creating an appealing color contrast.
In addition to presentation, the chef prefers simplicity in flavor.
"I don't like too-complicated ingredients. Usually, a dish is given no more than three major flavors, which I think is enough," the chef says. He likes simple combinations, such as beetroot with goat cheese and lobster with white wine.
A chef's main task is not adding ingredients with more flavors, but bringing out the natural taste and highlighting the beauty of ingredients.
Stone fruits, such as cherries, peaches, apricots and plums, are among his favorite ingredients for their versatility. Not only are they popular in desserts, but they also can be made into chutneys and other sauces and used as main ingredients and appetizers.
Cherry sauce goes well with lamb dish while poached peaches is a classical pairing for foie gras, cutting through its richness, the chef explained. He is now trying to adapt local fruits such as dragon fruit into the restaurant's new summer menu.
Childhood
The chef's respect for ingredients and his love of fruit is partly influenced by his childhood in Ottawa, Canada.
"I started cooking when I was three with my grandmother," Macleod says, adding that her apple pie is still his favorite.
In summer he stayed on a farm with his grandparents where his grandfather was an expert in gardening and sourcing quality produce.
"He taught me how to pick fresh fruit and corn, dig potatoes, how to recognize high-quality produce and eat the right food in the right season," he says.
Since he arrived in Shanghai this April, MacLeod has been busy almost all the time, refreshing the menu and training kitchen staff. Frequent diners at Cathay Western restaurant will notice slight changes is in the menu every few weeks. Many changes are based on diners' feedback.
A professional chef is not someone who spends 24 hours in the kitchen but someone who is close to his customers, learning what they like and don't like.
Some dishes that aren't popular will be removed from the menu and when there's good feedback, the chef adds more dishes with the same ingredients.
What the chef prefers is not necessarily what the customers like, he says. Although Macleod personally loves the lamb dishes, he finds that beef is much more popular on the menu in Shanghai. Thus, he plans to launch three different beef tenderloin dishes very soon.
He finds inspiration all around him, from a sandwich in a small cafe to new ingredients discovered in a food market.
He has worked in Vancouver, British Columbia; Banff in Alberta, Canada; Abu Dabi and now Shanghai.
Universal language
Since he only speaks English, the chef communicates with kitchen staff with easily understood hand signals for cutting, chopping, tasting and no-that's-not-right.
His staff are predominantly Shanghainese and chef Macleod praises their skill in preparing Western cuisine.
"They are precise, with good skills and knowledge of European techniques. More importantly, they show something unique. Like this city itself, they both embrace modern concepts and preserve and showcase the classics," he says.
Blue Crab Cake
Ingredients:
Blue crab meat 800g; red onion (minced), 1 small; egg, 1; mayonnaise, 125ml; Dijon mustard, 2 tbsp; lemon juice, 2 tbsp; bread crumbs, 100ml; parsley (chopped), 5g; chives (minced), 5g; salt and pepper (to taste)
Steps:
1. Pick through the crab meat to ensure it's free of shell and cartilage.
2. Mix all the ingredients together, adding the bread crumbs last to adjust the consistency. Season with salt and pepper.
3. Mold the crab mix into rounds using a round cookie cutter. Refrigerate until ready to serve.
Cucumber and Grapefruit Salad
Grapefruit:
Grapefruit (segmented), 2; water, 200ml; lemon juice, 100ml; sugar, 250g; star anise, 3
Cucumber:
English cucumber (seeded and cut into ribbons), 2; white wine vinegar, 100ml; water, 100ml; sugar, 100g; ginger (sliced), 10g; fresh dill, 2 sprigs
Steps:
1. Bring water, lemon juice, anise and sugar to a boil, pour hot liquid over grapefruit segments and let macerate in fridge overnight.
2. In a pot bring vinegar, water, sugar and ginger to a boil then cool to room temp.
Pour cooled liquid over the cucumber ribbons 30 min before serving.
To assemble
Seared crab cake, 6 pieces; marinated cucumber; macerated grapefruit; frisse lettuce, 1/2 head; arugula greens, 1 bunch; radish (sliced thin), 3; salt and pepper (to taste)
Steps:
1. Pan-fry crab cake in a small amount of oil until it's golden and crisp on both sides.
2. Spoon a line of mayonnaise on the plate and place the crab cake on top.
3. Drain liquid from cucumber and grapefruit, toss in a bowl with frisse and arugula, season with salt and pepper.
4. Place salad on top of crab cake and garnish with slices of radish.
- About Us
- |
- Terms of Use
- |
-
RSS - |
- Privacy Policy
- |
- Contact Us
- |
- Shanghai Call Center: 962288
- |
- Tip-off hotline: 52920043
- 沪ICP证：沪ICP备05050403号-1
- |
- 互联网新闻信息服务许可证：31120180004
- |
- 网络视听许可证：0909346
- |
- 广播电视节目制作许可证：沪字第354号
- |
- 增值电信业务经营许可证：沪B2-20120012
Copyright © 1999- Shanghai Daily. All rights reserved.Preferably viewed with Internet Explorer 8 or newer browsers.
