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Jean Georges Cooking Demonstration & Luncheon

Address: 4/F, Three on the Bund, 17 Guangdong Lu, near Zhongshan Dong Yi Lu
.             广东路17号, 外滩三号4楼, 近中山东一路
Tel: 6321 7733
Website: www.threeonthebund.com
Price: 498 RMB/person, or 398 RMB/person for groups of six or more

How many people can say that they’ve received cooking tips from Jean-Georges Vongerichten the great man himself in person? Well, quite a few of us here in Shanghai! Just this past weekend, Three on the Bund hosted a cooking demonstration by the culinary mastermind himself, followed by a four-course lunch featuring the same dishes he showcased. Sounds like an gastronomic Saturday morning? Oui oui.

Jean-Georges Vongerichten

For those who are unfamiliar with Jean-Geroges Vongerichten, here’s an excerpt from Wikipedia:

…No single chef has had more influence on the way New Yorkers dine out – or on the way other chefs cook and other restaurants look. “He invented America’s answer to nouvelle cuisine,” says Mario Batali. “When I first came to New York, his book Simple Cuisine was the holy grail for young chefs, and JoJo was the hottest ticket in town.”

The chef at work

Joining Jean-Georges at the cooking demonstration was Lam Ming Kin, the executive chef at Jean Georges Shanghai, who has been around since the opening of the restaurant in 2004 and has also done time at Jean Georges New York.

With executive chef Lam Ming Kin

The pastry chef joins in

Jean-Georges also introduced Dan Kluger (“Best Chef of the Year”), the man at his recently opened ABC Kitchen (“Best New Restaurant”) in New York.

With ABC Kitchen chef Dan Kluger

The eager audience

After the cooking demo, we headed upstairs to Jean Georges Shanghai for a tasting of each demonstrated dish. Hungry and eager, we were!

Jean Georges

Jean Georges

The dining room is in tones of black and dark red, which would be especially alluring in the evening.

Jean Georges

The kitchen

Booze, anyone?

We were all quite in love with the bread and butter at Jean Georges. I would’ve had seconds on both if I weren’t saving room for the four courses that I was so eager to try.

Capable and adventurous cooks can attempt all four dishes with below recipes. Though Jean-Georges seemed to have conjured everything up with minimal effort, there is no way I will try to recreate them at home (I mean, just look at those tedious ingredient lists!) If you do give the recipes a try, leave a comment and let me know how they turn out.

Kingfish Sashimi, Chipotle Mayonnaise, Crispy Rice

Chipotle Mayonnaise

• egg yolk (2 ea)
• red wine vinegar (2 tsp)
• orange juice (1 tbsp)
• lime juice (2 tbsp)
• chipotle in adobo (3 tbsp)
• salt (1/4 tsp)
• grape seed oil (1 cup)

Combine all except oils in robot coupe and process until smooth. Slowly stream in oils.

Rice

• sushi rice (1 cup)
• cold water (1 1/2 cup)
• mirin (1/4 cup)
• rice vinegar (1/3 cup)
• konbu (3′ X 3′ piece)
• salt (1 1/2 tsp)

Combine all in a medium sauce pot and bring to a simmer. Cover with a lid that has been wrapped in a damp towel, and simmer slowly until rice is cooked. Let sit off the heat covered for 15 minutes. Press in a plastic wrap lined container to achieve a 2.5cm thick brick. Once cool, cut into 5cm X 2.5cm X 2.5cm rectangles.

Soy Honey

• light soy (1/2 cup)
• honey (1/2 cup)
• sherry vinegar (3 tbsp)
• rice vinegar (1 tbsp)

Bring all ingredients to a boil and let cool.

To serve

Deep fry rice rectangles until just crispy, then immediately transfer to paper towels and season with salt. In a small bowl, combine chipotle mayonnaise and scallions. Top each rectangle with 1 tablespoon of chipotle mayonnaise mix, then drape with kingfish. Transfer to square plate and brush with honey soy. Place a small pinch of mint cilantro mix on each piece, then finish with fleur de sel.

Kingfish Sashimi, Chipotle Mayonnaise, Crispy Rice

Kingfish Sashimi, Chipotle Mayonnaise, Crispy Rice

Green Asparagus with Morels, Asparagus Juice

Hollandaise Sauce

• yolk (2 ea)
• water (2 tbsp)
• butter diced and soft (1/2 cup)
• lemon juice to taste
• cayenne to taste
• salt to taste

Place the yolks in a bowl over a double-boiler and add 2 tablespoons water and a pinch of salt; place over boiling water whisking constantly, until light, foamy, and slightly thickened. Remove from the heat and add some butter. Return to the heat and continue to whisk until the mixture is thick and bright yellow adding butter in increments. Add the lemon juice and check seasoning. Adjust with salt and cayenne.

Morel

• shallot (2 pcs)
• morel (1 cup)
• heavy cream (1 cup)
• Shao Xing wine (2 tbsp)
• butter (1 tbsp)

Sweat shallots in butter, add morels and cook them through. Add heavy cream, boil all together, add Shao Xing wine, salt, pepper and finish with hollandaise sauce. Serve it on side.

Asparagus

• peeled jumbo asparagus (16 pcs)
• butter (1 tbsp)
• unpeeled pencil asparagus (1 kg)

Juice half of pencil asparagus. Cook the other pencil asparagus, then shock it in ice water and puree in mixer. Heat the asparagus puree with asparagus juice and 1 spoon of butter while you are cooking the jumbo asparagus in water (doneness to taste). Tri asparagus to fit plate. Serve asparagus sauce around.

Green Asparagus with Morels, Asparagus Juice

Seared Shrimp, Cucumber, Avocado, and Chili-Garlic Emulsion

Shrimp

• 16-20 shrimp, peeled, deveined (12 pcs)
• salt/black pepper, thyme leaves
• extra virgin olive oil

Season shrimp gently with salt and pepper and coat with some thyme leaves. Sear on the plancha with extra virgin olive oil and cook until crispy and just cooked.

Chili-Garlic Emulsion

1st set:

• red ell peppers, stemmed and seeded (5 ea)
• carrots, peeled, sliced 1” rondelles, blanched and shocked (3” long)
• red finger chili, seeds and membrane removed (10 ea)
• thai chili, seeds removed (5 ea)
• fresh orange juice (1 cup)
• fresh lime juice (1/3 cup)
• Japanese rice wine vinegar (1/3 cup)
• sriracha (3 tbsp)
• garlic, sliced 1/4′ thick, blanched from cold 3 times (3 pcs)
• sugar (3 tbsp)

2nd set:

• salt to taste
• lecithin granules (1 tbsp)
• extra virgin olive oil (1/2 cup)

In the blender, combine set 1 ingredients and puree until smooth. Pass through a chinois, pushing for total extraction without passing pulp (you should have 465g). Mix in salt to dissolve then add lecithin and extra virgin olive oil. Heat as needed to 150 degrees and aerate to obtain a dense foam. Let settle for 1 minute before using.

Orange Confit

1st set

• orange peel, pith on, trimmed to 1/8′ thick, cut 1/4′ dice

2nd set

• fresh orange juice (1/3 cup)
• fresh lime juice (2 tbsp)
• elderflower cordial (2 tbsp)
• rosemary needles, minced with a sharp knife (10 pcs)
• salt to taste

Put orange peel in a small pot and cover with cold water. Bring to a boil, drain and repeat 3 more times. When drained,  put in a saute pan with the 2nd set and cook on high heat until syrupy.

Avocado

1st set

• fresh lime juce (1/3 cup)
• extra virgin olive oil 1 cup
• salt to taste

2nd set

• ripe avocado medium parisienne (2 pcs)

Combine 1st set and mix well. Add avocado balls and mix well. Keep room temp.

To serve

Warm 1 tbsp butter, toss 1 cup of cucumber noodles (season with salt 2 hours in advance), and serve with shrimps, chili-garlic emulsion, orange confit, and avocado. Top with dried mint leaves.

Seared Shrimp, Cucumber, Avocado, and Chili-Garlic Emulsion

Passion Fruit Sunflower

Meringue Tips

• egg white (5 pcs)
• sugar (1/2 cup)
• confectioners sugar (1 cup)

Put all ingredients together in the mixing bowl (Kitchenaid), with the whisk on second speed. Using a blow torch, heat the bottom of the bowl while beating. Keep doing until the egg whites become warm and fluffy. At this point, turn the mixer onto its maximum speed and let turn until meringue becomes just lukewarm and stuff onto hard peak. Dry in 200F or off heat oven until crispy.

Pastry Cream

• milk (2 cups)
• sugar (1/2 cup)
• pastry cream powder (4 tbsp)
• egg (1)
• orange blossom water (1 tsp)

Bring milk to a boil. Temper into egg/sugar mix. Whisk constantly until boiling and bubbling.

Creme Dipolate Vanille

• pastry cream (1 cup)
• whipped cream (hard peaks) (1/3 cup)

Use paddle attachment to make pastry cream smooth. Separately, whip the cream. Gently combine and keep in a pastry bag ready for use.

To serve

• passion fruit (2 ea)

Put 6 tbsp of the dipolate cream in a circle, put the passion fruit seeds on the top to make the sunflower.

Passion Fruit Sunflower

Passion Fruit Sunflower

I was quite satisfied with the actual dishes, given that the kitchen was dealing with a rather large and hungry crowd. More so than the food itself, however, I was charmed by the chef and his cooking demo – seeing how much work goes into the preparation and execution of haute cuisine makes the dishes taste exponentially better. Saturday with Jean-Georges Vongerichten was indeed a roaring good time, I can only wish that culinary events such as this happens more in Shanghai!

Jean Georges