A Taste of Club Med in Miami
This week, I taught Miami high school students how to make a “Court Bouillon.” What is a “court bouillon?”
The literal French translation is a short broth. Well, that’s basically what it is. It is a cooking technique that is slowly being forgotten in today’s world where the molecular chef gets all the attention with the newest gadgets and progressive methods. A court bouillon is a simple cooking liquid seasoned with aromatics and used to poach fish, seafood, or vegetables.
I visited with the advanced class of the Coral Gables High School Culinary Program in Miami to speak with them and show them how to prepare this simple cooking technique and other recipes. Made possible through Slow Food, the 90 minute class took the students through the entire process from harvesting vegetables and herbs that they have grown in their Slow Food and Club Med sponsored garden to preparation, plating and of course, tasting!
The recipe for a basic court bouillon is as follows:
1 tbsp butter
1 small onion, peeled and chopped
2 carrots, peeled and chopped
1 large celery rib, chopped
3 cups water
1 cup water
1/2 lemon
1 tbsp blk peppercorns
1 tbsp salt
1 bay leaf
2 cloves garlic
Sweat the vegetables in the butter over medium heat in a medium sauce pot for approximately 5 minutes, making sure they do not brown. Add all the other ingredients and bring to a boil. Drop to a simmer and cook for a few minutes. At this point, you are ready to poach whatever is on your menu.
This of course is the recipe for a basic court bouillon. You can add any aromatic flavor that you wish depending on what the desired outcome is. For example if you wish to give your court bouillon an Asian accent, add lemongrass, star anise, coriander, or vanilla beans.
We kept it simple with the students as the focus was to show them an important technique in the repertoire of any serious chef or cook. This technique also promotes healthful eating habits as poaching is one of the healthiest techniques you can use to cook.
I also showed the students how to use the beautiful baby romaine leaves, radishes, and all the herbs they had growing. We made a fantastic radish & herbs de Provence spread by simply blending 4 large radishes, a handful of fresh herbs such as oregano, lavender, rosemary, thyme, basil, and parsley with some lemon juice and cream cheese. We stuffed that into the baby romaine leaves and topped it with a few slices of Portobello Carpaccio. This was the garnish for a wild salmon filet which we poached in the freshly made court bouillon.
Spending time with the students and being able to give back and teach them the importance of respecting what they eat as well as how easy it is to eat healthful, is a true pleasure. What a great way to get kids to eat their veggies!!!
I’ll be cooking at a few events locally here in Miami, so if you’re in town, come and join me.
5th annual A Taste of the Garden at the Miami Beach Convention Center Botanical Gardens
When : Wednesday, January 27th from 6:30pm to 9pm
Who: limited to 300 people
What's on the menu: Seared Scallops in Noisette Butter topped with 7-hours Braised Leg of Lamb served on Pan-Fried Creamy Mushroom Risotto Cakes
Why: Charity for the preservation of the Botanical Garden
The mission is to provide free public access to an attractive Botanical Garden; create environmental and ecological education programs for children and adults; promote and preserve green space, and serve as a venue for visual and performing arts.
16th annual Bali Ha'i at the Kampong in Coconut Grove
When : Sunday, April 11th at 5pm
Why: preserving the treasured garden and contributing to the educational and scholarship programs of The American Institute of Wine & Food (AIWF)
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