Meet Joël Cyr, a super passionate and talented Winnipeg chef whose culinary creations take you out of this world! Last week I had the absolute pleasure of being invited over to his house with my husband for what was one of the best meals I’ve ever had… (not exaggerating!) Just take a look at this menu and photos… if that doesn’t make you salivate, I don’t know what will!
SOUP – Veal Consommé, Shaved Shiitake Mushrooms, Julienne Carrots, Chives
SALAD – Cilantro-Lime Quinoa Salad, Poached Egg, Spicy Paprika Oil, Cucumber Basil Purée, Shaved Cucumber and Radish
APPETIZER – Spinach and Cheese Ravioli, Tomato Shallot Cream Sauce, Lobster Tail Poached in Clarified Butter, Balsamic Glaze
MAIN – Duck Breast, Fig Syrup, Mushroom-Leek-Parmesan Risotto, Roasted Asparagus
DESSERT – Root Beer Marshmallow, Vanilla Bean Tuile (wafer), Chili Chocolate ‘Crémeux’, Salted Chocolate Crumble, Strawberry Basil Coulis
GASP! SO DELICIOUS! Check out the small sampling of photos, and continue on to read his bio and some interesting facts about the process behind this gourmet five-course meal:
Home-made marshmallows! Can you believe it? So creative!
THE BIO: Joël Cyr is a Winnipeg culinary artist who is currently working as a sous-chef at the Grove Pub Restaurant. His experience in the kitchen started as a pastry chef for Le Croissant and eventually led him to working at Chop Steakhouse as a sous-chef (where he also gained experience in kitchen & restaurant management). He obtained his red seal in 2010, and wanting to break free from the corporate community, left his job at Chop and transistioned over to the Grove. And good news for you: you also can enjoy some of his fine talents by visiting the Grove! I highly recommend it! (my cousin also works in their kitchen, so I can double-garantee you’ll enjoy your food!)
THE TIDBITS, as quoted by Joël:
Inspiration for soup: “Consommé is a classic french soup that you don’t see much anymore because of the long process involved in preparing it but, in my opinion, should still be part of every chefs repertoire. Achieving a clear rich consommé requires time and patience but the payoff is worth it. Plus it photographs well!”
Salad: “When I think of spring I think of this salad. Fresh. The cool crunch and tart citrus of the salad is tamed by the warm oozy yolk of the poached egg.
Tip: Splurge on paprika. Don’t compromise. You won’t go back to the supermarket stuff once you’ve had a good smoked paprika.”
Appetizer: “Instead of cooking the lobster in boiling water the shell, I removed the meat from the shell and cooked it in clarified butter which gives it a ton of flavour.”
Main: “I love the exotic old world flavour of the fig syrup contrasting the rich savoury duck breast. I found a recipe for a similar sauce in a magazine and I’ve since made it my own. I also like serving it with pistachio-crusted pork tenderloin.”
Dessert: “After discovering that many chefs were serving marshmallows for their dessert course I began exploring and found that the possibilities are endless! So I decided to try this root beer marshmallow for the first time. I can’t wait to roast one on an open fire.
The chocolate crémeux is a recipe I’ve been making for a long time. Just as I was making it this last time i decided to throw some chilies in the cream and let them steep. The result? Slightly spicy chill chocolate cream. It’s definitely a keeper.”
TO SEE MORE PHOTOS FROM THIS MEAL, CHECK OUT THE ALBUM ON MY FACEBOOK PAGE!
Merci Joël, on se reprendra bientôt, ok? 🙂
