Last night's Formal Hall was our first opportunity to delve into Maze, our latest cookbook written by Jason Atherton, Chef at Maze-Gordon Ramsey in Grosvenor Square.
Jason Atherton was the first British chef to complete a stage at Spain’s famous El Bulli restaurant. Having worked under Pierre Koffman, Nico Ladenis and Gordon Ramsay as Executive Chef at Verre in Dubai, Maze marked an exciting opportunity in Jason’s career to take centre stage.
We began the meal with prawn mayo, avocado, caviar and sweetcorn sorbet. The inspiration for the sorbet came as a result of the time Jason spent working in El Bulli making savoury ice creams under chef Ferran Adria, the caviar acts as a natural seasoning for the sorbet and the prawn mayo.
Next up, we served sirloin steak cooked sous vide, wild garlic, confited shallots, Bernaise sauce, Anna potato and spinach. Wild garlic is mainly used for its leaves which means it can double as a herb and a provider of garlic taste, here it can be seen on top of the shallot and spinach.
Vegetarians were served the same dish using seitan instead of beef. Seitan is a food made from the gluten of wheat. It is made by washing wheat flour dough with water until all the starch dissolves, leaving insoluble gluten as an elastic mass which is then cooked before being eaten. Wheat gluten is most popular in Japan and China, where it was first developed, as well as in the cuisines of other East and Southeast Asian nations. In Asia, it is commonly found on the menus of restaurants catering primarily to Buddhist customers who do not eat meat.
Last night's sweet of Bitter Chocolate Custard came from Dessert Foreplay by Johnny Iuzzini.
Johnny is the Executive Pastry Chef of the three-starred Michelin Restaurant Jean Georges in New York. At Jean Georges, Johnny’s desserts arrive as four mini tasters served together. These creations may be inspired by a single ingredient or by the season, each a collection of delicious tastes, textures and techniques.
The bitter chocolate custard is served with pistachio-chocolate crunch and espresso bubbles!
Bon appétit!
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