Le Cinq

LE CINQ Restaurant of the Hotel George V, Paris

ERIC BRIFFARD CHIHIRO MASUI - RICHARD HAUGHTON

SPRING

58 SPRING

ASPERGES FROIDES AU CAVIAR ET CITRON CAILLÉ DE BREBIS GLACÉ AU THÉ MATCHA CHILLED ASPARAGUS WITH CAVIAR AND LEMON, CURD CHEESE AND MATCHA TEA

CHILLED ASPARAGUS WITH CAVIAR AND LEMON 8 green asparagus spears 100g / 3½oz yoghurt, 20% fat 20g / ¾oz caviar 3cl / 2 tbsp olive oil 2g / ½ tsp lemon zest 2g / ½ tsp green matcha tea ICED EWE’S CURD CHEESE 100g / 3½oz ewe’s curd cheese 1g / ¼ tsp green matcha tea 100g / 3½oz green asparagus juice (centrifuged) 100g / 3½oz olive oil + a little extra to drizzle over the curd cheese Zest of 1 lemon Crushed black peppercorns

CHILLED ASPARAGUS WITH CAVIAR AND LEMON Cook the asparagus in salted boiling water (for about 1 minute, depending on their size) and chill in iced water. Drain and set aside on a cloth. Whip together the yoghurt, 2cl / 1½ tbsp olive oil and the finely grated lemon zest.

ICED EWE’S CURD CHEESE Mix together all the ingredients and process in the ice cream maker. Fill 4 small tumblers with the iced curd, drizzle with a dash of olive oil and sprinkle over a little crushed black pepper and lemon zest.

SERVING Serve the whipped yoghurt in the bottom of the plates. Dust with matcha tea, using a tea strainer.

Brush the asparagus spears with the remaining olive oil and arrange on the plates. Add a few dabs of caviar and serve with the iced ewe’s curd cheese.

132 SUMMER

POUSSES DE SALADES POTAGÈRES FIGUES AU FOIE GRAS CRU CRÈME D’AIL SPROUTING GREENS, FIGS WITH RAW FOIE GRAS, GARLIC CREAM

2 zucchinis 1 small purple aubergine 100g / 3½oz yellow frisee lettuce 50g / 1¾oz buck’s horn plantain shoots ½ bunch purple shiso 4 ripe purple figs 120g / 4½oz raw duck foie gras 100g / 3½oz dried duck breast Espelette chilli powder fleur de sel GARLIC CREAM 4 cloves spring garlic 6cl / ¼ cup whipping cream salt SERVING 5cl / ¼ cup olive oil 2cl / ½ tbsp sherry vinegar a few Thai garlic flowers salt and freshly ground pepper

PREPARATION Using a small kitchen knife, cut 1cm / 3⁄8 in slices of aubergine, keeping the skin. Cut the slices into tiny slivers, season with a pinch of fleur de sel and leave to disgorge for 5 minutes, then rinse under running water. Do the same with the zucchinis.

Set aside.

Pick over and carefully wash the lettuce and salad shoots, then spin thoroughly to dry. Cut the figs into thin segments.

Heat the blade of a knife in hot water, then shave off bite-size pieces of foie gras and season them with fleur de sel and Espelette chilli powder. Cut the dried duck breast into slivers.

GARLIC CREAM Peel and crush the spring garlic. Place in a small saucepan with the whipping cream and a pinch of salt, put the lid on and cook for 10 minutes. Blend and leave to cool. Transfer the garlic cream to a paper cone.

SERVING Dress the slivers of zucchini and aubergine, lettuce and salad shoots with olive oil, vinegar, salt and pepper.

Arrange the lettuce, salad shoots, zucchini and aubergine slivers, figs, foie gras and dried duck slices neatly on the plates. Pipe dabs of garlic cream from the paper cone onto the plate and decorate with garlic flowers.

238 AUTUMN

PÊCHE DE VIGNE RÔTIE À LA LAVANDE SORBET AUX MYRTILLES SAUVAGES ROAST PEACH, WILD BLUEBERRY SORBET

ROAST PEACH 4 large vine peaches 1l / 4¼ cup mineral water 150g / 5¼oz caster sugar 10g / 1⁄3 oz dried lavender 2 vanilla pods 12 fresh almonds BLUEBERRY SORBET 500g / 1lb wild blueberries 20cl / ¾ cup mineral water 100g / 31⁄5 oz caster sugar 2g / ½ tsp dried lavender ALMOND AND LAVENDER CREAM 250g / ½lb butter, softened 200g / 7oz egg 100g / 3½oz caster sugar 180g / 6½oz ground almonds 5g / 1 tsp dried lavender

ROAST PEACH Peel the peaches and arrange in an oven dish.

Bring the water and sugar to the boil, infuse the lavender and scraped vanilla pods for 10 minutes, then pour this syrup over the peaches. Leave to infuse for 2 to 3 hours, then strain off the liquid.

Roast in the oven at 180°C / 350°F, basting regularly with the syrup.

BLUEBERRY SORBET Centrifuge the blueberries to extract the juice.

Bring the water, sugar and lavender to the boil, then add the juice. Process in an ice cream maker and transfer to the freezer.

ALMOND AND LAVENDER CREAM Cream the sugar and softened butter, add the eggs, ground almonds and powdered lavender.

Mix well and set aside in the fridge.

SERVING Line the bottom of four 5cm / 2in diameter molds with almond and lavender cream. Bake for 20 minutes in a preheated oven at 160°C / 325°F. Remove from the molds immediately and set the cream disks in the middle of the plates, place a hot roast peach on top. Arrange a scoop of blueberry sorbet alongside and decorate with fresh almonds and sprigs of lavender. Coat the peaches with their cooking juices.

310 WINTER

OMELETTE NORVÉGIENNE AUX AGRUMES DE CHEZ BACHÈS SORBET AU KALAMANSI CITRUS BAKED ALASKA AND CALAMONDIN SORBET

VANILLA ICE CREAM 12.5cl / ½ cup whipping cream 37.5cl / 1½ cup milk 125g / 4½oz egg yolk 100g / 3½oz caster sugar 1 vanilla pod CALAMONDIN SORBET zest of 2 calamondins 20cl / ¾ cup calamondin juice 46cl / 2 cups mineral water 240g / 8½oz caster sugar 20g / ¾oz powdered milk 60g / 2oz atomised glucose 4g / 1 tsp stabiliser LEMON MERINGUES 100g / 3½oz egg white 100g / 3½oz caster sugar zest of one lemon 100g / 3½oz icing sugar ITALIAN MERINGUE 100g / 3½oz egg white 150g / 5¼oz sugar 5cl / ¼ cup mineral water PLAIN SPONGE CAKE 150g / 5¼ oz egg 100g / 3½ oz caster sugar 100g / 3½ oz flour 30g / 1oz melted butter SERVING 3 oranges 2 grapefruits 4 limequats zest of one lime, grated 5cl / ¼ cup Cointreau 3cl / 2 tbsp 30° syrup (see recipe, page 319) icing sugar soft brown sugar

VANILLA ICE CREAM

PLAIN SPONGE CAKE

Boil the cream and milk with the vanilla. Beat the egg yolks and sugar to pale, pour slowly onto the cream and milk. Keep stirring and cook until the mixture coats the back of a wooden spatula.

Process in the ice-cream maker and set aside.

Heat the eggs and sugar in a bain-marie at 45°C / 110°F. Cool by beating in the mixer before adding the flour, then the melted butter. Spread over a baking tray covered with parchment paper to a thickness of 1cm / 3⁄8 in and cook for 10 minutes in the oven at 200°C / 400°F.

CALAMONDIN SORBET SERVING Make a syrup with the water, sugar, glucose, powdered milk, stabiliser and zests of 2 calamondins.

Strain through a chinois and refrigerate.

When cold, add the calamondin juice and process in the ice-cream maker.

Take four 7cm / 2¾in rings, 4cm / 1½in high. Fill with a disk of sponge cake, soaked in a mixture of the syrup and 2cl / 1½ tbsp Cointreau, the vanilla ice cream, 3 lemon meringues and the calamondin sorbet. Smooth over the top and freeze until ready to serve.

LEMON MERINGUES Whip the egg whites to firm with the sugar, then add the sieved icing sugar and grated lemon zest.

Pipe into 2cm / ¾in round balls on a baking sheet and dry out in the oven for an hour at 90°C / 200°F.

ITALIAN MERINGUE Whisk the egg whites to firm in the mixer. Put the sugar in a pan with the water and heat to 121°C / 250°F. Pour the syrup onto the beaten egg whites and continue to beat as it cools to make a very firm meringue.

To serve, arrange orange and grapefruit segments on top of the iced dessert, along with very thin slices of limequat and a little grated lime zest.

Cover with the Italian meringue and dust with icing sugar and soft brown sugar. Cook for 4-5 minutes at 230°C / 450°F. Place on a plate and flambé with the remainder of the Cointreau.