One of those motivational life-advice tropes resurfaces on social media periodically: on their death bed, nobody ever regrets working too little. Instead, as the Harvard Business review, The Guardian and even The Daily Mail have all reported, those on the verge of checking out usually express remorse at spending too much time at their desks and not enough meeting new people, trying new food or doing the sort of thing they love.
This month, I notched up what I’m sure will haunt me for years to come — or at least until I actually get to storied The French Laundry and meet Thomas Keller myself.
I won’t waste your time with an introduction, you either know the man who put Yountville, California, on the map or you don’t. The world’s most-awarded chef, a living legend among cooks, critics and plebeian foodies such as myself, was in Dubai last week to launch only the second Bouchon Bakery outside the US (the first is in Kuwait, where franchise partners Alshaya are headquartered), and I’m devastated I couldn’t get out to The Beach at JBR to grab a selfie and do this interview in person.
And only tomorrow will I have a chance to try the menu of quiches, salads and sandwiches or marvel at Adam D. Tihany’s interiors. I have no excuses.
I did send through questions to Keller, though, which he seems to have kindly and patiently answered — as anyone will tell you, Keller is not a man who suffers fools gladly:
The French Laundry is one of the world’s most iconic restaurants. Are you thinking of bringing a Michelin-level concept to the Middle East?
No. We are focused on bringing Bouchon Bakery to the Middle East and making new memories for our guests. Whether it is a croissant, a sandwich or a chocolate-chip cookie, the food we serve at Bouchon Bakery inspires joy that speaks across generations.
Whether it’s the French Laundry or your New York restaurant Per Se, your food can be seen really as personality cuisine. How does that translate overseas?
I turn to the reason that cooks cook. Cooks cook to nurture. Great cooking produces lasting memories. Food memories can come from something as humble as a beautiful piece of toasted bread or a wonderful piece of fruit. At the highest levels, we make food memories by balancing nourishment with joy and excitement. Our work of comprehensive refinement — of cooking at the highest level, at the highest form, using the best ingredients, the best techniques, in the best environments — is all in service of making memories for those eating what we prepare.
How does that approach inform your legacy? Do you think about handing over the mantle or do you want to cook till your knees give out?
It is my hope that as we train and mentor the next generation of chefs, this philosophy continues. We must remember that when we think of cooking, and all of the different cultures and sub-cultures of food around the world and the reason that we all cook, that reason is nourishment. It’s that simple. Another legacy I hope to impart is a ‘Sense of Urgency’. In all our restaurants a Sense of Urgency plaque hangs under the kitchen clock. It is something I ask my team to come to work with each day, and it goes beyond just making sure we are prepared and ready to serve. It’s about speed, but it also means investing in what we do with importance. Great cooking is the accumulation of countless tiny tasks. Taken in isolation, these tasks might seem minimal. But each and every one of them is vital to the whole. And performing them with urgency heightens their significance even more.
What are the key menu signatures we should be looking for at the new Bouchon Bakery in Dubai?
We have developed an exclusive local flavour macaroon: Coconut and saffron. This macaroon has fresh saffron baked into the shell and is sprinkled with coconut before baking, then filled with a light coconut custard that delicately compliments the earthy tones of the saffron. We are pleased to introduce a mango eclair, a buttery eclair shell filled with a sweet whipped yoghurt crème fraiche and topped with a white chocolate mango ganache and pieces of fresh mango. Lastly, with a shape and name to honour the legendary French bicycle race between the cities of Brest and Paris, the rosewater Paris-Brest is uniquely filled with delicate rosewater cream, pistachio pastry cream and a sweet later of raspberry jam.
What’s really going to set it apart from other venues in the country? We’ve plenty of posh cafes in the UAE.
I want to give our guests a glimpse of Paris that I discovered as a young chef; tastes and scents they’ll remember the rest of their lives and — maybe most importantly — an inviting place that inspires people and communities to gather and enjoy being with one another.
Will you be serving Equator Coffee?
Yes we are bringing Equator Coffee to Bouchon Bakery across all the Middle East. It’s based on a long-time relationship I have forged with the founders of Equator, Brooke McDonnell and Helen Russell who share a respect for artisan coffee and a desire to have an impact on an industry with evolving social, economic and environmental issues.
How much are you going to use local/regional ingredients? Do customers even want this from you?
Yes, I think they do and it’s important that we listen to our guests about their preferences and to honour this region.
Bouchon is 19 years old. What’s been the biggest learning here for you — as compared to running the French Laundry or Per Se?
Bouchon Bakery is about maintaining the classic traditions and techniques of traditional French comfort food. Though our menu has grown substantially in the last 19 years to include more proteins and seasonal or regional offerings for our guests, the techniques and traditions that Bouchon was founded on remain a constant in the restaurant for every service. At a bistro, you want to count on its predictability, and our guests have responded to that approach.
At the French Laundry — with the remodel — evolution has been top of mind. The words of Charles Darwin resonate as I watch a state-of-the-art, modern design come to life, adjacent to the historic building that still houses the original dining room. From a simple beginning, one that I want very much to remember and preserve, The French Laundry continues to grow and evolve. The two designs, side by side, are a symbol of where we have been and where we are going. Like most chefs, I’m a bit of a control freak, and to learn to give that up is a difficult thing. But giving up some of the control, and placing it in the hands of people who embrace our philosophy, that is how we grow. In order to see ourselves and our work evolve, we must share the responsibility of the thing it is we’re trying to grow.
What’s the one tip you always give budding chefs?
The first is patience. Always be patient with your career and with yourself. Make sure you take the time to learn the skills that you will need in the future; do not rush. Cooking is rewarding, it should be fun, and it gives us the opportunity to nurture others. That is the real reason we cook, and we must find the purpose in each task that allows us to do so. The second word is persistence. Don’t let anyone tell you that you can’t do something. If you are willing to try, and if you work hard at it, you will find a way. If you believe that you cannot fail, then you will persist even in the most challenging times.
Recipes
BOUCHONS
Ingredients:
Eggs (room temperature) 188 grams
Sugar 406 grams
Salt 2 grams
Butter, melted and cooled to 35C, 378 grams
Cocoa Rouge (sifted) 125 grams
Flour, T45 Route (sifted) 125 grams
Chocolate Chips 240 grams
Product Yield: Pieces 40
Procedure:
1. Preheat oven to 175C
2. In a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, place eggs, sugar and salt, whisk on medium speed until combined.
3. Pour butter into the mixer, whisk until combined.
4. Add in cocoa powder and flour, whisk until combined
5. Add in chocolate chips, whisk until evenly distributed
6. Pipe batter into silicone molds or oil sprayed miniature muffin tins
7. Bake for approximately 18 minutes or until the tops spring back when touched
8. Allow to fully cool before unmoulding
Prep time: 15 minutes
Bake time: 18 minutes
Makes: 40
STREUSEL CAKE
Yield: approximately 12
Butter (room temperature), 122 grams
Sugar 338 grams
Vanilla Paste 23 grams
Eggs 122 grams
Flour T45 Rouge, 328 grams
Baking Powder 10 grams
Baking Soda 3 grams
Salt 3 grams
Creme Friache 365 grams
Cocoa filling (See recipe)
Almond Croustillant (See recipe)
Cocoa Filling:
1.5 tablespoons cocoa powder
1.5 tablespoons brown sugar
Mix together and reserve to the side until ready to use
Almond Croustillant:
Butter, Cold, 24mm Dice, 50 grams
All purpose flour 50 grams
Sugar 50 grams
Almond flour 50 grams
Salt 2.5 grams
1. In a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, place all ingredients and paddle on low speed
2. Mix until dough all come together to a dough
3. Chill dough in refrigerator for about 1 hour, or until fully chilled through
4. Using a grater, grate dough into small crumbly pieces.
5. Reserve in refrigerator until ready to use.
Preparation:
1. Preheat oven to 172C
2. In a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, on low speed, paddle butter and sugar together till smooth
3. Add in the vanilla and eggs, paddle till smooth
4. Paddle in the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Paddle till smooth
5. Once all is smooth, paddle in the crème fraiche. Paddle till smooth
6. In non-stick muffin pans that are greased, filled each cavity ½ way with the batter
7. Add half tsp of coca filling into each
8. Fill all the cavities up leaving about 1.5mm of space
9. Top each with almond croustillant
10. Bake for approx 20 minutes or until the top springs back when touched or a toothpick comes out clean when inserted.
11. Once cooled, dust top with powdered sugar and a touch of cinnamon.
