Wine & Food Week, presented by H-E-B, will take place until June 10 in The Woodlands. Chef Philippe Schmit from Philippe Restaurant + Lounge is among the 50 chefs taking part in the Wine & Food Week Wine Rendezvous Grand Tasting & Chef’s Showcase Waterford Crystal Chef of Chefs competition, with a $5,000 prize at stake. As a preview to the competition, Chef Philippe prepares Lamb Navarin on FOX 26 Morning News.
Born in France, Texas loving Chef Philippe Schmit is executive chef and owner of the upscale, eponymous eatery Philippe Restaurant + Lounge, which was recognized by Texas Monthly as one of Texas’ “Best New Restaurants,”. In 2012, Schmit was named “Master Chef of France”, the most sought after award given to chefs dedicated to French cuisine. Prior to opening Philippe, Schmit served as Executive Chef and Partner at bistro moderne in Houston, where he was hailed as one of the city’s most innovative and talented chefs since his arrival in 2004.
Born and raised in Roanne, France, he apprenticed at age 14 at a local restaurant in the picturesque French town northwest of Lyon. Upon leaving Lyon, Schmit trained at three of Paris’s most respected Michelin 2-Star restaurants – Le Carre des Feuillants, Pavillon Elysee Lenotre and Restaurant Jacques Cagna – in addition to extensive training in Holland and England. In 1990, he set sail for New York and ignited his stateside career with lightning speed, becoming Sous Chef at the internationally respected Le Bernardin and later as Chef de Cuisine at Park Bistro.
In 1994, he became Executive Chef of the fashionable and immensely popular Madison Avenue mainstay, La Goulue. In 2000, Schmit became Executive Chef at Orsay, which took the New York restaurant scene by storm and is consistently rated as one of the best and most popular restaurants in New York City.
On the Web:
Wine & Food Week 2012 — http://www.wineandfoodweek.com/
Lamb Navarin
Ingredients
- Lamb shoulder 56 oz
- Couscous 12 oz
- Dry Apricots, diced 4 oz
- Dry Dates, diced 4 oz
- Dry Figs, diced 4 oz
- Carrots 8 oz
- Zucchini 8 oz
- Peas 4 oz
- Turnips 4 oz
- Cumin 4 pinch
- Mint julienne 2 oz
- Lamb Bones
- Tomato compote 4 oz
- Tomato paste 2 oz
- Virgin olive oil 4 tsp
- White wine 2 cups
- Lamb stock 2 quart
- Butter 4 oz
- Flour 6 oz
- Chicken stock 2 cup
- Pomace Olive oil 4 Tbsp
- Rosemary tops 1 sprig
- Virgin Olive Oil 4 tsp
- Thyme 1 bunch
- Bay leaves 2 Leaves
- Parsley 1 Small bunch
- Cherry tomatoes 8 each
- Almonds, toasted ½ cup
Mirepoix
- Onions 8 oz
- Garlic 4 oz
- Celery 8 oz
- Carrots 8 oz
For deglazing:
White wine 2 cups
For 4 People
Method
1. Sear lamb pieces in pomace olive oil and butter using a roasting pan until colored, add mirepoix. Cook until mirepoix is light in color, add flour, tomato paste and cook for 4 minutes on low heat. Deglaze with white wine, add lamb stock (or veal stock), tomato compote, rosemary sprigs, thyme, bay leaves, parsley (bouquet garni). Season with salt and pepper. Cook slowly for about 2 hours, until the meat is tender.
2. Boil the chicken stock and pour slowly – little by little – into the couscous. Mix with hands or a fork. Add salt and pepper, virgin olive oil. Cover with plastic wrap for 5 minutes to steam and then add mint julienne and almonds.
3. Cook separately in salted water: baby carrots, zucchini, turnips and English peas. Once cooked but still crunchy, chock in ice water then sauté in the left over butter until hot. Check seasoning.
4. Separate meat from mirepoix. Pass the remaining sauce through a strainer and add back to the meat.
Presentation
Add the diced dry fruits and cumin into the lamb stew and its sauce. Plate the couscous in a side dish. Plate the lamb stew in a soup bowl and place the vegetables around the meat. Top with a mint sprig tip for the final presentation.
Bon appétit
