An evening with Michel Roux Jr
By claire_m
February 17 2012
Before I get started, I just wanted to say sorry it has taken me so long to write this. Things have been a bit busy, what with Christmas and my sieve-like memory...
I’m sure I’m not the only one who feels this way, but I am inspired by Michel Roux Jr. He is part of the Roux dynasty and I remember watching his father and uncle on tv when I was younger. I have inherited (stolen is probably more accurate!) my mother’s ‘At Home with the Roux Brothers’ book and refer to it whenever I want to make choux pastry, or any other classical dish. I always feel particularly inspired by people who follow their dreams and do something for a living which they are not only passionate about, but very good at.
Therefore, it was with great excitement that I booked my ticket for Harlequins’ first ‘An Evening With’ night. On introducing Michel, Julian Gent told the expectant gathering that more such evenings would follow and I hope that they do, as it was a really enjoyable way to spend a Thursday evening.
I don’t really know where to begin in writing about the evening. I took copious notes, scribbling away like a crazy person at times! Michel is a big rugby fan and also a big Harlequins fan and he can often be seen down at the Stoop. The night started with Michel telling us about his early life and his family. I’m not going to pass on every story that Michel shared, but I’ll certainly recap my favourite ones.
Michel worked in Le Gavroche as soon as it opened. He worked 18 hour days and it made him want to become a chef professionally. He left school at 16 and went to work as an apprentice in France and started out in a pastry shop. Pastry is a difficult discipline to master and if you are so much as 1g out, your recipe can end in disaster. As a young man, living in Paris, away from his family, he was out every night and having the time of his life. He was often late to work and would be pulled up for his time-keeping. This would improve for a short while and then he would fall back into his bad ways. One day, when the pastry shop he was working at closed around 4pm, his boss pulled out a 25kg bag of almonds. They had been shelled but not skinned and to teach him a lesson, he had to blanch them in boiling water, then pop the skin off. He was told that he wasn’t going to leave until the bag was empty. 2 hours later, his boss was still watching him, waiting for him to quit. Michel didn’t however and he finished the bag by the end of the evening. His fingers were raw and bleeding and he was never late for work again!
During his apprenticeship, Michel was required to undertake military service. The only way to get out of this was to give up his French passport, but that was not an option. He asked his father if he could help as he didn’t want to waste a year of cooking. His father knew a few people and Michel spent his military service in the kitchens of the Élysée Palace, where he was given the responsibility of preparing President Mitterand’s breakfast and finding some late afternoon oysters!
Michel is a great runner and has run 17 marathons so far. His Tromso marathon sounded like one we could all miss, but the Marathon du Medoc is worth training for – you run through 48 chateaux (in Bordeaux), and each chateau puts on a feast, washed down with wine from the region! Michel has already run two and is contemplating a third. Now, where did I put my running shoes?!
After this story, Michel took some questions from the floor and there were plenty! He was asked about ‘Masterchef: the Professionals’ which was still on tv at the time and had been filmed from May-July. ‘Would Claire win?’ was a popular question. Michel, ever the consummate professional wouldn’t be drawn into revealing the winner, only to say that she was a very talented chef, who would go far. (Having been glued to the show, particularly the final week, I think it’s fair to say that the 3 finalists all have very bright futures.)
Michel was asked if he had to choose, what his final meal would be. He replied (after some thought) that it would be grilled lobster, with garlic butter and thick chips but he’d rather have a 12 course banquet! His meal would probably start with sashimi and dessert would be something chocolatey, such as amadei (incidentally I’d not heard of it, but a quick search later, I’m going to book the next flight to Tuscany!). To drink, he’d quite like a white burgundy, such as La Mouche.
He was asked for some advice if someone wanted a career change and wanted to start cooking. Michel replied that it was a young person’s job and that someone who was 26 was already ‘past it’ in the culinary industry. After his dose of realism, he offered the chap who asked the question the opportunity to spend some time in his kitchen, which would be a truly amazing. (Incidentally, I don’t know how that turned out, but if you’re the lucky chap in question, it would be great to hear.)
Michel took us through the best wines to accompany our food (mostly French of course!) and I had the honour of asking the final question! As a lot of you are probably aware, I have a cake and desserts company and I’ve been struggling for the past year (temporarily given up on, to be honest) how to make the perfect macaroon. Sometimes they work, more often than not, they don’t. Michel’s tip – to ensure the egg whites are worked in thoroughly and the macaroons piped at the end of the batch tend to be the best as they have been worked more.
To conclude the evening, Michel signed copies of his latest book: ‘A Life in the Kitchen’. At one point, the queue seemed to stretch for half of the members’ bar - a testament to the popularity of this charming man.
Finally, did his tips on making the perfect macaroons work? Shamefully, I haven’t had a chance to make them yet, but when I do, I shall be paying close attention to his advice and hopefully I’ll be churning out perfect macaroons from now!
If you do not already have an account Click here to Register.
Although it did make me smile how much this meets certain club stereotypes - next week look out for the Sarries board article on "our Biltong tasting session with Nelson Mandela"
