PARIS: Whether it is a velvety liquid poured over stewed fruit or a dollop of thickly-clotted goodness, cream is the ultimate indulgent ingredient.
The Isigny Ste Mere production facility in Normandy and the neighboring dairy cooperative, Laita, are known for their premium-quality creams and both offered Arab News an eye-opening tour of the secrets behind cream-making.
The facilities and farms are located in Normandy and Brittany, the dairy heartland of France that is known for its rolling green pastures and wandering cows.
Dairy producers in the area are strong believers in the importance of the terroir, a trinity of the land, farming practices and the animals. If all are well maintained, producers believe the quality of the dairy will speak for itself.
Dairy cooperatives are common in these parts of France, with cooperatives such as Isigny Ste Mere in Normandy being comprised of 430 farms, each with an equal vote regardless of its size.
According to Camille Mancelle, export manager Isigny Ste Mere, at more than half the milk in France is produced by cooperatives of individual, family-run farms with an average of 60 cows each.
The Gaec de toul Manach farm in Brittany, which is a member of the Laita cooperative, allows its adult cows to graze in nearby fields of long grass and various wild flowers, a diet that ensures the milk is rich and creamy and one that means the color of the butter produced changes throughout the year, depending on what the cows have been eating.
The pastures in this northwestern corridor of France are maintained by the almost-constantly wet and mild weather, with temperatures ranging from 10 to 25 degrees Celsius throughout the year.
Farm owners typically collect milk twice a day using automated suction pumps which attach to the udders after they are¬¬¬¬ cleaned with water.
In Isigny Ste Mere farms, the milk is then collected by the cooperative every 48 hours — or every 24 hours for the production of camembert cheese — and transported by truck to the plant where it is analyzed for its fat content and to ensure there are no anti-biotics present in the fresh milk.
You can skim off your own cream at home by leaving full fat milk to rest overnight. A layer of the fatty cream will rise to the top, giving you a ready-to-use dessert ingredient.
However, store-bought cream is far easier to use and keep, especially long-lasting UHT cream products.
One of the most readily available creams, this boxed liquid has a longer shelf life than regular pasteurized cream and, in some cases, does not need refrigerating. UHT cream can be used as a direct substitute for double, heavy or whipping cream and is as versatile as it is durable.
Designed to withstand the rigors of cooking, pouring UHT cream gives very light and fluffy results when it is whipped for patisserie and has a slightly sweet flavor.
For the perfect whipping cream, French cream brand Elle & Vire’s international culinary adviser Ludovic Chesney suggests a fat content of 35 percent, the industry standard for whipping cream.
The volume of a good French cream can almost triple during the whipping process, meaning dessert-lovers can produce more pastries, cakes and treats with less liquid cream than they could while using a cheaper brand with a lower fat content.
If you are stuck for fresh, simple ideas on how to use the cream in your fridge, why not try a delicious la fontaine bleu, an easy dessert that can be whipped up in minutes.
It is important to start with cold cream that has rested in the refrigerator overnight — cream that has been shaken up on the car ride home from the supermarket will not whip as well, according to Chesney.
It is then as simple as whipping one liter of cream and adding one liter of fromage frais, with caster sugar to slightly sweeten the mix. You can then serve it all up with a dollop of raspberry coulis over the top and voila, a party-pleasing dessert or sweet breakfast is ready to eat.
An eye-opening tour of the crème de la crème of France’s cream industry
An eye-opening tour of the crème de la crème of France’s cream industry
Recipes for Success: Chef Aniket Chatterjee offers advice and a mutton curry recipe
DUBAI: Aniket Chatterjee — currently chef de cuisine at Atrangi by Ritu Dalmia in Dubai — says his cooking is shaped as much by memory and personal history as it is by technique.
Working closely with celebrity chef and restaurateur Dalmia, Chatterjee has developed a style that looks at Indian food not through trends, he says, but through stories — from home kitchens and street food to lesser-known regional traditions.
Many of his dishes at Atrangi are contemporary adaptations of familiar Indian flavors and everyday recipes. His approach reflects how Indian cuisine in Dubai, and beyond, is shifting, with more diners interested in regional cooking, comfort food and the stories behind where dishes come from, he tells Arab News.
When you started out, what was the most common mistake you made?
I put a lot of stress and pressure on myself, which was leading to my passion getting depleted.
What’s your top tip for amateur chefs?
Always cook with intuition and intent. Cooking depends a lot on your mindset. Once you start cooking not because someone wants to eat, but because you want to feed them, that’s a game changer.
What one ingredient can instantly improve any dish?
Simple: salt. Seasoning is key. Someone once said: “The difference between good food and great food is a pinch of salt,” and I strongly believe that. And love, of course.
When you go out to eat, do you find yourself critiquing the food?
Obviously it’s a mechanism, after working for so many years, that I try to analyze anything that I eat. But it’s just for understanding or inspiration purposes. I do believe in giving feedback because I genuinely want the restaurant or the cook to be better.
What’s the most common issue that you find in other restaurants?
The thing that ticks me off is anything which starts with “viral.” I’m out. I don’t like it when restaurants follow trends and don’t do what they are actually capable of doing or love to do.
What’s your favorite cuisine or dish?
I love Japanese food. It’s simple yet complex. But my favorite dish changes weekly. It is like that one song that you listen to on a loop and then you get sick of it. I do the same with food. Last week it was mandi with haneeth ribs — the fat, the freshness from the tomato, rice and laban is so beautifully balanced. This week, it’s mostly ramen.
What’s your go-to dish if you have to cook something quickly at home?
I love to make a nice bowl of pasta. Usually, back home, in my pantry, we always have the ingredients, because even my mom loves it. It’s usually a nice simple tomato and basil spaghetti with some fresh mozzarella or a ragu or an aglio e olio.
What customer behavior most annoys you?
When they tell us they are allergic to something but later turns out they just don’t like the particular thing. That has happened multiple times.
What’s your favorite dish to cook and why?
A nice spicy curry — chicken or lamb. It’s therapeutic. Making curry, for me, is the most beautiful thing in the world. It’s very complex and layered, and it’s completely based on understanding, not a recipe.
What’s the most difficult dish for you to get right?
It’s not a dish, it’s two ingredients: doodhi (bottle gourd) and karela (bitter gourd). I absolutely despised both those vegetables with all my heart, until I took on a challenge to work around it. It worked out and I have had a lot of my fellow haters end up liking both.
As a head chef, what are you like? Are you a disciplinarian? Or are you more laid back?
I don’t like shouting; I feel that’s a very weak approach to leading a team. You have to be calm and composed. I’m a firm believer in energies and that it transpires into the food, so I don’t want a stressful work environment and having fun in the kitchen is mandatory. Of course, there are some non-negotiables, and that’s where the discipline kicks in.
Chef Aniket’s lazy Sunday mutton curry
(serves 4)
Ingredients
Marination:
Mutton or lamb curry cut – 600g
Mutton or lamb fat (preferably in cubes) – 100g
Full fat yoghurt – 50g
Red onion (sliced) – 450g
Ginger and garlic paste – 80g
Coriander stems (whole) – 15g
Mustard oil – 30ml
Kashmiri red chilli powder – 16g
Turmeric powder – 8g
Coriander powder – 14g
Roasted cumin powder – 14g
Black salt – to taste
Garam masala:
Cumin – 8g
Cinnamon – 4g
Cloves – 2g
Green cardamom – 6g
Black cardamom – 2g
Bay leaf – 2 pcs
Whole dried red chilli – 1 pc
Black pepper – 3g
Fennel seeds – 6g
For the tempering:
Mustard oil – 80ml
Whole dried red chilli – 2 to 3 pcs
Bay leaf – 2 to 3 pcs
Black pepper (whole) – 6g
Cinnamon sticks – 2 to 3 pcs
Instructions:
Take a bowl and combine all the ingredients listed under marination. Let it sit for at least three hours, preferably overnight in the fridge.
For the spice mix, combine all the ingredients listed under garam masala in a cold non-stick pan and slowly bring to heat. Toss the spices as they warm so they roast evenly without burning. Once cooled, blend into a coarse powder.
Take a pressure cooker and add the mustard oil from the tempering. Once hot, add the dry spices and saute for a minute.
Add the marinated mutton or lamb directly into the oil. The marinade will have released some water, so separate it and add only the meat, onions and fat first. This helps the meat and onions sear and caramelize properly.
Once browned, add the remaining marinade liquid and cook for another 10 to 15 minutes. Cover and cook for two whistles plus 30 minutes for mutton, or two whistles plus 15 minutes for lamb. Let it rest for 15 to 20 minutes until the steam releases naturally.
Once the meat is tender, adjust the consistency and seasoning to taste.
Turn off the heat and add one tablespoon of the garam masala. At this point, add one tablespoon clarified butter or ghee, julienned ginger (5 g), lemon juice to taste and a pinch of sugar.
Finish with plenty of fresh chopped coriander and serve hot with rice or parathas.
